Name: Mark:

UNIT 5 Test Level 1

WRITTEN COMPREHENSION
Read the article and answer the questions that follow.

Perceptions of Time
I If you ask someone in England to draw a timeline, you’ll probably be shown a familiar image: a horizontal
line with the past on the left and the future on the right. This may sound obvious to you, but there are
actually several places where this is not the case. In Arabic-speaking countries, words are written from
right to left, so a timeline will actually show the future on the left. In China, where sentences are written
by moving down the page, a timeline will be drawn vertically with the past at the top. As it turns out, the
way we write can significantly influence how we view time.
II But it’s not only our writing systems that have an effect; it’s also the different words we use. In Swedish,
for example, days are described as being “long”, while in Spanish, days are “full”. In one experiment,
Swedish and Spanish speakers were tested to see how this difference would affect their perception of
time passing. They were first shown a video of a line getting longer, followed by a video of a cylinder being
filled. The Swedish speakers thought extra time had passed watching the line get longer, while the
Spanish speakers thought the same thing seeing the cylinder get fuller – all because of the words they
use to describe time.
III Perhaps the greatest contrast in time perception can be seen with the Aymara people from South
America. Whereas most of us view the past as being behind us and the future in front of us, the Aymara
see the opposite. Because the past is something they can see and know, it is ahead of them. The future
is unknown and out of sight, so it must be behind them. For the Aymara, truth and knowledge are very
important, so they look towards the past, where both can be found.

IV One has to wonder what our perceptions of time mean for us. Whereas the Aymara have been found to
be extremely patient and unfazed by being late, most people in the Western world are only focused on the
future and getting there as fast as they can. Maybe we could benefit from adopting the mindset of the
Aymara and choose to see the past as something ahead of us rather than something we leave behind
while rushing towards the future.

1 Decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F). Find evidence in the text to support your answers.
(5 x 2 = 10 points)
1 In some countries, timelines aren’t horizontal. ......
....................................................................................................................................................................................
2 The Swedish speakers weren’t affected by the first video. ......
....................................................................................................................................................................................
3 The Aymara don’t care about what’s true. ......
....................................................................................................................................................................................
4 The Aymara don’t worry about being on time. ......
....................................................................................................................................................................................
5 The writer thinks that many of us only think about the future. ......
....................................................................................................................................................................................

2 Complete the sentences. (5 x 2 = 10 points)

1 Arabic speakers put the past on the right of the timeline because ...................................................................... .
2 According to the first paragraph, our perceptions of time are affected ................................................................ .
3 Swedish and Spanish speakers don’t use the same ............................................................................................. .
4 The Aymara see the future behind them because ................................................................................................. .
5 The writer thinks it might be a good idea for us to ................................................................................................. .

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 Name: Mark:

3 Find words or expressions in the text that mean: (5 x 2 = 10 points)

1 untrue (paragraph I) .............................
2 examined or checked (paragraph II) .............................
3 not visible (paragraph III) .............................
4 not bothered (paragraph IV) .............................
5 mentality (paragraph IV) .............................