NEC MOCK TEST 6

II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR (20 points)

Part 1. For questions 26-40, choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D to each of the following questions.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (15 points)
26. When the scientific community learned of the experiment, they _________ Milgram, as they deemed
the experiment to be unethical.
A. shunned B. sanctioned C. dodged D. snuffed
27. Having been diagnosed with, Hannah is dependent on medication to survive.
A. epilepsy B. anaemia C. appendicitis D. arthritis
28. The man sitting ______ over his chair was obviously ill.
A. folded B. hunched C. leaned D. humped
29. Albert Einstein remains a ______ figure in the world of science because of his brilliance and
originality.
A. phenomenal B. titanic C. staggering D. celibate
30. The teachers got together and decided to form a __________front against proposed cuts to education.
A. unified B. affiliated C. bold D. troopy
31. He watches ______ as the squad go over possible formations for tomorrow's game.
A. entirely B. steadily C. intently D. patently
32. Towards the end of his speech, the senator ______ some very harsh criticisms.
A. flared up B. lent out C. came out with D. let in on
33. George Smith is just the new ______ this company needs to bring it back to profitability.
A. broom B. sweep C. rake D. brush
34. Any parent who is _______ about asking a million questions to find out their son or daughter's problem is
probably going to hit a brick wall.
A. adamant B. agnostic C. anodyne D. combative
35. Several police officers were called in to break up ______ in the local bar.
A. wreck B. brawl C. hassle D. wrangle
36. Very wealthy people are often ______ from the realities of poverty.
A. sealed B. sustained C. cushioned D. insulated
37. Anyone would view such a _________of question as obnoxious behaviour on the part of the questioner!
A. barrage B. gunfire C. salvo D. hound
38. Once we commit a mistake, it can be challenging to __________ our pride and admit to it.
A. swallow B. gobble C. inhale D. devour
39. Working on a tight budget of a university physics department doesn’t give you much ______.
A. elbow room B. soft soap C. top brass D. upper crust
40. He just likes to go home and mellow ______ in front of the TV after work.
A. down B. out C. up D. about
Part 2. For questions 41-45, write the correct form of each bracketed word in each sentence in the
numbered space provided in the column on the right. (5 points)

1. Her years of waiting on rude people hand and foot turned her into a hopeless….. (ANTHROPO)

2. The organisers of the science fair were delighted that it had been a(n) ….. success. (precede)

3. The US Legislators unanimously approved the Act, marking a scarce display of ….. . (party)

4. It is unlikely that the few differences discovered between the two data sets have a ….. basis. (represent)

5. …… enables a spaceship to reach its destination on time without using an excessive amount of propellant.
(dynamic)
III. READING (50 POINTS)
Part 1. For questions 46-55, read the passage and fill in each blank with ONE suitable word. Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (10 points)
At the turn of this century, perhaps inspired by some of the fanciful names chosen by the newly-
emerged dotcom enterprises, it became (46) __________ fashionable for companies to change their names. A
survey conducted by a firm of brand consultants showed that, in 2000, no fewer than 250 British companies did
so. Slightly over half of these chose a new name because of a merger or (47) __________. However, that left
47% who changed their names with no clear reason for doing so, (48) __________ than to upgrade their
reputation. Even the Post Office reinvented (49) __________ under the new name Consignia, claiming this
would help it to expand abroad, where its (50) __________ name would have been even more meaningless than
the new one it had chosen. This assertion proved to be highly contentious, but perhaps one should be

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 sympathetic towards organizations which seek to boost their image through a (51) __________ change or to
market new products internationally.
(52)__________ globalization continuing apace, it is becoming ever harder to find company names
and brand names which are neither unpronounceable nor, something which is (53)__________ important,
ridiculously inappropriate in another language. General Motors found this out when they tried to launch the Nova
in Spain, only to find that 'no va' means 'doesn't go' in Spanish. Hence the need for brand consultants,
(54)__________ role is not only to devise names that (55)__________ a favorable corporate image but also to
enlighten their clients about brand names that might be embarrassing in other parts of the world.

Part 2. For questions 56-68, read the following passage and do the tasks that follow. (13 points)

DESTROYING OUR NEIGHBOURS’ HOMES

It seems shockingly easy to quote statistics that highlight the destruction of various natural habitats around
the world. More worryingly, these facts and figures seem to wash over us, not surprising us in the least. We hear
that rainforest now occupies a mere 50 per cent of the ground cover that it did 100 years ago, or we discover that
60 per cent of the world’s ecosystems are now considered degraded and unsustainable, and that biodiversity is
seriously under threat. But these facts do not have us up in arms; we are not shouting at our leaders to put a stop
to it. In fact, most people don’t even know what it is.
A commonly used definition describes habitat destruction as the transformation of a species’ natural
environment to the extent that it is no longer a viable home. The degradation or eventual destruction of vegetation
means that there is either no longer the physical space in which the species can live and breed, or a food supply
interruption. In both cases the animals are at best displaced and at worst destroyed. The longer-term
consequences of this are high numbers of species are becoming extinct and biodiversity is shrinking.
So why is it that we are destroying these habitats at all? The answer is quite simply a dramatically increasing
world population, coupled with constantly rising expectations for a better standard of living; that is to say, our
reliance on a constantly growing economy, our never-ending thirst for material possessions, and a need to
transport them from A to B in as short a time as possible. As the number of people populating the planet
skyrockets, then corresponding human needs become a burgeoning burden on natural resources. We need more
food, more clothes, more housing and more energy; in fact, more of everything.
Every aspect of our needs has a direct or indirect impact on the habitat of our co-occupants of planet earth.
One of the major causes of habitat destruction is logging. Responsible logging removes only the prime trees
within an area, but the by-product of this is that many smaller trees are damaged during the process. It has the
secondary effect of causing oil erosion, as the roots of the trees act as a binding agent on the soil. Take away the
tree and you create land that can no longer sustain other certain types of plant life and, consequently, those
species reliant on that particular plant for its food supply.
Another reason for habitat destruction is the increasing need for ever-wider motorways to accommodate the
rising number of cars, which carve areas of vegetation in two. Referred to as habitat fragmentation, these huge
swathes of tarmac mean that animals are unable to cross, resulting in their having insufficient territory to allow
them to migrate, find a mate and breed, or find food.
As our need to produce more food has grown, the way we manage the land has changed, usually to the
detriment of natural habitats. Growing more cereals, vegetables and bio-fuels has led to increasing amounts of
woodland and forest being turned over to agriculture, and our demand for a more meat-heavy diet has led to
tracts of forest being replaced by grassland, thus allowing cattle to graze. However, while it is true that a change
of land use can mean habitat destruction for one species and habitat creation for another, the overriding issue is
that the replacement land use is more often than not monoculturous: far fewer species can live in a habitat where
only one plant is grown across a very large area.
One particularly vivid example of this woeful trend is the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Borneo is home
to an extremely biodiverse range of plants and animals. There are over 15,000 species of flowering plants, 3,000
species of trees, 221 types of animals living on the land, and over 420 types of birds. It is home to amazing large
mammals such as rhinoceroses, clouded leopards, sun bears, gibbons and the iconic orang-utan. Yet, a
methodical destruction is taking place, stripping away the habitat necessary to support this biodiversity. In the
pursuit of the cultivation of the cash-crop palm oil, major firms have deforested two million acres in the past
twenty years. In these areas dedicated to monoculture, 80 per cent of the plant varieties and a staggering 80 – 90
per cent of the mammals have disappeared; these areas can no longer be said to be biodiverse in any way.
Some orang-utans, believed to blight crops, are considered a pest by many farmers of palm oil and are poached;
many others fall victim to the insecticides that are used on the crops. Looking ahead, the United Nations
projections of forest cover in Borneo are discouraging.
Balancing the need for economic growth and respecting the environment has been a difficult issue ever
since the first industrial revolution in the 18 th century. The difference now is that the environmental impact on the
land is on a scale never before seen. The shocking statistics surrounding degradation continue to mount up.
Perhaps we will continue to be desensitised to their true ramifications. It might be that requiring people to give up
the material wealth that they have grown accustomed to is too big an ask. But it is clear that if we do nothing, the
future for a wealth of species and our planet looks very bleak instead.
Questions 56-60: Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the reading passage?

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 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

56. Habitat destruction is defined as the point when a creature’s surroundings are changed to the degree that it
can no longer live there.
57. Deforestation has had a large effect on climate change.
58. The cultivation of single crops increases biodiversity.
59. One particular species in Borneo is illegally hunted by farmers.
60. There is some hope for the future of the natural habitats in Borneo.

Questions 61-64: Complete the sentences below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage
for each answer
61. There is now only half as much (rainforst) ground cover as a century ago.
62. When habitat is destroyed, there is either an insufficient area to reproduce, or a Food supply interruption .
63. Areas of habitat have been split due to the growing call for Ever-wider motorways.
64. Large amounts of land are now used to feed cows to satisfy our desire for a More meat-heavy diet.
Questions 65-68: Complete each sentence with the correct ending A – H from the box below
65. An increasing world population
66. Despite attempts to remove only the biggest trees,
67. If trees are removed,
68. Increased food production D
A. the number of species is declining at an alarming rate.
B. many less mature specimens are destroyed as a secondary consequence.
C. will place extra demands on the planet
D. has transformed our use of the countryside.
E. has led to an increased use of chemicals.
F. it can become difficult for animals to find a breeding partner.
G. the soil may be eroded and made unable to support other vegetation.
H. growing cash-crops helps to reinvigorate an economy.

You are going to read an article about MAGA Mayhem. Seven paragraphs have been removed. Read the
passage and choose from the paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap. There is ONE extra paragraph
which you do not need to use. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered box provided.

MAGA Mayhem
In November, many election deniers and extremists were expelled, and predictions of violence and chaos at
the polls did not materialise. This was a cause for celebration for supporters of American democracy. The
Democrats gained significant ground in governorships and state legislatures, while retaining control of the
Senate.

1.

The Republicans’ victory in the House is a troubling sign that millions of Americans still reside in a post-truth
environment, in which fake plots are real, real news is fake, and Big Lie proponents and reality deniers are
afforded power. In this slice of America, there are few—or no—consequences for waging war on democracy.
House Republicans, in cahoots with their Dear Leader, tried to subvert the constitutional order with
skulduggery and fueled the mob on January 6, 2021. They not only escaped punishment; they have been
rewarded with control of the chamber that holds the power of the purse and the purview to launch
impeachments. This is the opposite of accountability.

2.

There is, of course, nothing new about House Republicans sweeping into power in the first midterm elections
of a Democratic presidency. That’s the pattern (though Republican gains in 2022 were historically low). In 1994,
Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), exploiting a tide of angry conservative voters pumped up by the hateful rhetoric of

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Rush Limbaugh, won the House for the GOP. Sixteen years later, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) harnessed the
racist and batcrap-crazy tea party to fuel a Republican takeover of the chamber.

3.

Those Republican victories caused devastation. The Limbaugh caucus forced a costly and unprecedented
government shutdown, sliced social programs, and embarked on an unpopular impeachment crusade against
President Bill Clinton. The House tea partiers sparked a debt ceiling crisis, blocked climate change action, and
mounted multiple Benghazi hearings targeting then–Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In each of these eras,
Republicans engaged in their usual efforts to limit and suppress voting.

4.

After the midterms, some elements within the GOP signaled an eagerness to break Trump’s grip on the party.
But that isn’t the crew who will now set the agenda in the House. The folks who are now holding the reins have
treated Trump, who continues to encourage political violence, as their de facto leader. With the expunging of
the few Republican moderates who remained, the GOP caucus has been boiled down to the most reactionary
roux.

5.

Revenge and spite are two of Trump’s primary motivators. His thirst for vengeance will likely push his lackeys in
the House to unprecedented lengths. Trump presumably wants Biden impeached more than the two times he
was impeached. The lower chamber could well become Trump’s very own weapon of retribution. Some probes
will probably be led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the bellicose Trump toady and Trump-Russia denier who is
expected to chair the Judiciary Committee. (Jordan was also one of Trump’s key co-conspirators in the
clandestine plots to capsize the 2020 election.) Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), the QAnoner and white
nationalist ally who was kicked off House committees for spreading loony conspiracy theories and boosting a
social media post calling for the assassination of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will be allowed to sit on
committees again. She has been pushing for a spot on the Oversight Committee, which will mount various anti-
Biden investigations. Imagine a gavel in her hands.

6.

Yet many House Republicans care little about this and will be more committed to posturing and shitposting—
trolling the libs, owning the libs, and out outraging their comrades—to gain attention and boost their status on
the right and within the world of conservative social media. Their measure of success is not bills approved, but
Fox hits. And within a chaotic caucus, extremist members will be further emboldened to take on a Sen. Joe
Manchin–like role, making demands of whoever is unlucky enough to be speaker and forcing the House
Republican leadership to give ground.

7.

Once more, House Republicans have successfully exploited fear, grievance, tribalism, resentment, and paranoia
to obtain power. Only this time, it is with the explicit goal of pursuing an antidemocratic agenda and attaining
some degree of authoritarian rule. Worse still is the message this sends: that lying, cheating, sabotaging
elections, whipping up groundless conspiracy theories, and arousing hatred and violence are not automatically
disqualifying in American politics. In the People’s House, American democracy will remain under assault, just as
it was on that horrific and bloody day in 2021—perhaps even more so.

A. In each case, the public discourse was debased. Gingrich’s winning strategy included demonizing and
dehumanizing Democrats. His political action committee disseminated a list of words and terms that GOP
candidates should use “to define our opponents,” including traitors, radical, sick, antichild, antiflag, betray,
bizarre, pathetic, lie, steal, disgrace, and they/them. The tea partiers went further, claiming that President
Barack Obama was secretly a Kenya-born Muslim socialist who had a devious plan to destroy the American
economy so he could impose a totalitarian regime. (Death panels! Concentration camps!) And yet, at least

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these extremist political projects wrapped their demented accusations in the veneer of policy and ideological
aims. Gingrich maintained he was a visionary bent on transforming the welfare state into a dynamic
“conservative opportunity society.” The tea party presented itself—with a big assist from the mainstream
media—as being part of a long populist tradition driven by resentment of Washington and the desire for less-
intrusive government.

B. With Republicans ruling the roost in the House, QAnonish crackpots will wield subpoenas, hold hearings, and
hurl allegations, providing red meat for the Trump-loving right-wing media machine. It will be an orgy for Fox
News. Democracy and sanity will be at risk. Some Democrats have chortled that with such a slim majority, the
Republican caucus will be tough to govern and marked by discord and infighting that will make it hard for its
leaders to pass legislation.

C. What will it mean to have this tribe of democracy deniers in power? House Republicans have signaled their
intention to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and to provoke a debt ceiling battle that could trigger a
global financial crisis. They hope to further restrict reproductive rights. They will continue to attack trans kids,
immigrants, and anti-racist activists. They will shut down the January 6 committee and launch multiple
impeachments (of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas) and a long line of combative investigations. Probable
targets: Hunter Biden, the 2020 election, Hunter Biden, the Mar-a-Lago raid, Hunter Biden, the National
Archives, Hunter Biden, the January 6 committee and its members, Hunter Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Russia
investigation, and much more—possibly including the golden oldies of Benghazi and Hillary Clinton’s emails.
And government shutdowns, anyone?

D. A political force fueled by racism, conspiracy theories, and lies, led by a man who attempted to overturn a
national election and incited violence to prevent the peaceful transfer of power, however, won control of the
House of Representatives. In an election where far-right extremists performed poorly and there was no red
wave, the Republican Party, aided by racial gerrymandering and fueled by antidemocratic election denialism
and extremism, nonetheless won a slim majority of seats in the lower chamber. And despite election results
indicating that voters rejected far-right conspiracists, the new House GOP caucus will be more extreme than
ever, posing a greater threat to democracy.

E. Pushing perilous conspiracy theories, spreading lies about elections, attempting a coup, fomenting violence,
allying with extremists, and destabilizing the political system, all in service to a narcissistic and bigoted
demagogue who yearns to rule as an autocrat—House Republicans have gotten away with it. In the first
congressional elections since Trump’s brownshirts attacked Congress, the House GOP paid no meaningful price
for the attack on the Capitol or the Big Lie—or for continuing their embrace of Donald Trump, who has vowed
he will pardon the domestic terrorists who brutally assaulted Capitol law enforcement officers if he regains the
White House. Instead, they have been empowered, even if only with a slight majority, to cause more damage.

F. What’s different now—and it’s a critical difference—is that the House Republicans who have waltzed into
power have directly assaulted the foundation of American democracy. At least 170 of them are election deniers,
and that’s more than the 139 House Republicans who voted against certifying the election a few hours after the
mob was finally driven from the Capitol. Many of them have dismissed the significance of the Trump-inspired
seditious raid, and most of the GOP House members who voted to impeach Trump have been purged.

G. Given the extreme sensitivity of the Justice Department's investigation into whether or not Trump obstructed
justice, critics will also question why Biden didn't immediately make public the discovery of fewer than a dozen
documents last fall. Because of his harsh criticism that Trump did not take the necessary steps to secure
classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, the president is almost guaranteed to face charges of hypocrisy. However,
even if these questions are adequately addressed, the political whirlwind that is currently brewing, combined
with the conservative media's propensity to falsely equate the Biden and Trump documents, will wash away any
differences in severity.

H. These Trumpish radicals will not have much incentive to moderate their stances or their styles. Continuing to
advance far-right or bonkers positions—capitalizing on hate and anger within the GOP base—will bring them

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what they desire most: attention and campaign cash. And it will protect them from what they fear most:
primary challenges in their safe, blood-red districts. These House members will crank up the crazy.

Part 4. For questions 76-85, read the passage and choose the answer A, B, C or D that fits best
according to the text. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (10 points)

The Life Cycle of a Star

All stars in the universe operate on the same fundamental principle: the compressive force of gravity creates the
heat and pressure necessary to induce the fusion of atoms within the star's core. Since gravity is the controlling
force within a star, and gravity is a simple function of mass, a star's mass ultimately determines all aspects of its
life and death.

All stars, no matter what their size, spend most of their lives in what is known as the main sequence. In this
stage, the compressive force of gravity is counter-balanced by the outward pressure and heat created by fusion;
as long as a star has material available for fusion, gravity will be held at bay. Somewhat counter-intuitively,
however, the larger the star, the faster it will burn through its fuel supply. Larger stars have more gravity and
thus greater temperatures and pressures in their cores. This allows larger stars to create fusion reactions at a
much faster rate. A relatively small star like the sun may remain in the main sequence for as long as 10 billion
years. In contrast, the largest stars will burn through all of their nuclear fuel in as little as 1 million years.

As a star's primary supply of fuel, hydrogen, begins to dwindle, it will attempt to fuse successively heavier
elements. Heavier elements, however, require higher temperatures and pressures in order to achieve fusion.
Thus, it is once again the mass of the star (which determines the pressure and temperatures possible within the
core) that is the determining factor in what elements a star may use to fuel fusion reactions. The sun, once it has
fused all of its hydrogen, will be able to use helium as a secondary fuel, but not heavier elements such as carbon
or oxygen. Larger stars can use heavier elements as fuel, but eventually any star will reach a point at which it
can no longer sustain fusion. At this point, the star will have left the main sequence and its death will have
begun.

Stars with a mass less than 1.5 times that of the sun are destined to end their lives as white dwarfs. These stars
are only able to fuse relatively light elements, and, once this fusion has stopped, the force of gravity will take
over and the star will begin to collapse on itself. As the star collapses, however, the matter it contains becomes
more and more densely packed.

As this occurs, a new force comes into play: the repulsive force between electrons. Two similar electrical
charges will always repel each other. Therefore, as the electrons in a collapsing star's core are pushed closer
and closer together, the repulsive force between the negatively charged electrons grows greater and greater.
Eventually, a state of equilibrium will be achieved, with the compressive force of gravity being matched by the
repulsive force of the electrons. The star will cease to collapse and will become what is known as a white dwarf.
This is essentially the corpse of a star; fusion no longer occurs in its core, and, over billions and billions of years,
the white dwarf will radiate away its remaining heat.

Stars greater than 1.5 but less than 3 solar masses will suffer a somewhat different fate. The initial stages of
such a star's death will proceed along the same line as that of a smaller star; once fusion has stopped, the star
will begin to collapse. In these more massive stars, however, the force of gravity is great enough to overcome
the repulsive force of electrons. The star will continue to collapse into a state of such extreme density that
individual electrons will be forced to merge with protons in their atomic nuclei, forming neutrons. Since neutrons
hold no electrical charge, they can be forced into a much greater density. In fact, a star that was once three
times as massive as the sun may collapse into a sphere that is perhaps no greater than 10 miles in diameter.
The collapse, however, is not infinite. At very great densities, neutrons, like electrons, also exhibit a repulsive
force, and eventually this force will become great enough counteract the force of gravity and halt the star's
collapse. [A] What will remain is one of the most bizarre objects known to astronomers: a neutron star. [B] What
little we know about neutron stars comes from high-energy observations. [C] Neutron stars emit very little heat
or light, but emit powerful waves on the upper end of the electromagnetic spectrum, through which they are
visible to astronomers. [D]

76. What is the most important factor in determining the fate of a star?
A. the make-up of its initial fuel
B. the total amount of matter it contains
C. the rate at which it can induce fusion
D. its ability to resist gravity in order to induce fusion
77. The term "main sequence" in the passage can best be defined as

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 A. the period in which a star is still forming
B. the period in which a star still exerts gravitational force
C. the period in which a star has fuel available for fusion
D. the period in which heat and pressure are still increasing within a star
78. What is the role of heat and pressure within a star’s core?
A. They determine the gravity of a star.
B. They prevent gravitational collapse.
C. They prevent heavy elements from being fused.
D. They determine the size of a star.
79. Why does the author mention the sun in paragraph 2?
A. To illustrate the relationship between the mass and life span of a star
B. To contrast the sun with stars that are still in their main sequence
C. To give an example of a star with a high rate of fusion
D. To suggest that the sun is unique among stars
80. The word “dwindle” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. escape B. lessen C. deteriorate D. burn
81. How do stars delay their deaths?
A. They increase their internal heat and pressure. B. They end their main sequence.
C. They convert heavy elements into hydrogen. D. They utilize secondary fuels.
82. All of the following are true of main sequence stars EXCEPT:
A. They manage to resist gravity. B. They sustain fusion reactions.
C. They all have equivalent life spans. D. They will all eventually die.
83. The word “equilibrium” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. inactivity B. balance C. resistance D. fluctuation
84. What can be inferred from the passage about the sun?
A. It is not a main sequence star. B. It will end its life as a neutron star.
C. It will end its life as a white dwarf. D. It is uncertain how it will end its life.
85. Look at the four squares [A], [B], [C], and [D] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to
the passage. Where would the following sentence best fit?
Because the great densities in these stars test the very laws of physics, much of our knowledge
about them is highly speculative.
A. [A] B. [B] C. [C] D. [D]
Your answers
76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85.

Part 5. You are going to read an article about unusual building materials. The passage below consists of
five paragraphs marked A-E. For questions 86-95, read the passage and do the task that follows. Write
your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (10 points)

A. Beer Bottles
The Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew temple in Thailand is constructed from a million glass beer bottles. Decorative
mosaics at the temple are constructed from beer bottle lids. The mixture of brown and green glass allowed the
incorporation of intricate patterns within the temple's walls. Since the walls are colored glass they allow for
privacy but also a beautiful but diffuse light to spread throughout the buildings. The monks who built the temple
wished to highlight the wasteful nature of consumption and the possibility of reclaiming beauty from
rubbish. Since glass is rather too brittle to make a complete structure, the temple does have a concrete core to
support its weight.
B. Ice
In Jukkasjarvi, a village in Sweden within the Arctic circle, each year a hotel constructed entirely out of ice is
built. Every room is a display of art carved in ice. Even the beds are blocks of ice, though spread with reindeer
skins. When the summer comes and the hotel melts visitors are offered the ability to stay in rooms of ice
maintained in a freezer building. Because water has such a highly specific heat capacity it requires a large
amount of energy to melt ice. This is what allows buildings from igloos to palaces to be constructed from it. Ice is
also remarkably strong. A rather grander building of ice was planned by the eccentric president of Turkmenistan,
Saparmurat Niyazov. He ordered the building of a palace of ice near the Turkmen capital. Since the average
temperature there is rather higher than it is within the Arctic Circle the project was more impressive.
C. Planes
There are many houses made from reclaimed structures, such as disused water towers. There are houses made
from retired train carriages. Most impressive for scale and boyish playfulness are houses which are built inside
converted airplanes. Because airplanes are built to be robust they make surprisingly good buildings. Their
exterior is strong and weatherproof and their interior is spacious once stripped of seats and storage
compartments. Another factor in their favour is the low cost of buying a retired passenger jet. Since a retired
plane is of no value except as scrap metal, they can be had very reasonably. Because of the advantages
converted planes have as homes there are now several companies which specialize in them. Perhaps they will
not be as unusual in the future as they seem now.

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D. Salt
Salt was once so rare in Europe that it was used to pay soldiers' wages; it is where we get the word salary from.
In Bolivia there are massive salt flats and so no shortage of the substance. To build a house out of salt in
Europe would be to court disaster as salt is, of course, soluble and so the first rain would wash your walls
away. In the high, and mostly dry, deserts where the salt flats exist there is no such danger. A hotel has been
constructed of blocks of salt cut from the flats. Joining these bricks of salt together could not be easier. Simply
wet the edge and press them together and the bricks will fuse. The hotel is much like the ice hotel mentioned
earlier in that it is entirely constructed from salt - even the furniture inside. Seasoning your food at the dinner
table should present no trouble.
E. Plastic Bottles
Recycling of materials will become ever more popular as resources become scarcer. A number of buildings have
been made from plastic bottles. The benefit of using them is their extremely low cost and their ability to act as
insulating materials. Air is a very good insulator, so sealed bottles of air will tend to keep heat in or out as
desired. Since plastics resist biodegradation they can form long-lasting walls. It is not only small houses in
impoverished nations which are using plastic bottles though. In Taiwan an exhibition hall was constructed from
recycled bottles. Many low cost houses in third world countries are built of corrugated metal and are dingy, to
say the least. The only source of light may be the open door. To bring light into these homes a scheme called
Liter of light' has been repurposing plastic bottles. Cutting a hole in the roof and inserting a plastic bottle will
allow sunlight to radiate into the home and bring light indoors for people too poor to afford electricity.

Which house building material Your answers

1. E has the capacity to provide free lighting without the need for a connection to an electrical 86. ________
grid?
2. C has given businesses a chance to fill a gap in the market? 87. _________
3. A employs coloured components to facilitate intricate interior design? 88. _________
4. B requires the hide of a creature native to the arctic regions of our planet? 89. _________
5. D needs certain weather conditions in order to stay strong? 90. ________
6. A necessitates the addition of extra materials to ensure that it can withstand the substantial 91. _________
load required of it?
7. E is both functional and durable due to its chemical properties? 92. _________
8. C must be hollowed out in order to serve its intended purpose? 93. _________
9. B must be supported annually by an artificial structure? 94. _________
10. D employs the use of water to create a bond? 95. _________

IV. WRITING (60 points)

Part 1. Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary should be
between 100 and 120 words. (15 points)
Archaeological records - paintings, drawings and carvings of humans engaged in activities involving the
use of hands - indicate that humans have been predominantly right-handed for more than 5,000 years. In
ancient Egyptian artwork, for example, the right hand is depicted as the dominant one in about 90 percent of the
examples. Fracture or wear patterns on tools also indicate that a majority of ancient people were right-handed.
Cro-Magnon cave paintings, some 27,000 years old, commonly show outlines of human hands made by placing
one hand against the cave wall and applying paint with the other. Children today make similar outlines of their
hands with crayons on paper. With few exceptions, the left hands of Cro-Magnons are displayed on cave walls,
indicating that the paintings were usually done by right-handers.
Anthropological evidence pushes the record of handedness in early human ancestors back to at least 1.4
million years ago. One important line of evidence comes from the flaking patterns of stone cores used in tool
making: implements flaked with a clockwise motion (indicating a right-handed toolmaker) can be distinguished
from those flaked with a counter-clockwise rotation (indicating a left-handed toolmaker).
Even scratches found on fossil human teeth offer clues. Ancient humans are thought to have cut meat into
strips by holding it between their teeth and slicing it with stone knives, as do the present-day Inuit. Occasionally,
the knives slip and leave scratches on the users' teeth. Scratches made with a left-to-right stroke direction (by
right-handers) are more common than scratches in the opposite direction (made by left-handers).
Still other evidence comes from cranial morphology: scientists think that physical differences between the
right and left sides of the interior of the skull indicate subtle physical differences between the two sides of the
brain. The variation between the hemispheres corresponds to which side of the body is used to perform specific
activities. Such studies, as well as studies of tool use, indicate that right- or left-sided dominance is not exclusive
to modern Homo sapiens. The populations of Neanderthals, such as Homo erectus and Homo habilis, seem to
have been predominantly right-handed, as we are.

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Part 2. Chart description (15 points)
The chart below shows the percentage of adults of different ages in the UK who used the Internet every
day from 2018 to 2021. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant.

Percentage of adults by age group using the In-

ternet from 2018 to 2021
120

100

80
2018
60 2019
2020
40
2021
20

0
16-24 25-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Part 3. Write an essay of 350 words on the following topic. (30 points)
“With the expansion of global networks in fields such as economics and communication, there is no
doubt that all facets of society, including education, politics, the arts, and the sciences, will be greatly
impacted by international influences.” To what extent do you agree or disagree?

– THE END –

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