Department of Foreign Languages READING 2

Student’s name: _______________________

Student’s code: _______________________ MIDTERM TEST
Time allotted: 60 minutes
READING PASSAGE 1
QUESTIONS 1-13
Read the text below and answer Questions 1–13.
You are going to read an article from a news magazine. The article tells the story of a girl from a very poor
village in Uganda who became a college graduate with the help of people who donated money to an
organization.
How a Ugandan Girl Got an Education
Para 1
Among the proud students receiving diplomas(i) at the 2008 graduation ceremony at Connecticut
College was a young woman from Uganda named Beatrice Biira. And what makes her
accomplishment so special is that she owes it all to a goat.
Para 2
Beatrice grew up in the village of Kisinga in the mountains of Uganda. It is an extremely poor village,
and Beatrice, the second oldest of six children, wanted very much to attend school, but her family
didn’t have the money to pay for it. In fact, the family was so poor that there was often not enough
to eat. The only clothing Beatrice owned was a red dress that was cut open in the back so that she
could grow into it.
Para 3
All of this changed in 1993, when Beatrice was 9 years old, and her mother told her that, through the
generosity of an organization named Heifer, they had received a goat. A goat? At the time, Beatrice
could not see the value of something like a goat, especially when her mother told her that she would
be responsible for caring for the goat.
Para 4
Heifer International is a charity based in Little Rock, Arkansas which raises money to send animals to
people in very poor countries. Its goal is to help people to become self-sufficient(ii) by providing them
with the animals and the education needed to care for them. The people receiving their help have to
make the commitment to pass the gift on to others. Beatrice’s mother and others in her village had
applied to Heifer to receive help. The help came in the form of 12 goats that were distributed to the
people in their village. Beatrice’s family received one of these goats.
Para 5
They named the goat Mugisa, which in Lokonzo, Beatrice’s language, means “luck.” And soon
Beatrice realized how her luck would change because of this goat. Mugisa was pregnant when she
came to Beatrice’s family and soon gave birth to two more goats. The milk from the goats helped
Beatrice and her siblings to get healthier, and they were soon able to sell the additional milk. The
family earned enough money to send Beatrice to school.
Para 6
Though Beatrice was much older than the other children in school, she didn’t mind. She breezed
through the early grades as an excellent student. One day in 1995 a study tour, sponsored by Heifer,
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 came to visit Beatrice’s village. Two women who accompanied the tour, Page McBrier and Lori
Lohstoeter, were impressed by Beatrice’s passion for learning. They were inspired by her story and
decided to write a children’s book about her. They called it Beatrice’s Goat.
Para 7
Beatrice continued to be an excellent student and won a scholarship3 to a high school in Kampala,
the capital of Uganda. While Beatrice was a student there in 2001, Beatrice’s Goat was published and
became a very popular New York Times bestseller. Beatrice was asked by Heifer to go on a book tour
to the United States. While on this trip, she met a woman, Rosalee Sinn, who would become a great
help to her. Ms. Sinn and others helped her obtain a full scholarship to attend the Northfield Mount
Hermon School in Massachusetts, a private preparatory school that had a program to help
international students make the transition to college. For Beatrice, perhaps the biggest adjustment
was the weather. She had never experienced cold weather before.
Para 8

Despite the adjustments, Beatrice did very well at Northfield Mount Hermon, and while she was
there, she applied to 11 colleges. She was accepted to half a dozen colleges, including some very
prestigious ones. She decided to go to Connecticut College, where she won a scholarship. At first she
wanted to become a veterinarian, but she soon decided to study economics and international
studies. She wants to return to Uganda one day and use what she has learned to help her
countrymen.
Para 9
So in June 2008, there stood Beatrice in her cap and gown. This once very poor little girl from one of
the poorest villages in the world was now a college graduate-all because of a goat!

Glossary:
(i) diploma: the official piece of paper that shows you have completed a course of study
(ii) self-sufficient: able to produce everything that you need without help from or having to buy from others
(iii) scholarship: money that is given to a person by an organization or a school to help pay for his/her studies

Questions 1-5
Read the sentences. Write the correct paragraph number next to each main idea.
1. Beatrice grew up in Uganda in a very poor family.
2. Heifer International helps people by giving them animals and teaching them how to care for them.
3. Beatrice’s studies continued as she received scholarships to high school and a preparatory school.
4. Her mother contacted Heifer, and life changed for Beatrice and her family.
5. As a result of receiving a goat, Beatrice’s family had enough money to send her to school.

Questions 6-13
Read the statements. Write T (true) or F (false). Then correct each false statement to make it true.
6. Beatrice was happy when she learned about receiving a goal.
7. Beatrice’s mother had applied to an organization to get help.
8. Beatrice’s family soon had three goats.
9. Beatrice had trouble learning in school because she was so much younger than the other children.

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10. Two women met Beatrice and decided to write a book about her, called Beatrice’s Story.
11. The biggest adjustment to studying in the United States for Beatrice was the food.
12. She received a scholarship to go to a college in Connecticut.
13. She graduated from college in 2008.

READING PASSAGE 2
QUESTIONS 14–20
Read the text below and answer Questions 22–28.
Workplace dismissals

Before the dismissal

If an employer wants to dismiss an employee, there is a process to be followed. Instances of
minor misconduct and poor performance must first be addressed through some preliminary steps.
Firstly, you should be given an improvement note. This will explain the problem, outline any
necessary changes and offer some assistance in correcting the situation. Then, if your employer does
not think your performance has improved, you may be given a written warning. The last step is called
a final written warning which will inform you that you will be dismissed unless there are
improvements in performance. If there is no improvement, your employer can begin the dismissal
procedure.
The dismissal procedure begins with a letter from the employer setting out the charges made
against the employee. The employee will be invited to a meeting to discuss these accusations. If the
employee denies the charges, he is given the opportunity to appear at a formal appeal hearing in
front of a different manager. After this, a decision is made as to whether the employee will be let go
or not.

Dismissals
Of the various types of dismissal, a fair dismissal is the best kind if an employer wants an
employee out of the workplace. A fair dismissal is legally and contractually strong and it means all the
necessary procedures have been correctly followed. In cases where an employee’s misconduct has
been very serious, however, an employer may not have to follow all of these procedures. If the
employer can prove that the employee’s behaviour was illegal, dangerous or severely wrong, the
employee can be dismissed immediately: a procedure known as summary dismissal.
Sometimes a dismissal is not considered to have taken place fairly. One of these types is
wrongful dismissal and involves a breach of contract by the employer. This could involve dismissing
an employee without notice or without following proper disciplinary and dismissal procedures.
Another type, unfair dismissal, is when an employee is sacked without good cause.
There is another kind of dismissal, known as constructive dismissal, which is slightly peculiar
because the employee is not actually openly dismissed by the employer. In this case the employee is
forced into resigning by an employer who tries to make significant changes to the original contract.
This could mean an employee might have to work night shifts after originally signing on for day work,
or he could be made to work in dangerous conditions.

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Questions 14 and 15
Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 22–23 on your answer sheet.
14 If an employee receives a ……………….. , this means he will lose his job if his work does not get better.
15 If an employee does not accept the reasons for his dismissal, a ……………….. can be arranged.

Questions 16-20
Look at the following descriptions (Questions 24–28) and the list of terms in the box below. Match each
description with the correct term A–E. Write the appropriate letter A–E in boxes 24–28 on your answer
sheet.
16 An employee is asked to leave work straight away because he has done something really bad.
17 An employee is pressured to leave his job unless he accepts conditions that are very different from
those agreed to in the beginning.
18 An employer gets rid of an employee without keeping to conditions in the contract.
19 The reason for an employee’s dismissal is not considered good enough.
20 The reasons for an employee’s dismissal are acceptable by law and the terms of the employment
contract.
A Fair dismissal
B Summary dismissal
C Unfair dismissal
D Wrongful dismissal
E Constructive dismissal

READING PASSAGE 3
QUESTIONS 21–33
The Container Trade
The shipping container is one of the mainstays of international trade. The globalised modern
economy depends on the rapid and efficient movement of goods that containerisation allows. In
many ways it was the advent of the container that allowed this globalised economy to develop.
Invented during World War two as an efficient method of moving equipment to the front lines,
there are now at any one time up to 15 million containers being used to transport goods on land and
sea or waiting to be filled at factories and ports. They are vital in the supply chain and have allowed
the added efficiency of "just in time" inventory management, where companies no longer keep large
warehouses of stock or parts, but rely on the ability to quickly order what they want from their
suppliers. It is estimated that since the 1980s the ratio of inventory to GDP in American business' has
fallen from 25% to 15%. Altogether total business inventory in the US is estimated at $1.5 trillion,
without "just in time" management methods this might be as much as $2.5 trillion.
This means that companies rely more and more on the prompt delivery of parts from their
suppliers to fulfil orders. This is particularly true of industries such as computer manufacture, which
no longer make all the parts of the products that bear their names, but instead out source, often to
suppliers half way around the world. American computer manufacturers are, for example,
increasingly dependent on Asian microchip manufacturers in countries such as Taiwan and Thailand.

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 An example of the kind of problems any disruption to the supply chain causes came after the
September 11 attacks in the US when the Canadian border was shut for just two days causing chaos
in the Detroit car industry, which relies on a regular flow of parts from Canada.
There are three main flows of sea borne cargo: trans-Pacific, trans-Atlantic and Europe-Far East.
The trans-Pacific route is by far the largest flow. At 11 million TEU ("twenty foot equivalent units") a
year, it is almost twice the volume of Europe-Far East trade and three times the size of trans-Atlantic
traffic. During the 1990s, during America's boom years, the trade of all the routes grew enormously
and this led to more and larger ships being built. The container fleet grew by 12% in 2001. Until then,
a container ship commonly carried 600 TEU, during the 1990s ships were being build that could carry
up to 8000 TEU. However after the 1990s there was a dramatic fall off in trade. Trans-Pacific trade,
for example, fell to 50% of its 1990s high.
This down turn is being handled by the shipping alliances which manage the global trade. These
large organizations are responsible for maintaining the fleets and seeing that the flow of goods is
uninterrupted. This is a job that governments feel that the regular and reliable flow of trade is so
important that in many cases the shipping alliances are exempt from anti-trust and monopoly laws.
Their response has been to cut services, rest some of the older ships and share the burden amongst
themselves.
At first, containers reduced theft as it was more difficult for casual thieves to get into the
containers. However, criminal gangs soon saw the potential for taking whole containers. This became
a profitable crime as the average value of a container grew to $500,000 by the 1980s. Criminals also
benefited from the convenience of containers when using them to transport drugs, illegal immigrants
or other illegal goods. Measures to combat this, including stronger locks and preference schemes for
shippers who have anti-theft programmes, have had some success, but crime is a constant menace
to the container trade.
Increasingly, the huge number of containers and their self-contained and enclosed nature has
been raising worries about their possible use by terrorists. In fact, possible terrorists have already
been found hiding in containers. This is particularly worrying considering that only 2% of containers
are inspected. Containers are also extremely difficult to track and monitor. This is because they pass
through so many countries and jurisdictions and because they can travel on both land and sea. Each
transaction involving a container can involve as many as 25 different parties and generate between
30 and 40 documents. For a ship carrying 600 TEU this would result in approximately 4000
documents. The sheer scale of the information involved makes tracking containers a daunting task.
Screening them to determine the contents is another solution that would take a great deal of effort
because of the large numbers of containers. Additionally, it might cause delays in delivery that would
disrupt international trade and industry out of proportion to the good the searches do.
For the foreseeable future, there would seem to be no alternative to containers and their use is
bound to grow. They are one of the cornerstones of global trade, but many yet cause problems their
inventors never envisaged.

Questions 21 -2 6
Choose the best TWO alternatives to complete the sentences.
Questions 21 and 22
Circle TWO letters A - E.

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The invention of containers…
A. resulted from the efficient movement of goods.
B. led to more global trade.
C. was initially for military purposes.
D. came just in time for many managers.
E. relied on the ability to receive orders quickly.

Questions 23 and 24
Circle TWO letters A - E.
Containers are important because they…
A. prevent the need for companies to hold large amounts of stock.
B. increase the amount of business inventory.
C. make trade between countries on different sides of the world easier.
D. regularly supply manufactures in Canada.
E. reduce the amount of out sourcing needed by companies.

Questions 25 and 26
Circle TWO letters A - E.
The Trans-Pacific trade route…
A. has nearly double the amount of trade as that of the Europe-Far East trade route.
B. had its container fleet increase by 12%.
C. sparked the boom years of the 1990s.
D. usually carried around 600 TEU.
E. has witnessed a substantial decrease in container trade.

Questions 27 – 30
Complete the table below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND / OR A NUMBER from the reading
passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet.
CAUSE EFFECT
a sharp fall in container trade shipping alliances (27) old ships
originally difficult to get into containers A drop in (28)__________
vast numbers of containers that are relatively secure Concerns over (29)__________
Containers must pass through many countries and Containers are (30)__________
involve a vast amount of paperwork.

Questions 31 - 32
Complete the sentences below using words taken from the reading passage. Use NO MORE THAN THREE
WORDS AND / OR A NUMBER for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 11 - 12 on your answer sheet.
31. The benefits of searching containers would be outweighed by the negative impacts on worldwide trade
and industry due to the ……………………
32. The inventors must never have imagined that containers would …………………..

READING PASSAGE 4
QUESTIONS 33-40
Read the article from the Financial Times by Paul Argenti and answer questions 33-40.
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 Time for communication to move towards centre stage
By Paul Argenti
The last few years have seen the biggest collapse in confidence in business in almost a century - to
the point where probably the least trusted spokespeople on the planet today are corporate
executives. When intense mistrust prevails, whatever a company does says something about it,
everything communicates, and communication affects everything.

This is changing the definition of communication. Communication today is more of a two-way

dialogue and this has been aided by the rise of social media like Facebook and Twitter and the
explosion of information-sharing online. Today's best-in-class companies, such as Dell in the US and
Philips in Europe, do not just engage in dialogue. They use the latest technology as a source of ideas,
opinions and competitive intelligence, for product development, employee engagement and media
monitoring.

In addition to rethinking the definition of communication, the best companies are rethinking its
structure. There is a greater need for integration, collaboration and partnership among corporate
leadership, human capital, finance, sales and legal teams.

Another change in communication by leading companies is the rethinking of key themes. This was
the main finding of research by the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, conducted with Doremus,
a business-to-business communications agency. It found that the best-in-class companies have been
guided by six themes:

a Focus on value and values Stakeholders demand value for money when buying goods and services,
but they also expect to see a strong set of corporate values in the companies with which they do
business. Walmart, Hyundai and BMW have used this theme in their advertising and
communications.

b Evolve a sense of responsibility Corporate responsibility today is not just about philanthropy or
being green. It is about companies being responsible across all business practices. NGOs, consumers,
employees and investors are ready to punish companies that ignore evolving social values. JPMorgan
Chase has done a fabulous job reflecting its corporate responsibility initiatives on its website and in
advertising.

c Strategy must drive communication As Jon Iwata, IBM's senior vice-president for marketing and
communications, puts it: "Lincoln said, 'Character is the tree; reputation is the shadow.' I'm afraid too
many people in PR, marketing and advertising spend more time manipulating the shadow than
tending to the tree."

d Shifting from the problem to the solution Stakeholders are most receptive to realistic and
optimistic plans, and are often ready to pay less attention to problems of the past year.

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 e Not communicating is a communication in itself You either tell your story or have it told for you.

f Re-evaluate positioning The crisis has led to disruption in how companies are thought of by con-
stituencies, which provides a tremendous opportunity to reposition, rebrand and redevelop.

Questions 33-
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?
For questions 1-5, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
33. There is great mistrust of companies at the moment.
34. When there is mistrust, everything that companies do is misunderstood.
35. Corporate communication is seen as increasingly two-way.
36. The best companies have just continued to use their traditional public relations departments in order to
communicate.
37. In their new approach to communication, companies have been paying attention to five things in
particular.

Questions 38-39
Find expressions (paragraphs 5-6) that refer to the following.
A. a subject that can be used in different forms of communication (5 letters))
B. what people expect when they buy a company's products (5 letters)
C. what they expect to see as guiding a company's behaviour (6 letters)
D. employees, shareholders, suppliers and, above all in this context, customers (12 letters)
E. giving money to charity (12 letters)
F. having good environmental policies (5 letters, 5 letters)
G. things that society as a whole thinks are important (6 letters, 6 letters)
H. actions that have not been taken before (11 letters)

Question 40
Choose the best summary for the whole article.
A. Corporate communication is a speciality that is best left to the PR department and advertising agencies.
B. Everything a company does communicates something about it, and executives are becoming increasingly
aware of this.
C. Whatever a company does, people will always misinterpret its actions, and companies just have to try to
limit the damage.

~~~~~~~THIS IS THE END OF THE MIDTERM TEST. ~~~~~~~

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ANSWER:
READING PASSAGE 1 Source: Q Skills for Success 3 RW, Unit 10, Reading 1
READING PASSAGE 2 Reading_Practice_1_IELTS_General_Training_Questions
22. final written warning
23. formal appeal hearing
24. B
25. E
26. D
27. C
28. A
READING PASSAGE 3 ielts-academic-reading-download-3-container-trade
21. B - led to more global trade.
The globalised modern economy depends on the rapid and efficient movement of goods that containerisation
allows. In many ways it was the advent of the container that allowed this globalised economy to develop.
22. C - was initially for military purposes.
Invented during World War two as an efficient method of moving equipment to the front lines
"front lines" = a military line formed by the most advanced tactical combat units
23. A - prevent the need for companies to hold large amounts of stock.
companies no longer keep large warehouses of stock or parts
24. C - make trade between countries on different sides of the world easier.
This means that companies rely more and more on the prompt delivery of parts from their suppliers to fulfill
orders. This is particularly true of industries such as computer manufacture, which no longer make all the
parts of the products that bear their names, but instead out source, often to suppliers half way around the
world.
25. A - has nearly double the amount of trade as that of the Europe-Far East trade route..
At 11 million TEU...a year, it is almost twice the volume of Europe-Far East trade and three times the size of
trans-Atlantic traffic.
26. E - has witnessed a substantial decrease in container trade.
However after the 1990s there was a dramatic fall off in trade. Trans-Pacific trade, for example, fell to 50% of
its 1990s high.
(It's not B, C or D, as they refer to all the routes, not just the Trans-Pacific)
27. rest some
Their response has been to cut services, rest some of the older ships and share the burden amongst
themselves.
28. theft
At first, containers reduced theft as it was more difficult for casual thieves to get into the containers.
29. use by terrorists
Increasingly, the huge number of containers and their self-contained and enclosed nature has been raising
worries about their possible use by terrorists.
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30. difficult to track
Containers are also extremely difficult to track and monitor. This is because they pass through so many
countries and jurisdictions and because they can travel on both land and sea.
31. delays in delivery
Additionally, it might cause delays in delivery that would disrupt international trade and industry out of
proportion to the good the searches do.
32. cause problems
They are one of the cornerstones of global trade, but many yet cause problems their inventors never
envisaged.
READING PASSAGE 4 Source: Market Leader Upper-Intermediate, 3rd Edition, Teacher’s Resources, Unit 1 (p.
114-5)

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