READING TEST

READING PASSAGE 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-14, which are based on Reading Passage
2 below.

All The Ways Women Are Still Pressured To Put Family Before Career

  (A) There’s no denying that women around the world have made great strides toward
equality in the past century. One hundred years ago, women in the United States still didn’t
have the right to vote, and very few were allowed to pursue higher education or a meaningful
career outside of their household duties. Fast forward to today, and more than 70 percent of
women between the ages of 20 and 54 are active members of the national workforce. On top
of this, 2015 marked the first year when women were, on average, more likely to have a
bachelor’s degree than men, and this trend is on the rise.

  (B) But despite all this newfound opportunity, the prevailing societal attitudes about what
women are historically supposed to value still have a long way to go. That’s why we’ve
partnered with SK-II to learn more about all of the ways women are still pressured to stick to
outdated gender norms. “Women have won unprecedented rights thanks to the feminist
movement, but as a society, we still expect women to prioritize family over career, or even
over their own needs,” says Silvia Dutchevici, president and founder of the Critical Therapy
Center in New York City. Dutchevici says many women feel pressure to “have it all,” meaning
both a thriving career and the perfect family, but that can be very difficult to achieve.

  (C) “Most women try to balance work and family,” Dutchevici says, “but that balance is
seldom equal.” In fact, she says working mothers ― even those with partners ― often find
themselves essentially working two full-time jobs: keeping their career together while doing
the brunt of housework, cooking and child-rearing. This happens for a variety of reasons, but
societal expectations about the roles of women and men at home are still very much to
blame, says Tamra Lashchyk, a Wall Street executive, business coach and author of the
book “Lose the Gum: A Survival Guide to Women on Wall Street.”

  (D) “No matter how successful she is, the burden of running a household still falls on the
woman’s shoulders,” Lashchyk says. “Men get more of a pass when it comes to these
duties, especially those that involve children.” Lashchyk says much of this pressure on
women to conform to a more domestic lifestyle comes from friends and family.

  (E) “In many people’s minds, a woman’s career success pales in comparison to having a
family,” she says. “Especially if the woman is single, no matter how great her professional
achievements, almost every single one of her conversations with her family will include
questions about her romantic life or lack thereof. I could literally tell my family I’d cured
cancer and the conversation would still end with, ‘But are you dating anyone?’” While covert
societal expectations might contribute to some of this inequality, workplace policies on
maternity and paternity leave can hold a lot of the blame.

  (F) “Unfortunately, many workplace policies regarding taking time off to care for family do
not the changing times,” Dutchevici says. “Both men and women suffer in their careers when
they prioritize family, but women carry far harsher punishments. Their choice to take time off
and start a family can result in lower pay, and fewer promotions in the future. The right to
family leave is not a woman’s issue, it is a society’s issue, a family’s issue.” Lashchyk agrees
with this sentiment. “There should be more flexibility and benefits [in the workplace], like
longer periods of time for paternity leave….If paternity leave was extended, men could share
a greater responsibility in child care, and they could also spend more time bonding with their
infant children, which is beneficial for the entire family.

  (G) Another less visible way the modern workplace forces women to choose family over
career has to do with the fact that women are pushing back pregnancy, says Jeni
Mayorskaya, a fertility expert and CEO of Stork Club, an online community for women
dedicated to fertility issues. “Compared to our parents, our generation is having children a
decade later,” Mayorskaya says. “Unfortunately, when we hit our mid-30s and we’re finally
ready for that managing position or that title of a partner at a firm we fought so hard for, we
have to think about putting our career on pause and becoming a mom.”

  (H) So what can women do to combat these societal pressures? Finding workplaces that
offer flexible schedules, work-at-home opportunities and ample maternity and paternity leave
is a good first step, but Dr. Neeta Bhushan, an emotional intelligence advocate and author,
says women should also learn to put themselves first. “The first step is being mindful of your
emotional health in your relationships with others and the relationship you have with
yourself,“ Bhushan says. “When you put yourself first, you are able to make a bigger impact
on your community. This is different than being selfish ― think beyond you. You want to
make sure that you are being taken care of so that you can take care of others.”

Questions 1 - 8
Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs, A-H.
Which paragraph contains the following information?

1. Two "jobs" that women essentially do ________

2. Question about dating ________
3. Delaying pregnancy ________
4. The first year, when women are more likely to have bachelor's a degree ________
5. The reasons to put yourself first ________
6. The source of conformation to domestic lifestyle ________
7. Our expectancy over women's prioritization ________
8. Pros of extended paternity ________

Questions 9 - 14
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

9. One hundred years ago, women in USA:

A. had no rights.
B. were not allowed to pursue higher education.
C. couldn't vote.
D. were members of the national workforce.

10. According to Silvia Dutchevici:

A. feminist movement has more disadvantages than advantages.
B. now we expect women to prioritize career over family.
C. now we expect women to prioritize their own needs over family.
D. women rarely achieve equal balance between family and work.

11. Tamra Lashchyk, a Wall Street executive, says that

A. most women are still responsible for the house duties.
B. men don't really need to do any housework.
C. it's more important for a women to have a career than a family.
D. both A and B.

12. Lashchyk agrees with Dutchevici on

A. women's rights and feminism.
B. the fact that he right to family leave is a society’s issue.
C. the state of women's rights in America.
D. the reason why women want to pursue their careers.

13. Jeni Mayorskaya says that

A. nowadays women give birth later than they used to.
B. now women don't push pregnancy back.
C. when women are in their 30s, they have to think about putting career on pause to
become a mother.
D. Both A and C.

14. According to the last paragraph, how can women deal with societal pressure?
A. They should be selfish.
B. They shouldn't work at home.
C. They should put themselves first.
D. They should avoid marriage at all.
READING PASSAGE 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-14, which are based on Reading Passage
2 below.

Communication in Science
A Science plays an increasingly significant role in people’s lives, making the faithful
communication of scientific developments more important than ever. Yet such communication is
fraught with challenges that can easily distort discussions, leading to unnecessary confusion and
misunderstandings.
B Some problems stem from the esoteric nature of current research and the associated
difficulty of finding sufficiently faithful terminology. Abstraction and complexity are not signs that a
given scientific direction is wrong, as some commentators have suggested, but are instead a
tribute to the success of human ingenuity in meeting the increasingly complex challenges that
nature presents. They can, however, make communication more difficult. But many of the
biggest challenges for science reporting arise because in areas of evolving research, scientists
themselves often only partly understand the full implications of any particular advance or
development. Since that dynamic applies to most of the scientific developments that directly
affect people’s lives global warming, cancer research, diet studies – learning how to overcome it
is critical to spurring a more informed scientific debate among the broader public.
C Ambiguous word choices are the source of some misunderstandings. Scientists often
employ colloquial terminology, which they then assign a specific meaning that is impossible to
fathom without proper training. The term “relativity,” for example, is intrinsically misleading. Many
interpret the theory to mean that everything is relative and there are no absolutes. Yet although
the measurements any observer makes depend on his coordinates and reference frame, the
physical phenomena he measures have an invariant description that transcends that observer’s
particular coordinates. Einstein’s theory of relativity is really about finding an invariant description
of physical phenomena. True, Einstein agreed with the idea that his theory would have been
better named “Invarianten theorie.” But the term “relativity” was already entrenched at the time
for him to change.
D “The uncertainty principle” is another frequently abused term. It is sometimes interpreted
as a limitation on observers and their ability to make measurements.
E But it is not about intrinsic limitations on any one particular measurement; it is about the
inability to precisely measure particular pairs of quantities simultaneously? The first
interpretation is perhaps more engaging from a philosophical or political perspective. It’s just not
what the science is about.
F Even the word “theory” can be a problem. Unlike most people, who use the word to
describe a passing conjecture that they often regard as suspect, physicists have very specific
ideas in mind when they talk about theories. For physicists, theories entail a definite physical
framework embodied in a set of fundamental assumptions about the world that lead to a specific
set of equations and predictions – ones that are borne out by successful predictions. Theories
aren’t necessarily shown to be correct or complete immediately. Even Einstein took the better
part of a decade to develop the correct version of his theory of general relativity. But eventually
both the ideas and the measurements settle down and theories are either proven correct,
abandoned or absorbed into other, more encompassing theories.
G “Global warming” is another example of problematic terminology. Climatologists predict
more drastic fluctuations in temperature and rainfall – not necessarily that every place will be
warmer. The name sometimes subverts the debate, since it lets people argue that their winter
was worse, so how could there be global warming? Clearly “global climate change” would have
been a better name. But not all problems stem solely from poor word choices. Some stem from
the intrinsically complex nature of much of modern science. Science sometimes transcends this
limitation: remarkably, chemists were able to detail the precise chemical processes involved in
the destruction of the ozone layer, making the evidence that chlorofluorocarbon gases (Freon,
for example) were destroying the ozone layer indisputable.
H A better understanding of the mathematical significance of results and less insistence on
a simple story would help to clarify many scientific discussions. For several months, Harvard
was tortured months, Harvard was tortured by empty debates over the relative intrinsic scientific
abilities of men and women. One of the more amusing aspects of the discussion was that those
who believed in the differences and those who didn’t use the same evidence about
gender-specific special ability? How could that be? The answer is that the data shows no
substantial effects. Social factors might account for these tiny differences, which in any case
have an unclear connection to scientific ability. Not much of a headline when phrased that way,
is it? Each type of science has its own source of complexity and potential for miscommunication.
Yet there are steps we can take to improve public understanding in all cases. The first would be
to inculcate greater understanding and acceptance of indirect scientific evidence. The
information from an unmanned space mission is no less legitimate than the information from one
in which people are on board.
I This doesn’t mean questioning an interpretation, but it also doesn’t mean equating
indirect evidence with blind belief, as people sometimes suggest. Second, we might need
different standards for evaluating science with urgent policy implications than research with the
purely theoretical value. When scientists say they are not certain about their predictions, it
doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve found nothing substantial. It would be better if scientists were
more open about the mathematical significance of their results and if the public didn’t treat math
as quite so scary; statistics and errors, which tell us the uncertainty in a measurement, give us
the tools to evaluate new developments fairly.
J But most important, people have to recognize that science can be complex. If we accept
only simple stories, the description will necessarily be distorted. When advances are subtle or
complicated, scientists should be willing to go the extra distance to give proper explanations and
the public should be more patient about the truth. Even so, some difficulties are unavoidable.
Most developments reflect work in progress, so the story is complex because no one yet knows
the big picture.
Questions 15 - 19
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in boxes 15-19 on your answer sheet.
15. Why faithful science communication important?
A Science plays an increasingly significant role in people’s lives.
B Science is fraught with challenges public are interested in.
C The nature of complexity in science communication leads to confusion.
D Scientific inventions are more important than ever before.

16. what is the reason that the author believes for the biggest challenges for science reporting
A phenomenon such as global warming, cancer research, diet studies is too complex.
B Scientists themselves often only partly understand the Theory of Evolution
C Scientists do not totally comprehend the meaning of certain scientific evolution
D Scientists themselves often partly understand the esoteric communication nature

17. According to the 3rd paragraph, the reference to the term and example of “theory of
relativity” is to demonstrate
A theory of relativity is about an invariant physical phenomenon
B common people may be misled by the inaccurate choice of scientific phrase
C the term “relativity,” is designed to be misleading public
D everything is relative and there is no absolutes existence

18. Which one is a good example of appropriate word choice:

A Scientific theory for the uncertainty principle
B phenomenon of Global warming
C the importance of ozone layer
D Freon’s destructive process on environmental

19. What is a surprising finding of the Harvard debates in the passage?

A There are equal intrinsic scientific abilities of men and women.
B The proof applied by both sides seemed to be of no big difference.
C The scientific data usually shows no substantial figures to support a debated idea.
D Social factors might have a clear connection to scientific ability.

Questions 20 - 23
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage

20 “Global warming” scientifically refers to greater fluctuations in temperature and rainfall rather
than a universal temperature rise.
21 More media coverage of “global warming” would help the public to recognize the
phenomenon.
22 Harvard debates should focus more on female scientist and male scientists
23 Public understanding and acceptance of indirect scientific evidence in all cases would lead to
confusion
Questions 24
Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage
Using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 24-28 on your answer sheet.
Science Communication is fraught with challenges that can easily distort discussions, leading to
unnecessary confusion and misunderstandings. Firstly, Ambiguous 24 are the source
of some misunderstandings. Common people without proper training do not understand clearly
or deeply a specific scientific meaning via the 25 scientists often employed. Besides,
the measurements any 26 makes can not be confined to describe in a(n) constant
27 yet the phenomenon can be. What’s more, even the word “theory” can be a
problem. Theories aren’t necessarily shown to be correct or complete immediately since
scientists often evolved better versions of specific theories, a good example can be the theory of
28 .Thus, most importantly people have to recognize that science can be
complex.