READING PRACTICE 03

READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–13, which are based on Reading
Passage on pages 2 and 3.

Mungo Lady and Mungo Man

Controversies in Australian Prehistory
Fifty thousand years ago, a lush landscape greeted the first Australians moving towards
the south-east of the continent. Temperatures were cooler than now. Megafauna – giant
prehistoric animals such as marsupial lions and the rhinoceros-sized diprotodon – were
abundant. Freshwater lakes in areas of western New South Wales (NSW) were brimming
with fish. But change was coming. By 40,000 years ago, water levels had started to
drop.
A study of the sediments and graves of Lake Mungo, a dry lake bed in western NSW,
has uncovered the muddy layers deposited as the lake began to dry up. Forty thousand
years ago, families took refuge at the lake from the encroaching desert, leaving artefacts
such as stone tools, which researchers used to determine that the first wanderers came
to the area between 46,000 and 50,000 years ago. By 20,000 years ago, the lake had
become the dry, dusty hole it is today. This area was first examined by the University of
Melbourne geologist Professor Jim Bowler in 1969. He was searching for ancient lakes
and came across the remains of a woman who had been buried with some ceremony;
she was given the name Mungo Lady. In 1974, he found a second set of remains,
Mungo Man, buried 300 metres away. Bowler’s comprehensive study of different
sediment layers has concluded that both graves are 40,000 years old.
This is much younger than the 62,000 years Mungo Man was attributed with in 1999 by a
team led by Professor Alan Thorne, of the Australian National University. Thorne is the
country’s leading opponent of the ‘Out of Africa’ theory – that modern humans spread
around the globe from Africa about 100,000 years ago. The revision of Mungo Man’s
age has refocused attention on academic disputes about mankind’s origins.
The arrival date of these early Australians is linked to another vexed question: the reason
for the disappearance of the megafauna. Dr Tim Flannery, a proponent of the
controversial theory that these animals were wiped out by the extreme hunting practices
of humans, claims that the new Mungo dates support this view. For Bowler, however,
these debates are speculative distractions. At 40,000 years old, he argues, Mungo Man
and Mungo Lady remain Australia’s oldest human burials and the earliest evidence on
Earth of cultural sophistication. ‘At Lake
Mungo, we have a cameo of people reacting to environmental change. It is one of the
great stories of the people of the world.’
Two rival groups of researchers have each attacked the techniques used by the other to
ascertain the date of Mungo Man. In the 1999 study, Thorne’s team used three
techniques to date Mungo Man – bone, tooth enamel and sand. Bowler has strongly
challenged the results ever since. Dating human bones is ‘notoriously unreliable’, he
says. In addition, the sand sample used by Thorne’s group was taken hundreds of
metres from the burial site. Bowler has stated that it is not difficult to realise that the age
of sand is not the same as the age of the grave. He says his team’s results are based on
careful fieldwork, crosschecked between four laboratories, while Thorne’s team
misinterpreted the evidence, ‘locked in a laboratory in Canberra’. Thorne counters that
Bowler’s team used one dating technique, while his used three. Best practice is to have
at least two methods producing the same result. A Thorne team member, Professor
Rainer Grün, says the fact that the latest results were consistent between laboratories
doesn’t mean they are correct.
Questions 1–8
Look at the following theories (Questions 1–8) and the list of researchers below. Match
each theory with the correct researcher(s), A–F.
Write the correct letter, A–F, in boxes 1–8 on your answer sheet.
NB: You may use any letter more than once.
1. Our human ancestors did not originate in only one area. B
2. The extinction of the megafauna happened within a brief period. F
3. The megafauna died out as a result of human activity. C
4. The similarity of results does not always guarantee their validity. D
5. How old Mungo Man is, is unimportant. B
6. There is evidence to disprove the theory of mass megafauna extinction.E
7. An extreme environmental change occurred at the time that humans first moved into
the Lake Mungo area. A
8. The earliest evidence of advanced human culture is found in
Australia. A
List of Researchers
A. Jim Bowler
B. Alan Thorne
C. Tim Flannery
D. Rainer Grün
E. Richard Roberts and Tim Flannery
F. Judith Field and Richard Fullager
Questions 9–13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In
boxes 9–13 on your answer sheet, write
● TRUE – if the statement agrees with the information
● FALSE – if the statement contradicts the information
● NOT GIVEN – if there is no information on this
9. Objects found in the Lake Mungo area were used to date the arrival of
humans. TRUE

10. Ancient weapons were found in the Lake Mungo area. NOT GIVEN
11. Scientists agree about the age of Mungo Man. FALSE
12. Thorne’s research involved analysing more than one material. TRUE
13. Bowler has criticised the research methods used by Thorne. FALSE
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14–26, which are based on Reading
Passage 2 on pages 7 and 8.
Questions 14–19
Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A–F.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of
headings below. Write the correct number, i–vii, in boxes 14–19 on
your answer sheet. List of Headings
i. The behaviour of a small animal expanding its territory
ii. The urban environment encouraging the spread of imported flora and
fauna
iii. Insects that thrive in urban areas
iv. A creature which likes rubbish
v. Creatures which change their shape and colour
vi. Why natural scientists are interested in studying urban areas
vii. Changes in the urban built environments encourage particular
species
14. Paragraph A .....vi.......
15. Paragraph B .....iv.......
16. Paragraph C ......vii.....
17. Paragraph D ...iii........
18. Paragraph E .....i.......
19. Paragraph F .......ii.....

Surviving city life

Although the colonisation of Australia profoundly affected the continent’s natural
environment, many plants and animals have actually flourished since European
settlement. Some even thrive in the concrete jungle of Australia’s biggest city, Sydney A
Ecologists often prefer to study plants and animals in exotic locations, but a growing
number have turned their attention to the complex interactions of the wildlife that inhabits
concrete jungles. Inner-city Sydney is the laboratory of choice for a number of
ecologists, and their research is timely. More than half the world's human population
resides in eleven cities, and urban development continues to increase all over the world.
By 2030, the United Nations projects five billion people will live in cities. Associate
Professor Dieter Hochuli, a biologist at the University of Sydney, believes that "we need
to understand how cities are changing the ecology of the systems they are built on, and
how plants and esbacanimals are adapting to them."
B
If any species has learnt to thrive in an urban environment, it's the native white ibis. A
strange long-legged bird with a long bow-shaped beak, it is known as the 'garbage
turkey'. The bird's reputation for digging through inner-city bins and scavenging street
garbage has not endeared it to the public. The white ibis began its move to the city in
the 1970s, when large parts of its natural habitat of inland wetlands became degraded
due to years of low rainfall. "The species is a wetland forager," wildlife officer John
Martin, from Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens, says. "Now it happily forages in city
parks and landfill." During the peak of its spring breeding season, there are more than
9,000 of these birds in Sydney.
C
Specimens at Sydney's Australian Museum show that the city's overall bird life has
changed dramatically over the two centuries since colonisation. Prior to urban
development, Sydney's native bushland was populated by large numbers of small
insect-eating birds, such as the superb fairy-wren and the eastern yellow robin. Today,
homeowners prefer to landscape their backyards with tall trees and manicured lawns, an
environment that provides little protection for small birds. But one bird's trash is
another's treasure. Gardens filled with flowering plants and fruit trees favour omnivorous
birds such as currawongs, bowerbirds, and the city's most despised resident – the noisy
miner bird. "They're a real winner in cities," Australian Museum ornithologist Richard
Major says. "The predominant driver in the decline of small birds is that we've made a
suitable environment for native noisy miners."
D. Many invertebrates, such as the golden orb weaver spider and the blue triangle
butterfly, also relish living in the city. The golden orb spiders in Sydney are fatter and
fitter than species found elsewhere and Professor Hochuli and his team are trying to
understand why. "We're trying to determine whether it’s more food or the urban heat...,
as it's up to four degrees warmer in the city." Hochuli has also found some varieties of
ant more at home in the city. The green ant, known for its painful bite, will build a nest
where there is space and food, regardless of whether it's a backyard or a sports oval.
"It's remarkable how many things persist in city environments," he says. The decline in
birds that eat small invertebrates means these populations grow unchecked, allowing
them to chew their way through the foliage of the city's trees.
E
While some species can survive in relatively small areas, mammals have been confined
to patches of bushland scattered around Sydney and its nearby national parks.
However, the rabbit-sized, long-nosed bandicoot has discovered the advantages of
venturing out of Sydney Harbour National Park and into suburban gardens. "They forage
for invertebrates in the grass and like the surrounding habitat to nest and escape from
predators," Catherine Price, a research associate with the University of Sydney, says. Dr
Price is trying to understand what encourages the little mammal into urban
environments. "We don't know if it's an overflow from the park, or if they've got particular
survival traits that allow them to evade dogs and cats, and use the urban habitat that
benefits them," she says.
F
It's not just native wildlife that has sought comfort in city living. Non-native species such
as black rodents, cockroaches and foxes have developed survival strategies too. But
weeds are the pest that has gained the most advantage. "In residential Sydney there
would not be a single area of remnant bushland not infested by introduced plantlife,"
Michelle Leishman, a Macquarie University plant biologist, says. Over 20 years,
Leishman and her colleagues have shown how Sydney’s huge stretches of impermeable
concrete, together with the stormwater system, have helped weeds infiltrate the few
remaining pockets of bushland. As rain washes over backyards and roadways, it collects
nutrients which enter the stormwater system, where it is piped to the edges of
bushland. The nutrient-rich water seeps into the earth favouring the many exotic species
that "live fast, and die young", Leishman says. Indigenous plants prefer a low-fertility soil
and struggle to cope with one that is more fertile.
Questions 20–23
Look at the following statements (Questions 20–23) and the list of researchers below.

Match each statement with the correct researcher, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, in boxes 20–23 on your answer
sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once.
20. It is not clear why one small animal is moving from its natural
environment. D
21. Hot weather might positively affect the health of a species. B
22. Sydney's residential gardens suit some species better than others. C
23. Research into the natural world’s responses to urban settings is
vital. A
List of Researchers
A. Dieter Hochuli
B. John Martin
C. Richard Major
 D. Catherine Price
Questions 24–26
Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 24–26 on your answer sheet.
Seeking comfort in city living
It's not only native plants and animals that are adapting to city life: non-native plants and
animals are also adapting. Examples of successful ‘city dwellers’ include small, non-
native rats and non-native insects such as 24 _______cockroaches________. However,
what causes most problems in the city is weeds. Michelle Leishman, a scientist from
Macquarie University, has proven that Sydney’s large areas of 25
_______concrete________ and its drainage network favour the growth of weeds. Water
gathers 26 ______nutrients_________ as it passes from gardens and streets into the city
drainage network. This, in turn, creates very good soil for several varieties of rapidly
growing non-native plants.

READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27–40, which are based on Reading
Passage 3 on pages 10 and 11.
Twist in the Tale
Fears that television and computers would kill children’s desire to read couldn’t have
been more wrong. With sales soaring, a new generation of authors are publishing’s
newest and unlikeliest literary stars
A. Less than three years ago, doom merchants were predicting that the growth in
video games and the rise of the Internet would sound the death knell for children’s
literature. But contrary to popular myth, children are reading more books than
ever. A recent survey by Books Marketing found that children up to the age of 11
read on average for four hours a week, particularly girls.
B
Moreover, the children’s book market, which traditionally was seen as a poor cousin to
the more lucrative and successful adult market, has come into its own. Publishing
houses are now making considerable profits on the back of new children’s books and
children’s authors can now command significant advances. ‘Children’s books are going
through an incredibly fertile period,’ says Wendy Cooling, a children’s literature
consultant. ‘There’s a real buzz around them. Book clubs are happening, sales are
good, and people are much more willing to listen to children’s authors.’
C
The main growth area has been the market for eight to fourteen-year-olds, and there is
little doubt that the boom has been fuelled by the bespectacled apprentice, Harry Potter.
So influential has J. K. Rowling’s series of books been that they have helped to make
reading fashionable for pre-teens. ‘Harry made it OK to be seen on a bus reading a
book,’ says Cooling. ‘To a child, that is important.’ The current buzz around the
publication of the fourth Harry Potter beats anything in the world of adult literature.
D
‘People still tell me, “Children don’t read nowadays”,’ says David Almond, the award-
winning author of children’s books such as Skellig. The truth is that they are skilled,
creative readers. When I do classroom visits, they ask me very sophisticated questions
about use of language, story structure, chapters and dialogue.’ No one is denying that
books are competing with other forms of entertainment for children’s attention but it
seems as though children find a special kind of mental nourishment within the printed
page.
E
‘A few years ago, publishers lost confidence and wanted to make books more like
television, the medium that frightened them most,’ says children’s book critic Julia
Eccleshare. ‘But books aren’t TV, and you will find that children always say that the good
thing about books is that you can see them in your head. Children are demanding
readers,’ she says. ‘If they don’t get it in two pages, they’ll drop it.’
F. No more are children’s authors considered mere sentimentalists or failed adult writers.
‘Some feted adult writers would kill for the sales,’ says Almond, who sold 42,392 copies
of Skellig in 1999 alone. And advances seem to be growing too: UK publishing outfit
Orion recently negotiated a six-figure sum from US company Scholastic for The Seeing
Stone, a children’s novel by Kevin Crossley-Holland, the majority of which will go to the
author.
G
It helps that once smitten, children are loyal and even fanatical consumers. Author
Jacqueline Wilson says that children spread news of her books like a bushfire. ‘My
average reader is a girl of ten,’ she explains. ‘They’re sociable and acquisitive. They
collect. They have parties – where books are a good present. If they like something, they
have to pass it on.’ After Rowling, Wilson is currently the best-selling children’s writer,
and her sales have boomed over the past three years. She has sold more than three
million books, but remains virtually invisible to adults, although most ten-year-old girls
know about her.
H
Children’s books are surprisingly relevant to contemporary life. Provided they are
handled with care, few topics are considered off-limits for children. One senses that
children’s writers relish the chance to discuss the whole area of topics and language.
But Anne Fine, author of many award-winning children’s books is concerned that the
British literati still ignore children’s culture. ‘It’s considered worthy but boring,’ she says.
I
‘I think there’s still a way to go,’ says Almond, who wishes that children’s books were
taken more seriously as literature. Nonetheless, he derives great satisfaction from his
child readers. ‘They have a powerful literary culture,’ he says. ‘It feels as if you’re able to
step into the store of mythology and ancient stories that run through all societies and
encounter the great themes: love and loss and death and redemption.’
J
At the moment, the race is on to find the next Harry Potter. The bidding for new books at
Bologna this year – the children’s equivalent of the Frankfurt Book Fair – was as fierce as
anything anyone has ever seen. All of which bodes well for the long-term future of the
market – and for children’s authors, who have traditionally suffered the lowest profile in
literature, despite the responsibility of their role.
Questions 27–33
Look at the following list of people A–E and the list of statements
(Questions 27–33). Match each statement with one of the people listed.

Write the appropriate letters A–E in boxes 27–33 on your answer

sheet.

[Link] take pleasure in giving books to each other. D

[Link] in public is an activity that children have not always felt comfortable about
doing. A
[Link] well-known writers of adult literature regret that they earn less than popular
children’s writers. B
[Link] are quick to decide whether they like or dislike a book. D
[Link] will read many books by an author that they like. C
[Link] public do not realise how much children read today. B
[Link] are experiencing a rise in the popularity of children’s literature. A
A Wendy Cooling
B David Almond
C Julia Eccleshare
D Jacqueline Wilson
E Anne Fine
Questions 34–36
Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the reading passage, answer
the following questions.
Write your answers in boxes 34–36 on your answer sheet.
[Link] which age group have sales of books risen the most? Eight to fourteen
[Link] company has just invested heavily in an unpublished children’s
book? Orion
[Link] is currently the best-selling children’s writer? Wilson
Questions 37–40
Reading Passage 3 has ten paragraphs A–J.
Which paragraph mentions the following (Questions 37–40)? Write the appropriate
letters (A–J) in boxes 37–40 on your answer sheet.
[Link] fact that children are able to identify and discuss the important elements of
fiction D
[Link] undervaluing of children’s society H
[Link] impact of a particular fictional character on the sales of children’s
books C
[Link] inaccurate forecast regarding the reading habits of children A