Reading Passage 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based
on Reading Passage 1.
How Asian Tramp Snails Could Save Your Coffee From Destruction
An orange trail of poop reveals an unlikely ally against one of coffee’s worst threats.
A. If you think Daylight Saving Time is the biggest drag on your morning alertness, you
may want to consider coffee leaf rust. Coffee leaf rust is the most economically
significant coffee pest in the world. Since the 1980s, occasional outbreaks of this fungus
have crippled coffee production in the Americas, at times doubling or tripling its price.
And the problem has escalated since 2008, as have the massive resources invested in
fighting it.
B. A new discovery raises an intriguing possibility for controlling coffee’s costliest pest,
and it comes packed inside a small shell. According to research from the University of
Michigan at Ann Arbor, Asian tramp snails, Bradybaena similaris, can consume large
amounts of coffee rust before the disease can damage the plant. Leave one snail on a
rust-covered leaf, and it can hoover up 30 percent of the fungus in 24 hours.
While coffee leaf rust has known predators and pathogens, gastropods—snails and
slugs—have never been among them. There is also limited evidence of slugs eating
other types of plant fungus at all. This also appears to be the first time that Asian tramp
snails have been recorded changing their diet from plants to fungus.
C. Yet this potential biocontrol, a tactic of managing pests with other organisms, comes
with a catch. Asian tramp snails are typically invasive and a crop pest in their own right.
But the researchers may have stumbled upon a way to keep the snails’ diets focused on
coffee rust.
Zachary Hajian-Forooshani, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan, and his
advisors John Vandermeer and Ivette Perfecto, were conducting field research in Puerto
Rico’s verdant central mountains in 2016, when they spotted thin trails of bright orange
snail poop clinging to the underside of broad, green coffee leaves. The color of the
excrement perfectly matched that of the coffee leaf rust. Curious, the researchers
collected samples of both Asian tramp snails and the native Caribbean snail, Bulimulus
guadalupensis, which often shared the coffee leaves. The group left each snail overnight
with leaves bearing coffee leaf rust in a controlled lab environment. After 24 hours, only
the tramp snails had cleared the coffee leaf rust from the leaves.
D. The following year, the group returned to the same coffee plantation to conduct
additional experiments. While collecting the snails this time, they noticed a high
abundance of Lecanicillium lecanii, a fungal parasite and known enemy of the rust. The
co-occurrence led them to wonder if Asian tramp snails consumed both the fungal rust
and its pathogen, which is known as a mycoparasite. But deciphering this three-way
relationship is tricky. Coffee leaves with more rust spots also have more L. lecanii
mycoparasites. So, the snail’s hunger could be focused on the rust, while the L. lecanii
mycoparasites are just bystanders, or it could have a taste for both.
E. So the team collected coffee leaves infected with rust, but this time included some
leaves that also harbored the L. lecanii mycoparasites. Once again, they left individual
snails with single coffee leaves in dark containers for 24 hours. A statistical analysis of
the snails eating habits indicated a significant preference for leaves that contained both
the rust fungus and L. lecanii mycoparasites. Moreover, the snails appeared to consume
more rust when the leaves had a higher abundance of the mycoparasites. Hajian-
Forooshani explains that many organisms can change what they do and how they do it,
when placed in a novel situation. “This is generally accepted as a reality, given the
spontaneous emergence of pests around the world,” Hajian-Forooshani says, “as well as
the unforeseen interactions of invasive species and biological control agents within
ecological communities around the world.”
F. The relationship between coffee leaf rust, Asian tramp snails, and L. lecanii
mycoparasites might be an example of a phenomenon called “intraguild predation,” in
which a predator consumes prey that has been infected with a pathogen. Theoretical
research has suggested that intraguild predation can work to prevent pest outbreaks.
The intraguild interaction may stabilize the mycoparasite population, so that it provides
better long-term control or suppression of the coffee leaf rust, says Stacy Philpott, a
professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz who specializes in agroecology,
biodiversity, and biocontrols for coffee pests. “That could be an important ecological
role played by the snail” says Philpott, who was not part of this study. Her lab has
witnessed a similar intraguild for coffee protection, via a relationship between ants and
two plant-eating insects, aphids and scales.
G. Scales and aphids both feed on coffee plants. Ants, in turn, harvest sugar from these
insects and protect them from other predators. While this sounds bad for coffee and
even though farmers often mistake these bugs as being harmful, the ants are often
aggressive towards other more damaging herbivores, resulting in a net benefit to the
plant.
The irony of Asian tramp snails providing an agricultural service by eating coffee leaf
rust is that the snail itself is considered a severe agricultural pest, munching on citrus
crops, grapes, legumes, cabbage, and mustard greens around the world. For this reason,
among others, the researchers interviewed for this story all advised great caution in
exploring the use of the invasive snails as a biological pest control agent.
H. At the moment, too little is known concerning what Asian tramp snails might bring to
the ecosystem. For example, the snail is eating the mycoparasites along with the rust,
but what happens if it consumes too many? Could it permit the rust to grow faster and
farther than before, destabilizing the coffee plantation ecosystem? “Classic approaches
to pest control have often failed to understand this complexity, causing major natural
disasters,” said Estelí Jiménez-Soto, an agroecologist at the University of California,
Santa Cruz, whose work often focused both coffee and biocontrol measures. It also
remains unknown whether this intraguild predation would be applicable as a biocontrol
across or outside of Puerto Rico.
J. Hajian-Forooshani says future field surveys will be conducted to assess how
widespread the gastropod consumption of coffee rust is on farms on the island and
across Latin America. During their last visit to Puerto Rico, the researchers noticed a few
other, as-yet-unidentified slugs with what appeared to be coffee leaf rust spores inside
them and which also left bright orange excrement. It remains possible that coffee leaf
rust is more widely eaten by gastropods than previously thought and that this
phenomenon has simply escaped scientific notice until now. Another major question is
whether the coffee leaf rust spores eaten by the snails remain viable after being
excreted. If the spores can survive and propagate, then the snail’s predation may
provide little benefit to coffee farmers (and drinkers). But if this discovery does result in
a viable form of biological pest control, it would certainly be welcome. Other control
methods for rust must be constantly fine-tuned to keep up with the fungus evolving
resistance to pesticides and fungicides. That’s where the snails may have an advantage.
“It is challenging to develop resistance to being eaten,” Hajian-Forooshani says.
Questions 1-6
Choose the appropriate letters A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.
(1)
1. What does the writer say about coffee leaf rust in paragraph A?
A. It is the pest that brings about the most economic benefits to the world.
B. It is a type of fungus that has exerted a detrimental effect on the production of
coffee.
C. Too much investment in the war against it has made matters worse.
D. There has been little investment in the war against it.
(2)
2. According to a study from the University of Michigan, what is true about Asian tramp
snails?
A. Their shells can protect coffee leaves from rust.
B. They help to protect coffee trees from a disease.
C. A snail can eat more than a third of the fungus on a leaf within a day.
D. They are the most common snails in the world.
(3)
3. Why is the use of Asian tramp snails disadvantageous?
A. because it can produce harmful chemicals.
B. because many researchers have already figured out how to focus the snails on eating
only coffee rust.
C. because these snails themselves also can spread very quickly and destroy crops.
D. because it may cost too much to implement.
(4)
4. What is the writer’s purpose when mentioning Zachary Hajian-Forooshani’s study in
paragraph C?
A.to demonstrate that only the Asian tramp snail eats rust on coffee leaf in the
experiment.
B. to exemplify Zachary’s theory about Asian tramp snails’ excrement.
C. to show that Asian tramp snails often excrete on the underside of coffee leaves.
D. to show that Asian tramp snail is the only type of snail that eats coffee leave rust.
(5)
5. What is the purpose of the research in paragraph E?
A. to find out whether the Asian tramp snail eats both the rust and the mycoparasites or
not.
B. to investigate the eating habit of the mycoparasites.
C. to find out if the leaves with more mycoparasites attract the Asian tramp snails.
D. to investigate a new type of mycoparasite.
(6)
6. According to the author, what is true about “intraguild predation”?
A. It is a phenomenon in which predators consume healthy prey.
B. Its practical use in terms of outbreak preventions has already become widespread.
C. It can be illustrated by the relation between Asian tramp snails, coffee leaf rust, and L.
lecanii mycoparasites.
D. It is a phenomenon that has caused lots of arguments among scientists.
Questions 7-13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 7 – 13 on your answer sheet, write:
TRUE if the statement agrees with the text
FALSE if the statement contradicts with the text
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the text
(7)
It turns out that ants are beneficial to coffee plants.
TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN
(8)
It is suggested that Asian tramp snails can be used as a biological pest control method
with little caution.
TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN
(9)
People know very little about the impact of Asian tramp snails on the ecosystem.
TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN
(10)
In the future, intraguild predation will be applied outside Puerto Pico.
TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN
(11)
The Asian tramp snail does not seem to be the only gastropod that consumes coffee
leaf rust.
TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN
(12)
The spores of coffee leaf rust can survive for several years in Asian tramp snails’
excrement.
TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN
(13)
The use of snails can be advantageous because it is difficult for the rust to develop
resistance against their predators.
TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN
Elevators Are Going Green
Lifts are becoming more sustainable, as the percentage of the world’s population living in
cities grows.
A. Each day, more than seven billion elevator journeys are taken in tall buildings all
over the globe. Considering that half the world’s population live in cities - a number
expected to jump to 70 percent by the year 2050 - efficient vertical transportation has
become a pressing challenge. To keep pace with an influx of urban dwellers and rising
sea levels, developers will not only need to build higher, they will also need to devise
greener vertical transport: that is, safe and sustainable ways to move residents from the
ground up into the sky.
Newer elevators already incorporate green features such as LED lights, water soluble
paint and recycled construction materials, but many companies have begun to explore a
wide and somewhat outlandish array of alternatives to the traditional rope-and-pulley
systems of a hundred years ago. From diagonal travel to destination dispatch to
something called magnetic motors, the world of vertical transport is one of high hopes
and higher stakes.
B. We generally don’t give much thought to elevators, except during the brief
moments we’re inside them. They may make us feel claustrophobic, awkward or
impatient, but these vertical conveyances are in fact a marvel of engineering: not only
do elevators shuttle passengers and freight up and down hundreds of stories - to hotel
rooms and apartments, lobbies and basements - they also carry tons of steel cable each
trip they make. The shafts in which they operate are essential to the structural integrity
of a building, and their design can mean the critical difference between sustainable use
of space and return on investment.
Unfortunately, many elevators in the United States rely on aging technology, clunky
cabs and harmful lubricants, at significant environmental and financial cost. Consider
that an elevator inside a typical skyscraper might weigh 80,000 pounds; hoisting all that
mass requires a tremendous amount of energy. The taller the building, the more
elevator shafts needed, each with their own motor. In fact, elevators typically account for
between 2 percent and 10 percent of a building’s energy use. That includes materials -
interior paints, carpet, control panels, lighting, ventilation systems - and the mechanical
technology used to operate the cab itself.
C. Green vertical-transportation initiatives began as early as the 1990s. Machine-room-
less (MRL) technology, for instance, eliminated the room that houses hydraulic oil and
pumps - one of the biggest advances in elevator design since they went electric a
century earlier. The room-less elevator consumes less vertical and horizontal space;
without a machine room, a building’s flat roof can more easily accommodate expansive
green areas with plantings and solar panels.
These days, manufacturers are chiefly interested in regenerative drive systems: elevators
that recover some of the energy they consume. For the vertical transport industry, that
means fostering an economy where sustainability is profitable. In 2017, Thyssenkrupp
Elevator became the first company to retrofit an existing elevator to achieve net-zero
energy. The project, which took place in Boston’s historic district, tested energy-
generating lifts that divert power back to the electrical grid. Engineers wanted to find
ways to conserve energy when the elevator was running - and, more critically, when the
elevator was not running.
D. “We’re actually producing more energy than we’re consuming,” says Brad Nemeth,
vice president of sustainability at Thyssenkrupp Elevator Americas. A pioneer in vertical
technology, the company found a way to turn off the elevator’s lights, fan, and even to
de-energize its drive: they created a sleeping elevator, so to speak (but one that wakes
upon command).
Paradoxically, elevators require energy even when they aren’t in use: when cabs sit idle
after the morning rush, for example, elevator systems must be left energized so that
they’re ready for the next passenger call. In an effort to reduce wasted energy and
improve efficiency, Otis Elevator, the world’s largest manufacturer of vertical
transportation systems, devised a system called Compass Plus Destination Dispatching,
which removes elevators from service when traffic is light. Another device, their
patented Gen2 Switch battery-powered elevator, works on solar and wind power, and
uses less power than a hairdryer.
E. Modern elevator engineers, however, are faced with a uniquely modern problem:
the struggle to eliminate toxic runoff that results when an elevator cab is submerged by
tidal floodwater. Mounting climate change means more severe storm surges, which can
inundate elevator shafts. When the water drains, it picks up lubricants, which can travel
directly into our water supply, threatening aquatic life. In response, Thyssenkrupp
developed a petroleum substitute - a canola-based, biodegradable fluid.
When developers adopt sustainable vertical technology, they spur innovation. An
innovation like Thyssenkrupp’s “TWIN,” a double deck elevator with independent cabs
that travel on the same guide rails, allows for seamless movement between the top and
bottom zones of 30-plus-story buildings - potentially freeing up an entire floor for
business or residence. Smaller elevator mechanisms, like those devised by Otis, replace
conventional ropes with flat belts, which decreases weight and reduces air resistance
and heat friction. These solutions appeal to consumers, but they can also offer building
owners significant reductions in energy expenses, and a more elegant aesthetic indoors.
F. Many companies are testing even newer technology offsite. Helsinki-based elevator
manufacturer Kone Oyj, for example, drilled 350 meters into a limestone mine to create
a technology lab where it conducts experiments with patented hoisting materials,
robotics, vibrational resonance and free falls. And in Germany, Thyssenkrupp is testing
its new “MULTI,” which relies on magnetic fields instead of cables and can run inside or
outside a building, vertically or horizontally, offering architects a new range of
possibilities. But the epicenter of the high-rise frenzy might be the Middle East. In Dubai,
home to 18 of the tallest towers in the world, panoramic elevators, ergonomic braking
systems and noise-cancelling technology are hallmarks of a new frontier in vertical
technology.
The day will come when a passenger can ride up to the 300th story of a cloud-covered
tower, her upward journey propelled by rope-less cabs and solar power. Elevators will
then be free to journey any which way, Willy Wonka-style, and architects will no longer
be limited by the vertical direction of upward travel, or by the constraints of the ground
below. On a planet where land resources are finite, sustainable elevation is paramount.
Reading passage 2 has six sections A-F.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 14-18 of your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once
14. an example of how advanced vertical technology is in an Asian country nowadays. F.
15. products that are developed to reduce energy consumption and enhance vertical
transportation efficiency.D.
16. current trials on improving and developing new generations of elevators.F.
17. common feelings of a person standing inside elevators.B.
18. an alternative to traditional ropes invented to improve efficiency and cut down energy
consumption.A.
Questions 19-22
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2?
In boxes 19-22 on your answer sheet, write:
TRUE if the statement agrees with the text
FALSE if the statement contradicts with the text
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the text
(19)
An increasing rate of the global population in cities is travelling by elevators.
TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN
(20)
Old elevator systems in America are damaging the country’s economy and environment.
TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN
(21)
The operation of elevators takes up more than a fifth of total energy use of a building.
TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN
(22)
A sleeping elevator consumes more energy than one in use.
TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN
Questions 23-26
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each
answer.
Write your answer in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.
23. The design of machine-room-less elevators saves much building’s vertical and
horizontal SPACE for the expansion of green roofs and solar panels.
24. Thyssenkrupp Elevator pioneered in installing elevators whose POWER consumed
was converted into electricity that can be fed back into the building’s electrical grid.
25. When elevators are left idle, they still LEFT energy to be on standby ready for
another call.
26. Water from tidal flooding and storms releasing elevators’ toxic runoff is a threat to
creatures living underwater.
How To Become A Super-Sleeper
A. Floris Wouterson, based in Flanders, Belgium, comes from an entrepreneurial family
himself and since 2002, he and his wife have set up a number of sleeping comfort
stores. Over the past sixteen years, as he spoke to thousands of customers and he too
had struggled with poor sleep for a period of time, Wouterson became increasingly
intrigued by sleep. His book "Superslapen" was published in mid-September and is
already in its second edition, with nearly 2,000 books already having been sold. He then
started coaching, with athletes and top managers claiming to benefit greatly from
Wouterson's approach. In Europe, Wouterson is the first self-proclaimed "sleep
performance coach".
B. Wouterson has acknowledged that the consequences of bad sleep are hugely
underestimated. "Fatigue, irritability, loss of concentration, forgetfulness... it works
against you in your work as well as in your relationships. The risk of injuries or accidents
also increases by 40%." The long-term effects of bad sleep can also be severe —
depression and burn-out can take hold if you don't relax.
C. According to Wouterson, the rigid notion that you must sleep for eight hours can
actually cause sleep stress. "If you think you should sleep eight hours every night, it can
work against you," said the expert. Lying awake and staying in bed because you have to
reach eight hours in bed is illogical according to Wouterson. You have to find your own
sleep rhythm, go to sleep at a fixed time, and get up at a fixed time as much as possible.
"Don't stay lying down — it's a misconception that sleep will come naturally."
D. Stories about CEOs or politicians who only need a few hours of sleep make them
sound tough, but according to Wouterson, only a small percentage of people can
genuinely cope with little sleep. It's possible to train to temporarily sleep less, he said.
Wouterson coached Sanne Haarhuis, a pilot in hot-air balloon competitions, to regulate
her sleeping pattern and endure heavy, multi-day races with a minimum of sleep.
Wouterson also sees top athletes who can quickly refuel with napping. "You can
recharge your batteries with a 12-minute power nap for two hours," said the sleep
expert however, you have to wake up in time before you sink into a very deep sleep.
According to Wouterson, you can achieve this by, for example, holding a bunch of keys
in your hand while taking a short nap. "As soon as you sink too deeply, your hand
relaxes, the keys fall to the ground and you're awake again."
E. Wouterson is convinced there isn't just one quick fix to sleep better; there are several
areas that demand your attention. "80% of the five main sleeping problems are learned,"
he said. You can achieve an enormous amount by taking small steps to alter your diet,
exercise, and sleep routine, for example. But self-examination, looking at your own
attitude to sleep, is also important according to Wouterson.
F. Letting your mind drift is one thing but, of course, brooding and pondering won't
help if you want to sleep — negative media reports about "the state of affairs in the
world" can keep you feeling worrisome, tossing and turning. Wouterson advises you to
focus on your own circle of influence — what are some challenges in your life you can
influence yourself? Focus mainly on those things and try not to keep worrying too much
about problems you can't do much about. A media diet can bring peace — make sure
to put your smartphone away in the evening, a few hours before you go to sleep.
G. Keep going, slog away, work through lunch, soldier on, stay an extra hour — it may
seem logical to squeeze as much as you can out of your employees but it's actually
counterproductive, according to Wouterson. Businesses may see a drastic improvement
in the performance of their employees when they've slept better. The number of
mistakes decreases, while better decisions will take the company further. "As an
employer, you don't exactly want to be in your employees' bedrooms, but offering sleep
training or sleeping facilities can actually be a good investment," said Wouterson.
According to the sleep performance coach, this is already a common phenomenon in
Japan.
27. Paragraph A The success of a book on sleep deprivation.
28. Paragraph B The negative effects of bad sleep.
29. Paragraph C It is unnecessary to sleep for at least 8 hours.
30. Paragraph D Not everyone can adopt a short sleep technique.
31. Paragraph E The most important contributors to good sleep.
32. Paragraph F Keep your mind away from irrelevant concerns.
33. Paragraph G The benefits of caring for employees’ sleep.
The career path of a sleep coach
Different methods to apply the short sleep techniqueThe underlying reason why many employees
suffer from sleep deprivation
Questions 34 & 35
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 34 & 35 on your answer sheet.
(34 - 35)
Which TWO of the following are given in the text as the reasons why Floris Wouterson
became interested in “sleep”?
(34 - 35)
A. his family background
B. his struggle with bad sleep
C. customers from his sleeping comfort stores
D. his book “Superslapen”
E. feedback from athletes and managers
Questions 36 - 40
Complete the note below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet.
Five tips given by Wouterson to become a super-sleeper:
Go to bed and get up at 36 a fixed time.
Super-short sleep requires a lot of training
Take diet, exercise, sleep routine and 37 sleep routine into consideration
Think about your own 38 circle of influence instead of focusing too much on problems beyond
your control.
Avoid using 39 smartphone before bedtime
Employers should see their employees’ sleep as a 40 good investment.
