Name: ___________________________________ Date:

10/09/2021
EXTRA PRACTICE 2
READING
Part 1: Read the passage and choose the best answer.
PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
Now in its sixth year, the Insight Guides Travel Photography Competition, run in (0)_C_ with the Independent
newspaper, is going from strength to strength. 'Places were hotly (1)______ this year', says Insight Guides picture
editor, Steven Lawrence. ‘We (2)_____ liked winner Steve McDonald's use of light, and the way in which he took a
very well-known subject from an interesting and unusual (3)_____.'
This year's entrants worked to the theme of 'Earth', (4)_____ three images photographed within the past year, either
digitally or as prints. Steve McDonald, 54, a British Airways steward, won first prize, a professional (5)_____ worth
$3,000 for one of Insight Guides' (8)_____ books. Second prize went to geologist Robin Andrews, 22, who will use the
Canon camera he has won to photograph his (7)_____: volcanoes. Peter Cain, 33, a civil servant, in third (8)_____
also wins a Canon camera for his images, taken at Everest base camp. For the first time, the competition was
(9)_____ to under-18s. The winner in this category, Alden Heeley-Hill, 17, was delighted to receive first prize for his
image taken on a family holiday in Norway. He wins the (10)_____ to spend some time working with a professional
photographer. The (11)_____ were presented last week at Stanford's bookshop. Winners were (12)_____ to a night
at a smart hotel and a celebratory meal with their partners and the judges.
0 A comparison B combination C association D agreement
1 A competed B contested C fought D debated
2 A absolutely B remarkably C particularly D utterly
3 A fashion B state C pose D angle
4 A submitting B admitting C committing D permitting
5 A proposal B commission C assignation D portfolio
6 A oncoming B incoming C overcoming D upcoming
7 A excitement B joy C happiness D passion
8 A place B part C degree D rate
9 A possible B available C open D clear
10 A promise B fortune C prospect D chance
11 A rewards B winnings C awards D offerings
12 A valued B treated C delighted D entertained
Part 2: Fill in the gap with ONE suitable word.
Latin America has it 0) all — it is a thrilling travel destination. Arm (1)_____________ with a Portuguese or Spanish
phrasebook to get (2)________________ Mexico. Central America and the 14 countries that make up South America,
and (3)_______________ you go on the adventure of a lifetime.
The Amazon region boasts (4)___________________ of the most biodiverse rainforests on tank providing an
incredible backdrop (5)__________________ the myriad wildlife living (6)___________________, and a home to the
indigenous peoples. The majesty of the Andes is inspiring (7)________________ climbers and the tropical beaches
and coral reefs off the Caribbean Coast offer a haven for (8)_______________ wanting to snorkel or to
(9)_________________ relax and unwind. You can (10)___________________ mingle with the likes of giant
tortoises, lava lizards and penguins, all inhabitants of the Galapagos Islands.
The Mayan ruins (11)_________________ Tikan in Guatemala and the mysteries of the Inca City of Machu Picchu in
Peru (12)___________________ fascinating archaeological relics of past civilisations. And for city life, check out
South America's exuberant music scene: try the tango in Buenos Aires, home of Eva Peron, dance the night
(13)_____________ at the Carnival in Rio De Janeiro, or live it up at any (14)_______________ of the many village
fiestas held annually in South America — (15)_______________ of the bulls though!
Part 3: Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
In the 1980s the United States Department of Energy was looking for suitable sites to bury radioactive waste
material generated by its nuclear energy programs. The government was considering burying the dangerous wastes in
deep underground chambers in remote desert areas. The problem, however, was that nuclear waste remains highly
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radioactive for thousands of years. The commission entrusted with tackling the problem of waste disposal was aware
that the dangers posed by radioactive emissions must be communicated to our descendants of at least 10,000 years
hence. So the task became one of finding a way to tell future societies about the risk posed by these deadly deposits.
Of course, human society in the distant future may be well aware of the hazards of radiation. Technological
advances may one day provide the solutions to this dilemma. But the belief in constant technological advancement is
based on our perceptions of advances made throughout history and prehistory. We cannot be sure that society won’t
have slipped backward into an age of barbarism due to any of several catastrophic events, whether the result of
nature such as the onset of a new ice age or perhaps mankind’s failure to solve the scourges of war and pollution. In
the event of global catastrophe, it is quite possible that humans of the distant future will be on the far side of a
broken link of communication and technological understanding.
The problem then becomes how to inform our descendants that they must avoid areas of potential radioactive
seepage given that they may not understand any currently existing language and may have no historical or cultural
memory. So, any message indicated to future reception and decipherment must be as universally understandable as
possible.
It was soon realized by the specialists assigned the task of devising the communication system that material in which
the message was written might not physically endure the great lengths of time demanded. The second law of
thermodynamics shows that all material disintegrates over time. Even computers that might carry the message cannot be
expected to endure long enough. Besides, electricity supplies might not be available in 300 generations. Other media
storage methods were considered and rejected for similar reasons.
The task force under the linguist Thomas Sebeok finally agreed that no foolproof way would be found to send a
message across so many generations and have it survive physically and be decipherable by a people with few cultural
similarities to us. Given this restriction, Sebeok suggested the only possible solution was the formation of a committee
of guardians of knowledge. Its task would be to dedicate itself to maintaining and passing the knowledge of the
whereabouts and dangers of the nuclear waste deposits. This so-called atomic priesthood would be entrusted with
keeping knowledge of this tradition alive through millennia and developing the tradition into a kind of mythical taboo
forbidding people to tamper in a way with the nuclear waste sites. Only the initiated atomic priesthood of experts
would have the scientific knowledge to fully understand the danger. Those outside the priesthood would be kept away
by a combination of rituals and legends designed to warn off intruders.
This proposal has been criticized because of the possibility of a break in continuity of the original message.
Furthermore, there is no guarantee that any warning or sanction passed on for millennia would be obeyed, nor that it
could survive with its original meaning intact. To counterbalance this possibility, Sebeok’s group proposed a “relay
system” in which information is passed on over relatively short periods of time, just three generations ahead. The
message then to be renewed and redesigned if necessary for the following three generations and so on over the
required time span. In this way information could be relayed into the future and avoid the possibility of physical
degradation.
A second defect is more difficult to dismiss, however. This is the problem of social exclusiveness brought about
through possession of vital knowledge. Critics point out that the atomic priesthood could use its secret knowledge to
control those who are scientifically ignorant. The establishment of such an association of insiders holding powerful
knowledge not available except in mythic form to nonmembers would be a dangerous precedent for future social
developments.
1. The word "chambers" in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. partitions B. openings C. cavities D. fissures
2. What problem faced the commission assigned to deal with the burial of nuclear waste?
A. How to reduce the radioactive life of nuclear waste materials
B. How to form a committee that could adequately express various nuclear risks
C. How to notify future generations of the risks of nuclear contamination
D. How to choose burial sites so as to minimize dangers to people.
3. In paragraph 2, the author explains the possible circumstances of future societies
A. to warn about the possible natural catastrophe
B. to question the value of advances
C. to highlight humankind's inability to resolve problems
D. to demonstrate the reason nuclear hazards must be communicated
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4. The word "scourges" in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. pressures B. afflictions C. worries D. annoyances
5. In paragraph 4, the author mentions the second law of thermodynamics
A. to support the view that nuclear waste will disperse with time
B. to show that knowledge can be sustained over millennia
C. to give the basic scientific reason behind the breakdown of material objects
D. to contrast the potential life span of knowledge with that of material objects
6. The word "Its" in the passage refers to
A. knowledge B. committee C. solution D. guardians
7. In paragraph 5, why is the proposed committee of guardians referred to as the "atomic priesthood"?
A. Because they would be an exclusive group with knowledge about nuclear waste sites.
B. Because they would use rituals and legends to maintain their exclusiveness
C. Because they would be an exclusive religious order
D. Because they would develop mythical taboos surrounding their traditions
8. According to the author, why did the task force under Sebeok propose a relay system for passing on information?
A. To show that Sebeok 's ideas created more problems than they solved
B. To support the belief that breaks in communication are inevitable over time
C. To contrast Sebeok's ideas with those proposed by his main critics
D. To compensate for the fact that meaning will not stable over long periods of time
9. According to paragraph 7, the second defect of the atomic priesthood proposal is that it could lead to
A. the nonmembers turning knowledge into dangerous mythical forms
B. the possible misuse of exclusive knowledge
C. the establishment of a scientifically ignorant society
D. the priesthood's criticism of points concerning vital knowledge
10. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as difficulties in devising a communication system with the
future EXCEPT
A. the failure to maintain communication link
B. the loss of knowledge about today's civilization
C. the inability of materials to endure over time
D. the exclusiveness of priesthood
Part 4: Read a passage about four great medical discoveries. For questions from 1 to 15, choose from
the discoveries (A-D). The discoveries may be chosen more than once.
Which discovery ...
1. hinders various natural functions of the human body?
2. was based on popular wisdom?
3. was based on the work of a contemporary?
4. dulls the body's mechanism for feeling pain?
5. significantly reduced the mortality rate?
6. was largely accidental?
7. forced doctors to think about the body in a different way?
8. was made by the employee of a pharmaceutical company?
9. had been made before but escaped attention?
10. had a mixed response from the scientific community?
11. gave its name to a method of preventive medicine?
12. involved experimenting on human beings?
13. contradicted previous theories?
14. is used to treat various infections?
15. particularly helped urban populations?
EUREKA!

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Throughout history, key discoveries have changed the course of medical science. We look at four
historic medical breakthroughs.
A. The Circulation of the Blood
William Harvey (1578 - 1657) undertook groundbreaking research into the circulation of the blood and the
function of the heart. He dispelled the contemporary belief that blood was propelled through the body by a pulsing
action in the arteries; instead, he argued, the heart was at the centre of the circulatory system.
While at the University of Padua in Italy. Haney was tutored by the scientist and surgeon Hieronymus Fabricius.
Fahricius recognised that the veins in the human body had one-way valves, but was puzzled as to what their
function could be. It was Harvey who went on to solve the riddle. In 1628. he published his findings in s book
entitled An Anatomical Study of the Motion of the Heart and of the Blood in Animals . His discovery was received with
great interest and accepted in England at once, although it was greeted with some skepticism on the Continent.
Apart from offering insight into the function of the heart, Harvey's work also debunked misconceptions about the
role of the liver, the brain and the blood itself. His discovery left scientists with no choice but to reconsider the vast
majority of medical theories which were up until then accepted, and to place medicine on a new footing. In effect, it
was the beginning of modern medicine.
B. The Smallpox Vaccine
Born on 17th May 1749, Edward Jenner was the creator of the smallpox vaccine. It has been estimated that the
task he started has led to the saving of more human lives than the work of any other person. Smallpox was the most
feared and greatest killer of Jenner's time. In today's terms it was as deadly as cancer or heart disease. It killed 10%
of the population. rising to 20% in towns and cities where infection spread easily.
From the early days of his career, Edward Jenner had been intrigued by country-lore which said that people who
caught cowpox from their cows (a mild skin infection which cleared up by itself after a few days) could not contract
smallpox. In May 1796, a dairymaid consulted Jenner about a rash on her hand. He diagnosed cowpox, and at the
same time decided that he would put the old wives' tale to the test. He scratched the maid's hand with a scalpel,
and infected several of his patients with cowpox. As he had anticipated, and undoubtedly to his great relief, none of
them caught smallpox.
Vaccination with cowpox became compulsory in 1853, and the technique of introducing material under the skin
to produce protection against disease became universally known as vaccination, a word derived from the Latin name
for the cow (vacca), in Jenner's honor.
C. Penicillin
In the early 1930s, the British scientist Alexander Fleming reported that a product in human tears could make
bacterial cells dissolve. But Fleming's finding, which he called lysozyme, would prove to be a dead end in the search
for an efficacious antibiotic, since it typically destroyed nonpathogenic bacterial cells as well as harmful ones.
Fleming's second discovery, though, would be one of medicine’s greatest breakthroughs. In 1928, he discovered
another antibacterial agent, quite by chance. Returning from a weekend away, Fleming looked through a set of
plates on which he had been growing bacteria cultures. On one of them, he found that colonies of the
Staphylococcus bacteria had dissolved. He noticed that bacterial cells had disintegrated in an area next to the mould
growing on the plate and hypothesized that a product of the mould had caused it. That product was penicillin, the
fundamental ingredient of most antibiotics now the standard treatment for infections.
While Fleming generally receives credit for discovering penicillin, he in fact merely rediscovered it. In 1896, the
French medical student Ernest Duchesne had discovered the antibiotic properties of Penicillium, but failed to report a
connection between the fungus and a substance that had antibacterial properties, and Penicillium was forgotten in
the scientific community until Fleming's rediscovery.
D. Aspirin
A bitter powder from the bark of a willow tree was first used by Hippocrates in the 5th century B.C. to treat
aches and pains. Many centuries later, Felix Hoffman, an industrial chemist. synthesized the substance salicylic acid,
and in 1893 he developed a commercial process for its production. In 1897, Hoffmans' superiors at Bayer and
Company named this product Aspirin. Now, about 20 billion tablets of aspirin are consumed in Britain each year.
Aspirin works by reducing the body's production of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are enzymes that influence
the rate and direction of a chemical reaction. In trying to protect the body when cells have been damaged,
prostaglandins trigger fever (by acting on brain centres) and swelling, prevent blood vessel dilation and increase the
sensitivity of pain receptors.

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 Taking aspirin can relieve many of the effects of prostaglandins. It is used for temporary headache relief,
muscular aches and pains, toothaches and arthritis. It is also effective in the treatment of fever and inflammation,
and is known to reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks.

HOMEWORK
Part 1: Read the passage and choose the best answer.
IMPROVING THE BUSINESS PROCESS
Improving business is the holy grail of any company's operations. Improvements translate directly to better (0) B by
reducing expenditure and increasing competitiveness at the same time. In many (1)___, this has an accelerated
cumulative effect on the company's bottom (2)____. If an insurance company can underwrite policies or (3)____
claims faster, they can provide better service, compete better with nimbler, smaller online competitors, and (4)____
costs, which again help them compete better!
Unfortunately, any company has a (5)___ amount of money to spend on business process improvement, and those in
charge of budgets have to (6)___ carefully. If the IT department (7)____ the choice, they would put in new
hardware, software, applications, etc. The HR department would hire better qualified people, (8)____ them with more
training, and have a better working (9)_____. However, practical considerations always force companies to (10)____
and choose the best things to spend money on. But how do you know that a training course on people skills will
actually (11)____ a difference to customer satisfaction? How do you know which one to do first? This is where our
system of process modelling with cause-and-effect analysis (12)______ in. We can help any company make the best
decisions possible.
0 A premises B profits C firms D overheads
1 A places B parts C cases D ways
2 A line B side C figure D total
3 A end B cope C settle D deal
4 A cut B break C lessen D decline
5 A short B controlled C minor D limited
6 A prioritise B guess C control D list
7 A wanted B had C kept D set
8 A provide B offer C introduce D enhance
9 A condition B place C venue D environment
10 A take B pick C decide D select
11 A do B work C make D see
12 A walks B goes C comes D gets
Part 2: Fill in the gap with ONE suitable word.
MY PERFECT WEEKEND
Each week we ask a famous person to tell us about their ideal weekend. This weekend, it's the turn (0)___
actress, Laila Rouass.
(1)______ would I spend the perfect weekend? Well, on Sundays I like (2)______ better than to hang out in
Shoreditch around Brick Lane. When I was younger, I’d go there more or (3)______ every weekend with my
parents; we'd go to the market and have lunch from a food stall and it's still as crazy and quirky as it (4)_____ to be
when I was a kid. I always have (5)_____ good look around the bric-a-brac shops. I love the second-hand furniture
they sell though I (6)_____ ever actually buy anything.
I'm not (7)______ of those people who escape to the countryside at weekends. If we went anywhere, it would
(8)_____ to Morocco, where I spent a large part of my childhood. My parents are from there and I now own a farm
near Tangiers. I love it: it's so quick and easy (9)_____ get to - just a three-hour flight from London and a two-hour
time difference but as (10)______ as you step off the plane, you're in a different world. You're in Africa and
nowhere else has (11)_______ a lively café culture as there is in Morocco.
When I was younger, I'd go out clubbing every weekend (12)_____ I can't remember the last time I went
dancing. On the rare occasions that we do go out, it's usually to Home House, a club in London. I pined a few years
(13)_____ because I really like the atmosphere.

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 But more often than not I just don't feel (14)_____ going out. I've got a reputation for arranging things with my
girlfriends and (15)_______ sticking to them. They end up corning over to mine and watching a movie.
Part 3: Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
Staggering tasks confronted the people of the United States, North and South, when the Civil War ended.
About a million and a half soldiers from both sides had to be demobilized, readjusted to civilian life, and reabsorbed by
the devastated economy. Civil government also had to be put back on a peace time basis and interference from the
military had to be stopped.
The desperate plight of the South has eclipsed the fact that reconstruction had to be undertaken also in the
North, though less spectacularly. Industries had to adjust to peacetime conditions: factories had to be retooled for
civilian needs.
Financial problems loomed large in both the North and the South. The national debt had shot up from a
modest $65 million in 1861, the year the war started, to nearly $3 billion in 1865, the year the war ended. This was a
colossal sum for those days but one that a prudent government could pay. At the same time, war taxes had to be
reduced to less burdensome levels.
Physical devastation caused by invading armies, chiefly in the South and border states, had to be repaired .
This herculean task was ultimately completed, but with discouraging slowness.
Other important questions needed answering. What would be the future of the four million Black people who
were freed from slavery? On what basis were the Southern states to be brought back into the Union?
What of the Southern leaders, all of whom were liable to charges of treason? One of these leaders, Jefferson
Davis, president of the Southern Confederacy, was the subject of an insulting popular Northern song, "Hang Jeff Davis
from a Sour Apple Tree", and even children sang it. Davis was temporarily chained in his prison cell during the early
days of his two-year imprisonment. But he and the other Southern leaders were finally released, partly because it was
unlikely that a jury from Virginia, a Southern Confederate state, would convict them. All the leaders were finally
pardoned by President Johnson in 1868 in an effort to help reconstruction efforts precede with as little bitterness as
possible.
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. Wartime expenditures
B. Problems facing the United States after the war
C. Methods of repairing the damage caused by the war
D. The results of government efforts to revive the economy
2. The word "Staggering" is closest in meaning to ________.
A. specialized B. confusing C. various D. overwhelming
3. The word "devastated" is closest in meaning to ________.
A. developing B. ruined C. complicated D. fragile
4 According to the passage, which of the following statements about the damage in the South is
correct?
A. It was worse than in the North. B. The cost was less than expected.
C. It was centred in the border states. D. It was remedied rather quickly.
5. The passage refers to all of the following as necessary steps following the Civil War EXCEPT
________.
A. helping soldiers readjust B. restructuring industry
C. returning government to normal D. increasing taxes
6. The word "task" refers to ________.
A. raising the tax level B. sensible financial choices
C. wise decisions about former slaves D. reconstruction of damaged areas
7. Why does the author mention a popular song?
A. To give an example of a Northern attitude towards the South
B. To illustrate the Northern love of music
C. To emphasize the cultural differences between the North and the South
D. To compare the Northern and Southern presidents
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8. The word "them” refers to ________.
A. charges B. leaders C. days D. irons
9. Which of the following can be inferred from the phrase "...it was unlikely that a jury from Virginia, a
Southern Confederate state, would convict them"?
A. Virginians felt betrayed by Jefferson Davis.
B. A popular song insulted Virginia.
C. Virginians were loyal to their leaders.
D. All of the Virginia military leaders had been put in chains.
10. It can be inferred from the passage that President Johnson pardoned the Southern leaders in order
to ________.
A. raise money for the North
B. repair the physical damage in the South
C. prevent Northern leaders from punishing more Southerners
D. help the nation recover from the war
Part 4: Read the article about life-changing films. For questions 1-10, choose from the films (A_D).
The films may be chosen more than once.
Which of these films…
1 does the writer see rather differently now than at first?
2 manages to avoid one of the common pitfalls of its genre?
3 made the writer wish to lead a life like that of its main character?
4 depicts relationships resembling those the writer has experienced?
5 made the writer feel it had helped them to become an adult?
6 has influenced the writer's own mannerisms?
7 appealed to the writer because of the way it reflected her own life?
8 made someone change her plans for the future?
9 does the writer say she admires despite its flaws?
10 has strong contrasts in mood?
WHICH FILM CHANGED YOUR LIFE?
We asked four well-known women to tell us about the films that have had a significant impact on their
lives.
A. Les Enfants du Paradis.
Paula Rankin, the Oscar-winning actor, told us that her decision to try for a career on the stage was determined by
watching this ever-popular French film when she was a teenager. 'I had always enjoyed taking part in school drama
productions but had been planning to study law. Then my parents took me to see Les Enfants du Paradis, set in the
theatrical world of 19th-century Paris. Its romance and passion captivated me but it also made me realise that
people could devote their adult lives to the theatre. I suddenly knew that I wanted to be part of that world of art
and emotion. I can't say my life has in any way resembled that of the heroine of the film, as I perhaps hoped it
might, but I've certainly never regretted taking the path it turned me towards’
B. East of Eden
This was the film chosen by popular crime writer, Maria Cruikshank. 'It's certainly not the best film I've ever seen but
it had a huge impact on me. It's such a powerful story, based on John Steinbeck's novel about the warring
relationship between two brothers at the time of the American Civil War. I saw it when I was about 15 and I've
always felt as if that was the day I grew up. I became aware of how tragic life can be and somehow I felt as if, on
leaving the cinema, I had put childish things behind me forever. I must admit that when I see the film these days, it
feels rather sentimental. But, even so, the simple camerawork combined with what strikes me now as the innocence
of the acting still have the power to move me to tears’
C. The Women
This film was picked by comedian, Teresa Gordon. 'I've loved this film ever since I was 12. It's a 1939 film with an
entirely female cast. Even the pictures on the walls are of women. It's about a group of friends, one of whom
discovers her husband is having an affair. Some of the friends are sympathetic and supportive while others are
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simply gleeful at having something to talk about. It's hilarious but you can't laugh too much - you'd miss something
because it goes at such a fast pace. It's also very moving at times. It's taught me a lot about female friendships,
preparing me for the way in which our love for someone doesn't stop us gossiping about them. When I saw a video
of my own show the other day I realised I'd borrowed some of my gestures and turns of phrase from my favourite
characters in it’
D. Paper Moon
Film director, Amelia Forest, chose this 1970s classic. 'It's an adult film about a little girl in a grown-up world. As a
child, I didn't spend much time with other children. My mother used to take me to lots of movies and I saw Paper
Moon first when I was about ten. I felt as if it was speaking directly to me. I loved the tough tenderness in the
relationship between the girl and her con-man father. The story is set in the 1930s and many period films tend to
idealise the past. This one is clever enough not to do that. It shows how fear and hunger drove people to desperate
actions. Of course, I'd no idea when I first saw it that I’d have a career making films myself, but I'd love to feel that
one of my films might move and impress a ten-year-old as much as that one did me’

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