Learning lessons from the past

A. Many past societies collapsed or vanished, leaving behind monumental ruins such as those that the poet Shelley imagined in his sonnet, Ozymandias. By collapse, I mean a drastic decrease in human population size and/or political/economic/social complexity, over a considerable area, for an extended time. By those standards, most people would consider the following past societies to have been famous victims of full-fledged collapses rather than of just minor declines: the Anasazi and Cahokia within the boundaries of the modem US, the Maya cities in Central America, Moche and Tiwanaku societies in South America, Norse Greenland, Mycenean Greece and Minoan Crete in Europe, Great Zimbabwe in Africa, Angkor Wat and the Harappan Indus Valley cities in Asia, and Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean.

B. The monumental ruins left behind by those past societies hold a fascination for all of us. We marvel at them when as children we first learn of them through pictures. When we grow up, many of US plan vacations in order to experience them at first hand. We feel drawn to their often spectacular and haunting beauty, and also to the mysteries that they pose. The scales of the ruins testify to the former wealth and power of their builders. Yet these builders vanished, abandoning the great structures that they had created at such effort. How could a society that was once so mighty end up collapsing?

C. It has long been suspected that many of those mysterious abandonments were at least partly triggered by ecological problems: people inadvertently destroying the environmental resources on which their societies depended. This suspicion of unintended ecological suicide (ecocide) has been confirmed by discoveries made in recent decades by archaeologists, climatologists, historians, paleontologists, and palynologists (pollen scientists). The processes through which past societies have undermined themselves by damaging their environments fall into eight categories, whose relative importance differs from case to case: deforestation and habitat destruction, soil problems, water management problems, overhunting, overfishing, effects of introduced species on native species, human population growth, and increased impact of people.

D. Those past collapses tended to follow somewhat similar courses constituting variations on a theme. Writers find it tempting to draw analogies between the course of human societies and the course of individual human lives - to talk of a society’s birth, growth, peak, old age and eventual death. But that metaphor proves erroneous for many past societies: they declined rapidly after reaching peak numbers and power, and those rapid declines must have come as a surprise and shock to their citizens. Obviously, too, this trajectory is not one that all past societies followed unvaryingly to completion: different societies collapsed to different degrees and in somewhat different ways, while many societies did not collapse at all.

E. Today many people feel that environmental problems overshadow all the other threats to global civilisation. These environmental problems include the same eight that undermined past societies, plus four new ones: human-caused climate change, build up of toxic chemicals in the environment, energy shortages, and full human utilisation of the Earth’s photosynthetic capacity. But the seriousness of these current environmental problems is vigorously debated. Are the risks greatly exaggerated, or conversely are they underestimated? Will modem technology solve our problems, or is it creating new problems faster than it solves old ones? When we deplete one resource (eg wood, oil, or ocean fish), can we count on being able to substitute some new resource (eg plastics, wind and solar energy, or farmed fish)? Isn’t the rate of human population growth declining, such that we\re already on course for the world’s population to level off at some manageable number of people?

F. Questions like this illustrate why those famous collapses of past civilisations have taken on more meaning than just that of a romantic mystery. Perhaps there are some practical lessons that we could learn from all those past collapses. But there are also differences between the modem world and its problems, and those past societies and their problems. We shouldn’t be so naive as to think that study of the past will yield simple solutions, directly transferable to our societies today. We differ from past societies in some respects that put US at lower risk than them; some of those respects often mentioned include our powerful technology (ie its beneficial effects), globalisation, modem medicine, and greater knowledge of past societies and of distant modem societies. We also differ from past societies in some respects that put US at greater risk than them: again, our potent technology (ie its unintended destructive effects), globalisation (such that now a problem in one part of the world affects all the rest), the dependence of millions of US on modem medicine for our survival, and our much larger human population. Perhaps we can still learn from the past, but only if we think carefully about its lessons.

 

Questions 27-29

Choose the correct letter. A, B, c or D.

 

27. When the writer describes the impact of monumental ruins today, he emphasises

A. the income they generate from tourism.

B. the area of land they occupy.

C. then archaeological value.

D. then romantic appeal.

28. Recent findings concerning vanished civilisations

A. have overturned long-held beliefs.

B. caused controversy amongst scientists.

C. come from a variety of disciplines.

D. identified one main cause of environmental damage.

29. What does the writer say about ways in which former societies collapsed?

A. The pace of decline was usually similar.

B. The likelihood of collapse would have been foreseeable.

C. Deterioration invariably led to total collapse.

D. Individual citizens could sometimes influence the course of events. 

Questions 30-34

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage? Write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

30 It is widely believed that environmental problems represent the main danger faced by the modern world.

31 The accumulation of poisonous substances is a relatively modern problem.

32 There is general agreement that the threats posed by environmental problems are very serious.

33 Some past societies resembled present-day societies more closely than others.

34 We should be careful when drawing comparisons between past and present.

Questions 35-39

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F, below.

Write the correct letter, A-F.

35 Evidence of the greatness of some former civilisations

36 The parallel between an individual’s life and the life of a society

37 The number of environmental problems that societies face

38 The power of technology

39 A consideration of historical events and trends

------------------

A. is not necessarily valid.

B. provides grounds for an optimistic outlook,

C. exists in the form of physical structures.

D. is potentially both positive and negative.

E. will not provide direct solution for present problems.

F. is greater now than in the past

Question 40

 

Choose the correct letter, A, B, c or D

40. What is the main argument of Reading Passage 3?

A. There are differences as well as similarities between past and present societies.

B. More should be done to preserve the physical remains of earlier civilisations.

C. Some historical accounts of great civilisations are inaccurate.

D. Modem societies are dependent on each other for then continuing survival.

Reading Test 8

Section 1

Finches on Islands

A. Today, the quest continues. On Daphne Major —one of the most desolate of the Galápagos Islands, an uninhabited volcanic cone where cacti and shrubs seldom grow higher than a researcher's knee Peter and Rosemary Grant have spent more than three decades watching Darwin's finches respond to the challenges of storms, drought and competition for food. Biologists at Princeton University, the Grants know and recognize many of the individual birds on the island and can trace the birds’ lineages back through time. They have witnessed Darwin's principle in action again and again, over many generations of finches.

B. The Grants' most dramatic insights have come from watching the evolving bill of the medium ground finch. The plumage of this sparrow-sized bird ranges from dull brown to jet black. At first glance, it may not seem particularly striking, but among scientists who study evolutionary biology, the medium ground finch is a superstar. Its bill is a middling example in the array of shapes and sizes found among Galapagos finches: heftier than that of the small ground finch, which specializes in eating small, soft seeds, but petite compared to that of the large ground finch, an expert at cracking and devouring big, hard seeds.

C. When the Grants began their study in the 1970s, only two species of finch lived on Daphne Major, the medium ground finch and the cactus finch. The island is so small that the researchers were able to count and catalogue every bird. When a severe drought hit in 1977, the birds soon devoured the last of the small, easily eaten seeds. Smaller members of the medium ground finch population, lacking the bill strength to crack large seeds, died out.

D. Bill and body size are inherited traits, and the next generation had a high proportion of big-billed Individuals. The Grants had documented natural selection at work the same process that over many millennia, directed the evolution of the Galápagos' 14 unique finch species, all descended from a common ancestor that readied the islands a few million years ago.

E. Eight years later, heavy rains brought by an El Nino transformed the normally meager vegetation on Daphne Maịor. vines and other plants that in most years struggle for survival suddenly flourished, choking out the plants that provide large seeds to the finches. Small seeds came to dominate the food supply, and big birds with big bills died out at a higher rate than smaller ones. 'Natural selection is observable/ Rosemary Grant says. 'It happen when the environment changes. When local conditions reverse themselves, so does the direction of adaptation.'

F. Recently, die Grants witnessed another form of natural selection acting on the medium ground finch: competition from bigger, stronger cousins. In 1982, a third finch, the large ground finch, came to live on Daphne Major. The stout bills of these birds resemble the business end of a crescent wrench. Their arrival was the first such colonization recorded on the Galapagos in nearly a century of scientific observation. 'We realized,' Peter Grant says, 'we had a very unusual and potentially important event to follow/ For 20 years, the large ground finch coexisted with the medium ground finch, which shared five supply of large seeds with its bigger-billed relative. Then, in 2002 and 2003, another drought struck. None of the birds nested that year, and many died out. Medium ground finches with large bills, crowded out of feeding areas by the more powerful large ground finches, were hit particularly hard.

G. When wetter weather returned in 2004, and the finches nested again, the new generation of the medium ground finch was dominated by smaller birds with smaller bills, able to survive on smaller seeds. This situation, says Peter Grant, marked the first time that biologists have been able to follow the complete process of an evolutionary change due to competition between, species and the strongest response to natural selection that he had seen in 33 years of tracking Galapagos finches.

H. On the inhabited island of Santa Cruz, just south of Daphne Major, Andrew Hendry of McGill University and Jeffrey Podos of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have discovered a new, man-made twist in finch evolution. Their study focused on birds living near the Academy Bay research station, on the fringe of the town of Puerto Ayora. The human population of the area has been growing fast—from 900 people in 1974 to 9,582 In 2001. Today Puerto Ayorn is full of hotels and mai tai bars,' Hendry says. 'People have taken tills extremely arid place and tried to turn it Into a Caribbean resort.

I. Academy Bay records dating back to the early 1960s show that medium ground finches captured there had either small or large bills. Very few of the birds had mid-size bills. The finches appeared to be In the early stages of a new adaptive radiation: If the trend continued, the medium ground finch on Santa Cruz could split Into two distinct subspecies, specializing in different types of seeds. But in the late 1960s and early 70s, medium ground finches with medium-sized bills began to thrive at Academy Bay along with small and large-billed birds. The booming human population had introduced new food sources, including exotic plants and bird feeding stations stocked with rice. Billsize, once critical to the fishes' survival, no longer made any difference. 'Now an intermediate bill can do fine/ Hendry says.

J. At a control site distant from Puerto Ayora, and relatively untouched by humane, the medium ground finch population remains split between large- and small-billed birds. On undisturbed parts of Santa Cruz, there Is no ecological niche for a middling medium ground finch, and the birds continue to diversify. In town, though there are still many finches, once-distinct populations are merging.

K. The finches of Santa Cruz demonstrate a subtle process in which human meddling can stop evolution In Its tracks, outing the formation of new species. In a time when global biodiversity continues Its downhill slide, Darwin's finches have yet another unexpected lesson to teach. 'If we hope to regain some of the diversity that's already been lost/ Hendry says, 'we need to protect not just existing creatures, but also the processes that drive the origin of new species.'

You should spend about 20 minutes on question 1-13, which are based on reading passage 1 on the following pages.

Questions 1-4

Complete the table below.

Year	Climate	Finch’s condition
1977	1.............	small-beak birds failing to survive,
		without the power to open 2.............
1985	3.......... brought	big-beak birds dying out, with
	by El Nino	4.........as the main food resource

 

Questions 5-8

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from Reading Passage 1 for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage 1, using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 5-8 on your answer sheet

On the remote island of Santa Cruz, Andrew Hendry and Jeffrey Podos conducted a study on reversal 5.............due to human activity. In the early 1960s medium ground finches were found to have a larger or smaller beak. But in the late 1960b and early 70s, finches with 6.............flourished. The study speculates that it is due to the growing 7...............who brought in alien plants with intermediate-size seeds into the area and the birds ate 8................. sometimes.

Questions 9-13

Do die following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE	if the statement is true
FALSE	if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN	if the information is not given in the passage

9 Grants’ discovery has questioned Darwin’s theory.

10 The cactus finches are less affected by food than the medium ground finch-

11 In 2002 and 2003, all the birds were affected by the drought,

12 The discovery of Andrew Hendry and Jeffrey Podos was the same as that of the previous studies.

13 It is shown that the revolution in finches on Santa Cruz is likely a response to human intervention.

 

Section 2

Flight from reality?

Mobiles are barred, but passenger can tap away on their laptops to their heart' content. Is one realty safer than the other? hi the US, a Congressional subcommittee frilled airline representatives and regulators about the issue test month. But the committee heard that using cellphones in planes may indeed pose a risk, albeit a slight one. This would seem to vindicate the treatment of Manchester oil worker Neil Whitehouse, who was sentenced last summer to a year in jail by a British court for refusing to turn off his mobile phone on a flight home from Madrid. Although he was only typing a message to be sent on landing, not actually making a call, the court decided that he was putting the flight at risk.

A. The potential fin problems is certainly there. Modem airliners are packed with electronic devices that control the plane and handle navigation and communications- Each has to meet stringent safeguards to make sure it doesn't emit radiation that would interfere with other devices in the plane-standards that passengers’ personal electronic devices don't necessarily meet Emissions from inside the plane could also interfere with sensitive antennae on the fixed exterior. 

B. But despite running a numbs of studies, Boeing, Airbus and various government agencies haven’t been able to find clear evidence of problems caused by personal electronic devices, including mobile phones, "We've done our own studies. We’ve found cellphones actually have no impact on the navigation system," Bays Maryazme Greczyn, a spokeswoman for Airbus Industries of North America in Herndon, Virginia, Nor do they affect other critical systems, she says. The only impact Airbus found? "Sometimes when a passenger is starting or finishing a phone call, the pilot hears a very slight beep in the headset," she says.

C. The best evidence yet of a problem comes from a report released this year by Britain's Civil Aviation Authority. Its researchers generated simulated cellphone transmissions inside two Boeing aircraft They concluded that the transmissions could create signals at a power and frequency that would not affect the latest equipment, but exceeded the safety threshold established in 1984 and might therefore affect some of the older equipment on board. This doesn’t mean "mission critical" equipment such as the navigation system and flight controls. But the devices that could be affected, such as smoke detectors and fuel level indicators, could still create serious problems for the flight crew if they malfunction.

D. Many planes still use equipment certified to the older standards, says Dan Hawkes, head of avionics at the CAA’s Safety Regulation Group. The CAA study doesn't prove the equipment will actually fell when cellphone signals actually cause devices to fail. 

E. In 1996, RTCA, a consultant hired by the Federal Aviation Administration in the US to conduct tests, determined that potential problems from personal electronic devices were '’low". Nevertheless, it recommended a ban on their use during "critical" periods of flight, such as take-off and landing. RTCA didn't actually test cellphones, but nevertheless recommended then wholesale ban on flights. But if "better safe than sorry" is the current policy, it's applied inconsistently, according to Marshall Cross, the chairman of MegaWave Corporation, based in Boylston, Massachusetts. Why are cellphones outlawed when no one considers a ban on laptops? "It's like most things in life. The reason is a little bit technical, a little bit economic and a little bit political," says Cross.

F. The company wrote a report for the FAA in 1998 saying it is possible to build an on-board system that can detect dangerous signals from electronic devices. But Cross's personal conclusion is that mobile phones aren't the real threat "You'd have to stretch things pretty far to figure out how a cellphone could interfere with a plane's systems," he says. Cellphones transmit in ranges of around 400, 800 or 1800 megahertz. Since no important piece of aircraft equipment operates at those frequencies, the possibility of interference is very low. Cross says. The use of computers and electronic game systems is much more worrying, he says. They can generate very strong signals at frequencies that could interfere with plane electronics, especially ư a mouse is attached (the wire operates as an antenna or if their built-in shielding is somehow damaged. Some airlines are even planning to put sockets for laptops in seatbacks.

G. There’s fairly convincing anecdotal evidence that some personal electronic devices have interfered with systems. Air crew on one flight found that the autopilot was being disconnected, and narrowed the problem down to a passenger’s portable computer. They could actually watch the autopilot disconnect when they switched the computer on. Boeing bought the computer, took it to the airline's labs and even tested it on an empty flight. But as with every other reported instance of interference, technicians were unable to replicate the problem.

H. Some engineers, however, such as Bruce Donham of Boeing, say that common sense suggests phones are more risky than laptops. "A device capable of producing a strong emission is not as safe as a device which does not have any intentional emission," he says. Nevertheless, many experts think it's illogical that cellphones are prohibited when computers aren't. Besides, the problem is more complicated than simply looking at power and frequency. In the air, the plane operates in a soup of electronic emissions, created by its own electronics and by ground-based radiation. Electronic devices in the cabin-especially those emitting a strong signal-can behave unpredictably, reinforcing other signals, for instance, or creating unforeseen harmonics that disrupt systems.

I. Despite the Congressional subcommittee hearings last month, no one seems to be working seriously on a technical solution that would allow passengers to use their phones. That's mostly because no one -besides cellphone users themselves-stands to gain a lot if the phones are allowed in the air. Even the cellphone companies don't want it. They are concerned that airborne signals could cause problems by flooding a number of the networks' base stations at once with the same signal This effect, called big footing, happens because airborne cellphone signals tend to go to many base stations at once, unlike land calls which usually go to just one or two stations. In the US, even if FAA regulations didn't prohibit cellphones in the air, Federal Communications Commission regulations would.

J. Possible solutions might be to enhance airliners’ electronic insulation, or to fit detectors which warned flight staff when passenger devices were emitting dangerous signals. But Cross complains that neither the FAA, the airlines nor the manufacturers are showing much interest in developing these. So despite Congressional suspicions and the occasional irritated (or jailed) mobile user, the industry’s "better safe than sorry" policy on mobile phones seems likely to continue. In the absence of firm evidence that the international airline industry is engaged in a vast conspiracy to overcharge its customers, a delayed phone call seems a small price to pay for even the tiniest reduction in the chances of a plane crash. But you'll still be allowed to use your personal computer during a flight. And while that remains the case, airlines can hardly claim that logic has prevailed.

Questions 14 - 17

Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage, using no more than three words from the Reading Passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.

The would-be risk surly exists, since the avionic systems on modern aircraft are used to manage flight and deal with..........14.......... Those devices are designed to meet the safety criteria which should be free from interrupting..........15............ The personal use of mobile phone may cause the sophisticated..........16..........outside of plane to dysfunction. Though definite interference in piloting devices has not been scientifically testified, the devices such as those which detect........17.........in cabinet could be affected.

Question 18 -22

Use the information in the passage to match the Organization (listed A-E) with opinions or deeds below. Write the appropriate letters A-E in boxes 18-22 on your answer sheet.

A British Civil Aviation Authority 

B Maryanne Greczyn 

C RTCA 

D Marshall Cross 

E Boeing company
---------------

18 Mobile usages should be forbidden in a specific time.

19 Computers are more dangerous than cell phones.

20 finding that tile mobile phones pose little risk on flight' navigation devices.

21 The disruption of laptops is not as dangerous as cellphones.

22 The mobile signal may have impact on earlier devices.

Questions 23-26

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Paasage2 In boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE	if the statement is true
FALSE	If the statement is false
NOT GIVEN	If the information not given in the passage

23 Almost an scientists accept that cellphones have higher emission than that of personal computers.

24 Some people believe that radio emission win interrupt the equipment on plane.

25 The signal interference-detecting device has not yet been developed because they are in priority far neither administrative department nor offer economic incentive.

26 FAA initiated open debate with Federal Communications Commission.

Section 3

Communicating Conflict!

Section A

As far back as Hippocrates' time (460-370 B.c.) people have tried to understand other people by characterizing them according to personality type or temperament. Hippocrates believed there woe four different body Quids that influenced four basic types of temperament. His work was further developed 500 years later by Galem. These days there are any number of self-assessment tools that relate to die basic descriptions developed by Galen, although we no longer believe the source to be the types of body fluid that dominate our systems.

Section B

The values in self-assessments that help determine personality style. Learning styles, communication styles, conflict-handling styles, or other aspects of individuals is that they help depersonalize conflict in interpersonal relationships. The depersonalization occurs when you realize that others aren't trying to be difficult, but they need different or more information than you do. They're not intending to be rude: they are so focused on the task they forget about greeting people. They would like to work faster but not at the risk of damaging the relationships needed to get the job done. They understand there is a job to do. But it can only be done right with the appropriate information, which takes time to collect When used appropriately, understanding communication styles can help resolve conflict on teams. Very rarely are conflicts true personality issues. Usually they are issues of style, information needs, or focus.

Section C

Hippocrates and later Galen determined there woe four basic temperaments: sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic and choleric. These descriptions were developed centuries ago and are still somewhat apt, although you could update the wording, in today's world, they translate into the four fairly common communication styles described below:

Section D

The sanguine person would be the expressive or spirited style of communication. These people speak in pictures. They invest a lot of emotion and energy in their communication and often speak quickly. Putting their whole body into it. They are easily sidetracked onto a story that may or may not illustrate the point they arc trying to make. Because of their enthusiasm, they are great team motivators. They are concerned about people and relationships. Their high levels of energy can come on strong at times and their focus is usually on the bigger picture, which means they sometimes miss the details or the proper order of things. These people find conflict or differences of opinion invigorating and love to engage in a spirited discussion. They love change and arc constantly looking for new and exciting adventures.

Section E

Tile phlegmatic person - cool and persevering - translates into the technical or systematic communication style. This style of communication is focused on facts and technical details. Phlegmatic people have an orderly, methodical way of approaching tasks, and their focus is very much on the task, not on the people, emotions, or concerns that the task may evoke. The focus is also more on the details necessary to accomplish a task.

Sometimes the details overwhelm the big picture and focus needs to be brought back to the context of the task. People with this style think the facts should speak for themselves, and they are not as comfortable with conflict. They need time to adapt to change and need to understand both the logic of it and the steps involved.

Section F

Tile melancholic person who is softhearted and oriented toward doing things for others translates into the considerate or sympathetic communication style. A person with this communication style is focused on people and relationships. They are good listeners and do things for other people- sometimes to the detriment of getting things done for themselves. They want to solicit everyone’s opinion and make sure everyone is comfortable with whatever is required to get the job done. At times this focus on others can distract from the task at hand. Because they are so concerned with the needs of others and smoothing over issues, they do not like conflict. They believe that change threatens the status quo and tends to make people feel uneasy, so people with this communication style, like phlegmatic, people need time to consider the changes in order to adapt to them.

Section G

The choleric temperament translates into the bold or direct style of communication. People with this style are brief in their communication - the fewer words the better. They are big picture thinkers and love to be involved in many things at once. They are focused on tasks and outcomes and often forget that the people involved in carrying out the tasks have needs. They don't do detail work easily and as a result can often underestimate how much time it takes to achieve the task. Because they are so direct, they often seem forceful and can be very intimidating to others. They usually would welcome someone challenging them. But most other styles are afraid to do so. They also thrive on change, the more the better.

Section H

A well-functioning team should have all of these communication styles for true effectiveness. All teams need to focus on the task, and they need to take care of relationships in order to achieve those tasks. They need the big picture perspective or the context of their work, and they need the details to be identified and taken care of for success. We all have aspects of each style within us. Some of us can easily move from one style to another and adapt our style to the needs of the situation at hand-whether the focus is on tasks or relationships. For others, a dominant style is very evident, and it is more challenging to see the situation from the perspective of another style.

The work environment can influence communication styles either by the type of work that is required or by the predominance of one style reflected in that environment. Some people use one style at work and another at home. The good news about communication styles is that we ah have the ability to develop flexibility in our styles. The greater the flexibility we have, the more skilled we usually are at handling possible and actual conflicts. Usually it has to be relevant to US to do so, either because we think it is important or because there are incentives in our environment to encourage it. The key is that we have to want to become flexible with our communication style. As Henry Ford said, "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right!”

Questions 27-34

Reading Passage 3 has eight sections A-H.

Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below. Write the correct number I-X in boxes 27-34 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

i Different personality types mentioned

ii recommendation of combined styles for group

iii Historical explanation of understanding personality

iv A lively and positive attitude person depicted

V A personality likes challenge and direct communication

vi different characters illustrated

vii Functions of understanding communication styles

viii Cautious and considerable person cited

ix Calm and Factual personality illustrated

x Self-assessment determines one's temperament

----------------------

27 Section A

28 Section B

29 Section C

30 Section D

31 Section E

32 Section F

33 Section G

34 Section H

Questions 35-39

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1 In boxes 35-39 on your answer sheet, write

 

TRUE	if the statement is true
FALSE	if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN	if the information is not given in the passage

35 it is believed that sanguine people do not like variety

36 Melancholic and phlegmatic people have similar characteristics

37 It is the sanguine personality that needed most in the workplace.

38 It is possible for someone to change type of personality.

39 work surrounding can affect which communication style is the most effective.

Question 40

Choose the correct letter A, B, c or D.

Write your answers in box 40 on your answer sheet.

The author thinks self-assessment tools can be able to

A. assist to develop one's personality in a certain scenario. 

B. help to understand colleagues and resolve problems

C. improve relationship with boss of company

D. change others behaviour and personality

 

Reading Test 9

Section 1

Agriculture and Tourism

A. Linkages between the Agri-Food Sector and Tourism offer significant opportunities for the development of both sectors within the region. These linkages could lead to ensuring the sustainability of the region’s tourism product thus ensuring it preservation. Agriculture and tourism — two of Wisconsin’s most industries — are teaming up in southwestern Wisconsin has found that tourists, rural communities, and some farmers could benefit from stronger efforts to promote and market agricultural tourism there. In 1990, agricultural tourism project members surveyed 290 visitors to the annual Monroe Cheese Festival and 164 visitors to the Picnic on the Farm, a one-time event held in Platteville in conjunction with the Chicago Bears summer training camp. More than one-half of those surveyed responded favorably to a proposed tour, saying they would be interested in participating in some type of agricultural tour in southwestern Wisconsin. Survey respondents reported that they would prefer to visit cheese factories, sausage processing plants, dairy farms, and historical farm sites, as well as enjoy an old-fashioned picnic dinner. The study also found strong interest in visiting specialty farms (strawberries, cranberries, poultry, etc.). More than 75 percent of the Cheese Day visitors planned ahead for the trip, with 37 percent planning at least two months in advance.

B. More than 40 percent of the visitors came to Monroe for two- or three-day visits. Many stopped at other communities on their way to Cheese Days. Visitors at both events indicated that they were there to enjoy themselves and were willing to spend money on food and arts and crafts. They also wanted the opportunity to experience the “country” while there. The study found that planning around existing events should take into account what brought visitors to the area and provide additional attractions that will appeal to them. For example, visitors to Cheese Days said they were on a holiday and appeared to be more open to various tour proposals. Picnic visitors came specifically to see the Chicago Bears practice. They showed less interest in a proposed agricultural tour than Cheese Day visitors, but more interest in a picnic dinner.

C. The study identified three primary audiences for agricultural tourism: 1) elderly people who take bus tours to see the country; 2) families interested in tours that could be enjoyed by both parents and children; and 3) persons already involved in agriculture, including international visitors. Agricultural tourism can serve to educate urban tourists about the problems and challenges facing farmers, says Andy Lewis, Grant county community development agent. While agriculture is vital to Wisconsin, more and more urban folk are becoming isolated from the industry. In fact, Lewis notes, farmers are just as interested in the educational aspects of agricultural tours as they are in any financial returns.

D. “Farmers feel that urban consumers are out of touch with farming,” Lewis says. “If tourists can be educated on issues that concern farmers, those visits could lead to policies more favorable to agriculture.” Animal rights and the environment are examples of two issues that concern both urban consumers and farmers. Farm tours could help consumers get the farmer’s perspective on these issues, Lewis notes. Several Wisconsin farms already offer some type of learning experience for tourists. However, most agricultural tourism enterprises currently market their businesses independently, leading to a lack of a concerted effort to promote agricultural tourism as an industry.

E. Lewis is conducting the study with Jean Murphy, assistant community development agent. Other participants include UW-Platteville Agricultural Economist Bob Acton, the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, UW-Extension Recreation Resources Center, the Wisconsin Rural Development Center, and Hidden Valleys, a Southwestern Wisconsin regional tourism organization. This past fall, Murphy organized several workshops with some Green and Grant County farmers, local business leaders, and motor coach tour operators to discuss how best to organize and put on farm tours. Committees were formed to look at the following: tour site evaluations, inventory of the area’s resources, tour marketing, and familiarization of tours. The fourth committee is organizing tours for people such as tour bus guides and local reporters to help better educate them about agricultural tourism. Green County farmers already have experience hosting visitors during the annual Monroe Cheese Days. Green county Tourism Director Larry Lindgren says these farmers are set to go ahead with more formal agricultural tours next year. The tours will combine a farm visit with a visit to a local cheese factory and a picnic lunch.

F. Another farm interested in hosting an organized tour is Sinsinawa, a 200-acre Grant County farm devoted to sustainable agriculture and run by the Dominican Sisters. Education plays a major role at the farm, which has an orchard, dairy and beef cows, and hogs. Farm tours could be combined with other activities in the area such as trips to the Mississippi River and/or visits to historical towns orlandmarks, Lewis says. The project will help expose farmers to the tourism industry and farm vacations as a way to possibly supplement incomes, he adds. While farm families probably wouldn’t make a lot of money through farm tours, they would be compensated for their time, says Lewis. Farmers could earn additional income through the sale of farm products, crafts, and recreational activities.

Questions 1-4

The reading Passage has six paragraphs A-F.

Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter A-F, inboxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

1 About half of all the tourists would spend several days in Monroe.

2 Most visitors responded positively to a survey project on farm tour.

3 Cooperation across organisations in research for agriculture tours has been carried out.

4 Agriculture tour assist tourists to understand more issues concerning animal and environment.

Questions 5-9

Which of following statements belongs to the visitor categories in the box Please choose A, B or c for each question.

Write the correct letter A, B or C, in boxes 5-9 on your answer sheet.

NB: You may use any letter more than once.

A Cheese Festival visitors 

B Picnic visitors

C Both of them

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5 have focused destination

6 majority prepare well before going beforehand.

7 are comparably less keen on picnic meal

8 show interest in activities such as visiting factory tour and fruit

9 are willing to accept a variety of tour recommendation.

Questions 10-14

Summary

Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage, using no more than two words from the Reading Passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 10-14 on your answer sheet.

Through farm tour, visitors can better understand significant issues such as......10....... and enviroment. In autumn, Murphy organised......11....... and bring other participants together to develop local tour market. Larry Lindgren said the farmers already had experience of farm tours with factory visiting and a......12........ In Sinsinawa, a large area of the farmland contains an orchard, cow etc which is managed and operated by......13.......; Lewis said the project will probably bring extra......14.......for local farmers.

Section 2

Cosmetics in Ancient Past

Since cosmetics and perfumes are still in wide use today, it is interesting to compare the attitudes, customs and beliefs related to them in ancient times to those of our own day and age. Cosmetics and perfumes have been popular since tile dawn of civilization; it is shown by the discovery of a great deal of pertinent archeological material, dating from the third millennium BC. Mosaics, glass perfume flasks, stone vessels, ovens, cooking-pots, clay jars, etc., some inscribed by the hand of the artisan. Evidence also appears in the Bible and other classical writings, where it is written that spices and perfumes were prestigious products known throughout the ancient world and coveted by kings and princes. The written and pictorial descriptions, as well as archaeological findings, all show how important body care and aesthetic appearance were in the lives of the ancient people. The chain of evidence spans many centuries, detailing the usage of cosmetics in various cultures from the earliest period of recorded history.

In antiquity, however, at least in the onset, cosmetics served in religious ceremonies and for healing purposes. Cosmetics were also connected with cultic worship and witchcraft: to appease the various gods, fragrant ointments were applied to the statuary images and even to their attendants. From this, in the course of time, developed the custom of personal use, to enhance the beauty of the face and the body, and to conceal defects.

Perfumes and fragrant spices were precious commodities in antiquity, very much in demand, and at times even exceeded silver and gold in value. Therefore, they were luxury products, used mainly in the temples and in the homes of the noble and the wealthy. The Judean kings kept them in treasure houses (2 Kings 20:13).

And the Queen of Sheba brought to Solomon "camels laden with spices, gold in great quantity and precious stones. (1 Kings 10:2,10). However, within time, the use of cosmetics became the custom of that period. The use of cosmetics became widespread among the lower classes as well as among the wealthy; in the same way they washed the body, 80 they used to care for the body with substances that softened the skin and anoint it with fragrant oils and ointments.

Facial treatment was highly developed and women devoted many horns to it They used to spread various scented creams on the face and to apply makeup in vivid and contrasting colors. An Egyptian papyrus from the 16th century BC contains detailed recipes to remove blemishes, wrinkles, and other signs of age. Greek and Roman women would cover their faces in the evening with a “beauty mask” to remove blemishes, which consisted mainly of flour mixed with flagrant spices, leaving it on their face all night. The next morning they would wash it off with asses' milk. The very common creams used by women in the ancient Far East, particularly important in the hot climate and prevalent in that area of the globe, were made up of oils and aromatic scents. Sometimes the oil in these creams was extracted from olives, almonds, gourds, sesame, or from trees and plants; but, for those of limited means, scented animal and fish fete were commonly used.

Women in the ancient past commonly put colors around their eyes. Besides beautification, its purpose was also medicinal as covering the sensitive skin of the lids with colored ointments that prevailed dryness and eye diseases: the eye-paint repelled the little flies that transmitted eye inflammations. Egyptian women colored tile upper eyelid black and the lower one green, and painted the space between the upper lid and the eyebrow gray or blue. The women of Mesopotamia favored yellows and reds. The use of kohl for painting the eyes is mentioned three times in the Bible, always with disapproval by the sages (2 Kings, 9:30; Jersniah 4:30; Ezekiel 23:40). In contrast. Job named one of his daughters "Kerai Happukh" — "ham of eye paint" (Job 42:14).

Great importance was attached to the care for hair in ancient times. Long hair was always considered a symbol of beauty, and kings, nobles and dignitaries grew their hair long and kept it well-groomed and cared for. Women devoted much time to the style of the hair; while not cutting, they would apply much care to it by arranging it skillfully in plaits and "building it up" sometimes with the help of wigs. Egyptian women generally wore their hair flowing down to their shoulders or even longer. In Mesopotamia, women cherished long hair as a part of their beauty, and hair flowing down their backs in a thick plait and tied with a ribbon is seen in art. Assyrian women wore their hair shorter, braiding and binding it in a bun at the back. In Ancient Israel, brides would wear their hair long on the wedding day as a sign of their virginity. Ordinary people and slaves, however, usually wore their hair short, mainly for hygienic reasons, since they could not afford to invest in the kind of treatment that long hair required.

From the Bible and Egyptian and Assyrian sources, as well as the words of classical authors, it appears that the centers of the trade in aromatic resins and incense were located in the kingdoms of Southern Arabia, and even as far as India, where some of these precious aromatic plants were grown. "Dealers from Sheba and Rammah dealt with you, offering the choicest spices..." (Ezekiel 27:22). The Nabateans functioned as the important middlemen in this trade; Palestine also served as a very important component, as the trade routes crisscrossed the country. It is known that the Egyptian Queen Hatsheput (15th century BC) sent a royal expedition to the Land of Punt (Somalia) in order to bring back myrrh seedlings to plant in her temple. In Assyrian records of tribute and spoils of war, perfumes and resins are mentioned; the text from the time of Tukulti-Ninurta II (890-884 BC) refers to balls of myrrh as part of the tribute brought to the Assyrian king by the Aramaean kings. The trade in spices and perfumes is also mentioned in the Bible as written in Genesis (37:25-26), "Camels carrying gum tragacanth and balm and myrrh".

Questions 15-21

Reading Passage 2 has 7 paragraphs A-G.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write your answers in boxes 15-21 on your answer sheet.

15 recipes to conceal facial defects caused by aging

16 perfumes were presented to conquerors in war

17 long hair of girls had special meanings in marriage

18 evidence exists in abundance showing cosmetics use in ancient times

19 protecting eyes from fly-transmitted diseases

20 from witchcraft to beautification

21 more expensive than gold

Questions 22-27

Do the following statements are agree with the information give in Reading Passive 2? In boxes 22-27 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE	if the statement is true
FALSE	If the statement is false
NOTGIVEN	If the information is not given the passive

22 The written record for cosmetics and perfumes dates back to the third millennium BG

23 Since perfumes and spices woe luxury products, their use was exclusive to the noble and the wealthy.

24 In ancient Far East, fish fata woe used OS cream by women from poor households.

25 The teachings in the Bible were repeatedly against the use of kohl for painting the eye».

26 Long hair as a symbol of beauty was worn solely by women of ancient cultures

27 The Egyptian Queen Hataheput sent a royal expedition to Font to establish a trade route for myrrh

Section 3