LISTENING
Questions 1-10
Complete the table below.
Write ONE WORD ONLYAND/ORA NUMBER for each answer.
Kingstown Tours
Name of Price Main activities Other information
tour
Cave Example • go in a small 1.................. to the • minimum age of 2.....................
Explorers $93 other years
• side of the lake
• explore the caves
Silver Fjord $220 • travel by 3.............. to the fjord • eat a barbecue lunch
• at Easten go for a 4................. • see marine life such as seals and
• cruise on the fjord 6..................
• see mountains and a large
5..............
High Country $105 • visit a historic home • this tour has excellent reviews
• lunch is in the 7.....................
• in the afternoon visit a 8..................
Zipline $75 • travel on a zipline above an old
9................... • reach speeds of 10...................
miles per hour
Listening Part 2
Questions 11-15
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Willford Living Museum
11 In the early 1800s most land in Willford was
A occupied by houses.
B used for farming.
C covered in trees.
12 What happened in 1830 in Willford?
A Ships started to be built nearby.
B The first trains arrived in the town.
C Valuable substances were found underground.
13 By the 1870s Willford was most famous for making
A various metal objects.
B all types of clothing.
C plates and cups.
14 What does the guide say about visitors to the museum these days?
A 900 visitors enter on a typical day.
B 7,600 visitors arrive every week.
C 300,000 visitors come each year.
15 The museum is also sometimes used
A as a location for filming.
B for business conferences.
C by people getting married.
Questions 16-20
Label the map below.
Write the correct letter, A-H, next to Questions 16-20.
Willford Living Museum
16 Old bakery ...............
17 Doctor’s surgery ...............
18 Cooper’s Cottage ...............
19 Stables ...............
20 Old school ...............
Listening Part 3
Questions 21-22
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
According to the students, what are the TWO most important benefits of market research?
A Selecting the best advertising
B Reducing the levels of risks
C Building confidence among employees
D Saving money in the long run
E Identifying new opportunities
Questions 23-24
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Which do the students agree are TWO valid criticisms of market research?
A It does not reveal any new information.
B Its benefits are hard to measure.
C It takes too much time to carry out.
D It makes use of too much specialist language.
E Its findings are sometimes wrong.
Questions 25-26
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
The students are surprised by the success of which TWO sources of information.
A face-to-face communication
B official government statistics
C the media and social media
D online surveys of public opinion
E filming customers as they shop
Questions 27-30
Complete the flow-chart below.
Choose FOUR answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-F, next to Questions
27-30.
A written records
B online studies
C specific questions
D individual responsibility
E proper planning
F regular meetings
Market Research Using a Busmess’s Own Resources
Begin with staff education to maximise the chances of success.
Give staff examples of 27..................... that will be helpful every day.
The BQR Group says that staff should make use of 28..................... each week.
Having 29..................... is motivating for staff, according to Business Guide.
Provide detailed feedback about any changes that you decide to make.
Allow staff to have 30..................... to ensure continued participation.
Questions 31-37
Complete the notes below
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Drinking Water
Introduction
• Drinking water is essential for human life.
• The '8 glasses a day' rule is a myth, except for the 31......................
Some effects of water on the body
• Drinking before 32................... may assist weight loss.
• Dr Amaldi's study shows that water speeds up 33.....................
• A US research study showed that dehydrated bodies cannot control 34...............
so well.
• There is no evidence that drinking water results in better 35...................
The brain
• Women who drank lots of water had fewer 36................
• Men suffered more 37................. with insufficient water.
Questions 38-40
Complete the summary below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Too much water?
Drinking too much water is not a common problem. Australian research has shown that people have difficulty
38.................. when they have drunk enough. But occasionally people have become sick from too much water,
particularly groups of 39.................. This may be because they have high levels of 40................... in their
blood. The best advice is to drink when you are thirsty.
READING
Reading Passage 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1
below.
Earth’s lakes are under threat
Lake Poopo used to be Bolivia’s second largest lake. Situated in the Altiplano Mountains at an
altitude of around 3,700m, the lake in winter would cover an area of some 2,700 square kilometres
as it was fed by swollen rivers. With very little rainfall during summer, this reduced to around 1,000,
still a remarkable size. This was the pattern in previous centuries, but in December 2015, satellites
confirmed the reports of local people that the lake had gone. While scientists had suspected that
Poopo would eventually run dry, they didn’t expect that this would occur for at least another thousand
years. The local mining industry had already contributed to the pollution of the lake, but scientists
believe global warming, drought and irrigation projects are all responsible for its disappearance.
Today the consequences of Lake Poopo’s disappearance are dramatic; many people who lived in the
villages around it have left, since there are no more fish to be caught. Environmentalists also point to
the fact that the lake had been the stopover point for thousands of birds as they migrated to other
regions. Their numbers will certainly fall now the lake has gone.
Lake Poopo is not the only vast area of water to have disappeared. The Aral Sea in Central Asia was
once the world’s fourth largest lake but then it began to shrink in the 1960s. As a shallow lake, it
depended on rivers to keep its level up. But then water from these rivers was diverted for irrigation
purposes. Rice is a crop that needs huge quantities of water to survive in desert areas. Fields planted
with cotton also require a regular supply Now the water level is so low that fishing has stopped
altogether. And it is not just the immediate area that is affected. Because the floor of the lake is now
exposed, the salt that lies there is often carried by the wind across a radius of 300 kilometres. This
impacts on agriculture as it damages growing plants and is absorbed by the soil.
For some lakes, the biggest threat is from climate change. On average, the surface water of the
world’s lakes has gone up in temperature by 0.34°C every ten years since 1985. Lake Tanganyika in
East Africa is a lake where this trend has been observed, although it is by no means the most extreme
example. This would be Lake Fracksjon in Sweden, where an increase of 1.35°C per decade has
been observed - a figure which is estimated to rise. For Lake Tanganyika, however, the consequences
have been severe. Warming has disrupted its ecosystem, and fish numbers have dropped sharply. In
turn, this decline in fish stocks has impacted on families living in villages and towns around the lake,
since they have no other source of protein. Furthermore, around 100,000 people depend on the
fisheries established around Lake Tanganyika. These companies provide them with regular
employment, without which communities will not survive.
In Iran, Lake Urmia’s waters have also been affected by unusually hot summers, but dams and
irrigation projects have also played a part. In the past, people admired its beautiful green blue
colour. However, the water now has a red tint. The reason for this is that bacteria quickly multiply in
the warm waters of a shallow lake. Now local communities are understandably concerned about the
future. One of their concerns is that Lake Urmia is no longer seen as a place where people can bathe
to improve their health. As a result, in the last decade, there has been a downturn in tourism in the
area, an industry many people depended on.
In some cases, it can be a challenge for scientists to predict outcomes for a lake or to recognise the
factors that threaten it. Take, for example, Lake Waiau in Hawaii, a lake that was used in healing
rituals by native Hawaiians. It is a fairly small lake, approximately 100m across, with some variation
as the water level rises and falls. However, in early 2010, the lake began to decrease in size. By
September 2013, it could only be described as a pond. The cause of the lake’s decline has not yet
been established, but drought is among the suspects. Then there is Scott Lake in central Florida. In
June 2006 a massive sinkhole opened up beneath the lake - acting like a plug hole in a bath. It only
took two weeks for the water to drain away. Local residents called meetings to decide what action to
take, but in the end, nature took care of the problem. Clay, sand and other fine material plugged the
hole and the lake started to fill with water again. Nevertheless, as geologists point out, sinkholes can
occur with some frequency in Florida, so there is a chance that Scott Lake will drain away again.
Questions 1-8
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
Disappearing and Damaged Lakes
• Lake Poopó
It covered about 1______________ square kilometres in the dry season.
It can no longer support people, fish or visiting 2_______________
• The Aral Sea
It has shrunk because water is used for crops such as 3__________________ and
rice.
4 __________________ from the bottom of the lake affects an area of 300
kilometres.
• Lake Tanganyika
Families need to eat fish for its 5_________________
Fisheries give 6_________________to over 100,000 people.
• Lake Urmia
The colour has changed because 7__________________are increasing.
8____________________ has declined in the last ten years.
Questions 9-13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 9-13 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
9 Scientists are surprised that Lake Poopó has disappeared so quickly.
10 Steps are being taken to reduce the impact of mining on Lake Poopó.
11 Lake Fracksjon is the fastest warming lake in the world.
12 Researchers are certain about the reason for Lake Waiau’s disappearance.
13 Lake Scott’s rising water level has occurred as a result of rainfall.
Reading Passage 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2
below.
Biofuels: are they the fuels of the future?
Many plants can be turned into biofuels - but which ones should we use and what
methods are best?
A
On paper, biofuels seem the ideal replacement for oil, coal and gas, the fossil fuels we depend
upon, and which drive global warming and disrupt weather patterns by releasing carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere. But the past decade has seen the biofuel industry face tough questions over
whether it can truly claim to be ‘green’. One of the biggest criticisms of biofuel crops - at least those
that produce the fuel ethanol - has been their impact on food markets and on traditional land use.
Direct impacts - for example, cutting down forests to make way for a biofuel crop - are usually
obvious, says Professor Bill Laurance, director of the Centre for Tropical Environmental and
Sustainability Science at James Cook University. But, in his experience, indirect impacts can be no
less devastating for the environment and are far more of a challenge to anticipate.
B
Let’s take Brazil, for example. When farmers in the US opted out of soy in favour of corn as a biofuel
crop, soy prices soared, suddenly making it an attractive crop for Brazilian farmers. In turn, this
increased demand for freshly deforested cropland in Brazil. Similar situations are occurring all over
the world. But while deforestation can certainly lead to economic benefits for farmers, it also puts
biodiversity at risk. Then, once a biofuel crop has been planted on deforested land, farmers need to
ensure that it grows as well as it can. That means applying large quantities of fertiliser, and while this
helps the plants to shoot up, there is also the possibility it will lead to the contamination of local
rivers.
C
Not all biofuels have been grown on land, but the once-popular idea of generating them from
microscopic algae grown in ponds or tanks has largely been forgotten. Professor Rachel Burton,
leader of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Cell Walls at the University of Adelaide, thinks that
there is a smarter way forward for biofuels and it starts with selecting the right crop for land not
usually used for agriculture. Burton and others are looking to tough plants that grow on land too dry
or salty for conventional crops. Australia, for example, could turn to crops such as agave, hemp or
the native saltbush and wild-growing sorghum for the biofuels of the future, she says.
D
Researchers must also consider economic factors, however. While plant oils can be extracted and
turned into biodiesel for vehicles and machinery, currently the process is very expensive - much more
so than the process for fossil fuels. Dr Allan Green is innovation leader for bio-based products at
CSIRO Agriculture and Food. His solution is to make plants oilier by genetically altering them so that
they produce oil in their leaves, not just in their fruit or seeds. With more oil being produced on a
particular section of land by the same number of plants, it would become cheaper to harvest and
extract the oil. The technology, which has so far only been tested in tobacco, shows that oil
production can be boosted to a third or more of a tobacco leaf’s weight. If used in a different crop -
one that already produces oil in its seeds or fruit - the hope is that oil output could be doubled,
though that idea is yet to be put to the test.
E
A technology which is becoming increasingly popular in the biofuel industry is hydrothermal
liquefaction. This is a process which uses heat and pressure to break apart molecules in whole plants
and remove oxygen, so that the raw material is turned into ‘bio-crude oil’. Then, just as we need to
refine the crude oil made from fossil fuels, the plant-based oil is also refined. After this, it can then be
turned into different kinds of fuel. One advantage of the hydrothermal liquefaction process is that
many kinds of plant can be used. And if this process could run on energy from solar panels or wind
farms, it would be much more environmentally sustainable.
F
New processing technologies are giving biofuel producers hope that, in future, they won’t be limited
to plants designed to be biofuel-only crops. Perhaps they will be able to choose species that deliver
added benefits or sources of income. Hemp crops, for instance, could be used for their oil, but also
for their fibre. Some car manufacturers have already used it as a soundproofing material in their
vehicles, and others may do the same. And according to Kirsten Heimann, associate professor at the
College of Science and Engineering at James Cook University, it might be possible, say, for algae
not just to act as a biofuel, but to decontaminate water. Burton believes this kind of multi-purpose use
for biofuel crops is the way forward. ‘It’s much more sophisticated thinking,’ she says. ‘Biofuels
maybe don’t need to be as cheap as we think they do, because you can make money out of the
other things.’ Eventually, the biofuel industry could well develop into a very diverse one, with no one
crop or process dominating the market, according to Green.
‘The amount of fuel we need to move away from petroleum is massive, so there’s plenty of space for
all technologies,’ he says.
Questions 14-19
Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
14 a theory about oil production which must still be proved
15 an overview of the stages in a particular biofuel manufacturing method
16 examples of the uses that biofuel crops might have apart from providing energy
17 an explanation of the way that fossil fuel use harms the environment
18 reference to a particular biofuel production method being abandoned
19 a comparison between the production costs for biofuels and for other kinds of fuel
Questions 20-23
Look at the following statements (Questions 20-23) and the list of researchers below. Match each
statement with the correct researcher, A, B or C.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
20 It would be more cost-effective if a biofuel was used for a range of products.
21 It is not always easy to predict what effects the use of biofuels crops may have.
22 A variety of biofuel crops and manufacturing processes will be required in future.
23 It would be best to use biofuel crops that can survive in difficult environmental conditions.
List of researchers
A Professor Bill Laurance
B Professor Rachel Burton
C Dr Allan Green
Questions 24-26
Complete the sentences below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
24 The decision by US farmers to grow .......................... had an effect on land
in Brazil.
25 .......................... is threatened when trees are cut down so crops can
be planted.
26 Rivers may be polluted by the ...................... that farmers use on
biofuel crops.
Reading Passage 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3
below.
If you thought ancient monuments were built in honour of gods and
Team Building kings, think again, says Laura Spinney
At Poverty Point in the US state of Louisiana, a
remarkable monument overlooks the Mississippi river.
Built around 3,500 years ago entirely from earth, it
consists of six semi-circular ridges and five mounds.
'Mound A', as archaeologists refer to it, is the largest
at 22 metres high. The earth mounds at Poverty Point
are not just impressive, they are also intriguing.
Ancient monuments have always been regarded as
products of large, hierarchical societies, built as
tributes to gods and kings. But the creators of the
Poverty Point monument were hunter-gatherers, who
functioned in a more democratic way. They may have
looked to elders for guidance, but these would not Another archaeologist, Carl Lipo, thinks he has the
have exerted a commanding influence over their small answer: the same reason that the people of Easter
groups. So who, or what, motivated building on such Island built their famous stone heads. When Lipo first
a grand scale? when to Easter Island, the prevailing idea was that
the enormous statues had been rolled into place using
Archaeologists have been excavating Poverty Point logs, and the resulting deforestation contributed to the
for more than a century. However, the truly human population's collapse. But Lipo and fellow
remarkable nature of Mound A only emerged a few archaeologist Terry Hunt showed the statues could
years ago. This was when a team led by Tristram have been 'walked' upright into place by cooperating
Kidder of Washington University drilled into the bands of people using ropes, with no need for trees.
mound. They saw for the first time that it consisted of They argue further that by making statues, people's
neat layers of differently coloured earth. It rains a lot energy was directed into peaceful interactions and
around Poverty Point, and we know that fluctuations information-sharing. They ceased crafting statues, Lipo
in temperature and increased flooding eventually led claims, precisely because daily existence became less
to its abandonment. But Kidder could see no sign that of a challenge, and it was no longer so important that
the layers had combined, as you might expect if it they work together.
had rained during construction. Kidder reached a
startling conclusion: Mound A must have been built in An ancient temple known as Gobekli Tepe in south-
one short period, perhaps in as little as 30 days, and east Turkey is another site where a giant team-
probably no more than 90. building project might have taken place. Since
excavations started, archaeologists have uncovered
Mound A contains nearly 240,000 cubic metres of nine enclosures formed of massive stone pillars. Given
earth; the equivalent of 32,000 truckloads. There the vast size of these pillars, a considerable workforce
were no trucks then, of course, nor any would have been needed to move them. But what
other heavy machinery, animals like mules to carry archaeologists have also discovered is that every so
the earth, or wheelbarrows. Assuming it did take 90 often, the workers filled in the enclosures with broken
days, Kidder's group calculated that around 3,000 rock and built new ones. The apparent disposability
basket-carrying individuals would have been needed of these monuments makes sense if the main aim was
to get the job done. Given that people probably building a team rather than a lasting structure.
travelled in family groups, as many as 9,000 people Indeed, the many bones from animals such as gazelle
may have assembled at Poverty Point during found in the filled-in enclosures suggest people held
construction. 'If that's true, it was an extraordinarily feasts to celebrate the end of a collaborative effort.
large gathering,' says Kidder. Why would they have
chosen to do this? A number of researchers share Lipo's view that the
need to cooperate is what drove monument makers.
But as you might expect when a major shift in thinking
is proposed, not everyone goes along with it. The landscape is only temporarily disturbed. Wilson says
sceptics include Tristram Kidder. For him, the there is evidence that such cooperative ventures
interesting question is not 'Did cooperative building matter more today than ever because we are
promote group survival' but 'What did the builders dependent on a wider range of people than our
think they were doing?' All human behaviour comes ancestors were. Food, education, security: all are
down to a pursuit of food and self-preservation, he provided by people beyond our family group.
says. As for why people came to Poverty Point, he Recently, as part of his Neighbourhood Project in
and his colleagues have suggested it was a Binghamton, Wilson and his colleagues helped locals
pilgrimage site. create their own parks. 'This brought people together
and enabled them to cooperate in numerous other
If Lipo is right, have we in any way inherited our contexts,' he explains. This included helping with
ancestors' tendency to work together for the sake of repairs after a series of floods in 201 1. Social
social harmony? Evolutionary biologist David Sloan psychologist Susan Fiske of Princeton University also
Wilson thinks we have. Wilson cites the Burning Man sees value in community projects. Her research
festival, promoted as an experiment in community and shows, for example, that they can help break down
art, which draws thousands of people to Nevada's the ill-informed views that people hold towards others
Black Rock Desert each summer. Among the ten they have observed but do not usually interact with.
principles laid down by co-founder Larry Harvey are So if modern projects really help build better
'inclusion' and 'communal effort'. Another is 'leaving communities, that will surely be a monumental
no trace', meaning that whatever festival-goers create achievement.
they destroy before departing. In this way, the desert
Questions 27-32
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet, write
YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
27 The whole monument at Poverty Point was made out of earth.
28 The monument at Poverty Point was the first of its kind to be built in the US.
29 The older members of the tribes at Poverty Point had great power over their people.
30 It is surprising that archaeologists took so long to discover the existence of Mound A.
31 Tristram Kidder’s work at Mound A revealed something previously unknown to researchers.
32 A change in weather patterns forced people living around the Poverty Point monument to move away
Questions 33-36
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 33-36 on your answer sheet.
33 The writer refers to trucks, mules and wheelbarrows in order to
A highlight the technical ability of the Poverty Point inhabitants.
B emphasise the number of workers required to build the mound.
C question the logic of choosing Poverty Point as a place for construction.
D challenge the idea that the mound could have been made so quickly.
34 Archaeologist Carl Lipo’s research at Easter Island has led him to believe that
A people had to cut down trees in order to transport larger statues.
B remote communities faced greater environmental challenges than other societies.
C islanders stopped making statues when their lives became easier.
D methods of making the statues varied amongst different groups.
35 According to the writer, excavations at Gobekli Tepe suggest that
A there was disagreement between groups over the temple’s design.
B human occupation drove certain animal populations into decline.
C each of the enclosures that were built served a different purpose.
D the builders had no intention of creating permanent structures.
36 In the sixth paragraph, what are we told about Tristram Kidder?
A He feels the academic community should support Carl Lipo’s theory.
B He has changed his mind about the purpose of the Poverty Point monument.
C He doubts that Carl Lipo has identified the key reason for monument making.
D He believes that most people recognise the need to help each other to survive.
Questions 37-40
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-l, below.
Write the correct letter, A-I, in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.
A basic needs B different generations C new infrastructure D human activities
E negative impressions F emergency situations G commercial advertising H economic growth
Examples of cooperation in modern times
David Wilson believes that events such as the Burning Man festival encourage social harmony. For example,
participants in the festival cooperate so 37........................... won’t permanently affect the desert environment.
In Wilson’s opinion, cooperation is especially important today because we now rely on many people for our
38.......................... Wilson also points to how community projects such as park creation can lead to
improved group efforts in 39 ................................... Psychologist Susan Fiske has also shown how
40................... can change when community projects encourage interaction between strangers.
Writing Task 1
You should spend 20 minutes on this task.
The diagram below shows how honey is made in small-scale commercial production.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Writing Task 2
You should spend 40 minutes on this task.
Write on the following topic:
In many parts of the world, children and teenagers are spending more and more
of their time indoors.
What do you think are the causes of this problem?
What measures could best be taken to solve it?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and
experience. Write at least 250 words.
