TEST 8

PART A
Part 1. You will hear part of a discussion in which a developer, Faye Mannia, and
an environmentalist, Peter Green, talk about a new government-run trial. For
questions 16-20, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to
what you hear.
1. At the beginning of the discussion, it can be inferred that Faye believes the
listeners
A are confident their government always acts wisely. B are unfamiliar with
current property values.
C may be biased against her point of view. D have no knowledge of
the trials whatsoever.
2. Peter says that the new government plan
A will lead to a reduction in the diversity of wildlife. B has not been supported
by a single scientist.
C should be delayed by at least ten years. D may cause property
prices to rise too quickly.
3. Faye mentions the iron ore mine in Brazil
A to point out that development is occurring on a global scale.
B to show the importance of increasing employment opportunities.
C to highlight the dangers of allowing poverty to spread.
D to illustrate the need to respond to changing priorities.
4. Peter fears that those involved in the new plan
A will break the law and go unpunished. B cannot be trusted to pay for the
habitats they destroy.
C will use it to their advantage. D are unlikely to make any compromises
during negotiations.
5 Faye accuses environmentalists of
A using the media to attack developers. B having a lack of foresight.
C not appreciating historic buildings. D ignoring the wishes of the general
public
Part 2You will hear part of a radio programme about 'Bollywood', the Indian
film industry. For questions 9-17, complete the sentences with a word or short
phrase.
All over Bombay there are enormous (9) _______________ advertising films.
In Indian films, the (10) _______________ often changes suddenly.
The films are (11) _______________ both European and Indian filmgoers.
The female stars are beginning to wear (12) _______________ rather than traditional
clothing.
A Hollywood-style obsession with body shape means that a lot of people are now
going to (13) _______________.
The films often convey (14) _______________, such as a belief in family life.
Some critics argue that the films are superficial, often lacking a recognisable (15)
_______________
Recently there has been an (16) _______________ of fresh talent from different
backgrounds
All these changes may well serve to keep Bollywood (17) _______________ for the
foreseeable future.
Part 3. For questions 1-9, listen to an interview with the author of a new book on
leisure time and activities and decide whether these statements are True (T) or
False (F). Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
1. The author thought no one should be bored when so many leisure opportunities
were on offer.
2. Her children's enthusiasm for school holidays was short-lived.
3. Her friend used to enjoy expensive leisure activities.
4. Her uncle enjoyed the freedom of retirement.
5. The main reason people get bored is that they cannot afford to pay for home
entertainment technology.
6. Both sections of the book contain similar types of information.
7. The author thinks there is a link between your upbringing and your ability to keep
yourself entertained.
8. The interviewer suggests the author is old-fashioned.
9. The book is more successful than the author had anticipated.

PART B
Part 1. Choose the best answer to each of the following questions. Write your
answer in the numbered boxes. (20 points)
1. She really gets a_ out of doing wheelies on her motorcycle in front of an audience.
A. buzz B. murmur C. whisper D. hum
2. When the children .............. their toys, I donated them to charity.
A. outlasted B. outdated C. outgrew D.
outwore
3. Right now, we are exploring all_to catch the perpetrator of this heinous crime.
D. charges A. avenues B. roads C. ways
4. When are we going to get rid of all these empty cartons? They've been ........... up
the office for weeks now.
A. buttering B. clutching C. cluttering D. botching
5. “Can I use your phone?” - “___”
A. I’m afraid so B. Might as well C. Be my guest! D. Serves
you right.
6. I tried to .................. my disappointment at losing by cheering the winner loudly.
A. hide B. shield C. veil D. mask
7. . I don't know how you keep on an_keel while trying to manage so many different
things at once.
A. even B. equal C. balanced D. square
8. . You should apologize to Phil before he gets bent out of_.
A. shape B. body C. model D. format
9. We don’t have a secretary ___, but we do have a student who comes in to do a bit
of filing.
A. as such B. the least bit C. whatsoever D. little more
10. Despite ____________ appearances, he wasn't as crazy as people thought.
A. inward B. outward C: external D. strange
11. Being laid off was a_ in disguise - within a month I got a much better job.
A miracle B. benefit C. blessing D. boon
12. The first ____ of the ladder is important in your career.
A. step B. grade C. push D. rung
13. After hours and hours trying to solve the problem, I was at my _____ end.
A. nerves' B. wits' C. humours' D. tethers'
14. Her punk hairstyle showed she was not one for following the ______.
A. flock B. herd C. swarm D. group
15. We're_ out of oranges, would you like an apple?
A. blank B. fresh C. clear D. neat
16. Mauritius was a British colony for almost 200 years, ___ the domains of
administration and teaching, the English language was never really spoken on the
island.
A. barring B. besides C. but saving for D. with the exception of
17. . I think it will be easier to become comfortable driving now that I've_the ball
rolling with driving lessons.
A. gotten B. taken C. had D. set
18.We need to _ back to the drawing board on this project. I think it had some
fundamental flaws from the start
A. go B. move C. return D. replay
19. We must be careful not to put the cart before the ____.
A. bull B. horse C. pony D. cabbage
20. Jimmy: “'What did Professor Spencer say when you asked him if the final
exam could be postponed?
Kate: “He said that it was out of ____ because there's no time to reschedule the test.”
A. all proportion B. order C. the question D. reach
Part 2: The passage below has 10 errors. Underline the mistakes and write their
correct forms in the corresponding number boxes. (10 points)

Until recently, we have confined ourselves for our own solar system in the search for
life, partly because we have not had evidence for the existence of other solar systems.
Furthermore, our telescopes have not been powerful enough to detect planets. But not
long ago, a technique was developed that could ascertain reliably whether stars have
planets orbiting it. Basically, this technique relies upon our ability to detect with some
degree of precision how much light a star is giving. If this change for a brief period, it
is probably because a large object – a planet – is passing in front of it. At first, the
technique could only establish the existence of a very large planet with an elliptical
orbit that brought it in close proximity to the star. This was one of the limits of the
technique: life could not exist on such large planets. Furthermore, the orbit of the
planet would preclude the possibility of other, smaller planets orbiting the same star.
Therefore, that particular planetary system could be effectively ruled out in terms of
the search for life.
However, astronomers using an Anglo-American telescope in New South Wales now
believe they have pinpointed a planetary system which resembles to our own. For the
first time, they identified a large planet, twice the size of Jupiter, orbiting a star like
the sun, at much the same distance from its parent star as Jupiter is to the sun. And
this is the vital point about their discovery: there is at last a theoretical possibility that
smaller planets could be orbiting inside the orbit of this planet.

Part 3.For questions 1-10, write the correct form of each bracketed word in the
numbered space
provided.
1. A portion of the proceeds will be ________ for providing school fees for poor
children for the coming academic year. (mark)
2. The administration ropes in all educational institutions, government offices, public
sector ________ and universities for the purpose of mobilising funds. (take)
3. Contraception is less ________ or affordable in South America. (cure)
4. Both toxic and ________ potentials are properties of all drugs. (cure)
5. While learning has changed for students in this new century, we are ________ by
the boundless opportunity presented in our lifetime. (bold)
6. It does not become an economic ________ but it does become a ‘newly
industrialized country’, like Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea. (power)
7. We believe that the most effective enforcement tool is self-policing and ________
(strain).
8. It is possible to humanely raise and slaughter a variety of food animals, including
________ poultry and beef cattle. (range)
9. Most of this feature includes behind-the-scenes video ________ of the crew
working and goofing off. (foot)
10. Together they forged a(n) ________ intellectual climate that has profoundly
shaped my career. (vigor)
Part 4.For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide
It's all in the story
Companies use a variety of tactics to (1) ____. buyers into purchasing their products,
a powerful one being the art of storytelling. Studies show that consumers across all
(2) __connect with products not so much because of associated facts, features or
specific attributes, but through emotions and personal feelings. Thus, hiring (3) ____
actors to tell a moving story about how a product has changed their lives or made the
world a better place (4) ____ more people than saying the product works twice as well
as the next brand or that it's made through a state-of-the-art manufacturing process.
Such facts and figures can serve as strong (5) ____of a product; however, (6) — an
emotional response influences consumers threefold over mere content as regards
television commercials and twofold in print ads. Thus, companies are willing to (7) __
out on poignant, story-driven advertisements because of how (8) ____ they are of
consumers.
1. a. endorse b. hype c. lobby d.
entice
2. a. demographics b. geographic c. biographic d.
photographic
3. a. mysterious b. magnetic c. charismatic d. baffling
4. a. courts b. woos c. flatters d.
pursues
5. a. testimonies b. informercials c. advertisements d.
endorsement
6. a. deducing b. inducing c. convincing d. temping
7. a. smack b. spray c. slap d.
splash
8. a. manipulative b. controlling c. unscrupulous
d. protective

Part 5: Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use
only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0) (10 points)
Example (0): a
MEMMORY LAPSE OR DEMENTIA?

It's (0)……………………horribly disconcerting experience - groping to (1)

…………….your best friend's name, forgetting an arrangement that you made only
yesterday or realising that your PIN number has vanished into a memory black hole.
These 'senior moments' affect us all at times, but when do brief memory lapses or
moments of confusion become something you (2)…………………………..to worry
about? The fear that you might, literally, be losing your mind, is one that can be very
real, (3)………………………if you've seen a parent or relative develop Alzheimer's.
Dementia affects around 750,000 people in the UK, and although there are 100
different forms of it, Alzheimer's is the most common. This disease destroys brain
cells and as the structure and chemistry of the brain become increasingly damaged,
the person's ability to remember, understand and communicate gradually declines. lt's
a particularly cruel disease because it (4)…………………..us of the memories that
make us who we are, define our experience and provide us with the (5)
…………………………..to communicate with other people.
Although lots of us experience memory problems at some time, in most (6)
…………………these have nothing to do with dementia. It's important to put the risk
(7)……………………..perspective. The reality is that, although it does happen,
dementia is unusual under the age of 65. For the majority of people memory lapses
will be nothing (8)………………………than occasional blips. lt is important to
realise that your memory slows down a bit (9)………………………you age, but this
is a very gradual decline, quite different from the more dramatic deterioration that
happens with Alzheimer's. The most common early sign of a problem is forgetting
recently learned information.
(10)…………………………it's normal to forget appointments and telephone
numbers occasionally, people with early dementia tend to forget more frequently and
they also forget the same information again later.
 
Your answer
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 6.Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question.
PLATE TECTONICS
Any map of the world displays the complementarily of the Atlantic coastlines of
South America and Africa. The two continents appear to fir together like pieces of
jigsaw puzzle. This observation, first noted three centuries ago, gave rise to Alfred
Wegener’s early 20th-century theory of continental drift. According to Wegener’s
hypothesis, Africa and South America had once been part of a single land mass that
later separated. However, many highly esteemed scientists were skeptical, believing it
physically impossible for two continents to shift so far apart.
Then, in the 1960s, the theory of plate tectonics arose in the scientific community. In
formulating this theory, geologists developed hypotheses that answered several
different questions: Why do volcanoes and earthquakes occur where they do? How
did the topography of the sea floor take shape? What explains the distribution of fossil
forms and glacial debris around the globe? The theory of place tectonics offers
explanations for these phenomena, and also gives credence to the concept of
continental drift. In few short years, plate tectonics revolutionized Earth Sciences.
Essentially, plate tectonics addresses the movements and changes of the Earth’s crust.
The planet is composed of three main layers. Surrounding the large, iron-rich core of
the Earth is a thick layer called the mantle. On top of the mantle lies a thin crust. The
crust, or lithosphere, is rigid and varies in thickness from about 30 miles (50
kilometers) underneath the ocean to as much as 60 miles (100 kilometers) below the
continents. This is broken up into a series of rigid plates. These lithospheric plates lie
on the asthenosphere, the upper part of the mantle, which has an average depth of 300
miles (500 kilometers). A) Unlike the rigid lithosphere, the asthenosphere is
relatively soft, partly molten layer, B) The movement of the plates, at an annual rate
of two or three centimeters-about one inch-is responsible for volcanic activity and
earthquakes. Modern volcanoes and earthquake epicenters lie along distinct belts.
C) For instance, they are clustered along the western coasts of the Americas,
running from the southern tip of South America all the way north to Alaska. These
patterns of earthquake and volcano distribution mark the edges of the lithospheric
plates, where the crust has broken and the resulting plates knock and scrape against
one another. Earthquakes are the surface manifestations of these huge collisions. D)
The layout of the sea floor is result of oceanic plates spreading apart and molten rock
from the asthenosphere rising up to fill the chasm. Quirks in fossil records can best
be explained using plate tectonics. The unusual distribution pattern of the distinctive
fossil plant Glossopteris, found in southern Africa, South America, Australia, India,
and Antarctica, is one example of such a quirk. It is unlikely that this precise plant
could have developed in the same way at the same time on discrete continents, or
that its seeds could have been carried by wind or water across the enormous
oceans that separate these locales today. Similarly, plate tectonics explains the
pattern of glacial deposits in such diverse areas as southern India, southern Africa, the
eastern coast of southern South America, the southern coast of Australia, and
Antarctica. Resolving these latter two issues returns us to the idea of continental drift.
Scientists currently believe that around 200 million years ago, these existed one huge
supercontinent. Called Pangaea, meaning “all lands” in Greek, this supercontinent
broke up into two smaller landmasses, which would later fragment into the continents
of North America, Europe, and Asia. Gondwanaland comprised the southern
continents of Africa, Australia, South America, Antarctica, and subcontinental India.
A few objectors, mostly from religious groups, point out that the actual mechanisms
for plate movement have not been conclusively expounded. Nonetheless, there is little
doubt among geologists that the plates did-and still do-move. With evidence for plate
tectonics being found in so many diverse disciplines-biology, chemistry, physics,
geography, and mathematics, as well as geology-serious doubts about its basic
principles have evaporated.
1. The word credence in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. recognition B. believability C. certainty D.
contradiction
2. Look at the four squares [] that indicate where the following sentence could be
added to the passage.
It is this quality that allows the plates on the asthenosphere to slide along its
surface.
Where would the sentence best fit? Choose the square [] where the sentence should
be added to the passage.
A. 1st square B. 2 nd square C. 3 rd square D. 4 th
square
3. Why does the author describe the distribution of volcanoes in paragraph 3?
A. To illustrate one problem with the theory of continental drift
B. To give an example of one application of the concept of plate tectonics
C. To demonstrate the interactions of the three composite parts of the Earth
D. To provide an explanation for the varying thicknesses of the Earth’s crust
4. According to paragraph 3, which of the following is true about plates?
A. There are seven of them, one for each continent
B. They have an average depth of 300 miles
C. Most of them lie along the western coast of the Americas.
D. They are part of the Earth’s crust
5. According to paragraph 3, the composition of the Earth includes all of the
following EXCEPT…….
A. a large center with plenty of iron B. a soft middle layer
C. a thick, rigid mantle D. an outer layer of tectonic
plate
6. The word this in the passage refers to
A. crust B. ocean C. planet D.
variety
7. According to the passage, which of the following, which of the following is true
about earthquakes?
A. They originate in the Earth’s core
B. They result from the bumping and scraping of plates
C. They happen mostly along the Pacific coast
D. They can cause one plate to separate from another
8. The word quirks in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. whims B. defects C. oddities D.
absences
9. Which of the sentences best expresses the essential information in the highlighted
sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or
leave our essential information.
A. Glossopteris fossils are not widespread because seeds cannot be carried by wind
across large expanses of water
B. Glossopteris probably evolved simultaneously in several locations
C. The widespread discoveries of Glossopteris fossils can probably not be explained
by simultaneous evolutions or wind transport
D. Storms in earlier eras must have been very strong to carry Glossopteris seeds
across oceans
10. According to the passage, the present-day continents
A. were once part of larger landmasses.
B. move less than earlier landmasses did.
C. are grouped into two categories, Laurasia and Gondwanaland.
D. have not been thoroughly explained.

Part 7. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. (15
points)
Questions 1-6
Reading Passage 1 has seven paragraphs (A-G). Choose the most suitable headings
for paragraphs B-G from the list of headings below.
List of Headings
(i) A conventional way to process drinking water
(ii) Removals of bacteria and viruses
(iii) New methods are called for
(iv) An ambitious plan
(v) The continuous microfiltration system
(vi) The future of microfiltration plants
(vii) New focus: environment-friendly technology
(viii) Disadvantages of septic tanks
(ix) The expansion of Memtec
(x) Public’s concerns for waste disposals
(xi) A different approach to cleaning the filter

Example: Paragraph A Answer: iii

1. Paragraph B __________
2. Paragraph C __________
3. Paragraph D __________
4. Paragraph E __________
5. Paragraph F __________
6. Paragraph G __________
Treatment of Waste from Water
A
Conventional approaches to waste disposal are becoming untenable. Most systems
bring sewage in from the surrounding areas to a central plant for treatment, then
transport to the processed waste to the nearest river or sea for disposal. This is
inefficient, as it takes 1 million litres of water to transport 200 litres of waste. It also
involves heavy investment in pipes. Indeed, transport accounts for about 80% of
waste-disposal system costs, while treatment accounts for just 20%.
B
This must change, especially as demands on treatment grow. Tap water is increasingly
subject to pollution, from both the atmosphere and waste disposal. Regulations
governing water quality are being tightened in response, but conventional treatment
systems are not up to the job. These systems typically date back to the last century,
and they are based on principles known to the Romans. For example, drinking water
in Yokohama, Japan, comes from a plant that originated in 1887. At the plant,
incoming water flows through a coarse filter to eliminate large particles, then through
a sand filter to remove smaller particles and bacteria. But because viruses are small
enough to slip through sand, the water still must be disinfected with chlorine and left
to stand for several hours before it is drinkable.
C
As population densities in cities increase, appropriate methods for treating waste
water are needed urgently. In Japan, engineering companies are eyeing emerging
markets for environmentally sound treatment systems. Authorities are also looking to
upgrade backward infrastructure, as 44% of Japanese homes are connected to sewage
systems and the remainder on septic tanks. But they would prefer not to spend a
fortune on pipes. Japan’s Health and Welfare Ministry began experiments to develop
new technology for clean-water systems. The project’s focus is to evaluate systems
that use sophisticated filtration techniques based on membranes.
D
Perhaps the most distinctive of the systems under trial is one developed by Memtec,
an Australian company. Its continuous microfiltration system consists of a tube into
which is packed thousands of thin polyethylene fibres. The walls of the hollow fibres
are highly porous, allowing liquid to pass, but blocking particles larger than 0.2
micrometres. That is small enough to exclude bacteria and viruses.
E
But the clever part involves how the filter is cleaned. Conventional microfiltration
systems dislodge solids that have accumulated on the surface of their membranes by
pumping filtered liquid back through them at high speed. This takes a lot of energy
and means membranes must be replaced often. Memtec’s system adopts a different
approach. At regular intervals, says every half an hour, input to the filter is shut off,
and all liquid except the amount trapped in the pores of the membrane. Then a fast-
activating valve is opened to reduce the pressure on the outside. The still-pressurized
air inside the fibre burst across the membrane, pushing the liquid out of the pores. The
wall of water is powerful enough to lift the solids of the surface. In effect, the
membrane cleans itself. And because it is not subject to stress, the filter lasts for
several years.
Memtec’s system has been successful in low-volume, high value-added applications.
It is widely used in the drinks business to filter fruit juice, wine, beer and sake. Now
the company has scaled up its membranes for use in high-volume markets such as
drinking water and waste-water treatment. It is trying to persuade other large
engineering companies to design its filters into their integrated treatment systems. The
company has already demonstrated that its membranes can be applied on a large scale.
They form the core of what is believed to be the world’s largest continuous
microfiltration plant build at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains near Sydney. During
21 weeks of trials, the A$2.3-million (US$1.7 million) plant treated 3 million litres of
sewage daily. Measurements showed that the filtered water contained no bacteria or
viruses. In fact, it was cleaner than the river into which it was released.
G
Plants such as this have the potential to revolutionise water-treatment infrastructure.
Huge centralised plants connected by hundreds of kilometres of pipes can be replaced
with compact units located next to the communities they serve, returning the water
they treat to adjacent streams. Because the plants are energy-efficient, they will be
cheap to operate. The benefits to the environment will be huge.

Questions 7-10: Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer of the
above reading passage? Write:
YES if the statement agrees with the writer;
NO if the statement does not agree with the writer;
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage.
Example: Conventional treatment of waste water should be modernised. Answer:
YES
______ 7. Septic tanks in Japan are part of the modern technology of waste-water
treatment.
______8. Compression and sudden decompression are the basic working principle for
cleaning microfiltration filters developed by Memtec.
______9. Conventional water treatment systems include microfiltration.
______10. Japan is facing a more serious problem of waste-water disposal than
Australia
Part 8.
1. It is easily forgotten once it has been read.
2. People join together to fight a common enemy.
3. A bad start but a good ending.
4. Anti-government rebels are used as guinea pigs.
5. A human transmitter.
6. A predictable but enjoyable ending.
7. The story of someone growing up.
8. This book has been written perfectly for its target reader.
9. Someone keeps remembering things in his/her past.
 10. Two eras existing at the same time.
Book reviews
A Gifts - Ursula Le Guin
Gifts is a coming-of-age story, intended, at a guess, as a book for young teenagers,
and as such has to be written with scrupulous care. In this respect it is exemplary.
Tightly-plotted, there isn't a word out of place. Quintessential Le Guin, in fact.
This book is set on a world which might be Earth but could just as easily not be, in
what is almost a default fantasy land, with a scrape-an-agricultural-living uplands, and
towns sufficiently far off that they barely impinge on the main narrative.
The book is not quite a Wizard of Earthsea but it gets very close and as is usual with
Le Guin's work, Gifts, despite its quota of disputes, conflict and death, is a life-
affirming experience, well worth reading by adults of all ages.
B Soul Purpose - Nick Marsh
It shouldn't happen to a vet. Alan Reece, human wreck, is called out one night in late
December to tend to a pregnant cow, but the calf is born transparent. This is but the
first in a global outbreak of transparent births, and Alan finds himself at the centre of
the oncoming apocalypse. Actually this book reminds me not a little of that book
about exploding sheep from a few years ago. It's not a very bad book, it's just not a
brilliant book either. The prologue is terrible; the epilogue is surprisingly good; in
between it averages out.
This isn't the first metaphysical comedy adventure book I've read this year, so
possibly it's arrived at the right time to take advantage of a trend of some sort.
However, "memorable" and "original" are two words I can't, in all sincerity, use to
describe it.
C The Space Eater - D. Langford
Wormhole travel is possible but only up to a diameter of 1.9cm. Through one such
spyhole, the government discovers that a distant colony world is developing weaponry
based on Anomalous Physics which could endanger whole star systems. Send in the
marines! Oh no, wait, they don't make 1.9cm tall Marines. Enter Ken Jacklin, one of a
team of soldiers trained to charge headlong into death and be grown back in
regeneration tanks, even when blown to a pulp. Accompanying him is Rossa Corman,
a woman who can send messages coded in pain back to Earth by jabbing herself in the
arm.
The premise that someone can be remade - body and mind - from jam hours after their
death is a little hard to swallow, but in general it's very hard to fault this novel. The
characters are rounded and engaging, the story is lively and well told with intrigue
aplenty, and the science, however out there it may be, is explained in accessible and
thought-provoking terms. A very rewarding read.
D Babylon - Richard Calder
Babylon has a lush feel to it. Calder writes erudite and richly detailed prose which
situates the characters first in the Victorian London of Jack the Ripper and later in the
crumbling metropolis of a modern Babylon existing in a parallel dimension. The book
is strong on atmosphere and there are some marvellously melodramatic set pieces in
which major plot shifts are played out. I get the impression that Calder knows his
material and wants the reader to be able to visualise his world clearly but this enthusi-
asm for detail is also one of the novel's drawbacks. The pages are cluttered with facts
and at one point I began to feel some sympathy with the character who shouts out that
she doesn't know anything.
Whilst the book jacket promises blood and gore and there are intimations of
ravishment scattered throughout the first part of the novel, the second and third parts
deliver little of either and the melodramatic quality of the set pieces seems
increasingly at odds with the cerebral working out of the novel's conclusion.
E Against Gravity - Gary Gibson
In 2088, following a terrorist nuclear strike on Los Angeles, America's political
dissidents are rounded up and sent to the Maze, a top secret research facility, to
provide experimental hosts for military nanotech. This is a densely packed Science
Fiction thriller, and for all the twists and action the pace felt quite sedate to me. I
think it might be all the flashbacks - Gallon is the only viewpoint character, and his
story is intercut with lengthy scenes of his time in the Maze, which he has escaped
from. This material is well depicted, particularly the gruesome failed experiments and
the survival-of-the-fittest tests.
Against Gravity is a good futuristic action novel, but the tagline "Live long enough
and this could be your future" on the front cover tells me Gibson intends this novel
first and foremost as a comment on the world we live in today.
F The New World Order - B. Jeapes
In Ben Jeapes' latest novel invaders arrive on Earth to find the locals already at war;
with their superior technology, the invaders hammer both sides indiscriminately but
end up uniting the humans against them. Except that these invaders not only come
armed with machine guns and airships but also with witchcraft, their special wise
cadre tapping the Earth's lay energy. This is a lively and intelligent novel from Ben
Jeapes. A section at the end caps the story with historical notes and a revelation that
you may guess before, but which you should still find entertaining.
Part 9
You are going to read a newspaper article in which a zoology student talks about her
experience of doing practical research in an area of rainforest. Six paragraphs have
been removed from the article. Choose from the paragraphs A – G the one which fits
each gap (41-46). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

Fieldwork in the rainforest of Ecuador – the experiences of a zoology student

When I was at school, I was a huge fan of TV wildlife programmes, and at a certain
point I realised that somehow the natural world would have to be part of my life. So
here I am a few years later, in the tropical rainforest of eastern Ecuador, a novice field
scientist. The word scientist evokes various images, typically perhaps ones of
laboratories and white coats, test tubes and lab rats. But what does it mean to be a
field scientist?
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I am currently spending a year at a small scientific research station in a remote patch
of the Ecuadorian rainforest belonging to the Kichwa community of San Jose de
Payamino. It is glorious – everything you would expect a tropical rainforest location
to be, and a world away from my university in the UK. The air is hot and thick, the
trees are densely packed, and everywhere is teeming with life.
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The local people own the land and govern themselves, but the Ecuadorian government
also provides for them: a school complete with computer room and satellite internet,
for instance. Each year, they vote for a new president and vice-president, who
organise the democratic community meetings. Each family has a finca in the forest: a
wooden home on stilts.
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But my normal life here as a work experience student revolves mainly around my
personal research, which is a biodiversity study of frogs. I am trying to establish
exactly which species are here, where and when I can find them, and what condition
they are in.
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For most of the time, I am just crawling along looking at leaves. Much of field
research is like this. It isn’t all finding new species and being transfixed by exotic
wildlife behaviour. Have you ever seen the behind-the-scenes footage at the end of
many nature documentaries, where it turns out a cameraman has been sitting in a tree
for three days waiting for a bird to dance? Research is like this – laborious and
monotonous – but it can be rewarding too.

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Being a field scientist basically means being an academic, collecting data and
publishing scientific papers. It’s interesting but it doesn’t pay well, and getting started
can be tough. When I was looking for work experience, there were plenty of openings
with pharmaceutical companies, but very few matching my desire to explore and
investigate wildlife.

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This is one reason I count myself lucky to be involved in this project. It’s largely
funded by my university, so I can afford it. Then, by the end of this year, I will have
acquired valuable skills, and I am hopeful that the experience will facilitate my
progression into postgraduate study.

A To do this, I walk slowly along several paths in the forest, accompanied by a local
guide, and at night equipped with a torch. When I spot what I’m looking for, I feel an
intense adrenaline rush. Will I manage to capture it? Have I collected this particular
species yet?

В Because of this, and having experienced fieldwork, I’ve decided it’s definitely
something I would like to do as a career. Once this year is over, I will ask my
lecturers to advise me what to do next.

C This morning, for example, a half metre square of mushrooms sprouted on the dirt
floor of my kitchen. My favourite time here is in the early evenings. It’s finally cool
enough to be comfortable, and the nocturnal creatures begin their nightly cacophony,
while the setting sun paints the trees orange.

D The reality is, however, that to make your way you need to build up a range of
contacts and a portfolio of work. Many of the initial work opportunities that do exist
are voluntary – in fact, you often have to pay to join a scheme. A student job where
you are paid expenses, let alone a basic salary, is quite rare.

E By and large, they work outdoors, and are interested in pretty much everything from
discovering new species to the effect of obscure parasites on ecosystems. They
explore and investigate, aiming to understand what they observe. Just two years into
my undergraduate zoology degree, I don’t quite qualify as one yet, but hopefully I’m
heading that way.
F They have their own traditions, too. One day, a local lady was bitten by a lethal
snake; whilst I administered shots of anti-venom to her, the local traditional healer,
was applying plant remedies to the wound and attempting to suck the venom from it.
At least one of the treatments must have worked because she recovered.
G And the thing is to imagine being the person that has made a discovery – the person
who first questions something, investigates and then contributes to the vast catalogue
of information that is science. I find this concept inspirational
Part 10. Essay writing (30 pts)

It is generally believed that some people are born with certain talents, for
instance for sport or music and others are not. However, it is sometimes claimed that
any child can be taught to become a good sports person or musician. Which one do
you prefer?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own
knowledge and experience. Write at least 350 words.