Reading 40 questions 60 minutesReading module (1 hour) READING ert) Passage | below. You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based! on Reading In Praise of Amateurs Despite the specialisation of scientific research, | amateurs still have an important role to play uring the scientific revolution of the 17th century, scientists were largely men of private means who pursued their interest in natural philosophy for their own edification. Only in the past century or two has it become possible to make a living from investigating the workings of nature, Modem science was, in other words, built on the ‘work of amateurs. Today, science is an increasingly specialised and compartmentalised subject, the domain of experts who know more and more about less and less. Perhaps surprisingly, however, amateurs ~ even those without private means ~ are still important. AA recent poll carried out at a mecting of the ‘American Association for the Advancement of Science by astronomer Dr Richard Fienberg found that, in addition to his field of astronomy, amateurs are actively involved in such fields as acoustics, horticulture, ornithology, meteorology, hydrology and palacontology. Far from being crackpots, ‘amateur scientists are often in close touch with professionals, some of whom rely heavily on their co-operation. Admittedly, some fields are more open to amateurs than others. Anything that requires expensive equipment is clearly a no-go area. And some kinds of research can be dangerous; most amateur chemists, jokes Dr Fienberg, are cither locked up or have blown themselves to bits. But amateurs can make valuable contributions in fields from rocketry to palacontology and the rise of the Internet has made it easier than ever before 10 collect data and distribute results. Exactly which field of study has benefited most from the contributions of amateurs is a matter of 1 some dispute. Dr Fenberg niakes a strong case for astronomy. There is, he points ou, along tradition of collaboration between amateur and professional sky watchers. Numerous comes, asteroids and even the planet Uranus were discovered by amateurs, Today, in addition to comet and asteroid spotting, amateurs continue to do valuable work observing the brightness of variable stars and detecting novae ~ ‘new’ stars in the Milky Way and supernovae in other galaxies. Amateur observers are helpful, says \Dr Fienberg, because there are so many of them (they far outnumber professionals) and because they are distributed all over the world. This makes special kinds of observations possible: if several observers around the world accurately record the time when a star is gclipsed by an asteroid, for example, it is Possible to derive useful information about the asieroi’s shape. ‘Another field in which amateurs have traditionally played an important role is { palacontology. Adrian Hunt, a palacontologist at Mesa Technical College in New Mexico, insists that his isthe field in which amateurs have made the biggest contribution. Despite the development of high-tech equipment, he says, the best sensors for finding fossils are human eyes ~ lots of them Finding volunteers to look for fossils is not difficult. he says, because of the neat-universl interest in anything to do with dinosaurs. As well as helping with this research, volunteers learn about science, a process he calls ‘education {Rick Bonney of the Comell Laboratory of Omithology in Ithaca, New York, contends that amateurs have contributed the most in his field There are, he notes, thought to be as many as 60 | million birdwatchers in America alone. Given their huge numbers and the wide geographical coverage they provide, Mr Bonney has enlisted thousands of amateurs in a number of research projets. Over the past few years their observations have uncovered previously: unknown trends and cycles in bird‘migrations and revealed declines in the breeding. populations of several species of migratory birds, prompting a habitat conservation programme. Despite the successes and whatever the field of study, collaboration between amateurs and professionals is not without its difficulties. Not everyone, for example is happy with the term \ amateur’. Mr Bonney has coined the term ‘citizen scientist” because he felt that other words, such as ‘volunteer’ sounded disparaging. A more serious problem is the question of how professionals can best acknowledge the contributions made by 1 amateurs. Dr Fienberg says that some amateur astronomers are happy to provide their observations but grumble about not being reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses, Others feel Jet down when their observations are used in scientific papers, but they are not listed as co-authors. Dr Hunt says some amateur palaeontologists are disappointed when told that they cannot take finds home with them, ‘These are legitimate concems but none seems insurmountable. Provided amateurs and professionals agree the terms on which they will ‘work together beforehand, there is no reason why co-operation between the two groups should not ‘flourish. Last year Dr S. Carlson, founder of the Society for Amateur Scientists won an award worth $290,000 for his work in promoting such co-operation. He says that one of the main benefits of the prize is the endorsement it has given to the contributions of amateur scientists, which has done ‘much to silence critics among those professionals who believe science should remain their exclusive preserve. 1 At the moment, says Dr Carlson, the society is involved in several schemes including an innovative rocket-design project and the setting up of a network of observers who will search for evidence ofa link between low-frequency radiation and earthquakes. The amateurs, he says, provide enthusiasm and talent, while the professionals provide guidance “so that anything they do discover will be taken seriously’. Having laid the foundations of science, amateurs will have much to contribute to its ever-expanding edifice.‘Complete the summary below. Choose ONE or TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer : Write your answers in boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet. Summary Prior to the 19th century, professional... 1... did not exist and scientific research was largely caried out by amateurs. However, while... 2 .. today is mostly the domain of professionals, a recent US survey highlighted the fact that amateurs play an important role in at least seven ... 3 ... and indeed many professionals are reliant on their... ... In areas such as astronomy, amateurs can be invaluable when making specific .. 5... on a global basis. Similarly in the area of palaeontology their involvement is invaluable and helpers are easy 10 recruit because of the popularity of ... 6... . Amateur birdwatchers also play ari active role and their work has led to the establishment of a... 7 alternative names have been suggested but generally speaking, as long as the professional scientist .. 8 .. the work ofthe non- professionals, the two groups | (Occasionally the term ‘amateur’ has been the source of disagreement and | | ‘can work productively together. || | | Questions 9-13 | Reading Passage I contains a number of opinions provided by four different scientists. | Match each opinion (Questions 9-13) with the scientists A-D. NB You may use any of the scientists A-D more than once. 9 Amateur involvement can also be an instructive pastithe, | 10 Amateur scientists are prone to accidents HH Science does not belong te professional scientists alone. 12 Incertain areas of my work, people are a more valuable resource than technology. | 13 ttis important to give amateurs a name which reflects | the value oftheir work. Dr Carlson x B © Rick Bonney >aI PASSAGE Passage 2 below: Yau should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26 which are based on Reading debate surrounding literacy is one of | the most charged in education. On the one hand there is an army of people convinced | that traditional skills of reading and writing are | declining. On the other, a host of progressives Protest that literacy is much more complicated than a simple technical mastery of reading and writing, This second position is supported by ‘most of the relevant academic work over the past 20 years. These studies argue that literacy can only be understood in its social and technical context. In Renaissance England, for example, ‘many more people could read than could write, and within reading there was a distinction between those who could read print and those who could manage the more difficult task of reading manuscript. An understanding of these earlier periods helps us understand today’s ‘crisis in literacy’ debate. ‘There does seem to be evidence that there has been an overall decline in some aspects of reading and writing - you only need to compare the tabloid newspapers of today with those of 50 ‘years ago to see a clear decrease in vocabulary and simplification of syntax. But the picture is not uniform and doesn't readily demonstrate the which had been considered adequate since the middle of the 19th century. | _While reading a certain amount of writing is as, ‘crucial as it has ever been in industrial societies, it is doubtful whether a fully extended grasp of either is a5 necessary as it was 30 or 40 years ago. While print retains much of its authority as source of topical information, television has increasingly usurped this role. The write fluent letters has been undermined by the simple distinction between literate and illiterate | READING THE SCREEN | Are the electronic media exacerbating illiteracy and making our children stupid? On the contrary, says Colin McCabe, they have the potential to make us truly literate people the only use for writing, outside formal diucation, is the compilation of shopping lists. ‘The decision of some car manufacturers to | issue their instructions to mechanics as a video ‘pack rather than as a handbook might be taken to spell the end of any automatic link between industralisation and literacy. On the other hand, is also the case that ever-increasing numbers of people make their living out of writing, which is better rewarded than ever before. Schools are generally seen as institutions where the book rules - film, television and recorded sound have almost no place; but it is not clear that this | opposition is appropriate. While you may not need to read and write to watch television, you certainly need to be able to read and write in | order to make programmes. | Those who work in the new media are anything | but literate. The traditional oppositions between | old and new media are inadequate for | understanding the world which a young child now | encounters. The computer has re-established a | central place for the written word on the screen, | Which used to be entirely devoted to the image. | ‘There is even anecdotal evidence that children | are mastering reading and writing in order to get | on to the Internet. There is no reason why the | new and old media cannot be integrated in | schools to provide the skills to become | economically productive and politically | cenfranchised, Nevertheless, there is a crisis in literacy and it ‘would be foolish to ignore it. To understand that } literacy may be declining because it is ess central | to some aspects of everyday life is not the same | as acquiescing in this state of affairs. The | | telephone and research suggests that for many |production of school work with the new technologies could be a significant stimulus to literacy. How should these new technologies be introduced into the schools? It isn't enough to call for computers, camcorders and edit suites in every classroom; unless they are properly integrated into the educational culture, they will stand unused. Evidence suggests that this is the fate of most information technology used in the classroom. Similarly, although media studies are now part ofthe national curriculum, and more and more students are now clamouring to take these course, teachers remain uncertain about both ‘methods and aims in this area. This is not the fault of the teachers. The entertainment and information industries must be drawn into a debate with the educational institutions to determine how best to blend these new technologies into the classroom. Many people in our era are drawn to the pessimistic view that the new media are destroying old skills and eroding critical judgement. It may be true that past generations | ‘were more literate but ~ taking the pre-19th century meaning of the term — this was true of | only a small section of the population. The word literacy is a 19th-century coinage to describe the | divorce of reading and writing from a full knowledge of literature. The education reforms | of the 19th century produced reading and writing as skills separable from full participation in the cultural heritage. ’ The new media now point not only to « “futuristic cyber-economy, they also make our cultural past available to the whole nation. Most children’s accegs to these treasures is initially through television. It is doubtful whether our literary heritage has ever been available to or sought out by more than about 5 per cent of the population; it has certainly not been available to more than 10 per cent. But the new media joined to the old, through the public service tradition of British broadcasting, now makes our literary tradition available to all.Questions 14-17 Choose the appropriate letters A~D and write them in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet. 114 When discussing the debate on literacy in education, the warier notes that ‘A. children cannot read and write as wel as they used to. 'B academic work has improved over the ast 20 years. CC there is evidence that literacy is related to extemal factors. there are opposing arguments that are equally convincing. 15 In the 4th paragraph, the writer's main point is that ‘A. the printed word is both gaining and losing power. B all inventions bring disadvantages as wel as benefits. CC. those who work in manual jobs no longer need to read. the media offers the best carers for those who like writing. + 16 According to the writer, the main problem that schools face today is ‘A. how best to teach the sills of reading and writing. 'B_ how best to incorporate technology into classroom teaching, CC. finding the means to purchase technological equipment D_ managing the widely difering levels of literacy amongst pupils. 17 Atthe end ofthe article, the writer is suggesting that ‘A. literature and culture cannot be divorced. B the term ‘literacy’ has not been very useful. C10 per cent of the population never read literature, 1D. our exposure to cultural information is likely to increase. ‘Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 18-23 on your answer sheet write yES Ifthe statement agrees with the writer NO if the stalement contradicts the writer NOT GIVEN fits impossible to say what the writer thinks about this 18 Itis not as easy to analyse literacy levels as it used tobe. 19 Our literacy skills need to be as highly developed as they were inthe past. 20 literacy is on the increase. 21 Professional writers earn relatively more than they used to. 22 A good literacy level is important for those who work in television, 23 Computers are having a negative impact on literacy in schools. edQuestions 24-26 Complete the sentences below with words taken from Reading Passage 2. Write your answers in boxes 24-26 on your answer sheet. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for eack answer In Renaissance England, the best readers were those able to read ... 24 ‘The writer uses the example of ... 25 ..t0 illustrate the general fall in certain areas of literacy. It has been shown that after leaving school, the only things that a lot of people write ate .. 26You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are hased on Reading Passage 3 below: Questions 27-33 Reading Passage 3 has seven paragraphs A-G. From the list of headings below choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph Write the appropriate numbers (ix) in buxes 27-33 on your answer sheet : List of headings 4 ‘The long-term impact ‘ Hi Accelebrated achievement iii Early brilliance passes unrecognised iv Outdated methods retain popularity ¥ The basis of a new design is born vi Frustration at never getting the design right Further refinements meet persistent objections | viliDitterent in all respects ix Bridge-makers look elsewhere ~ | x Transport developments spark a major change 27 Paragraph A 28 Paragraph B 29° Paragraph C 30 Paragraph D 31 Paragraph E 32 Paragnph F 33 Paragraph Gof Robert Maillart Swiss engineer Robert Maillart built some of the greatest bridges of the 20th century. His designs elegantly solved a basic engineering problem: how to support enormous weights using a slender arch ‘A. Jost as railway bridges were the great structural symbols of the 19th century, highway bridges became the engineering emblems of the 20th century. The invention ‘of the automobile created an iresistible demand for paved roads and vehicular bridges throughout the ‘developed word. The type of bridge needed for cas and ‘tucks, however, is fundamentally diferent from that needed for locomotives. Most highway bridges cary lighter loads than railway bridges do, and their roadways can be sharply curved or sleepy sloping. To meet these needs, many tun-ol-the-cenlury bridge designers began working with a new building materia: reinforced concrete, which has steel bars embedded in it. And the master of this new material was Swiss structural engineer, Robert Mail. Eat in is carer, Mallat developed a unique method for designing bridges, buldings and. oer concrete structures. He ejected the complex mathematical analysis of lads and stesses that was being enthusiastically adopted by mast of is contemporaries. Al the same tine, he also eschewed the decorative approach taken by many bridge builders of his time. He resisted imitating “architectural styles and adaing design elements solely for ‘rnamentation. Mails method was a form of creative intuition, He had a knack for conceiving new shapes to soe classic engineering problems.) And because he work ina highly competitive field, one of his goals was economy — he won design and constuction contracts because his structures were reasonably priced, often less costly than all his vals’ proposals Maliat’s fst important bridge was bail jn the small Swiss town of Zuo. Te loca ofcials na inaly wanted a steel Didge to span the 30-metre wide Inn River, but Mala argued thal he cold build a more elegant bridge made of enforced concrete fr about the same cast. His crucial imovaton was incorporating the bridge's ach and roadway ino a form called the Noliow-box arch, which ‘would substantially reduce the bridge's expense by minimising the amount of concrete needed. In 2 comvetional ach bridge the weight ofthe acnay is Yransleted by colurms to the arch, which must be teatvely thick. In Mailan’s design, though, the cadaay and arch were connectd by three vertical wal, forming two hollow boxes running under the roadway (see cdagram). The big advantage of this design was that because the arch would not have to bear the load alone it could be much thinner a litle 2s one-third stick as the ach inthe conventional bridge.His fst masterpiece, however, was the 1905 Tavanasa F Over the next 10 years, Mail concentrated on refining hie river in the Swiss Alps. a this the parts ofthe comfortable wih old-shioned stone-faced bridges. Mita, who had founded his own constuction fim in 1902, was unable to win any more bridge projects, 50 he shied his focus to designing buildings, water tanks and other structures made of reinforced concrete and did not resume his work on concrete bridges uni the early 1920s, His most important breaatvough during this period was the ‘evelopment ofthe deck-stttened arch, he frst example of which was the Flienglibach Bridge, bul in 1923. An arch ‘bridge is somewhat lke an inverted cable. A cable curves downward when a weight is ung from i, an arch bridge Curves upward to support ie roadway and the compression in the arch balances the dead load of the trafic. For ‘aesthetic reasons, Mallat wanted a thinner arch and his solution was to conmect the arch to the roadway with Transverse walls. ln this way, Mallar jutiied making the arch as thin as he could reasonably build i. His analysis ‘ccuaiely pedicied the behaviour of the bridge but the leading ashoites. of Swiss engineering would aque gains his methods tr the next quater ofa centr. 6 the visual of the deck-stfened arch. His best-known structure is the Salginatobel” Bridge, completed in 1830. He won the competion for the contract because his design was the least expensive of the 19 submited ~ the bridge and road were bul for ‘nly 700,000 Swiss francs, equivalent to some $3.5 milion today. Salginatobel wes also Mailat’s longest span a 90 metres and it had the most dramatic setting ‘ofl his stucturs, vaulting 80 metes above the ravine of he Salgina brook. In 1991 became te fst concrete ‘ridge to be designated an international historic landmark. Before his death jn 1940, Maitart completed othes remarkable bridges’ and continued 10 refine his designs However, arcitets often recognised ine high quality of Malla’sstuctues belo his feiow engineers cid and in 1947 the architec section of the Museum of Modern ‘Ain New York Cty devoted 2 major eribition ently to is works. In contrat, vey few Ametican structural ‘engineers at hat ime had even heard of Malta. nthe Tolowing years, however, engineers realised tha Malas tridges were more than just aesthetically pleasing they wer technically unsupassed. Maitartshollow-box arch ‘became the dominant design fam for medium and fong- span concrete ridges in the US. in Switerand, professors finaly began to leath Mallat’ ideas, which then influenced anew generation of designers. Questions 34-36 Complete the labels on the diagrams below using ONE or TWO WORDS from the reading passage. Write your answers in boxes 34-36 on your answer sheet.Questions 37-40 Complete each of the following statements (Questions 37-40) with the best ending (AG) rom the box below. Write the appropriate letters A~G in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet, 37 Maillart designed the hollow-box arch in order to 38 Following the construction ofthe Tavanasa Bridge, Millar failed to... 39 The transverse walls of the Flienglibach Bridge allowed Maillat to. 40 Ofall his bridges, the Salginatobel enabled Maillart to... A sn prove that lol people were wrong Bu find wor in Switzeiand | Co D reduce the amount of raw material required. \ Es mcogis his technia sits — i Fao capitis onthe spectacular train | G improve the appearance of his bridges. ————_—————————————@ sun’ “eae English Writing 1% Task 20 minutes 2™ Task 40 minutes‘You should spend about 20 minutes on this ok. ‘The graphs below shoe the mumbet of drivers im Britain who hove been canghe driving to fas speed cameras placed on reads, and the number of people killed in road accidents, over a cgi. period since the intvoduction of speed eameras. The tables show the results of « survey on people's opinions on speed cameras. ‘Write @ report fora university lecturer describing the information below. ‘Weice at least 150 wots, sree cauana ross monasoner icin | 2,000,000 Ff = ; i Se — = = a | we = poe i — 3 i enon 1008 f net 0 ' . t ee doh ae okie nn ta te cherie aes os meceneatater me No. oe “Tome revenue 1% [ae Det kow es‘You should spend shour 40 minutes on this rk. Prosent 2 written argument of eae to an educated render with mo specialist knowledge of the following topic, In siome countries today, there ix am atticude that ‘anyone can do it’ in the arts ~ music, licerature, acting, art ete. As-a renul, people with no talent become vich and femous and genuine ealent is not valued or appreciated. Do you cgrec or disagree? ; ‘You should we your own ess, knowledge and expesienee and support your arguments with examples sind relevant evidence, ‘Weire a least 250 words, ‘There isa sample answer on page 201.