READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading
Passage 1 on pages 2 and 3.
The slow food organization
Taking time with food
Slow Food began when Carlo Petrini, an Italian journalist, was dismayed by the opening
of a fast food restaurant on the famous Piazza di Spagna in Rome. He decided it was
time to celebrate the fast-disappearing virtues of the slow production, preparation and
eating of food. What he had in mind when he began the Slow Food organization were
local foods which were prepared in their traditional manner and eaten at leisurely meals
with family and friends. Slow Food is the antithesis of everything fast food stands for,
and it is now a thriving international organization with members in 45 countries, a
successful publishing operation and a biannual trade show. In addition, Slow Food has
launched a project called the 'Ark of Taste' and a concept called virtuous globalization'.
The Ark of Taste is the catalog of endangered food plant and animal species that Slow
Food has resolved to protect against the rising global tide of fast food. Some examples
of the biodiversity promoted by the Ark of Taste include Iroquois white corn and the
Narragansett turkey, both of which are old, or heritage, foods in North America.
Biodiversity is a term commonly associated with discussions of threats to wild species,
but according to Slow Food the biodiversity of the domesticated species people have
depended on for centuries is no less important. For example, when the latest patented
hybrid variety of plant proves unable to withstand fungal or bacterial disease, plant
breeders will need the disease-resistant genes which can be obtained from heritage
plant varieties. If Iroquois white corn had fallen out of production, as it very nearly did two
decades ago due to the commercial launch of a new hybrid corn, irreplaceable and
possibly crucial sets of corn genes would have been lost forever.
For some time, plant-saver groups have been preserving heritage plant varieties, but
Slow Food takes that project a step further. The movement understands that all the food
and plant species in its Ark of Taste carry not only information about genetic traits but
they also embody a set of social practices, and in some cases even a way of life of
previous generations. Slow Food teaches that when a variety of food or breed of animal
disappears, something greater also disappears: a specific, irreplaceable mode of life that
a particular people have devised for living in a particular part of the Earth. An example of
this is the Iroquois white corn. By working to find new markets for this ancient variety of
corn, Slow Food is ensuring a source of income for the Native Americans who grow,
roast, and grind this corn and, at the same time, helping to preserve the specific cookery
and religious uses that the corn has been selected to support over hundreds of years.
Slow Food has moved away from the traditional locations for preserving rare animal and
plant species. For example, instead of zoos for rare animals and botanic gardens for rare
plants, Slow Food maintains that its plants and animals are best preserved on the dishes
and plates of discerning customers. To this end, Slow Food has introduced the concept
of virtuous globalization, which recognizes that the best way to ensure a safe future for
distinctive local products and practices is to find a global market for them. In this way,
local producers will be able to continue producing the food which for many years has
been a defining factor of their cultural identity. The characteristics of the virtuous
globalization of Slow Foods show how different the concept is from the globalization of
fast foods. Whereas global fast food companies aim to sell food that has an unchanging
taste wherever in the world it is eaten, the taste of a recognized Slow Food is unique to
that food. Another aspect is the quantities sold of these two types of food. In the case of
fast food, these are enormous, but the quantities of Slow Food products which are
available for selling are limited, due to the rarity of the plants or animals. The customers
of virtuous globalization Slow Foods are affluent people who value novelty and are
undeterred by the costs, which are high when compared to fast food. Some years ago, a
network of farmers in the USA volunteered to take part in a national Slow Food project.
The project was for the farmers to raise a total of 5,000 turkeys from eggs which had
been selected from four varieties of endangered turkey. The farmers had to begin by
hatching the eggs they had been supplied with, then raising the young turkeys to adults.
They were promised a guaranteed price per pound for the adult turkeys. The object of
the enterprise was to raise heritage turkeys for the North American holiday of
Thanksgiving. Although chefs in some restaurants where the turkeys were on the menu
complained that the Slow Food turkeys were smaller than industrially produced turkeys,
the distinctive flavors were very well received by consumers. By the following year, the
world population of these turkeys had nearly doubled.
It may seem strange that taking pleasure in eating could be a strategy for preserving
biodiversity because pleasure is not normally associated with environmentalism.
However, pleasure is part of what Slow Food aims to bring back, by demonstrating that,
at least when it comes to the politics of food, the best choice is often the one that
provides the most enjoyment.
Questions 1-6
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 1-6 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
1. The Ark of Taste lists food plant and animal species in danger of extinction.
2. Slow Food considers the term biodiversity should be restricted to wild species.
3. The genes of heritage plants may be of vital importance to modern plant
breeders.
4. Countries can sell the genes of their heritage plant varieties internationally.
5. Slow Food maintains that food and culture exist independently of each other.
6. Some Native Americans are now giving cookery classes featuring Iroquois white
corn.
Questions 7-9
Complete the table below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 7-9 on your answer sheet.
Taste Qualities sold Cost
Slow food 7 ...................... High
8.....................
Fast food 9 ...................... enormous low
Questions 1 0 -13
Answer the questions below.
Choose ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.
10 What were farmers in the USA given so that they could raise endangered
turkeys?
11 How many varieties of endangered turkey benefited from the project?
12 Who was not happy with the size of the turkeys?
13 Who liked the taste of the endangered turkeys?
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading
Passage 2 on pages 5 and 6.
Growing more for less
Satellite technology is helping farmers boost crop
yields
A. For farmers, working out the optimal amount of seed, fertiliser, pesticide and
water to scatter on a field can make, or break, the subsequent harvest.
Regular laboratory analyses of soil and plant samples from various parts of the
field can help - but such expertise is costly, and often unavailable. However, a
new and cheaper method of doing this analysis is now on offer. Precise
prescriptions for growing crops can be obtained quickly, and less expensively, by
calculating the amount of electromagnetic radiation reflected from agricultural
land. The data is collected by orbiting satellites.
B. Examining the wavelength of the radiation that is reflected can reveal, with
surprising precision, the properties of the soil, the quantity of crop being grown,
and the levels in those crops of chlorophyll*, various minerals, moisture and other
indicators of their quality. If recent and forecast weather data is added to the mix,
detailed maps can be produced indicating exactly how, where and when crops
should be grown. The service usually costs less than US $15 per hectare for a
handful of readings a year, and can increase yields by as much as 10%.
C. Such precision farming using satellite-based intelligence is a relatively new
technique. Even so, it is catching on quickly. Five times a year, for example, a
French cereal-growers' co-operative called Sevepi purchases satellite data and
makes it available to its members in the form of maps of their fields, divided into
three or four colour-coded zones per hectare. For each zone, one of about 50
fertiliser formulas is recommended. On top of this, if the wheat in the field has
already grown quite high early in the season, and heavy showers are expected,
an appropriate dose of growth regulator is recommended for each zone. (Long,
fragile stems break more easily in downpours.) Then, farm vehicles equipped
with global-positioning system locators automatically mix and apply the
prescribed dose to each area.
D. France is the pioneer in this sort of surveillance. More farmland is analysed by
satellite there than in any other country, according to lnfoterra (a subsidiary of
EADS Astrium), the firm that is France's largest provider of such information,
supplying data to companies such as Sevepi. Moreover, Henri Douche, head of
lnfoterra's agriculture sales in Toulouse, reckons the amount of monitored
farmland will increase as weather patterns change and farmers can no longer
rely on the past as a guide to the future. When confounded by the yield
* chlorophyll: the green substance in plants that allows them to absorb sunlight
variations that these new weather patterns will bring, even farmers who are afraid
of new technology will sign up, he says.
E. Inexpensive data on the productivity of land is advantageous to governments,
too. Areas where fertilisers and pesticides are being applied excessively can be
pinpointed, studied and regulated by environmental and land-use agencies. Guy
Lafond, an agronomist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, a government
agency, says the satellite data it purchases is proving useful for the study of
fields with declining productivity in the province of Saskatchewan. Overkill with
nitrate fertilisers (which are also a source of greenhouse gases) appears partly
responsible. And according to RapidEye, a German satellite operator, insurance
companies are also studying satellite data with a view to selling insurance
policies to governments of famine-prone countries that might be threatened by
crop failure.
F. In March, RapidEye began selling data that helps forecast harvests. Too often,
farmers limit productivity by managing fields uniformly,' says Fredrick Jung
Rothenhausler, head of product development at the firm's headquarters in
Brandenburg an der Havel. 'Our satellites are the first commercial satellites to
include the Red-Edge band of the light spectrum, which is sensitive to changes in
chlorophyll content. More research will be necessary to realise the full potential of
the Red-Edge band. However, this band can assist in monitoring vegetation
health, improving species separation and also help in measuring protein and
nitrogen content in biomass.' The company's data, which comes from both
Europe and the Americas, breaks field productivity down into patches just five
metres square.
G. The advantages that satellite technology p rovides in terms of precision farming
do not have to be restricted to rich countries. In Africa, where many soils have
become badly depleted of nutrients, better fertiliser management would greatly
improve the situation. As a consequence, the charitable trust World Agroforestry
Centre, in the city of Nairobi, in Kenya, has begun to build up a catalogue of the
radiation patterns derived from around 100,000 samples of African soils. The
information is the key to understanding the potential of these soils to be more
agriculturally productive. Once passed on to the International Centre for Tropical
Agriculture, based in Colombia, South America, it is intended that the information
be used to build a database called the 'Digital Soil Map'. When ready, this will
provide farmers with free forecasts, developed with regularly updated satellite
imagery, across farmland in a number of countries in Africa. This is information
which will almost certainly assist in improving crop yields. For a hunger-ravaged
continent, that is good news indeed.
Questions 1 4 - 2 0
Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
14 an example of how farmers m one country are now using satellite data to
determine fertiliser use
15 a reference to climate change and its effects
16 a reference to the effect on the soil of using too much fertiliser
17 an example of information that will be shared between different countries
18 a mention of the country which is the leader in agricultural technology
19 a description of an innovation in satellite imaging which requires further study
20 evidence of the cost effectiveness of using satellite technology in agriculture
Questions 21 and 22
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 21 and 22 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO companies obtain information directly from satellites,
A Sevepi
B lnfoterra
C Agriculture and AgriFood Canada
D RapidEye
E World Agroforestry Centre
Questions 23 - 26
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.
23 Initially, orbiting satellites are used to measure ......................coming frown
farmland.
24 ...................... believes that confusion about irregular weather will cause more
farmers to use satellite technology.
25 As a result of satellite technology, it may become possible to insure against
the risk of.. .......................
26 In Africa, much of the soil suffers from the loss of ...........................
READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27–40, which are based on Reading Passage
3 below.
Memory Champions ... or just good at tricks
A
The Examinations School at University of Oxford is where, last August, 34 contestants
gathered at the World Memory Championships. It is an impressive historical venue, known
for its austere yet grandiose setting of oak-paneled rooms, large Gothic windows, and looming
portraits of eminent dukes and earls. It is here that generations of Oxford students have been
tested in their final exams on their memory and knowledge, and it is here that these
contestants were challenged to demonstrate their exceptional mnemonic abilities. Reciting
poems, memorizing digit sequences, and recalling faces from photographs are just a few of
the tasks that test the limits of human memory in this competitive setting.
To enable himself to memorize quickly, Ed Cooke has memorized a specific human being,
verb, and object that he associates with every card in the deck. This detailed and highly
personalized system allows him to rapidly encode and decode information during
competitions. When Cooke commits a deck to memory, he does it three cards in one go, with
every three-card group forming a composite picture of a person doing something to an object.
This method not only enhances the memorization process but also makes the recall process
faster and more efficient. He then places those images along a specific familiar path in his
mind, creating a vivid mental journey that he can easily traverse. When it comes to recall,
Cooke takes a mental walk along his route and translates the images into cards, effectively
and efficiently converting his vivid mental images back into the specific order of the deck.
This innovative approach to memory exercises showcases the extraordinary capabilities of
mental athletes and the sophisticated strategies they employ to achieve their remarkable feats.
C
One memory champion, Ed Cooke, can memorize the order of ten decks of playing cards in
less than one hour or one deck of cards in less than one minute. Psychologists Elizabeth
Valentine and John Wilding have teamed up with Eleanor Maguire to study how memory
champions like Cooke operate differently from average individuals. Their collaboration aims
to explore the neural underpinnings that might explain the exceptional memory skills
exhibited by competitors in high-pressure environments such as memory championships.
When the researchers analyzed the brain scans from the number memorization, they found
that the memory champions were activating some brain regions that were different from those
the control subjects were using. These regions are known to be involved in visual memory
and spatial navigation.
D
They are using a technique known as the loci method, reportedly originating in 477 BC with
the Greek poet Simonides of Ceos. He was able to memorize the guest list at a dinner by
closing his eyes and recalling each individual around the table. The loci method, which was
rediscovered and popularized by Simonides, has become an integral part of historical and
modern memory training. This method involves associating items to be remembered with
specific physical locations, creating a mental map that facilitates recall. After Simonides's
discovery, the loci method became widely embraced across ancient Greece, serving as a
fundamental technique for orators and scholars. It was so effective that it was incorporated
into educational curricula and became a cornerstone of rhetorical training. Aristotle wrote
favorably about it, recognizing its value and effectiveness. Later, a number of treatises on the
art of memory were published in Rome, further cementing its importance and utility in
memory training. This method not only aids in memorization but also enhances the ability to
retrieve information by navigating through these mental loci, effectively walking through a
structured memory palace.
E
The term "photographic memory" is frequently used to describe people with exceptional
recall. Yet, most researchers agree there is no proof that such a memory truly exists. If it is
indeed a myth, it highlights how learned strategies are often more effective than natural talent.
The belief in "photographic memory" remains a point of contention among the public and
scientists alike. Despite the absence of solid scientific evidence, this myth endures, reflecting
how society’s fascination with remarkable memory tends to ignore the practical techniques
and training that genuinely drive mnemonic success.
F
The most renowned of the naturals was the Russian journalist S. V. Shereshevski, who could
remember long sequences of numbers learned decades before, as well as poems, strings of
meaningless syllables, and nearly anything else he was asked to recall. Shereshevski also
experienced Synesthesia, a rare sensory condition where the senses are interconnected, which
significantly improved his memorization ability. His skills were not limited to these
accomplishments; his remarkable memory covered an almost endless range of information,
making him a figure of great interest and study. This synesthetic trait not only made his
memorization tasks easier but also more vivid and long-lasting. His case has been extensively
examined, as it offers deep insights into the potential of human memory when enhanced by
neurological variations.
G
K. Anders Ericsson, a well-known psychologist, claims that anyone can develop memory
abilities comparable to those of memory champions through consistent practice and proper
techniques. During two years of experimentation, S.V. increased his ability to recall numbers
from seven to over eighty. This study led Ericsson to conclude that there is no such thing as an
innately superior memory. When he revisited original case reports of natural memorizers, he
discovered that their remarkable abilities were actually based on the use of specific
techniques—sometimes unconsciously—combined with extensive practice. Strategists are
usually outstanding at remembering only certain kinds of material, whereas naturals exhibit
strong memory across many types of tasks and can retain those memories more easily.
Questions 27–32
Reading Passage 3 has seven paragraphs, A–G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Choose the correct letter, A–G, in boxes 27–32.
27. a description of how a contestant remembers complex sequences
28. an example of how one person’s memory was improved over time
29. a description of a memorizing competition
30. a commonly held belief about memory that many experts say is unproven
31. a reference to the first recorded use of memorizing through location
32. a reference to an unusual condition which results in improved memory
Questions 33–36
Complete the summary below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Using visual imagery and spatial navigation to remember numbers are investigated and
explained. A 33. __________, an action, and a thing are assigned to consecutive cards in the
pack. Combining these images allows Cooke to memorise 34. __________ at a time. The
mind pictures are then positioned on a 35. __________. The pack of cards is remembered by
going for a 36. __________ while the pictures are converted back into cards.
Questions 37–40
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A–F, below.
A. used mainly for educational purposes
B. activated brain areas associated with visual and spatial memory
C. became widespread in ancient Greece for memorizing speeches and tests
D. the result of techniques and extensive practice
E. retaining a wide variety of tasks
F. benefited from additional cognitive abilities
37. Valentine, Wilding and Maguire’s experiment shows that the memory contestants
__________.
38. After Simonides discovered the loci method in 477 BC, it was __________.
39. According to Valentine and Wilding, natural memories are better than strategic
memories at __________.
40. According to K. Anders Ericsson, Shereshevski’s skills were __________.