READING PRACTICE Reading Passage 1: Recent technological advances in manned and unmanned vehicles, along with breakthroughs in satellite technology and computer equipment, have overcome some of the limitations of divers and diving equipment for scientists doing research on the great oceans of the world Without a vehicle, divers often became sluggish, and their mental concentration was severely limited Because undersea pressure affects their speech organs, communication among divers has always been difficult or impossible But today, most oceanographers avoid the use of vulnerable human divers, preferring to reduce the risk to human life and make direct observations by means of instruments that are lowered into the ocean, from samples taken from the water, or from photographs made by orbiting satellites Direct observations of the ocean floor can be made not only by divers but also by deep-diving submarines in the water and even by the technology of sophisticated aerial photography from vantage point above the surface of more than seven miles and cruise at depths of fifteen thousand feet In addition, radio-equipped buoys can be operated by remote control in order to transmit information back to land-based laboratories via satellite Particularly important for ocean study are data about the water temperature, currents, and weather Satellite photographs can show the distribution of sea ice, oil slicks, and cloud formations over the ocean Maps created from satellite pictures can represent the temperature and the colour of the ocean’s surface, enabling researchers to study the ocean currents from laboratories on dry land Furthermore, computers help oceanographers to collect, organize, and analyze data from submarines and satellites By creating a model of the ocean’s movements and characteristics, scientists can predict the patterns and possible effects of the ocean on the environment Recently, many oceanographers have been relying more on satellites and computers than on research ships or even submarine vehicles because they can supply a greater range of information more quickly and more effectively Some of humankind’s most serious problems, especially those concerning energy and food, may be solved with the help of observations made possible by this new technology What topic is the passage primarily concerned? A Communication among divers B Technological advances in oceanography C Direct observation of the ocean floor D Undersea vehicles The word “sluggish” in the passage most closely means… A nervous B confused C slow moving D very weak Divers have had problems in communicating underwater because …… A The pressure affected their speech organs B The vehicles they used have not been perfected C They did not pronoun clearly D The water destroyed their speech organs This message suggests that the successful exploration of the ocean depends on …… A the limitations of diving equipment B radios that divers use to communicate C controlling currents and the weather D vehicles as well as divers Undersea vehicles ……………… A are too small for a man to fit inside B are very slow to respond C have the same limitations that divers have D make direct observations of the ocean floor The word “cruise” could best be replaced by …… A travel at a constant speed B function without problems C stay in communication D remain still How is a radio-equipped buoy operated? A By operators inside the vehicle in the part underwater.\ B By operators outside the vehicle on a ship C By operators outside the vehicle on a diving platform D By operators outside the vehicle in a laboratory on shore The word “information” is closest meaning to … A Data B articles C samples Which of the following are not shown in satellite photographs? A The temperature of the ocean’s surface B Cloud formations over the ocean C A model of the ocean’s movement D The location of sea ice 10 The word “those” refers to… A ships B vehicles C problems D photographs D computers Reading Passage 2: Before photography was invented in 1839, painted portraits, and engravings based on them, were one of the few ways to record likenesses From the Colonial era through the 1820s, portraiture was the most widely practiced genre of American art, and it continued to be a significant form through the 19th century The demand for likenesses was incessant, and portraiture was often the primary source of income for artists Artists frequently made portraits of famous people to attract interest and potential patrons For example, in 1834 Chester Harding painted frontiersman Davy Crockett, then a member of the US House of Representatives for display in his Boston gallery A consistent belief through most of the 18th and 19th centuries was that character could be read from a person’s face, or the bumps on his or her head, or from facial expression, and that portrait should convey these indicators of character These theories of physiognomy and phrenology have since been Debunked, but they were important considerations in depicting the nation’s leaders, since such portraits were often made for posterity Most people had only one portrait painted in their lifetime, if at all, so artists were selected with great care, and expectations were high Before the 1840s, American portraiture was influenced primarily by English techniques, poses, compositions and gestures, and many artists received at least part of their training in England Even canvas sizes followed the British example Portraits made on commission were priced according to canvas size and the materials and labor involved In the late 19th century as European portraitists began travelling to the United States to acquire commissions from the growing upper class, American artists increasingly felt they needed to train abroad in order to succeed at home Paris continued to be the main lure as painters such as Eakins, Whistler, Beaux and Sargent went to study there Some of America’s best-known portraitists, in fact, became expatriates What does the passage mainly discuss? A Art in 19th century America C The early years of photography th B Portraiture in 19 century America D The influence of other countries on American art Which of the following statements best represents the meaning of the first sentence before photography was invented in 1839? A Painted portraits and engravings were very lifelike B There was no accurate way to record a likeness before photography was invented C There were not many ways other than painted portraits and engravings if you wanted to record what somebody looked like D Engravings were based on portraits and not as lifelike Why does the author mention Davy Crocket in paragraph 1? A As an example of an artist using a famous person to gain attention to his work B Because Crocket was also a famous artist C As an example of the types of people who could afford to pay for their portrait to be painted D Because gallery owners often had famous people as patrons In paragraph 2, what did people look for in a good portrait? A Clear facial expressions C Indicators of character B An accurate likeness D Every detail, including bumps on the head Physiognomy and phrenology are theories ………… A That are no longer as popular B That were used to enable people to select artists with the best characteristics in their appearance C That meant people usually only needed one portrait D That were used to try to get the closet likeness possible The word poses is closest in meaning to ……… A Stance B height C weight D manner The word acquire is closest meaning to ……… A Steal B borrow C ask D get In what ways did American artists try to gain greater success? A By inviting European artists to America C By becoming expatriates B By travelling abroad D By not only painting portraits The final paragraph of the passage will probably continue with a discussion of … A Artists moving between countries C Artists from other countries B Other ways artists tried to gain local D Other less known artists 10 Where in the passage does the author draw a comparison of American and English practices in producing commission portraits? A the first paragraph C the second paragraph B the third paragraph D the fourth paragraph Reading Passage 3: No consumer product in history has caught on as quickly as the mobile phone global sales of which have risen from six million in 1991 to more than 400 million a year now The arrival of the mobile phone has transformed our lifestyle so much that man now spend more time on the phone than women, according to the results of our special opinion poll Mobile phones are no longer just the domain of the teenager and, in fact, just as many 40-and 50-somethings now own a mobile phone as the 15 to 20 age group (slightly below 70%) Even among the over 65s more than 40% now have a mobile The survey found that men with mobile phones (72% of all men) spend more than an hour a day making calls on an average weekday The average man spends sixty-six minutes on his landline or his mobile, compared with fifty-three minutes before the mobile phone revolution But the poll reveals that, while men are using their phones a lot more, women are actually spending less time on the phone Slightly fewer women (67%) have a mobile phone, and the survey shows that the average amount of time they spend on the phone on a weekday has gone down from sixty-three minutes before they got a mobile to fifty-five minutes now The explanation might lie in the fact that men love to play with techno toys while women may be more conscious of the bills they are running up Innovation in mobile phones has been happening so fast that it’s difficult for consumers to change their behavior Phones are constantly swallowing up other products like cameras, calculators, clocks, radios, and digital music players There are twenty different products that previously might have been bought separately that can no be part of a mobile phone Mobiles have changed the way people talk to one another, they have generated a new type of language, they have saved lives and become style cons Obviously, the rich have been buying phones faster than the poor But this happens with every innovation Mobile phone take-up among the pool has actually been far quicker than it was in the case of previous products, such as colour television, computers and Internet access Indeed, as mobile phones continue to become cheaper and more powerful, they might prove to be more successful in bridging the gap between the rich and the poor than expensive computers There are obviously drawbacks to mobiles as well: mobile users are two and a half times more likely to develop cancer in areas of the brain adjacent to their phone ear, although researchers are unable to prove whether this has anything to with the phone; mobile thefts now account for a third of all street, robberies in London, and don’t forget about all the accidents waiting to happen as people drive with a mobile in one hand But, overall, mobile phones have proved to be a big benefit for people The group with the highest number of people who own a mobile phone is …… A men B people between 40 and 50 C teenagers D women According to the opinion poll, women ………… A spend more time on the phone than men B like to play with their mobile phones C spend less time on the phone than they used to D don’t worry about their phone bills According to the text, mobile phones…… A Are more complicated to operate than radios B Are incorporated into cameras C Can now replace many of other products D Are modified too fast Among the poor, the demand for mobile phones……… A Has created more of a gap with the rich B Has grown faster than the demand for computers C Follows the pattern of similar innovations D Is higher than among the rich One disadvantage of mobile phones that the article does not mention is the … A High operating costs C Possible health risk B Higher crime rate D Increased danger to road users Reading Passage For years, employers have been aware of employee engagement* and retention issues in their workplaces These organizations have engagement policies that typically address engagement for the organization under the policy, without any differentiation for the generations of employees As the millennial generation (also commonly known as Gen-Y and includes birth from 1982-2000) grows in the workforce and baby boomers* retire, managers and human resources professionals will need to develop new engagement models that takes into account the generational differences between baby boomers and millennials In this article, I will highlight some of the characteristics that differentiate millennials from other generations and explain why employee engagement should be top of mind for managers Baby boomers are currently the largest generation of active workers Research has shown that boomers identify their strengths as organizational memory*, optimism and their willingness to work long hours This generation grew up working in organizations with large corporate hierarchies, rather than flat management structures and teamwork-based job roles Millennials have a drastically different outlook on what they expect from their employment experience Millennials are well educated, skilled in technology, very self-confident, able to multi-task and have plenty of energy They have high expectations for themselves, and prefer to work in teams, rather than as individuals Millennials seek challenges, yet work-like balance is of utmost importance to them They do, however, realize that their need for social interaction, immediate results in their work and desire for speedy advancement may be seen as weaknesses by other colleagues The millennial generation is the largest age group to emerge since the baby boom generation, and as this group grows into a significant proportion of the workplace over the next 20 years, employers will need to make major adjustments in their engagement models Motivating, engaging and retaining people will never cease as managerial priorities, but employers will have to carefully consider what strategies they will use to cultivate and retain valuable millennial employees now and into the future Millennials are creating a change in how work gets done, as they work more in teams and use more technology Their social mindset, however, is also a significant factor As Leigh Buchanon writes in Meet the Millennials, ‘One of the characteristics of millennials, besides the fact that they are masters of digital communication, is that they are primed to well by doing good Almost 70 percent say that giving back and being civically engaged are their highest priorities’ Coupled with the socially minded millennial comes their desire to be creative Millennials have grown up in a time where information has become available instantly Through a Google or Wikipedia search, answers to even quite complicated questions can be found As such, millennials have developed into a group that wants to work on new and tough problems, and ones that require creative solutions In a 2009 article by Tamara Erickson, a millennial who had been struggling in her role, she admitted to peers that, ‘I guess I just expected that I would get to act on more of my ideas, and that the higher-ups here would have figured out by now that the model’s changing’ (Gen-Y in the Workplace, Tamara Erickson, Harvard Business Review, February 2009) The millennial employee is interested in feedback on his or her performance But traditional semiannual reviews are too infrequent for millennials They want to know that they’ve done a good job, and they want to know now A 2008 article in Nonprofit World provides readers with a checklist on the topic of providing millennial feedback The list includes: give them checklists, offer plenty of help, reward them for innovating and taking appropriate risks, engage them with frequent feedback, provide them with mentors, create a collegial and team-oriented culture, etc Feedback must also be given in such a way that millennials are receptive Until recently, employers have… A Tried to motivate all employees in the same way B Created new policies to motivate Gen-Y employees C Implemented innovative engagement policies for baby boomers D Recognized the difference between millennials and the older generation People born between 1946 and 1964 are A Less productive than other generations B Harder working than younger people C Used to working within highly structured businesses D Used to working in teams Gen-Y and baby boomers are seen to be different because Gen-Y employees A Like to work individually B Prefer to work on several projects at the same time C Expect rapid promotion D Work long hours The majority of Gen-Y workers A Have accepted traditional ways of working B Think that contributing to society is very important C Find digital technology challenging D Prefer to communicate online Gen-Y employees A Want occasional feedback on their performance B Are satisfied with checklists C Prefer to work in a collaborative environment D Do not need very much support Reading Passage 5: If you’re an environmentalist, plastic is a word you tend to say with a sneer or a snarl It has become a symbol of our wasteful, throw-away society But there seems little doubt it is here to stay, and the truth is, of course, that plastic has brought enormous ……………… (1) environmental evil – it’s the way society chooses to use and ……………… (2) them Almost all the 50 or so different kinds of modern plastic are made from oil, gas or coal – nonrenewable natural ……………… (3) We ……………… (4) well over three million tons of the stuff in Britain each year and, sooner or later, most of it is thrown away A high ……………… (5) of our annual consumption is in the form of packaging, and this ……………… (6) about seven per cent by weight of our domestic refuse Almost all of it could be recycled, but very little of it is, though the plastic recycling ……………… (7) is growing fast The plastic themselves are extremely energy-rich – they have a higher calorific ……………… (8) than coal and one ……………… (9) of “recovery” strongly favoured by the plastic manufacturers is the ……………… (10) of waste plastic into a fuel Reading Passage 6: Fill in ONE suitable word The Penny Black The Penny Black is the name of the world’ first postage stamp It was introduced by the UK in 1840 and is perhaps the most famous stamp ever issued It has a picture of the young Queen Victoria and because of its colour, and its ……………(1) of one penny, it is known as the “Penny Black” Before 1840, postage rates for delivery of letters in the UK depended on the ……………(2) the letter had to travel and the number of sheets of paper used Furthermore, at that time it was not possible to pay for your letter before you sent it The postage had to be paid by the receiver rather than the sender of the letter The Penny Black changed everything: at the rate of one penny, letters that did not ……………(3) moe than half an ounce could be sent to any ……………(4) in the UK Nowadays Penny Black stamps are not all that rate although they re ……………(5) regarded by sta,p collectors about 68 million of these stamps were issued ……………(6) 1840 and 1841, and it is thought that about 1.5 million of these ……………(7) today The price of the stamp today varies according to whether it has been used or not and its condition A fine used copy can be bought for around 77 pounds or less, while unused examples are quite rate and sell for 2,000 pounds or more To ……………(8) the UK for having issued the world’s first postage stamp, the Universal Postal Union has made an exception regarding its ……………(9) that the name of the country must ……………(10) on a stamp No British stamp to date has ever had the country name on it ... comparison of American and English practices in producing commission portraits? A the first paragraph C the second paragraph B the third paragraph D the fourth paragraph Reading Passage 3: No consumer... ways to record likenesses From the Colonial era through the 1820s, portraiture was the most widely practiced genre of American art, and it continued to be a significant form through the 19th century... sea ice 10 The word “those” refers to… A ships B vehicles C problems D photographs D computers Reading Passage 2: Before photography was invented in 1839, painted portraits, and engravings based