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Contents
Introduction 4
Acknowledgement 5
DAY 1 Reading Passage 1: “William Kamkwamba” 6
DAY 2 Reading Passage 2: “White mountain, green tourism” 10
DAY 3 Reading Passage 3: “Reading in a whole new way” 14
DAY 4 Reading Passage 1: “The domestication of horses” 18
DAY 5 Reading Passage 2: “Business case study:

Rebranding Shopper’s Stop” 22
DAY 6 Reading Passage 3 26
DAY 7 Reading Passage 1: “The way the brain buys” 30
DAY 8 Reading Passage 2: “The truth about lying” 34
DAY 10 Reading Passage 1: “Movers and Shakers” 42
DAY 11 Reading Passage 2: “Establishing your birthrights” 46
DAY 12 Reading Passage 3: “Making a loss is the height of

fashion” 50
DAY 13 Reading Passage 1: “Meet the hedgehog” 54
DAY 14 Reading Passage 2: “The house of the future, then

and now” 58
DAY 15 Reading Passage 3: “First words” 62
DAY 16 Reading Passage 1: “Going Nowhere Fast” 66
DAY 17 Reading Passage 2: “Bird Migration” 70
DAY 19 Reading Passage 1: “The MIT factor: celebrating 150

years of maverick genius by Ed Pilkington” 79
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DAY 20 Reading Passage 2: “Gold dusters” 83
DAY 21 Reading Passage 3: “The Earth and Space Foundation” 87
DAY 22 Reading Passage 1: “The environmental impact of the

clothing industry” 91
DAY 23 Reading Passage 2: “Selling the health benefits of

enriched “phoods” 95
DAY 24 Reading Passage 3: “Swarm theory” 99
DAY 25 Reading Passage 1: “The history of the posters” 103
DAY 26 Reading Passage 2: “Last man standing” 107
DAY 27 Reading Passage 3: “The new way to be a fifth grader” 111
DAY 28 Reading Passage 1: “Andrea Palladio: Italian Architect” 115
DAY 29 Reading Passage 2: “Corporate Social Responsibility” 118
DAY 30 Reading Passage 3: “The significant role of mother
tongue in Education” 123
Supplementary materials
Answer keys with explanation 128
Word list 248
3
Introduction
“30 – Day Reading Challenge” has been prepared by a team of qualified teachers at
IELTS ZONE to help students overcome their difficulties with the IELTS Reading Test.
There are 30 Reading Passages which are designed to equip future IELTS candidates
with the necessary skills useful for this section. For each practice test, you will find the
answer keys with detailed explanations to help you understand your mistakes and find
the correct answer.
It is strongly recommended that you do the passages in the order they are presented
as they are sequenced in accordance with their level of difficulty. It is also vital that you
spend an adequate amount of time to analyze all the questions before you move on to
the next task. You will also find a list of useful vocabulary and phrases extracted from
each passage.
Please note that our most important goal is to help you face your fear of
IELTS READING.
Happy learning!
4
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the following sources of copyright material. While every effort has
been made, it has not always been possible to identify the sources of all the material
used, or to trace all copyright holders. If any omissions are brought to our notice, we
will be happy to include the appropriate acknowledgements on reprinting.
“Complete IELTS bands 4.5 – 5.0”/ Student’s book, IELTS practice test, Passage 1,
page 146, Passage 2, page 149, Passage 3, page 152; “Complete IELTS bands 5.5 -
6.0” / Student’s book & Workbook, Unit 6 (Making money, spending money, Reading
Section 1, page 36 and 58), Unit 7 (Relationship, Reading Section 2, page 44 and 71),
Unit 8 (Fashion and design, Reading Section 3, page 48 and 78), by Guy Brook-Hart
and Vanessa Jakeman, publisher Cambridge University Press, 2012;“Vocabulary for
IELTS (Intermediate)” / Unit 6 (Effective Communication, Test practice, page 35), Unit
9 (The natural World, Test Practice, page 49), Unit 11 (Design and innovation, Test
practice, page 61) by Pauline Cullen, publisher Cambridge University Press, 2008;
“IELTS Reading Actual Book 2”, Test 3 (Passage 1, page 29), Test 5 (Passage 2, page
59);“IELTS Reading Actual Book 4”, Test 2 (Passage 1, page 15), Test 2 (Passage 2,
page 19), Test 2 (Passage 3, page 24)”;“IELTS Test Plus 3” / Test 4, Reading test, Pas-
sage 3, page 90 by Margaret Matthews and Katy Salisbury; “Complete IELTS bands
6.5 - 7.5” / Student’s book, Unit 1 (Getting higher Education, Reading Section 1, page
11), Unit 4 (Art and the artist, Reading Section 1, page 41), Unit 5 (Stepping back in
time, Reading Section 2, page 54), Unit 6 (IT society, Reading Section 3, page 63), Unit
7 (Our relations with nature, Reading Section 2, page 72), Unit 8 (Across the universe,
Reading Section 3, page 85) by Guy Brook-Hart and Vanessa Jakeman, publisher
Cambridge University Press, 2013; “Vocabulary for IELTS (Advanced)” / Unit 4 (Scien-
tific discovery, Test practice, page 25, Unit 9 (Natural history, Test practice, page 51),
Unit 12 (The latest thing, Test practice, page 69) by Pauline Cullen, publisher Cam-
bridge University Press, 2012
+97 130 68 22 @ieltszone_uz

Day 1
READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–13, which are based on Reading
Passage 1 below.
William Kamkwamba
At only 14 years old, William Kamkwamba built a series of windmills that could
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generate electricity in his African village, Masitala, in Malawi, south-eastern Africa.
In 2002, William Kamkwamba had to drop out of school, as his father, a maize and
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tobacco farmer, could no longer afford his school fees. But despite this setback,
William was determined to get his education. He began visiting a local library that had
just opened in his old primary school, where he discovered a tattered science book.
With only a rudimentary grasp of English, he taught himself basic physics – mainly by
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studying photos and diagrams. Another book he found there featured windmills on the
cover and inspired him to try and build his own.
He started by constructing a small model. Then, with the help of a cousin and friend,
he spent many weeks searching scrap yards and found old tractor fans, shock
absorbers, plastic pipe and bicycle parts, which he used to build the real thing.
For windmill blades, William cut some bath pipe in two lengthwise, then heated the
pieces over hot coals to press the curried edges flat. To bore holes into the blades,
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he stuck a nail through half a corncob, heated the metal red and twisted it through the
blades. It took three hours to repeatedly heat the nail and bore the holes. He attached
the blades to a tractor fan using proper nuts and bolts and then to the back axle of a
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bicycle. Electricity was generated through the bicycle dynamo. When the wind blew
the blades, the bike chain spun the bike wheel, which charged the dynamo and sent a
current through wire to his house.
What he had built was a crude machine that produced 12 volts and powered four
lights. When it was all done, the windmill’s wingspan measured more than eight feet
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and sat on top of a rickety tower 15 feet tall that swayed violently in strong gales.
He eventually replaced the tower with a sturdier one that stands 39 feet, and built a
second machine that watered a family garden.
The windmill brought William Kamkwamba instant local fame, but despite his
accomplishment, he was still unable to return to school. However, news of his magetsi
a mphepo – electric wind – spread beyond Malawi, and eventually things began to
change. An educational official, who had heard news of the windmill, came to visit his
village and was amazed to learn that William had been out of school for five years.
He arranged for him to attend secondary school at the government’s expense and
brought journalists to the farm to see the windmill. Then a story published in the
Malawi Daily Mail caught the attention of bloggers, which in turn caught the attention
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30 - Day Reading Challenge
of organisers for the Technology Entertainment and Design conference.
In 2007, William spoke at the TED Global conference in Tanzania and got a standing
ovation. Businessmen stepped forward with offers to fund his education and projects,
and with money donated by them, he was able to put his cousin and several friends
back into school and pay for some medical needs of his family. With the donation,
he also drilled a borehole for a well and water pump in his village and installed drip
irrigation in his father’s fields.
The water pump has allowed his family to expand its crops. They have abandoned
tobacco and now grow maize, beans, soybeans, potatoes and peanuts. The windmills
have also brought big lifestyle and health changes to the other villagers. ‘The village
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has changed a lot,’ William says. ‘Now, the time that they would have spent going to
fetch water, they are using for doing other things. And also the water they are drinking
is clean water, so there is less disease.’ The villagers have also stopped using
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kerosene and can use the money previously spent on fuel to buy othwwer things.
William Kamkwamba’s example has inspired other children in the village to pursue
science. William says they now see that if they put their mind to something, they can
achieve it. ‘It has changed the way people think,’ he says.
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Day 1
Questions 1–5
Complete the flow chart below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1–5 on your answer sheet.
Building the Windmill
William learned some 1 …………… from a library book.
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First, he built a 2 …………… of the windmill.
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Then he collected materials from 3 …………… with a relative.
He made the windmill blades from pieces of 4 …………… .

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He fixed the blades to a 5 …………… and then to part of a bicycle.

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He raised the blades on a tower.

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Questions 6–10
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 6–10 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
6 William used the electricity he created for village transport.
7 At first, William’s achievement was ignored by local people.
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8 Journalists from other countries visited William’s farm.
9 William used money he received to improve water supplies in his village.
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10 The health of the villagers has improved since the windmill was built.
Questions 11–13
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Answer the questions below.
Use NO MORE THAN ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each
answer.

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11 How tall was the final tower that William built?
12 What did the villagers use for fuel before the windmill was built?
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13 What school subject has become more popular in William’s village?

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Day 2
READING PASSAGE 2
Passage 2 below.
White mountain, green tourism

The French Alpine town of Chamonix has been a magnet for tourists since the 18th
century. But today, tourism and climate change are putting pressure on the surrounding
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environment. Marc Grainger reports.
A The town of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc sits in a valley at 1,035 metres above sea level
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in the Haute-Savoie department in south-eastern France. To the northwest are the
red peaks of the Aiguilles Rouges massif; to the south-east are the permanently
white peaks of Mont Blanc, which at 4,810 metres is the highest mountain in the
Alps. It’s a typical Alpine environment, but one that is under increasing strain from
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the hustle and bustle of human activity.
B Tourism is Chamonix’s lifeblood. Visitors have been encouraged to visit the valley
ever since it was discovered by explorers in 1741. Over 40 years later, in 1786,
Mont Blanc’s summit was finally reached by a French doctor and his guide, and this
gave birth to the sport of alpinism, with Chamonix at its centre. In 1924, it hosted
the first Winter Olympics, and the cable cars and lifts that were built in the years
that followed gave everyone access to the ski slopes.
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C Today, Chamonix is a modern town, connected to the outside world via the Mont
Blanc Road Tunnel and a busy highway network. It receives up to 60,000 visitors at
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a time during the ski season, and climbers, hikers and extreme-sports enthusiasts
swarm there in the summer in even greater numbers, swelling the town’s
population to 100,000. It is the third most visited natural site in the world, according
to Chamonix’s Tourism Office and, last year, it had 5.2 million visitor bed nights – all
this in a town with fewer than 10,000 permanent inhabitants.
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D This influx of tourists has put the local environment under severe pressure, and
the authorities in the valley have decided to take action. Educating visitors is vital.
Tourists are warned not to drop rubbish, and there are now recycling points dotted
all around the valley, from the town centre to halfway up the mountains. An internet
blog reports environmental news in the town, and the ‘green’ message is delivered
with all the tourist office’s activities.
E Low-carbon initiatives are also important for the region. France is committed to
reducing its carbon emissions by a factor of four by 2050. Central to achieving this
aim is a strategy that encourages communities to identify their carbon emissions
on a local level and make plans to reduce them. Studies have identified that

accommodation accounts for half of all carbon emissions in the Chamonix valley.
Hotels are known to be inefficient operations, but those around Chamonix are
now cleaning up their act. Some are using low-energy lighting, restricting water
use and making recycling bins available for guests; others have invested in huge
projects such as furnishing and decorating using locally sourced materials, using
geothermal energy for heating and installing solar panels.
F Chamonix’s council is encouraging the use of renewable energy in private

properties too, by making funds available for green renovations and new
constructions. At the same time, public sector buildings have also undergone
improvements to make them more energy efficient and less wasteful. For example,
the local ice rink has reduced its annual water consumption from 140,000 cubic
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metres to 10,000 cubic metres in the space of three years.
G Improving public transport is another feature of the new policy, as 80 percent of
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carbon emissions from transport used to come from private vehicles. While the
Mont Blanc Express is an ideal way to travel within the valley – and see some
incredible scenery along the route – it is much more difficult to arrive in Chamonix
from outside by rail. There is no direct line from the closest airport in Geneva, so
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tourists arriving by air normally transfer by car or bus. However, at a cost of 3.3
million euros a year, Chamonix has introduced a free shuttle service in order to get
people out of their cars and into buses fitted with particle filters.
H If the valley’s visitors and residents want to know why they need to reduce their
environmental impact, they just have to look up; the effects of climate change
are there for everyone to see in the melting glaciers that cling to the mountains.
The fragility of the Alpine environment has long been a concern among local
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people. Today, 70 percent of the 805 square kilometres that comprise Chamonix–
Mont-Blanc is protected in some way. But now, the impact of tourism has led
the authorities to recognise that more must be done if the valley is to remain
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prosperous: that they must not only protect the natural environment better, but also
manage the numbers of visitors better, so that its residents can happily remain
there.
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Day 2
Questions 14–18
Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs, A–H.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A–H, in boxes 14–18 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
14 a list of the type of people who enjoy going to Chamonix
15 reference to a system that is changing the way visitors reach Chamonix
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16 the geographical location of Chamonix
17 mention of the need to control the large tourist population in Chamonix
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18 reference to a national environmental target
Questions 19–20
Choose TWO letters, A–E.

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Write your answers in boxes 19 and 20 on your answer sheet.
The writer mentions several ways that the authorities aim to educate tourists in Chamonix.
Which TWO of the following ways are mentioned?
A giving instructions about litter

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B imposing fines on people who drop litter

C handing out leaflets in the town
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D operating a web-based information service

E having a paper-free tourist office
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Questions 21–22
Write your answer in boxes 21 and 22 on your answer sheet.
The writer mentions several ways that hotels are reducing their carbon emissions.
Which TWO of the following ways are mentioned?
A using natural cleaning materials

B recycling water
C limiting guest numbers
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D providing places for rubbish
E harnessing energy from the sun
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Questions 23–26 ZO
Complete the sentences below.
23 The first people to discover the Chamonix valley were …………… .
24 Chamonix’s busiest tourist season is the …………… .
25 Public areas, such as the …………… in Chamonix, are using fewer resources.
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26 The …………… on the mountains around Chamonix provide visual evidence of

global warming.
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Day 3
READING PASSAGE 3
Passage 3 below.
READING IN A WHOLE NEW WAY

As technology improves, how does the act of reading change?
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Reading and writing, like all technologies, are constantly changing. In ancient times,
authors often dictated their books. Dictation sounded like an uninterrupted series of
words, so scribes wrote these down in one long continuous string, just as they occur in
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speech. For this reason, text was written without spaces between words until the 11th
century. This continuous script made books hard to read, so only a few people were
accomplished at reading them aloud to others. Being able to read silently to yourself
was considered an amazing talent; writing was an even rarer skill. In fact, in 15th
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century Europe, only one in 20 adult males could write.
After Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in about 1440, mass-produced books
changed the way people read and wrote. The technology of printing increased the
number of words available, and more types of media, such as newspapers and
magazines, broadened what was written about. Authors no longer had to produce
scholarly works, as was common until then, but could write, for example, inexpensive,
eart-rending love stories or publish autobiographies, even if they were unknown.
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In time, the power of the written word gave birth to the idea of authority and expertise.
Laws were compiled into official documents, contracts were written down and nothing
was valid unless it was in this form. Painting, music, architecture, dance were all
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important, but the heartbeat of many cultures was the turning pages of a book. By the
early 19th century, public libraries had been built in many cities.
Today, words are migrating from paper to computers, phones, laptops and game
consoles. Some 4.5 billion digital screens illuminate our lives. Letters are no longer
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fixed in black ink on paper, but flitter on a glass surface in a rainbow of colors as fast as
our eyes can blink. Screens fill our pockets, briefcases, cars, living-room walls and the
sides of buildings. They sit in front of us when we work – regardless of what we do.
And of course, these newly ubiquitous screens have changed how we read and write.
The first screens that overtook culture, several decades ago – the big, fat, warm tubes
of television – reduced the time we spent reading to such an extent that it seemed as if
reading and writing were over. Educators and parents worried deeply that the TV
generation would be unable to write. But the interconnected, cool, thin displays of
computer screens launched an epidemic of writing that continues to swell. As a
consequence, the amount of time people spend reading has almost tripled since 1980.
By 2008, the World Wide Web contained more than a trillion pages, and that total grows
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rapidly every day.
But it is not book reading or newspaper reading, it is screen reading. Screens are
always on, and, unlike books, we never stop staring at them. This new platform is very
visual, and it is gradually merging words with moving images. You might think of this
new medium as books we watch, or television we read. We also use screens to present
data, and this encourages numeracy: visualising data and reading charts, looking at
pictures and symbols are all part of this new literacy.
Screens engage our bodies, too. The most we may do while reading a book is to flip
the pages or turn over a corner, but when we use a screen, we interact with what we
see. In the futuristic movie Minority Report, the main character stands in front of a
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screen and hunts through huge amounts of information as if conducting an orchestra.
Just as it seemed strange five centuries ago to see someone read silently, in the future
it will seem strange to read without moving your body.
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In addition, screens encourage more utilitarian (practical) thinking. A new idea or
unfamiliar fact will cause a reflex to do something: to research a word, to question
your screen ‘friends’ for their opinions or to find alternative views. Book reading
strengthened our analytical skills, encouraging us to think carefully about how we feel.
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Screenreading, on the other hand, encourage quick responses, associating this idea
with another, equipping us to deal with the thousands of new thoughts expressed every
day. For example, we review a movie for our friends while we watch it; we read the
owner’s manual of a device we see in a shop before we purchase it, rather than after
we get home and discover that it can’t do what we need it to do.
Screens provoke action instead of persuasion. Propaganda is less effective, and false
information is hard deliver in a world of screens because while misinformation travels
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fast, corrections do, too. On a screen, it is often easier to correct a falsehood than to
tell one in the first place. Wikipedia works so well because it removes an error in a
single click. In books, we find a revealed truth; on the screen, we assemble our own
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truth from pieces. What is more, a screen can reveal the inner nature of things. Waving
the camera eye of a smartphone over the bar code of a manufactured product reveals
its price, origins and even relevant comments by other owners. It is as if the screen
displays the object’s intangible essence. A popular children’s toy (Webkinz) instills
stuffed animals with a virtual character that is ‘hidden’ inside; a screen enables children
to play with this inner character online in a virtual world.
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In the near future, screens will be the first place we’ll look for answers, for friends, for
news, for our sense of who we are and who we can be.

Day 3
Questions 27–31
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 27–31 on your answer sheet.
27 What does the writer say about dictation?
A It helped people learn to read.

B It affected the way people wrote.
C It was not used until the 11th century.
D It was used mainly for correspondence.
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28 According to the writer, what changed after the invention of the printing press?
A Romance became more popular than serious fiction.
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B Newspapers became more popular than books.
C Readers asked for more autobiographies.
D Authors had a wider choice of topics.
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29 In the third paragraph, the writer focuses on the
A legal concerns of authors.

B rapid changes in public libraries.
C growing status of the written word.
D recognition of the book as an art form.
30 What does the writer say about screens in the fourth paragraph?
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A They are hard to read.

B They are bad for our health.
C They can improve our work.
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D They can be found everywhere.
31 According to the writer, computers differ from television because they
A encourage more reading.

B attract more criticism.
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C take up more of our leisure time.

D include more educational content.
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Questions 32–36
Do the following statements agree with the views of writer in Reading Passage 3?
YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
32 Screen reading has reduced the number of books and newspapers people read.
33 Screen literacy requires a wider range of visual skills than book-based literacy.
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34 Screen reading is more active than book reading.
35 Screens and books produce similar thought patterns in their readers.
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36 People are easily persuaded to believe lies on the screen.
Questions 37–40
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Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A–F, below.
Write the correct letter, A–F, in boxes 37–40 on your answer sheet.
37 The film Minority Report illustrates
38 Our behaviour when we watch a film shows

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39 Wikipedia’s success relies on
40 Webkinz is an example of
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A the accuracy of its information.

B people’s ability to concentrate.
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C the global use of the Internet.

D how people behave physically when they read screens.
E the screen’s ability to make an object seem real.
F how rapidly opinions can be communicated.
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Day 4
READING PASSAGE 1
Passage 1 below.
Questions 1–7
Reading Passage 1 has seven paragraphs, A–G.
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Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i–x, in boxes 1–7 on your answer sheet.
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List of Headings
i The fastest breeds of horses
ii
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Developing desirable characteristics
iii Playing a less essential role
iv Influencing the outcome of conflicts
v What different breeds do best
vi A wide range of uses for domestic horses
vii Horses in agriculture
viii An ancient species
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ix An ideal form of transport

x What the earliest horses looked like
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1 Section A
2 Section B
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3 Section C
4 Section D
5 Section E
6 Section F
7 Section G
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The domestication of horses
A Horses have been racing across the landscape for around 55 million years –
much longer than our own species has existed. However, prehistoric remains
show that at the end of the Ice Age, some 10,000 years ago, wild horses died
out in the Americas and dwindled in western Europe, for reasons that are not
clear. But they continued to thrive on the steps of eastern Europe and Central
Asia, where short grasses and shrubs grow on vast, dry stretches of land. Most
scholars believe it was here that people domesticated the horse. However, the
DNA of domestic horses is very diverse. This suggests they may be descended
from a number of different wild horse populations, in several locations.
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B Once horses and humans encountered each other, our two species became
powerfully linked. Humans domesticated horses some 6,000 years ago, and over
time, we have created more than 200 breeds. The first domestic horses were
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likely to have been kept mainly as a source of food, rather than for work or for
riding. There is evidence of horses being raised for meat in Kazakhstan, in Central
Asia, around 5,500 years ago; later they began to pull chariots, and horseback
riding became common in Afghanistan and Iran about 4,000 years ago. As we
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have shaped horses to suit our needs on battlefields, farms and elsewhere, these
animals have shaped human history. The ways we travel, trade, play, work and
fight wars have all been profoundly shaped by our use of horses.
C When people domesticate animals, they control their behavior in many ways. For
example, animals that are being domesticated no longer choose their own mates.
Instead, people control their breeding. Individuals with traits that humans prefer
are more likely to produce offspring and pass on their genes. In the course of
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several generations, both the body and behavior of the animal are transformed.
In the wild, animals that are well adapted to their environment live long and
reproduce, while others die young. In this way, nature “chooses” the traits that
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are passed on to the next generation. This is the process of evolution by natural
selection. Domestic animals also evolve, but people do the selecting. Humans
seek out qualities like tameness, and help animals with those traits to survive and
bear young. This is evolution by artificial selection. Most domestic animals are
naturally social. Their wild ancestors lived in groups, with individuals responding
to each other – some led, others followed. In domestic animals, the tendency to
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submit to others is especially strong. Generations of breeding have encouraged

them to let people take the lead.
D For more than 3,000 years, a fighter on horseback or horse-drawn chariot was the
ultimate weapon. Time after time, from Asia to Europe to the Americas, the use
of horses has changed the balance of power between civilizations. When people
with horses clashed with those without, horses provided a huge advantage.
When both sides had horses, battles turned on the strength and strategy of their
mounted horsemen, or cavalry. Horses continued to define military tactics well into
the 1900s, until they finally became outmoded by machine guns, tanks, airplanes
and other modern weapons.
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Day 4
E Horses are built for power. Their muscular bodies are heavier in the front than in
the back, making them well balanced to pull heavy loads. Yet they can also be
agile and quick – fit to carry out difficult tasks at top speed. So for more than a
thousand years, people have called on the power of horses to cultivate the land
and manage livestock.
F For most of human history, there was no faster way to travel over land than on
a horse. When it comes to carrying people and their possessions, horses have
two important advantages – they can run very fast and very far. Their speed
and endurance are unusual for a creature so large, making them the most
suitable animals to carry people and goods around the world. Horses offer other
advantages as well. Since they eat grass, they can go almost anywhere that
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humans can, eating as they go. And unlike cows and camels, which must sit
and rest to digest food, a horse’s digestive system allows it to graze and walk
the whole day without stopping. By carrying people, goods and ideas between
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civilizations, horses changed history.
G Today’s horses are not used to carry soldiers into battle, and do not pull plows and
stage-coaches as they once did. But horses are still part of our lives. Today the 58
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million horses in the world are used more for companionship, sport and recreation
than for work and warfare.
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Questions 8–10

8 The last of the wild horses lived around 10,000 years ago.
9 Initially people probably used domesticated horses to supplement their diet.
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10 Methods of artificial selection have changed over the centuries.
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Questions 11–13

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11 Having greater weight at the …………… helps horses to pull heavy items.
12 As well as being quicker, horses have greater …………… than most other large
animals.
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13 Because of the way their …………… works, horses can keep moving all day long.
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Day 5
READING PASSAGE 2
Passage 2 below.
Business case study: Rebranding Shopper’s Stop

On April 24, 2008, one of India’s oldest retail chains Shopper’s Stop Ltd unveiled its
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new logo as a part of its rebranding strategy. The chain undertook the rebranding
exercise in a bid to go upmarket, and reposition itself as a ‘bridge to luxury’ store as
opposed to its earlier image of a premium retailer. This would mean raising the already
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high quality of its products, and targeting more affluent consumers. Commenting on
the change, B.S. Nagesh, Customer Care Associate and Managing Director, Shopper’s
Stop, said, ‘Change is essential. Our consumers are changing; their preferences are
constantly evolving. They are getting younger. And so, we have to change along with
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them. The change in identity is just the beginning of a wave of strategic movements
being made in people, practices, introduction of new ways of shopping, technology,
investment in customer relationship management, and analytics.’
Shopper’s Stop was founded by K Raheja Corporation in October 1991, with its first
store in Mumbai. From selling men’s ready-to-wear clothing it soon evolved into a
complete family lifestyle store. As of 2008, Shopper’s Stop had 1.3 million square feet
of retail space spread across 24 stores in 11 cities in India, with a retail turnover of over
12.07 billion rupees (approx. US$245m).
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According to analysts, in the mid-2000s Shopper’s Stop started to lose its market value
as it failed to keep pace with changing customer preferences. It faced competition from
several retailers such as Globus, Westside and Lifestyle, who were catering to the
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same segment of customers.

Changing consumer behaviour and the growing demand from youngsters for trendy
products made Shopper’s Stop consider the option of rebranding itself.
It conducted a series of workshops called ‘Trial Room’, to understand the preferences
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of groups of invited consumers. The workshops revealed that what was needed was a
change in the look and feel of the brand. For Shopper’s Stop, rebranding meant not just
a change of logo, but the execution of new business strategies, with the core principles
remaining intact. According to Ravi Deshpande, Chief Creative Officer with Contract
Advertising, the agency which designed the new campaign for Shopper’s Stop, ‘The
retailer needed its brand idea to change, in order to connect to younger people. The
purpose was also to cut the age of the brand, as fresh ideas do help in making people
look differently at the brand.’
As a part of the rebranding efforts, Shopper’s Stop introduced a new rectangular logo
designed by Ray+Keshavan. Though the logo was changed, the black and white colour
scheme was retained. Govind Shrikhande, Customer Care Associate and Chief
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Executive of Shopper’s Stop, said, ‘It is more classical, rich, and authoritative –
something Shopper’s customers connect with. Black and white gives us a strong brand
recall value.’ The tagline was also changed from ‘Shopping and Beyond’ to ‘Start
Something New’, which implied that customers should try out something different, and
upgrade themselves according to the demands of the changing world.
As a part of its new philosophy of providing the customers with a new shopping
experience, Shopper’s Stop came up with several initiatives. One plan was to increase
the area of each store from around 40,000-45,000 square feet to 75,000-85,000 square
feet. It also started a new concept in the retail industry by setting up trial rooms with day
and night lighting options, so that consumers could check how garments would look
during the day and in the night.
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The other initiatives included a new dress code of black and white for the employees,
and training sessions to help employees tackle demanding customers with varied
tastes. Shopper’s Stop also introduced a company anthem for the staff, penned by
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renowned lyricist Gulzar, and sung by popular Indian singer Sonu Nigam. It was played
every morning across all outlets in the country as a song of celebration. Shopper’s Stop
brought out collectible shopping bags with different themes and launched the first in
the series based on the theme ‘Fashion for the Age’. To make shopping an enjoyable
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experience for its customers, it launched an in-store radio station in association with
Blue Frog Media, which aired popular melodies across all its stores in India, while radio
presenters offered tips on fashion and wellness. It also planned to start its online portal
by the end of 2008, to enable customers to shop online.
In addition to these initiatives, Shopper’s Stop also started an environmental awareness
campaign called ‘Think Green’. As part of this initiative, it planted more than 500 trees
and distributed 1,500,000 seed sachets among its customers. Besides, a series of print
and television commercials in black and white, with an environmental message that
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also conveyed Shopper’s Stop’s repositioning, were launched.

Shopper’s Stop planned to invest around 15 billion rupees to increase the number of
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outlets to 48 by 2011. It had earmarked 200 million rupees for the rebranding and
repositioning exercise. But not everyone favoured the changes. Customers said that
from their point of view, there was no major change in terms of price or special offers.
Some analysts were of the view that the new logo had nothing unique to offer except for
a change in shape. Some even wondered why the retailer had decided to rebrand itself,
considering that it was doing reasonably well and had just completed a successful year.
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Day 5
Questions 14–19
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A–I, below.
Write the correct letter, A–I, in boxes 14–19 on your answer sheet.
14 In rebranding, Shopper’s Stop’s objective was to attract
15 The mid-2000s saw an alteration in
16 In the mid-2000s young people were increasingly interested in buying
17 Workshops showed that Shopper’s Stop needed to modify
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18 The new advertising campaign was intended to give the Shopper’s Stop brand
19 The new tagline was intended to encourage consumers to buy
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A its brand image
B designs that were popular in other parts of the world
C
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customers who had stayed loyal to the company
D the items that consumers tended to buy
E products that they hadn’t tried before
F a younger image
G the shape of the logo
H customers with more money to spend
I fashionable goods
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Questions 20–22

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20 When Shopper’s Stop first opened it sold products for all the family.
21 Shopper’s Stop and Globus targeted similar sections of the market.
22 The advertising campaign was used to launch new products.
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Questions 23–24
Write the correct letters in boxes 23 and 24 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO of the following activities were among Shopper’s Stop’s initiatives to help
customers?
A redecorating its stores

B changing the lighting in certain areas of its stores
C recruiting additional staff
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D offering online fashion advice
E broadcasting music throughout the stores
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Questions 25–26

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Which TWO of the following comments are reported about Shopper’s Stop’s rebranding?
A The company had spent too much on the rebranding.

B The company lost customers to its competitors because of the rebranding.
C The rebranding did not save consumers money.
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D The logo was too similar to some other companies’ logos.

E The rebranding was unnecessary at that time.
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Day 6
READING PASSAGE 3
Passage 3 below.
A Maps vary enormously, from imposing images of the world and its parts to private
jottings intended to give an approximate idea of the twentieth-century Antarctic.
The materials on which maps are to be found, similarly range from scraps of
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paper to plaster walls, by way of parchment, copper coins, mosaics, marble,
woollen tapestries, silk, gold and more. Attitudes towards maps also vary greatly,
and are subject to modification over time.
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B In recent decades, the view that maps should be assessed primarily in terms
of their geometrical accuracy has radically changed. At the same time, they
have become available to a range of disciplines. This development has been
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encouraged by the growing popularity of interdisciplinary studies and by the
increasing awareness and appreciation of the importance of the visual – which
may be a consequence of the spread of television and the internet, and the ease
with which images can be created and manipulated in a digital environment.
Academic historians of all types – social, political, diplomatic and fine art, literature
specialists, and family historians take an interest in maps and find that they
sometimes offer perspectives on their subjects that are not possible from other
sources.
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C All have contributed to a re-evaluation of the subject. It is accepted that for

some purposes, such as administration and terrestrial and maritime navigation,
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mathematical accuracy still plays a major and even sometimes a paramount role
in cartography. In other contexts, such as maps of underground railway systems,
or maps used for propaganda purposes, such accuracy is irrelevant, and at
times even undesirable. Conversely, the very aspects that tended traditionally
to be condemned or disregarded, such as distortions and decoration, become
of enormous significance. They can give particularly precious insights into the
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mentalities of past ages, and the views and lives of their creators, as well as being
packed with more general cultural information such as the receptiveness to
artistic fashions.
D For many map enthusiasts the fascination of maps ironically stems from their
necessary lack of truth. They can be regarded as the most successful pieces of
fiction ever to be created because most users instinctively suspend disbelief until
they find that the map they are using does not give truthful information. Yet it has
to be that way. Given the impossibility of representing the total reality, with all its
complexity, on a flat surface, hard decisions have to be taken as to what features
to select for accurate representation, or indeed for representation at all. For most
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of the time this process of selection is almost instinctive. The mapmaker knows
the purpose he intends for his map, and beyond that he is unwittingly guided by
the values and assumptions of the time in which he lives – unless these are in
conflict with his own value systems, as was the case with Nicholas Philpot Leader
in 1827. The map of Ireland (then part of the UK) that Leader commissioned was
intended as a strong attack on the then British government.
E In order to meet the map’s purpose, the information that is represented will be
prioritized according to importance as perceived by the mapmaker – and not
necessarily in accordance with actual geographical size. Even on modern national
topographic mapping, such features as motorways will be shown far larger than
they actually are because they are important to drivers and users will expect
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to see them without difficulty. Conversely, large features that are considered
unimportant might be completely ignored or reduced in size, like parks and other
public spaces in some town maps. Often maps will show things that are invisible
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in the real world, such as relative financial affluence, as in Charles Booth’s maps
of London in the nineteenth century, or the geology far below the surface of the
planet, as in an 1823 map of the land around Bath.
F
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Sometimes the purpose of the map is even simpler and has nothing to do with
geography. The Hereford World Map proclaims the insignificance of man in the
face of the divine and the eternal. The plan of Ostia harbour of AD 64 primarily
serves as a demonstration of the Emperor Nero’s benevolence. Sometimes, as
in depictions of the imaginary land of Utopia, physical reality is totally absent or
so distorted as to be geographically meaningless. Instead the map serves as a
commentary on the gap between the aspirations and the feeble achievements of
mankind. The quality of a map must be judged by its ability to serve its purpose,
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and not simply by its scientific precision, and in that context aesthetic and design
considerations are every bit as important as the mathematical, and often more so.
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G Plainly, to interpret maps as having followed a path of ever-increasing scientific

perfection over time is to miss the main point. In fact, they have responded to the
mentalities, and met the requirements of the societies in which they have been
created. In ancient Greece and Babylon, and in eighteenth- and twentieth-century
Europe, the preoccupation with precision and the scientific indeed predominated.
In early modern China and nineteenth-century Europe the administrative use of
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mapping came to the fore. By contrast, for long periods of time and in many
civilizations, the major preoccupation was to define and to depict man’s place in
relationship to a religious view of the universe. This was particularly evident in
medieval Europe and Aztec Mexico. Clearly, maps can only be fully understood in
their social context.
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Day 6
Questions 27–31
Reading Passage 3 has seven paragraphs, A–G.
Write the correct letter, A–G, in boxes 27–31 on your answer sheet.
27 Examples of maps showing features that cannot be seen on the ground.
28 A list of media that have been used in the creation of maps.
29 Examples of the main function of maps in various periods and places.
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30 A contrast between different types of maps with regard to a requirement for
accuracy.
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31 Speculation about reasons for a change in attitudes towards maps.
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Questions 32–39
Match each map with the correct purpose, A–I.
32 maps of Utopia
33 Charles Booth’s maps of London
34 map commissioned by Nicholas Philpot Leader
35 map of Bath area
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36 early modern Chinese maps
37 map of the Antarctic
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38 plan of Ostia harbour
39 Hereford World Map

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A to portray an area very roughly
B to create a decorative work
C to express political criticism
D to show variations in wealth
E to show differences below ground level
F to show the unimportance of human beings
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G to glorify the ruler of the country

H to contrast ideal and actual human development
I to assist in the management of the country
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Question 40
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Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in box 40 on your answer sheet.
40 What is the best title for Reading Passage 3?
A Differences in map-making around the world

B A growing interest in drawing maps
C Re-evaluating the role of maps
D Making maps more accurate
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Day 7
READING PASSAGE 1
Passage 1 below.
The way the brain buys

Supermarkets take great care over the way the goods they sell are arranged. This is
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because they know a lot about how to persuade people to buy things.
When you enter a supermarket, it takes some time for the mind to get into a shopping
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mode. This is why the area immediately inside the entrance of a supermarket is
known as the ‘decompression zone’. People need to slow down and take stock of
the surroundings, even if they are regulars. Supermarkets do not expect to sell much
here, so it tends to be used more for promotion. So the large items piled up here are
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designed to suggest that there are bargains further inside the store, and shoppers are
not necessarily expected to buy them. Walmart, the world’s biggest retailer, famously
employs ‘greeters’ at the entrance to its stores. A friendly welcome is said to cut
shoplifting. It is harder to steal from nice people.
Immediately to the left in many supermarkets is a ‘chill zone’, where customers can
enjoy browsing magazines, books and DVDs. This is intended to tempt unplanned
purchases and slow customers down. But people who just want to do their shopping
quickly will keep walking ahead, and the first thing they come to is the fresh fruit and
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vegetables section. However, for shoppers, this makes no sense. Fruit and vegetables
can be easily damaged, so they should be bought at the end, not the beginning, of a
shopping trip. But psychology is at work here: selecting these items makes people feel
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good, so they feel less guilty about reaching for less healthy food later on.
Shoppers already know that everyday items, like milk, are invariably placed towards the
back of a store to provide more opportunity to tempt customers to buy things which are
not on their shopping list. This is why pharmacies are also generally at the back. But
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supermarkets know shoppers know this, so they use other tricks, like placing popular
items halfway along a section so that people have to walk all along the aisle looking for
them. The idea is to boost ‘dwell time’: the length of time people spend in a store.
Having walked to the end of the fruit-and-vegetable aisle, shoppers arrive at counters
of prepared food, the fishmonger, the butcher and the deli. Then there is the in-store
bakery, which can be smelt before it is seen. Even small supermarkets now use in-store
bakeries. Mostly these bake pre-prepared items and frozen ingredients which have
been delivered to the supermarket previously, and their numbers have increased, even
though central bakeries that deliver to a number of stores are much more efficient. They
do it for the smell of freshly baked bread, which arouses people’s appetites and thus
encourages them to purchase not just bread but also other food, including ready meals.

Retailers and producers talk a lot about the ‘moment of truth’. This is not a philosophical
idea, but the point when people standing in the aisle decide to buy something and
reach to get it. At the instant coffee section, for example, branded products from the big
producers are arranged at eye level while cheaper ones are lower down, along with the
supermarket’s own-label products. But shelf positioning is fiercely fought over, not just
by those trying to sell goods, but also by those arguing over how best to manipulate
shoppers. While many stores reckon eye level is the top spot, some think a little higher
is better. Others think goods displayed at the end of aisles sell the most because
they have the greatest visibility. To be on the right-hand side of an eye-level selection
is often considered the very best place, because most people are right-handed and
most people’s eyes drift rightwards. Some supermarkets reserve that for their most
expensive own-label goods.
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Scott Bearse, a retail expert with Deloitte Consulting in Boston, Massachusetts, has
led projects observing and questioning tens of thousands of customers about how they
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feel about shopping. People say they leave shops empty-handed more often because
they are ‘unable to decide’ than because prices are too high, says Mr Bearse. Getting
customers to try something is one of the best ways of getting them to buy, adds Mr
Bearse. Deloitte found that customers who use fitting rooms in order to try on clothes
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buy the product they are considering at a rate of 85% compared with 58% for those that
do not do so.
Often a customer struggling to decide which of two items is best ends up not buying
either. In order to avoid a situation where a customer decides not to buy either product,
a third ‘decoy’ item, which is not quite as good as the other two, is placed beside them
to make the choice easier and more pleasurable. Happier customers are more likely to
buy.
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31
Day 7
Questions 1–4
Label the diagram below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Layout of typical supermarket
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N
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32
Questions 5–10
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?

5 The ‘greeters’ at Walmart increase sales.
6 People feel better about their shopping if they buy fruit and vegetables before they
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buy other food.
7 n-store bakeries produce a wider range of products than central bakeries.
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8 Supermarkets find right-handed people easier to persuade than left-handed
people.
9 The most frequent reason for leaving shops without buying something is price.
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10 ‘Decoy’ items are products which the store expects customers to choose.
Questions 11–13
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In-store bread production process

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The supermarket is sent 11 …………… and other items

which have been prepared earlier.
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Baking bread in-store produces an aroma.
Shoppers’ 12 …………… are stimulated.
They are then keener to buy food, including

bread and 13 …………… .
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Day 8
READING PASSAGE 2
Passage 2 below.
Questions 14–19
The reading passage has six paragraphs, A–F.
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Write the correct number, i–viii, in boxes 14–19 on your answer sheet.
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List of headings
i some of the things liars really do
ii
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when do we begin to lie?
iii how wrong is it to lie?
iv exposing some false beliefs
v which forum of communication best exposes a lie?
vi do only humans lie?
vii dealing with known liars
viii a public test of our ability to spot a lie
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14 Paragraph A
15 Paragraph B
16 Paragraph C
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17 Paragraph D
18 Paragraph E
19 Paragraph G
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The truth about lying

Over the years Richard Wiseman has tried to unravel the truth about deception –
investigating the signs that give away a liar.
A In the 1970s, as part of a large-scale research programme exploring the area of

interspecies communication, Dr Francine Patterson from Stanford University
attempted to teach two lowland gorillas called Michael and Koko a simplified
version of Sign Language. According to Patterson, the great apes were capable
of holding meaningful conversations, and could even reflect upon profound topics,
such as love and death. During the project, their trainers believe they uncovered
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instances where the two gorillas’ linguistic skills seemed to provide reliable
evidence of intentional deceit. In one example, Koko broke a toy cat, and then
signed to indicate that the breakage had been caused by one of her trainers. In
another episode, Michael ripped a jacket belonging to a trainer and, when asked
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who was responsible for the incident, signed ‘Koko’. When the trainer expressed
some scepticism, Michael appeared to change his mind, and indicated that Dr
Patterson was actually responsible, before finally confessing.
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B Other researchers have explored the development of deception in children. Some
of the most interesting experiments have involved asking youngsters not to take
a peek at their favourite toys. During these studies, a child is led into a laboratory
and asked to face one of the walls. The experimenter then explains that he is going
to set up an elaborate toy a few feet behind them. After setting up the toy, the
experimenter says that he has to leave the laboratory, and asks the child not to turn
around and peek at the toy. The child is secretly filmed by hidden cameras for a few
minutes, and then the experimenter returns and asks them whether they peeked.
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Almost all three-year-olds do, and then half of them lie about it to the experimenter.
By the time the children have reached the age of five, all of them peek and all of
them lie. The results provide compelling evidence that lying starts to emerge the
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moment we learn to speak.
C So what are the tell-tale signs that give away a lie? In 1994, the psychologist
Richard Wiseman devised a large-scale experiment on a TV programme called
Tomorrow’s World. As part of the experiment, viewers watched two interviews in
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which Wiseman asked a presenter in front of the cameras to describe his favourite
film. In one interview, the presenter picked Some Like It Hot and he told the truth;
in the other interview, he picked Gone with the Wind and lied. The viewers were
then invited to make a choice – to telephone in to say which film he was lying
about. More than 30,000 calls were received, but viewers were unable to tell the
difference and the vote was a 50/50 split. In similar experiments, the results have
been remarkably consistent – when it comes to lie detection, people might as well
simply toss a coin. It doesn’t matter if you are male or female, young or old; very
few people are able to detect deception.
D Why is this? Professor Charles Bond from the Texas Christian University has
conducted surveys into the sorts of behaviour people associate with lying. He has

Day 8
interviewed thousands of people from more than 60 countries, asking them to

describe how they set about telling whether someone is lying. People’s answers
are remarkably consistent. Almost everyone thinks liars tend to avert their gaze,
nervously wave their hands around and shift about in their seats. There is,
however, one small problem. Researchers have spent hour upon hour carefully
comparing films of liars and truth-tellers. The results are clear. Liars do not
necessarily look away from you; they do not appear nervous and move their hands
around or shift about in their seats. People fail to detect lies because they are
basing their opinions on behaviours that are not actually associated with deception.
E So what are we missing? It is obvious that the more information you give away,
the greater the chances of some of it coming back to haunt you. As a result, liars
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tend to say less and provide fewer details than truth-tellers. Looking back at the
transcripts of the interviews with the presenter, his lie about Gone with the Wind
contained about 40 words, whereas the truth about Some Like It Hot was nearly
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twice as long. People who lie also try psychologically to keep a distance from
their falsehoods, and so tend to include fewer references to themselves in their
stories. In his entire interview about Gone with the Wind, the presenter only once
mentioned how the film made him feel, compared with the several references to his
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feelings when he talked about Some Like It Hot.
F The simple fact is that the real clues to deceit are in the words that people use,
not the body language. So do people become better lie detectors when they
listen to a liar, or even just read a transcript of their comments? The interviews
with the presenter were also broadcast on radio and published in a newspaper,
and although the lie-detecting abilities of the television viewers were no better
than chance, the newspaper readers were correct 64% of the time, and the radio
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listeners scored an impressive 73% accuracy rate.

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36
Questions 20–23
Look at the following statements and the list of experiments below.
Match each statement with the correct experiment, A–C.
Write the correct letter, A–C, in boxes 20–23 on your answer sheet.
20 Someone who was innocent was blamed for something.
21 Those involved knew they were being filmed.
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22 Some objects were damaged.
23 Some instructions were ignored.
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List of Experiments
A the gorilla experiment

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B the experiment with children
C the TV experiment
Questions 24–26

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Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

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24 Filming liars has shown that they do not display …………… behaviour.
25 Liars tend to avoid talking about their own …………… .
26 Signs of lying are exposed in people’s …………… rather than their movements.
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37
Day 9
READING PASSAGE 3
Passage 3 below.
An astonishingly intricate project is being undertaken to restore a legendary theatrical

dress, Angela Wintle explains.
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On December 28th, 1888, the curtain rose on a daring new stage revival of
Shakespeare’s Macbeth at the Lyceum Theatre in London. Topping the bill, playing
Lady Macbeth, a main character in the play, was Ellen Terry. She was the greatest and
most adored English actress of the age. But she didn’t achieve this devotion through
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her acting ability alone. She knew the power of presentation and carefully cultivated
her image. That first night was no exception. When she walked on stage for the famous
banqueting scene, her appearance drew a collective gasp from the audience.
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She was dressed in the most extraordinary clothes ever to have graced a British stage:
a long, emerald and sea-green gown with tapering sleeves, surmounted by a velvet
cloak, which glistened and sparkled eerily in the limelight. Yet this was no mere stage
trickery. The effect had been achieved using hundreds of wings from beetles. The gown
– later named the ‘Beetlewing dress’ – became one of the most iconic and celebrated
costumes of the age.
Terry was every bit as remarkable as her costumes. At 31, she became a leading
lady at the Lyceum Theatre and for two decades, she set about bringing culture to the
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masses. The productions she worked on were extravagant and daring. Shakespeare’s
plays were staged alongside blood-and-thunder melodramas and their texts were
ruthlessly cut. Some people were critical, but they missed the point. The innovations
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sold tickets and brought new audiences to see masterpiece that they would never
otherwise have seen.
However, it was a painter who immortalised her. John Singer Sargent had been so
struck by Terry’s appearance at that first performance that he asked her to model for
him, and his famous portrait of 1889, now at the Tate Gallery in London, showed her
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with a glint in her eye, holding a crown over her flame red hair. But while the painting
remains almost as fresh as the day it was painted, the years have not been so kind
to the dress. Its delicate structure, combined with the cumulative effects of time, has
meant it is now in an extremely fragile condition. Thus, two years ago, a fundraising
project was launched by Britain’s National Trust1 to pay for its conservation.
It turned to textile conservator Zenzie Tinker to do the job. Zenzie loves historical dress
because of the link with the past. ‘Working on costumes like the Beetlewing dress gives
you a real sense of the people who wore them; you can see the sweat stains and wear
marks. But it’s quite unusual to know who actually wore a garment. That’s the thing that
makes the Beetlewing project so special.’
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Before any of Zenzie’s conservation work can begin, she and her team will conduct
a thorough investigation to help determine what changes have been made to the
dress and when. This will involve close examination of the dress for signs of damage
and wear, and will be aided by comparing it with John Singer Sargent’s painting and
contemporary photographs. Then Zenzie and the National Trust will decide how far
back to take the reconstruction, as some members feel that even the most recent
changes are now part of the history of the dress.
The first stages in the actual restoration will involve delicate surface cleaning, using a
small vacuum suction device. Once the level of reconstruction has been determined,
the original crocheted2 overdress will be stitched onto a dyed net support before
repairs begin. ‘It’s going to be extraordinarily difficult, because the original cloth is
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quite stretchy, so we’ve deliberately chosen net because that has a certain amount of
flexibility in it too,’ says Zenzie. When the dress is displayed, none of our work will be
noticeable, but we’ll retain all the evidence on the reverse so that future experts will be
able to see exactly what we’ve done – and I’ll produce a detailed report.’
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Zenzie has estimated that the project, costing about £30,000, will require more than
700 hours’ work. ‘It will be a huge undertaking and I don’t think the Trust has ever
spent quite as much on a costume before,’ she says. ‘But this dress is unique. It’s very
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unusual to see this level of workmanship on a theatrical costume, and it must have
looked spectacular on stage.’ If Terry was alive today, there’s no doubt she would be
delighted. Unlike many other actresses, she valued her costumes because she kept
and reused them time and time again. ‘I’d like to think she’d see our contribution as part
of the ongoing history of the dress,’ says Zenzie.
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1
A conservation organisation whose work includes the funding of projects designed to protect and pre-
serve Britain’s cultural heritage
2
Produced using wool and a special needle with a hook at the end
adapted from Sussex Life magazine
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Day 9
Questions 27–32
27 What do you learn about Ellen Terry in the first paragraph?
A Lady Macbeth was her first leading role.

B The Lyceum was her favourite theatre.
C She tried hard to look good on stage.
D She wanted to look young for her audience.
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28 What is the writer’s purpose in paragraph 2?
A to describe different responses to the Beetlewing dress
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B to explain why the Beetlewing dress had such a big impact
C to consider the suitability of the Beetlewing dress for the play
D to compare the look of the Beetlewing dress on and off the stage
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29 According to the writer, the main effect of the Lyceum productions was to
A expose more people to Shakespeare’s plays.

B reduce the interest in other types of production.
C raise the cost of going to the theatre.
D encourage writers to produce more plays.
30 In the fourth paragraph, what comparison does the writer make between Sargent’s
portrait and the Beetlewing dress?
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A The dress has attracted more attention than the painting.

B The dress is worth more money than the painting.
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C The painting took longer to produce.

D The painting looks newer.
31 Zenzie says the Beetlewing project is particularly special because
A the dress is very old.

IE
B people know who wore the dress.

C the dress was designed by someone famous.
D there is evidence that the dress has been used.
32 Which of the following is the most suitable title for the passage?
A A lesson from the past

B A challenging task
C An unusual fashion show
D An unexpected discovery

Questions 33–36
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the reading passage?

33 The National Trust conducted useful research to assist Zenzie’s plans for the dress.
34 There will be some discussion over the changes that Zenzie’s team should make
E
to the dress.
35 Zenzie’s estimate for the timing of the project is realistic.
N
36 Ellen Terry’s attitude towards her dresses was typical of her time.
Questions 37–40
ZO
37 Pictures will be used
38 A special machine will be used

S
39 A net material has been selected
40 Work will be visible on one side

LT
A to show how the team did the repairs on the dress.

B to reduce the time taken to repair the dress.
C to remove the dirt from the top layer of the dress.
IE
D to demonstrate the quality of the team’s work on the dress.

E to match a quality of the original fabric used in the dress.
F to help show where the dress needs repair work.
41
Day 10
READING PASSAGE 1
Passage 1 below.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Discover the stories behind two enthusiastic entrepreneurs who are creating major
waves in the UK business world
E
Retailers often declare that customers are their most important asset. But, while some
sound as if they are paying lip service to the idea, Sally Bailey, chief executive of White
N
Stuff, is a true believer. Even the clothing retailer’s website reflects her view, declaring:
‘Lovely clothes for lovely people’. Ms Bailey says: ‘The most important people are
those who buy our product. This includes the buyers who select it, and the customers
who buy it in our shops. Everything we do is about service to get the product into the
customer’s hands.’
ZO
So, when research revealed that customers disliked changing rooms that opened
directly onto the shop floor, White Stuff amended its floor plans, introducing a false wall
that screened off the changing area. ‘It’s not rocket science,’ explains Ms Bailey. ‘You
just need to listen to what the customer is saying. We are dedicated to pleasing them.
We ask: “What is the best thing we could do?”’ Hence, the introduction of one oversized
fitting room in each of White Stuff’s 54 stores to enable mothers to bring their buggies
in while they change.
S
‘When a customer walks into a White Stuff shop, we want them to feel like they are at
home,’ says Ms Bailey. ‘There are chairs to sit down on, water coolers, and staff will
come along with colouring books to entertain children while the customer browses.’
LT
Even the background music is carefully considered. On Saturdays it has a faster

tempo. On Sundays, when customers may prefer a quieter atmosphere, the tone is
softer. ‘The music is changed by the hour, according to the day,’ says Ms Bailey.
White Stuff has eschewed the shop design of a traditional fashion retailer, preferring to
model its interiors on a Victorian house where Ms Bailey believes her customers aspire
IE
to live. Since her arrival, White Stuff has sought locations away from the beaten track
and shopping centres are viewed as anathema. ‘To be honest, we do have some stores
that are very hard to find,’ says Ms Bailey. ‘In Exeter, for example, there’s the High
Street and the shopping centre, but you have to turn left down an alley to find White
Stuff, right by an organic butcher and coffee shop.’
Yet White Stuff’s customers, whom Ms Bailey describes as ‘extremely loyal’, are not
deterred by these intrepid expeditions. When she took over five years ago, White Stuff
had 15 stores and an annual turnover of £14m. Today, turnover is in excess of £55m,
with stores generating annual revenues between £500,000 and £2.5m from an average
customer spend of £35.
42
Matt Stockdale, managing director of HomePride, which this year will turn over more
than £4m, has the mother of former Tesco buyer Fraser McDonald to thank for his
success. Desperate to get the supermarket chain to stock his oven cleaning product,
Oven Pride, Mr Stockdale bombarded the buyer with calls.
But it was to no avail: ‘The response was always “Thanks but no thanks”,’ he recalls.
‘So I said, “Let me send some to your mother, your aunt, your grandmother…” and,
I think to make me go away, he gave me his mother’s address.’ Two weeks later, Mr
Stockdale was in the buyer’s office signing a deal to supply his product to 30 stores.
‘He told me that his mother wanted him to give me a chance but that he didn’t give
me much hope,’ says Mr Stockdale. A year later he was supplying 130 Tesco stores. ‘I
didn’t realise when I first approached Tesco that it was the UK’s biggest supermarket
E
chain,’ says Mr Stockdale. ‘I just knew that I shopped there.’
The idea for the oven cleaner came in 1999 when, after being made redundant from his
job as a sales manager for a telecoms business, Mr Stockdale decided to fulfil a lifelong
N
ambition to run his own company. ‘I looked at a catalogue business first because
direct sales was what I knew,’ he says. ‘But I came across chemical companies
making products, one of which was an oven cleaner. I was always the one lumbered
with cleaning our oven, so I was intrigued.’ He tested one product, a bottle of white
ZO
fluid, which produced such great results that he started to research the oven cleaner
marketplace. ‘I found the hardest thing was to clean the racks,’ says Mr Stockdale.
He decided to create kits to make cleaning racks easy, sourcing packaging, disposable
gloves and a bag, into which the racks could be placed with he cleaning fluid. ‘I created
5,000 units and sent one each to Kleeneze, Betterware and QVC, and got nowhere,’
he recalls. Dejected, Mr Stockdale found another sales job but, 15 months later, a
fax arrived with a purchase order from Kleeneze. ‘I went to the garage and dusted
down the stock,’ he says. Kleeneze sold out within weeks, and placed more orders.
S
Then QVC faxed across an order. ‘I was suddenly on national television, but in eight
weeks QVC had sold out,’ he says. ‘I didn’t realise what I had.’ It took a letter from a
satisfied customer, asking when the cleaner would be available in shops, to prompt Mr
LT
Stockdale to change his strategy and approach high street retailers. Enter Tesco.
In its first year, HomePride turned over £90,000 but soon reached £1.1m. ‘Going into
retail changed everything for me,’ says Mr. Stockdale.
IE
43
Day 10
Questions 1–3
Label the diagram below.
E
N
ZO
S
Questions 4–8
LT
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
In boxes 4–8 on your answer sheets, write

IE
1 Sally Bailey intends to find locations for White Stuff in shopping centres.
2 Sally Bailey started White Stuff.
3 The buyer at Tesco initially rejected Oven Pride.
4 The buyer’s mother often gives him advice on products.
5 Matt Stockdale discovered important information about Tesco after contacting the
company.
44
Questions 9–13
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for
each answer.
The story of HomePride
Matt Stockdale made redundant from job in telecoms
E
Thought of starting a catalogue business (experience in 9 ……………)
N
Saw chemical products and became interested in oven cleaners
ZO
Tested a white fluid for cleaning ovens and researched the market
Observed that the biggest problem was how to get 10 …………… clean
S
Made 11 …………… to solve this problem

LT
Sent his product to various companies
First order came after 12 ……………

IE
Product appeared on TV and sold out
A question asked by a 13 …………… gave him the idea of approaching shops

Day 11
READING PASSAGE 2
Passage 2 below.
Questions 14–19
The reading passage has six paragraphs, A–F.
E
Write the correct number, i–ix, in boxes 14–19 on your answer sheet.
N
List of headings
i Children’s views on birth order
ii
ZO
Solutions are more important than causes
iii Characteristics common to all children regardless of birth order
iv Doubts about birth-order theory but personal experience supporting it
v A theory that is still supported
vi Birth-order characteristics continuing as children get older
vii A typical example of birth-order behaviour in practice
viii Exceptions to the rule of birth order
S
ix A detailed description of each child in families in general

LT
14 Paragraph A
15 Paragraph B
IE
16 Paragraph C
17 Paragraph D
18 Paragraph E
19 Paragraph F
46
ESTABLISHING YOUR BIRTHRIGHTS

Position in the family can play a huge role in shaping character, finds Clover Stroud
A Last week I was given a potent reminder of how powerful birth order might be in
determining a child’s character. My son, Jimmy Joe, nine, and my daughter, Dolly,
six, were re-enacting a TV talent show. Jimmy Joe elected himself judge and Dolly
was a contestant. Authoritative and unyielding, he wielded a clipboard, delivering
harsh criticisms that would make a real talent show judge flinch. Initially Dolly
loved the attention, but she soon grew tired of his dominance, instigating a pillow
fight, then a fist fight. It ended, inevitably, in tears. A visiting friend, with an older,
more successful sister, declared it ‘classic first child behaviour of dominance and
E
supposed authority’. Dolly’s objection to her brother’s self-appointed role as leader
was justified, he announced, while Jimmy Joe’s superiority was characteristic of the
forceful personality of firstborns. Birth order, he said, wasn’t something they could
N
just shrug off.
B Debate about the significance of birth order goes right to the heart of the nature
versus nurture argument and is, consequently, surrounded by huge controversy.
ZO
This controversy has raged since the 19th century, when Austrian psychiatrist
Alfred Adler argued that birth order can define the way someone deals with life. He
identified firstborns as driven and often suffering from a sense of having been
‘dethroned’ by a second child. Younger children, he stated, were hampered
by having been more pampered than older siblings. It’s a view reiterated by
Professor Frank Sulloway’s influential work, Born to Rebel. Sulloway, a leading
proponent of the birth order idea, argued it has a definitive effect on the ‘Big Five’
personality traits of openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and
neuroticism.
S
C According to the birth-order theory, first children are usually well-organised high
achievers. However, they can have an overdeveloped sense of entitlement and
LT
be unyielding. Second children are sometimes very competitive through rivalry

with the older sibling. They’re also good mediators and negotiators, keen to keep
everyone happy. Middle children, tagged the ‘easy’ ones, have good diplomacy
skills. They suffer from a tendency to feel insignificant beside other siblings and
often complain of feeling invisible to their parents. Youngest children are often the
IE
most likely to rebel, feeling the need to ‘prove’ themselves. They’re often extroverts
and are sometimes accused of being selfish. Twins inevitably find it harder to see
themselves as individuals, unless their parents have worked hard to identify them
as such. It’s not unusual for one twin to have a slightly dominant role over the other
and take the lead role.
D But slapping generalised labels on a child is dangerous; they change all the time,
often taking turns at being the ‘naughty one’ or the ‘diligent one’. However, as one
of five children, I know how hard it is to transcend the tags you earn according to
when you were born. It is unsurprising then that my eldest sister is the successful
entrepreneur, and that, despite covering all the big bases of adult life like marriage,
kids and property, my siblings will probably always regard me as their spoilt
47
Day 11
younger sister.
E ‘As the oldest of three, I’ve found it hard not to think of my own three children as
having the same personality types that the three of us had when I was growing
up,’ says Lisa Cannan, a teacher. ‘I identify with my eldest son, who constantly
takes the lead in terms of organisation and responsibility. My daughter, the middle
child, is more cerebral than her brothers. She’s been easier than them. She avoids
confrontation, so has an easy relationship with both boys. My youngest is gorgeous
but naughty. I know I’m partly to blame for this, as I forgive him things the elder two
wouldn’t get away with.’
F As a parent, it’s easy to feel guilty about saddling a child with labels according
E
to birth order, but as child psychologist Stephen Bayliss points out, these
characteristics might be better attributed to parenting styles, rather than a child’s
character. He says that if a parent is worried about having encouraged, for
N
example, an overdeveloped sense of dominance in an older sibling or spoiled
a younger child, then it’s more useful to look at ways this can be addressed
than over-analysing why it happened. Bayliss is optimistic that as adults we can
overcome any negative connotations around birth order. ‘Look at the way you react
ZO
to certain situations with your siblings. If you’re unhappy about being treated as a
certain type of personality, try to work out if it’s a role that you’ve willingly accepted.
If you’re unhappy with the role, being dynamic about focusing on your own
reactions, rather than blaming theirs, will help you overcome it. Change isn’t easy
but nobody need be the victim of their biography.’
S
LT
IE
48
Questions 20–23
Look at the following statements and the list of people below.
Match each statement with the correct person, A–D.
Write the correct letter, A–D, in boxes 20–23 on your answer sheet.
20 Experience as a child can affect behaviour as a parent.
21 Birth order may not be the main reason why children have the personalities they
E
have.
22 There is a link between birth and a group of important characteristics.
N
23 It is possible for people to stop feeling bad about how family members behave
with them.
List of people
ZO
A Alfred Adler
B Professor Frank Sulloway
C Lisa Cannan
D Stephen Bayliss
S
Questions 24–26

LT
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
24 First-born children have expectations that are too high with regard to …………… .
IE
25 Middle children are often considered …………… by their parents.
26 Youngest children may be described as …………… by other people.
49
Day 12
READING PASSAGE 3
Passage 3 below.
MAKING A LOSS IS THE HEIGHT OF FASHION
In this topsy-turvy world, selling a dress at an enormous discount turns out to be very
E
good business indeed, says William Langley
Given that a good year in the haute couture business is one where you lose even more
money than usual, the prevailing mood in Paris last week was of buoyancy. The big-
N
name designers were falling over themselves to boast of how many outfits they had
sold at below cost price, and how this proved that the fashion business was healthier
than ever. Jean-Paul Gaultier reported record sales, “but we don’t make any money
out of it,” the designer assured journalists backstage. “No matter how successful you
ZO
are, you can’t make a profit from couture,” explained Jean-Jacques Picart, a veteran
fashion PR man, and co-founder of the now-bankrupt Lacroix house.
Almost 20 years have passed since the bizarre economics of the couture business
were first exposed. Outraged that he was losing money on evening dresses costing
tens of thousands of pounds, the couturier Jean-Louis Scherrer – to howls of “treason”
from his colleagues – published a detailed summary of his costs. One outfit he
described contained over half a mile of gold thread, 18,000 sequins, and had required
hundreds of hours of hand-stitching in an atelier. A fair price would have been £50,000,
S
but the couturier could only get £35,000 for it. Rather than riding high on the follies of
the super-rich, he and his team could barely feed their hungry families.
LT
The result was an outcry and the first of a series of government- and industry-
sponsored inquiries into the surreal world of ultimate fashion. The trade continues to
insist that – relatively speaking – couture offers you more than you pay for, but it’s
not as simple as that. When such a temple of old wealth starts talking about value
for money, it isn’t to convince anyone that dresses costing as much as houses are
a bargain. Rather, it is to preserve the peculiar mystique, lucrative associations and
IE
threatened interests that couture represents.

Essentially, the arguments couldn’t be simpler. On one side are those who say that
the business will die if it doesn’t change. On the other are those who say it will die if it
does. What’s not in doubt is that haute couture – the term translates as “high sewing” –
is a spectacular anachronism. Colossal in its costs, tiny in its clientele and questionable
in its influence, it still remains one of the great themes of Parisian life. In his book, The
Fashion Conspiracy, Nicholas Coleridge estimates that the entire couture industry rests
on the whims of less than 30 immensely wealthy women, and although the number
may have grown in recent years with the new prosperity of Asia, the number of couture
customers worldwide is no more than 4,000.

To qualify as couture, a garment must be entirely handmade by one of the 11 Paris

couture houses registered to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Each house
must employ at least 20 people, and show a minimum of 75 new designs a year. So far,
so traditional, but the Big Four operators – Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Gaultier –
increasingly use couture as a marketing device for their far more profitable ready-to-
wear, fragrance and accessory lines.
It isn’t hard to see how this works in practice. “Haute couture is what gives our business
its essential essence of luxury,” says Bernard Arnault, the head of LVMH, which owns
both Dior and Givenchy. “The cash it soaks up is largely irrelevant. Set against the
money we lose has to be the value of the image couture gives us. Look at the attention
the collections attract. It is where you get noticed. You have to be there. It’s where we
E
set our ideas in motion.”
The big idea being the one known in the trade as “name association”. Couture outfits
may be unaffordable, even unwearable, but the whiff of glamour and exclusivity is hard
N
to resist. The time-starved modern woman who doesn’t make enough in a year to afford
a single piece of couture can still buy a share of the dream for the price of a Chanel
lipstick or a Givenchy scarf.
ZO
For all this, couture has been in decline – the optimists would say readjusting to
changed conditions – for years. The number of houses registered to the Syndicale has
halved in the last two decades. Pierre Cardin once had almost 500 people working full
time on couture, but by the 1980s the number had fallen to 50, and today the house is
no longer registered.
Modern life tells the story. Younger women, even the seriously wealthy ones, find
ready-to-wear clothes invariably more practical and usually more fun. Couture’s market
has dwindled. “Haute couture is a joke,” scoffs Pierre Bergé, the former head of Yves St
S
Laurent – another house that no longer creates it. “Anyone who tells you it still matters
is fantasising. You can see it dropping dead all around you. Nobody buys it any more.
The prices are ridiculous. The rules for making it are nonsensical. It belongs to another
LT
age. Where are today’s couturiers? A real couturier is someone who founds and runs
their own house. No one does that anymore.”
Why, then, are the surviving couture houses smiling? Because they trade in fantasy,
and, in these times, more people want to fantasise. “We’ve received so many orders
we may not be able to deliver them all,” says Sidney Toledano, head of Dior. So, the
IE
clothes are rolled out and the couture losses roll in, and everyone agrees that it’s good
business.
51
Day 12
Questions 27–31
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D
27 What is the main topic of the first paragraph?
A the difference between haute couture and other areas of the fashion industry
B contrasting views on haute couture
C the losses made on haute couture
D the negative attitude towards haute couture of people in the fashion industry
E
28 The writer says that Jean-Louis Scherrer
A upset other couturiers.
N
B was in a worse financial position than other couturiers.
C was one of the best-known couturiers.
D stopped producing haute couture dresses.
ZO
29 The writer says that the outfit Jean-Louis Scherrer described
A was worth the price that was paid for it.

B cost more to make than it should have.
C was never sold to anyone.
D should have cost more to buy than it did.
30 In the third paragraph, the writer states that haute couture makers
S
A think that the term ‘value for money’ has a particular meaning for them.
B prefer to keep quiet about the financial aspects of the business.
C have changed because of inquiries into how they operate.
LT
D want to expand their activities to attract new customers.
31 The writer says in the fourth paragraph that there is disagreement over
A the popularity of haute couture.

B the future of haute couture.
IE
C the real costs of haute couture.

D the changes that need to be made in haute couture.
52
Questions 32–36

32 The way that companies use haute couture as a marketing device is clear.
33 Only wealthy people are attracted by the idea of ‘name association’.
E
34 Pierre Cardin is likely to return to producing haute couture.
35 Some women who can afford haute couture clothes buy other clothes instead.
N
36 It is hard to understand why some haute couture companies are doing well.
Questions 37–40
ZO
37 In his book, Nicholas Coleridge claims that
38 The head of LVMH believes that

S
39 The former head of Yves St Laurent feels that
40 The head of Dior states that

LT
A there is great demand for haute couture.

B people who defend haute couture are wrong.
IE
C the cost of haute couture is likely to come down.

D haute couture is dependent on a very small number of customers.
E more companies will start producing haute couture.
F it is important to continue with haute couture.
53
Day 13
READING PASSAGE 1
Passage 1 below.
Meet the hedgehog

A In Norwich, England, the first housing development designed for both hedgehogs
and people has been built. All through the gardens and fences is a network of
E
pathways and holes installed just for the ancient, spiny creatures. It’s a paradise
that Fay Vass, chief executive of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, calls
‘absolutely fantastic. As for the developers, they have reason to think the animals
N
will help make home sales fantastic, too. Part of the attraction is that many people
simply love hedgehogs, particularly in Britain, where children’s book writer Beatrix
Potter introduced Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, a hedgehog character, over a century ago.
But part of the attraction is also rooted in science. Studies have helped make
ZO
clear that hedgehogs are good for gardens, eating vast numbers of slugs and
other pests as they forage in the vegetation at night.
B Recent scientific studies about hedgehogs have helped explain mysteries as

varied as why hedgehogs apply saliva to their entire bodies, how they have
survived on the planet for 30 million years, why they chew toxic toad skins
and what secrets they may hold about evolution. As one of the most primitive
mammals on theplanet, the hedgehog has been helping geneticists understand
evolutionary relationships among mammals and even uncover secrets of the
S
human genome1. At Duke University, for example, scientists chose the hedgehog
and 14 other species to study the lineages of mammals. They determined among
other things that marsupials (e.g. kangaroos) are not related to monotremes
LT
(the egg-laying platypus and echidna), which had long been a subject of debate.
Such questions are not just academic. ‘If you are trying to trace, for example, the
evolutionary steps of foetal heart development to better understand how foetal
defects occur, it helps to know which mammals are related so that you can make
accurate inferences about one mammal from another mammal’s development,
IE
says researcher Keith Killian.
C Still, much about hedgehogs remains unknown. For one thing, scientists think
they haven’t even discovered all the hedgehog species. We know of at least
14,’ says hedgehog researcher Nigel Reeve of Britain’s University of Surrey
Roehampton, ‘It’s almost certain that there are more species. The 14 known
species are native to Africa and parts of Asia as well as Europe. Some hibernate
through cold winters in the north. Others tolerate desert heat near the equator.
Some live in urban areas, adapting well to living in close proximity to humans.
Others live in areas that rank among the most remote places on the planet.
1
genome: the complete set of genetic material of a living thing
54
D Hedgehogs spend much of their time alone, but Reeve says it would be a mistake
to think of them as solitary. Hedgehogs do approach each other and can detect
the presence of others by their scent,’ he says. It is true that they usually do
not interact at close quarters, but that does not mean they are unaware of their
neighbours They may occasionally scrap over food items and rival males attracted
to a female may also have aggressive interactions. Still, it’s fair to say that, in
adulthood, hedgehogs meet primarily to mate, producing litters of four or five
hoglets as often as twice yearly.
E Adult hedgehogs eat just about anything they can find: insects, snakes, bird
eggs, small rodents and more. Veterinarians trying to understand gum disease in
domesticated hedgehogs have concluded that the varied diet of wild hedgehogs
E
gives them more than nutrition-the hard bodies of insects also scrape the
hedgehogs’ teeth clean.
F All hedgehogs also share the same defence mechanism: they retract their
N
vulnerable parts-head, feet, belly-into a quill-covered ball, using special skin down
their sides and over their heads and feet. Any perceived threat can. make them
roll up, including the approach of a biologist, so researchers have invented a new
ZO
measurement for the animals: ball length. Young hedgehogs have a few extra
defence strategies. ‘One is to spring up in the air, says Reeve. ‘A fox would get a
face full of bristles. They make a little squeak while they do it.’ Evidence suggests
that hedgehogs may also add unpleasant chemicals to their quills to make them
even less appealing. In behaviour that may be unique for a vertebrate, they chew
substances laden with toxins and then apply frothy saliva to their entire bodies. In
one 1977 study, human volunteers pricked themselves with quills from hedgehogs
that had coated themselves after chewing on venomous toad skins. The
volunteers found those quills much more imitating and painful than clean ones.
S
G However, every year, many thousands of the animals die on roads in Europe and
elsewhere as they go about their nightly business. Along with intensive farming
LT
and pesticides, road kill has taken its toll on hedgehog populations. One 2002
study found the animal numbers had dropped by between 20 and 30 per cent in
a single decade. To help combat the decline, the British have established special
clinics for injured hedgehogs, urged that anyone making a bonfire check for the
animals underneath first, and ensured that hedgehogs can cope with cattle grids.
Recently, they even persuaded McDonald’s to alter the packaging of its McFlurry
IE
ice-cream container, which had been trapping foraging hedgehogs.
H Ironically, for centuries the English considered these animals as vermin. Even 50
years ago gamekeepers were killing as many as 10,000 a year thinking they were
no more than bird-egg-eating pests. In some places today, scientists are coming
to the same conclusions all over again. In the 1970s, hedgehogs were introduced
to the Hebrides Islands off Scotland to help combat garden slugs. With no natural
enemies there, a few hedgehogs soon turned into thousands. Wildlife researchers
have watched the hedgehogs reduce the numbers of rare ground - nesting
wading birds by feasting on their eggs. Efforts to cull the animals in the past two
years have upset Britain’s conservationists who have countered with strategies to
relocate the animals.

Day 13
Questions 1–9
The reading passage has eight sections, A–H.
Which sections contain the following information?
Write the correct letter, A–H, in boxes 1–9 on your answer sheet.
1 The significance of establishing the relationship between different species.
2 The different habitats where hedgehogs can be found.
E
3 The reason why standard forms of measurement cannot be used for the hedgehog.
4 A problem associated with hedgehogs kept as pets.
N
5 Two reasons why hedgehogs are popular with people in the UK.
6 Four findings from the latest research into hedgehogs.
7
ZO
The social habits of the hedgehog.
8 The number of hedgehog species already identified.
9 The name given to baby hedgehogs.

S
LT
IE
56
Questions 10–13
Choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.

10 The study conducted in 1977 revealed a possible reason why
A hedgehogs clean their quills.
B hedgehogs chew poisonous animal skins.
C adult hedgehogs do not leap into the air.
D young hedgehogs make a high-pitched noise.
11 In Britain, which of the following has NOT been done to protect hedgehogs?
E
A The opening of hospitals just for hedgehogs.
B Imposing fines for littering in areas where hedgehogs live.
C
N
The alteration of a container produced by a fast-food chain
D Alerting people to the potential dangers faced by hedgehogs
12 What are the ‘conclusions’ that scientists on the Hebrides Islands have reached
again?
A
ZO
Hedgehog numbers are declining.
B Hedgehogs pose a threat to other wildlife.
C Hedgehogs can safely be introduced there.
D Hedgehogs can be used effectively as a natural predator.
13 What would conservationists prefer to do on the Hebrides Islands?
A Introduce a native predator of hedgehogs.
B Kill a small number of hedgehogs.
S
C Remove ground-nesting birds.

D Move the hedgehogs elsewhere.
LT
IE
57
Day 14
READING PASSAGE 2
Passage 2 below.
Questions 14–18
The reading passage has five sections, A–E.
E
Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.
N
List of headings
i Outdoor spaces in the house of tomorrow
ii
ZO
The house of the future helps with the battle of the sexes
iii The compact home of tomorrow
iv The multipurpose home of tomorrow
v Housework declines in the house of the future
vi Mixed success for visions of the future
vii The future lies in the past
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viii A change of structure in the home of tomorrow

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14 Section A
15 Section B
16 Section C
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17 Section D
18 Section E
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The house of the future, then and now
A The term ‘home of tomorrow’ first came into usage in the 1920s to describe the
‘ideal house for future living (Corn and Horrigan, 1984, p. 62). It quickly emerged as
a cultural symbol for the American obsession with the single-family dwelling. In the
1930s and 1940s, advertisers and promoters picked up the concept, and a number
of full-scale homes of tomorrow traveled through fairs and department stores. It
was in this same era that American consumer culture was consolidated. In the
1920s, there were three competing conceptions of the home of the future. The first,
indebted to modernist architecture, depicted the home of tomorrow as a futuristic
architectural structure. The second conception was that of the mass-produced,
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prefabricated house, a dwelling potentially available to every North American.
These first two failed to capture the imagination and the dollars of industrialists or
of the public, but the third image of the home of the future did. From World War Il
until the present, the evolving story of the home of the future is a story of the house
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as a wonderland of gadgets (Horrigan, 1986, p.154).
B In the 1950s, the home of the future was represented in and by one room: the
kitchen. Appliance manufacturers, advertisers and women’s magazines teamed
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up to surround women with images of the technology of tomorrow that would
‘automate’ their lives, and automation became a synonym for reduced domestic
labor. In 1958, one author predicted ‘Combustion freezers and electric ovens may
someday reduce the job of preparing meals to a push-button operation’ (Ross,
1958, pp.197-8). ‘Before long there will also be self-propelled carpet and floor
sweepers, automatic ironers that can fold and stack clothing, laundro-matic units
that will wash and dry clothes even as these hang in the closet, dishwashers
capable of washing and drying dinnerware and storing it in the cupboard, and many
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additional push-button marvels.’ (Ross, 1958, p. 200)
The postwar faith in and fascination with science is very apparent in future
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predictions made in the 1950s. The magazine Popular Mechanics did a special
feature in February 1950 entitled, ‘Miracles You’ll See in the Next Fifty Years’.
‘Housewives in 50 years may wash dirty dishes-right down the drain! Cheap plastic
would melt in hot water’. They also predicted that the housewife of the future
would clean her house by simply turning the hose on everything. Furnishings,
rugs, draperies and unscratchable floors would all be made of synthetic fabric or
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waterproof plastic. After the water had run down a drain in the middle of the floor
(later concealed by a rug of synthetic fibre) you would turn on a blast of hot air and
dry everything.
The overriding message of the 1950s vision of the house of the future is that one
can access the wonders of the future through the purchase of domestic technology
today. In an October 1957 issue of Life magazine, the built-in appliances from
Westinghouse reflect the ‘shape of tomorrow’. ‘Put them in your home suddenly
you’re living in the future.’ As Corn and Horrigan (1984) noted, ‘by focusing on
improving technology … the future becomes strictly a matter of things, their
invention, improvement, and acquisition’ (p. 11).
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Day 14
C What is most striking in the 1960s home of the future is the recognition and
incorporation of social and political turmoil into the representation of domestic
technology. Technology moves out of the kitchen and spreads to the living room,
bedroom and bathroom, While the home of the future was still a wonderland of
gadgets, who was using the gadgets, why, and to what effect, was finally being
opened up to possible alternatives. Whirlpool dishwashers ran an advertisement
in November 1968 in Ladies’ Home Journal explaining, ‘How Whirlpool made my
husband a man again’. Readers learned of the crisis of masculinity that can take
place if a man helps with the housework. We learn that Barry is a great son, father
and husband. He believed that the scrubbing of pots and pans was man’s work
and so he helped out at home. However, at work the men that work for him used
to laugh behind his back because his hands were rough and red. The Whirlpool
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two-speed dishwasher stopped all that. Thus, a household appliance can preserve
a man’s masculinity by ensuring that he does not have to do ‘women’s work’ in the
home.
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D The broader social context continued to be reflected in the 1970s home of the
future, but now the trend was to look backwards for the future, back to a proud
pioneer heritage. In stark contrast to the 1950s, ‘old-fashioned’ is no longer used
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in a pejorative way: it is seen as a cherished value. Over the 1970s, North America
experienced a certain erosion of trust in science and technology and there was
less utopian speculation about the technologically produced future. The previous
unproblematic link between technology, the future and progress was being
questioned (Corn, 1986).
From the space-age metals of the 1960s where every object had an electrical cord,
we find a return to the traditional. Ideal homes featured wood, inside and out, and
an increased emphasis on windows. Domestic technologies were not featured as
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prominently, and the modernist or ultra-modernist designs of a few years earlier

were all but gone. The use of wood, combined with the use of windows, worked to
blur the line between outside and inside, bringing the outside into inner or domestic
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space.
We also see the influence of the Green movement, such as in the deployment
of technology for solar-heated homes. The energy crisis was making itself felt,
reflecting fears about a future not quite as rosy as that predicted by Popular
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Mechanics in 1950. Whereas in the 1960s the General Electric Company was
exhorting consumers to ‘LiveElectrically’, in the 1970s, the Edison Electric
Company found it necessary to address the energy crisis directly in their
advertisements.
E In 1978, House Beautiful magazine, predicting what the homes of the 1980s would
be like, suggested that self - indulgence was the wave of the future. ‘Our senses
are awakened, and a new technology is waiting to aid us in giving them a free rein.
Bathroom spas and gyms, computerized kitchens, wide screen entertainment,
even home discotheques are all on the way.’ By the 1980s, the environmental and
social movements of the 1970s were starting to ebb, significantly more women
were working outside of the home, and computer technology was becoming more

of a reality in the household. All these trends opened the door for a renewed love of
technology.
The line between work and leisure became blurred in the 1980s. Forget about not
being able to fit exercise into a hectic workday, in 1982, you can work and work out
simultaneously. The Walking Desk, a computer workstation for the office at home,
has a treadmill, stationary bike and stair climber installed underneath. On her most
productive day, a worker should be able to walk four to five miles and burn as many
as fifteen hundred calories while maintaining a normal workload.The desk will also
come with a compact-disc player and color monitor for viewing nature scenes on a
computer break. Thus, in addition to turning exercise into work, we see that nature
is being brought into the home for breaks. One never has to leave the home, but
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the imperative is still clearly productive.
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Questions 19–26
Look at the following list of statements (questions 19–26)
Match each statement or prediction with the correct time period, A–E.
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Write the correct letter, A–E, in boxes 19–26 on your answer sheet.
19 There was a loss of faith in automation.
20 Advertisers believed that houses would be made in a factory.
21 There were fewer housewives.

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22 One writer envisaged furniture being made from fully washable materials.
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23 There was an increased awareness of the environment.
24 There was a link between our interest in the future and increased consumerism.
25 One magazine predicted that disposable plates would be used.

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26 A new expression for ‘the perfect home’ was introduced.
List of time periods
A 1920s
B 1930s and 1940s
C 1950s
D 1970s
E 1980s
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Day 15
READING PASSAGE 3
Passage 3 below.
First words
There are over 6, 000 different languages today, but how did language evolve in the first
place?
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Pinpointing the origin of language might seem like idle speculation, because sound
does not fossilise. However, music, chit-chat and even humor may have been driving
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forces in the evolution of language, and gossip possibly freed our ancestors from sitting
around wondering what to say next.
There are over 6,000 different languages today, and the main language families are
thought to have arisen as modern humans wandered about the globe in four great
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migrations beginning 100,000 years ago. But how did language evolve in the first
place? Potential indicators of early language are written in our genetic code, behavior
and culture. The genetic evidence is a gene called FOXP2, in which mutations appear
to be responsible for speech defects. FOXP2 in humans differs only slightly from
the gene in chimpanzees, and may be about 200,000 years old, slightly older than
the earliest modern humans. Such a recent origin for language seems at first rather
silly. How could our speechless Homo sapiens ancestors colonize the ancient world,
spreading from Africa to Asia, and perhaps making a short sea-crossing to Indonesia,
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without language? Well, language can have two meanings: the infinite variety of
sentences that we string together, and the pointing and grunting communication that we
share with other animals.
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Marc Hauser (Harvard University) and colleagues argue that the study of animal
behavior and communication can teach us how the faculty of language in the
narrow human sense evolved. Other animals don’t come close to understanding our
sophisticated thought processes. Nevertheless, the complexity of human expression
may have started off as simple stages in animal ‘thinking’ or problem-solving. For
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example, number processing (how many lions are we up against?), navigation (time
to fly south for the winter), or social relations (we need teamwork to build this shelter).
In other words, we can potentially track language by looking at the behavior of other
animals. William Noble and lain Davidson (University of New England) look for the
origin of language in early symbolic behavior and the evolutionary selection in fine
motor control. For example, throwing and making stone tools could have developed
into simple gestures like pointing that eventually entailed a sense of self-awareness.
They argue that language is a form of symbolic communication that has its roots in
behavioral evolution. Even if archaic humans were physically capable of speech (a
hyoid bone for supporting the larynx and tongue has been found in a Neanderthal
skeleton), we cannot assume symbolic communication. They conclude that language
is a feature of anatomically modern humans, and an essential precursor of the earliest
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symbolic pictures in rock art, ritual burial, major sea-crossings, structured shelters and
hearths-all dating, they argue, to the last 100,000 years.
But the archaeological debate of when does not really help us with what was occurring
in those first chats. Robin Dunbar (University of Liverpool) believes they were probably
talking about each other-in other words, gossiping. He discovered a relationship
between an animal’s group size and its neocortex (the thinking part of the brain), and
tried to reconstruct grooming times and group sizes for early humans based on overall
size of fossil skulls. Dunbar argues that gossip provides the social glue permitting
humans to live in cohesive groups up to the size of about 150, found in population
studies among hunter-gatherers, personal networks and corporate organizations.
Apes are reliant on grooming to stick together, and that basically constrains their social
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complexity to groups of 50. Gelada baboons stroke and groom each other for several
hours per day. Dunbar thus concludes that, if humans had no speech faculty, we would
need to devote 40 per cent of the day to physical grooming, just to meet our social
needs.
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Humans manage large social networks by ‘verbal grooming’ or gossiping- chatting
with friends over coffee, for example. So the ‘audience’ can be much bigger than for
grooming or one-on-one massage. Giselle Bastion, who recently completed her PhD
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at Flinders University, argues that gossip has acquired a bad name, being particularly
associated with women and opposed by men who are defending their supposedly
objective world. Yet it’s no secret that men gossip too. We are all bent on keeping track
of other people and maintaining alliances. But how did we graduate from grooming to
gossip? Dunbar notes that just as grooming releases opiates that create a feeling of
wellbeing in monkeys and apes, so do the smiles and laughter associated with human
banter.
Dean Falk (Florida State University) suggests that, before the first smattering of
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language there was motherese, that musical gurgling between a mother and her baby,
along with a lot of eye contact and touching. Early human babies could not cling on to
their mother as she walked on two feet, so motherese evolved to soothe and control
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infants. Motherese is a small social step up from the contact calls of primates, but at
this stage grooming probably still did most of the bonding.
So when did archaic human groups get too big to groom each other? Dunbar suggests
that nomadic expansion out of Africa, maybe 500,000 years ago, demanded larger
group sizes and language sophistication to form the various alliances necessary for
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survival. Davidson and Noble, who reject Dunbar’s gossip theory, suggest that there
was a significant increase in brain size from about 400,000 years ago, and this may
correlate with increasing infant dependence. Still, it probably took a long time before a
mother delivered humanity’s maiden speech. Nevertheless. once the words were out,
and eventually put on paper, they acquired an existence of their own. Reading gossip
magazines and newspapers today is essentially one-way communication with total
strangers - a far cry from the roots of language.
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Day 15
Questions 27–31
Choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.
27 In paragraph 1, the writer uses the term ‘idle speculation’ to refer to the study of
A why people began to use music.

B where language first evolved.
C when people began to talk.
D how humor first began.
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28 What does the writer tell us about FOXP2?
A It helps prevent speech problems.
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B It is the same in chimpanzees as in humans.
C It could have first occurred 100,000 years ago.
D It could have first occurred 200,000 years ago.
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29 In paragraph 2, what notion does the writer refer to as being ‘rather silly’?
A That language began such a long time ago.

B That man could travel around the world unable to talk.
C That chimpanzees may have been able to talk.
D That communication between chimpanzees pre-dates man.
30 Why does the writer refer to ‘lions’ in paragraph 3?

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A To illustrate the type of communication needs faced by early man.

B To indicate how vulnerable early man was to predators.
C To provide evidence of other species existing at the same time.
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D To show the relationship between early humans and other animals.
31 Gelada baboons are mentioned in order to show that
A using grooming to form social bonds limits the size of a social group.
B early humans would probably have lived in groups of up to 50.
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C baboons’ social groups are larger than those of early humans.

D baboons spend 40 per cent of their time grooming each other.
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Questions 32–40
Look at the following statements (questions 32-40) below and the list of people.
Match each statement with the correct person or people, A–E.
Write the correct letter, A–E, in boxes 32–40 on your answer sheet.
32 There is physical evidence of increased human intelligence up to 400,000 years

ago.
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33 In the modern world, gossiping is seen in a negative way.
34 Language must have developed before art and travel.
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35 The development of human language can be gauged by studying other species.
36 Gossiping makes humans feel good.
37 The actions of early humans could have evolved into a form of communication.
38
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The first language emerged through a parent talking to an infant.
39 Gossip was the first purpose of human communication.
40 Early humans used language to help them live together.
List of people
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A Hauser
B Noble and Davidson
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C Dunbar
D Bastion
E Falk
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Day 16
READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–13 which are based on Reading
Passage 1 below.
Going Nowhere Fast
THIS is ludicrous! We can talk to people anywhere in the world or fly to meet them in
a few hours. We can even send probes to other planets. But when it comes to getting
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around our cities, we depend on systems that have scarcely changed since the days of
Gottlieb Daimler.
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In recent years, the pollution belched out by millions of vehicles has dominated the
debate about transport. The problem has even persuaded California—that home of
car culture—to curb traffic growth. But no matter how green they become, cars are
unlikely to get us around crowded cities any faster. And persuading people to use trains
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and buses will always be an uphill struggle. Cars, after all, are popular for very good
reasons, as anyone with small children or heavy shopping knows.
So politicians should be trying to lure people out of their cars, not forcing them out.
There’s certainly no shortage of alternatives. Perhaps the most attractive is the concept
known as personal rapid transit (PRT), independently invented in the US and Europe in
the 1950s.
The idea is to go to one of many stations and hop into a computer-controlled car which
can whisk you to your destination along a network of guideways. You wouldn’t have to
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share your space with strangers, and with no traffic lights, pedestrians or parked cars
to slow things down, PRT guideways can carry far more traffic, nonstop, than any inner
city road.
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It’s a wonderful vision, but the odds are stacked against PRT for a number of reasons.
The first cars ran on existing roads, and it was only after they became popular—and
after governments started earning revenue from them—that a road network designed
specifically for motor vehicles was built. With PRT, the infrastructure would have to
come first—and that would cost megabucks. What’s more, any transport system that
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threatened the car’s dominance would be up against all those with a stake in
maintaining the status quo, from private car owners to manufacturers and oil
multinationals. Even if PRTs were spectacularly successful in trials, it might not make
much difference. Superior technology doesn’t always triumph, as the VHS versus
Betamax and Windows versus Apple Mac battles showed.
But “dual-mode” systems might just succeed where PRT seems doomed to fail. The
Danish RUF system envisaged by Palle Jensen, for example, resembles PRT but
with one key difference: vehicles have wheels as well as a slot allowing them to travel
on a monorail, so they can drive off the rail onto a normal road. Once on a road, the
occupant would take over from the computer, and the RUF vehicle—the term comes
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from a Danish saying meaning to “go fast”—would become an electric car.

Build a fast network of guideways in a busy city centre and people would have a strong
incentive not just to use public RUF vehicles, but also to buy their own dual-mode
vehicle. Commuters could drive onto the guideway, sit back and read as they are
chauffeured into the city. At work, they would jump out, leaving their vehicles to park
themselves. Unlike PRT, such a system could grow organically, as each network would
serve a large area around it and people nearby could buy into it. And a dual-mode
system might even win the support of car manufacturers, who could easily switch to
producing dual-mode vehicles.
Of course, creating a new transport system will not be cheap or easy. But unlike adding
a dedicated bus lane here or extending the underground railway there, an innovative
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system such as Jensen’s could transform cities.
And it’s not just a matter of saving a few minutes a day. According to the Red Cross,
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more than 30 million people have died in road accidents in the past century—three
times the number killed in the First World War—and the annual death toll is rising.
And what’s more, the Red Cross believes road accidents will become the third
biggest cause of death and disability by 2020, ahead of diseases such as AIDS and
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tuberculosis. Surely we can find a better way to get around?
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Day 16
Questions 1–6

1 City transport developed slower than other means of communication.
2 The pollution caused by city transport has been largely ignored.
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3 Most states in America have taken actions to reduce vehicle growth.
4 Public transport is particularly difficult to use on steep hills.
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5 Private cars are much more convenient for those who tend to buy a lot of things
during shopping. ZO
6 Government should impose compulsory restrictions on car use.
Questions 7–12
Classify the following descriptions as referring to
A PRT only
B RUF only
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C both PRT and RUF

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7 It is likely to be resisted by both individuals and manufacturers.
8 It can run at high speed in cities.
9 It is not necessary to share with the general public.

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10 It is always controlled by a computer.
11 It can run on existing roads.
12 It can be bought by private buyers.
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Question 13
Choose THREE letters, A–G.
Which THREE of the following are advantages of the new transport system?
Write the correct letters in box 13 on your answer sheet.
A economy
B space
C low pollution
D suitability for families
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E speed
F safety
G suitability for children
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Day 17
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14–26 which are based on Reading
Passage 2 below.
Questions 14–20
Reading passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A–G.
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List of headings
i
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The best moment to migrate
ii The unexplained rejection of closer feeding ground
iii The influence of weather on the migration route
iv Physical characteristics that allow birds to migrate
v The main reason why birds migrate
vi The best wintering grounds for birds
vii Research findings on how birds migrate
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viii Successful migration despite trouble of wind

ix Contrast between long-distance migration and short-distance migration
x Mysterious migration despite lack of teaching
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14 Paragraph A
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15 Paragraph B
16 Paragraph C
17 Paragraph D
18 Paragraph E
19 Paragraph F
20 Paragraph G

Bird Migration
A Birds have many unique design features that enable them to perform such amazing
feats of endurance. They are equipped with lightweight, hollow bones, intricately
designed feathers providing both lift and thrust for rapid flight, navigation systems
superior to any that man has developed, and an ingenious heat conserving design
that, among other things, concentrates all blood circulation beneath layers of warm,
waterproof plumage, leaving them fit to face life in the harshest of climates. Their
respiratory systems have to perform efficiently during sustained flights at altitude,
so they have a system of extracting oxygen from their lungs that far exceeds that
of any other animal. During the later stages of the summer breeding season, when
food is plentiful, their bodies are able to accumulate considerable layers of fat, in
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order to provide sufficient energy for their long migratory flights.
B The fundamental reason that birds migrate is to find adequate food during the
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winter months when it is in short supply. This particularly applies to birds that
breed in the temperate and Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where
food is abundant during the short growing season. Many species can tolerate cold
temperatures if food is plentiful, but when food is not available they must migrate.
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However, intriguing questions remain.
C One puzzling fact is that many birds journey much further than would be necessary
just to find food and good weather. Nobody knows, for instance, why British
swallows, which could presumably survive equally well if they spent the winter in
equatorial Africa, instead fly several thousands of miles further to their preferred
winter home in South Africa’s Cape Province. Another mystery involves the huge
migrations performed by arctic terns and mudflat-feeding shorebirds that breed
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close to Polar Regions. In general, the further north a migrant species breeds, the
further south it spends the winter. For arctic terns this necessitates an annual round
trip of 25,000 miles. Yet, en route to their final destination in far-flung southern
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latitudes, all these individuals overfly other areas of seemingly suitable habitat
spanning two hemispheres. While we may not fully understand birds’ reasons for
going to particular places, we can marvel at their feats.
D One of the greatest mysteries is how young birds know how to find the traditional
wintering areas without parental guidance. Very few adults migrate with juveniles in
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tow, and youngsters may even have little or no inkling of their parents’ appearance.
A familiar example is that of the cuckoo, which lays its eggs in another species’
nest and never encounters its young again. It is mind boggling to consider that,
once raised by its host species, the young cuckoo makes it own way to ancestral
wintering grounds in the tropics before returning single-handedly to northern
Europe the next season to seek out a mate among its own kind. The obvious
implication is that it inherits from its parents an inbuilt route map and direction-
finding capability, as well as a mental image of what another cuckoo looks like. Yet
nobody has the slightest idea as to how this is possible.
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Day 17
E Mounting evidence has confirmed that birds use the positions of the sun and stars
to obtain compass directions. They seem also to be able to detect the earth’s
magnetic field, probably due to having minute crystals of magnetite in the region
of their brains. However, true navigation also requires an awareness of position
and time, especially when lost. Experiments have shown that after being taken
thousands of miles over an unfamiliar landmass, birds are still capable of returning
rapidly to nest sites. Such phenomenal powers are the product of computing a
number of sophisticated cues, including an inborn map of the night sky and the
pull of the earth’s magnetic field. How the birds use their ‘instruments’ remains
unknown, but one thing is clear: they see the world with a superior sensory
perception to ours. Most small birds migrate at night and take their direction from
the position of the setting sun. However, as well as seeing the sun go down, they
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also seem to see the plane of polarized light caused by it, which calibrates their
compass. Traveling at night provides other benefits. Daytime predators are avoided
and the danger of dehydration due to flying for long periods in warm, sunlit skies is
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reduced. Furthermore, at night the air is generally cool and less turbulent and so
conducive to sustained, stable flight.
F Nevertheless, all journeys involve considerable risk, and part of the skill in arriving
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safely is setting off at the right time. This means accurate weather forecasting,
and utilizing favorable winds. Birds are adept at both, and, in laboratory tests,
some have been shown to detect the minute difference in barometric pressure
between the floor and ceiling of a room. Often birds react to weather changes
before there is any visible sign of them. Lapwings, which feed on grassland, flee
west from the Netherlands to the British Isles, France and Spain at the onset of a
cold snap. When the ground surface freezes the birds could starve. Yet they return
to Holland ahead of a thaw, their arrival linked to a pressure change presaging an
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improvement in the weather.
G In one instance a Welsh Manx shearwater carried to America and released was
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back in its burrow on Skokholm Island, off the Pembrokeshire coast, one day
before a letter announcing its release! Conversely, each autumn a small number
of North American birds are blown across the Atlantic by fast-moving westerly tail
winds. Not only do they arrive safely in Europe, but, based on ringing evidence,
some make it back to North America the following spring, after probably spending
the winter with European migrants in sunny African climes.
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Questions 21–22
Which TWO of the following statements are true of bird migration?
A Birds often fly further than they need to.

B Birds traveling in family groups are safe.
C Birds flying at night need less water.
D Birds have much sharper eye-sight than humans.
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E Only shorebirds are resistant to strong winds.
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Questions 23–26
Complete the sentences below using NO MORE THAN ONE WORD OR A NUMBER
from the passage.
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23 It is a great mystery that young birds like cuckoos can find their wintering grounds
without …………… .
24 Evidence shows birds can tell directions like a ……………. by observing the sun and
the stars.
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25 One advantage for birds flying at night is that they can avoid contact with …………… .
26 Laboratory tests show that birds can detect weather without …………… signs.
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Day 18
READING PASSAGE 3
Passage 3 below.
Although video games were first developed for adults, they are no longer exclusively
reserved for the grown ups in the home. In 2006, Rideout and Hamel reported that as
many as 29 percent of preschool children (children between two and six years old) in
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the United States had played console video games, and 18 percent had played hand-
held ones. Given young children’s insatiable eagerness to learn, coupled with the fact
that they are clearly surrounded by these media, we predict that preschoolers will both
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continue and increasingly begin to adopt video games for personal enjoyment Although
the majority of gaming equipment is still designed for a much older target audience,
once a game system enters the household it is potentially available for all family
members, including the youngest. Portable systems have done a particularly good job
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of penetrating the younger market.
Research in the video game market is typically done at two stages: some time close
to the end of the product cycle, in order to get feedback from consumers, so that a
marketing strategy can be developed; and at the very end of the product cycle to ‘fix
bugs’ in the game. While both of those types of research are important, and may be
appropriate for dealing with adult consumers, neither of them aids in designing better
games, especially when it comes to designing for an audience that may have particular
needs, such as preschoolers or senior citizens. Instead, exploratory and formative
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research has to be undertaken in order to truly understand those audiences, their

abilities, their perspective, and their needs. In the spring of 2007, our preschool-game
production team at Nickelodeon had a hunch that the Nintendo DS* — with its new
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features, such as the microphone, small size and portability, and its relatively low price
point — was a ripe gaming platform for preschoolers. There were a few games on
the market at the time which had characters that appealed to the younger set, but our
game producers did not think that the game mechanics or design were appropriate for
preschoolers. What exactly preschoolers could do with the system, however, was a bit
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of a mystery. So we set about doing a study to answer the query: What could we expect
preschoolers to be capable of in the context of hand-held game play, and how might
the child development literature inform us as we proceeded with the creation of a new
outlet for this age group?
Our context in this case was the United States, although the games that resulted were
also released in other regions, due to the broad international reach of the characters. In
order to design the best possible DS product for a preschool audience we were fully
committed to the ideals of a ‘user-centered approach’, which assumes that users will
be at least considered, but ideally consulted during the development process. After
all, when it comes to introducing a new interactive product to the child market, and
particularly such a young age group within it, we believe it is crucial to assess the range
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of physical and cognitive abilities associated with their specific developmental stage.
Revelle and Medoff (2002) review some of the basic reasons why home entertainment
systems, computers, and other electronic gaming devices, are often difficult for
preschoolers to use. In addition to their still developing motor skills (which make
manipulating a controller with small buttons difficult), many of the major stumbling
blocks are cognitive. Though preschoolers are learning to think symbolically, and
understand that pictures can stand for real-life objects, the vast majority are still unable
to read and write. Thus, using text-based menu selections is not viable. Mapping is
yet another obstacle since preschoolers may be unable to understand that there is a
direct link between how the controller is used and the activities that appear before them
on screen. Though this aspect is changing, in traditional mapping systems real life
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movements do not usually translate into game-based activity.
Over the course of our study, we gained many insights into how preschoolers interact
with various platforms, including the DS. For instance, all instructions for preschoolers
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need to be in voiceover, and include visual representations, and this has been one
of the most difficult areas for us to negotiate with respect to game design on the
DS. Because the game cartridges have very limited memory capacity, particularly in
comparison to console or computer games, the ability to capture large amounts of
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voiceover data via sound files or visual representations of instructions becomes limited.
Text instructions take up minimal memory, so they are preferable from a technological
perspective. Figuring out ways to maximise sound and graphics files, while retaining
the clear visual and verbal cues that we know are critical for our youngest players, is a
constant give and take. Another of our findings indicated that preschoolers may use
either a stylus, or their fingers, or both although they are not very accurate with either.
One of the very interesting aspects of the DS is that the interface, which is designed
to respond to stylus interactions, can also effectively be used with the tip of the finger.
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This is particularly noteworthy in the context of preschoolers for two reasons. Firstly,
as they have trouble with fine motor skills and their hand-eye coordination is still in
development, they are less exact with their stylus movements; and secondly, their
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fingers are so small that they mimic the stylus very effectively, and therefore by using
their fingers they can often be more accurate in their game interactions.
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* a brand of hand-held electronic games

Day 18
Questions 27–31
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?

27 Video game use amongst preschool children is higher in the US than in other
countries.
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28 The proportion of preschool children using video games is likely to rise.
29 Parents in the US who own gaming equipment generally allow their children to
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play with it.
30 The type of research which manufacturers usually do is aimed at improving game

design.
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31 Both old and young games consumers require research which is specifically
targeted.
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Questions 32–36
Complete the summary using the list of words/phrases, A–I, below.
Problems for preschool users of video games
Preschool children find many electronic games difficult, because neither their
motor skills nor their 32 …………… are sufficiently developed.
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Certain types of control are hard for these children to manipulate: for example,
33 …………… can be more effective than styluses. Also, although they already
have the ability to relate 34 …………… to real-world objects, preschool children
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are largely unable to understand the connection between their own 35 ……………
and the movements they can see on the screen.Finally, very few preschool children
can understand 36 …………… .
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A actions B buttons C cognitive skills
D concentration E fingers F pictures
G sounds H spoken instructions I written menus
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Day 18
Questions 37–40
37 In 2007, what conclusion did games producers at Nickelodeon come to?
A The preschool market was unlikely to be sufficiently profitable.

B One of their hardware products would probably be suitable for preschoolers.
C Games produced by rival companies were completely inappropriate for
preschoolers.
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D They should put their ideas for new games for preschoolers into practice.
38 The study carried out by Nickelodeon
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A was based on children living in various parts of the world.
B focused on the kinds of game content which interests preschoolers.
C investigated the specific characteristics of the target market.
D
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led to products which appealed mainly to the US consumers.
39 Which problem do the writers highlight concerning games instructions for young
children?
A Spoken instructions take up a lot of the available memory.

B Written instructions have to be expressed very simply.
C The children do not follow instructions consistently.
D The video images distract attention from the instructions.
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40 Which is the best title for Reading Passage 3?

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A An overview of video games software for the preschool market

B Researching and designing video games for preschool children
C The effects of video games on the behaviour of young children
D Assessing the impact of video games on educational achievement
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Day 19
READING PASSAGE 1
Passage 1 below.
The MIT factor: celebrating 150 years of maverick genius by

Ed Pilkington
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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has led the world into the future for 150
years with scientific innovations.
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The musician Yo-Yo Ma’s cello may not be the obvious starting point for a journey into
one of the world’s great universities. But, as you quickly realise when you step inside
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, there’s precious little going on that you
would normally see on a university campus. The cello, resting in a corner of MIT’s
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celebrated media laboratory – a hub of creativity – looks like any other electric classical
instrument. But it is much more. Machover, the composer, teacher and inventor
responsible for its creation, calls it a ‘hyperinstrument’, a sort of thinking machine that
allows Ma and his cello to interact with one another and make music together. ‘The aim
is to build an instrument worthy of a great musician like Yo-Yo Ma that can understand
what he is trying to do and respond to it,’ Machover says. The cello has numerous
sensors across its body and by measuring the pressure, speed and angle of the
virtuoso’s performance it can interpret his mood and engage with it, producing
extraordinary new sounds. The virtuoso cellist frequently performs on the instrument as
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he tours around the world.

Machover’s passion for pushing at the boundaries of the existing world to extend and
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unleash human potential is not a bad description of MIT as a whole. This unusual
community brings highly gifted, highly motivated individuals together from a vast range
of disciplines, united by a common desire: to leap into the dark and reach for the
unknown.
The result of that single unifying ambition is visible all around. For the past 150 years,
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MIT has been leading the world into the future. The discoveries of its teachers and
students have become the common everyday objects that we now all take for
granted. The telephone, electromagnets, radars, high-speed photography, office
photocopiers, cancer treatments, pocket calculators, computers, the Internet, the
decoding of the human genome, lasers, space travel … the list of innovations that
involved essential contributions from MIT and its faculty goes on and on.
From the moment MIT was founded by William Barton Rogers in 1861, it was clear
what it was not. While Harvard stuck to the English model of a classical education, with
its emphasis on Latin and Greek, MIT looked to the German system of learning based
on research and hands-on experimentation. Knowledge was at a premium, but it had to
be useful.
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This down-to-earth quality is enshrined in the school motto, Mens et manus – Mind
and hand – as well as its logo, which shows a gowned scholar standing beside an
ironmonger bearing a hammer and anvil. That symbiosis of intellect and craftsmanship
still suffuses the institute’s classrooms, where students are not so much taught as
engaged and inspired.
Take Christopher Merrill, 21, a third-year undergraduate in computer science. He is
spending most of his time on a competition set in his robotics class. The contest is to
see which student can most effectively program a robot to build a house out of blocks in
under ten minutes. Merrill says he could have gone for the easiest route – designing a
simple robot that would build the house quickly. But he wanted to try to master an area
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of robotics that remains unconquered – adaptability, the ability of the robot to rethink its
plans as the environment around it changes, as would a human. ‘I like to take on things
that have never been done before rather than to work in an iterative way just making
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small steps forward,’ he explains.
Merrill is already planning the start-up he wants to set up when he graduates in a year’s
time. He has an idea for an original version of a contact lens that would augment reality
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by allowing consumers to see additional visual information. He is fearful that he might
be just too late in taking his concept to market, as he has heard that a Silicon Valley
firm is already developing something similar. As such, he might become one of many
MIT graduates who go on to form companies that fail. Alternatively, he might become
one of those who go on to succeed in spectacular fashion. And there are many of
them. A survey of living MIT alumni* found that they have formed 25,800 companies,
employing more than three million people, including about a quarter of the workforce
of Silicon Valley. What MIT delights in is taking brilliant minds from around the world in
vastly diverse disciplines and putting them together. You can see that in its sparkling
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new David Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, which brings scientists,
engineers and clinicians under one roof. Or in its Energy Initiative, which acts as a
bridge for MIT’s combined work across all its five schools, channeling huge resources
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into the search for a solution to global warming. It works to improve the efficiency
of existing energy sources, including nuclear power. It is also forging ahead with
alternative energies from solar to wind and geothermal, and has recently developed the
use of viruses to synthesise batteries that could prove crucial in the advancement of
electric cars.
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In the words of Tim Berners-Lee, the Briton who invented the World Wide Web, ‘It’s not
just another university. Even though I spend my time with my head buried in the details
of web technology, the nice thing is that when I do walk the corridors, I bump into
people who are working in other fields with their students that are fascinating, and that
keeps me intellectually alive.’
adapted from the Guardian

*people who have left a university or college after completing their studies there

Day 19
Questions 1–5
Do the following statements agree with the information in the passage?

1 The activities going on at the MIT campus are like those at any other university.
2 Harvard and MIT shared a similar approach to education when they were founded.
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3 The school motto was suggested by a former MIT student.
4 MIT’s logo reflects the belief that intellect and craftsmanship go together.
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5 Silicon Valley companies pay higher salaries to graduates from MIT.
Questions 6–9
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Complete the notes below.
Christopher Merrill – student at MIT

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Degree subject: 6………………

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Competition: to 7……………… the automated construction of a house
Special focus on: the 8……………… of robots
Future plans: to develop new type of 9 ………………

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Questions 10–13
10 What proportion of workers at Silicon Valley are employed in companies set up by

MIT graduates?
11 What problem does MIT’s Energy Initiative aim to solve?
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12 Which ‘green’ innovation might MIT’s work with viruses help improve?
13 In which part of the university does Tim Berners-Lee enjoy stimulating
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conversations with other MIT staff?
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S
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Day 20
READING PASSAGE 2
Passage 2 below.
Questions 14–20
The reading passage has seven sections, A–G.
E
Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.
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List of Headings
i
ii
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Looking for clues
Blaming the beekeepers
iii Solutions to a more troublesome issue
iv Discovering a new bee species
v An impossible task for any human
vi The preferred pollinator
vii Plant features designed to suit the pollinator
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viii Some obvious and less obvious pollen carriers

ix The undesirable alternative
x An unexpected setback
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14 Section A
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15 Section B
16 Section C
17 Section D
18 Section E
19 Section F
20 Section G
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Gold dusters
They are the Earth’s pollinators and they come in more than 200,000 shapes and
sizes.
A Row upon row, tomato plants stand in formation inside a greenhouse. To

reproduce, most flowering plants depend on a third party to transfer pollen
between their male and female parts. Some require extra encouragement to give
up that golden dust. The tomato flower, for example, needs a violent shake, a
vibration roughly equivalent to 30 times the pull of Earth’s gravity, explains Arizona
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entomologist Stephen Buchmann. Growers have tried numerous ways to rattle
pollen from tomato blossoms. They have used shaking tables, air blowers and
blasts of sound. But natural means seem to work better.
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B It is no surprise that nature’s design works best. What’s astonishing is the
array of workers that do it: more than 200,000 individual animal species, by
varying strategies, help the world’s 240,000 species of flowering plants make
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more flowers. Flies and beetles are the original pollinators, going back to when
flowering plants first appeared 130 million years ago. As for bees, scientists have
identified some 20,000 distinct species so far. Hummingbirds, butterflies, moths,
wasps and ants are also up to the job. Even non-flying mammals do their part:
sugar-loving opossums, some rainforest monkeys, and lemurs in Madagascar,
all with nimble hands that tear open flower stalks and furry coats to which pollen
sticks. Most surprising, some lizards, such as geckos, lap up nectar and pollen
and then transport the stuff on their faces and feet as they forage onward.
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C All that messy diversity, unfortunately, is not well suited to the monocrops and
mega-yields of modern commercial farmers. Before farms got so big, says
conservation biologist Claire Kremen of the University of California, Berkeley, ‘we
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didn’t have to manage pollinators. They were all around because of the diverse
landscapes. Now you need to bring in an army to get pollination done.’ The
European honeybee was first imported to the US some 400 years ago. Now at
least a hundred commercial crops rely almost entirely on managed honeybees,
which beekeepers raise and rent out to tend to big farms. And although other
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species of bees are five to ten times more efficient, on a per-bee basis, at
pollinating certain fruits, honeybees have bigger colonies, cover longer distances,
and tolerate management and movement better than most insects. They’re not
picky – they’ll spend their time on almost any crop. It’s tricky to calculate what
their work is truly worth; some economists put it at more than $200 billion globally
a year.
D Industrial-scale farming, however, may be wearing down the system. Honeybees

have suffered diseases and parasite infestations for as long as they’ve been
managed, but in 2006 came an extreme blow. Around the world, bees began to
disappear over the winter in massive numbers. Beekeepers would lift the lid of a
hive and be amazed to find only the queen and a few stragglers, the worker bees
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Day 20
gone. In the US, a third to half of all hives crashed; some beekeepers reported
colony losses near 90 percent. The mysterious culprit was named colony collapse
disorder (CCD) and it remains an annual menace – and an enigma.
E When it first hit, many people, from agronomists to the public, assumed that our
slathering of chemicals on agricultural fields was to blame for the mystery. Indeed,
says Jeff Pettis of the USDA Bee Research Laboratory, ‘we do find more disease
in bees that have been exposed to pesticides, even at low levels.’ But it is likely
that CCD involves multiple stressors. Poor nutrition and chemical exposure, for
instance, might wear down a bee’s immunities before a virus finishes the insect
off. It’s hard to tease apart factors and outcomes, Pettis says. New studies reveal
that fungicides – not previously thought toxic to bees – can interfere with microbes
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that break down pollen in the insects’ guts, affecting nutrient absorption and
thus long-term health and longevity. Some findings pointed to viral and fungal
pathogens working together. ‘I only wish we had a single agent causing all the
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declines,’ Pettis says, ‘that would make our work much easier.’
F However, habitat loss and alteration, he says, are even more of a menace to
pollinators than pathogens. Claire Kremen encourages farmers to cultivate the
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flora surrounding farmland to help solve habitat problems. ‘You can’t move the
farm,’ she says, ‘but you can diversify what grows in its vicinity: along roads,
even in tractor yards.’ Planting hedgerows and patches of native flowers that
bloom at different times and seeding fields with multiple plant species rather than
monocrops ‘not only is better for native pollinators, but it’s just better agriculture,’
she says. Pesticide-free wildflower havens, adds Buchmann, would also bolster
populations of useful insects. Fortunately, too, ‘there are far more generalist plants
than specialist plants, so there’s a lot of redundancy in pollination,’ Buchmann
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says. ‘Even if one pollinator drops out, there are often pretty good surrogates left
to do the job.’ The key to keeping our gardens growing strong, he says, is letting
that diversity thrive.
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G Take away that variety, and we’ll lose more than honey. ‘We wouldn’t starve,’ says
Kremen. ‘But what we eat, and even what we wear – pollinators, after all, give us
some of our cotton and flax – would be limited to crops whose pollen travels by
other means. ‘In a sense,’ she says, ‘our lives would be dictated by the wind.’ It’s
vital that we give pollinators more of what they need and less of what they don’t,
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and ease the burden on managed bees by letting native animals do their part, say
scientists.
adapted from National Geographic Magazine

Questions 21–24
21 Both …………… were the first creatures to pollinate the world’s plants.
22 Monkeys transport pollen on their …………… .
23 Honeybees are favored pollinators among bee species partly because they travel
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…………… .
24 A feature of CCD is often the loss of all the …………… .
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Questions 25–26

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Which TWO methods of combating the problems caused by CCD and habitat loss are
mentioned in the article?
A using more imported pest controllers

B removing microbes from bees’ stomachs
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C cultivating a wide range of flowering plants

D increasing the size of many farms
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E placing less reliance on honeybees

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Day 21
READING PASSAGE 3
Passage 3 below.
The Earth and Space Foundation
The community that focuses its efforts on the exploration of space has largely been
different from the community focused on the study and protection of the Earth’s
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environment, despite the fact that both fields of interest involve what might be referred
to as ‘scientific exploration’. The reason for this dichotomous existence is chiefly
historical. The exploration of the Earth has been occurring over many centuries, and
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the institutions created to do it are often very different from those founded in the second
part of the 20th century to explore space. This separation is also caused by the fact
that space exploration has attracted experts from mainly non-biological disciplines –
primarily engineers and physicists – but the study of Earth and its environment is a
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domain heavily populated by biologists.
The separation between the two communities is often reflected in attitudes. In the
environmental community, it is not uncommon for space exploration to be regarded
as a waste of money, distracting governments from solving major environmental
problems here at home. In the space exploration community, it is not uncommon for
environmentalists to be regarded as introspective people who divert attention from
the more expansive visions of the exploration of space – the ‘new frontier’. These
perceptions can also be negative in consequence because the full potential of both
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communities can be realised better when they work together to solve problems. For
example, those involved in space exploration can provide the satellites to monitor the
Earth’s fragile environments, and environmentalists can provide information on the
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survival of life in extreme environments.

In the sense that Earth and space exploration both stem from the same human drive to
understand our environment and our place within it, there is no reason for the split to
exist. A more accurate view of Earth and space exploration is to see them as a
continuum of exploration with many interconnected and mutually beneficial links. The
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Earth and Space Foundation, a registered charity, was established for the purposes of
fostering such links through field research and by direct practical action.
Projects that have been supported by the Foundation include environmental projects
using technologies resulting from space exploration: satellite communications, GPS,
remote sensing, advanced materials and power sources. For example, in places where
people are faced with destruction of the forests on which their livelihood depends,
rather than rejecting economic progress and trying to save the forests on their intrinsic
merit, another approach is to enhance the value of the forests – although these
schemes must be carefully assessed to be successful. In the past, the Foundation
provided a grant to a group of expeditions that used remote sensing to plan eco-tourism
routes in the forests of Guatemala, thus providing capital to the local communities
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through the tourist trade. This novel approach is now making the protection of the
forests a sensible economic decision.
The Foundation funds expeditions making astronomical observations from remote,
difficult-to-access Earth locations, archaeological field projects studying the
development of early civilisations that made significant contributions to astronomy
and space sciences, and field expeditions studying the way in which views of the
astronomical environment shaped the nature of past civilisations. A part of Syria – ‘the
Fertile Crescent’ – was the birthplace of astronomy, accountancy, animal domestication
and many other fundamental developments of human civilisation. The Foundation
helped fund a large archaeology project by the Society for Syrian Archaeology at the
University of California, Los Angeles, in collaboration with the Syrian government that
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used GPS and satellite imagery to locate mounds or ’tels’, containing artefacts and
remnants of early civilisations. These collections are being used to build a better picture
of the nature of the civilisations that gave birth to astronomy.
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Field research also applies the Earth’s environmental and biological resources to the
human exploration and settlement of space. This may include the use of remote
environments on Earth, as well as physiological and psychological studies in harsh
environments. In one research project, the Foundation provided a grant to an
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international caving expedition to study the psychology of explorers subjected to long-
term isolation in caves in Mexico. The psychometric tests on the cavers were used to
enhance US astronaut selection criteria by the NASA Johnson Space Center.
Space-like environments on Earth help us understand how to operate in the space
environment or help us characterise extraterrestrial environments for future scientific
research. In the Arctic, a 24-kilometre-wide impact crater formed by an asteroid or
comet 23 million years ago has become home to a Mars analogue programme. The
Foundation helped fund the NASA Haughton–Mars Project to use this crater to test
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communications and exploration technologies in preparation for the human exploration

of Mars.The crater, which sits in high Arctic permafrost, provides an excellent replica of
the physical processes occurring on Mars, a permafrosted, impact-altered planet.
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Geologists and biologists can work at the site to help understand how impact craters
shape the geological characteristics and possibly biological potential of Mars.
In addition to its fieldwork and scientific activities, the Foundation has award
programmes. These include a series of awards for the future human exploration of
Mars, a location with a diverse set of exploration challenges. The awards will honour a
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number of ‘firsts’ on Mars that include landing on the surface, undertaking an overland
expedition to the Martian South Pole, undertaking an overland expedition to the
Martian North Pole, climbing Olympus Mons, the highest mountain in the solar system,
and descending to the bottom of Valles Marineris, the deepest canyon on Mars. The
Foundation will offer awards for expeditions further out in the solar system once these
Mars awards have been claimed. Together, they demonstrate that the programme really
has no boundary in what it could eventually support, and they provide longevity for the
objectives of the Foundation.
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Day 21
Questions 27–31

27 Activities related to environmental protection and space exploration have a

common theme.
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28 It is unclear why space exploration evolved in a different way from environmental
studies on Earth.
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29 Governments tend to allocate more money to environmental projects than space
exploration.
30 Unfortunately, the environmental and space exploration communities have little to

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offer each other in terms of resources.
31 The Earth and Space Foundation was set up later than it was originally intended.
Questions 32–35

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32 What was the significance of the ’novel approach’ adopted in the Guatemala project?
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A It minimised the need to protect the forests.

B It reduced the impact of tourists on the forests.
C It showed that preserving the forests can be profitable.
D It gave the Foundation greater control over the forests.
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33 GPS and satellite imagery were used in the Syrian project to
A help archaeologists find ancient items.

B explore land that is hard to reach.
C reduce the impact of archaeological activity.
D evaluate some early astronomical theories.
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34 One of the purposes of the Foundation’s awards is to
A attract non-scientists to its work.

B establish priorities for Mars exploration.
C offer financial incentives for space exploration.
D establish the long-term continuity of its activities.
35 What is the writer’s purpose in the passage?
A to persuade people to support the Foundation

B to explain the nature of the Foundation’s work
C to show how views on the Foundation have changed
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D to reject earlier criticisms of the Foundation’s work
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Questions 36–40
Complete the summary using the words, A–I, below.

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Field research: Applying the Earth’s environment to the settlement

of space
Some studies have looked at how humans function in 36 …………… situations. In one
project, it was decided to review cave explorers in Mexico who tolerate 37 ……………
periods on their own.
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It is also possible to prepare for space exploration by studying environments on Earth

that are 38 …………… to those on Mars. A huge crater in the Arctic is the 39 ……………
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place to test the technologies needed to explore Mars and gather other relevant
40 …………… information.
A comparable D ideal G scientific

B extreme E unexpected H extended
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C connected F beneficial I individual

Day 22
READING PASSAGE 1
Passage 1 below.
The environmental impact of the clothing industry

On a Saturday afternoon, a group of teenage girls leaf through glossy fashion
magazines at an American shopping mall. Their shopping bags are brimming with
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new purchases as they walk excitedly about what’s in style this summer. Far away in
Tanzania, a young man wears a T-shirt bearing the logo of an American basketball
team while shopping at the local second-hand goods market. Although seemingly
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disparate, these two scenes are connected through the surprising life cycle of clothing.
How does a T-shirt sold in a US shopping mall to promote an American sports team
end up being worn by a teenager in Africa?
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Globalisation, consumerism, and recycling all converge to connect these scenes.
Globalisation has made it possible to produce clothing at increasingly lower prices,
prices so low that many consumers consider this clothing to be disposable. Some call it
‘fast fashion’, the clothing equivalent of fast food. Fuelling the demand are fashion
magazines that help create the desire for new ‘must-have’ for each season. ‘Girls
especially are insatiable when it comes to fashion. They have to have the latest thing,’
says Mayra Diaz, mother of a 10-year-old girl.
Yet fast fashion leaves a pollution footprint, generating both environmental and
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occupational hazards. For example, polyester, the most widely used manufactured
fibre, is made from petroleum. With the rise in production in the fashion industry,
demand for man-made fibres has nearly doubled in the last 15 years. The manufacture
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of polyester and other synthetic fabrics is an energy-intensive process requiring

large amounts of crude oil and releasing emissions which can cause or aggravate
respiratory disease.The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers many textile
manufacturing facilities to be hazardous waste generators.
These issues do not apply only to the production of man-made fabrics. Cotton, one of
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the most popular fibres used in clothing manufacture, also has a significant
environmental footprint. This crop accounts for a quarter of all the pesticides used in the
United States. Much of the cotton produced in the United States is exported to China
and other countries with low labour costs, where the material is woven into fabrics, cut
and assembled according to the fashion industry’s specifications. In her 2005 book The
Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy, Pietra Rivoli, a professor at Georgetown
University, writes that each year Americans purchase approximately one billion
garments made in China, the equivalent of four pieces of clothing for every US citizen.
Once bought, an estimated 21% of annual clothing purchases stay in the home,
increasing the stocks of clothing and other textiles held by consumers, according to
Recycling of Low Grade Clothing Waste, by consultant Oakdene Hollins. The report
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calls this stockpiling an increase in the ‘national wardrobe’, which is considered to

represent a potentially large quantity of latent waste that will eventually enter the solid
waste stream. According to the EPA Office of Solid Waste, Americans throw away more
than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person per year, and this represents about
4% of the municipal solid waste. But this figure is rapidly growing.
In her book Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash, Susan Strasser, a professor
of history at the University of Delaware, traces the ‘progressive obsolescence’ of
clothing and other consumer goods to the 1920s. Before then, and especially during
World War I, most clothing was repaired, mended or tailored to fit other family
members, or recycled within the home as rags or quilts. During that war, clothing
manufacturers reduced the varieties, sizes and colours of their productions and
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even urged designers to create styles that would use less fabric and avoid needles
decoration. The US government’s conservation campaign used slogans such as ‘Make
economy fashionable lest it become obligatory’ and resulted in an approximate 10%
reduction in the production of trash.
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However, the spirit of conservation did not last long; by the mid-1920s, consumerism
was back in style. During World War II, consumption rose with increased employment
as the United States mobilised for the war. Industrialisation brought consumerism with
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it as an integral part of the economy. When it comes to clothing, the rate of purchase
and disposal has dramatically increased, so the path that a T-shirt travels from the
sales floor to the landfill site has become shorter. Yet even today, the journey of a piece
of clothing does not always end at the landfill site. A proportion of clothing purchases
are recycled, mainly in three ways: clothing may be resold by the primary consumer
to other consumers at a lower price, it may be exported in bulk for sale in developing
countries, or it may be chemically or mechanically recycled into raw material that can
be used to produce insulation.
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Domestic resale has boomed in the era of the internet. Many people sell directly to
other individuals through auction websites such as eBay. Another increasingly popular
outlet is charity and thrift shops, though only about one-fifth of the clothing donated to
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charities is directly used or sold in their thrift shops. Says Rivoli, ‘There are nowhere
near enough people in America to absorb the mountains of cast-offs, even if they were
given away.’ So charities find another way to fund their programmes, using the clothing
that they cannot sell. About 45% of these textiles continue their life as clothing, just not
domestically. Certain brands and rare collectible items are imported by Japan. Clothing
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that is not considered vintage or high-end is baled for export to developing nations. For
Tanzania, where used clothing is sold at the markets that dot the country, these items
are the number one import from the United States. Observers such as Rivoli predict
that the trend toward increasing exports of used clothing to developing countries will
continue to accelerate because of the rise of consumerism in the United States and
Europe and the falling prices of new clothing.
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Day 22
Questions 1–5
Look at the following statements and the list of people below.
Match each statement with the correct person, A–D.
Write the correct letter, A–D, in boxes 1–5 on your answer sheet.
1 The amount of recycled clothing available in the US exceeds demand.
2 Countries like Tanzania will receive even more used clothing from North America
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in the future.
3 A change in manufacturers’ attitudes helped decrease the amount of waste that

was generated
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4 Our gender has an influence on our increased desire to shop.
5 A future waste problem may occur because people add to the clothes, they al
ready own each year.
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List of people
A Mayra Diaz
B Pietra Rivoli
C Oakdene Hollins
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D Susan Strasser
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Questions 6–8
Choose THREE of these letters, A–G.
Write the correct letters, A–G, in boxes 6–8 on your answer sheet.
Which THREE possible consequences of the fashion industry are mentioned by the
writer of the passage?
A increased health problems

B increases in petrol prices
C increased use of chemicals
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D reduced wages for workers
E lower profits for small local manufacturers
F negative effects on other industries
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G production of unwanted dangerous materials
Questions 9–13
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Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for
each answer.

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9 What is the name of one material that is not natural?
10 What percentage of household garbage is made up of clothes?

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11 In what era did Americans stop reusing old clothes?
12 What has caused the selling of used clothing to increase in the US?
13 To which country does America export a lot of its good quality used clothing?
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Day 23
READING PASSAGE 2
Passage 2 below.
Selling the health benefits of enriched ‘phoods’

A The introduction of iodine to Morton Salt in 1924 was instrumental in eradicating a
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dangerous thyroid condition called goiter from the U.S. population. It was also the
first time a food company purposely added a medically beneficial ingredient to food
to help market that product. Eighty years later, the food industry is intensively
researching all kinds of other healthful ingredients it hopes to use to help sell
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otherwise everyday foods. Functional foods, or ‘phoods’ as they’re sometimes
called to connote the intersection of food and pharmaceuticals, have been trickling
into supermarkets over the past several years – think of calcium-enhanced orange
ZO
juice and cholesterol-lowering margarine, for example. But they met with mixed
success at first because consumers didn’t know or care enough about the new
ingredients.
B Now, though, consumers’ growing awareness of health and nutrition, and new
regulatory rulings that will make it easier for manufacturers to make health
claims on packaging, are re-energizing the ‘phood’ business. Once again, food
companies see functional foods as a way to boost sales in a highly competitive
market. ‘It’s definitely a big deal,’ said David Lockwood, editor of a recent report
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on functional foods by market research giant Mintel International Group Ltd. ‘We
expect [the functional foods business] to grow about 7.6 percent annually – that’s
about twice as fast as the overall food market is going to be growing.’ At the
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recent annual meeting of the Food Marketing Institute, fully half of the 75 new
products one major food company introduced had a ‘health and wellness’ focus,
the company said. That’s up from 15 percent of its new products the year before.
C Many of these products have added vitamins and minerals, such as a new juice
drink that provides 100 percent of a child’s daily vitamin C requirement, and a
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smoothie boosted with calcium. Lutein, linked to vision health, is now added to
prune juice. Soy protein, which can help prevent heart disease, is being added to
new breakfast cereals. Major food giants are actively unveiling products overseas,
including yogurt with probiotic bacteria, to aid digestion. These nutritionally
oriented products make up just 8 percent of company sales but account for 20
percent of its research budget, according to company spokesman Hans-Joerg
Renk.
D ‘There’s a lot of research and development going on into what kinds of products
people want, what kinds of products we can produce to meet the demand – that
taste good and will be successful in the marketplace – and how we communicate
the benefits,’ said Michael E. Diegel, a spokesman for the Grocery Manufacturers

of America. Vitamin water drinks, spiked with nutrients such as taurine, vitamin
C, calcium and potassium, can be found on shelves of gourmet shops and
supermarkets. Officials at privately owned Energy Brands Inc. attribute much of the
dramatic growth in sales to consumers’ rising interest in nutrition and wellness.
E Food marketing professor Nancy Childs, of St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia,

said the widespread awareness of the low-carb phenomenon has led many
consumers to check food labels while trying to lose weight. ‘It starts to make
them think about their food in terms of its nutritional components,’ she said,
which makes it easier to introduce other ingredients such as soy, fiber and many
lesser-known compounds. Although more consumers may be ready to try the new
products, the real driver behind the reborn interest of food manufacturers comes
E
from science and the government. Government labs, universities and private
companies are doing more research on the health effects of many nutrients, food
scientists say, but much of it falls short of the full-scale clinical trials that the Food
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and Drug Administration has required for use in marketing.
F Beginning this spring, the FDA started allowing ‘qualified health claims’ on foods,
telling consumers about ingredients that current science ‘suggests’ might be
helpful in preventing certain diseases and medical conditions. ‘FDA feels that
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this does provide more information to the consumer,’ said Kathleen C. Ellwood,
director of the agency’s division of Nutrition Programs and Labeling. ‘It’s more to
empower the consumer, to make them more aware of possible health benefits in
these foods.’
That allowance has opened the floodgates. Dozens of petitions have been filed
with the agency seeking permission for such claims: sports drink maker American
Longevity wants to claim that lycopene reduces the risk of cancer; coral calcium
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producer Marine Bio USA has petitioned for a claim that calcium can reduce
the risk of kidney stones; and the North American Olive Oil Association wants
permission to use a claim that monounsaturated fatty acids can reduce the risk
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of heart disease. Consumers will start seeing these claims on packages soon,
though some nutritionists and scientists are worried that the findings aren’t rock
solid. The non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest has filed suit
against the FDA, arguing the new program violates the 1990 Nutrition Labeling
and Education Act, which mandated a higher level of scientific agreement for
marketing the health benefits of ingredients.
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G Others fear there will be so many claims they will just become more noise to
already bewildered consumers, ‘I’m concerned that too many such claims will
cause consumers to tune out and make all of them ineffective’ said Clare Hasler,
executive director of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at
the University of California at Davis. So far, the FDA has approved only a handful
of qualified health claims, and they show the limitations that this new system may
have, for consumers and food companies. The California Walnut Commission,
for example, wanted permission to put this claim on packages of walnuts, which
are high in Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: ‘Diets including walnuts can
reduce the risk of heart disease.’ The agency approved wording that is not quite
as snappy for package design: ‘Supportive but not conclusive research shows that
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Day 23
eating 1.5 oz. walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol
diet, and not resulting in increased caloric intake, may reduce the risk of coronary
heart disease.’
Questions 1–8
The Reading Passage has seven sections, A–G.
Which section contains the following information?
E
1 the significance of the link between consumers reading food labels and functional
N
foods
2 a mention of large companies that are marketing functional foods in several

manufacturers
3
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a reference to the success of one functional food in eliminating a disease
4 the reason why the FDA’s new ‘qualified health claims’ may not benefit
countries
5 a prediction of the future sales figures for functional foods
6 a mention of the diet that caused consumers to focus on the ingredients in food
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7 concern about the limitations of research being carried out into the health benefits
of functional foods
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8 the questions regarding functional foods that researchers are concentrating on

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Questions 9–13
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A–G, below.
9 Early attempts to produce functional foods were not very successful because
10 People are now buying more functional foods because
11 The FDA has decided to allow health claims on foods because
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12 The Center for Science in the Public Interest has taken legal action against the
FDA because
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13 The Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science is worried because
A
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consumers did not like the taste of the extra ingredients.
B it wants more researchers to support health claims before food is advertised.
C it wants consumers to know that certain foods can improve their health.
D consumers were ignorant of the benefits of the added ingredients.
E it thinks the abundance of health claims will confuse consumers.
F they are more concerned about their health.
G they are attracted by the design of the packaging.
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Day 24
READING PASSAGE 3
Passage 3 below.
Swarm theory
I used to think that ants knew what they were doing. The ones marching across my
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kitchen bench looked so confident that I figured they had a plan, knew where going
and what needed to be done. How else could ants organise highways, build elaborate
nests, stage epic raids and do all of the other things ants do? But it turns out I was
wrong. Ants aren’t clever little engineers, architects or warriors after all – at least not as
N
individuals. When it comes to deciding what to do next, most ants don’t have a clue.
‘If you watch an ant trying to accomplish something, you’ll be impressed by how inept
it is,’ says Deborah M Gordon, a biologist at Stanford University. How do we explain,
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then, the success of Earth’s 12,000 or so known ant species? They must have learned
something in 140 million years.
‘Ants aren’t smart,’ Gordon says. ‘Ant colonies are.’ A colony can solve problems
unthinkable to individual ants, such as finding the shortest path to the best food source,
allocating workers to different tasks, defending territory from neighbours. As individuals,
ants might be tiny dummies, but as colonies they respond quickly and effectively to
their environment. They do this with something called swarm intelligence. Where this
intelligence comes from raises a fundamental question in nature: how do the simple
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actions of individuals add up to the complex behaviour of a group? How do hundreds

of honeybees make a critical decision about their hive if many of them disagree? What
enables a school of herring to coordinate its movements so precisely it can change
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direction in a flash, like a single organism? One key to an ant colony is that no one’s
in charge. No generals command ant warriors. No managers boss ant workers. The
queen plays no role except to lay eggs. Even with half a million ants, a colony functions
just fine with no management at all – at least none that we would recognise. It relies
instead upon countless interactions between individual ants, each of which is following
simple rules of thumb. Scientists describe such a system as ‘self-organising’.
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Consider the problem of job allocation. In the Arizona desert, where Deborah Gordon
studies red harvester ants, a colony calculates each morning how many workers to
send out foraging for food. The number can change, depending on conditions. Have
foragers recently discovered a bonanza of tasty seeds? More ants may be needed
to haul the bounty home. Was the nest damaged by a storm last night? Additional
maintenance workers may be held back to make repairs. An ant might be a nest worker
one day, a trash collector the next. But how does a colony make such adjustments if no
one’s in charge? Gordon has a theory.
Ants communicate by touch and smell. When one ant bumps into another, it sniffs with
its antennae to find out if the other belongs to the same nest and where it has been
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working. (Ants that work outside the nest smell different to those that stay inside.)
Before they leave the nest each day, foragers normally wait for early morning patrollers
to return. As patrollers enter the nest, they touch antennae briefly with foragers. ‘When
a forager has contact with a patroller, it’s a stimulus for the forager to go out,’ Gordon
says. ‘But the forager needs several contacts more than ten seconds apart before it
will go out.’ To see how this works, Gordon and her team captured patroller ants as
they left a nest one morning. After waiting half an hour, they simulated the ants’ return
by dropping glass beads into the nest entrance at regular intervals – some coated
with patroller scent, some with maintenance worker scent, some with no scent. Only
the beads coated with patroller scent stimulated foragers to leave the nest. Their
conclusion: foragers use the rate of their encounters with patrollers to tell if it’s safe to
go out. (If you bump into patrollers at the right rate, it’s time to go foraging. If not, it’s
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better to wait. It might be too windy, or there might be a hungry lizard out there.) Once
the ants start foraging and bringing back food, other ants join the effort, depending on
the rate at which they encounter returning foragers. ‘So nobody’s deciding whether
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it’s a good day to forage. The collective is, but no particular ant is.’ That’s how swarm
intelligence works: simple creatures following simple rules, each one acting on local
information.
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When it comes to swarm intelligence, ants aren’t the only insects with something useful
to teach us. Thomas Seeley, a biologist at Cornell University, has been looking into the
uncanny ability of honeybees to make good decisions. With as many as 50,000 workers
in a single hive, honeybees have evolved ways to work through individual difference of
opinion to do what’s best for the colony. Seeley and others have been studying colonies
of honeybees to see how they choose a new home. To find out, Seeley’s team applied
paint dots and tiny plastic tags to all 4,000 bees in each of several swarms that they
ferried to Appledore Island. There, they released each swarm to locate nest boxes
they had placed on one side of the island. In one test, they put out five nest boxes.
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Scout bees soon appeared at all five boxes. When they returned to the swarm, each
performed a dance urging other scouts to go and have a look. These dances include
a code to give directions to a box’s location. The strength of each dance reflected the
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scout’s enthusiasm for the site. After a while, a small cloud of bees was buzzing around
each box. As soon as the number of scouts visible near the entrance to a box reached
about 15, the bees at that box sensed that a decision had been reached and returned
to the swarm with the news. The bees’ rules for decision-making – seek a diversity of
opinions, encourage a free competition among ideas, and use effective mechanisms to
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narrow choices – so impressed Seeley that he now uses them at Cornell in his role as
chairman of his department.

Day 24
Questions 1–5
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
1 In the first paragraph, what does the writer conclude about ants?
A They are invasive pests in the home.

B They can achieve great things working alone.
C They form social groups that are similar to human ones.
D They are less impressive as individuals than she thought.
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2 According to the second paragraph, what is the ‘fundamental question’ in nature?
A How do large groups of animals appoint a leader?
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B How do large groups of animals reach an agreement?
C Do different species of animals use similar behaviour?
D Why are small insects better organised than larger mammals?
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3 What is the focus of Deborah Gordon’s research?
A The effects of bad weather on ant colonies.

B The number of ants required to maintain the nest.
C The methods ants use to assign different jobs.
D The role of the queen ant in organising the colony.
4 In the fourth paragraph, what are we told about forager and patroller ants?
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A A colony needs more forager ants than patroller ants.

B Patrollers’ movements determine what foragers will do.
C Patrollers are the first ants to bring food back to the nest.
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D Foragers spend more time out of the nest than patroller ants.
5 In an experiment, Deborah Gordon’s team
A mimicked patroller ants returning to the nest.

B left a trail of food for patroller ants to follow.
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C followed patroller ants to see where they went to.

D changed the scent of patroller ants to that of forager ants.
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Questions 6–9
Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A
NUMBER from the passage.
6 Approximately …………… different types of ant have been identified.
7 Ants use their …………… to identify another ant.
8 A …………… is one animal that preys on ants.
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9 Ant colonies use …………… to reach a decision.
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Questions 10–13
Complete the summary using the list of words, A–G, below.
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Appledore Island honeybee study
First, the scientists 10 …………… each of the bees involved in their experiment. Next
the bees were 11 …………… . The scientists placed several nest boxes in an area away
from the bees. Scout bees inspected the nest boxes and 12 …………… to other bees
where the boxes were. They chose their nest box once enough bees had 13 ……………
there.
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A attracted B found C gathered D located

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E signalled F marked G relocated

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Day 25
READING PASSAGE 1
Passage 1 below.
The history of the poster

The appearance of the poster has changed continuously over the past two centuries.
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The first posters were known as ‘broadsides’ and were used for public and commercial
announcements. Printed on one side only using metal type, they were quickly and
crudely produced in large quantities. As they were meant to be read at a distance, they
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required large lettering.
There were a number of negative aspects of large metal type. It was expensive,
required a large amount of storage space and was extremely heavy. If a printer did
have a collection of large metal type, it was likely that there were not enough letters. So
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printers did their best by mixing and matching styles.
Commercial pressure for large type was answered with the invention of a system for
wood type production. In 1827, Darius Wells invented a special wood drill – the lateral
router – capable of cutting letters on wood blocks. The router was used in combination
with William Leavenworth’s pantograph (1834) to create decorative wooden letters of
all shapes and sizes. The first posters began to appear, but they had little colour and
design; often wooden type was mixed with metal type in a conglomeration of styles.
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A major development in poster design was the application of lithography, invented by

Alois Senefelder in 1796, which allowed artists to hand-draw letters, opening the field of
type design to endless styles. The method involved drawing with a greasy crayon onto
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finely surfaced Bavarian limestone and offsetting that image onto paper. This direct
process captured the artist’s true intention; however, the final printed image was in
reverse. The images and lettering needed to be drawn backwards, often reflected in a
mirror or traced on transfer paper.
As a result of this technical difficulty, the invention of the lithographic process had little
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impact on posters until the 1860s, when Jules Cheret came up with his ‘three-stone
lithographic process’. This gave artists the opportunity to experiment with a wide
spectrum of colours. Although the process was difficult, the result was remarkable, with
nuances of colour impossible in other media even to this day. The ability to mix words
and images in such an attractive and economical format finally made the lithographic
poster a powerful innovation.
Starting in the 1870s, posters became the main vehicle for advertising prior to the
magazine era and the dominant means of mass communication in the rapidly growing
cities of Europe and America. Yet in the streets of Paris, Milan and Berlin, these artistic
prints were so popular that they were stolen off walls almost as soon as they were
hung. Cheret, later known as ‘the father of the modern poster’, organised the first
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exhibition of posters in 1884 and two years later published the first book on poster
art. He quickly took advantage of the public interest by arranging for artists to create
posters, at a reduced size, that were suitable for in-home display.
Thanks to Cheret, the poster slowly took hold in other countries in the 1890s and came
to celebrate each society’s unique cultural institutions: the café in France, the opera
and fashion in Italy, festivals in Spain, literature in Holland and trade fairs in Germany.
The first poster shows were held in Great Britain and Italy in 1894, Germany in 1896
and Russia in 1897. The most important poster show ever, to many observers, was
held in Reims, France, in 1896 and featured an unbelievable 1,690 posters arranged by
country.
In the early 20th century, the poster continued to play a large communication role
E
and to go through a range of styles. By the 1950s, however, it had begun to share
the spotlight with other media, mainly radio and print. By this time, most posters
were printed using the mass production technique of photo offset, which resulted in
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the familiar dot pattern seen in newspapers and magazines. In addition, the use of
photography in posters, begun in Russia in the twenties, started to become as common
as illustration.
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In the late fifties, a new graphic style that had strong reliance on typographic elements
in black and white appeared. The new style came to be known as the International
Typographic Style. It made use of a mathematical grid, strict graphic rules and
black-and-white photography to provide a clear and logical structure. It became the
predominant style in the world in the 1970s and continues to exert its influence today.
It was perfectly suited to the increasingly international post-war marketplace, where
there was a strong demand for clarity. This meant that the accessibility of words and
symbols had to be taken into account. Corporations wanted international identification,
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and events such as the Olympics called for universal solutions, which the Typographic
Style could provide.
However, the International Typographic Style began to lose its energy in the late 1970s.
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Many criticised it for being cold, formal and dogmatic. A young teacher in Basel,
Wolfgang Weingart, experimented with the offset printing process to produce posters
that appeared complex and chaotic, playful and spontaneous – all in stark contrast to
what had gone before. Weingart’s liberation of typography was an important foundation
for several new styles. These ranged from Memphis and Retro to the advances now
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being made in computer graphics.
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Day 25
Questions 1–5
Complete the table below.
Early Printing Methods
Features Problems
E
Metal type • produced large print • cost, weight and
1 ………………… difficulties
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• mixed styles
Wood type • Darius’s wood drill used in • lacked both 3…………………

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connection with another
2 …………………
• mixed type
• produced a range of letters
Lithography • letters drawn by hand • had to use a mirror or

5………………… to achieve
• design tool – a
correct image
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4 …………………
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Questions 6–9
Jules Cheret
1860s – invention of ‘three-stone lithographic process’
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combination of both 6 ………………… on coloured posters
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1870s – posters used for advertising and 7 ………………… in Europe
1884–86 – Cheret’s poster 8 ………………… and book on poster art

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1890s – posters represent 9 ………………… around the world
Questions 10–13
Do the following statements agree with the information in the reading passage?
S

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10 By the 1950s, photographs were more widely seen than artists’ illustrations on
posters.
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11 Features of the Typographic Style can be seen in modern-day posters.
12 The Typographic Style met a global need at a particular time in history.
13 Weingart got many of his ideas from his students in Basel.
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Day 26
READING PASSAGE 2
Passage 2 below.
Last man standing

Some 50,000 years ago, Homo sapiens beat other hominids to become the only
surviving species. Kate Ravilious reveals how we did it.
E
A Today, there are over seven billion people living on Earth. No other species has
exerted as much influence over the planet as us. But turn the clock back 80,000
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years and we were one of a number of species roaming the Earth.Our own
species, Homo sapiens (Latin for ‘wise man’), was most successful in Africa. In
western Eurasia, the Neanderthals dominated, while Homo erectus may have
lived in Indonesia. Meanwhile, an unusual finger bone and tooth, discovered in
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Denisova cave in Siberia in 2008, have led scientists to believe that yet another
human population – the Denisovans – may also have been widespread across
Asia. Somewhere along the line, these other human species died out, leaving
Homo sapiens as the sole survivor. So what made us the winners in the battle for
survival?
B Some 74,000 years ago, the Toba ‘supervolcano’ on the Indonesian island of
Sumatra erupted. The scale of the event was so great that ash from the eruption
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was flung as far as eastern India, more than 2,000 kilometers away. Oxford
archaeologist Mike Petraglia and his team have uncovered thousands of stone
tools buried underneath the Toba ash. The mix of hand axes and spear tips have
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led Petraglia to speculate that Homo sapiens and Homo erectus were both living
in eastern India prior to the Toba eruption. Based on careful examination of the
tools and dating of the sediment layers where they were found, Petraglia and his
team suggest that Homo sapiens arrived in eastern India around 78,000 years
ago, migrating out of Africa and across Arabia during a favourable climate period.
After their arrival, the simple tools belonging to Homo erectus seemed to lessen
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in number and eventually disappear completely. ‘We think that Homo sapiens had
a more efficient hunting technology, which could have given them the edge,’ says
Petraglia. ‘Whether the eruption of Toba also played a role in the extinction of the
Homo erectus-like species is unclear to us.’
C Some 45,000 years later, another fight for survival took place. This time, the
location was Europe and the protagonists were another species, the Neanderthals.
They were a highly successful species that dominated the European landscape for
300,000 years. Yet within just a few thousand years of the arrival of Homo sapiens,
their numbers plummeted. They eventually disappeared from the landscape
around 30,000 years ago, with their last known refuge being southern Iberia,
including Gibraltar. Initially, Homo sapiens and Neanderthals lived alongside each
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otherand had no reason to compete. But then Europe’s climate swung into a cold,
inhospitable, dry phase. ‘Neanderthal and Homo sapiens populations had to retreat
to refugia (pockets of habitable land). This heightened competition between the two
groups,’ explains Chris Stringer, anthropologist at the Natural History Museum in
London.
D Both species were strong and stockier than the average human today, but
Neanderthals were particularly robust. ‘Their skeletons show that they had broad
shoulders and thick necks,’ says Stringer. ‘Homo sapiens, on the other hand, had
longer forearms, which undoubtedly enabled them to throw a spear from some
distance, with less danger and using relatively little energy,’ explains Stringer. This
long-range ability may have given Homo sapiens an advantage in hunting. When
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it came to keeping warm, Homo sapiens had another skill: weaving and sewing.
Archaeologists have uncovered simple needles fashioned from ivory and bone
alongside Homo sapiens, dating as far back as 35,000 years ago. ‘Using this
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technology, we could use animal skins to make ourselves tents, warm clothes and
fur boots,’ says Stringer. In contrast, Neanderthals never seemed to master sewing
skills, instead relying on pinning skins together with thorns.
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E A thirst for exploration provided Homo sapiens with another significant advantage
over Neanderthals. Objects such as shell beads and flint tools, discovered many
miles from their source, show that our ancestors travelled over large distances, in
order to barter and exchange useful materials, and share ideas and knowledge. By
contrast, Neanderthals tended to keep themselves to themselves, living in small
groups. They misdirected their energies by only gathering resources from their
immediate surroundings and perhaps failing to discover new technologies outside
their territory.
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F Some of these differences in behavior may have emerged because the two species
thought in different ways. By comparing skull shapes, archaeologists have shown
that Homo sapiens had a more developed temporal lobe – the regions at the side
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of the brain, associated with listening, language and long-term memory. ‘We think
that Homo sapiens had a significantly more complex language than Neanderthals
and were able to comprehend and discuss concepts such as the distant past and
future,’ says Stringer. Penny Spikins, an archaeologist at the University of York,
has recently suggested that Homo sapiens may also have had a greater diversity
of brain types than Neanderthals. ‘Our research indicates that high-precision tools,
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new hunting technologies and the development of symbolic communication may all
have come about because they were willing to include people with “different” minds
and specialised roles in their society,’ she explains. ‘We see similar kinds of injuries
on male and female Neanderthal skeletons, implying there was no such division of
labour,’ says Spikins.
G Thus by around 30,000 years ago, many talents and traits were well established
in Homo sapiens societies but still absent from Neanderthal communities. Stringer
thinks that the Neanderthals were just living in the wrong place at the wrong time.
‘They had to compete with Homo sapiens during a phase of very unstable climate
across Europe. During each rapid climate fluctuation, they may have suffered
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Day 26
greater losses of people than Homo sapiens, and thus were slowly worn down,’ he
says. If the climate had remained stable throughout, they might still be here.”
Questions 14–18
The Reading passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A–G.
14 a comparison of a range of physical features of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens
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15 reference to items that were once used for trade
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16 mention of evidence for the existence of a previously unknown human species
17 mention of the part played by ill fortune in the downfall of Neanderthal society
18 reference to the final geographical location of Neanderthals

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Questions 19–22
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19 Analysis of stone tools and …………… has enabled Petraglia’s team to put
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forward an arrival date for Homo sapiens in eastern India.
20 Homo sapiens used both …………… to make sewing implements.
21 The territorial nature of Neanderthals may have limited their ability to acquire
resources and ……………
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22 Archaeologists examined …………… in order to get an insight into Neanderthal

and Homo sapiens’ capacity for language and thought.
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Questions 23–26
Look at the following statements and the list of researchers, A–C, below.
Match each statement with the correct researcher.
Write the correct letter, A–C, in boxes 23–26 on your answer sheet.
23 No evidence can be found to suggest that Neanderthal communities allocated

tasks to different members.
24 Homo sapiens may have been able to plan ahead.
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25 Scientists cannot be sure whether a sudden natural disaster contributed to the
loss of a human species.
26 Environmental conditions restricted the areas where Homo sapiens and
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Neanderthals could live.
ZO List of Researchers
A Mike Petraglia
B Chris Stringer
C Penny Spikins
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Day 27
READING PASSAGE 3
Passage 3 below.
The new way to be a fifth-grader

by Clive Thompson
Khan Academy is changing the rules of education.
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I peer over his shoulder at his laptop screen to see the math problem the fifth-grader is
pondering. It’s a trigonometry problem. Carpenter, a serious-faced ten-year-old, pauses
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for a second, fidgets, then clicks on “0 degrees.” The computer tells him that he’s
correct. “It took a while for me to work it out,” he admits sheepishly. The software then
generates another problem, followed by another, until eventually he’s done ten in a row.
Last November, his teacher, Kami Thordarson, began using Khan Academy in her
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class. It is an educational website on which students can watch some 2,400 videos.
The videos are anything but sophisticated. At seven to 14 minutes long, they consist
of a voiceover by the site’s founder, Salman Khan, chattily describing a mathematical
concept or explaining how to solve a problem, while his hand-scribbled formulas and
diagrams appear on screen. As a student, you can review a video as many times as
you want, scrolling back several times over puzzling parts and fast-forwarding through
the boring bits you already know. Once you’ve mastered a video, you can move on to
the next one.
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Initially, Thordarson thought Khan Academy would merely be a helpful supplement to

her normal instruction. But it quickly became far more than that. She is now on her way
to “flipping” the way her class works. This involves replacing some of her lectures with
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Khan’s videos, which students can watch at home. Then in class, they focus on working
on the problem areas together. The idea is to invert the normal rhythms of school, so
that lectures are viewed in the children’s own time and homework is done at school. It
sounds weird, Thordarson admits, but this reversal makes (line 40*) sense when you
think about it. It is when they are doing homework that students are really grappling
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with a subject and are most likely to want someone to talk to. And Khan Academy
provides teachers with a dashboard application that lets them see the instant a student
gets stuck.
For years, teachers like Thordarson have complained about the frustrations of teaching
to the “middle” of the class. They stand at the whiteboard trying to get 25 or more
students to learn at the same pace. Advanced students get bored and tune out, lagging
ones get lost and tune out, and pretty soon half the class is not paying attention. Since
the rise of personal computers in the 1980s, educators have hoped that technology
could save the day by offering lessons tailored to each child. Schools have spent
millions of dollars on sophisticated classroom technology, but the effort has been in
vain. The one-to-one instruction it requires is, after all, prohibitively expensive. What
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country can afford such a luxury?

Khan never intended to overhaul the school curricula and he doesn’t have a consistent,
comprehensive plan for doing so. Nevertheless, some of his fans believe that he has
stumbled onto the solution to education’s middle-of-the-class mediocrity. Most notable
among them is Bill Gates, whose foundation has invested $1.5 million in Khan’s site.
Students have pointed out that Khan is particularly good at explaining all the hidden,
small steps in math problems – steps that teachers often gloss over. He has an
uncanny ability to inhabit the mind of someone who doesn’t already understand
something.
However, not all educators are enamoured with Khan and his site. Gary Stager, a
long-time educational consultant and advocate of laptops in classrooms, thinks Khan
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Academy is not innovative at all. The videos and software modules, he contends, are
just a high-tech version of the outdated teaching techniques–lecturing and drilling.
Schools have become “joyless test-prep factories,” he says, and Khan Academy caters
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to this dismal trend.
As Sylvia Martinez, president of an organization focusing on technology in the
classroom, puts it, “The things they’re doing are really just rote.” Flipping the classroom
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isn’t an entirely new idea, Martinez says, and she doubts that it would work for the
majority of pupils: “I’m sorry, but if they can’t understand the lecture in a classroom,
they’re not going to grasp it better when it’s done through a video at home.”
Another limitation of Khan’s site is that the drilling software can only handle questions
where the answers are unambiguously right or wrong, like math or chemistry; Khan
has relatively few videos on messier, grey-area subjects like history. Khan and Gates
admit there is no easy way to automate the teaching of writing–even though it is just as
critical as math.
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Even if Khan is truly liberating students to advance at their own pace, it is not clear
that schools will be able to cope. The very concept of grade levels implies groups of
students moving along together at an even pace. So what happens when, using Khan
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Academy, you wind up with a ten-year-old who has already mastered high-school
physics? Khan’s programmer, Ben Kamens, has heard from teachers who have seen
Khan Academy presentations and loved the idea but wondered whether they could
modify it “to stop students from becoming this advanced.”
Khan’s success has injected him into the heated wars over school reform. Reformers
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today, by and large, believe student success should be carefully tested, with teachers
and principals receiving better pay if their students advance more quickly. In essence,
Khan doesn’t want to change the way institutions teach; he wants to change how
people learn, whether they’re in a private school or a public school–or for that matter,
whether they’re a student or an adult trying to self-educate in Ohio, Brazil, Russia, or
India. One member of Khan’s staff is spearheading a drive to translate the videos into
ten major languages. It’s classic start-up logic: do something novel, do it with speed,
and the people who love it will find you.
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Day 27
Questions 27–31
27 What do you learn about the student in the first paragraph?
A He has not used the maths software before.

B He did not expect his answer to the problem to be correct.
C He was not initially doing the right maths problem.
D He did not immediately know how to solve the maths problem.
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28 What does the writer say about the content of the Khan Academy videos?
A They have been produced in a professional manner.
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B They include a mix of verbal and visual features.
C Some of the maths problems are too easy.
D Some of the explanations are too brief.
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29 What does this reversal refer to in line 40*?
A going back to spending fewer hours in school

B students being asked to explain answers to teachers
C swapping the activities done in the class and at home
D the sudden improvement in students’ maths performance
30 What does the writer say about teaching to the ‘middle’ of the class?
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A Teachers become too concerned about weaker students.

B Technology has not until now provided a solution to the problem.
C Educators have been unwilling to deal with the issues.
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D Students in this category quickly become bored.
31 Students praise Khan’s videos because they
A show the extent of his mathematical knowledge.

B deal with a huge range of maths problems.
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C provide teaching at different ability levels.

D cover details that are often omitted in class.
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Questions 32–36
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the reading passage?

32 Thordarson’s first impressions of how she would use Khan Academy turned out to
be wrong.
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33 Khan wished to completely change the way courses are taught in schools.
34 School grade levels are based on the idea of students progressing at different
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rates.
35 Some principals have invited Khan into their schools to address students.
36 Khan has given advice to other people involved in start-up projects.

ZO
Questions 37–40
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A–G, below.
37 Bill Gates thinks Khan Academy

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38 According to Gary Stager, Khan Academy

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39 Sylvia Martinez regrets that Khan Academy
40 Ben Kamens has been told that Khan Academy
A is only suited to subjects where questions have exact answers.

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B can teach both the strongest and the weakest pupils in a class.
C means the teaching of other school subjects will have to be changed.
D only prepares students to pass exams.
E could cause student achievement to improve too quickly.
F requires all students to own the necessary technology.
G is unlikely to have a successful outcome for most students.
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Day 28
READING PASSAGE 1
Passage 1 below.
Andrea Palladio: Italian Architect

A new exhibition celebrates Palladio’s architecture 500 years on
Vicenza is a pleasant, prosperous city in the Veneto, 60 km west of Venice. Its grand
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families settled and farmed the area from the 16th century. But its principal claim to
fame is Andrea Palladio, who is such an influential architect that a neoclassical style is
known as Palladian. The city is a permanent exhibition of some of his finest buildings,
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and as he was born – in Padua, to be precise – 500 years ago, the International Centre
for the Study of Palladio’s Architecture has an excellent excuse for mounting la grande
mostra, the big show.
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The exhibition has the special advantage of being held in one of Palladio’s buildings,
Palazzo Barbaran da Porto. Its bold façade is a mixture of rustication and decoration
set between two rows of elegant columns. On the second floor the pediments are
alternately curved or pointed, a Palladian trademark. The harmonious proportions of the
atrium at the entrance lead through to a dramatic interior of fine fireplaces and painted
ceilings. Palladio’s design is simple, clear and not over-crowded. The show has been
organised on the same principles, according to Howard Burns, the architectural
historian who co-curated it.
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Palladio’s father was a miller who settled in Vicenza, where the young Andrea was
apprenticed to a skilled stonemason. How did a humble miller’s son become a world
renowned architect? The answer in the exhibition is that, as a young man, Palladio
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excelled at carving decorative stonework on columns, doorways and fireplaces. He was

plainly intelligent, and lucky enough to come across a rich patron, Gian Giorgio
Trissino, a landowner and scholar, who organised his education, taking him to Rome
in the 1540s, where he studied the masterpieces of classical Roman and Greek
architecture and the work of other influential architects of the time, such as Donato
Bramante and Raphael.
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Burns argues that social mobility was also important. Entrepreneurs, prosperous from
agriculture in the Veneto, commissioned the promising local architect to design their
country villas and their urban mansions. In Venice the aristocracy were anxious to
co-opt talented artists, and Palladio was given the chance to design the buildings that
have made him famous – the churches of San Giorgio Maggiore and the Redentore,
both easy to admire because they can be seen from the city’s historical centre across a
stretch of water.
He tried his hand at bridges – his unbuilt version of the Rialto Bridge was decorated
with the large pediment and columns of a temple – and, after a fire at the Ducal
Palace, he offered an alternative design which bears an uncanny resemblance to

the Banqueting House in Whitehall in London. Since it was designed by Inigo Jones,
Palladio’s first foreign disciple, this is not as surprising as it sounds.
Jones, who visited Italy in 1614, bought a trunk full of the master’s architectural
drawings; they passed through the hands of the Dukes of Burlington and Devonshire
before settling at the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1894. Many are now on
display at Palazzo Barbaran. What they show is how Palladio drew on the buildings
of ancient Rome as models. The major theme of both his rural and urban building
was temple architecture, with a strong pointed pediment supported by columns and
approached by wide steps.
Palladio’s work for rich landowners alienates unreconstructed critics on the Italian left,
but among the papers in the show are designs for cheap housing in Venice. In the
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wider world, Palladio’s reputation has been nurtured by a text he wrote and illustrated,
“Quattro Libri dell’Architettura”. His influence spread to St Petersburg and to
Charlottesville in Virginia, where Thomas Jefferson commissioned a Palladian villa he
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called Monticello.
Vicenza’s show contains detailed models of the major buildings and is leavened by
portraits of Palladio’s teachers and clients by Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto;
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the paintings of his Venetian buildings are all by Canaletto, no less. This is an
uncompromising exhibition; many of the drawings are small and faint, and there are no
sideshows for children, but the impact of harmonious lines and satisfying proportions is
to impart in a viewer a feeling of benevolent calm. Palladio is history’s most therapeutic
architect.
“Palladio, 500 Anni: La Grande Mostra” is at Palazzo Barbaran da Porto, Vicenza, until
January 6th 2009. The exhibition continues at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, from
January 31st to April 13th, and travels afterwards to Barcelona and Madrid.
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Day 28
Questions 1–7

1 The building where the exhibition is staged has been newly renovated.
2 Palazzo Barbaran da Porto typically represents the Palladio’s design.
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3 Palladio’s father worked as an architect.
4 Palladio’s family refused to pay for his architectural studies.
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5 Palladio’s alternative design for the Ducal Palace in Venice was based on an
English building. ZO
6 Palladio designed for both wealthy and poor people.
7 The exhibition includes paintings of people by famous artists.
Questions 8–13

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8 What job was Palladio training for before he became an architect?
9 Who arranged Palladio’s architectural studies?
10 Who was the first non-Italian architect influenced by Palladio?

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11 What type of Ancient Roman buildings most heavily influenced Palladio’s work?
12 What did Palladio write that strengthened his reputation?
13 In the writer’s opinion, what feeling will visitors to the exhibition experience?
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Day 29
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14–26, which are based Reading
Passage 2 below.
Questions 14–20
Reading passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A–G.
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List of Headings
i
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How CSR may help one business to expand
ii CSR in many aspects of a company’s business
iii A CSR initiative without a financial gain
iv Lack of action by the state of social issues
v Drives or pressures motivate companies to address CSR
vi The past illustrates business are responsible for future outcomes
vii Companies applying CSR should be selective
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viii Reasons that business and society benefit each other

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14 Paragraph A
15 Paragraph B
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16 Paragraph C
17 Paragraph D
18 Paragraph E
19 Paragraph F
20 Paragraph G
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Corporate Social Responsibility

Broadly speaking, proponents of CSR have used four arguments to make their case:
moral obligation, sustainability, license to operate, and reputation. The moral appeal –
arguing that companies have a duty to be good citizens and to “do the right thing” – is
prominent in the goal of Business for Social Responsibility, the leading nonprofit CSR
business association in the United States. It asks that its members “achieve commercial
success in ways that honour ethical values and respect people, communities, and the
natural environment.” Sustainability emphasises environmental and community
stewardship.
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A An excellent definition was developed in the 1980s by Norwegian Prime Minister
Gro Harlem Brundtland and used by the World Business Council for Sustainable
Development: “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
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future generations to meet their own needs.” Nowadays, governments and
companies need to account for the social consequences of their actions. As a
result, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a priority for business
leaders around the world. When a well-run business applies its vast resources
ZO
and expertise to social problems that it understands and in which it has a stake,
it can have a greater impact than any other organization. The notion of license to
operate derives from the fact that every company needs tacit or explicit permission
from governments, communities, and numerous other stakeholders to justify CSR
initiatives to improve a company’s image, strengthen its brand, enliven morale and
even raise the value of its stock.
B To advance CSR, we must root it in a broad understanding of the interrelationship

between a corporation and society. Successful corporations need a healthy
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society. Education, health care, and equal opportunity are essential to a productive
workforce. Safe products and working conditions not only attract customers but
lower the internal costs of accidents. Efficient utilization of land, water, energy, and
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other natural resources makes business more productive. Good government, the
rule of law, and property rights are essential for efficiency and innovation. Strong
regulatory standards protect both consumers and competitive companies from
exploitation. Ultimately, a healthy society creates expanding demand for business,
as more human needs are met and aspirations grow. Any business that pursues its
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ends at the expense of the society in which it operates will find its success to be
illusory and ultimately temporary. At the same time, a healthy society needs
successful companies. No social program can rival the business sector when it
comes to creating the jobs, wealth, and innovation that improve standards of living
and social conditions over time.
C A company’s impact on society also changes over time, as social standards evolve
and science progresses. Asbestos, now understood as a serious health risk, was
thought to be safe in the early 1900s, given the scientific knowledge then available.
Evidence of its risks gradually mounted for more than 50 years before any company
was held liable for the harms it can cause. Many firms that failed to anticipate the
consequences of this evolving body of research have been bankrupted by the
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Day 29
results. No longer can companies be content to monitor only the obvious social
impacts of today. Without a careful process for identifying evolving social effects of
tomorrow, firms may risk their very survival.
D No business can solve all of society’s problems or bear the cost of doing so.
Instead, each company must select issues that intersect with its particular business.
Other social agendas are best left to those companies in other industries, NGOs,
or government institutions that are better positioned to address them. The essential
test that should guide CSR is not whether a cause is worthy but whether it presents
an opportunity to create shared value – that is, a meaningful benefit for society that
is also valuable to the business. Each company can identify the particular set of
societal problems that it is best equipped to help resolve and from which it can gain
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the greatest competitive benefit.
E The best corporate citizenship initiatives involve far more than writing a check:
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They specify clear, measurable goals and track results over time. A good example
is General Electronics’s program to adopt underperforming public high schools near
several of its major U.S. facilities. The company contributes between $250,000 and
$1 million over a five-year period to each school and makes in-kind donations as
ZO
well. GE managers and employees take an active role by working with school
administrators to assess needs and mentor or tutor students. In an independent
study of ten schools in the program between 1989 and 1999, nearly all showed
significant improvement, while the graduation rate in four or the five worst
performing schools doubled from an average of 30% to 60%. Effective corporate
citizenship initiatives such as this one create goodwill and improve relations
with local governments and other important constituencies. What’s more, GE’s
employees feel great pride in their participation. Their effect is inherently limited,
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however. No matter how beneficial the program is, it remains incidental to the
company’s business, and the direct effect on GE’s recruiting and retention is
modest.
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F Microsoft’s Working Connections partnership with the American Association of

Community Colleges (AACC) is a good example of a shared-value opportunity
arising from investments in context. The shortage of information technology
workers is a significant constraint on Microsoft’s growth; currently, there are
more than 450,000 unfilled IT positions in the United States alone. Community
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colleges, with an enrollment of 11.6 million students, representing 45% of all U.S.
undergraduates, could be a major solution. Microsoft recognizes, however, that
community colleges face special challenges: IT curricula are not standardized,
technology used in classrooms is often outdated, and there are no systematic
professional development programs to keep faculty up to date. Microsoft’s $50
million five-year initiative was aimed at all three problems. In addition to contributing
money and products, Microsoft sent employee volunteers to colleges to assess
needs, contribute to curriculum development, and create faculty development
institutes. Microsoft has achieved results that have benefited many communities
while having a direct-and potentially significant-impact on the company.

G At the heart of any strategy is a unique value proposition: a set of needs a company
can meet for its chosen customers that others cannot. The most strategic CSR
occurs when a company adds a social dimension to its value proposition, making
social impact integral to the overall strategy. Consider Whole Foods Markel, whose
value proposition is to sell organic, natural, and healthy food products to customers
who are passionate about food and the environment. The company’s sourcing
emphasises purchases from local farmers through each store’s procurement
process. Buyers screen out foods containing any of nearly 100 common ingredients
that the company considers unhealthy or environmentally damaging. The same
standards apply to products made internally. Whole Foods’ commitment to natural
and environmentally friendly operating practices extends well beyond sourcing.
Stores are constructed using a minimum of virgin raw materials. Recently, the
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company purchased renewable wind energy credits equal to 100% of its electricity
use in all of its stores and facilities, the only Fortune 500 company to offset its
electricity consumption entirely. Spoiled produce and biodegradable waste are
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trucked to regional centers for composting. Whole Foods’ vehicles are being
converted to run on biofuels. Even the cleaning products used in its stores are
environmentally friendly. And through its philanthropy, the company has created
the Animal Compassion Foundation to develop more natural and humane ways of
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raising farm animals. In short, nearly every aspect of the company’s value chain
reinforces the social dimensions of its value proposition, distinguishing Whole
Foods from its competitors.
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Day 29
Questions 21–22
Complete the summary below.
The implement of CSR, HOW?
Promotion of CSR requires the understanding of interdependence between

business and society. Corporations workers’ productivity generally needs
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health care, education, and given 21 ………… . Restrictions imposed by
government and companies both protect consumers from being treated
unfairly. Improvement of the safety standard can reduce the 22 ………… of
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accidents in the workplace. Similarly, society becomes a pool of more human
needs and aspirations. ZO
Questions 23–26
Look at the following opinions or deeds (Questions 23–26) and the list of companies
below.
Match each opinion or deed with the correct company, A, B or C.

S

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23 The disposable waste
24 The way company purchases as goods
25 Helping the undeveloped

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26 Ensuring the people have the latest information
List of Companies
A General Electronics
B Microsoft
C Whole Foods Market
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Day 30
READING PASSAGE 3
Passage 3 below.
The Significant Role of Mother Tongue in Education

One consequence of population mobility is an increasing diversity within schools. To
illustrate, in the city of Toronto in Canada, 58% of kindergarten pupils come from homes
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where English is not the usual language of communication. Schools in Europe and
North America have experienced this diversity for years, and educational policies and
practices vary widely between countries and even within countries. Some political
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parties and groups search for ways to solve the problem of diverse communities and
their integration in schools and society. However, they see few positive consequences
for the host society and worry that this diversity threatens the identity of the host
society. Consequently, they promote unfortunate educational policies that will make the
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“problem” disappear. If students retain their culture and language, they are viewed as
less capable of identifying with the mainstream culture and learning the mainstream
language of the society.
The challenge for educators and policy-makers is to shape the evolution of national
identity in such a way that the rights of all citizens (including school children) are
respected, and the cultural, linguistic, and economic resources of the nation are
maximised. To waste the resources of the nation by discouraging children from
developing their mother tongues is quite simply unintelligent from the point of view of
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national self-interest. A first step in providing an appropriate education for culturally and
linguistically diverse children is to examine what the existing research says about the
role of children’s mother tongues in their educational development.
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In fact, the research is very clear. When children continue to develop their abilities
in two or more languages throughout their primary school, they gain a deeper
understanding of language and how to use it effectively. They have more practice in
processing language, especially when they develop literacy in both. More than 150
research studies conducted during the past 35 years strongly support what Goethe,
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the famous eighteenth-century German philosopher, once said: the person who knows
only one language does not truly know that language. Research suggests that bilingual
children may also develop more flexibility in their thinking as a result of processing
information through two different
languages.
The level of development of children’s mother tongue is a strong predictor of their
second language development. Children who come to school with a solid foundation in
their mother tongue develop stronger literacy abilities in the school language. When
parents and other caregivers (e.g. grandparents) are able to spend time with their
children and tell stories or discuss issues with them in a way that develops their mother
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tongue, children come to school well-prepared to learn the school language and
succeed educationally. Children’s knowledge and skills transfer across language from
the mother tongue to the school language. Transfer across language can be two-way:
both languages nurture each other when the educational environment permits children
access to both languages.
Some educators and parents are suspicious of mother tongue-based teaching
programs because they worry that they take time away from the majority language.
For example, in a bilingual program where 50% of the time is spent teaching through
children’s home language and 50% through the majority language, surely children
won’t progress as far in the latter? One of the most strongly established findings
of educational research, however, is that well-implemented bilingual programs can
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promote literacy and subject-matter knowledge in a minority language without any
negative effects on children’s development in the majority language. Within Europe, the
Foyer program in Belgium, which develops children’s speaking and literacy abilities in
three languages (their mother tongue, Dutch and French), most clearly illustrates the
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benefits of bilingual and trilingual education (see Cummins, 2000).
It is easy to understand how this happens. When children are learning through a
minority language, they are learning concepts and intellectual skills too. Pupils who
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know how to tell the time in their mother tongue understand the concept of telling time.
In order to tell time in the majority language, they do not need to re-learn the concept.
Similarly, at more advanced stages, there is transfer across languages in other skills
such as knowing how to distinguish the main idea from the supporting details of a
written passage or story, and distinguishing fact from opinion. Studies of secondary
school pupils are providing interesting findings in this area, and it would be worth
extending this research.
Many people marvel at how quickly bilingual children seem to “pick up” conversational
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skills in the majority language at school (although it takes much longer for them to
catch up with native speakers in academic language skills). However, educators are
oftenmuch less aware of how quickly children can lose their ability to use their mother
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tongue, even in the home context. The extent and rapidity of language loss will vary
according to the concentration of families from a particular linguistic group in the
neighbourhood. Where the mother tongue is used extensively in the community, then
language loss among children will be less. However, where language communities
are not concentrated in particular neighbourhoods, children can lose their ability to
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communicate in their mother tongue within 2-3 years of starting school. They may retain
receptive skills in the language but they will use the majority language in speaking with
their peers and siblings and in responding to their parents. By the time children become
adolescents, the linguistic division between parents and children has become an
emotional chasm. Pupils frequently become alienated from the cultures of both home
and school with predictable results.
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Day 30
Questions 27–30
27 What point did the writer make in the second paragraph?
A Some present studies on children’s mother tongues are misleading.

B A culturally rich education programme benefits some children more than
others.
C Bilingual children can make a valuable contribution to the wealth of a country.
D The law on mother tongue use at school should be strengthened.
E
28 Why does the writer refer to something that Goethe said?
N
A to lend weight to his argument
B to contradict some research
C to introduce a new concept
D to update current thinking
ZO
29 The writer believes that when young children have a firm grasp of their mother
tongue
A they can teach older family members what they learnt at school.
B they go on to do much better throughout their time at school.
C they can read stories about their cultural background.
D they develop stronger relationships with their family than with their peers.
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30 Why are some people suspicious about mother tongue-based teaching

programmes?
A They worry that children will be slow to learn to read in either language.
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B They think that children will confuse words in two languages.

C They believe that the programmes will make children less interested in their
lessons.
D They fear that the programmes will use up valuable time in the school day.
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Questions 31–35
Complete the summary using the list of words, A–J, below.
Write the correct letter, A–J, in boxes 31–35 on your answer sheet.
Bilingual Children
It was often recorded that bilingual children acquire the 31 ………… to

converse in the majority language remarkable quickly. The fact that the
mother tongue can disappear at a similar 32 ………… is less well understood. This
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phenomenon depends, to a certain extent, on the proposition of people with the
same linguistic background that have settled in a particular 33 ………… . If this is
limited, children are likely to lose the active use of their mother tongue. And
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thus no longer employ it even with 34 …………, although they may still
understand it. It follows that teenager children in these circumstances experience
a sense of 35 ………… in relation to all aspects of their lives.
ZO
A teachers B school C dislocation
D rate E time F family
G communication H type I ability
J area
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Day 30
Questions 36–40
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading passage 3?

36 Less than half of the children who attend kindergarten in Toronto have English as
their mother tongue.
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37 Research proves that learning the host country language at school can have an
adverse effect on a child’s mother tongue.
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38 The Foyer program is accepted by the French education system.
39 Bilingual children are taught to tell the time earlier than monolingual children.
40 Bilingual children can apply reading comprehension strategies acquired in one

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language when reading in the other.
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SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
ANSWER KEYS
WITH EXPLANATIONS
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DAY 1
READING ANSWER KEYS
Questions 1 – 5
Q 1. William learned some ............... from a library book.
Answer: (basic) physics
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Part of the passage: In 2002, William Kamkwamba had to drop out of school, as his
father, a maize and tobacco farmer, could no longer afford his school fees. But despite
this setback, William was determined to get his education. He began visiting a local
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library that had just opened in his old primary school, where he discovered a tattered
science book. With only a rudimentary grasp of English, he taught himself basic
physics – mainly by studying photos and diagrams. Another book he found there
featured windmills on the cover and inspired him to try and build his own.
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Explanation: learned = taught himself basic physics from science book he discovered
in a local library.
Q 2. First he built ............... of the windmill.
Answer: (small) model
Part of the passage: He started by constructing a small model.

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Explanation: started by constructing = first he built.

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Q 3. Then he collected materials from ............... with a relative.
Answer: scrap yards
Part of the passage: Then, with the help of a cousin and friend, he spent many weeks
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searching scrap yards and found old tractor fans, shock absorbers, plastic pipe and
bicycle parts, which he used to build the real thing.
Explanation: materials = old tractor fans, shock absorbers, plastic pipe, etc.;
relative = cousin.
Q 4. He made the windmill blades from pieces of ............... .
Answer: bath pipe
Part of the passage: For windmill blades, William cut some bath pipe in two
lengthwise, then heated the pieces over hot coals to press the curried edges flat.
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Day 1 Answer Keys
Explanation: He cut some bath pipe in two lengthwise, then heated the pieces (those
two he cut) over hot coals (and that’s how he made his blades).
Q 5. He fixed the blades to a ............... and then to part of a bicycle.
Answer: tractor fan
Part of the passage: He attached the blades to a tractor fan using proper nuts and
bolts and then to the back axle of a bicycle.
Explanation: fixed = attached; the back axle = part of a bicycle.
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Questions 6 – 10
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Q 6. William used the electricity he created for village transport.
Answer: False
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Part of the passage: Electricity was generated through the bicycle dynamo. When the
wind blew the blades, the bike chain spun the bike wheel, which charged the dynamo
and sent a current through wire to his house. ...He eventually replaced the tower with
a sturdier one that stands 39 feet, and built a second machine that watered a family
garden.
Explanation: He used the electricity generated for his own household purposes (send-
ing electrical current to his house, and later watering a family garden), NOT for village
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transport (otherwise it would’ve been mentioned).
Q 7. At first, William’s achievement was ignored by local people.

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Answer: False
Part of the passage: The windmill brought William Kamkwamba instant local fame,
but despite his accomplishment, he was still unable to return to school.
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Explanation: instant local fame = he instantly became famous (NOT ignored by local
people).
Q 8. Journalists from other countries visited William’s farm.
Answer: Not Given
Part of the passage: He arranged for him to attend secondary school at the govern-
ment’s expense and brought journalists to the farm to see the windmill. Then a story
published in the Malawi Daily Mail caught the attention of bloggers, which in turn caught
the attention of organisers for the Technology Entertainment and Design conference.

Explanation: We don’t know whether or not the journalists were from other countries.
The text only mentions that journalists came to the farm to the windmill.
Q 9. William used the money he received to improve water supplies in his village.
Answer: True
Part of the passage: With the donation, he also drilled a borehole for a well and wa-
ter pump in his village and installed drip irrigation in his father’s fields.
Explanation: donation = money received; a well and water pump = water supplies.
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Q 10. The health of villagers improved since the windmill was built.
Answer: True
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Part of the passage: The windmills have also brought big lifestyle and health changes
to the other villagers. ‘The village has changed a lot,’ William says. ‘Now, the time that
they would have spent going to fetch water, they are using for doing other things. And
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also the water they are drinking is clean water, so there is less disease.’
Explanation: It is straightforward, the text clearly says the windmills brought lifestyle
and health changes and there is less disease because of it.
Questions 11 – 13
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Q 11. How tall was the final tower that William built?
Answer: 39 feet
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Part of the passage: He eventually replaced the tower with a sturdier one that stands
39 feet, and built a second machine that watered a family garden.
Explanation: final tower = eventually replaced the tower; ‘stands’ shows how tall
something is.
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Q 12. What did villagers use for fuel before the windmill was built?
Answer: kerosene
Part of the passage: The villagers have also stopped using kerosene and can use the
money previously spent on fuel to buy other things.
Explanation: Very easy question; no need for explanation.
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Day 1 Answer Keys
Q 13. What school subject became more popular in William’s village?
Answer: science
Part of the passage: William Kamkwamba’s example has inspired other children in the
village to pursue science.
Explanation: the trap here is physics because it was mentioned earlier in the passage,
but since the answers to ‘short-answer questions’ follow the same order as in the pas-
sage, the answer to Q 13 comes after Q12’s answer, so you should look further. And
most Uzbek students may not translate ‘science’ as a subject, since direct translation is
slightly different. But in English ‘science’ is the general subject including chemistry, biol-
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ogy and physics.
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ZO
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DAY 2
READING PASSAGE 2
Questions 14 – 18
Q 14. a list of the type of people who enjoy going to Chamonix
Answer: C
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Part of the passage: It receives up to 60,000 visitors at a time during the ski season,
and climbers, hikers and extreme-sports enthusiasts swarm there in the summer in even
greater numbers, swelling the town’s population to 100,000.
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Q 15. reference to a system that is changing the way visitors reach Chamonix
Answer: G
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Part of the passage: However, at a cost of 3.3 million euros a year, Chamonix has
introduced a free shuttle service in order to get people out of their cars and into buses
fitted with particle filters.
Q 16. the geographical location of Chamonix
Answer: A
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Part of the passage: The town of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc sits in a valley at 1,035

metres above sea level in the Haute-Savoie department in south-eastern France. To
the northwest are the red peaks of the Aiguilles Rouges massif; to the south-east
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are the permanently white peaks of Mont Blanc, which at 4,810 metres is the high-
est mountain in the Alps.
Q 17. mention of the need to control the large tourist population in Chamonix
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Answer: H
Part of the passage: But now, the impact of tourism has led the authorities to recog-
nise that more must be done if the valley is to remain prosperous: that they must not
only protect the natural environment better, but also manage the numbers of visitors
better, so that its residents can happily remain there.
Q 18. reference to a national environmental target
Answer: E
Part of the passage: Low-carbon initiatives are also important for the region. France is
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Day 2 Answer Keys
committed to reducing its carbon emissions by a factor of four by 2050. Central to

achieving this aim is a strategy that encourages communities to identify their carbon
emissions on a local level and make plans to reduce them.
Questions 19 – 20
The writer mentions several ways that the authorities aim to educate tourists in
Chamonix.
Answer: A giving instructions about litter
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Part of the passage [Par D]: Educating visitors is vital. Tourists are warned not to
drop rubbish, and there are now recycling points dotted all around the valley, from the
town centre to halfway up the mountains.
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Answer: D operating a web-based information service
Part of the passage [Par D]: An internet blog reports environmental news in the
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town, and the ‘green’ message is delivered with all the tourist office’s activities.
Questions 21 – 22
The writer mentions several ways that hotels are reducing their carbon emissions.
Answer: D providing places for rubbish

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Part of the passage [Par E]: Hotels are known to be inefficient operations, but those
around Chamonix are now cleaning up their act. Some are using low-energy lighting,
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restricting water use and making recycling bins available for guests;
Answer: E harnessing energy from the sun
Part of the passage [Par E]: others have invested in huge projects such as furnishing
and decorating using locally sourced materials, using geothermal energy
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for heating and installing solar panels.
Questions 23 – 26
Q 23. The first people to discover the Chamonix valley were …………… .
Answer: explorers
Part of the passage [Par B]: Tourism is Chamonix’s lifeblood. Visitors have been
encouraged to visit the valley ever since it was discovered by explorers in 1741.
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Q 24. Chamonix’s busiest tourist season is the …………… .
Answer: summer
Part of the passage [Par C]: Today, Chamonix is a modern town, connected to the
outside world via the Mont Blanc Road Tunnel and a busy highway network. It
receives up to 60,000 visitors at a time during the ski season, and climbers, hikers and
extreme-sports enthusiasts swarm there in the summer in even greater numbers,
swelling the town’s population to 100,000.
Q 25. Public areas, such as the …………… in Chamonix, are using fewer resources.
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Answer: ice rink
Part of the passage [Par F]: Chamonix’s council is encouraging the use of renewable
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energy in private properties too, by making funds available for green renovations and
new constructions. At the same time, public sector buildings have also undergone
improvements to make them more energy efficient and less wasteful. For example,
the local ice rink has reduced its annual water consumption from 140,000 cubic metres
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to 10,000 cubic metres in the space of three years.
Q 26. The …………… on the mountains around Chamonix provide visual evidence
of global warming.
Answer: melting glaciers
Part of the passage [Par H]: If the valley’s visitors and residents want to know why
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they need to reduce their environmental impact, they just have to look up; the effects
of climate change are there for everyone to see in the melting glaciers that cling to
the mountains. The fragility of the Alpine environment has long been a concern among
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local people.
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Day 3 Answer Keys
DAY 3
READING PASSAGE 3
Questions 27 – 31
Q 27. What does the writer say about dictation?
Answer: B It affected the way people wrote.
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Part of the passage: Reading and writing, like all technologies, are constantly changing.
In ancient times, authors often dictated their books. Dictation sounded like an uninter-
rupted series of words, so scribes wrote these down in one long continuous string, just
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as they occur in speech. For this reason, text was written without spaces between
words until the 11th century. This continuous script made books hard to read, so only a
few people were accomplished at reading them aloud to others. Being able to read silent-
ly to yourself was considered an amazing talent; writing was an even rarer skill. In fact,
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in 15th century Europe, only one in 20 adult males could write.
Q 28. According to the writer, what changed after the invention of the printing
press?
Answer: D Authors had a wider choice of topics.
Part of the passage: After Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in about 1440,
mass-produced books changed the way people read and wrote. The technology of
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printing increased the number of words available, and more types of media, such as
newspapers and magazines, broadened what was written about. Authors no longer had
to produce scholarly works, as was common until then, but could write, for example,
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inexpensive, heart-rending love stories or publish autobiographies, even if they

were unknown.
Q 29. In the third paragraph, the writer focuses on the

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Answer: C growing status of the written word.
Part of the passage: In time, the power of the written word gave birth to the idea of
authority and expertise. Laws were compiled into official documents, contracts were
written down and nothing was valid unless it was in this form. Painting, music, ar-
chitecture, dance were all important, but the heartbeat of many cultures was the turning
pages of a book. By the early 19th century, public libraries had been built in many cities.
Q 30. What does the writer say about screens in the fourth paragraph?
Answer: D They can be found everywhere.
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Part of the passage: Some 4.5 billion digital screens illuminate our lives. Letters are
no longer fixed in black ink on paper, but flitter on a glass surface in a rainbow of colors
as fast as our eyes can blink. Screens fill our pockets, briefcases, cars, living-room walls
and the sides of buildings. They sit in front of us when we work – regardless of what we
do. And of course, these newly ubiquitous screens have changed how we read and
write.
Q 31. According to the writer, computers differ from television because they
Answer: A encourage more reading.
Part of the passage: The first screens that overtook culture, several decades ago – the
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big, fat, warm tubes of television – reduced the time we spent reading to such an
extent that it seemed as if reading and writing were over. Educators and parents worried
deeply that the TV generation would be unable to write. But the interconnected, cool,
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thin displays of computer screens launched an epidemic of writing that continues
to swell. As a consequence, the amount of time people spend reading has almost
tripled since 1980.
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Questions 32 – 36
Q 32. Screen reading has reduced the number of books and newspapers people
read.
Answer: Not Given

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Part of the passage: But it is not book reading or newspaper reading, it is screen
reading. Screens are always on, and, unlike books, we never stop staring at them. This
new platform is very visual, and it is gradually merging words with moving images. You
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might think of this new medium as books we watch, or television we read. We also use
screens to present data, and this encourages numeracy: visualising data and reading
charts, looking at pictures and symbols are all part of this new literacy.
Explanation: The authors says screen reading is different from book reading or
newspaper reading, but does not claim that it has affected the number of books or
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newspapers people read.
Q 33. Screen literacy requires a wider range of visual skills than book-based
literacy.
Answer: Yes
Part of the passage: But it is not book reading or newspaper reading, it is screen read-
ing. Screens are always on, and, unlike books, we never stop staring at them. This new
platform is very visual, and it is gradually merging words with moving images.You
might think of this new medium as books we watch, or television we read. We also use
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Day 3 Answer Keys
screens to present data, and this encourages numeracy: visualising data and reading
charts, looking at pictures and symbols are all part of this new literacy.
Explanation: The writer is comparing screen literacy to book-based literacy by claiming

that this new platform is very visual. Later, he lists these new visual skills we’ve gained
as a result: visualizing data, reading charts, looking at pictures and symbols.
Q 34. Screen reading is more active than book reading.
Answer: Yes
Part of the passage: Screens engage our bodies, too. The most we may do while
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reading a book is to flip the pages or turn over a corner, but when we use a screen,
we interact with what we see. In the futuristic movie Minority Report, the main charac-
ter stands in front of a screen and hunts through huge amounts of information as if con-
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ducting an orchestra. Just as it seemed strange five centuries ago to see someone read
silently, in the future it will seem strange to read without moving your body.
Explanation: First two sentences show how screen reading moves our body more than
the book reading.
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Q 35. Screens and books produce similar thought patterns in their readers.
Answer: No
Part of the passage: In addition, screens encourage more utilitarian (practical) thinking.
A new idea or unfamiliar fact will cause a reflex to do something: to research a word, to
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question your screen ‘friends’ for their opinions or to find alternative views. Book reading
strengthened our analytical skills, encouraging us to think carefully about how we
feel. Screen reading, on the other hand, encourage quick responses, associating this
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idea with another, equipping us to deal with the thousands of new thoughts expressed
every day.
Explanation: Book reading encouraged more analytical thinking. Screen reading,

on the other hand (shows contrast), encourages practical thinking.
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Q 36. People are easily persuaded to believe lies on the screen.
Answer: No
Part of the passage: Screens provoke action instead of persuasion. Propaganda is

less effective, and false information is hard to deliver in a world of screens because while
misinformation travels fast, corrections do, too. On a screen, it is often easier to correct
a falsehood than to tell one in the first place.
Explanation: 1st and the 2nd sentence contradict the given statement.
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Questions 37 – 40
Q 37. The film Minority Report illustrates
Answer: D how people behave physically when they read screens.
Part of the passage: In the futuristic movie Minority Report, the main character stands
in front of a screen and hunts through huge amounts of information as if conducting an
orchestra. Just as it seemed strange five centuries ago to see someone read silently, in
the future it will seem strange to read without moving your body.
Q 38. Our behaviour when we watch a film shows
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Answer: F how rapidly opinions can be communicated.
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Part of the passage: Screen reading, on the other hand, encourage quick responses,
associating this idea with another, equipping us to deal with the thousands of new
thoughts expressed every day. For example, we review a movie for our friends while
we watch it;
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Q 39. Wikipedia’s success relies on
Answer: A the accuracy of its information.
Part of the passage: On a screen, it is often easier to correct a falsehood than to tell one
in the first place. Wikipedia works so well because it removes an error in a single click.
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Q 40. Webkinz is an example of
Answer: E the screen’s ability to make an object seem real.

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Part of the passage: It is as if the screen displays the object’s intangible essence. A
popular children’s toy (Webkinz) instills stuffed animals with a virtual character that is
‘hidden’ inside; a screen enables children to play with this inner character online in a vir-
tual world.
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Day 4 Answer Keys
DAY 4
READING PASSAGE 1
Questions 1 and 8
Highlighted in red = Question 1

Highlighted in blue = Question 8
Part of the passage [Par A]: Horses have been racing across the landscape for
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around 55 million years – much longer than our own species has existed. However,
prehistoric remains show that at the end of the Ice Age, some 10,000 years ago, wild
horses died out in the Americas and dwindled in western Europe, for reasons that
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are not clear. But they continued to thrive on the steps of eastern Europe and Cen-
tral Asia, where short grasses and shrubs grow on vast, dry stretches of land. Most
scholars believe it was here that people domesticated the horse. However, the DNA of
domestic horses is very diverse. This suggests they may be descended from a number of
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different wild horse populations, in several locations.
Main idea in paragraph A: Horses have been around since prehistoric times.
Possible headings:
viii An ancient species

x What the earliest horses looked like
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Comment: Any other heading does not look even close, but if you look attentively,
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only one of these two possible headings match the paragraph. Does it (the 1st para-
graph) mention how the earliest horses looked (their appearance)? No, it generally
mentions that horses have lived on Earth for so many years since prehistoric (ancient)
times. So the correct answer is:
Q 1. Section A: viii An ancient species

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Comment: After reading the 1st paragraph, can we answer any other question from a
different set?
Q 8. The last of the wild horses lived around 10,000 years ago.
Meaning: Did wild horses die out completely (last) around 10,000 years ago?
Answer: No. Therefore, False
Explanation: Wild horses in America died out around that time; in Western Europe, their

numbers dwindled (declined), but in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, they continued to
live.
Questions 2 and 9

Part of the passage [Par B]: Once horses and humans encountered each other, our
two species became powerfully linked. Humans domesticated horses some 6,000 years
ago, and over time, we have created more than 200 breeds. The first domestic horses
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were likely to have been kept mainly as a source of food, rather than for work or for
riding. There is evidence of horses being raised for meat in Kazakhstan, in Central Asia,
around 5,500 years ago; later they began to pull chariots, and horseback riding became
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common in Afghanistan and Iran about 4,000 years ago. As we have shaped horses
to suit our needs on battlefields, farms and elsewhere, these animals have shaped
human history. The ways we travel, trade, play, work and fight wars have all been
profoundly shaped by our use of horses.
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Main idea in paragraph B: Use of horses influenced how we travel, trade, play,
work and fight.
Possible headings:
vi A wide range of uses for domestic horses

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Comment: For paragraph B, it is easier to decide. Let’s eliminate two unsuitable

headings first:
Comment: Even though it says “we have created 200 breeds”, the paragraph does not
focus on what each breed does best. It just mentions what domesticated horses were
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used for generally (travel, trade, play etc)
Comment: Another heading some students might choose is iv, which is about war. The
text mentions that horses were used in battlefields and other places, but does not go in
depth about the outcome (result) of these wars.
Comment: The whole paragraph discusses a wide range of uses for domestic
horses: being a source of food at first, and later being used for horseback riding or pull-
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Day 4 Answer Keys
ing chariots. The last sentence summarizes this by again listing different aspects of
human lives (work, play, trade etc) being shaped (influenced) by domesticated horses:
Q 2. Section B: vi A wide range of uses for domestic horses
Comment: Is there any other question we can answer in paragraph B?
Q 9. Initially people probably used domesticated horses to supplement their diet.
Meaning: Is it true that at first people may have used domesticated horses for food?
Answer: Yes. Therefore, True
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Explanation: According to the text, the first domesticated horses were probably kept
as a source of food, rather than other purposes (see the highlighted part).
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Questions 3 and 10
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Part of the passage [Par C]: When people domesticate animals, they control their
behavior in many ways. For example, animals that are being domesticated no
longer choose their own mates. Instead, people control their breeding. Individuals
with traits that humans prefer are more likely to produce offspring and pass on
their genes. In the course of several generations, both the body and behavior of
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the animal are transformed. In the wild, animals that are well adapted to their environ-
ment live long and reproduce, while others die young. In this way, nature “chooses” the
traits that are passed on to the next generation. This is the process of evolution by nat-
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ural selection. Domestic animals also evolve, but people do the selecting. Humans
seek out qualities like tameness, and help animals with those traits to survive and
bear young. This is evolution by artificial selection. Most domestic animals are natu-
rally social. Their wild ancestors lived in groups, with individuals responding to each oth-
er – some led, others followed. In domestic animals, the tendency to submit to others
is especially strong. Generations of breeding have encouraged them to let people
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take the lead.
Main idea in paragraph C: Domesticated horses develop qualities that humans

prefer.
Possible headings:
ii Developing desirable characteristics

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Comment: When searching for the most suitable heading, make sure the heading you
choose reflects the main idea. For paragraph B, some students may be trapped
and think domesticated horses play a less essential role than wild horses. It is
true that this paragraph compares these two different types, but does not claim one is
more essential than the other.
Comment: The main idea of the paragraph is expressed at the beginning and it is
about the different traits (qualities) that domesticated horses have. And these traits
are developed because that is what humans desire in their domesticated horses:
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Q 3. Section C: ii Developing desirable characteristics
Comment: There is another question we can answer using the information in this
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paragraph:
Q 10. Methods of artificial selection have changed over the centuries.

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Meaning: Have people changed their methods of artificial selection over the centuries?
Answer: We don’t know. Therefore, Not Given
Explanation: This paragraph applies the law of ‘natural selection’ to ‘artificial selection’
where humans, not the nature, select the desirable traits. However, it does not mention
any methods being changed over time.
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Question 4
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Part of the passage [Par D]: For more than 3,000 years, a fighter on horseback or
horse-drawn chariot was the ultimate weapon. Time after time, from Asia to Europe
to the Americas, the use of horses has changed the balance of power between
civilizations. When people with horses clashed with those without, horses provided
a huge advantage. When both sides had horses, battles turned on the strength and
strategy of their mounted horsemen, or cavalry. Horses continued to define military
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tactics well into the 1900s, until they finally became outmoded by machine guns, tanks,
airplanes and other modern weapons.
Main idea in paragraph D: Use of horses (with or without, strength and strategy)
determined who won the battle in wars for over 3000 years.
Possible headings:
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Day 4 Answer Keys
Comment: There is no any other heading in the list that could confuse students. The
whole paragraph centers around the idea of horses helping in wars:
Q 4. Section D: iv Influencing the outcome of conflicts
Questions 5 and 11

Part of the passage [Par E]: Horses are built for power. Their muscular bodies are
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heavier in the front than in the back, making them well balanced to pull heavy
loads. Yet they can also be agile and quick – fit to carry out difficult tasks at top speed.
So for more than a thousand years, people have called on the power of horses to
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cultivate the land and manage livestock.
Main idea in paragraph E: Horses have been used in agriculture for over a
thousand years.
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Comment: It is a short paragraph, and the main idea is expressed at the end with help
of the signal word ‘so’. Previous sentences support this main idea. Again because the
paragraph is short, the most suitable heading is easy to spot:
Q 5. Section E: vii Horses in agriculture
Comment: There is a sentence-completion question from this paragraph:

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Q 11. Having greater weight at the ……………… helps horses to pull heavy items.
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Part of the passage [Par E]: Their muscular bodies are heavier in the front than in
the back, making them well balanced to pull heavy loads.
Comment: Having greater weight = their muscular bodies are heavier
Comment: Helps horses to pull heavy items = making them well balanced to pull heavy
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loads
Answer: front
Questions 6, 12 and 13

Highlighted in blue = Questions 12 and 13
Part of the passage [Par F]: For most of human history, there was no faster way
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to travel over land than on a horse. When it comes to carrying people and their
possessions, horses have two important advantages – they can run very fast and very
far. Their speed and endurance are unusual for a creature so large, making them
the most suitable animals to carry people and goods around the world. Horses
offer other advantages as well. Since they eat grass, they can go almost anywhere that
humans can, eating as they go. And unlike cows and camels, which must sit and rest to
digest food, a horse’s digestive system allows it to graze and walk the whole day
without stopping. By carrying people, goods and ideas between civilizations, horses
changed history.
Main idea in paragraph F: Horses were the best way to travel on land for most of
the human history.
E
Possible headings:
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ix An ideal form of transport
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Comment: Even though paragraph F talks about speed, it only mentions it as one of
the advantages of travelling on horses. And it definitely does NOT compare different
breeds of horses based on speed.
Comment: The main idea of the paragraph is how horses were ideal form of
transport and it is supported by giving a number of reasons:
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They are fast (speed), they can go far (endurance), and most importantly, they can go
without stopping while eating (grazing):
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Q 6. Section F: ix An ideal form of transport
Comment: We have two more sentence-completion questions taken out of this

paragraph:
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Q 12. As well as being quicker, horses have greater ………….… than most other
large animals.
Part of the passage [Par F]: Their speed and endurance are unusual for a
creature so large, making them the most suitable animals to carry people and
goods around the world.
Comment: As well as being quicker = their speed and
Comment: They have two advantages over other large animals: speed and
endurance. Since speed is already given in the question, the noun we are looking

Day 4 Answer Keys
for is endurance.
Answer: endurance
Q 13. Because of the way their ……………… works, horses can keep moving all
day long.
Part of the passage [Par F]: a horse’s digestive system allows it to graze and
walk the whole day without stopping.
Answer: digestive system
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Question 7
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Part of the passage [Par G]: Today’s horses are not used to carry soldiers into battle,
and do not pull plows and stage-coaches as they once did. But horses are still part of our
lives. Today the 58 million horses in the world are used more for companionship, sport
and recreation than for work and warfare.
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Comment: This is one of the paragraphs where there is no clear topic sentence.
Students need to read the whole paragraph to understand the main idea, which is the
fact that horses performed more important chores in the past (carried soldiers,
pulled plows etc). So the only possible heading you can choose is clear:
Q 7. Section G: iii Playing a less essential role

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DAY 5
READING PASSAGE 2
Questions 14 – 19
Q 14. In rebranding, Shopper’s Stop’s objective was to attract.
Part of the passage: On April 24, 2008, one of India’s oldest retail chains Shopper’s
Stop Ltd unveiled its new logo as a part of its rebranding strategy. The chain under-
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took the rebranding exercise in a bid to go upmarket, and reposition itself as a ‘bridge
to luxury’ store as opposed to its earlier image of a premium retailer. This would mean
raising the already high quality of its products, and targeting more affluent consumers.
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Answer: H customers with more money to spend
Explanation: to go upmarket = to offer goods and products intended for people who
are quite rich;
ZO
affluent = rich;
According to the first paragraph, the goal behind rebranding was to attract even richer
customers.
Q 15. The mid - 2000s saw an alteration in
Part of the passage: According to analysts, in the mid-2000s Shopper’s Stop started to
S
lose its market value as it failed to keep pace with changing customer preferences.
It faced competition from several retailers such as Globus, Westside and Lifestyle, who
were catering to the same segment of customers
LT
Answer: D the items that consumers tended to buy
Explanation: alteration = change;

IE
customer preferences= the things customers tend to buy;
In the question stem the word ‘saw’ means ‘experienced’; we can also use this
structure in Task 1 writing.
Q 16. In the mid-2000s young people were increasingly interested in buying.
Part of the passage: Changing consumer behaviour and the growing demand from
youngsters for trendy products made Shopper’s Stop consider the option of
rebranding itself.
Answer: I fashionable goods
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Day 5 Answer Keys
Explanation: growing demand = increasingly interested;
trendy products = fashionable items;
Q 17. Workshops showed that Shopper’s Stop needed to modify.
Part of the passage: It conducted a series of workshops called ‘Trial Room’, to under-
stand the preferences of groups of invited consumers. The workshops revealed that
what was needed was a change in the look and feel of the brand.
Answer: A its brand image
E
Explanation: show = reveal;
need to modify = what was needed was a change;
N
Q 18. The new advertising campaign was intended to give the Shopper’s Stop
brand.
ZO
Part of the passage: According to Ravi Deshpande, Chief Creative Officer with Contract
Advertising, the agency which designed the new campaign for Shopper’s Stop, ‘The re-
tailer needed its brand idea to change, in order to connect to younger people. The
purpose was also to cut the age of the brand, as fresh ideas do help in making people
look differently at the brand.’
Answer: F a younger image

S
Explanation: to cut the age of the brand = to make the brand younger (as it was
already old);
LT
A new brand image was intended to attract more young people.
Q 19. The new tagline was intended to encourage consumers to buy.
Part of the passage: The tagline was also changed from ‘Shopping and Beyond’ to
‘Start Something New’, which implied that customers should try out something
IE
different, and upgrade themselves according to the demands of the changing world.
Answer: E products that they hadn’t tried before
Explanation: Do not be discouraged if you see unfamiliar words. Do I need to know the
word ‘tagline’ to answer the question? Of course, not! The answer is very easy to spot:
try out something different = products that they hadn’t tried before;
148
Questions 20 – 22
Q 20. When Shopper’s Stop first opened it sold products for all the family.
Meaning: When Shopper’s Stop first opened, did it sell products for all the family?
Answer: No, THEREFORE, False
Part of the passage: Shopper’s Stop was founded by K Raheja Corporation in October
1991, with its first store in Mumbai. From selling men’s ready-to-wear clothing it soon
evolved into a complete family lifestyle store.
E
Explanation: They first specialized in men’s ready-to-wear clothing before becoming a
complete family lifestyle store.
N
Q 21. Shopper’s Stop and Globus targeted similar sections of the market.
Meaning: Did these two stores target similar sections of the market (similar custom-
ers)?
ZO
Answer: Yes, THEREFORE, True
Part of the passage: It faced competition from several retailers such as Globus,
Westside and Lifestyle, who were catering to the same segment of customers.
Explanation: cater to = serve;

S
segment of customers = sections of the market;
Q 22. The advertising campaign was used to launch new products.

LT
Meaning: Was it used to launch (start) new products?
Answer: We don’t know, THEREFORE, Not Given
Part of the passage: The tagline was also changed from ‘Shopping and Beyond’ to
IE
‘Start Something New’, which implied that customers should try out something different,
and upgrade themselves according to the demands of the changing world.
Explanation: It is true that customers are encouraged to try out something new, but it
does not talk about any specific new product launch.
Questions 23 – 24
Answer: B changing the lighting in certain areas of its stores.
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Day 4 Answer Keys
Part of the passage: As a part of its new philosophy of providing the customers with
a new shopping experience, Shopper’s Stop came up with several initiatives. One
plan was to increase the area of each store from around 40,000-45,000 square feet to
75,000-85,000 square feet. It also started a new concept in the retail industry by set-
ting up trial rooms with day and night lighting options, so that consumers could
check how garments would look during the day and in the night.
Answer: E broadcasting music throughout the stores.
Part of the passage: The other initiatives included a new dress code of black and
white for the employees, and training sessions to help employees tackle demanding
customers with varied tastes. Shopper’s Stop also introduced a company anthem
E
for the staff, penned by renowned lyricist Gulzar, and sung by popular Indian
singer Sonu Nigam. It was played every morning across all outlets in the country
as a song of celebration.
N
Questions 25 – 26
ZO
Answer: C The rebranding did not save consumers money.
Part of the passage: Shopper’s Stop planned to invest around 15 billion rupees to
increase the number of outlets to 48 by 2011. It had earmarked 200 million rupees for
the rebranding and repositioning exercise. But not everyone favoured the changes.
Customers said that from their point of view, there was no major change in terms
of price or special offers.
S
Answer: E The rebranding was unnecessary at that time.
Part of the passage: Some analysts were of the view that the new logo had nothing
LT
unique to offer except for a change in shape. Some even wondered why the retailer
had decided to rebrand itself, considering that it was doing reasonably well and
had just completed a successful year.
IE

DAY 6
READING PASSAGE 3
Questions 27 – 31
Q 27. Examples of maps showing features that cannot be seen on the ground.
Answer: Paragraph E
E
Part of the passage [Par E]: Often maps will show things that are invisible in the real
world, such as relative financial affluence, as in Charles Booth’s maps of London in the
nineteenth century, or the geology far below the surface of the planet, as in an 1823
N
map of the land around Bath.
Q 28. A list of media that have been used in the creation of maps.
ZO
Answer: Paragraph A
Part of the passage [Par A]: The materials on which maps are to be found, similarly
range from scraps of paper to plaster walls, by way of parchment, copper coins, mo-
saics, marble, woollen tapestries, silk, gold and more. Attitudes towards maps also
vary greatly, and are subject to modification over time.
Q 29. Examples of the main function of maps in various periods and places.
S
Answer: Paragraph G
Part of the passage [Par G]: In ancient Greece and Babylon, and in eighteenth- and
LT
twentieth-century Europe, the preoccupation with precision and the scientific indeed
predominated. In early modern China and nineteenth-century Europe the adminis-
trative use of mapping came to the fore. By contrast, for long periods of time and in
many civilizations, the major preoccupation was to define and to depict man’s place
in relationship to a religious view of the universe. This was particularly evident in
IE
medieval Europe and Aztec Mexico. Clearly, maps can only be fully understood in their
social context.
Q 30. A contrast between different types of maps with regard to a requirement for
accuracy.
Answer: Paragraph C
Part of the passage [Par C]: All have contributed to a re-evaluation of the subject. It is
accepted that for some purposes, such as administration and terrestrial and maritime
navigation, mathematical accuracy still plays a major and even sometimes a par-
amount role in cartography. In other contexts, such as maps of underground railway
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Day 6 Answer Keys
systems, or maps used for propaganda purposes, such accuracy is irrelevant, and
at times even undesirable.
Q 31. Speculation about reasons for a change in attitudes towards maps.
Answer: Paragraph B
Part of the passage [Par B]: In recent decades, the view that maps should be as-
sessed primarily in terms of their geometrical accuracy has radically changed. At
the same time, they have become available to a range of disciplines.
E
Questions 32 – 39
Q 32. maps of Utopia
N
Part of the passage [Par F]: Sometimes, as in depictions of the imaginary land of
Utopia, physical reality is totally absent or so distorted as to be geographically meaning-
less. Instead the map serves as a commentary on the gap between the aspirations
ZO
and the feeble achievements of mankind.
Answer: H to contrast ideal and actual human development
Q 33. Charles Booth’s maps of London
world, such as relative financial affluence, as in Charles Booth’s maps of London in
S
the nineteenth century…
Answer: D to show variations in wealth

LT
Q 34. map commissioned by Nicholas Philpot Leader
Part of the passage [Par D]: …unless these are in conflict with his own value systems,
as was the case with Nicholas Philpot Leader in 1827. The map of Ireland (then part
of the UK) that Leader commissioned was intended as a strong attack on the then
IE
British government.
Answer: C to express political criticism
Q 35. map of Bath area
world, ...., or the geology far below the surface of the planet, as in an 1823 map of
the land around Bath.
Answer: E to show differences below ground level
152
Q 36. early modern Chinese maps
Part of the passage [Par G]: In early modern China and nineteenth-century Europe
the administrative use of mapping came to the fore.
Answer: I to assist in the management of the country
Q 37. map of the Antarctic
Part of the passage [Par A]: Maps vary enormously, from imposing images of the
world and its parts to private jottings intended to give an approximate idea of the
twentieth-century Antarctic.
E
Answer: A to portray an area very roughly
N
Q 38. plan of Ostia harbour
Part of the passage [Par F]: …The plan of Ostia harbour of AD 64 primarily serves as
a demonstration of the Emperor Nero’s benevolence…
ZO
Answer: G to glorify the ruler of the country
Q 39. Hereford World Map
Part of the passage [Par F]: Sometimes the purpose of the map is even simpler and has
nothing to do with geography. The Hereford World Map proclaims the insignificance
of man in the face of the divine and the eternal.
S
Answer: F to show the unimportance of human beings

LT
Question 40
What is the best title for Reading Passage 3?
Answer: C Re-evaluating the role of maps

IE
Explanation: This a global multiple-choice question and requires a full understanding

of the whole passage. If you have difficulty finding the correct answer, you can always
eliminate the wrong ones.
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Day 7 Answer Keys
DAY 7
READING PASSAGE 1
Questions 1 – 4
Q 1. ‘decompression zone’ for ..............., not sales
Answer: promotion
E
Part of the passage: When you enter a supermarket, it takes some time for the mind
to get into a shopping mode. This is why the area immediately inside the entrance of a
supermarket is known as the ‘decompression zone’. People need to slow down and
N
take stock of the surroundings, even if they are regulars. Supermarkets do not expect
to sell much here, so it tends to be used more for promotion.
Q 2. ‘chill zone’ for ..............., such as magazines, books, DVDs
Answer: unplanned purchases

ZO
Part of the passage: Immediately to the left in many supermarkets is a ‘chill zone’,
where customers can enjoy browsing magazines, books and DVDs. This is intended to
tempt unplanned purchases and slow customers down.
Q 3. counters selling ............... situated opposite entrance

S
Answer: fruit and vegetables
Part of the passage: But people who just want to do their shopping quickly will keep
LT
walking ahead, and the first thing they come to is the fresh fruit and vegetables section.
However, for shoppers, this makes no sense.
Q 4. ............... often placed in central areas of aisles

IE
Answer: popular items
Part of the passage: Shoppers already know that everyday items, like milk, are invari-
ably placed towards the back of a store to provide more opportunity to tempt customers
to buy things which are not on their shopping list. This is why pharmacies are also gener-
ally at the back. But supermarkets know shoppers know this, so they use other tricks, like
placing popular items halfway along a section so that people have to walk all along
the aisle looking for them. The idea is to boost ‘dwell time’: the length of time people
spend in a store.
Explanation: central areas of aisles = halfway along a section
154
Questions 5 – 10
Q 5. The ‘greeters’ at Walmart increase sales.
Meaning: Does sales increase because of the ‘greeters’ Walmart? Can they help to
increase sales?
Part of the passage: Walmart, the world’s biggest retailer, famously employs ‘greeters’
at the entrance to its stores. A friendly welcome is said to cut shoplifting. It is harder to
steal from nice people.
Answer: Not Given
E
Explanation: The text says it cuts (decreases) shoplifting, but there is no enough infor-
mation to conclude that having ‘greeters’ increases sales. Maybe it does, maybe it
N
does not. We don’t know it for sure.
Q 6. People feel better about their shopping if they buy fruit and vegetables be-
fore they buy other food.
ZO
Meaning: Does it feel better to buy fruit and vegetables before buying other food while
shopping at a supermarket?
Part of the passage: Fruit and vegetables can be easily damaged, so they should be
bought at the end, not the beginning, of a shopping trip. But psychology is at work here:
selecting these items makes people feel good, so they feel less guilty about reaching
for less healthy food later on.
S
Answer: True
Explanation: Let’s say you want to buy ice-cream (less healthy), so according to the
LT
text, if you buy fruit and vegetables first, you are more likely to feel better and less
guilty about reaching for this ice cream.
Q 7. In-store bakeries produce a wider range of products than central bakeries.

IE
Meaning: In-store bakeries are compared to central bakeries, and according to the
statement, they produce a greater range of products (such as bread, pies, cakes etc).
Let’s see if this is true, false or not given.
Part of the passage: Even small supermarkets now use in-store bakeries. Mostly these
bake pre-prepared items and frozen ingredients which have been delivered to the super-
market previously, and their numbers have increased, even though central bakeries that
deliver to a number of stores are much more efficient. They do it for the smell of freshly
baked bread, which arouses people’s appetites and thus encourages them to purchase
not just bread but also other food, including ready meals.
Answer: Not Given

Day 7 Answer Keys
Explanation: The text says central bakeries are much more efficient, but does not
mention the range of products. Efficiency is about performance in relation to resources
and time, but the range of products is different.
Q 8. Supermarkets find right-handed people easier to persuade than left-handed

people.
Meaning: Are right-handed people are easily persuaded (manipulated) than the lefties?
Part of the passage: To be on the right-hand side of an eye-level selection is often

considered the very best place, because most people are right-handed and most
people’s eyes drift rightwards.
E
Answer: Not Given
N
Explanation: Whenever you have a comparison of two things (in this case, right-hand-
ed vs left-handed people), you should always make sure both are mentioned in the
passage. If not, then the statement is most likely not given. So in the part of the passage
given above, there is nothing about left-handed people. Moreover, it does not say any-
ZO
thing about right-handed people being easily persuaded. The only claim the text has
made is that most people are right-handed.
Q 9. The most frequent reason for leaving shops without buying something is
price.
Meaning: Is price the most common reason for leaving shops without buying something?
In other words, is price the most important factor in deciding whether or not to buy?
S
Part of the passage: People say they leave shops empty-handed more often because
they are ‘unable to decide’ than because prices are too high, says Mr Bearse.
LT
Answer: False
Explanation: According to the passage, the number one reason why people leave
empty-handed is that they are ‘unable to decide’ what to buy (they have too many
choices), not because of the price. So the statement is clearly contradicted.
IE
Q 10. ‘Decoy’ items are products which the store expects customers to choose
Meaning: Do stores expect customers to buy ‘decoy’ items?
Part of the passage: Often a customer struggling to decide which of two items is best
ends up not buying either. In order to avoid a situation where a customer decides not to
buy either product, a third ‘decoy’ item, which is not quite as good as the other two,
is placed beside them to make the choice easier and more pleasurable. Happier
customers are more likely to buy.
Answer: False
156
Explanation: ‘decoy’ items are placed to make the choice easier; it means they are not
desirable products and stores do NOT expect customers to buy these items. It is, in fact,
exactly the opposite: stores want customers to buy other items with the help of ‘decoy’
products.
Questions 11 – 13
Comment: Answers to these three questions can be found in the paragraph shown
below. Flow-chart completion questions usually (not always) follow the order as in the
passage.
E
Part of the passage: Even small supermarkets now use in-store bakeries. Mostly
these bake pre-prepared items and frozen ingredients which have been delivered
to the supermarket previously, and their numbers have increased, even though central
N
bakeries that deliver to a number of stores are much more efficient. They do it for the
smell of freshly baked bread, which arouses people’s appetites and thus encourages
them to purchase not just bread but also other food, including ready meals.
ZO
Q 11. The supermarket is sent …………… and other items which have been
prepared earlier.
Answer: frozen ingredients
Explanation: The supermarket is sent = ...which have been delivered to the super-
market;
S
other items which have been prepared earlier = pre-prepared items;
Q 12. Shoppers’ …………… are stimulated.

LT
Answer: appetites
Explanation: to stimulate = to arouse;
Q 13. They are then keener to buy food, including bread and …………… .
IE
Answer: ready meals
Explanation: keener to buy food, including bread and ready meals = encourages
them to purchase not bread, but also other food, including ready meals
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Day 8 Answer Keys
DAY 8
READING PASSAGE 2
Questions 14 – 19
Q 14. Paragraph A
Part of the passage: According to Patterson, the great apes were capable of holding
meaningful conversations, and could even reflect upon profound topics, such as love and
E
death. During the project, their trainers believe they uncovered instances where the two
gorillas’ linguistic skills seemed to provide reliable evidence of intentional deceit.
In one example, Koko broke a toy cat, and then signed to indicate that the breakage had
N
been caused by one of her trainers.
Main idea in paragraph A: Animals are also capable of intentional deceit (lie).
ZO
Answer: VI do only humans lie?
Q 15. Paragraph B
Part of the passage: By the time the children have reached the age of five, all of them
peek and all of them lie. The results provide compelling evidence that lying starts
to emerge the moment we learn to speak.
Main idea in paragraph B: The time when we start to lie

S
Answer: II when do we begin to lie?

LT
Q 16. Paragraph C
Paragraph: So what are the tell-tale signs that give away a lie? In 1994, the psychologist
Richard Wiseman devised a large-scale experiment on a TV programme called Tomor-
row’s World. As part of the experiment, viewers watched two interviews in which Wise-
IE
man asked a presenter in front of the cameras to describe his favourite film. In one inter-
view, the presenter picked Some Like It Hot and he told the truth; in the other interview,
he picked Gone with the Wind and lied. The viewers were then invited to make a choice
– to telephone in to say which film he was lying about. More than 30,000 calls were re-
ceived, but viewers were unable to tell the difference and the vote was a 50/50 split. In
similar experiments, the results have been remarkably consistent – when it comes to lie
detection, people might as well simply toss a coin. It doesn’t matter if you are male or
female, young or old; very few people are able to detect deception.
Main idea in paragraph C: The whole paragraph describes a TV experiment to see if

viewers can tell the difference between a lie and truth.
158
Answer: VIII a public test of our ability to spot a lie
Q 17. Paragraph D
Part of the passage: The results are clear. Liars do not necessarily look away from you;
they do not appear nervous and move their hands around or shift about in their seats.
People fail to detect lies because they are basing their opinions on behaviours that
are not actually associated with deception.
Main idea in paragraph D: Common misconceptions about what liars do
Answer: IV exposing some false beliefs
E
Q 18. Paragraph E
N
Paragraph: So what are we missing? It is obvious that the more information you give
away, the greater the chances of some of it coming back to haunt you. As a result, liars
tend to say less and provide fewer details than truth-tellers. Looking back at the tran-
scripts of the interviews with the presenter, his lie about Gone with the Wind contained
ZO
about 40 words, whereas the truth about Some Like It Hot was nearly twice as long.
People who lie also try psychologically to keep a distance from their falsehoods, and
so tend to include fewer references to themselves in their stories. In his entire interview
about Gone with the Wind, the presenter only once mentioned how the film made him
feel, compared with the several references to his feelings when he talked about Some
Like It Hot.
Main idea in paragraph E: What really sets liars apart from truth-tellers?
S
Answer: i some of the things liars really do

LT
Q 19. Paragraph F
Part of the passage: The simple fact is that the real clues to deceit are in the
words that people use, not the body language. So do people become better lie de-
tectors when they listen to a liar, or even just read a transcript of their comments?
IE
Main idea in paragraph F: You can tell from the words, not the body language
Answer: V which forum of communication best exposes a lie
Questions 20 – 23
Q 20. Someone who was innocent was blamed for something.
Part of the passage [Par A]: In another episode, Michael ripped a jacket belonging to a
trainer and, when asked who was responsible for the incident, signed ‘Koko’. When the
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Day 8 Answer Keys
trainer expressed some scepticism, Michael appeared to change his mind, and indicated
that Dr Patterson was actually responsible, before finally confessing.
Answer: A The Gorilla experiment
Q 21. Those involved knew they were being filmed.
Part of the passage [Par C]: As part of the experiment, viewers watched two interviews
in which Wiseman asked a presenter in front of the cameras to describe his favourite film.
Answer: C The TV experiment
E
Q 22. Some objects were damaged.
Part of the passage [Par A]: In one example, Koko broke a toy cat, and then signed to
N
indicate that the breakage had been caused by one of her trainers. In another episode,
Michael ripped a jacket belonging to a trainer and, when asked who was responsible for
the incident, signed ‘Koko’.
ZO
Answer: A The Gorilla experiment
Q 23. Some instructions were ignored.
Part of the passage [Par B]: After setting up the toy, the experimenter says that he has
to leave the laboratory, and asks the child not to turn around and peek at the toy. The
child is secretly filmed by hidden cameras for a few minutes, and then the experimenter
returns and asks them whether they peeked. Almost all three-year-olds do, and then half
S
of them lie about it to the experimenter.
Answer: B the experiment with children

LT
Questions 24 – 26
Q 24. Filming liars has shown that they do not display …………… behaviour.
IE
Part of the passage [Par D]: Researchers have spent hour upon hour carefully com-
paring films of liars and truth-tellers. The results are clear. Liars do not necessarily look
away from you; they do not appear nervous and move their hands around or shift about
in their seats.
Answer: nervous
Explanation: looking away, moving their hands around, shifting about in their
seats are all examples of nervous behaviour. But it is hard to find because the word
behaviour is not clearly given in this context.

Q 25. Liars tend to avoid talking about their own …………… .
Part of the passage [Par E]: People who lie also try psychologically to keep a distance
from their falsehoods, and so tend to include fewer references to themselves in their
stories. In his entire interview about Gone with the Wind, the presenter only once
mentioned how the film made him feel, compared with the several references to his
feelings when he talked about Some Like It Hot.
Answer: feelings
Explanation: possible wrong answers are falsehoods or references, but neither

collocates with the word ‘own’.
E
Q 26. Signs of lying are exposed in people’s …………… rather than their
movements.
N
Part of the passage [Par F]: The simple fact is that the real clues to deceit are in the
words that people use, not the body language.
Answer: words
ZO
Explanation: their movements = body language;
rather than = not
Bonus
S
Band 7+ questions: Q 18, Q 24 and Q 25

LT
IE
161
Day 9 Answer Keys
DAY 9
READING PASSAGE 3
Questions 27 – 32
Q 27. What do you learn about Ellen Terry in the first paragraph?
Part of the passage: But she didn’t achieve this devotion through her acting ability alone.
She knew the power of presentation and carefully cultivated her image. That first night
E
was no exception. When she walked on stage for the famous banqueting scene, her ap-
pearance drew a collective gasp from the audience.
N
Answer: C She tried hard to look good on stage.
Q 28. What is the writer’s purpose in paragraph 2?

ZO
Part of the passage: She was dressed in the most extraordinary clothes ever to have
graced a British stage: a long, emerald and sea-green gown with tapering sleeves, sur-
mounted by a velvet cloak, which glistened and sparkled eerily in the limelight. Yet this
was no mere stage trickery. The effect had been achieved using hundreds of wings from
beetles. The gown – later named the ‘Beetlewing dress’ – became one of the most iconic
and celebrated costumes of the age.
Answer: B to explain why the Beetlewing dress had such a big impact.
S
Q 29. According to the writer, the main effect of the Lyceum productions was to
Part of the passage: Terry was every bit as remarkable as her costumes. At 31, she
LT
became a leading lady at the Lyceum Theatre and for two decades, she set about
bringing culture to the masses. The productions she worked on were extravagant and
daring. Shakespeare’s plays were staged alongside blood-and-thunder melodramas and
their texts were ruthlessly cut. Some people were critical, but they missed the point. The
innovations sold tickets and brought new audiences to see masterpieces that they would
IE
never otherwise have seen.
Answer: A expose more people to Shakespeare’s plays.
Q 30. In the fourth paragraph, what comparison does the writer make between
Sargent’s portrait and the Beetlewing dress?
Part of the passage: But while the painting remains almost as fresh as the day it was
painted, the years have not been so kind to the dress. Its delicate structure, combined
with the cumulative effects of time, has meant it is now in an extremely fragile condition.
Answer: D The painting looks newer.
162
Q 31. Zenzie says the Beetlewing project is particularly special because
Part of the passage: Zenzie loves historical dress because of the link with the past.
‘Working on costumes like the Beetlewing dress gives you a real sense of the people
who wore them; you can see the sweat stains and wear marks.
Answer: B people know who wore the dress.
Q 32. Which of the following is the most suitable title for the passage?
Answer: B A challenging task.
E
Explanation: “Best title” questions should be approached after reading the whole
passage, but in this particular passage, a student can easily guess the correct answer
by carefully reading the subtitle and the last paragraph.
N
Questions 33 – 36
ZO
Q 33. The National Trust conducted useful research to assist Zenzie’s plans for
the dress.
Meaning: Was the research conducted by the National Trust to assist Zenzie’s plan
useful?
Answer: Not Given

S
Part of the passage: ...Thus, two years ago, a fundraising project was launched by
Britain’s National Trust to pay for its conservation….Before any of Zenzie’s conservation
work can begin, she and her team will conduct a thorough investigation to help determine
LT
what changes have been made to the dress and when. ...Then Zenzie and the National
Trust will decide how far back to take the reconstruction, as some members feel that
even the most recent changes are now part of the history of the dress.
Explanation: National Trust was mentioned twice, but there is no information on any
kind of research they conducted. But the text mentions about Zenzie’s investigation, so
IE
some students might think this is false because the research was conducted by Zenzie’s
team, not National Trust. It is a wrong approach, both sides could have conducted their
own research and just because the text does not talk about National Trust’s research, it
does not mean it was not conducted, let alone useful or not.
Q 34. There will be some discussion over the changes that Zenzie’s team should
make to the dress.
Meaning: Will there be a discussion about the changes that Zenzie’s team should
make?
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Day 9 Answer Keys
Answer: Yes
Part of the passage: Then Zenzie and the National Trust will decide how far back to
take the reconstruction, as some members feel that even the most recent changes are
now part of the history of the dress.
Explanation: They will decide about the extent of the change they should make to the
dress.
Q 35. Zenzie’s estimate for the timing of the project is realistic.
Meaning: is Zenzie’s estimate for the timing of the project realistic?
E
Answer: Not Given
N
Part of the passage: Zenzie has estimated that the project, costing about £30,000, will
require more than 700 hours’ work. ‘It will be a huge undertaking and I don’t think the
Trust has ever spent quite as much on a costume before,’ she says.
ZO
Explanation: The text mentions the amount of time expected to be spent: 700 hours,
but does not offer any opinion whether it is realistic or not.
Q 36. Ellen Terry’s attitude towards her dresses was typical of her time.
Meaning: Did actresses in her time had the same attitude towards their dresses?
Answer: No
S
Part of the passage: Unlike many other actresses, she valued her costumes because
she kept and reused them time and time again. ‘I’d like to think she’d see our contribution
LT
as part of the ongoing history of the dress,’ says Zenzie.
Explanation: Unlike is the key word here, so her attitude was different to that of many
actresses at the time.
IE
Questions 37 – 40
Q 37. Pictures will be used
Part of the passage: This will involve close examination of the dress for signs of dam-
age and wear, and will be aided by comparing it with John Singer Sargent’s painting and
contemporary photographs.
Answer: F to help show where the dress needs repair work.
Q 38. A special machine will be used
164
Part of the passage: The first stages in the actual restoration will involve delicate
surface cleaning, using a small vacuum suction device.
Answer: C to remove the dirt from the top layer of the dress.
Q 39. A net material has been selected
Part of the passage: because the original cloth is quite stretchy, so we’ve deliberately
chosen net because that has a certain amount of flexibility in it too,’ says Zenzie.
Answer: E to match a quality of the original fabric used in the dress.
E
Q 40. Work will be visible on one side
Part of the passage: When the dress is displayed, none of our work will be noticeable,
N
but we’ll retain all the evidence on the reverse so that future experts will be able to see
exactly what we’ve done – and I’ll produce a detailed report.’
Answer: A to show how the team did the repairs on the dress.
ZO
S
LT
IE

Day 10 Answer Keys
DAY 10
READING PASSAGE 1
Questions 1 – 3
Q 1. changing rooms (1 oversized enough space for ………….. )
Answer: buggies
E
Part of the passage: one oversized fitting room … to enable mothers to bring their
buggies while they change.
N
Q 2. …………… for children
Answer: colouring books ZO

Part of the passage: ...and staff will come along with colouring books to entertain
children...
Q 3. background music (................ on Saturdays)
Answer: faster (tempo)
Part of the passage: Even the background music is carefully considered. On Saturdays
it has a faster tempo.
S
Questions 4 – 8
LT
Q 4. Sally Bailey intends to find locations for White Stuff in shopping centres.
Meaning: She wants to find locations for her store in shopping centers.
IE
Answer: False
Part of the passage: White Stuff has eschewed the shop design of a traditional fashion
retailer, preferring to model its interiors on a Victorian house where Ms Bailey believes
her customers aspire to live. Since her arrival, White Stuff has sought locations away
from the beaten track and shopping centres are viewed as anathema. ‘To be honest, we
do have some stores that are very hard to find,’ says Ms Bailey. ‘In Exeter, for example,
there’s the High Street and the shopping centre, but you have to turn left down an alley
to find White Stuff, right by an organic butcher and coffee shop.’
166
Q 5. Sally Bailey started White Stuff.
Meaning: Did she found/start White Stuff?
Answer: False
Part of the passage: Yet White Stuff’s customers, whom Ms Bailey describes as ‘ex-
tremely loyal’, are not deterred by these intrepid expeditions. When she took over five
years ago, White Stuff had 15 stores and an annual turnover of £14m. Today, turnover
is in excess of £55m, with stores generating annual revenues between £500,000 and
£2.5m from an average customer spend of £35.
E
Explanation: take over = take control from someone (so it is clear that she’s not the
founder)
N
Q 6. The buyer at Tesco initially rejected Oven Pride.
Meaning: Did the buyer at Tesco said no to Oven Pride at the beginning?
Answer: True
ZO
Part of the passage: Matt Stockdale, managing director of HomePride, which this year
will turn over more than £4m, has the mother of former Tesco buyer Fraser McDonald to
thank for his success. Desperate to get the supermarket chain to stock his oven cleaning
product, Oven Pride, Mr Stockdale bombarded the buyer with calls.
But it was to no avail: ‘The response was always “Thanks but no thanks”,’ he recalls.
S
Explanation: Mr Stockdale wanted to sell his product, Oven Pride, so he bombarded

the buyer at Tesco with class, but to no avail (without success).
LT
Q 7. The buyer’s mother often gives him advice on products.
Meaning: Does the buyer’s mother often give his son advice on products?
Answer: Not Given

IE
Part of the passage: I think to make me go away, he gave me his mother’s address.’
Two weeks later, Mr Stockdale was in the buyer’s office signing a deal to supply his
product to 30 stores. ‘He told me that his mother wanted him to give me a chance but that
he didn’t give me much hope,’ says Mr Stockdale.
Q 8. Matt Stockdale discovered important information about Tesco after

contacting the company.
Meaning: Did he discover important information about Tesco after contacting the
company?
167
Day 10 Answer Keys
Answer: True
Part of the passage: A year later he was supplying 130 Tesco stores. ‘I didn’t realise
when I first approached Tesco that it was the UK’s biggest supermarket chain,’ says Mr
Stockdale. ‘I just knew that I shopped there.’
Explanation: He found out that it was the biggest supermarket chain after approaching
(contacting) the company. Before that he just knew he shopped there and nothing else.
Questions 9 – 13
E
Q 9. Thought of starting a catalogue business (experience in ……………)
Answer: direct sales
N
Part of the passage: Mr Stockdale decided to fulfil a lifelong ambition to run his own
company. ‘I looked at a catalogue business first because direct sales was what I knew,’
he says.
ZO
Q 10. Observed that the biggest problem was how to get …………… clean
Answer: (the) racks
Part of the passage: ‘I found the hardest thing was to clean the racks,’ says Mr
Stockdale.
S
Q 11. Made …………… to solve this problem
Answer: kits
LT
Part of the passage: He decided to create kits to make cleaning racks easy
Q 12. First order came after ……………

Answer: 15 months
IE
Part of the passage: Dejected, Mr Stockdale found another sales job but, 15 months
later, a fax arrived with a purchase order from Kleeneze.
Q 13. A question asked by a …………… gave him the idea of approaching shops
Answer: (satisfied) customer
Part of the passage: It took a letter from a satisfied customer, asking when the clean-
er would be available in shops, to prompt Mr Stockdale to change his strategy and ap-
proach high street retailers. Enter Tesco.
168
DAY 11
READING PASSAGE 2
Questions 14 – 19
Q 14. Paragraph A
Answer: VII A typical example of birth-order behaviour in practice
E
Part of the passage: A visiting friend, with an older, more successful sister, declared
it ‘classic first child behaviour of dominance and supposed authority’. Dolly’s objection
to her brother’s self-appointed role as leader was justified, he announced, while Jimmy
N
Joe’s superiority was characteristic of the forceful personality of firstborns. Birth order, he
said, wasn’t something they could just shrug off.
Q 15. Paragraph B

ZO
Answer: V A theory that is still supported
Part of the passage: It’s a view reiterated by Professor Frank Sulloway’s influential
work, Born to Rebel. Sulloway, a leading proponent of the birth order idea, argued it has
a definitive effect on the ‘Big Five’ personality traits of openness, conscientiousness, ex-
troversion, agreeableness and neuroticism.
Q 16. Paragraph C
S
Answer: IX A detailed description of each child in families in general

LT
Part of the passage: According to the birth-order theory, first children are usually well-or-
ganised high achievers. However, they can have an overdeveloped sense of entitlement
and be unyielding. Second children are sometimes very competitive through rivalry with
the older sibling. They’re also good mediators and negotiators, keen to keep everyone
happy. Middle children, tagged the ‘easy’ ones, have good diplomacy skills. They suffer
IE
from a tendency to feel insignificant beside other siblings and often complain of feeling
invisible to their parents. Youngest children are often the most likely to rebel, feeling the
need to ‘prove’ themselves. They’re often extroverts and are sometimes accused of be-
ing selfish. Twins inevitably find it harder to see themselves as individuals, unless their
parents have worked hard to identify them as such. It’s not unusual for one twin to have
a slightly dominant role over the other and take the lead role.
Q 17. Paragraph D
Answer: IV Doubts about birth-order theory but personal experience supporting it
Part of the passage: But slapping generalised labels on a child is dangerous; they
169
Day 11 Answer Keys
change all the time, often taking turns at being the ‘naughty one’ or the ‘diligent one’.
However, as one of five children, I know how hard it is to transcend the tags you earn
according to when you were born. It is unsurprising then that my eldest sister is the
successful entrepreneur, and that, despite covering all the big bases of adult life like
marriage, kids and property, my siblings will probably always regard me as their spoilt
younger sister.
Q 18. Paragraph E
Answer: VI Birth-order characteristics continuing as children get older
Part of the passage: ‘As the oldest of three, I’ve found it hard not to think of my own
E
three children as having the same personality types that the three of us had when I was
growing up,’ says Lisa Cannan, a teacher. ‘I identify with my eldest son…
N
Q 19. Paragraph F
Answer: II Solutions are more important than causes

ZO
Part of the passage: He says that if a parent is worried about having encouraged, for
example, an overdeveloped sense of dominance in an older sibling or spoiled a younger
child, then it’s more useful to look at ways this can be addressed than over-analysing
why it happened.
Questions 20 – 23
S
Q 20. Experience as a child can affect behaviour as a parent.
Answer: C Lisa Cannan

LT
Part of the passage [Par E]: ‘As the oldest of three, I’ve found it hard not to think of my
own three children as having the same personality types that the three of us had when I
was growing up,’ says Lisa Cannan, a teacher. ‘I identify with my eldest son, who con-
stantly takes the lead in terms of organisation and responsibility.
IE
Q 21. Birth order may not be the main reason why children have the personalities
they have.
Answer: D Stephen Bayliss
Part of the passage [Par F]: these characteristics might be better attributed to parenting
styles, rather than a child’s character.
Q 22. There is a link between birth and a group of important characteristics.
Answer: B Professor Frank Sulloway

Part of the passage [Par B]: Sulloway, a leading proponent of the birth order idea,
argued it has a definitive effect on the ‘Big Five’ personality traits of openness, consci-
entiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism.
Q 23. It is possible for people to stop feeling bad about how family members
behave with them.
Answer: D Stephen Bayliss
Part of the passage [Par F]: Bayliss is optimistic that as adults we can overcome any
negative connotations around birth order. ‘Look at the way you react to certain situations
with your siblings. If you’re unhappy about being treated as a certain type of personality,
E
try to work out if it’s a role that you’ve willingly accepted. If you’re unhappy with the role,
being dynamic about focusing on your own reactions, rather than blaming theirs, will help
you overcome it. Change isn’t easy but nobody need be the victim of their biography.’
N
Questions 24 – 26
ZO
Q 24. First-born children have expectations that are too high with regard to……… .
Answer: entitlement
Part of the passage [Par C]: According to the birth-order theory, first children are
usually well-organised high achievers. However, they can have an overdeveloped
sense of entitlement and be unyielding.
S
Q 25. Middle children are often considered …………… by their parents.
Answer: easy
LT
Part of the passage [Par C]: Middle children, tagged the ‘easy’ ones, have good
diplomacy skills.
Q 26. Youngest children may be described as …………… by other people.

IE
Answer: selfish
Part of the passage [Par C]: Youngest children are often the most likely to rebel, feeling
the need to ‘prove’ themselves. They’re often extroverts and are sometimes accused of
being selfish.
171
Day 12 Answer Keys
DAY 12
READING PASSAGE 3
Questions 27 – 31
Q 27. What is the main topic of the first paragraph?
Answer: C the losses made on haute couture.
E
Part of the passage: Given that a good year in the haute couture business is one where
you lose even more money than usual, the prevailing mood in Paris last week was of
buoyancy. The big-name designers were falling over themselves to boast of how many
N
outfits they had sold at below cost price, and how this proved that the fashion business
was healthier than ever. Jean-Paul Gaultier reported record sales, “but we don’t make
any money out of it,” the designer assured journalists backstage. “No matter how
successful you are, you can’t make a profit from couture,” explained Jean-Jacques
ZO
Picart, a veteran fashion PR man, and co-founder of the now-bankrupt Lacroix house.
Q 28. The writer says that Jean-Louis Scherrer
Answer: A upset other couturiers.
Part of the passage: Almost 20 years have passed since the bizarre economics of the
couture business were first exposed. Outraged that he was losing money on evening
dresses costing tens of thousands of pounds, the couturier Jean-Louis Scherrer – to
S
howls of “treason” from his colleagues – published a detailed summary of his costs.
Q 29. The writer says that the outfit Jean-Louis Scherrer described
LT
Answer: D should have cost more to buy than it did.
Part of the passage: One outfit he described contained over half a mile of gold thread,
18,000 sequins, and had required hundreds of hours of hand-stitching in an atelier. A fair
IE
price would have been £50,000, but the couturier could only get £35,000 for it. Rather
than riding high on the follies of the super-rich, he and his team could barely feed their
hungry families.
Q 30. In the third paragraph, the writer states that haute couture makers
Answer: A think that the term ‘value for money’ has a particular meaning for them.
Part of the passage: The result was an outcry and the first of a series of government
and industry-sponsored inquiries into the surreal world of ultimate fashion. The trade
continues to insist that – relatively speaking – couture offers you more than you pay
for, but it’s not as simple as that. When such a temple of old wealth starts talking about
172
value for money, it isn’t to convince anyone that dresses costing as much as houses
are a bargain. Rather, it is to preserve the peculiar mystique, lucrative associations and
threatened interests that couture represents.
Q 31. The writer says in the fourth paragraph that there is disagreement over
Answer: B the future of haute couture.
Part of the passage: Essentially, the arguments couldn’t be simpler. On one side are
those who say that the business will die if it doesn’t change. On the other are those
who say it will die if it does. What’s not in doubt is that haute couture – the term translates
as “high sewing” – is a spectacular anachronism.
E
Questions 32 – 36
N
Q 32. The way that companies use haute couture as a marketing device is clear.
Meaning: Is it clear that the way companies use haute couture as a marketing device?
ZO
Answer: Yes
Part of the passage: So far, so traditional, but the Big Four operators – Chanel, Dior,
Givenchy and Gaultier – increasingly use couture as a marketing device for their far
more profitable ready-to-wear, fragrance and accessory lines. It isn’t hard to see how this
works in practice.
S
Q 33. Only wealthy people are attracted by the idea of ‘name association’.
Meaning: Are ONLY wealthy people attracted by the idea of ‘name association’?
LT
Answer: No
Part of the passage: The big idea being the one known in the trade as “name associa-
tion”. Couture outfits may be unaffordable, even unwearable, but the whiff of glamour and
exclusivity is hard to resist. The time-starved modern woman who doesn’t make enough
IE
in a year to afford a single piece of couture can still buy a share of the dream for the price
of a Chanel lipstick or a Givenchy scarf.
Q 34. Pierre Cardin is likely to return to producing haute couture.
Meaning: Is he likely to return to business of haute couture?
Answer: Not Given
Part of the passage: For all this, couture has been in decline – the optimists would say
readjusting to changed conditions – for years. The number of houses registered to the
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Day 12 Answer Keys
Syndicale has halved in the last two decades. Pierre Cardin once had almost 500 people
working full time on couture, but by the 1980s the number had fallen to 50, and today the
house is no longer registered.
Q 35. Some women who can afford haute couture clothes buy other clothes
instead.
Meaning: Do some women who can afford haute couture clothes buy other clothes
instead?
Answer: Yes
E
Part of the passage: Modern life tells the story. Younger women, even the seriously
wealthy ones, find ready-to-wear clothes invariably more practical and usually more fun.
Couture’s market has dwindled. “Haute couture is a joke,” scoffs Pierre Bergé, the former
N
head of Yves St Laurent – another house that no longer creates it.
Q 36. It is hard to understand why some haute couture companies are doing well.
ZO
Meaning: Is it hard to understand why some haute couture companies are doing well?
Answer: No
Part of the passage: Why, then, are the surviving couture houses smiling? Because
they trade in fantasy, and, in these times, more people want to fantasise. “We’ve received
so many orders we may not be able to deliver them all,” says Sidney Toledano, head of
Dior. So, the clothes are rolled out and the couture losses roll in, and everyone agrees
S
that it’s good business.

LT
Questions 37 – 40
Q 37. In his book, Nicholas Coleridge claims that
Answer: D haute couture is dependent on a very small number of customers.

IE
Part of the passage: In his book, The Fashion Conspiracy, Nicholas Coleridge esti-
mates that the entire couture industry rests on the whims of less than 30 immensely
wealthy women, and although the number may have grown in recent years with the new
prosperity of Asia, the number of couture customers worldwide is no more than 4,000.
Q 38. The head of LVMH believes that
Answer: F it is important to continue with haute couture.

Part of the passage: “Haute couture is what gives our business its essential essence of
luxury,” says Bernard Arnault, the head of LVMH, which owns both Dior and Givenchy.
“The cash it soaks up is largely irrelevant. Set against the money we lose has to be the
174
value of the image couture gives us. Look at the attention the collections attract. It is
where you get noticed. You have to be there. It’s where we set our ideas in motion.”
Q 39. The former head of Yves St Laurent feels that
Answer: B people who defend haute couture are wrong.
Part of the passage: Couture’s market has dwindled. “Haute couture is a joke,” scoffs
Pierre Bergé, the former head of Yves St Laurent – another house that no longer
creates it. “Anyone who tells you it still matters is fantasising. You can see it dropping
dead all around you. Nobody buys it any more. The prices are ridiculous. The rules for
making it are nonsensical. It belongs to another age. Where are today’s couturiers? A real
E
couturier is someone who founds and runs their own house. No one does that anymore.”
Q 40. The head of Dior states that
N
Answer: A there is great demand for haute couture.
Part of the passage: “We’ve received so many orders we may not be able to deliver
ZO
them all,” says Sidney Toledano, head of Dior. So, the clothes are rolled out and the
couture losses roll in, and everyone agrees that it’s good business.
S
LT
IE

Day 13 Answer Keys
DAY 13
READING PASSAGE 1
Questions 1 – 9
Q 1. The significance of establishing the relationship between different species.
Answer: B
E
Part of the passage: As one of the most primitive mammals on the planet, the hedge-
hog has been helping geneticists understand evolutionary relationships among mam-
mals and even uncover secrets of the human genome.
N
Q 2. The different habitats where hedgehogs can be found.
Answer: C
ZO
Part of the passage: The 14 known species are native to Africa and parts of Asia as
well as Europe. Some hibernate through cold winters in the north. Others tolerate desert
heat near the equator. Some live in urban areas, adapting well to living in close proximity
to humans. Others live in areas that rank among the most remote places on the planet.
Q 3. The reason why standard forms of measurement cannot be used for the
hedgehog.
S
Answer: F
Part of the passage: Any perceived threat can make them roll up, including the ap-
LT
proach of a biologist, so researchers have invented a new measurement for the animals:
ball length.
Q 4. A problem associated with hedgehogs kept as pets.

IE
Answer: E
Part of the passage: Veterinarians trying to understand gum disease in domesticated

hedgehogs have concluded that the varied diet of wild hedgehogs gives them more than
nutrition-the hard bodies of insects also scrape the hedgehogs’ teeth clean.
Q 5. Two reasons why hedgehogs are popular with people in the UK.
Answer: A
Part of the passage: As for the developers, they have reason to think the animals will
help make home sales fantastic, too. Part of the attraction is that many people simply
176
love hedgehogs, particularly in Britain, where children’s book writer Beatrix Potter in-
troduced Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, a hedgehog character, over a century ago. But part of the
attraction is also rooted in science. Studies have helped make clear that hedgehogs are
good for gardens, eating vast numbers of slugs and other pests as they forage in the
vegetation at night.
Explanation: Two reasons: 1. British people simply love hedgehogs;
2. These animals are also good for gardens.
Q 6. Four findings from the latest research into hedgehogs.
E
Answer: B
Part of the passage: Recent scientific studies about hedgehogs have helped explain
N
mysteries as varied as why hedgehogs apply saliva to their entire bodies, how they have
survived on the planet for 30 million years, why they chew toxic toad skins and what
secrets they may hold about evolution.
ZO
Q 7. The social habits of the hedgehog.
Answer: D
Part of the passage: Hedgehogs spend much of their time alone, but Reeve says it
would be a mistake to think of them as solitary. Hedgehogs do approach each other and
can detect the presence of others by their scent,’ he says. It is true that they usually do
not interact at close quarters, but that does not mean they are unaware of their neigh-
S
bours They may occasionally scrap over food items and rival males attracted to a female
may also have aggressive interactions.
LT
Q 8. The number of hedgehog species already identified.
Answer: C
Part of the passage: For one thing, scientists think they haven’t even discovered all the
hedgehog species. We know of at least 14,’ says hedgehog researcher Nigel Reeve of
IE
Britain’s University of Surrey Roehampton.
Q 9. The name given to baby hedgehogs.
Answer: D
Part of the passage: Still, it’s fair to say that, in adulthood, hedgehogs meet primarily
to mate, producing litters of four or five hoglets as often as twice yearly.
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Day 13 Answer Keys
Questions 10 – 13
Q 10. The study conducted in 1977 revealed a possible reason why
Answer: B hedgehogs chew poisonous animal skins.
Part of the passage [Par F]: Evidence suggests that hedgehogs may also add un-
pleasant chemicals to their quills to make them even less appealing. In behaviour that
may be unique for a vertebrate, they chew substances laden with toxins and then apply
frothy saliva to their entire bodies….volunteers pricked themselves with quills from
hedgehogs that had coated themselves after chewing on venomous toad skins. The
volunteers found those quills much more imitating and painful than clean ones.
E
Q 11. In Britain, which of the following has NOT been done to protect hedge-
hogs?
N
Answer: B Imposing fines for littering in areas where hedgehogs live.
Explanation: This is a slightly more challenging question as you have to find the option
ZO
which is NOT given in the passage. For this, you need to find all three which are true
according to the passage. This can be time-consuming, but that’s the only way. Luckily,
the main idea of Par G is about how the British went about protecting these hedgehogs.
A The opening of hospitals just for hedgehogs. - [Par G] To help combat the decline, the
British have established special clinics for injured hedgehogs
C The alteration of a container produced by a fast-food chain. - [Par G] Recently, they

S
even persuaded McDonald’s to alter the packaging of its McFlurry ice-cream container,
which had been trapping foraging hedgehogs.
LT
D Alerting people to the potential dangers faced by hedgehogs - [Par G] ...urged that
anyone making a bonfire check for the animals underneath first, and ensured that
hedgehogs can cope with cattle grids.
Q 12. What are the ‘conclusions’ that scientists on the Hebrides Islands have
reached again?
IE
Answer: B Hedgehogs pose a threat to other wildlife.
Part of the passage [Par H]: In some places today, scientists are coming to the same
conclusions... hedgehogs were introduced to the Hebrides Islands... Wildlife researchers
have watched the hedgehogs reduce the numbers of rare ground - nesting wading birds
by feasting on their eggs.
Q 13. What would conservationists prefer to do on the Hebrides Islands?
Answer: D Move the hedgehogs elsewhere.
178
Part of the passage [Par H]: Efforts to cull the animals in the past two years have
upset Britain’s conservationists who have countered with strategies to relocate the
animals.
DAY 14
READING PASSAGE 2
Questions 14 – 18
E
Q 14. Section A

N
Answer: VI Mixed success for visions of the future
Part of the passage: In the 1920s, there were three competing conceptions of the
home of the future. ...These first two failed to capture the imagination and the dollars of
ZO
industrialists or of the public, but the third image of the home of the future did.
Explanation: Visions = conceptions;
mixed success = two failed, one succeeded.
Q 15. Section B
Answer: V Housework declines in the house of the future

S
Part of the passage: In the 1950s, the home of the future was represented in and by
one room: the kitchen. Appliance manufacturers, advertisers and women’s magazines
LT
teamed up to surround women with images of the technology of tomorrow that would
‘automate’ their lives, and automation became a synonym for reduced domestic labor.
Q 16. Section C
IE
Answer: II The house of the future helps with the battle of the sexes
Part of the passage: The Whirlpool two-speed dishwasher stopped all that. Thus, a
household appliance can preserve a man’s masculinity by ensuring that he does not
have to do ‘women’s work’ in the home.
Q 17. Section D
Answer: VII The future lies in the past
Part of the passage: The broader social context continued to be reflected in the 1970s
home of the future, but now the trend was to look backwards for the future, back to a
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Day 14 Answer Keys
proud pioneer heritage.
Q 18. Section E
Answer: IV The multipurpose home of tomorrow
Part of the passage: Thus, in addition to turning exercise into work, we see that nature
is being brought into the home for breaks. One never has to leave the home, but the
imperative is still clearly productive.
Questions 19 – 26
E
Q 19. There was a loss of faith in automation.
N
Answer: D 1970s
Part of the passage [Par D]: Over the 1970s, North America experienced a certain
erosion of trust in science and technology and there was less utopian speculation about
ZO
the technologically produced future. The previous unproblematic link between
technology, the future and progress was being questioned.
Q 20. Advertisers believed that houses would be made in a factory.
Answer: A 1920s
Part of the passage [Par A]: In the 1920s, there were three competing conceptions of
S
the home of the future. The first, indebted to modernist architecture, depicted the home
of tomorrow as a futuristic architectural structure. The second conception was that of
the mass-produced, prefabricated house, a dwelling potentially available to every North
LT
American.
Q 21. There were fewer housewives.
Answer: E 1980s
IE
Part of the passage [Par E]: By the 1980s, the environmental and social movements
of the 1970s were starting to ebb, significantly more women were working outside of the
home.
Q 22. One writer envisaged furniture being made from fully washable materials.
Answer: C 1950s
Part of the passage [Par B]: The postwar faith in and fascination with science is very
apparent in future predictions made in the 1950s. The magazine Popular Mechanics
did a special feature in February 1950 entitled, ‘Miracles You’ll See in the Next Fifty

Years’. ‘Housewives in 50 years may wash dirty dishes-right down the drain! Cheap plas-
tic would melt in hot water’. They also predicted that the housewife of the future would
clean her house by simply turning the hose on everything. Furnishings, rugs, draperies
and unscratchable floors would all be made of synthetic fabric or waterproof plastic.After
the water had run down a drain in the middle of the floor (later concealed by a rug of
synthetic fibre) you would turn on a blast of hot air and dry everything.
Q 23. There was an increased awareness of the environment.
Answer: D 1970s
Part of the passage [Par D]: We also see the influence of the Green movement, such
E
as in the deployment of technology for solar-heated homes. The energy crisis was
making itself felt, reflecting fears about a future not quite as rosy as that predicted by
Popular Mechanics in 1950. Whereas in the 1960s the General Electric Company was
N
exhorting consumers to ‘Live Electrically’, in the 1970s, the Edison Electric Company
found it necessary to address the energy crisis directly in their advertisements.
Q 24. There was a link between our interest in the future and increased
consumerism.
ZO
Answer: C 1950s
Part of the passage [Par B]: The overriding message of the 1950s vision of the house
of the future is that one can access the wonders of the future through the purchase of
domestic technology today. ‘by focusing on improving technology … the future becomes
strictly a matter of things, their invention, improvement, and acquisition’.
S
Q 25. One magazine predicted that disposable plates would be used.

LT
Answer: C 1950s
Part of the passage [Par B]: The magazine Popular Mechanics did a special feature in
February 1950 entitled, ‘Miracles You’ll See in the Next Fifty Years’. ‘Housewives in 50
years may wash dirty dishes-right down the drain! Cheap plastic would melt in hot water’.
IE
Q 26. A new expression for ‘the perfect home’ was introduced.
Answer: A 1920s
Part of the passage [Par A]: The term ‘home of tomorrow’ first came into usage in the
1920s to describe the ‘ideal house for future living.
181
Day 15 Answer Keys
DAY 15
READING PASSAGE 3
Questions 27 – 31
Q 27. In paragraph 1, the writer uses the term ‘idle speculation’ to refer to the
study of
Answer: C when people began to talk.
E
Part of the passage: Pinpointing the origin of language might seem like idle speculation,
because sound does not fossilise.
N
Q 28. What does the writer tell us about FOXP2?
Answer: D It could have first occurred 200,000 years ago.

ZO
Part of the passage: FOXP2 in humans differs only slightly from the gene in chimpan-
zees, and may be about 200,000 years old, slightly older than the earliest modern hu-
mans.
Q 29. In paragraph 2, what notion does the writer refer to as being ‘rather silly’?
Answer: B That man could travel around the world unable to talk.
S
Part of the passage: How could our speechless Homo sapiens ancestors colonize the
ancient world, spreading from Africa to Asia, and perhaps making a short sea-crossing to
Indonesia, without language?
LT
Q 30. Why does the writer refer to ‘lions’ in paragraph 3?
Answer: A To illustrate the type of communication needs faced by early man.

IE
Part of the passage: Nevertheless, the complexity of human expression may have start-
ed off as simple stages in animal ‘thinking’ or problem-solving. For example, number
processing (how many lions are we up against?)...
Q 31. Gelada baboons are mentioned in order to show that
Answer: A using grooming to form social bonds limits the size of a social group.
Part of the passage: Apes are reliant on grooming to stick together, and that basically
constrains their social complexity to groups of 50.
182
Questions 32 – 40
Q 32. There is physical evidence of increased human intelligence up to 400,000

years ago.
Answer: B Noble and Davidson
Part of the passage: Davidson and Noble, who reject Dunbar’s gossip theory, suggest
that there was a significant increase in brain size from about 400,000 years ago, and this
may correlate with increasing infant dependence.
Q 33. In the modern world, gossiping is seen in a negative way.
E
Answer: D Bastion
N
Part of the passage: Giselle Bastion, who recently completed her PhD at Flinders
University, argues that gossip has acquired a bad name, being particularly associated
with women and opposed by men who are defending their supposedly objective world.
ZO
Q 34. Language must have developed before art and travel.
Part of the passage: William Noble and lain Davidson … conclude that language is
a feature of anatomically modern humans, and an essential precursor of the earliest
symbolic pictures in rock art, ritual burial, major sea-crossings, structured shelters and
hearths-all dating, they argue, to the last 100,000 years.
S
Q 35. The development of human language can be gauged by studying other

species.
LT
Answer: A Hauser
Part of the passage: Marc Hauser (Harvard University) and colleagues argue that the
study of animal behavior and communication can teach us how the faculty of language
in the narrow human sense evolved. Other animals don’t come close to understanding
IE
our sophisticated thought processes. Nevertheless, the complexity of human expression

may have started off as simple stages in animal ‘thinking’ or problem-solving. For ex-
ample, number processing (how many lions are we up against?), navigation (time to fly
south for the winter), or social relations (we need teamwork to build this shelter). In other
words, we can potentially track language by looking at the behavior of other animals.
Q 36. Gossiping makes humans feel good.
Answer: C Dunbar
Part of the passage: Dunbar notes that just as grooming releases opiates that create a
183
Day 15 Answer Keys
feeling of wellbeing in monkeys and apes, so do the smiles and laughter associated with
human banter.
Q 37. The actions of early humans could have evolved into a form of
communication.
Part of the passage: William Noble and lain Davidson (University of New England) look
for the origin of language in early symbolic behavior and the evolutionary selection in fine
motor control. For example, throwing and making stone tools could have developed into
simple gestures like pointing that eventually entailed a sense of self-awareness. They
E
argue that language is a form of symbolic communication that has its roots in behavioral
evolution.
N
Q 38. The first language emerged through a parent talking to an infant.
Answer: E Falk
ZO
Part of the passage: Dean Falk (Florida State University) suggests that, before the first
smattering of language there was motherese, that musical gurgling between a mother
and her baby, along with a lot of eye contact and touching.
Q 39. Gossip was the first purpose of human communication.
Answer: C Dunbar
S
Part of the passage: Robin Dunbar (University of Liverpool) believes they were proba-
bly talking about each other-in other words, gossiping.
LT
Q 40. Early humans used language to help them live together.
Answer: C Dunbar
Part of the passage: Dunbar argues that gossip provides the social glue permitting hu-
mans to live in cohesive groups up to the size of about 150, found in population studies
IE
among hunter-gatherers, personal networks and corporate organizations.
184
DAY 16
READING PASSAGE 1
Questions 1 – 6
Q 1. City transport developed slower than other means of communication.
Meaning: Did city transport develop slower in comparison with other means of
communication?
E
Answer: True
N
Part of the passage: THIS is ludicrous! We can talk to people anywhere in the world or
fly to meet them in a few hours. We can even send probes to other planets. But when it
comes to getting around our cities, we depend on systems that have scarcely changed
since the days of Gottlieb Daimler.
ZO
Explanation: Talking to people, sending probes to other planets are two means of
communication which are faster than getting around in cities.
Q 2. The pollution caused by city transport has been largely ignored.
Meaning: Has the issue of pollution from city transport been largely ignored?
Answer: False
S
Part of the passage: In recent years, the pollution belched out by millions of vehicles
has dominated the debate about transport. The problem has even persuaded Califor-
LT
nia—that home of car culture—to curb traffic growth.
Explanation: It has NOT been ignored, in fact the opposite is true: it dominated the
debate, even persuaded California to curb (limit) traffic growth.
IE
Q 3. Most states in America have taken actions to reduce vehicle growth.
Meaning: Have the majority of states in America taken action to reduce vehicle
growth?
Answer: Not Given
Part of the passage: The problem has even persuaded California—that home of car
culture—to curb traffic growth. But no matter how green they become, cars are unlikely
to get us around crowded cities any faster.
Explanation: This part of the passage mentions only California, but no any other state.

Day 16 Answer Keys
Q 4. Public transport is particularly difficult to use on steep hills.
Meaning: Is it difficult to use public transport on steep hills?
Answer: Not Given
Part of the passage: And persuading people to use trains and buses will always be an
uphill struggle. Cars, after all, are popular for very good reasons, as anyone with small
children or heavy shopping knows.
Explanation: an uphill struggle/battle/fight (idiom) - needing a large amount of effort

(it is not related to steep hills at all)
E
Q 5. Private cars are much more convenient for those who tend to buy a lot of
things during shopping.
N
Meaning: Are private cars much more convenient for those with heavy shopping?
Answer: True
ZO
Part of the passage:Cars, after all, are popular for very good reasons, as anyone with
small children or heavy shopping knows.
Q 6. Government should impose compulsory restrictions on car use.
Meaning: Should governments introduce compulsory (must) restrictions on car use?

S
Answer: False
Part of the passage: So politicians should be trying to lure people out of their cars, not
LT
forcing them out.
Explanation: NOT force them out = opposite of compulsory restrictions
Questions 7 – 12
IE
Q 7. It is likely to be resisted by both individuals and manufacturers.
Answer: A PRT only
Part of the passage: With PRT, the infrastructure would have to come first—and that
would cost megabucks. What’s more, any transport system that threatened the car’s
dominance would be up against all those with a stake in maintaining the status quo, from
private car owners to manufacturers and oil multinationals. ....Unlike PRT, such a system
(RUF) could grow organically, as each network would serve a large area around it and
people nearby could buy into it. And a dual-mode system might even win the support of
186
car manufacturers, who could easily switch to producing dual-mode vehicles.
Q 8. It can run at high speed in cities.
Answer: C both PRT and RUF
Part of the passage: with no traffic lights, pedestrians or parked cars to slow things
down, PRT guideways can carry far more traffic, nonstop, than any inner city road....
the RUF vehicle—the term comes from a Danish saying meaning to “go fast”—would
become an electric car.
Q 9. It is not necessary to share with the general public.
E
Answer: C both PRT and RUF
N
Part of the passage: You wouldn’t have to share your space with strangers, and with no
traffic lights, pedestrians or parked cars to slow things down, PRT guideways can carry
far more traffic, nonstop, than any inner city road.
ZO
Explanation: there is nothing about sharing with regard to RUF (dual-mode driving)
system.
Q 10. It is always controlled by a computer.
Answer: A PRT only
Part of the passage: The Danish RUF system envisaged by Palle Jensen, for example,
S
resembles PRT but with one key difference: vehicles have wheels as well as a slot allow-
ing them to travel on a monorail, so they can drive off the rail onto a normal road.
LT
Explanation: with PRT, you hop into a computer-controlled car, but what makes RUF
different from PRT is that it can also be converted into a usual human-drive car mode.
Q 11. It can run on existing roads.
Answer: B RUF only

IE
Part of the passage: The Danish RUF system envisaged by Palle Jensen, for exam-
ple, resembles PRT but with one key difference: vehicles have wheels as well as a slot
allowing them to travel on a monorail, so they can drive off the rail onto a normal road.
Explanation: See Q10 explanation.
Q 12. It can be bought by private buyers.
Answer: B RUF only
187
Day 16 Answer Keys
Part of the passage: Build a fast network of guideways in a busy city centre and people
would have a strong incentive not just to use public RUF vehicles, but also to buy their
own dual-mode vehicle.
Explanation: the text does not mention that PRT can be owned by individuals, but
makes it clear that this idea is not accepted by private car owners, so one can make the
inference that PRT vehicles cannot be bought.
Question 13
Answer: C low pollution
E
Part of the passage: In recent years, the pollution belched out by millions of vehicles
has dominated the debate about transport. The problem has even persuaded Califor-
N
nia—that home of car culture—to curb traffic growth. But no matter how green they be-
come, cars are unlikely to get us around crowded cities any faster. And persuading peo-
ple to use trains and buses will always be an uphill struggle. Cars, after all, are popular
for very good reasons, as anyone with small children or heavy shopping knows.
ZO
So politicians should be trying to lure people out of their cars, not forcing them out.
There’s certainly no shortage of alternatives. Perhaps the most attractive is the concept
known as personal rapid transit (PRT), independently invented in the US and Europe in
the 1950s.
Answer: E speed
S
Part of the passage: and with no traffic lights, pedestrians or parked cars to slow things
down, PRT guideways can carry far more traffic, nonstop, than any inner city road.
LT
Answer: F safety
Part of the passage: Of course, creating a new transport system will not be cheap or
easy. But unlike adding a dedicated bus lane here or extending the underground railway
there, an innovative system such as Jensen’s could transform cities.
IE
And it’s not just a matter of saving a few minutes a day. According to the Red Cross,
more than 30 million people have died in road accidents in the past century—three times
the number killed in the First World War—and the annual death toll is rising. And what’s
more, the Red Cross believes road accidents will become the third biggest cause of
death and disability by 2020, ahead of diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis. Surely
we can find a better way to get around?
188
DAY 17
READING PASSAGE 2
Questions 14 – 20
Q 14. Paragraph A
Answer: IV Physical characteristics that allow birds to migrate
E
Part of the passage: Birds have many unique design features that enable them to
perform such amazing feats of endurance. They are equipped with lightweight, hollow
bones, intricately designed feathers providing both lift and thrust for rapid flight, naviga-
N
tion systems superior to any that man has developed, and an ingenious heat conserv-
ing design that, among other things, concentrates all blood circulation beneath layers of
warm, waterproof plumage, leaving them fit to face life in the harshest of climates. Their
respiratory systems have to perform efficiently during sustained flights at altitude, so they
ZO
have a system of extracting oxygen from their lungs that far exceeds that of any other an-
imal. During the later stages of the summer breeding season, when food is plentiful, their
bodies are able to accumulate considerable layers of fat, in order to provide sufficient
energy for their long migratory flights.
Q 15. Paragraph B
Answer: V The main reason why birds migrate

S
Part of the passage: The fundamental reason that birds migrate is to find adequate
food during the winter months when it is in short supply. This particularly applies to birds
that breed in the temperate and Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where food is
LT
abundant during the short growing season. Many species can tolerate cold temperatures
if food is plentiful, but when food is not available they must migrate. However, intriguing
questions remain.
Q 16. Paragraph C
IE
Answer: II The unexplained rejection of closer feeding ground
Part of the passage: One puzzling fact is that many birds journey much further than
would be necessary just to find food and good weather. Nobody knows, for instance,
why British swallows, which could presumably survive equally well if they spent the winter
in equatorial Africa, instead fly several thousands of miles further to their preferred winter
home in South Africa’s Cape Province. Another mystery involves the huge migrations
performed by arctic terns and mudflat-feeding shorebirds that breed close to Polar Re-
gions. In general, the further north a migrant species breeds, the further south it spends
the winter. For arctic terns this necessitates an annual round trip of 25,000 miles. Yet, en
route to their final destination in far-flung southern latitudes, all these individuals overfly
189
Day 17 Answer Keys
other areas of seemingly suitable habitat spanning two hemispheres. While we may not
fully understand birds’ reasons for going to particular places, we can marvel at their feats.
Q 17. Paragraph D
Answer: X Mysterious migration despite lack of teaching
Part of the passage: One of the greatest mysteries is how young birds know how to
find the traditional wintering areas without parental guidance. Very few adults migrate
with juveniles in tow, and youngsters may even have little or no inkling of their parents’
appearance. A familiar example is that of the cuckoo, which lays its eggs in another
species’ nest and never encounters its young again. It is mind boggling to consider that,
E
once raised by its host species, the young cuckoo makes it own way to ancestral winter-
ing grounds in the tropics before returning single-handedly to northern Europe the next
season to seek out a mate among its own kind. The obvious implication is that it inherits
N
from its parents an inbuilt route map and direction-finding capability, as well as a mental
image of what another cuckoo looks like. Yet nobody has the slightest idea as to how this
is possible.
Q 18. Paragraph E
ZO
Answer: VII Research findings on how birds migrate
Part of the passage: Mounting evidence has confirmed that birds use the positions of
the sun and stars to obtain compass directions. They seem also to be able to detect
the earth’s magnetic field, probably due to having minute crystals of magnetite in the
region of their brains. However, true navigation also requires an awareness of position
S
and time, especially when lost. Experiments have shown that after being taken thousands
of miles over an unfamiliar landmass, birds are still capable of returning rapidly to nest
sites. Such phenomenal powers are the product of computing a number of sophisticated
LT
cues, including an inborn map of the night sky and the pull of the earth’s magnetic field.
How the birds use their ‘instruments’ remains unknown, but one thing is clear: they see
the world with a superior sensory perception to ours. Most small birds migrate at night
and take their direction from the position of the setting sun. However, as well as seeing
the sun go down, they also seem to see the plane of polarized light caused by it, which
calibrates their compass. Traveling at night provides other benefits. Daytime predators
IE
are avoided and the danger of dehydration due to flying for long periods in warm, sunlit
skies is reduced. Furthermore, at night the air is generally cool and less turbulent and so
conducive to sustained, stable flight.
Explanation: At first, I thought the correct heading was I The best moment to migrate,
and I disregarded the heading VII Research findings on how birds migrate because I
focused on the word “findings”, rather than more important part “how birds migrate”. Now
I highlighted this part in blue as well the part of the passage which paraphrases this idea
in the same color. I hope you can learn from my mistake.

Q 19. Paragraph F
Answer: I The best moment to migrate
Part of the passage: Nevertheless, all journeys involve considerable risk, and part of
the skill in arriving safely is setting off at the right time. This means accurate weather
forecasting, and utilizing favorable winds. Birds are adept at both, and, in laboratory
tests, some have been shown to detect the minute difference in barometric pressure
between the floor and ceiling of a room. Often birds react to weather changes before
there is any visible sign of them. Lapwings, which feed on grassland, flee west from the
Netherlands to the British Isles, France and Spain at the onset of a cold snap. When the
ground surface freezes the birds could starve. Yet they return to Holland ahead of a thaw,
E
their arrival linked to a pressure change presaging an improvement in the weather.
Q 20. Paragraph G
N
Answer: VIII Successful migration despite trouble of wind
Part of the passage: In one instance a Welsh Manx shearwater carried to America and
ZO
released was back in its burrow on Skokholm Island, off the Pembrokeshire coast, one
day before a letter announcing its release! Conversely, each autumn a small number
of North American birds are blown across the Atlantic by fast-moving westerly tail
winds. Not only do they arrive safely in Europe, but, based on ringing evidence,
some make it back to North America the following spring, after probably spending
the winter with European migrants in sunny African climes.
S
Questions 21 – 22
Answer: A Birds often fly further than they need to.

LT
Part of the passage [Par C]: that many birds journey much further than would be
necessary just to find food and good weather.
Answer: C Birds flying at night need less water.

IE
Part of the passage [Par E]: Traveling at night provides other benefits. Daytime pred-
ators are avoided and the danger of dehydration due to flying for long periods in warm,
sunlit skies is reduced. Furthermore, at night the air is generally cool and less turbulent
and so conducive to sustained, stable flight.
Comment: B is incorrect because Par C mentions how young birds can find their way
while migrating without parental guidance (no family, but still safe);
D is very close, but still not 100% correct because even though Par E mentions birds
see the world with a superior sensory perception to ours, it does not specifically say birds
have sharper eye-sight than humans. Sensory perception is not only about vision, but
191
Day 17 Answer Keys
also includes other senses such as taste, smell, touch and etc.
E is incorrect because of the limiting word ‘only’.
Questions 23 – 26
Q 23. It is a great mystery that young birds like cuckoos can find their wintering
grounds without …………… .
Answer: guidance
E
Part of the passage [Par D]: One of the greatest mysteries is how young birds know
how to find the traditional wintering areas without parental guidance.
N
Q 24. Evidence shows birds can tell directions like a ……………. by observing the
sun and the stars.
Answer: compass
ZO
Part of the passage [Par E]: Mounting evidence has confirmed that birds use the
positions of the sun and stars to obtain compass directions.
Q 25. One advantage for birds flying at night is that they can avoid contact with
…………… .
Answer: predators
S
Part of the passage [Par E]: Traveling at night provides other benefits. Daytime
predators are avoided...
LT
Q 26. Laboratory tests show that birds can detect weather without ……………
signs.
Answer: visible
IE
Part of the passage [Par F]: Often birds react to weather changes before there is any
visible sign of them.
192
DAY 18
READING PASSAGE 3
Questions 27 – 31
Q 27. Video game use amongst preschool children is higher in the US than in other
countries.
Meaning: Is it higher in the US than in other countries? Is there comparison with other
E
countries?
Answer: Not Given
N
Part of the passage: Although video games were first developed for adults, they are no
longer exclusively reserved for the grown ups in the home. In 2006, Rideout and Hamel
reported that as many as 29 percent of preschool children (children between two and
ZO
six years old) in the United States had played console video games, and 18 percent had
played hand-held ones.
Explanation: We do not know whether this figure is higher than in other countries;
because the text only mentions the US.
Q 28. The proportion of preschool children using video games is likely to rise.
Meaning: Is it going to increase in the future?

S
Answer: Yes
LT
Part of the passage: Given young children’s insatiable eagerness to learn, coupled with
the fact that they are clearly surrounded by these media, we predict that preschoolers
will both continue and increasingly begin to adopt video games for personal enjoyment.
Q 29. Parents in the US who own gaming equipment generally allow their children
IE
to play with it.
Meaning: Are children allowed to use their parents’ gaming equipment in the US?
Answer: Not Given
Part of the passage: once a game system enters the household it is potentially available
for all family members, including the youngest.
Explanation: It does not necessarily mean that parents are explicitly giving their
permission for children to use the game.
193
Day 18 Answer Keys
Q 30. The type of research which manufacturers usually do is aimed at improving

game design.
Meaning: Is research usually aimed at improving the design?
Answer: No
Part of the passage: Research in the video game market is typically done at two stag-
es: some time close to the end of the product cycle, in order to get feedback from con-
sumers, so that a marketing strategy can be developed; and at the very end of the
product cycle to ‘fix bugs’ in the game. While both of those types of research are im-
portant, and may be appropriate for dealing with adult consumers, neither of them aids
E
in designing better games, especially when it comes to designing for an audience that
may have particular needs, such as preschoolers or senior citizens.
N
Q 31. Both old and young games consumers require research which is specifically
targeted.
Meaning: Do they need to conduct specific research to meet the needs of both old and
young customers?
ZO
Answer: Yes
Part of the passage: ...especially when it comes to designing for an audience that may
have particular needs, such as preschoolers or senior citizens. Instead, exploratory and
formative research has to be undertaken in order to truly understand those audiences,
their abilities, their perspective, and their needs.
S
Questions 32 – 36
LT
Q 32. Preschool children find many electronic games difficult, because neither
their motor skills nor their …………… are sufficiently developed.
Answer: C cognitive skills
Part of the passage: In addition to their still developing motor skills (which make manip-
IE
ulating a controller with small buttons difficult), many of the major stumbling blocks are
cognitive.
Q 33. Certain types of control are hard for these children to manipulate: for exam-
ple, …………… can be more effective than styluses.
Answer: E fingers
Part of the passage: One of the very interesting aspects of the DS is that the interface,
which is designed to respond to stylus interactions, can also effectively be used with
the tip of the finger. This is particularly noteworthy in the context of preschoolers for two
194
reasons. Firstly, as they have trouble with fine motor skills and their hand-eye coordina-
tion is still in development, they are less exact with their stylus movements; and secondly,
their fingers are so small that they mimic the stylus very effectively, and therefore by
using their fingers they can often be more accurate in their game interactions.
Q 34 – 35. Also, although they already have the ability to relate 34 …………… to
real-world objects... preschool children are largely unable to understand the con-
nection between their own 35 …………… and the movements they can see on the
screen.
34 Answer: F pictures
E
Part of the passage: Though preschoolers are learning to think symbolically, and under-
stand that pictures can stand for real-life objects.
N
35 Answer: A actions
Part of the passage: Mapping is yet another obstacle since preschoolers may be unable
to understand that there is a direct link between how the controller is used and the activ-
ZO
ities that appear before them on screen.
Q 36. Finally, very few preschool children can understand …………… .
Answer: I written menus
Part of the passage: the vast majority are still unable to read and write. Thus, using
text-based menu selections is not viable.
S
Questions 37 – 40
LT
Q 37. In 2007, what conclusion did games producers at Nickelodeon come to?
Answer: B One of their hardware products would probably be suitable for

preschoolers.
IE
Part of the passage: In the spring of 2007, our preschool-game production team at
Nickelodeon had a hunch that the Nintendo DS* — with its new features, such as the
microphone, small size and portability, and its relatively low price point — was a ripe
gaming platform for preschoolers.
Q 38. The study carried out by Nickelodeon
Answer: C investigated the specific characteristics of the target market.
Part of the passage: What exactly preschoolers could do with the system, however,
was a bit of a mystery. So we set about doing a study to answer the query: What could

Day 18 Answer Keys
we expect preschoolers to be capable of in the context of hand-held game play, and

how might the child development literature inform us as we proceeded with the creation
of a new outlet for this age group?
Explanation: It shows that the aim of the study was to find out what preschoolers might
be able to do with a hand-held game and what the literature could tell them about child
development.
Q 39. Which problem do the writers highlight concerning games instructions for
young children?
Answer: A Spoken instructions take up a lot of the available memory.
E
Part of the passage: Over the course of our study, we gained many insights into how
preschoolers interact with various platforms, including the DS. For instance, all instruc-
N
tions for preschoolers need to be in voiceover, and include visual representations, and
this has been one of the most difficult areas for us to negotiate with respect to game
design on the DS. Because the game cartridges have very limited memory capacity,
particularly in comparison to console or computer games, the ability to capture large
ZO
amounts of voiceover data via sound files or visual representations of instructions be-
comes limited. Text instructions take up minimal memory, so they are preferable from a
technological perspective.
Q 40. Which is the best title for Reading Passage 3?
Answer: B Researching and designing video games for preschool children

S
Explanation: The passage deals with a piece of research which helped to design video
games for preschool children; the passage does not deal with the issues.
LT
IE
196
DAY 19
READING PASSAGE 1
Questions 1 – 5
Q 1. The activities going on at the MIT campus are like those at any other university.
Meaning: Is MIT similar to other universities in terms of activities on campus?
Answer: False
E
Part of the passage: But, as you quickly realise when you step inside the Massachu-
setts Institute of Technology, there’s precious little going on that you would normally see
N
on a university campus.
Explanation: little – negative;

a little – positive
ZO
Q 2. Harvard and MIT shared a similar approach to education when they were
founded.
Meaning: Do Harvard and MIT share a similar approach to education right from the start?
Answer: False
Part of the passage: While Harvard stuck to the English model of a classical education,
with its emphasis on Latin and Greek, MIT looked to the German system of learning
S
based on research and hands-on experimentation.
Q 3. The school motto was suggested by a former MIT student.

LT
Meaning: Did former MIT student come up with the school motto?
Answer: Not Given
Part of the passage: This down-to-earth quality is enshrined in the school motto, Mens
IE
et manus – Mind and hand – as well as its logo, which shows a gowned scholar standing
beside an ironmonger bearing a hammer and anvil. That symbiosis of intellect and crafts-
manship still suffuses the institute’s classrooms, where students are not so much taught
as engaged and inspired.
Explanation: There is information in the text about who suggested this motto
Q 4. MIT’s logo reflects the belief that intellect and craftsmanship go together.
Meaning: Does MIT’s logo show intellect and craftsmanship together?
Answer: True
197
Day 19 Answer Keys
Part of the passage: as well as its logo, which shows a gowned scholar standing beside
an ironmonger bearing a hammer and anvil. That symbiosis of intellect and craftsman-
ship still suffuses the institute’s classrooms, where students are not so much taught as
engaged and inspired.
Q 5. Silicon Valley companies pay higher salaries to graduates from MIT.
Meaning: Do MIT graduates receive higher salaries from Silicon Valley?
Answer: Not Given
Part of the passage: As such, he might become one of many MIT graduates who go
on to form companies that fail. Alternatively, he might become one of those who go on
E
to succeed in spectacular fashion. And there are many of them. A survey of living MIT
alumni* found that they have formed 25,800 companies, employing more than three
million people, including about a quarter of the workforce of Silicon Valley.
N
Explanation: The text does not mention salaries, let alone comparing MIT graduates
with other employees. ZO
Questions 6 – 9
Part of the passage: Take Christopher Merrill, 21, a third-year undergraduate in com-
puter science. He is spending most of his time on a competition set in his robotics class.
The contest is to see which student can most effectively program a robot to build a
house out of blocks in under ten minutes. Merrill says he could have gone for the easiest
route – designing a simple robot that would build the house quickly. But he wanted to try
to master an area of robotics that remains unconquered – adaptability, the ability of the
robot to rethink its plans as the environment around it changes, as would a human. ‘I like
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to take on things that have never been done before rather than to work in an iterative way
just making small steps forward,’ he explains.
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Merrill is already planning the start-up he wants to set up when he graduates in a year’s
time. He has an idea for an original version of a contact lens that would augment reality
by allowing consumers to see additional visual information.
Q 6. Degree subject:
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Answer: computer science
Key words: 3rd year undergraduate
Q 7. Competition: to ……………… the automated construction of a house
Answer: program
Key words: a competition to see which student can most effectively program a robot to
build a house...
Q 8. Special focus on: the ……………… of robots
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Answer: adaptability
Key words: wanted to master an area of robotics that remain unconquered
Q 9. Future plans: to develop new type of ………………
Answer: contact lens
Key words: he has an idea for an original version of a contact lens
Questions 10 – 13
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Q 10. What proportion of workers at Silicon Valley are employed in companies set
up by MIT graduates?
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Answer: a quarter
Part of the passage: A survey of living MIT alumni* found that they have formed 25,800
companies, employing more than three million people, including about a quarter of the
workforce of Silicon Valley
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Q 11. What problem does MIT’s Energy Initiative aim to solve?
Answer: global warming
Part of the passage: Or in its Energy Initiative, which acts as a bridge for MIT’s com-
bined work across all its five schools, channeling huge resources into the search for a
solution to global warming.
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Q 12. Which ‘green’ innovation might MIT’s work with viruses help improve?
Answer: electric cars

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Part of the passage: It is also forging ahead with alternative energies from solar to wind
and geothermal, and has recently developed the use of viruses to synthesise batteries
that could prove crucial in the advancement of electric cars.
Q 13. In which part of the university does Tim Berners-Lee enjoy stimulating
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conversations with other MIT staff?
Answer: (the) corridors
Part of the passage: Even though I spend my time with my head buried in the details of
web technology, the nice thing is that when I do walk the corridors, I bump into people
who are working in other fields with their students that are fascinating, and that keeps me
intellectually alive.’
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Day 20 Answer Keys
DAY 20
READING PASSAGE 2
Questions 14 – 20
Q 14. Section A
Answer: V An impossible task for any human
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Part of the passage: Row upon row, tomato plants stand in formation inside a green-
house. To reproduce, most flowering plants depend on a third party to transfer pollen
between their male and female parts. Some require extra encouragement to give up that
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golden dust. The tomato flower, for example, needs a violent shake, a vibration roughly
equivalent to 30 times the pull of Earth’s gravity, explains Arizona entomologist Stephen
Buchmann. Growers have tried numerous ways to rattle pollen from tomato blossoms.
They have used shaking tables, air blowers and blasts of sound. But natural means
seem to work better.
ZO
Q 15. Section B
Answer: VIII Some obvious and less obvious pollen carriers
Part of the passage: It is no surprise that nature’s design works best. What’s aston-
ishing is the array of workers that do it: more than 200,000 individual animal species,
by varying strategies, help the world’s 240,000 species of flowering plants make more
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flowers. Flies and beetles are the original pollinators, going back to when flowering plants
first appeared 130 million years ago. As for bees, scientists have identified some 20,000
distinct species so far. Hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, wasps and ants are also up to
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the job. Even non-flying mammals do their part: sugar-loving opossums, some rainforest
monkeys, and lemurs in Madagascar, all with nimble hands that tear open flower stalks
and furry coats to which pollen sticks. Most surprising, some lizards, such as geckos, lap
up nectar and pollen and then transport the stuff on their faces and feet as they forage
onward.
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Q 16. Section C
Answer: VI The preferred pollinator
Part of the passage: All that messy diversity, unfortunately, is not well suited to the mono-
crops and mega-yields of modern commercial farmers. Before farms got so big, says
conservation biologist Claire Kremen of the University of California, Berkeley, ‘we didn’t
have to manage pollinators. They were all around because of the diverse landscapes.
Now you need to bring in an army to get pollination done.’ The European honeybee was
first imported to the US some 400 years ago. Now at least a hundred commercial crops
rely almost entirely on managed honeybees, which beekeepers raise and rent out to tend

to big farms. And although other species of bees are five to ten times more efficient, on a
per-bee basis, at pollinating certain fruits, honeybees have bigger colonies, cover longer
distances, and tolerate management and movement better than most insects. They’re
not picky – they’ll spend their time on almost any crop. It’s tricky to calculate what their
work is truly worth; some economists put it at more than $200 billion globally a year.
Q 17. Section D
Answer: X An unexpected setback
Part of the passage: Industrial-scale farming, however, may be wearing down the sys-
tem. Honeybees have suffered diseases and parasite infestations for as long as they’ve
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been managed, but in 2006 came an extreme blow. Around the world, bees began to
disappear over the winter in massive numbers. Beekeepers would lift the lid of a hive and
be amazed to find only the queen and a few stragglers, the worker bees gone. In the US,
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a third to half of all hives crashed; some beekeepers reported colony losses near 90 per-
cent. The mysterious culprit was named colony collapse disorder (CCD) and it remains
an annual menace – and an enigma.
Q 18. Section E
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Answer: I Looking for clues
Part of the passage: When it first hit, many people, from agronomists to the public,
assumed that our slathering of chemicals on agricultural fields was to blame for the
mystery. Indeed, says Jeff Pettis of the USDA Bee Research Laboratory, ‘we do find
more disease in bees that have been exposed to pesticides, even at low levels.’ But
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it is likely that CCD involves multiple stressors. Poor nutrition and chemical exposure,
for instance, might wear down a bee’s immunities before a virus finishes the insect off.
It’s hard to tease apart factors and outcomes, Pettis says. New studies reveal that fun-
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gicides – not previously thought toxic to bees – can interfere with microbes that break
down pollen in the insects’ guts, affecting nutrient absorption and thus long-term health
and longevity. Some findings pointed to viral and fungal pathogens working together. ‘I
only wish we had a single agent causing all the declines,’ Pettis says, ‘that would make
our work much easier.’
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Q 19. Section F
Answer: III Solutions to a more troublesome issue
Part of the passage: However, habitat loss and alteration, he says, are even more of
a menace to pollinators than pathogens. Claire Kremen encourages farmers to cultivate
the flora surrounding farmland to help solve habitat problems. ‘You can’t move the farm,’
she says, ‘but you can diversify what grows in its vicinity: along roads, even in tractor
yards.’ Planting hedgerows and patches of native flowers that bloom at different times
and seeding fields with multiple plant species rather than monocrops ‘not only is better
for native pollinators, but it’s just better agriculture,’ she says. Pesticide-free wildflower
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Day 20 Answer Keys
havens, adds Buchmann, would also bolster populations of useful insects. Fortunately,
too, ‘there are far more generalist plants than specialist plants, so there’s a lot of redun-
dancy in pollination,’ Buchmann says. ‘Even if one pollinator drops out, there are often
pretty good surrogates left to do the job.’ The key to keeping our gardens growing strong,
he says, is letting that diversity thrive.
Q 20. Section G
Answer: IX The undesirable alternative
Part of the passage: Take away that variety, and we’ll lose more than honey. ‘We
wouldn’t starve,’ says Kremen. ‘But what we eat, and even what we wear – pollinators,
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after all, give us some of our cotton and flax – would be limited to crops whose pollen
travels by other means. ‘In a sense,’ she says, ‘our lives would be dictated by the
wind.’ It’s vital that we give pollinators more of what they need and less of what they
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don’t, and ease the burden on managed bees by letting native animals do their part,
say scientists.
Questions 21 – 24
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Q 21. Both …………… were the first creatures to pollinate the world’s plants.
Answer: flies and beetles
Part of the passage [Par B]: Flies and beetles are the original pollinators, going back
to when flowering plants first appeared 130 million years ago.
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Q 22. Monkeys transport pollen on their …………… .

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Answer: furry coats
Part of the passage [Par B]: even non-flying mammals do their part: sugar-loving
opossums, some rainforest monkeys, and lemurs in Madagascar, all with nimble hands
that tear open flower stalks and furry coats to which pollen sticks.
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Q 23. Honeybees are favored pollinators among bee species partly because they
travel ………… .
Answer: longer distances
Part of the passage [Par C]: honeybees have bigger colonies, cover longer distances
Q 24. A feature of CCD is often the loss of all the …………… .
Answer: worker bees
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Part of the passage [Par D]: Beekeepers would lift the lid of a hive and be amazed to
find only the queen and a few stragglers, the worker bees gone (= disappeared)
Questions 25 – 26
Answer: C cultivating a wide range of flowering plants
Why is C correct? Part of the passage [Par F]: encourages farmers to cultivate the
flora surrounding farmland to help solve habitat problems.
Answer: E placing less reliance on honeybees
E
Why is E correct? Part of the passage [Par G]: and ease the burden on managed
bees by letting native animals do their part, say scientists.
N
ZO
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Day 21 Answer Keys
DAY 21
READING PASSAGE 3
Questions 27 – 31
Q 27. Activities related to environmental protection and space exploration have a

common theme.
Answer: Yes
E
Part of the passage: The community that focuses its efforts on the exploration of space
has largely been different from the community focused on the study and protection of the
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Earth’s environment, despite the fact that both fields of interest involve what might be
referred to as ‘scientific exploration’.
Q 28. It is unclear why space exploration evolved in a different way from environ-
mental studies on Earth.
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Answer: No
Part of the passage: The reason for this dichotomous existence is chiefly historical. The
exploration of the Earth has been occurring over many centuries, and the institutions
created to do it are often very different from those founded in the second part of the 20th
century to explore space. This separation is also caused by the fact that space explo-
ration has attracted experts from mainly non-biological disciplines – primarily engineers
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and physicists – but the study of Earth and its environment is a domain heavily populated
by biologists.
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Q 29. Governments tend to allocate more money to environmental projects than

space exploration.
Answer: Not Given

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Part of the passage: In the environmental community, it is not uncommon for space
exploration to be regarded as a waste of money, distracting governments from solving
major environmental problems here at home. In the space exploration community, it is
not uncommon for environmentalists to be regarded as introspective people who divert
attention from the more expansive visions of the exploration of space – the ‘new frontier’.
Explanation: The passage does not compare the allocated budget
Q 30. Unfortunately, the environmental and space exploration communities have

little to offer each other in terms of resources.
Answer: No
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Part of the passage: These perceptions can also be negative in consequence because
the full potential of both communities can be realised better when they work together
to solve problems. For example, those involved in space exploration can provide the
satellites to monitor the Earth’s fragile environments, and environmentalists can provide
information on the survival of life in extreme environments.
Q 31. The Earth and Space Foundation was set up later than it was originally
intended.
Answer: Not Given
Part of the passage: The Earth and Space Foundation, a registered charity, was
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established for the purposes of fostering such links through field research and by direct
practical action.
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Explanation: No mention of original intended date
Questions 32 – 35
ZO
Q 32. What was the significance of the ’novel approach’ adopted in the
Guatemala project?
Answer: C It showed that preserving the forests can be profitable.
Part of the passage: …the Foundation provided a grant to a group of expeditions that
used remote sensing to plan eco-tourism routes in the forests of Guatemala, thus pro-
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viding capital to the local communities through the tourist trade. This novel approach is
now making the protection of the forests a sensible economic decision.
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Q 33. GPS and satellite imagery were used in the Syrian project to
Answer: A help archaeologists find ancient items.
Part of the passage: A part of Syria – ‘the Fertile Crescent’ – was the birthplace of
astronomy, accountancy, animal domestication and many other fundamental develop-
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ments of human civilisation. The Foundation helped fund a large archaeology project
by the Society for Syrian Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles, in
collaboration with the Syrian government that used GPS and satellite imagery to locate
mounds or ’tels’, containing artefacts and remnants of early civilisations. These collec-
tions are being used to build a better picture of the nature of the civilisations that gave
birth to astronomy.
Q 34. One of the purposes of the Foundation’s awards is to
Answer: D establish the long-term continuity of its activities.

Part of the passage: The Foundation will offer awards for expeditions further out in the

Day 21 Answer Keys
solar system once these Mars awards have been claimed. Together, they demonstrate
that the programme really has no boundary in what it could eventually support, and they
provide longevity for the objectives of the Foundation.
Q 35. What is the writer’s purpose in the passage?
Answer: B to explain the nature of the Foundation’s work
Explanation: POE (Process of Elimination) It becomes clearer when you fully under-
stand the passage that the author is not trying to persuade people to support the Foun-
dation (A), nor wants to show views on the Foundation have changed (C). Finally, the
text does not talk about any criticism of the Foundation’s work, and surely the author is
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not rejecting those early criticisms (D).
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Questions 36 – 40
Q 36. Some studies have looked at how humans function in …………… situations.
Answer: B extreme
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Part of the passage: This may include the use of remote environments on Earth, as well
as physiological and psychological studies in harsh environments.
Q 37. In one project, it was decided to review cave explorers in Mexico who tolerate
…………… periods on their own.
Answer: H extended
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Part of the passage: In one research project, the Foundation provided a grant to an
international caving expedition to study the psychology of explorers subjected to
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long-term isolation in caves in Mexico. The psychometric tests on the cavers were used
to enhance US astronaut selection criteria by the NASA Johnson Space Center.
Q 38. It is also possible to prepare for space exploration by studying environments

on Earth that are …………… to those on Mars.
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Answer: A comparable
Part of the passage: Space-like environments on Earth help us understand how to

operate in the space environment or help us characterise extraterrestrial environments
for future scientific research.
Q 39. A huge crater in the Arctic is the …………… place to test the technologies
needed to explore Mars…
Answer: D ideal
Part of the passage: The Foundation helped fund the NASA Haughton–Mars Project to
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use this crater to test communications and exploration technologies in preparation for the
human exploration of Mars. The crater, which sits in high Arctic permafrost, provides an
excellent replica of the physical processes occurring on Mars, a permafrosted, impact-al-
tered planet.
Q 40. and gather other relevant …………… information.
Answer: G scientific
Part of the passage: Geologists and biologists can work at the site to help understand
how impact craters shape the geological characteristics and possibly biological potential
of Mars.
E
N
ZO
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Day 22 Answer Keys
DAY 22
READING PASSAGE 1
Questions 1 – 5
Q 1. The amount of recycled clothing available in the US exceeds demand.
Answer: B
E
Part of the passage: Says Rivoli, ‘There are nowhere near enough people in America
to absorb the mountains of cast-offs, even if they were given away.’
Q 2. Countries like Tanzania will receive even more used clothing from North
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America in the future.
Answer: B ZO
Part of the passage: For Tanzania, where used clothing is sold at the markets that dot
the country, these items are the number one import from the United States. Observers
such as Rivoli predict that the trend toward increasing exports of used clothing to de-
veloping countries will continue to accelerate because of the rise of consumerism in the
United States and Europe and the falling prices of new clothing.
Q 3. A change in manufacturers’ attitudes helped decrease the amount of waste

that was generated.
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Answer: D
Part of the passage: During that war, clothing manufacturers reduced the varieties,
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sizes and colours of their productions and even urged designers to create styles that
would use less fabric and avoid needles decoration. The US government’s conserva-
tion campaign used slogans such as ‘Make economy fashionable lest it become obliga-
tory’ and resulted in an approximate 10% reduction in the production of trash.
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Q 4. Our gender has an influence on our increased desire to shop.
Answer: A
Part of the passage: Fueling the demand are fashion magazines that help create the
desire for new ‘must-have’ for each season. ‘Girls especially are insatiable when it comes
to fashion. They have to have the latest thing,’ says Mayra Diaz, mother of a 10-year-old
girl.
Q 5. A future waste problem may occur because people add to the clothes, they
already own each year.
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Answer: C
Part of the passage: According to the EPA Office of Solid Waste, Americans throw away
more than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person per year, and this represents
about 4% of the municipal solid waste. But this figure is rapidly growing.
Questions 6 – 8
Answer: A increased health problems
Part of the passage: Yet fast fashion leaves a pollution footprint, generating both en-
E
vironmental and occupational hazards. For example, polyester, the most widely used
manufactured fibre, is made from petroleum. With the rise in production in the fash-
ion industry, demand for man-made fibres has nearly doubled in the last 15 years. The
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manufacture of polyester and other synthetic fabrics is an energy-intensive process
requiring large amounts of crude oil and releasing emissions which can cause or ag-
gravate respiratory disease. (A) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers
many textile manufacturing facilities to be hazardous waste generators.
ZO
Answer: C increased use of chemicals
Part of the passage: Cotton, one of the most popular fibres used in clothing manufac-
ture, also has a significant environmental footprint. This crop accounts for a quarter of all
the pesticides used in the United States. (C)
Answer: G production of unwanted dangerous materials

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Part of the passage: The manufacture of polyester and other synthetic fabrics is an
energy-intensive process requiring large amounts of crude oil and releasing emissions
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which can cause or aggravate respiratory disease. The Environmental Protection Agen-
cy (EPA) considers many textile manufacturing facilities to be hazardous waste genera-
tors. (G)
Questions 9 – 13
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Q 9. What is the name of one material that is not natural?
Answer: polyester
Part of the passage: For example, polyester, the most widely used manufactured fibre,
is made from petroleum.
Q 10. What percentage of household garbage is made up of clothes?
Answer: 4%
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Day 22 Answer Keys
Part of the passage: Americans throw away more than 68 pounds of clothing and tex-
tiles per person per year, and this represents about 4% of the municipal solid waste. But
this figure is rapidly growing.
Q 11. In what era did Americans stop reusing old clothes?
Answer: 1920s
Part of the passage: However, the spirit of conservation did not last long; by the
mid-1920s, consumerism was back in style.
Q 12. What has caused the selling of used clothing to increase in the US?
E
Answer: the internet
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Part of the passage: Domestic resale has boomed in the era of the internet. Many
people sell directly to other individuals through auction websites such as eBay.
Q 13. To which country does America export a lot of its good quality used
clothing?
ZO
Answer: Japan
Part of the passage: Certain brands and rare collectible items are imported by Japan.
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DAY 23
READING PASSAGE 2
Questions 1 – 8
Q 1. the significance of the link between consumers reading food labels and
functional foods
Answer: Par E
E
Part of the passage: ‘It starts to make them think about their food in terms of its nutri-
tional components,’ she said, which makes it easier to introduce other ingredients such
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as soy, fiber and many lesser-known compounds.
Q 2. a mention of large companies that are marketing functional foods in several

countries
Answer: Par C
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Part of the passage: Major food giants are actively unveiling products overseas,
including yogurt with probiotic bacteria, to aid digestion.
Q 3. a reference to the success of one functional food in eliminating a disease
Answer: Par A
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Part of the passage: The introduction of iodine to Morton Salt in 1924 was instrumental
in eradicating a dangerous thyroid condition called goiter from the U.S. population. It
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was also the first time a food company purposely added a medically beneficial ingredient
to food to help market that product.
Q 4. the reason why the FDA’s new ‘qualified health claims’ may not benefit
manufacturers
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Answer: Par G
Part of the passage: So far, the FDA has approved only a handful of qualified health
claims and they show the limitations that this new system may have, for consumers and
food companies. ...The agency approved wording that is not quite as snappy for package
design...
Q 5. a prediction of the future sales figures for functional foods
Answer: Par B
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Day 23 Answer Keys
Part of the passage: ‘We expect [the functional foods business] to grow about 7.6 per-
cent annually – that’s about twice as fast as the overall food market is going to be grow-
ing.’
Q 6. a mention of the diet that caused consumers to focus on the ingredients in

food
Answer: Par E
Part of the passage: Food marketing professor Nancy Childs, of St. Joseph’s Uni-
versity in Philadelphia, said the widespread awareness of the low-carb phenomenon
has led many consumers to check food labels while trying to lose weight. ‘It starts to
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make them think about their food in terms of its nutritional components,’ she said, which
makes it easier to introduce other ingredients such as soy, fiber and many lesser-known
compounds.
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Q 7. concern about the limitations of research being carried out into the health
benefits of functional foods
Answer: Par F
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Part of the passage: Consumers will start seeing these claims on packages soon,
though some nutritionists and scientists are worried that the findings aren’t rock solid.
Q 8. the questions regarding functional foods that researchers are concentrating

on
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Answer: Par D
Part of the passage: ‘There’s a lot of research and development going on into what
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kinds of products people want, what kinds of products we can produce to meet the
demand – that taste good and will be successful in the marketplace – and how we
communicate the benefits...
Questions 9 – 13
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Q 9. Early attempts to produce functional foods were not very successful because
Answer: D consumers were ignorant of the benefits of the added ingredients.
Part of the passage: [Par A] Functional foods, or ‘phoods’ as they’re sometimes called
to connote the intersection of food and pharmaceuticals, have been trickling into su-
permarkets over the past several years – think of calcium-enhanced orange juice and
cholesterol-lowering margarine, for example. But they met with mixed success at first
because consumers didn’t know or care enough about the new ingredients.
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Q 10. People are now buying more functional foods because
Answer: F they are more concerned about their health.
Part of the passage: [Par D] Officials at privately owned Energy Brands Inc. attribute
much of the dramatic growth is sales to consumers’ rising interest in nutrition and well-
ness.
Q 11. The FDA has decided to allow health claims on foods because
Answer: C it wants consumers to know that certain foods can improve their health.
E
Part of the passage: [Par F] ‘FDA feels that this does provide more information to the
consumer,’ said Kathleen C. Ellwood, director of the agency’s division of Nutrition Pro-
grams and Labeling. ‘It’s more to empower the consumer, to make them more aware of
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possible health benefits in these foods.’
Q 12. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has taken legal action against
the FDA because
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Answer: B it wants more researchers to support health claims before food is ad-
vertised.
Part of the passage: [Par F] The non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest has
filed suit against the FDA, arguing the new program violates the 1990 Nutrition Labeling
and Education Act, which mandated a higher level of scientific agreement for marketing
the health benefits of ingredients.
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Q 13. The Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science is worried because
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Answer: E it thinks the abundance of health claims will confuse consumers.
Part of the passage: [Par G] Others fear there will be so many claims they will just
become more noise to already bewildered consumers, ‘I’m concerned that too many
such claims will cause consumers to tune out and make all of them ineffective’ said Clare
Hasler, executive director of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at
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the University of California at Davis.
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Day 24 Answer Keys
DAY 24
READING PASSAGE 3
Questions 1 – 5
Q 1. In the first paragraph, what does the writer conclude about ants?
Answer: D They are less impressive as individuals than she thought.
E
Part of the passage: I used to think that ants knew what they were doing. The ones
marching across my kitchen bench looked so confident that I figured they had a plan,
knew where going and what needed to be done. How else could ants organise high-
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ways, build elaborate nests, stage epic raids and do all of the other things ants do? But
it turns out I was wrong. Ants aren’t clever little engineers, architects or warriors after all
– at least not as individuals. When it comes to deciding what to do next, most ants don’t
have a clue. ‘If you watch an ant trying to accomplish something, you’ll be impressed by
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how inept it is,’ says Deborah M Gordon, a biologist at Stanford University. How do we
explain, then, the success of Earth’s 12,000 or so known ant species? They must have
learned something in 140 million years.
Explanation: (A) is wrong because although it is mentioned, the writer does not
conclude this;
(B) is wrong because they achieve great things as a group;

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(C) is wrong because although it is mentioned, the writer does not conclude this.
Q 2. According to the second paragraph, what is the ‘fundamental question’ in

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nature?
Answer: B How do large groups of animals reach an agreement?
Part of the passage: As individuals, ants might be tiny dummies, but as colonies they
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respond quickly and effectively to their environment. They do this with something called
swarm intelligence. Where this intelligence comes from raises a fundamental question
in nature: how do the simple actions of individuals add up to the complex behaviour of a
group? How do hundreds of honeybees make a critical decision about their hive if many
of them disagree? What enables a school of herring to coordinate its movements so
precisely it can change direction in a flash, like a single organism? One key to an ant
colony is that no one’s in charge. No generals command ant warriors. No managers boss
ant workers. The queen plays no role except to lay eggs.
Explanation: (A) is wrong because we are told they do not have a leader;
(C) is wrong because though different species are mentioned, comparing them is
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not the fundamental question;
(D) is wrong because no contrast is raised between insects and mammals.
Q 3. What is the focus of Deborah Gordon’s research?
Answer: C The methods ants use to assign different jobs.
Part of the passage: Consider the problem of job allocation. In the Arizona desert,
where Deborah Gordon studies red harvester ants, a colony calculates each morning
how many workers to send out foraging for food. The number can change, depending
on conditions. Have foragers recently discovered a bonanza of tasty seeds? More ants
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may be needed to haul the bounty home. Was the nest damaged by a storm last night?
Additional maintenance workers may be held back to make repairs. An ant might be a
nest worker one day, a trash collector the next. But how does a colony make such adjust-
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ments if no one’s in charge?
Explanation: (A) is wrong because though bad weather is mentioned, this wasn’t
the focus of the research;
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(B) is wrong because the number of maintenance ants was not the main focus;
(D) is wrong because the queen does not organise the colony.
Q 4. In the fourth paragraph, what are we told about forager and patroller ants?
Answer: B Patrollers’ movements determine what foragers will do.

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Part of the passage: Before they leave the nest each day, foragers normally wait for ear-
ly morning patrollers to return. As patrollers enter the nest, they touch antennae briefly
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with foragers. ‘When a forager has contact with a patroller, it’s a stimulus for the forager
to go out,’ Gordon says. ‘But the forager needs several contacts more than ten seconds
apart before it will go out.’ … Once the ants start foraging and bringing back food, other
ants join the effort, depending on the rate at which they encounter returning foragers.
Explanation: (A) is wrong because no comparison is made between numbers of

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patroller or forager ants;
(C) is wrong because foragers bring back the food and no mention is made of
patrollers carrying food;
(D) is wrong because we do not know how long any of the ants spend outside of
the nest.
Q 5. In an experiment, Deborah Gordon’s team
Answer: A mimicked patroller ants returning to the nest.

Day 24 Answer Keys
Part of the passage: To see how this works, Gordon and her team captured patroller
ants as they left a nest one morning. After waiting half an hour, they simulated the ants’
return by dropping glass beads into the nest entrance at regular intervals – some coated
with patroller scent, some with maintenance worker scent, some with no scent. Only the
beads coated with patroller scent stimulated foragers to leave the nest.
Explanation: (B) is wrong because the researchers did not use food;
(C) is wrong because they captured the patrollers ants, they didn’t follow them;
(D) is wrong because they added different scents to beads, not to the ants.
E
Questions 6 – 9
N
Q 6. Approximately …………… different types of ant have been identified.
Answer: 12,000
ZO
Part of the passage: How do we explain, then, the success of Earth’s 12,000 or so
known ant species?
Q 7. Ants use their …………… to identify another ant.
Answer: antennae
Part of the passage: When one ant bumps into another, it sniffs with its antennae to find
S
out if the other belongs to the same nest and where it has been working.
Q 8. A …………… is one animal that preys on ants.

LT
Answer: lizard
Part of the passage: If not, it’s better to wait. It might be too windy, or there might be a
hungry lizard out there
IE
Q 9. Ant colonies use …………… to reach a decision.
Answer: swarm intelligence
Part of the passage: As individuals, ants might be tiny dummies, but as colonies they
respond quickly and effectively to their environment. They do this with something called
swarm intelligence.
Questions 10 – 13
216
Q 10. First, the scientists …………… each of the bees involved in their experiment.
Answer: F marked
Part of the passage: Seeley and others have been studying colonies of honeybees to
see how they choose a new home. To find out, Seeley’s team applied paint dots and tiny
plastic tags to all 4,000 bees in each of several swarms that they ferried to Appledore
Island.
Q 11. Next the bees were …………… .
Answer: G relocated
E
Part of the passage: ...Seeley’s team applied paint dots and tiny plastic tags to all 4,000
bees in each of several swarms that they ferried to Appledore Island.
N
Q 12. Scout bees inspected the nest boxes and …………… to other bees where the
boxes were.
Answer: E signalled
ZO
Part of the passage: There, they released each swarm to locate nest boxes they had
placed on one side of the island. In one test, they put out five nest boxes. Scout bees
soon appeared at all five boxes. When they returned to the swarm, each performed a
dance urging other scouts to go and have a look. These dances include a code to give
directions to a box’s location.
S
Q 13. They chose their nest box once enough bees had …………… there.
Answer: C gathered
LT
Part of the passage: After a while, a small cloud of bees was buzzing around each box.
As soon as the number of scouts visible near the entrance to a box reached about 15,
the bees at that box sensed that a decision had been reached and returned to the swarm
with the news.
IE
217
Day 25 Answer Keys
DAY 25
READING PASSAGE 1
Questions 1 – 5
Q 1. cost, weight and ………………… difficulties
Answer: storage (space)
E
Part of the passage: There were a number of negative aspects of large metal type. It
was expensive, required a large amount of storage space and was extremely heavy.
N
Explanation: cost = expensive; heavy = weight. ‘Space’ is incorrect because it does not
convey the idea that there is a problem with storing it. However, both storage or storage
space are correct. ZO
Q 2. Darius’s wood drill used in connection with another …………………
Answer: invention
Part of the passage: Commercial pressure for large type was answered with the in-
vention of a system for wood type production. In 1827, Darius Wells invented a special
wood drill – the lateral router – capable of cutting letters on wood blocks. The router was
used in combination with William Leavenworth’s pantograph (1834) to create decorative
wooden letters of all shapes and sizes.
S
Explanation: Both Darius’s wood drill and William Leavenworth’s pantograph are in-
ventions. The word ‘another’ means we need a general noun that would describe both
LT
of these tools. The only general descriptive noun is ‘invention’. Pantograph is the most
common incorrect answer and the reason for that it (pantograph) cannot be considered
another wood drill.
Q 3. lacked both …………………

IE
Answer: colour and design
Part of the passage: The first posters began to appear, but they had little colour and
design; often wooden type was mixed with metal type in a conglomeration of styles.
Explanation: little = not enough (negative)
Q 4. design tool – a …………………
Answer: (greasy) crayon
218
Part of the passage: The method involved drawing with a greasy crayon onto finely
surfaced Bavarian limestone and offsetting that image onto paper.
Explanation: The tool that is used for designing was a (greasy) crayon.
Q 5. had to use a mirror or ………………… to achieve correct image
Answer: transfer paper
Part of the passage: The images and lettering needed to be drawn backwards, often
reflected in a mirror or traced on transfer paper.
E
Explanation: Here the word ‘transfer’ is not optional (cannot be omitted) otherwise the
meaning is slightly different.
N
Questions 6 – 9
Q 6. combination of both ………………… on coloured posters

ZO
Answer: words and images
Part of the passage: Although the process was difficult, the result was remarkable, with
nuances of colour impossible in other media even to this day. The ability to mix words
and images in such an attractive and economical format finally made the lithographic
poster a powerful innovation.
S
Q 7. 1870s – posters used for advertising and ………………… in Europe
Answer: mass communication

LT
Part of the passage: Starting in the 1870s, posters became the main vehicle for adver-
tising prior to the magazine era and the dominant means of mass communication in the
rapidly growing cities of Europe and America.
Q 8. 1884–86 – Cheret’s poster ………………… and book on poster art

IE
Answer: exhibition
Part of the passage: Cheret, later known as ‘the father of the modern poster’, organised
the first exhibition of posters in 1884 and two years later published the first book on
poster art.
Explanation: exhibition of posters = poster exhibition
Q 9. 1890s – posters represent ………………… around the world
219
Day 25 Answer Keys
Answer: (unique) cultural institutions
Part of the passage: Thanks to Cheret, the poster slowly took hold in other countries in
the 1890s and came to celebrate each society’s unique cultural institutions: the café in
France, the opera and fashion in Italy, festivals in Spain, literature in Holland and trade
fairs in Germany.
Questions 10 – 13
Q 10. By the 1950s, photographs were more widely seen than artists’ illustrations
on posters.
E
Meaning: Were photographs more popular/common than artists’ illustrations on posters?
Answer: False
N
Part of the passage: By the 1950s, however, it had begun to share the spotlight with
other media, mainly radio and print. By this time, most posters were printed using the
mass production technique of photo offset, which resulted in the familiar dot pattern seen
ZO
in newspapers and magazines. In addition, the use of photography in posters, begun in
Russia in the twenties, started to become as common as illustration.
Explanation: ‘begun in Russia in the twenties’ is just an additional information and given
as a non-defining relative clause (should be left out to understand the main idea).
Q 11. Features of the Typographic Style can be seen in modern-day posters.

S
Meaning: Can we still see some features of the Typographic Style in modern-day posters?
Answer: True
LT
Part of the passage: The new style came to be known as the International Typographic
Style. It made use of a mathematical grid, strict graphic rules and black-and-white
photography to provide a clear and logical structure. It became the predominant style in
the world in the 1970s and continues to exert its influence today.
IE
Q 12. The Typographic Style met a global need at a particular time in history.
Meaning: Did it meet a global need at a particular time in history?
Answer: True
Part of the passage: it was perfectly suited to the increasingly international post-war
marketplace, where there was a strong demand for clarity. This meant that the accessibility
of words and symbols had to be taken into account. Corporations wanted international
identification, and events such as the Olympics called for universal solutions, which the
Typographic Style could provide.

Explanation: Particular time in history = post-war; need = demand;
Q 13. Weingart got many of his ideas from his students in Basel.
Meaning: Did he get his ideas from his students in Basel?
Answer: Not Given
Part of the passage: However, the International Typographic Style began to lose its
energy in the late 1970s. Many criticised it for being cold, formal and dogmatic. A young
teacher in Basel, Wolfgang Weingart, experimented with the offset printing process
to produce posters that appeared complex and chaotic, playful and spontaneous – all
E
in stark contrast to what had gone before. Weingart’s liberation of typography was an
important foundation for several new styles. These ranged from Memphis and Retro to
the advances now being made in computer graphics.
N
Explanation: The information in the text is not sufficient as we are not informed neither
about his students nor the origins of his ideas.
ZO
S
LT
IE
221
Day 26 Answer Keys
DAY 26
READING PASSAGE 2
Questions 14 – 18
Q 14. a comparison of a range of physical features of Neanderthals and Homo

sapiens
Answer: Par D
E
Part of the passage: Both species were strong and stockier than the average human
today, but Neanderthals were particularly robust. ‘Their skeletons show that they had
N
broad shoulders and thick necks,’ says Stringer. ‘Homo sapiens, on the other hand, had
longer forearms, which undoubtedly enabled them to throw a spear from some distance,
with less danger and using relatively little energy,’ explains Stringer.
ZO
Q 15. reference to items that were once used for trade
Answer: Par E
Part of the passage: Objects such as shell beads and flint tools, discovered many miles
from their source, show that our ancestors travelled over large distances, in order to bar-
ter and exchange useful materials, and share ideas and knowledge.
Q 16. mention of evidence for the existence of a previously unknown human spe-
S
cies
Answer: Par A
LT
Part of the passage: Meanwhile, an unusual finger bone and tooth, discovered in Den-
isova cave in Siberia in 2008, have led scientists to believe that yet another human pop-
ulation – the Denisovans – may also have been widespread across Asia.
IE
Q 17. mention of the part played by ill fortune in the downfall of Neanderthal
society
Answer: Par G
Part of the passage: Stringer thinks that the Neanderthals were just living in the wrong
place at the wrong time. ‘They had to compete with Homo sapiens during a phase of very
unstable climate across Europe. During each rapid climate fluctuation, they may have
suffered greater losses of people than Homo sapiens, and thus were slowly worn down,’
he says. If the climate had remained stable throughout, they might still be here.”
Q 18. reference to the final geographical location of Neanderthals
222
Answer: Par C
Part of the passage: Some 45,000 years later, another fight for survival took place. This
time, the location was Europe and the protagonists were another species, the Neander-
thals. They were a highly successful species that dominated the European landscape for
300,000 years. Yet within just a few thousand years of the arrival of Homo sapiens, their
numbers plummeted. They eventually disappeared from the landscape around 30,000
years ago, with their last known refuge being southern Iberia, including Gibraltar.
Questions 19 – 22
E
Q 19. Analysis of stone tools and …………… has enabled Petraglia’s team to put for-
ward an arrival date for Homo sapiens in eastern India.
N
Answer: sediment layers
Part of the passage: Based on careful examination of the tools and dating of the sed-
iment layers where they were found, Petraglia and his team suggest that Homo sapi-
ZO
ens arrived in eastern India around 78,000 years ago
Q 20. Homo sapiens used both …………… to make sewing implements.
Answer: ivory and bone
Part of the passage: [Par D] Homo sapiens had another skill: weaving and sewing. Ar-
chaeologists have uncovered simple needles fashioned from ivory and bone alongside
S
Homo sapiens, dating as far back as 35,000 years ago.
Q 21. The territorial nature of Neanderthals may have limited their ability to acquire
LT
resources
and ……………
Answer: (new) technologies
Part of the passage: [Par E] By contrast, Neanderthals tended to keep themselves to

IE
themselves, living in small groups. They misdirected their energies by only gathering
resources from their immediate surroundings and perhaps failing to discover new tech-
nologies outside their territory.
Q 22. Archaeologists examined …………… in order to get an insight into Neanderthal

and Homo sapiens’ capacity for language and thought.
Answer: skull shapes
Part of the passage: [Par F] By comparing skull shapes, archaeologists have shown
that Homo sapiens had a more developed temporal lobe – the regions at the side of the
223
Day 26 Answer Keys
brain, associated with listening, language and long-term memory.
Questions 23 – 26
Q 23. No evidence can be found to suggest that Neanderthal communities allocated

tasks to different members.
Answer: C
Part of the passage: [Par F] ‘We see similar kinds of injuries on male and female Ne-
anderthal skeletons, implying there was no such division of labour,’ says Spikins.
E
Q 24. Homo sapiens may have been able to plan ahead.
N
Answer: B
Part of the passage: [Par F] ‘We think that Homo sapiens had a significantly more com-
plex language than Neanderthals and were able to comprehend and discuss concepts
ZO
such as the distant past and future,’ says Stringer.
Q 25. Scientists cannot be sure whether a sudden natural disaster contributed to the
loss of a human species.
Answer: A
Part of the passage: [Par B] ‘We think that Homo sapiens had a more efficient hunt-
S
ing technology, which could have given them the edge,’ says Petraglia. ‘Whether the
eruption of Toba also played a role in the extinction of the Homo erectus-like species is
unclear to us.’
LT
Q 26. Environmental conditions restricted the areas where Homo sapiens and Nean-
derthals could live.
Answer: B
IE
Part of the passage: [Par C] But then Europe’s climate swung into a cold, inhospitable,
dry phase. ‘Neanderthal and Homo sapiens populations had to retreat to refugia (pockets
of habitable land). This heightened competition between the two groups,’ explains Chris
Stringer, anthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London.
224
DAY 27
READING PASSAGE 3
Questions 27 – 31
Q 27. What do you learn about the student in the first paragraph?
Answer: D He did not immediately know how to solve the maths problem.
E
Part of the passage: I peer over his shoulder at his laptop screen to see the math prob-
lem the fifth-grader is pondering. It’s a trigonometry problem. Carpenter, a serious-faced
ten-year-old, pauses for a second, fidgets, then clicks on “0 degrees.” The computer tells
N
him that he’s correct. “It took a while for me to work it out,” he admits sheepishly. The
software then generates another problem, followed by another, until eventually he’s done
ten in a row. ZO
Q 28. What does the writer say about the content of the Khan Academy videos?
Answer: B They include a mix of verbal and visual features.
Part of the passage: The videos are anything but sophisticated. At seven to 14 minutes
long, they consist of a voiceover by the site’s founder, Salman Khan, chattily describing
a mathematical concept or explaining how to solve a problem, while his hand-scribbled
formulas and diagrams appear on screen.
S
Q 29. What does this reversal refer to in line 40*?
Answer: C swapping the activities done in the class and at home

LT
Part of the passage: But it quickly became far more than that. She is now on her way
to “flipping” the way her class works. This involves replacing some of her lectures with
Khan’s videos, which students can watch at home. Then in class, they focus on working
on the problem areas together. The idea is to invert the normal rhythms of school, so that
IE
lectures are viewed in the children’s own time and homework is done at school. It sounds
weird, Thordarson admits, but this reversal makes (line 40*) sense when you think about
it.
Q 30. What does the writer say about teaching to the ‘middle’ of the class?
Answer: B Technology has not until now provided a solution to the problem.
Part of the passage: For years, teachers like Thordarson have complained about the
frustrations of teaching to the “middle” of the class. They stand at the whiteboard try-
ing to get 25 or more students to learn at the same pace. Advanced students get bored
and tune out, lagging ones get lost and tune out, and pretty soon half the class is not pay-

Day 27 Answer Keys
ing attention. Since the rise of personal computers in the 1980s, educators have hoped
that technology could save the day by offering lessons tailored to each child. Schools
have spent millions of dollars on sophisticated classroom technology, but the effort has
been in vain. The one-to-one instruction it requires is, after all, prohibitively expensive.
What country can afford such a luxury?
Q 31. Students praise Khan’s videos because they
Answer: D cover details that are often omitted in class.
Part of the passage: Students have pointed out that Khan is particularly good at ex-
plaining all the hidden, small steps in math problems – steps that teachers often gloss
E
over. He has an uncanny ability to inhabit the mind of someone who doesn’t already
understand something.
N
Questions 32 – 36
Q 32. Thordarson’s first impressions of how she would use Khan Academy turned
out to be wrong.
ZO
Meaning: Did her original impression of how she was planning to use the Khan Academy
change?
Answer: Yes
Part of the passage: Initially, Thordarson thought Khan Academy would merely be a
S
helpful supplement to her normal instruction. But it quickly became far more than that.
Q 33. Khan wished to completely change the way courses are taught in schools.
LT
Meaning: Did he want to completely change the way courses are taught in schools?
Answer: No
Part of the passage: Khan never intended to overhaul the school curricula and he
IE
doesn’t have a consistent, comprehensive plan for doing so.
Q 34. School grade levels are based on the idea of students progressing at differ-
ent rates.
Meaning: Are school grades based on the idea that students should progress at different
speed/pace?
Answer: No
Part of the passage: Even if Khan is truly liberating students to advance at their own
226
pace, it is not clear that schools will be able to cope. The very concept of grade levels
implies groups of students moving along together at an even pace.
Q 35. Some principals have invited Khan into their schools to address students.
Meaning: Have principals/head teachers invited Khan to talk to students at their respec-
tive schools?
Answer: Not Given
Part of the passage: Khan’s success has injected him into the heated wars over school
reform. Reformers today, by and large, believe student success should be carefully
E
tested, with teachers and principals receiving better pay if their students advance more
quickly.
N
Explanation: The text mentions principals receiving better salary, but does not claim that
they have invited Khan to their school.
Q 36. Khan has given advice to other people involved in start-up projects.
ZO
Meaning: Has he given any advice to other people who are involved in start-up projects?
Answer: Not Given
Part of the passage: Khan doesn’t want to change the way institutions teach; he wants
to change how people learn, whether they’re in a private school or a public school–or for
that matter, whether they’re a student or an adult trying to self-educate in Ohio, Brazil,
S
Russia, or India. One member of Khan’s staff is spearheading a drive to translate the
videos into ten major languages. It’s classic start-up logic: do something novel, do it with
speed, and the people who love it will find you.
LT
Explanation: The very last sentence mentions ‘start-up’ and the author (not Khan) gives
some advice. But it does not necessarily mean Khan has NOT given anybody any advice
regarding start-ups, maybe he has too. We cannot be sure using the information avail-
able in the passage.
IE
Questions 37 – 40
Q 37. Bill Gates thinks Khan Academy
Answer: B can teach both the strongest and the weakest pupils in a class.
Part of the passage: Nevertheless, some of his fans believe that he has stumbled onto
the solution to education’s middle-of-the-class mediocrity. Most notable among them is
Bill Gates, whose foundation has invested $1.5 million in Khan’s site.
227
Day 27 Answer Keys
Q 38. According to Gary Stager, Khan Academy
Answer: D only prepares students to pass exams.
Part of the passage: Gary Stager, a long-time educational consultant and advocate
of laptops in classrooms, thinks Khan Academy is not innovative at all. The videos and
software modules, he contends, are just a high-tech version of the outdated teaching
techniques–lecturing and drilling. Schools have become “joyless test-prep factories,” he
says, and Khan Academy caters to this dismal trend.
Q 39. Sylvia Martinez regrets that Khan Academy
E
Answer: G is unlikely to have a successful outcome for most students.
Part of the passage: As Sylvia Martinez, president of an organization focusing on tech-
N
nology in the classroom, puts it, “The things they’re doing are really just rote.” Flipping
the classroom isn’t an entirely new idea, Martinez says, and she doubts that it would
work for the majority of pupils: “I’m sorry, but if they can’t understand the lecture in a
classroom, they’re not going to grasp it better when it’s done through a video at home.”
ZO
Q 40. Ben Kamens has been told that Khan Academy
Answer: E could cause student achievement to improve too quickly.
Part of the passage: So what happens when, using Khan Academy, you wind up with a
ten-year-old who has already mastered high-school physics? Khan’s programmer, Ben
Kamens, has heard from teachers who have seen Khan Academy presentations and
S
loved the idea but wondered whether they could modify it “to stop students from becom-
ing this advanced.”
LT
IE
228
DAY 28
READING PASSAGE 1
Questions 1 – 7
Q 1. The building where the exhibition is staged has been newly renovated.
Answer: Not Given
E
Explanation: Although the passage mentions Palazzo Barbaran da Porto as a building
where the exhibition is held, we cannot find any information implying that it has been
newly renovated.
N
Q 2. Palazzo Barbaran da Porto typically represents the Palladio’s design.
Answer: True
ZO
Part of the passage: The exhibition has the special advantage of being held in one of
Palladio’s buildings, Palazzo Barbaran da Porto. Its bold façade is a mixture of rustication
and decoration set between two rows of elegant columns. On the second floor the pedi-
ments are alternately curved or pointed, a Palladian trademark. The harmonious propor-
tions of the atrium at the entrance lead through to a dramatic interior of fine fireplaces
and painted ceilings. Palladio’s design is simple, clear and not overcrowded.
S
Keywords in Questions Similar words in Passage

Palazzo Barbaran da Porto The exhibition has the special advantage of being held
typically represents the in one of Palladio’s buildings, Palazzo Barbaran da
LT
Palladio’s design. Porto. Its bold facade is a mixture of rustication and

decoration set between two rows of elegant columns.
On the second floor the pediments arc alternately
curved or pointed, a Palladian trademark.
IE
Q 3. Palladio’s father worked as an architect.
Answer: False
Part of the passage: Palladio’s father was a miller who settled in Vicenza, where the
young Andrea was apprenticed to a skilled stonemason.
229
Day 28 Answer Keys

Palladio’s father worked Palladio’s father was a miller who settled in Vicenza.
as an architect
Q 4. Palladio’s family refused to pay for his architectural studies.
Answer: Not Given
Explanation: The passage does mention a rich patron named Gian Giorgio Trissino
organised Palladio’s education, but we could not find any information implying that
E
his family didn’t want to pay for his studies.
Q 5. Palladio’s alternative design for the Ducal Palace in Venice was based on an
N
English building.
Answer: False
ZO
Part of the passage: He tried his hand at bridges – his unbuilt version of the Rialto
Bridge was decorated with the large pediment and columns of a temple – and, after
a fire at the Ducal Palace, he offered an alternative design which bears an uncanny
resemblance to the Banqueting House in Whitehall in London.

Palladio’s alternative de- after a fire at the Ducal Palace, he offered an alterna-
sign for the Ducal Palace tive design which bears an uncanny resemblance to
S
in Venice was based on an the Banqueting House in Whitehall in London.

English building.
LT
Q 6. Palladio designed for both wealthy and poor people.
Answer: True
IE
Part of the passage: Palladio’s work for rich landowners alienates unreconstructed
critics on the Italian left, but among the papers in the show are designs for cheap hous-
ing in Venice.

Palladio designed for both Palladio’s work for rich landowner alienates unrecon-
wealthy and poor people. structed critics on the Italian left but among the papers
in the show are designs for cheap housing in Venice.

Q 7. The exhibition includes paintings of people by famous artists.
Answer: True
Part of the passage: Vicenza’s show contains detailed models of the major buildings
and is leavened by portraits of Palladio’s teachers and clients by Titian, Veronese and
Tintoretto; the paintings of his Venetian buildings are all by Canaletto, no less.

The exhibition includes Vicenza’s show contains detailed models of the
paintings of people by major buildings and is leavened by portraits of Palla-
E
famous artists. dio’s teachers and clients by Titian, Veronese and
Tintoretto; the paintings of his Venetia buildings are
all by Canaletto, no less.
N
Questions 8 – 13 ZO
Q 8. What job was Palladio training for before he became an architect?
Answer: (skilled) stonemason
Part of the passage: Palladio’s father was a miller who settled in Vicenza, where the
young Andrea was apprenticed to a skilled stonemason. How did a humble miller’s son
become a world renowned architect? The answer in the exhibition is that, as a young
man, Palladio excelled at carving decorative stonework on columns, doorways and fire-
places.
S
Q 9. Who arranged Palladio’s architectural studies?

LT
Answer: Gian Giorgio Trissino
Part of the passage: He was plainly intelligent, and lucky enough to come across a rich
patron, Gian Giorgio Trissino, a landowner and scholar, who organised his educa-
tion, taking him to Rome in the 1540s, where he studied the masterpieces of classical
IE
Roman and Greek architecture and the work of other influential architects of the time,
such as Donato Bramante and Raphael.
Explanation: arranged Palladio’s architertural studies = organised his education.
Q 10. Who was the first non-Italian architect influenced by Palladio?
Answer: Inigo Jones
Part of the passage: He tried his hand at bridges – his unbuilt version of the Rialto
Bridge was decorated with the large pediment and columns of a temple – and, after
a fire at the Ducal Palace, he offered an alternative design which bears an uncanny
231
Day 28 Answer Keys
resemblance to the Banqueting House in Whitehall in London. Since it was designed

by Inigo Jones, Palladio’s first foreign disciple, this is not as surprising as it sounds.
Jones, who visited Italy in 1614, bought a trunk full of the master’s architectural draw-
ings; they passed through the hands of the Dukes of Burlington and Devonshire before
settling at the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1894. Many are now on display at
Palazzo Barbaran.
Q 11. What type of Ancient Roman buildings most heavily influenced Palladio’s
work?
Answer: temple (architecture)
E
Part of the passage: What they show is how Palladio drew on the buildings of ancient
Rome as models. The major theme of both his rural and urban building was temple ar-
chitecture, with a strong pointed pediment supported by columns and approached by
N
wide steps.
Q 12. What did Palladio write that strengthened his reputation?

ZO
Answer: Quattro Libri dell’Architettura
Part of the passage: Palladio’s work for rich landowners alienates unreconstructed crit-
ics on the Italian left, but among the papers in the show are designs for cheap housing in
Venice. In the wider world, Palladio’s reputation has been nurtured by a text he wrote and
illustrated, “Quattro Libri dell’Architettura”. His influence spread to St Petersburg and
to Charlottesville in Virginia, where Thomas Jefferson commissioned a Palladian villa he
called Monticello.
S
Explanation: strengthened his reputation = Palladio’s reputation has been nurtured

by
LT
Q 13. In the writer’s opinion, what feeling will visitors to the exhibition experi-
ence?
Answer: benevolent calm

IE
Part of the passage: This is an uncompromising exhibition; many of the drawings are
small and faint, and there are no sideshows for children, but the impact of harmonious
lines and satisfying proportions is to impart in a viewer a feeling of benevolent calm.
232
DAY 29
READING PASSAGE 2
Questions 14 – 20
Q 14. Paragraph A
Answer: v
E
Keywords in Question Similar words in Passage
Drives or pressures Nowadays, governments and companies need to account
motivate companies to for the social consequences of their actions. As a re-
N
address CSR sult, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become
a priority for business leaders around the world. When a
well-run business applies its vast resources and expertise
ZO
to social problems that it understands and in which it has
a stake, it can have a greater impact than any other orga-
nization.
Explanation: The first paragraph mainly mentions about the reasons (or drives/ pres-
sures stated in the question) why companies address CSR, and it turns out to be the
social consequences of their actions (found in the paragraph).
Q 15. Paragraph B
S
Answer: viii
LT

Reasons that business To advance CSR, we must root it in a broad understanding
and society benefit of the interrelationship between a corporation and soci-
each other ety.
Explanation: The first or the last sentence usually contains the main idea of the whole
IE
paragraph, and this notion is applied in this paragraph. By skimming over the first
sentence with the synonyms of the question’s keywords listed above, we could easily
confirm that the answer is viii.
Q 16. Paragraph C
Answer: vi
233
Day 29 Answer Keys

The past illustrates busi- No longer can companies be content to monitor only the
ness are responsible for obvious social impacts of today. Without a careful process
future outcomes for identifying evolving social effects of tomorrow, firms
may risk their very survival.
Explanation: The paragraph states that the past would determine the future outcomes
as companies would risk their survival if they do not prepare a careful process for iden-
tifying the social effects of tomorrow in the past.
Q 17: Paragraph D
E
Answer: vii
N
Companies applying No business can solve all of society’s problems or bear
CSR should be selec- the cost of doing so. Instead, each company must select
tive issues that intersect with its particular business
ZO
Explanation: The question statement is confirmed in the first sentence as it states that
each company should select the particular issues (should be selective) because no
business can solve all of society problems (if they want to apply CSR).
Q 18. Paragraph E
Answer: iii
S

A CSR initiative without No matter how beneficial the program is, it remains inci-
LT
a financial gain dental to the company’s business, and the direct effect
on GE’s recruiting and retention is modest.
Explanation: It could be inferred from the last sentence of this paragraph that the GE’s
program is a failure one since the benefit this program brings to the company is minor
and modest (or no financial gain).
IE
Q 19. Paragraph F
Answer: i

How CSR may help one Microsoft has achieved results that have benefited many
business to expand communities while having a direct - and potentially sig-
nificant - impact on the company.
Explanation: It could be inferred from the last sentence of this paragraph that Micro-
soft can expand by applying CSR.
234
Q 20. Paragraph G
Answer: ii

CSR in many aspects of In short, nearly every aspect of the company’s value
a company’s business chain reinforces the social dimensions of its value
proposition, distinguishing Whole Foods from its com-
petitors.
Explanation: The last sentence of paragraph G acts as a summary of listed ideas
about CSR in many aspects of a company’s business (here we have Whole Foods
E
as an example). By scanning the whole paragraph, you could see that CSR appears
in the company’s sourcing, stores, how they use renewable wind energy, how they
handle spoiled products, etc.
N
Questions 21 – 22
ZO
Q 21. Corporations workers’ productivity generally needs health care, education,
and given ………… restrictions imposed by government and companies both pro-
tect consumers from being treated unfairly.
Answer: equal opportunity

S
Corporations workers’ Education, health care, and equal opportunity are

productivity general- essential to a productive workforce.
ly needs health care,
LT
education, and given

…………
Explanation: The answer must be a Noun, which is classified in the same group with
health care and education. Therefore, we just find the noun standing near these
keywords to find the answer.
IE
Q 22. Improvement of the safety standard can reduce the ………… of accidents in the
workplace.
Answer: internal costs

Improvement of the safety Safe products and working conditions not only
standard can reduce the attract customers but lower the internal costs of
………… of accidents in the accidents.
workplace.

Day 29 Answer Keys
Explanation: The fourth sentence in paragraph B contains all the keywords in ques-
tion 21, so we can assume that the answer must be somewhere here.
The answer must be a Noun, which is related to accidents and follow the verb re-
duce. Therefore, internal costs is the proper answer we are looking for.
Questions 23 – 26
Q 23. The disposable waste
Answer: C Whole Foods Market
E
The disposable waste Spoiled produce and biodegradable waste are
N
trucked to regional centers for composting.
Explanation: We found the paraphrased phrase of the question’s keywords in the
last paragraph and it all focus on Whole Food Market.
ZO
Q 24. The way company purchases as goods
Answer: C Whole Food Market

The way company purchas- The company’s sourcing emphasises purchases
es as goods from local farmers through each store’s procurement
S
process. Buyers screen out foods containing any of

nearly 100 common ingredients that the company
considers unhealthy or environmentally damaging.
LT
The same standards apply to products made inter-

nally.
Explanation: We found the paraphrased phrase of the question’s keywords in the
last paragraph and it all focus on Whole Food Market.
IE
Q 25. Helping the undeveloped
Answer: A General Electronics

Helping the undeveloped A good example is General Electronics’s program
to adopt underperforming public high schools
near several of its major U.S. facilities.
Explanation: We found the paraphrased phrase of the question’s keywords in para-
graph E and it all focus on General Electronics.
236
Q 26. Ensuring the people have the latest information
Answer: B Microsoft

Ensuring the people IT curricula are not standardized, technology used
have the latest informa- in classrooms is often outdated, and there are no
tion systematic professional development programs to keep
faculty up to date. Microsoft’s $50 million five-year
initiative was aimed at all three problems
Explanation: Let’s take a look at paragraph F.
E
The first half of this paragraph mentioned some problems including the lack of
professional development programs to keep faculty (the people) up to date (have
N
the latest information) and one of Microsoft’s aims is to make sure that the faculty
is kept up to date. In addition, Microsoft is the only company among the three
mentioned in the passage relating to information and technology field.
ZO
S
LT
IE
237
Day 30 Answer Keys
DAY 30
READING PASSAGE 3
Questions 27 – 30
Q 27. What point did the writer make in the second paragraph?
Answer: C Bilingual children can make a valuable contribution to the wealth of a

country.
E
Part of the passage: The challenge for educators and policy-makers is to shape the
evolution of national identity in such a way that the rights of all citizens (including school
N
children) are respected, and the cultural, linguistic, and economic resources of the na-
tion are maximised. To waste the resources of the nation by discouraging children from
developing their mother tongues is quite simply unintelligent from the point of view of
national self-interest.
ZO
Q 28. Why does the writer refer to something that Goethe said?
Answer: A to lend weight to his argument
Part of the passage: More than 150 research studies conducted during the past 35
years strongly support what Goethe, the famous eighteenth-century German philoso-
pher, once said: the person who knows only one language does not truly know that
language. Research suggests that bilingual children may also develop more flexibility in
S
their thinking as a result of processing information through two different languages.
Explanation: lend weight to something - to make an opinion or belief seem more

LT
likely to be correct (support to something).
Q 29. The writer believes that when young children have a firm grasp of their moth-
er tongue
IE
Answer: B they go on to do much better throughout their time at school.
Part of the passage: Children who come to school with a solid foundation in their moth-
er tongue develop stronger literacy abilities in the school language. When parents and
other caregivers (e.g. grandparents) are able to spend time with their children and tell
stories or discuss issues with them in a way that develops their mother tongue, children
come to school well-prepared to learn the school language and succeed educationally.
Q 30. Why are some people suspicious about mother tongue-based teaching pro-
grammes?
Answer: D They fear that the programmes will use up valuable time in the school
238
day.
Part of the passage: Some educators and parents are suspicious of mother tongue-
based teaching programs because they worry that they take time away from the majority
language. For example, in a bilingual program where 50% of the time is spent teaching
through children’s home language and 50% through the majority language, surely chil-
dren won’t progress as far in the latter?
Questions 31 – 35
Q 31. It was often recorded that bilingual children acquire the ………… to converse
E
in the majority language remarkable quickly.
Answer: I ability
N
Part of the passage: Many people marvel at how quickly bilingual children seem to
“pick up” conversational skills in the majority language at school (although it takes
much longer for them to catch up with native speakers in academic language skills).
ZO
Explanation: Before you start scanning the passage for the answer, predict the part of
speech suitable in the gap. NOUN fits our gap in this statement.
• conversational skills – converse;

• pick up – acquire.
Q 32. The fact that the mother tongue can disappear at a similar ………… is less
S
well understood.
Answer: D rate
LT
Part of the passage: Many people marvel at how quickly bilingual children seem to
“pick up” conversational skills in the majority language at school (although it takes much
longer for them to catch up with native speakers in academic language skills). However,
educators are often much less aware of how quickly children can lose their ability to
IE
use their mother tongue, even in the home context.
Explanation: The answer again must be a NOUN.
• much less aware – less well understood;

• can lose their ability to use their mother tongue – the mother tongue can disap-
pear.
Q 33. This phenomenon depends, to a certain extent, on the proposition of people

with the same linguistic background that have settled in a particular ………… .
239
Day 30 Answer Keys
Answers: J area
Part of the passage: The extent and rapidity of language loss will vary according to
the concentration of families from a particular linguistic group in the neighborhood.
Explanation: The answer must be a NOUN.
• this phenomenon (referencing is used in the sentence) – language loss;

• depends on – vary according to
• the proposition of people with the same linguistic background that have set-
tled in a particular – concentration of families from a particular linguistic group
• area – neighborhood
E
Q 34. If this is limited, children are likely to lose the active use of their mother
tongue. And thus no longer employ it even with …………, although they may still
N
understand it.
Answer: F family
ZO
Part of the passage: They may retain receptive skills in the language but they will use
the majority language, in speaking with their peers and siblings and in responding to their
parents.
• children are likely to lose the active use of their mother tongue – they will use
the majority language
• family – siblings and their parents
S
Q 35. It follows that teenager children in these circumstances experience a sense

of ………… in relation to all aspects of their lives.
LT
Answer: C dislocation
Part of the passage: Pupils frequently become alienated from the cultures of both
home and school with predictable results.
IE
Explanation: The answer must be a NOUN.
• teenager children – pupils

• in relation to all aspects of their lives – the cultures of both home and school
• experience a sense of – become
• dislocation – alienated
Questions 36 – 40
Q 36. Less than half of the children who attend kindergarten in Toronto have En-

glish as their mother tongue.
Answer: Yes
Part of the passage: To illustrate, in the city of Toronto in Canada, 58% of kindergarten
pupils come from homes where English is not the usual language of communication.
Explanation: Considering the fact that 58% of kindergarten children come from homes
where English is a foreign language, it is easy to conclude that 42% (less than 50%)
come from English-speaking families.
Q 37. Research proves that learning the host country language at school can have
E
an adverse effect on a child’s mother tongue.
Answer: Not Given
N
Part of the passage: Research suggests that bilingual children may also develop more
flexibility in their thinking as a result of processing information through two different lan-
guages.
ZO
Explanation: Even though there is some information about the benefits of learning
two languages, it is impossible to know whether learning the host country language AT
SCHOOL can have a negative language on a child’s mother tongue.
Q 38. The Foyer program is accepted by the French education system.
Answer: No
S
Part of the passage: Within Europe, the Foyer program in Belgium, which develops
children’s speaking and literacy abilities in three languages (their mother tongue, Dutch
LT
and French), most clearly illustrates the benefits of bilingual and trilingual education (see
Cummins, 2000).
Explanation: The keyword in the passage is the word ‘within’, meaning ‘inside the range
of (an area or boundary), therefore, the correct answer is No, as the passage says that
Foyer program is accepted in Belgium.
IE
Q 39. Bilingual children are taught to tell the time earlier than monolingual children.
Answer: Not Given
Part of the passage: Pupils who know how to tell the time in their mother tongue under-
stand the concept of telling time. In order to tell time in the majority language, they do not
need to re-learn the concept.
Explanation: The text found in the passage just states that bilingual children don’t need
to relearn the concept of telling the time in the majority language if they have already
241
Day 30 Answer Keys
acquired this ability in their mother tongue, and we could not find any information relating
to the statement in the question that bilingual children are taught to tell the time earlier
than monolingual children.
Q 40. Bilingual children can apply reading comprehension strategies acquired in

one language when reading in the other.
Answer: Yes
Part of the passage: In order to tell time in the majority language, they do not need to re-
learn the concept. Similarly, at more advanced stages, there, is transfer across languag-
es in other skills such as knowing how to distinguish the main idea from the supporting
E
details of a written passage or story, and distinguishing fact from opinion.
• bilingual children – they
N
• in one language when reading in another – transfer across languages
• reading comprehension strategies – knowing how to distinguish the main idea
from the supporting details of a written passage or story
Useful information:
ZO
Skimming is reading rapidly in order to get a general overview of the material.
Scanning is reading rapidly in order to find specific facts.
Types of reading questions in which Types of reading questions in which

skimming is preferred: scanning is preferred:
S
• Matching headings • True/False/Not Given - Yes/No/Not

• Choosing a title (usually, the last Given
LT
multiple choice question in the pas- • Matching Paragraph information

sage) questions
• Summary Completion questions
• Sentence Completion question
IE
• Multiple Choice questions

• List selection
• Categorisation questions
• Matching Sentence endings
• Table completion questions
• Flow-chart completion questions
• Diagram completion questions
• Short answer questions
242
PASSAGE - BASED
WORD LIST
243
Day 1 (Reading Passage 1: William Kamkwamba)
Word list:
1 Drop out of (v) - abandon a course of study or stop participating in something
Example: She had dropped out of college
2 Rudimentary (adj) - basic (B2)
Example: Hew knowledge is still only rudimentary
3 Grasp of (n) - understanding of something (C1)
E
Example: I think I managed to grasp the main points of the lecture
4 Rickety (adj) - in bad conditions, weak or likely to break
N
Example: That chair is a bit rickety
5 Standing ovation (n) - an occasion when the people in audience stand up to clap
at the end
ZO
Example: The Chancellor was given a standing ovation
6 Step forward (v) - to offer to provide or to help with something
Example: No one is sure whether this plan will work, but it is a step forward
7 Put somebody’s mind to something (v) - to decide you are going to do

something and to put a lot of efforts into doing it (C1)
S
Example: If you’d just put your mind to it, I am sure you could do it
LT
8 Setback (n) – something that happens which delays or prevents a process from
advancing
Example: Sally had been recovering well from her operation, but yesterday she
experienced a setback
IE
9 Initiative (n) – a new plan or process to achieve something or solve a problem

(C1)
Example: The peace initiative was welcomed by both sides
10 Take action (v) – do something official or concerted to achieve an aim or deal

with a problem
Example: If there is a breach of regulations, we will take action
11 Resident (n) – a person who lives or has their home in a place
Example: A resident of the UK
244
Word list
12 Inhabitant (n) – a person or animal that lives in a particular place
Example: A city of five million inhabitants
Day 2 (Reading Passage 2: White mountain, green tourism)

Word list:
1 A magnet for something (n) - a thing or place that other people feel strongly
attached to
E
Example: The United States has always acted as a magnet for people seeking
fame and fortune
2 Put pressure (v) - to make demands on someone or to try get someone to do
N
something (B2)
Example: Teachers are under increasing pressure to work longer hours
3
ZO
Permanently (adv) - always and be forever (B2)
Example: Smoking is likely to damage your health permanently
4 Strain (n) - a force that puts pressure on something, sometimes causing damage
(B2)
Example: The hurricane put such a strain on the bridge that it collapsed
5 Hustle and bustle (n) - a large amount of activity and work, usually in a noisy
S
surrounding
Example: Sometimes you need a break from the hustle and bustle of the city life
LT
6 Lifeblood (n) - the thing that is most important to the continuing success
Example: Tourism is the lifeblood of Hawaii’s economy
7 Swarm (v) - move in a large group and numbers

IE
Example: After the game, thousands of football fans swarmed onto the pitch
8 Swell (v) - to become larger and increase in size (C2)
Example: It was obvious she had broken her toe, because it immediately started
to swell
9 Severe (adj) - causing very great pain or damage
Example: This is a school for children with severe learning difficulties
10 Warn out (v) - to make someone realize a possible danger or problem, especially

on in the future
Example: We were warned not to eat the fish which might give us a slight stomach
upset
11 Carbon emissions (n) - carbon dioxide that planes, cars produce, thought to be
harmful to the environment
Example: We all need to do more to reduce carbon emissions
12 Account for (v) - to form a total of something
Example: Students account for the vast majority of our customers
E
13 Renewable energy (n) - energy that is produced using the sun, wind, rather than
using fuels such as oil (C1)
N
Example: Renewable energy sources such as wind and wave power
14 Cling to (n) - hold on tightly to something (C2)

ZO
Example: He clung on to power for another ten years
15 Fragility (n) - the quality of being easily damaged (C2)
Example: The assassination could be serious damage to the fragile peace

agreement that was signed last month
Day 3 (Reading Passage 3: Reading in a whole new way)

S
Word list:
LT
1 Constantly (adv) - all the time and often (B2)
Example: He is constantly changing his mind
2 Continuous (adj) - without a pause or interruption (B2)

IE
Example: My computer makes a continuous low buzzing noise
3 Heart-rending (adj) - causing great sympathy or sadness
Example: A hear-rending story
4 Expertise (n) - a high level of knowledge or skill
Example: We admired the expertise with which he prepared the meal
5 Compile into (v) - to collect information from different places and arrange it in a
book, report (C1)
246
Word list
Example: We are compiling some facts and figures for a documentary on the
subject
6 Heartbeat of something (n) - the person or thing that is most important in

forming the character of a place and giving it energy
Example: A steady heartbeat
7 Ubiquitous (adj) - seeming to be everywhere
Example: Leather is very much in fashion this season, as is ubiquitous denim
8 Overtake (v) - to go past something by being a greater amount or degree (C1)
E
Example: Our Us sales have now overtaken our sales in Europe
9 Stare at (v) - to look for a long time with the eyes wide open, especially when
N
surprised
Example: Don’t stare at people like that, it’s rude

ZO
10 Literacy (n) - the ability to read and write (C1)
Example: Far more resources are needed to improve adult literacy
11 Interact (v) - to communicate with others or react to (B2)
Example: It is interesting at parties to see how people interact well with the other
children
12 Futuristic (adj) - strange and very modern, or intended to come from some
S
imagined time in the future
Example: At the unspoiled North Bay, three white pyramids rise like futuristic sails
LT
from the sea
13 Equip someone (v) - to give someone the skills they need to do a particular thing
Example: The course aims to equip people with the skills necessary for a job in
this technological age
IE
14 Manual of something (n) - a book that gives you practical instructions or how to
do something (B2)
Example: The computer comes with a 600-page instruction manual
15 Provoke (v) - to cause a reaction, especially a negative one (C2)
Example: The prospects of increased prices has already provoked an outcry
16 Assemble (v) - to come together in a single place or bring parts together in a

single group (C2)
247
Example: We assembled in the meeting room after lunch
17 Intangible (adj) - a feeling or quality exists but you cannot describe it exactly
Example: She has that intangible quality which you might call charisma
18 Essence (n) - the basic or the most important idea or quality of something (C2)
Example: The essence of his argument was that education should continue
throughout life
Day 4 (Reading Passage 1: The domestication of horses)
E
Word list:
N
1 Landscape (n) - a large area of countryside, especially in relation to its
appearance (B1)
Example: The landscape is dotted with the tents of campers and hikers
2
ZO
Thrive (v) - to grow, develop or be successful (C1)
Example: His business thrived in the years before the war
3 Descend from (v) - to be related to a particular person or group of people who

lived in the past (C2)
Example: Her father is descended from Greek loyalty

S
4 Encounter (v) - to experience something, especially something unpleasant (B2)
Example: When did you first encounter these difficulties?

LT
5 Profoundly (adv) - deeply or extremely (C2)
Example: Society has changed so profoundly over the last 50 years
6 Offspring (n) - the young of an animal (C2)

IE
Example: In the case of guinea pig, the number of offspring varies between two
and five
7 Take the lead (v) - start winning the competition or to accept the responsibility for
doing something
Example: She took the lead ten miles into the marathon
8 Outmoded (adj) - no longer modern, useful or necessary
Example: Outmoded working practices are being phased out
9 Load (n) - the amount of weight carried, especially by a vehicle or an animal (B2)
248
Word list
Example: The maximum load for this elevator is eight persons
10 Agile (adj) - able to move your body easily and quickly
Example: Monkeys are very agile climbers
11 Cultivate (v) - to prepare land and grow crops on it (C1)
Example: Most of the land there is too poor to cultivate
12 Endurance (n) - the ability to keep doing something difficult or painful for a long
time (C2)
E
Example: Running a marathon is a test of human endurance
13 Warfare (n) - the activity of fighting a war, often including the weapons
N
Example: guerrilla/naval/nuclear/trench warfare
Day 5 (Reading Passage 2: Business case study: Rebranding

Shopper’s Stop)
ZO
Word list:
1 Rebranding (n) – the process of changing the way that an organization,

company, or product is seen by the public
Example: Businesses may decide to rebrand for several reasons

S
2 Unveil (v) – to show something new or make it known for the first time
Example: A new government policy on forests is due to be unveiled in April

LT
3 Undertake (v) – to do or begin to do something, especially something that will

take a long time or be difficult (C1)
Example: Students are required to undertake simple experiments

IE
4 In a bid to do something – in an attempt (C2)
Example: In a bid to attract youngsters to schools, the government will organize

an awareness program.
5 Upmarket (adj) – describes goods and products that are of very high quality and
intended to be brought by people who are quite rich
Example: an upmarket brand name
6 Affluent (adj) – having a lot of money or owning a lot of things (C1)
Example: affluent nations/neighborhoods
249
7 Turnover (n) – the amount of business that a company does in a period of time
(C1)
Example: Large supermarkets have high turnovers (their goods sell very quickly)
8 Keep pace with – to develop or progress at the same rate as something else
Example: The government is not allowing salaries to keep pace with inflation
9 Cater to (v) – to try to satisfy one that is not popular or not generally acceptable
(C1)
Example: This legislation simply caters to racism
E
10 Segment (n) – any of the parts which something (especially a circle or sphere)
can be divided or into which it is naturally divided
N
Example: the salad was decorated with segments of orange
11 Execution (n) – the act of doing or performing something, especially in a planned

way
ZO
Example: Sometimes in the execution of their duty the police have to use firearms.
12 Core (adj) – the basic and most important part of something (C2)
Example: The lack of government funding is at the core of the problem
13 Intact (adj) – complete and in the original state (C2)
Example: The church was destroyed in the bombing but the altar survived intact
S
14 Retain (v) – to keep or continue to have something (C2)

LT
Example: She has lost her battle to retain control of the company
15 Air (v) – to broadcast something or be broadcasted on radio or television
Example: The game will be aired live on CBS at 7:00 pm tonight

IE
16 Convey (v) – to express a thought, feeling, or idea so that it is understood by

other people (C1)
Example: His poetry conveys a great sense of religious devotion
17 Earmark (v) (often passive) – to keep or intend something for a particular

purpose
Example: Five billion dollars of this year’s budget is already earmarked for
hospital improvements

Word list
Day 6 (Reading Passage 3: Maps)

Word list:
1 Imposing (adj) – having an appearance that looks important or causes admiration
Example: He was an imposing figure on stage
2 Jotting (n) – quickly written short notes
Example: She made some jottings in the margin of the book she was reading
Modification (n) – a change to something, usually to improve it (C1)
E
3 Example: Modification of the engine to run on lead-free fuel is fairly simple
4 Discipline (n) – a particular area of study, especially a subject studied at a
N
college or universities (C2)
Example: sociology is a fairly new discipline

ZO
5 Manipulate (v) – to control something or someone to your advantage, often
unfairly or dishonestly
Example: Throughout her career she was very successfully manipulated by the
media
6 Perspective (n) – a particular way of considering something (C1)
Example: Her attitude lends a fresh perspective to the subject

S
7 Paramount (adj) – more important than anything else (C2)
Example: There are many priorities, but reducing the budget deficit is paramount
LT
8 Condemn (v) – to criticize something or someone strongly, usually for moral

reasons (C2)
Example: The terrorist action has been condemned as an act of barbarism and
cowardice
IE
9 Precious (adj) – of great value because of being rare, expensive, or important
Example: a precious gift, a precious moment/memory
10 Ironically (adv) – interesting, strange, or funny because of being very different

from what you would usually expect (C2)
Example: it is ironic that although many items are now cheaper to make, fewer
people can afford to buy them
11 Stem from (v) – to start or develop as the result of something
251
Example: Her problems stem from her difficult childhood
12 Suspend (v) – to stop something from being active, either temporarily or

permanently (C1)
Example: The ferry service has been suspended for the day because of the bad
weather
13 Unwittingly (adv) – without knowing or planning
Example: The two women claimed they were the unwitting victims of a drugs
dealer who planted a large quantity of heroin in their luggage
E
14 Proclaim (v) – to announce something publicly or officially, especially something
positive
N
15 Example: All the countries have proclaimed their loyalty to the alliance
16 In the face of – in a situation where you have to deal with something unpleasant
or difficult
ZO
Example: They won in the face of stiff competition from all over the country
17 Benevolent (adj) – kind and smart
Example: He was a benevolent old man and wouldn’t hurt a fly
18 Distorted (adj) – changed from the usual, original, natural, or intended form
Example: This report gives a somewhat distorted impression of what actually

S
happened
19 Aspiration (n) – something that you hope to achieve (C2)

LT
Example: I have never had any political aspirations
20 Feeble (adj) – not effective and good (C2)
Example: a feeble joke or excuse

IE
21 Preoccupation (n) – an idea or subject that someone thinks about most of the
time
Example: My main preoccupation now is trying to keep life normal for the sake of
my two boys
22 Come to fore – to be emphasized or made more noticeable
Example: This argument needs to come to the fore when you rewrite your paper.
252
Word list
Day 7 (Reading Passage 1: The way the brain buys)

Word list:
1 Persuade (v) – to make someone do or believe something by giving them a good

reason to do it (B1)
Example: Using a bunch of bananas, the zoo-keeper persuaded the monkey back
into its cage.
2 Take stock of – to think carefully about a situation or event and form an opinion
about it, so that you can decide what to do
E
Example: After two years spent teaching overseas, she returned home for a
month to take stock of her life (C2)
N
3 Pile up (v) – to arrange objects into a pile
Example: We piled plenty of logs up next to the fire
4 Bargain (n) – something on sale at a lower price than its true value
ZO
Example: This coat was half-price – a real bargain
5 Tempt (v) – to make someone want to have or do something, especially

something that is unnecessary or wrong
Example: The offer of free credit tempted her into buying a new car
6 Invariably (adv) – always (C2)

S
Example: The train is invariably late.
7 Fierce (adj) – strong and powerful

LT
Example: Fierce winds prevented the race from taking place.
8 Display (v) – to arrange something or a collection of things so that they can be

seen by the public (B1)
IE
Example: Family photographs were displayed on the wall.
9 Empty-handed (adj) – without bringing or taking anything
Example: We can’t go the party empty-handed
10 Struggle (v) – to experience difficulty and make a very great effort in order to do
something (B2)
Example: the dog had been struggling to get free of the wire noose
11 End up (v) – to finally be in a particular place or situation (B1)
253
Example: They are travelling across Europe by train and are planning to end up in
Moscow
Day 8 (Reading Passage 2: The truth about lying)

Word list:
1 Reflect upon (v) – to think carefully, especially about possibilities and opinions
(B2)
Example: The manager demanded time to reflect on what to do
E
2 Confess (v) – to admit that you have done something wrong or something that
you feel guilty or bad about
N
Example: She confessed to her husband that she had sold her wedding ring
3 Take a peek at (v) – to look, especially for a short time or while trying to avoid
being seen (C2)
ZO
Example: That’s why I decided to take a peek into Adam’s medical records
4 Compelling (adj) – if a reason, argument is compelling, it makes you believe it or

accept it because it is so strong
Example: Its fairly compelling argument for going
5 toss a coin (v) – to throw a coin up into the air and guess which side will land
S
facing up, as a way of making a decision (C1)
Example: Let’s toss up to see who will go first

LT
6 Gaze (n) – a long look, usually of a particular kind (C2)
Example: a steady gaze; an innocent gaze
7 Haunt (v) – to cause repeated suffering or anxiety

IE
Example: Fighting in Vietnam was an experience that would haunt him for the rest
of his life
8 Clue (n) – a sign or some information that helps you to find the answer to a
problem
Example: Police are still looking for clue in their search for the missing girl
254
Word list
Day 9 (Reading Passage 3)

Word list:
1 Astonishing (adj) – very surprising (B2)
Example: Her first love enjoyed an astonishing success
2 Intricate (adj) – having a lot of small parts or details that are arranged in a
complicated way and are therefore sometimes difficult to understand
Example: The watch mechanism is extremely intricate and very difficult to repair
E
3 Restore (v) – to return something or someone to an earlier good condition or
position (B2)
Example: The badly neglected paintings have all been carefully restored
N
4 Revival (n) – the process of becoming more active and popular again (C2)
Example: Recently, there has been some revival of interest in ancient music
5
ZO
Devotion (n) – loyalty and love or care for someone or something
Example: He inspired respect and devotion from his pupils
6 Cultivate (v) – to try to develop and improve something (C2)
Example: She has cultivated an image as a tough negotiator
7 Gasp (v) – to take a short, quick breath through the mouth, especially because of
S
surprise, pain or shock (C2)
Example: When she saw the money hidden in the box, she gasped in surprise
LT
8 Extravagant (adj) – spending too much money, or using too much of something
(C2)
Example: The extravagant lifestyle of a movie star

IE
9 Ruthless (adj) – not thinking or worrying about any pain caused to others (C2)
Example: Ruthless ambition; a ruthless dictator
10 Immortalize (v) – to make someone or something so famous that they are

remembered for a very long time
Example: Marlene Dietrich was immortalized through her roles in films
11 To be kind to something (adj) – not causing harm or damage
Example: Kind to the environment: This soap is kinder to the skin

12 Cumulative (adj) – increasing by one addition after another
Example: The cumulative effect of using so many chemicals on the land could be
disastrous
13 Fragile (adj) – easily damaged, broken, or harmed (C2)
Example: Be careful with that vase – it’s very fragile
14 Stretch (v) – to spread over a large area or distance (C2)
Example: A huge cloud of dense smoke stretched across the horizon
E
15 Delighted (adj) – very pleased (B1)
Example: Pat was delighted with her new flat
N
Day 10 (Reading Passage 1: Movers and Shakers)
ZO
Word list:
1 Enthusiastic (adj) – having a feeling of energetic interest in a particular subject

or activity and an eagerness to be involved in it (B2)
Example: One of the good things about teaching young children is their
enthusiasm
2 Declare (v) – to announce something clearly, firmly, publicly, or officially (B2)

S
Example: They declared their support for the proposal
3 Asset (n) – something valuable belonging to a person or organization that can be

LT
used for the payment of debts (C1)
Example: A company’s assets can consist of cash, investments, specialist

knowledge
4 Lip service (n) – to say you agree with something but do nothing to support it
IE
Example: She claims to be in favor of training, but so far, she’s only paid lip ser-
vice to the idea
5 Amend (v) – to change the words of a text, especially a law or a legal document
(C2)
Example: MPs were urged to amend the law to prevent another oil tanker disaster
6 Eschew (v) – to avoid something intentionally, or to give something up
Example: We won’t have discussions with this group unless they eschew violence
256
Word list
7 Anathema (n) – something that is strongly disliked or disapproved of
Example: Credit controls are anathema to the government
8 Deter (v) -to prevent someone from doing something or to make someone less
enthusiastic about doing something by making it difficult for them to do it
Example: These measures are designed to deter an enemy attack
9 Intrepid (adj) – extremely brave and showing no fear of dangerous situations
Example: A team of intrepid explorers
E
10 Desperate (adj) – needing or wanting something very much (B2)
Example: They are desperate for help
N
11 Bombard (v) – to direct so many things at someone, especially to ask them so
many questions, that they find it difficult to deal with them
Example: The children bombarded her with questions

ZO
12 Avail (n) - use, purpose, advantage or profit
Example: We tried to persuade her not to resign, but to no avail (did not succeed)
13 Redundant (adj) – having lost your job because your employer no longer needs
you (B2)
Example: To keep the company alive, half the workforce is being made redundant
S
14 Lifelong (adj) – lasting for the whole of a person’s life (C2)
Example: She was a lifelong member of the Labor party

LT
15 Ambition (n) – a strong wish to achieve something (B1)
Example: His ambition ultimately to run his own business
16 Lumbered with – if you get lumbered with something, you have to deal with
IE
something or someone that you do not want to
Example: I always seem to get lumbered with the job of cleaning up after a party
17 Disposable (adj) – describes a product that is intended to be thrown away after

use (C2)
Example: disposable nappies; a disposable camera
257
Day 11 (Reading Passage 2: Establishing your birthrights)

Word list:
1 Re-enact (v) – if you re-enact an event, you try to make it happen again in exactly
the same way that it happened first time, often as an entertainment
Example: Police officers re-enacted the crime in an attempt to get witnesses to

come forward
2 Authoritative (adj) – showing that you are confident, in control, and expect to be
respected and obeyed
E
Example: She has an authoritative manner that at times is almost arrogant
3 Unyielding (adj) – completely unwilling to change a decision, opinion, demand
N
and etc.
Example: Korea is unyielding in its demands for a new treaty
4 Instigate (v) – to cause an event or situation to happen by making a set of actions

ZO
or a formal process begin
Example: The government will instigate new measures to combat terrorism
5 Inevitable (adj) – certain to happen and unable to be avoided or prevented (C1)
Example: The accident was the inevitable result of carelessness
6 Shrug off (v) – to treat something as if it is not important or not a problem

S
Example: The stock market shrugged off the economic gloom and rose by 1.5
percent
LT
7 Rage (n) – a period of extreme or violent anger (B2)
Example: Her sudden towering rages were terrifying
8 Hamper (v) – to prevent someone doing something easily

IE
Example: Fierce storms have been hampering rescue efforts and there is now
little chance of finding more survivors
9 Reiterate (v) – to say something again, once or several times
Example: The government has reiterated its refusal to compromise with terrorists
10 Entitlement (n) – something that you have a right to do or have, or the right to do
or have something
Example: pension entitlements: holiday entitlements
11 Transcend (v) – to go further, rise above, or be more important or better than
258
Word list
something, especially a limit
Example: The best films are those which transcend national or cultural barriers
12 Confrontation (n) – a fight or argument (C2)
Example: She actually enjoys confrontation, whereas I prefer a quiet life
13 Attribute to (v) – to say or think that something is the result or work of something
or someone else (C2)
Example: The doctors have attributed the cause of illness to an unknown virus
E
14 Get away with (ph.v) – to succeed in avoiding punishment for something (B2)
Example: If I thought I could get away with it, I wouldn’t pay any tax at all
N
15 Work out (v) – to understand something or to find the answer to something by
thinking about it (C2)
Example: There will be a full investigation to work out what caused the accident
ZO
16 Dynamic (adj) – having a lot of ideas and enthusiasm (B2)
Example: She’s young and dynamic and will be a great addition to the team
Day 12 (Reading Passage 3: Making a loss is the height of fashion)

Word list:
S
1 Topsy-turvy (adj) – in a state of being confused, not well organized or giving

importance to unexpected things
LT
Example: The government’s topsy-turvy priorities mean that spending on

education remains low
2 Prevailing (adj) – existing in a particular place or at a particular time

IE
Example: The prevailing attitude
3 Buoyancy (adj) – successful or making a profit
Example: The housing market remains buoyant
4 Fall over oneself (v) – to be very eager to do something
Example: Publishers are falling over themselves to produce non-fiction for

seven-year-olds
5 Boast (v) – to speak too proudly or happily about what you have done or what
you own (C2)
259
Example: He didn’t talk about his exam results in case people thought he was
boasting
6 Outfit (n) – a set of clothes for a particular occasion or activity
Example: I have got a cowboy outfit for the fancy dress party
7 Bizarre (adj) – very strange and unusual (B2)
Example: a bizarre situation
8 Outrage (v) – to cause someone feel very angry, shocked, or upset
E
Example: Local people were outraged at the bombing
9 Ride high on – when something important, such as your reputation or money,

rides on a particular person or thing, it will be won or achieved if that person or
N
thing is successful
Example: The future of the company now rides on the new managing director
ZO
10 Folly (n) – the fact of being stupid, or a stupid action, idea
Example: She said that the idea was folly
11 Inquiry (n) – an official process to discover the facts about something bad that
has happened (C2)
Example: Citizens have demanded a full inquiry into the government’s handling of
the epidemic
S
12 Surreal (adj) – strange, not seeming real; like a dream
Example: Driving through the total darkness was a slightly surreal experience
LT
13 Peculiar (adj) – unusual and strange, sometimes in an unpleasant way
Example: She has the most peculiar ideas
14 Lucrative (adj) – (especially of a business, job, activity) producing a lot of money

IE
(C2)
Example: The merger proved to be very lucrative for both companies
15 Threaten (v) – to be likely to cause harm or damage to someone or something

(C1)
Example: Changing patterns of agriculture are threatening the countryside
16 Whim (n) – a sudden wish or idea, especially one that cannot be reasonably
explained (C2)
Example: We booked the holiday on a whim

Word list
17 Immensely (adv) - extremely (C1)
Example: He was immensely popular in this day
18 Dwindle (v) - to become smaller in size or amount, or fewer in number
Example: The community has dwindled to a tenth of its former size in the last two
years
19 Ridiculous (adj) – stupid or unreasonable and deserving to be laughed at (B2)
Example: Do I look ridiculous in this hat?
E
Day 13 (Reading Passage 1: Meet the hedgehog)
N
Word list:
1 Spiny (adj) – covered with spines (long sharp points like needles)
ZO
Example: A spiny cactus
2 Forage (v) – to go from place to place searching, especially for food
Example: The children had been living on the streets, foraging for scraps and
sleeping rough
3 Primitive (adj) – relating to human society at a very early stage of development,

with people living in a simple way without machines or a writing system (C1)
S
Example: Primitive races colonized these islands 2000 years ago
4 Uncover (v) – to discover something secret or hidden or remove something

LT
covering something else (C1)
Example: The investigation uncovered evidence of a large-scale illegal trade in

wild birds
5 Hibernate (v) – (of some animals) to spend the winter sleeping

IE
Example: The turtle hibernates in a shallow burrow for six months of the year
6 Scarp (v) – to get rid of something that is no longer useful or wanted, often using
its parts in new ways (C2)
Example: Hundreds of nuclear weapons have been scrapped
7 Retract (v) – to take back an offer or statement or admit that a statement was
false
Example: When questioned on TV, the minister retracted his allegations
261
8 Perceive (v) – to see something or someone, or to notice something that is

obvious (C2)
Example: Bill perceived a tiny figure in the distance
9 Appealing (adj) – attractive or interesting
Example: The idea of not having to get up early every morning is rather appealing
10 Take toll on something (v) – to harm or damage someone or something,

especially in a gradual way
Example: The recession has taken a heavy toll
E
11 Cope with (v) – to dal successfully with a difficult situation (B2)
Example: It must be difficult to cope with three small children and a job
N
12 Counter (v) – to react to something with an opposing opinion or action, or to
defend yourself against something
ZO
Example: The prime minister countered the opposition’s claims about health
service cuts by saying that the government has increased spending in this area.
Day 14 (Reading Passage 2: The house of the future, then and now)
Word list:
1 Obsession (n) – something or someone that you think about all the time (B2)
S
Example: An unhealthy obsession with death

LT
2 Consolidate (v) – to become or cause something to become stronger, and more

certain
Example: The success of their major product consolidated the firm’s position in
the market
IE
3 Futuristic (adj) – strange and very modern, or intended or seeming to come from
some imagined time in the future
Example: Her latest novel is a futuristic thriller, set some time in the late 21st
century
4 Indebted to (v) – grateful because of help given
Example: We are deeply indebted to you for your help
5 Dwelling (n) - a house or place to live in
Example: There is an estimated shortfall five million dwellings across the country
262
Word list
6 Team up (v) – to join another person, or form a group with other people, in order
to do something together
Example: They teamed up for a charity performance
7 Overriding (adj) – more important than anything else
Example: The government’s overriding concern is to reduce inflation
8 Striking (adj) – very unusual or easily noticed, and therefore attracting a lot of
attention (B2)
Example: She bears a striking resemblance to her mother
E
9 Pejorative (adj) – disapproving or suggesting that something is not good or is of
no importance
N
Example: Make sure students realize that “fat” is a pejorative word
10 Cherish (v) – to love, protect and care for someone or something that is important
to you
ZO
Example: Although I cherish my children, I do allow them their independence
11 Prominently (adv) – describes something that is in a position in which it is easily

noticed (C2)
Example: New books are displayed in a prominent position on tables at the front
of the shop
S
12 Self-indulgence (n) – allowing yourself to have or do anything that you enjoy
Example: I know its self-indulgence of me, but I will just have another chocolate
LT
13 Free rein (n) – the freedom to do, say or feel what you want
Example: The young film-makers were given free rein to experiment with new
themes and techniques
14 Hectic (adj) – full of activity, or very busy and fast (C1)

IE
Example: A hectic schedule
15 Workload (n) – the amount of work to be done, especially by a particular person

or machine in a period of time
Example: Teachers are always complaining about their heavy workloads
263
Day 15 (Reading Passage 3: First words)

Word list:
1 Pinpoint (v) – to discover or describe the exact facts about something (C2)
Example: Emergency workers at the site are still unable to pinpoint the cause of
the explosion
2 Idle (adj) – without any particular purpose (C2)
Example: There is no idle threat
E
3 Speculation (n) – the activity of guessing possible answers to a question without
having enough information to be certain (C1)
Example: Rumors that they are about to marry have been dismissed as pure
N
speculation
4 Infinite (adj) – without limits; extremely large or great (C2)

ZO
Example: An infinite number/variety
5 String together (ph.v) – to arrange a group of things into a series
Example: He can hardly string together, let alone write poetry
6 Sophisticated (adj) – clever in a complicated way and therefore able to do

complicated tasks (B2)
Example: These are among the most sophisticated weapons in the world
S
7 Entail (v) – to make something necessary, or to involve something

LT
Example: Such a large investment inevitably entails some risk
8 Precursor (n) – something that happened or existed before another thing,

especially if it either developed into it or had an influence on it
Example: Sulphur dioxide is the main precursor of acid rain

IE
9 Bent on (v) – to be determined to do or have something
Example: He was bent on getting married as soon as possible
10 Cling on (v) – to try very hard to keep something (C2)
Example: He clung on to power for another ten years
11 Soothe (v) – to make someone feel calm or less worried
Example: To soothe a crying baby
264
Word list
12 Correlate with (v) – if two or more facts, numbers, etc. correlate or are
correlated, there is a relationship between them
Example: Stress levels and heart diseases are strongly correlated
Day 16 (Reading Passage 1: Going Nowhere Fast)

Word list:
1 Scarcely (adv) – only just or almost not (C2)
E
Example: I was scarcely able to move my arm after the accident
2 Belch out (v) – to produce a large amount of a substance such as gas or smoke,
especially when this is unpleasant or harmful, or to be produced like this
N
Example: The exhaust pipe belched out dense black smoke
3 Curb (v) – to control or limit something that is not wanted (C2)

ZO
Example: The government should act to curb tax evasion
4 Uphill struggle (n) – something that is very difficult to do and needs a lot of
efforts and determination
Example: Rehabilitation will be an uphill struggle
5 Lure (n) – the quality or power that something or someone has that make it, him,
S
or her attractive (C2)
Example: The lure of fame/power/money

LT
6 Hop into (v) – to go somewhere quickly or to go into or out of a vehicle quickly

(C1)
Example: We hopped over to Bruges for the weekend
7 Stack (v) – a pile of things arranged one on top of another

IE
Example: He chose a cartoon from the stack of DVDs on the shelf
8 Status quo (n) – the present situation
Example: Certain people always want to maintain the status quo
9 Doomed (adj) – certain to fail, die, or be destroyed
Example: This is a doomed city
10 Envisage (v) - to imagine or expect something in the future, especially something

good (C1)

Example: Train fare of 15 percent are envisaged for the next year
11 Incentive (n) – something that encourages a person to do something (C2)
Example: Tax incentives have been very effective in encouraging people to save
and invest more of their income
Day 17 (Reading Passage 2: Bird Migration)

Word list:
E
1 Superior (adj) – better than average or better than other people or things of the
same type (C1)
Example: This is clearly the work of a superior artist
N
2 Ingenious (adj) – very clever and skillful, or cleverly made and involving new
ideas and methods
ZO
Example: An ingenious solution
3 Plentiful (adj) – if something is plentiful, there is a lot of it available
Example: Strawberries are plentiful in the summer
4 Accumulate (v) – to collect a large number of things over a long period of time
(C2)
S
Example: As people accumulate more wealth, they tend to spend a greater

proportion of their incomes
5 Abundant (adj) – more than enough

LT
Example: An abundant supply of food
6 Intriguing (adj) – very interesting because of being unusual or mysterious (C2)
Example: An intriguing possibility/question

IE
7 Puzzling (adj) – difficult to explain and understand
Example: it is a rather puzzling film
8 Presumably (adv) – used to say what you think is the likely situation (B2)
Example: They can presumably afford to buy a bigger apartment
9 En route (adv) – on the way to or from somewhere
Example: I stopped en route to the party and got some wine
266
Word list
10 Span (v) – to exist or continue for a particular length of time
Example: Tennis has a history spanning several centuries
11 Marvel (v) – to show or experience great surprise or admiration
Example: We paused to marvel at the view
12 Juvenile (adj) – relating to a young person who is not yet old enough to be
considered an adult (C1)
Example: Juvenile crime/offenders
E
13 Mind-boggling (adj) – extremely surprising and difficult to understand or imagine
Example: She was paid the mind-boggling sum of ten million pounds for that film
N
14 Implication (n) – the effect that an action or decision will have on something else
in the future (C1)
Example: The company is cutting back its spending and I wonder what the
ZO
implication will be for our department
15 Inbuilt (adj) – describes something that is an original part of something or

someone and cannot be separated from them
Example: An inbuilt advantage
16 Mounting (adj) – gradually increasing
Example: Mounting anxiety

S
17 Dehydration (n) - to lose water, or to cause water to be lost from something,

especially from a person’s body
LT
Example: Air travel dehydrates the body
18 Turbulent (adj) – involving a lot of sudden changes, arguments, or violence (C2)
Example: A turbulent marriage

IE
19 Conducive (adj) – providing the right conditions for something good to happen or
exist
Example: Such a noisy environment was not conducive to a good night’s sleep
20 Sustained (adj) -continuing for a long time
Example: The president’s speech was greeted by sustained applause
21 Forecast (v) – to say what you expect to happen in the future
Example: The forecast a large drop in unemployment over the next two years
267
22 Minute (adj) – extremely small (C2)
Example: a minute amount
Day 18 (Reading Passage 3)

Word list:
1 Exclusively (adv) – only (C1)
Example: This offer is available exclusively to our established customers
E
2 Grown-up (n) – an adult, used especially when talking to children (B2)
Example: Ask a grown-up to cut the shape out for you
N
3 Insatiable (adj) – too great to be satisfied
Example: Like so many politicians, he had an insatiable appetite
4
ZO
Eagerness (n) – wanting very much to do or have something, especially
something interesting or enjoyable (B2)
Example: The children’s eager faces
5 Penetrate (v) – to move into or through something
Example: Amazingly, the bullet did not penetrate his brain

S
6 Ripe (adj) – completely developed and ready to be used (B2)
Example: Those bananas are not ripe yet – they are still green
LT
7 Appeal (v) – to interest or attract someone (B2)
Example: It is a programme designed to appeal mainly to 16 to 25-years-olds
8 Proceed (v) – to continue as planed (C1)

IE
Example: His lawyers have decided not to proceed with the case
9 Stumbling block (n) – something that prevents action or agreement
Example: Lack of willingness to compromise on both sides is the main stumbling

block to reaching a settlement
10 Insight (n) – a clear, deep, and sometimes sudden understanding of a

complicated problem or situation (C1)
Example: It was an interesting book, full of fascinating insights into human

relationships
268
Word list
12 Cue (n) – a signal for someone to do something
Example: They started washing up, so that was our cue to leave the party.
Day 19 (Reading Passage 1: The MIT factor: celebrating 150 years of

maverick genius by Ed Pilkington)
E
Word list:
1 Boundary (n) – the limit of a subject or principle (C1)
N
Example: Electronic publishing is blurring the boundaries between dictionaries
and encyclopedia
2 Unleash (v) – to suddenly release a violent force that cannot be controlled

ZO
Example: At worst, nuclear war could be unleashed
3 Leap into (v) – to make a large jump or sudden movement, usually from one
place to another (C2)
Example: He leaped out of his car and ran towards the house
4 Down-to-earth (n) – practical, reasonable, and friendly (C1)

S
Example: She is down-to-earth sort of woman with no pretensions
5 Enshrine (v) – to contain or keep something as if in a holy place

LT
Example: Almost two and a half million war dead are enshrined at Yasukuni
6 Standing (n) – reputation, rank, or position in an area of activity, system, or

organization
IE
Example: As a pathologist of considerable standing, his opinion will have a lot of

influence
7 Suffuse (v) – to spread through or over something completely
Example: His voice was low and suffused with passion
8 Conquer (v) – to deal with or successfully fight against a problem or an

unreasonable fear (C1)
Example: He has finally conquered his fear of spiders
9 Iterative (adj) – doing something again and again usually to improve it
269
Example: Iterative processes
10 Sparkling (adj) – energetic and interesting (C1)
Example: A sparkling performance
11 Channel into (v) – to direct something into a particular place or situation (C2)
Example: Ditches were constructed to channel water away from the buildings
12 Forge ahead (v) – to suddenly make a lot of progress with something
Example: The organizers are forging ahead with a programme of public events
E
13 Bury yourself in something – to give all your attention to something (C2)
Example: Since her marriage ended, she has buried herself in her work
N
Day 20 (Reading Passage 2: Gold dusters)
Word list:
ZO
1 Forage (v) – to go from one place searching, especially for food
Example: The children had been living on the streets, foraging for scraps and
sleeping rough
2 To do one’s part (v) – to do what one is responsible for doing or is able to do

S
Example: I have done my part, and now it is time for him to do his
3 Messy (adj) – describes a situation that is confusing and unpleasant

LT
Example: A war will be a long and messy business
4 Picky (adj) – describes someone who is very careful about choosing only what
they like
IE
Example: The children are such picky eaters
5 Wear down (v) – to make something gradually disappear or become thinner by

using or rubbing it
Example: The old stone steps had been worn down by years of use
6 Menace (n) – something that is likely to cause harm
Example: Drunk drivers are a menace to everyone
7 Slather (v) – to spread something thickly on something else

Word list
Example: She slathered lotion on her body
8 In the vicinity of (n) – approximately
Example: The team is believed to have paid in the vicinity of 3 million dollars for
Domingo
9 Redundancy (n) – a situation in which something is unnecessary because it is

more than needed
Example: The aircraft has seven computer systems running in parallel, so as to

provide enough redundancy to cope with computer breakdowns
E
10 Starve (v) – to cause someone to become very weak or die because there is not
enough food to eat (C1)
N
Example: Whole communities starved to death during the long drought
11 Burden (n) – something difficult or unpleasant that you have to deal with or worry
about (C1)
ZO
Example: My elderly mother worries that she’s a burden to me
Day 21 (Reading Passage 3: The Earth and Space Foundation)

Word list:
1 Chiefly (adv) – mainly

S
Example: The island chiefly attracts upmarket tourists
2 Divert (v) – to cause someone or something to change direction (C2)

LT
Example: Traffic will be diverted through the side streets while the main road is
resurfaced
3 Stem from (v) – to start to develop as a result of something (C1)

IE
Example: Her problems stem from difficult childhood
4 Split (v) – to divide into two or more parts, especially along a particular line (B2)
Example: The prize was split between Susan and Kate
5 Foster (v) – to encourage the development or growth of ideas or feelings
Example: I am trying to foster an interest in classical music in my children
6 Remnant (n) – small piece or amount of something that is left a larger original
piece or amount
271
Example: The remnants of last night’s meal
7 Extraterrestrial (adj) – coming from outside the planet Earth
Example: Extraterrestrial beings
Day 22 (Reading Passage 1: The environmental impact of the clothing

industry)
Word list:
E
1 Leaf thorough (v) – to quickly turn the pages of a book or magazine, reading only
a little of it
Example: The waiting room was full of people leafing through magazines
N
2 Glossy (adj) – smooth and shiny
Example: She has wonderfully glossy hair
3
ZO
Brim with (v) – to become full of something, especially a liquid
Example: Her eyes brimmed with tears when she heard that she was alive
4 Disparate (adj) – different in every way
Example: The two cultures were so utterly disparate that she found it hard to
adopt from one to the other
S
5 Disposable (adj) – describes a product that is intended to be thrown away after

use (C2)
LT
Example: Disposable nappies
6 Equivalent (adj) – having the same amount, value, qualities and etc.:
Example: She is doing equivalent job in the new company but for more money
IE
7 Aggravate (v) - to make a disease worse
Example: The treatment only aggravated the condition
8 Hazardous (adj) – dangerous (C2)
Example: A hazardous journey
9 Assemble (v) – to come together in a single place or bring parts together in a

single group (C2)
Example: We assembled in the meeting room after lunch
272
Word list
10 Mend (v) – to repair something that is broken or damaged (B1)
Example: Could you mend this hole in my shirt?
11 Landfill (n) – the process of getting rid of large amount of rubbish by burying it, or
a place where rubbish is buried
Example: 90 percent of American rubbish is dumped in landfill sites
12 Casts-offs (n) – things, usually clothes that you no longer want
Example: I always had to wear my sisters’ cast-offs as a child
E
13 Absorb (v) – to take in, especially gradually (B2)
Example: Plants absorb carbon dioxide
N
14 High-end (adj) – intended for people who want very good quality products and
who do not mind how much they cost
Example: High-end video equipment

ZO
15 Accelerate (v) – when a vehicle or its driver accelerates, the speed of the vehicle
increases (C2)
Example: I accelerated to overtake the bus
Day 23 (Reading Passage 2: Selling the health benefits of enriched

‘phoods’)
S
Word list:
LT
1 Eradicate (v) – to get rid of something completely or destroy something bad (C2)
Example: The government claims to be doing all it can to eradicate corruption
2 Boost with (v) – to improve or increase something (B2)

IE
Example: The theatre managed to boost its audiences by cutting ticket prices
3 Unveil (v) – if you unveil something, you show it or make it known for the first time
Example: A new government policy on forests is due to be unveiled in April
4 Attribute (v) – to say or think that something is the result or work of something
(C2)
Example: The doctors have attributed the cause of the illness to an unknown virus
5 Empower (v) – to give someone official authority or the freedom to do something
273
Example: This amendment empowers the president to declare an emergency for

a wide range of reasons
6 Rock solid (adj) – not likely to move or break
Example: I have fixed the table – it is rock-solid now
7 Bewildered (adj) – feeling confused
Example: Arriving in a strange city at night, I felt alone and bewildered
8 Conclusive (adj) – proving that something is true, or ending any doubt (C2)
E
Example: They had conclusive evidence of her guilt
N
Day 24 (Reading Passage 3: Swarm theory)
Word list: ZO
1 Elaborate (adj) - containing a lot of careful detail or many detailed parts (C2)
Example: They’re making the most elaborate preparations for the wedding
2 Epic (adj) - describes events that happen over a long period and

involve a lot of action and difficulty
Example: an epic struggle/journey
3 Inept (adj) - not skilled or effective

S
Example: He was always rather inept at sport

LT
4 Add up to (v) - to become particular amount
Example: The various building programmes to several thousand new homes
5 Haul (v) - to pull something heavy slowly and with difficulty (C2)
Example: They hauled the boat out of the water

IE
6 Stimulate (v) - to make someone excited and interested about something (B2)
Example: The film was intended to stimulate and amuse
7 To be in charge of (v) - having control or being responsible for

someone or something
Example: He was in charge of civil aviation matters
8 Ferry (v) - to transport people or goods in a vehicle, especially regularly and often
Example: I spend most of time ferrying the children about
274
Word list
9 Uncanny (adj) - strange or mysterious; difficult or impossible to explain
Example: An uncanny resemblance
10 Buzz (v) - to make a continuous, low sound such as the one a bee makes (C2)
Example: I can hear something buzzing
Day 25 (Reading Passage 1: The history of the poster)

Word list:
E
1 Offset (v) – to balance one influence against an opposing influence, so that there
is no great difference as a result (C2)
N
Example: The extra cost of travelling to work is offset by the lower price of houses
here
2 Nuance (n) – a very slight difference in appearance, meaning, sound, etc.:

ZO
Example: The painter has managed to capture every nuance of the woman’s
expression
3 Spotlight (n) – receiving the public attention (C2)
Example: The senator has been in the spotlight recently since the revelation of his
tax frauds
S
4 Exert (v) – to use something such as authority, power, influence, in order to make
something happen
Example: If you were to exert your influence, they might change their decision
LT
5 Accessibility (n) -able to be reached or easily got (B2)
Example: The resort is easily accessible by road, rail, and air
6 Chaotic (adj) – in a state of chaos (C1)

IE
Example: The house is a bit chaotic at the moment – we have got all these extra
people staying and we are still decorating
7 Stark (adj) – completely or extremely
Example: The children were splashing in the river, stark naked

Day 26 (Reading Passage 2: Last man standing)

Word list:
1 Roam (v) – to move about or travel, especially without a clear idea of what you
are going to do
Example: You will face extra costs for roaming
2 Erupt (v) – to start suddenly and violently
Example: At the end of a hot summer, violence erupted in the inner cities
E
3 Plummet (v) – to fall quickly and suddenly
Example: House prices plummeted in recent months
N
4 Inhospitable (adj) – describes an area that is not suitable for humans to live in
Example: They had to trek for miles through inhospitable countryside

ZO
5 Stocky (adj) – describes a man, whose body is wide across the shoulders and
chest and who is short
Example: The man was described as short and stocky and very strong
6 Robust (adj) – string and healthy, or strong and unlikely to break or fail
Example: He looks robust and healthy enough
7 Thirst (n) – a string wish (C2)

S
Example: He has always had a thirst for adventure
8 Wear down (v) – to make someone feel tired and less able to deal successfully
LT
with a situation
Example: Both sides are trying to wear the other down by being obstinate in the
negotiations
IE
Day 27 (Reading Passage: The new way to be a fifth-grader)

Word list:
1 Peer over (v) - to look carefully or with difficulty (C2)
Example: The driver was peering into the distance trying to read the road sign
2 Ponder (v) - to think carefully about something, especially for a

noticeable length of time (C2)
276
Word list
Example: She sat back for a minute to ponder her next move in the game
3 Work out (v) - to understand something or to find the answer to something by thin

king about it (C2)
Example: There will be a full investigation to work out what caused the accident
4 Sheepishly (adv) - embarrassed because you know that you have done

something wrong or silly
Example: She gave me a sheepish smile and apologized
5 Chattily (adv) - liking to talk a lot in a friendly, informal way (C1)
E
Example: A chatty talk
6 Grapple (v) - to try to deal with or understand a difficult problem or subject
N
Example: Today, many Americans are still grappling with the issue of race
7 Frustration (n) - the feeling of being annoyed or less confident because you

ZO
cannot achieve what you want, or something that makes you feel like this (B2)
Example: This job has more than its fair share of frustrations
8 Tailor (v) - to make or prepare something following particular instructions
Example: Arrangements can be tailored to meet individual requirements
9 Overhaul (v) - to repair or improve something so that every part of it works as it

should
S
Example: I got the engine overhauled

LT
10 Comprehensive (adj) - complete and including everything that is necessary (C1)
Example: We offer you a comprehensive training in all aspects of the business
11 Stumble into (v) - to discover something by chance or to meet someone by

chance (C2)
IE
Example: Workmen stumbled upon a mosaic while digging foundations for a new
building
12 Enamored (adj) - liking something a lot
Example: I have to say I am not exactly enamored with this part of the country
13 Unambiguous (adj) - expressed in a way that makes it

completely clear what is meant
Example: The minister promised a clear and unambiguous statement on the

future of the coal industry
277
Day 28 (Reading Passage 1: Andrea Palladio: Italian architect)

Word list:
1 Prosperous (adj) – successful, usually by earning a lot of money (C1)
Example: In a prosperous country like this, no one should go hungry
2 Apprentice (n) – someone who has agreed to work for a skilled person for a
particular period of time
Example: Most of the work was done by apprentices
E
3 Commission (v) – to formally choose someone to do a special piece of work
Example: The newspaper commissioned a series of articles on the worst of the

fashion industry
N
4 Promising (adj) – shows signs that it is going to be successful or enjoyable (C1)
Example: They won the award for the most promising new band of the year
5
ZO
Resemblance (n) – the fact that two people or things look like each other or are
similar in some other way (C2)
Example: There was a clear family resemblance between all the brothers
6 Alienate (v) – to make someone feel that they are different and do not belong to a
group
Example: Disagreements can alienate teenagers from their families

S
7 Leaven (v) – to make something less boring

LT
Example: Even a speech on a serious subject should be leavened with a little

humor
8 Uncompromising (adj) – if people or their beliefs are uncompromising, they are

fixed and don not change, especially when faced with opposition
IE
Example: The city council has taken an uncompromising stand against the
proposals for the new building
9 Impart (v) – to give something a particular feeling, quality, or taste
Example: Preservatives can impart color and flavor to a product
10 Benevolent (adj) – kind and helpful
Example: He was a benevolent old man and wouldn’t hurt a fly
278
Word list
Day 29 (Reading Passage 2: Corporate Social Responsibility)

Word list:
1 To make case (v) – to argue that something is the best thing to do, giving your
reasons
Example: We will only publish a new edition if you can make a convincing case for
it
2 Prominent (adj) – describes something that is in a position in which it is easily

seen (C2)
E
Example: New books are displayed in a prominent position on tables at the front
of the shop
N
3 Stewardship (n) –the way in which a person controls or organizes it
Example: The company has been very successful while it has been under the
stewardship
4
ZO
Compromise (v) – to accept that you will reduce your demands or change your
opinion in order to reach an agreement (B1)
Example: Party unit is threatened when members will not compromise
5 Mount (v) – to gradually increase, rise, or get bigger (C2)
Example: The children’s excitement is mounting as Christmas gets nearer

S
6 Liable (adj) – having (legal) responsibility for something or someone (C1)
Example: The law holds parents liable if a child does not attend school
LT
7 Retention (n) – the continued use, existence, or possession of something or

someone (C2)
Example: Two influential senators have argued for the retention of the unpopular
tax
IE
8 Reinforce (v) - to make something stronger (C2)
Example: The pockets on my jeans are reinforced with double stitching
Day 30 (Reading Passage 3: The significant role of Mother tongue in

Education)
Word list:
1 Mobility (n) – the ability to move freely or be easily moved
279
Example: Some neck injuries cause total loss of mobility
2 Integration (n) – to mix with or join society or a group of people, often changing
to suit their way of life, habits, and customs (C1)
Example: He seems to find it difficult to integrate socially
4 Mainstream (adj) – considered normal, and having or using idea, beliefs, etc. that
are accepted by most people (C2)
E
Example: This is the director’s first mainstream Hollywood film
5 Suspicious (adj) – feeling doubt or no trust in something or someone (B2)
N
Example: His colleagues became suspicious, when he did not appear at work,
since he was always punctual
6
ZO
Marvel (v) – to show or experience great surprise or admiration
Example: We paused to marvel at the view
7 Pick up (v) – to learn a new skill or language by practicing it rather than being
taught it (B2)
Example: Don’t bother with the computer manual – you will pick it up as you go
along
S
8 Chasm (n) – a very large difference between two opinions or group of people
Example: There is still a vast economic chasm between developed and

LT
developing countries
IE

30 - DAY READING CHALLENGE
The book has been prepared by a team of qualified teachers at IELTS

ZONE to help students overcome their difficulties with the IELTS
Reading Test.
It contains
• 30 Reading Passages taken from the first Reading marathon

• Answer keys with a detailed explanation by Bekzod Mirahmedov
• Passage-based vocabulary (around 400 listed words)
Also available
Video guidance on the most difficult questions prepared by

Bekzod Mirahmedov
IELTS ZONE – IELTS Preparation Centre
Tashkent, Chilonzor district, 51 Bunyodkor Avenue,

502 Business Centre Integro

98559

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Contents

DAY 1 Reading Passage 1: “William Kamkwamba” 6

DAY 2 Reading Passage 2: “White mountain, green tourism” 10

DAY 3 Reading Passage 3: “Reading in a whole new way” 14

DAY 4 Reading Passage 1: “The domestication of horses” 18

DAY 5 Reading Passage 2: “Business case study:

DAY 6 Reading Passage 3 26

DAY 7 Reading Passage 1: “The way the brain buys” 30

DAY 8 Reading Passage 2: “The truth about lying” 34

DAY 9 Reading Passage 3 38

DAY 10 Reading Passage 1: “Movers and Shakers” 42

DAY 11 Reading Passage 2: “Establishing your birthrights” 46

DAY 12 Reading Passage 3: “Making a loss is the height of

DAY 13 Reading Passage 1: “Meet the hedgehog” 54

DAY 14 Reading Passage 2: “The house of the future, then

DAY 15 Reading Passage 3: “First words” 62

DAY 16 Reading Passage 1: “Going Nowhere Fast” 66

DAY 17 Reading Passage 2: “Bird Migration” 70

DAY 18 Reading Passage 3 74

DAY 19 Reading Passage 1: “The MIT factor: celebrating 150

DAY 21 Reading Passage 3: “The Earth and Space Foundation” 87

DAY 22 Reading Passage 1: “The environmental impact of the

DAY 23 Reading Passage 2: “Selling the health benefits of

DAY 24 Reading Passage 3: “Swarm theory” 99

DAY 25 Reading Passage 1: “The history of the posters” 103

DAY 26 Reading Passage 2: “Last man standing” 107

DAY 27 Reading Passage 3: “The new way to be a fifth grader” 111

DAY 28 Reading Passage 1: “Andrea Palladio: Italian Architect” 115

DAY 29 Reading Passage 2: “Corporate Social Responsibility” 118

DAY 30 Reading Passage 3: “The significant role of mother

tongue in Education” 123

Word list 248

+97 130 68 22 @ieltszone_uz

of organisers for the Technology Entertainment and Design conference.

Complete the flow chart below.

Write your answers in boxes 1–5 on your answer sheet.

Building the Windmill

William learned some 1 …………… from a library book.

He made the windmill blades from pieces of 4 …………… .

He fixed the blades to a 5 …………… and then to part of a bicycle.

He raised the blades on a tower.

In boxes 6–10 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

6 William used the electricity he created for village transport.

7 At first, William’s achievement was ignored by local people.

9 William used money he received to improve water supplies in his village.

Write your answers in boxes 11–13 on your answer sheet.

11 How tall was the final tower that William built?

13 What school subject has become more popular in William’s village?

White mountain, green tourism

+97 130 68 22 @ieltszone_uz

F Chamonix’s council is encouraging the use of renewable energy in private

G Improving public transport is another feature of the new policy, as 80 percent of

Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs, A–H.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

NB You may use any letter more than once.

14 a list of the type of people who enjoy going to Chamonix

15 reference to a system that is changing the way visitors reach Chamonix

17 mention of the need to control the large tourist population in Chamonix

Choose TWO letters, A–E.

Which TWO of the following ways are mentioned?

A giving instructions about litter

B imposing fines on people who drop litter