READING PASSAGE 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1
below.

CONTROLLING DEATHWATCH BEETLES

All of the organisms that damage timber in buildings are part of the natural process that takes
deadwood to the forest floor, decomposes it into humus and recycles the nutrients released back
into trees. Each stage in this process requires the correct environment and if we replicate this in our
buildings then the organisms belonging to that part of the cycle will invade. A poorly maintained roof
is, after all, just an extension of the forest floor to a fungus.

The first fact to remember about deathwatch beetles in your building is that they have probably
been there for centuries and will continue long after you have gone. Beetle damage in oak timbers is
a slow process and if we make it slower by good maintenance then the beetle population may
eventually decline to extinction. The second fact is that natural predation will help you. Spiders are a
significant predator and will help to keep the beetle population under control. They will speed up
the decline of a beetle population in a well-maintained building.

The beetles fly to light and some form of the light trap may help to deplete a population. The place
in which it is used must be dark so that there is no competing light source, and the air temperature
must rise above about 17oC during the emergence season (April to June) so that the beetles will fly.
Beetle holes do not disappear when the beetles have gone so it is sometimes necessary to confirm
active infestation if remedial works are planned. This is generally easy with beetle damage in
sapwood because the holes will look clean and have sharp edges, usually with bore dust trickling
from them. Infestation deep within modified heartwood is more difficult to detect, particularly
because the beetles will not necessarily bite their own emergence holes if plenty of other holes are
available. This problem may be overcome by clogging the suspected holes with furniture polish or by
covering a group of holes tightly with paper or card. Any emerging beetles will make a hole that
should be visible so that the extent and magnitude of the problem can be assessed. Unnecessary
pesticide treatments must be avoided.

Sometimes a building cannot be dried enough to eradicate the beetles or a localised population will
have built up unnoticed. A few scattered beetles in a building need not cause much concern, but
dozens of beetles below a beam-end might indicate the need for some form of treatment if the
infested timber is accessible. Insecticides formulated as a paste can be effective – either applied to
the surface or caulked into pre-drilled holes – but the formulations may only be obtainable by a
remedial company.

Surface spray treatments are generally ineffective because they barely penetrate the surface of the
timber and the beetles’ natural behaviour does not bring it into much contact with the insecticide.
Contact insecticides might also kill natural predators.

Heat treatments for entire buildings are available and the continental experience is that they are
effective. They are also likely to be expensive but they may be the only way to eradicate a heavy and
widespread infestation without causing considerable structural degradation of the building.

Two other beetles are worth a mention.

The first is the House Longhorn Beetle (Hylotrupes bajulus). This is a large insect that produces oval
emergence holes that are packed with litter cylindrical pellets. The beetles restrict their activities to
the sapwood of 20th-century softwood, although there is now some evidence that they will attack
older softwood. The beetle larvae can cause considerable damage but infestation has generally been
restricted to the southwest of London, possibly because they need a high temperature before the
beetles will fly. Old damage is, however, frequently found elsewhere, thus indicating a wider
distribution in the past, and infested timber is sometimes imported. This is an insect that might
become more widespread because of climate change.

The second is the Lyctus or powderpost beetle. There are several species that are rather difficult to
tell apart. These beetles live in the sapwood of oak. The beetles breed rapidly so that many
cylindrical beetles may be present and the round emergence holes resemble those of the furniture
beetle. This is and has always been, a pest of newly-installed oak. Timbers with an exploded
sapwood surface are frequently found in old buildings and the damage will have occurred during the
first few decades after the timbers were installed. Our main interest with these beetles is that they
seem to have become more common of late. Beetle infestation within a few months of a new oak
construction will be Lyctus beetles in the sapwood and not furniture beetles. The problem can be
avoided by using oak with minimal sapwood content. The beetle infestation will cease after a few
years but spray treatment may be necessary if an infestation is heavy.

Questions 1-4

Complete each sentence with the correct ending A-H below.

Write the correct letter A-H in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

1 One species of the beetle population may spread …………………H………

2 You can detect the presence of beetles …………C……………..

3 You may kill household spiders ……………D…………..

4 Beetles will disappear at a faster rate …………A…………….

A if the building is kept in good condition.

B if you clog the suspected holes with furniture polish, paper or card.

C if the temperature rises to above about 17oC during the emergence season.

D if you use a contact insecticide.

E if it was installed a few decades earlier.

F if changes in weather patterns continue.

G if the use of surface treatments is avoided.

H if the wood has a low sapwood concentration.

Questions 5-9

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 5-9 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the writer’s claims

FALSE if the statement contradicts the writer’s claims

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

5. Infestation by beetles deep within modified heartwood can be identified by the type of hole
visible. T

6. Clogging a hole with furniture polish or paper will trap the beetle inside permanently. F

7. Paste insecticides are less effective than any other kind. NG

8. Surface spray treatments are sometimes effective for the House Longhorn Beetle. F

9. Heat treatments tend to cause less damage than other treatments. T

Questions 10-13

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.

10 The point the writer makes about deathwatch beetles is that B

A they must be eliminated quickly.

B only natural predation will keep them under control.

C with good maintenance it may be possible to eliminate them.

D they are here to stay and do great damage.

11 one way to trap deathwatch beetles is to attract them to D

A daylight.

B a totally dark environment.

C a constantly warm environment.

D a light trap in a dark place.

12 Surface spray treatments are not effective because B

A the beetles are immune to them.

B they do not reach the beetles.

C they react poorly to wooden surfaces.

D they attract other harmful creatures.

13 Damage by the House Longhorn Beetle is sometimes found further afield than London because
D

A temperatures have increased.

B the timber was not local timber.

C there was no effective treatment previously.

D the type of timber has changed.

Reading Passage 2
Ask 100 people what would make them happy, and a sizeable majority would say “winning the
lottery.” Yet, if they won a vast fortune, within a year they would be back to their previous level of
happiness. The fact is that money has many uses, but more money does not mean more happiness.
Surveys carried out in recent years by leading psychologists and sociologists all confirm that while
individuals may increase their material wealth during the course of their lifetime, this has no bearing
on their well-being. And what is true for individuals can be applied on a larger scale to the world
population. Statistically, wealthier nations do not achieve higher scores on the happiness-ometer
than developing or underdeveloped nations. Once the basic criteria of adequate shelter and
nutrition are satisfied, increased wealth plays no significant role. So why the obsession with getting
rich? The answer, say, researchers, is simple. Call it jealousy, competitiveness, or just keeping up
with the Joneses, however, well we are doing, there is always someone else who is doing better. Just
as we acquire a new $25,000 car, our neighbour parks his brand spanking new $40,000 set of wheels
in his drive, causing us much consternation, but fuelling us with new aspirations in the process. And
so the cycle continues. Money, or material wealth, maybe a prime mover, but it is not the
foundation of our well-being.

If money isn’t the key to happiness, then, what is? In all 44 countries surveyed by a prominent
research centre, family life provided the greatest source of satisfaction. Married people live on
average three years longer and enjoy greater physical and psychological health than the unmarried
and, surprisingly, couples in a cohabitation relationship. Having a family enhances well-being, and
spending more time with one’s family helps even more. Social interaction among families,
neighbourhoods, workplaces, communities and religious groups correlates strongly with subjective
well-being. In fact, the degree of individuals’ social connections is the best benchmark of their
happiness.

Friendship is another major factor. Indeed, to return to the dollar-equals-happiness equation, in one
survey, having a friend converted into $50,000 worth of happiness, and confirms the well-known
phenomenon that loneliness can lead to depression. Work is another area central to well-being, and
certain features correlate highly with happiness. These include autonomy over how, where, and at
what pace work is done, trust between employer and employee, fair treatment, and active
participation in the making of decisions. Occupationally, happiness tends to be more common
among professionals and managers, that is, people who are in control of the work they do, rather
than subservient to their bosses. Inequality implies less control for those who are in a weaker
position, although there are more risks of losing their privileges for those in a stronger position.

Control of one’s life, in general, is also key. Happiness is clearly correlated with the presence of
favourable events such as promotion or marriage, and the absence of troubles or bad luck such as
accidents, being laid off or conflicts. These events on their own signal the success or failure to reach
one’s goals, and therefore the control one has. On a national level, the more that governments
recognise individual preferences, the happier their citizens will be. Choice, and citizens’ belief that
they can affect the political process, increase subjective well-being. Furthermore, evidence exists for
an association between unhappiness and poor health: people from underdeveloped countries are
among the unhappiest in the world, and their life expectancy has been falling steadily. People are
more satisfied in societies which minimally restrict their freedom of action, in other words, where
they are in control rather than being controlled. Happy people are characterised by the belief that
they are able to control their situation, whereas unhappy people tend to believe that they are a
victim of fate. Happy people are also more psychologically resilient, assertive and open to the
experience.

But how good is the evidence for this alternative viewpoint then – that happiness, and not financial
status, contributes to good health, and long life? A study of nuns, spanning seven decades, supports
this theory. Autobiographies written by the nuns in their early 1920s were scored for positive and
negative emotions. Nuns expressing the most positive emotions lived on average ten years longer
than those expressing the least positive emotions. Happy people, it seems, are much less likely to fall
ill and die than unhappy people.

But what must we do to be happy? Experts cite the old maxim “be happy with what you’ve got.”
Look around you, they say, and identify the positive factors in your life. Concentrating on the
negative aspects of one’s life is a no-no, and so is worrying. Worrying is a negative thinking habit that
is nearly always about something that lies in the future. It seems, apparently, from our cave-dwelling
days, when we had to think on a day-to-day basis about how and where to find food and warmth,
for example. But in the modern world, worrying simply undermines our ability to enjoy life in the
present. More often than not, the things we worry about never come to pass anyway. Just as
important is not to dwell on the past – past mistakes, bad experiences, missed opportunities and so
on.

What else can we do? Well, engage in a loving relationship with another adult, and work hard to
sustain it. Try to plan frequent interactions with your family, friends and neighbours (in that order).
Make sure you’re not working so hard that you’ve no time left for personal relationships and leisure.
If you are, leave your job voluntarily to become self-employed, but don’t get sacked – that’s more
damaging to well-being than the loss of a spouse, and its effects last longer. In your spare time, join a
club, volunteer for community service, or take up religion.

If none of the above works, then vote for a political party with the same agenda as the King of
Bhutan, who announced that his nation’s objective is national happiness.

Questions 14-16

Choose THREE letters A-H. Circle the correct letters, A-H, below

NB Your answers may be given in any order.

Which THREE of the following statements are true, according to the text? A, C, D

A The desire for social status is a global phenomenon.

B Securing a place to live is a basic human need.

C Money can bring misery.

D An unmarried couple living together are less likely to be happy than a married couple.

E Wealthier nations place more emphasis on happiness than poorer ones.

F Involvement in policymaking can increase well-being.

G Our prehistoric ancestors were happier than we are.

H The less responsibility one has, the happier one is.

Questions 17-20

Complete the summary using the list of words, A-I, below.

Write the correct letter, A-I, in boxes 4-7 on your answer sheet.

Money can buy you just about anything, but not, it seems happiness. Whether on a personal or
national [17]_________E_____, your bank balance won’t make you happier. Once the basic criteria
of a roof over your head and food on the table have been met, money ceases to play a part. One of
the most important factors in achieving happiness is the extent of our social [18]________H______ –
our relationships with family, friends, colleagues and so on. Equally important is the amount
of [19]______G________ we have, either in our personal life, working life, or even in our ability to
influence the political [20]_____C_________ that our country embarks on.

A number D conflict G control

B episode E level H interaction

C cooperation F course I limit

Questions 21-26

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 21-26 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

21. People from underdeveloped nations try to attain the same standard of living as those from
developed nations. T

22. Seeing what others have makes people want to have it too. T

23. The larger the family is, the happier the parents will probably be. NG

24. One’s attitude to life has no influence on one’s health. F

25. Instinct can be a barrier to happiness. T

26. Family and friends rank equally as sources of happiness. T

READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40 which are based on Reading Passage 3
below.

The Taman Shud Case

It has been more than 65 years since the Taman Shud case was first opened, but this notoriously
bizarre murder mystery from Australia continues to baffle scientific investigators and crime
aficionados from around the world today.

On the morning of 1st December 1948, the body of an unidentified man was discovered propped
against a rock wall on Somerton beach in Adelaide, opposite the Crippled Children’s home. The man
was around 40-45 years old, had an athletic figure and was dressed in a smart suit and tie. He had no
form of ID on him and all the labels on his clothes had been removed. The only things found on his
body were an unused 10:50 a.m. ticket from Adelaide Railway Station to Henley Beach for the 30th
November, a packet of chewing gums, an aluminium comb, a packet of cigarettes, a box of Bryan &
May matches, sixpence and a small piece of paper with the words “Tamám shud” printed on it which
means “ended” or “finished” in Persian. To make matters more interesting, the autopsy revealed
that his death had been unnatural, but determined no cause of death: although he had clearly died
of heart failure, his heart had been healthy and no signs of violence or poisoning were discovered in
his system.

The case garnered media attention almost immediately, with dozens of people with missing friends
and relatives travelling to Adelaide to have a look at the Somerton man’s body – but none of them
being able to positively identify him. The next piece of evidence came when a journalist named
Frank Kennedy discovered that the piece of paper with the printed words had been ripped from the
last page of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, a book of collected poems by Omar Khayyám, an 11th-
century Persian poet. Following pleas by the police for the public to check their copies of The
Rubáiyát for any missing pages, a local man brought in the correct copy, which he reported having
found in the back seat of his car six months earlier, around the time the corpse had been discovered.

This is where things get even more complicated: in the back of the book, police discovered five lines
of letters that appeared to be some sort of secret code. In the back cover, they also found a phone
number which led them to a 27-year-old woman known as “Jestyn” who lived on Moseley Street, a
stone’s throw from the crime scene. Jestyn denied any knowledge of the man and was generally
guarded and non-committal throughout the police interview. Nevertheless, the police decided not to
pursue the lead. As for the code? Despite years of research by cryptology experts and students, no
one has managed to crack it to this day.

It’s not just the mysterious code, however, that makes this case so popular with crime fans. It’s been
more than half a century since the man’s death, but his identity is still a mystery. Although copies of
the victim’s fingerprints and photograph, as well as the name “T. Keane” (which was written on
some labels fund in his suitcase), were sent around the world to all Commonwealth countries, the
search turned up no results. Some theories regarding the man’s origins have arisen over the years,
with many believing that he was American due to the predominantly US way the stripes slanted on
his tie, his aluminium comb (rare in Australia at the time) and the belief that Americans were far
more likely to chew gum than Australians in the 1940s. Others also theorise that he was Jestyn’s
lover, and perhaps even a Soviet spy agent-although this all still remains just speculation for now.
Interest in the case was rekindled in 2013, following an interview on the show 60 Minutes with Kate
Thompson, the daughter of “Jestyn”-whose actual name was revealed to be Jo Thompson. Kate
Thompson claimed that her mother had lied to the police about not knowing the Somerton Man.
She also said her mother was a Soviet spy with a “dark side” and that she might’ve been responsible
for the man’s murder. Also participating in the show were Roma and Rachel Egan, wife and daughter
respectively of Kate Thompson’s late brother Robin, whom many believe to have been the Somerton
man’s son. The two women have backed a request to get the man’s body exhumed in the interest of
proving this claim, which they also believe to be correct. A similar bid had been rejected previously
in 2011 by Attorney-General John Rau, citing insufficient “public interest reasons”. There is currently
a petition on Change.org, as well as an lndieGoGo campaign to raise funds in support of solving the
case.

Questions 27-32

Complete the timeline below.

Choose NO MORE THAN T WORDS from Reading Passage 2 for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 15-20 on your answer sheet.

1948: November 30th – The Somerton Man misses a train to [27] Henley Beach……………………

1948: December 1st – The Somerton Man’s body is discovered on Somerton beach

1948: December 2nd – Post mortem reveals no [28] poisoning…………………….

1949: January 14th – Adelaide Railway Station discover deceased man’s suitcase

1949: July 22nd – A businessman from Somerton hands in a copy of poem book that contains
the [29] secret code……………………. and Jestyn’s [30] phone number………………………..

1949: July 25th – Police visit Jestyn at her house on [31] ……Moseley Street………………. to speak with
her – she remains [32] ………non-commital…………….. during questioning

Questions 33-36

Complete each sentence with the correct ending A-G below.

Write the correct letter A-G, in boxes 33-36 on your answer sheet C B F G

A believes her daughter is related to the Somerton man.

B has tried to solve it for decades with no results.

C was revealed by her daughter in 2013.

D inadvertently assisted the police in their investigation.

E was only named as “Jestyn”.

F remains a mystery.

G revealed that Jo Thompson was a cruel Soviet spy.

33 The code is written on the back of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

34 Journalist Frank Kennedy

35 The identity of the woman to whom the phone number belonged

36 Kate Thompson’s sister-in-law

Questions 37-40

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.

Write your answers in boxes 25-28 on your answer sheet

37 According to the autopsy on the Somerton man D

A his heart failed for no reason.

B there were traces of poison in his system.

C he was physically fit.

D there was nothing wrong with his heart.

38 The copy of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám with the missing page A

A was discovered in a local man’s garage.

B was in a local man’s possession for six months after the murder.

C was discovered by a local man six months after the murder.

D was found by journalist Frank Kennedy.

39 One of the reasons many believe that the Somerton Man was American is that C

A he wasn’t found in any database in Commonwealth countries.

B he had been chewing gum before his death.

C his tie had an American pattern of stripes.

D the name “T. Keane” was found in his suitcase.

40 Roma and Rachel Egan D

A are critical of attempts to exhume the Somerton man’s body.

B disagree that Robin Thompson was the Somerton man’s son.

C backed the request that was rejected in 2011 by Rau.

D voiced their beliefs on the same programme as Kate Thompson.