READING PASSAGE 1

HISTORY OF BICYCLE
Vehicles for human transport that have two-wheels and require balancing by the rider date back to the
early 19th century. The first means of transport making use of the two-wheels, and thus the archetype
of the bicycle, was the German draisine dating back to 1817. The term bicycle was coined in Prance in
the 1860s.

There are several early but unreliable claims for the invention of bicycle-like machines.
A Comte de Sivrac was said to have developed a two-wheeler, called a clarifier in 1791, demonstrating it
at the Palais-Royal in France. The clarifier supposedly had two wheels set on a rigid wooden frame and
no sieering, directional control being limited to that attainable by leaning. A rider was said to have to sit
astride the machine and pushed it along using alternate feet. We now know that a 2-wheeled clarifier
never existed besides the 4-wheeled ones and that it was a misinterpretation by the well known French
journalist Louis Baudry de Saunier in 1891.

Earlier, and equally unreliable, claims come from an illustration found in a church window in Stoke
Poges, installed in the 16th century, showing an angel on a bicycle-like device, and from a scribble said
to be from 1493 and attributed to Giacomo Caprotti, a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci. Hans-Erhard Lessing
recently showed this last assertion to be a purposeful fraud. However, the authenticity of the bicycle
sketch is still vigorously maintained by the Italian cultural bureaucracy still believing the misled Prof.
Augusto Marinoni, a lexicographer, who was entrusted by the Commission Vinciana of Rome with the
transcription of da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus.

The first reliable claim for a practically-used bicycle belongs to German Baron Karl von Drais, a civil
servant to the Grand Duke of Baden in Germany. Drais invented his Laufmaschine (German for "running
machine") of 1817 that was called Draisine (English) or draisienne (French) by the press. Karl von Drais
patented this design in 1818 which was the first commercially successful two-wheeled, steerable,
human-propelled machine commonly called a velocipede, nick-named hobby-horse or dandy horse. It
was initially manufactured in Germany and France. It was constructed almost entirely of wood. Hans¬,
Erhard Lessing found from circumstantial evidence that Drais' interest in finding an alternative to the
horse was the starvation and death of horses caused by crop failure in 1816 ("eighteen hundred and
froze to death," following the volcanic eruption of Tambora). On his first reported ride from Mannheim
on June 12, 1817, he covered 13 km (eight miles) in less than an hour. The wooden draining weighed 22
kg (48 pounds), had brass bushings within the wheel bearings, a rear-wheel brake and 152 mm(6 inches)
of trail of the front-wheel for a self-centering castor effect. This design was welcomed by mechanically
minded men daring to balance and several thousand copies were built and used, priman1Y in Western
Europe and in North America. Its popularity rapidly faded when, partly due to increasing numbers of
accidents some city authorities began to prohibit its use. However in 1866 Paris a Chinese visitor named
Bin Chun could still observe foot-pushed velocipedes.

shortly after, the concept was picked up by a number of British cartwright’s; the most notable being
penis Johnson of London. We can assume a name change occurred when Johnson patented his vehicle
and named it "pedestrian curricle" or "velocipede," but the public preferred nick-names like
"hobbyhorse," after the children's toy or, worse still, "dandy horse," after the foppish men who often
rode them. Johnson's machine was an improvement on Drais's, being notably more elegant: his wooden
frame had a serpentine shape instead of Drais's straight one, which allowed the use of larger wheels
without raising the seat higher. During the summer of 1819 the "hobby-horse", thanks in part to
Johnson's marketing skills and better patent protection, became the craze and fashion in London
society. The dandies, the Corinthians of the Regency, adopted it, therefore the poet John Keats referred
to it as "the nothing" of the day. Riders wore out their boots surprisingly rapidly, and the fashions ended
within the year, after riders on sideways were fined two pounds.

Nevertheless, Drais' velocipede provided the basis for further development: in fact, it was a drasine
which inspired a French metalworker around 1863 to add rotary cranks and pedals to front-wheel hub,
to create the first pedal-operated “bicycle” as we today understand the word.

Do the following statements agree with the information in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1-7 on your
answer sheet.
YES if the statement agrees with the information
NO if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this in the passages.
Q1 Relevant comments were given about the invention of bicycle like machine.
Q2 Clarifier consisted wooden frame with no steering.
Q3 Rome's commission vinciana showed positive attitude in Professor August Marinoni, with
transcription of da vine's codex Atlanticus.
Q4 There is no reliable claim for a German bicycle.
Q5 Hobby-horse is still in use.
Q6 Starvation of horses in 1816 was due to epidemic spreading in Drais's area.
Q7 Concept of two wheeler was firstly wooden designed and plied in western Europe and North
America.

Fill in the blanks. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer
Due to number of _____8______ popularity of wooden design decreased. After this Denis Johnson
considered the concept and ______9______ it velocipede, which was _______10______ than Drais's
model. "Hobby horse" then became a _______11______ of rich culture. Despite of short comings of
model, it provided the path for ________12________.

Accidents Culture Vogue

Popularity Named Reorganization Superior
Improvement Draise Velocipede

READING PASSAGE 2
The legal system of Singapore is based on the English common law system. Major areas of law -
particularly administrative law, contract law, equity and trust law, property law and tort law - are largely
judge-made, though certain aspects have now been modified to some extent by statutes. However,
other areas of law are almost completely enacted by a legislature. These include criminal law, company
law and family law.

Apart from referring to relevant Singaporean cases, judges continue to refer to English case law where
the issues pertain to a tradition common-law area of law, or involve the interpretation of Singaporean
statutes based on English enactments or English statutes applicable be in Singapore. These days, there is
also a greater tendency to consider decisions of important commonwealth jurisdictions such as Australia
and Canada, particularly if they take a different approach from English law.

Certain Singapore statutes are not based on English enactments but on legislation from other
jurisdictions. In such situations, court decisions from those jurisdictions on the original legislation are
often examined. Thus, Indian law is sometimes consulted in the interpretation of the Evidence Act and
the Penal Code which were based on Indian statutes.
On the other hand, where the interpretation of the Constitution of Singapore is concerned, courts
remain reluctant to take into account foreign legal materials on the basis that a constitution should
primarily be interpreted within its own four walls rather than in the light of analogies from other
jurisdictions; and because economic, political, social and other conditions in foreign countries are
perceived to be different.

Aspects of Singapore law are perceived to be harsh. Certain laws such as the Internal Security Act (which
authorizes detention without trial in certain circumstances) and the Societies Act (which regulates the
formation of associations) that were enacted during British rule in Singapore remain in the statute book,
and both corporal and capital punishment are still in use.

Modem Singapore was founded on 6 February 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles, an officer of the British East
India Company and Lieutenant-governor of Bencoolen, in an attempt to counter Dutch domination of
trade in the East. Permission for the East India Company to set up a "factory„on the island was obtained
from the Sultan of Johor and Temenggung of Johor on that date, and outright cession of Singapore took
Place in 1824. It has been suggested that prior to British acquisition (4 the island, the Malay chief in
charge of Singapore was the Temenggung of Johor. The Johor Sultanate was the successor of the
Malacca Sultanate, both of which had their own codes of law.

It is also possible that adat law, often inadequately translated as "customary law", governed the
inhabitants of the island prior to its acquisition by the British. However, little, if anything, is known about
the laws that were actually applicable. The British have always assumed that no law prevailed on the
island of Singapore when it was acquired.

In 1823 Raffles promulgated "Regulations" for the administration of the island. Regulation III of 20
January 1823 established a magistracy which had jurisdiction over "all descriptions of persons resorting
under the British flag". The magistrates were enjoined to "follow the course of the British magistracy, as
far as local circumstances permit, avoiding technicalities and unnecessary forms as much as possible,
and executing the duties of their office with temper and discretion, according to the best of their
judgment and conscience and the principles of substantial justice". Raffles' Regulations were most likely
illegal as he was acting beyond the scope of his legal powers in making them - although he had power to
place the factory at Singapore under the jurisdiction of Bencoolen, he was not vested with power to
place the entire island under Bencoolen's control. In this respect, he had treated Singapore as if the
entire island had been ceded to the British when the Treaty with the Sultan and the Temenggung had
only permitted the establishment of a trading factory.

The same year, Raffles appointed John Crawfurd as Resident of Singapore. Crawfurd doubted the
legitimacy of the legitimacy of the judicial system set up by Raffles, and annulled proceeding in which
magistrates had I ordered the flogging of gamblers and the seizure of their properties. He eventually
abolished the magistracy, replacing it with a Court of Requests overseen by an Assistant Resident which
dealt with minor civil cases, and a Resident's Court hearing all other cases which he himself presided
over. Crawfurd had no authoritative guide to the applicable law, so he decided cases on "general
principles of English law”, taking into account so far as he could the "character and manners of the
different classes" of local inhabitants. Unfortunately, Crawfurd's courts also lacked legal foundation, and
he had no legal powers over Europeans in Singapore. Serious cases involving British subjects had to be
referred to Calcutta; otherwise, all he could do was to banish them from the island.

Despite the dubious legal status of the courts established in Singapore by Raffles and Crawfurd, they
indicate that the de facto position was that between 1819 and 1826 English legal principles applied to
Singapore.On 24 June 1824 Singapore and Malacca were formally transferred to the East India
Company’s administration by the Transfer of Singapore to East India Company, etc. act 1824. By virtue
of the fort Marlborough in India Act 1802 both territories, together with others in the region ceded to
Britain by the Netherlands, became subordinate to the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal, and under
Government of India Act 1800 these territories became subject to the jurisdiction of the supreme court
of Fort William.The Indian Salaries and Pensions Act 1825 authorized the East India Company to place
Singapore and Malacca under the administration of Prince of Wales' Island (now Penang). The Company
did so, thus creating the Straits Settlements.

Fill in the blanks. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer:-
Q13. Criminal law, company law and family law are totally _____________.
Q14.Rather than English law, some Singapore statutes based _____________from jurisdictions.
Q15. On the task of interpretation of constitution of Singapore, courts do not consider____________.
Q16. In the laws of Singapore, British Government represented ____________ act during its rule.
Q17. Consent to establish and industry was passed by temenggung of johal in _______________.
Q18. Adat law may be converted as _____________.
Q19. Legal system of Singapore is influenced by _________________ law system.

CHOOSE the appropriate Letter A-D and write it in boxes 20-24 on your answer sheet.
Q20. Raffles regulations were
A. Completely legal
B. Beyond the scope
C. Powerful
D. unauthorized

Q21. Crawford was

A. Legislator
B. Magistrate
C. Judicial authority
D. None of the above

Q22. Crawford was

A. Failed to have legal power on Europeans.
B. Failed to deal with sultans
C. Failed to set up the jurisdiction.
D. Successful to set up principle laws.
Q23. On 24 June 1824 Singapore
A. Separated from East India company.
B. Became a part of national territory.
C. Merged into East India company.
D. Got freedom from Britain.

Q24. Singapore was founded by

A. Crawford
B. East India company
C. Or
D. None of the above

READING PASSAGE 3
A. Nuclear power is any nuclear technology designed to extract usable energy from atomic nuclei
via controlled nuclear reactions, The most common method today is through nuclear fission, though
other methods include nuclear fusion and radioactive decay. All utility-scale reactors heat water to
produce steam, which is then converted into mechanical work for the purpose of generating electricity
or propulsion. Today, more than 15% of the world's electricity comes from nuclear power, more than
150 nuclear-powered naval vessels have been built, and a few radioisotope rockets have been
produced.

B. As of 2005, nuclear power provided 6.3% of the world's energy and 15% of the
world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for 56.5% of nuclear generated
electricity. As of 2007, the IAEA reported there are 439 nuclear power reactors in operation in the
world, operating in 31 countries. The United States produces the most nuclear energy, with nuclear
power providing 19% of the electricity it consumes, while France produces the highest percentage of its
electrical energy from nuclear reactors 78% as of 2006. In the European Union as a whole, nuclear
energy provides 30% of the electricity. Nuclear energy policy differs between European Union countries,
and some, such as Austria and Ireland, have no active nuclear power stations. in comparison, France has
a large number of these plants,Many military and some civilian (such as some icebreaker) ships use
nuclear marine propulsion, a form of nuclear propulsion. A few space vehicles have been launched using
full-fledged nuclear reactors: the Soviet RORSAT series and the American SNAP-10A.

International research is continuing into safety improvements such as passively safe plants, the use of
nuclear fusion, and additional uses of process heat such as hydrogen production (in support of a
hydrogen economy), for desalinating sea water, and for use in district heating systems.

B. Nuclear fission was first experimentally achieved by Enrico Fermi in 1934 when his team
bombarded uranium with neutrons. In 1938, German chemists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann, along
with Austrian physicists Lise Meitnerand Meitner's nephew, Otto Robert
Frisch, conducted experiments with the products of neutron-bombarded uranium. They determined
that the relatively tiny neutron split the nucleus of the massive uranium atoms into two roughly equal
pieces, which was a surprising result. Numerous scientists, including Leo Szilard who was one of the first,
recognized that if fission reactions released additional neutrons, a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction
could result. This spurred scientists in many countries (including the United States, the United Kingdom,
France, Germany, and the Soviet Union) to petition their government for support of nuclear fission
research.
In the United States, where Fermi and Szilard had both emigrated, this led to the creation of the first
man-made reactor, known as Chicago Pile-1, which achieved criticality on December 2, 1942. This work
became part of the Manhattan Project, which built large reactors at the Hanford Site (formerly the town
of Hanford, Washington) to breed plutonium for use in the first nuclear weapons. A parallel uranium
enrichment effort also was pursued.

C. After World War II, the fear that reactor research would encourage the rapid spread of nuclear
weapons and technology, combined with what many scientists thought would be a long road of
development, created a situation in which reactor research was kept under strict government control
and classification. In addition, most reactor research centered on purely military purposes.

D. Electricity was generated for the first time by a nuclear reactor on December 20, 1951 at the
EBR-I experimental station near Arco, Idaho, which initially produced about 100 kW (the Arco Reactor
was also the first to experience partial meltdown, in 1955). In 1952, a report by the Paley Commission
(The President's Materials Policy Commission) for President Harry. Truman made a "relatively
pessimistic" assessment of nuclear power, and called for "aggressive research in the whole field of solar
energy." A December 1953 speech by President Dwight Eisenhower, "Atoms for Peace," emphasized the
useful harnessing of the atom and set the U.S. on a course of strong government support for
international use of nuclear power.

E. In 1954, Lewis Strauss, then chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission (forerunner of
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the United States Department of Energy) spoke of
electricity in the future being "too cheap to meter." While few doubt he was thinking of atomic energy
when he made the statement, he may have been referring to hydrogen fusion, rather than uranium
fission. Actually, the consensus of government and business at the time was that nuclear (fission) power
might eventually become merely economically competitive with conventional power sources.In 1955
the United Nations' "First Geneva Conference", then theworld's largest gathering of scientists and
engineers, met to explore the technology. In 1957 EURATOM was launched alongside the European
Economic Community (the latter is now the European Union). The same year also saw the launch of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

F One of the first organizations to develop nuclear power was the U.S. Navy, for the purpose of
propelling submarines and aircraft carriers. It has a good record in nuclear safety, perhaps because of
the stringent demands of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, who was the driving force behind nuclear marine
propulsion as well as the Shippingport Reactor. The U.S. Navy has operated more nuclear reactors than
any other entity, including the Soviet Navy, with no publicly known major incidents. The first nuclear-
powered submarine, USS Nautilus (SSN-571), was put to sea in December 1954. Two U.S. nuclear
submarines, USS Scorpion and USS Thresher, have been lost at sea. These vessels were both lost due to
malfunctions in systems not related to the reactor plants. Also, the sites are monitored and no known
leakage has occurred from the onboard reactors. Enrico Fermi and Le6 Szilard in 1955 shared U.S. Patent
2,708,656 for the nuclear reactor, belatedly granted for the work they had done during the Manhattan
Project.
 From the list of headings below, choose the most suitable headings for Sections A-F. Write the
appropriate numbers i-x in boxes 25-30 on your answer sheet.
Q25. Paragraph A
Q26. Paragraph B
Q27. Paragraph C
Q28. Paragraph D
Q29. Paragraph E
Q30. Paragraph F

List of headings
I. Promatic change of energy sources.
II. Consumption of nuclear power.
III. Experiments in sea.
IV. Positive use of aggressive research.
V. Nuclear weapons & nuclear energy
VI. Uses of nuclear energy.
VII. Fission reaction.
VIII. Need of nuclear power in Navy.
IX. Popularity of nuclear in United Nations.
X. Origin of the nuclear power.

Do the following statements agree with the information in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 31-40 on your
answer sheet write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this in the passages
Q 31 Nuclear fission is commonly used to produce Nuclear Power.
Q 32 World's energy need can be completed only by nuclear power.
Q 33 USSR is producing most nuclear energy, with nuclear power.
Q 34 Bombardment of neutrons on uranium causes nuclear fission reaction.
Q 35 Tiny neutron split uranium's nuclear into two equal pieces consisting equal number of protons.
Q 36 It was myth Chicago Pile - I was first man made reactor.
Q 37 Electricity was firstly generated by nuclear reactor.
Q 38 "Atoms for peace" was a report on nuclear power by President Dwight Eisenhower.
Q 39 Hydrogen fusion is better than uranium fission.
Q 40 The first nuclear submarine put into sea was USS Scorpion.