PRACTICE READING TEST

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–13, which are based on the
reading passage below.
The Dover Bronze-Age Boat
A beautifully preserved boat, made around 3,000 years ago and discovered by chance in a
muddy hole, has had a profound impact on archaeological research.
It was 1992. In England, workmen were building a new road through the heart of Dover, to
connect the ancient port and the Channel Tunnel, which, when it opened just two years later,
was to be the first land link between Britain and Europe for over 10,000 years. A small team
from the Canterbury Archaeological Trust (CAT) worked alongside the workmen, recording new
discoveries bought to light by the machines.

At the base of the deep shaft six meters below the modern streets, a wooden structure was
revealed. Cleaning away the waterlogged site overlying the timbers, archaeologists realized its
true nature. They had found a prehistoric boat, preserved by the type of sediment in which it
was buried. It was then named by Dover Bronze- Age Boat.

About nine meters of the boat’s length was recovered; one end lay beyond the excavation and
had to be left. What survived consisted essentially of four intricately carved oak planks: two on
the bottom, joined along a central seam by a complicated system of wedges and stitched to the
others. The seams had been made watertight by pads of moss, fixed by wedges and yew
stitches.

The timbers that closed the recovered end of the boat had been removed in antiquity when it
was abandoned, but much about its original shape could be deduced. There was also evidence
for missing upper side planks. The boat was not a wreck, but had been deliberately discarded,
dismantled and broken. Perhaps it had been “ritually killed” at the end of its life, like other
Bronze-Age objects.

With hindsight, it was significant that the boat was found and studied by mainstream
archaeologists who naturally focused on its cultural context. At the time, ancient boats were
often considered only from a narrower technological perspective, but news about the Dover boat
reached a broad audience. In 2002, on the tenth anniversary of the discovery, the Dover Bronze-
Age Boat Trust hosted a conference, where this meeting of different traditions became apparent.
Alongside technical papers about the boat, other speakers explored its social and economic
contexts, and the religious perceptions of boats in Bronze- Age societies. Many speakers came
from overseas, and debate about cultural connections was renewed.
Within seven years of excavation, the Dover boat had been conserved and displayed, but it was
apparent that there were issues that could not be resolved simply by studying the old wood.
Experimental archaeology seemed to be the solution: a boat reconstruction, half-scale or full-
sized, would permit assessment of the different hypotheses regarding its build and the missing
end. The possibility of returning to Dover to search for a boat’s unexcavated northern end was
explored, but practical and financial difficulties were insurmountable- and there was no
guarantee that the timbers had survived the previous decade in the changed environment.

Detailed proposals to reconstruct the boat were drawn up in 2004. Archaeological evidence was
beginning to suggest a Bronze- Age community straddling the Channel, brought together by the
sea, rather than separated by it. In a region today divided by languages and borders,
archaeologists had a duty to inform the general public about their common cultural heritage.

The boat project began in England but it was conceived from the start as a European
collaboration. Reconstruction was only part of a scheme that would include a major exhibition
and an extensive educational and outreach programme. Discussions began early in 2005 with
archaeological bodies, universities and heritage organizations either side of the Channel. There
was much enthusiasm and support, and an official launch of the project was held at an
international seminar in France in 2007. Financial support was confirmed in 2008 and the project
then named BOAT 1550BC got under way in June 2011.

A small team began to make the boat at the start of 2012 on the Roman Lawn outside Dover
museum. A full- scale reconstruction of a mid-section had been made in 1996, primarily to see
how Bronze- Age replica tools performed. In 2012, however, the hull shape was at the centre of
the work, so modern power tools were used to carve the oak planks, before turning to
prehistoric tools for finishing. It was decided to make the replica haft-scale for reasons of cost
and time, any synthetic materials were used for the stitching, owing to doubts about the scaling
and tight timetable.

Meanwhile, the exhibition was being prepared ready for opening in July 2012 at the Castle
Museum in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Entitled 'Beyond the Horizon: Societies of the Channel & North
Sea 3,500 years ago' it brought together for the first time a remarkable collection of Bronze- Age
objects, including many new discoveries for commercial archaeology and some of the great
treasure of the past. The reconstructed boat, as a symbol of the maritime connections that
bound together the communities either side of the Channel, was the centrepiece.

Questions 1-5
Complete the chart below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
Key events
1992- the boat was discovered during the construction of a 1……………
2002-an international 2…………… was held to gather information
2004- 3……………. for the reconstruction were produced
2007- the 4…………… Of BOAT 1550BC took place
2012- the Bronze-Age 5…………… featured the boat and other objects
Questions 6-9
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?
In boxes 6-9 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. Archaeologists realized that the boat had been damaged on purpose.
7. Initially, only the technological aspects of the boat were examined.
8. Archaeologists went back to the site to try and find the missing northern.
9. Evidence found in 2004 suggested that the Bronze-Age Boat had been used for trade.
Questions 10-13
Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the text for each
answer.
Write your answers in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.
10. How far under the ground was the boat found?
11. What natural material had been secured to the boat to prevent water entering?
12. What aspect of the boat was the focus of the 2012 reconstruction?
13. Which two factors influenced the decision not to make a full-scale reconstruction of the
boat?
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on the
reading passage below.
 The growth of bike-sharing schemes around the world
How Dutch engineer Luud Schimmelpennink helped to devise urban bike-sharing schemes.
A - The original idea for an urban bike-sharing scheme dates back to a summer’s day in
Amsterdam in 1965. Provo, the organisation that came up with the idea, was a group of Dutch
activists who wanted to change society. They believed the scheme, which was known as the
Witte Fietsenplan, was an answer to the perceived threats of air pollution and consumerism. In
the centre of Amsterdam, they painted a small number of used bikes white. They also distributed
leaflets describing the dangers of cars and inviting people to use the white bikes. The bikes were
then left unlocked at various locations around the city, to be used by anyone in need of
transport.
B - Luud Schimmelpennink, a Dutch industrial engineer who still lives and cycles in Amsterdam,
was heavily involved in the original scheme. He recalls how the scheme succeeded in attracting a
great deal of attention — particularly when it came to publicising Provo’s aims — but struggled
to get off the ground. The police were opposed to Provo’s initiatives and almost as soon as the
white bikes were distributed around the city, they removed them. However, for Schimmelpennink
and for bike-sharing schemes in general, this was just the beginning. ‘The first Witte Fietsenplan
was just a symbolic thing,’ he says. ‘We painted a few bikes white, that was all. Things got more
serious when | became a member of the Amsterdam city council two years later.’
C - Schimmelpennink seized this opportunity to present a more elaborate Witte Fietsenplan to
the city council. ‘My idea was that the municipality of Amsterdam would distribute 10,000 white
bikes over the city, for everyone to use,’ he explains. ‘| made serious calculations. It turned out
that a white bicycle — per person, per kilometre — would cost the municipality only 10% of what
it contributed to public transport per person per kilometre.’ Nevertheless, the council
unanimously rejected the plan. ‘They said that the bicycle belongs to the past. They saw a
glorious future for the car,’ says Schimmelpennink. But he was not in the least discouraged.
D - Schimmelpennink never stopped believing in bike-sharing, and in the mid-90s, two Danes
asked for his help to set up a system in Copenhagen. The result was the world’s first large-scale
bike-share programme. It worked on a deposit: ‘You dropped a coin in the bike and when you
returned it, you got your money back.’ After setting up the Danish system, Schimmelpennink
decided to try his luck again in the Netherlands — and this time he succeeded in arousing the
interest of the Dutch Ministry of Transport. ‘Times had changed,’ he recalls. ‘People had become
more environmentally conscious, and the Danish experiment had proved that bike-sharing was a
real possibility.’ A new Witte Fietsenplan was launched in 1999 in Amsterdam. However, riding a
white bike was no longer free; it cost one guilder per trip and payment was made with a chip
card developed by the Dutch bank Postbank. Schimmelpennink designed conspicuous, sturdy
white bikes locked in special racks which could be opened with the chip card — the plan started
with 250 bikes, distributed over five stations.

E - Theo Molenaar, who was a system designer for the project, worked alongside
Schimmelpennink. ‘| remember when we were testing the bike racks, he announced that he had
already designed better ones. But of course, we had to go through with the ones we had.’ The
system, however, was prone to vandalism and theft. ‘After every weekend there would always
be a couple of bikes missing,’ Molenaar says.‘| really have no idea what people did with them,
because they could instantly be recognised as white bikes.’ But the biggest blow came when
Postbank decided to abolish the chip card, because it wasn’t profitable. ‘That chip card was
pivotal to the system,’ Molenaar says. ‘To continue the project we would have needed to set up
another system, but the business partner had lost interest.’

F - Schimmelpennink was disappointed, but — characteristically — not for long. In 2002 he got
a call from the French advertising corporation JC Decaux, who wanted to set up his bike-sharing
scheme in Vienna. ‘That went really well. After Vienna, they set up a system in Lyon. Then in
2007, Paris followed. That was a decisive moment in the history of bike-sharing.’ The huge and
unexpected success of the Parisian bike-sharing programme, which now boasts more than
20,000 bicycles, inspired cities all over the world to set up their own schemes, all modelled on
Schimmelpennink’s. ‘It’s wonderful that this happened,’ he says. ‘But financially I didn’t really
benefit from it, because I never filed for a patent.’

G - In Amsterdam today, 38% of all trips are made by bike and, along with Copenhagen, it is
regarded as one of the two most cycle-friendly capitals in the world — but the city never got
another Witte Fietsenplan. Molenaar believes this may be because everybody in Amsterdam
already has a bike. Schimmelpennink, however, cannot see that this changes Amsterdam’s need
for a bike-sharing scheme. ‘People who travel on the underground don’t carry their bikes around.
But often they need additional transport to reach their final destination.’ Although he thinks it is
strange that a city like Amsterdam does not have a successful bike-sharing scheme, he is
optimistic about the future. ‘In the 60s we didn’t stand a chance because people were prepared
to give their lives to keep cars in the city. But that mentality has totally changed. Today
everybody longs for cities that are not dominated by cars.'
Questions 14-18
The Reading Passage has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
14. a description of how people misused a bike-sharing scheme
15. an explanation of why a proposed bike-sharing scheme was turned down
16. a reference to a person being unable to profit from their work
17. an explanation of the potential savings a bike-sharing scheme would bring
18. a reference to the problems a bike-sharing scheme was intended to solve
Questions 19 and 20
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 19 and 20 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO of the following statements are made in the text about the Amsterdam bike-sharing
scheme of 1999?

A. It was initially opposed by a government department.

B. It failed when a partner in the scheme withdrew support.
C. It aimed to be more successful than the Copenhagen scheme.
D. It was made possible by a change in people’s attitudes.
E. It attracted interest from a range of bike designers.

Questions 21 and 22
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 21 and 22 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO of the following statements are made in the text about Amsterdam today?

A. The majority of residents would like to prevent all cars from entering the city.
B. There is little likelihood of the city having another bike-sharing scheme.
C. More trips in the city are made by bike than by any other form of transport.
D. A bike-sharing scheme would benefit residents who use public transport.
E. The city has a reputation as a place that welcomes cyclists.
Questions 23-26
Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.
 The first urban bike-sharing scheme
The first bike-sharing scheme was the idea of the Dutch group Provo. The people who belonged
to this group were (23) …….…………. They were concerned about damage to the environment
and about (24) …….……………, and believed that the bike-sharing scheme would draw
attention to these issues. As well as painting some bikes white, they handed out (25) ………….
………. that condemned the use of cars.
However, the scheme was not a great success: almost as quickly as Provo left the bikes around
the city, the (26) ………..……….. took them away. According to Schimmelpennink, the scheme
was intended to be symbolic. The idea was to get people thinking about the issues.

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 29–41, which are based on the
reading passage below.
Write answers to questions in boxes 29-41 on your answer sheet.
Bright Children
A. By the time Laszlo Polgar’s first baby was born in 1969 he already had firm views on child-
rearing. An eccentric citizen of communist Hungary, he had written a book called “Bring up
Genius!” and one of his favourite sayings was “Geniuses are made, not born”. An expert on the
theory of chess, he proceeded to teach little Zsuzsa at home, spending up to ten hours a day on
the game. Two more daughters were similarly hot-housed. All three obliged their father by
becoming world-class players. The youngest, Judit, is currently ranked 13th in the world, and is
by far the best female chess player of all time. Would the experiment have succeeded with a
different trio of children? If any child can be turned into a star, then a lot of time and money are
being wasted worldwide on trying to pick winners.
B. America has long held “talent searches”, using test results and teacher recommendations to
select children for advanced school courses, summer schools and other extra tuition. This
provision is set to grow. In his state-of-the-union address in 2006, President George Bush
announced the “American Competitiveness Initiative”, which, among much else, would train
70,000 high-school teachers to lead advanced courses for selected pupils in mathematics and
science. Just as the superpowers’ space race made Congress put money into science education,
the thought of China and India turning out hundreds of thousands of engineers and scientists is
scaring America into prodding its brightest to do their best.
C. The philosophy behind this talent search is that ability is innate; that it can be diagnosed
with considerable accuracy; and that it is worth cultivating. In America, bright children are
ranked as “moderately”, “highly”, “exceptionally” and “profoundly” gifted. The only chance to
influence innate ability is thought to be in the womb or the first couple of years of life. Hence the
fad for “teaching aids” such as videos and flashcards for newborns, and “whale sounds” on tape
which a pregnant mother can strap to her belly.
D. In Britain, there is a broadly similar belief in the existence of innate talent, but also an
egalitarian sentiment which makes people queasy about the idea of investing resources in
grooming intelligence. Teachers are often opposed to separate provision for the best-performing
children, saying any extra help should go to stragglers. In 2002, in a bid to help the able while
leaving intact the ban on most selection by ability in state schools, the government set up the
National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth. This outfit runs summer schools and master
classes for children nominated by their schools. To date, though, only seven in ten secondary
schools have nominated even a single child. Last year all schools were told they must supply the
names of their top 10%.
E. Picking winners is also the order of the day in ex-communist states, a hangover from the
times when talented individuals were plucked from their homes and ruthlessly trained for the
glory of the nation. But in many other countries, opposition to the idea of singling out talent and
grooming it runs deep. In Scandinavia, a belief in virtues like modesty and social solidarity makes
people flinch from the idea of treating brainy children differently.
F. And in Japan, there is a widespread belief that all children are born with the same innate
abilities – and should, therefore, be treated alike. All are taught together, covering the same
syllabus at the same rate until they finish compulsory schooling. Those who learn quickest are
expected then to teach their classmates. In China, extra teaching is provided, but to a self-
selected bunch. “Children’s palaces” in big cities offer a huge range of after-school classes.
Anyone can sign up; all that is asked is excellent attendance.
G. Statistics give little clue as to which system is best. The performance of the most able is
heavily affected by factors other than state provision. Most state education in Britain is nominally
non-selective, but middle-class parents try to live near the best schools. Ambitious Japanese
parents have made private, out-of-school tuition a thriving business. And Scandinavia’s
egalitarianism might work less well in places with more diverse populations and less competent
teachers. For what it’s worth, the data suggest that some countries – like Japan and Finland, see
table – can eschew selection and still thrive. But that does not mean that any country can ditch
selection and do as well.
H. Mr Polgar thought any child could be a prodigy given the right teaching, an early start and
enough practice. At one point he planned to prove it by adopting three baby boys from a poor
country and trying his methods on them. (His wife vetoed the scheme.) Some say the key to
success is simply hard graft. Judit, the youngest of the Polgar sisters, was the most driven, and
the most successful; Zsofia, the middle one, was regarded as the most talented, but she was the
only one who did not achieve the status of grandmaster. “Everything came easiest to her,” said
her older sister. “But she was lazy.”

Questions 29-34
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 29-34 on your answer sheet, write
YES if the statement agrees with the view of the writer.
NO if the statement contradicts the view of the writer.
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.
29. America has a long history of selecting talented students into different categories.
30. Teachers and schools in Britain held welcome attitude towards the government’s selection
of gifted students.
31. Some parents agree to move near reputable schools in Britain.
32. Middle-class parents participate in their children’s education.
33. Japan and Finland comply with selected student’s policy.
34. Avoiding-selection-policy only works in a specific environment.
Questions 35-36
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in boxes 35-36 on your answer sheet.
35. What’s Laszlo Polgar’s point of view towards geniuses of children
A) Chess is the best way to train geniuses.
B) Genius tends to happen on first child.
C) Geniuses can be educated later on.
D) Geniuses are born naturally.
36. What is the purpose of citing Zsofia’s example in the last paragraph
A) Practice makes genius.
B) Girls are not good at chess.
C) She was an adopted child.
D) Middle child is always the most talented.
Questions 37-41
Use the information in the passage to match the countries (listed A-E) with correct connection
below.
Write the appropriate letters, A-E, in boxes 37-41 on your answer sheet.
37. Less gifted children get help from other classmates
38. Attending extra teaching is open to anyone
39. People are reluctant to favor gifted children due to social characteristics
40. Both views of innate and egalitarian co-existed
41. Craze of audio and video teaching for pregnant women.
A. Scandinavia
B. Japan
C. Britain
D. China
E. America