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Reading practice (16.5)

CPE Reading

Table of Contents

Part 1: MCQs .................................................................................................................................. 2

Exercise 2: Gapped text ................................................................................................................ 4

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Reading

Exercise 1: MCQs
True Love
Love is a force of nature as unpredictable and potent as a rising storm; when it hits you, it
sweeps you off your feet with such intensity that you can barely right yourself and withstand its
unrelenting power, it draws you with tornadic force towards euphoria, Just a moment's eye contact
is enough to fire your senses into a blaze of passion. One glance and you know she is the one.
Forever more, you will devote yourself entirely to the otherworldly apparition of perfection that
has somehow materialized before you. selflessly and unconditionally committed to her happiness.
After all, could there be a purer cause? Now you are completely insane. Forgive the intervention,
but this love is an animal quite so rare as to be status critical on the endangered species list. All
credit to Hollywood and its brethren for fabricating and propagating this grand facetious notion,
and my apologies for the stereotypical gender depiction.
However, let's call a spade a spade; this is nothing other than a manifestation of desire, or
to put it more kindly, attraction; a sensation which, of course, is not to be dismissed, having both
its merits and its part to play in the initial stages of relationship development; however. the danger
when we allow ourselves to be duped by the Hollywood depiction of love is that the bar of our
expectations is set so high as to all but guarantee three faults and disqualification from the
contest. Perhaps it is useful to continue with the storm analogy a while, though, for what follows
this initial burst of passion and impulse may indeed be the blissful calm and perfection of the eye
of the tempest however, the moment is but fleeting and trailing the eye is a long tail that is
arduous to navigate and endure.
Running with the storm analogy, the real storm here is not one in a teacup by any means,
though, because when we buy into the media's fairy-tale portrait of love, we set ourselves off
down the road to perpetual misery. If we believe that when we find the one' our certitude will be
so great as to produce an undeniable sense of knowingness and bliss, then the moment doubts
start to creep in or cracks start to emerge in the relationship, we feel a diminished sense of
compatibility with our match and throw it all away before we've really even given it a chance to
work.
Although the bitter taste of reality presented here so far might sound a touch depressing to
some, personally. I find the notion that true love is reached through hard work - and not simply
fate-bestowed - refreshing, and I am far from a blind optimist. After all, it means we don't have to
leave it to chance, which should give us cause for hope. It means that if we encounter problems in

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our relationship. we can take comfort in the notion that, when we are prepared to work through
them, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We are the masters of our fate.
Let me put it this way: if you pilot the love plane for long enough, you will indubitably
encounter storms and turbulence from time to time, and there is no predicting when they may
happen. However, the more often you fly and the more familiar you become with your crew and
the route, the more likely you will be able to navigate through the problems safely, so the impact
of the turbulence should lessen over time. Furthermore, there will also be, guaranteed, pure
heavenly moments when the clouds disperse and you are soaring as through perfection. These
moments of magic make the challenges worthwhile. On the other hand, if you press the ejector
button prematurely. you will never know such experiences. What's more, you might endanger
yourself and you must surely abandon any other person on the plane. Note, though, that I said
prematurely. Sadly, in life, not everything can work out as planned, but we must at least give it a
fighting chance and be sure we have done our best.
(1) What is the writer's main reason for using evocative language in the first paragraph?
A to convey the intensity of the emotion of love
B to criticize the influence of the media
C to highlight the rarity of true love
D to highlight a form of gender bias
(2) Why does the writer use the example of a storm in the second paragraph?
A to show that initial attraction has no relatedness to love
B to highlight the dangers of acting on desire
C to imply that a lasting relationship is full of challenges
D to suggest that love is a temporary emotion
(3) What does the writer mean when he refers to a storm in a teacup?
A the effect the media has is very serious
B the media's influence should not be overestimated
C feelings of hurt do not last very long
D we make too much fuss about relationships
(4) Why does the writer not find the sober view of love he depicts discouraging?
A because love is a lottery anyway
B because he is optimistic by nature
C because it means we control our own destiny
D because we can learn from failed relationships
(5) What does the writer really mean when he talks about ejecting from the plane
prematurely?
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A unless you work at a relationship, you will never experience the joys it can bring
B It is more dangerous to leave a relationship than to try to work on it
C wait until things are calm and you have a clear head before making big decisions
D even when a relationship fails, it is not the end of the world
(6) What best sums up the writer's thoughts on love and relationships?
A he believes that even healthy relationships have their ups and downs
B he believes that love is not a very realistic concept and people should settle for less
C he is a true romantic who believes in love at first sight
D he is against people abandoning, relationships in all but the most extreme circumstances

Exercise 2: Gapped text

Coral bleaching is hardly a new phenomenon, but it has hit the headlines of late, on account of the
serious effect it is having on one very famous stretch of coral in particular, the Great Barrier Reef,
more on which later. But what exactly is coral bleaching, how does it occur and how does it impact
on the coral habitat?
In layman's terms, it is the loss of a particular type of algae from the coral ecosystem. That dirty
phrase global warming is what scientists attribute to the recent upsurge in the phenomenon, for
bleaching is directly linked to above-average water temperatures, an effect which global warming
is thought to induce.
1 __________
In one sense, you could think of coral as parasitic, for it lures the algae to live amongst it with the
promise of a steady supply of the nutrients essential for the process of photosynthesis to occur. It
is the algae, incidentally, that gives coral reefs their unique coloration, so bleached coral is not
necessarily dead coral, just coral that is no longer able to sustain this relationship.
2___________
The reason for this is simple; the algae play a key role in the relationship by providing the coral
with oxygen. They also help in the expulsion of waste.
Apart from water temperature, other triggers that result in bleaching are similarly attributable to
human activities. For instance, other key stress factors include the increased presence of freshwater
(linked to global warming) or harmful chemicals (linked to pollution).
Different types of coral can withstand the shock of exposure to these triggers with different rates
of success. Large corals, for example, are better adapted to dealing with temperature changes in
the water. Contrariwise, fragile branching corals feel the effects of this trigger very badly indeed.
3 ________
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There are natural threats to coral welfare, too, but these tend to be less detrimental. Infectious
diseases can and do attack algae living in coral tissue. Sadly, the likelihood of such attacks
increases with water temperature, which takes us back full circle again, though, to the human
influence and global warming
4________
This sense of trepidation is not without its merits, either, as studies show that the reef has reduced
in size by more than half since 1985. That said, not by any means all of the reduction is
attributable to bleaching, with intense cyclones and indeed predators such as starfish also playing
a significant role.
5________
Regeneration and regrowth are, of course, very possible. Indeed, after the bleaching events of the
summers of 1998 and 2002, which were very significant, resulting in places in a mortality rate of
more than 50%, this is precisely what occurred. But conditions must be conducive to regeneration
and they are becoming less and less so as water temperatures continue to rise.
6 _________
Fishermen could suffer economically from very low yields and local populations reliant of seafood
for their sustenance could be hit particularly badly, too. There could even be localized famine.
Another way fishermen would be impacted is in the sense that they would be set a greater
challenge in many cases just to catch fish. You see, coral reefs make excellent and comparably easy
fishing grounds. Without then, fishermen would be forced to look elsewhere, and the deep ocean
is not a simple place to operate…
However, despite all the doom and gloom and the damming ignominy, humanity should feel for
its inaction and apathy towards this serious issue, there is still cause for hope.
7________
Indeed, reefs have a surprising capacity for recovery in any case, and, so long as conditions
become more conducive again, algae will return and recolonize bleached stretches of reef,
prompting growth and regeneration. Nature is nothing if not resilient, after all.
Nonetheless, this cause for hope should not allow us to become complacent. In Fact, we have
exhibited far too much complacency in relation to this issue already. Rather, we should start doing
everything we can to make our oceans as conducive as possible to sustaining the rich sources of
sea life that they presently do in the long-term, and not simply leave things to chance.
Paragraphs
A Indeed, bleaching has been described as a kind of self-preservation mechanism, for, once the
coral cannot sustain its symbiosis with the algae, it must rid itself of them altogether to stave off

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total starvation in the short term. However, long-term, this is not a viable solution as the coral
itself can only prosper with the algae living harmoniously within its tissues.
B As mentioned already, bleaching is not a new phenomenon. Indeed, going back to the case of
the Great Barrier Reef, such events are recorded as having occurred there more than once in each
of the past three decades; however, the 2016 bleaching event was particularly damaging and this
gave scientists great cause for concern.
C However, given that the ecosystem is clearly very fragile and vulnerable, as these statistics
emphasize, bleaching is unquestionably yet another and an unwanted complication, when corals
are already battling against stiff odds.
D Contrary to popular belief, though, bleaching, in and of itself does not lead to the total decay of
the coral bed. Indeed, the corals continue to survive. However, their relationship with the algae is
symbiotic, with the algae providing an estimated ninety percent of the coral's energy. Therefore,
with the algae gone, the coral effectively begins to starve.
E Indeed, a recent study of coral in the Andaman Sea proved a source of much optimism. There,
corals were found to be attracting an unusual type of algae better suited to higher temperatures,
and thus were thriving in the warm waters of this part of the Indian Ocean. This suggests other
reefs may, in time, also be able to develop a higher tolerance towards increased water
temperatures, meaning the decline of the world's corals might not be as catastrophic as once
feared.
F Locational factors also come into play. For instance, if the coral is located in a shady or clouded
area, it tends to have the capacity to withstand shocks with a higher degree of success. A fast
current and a rich supply of nutrients can also play to the advantage of corals battling such
triggers, and aid their recovery in the aftermath of a shock episode.
G But that cause for hope is fast disappearing with the algae which supply corals their lifeline. As
more become victims of starfish, the situation is growing alarmingly bleak. This has prompted
some experts to suggest that a mass culling of starfish may be both justified and necessary.

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