Part 1. Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it.

Your summary
should be about 120-140 words long. (15 points)
When we study the pronunciation of a language over any period of a few generations or
more, we find there are always large-scale regularities in the changes. Such regular changes are
often called sound laws. There are no universal sound laws (even though sound laws often reflect
universal tendencies), but simply particular sound laws for one given language (or dialect) at one
given period.
It is also possible that fashion plays a part in the process of change. It certainly plays a
part in the spread of change: one person imitates another, and people with the most prestige are
most likely to be imitated, so that a change that takes place in one social group may be imitated
(more or less accurately) by speakers in another group. When a social group goes up or down in
the world, its pronunciation of Russian, which had formerly been considered desirable, became
on the contrary an undesirable kind of accent to have, so that people tried to disguise it. Some of
the changes in accepted English pronunciation in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries have
been shown to consist in the replacement of one style of pronunciation by another style already
existing, and it is likely that such substitutions were a result of the great social changes of the
period: the increased power and wealth of the middle classes, and their steady infiltration
upwards into the ranks of the landed gentry, probably carried elements of middle-class
pronunciation into upper-class speech.
A less specific variant of the argument is that the imitation of children is imperfect: they
copy their parents’ speech, but never reproduce it exactly. This is true, but it is also true that such
deviations from adult speech are usually corrected in later childhood. Perhaps it is more
significant that even adults show a certain amount of random variation in their pronunciation of a
given phoneme, even if the phonetic context is kept unchanged.
One such force which is often invoked is the principle of ease, or minimization of effort.
The change from fussy to fuzzy would be an example of assimilation, which is a very common
kind of change. Assimilation is the changing of a sound under the influence of a neighbouring
one. For example, the word scant was once skamt, but the /m/ has been changed to /n/ under the
influence of the following /t/. Greater efficiency has hereby been achieved, because /n/ and /t/ are
articulated in the same place (with the tip of the tongue against the teeth-ridge), whereas /m/ is
articulated elsewhere (with the two lips). So the place of articulation of the nasal consonant has
been changed to conform with that of the following plosive.
Summary:
The reading passage mainly discusses the rationales behind the frequent adjustments of
the pronunciation of languages called sound laws. No global sound laws other than specific ones
for a particular language at distinct spans of time. Fashion is a contributive factor in the
dissemination of phonic modifications by virtue of it impelling people to mimic others,
especially distinguished ones. To be specific, Russian was once considered worthwhile to learn,
until Russia's position in the international arena diminish, its language was underestimated.
English also underwent social changes namely the rise of social hierarchy and affluence that
resulting in pronunciation-related adaptions of other styles. Children also create the change of
sound laws because of their inaccuracies when pronouncing words learned from older
generations, though they will be made precise when children become grownups. Adults may
even utter a word differently in an unchanged phonetic context. Moreover, assimilation making
pronunciation become easier is also a factor in phonetic changes.
Part 2. Chart description (15 points)
The charts below show the result of a survey of adult education. The first chart shows the
reasons why adults decide to study. The pie chart shows how people think the costs of adult
education should be shared.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.Your writing should be at least 150 words.

The charts illustrate the outcome of an inquiry into the purposes for the matured to
choose to receive education and how tuition fees should be afforded.
Overall, it is notable that the prime culprit why adults continue their study are due to their
fascination with the subjects. Also, it is the most widely held belief that the learning expenses
should be mostly funded by individuals themselves.
 According to the bar chart, the proportion of respondents mention “interest in the subject”
as the factor prompting them to go back to school is the highest of 40% and just slightly more
than that of the getting credentials aim, 38%. The next three reasons having roughly the same
percentage as well as being approximately twice less than the aforementioned metrics are the
assistance for present vocations, career elevation, and passion with studying. Besides, the rate of
survey participants informs that they get schooling to switch jobs, and to meet more people
account for only 12% and 9% respectively.
Regarding cost sharing, 40% of the surveyed are of the opinion that the majority of fees
should be covered by the individual, while 35% of them believe that the employers should lend
the helping hand. Taxpayers, on the other hand, are only expected to contribute 25% to adult
education.
Part 3. Essay writing (30 points)
Topic: Even though globalization affects the world's economies in a very positive way, its
negative side should not be forgotten.
Present argumentation to highlight your opinion on this matter. Give reasons and specific
examples to support your opinion(s).
Express your view in an essay of about 300-350 words.

Essay:
In the present age, globalization is playing an increasingly pivotal role in our lives. In the
meantime, however, whether it is a blessing or not has sparked a heated debate. While some
argue that globalization has a fundamentally beneficial influence on our lives, while many others
contend that it has a detrimental effect as well. I reckon that globalization chiefly brings out
advantages albeit some disadvantages.
To commence with, globalization enables every nation to be in with more chances of
prospering significantly further in the economic field. As globalization emerges, commodities
are more smoothly purchased globally and high-end technology or state-of-the-art facilities of
technologically advanced countries can become accessible by citizens from every nation.
Thereby, indigenous people, especially businesses from underdeveloped countries can also be
more frequently expose and utilize up-to-date equipment. Also of importance, globalization
facilitates communication worldwide, thereby increasing the flows of information. This helps
businesses operate in a much efficient manner as they are fed with timely information to make
less arbitrary decisions. Thus it permits businesses around the world to progress more quickly
and in turn generally stimulate the world’s economy.
What is more, globalization can promote the development of the economy by providing
businesses with a competitive advantage by allowing them to source raw materials where they
are inexpensive. Globalization also allows organizations to take advantage of lower labor costs in
developing countries while leveraging the technical expertise and experience of more developed
economies. With globalization, different parts of a product may be made in different regions of
the world. Globalization has long been used by the automotive industry, for instance, where
different parts of a car may be manufactured in different countries. Besides, underdeveloped
nations globally will be impelled and motivated to make every effort to keep up with others and
not be predominated by developed countries, thereby resulting in a more dynamic and
prosperous economy.
Nevertheless, the downsides in the field of economy of globalization are indisputable.
Several developed countries have witnessed job loss oversea, also known as offshore
outsourcing. This real phenomenon can be explained by looking at the wide discrepancy in
wages between developed and developing nations. For example, corporations like Apple have
shifted millions of jobs oversea in an attempt to reduce costs of production, making millions of
American workers suffer.
In conclusion, viewed from different angles, globalization has had benefits and
drawbacks on the world’s economy at once. However, such advantages as higher chances to
develop and the motivation for countries to endeavor to thrive can outweigh its disadvantages.