Reading 1: Two Creatures of The Past - Mammoths and Mastodons

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READING 1

Part 1.
TWO CREATURES OF THE PAST - MAMMOTHS AND MASTODONS
The elephant has some distant relatives called mammoths, which lived in the Stone
Age. More than 15,000 years ago people painted pictures of them on cave walls. Then,
astonishingly, in 1799, a man walking along the banks of the River Lena in Siberia (1)
_______ a starting discovery. Peering into a wall of ice, he could just see the shape of a
massive, hairy mammoth, apparently (2) _______ at him. He immediately ran away in
terror, but several days later he (3) _______ the courage to return and cut the mammoth’s
tusks - its two enormous teeth - out of the ice to sell them. Mammoth tusks are the
biggest teeth of any known creature, some (4) _______ a length of five meters. These tusks
were (5) _______ to good use, protecting the mammoths’ young from other animals, and
brushing away snow.
To most of us, mammoths are probably the most (6)_______ of the elephant’s extinct
relatives, but thousands of years earlier, in the woodlands of eastern North America,
lived another of the elephant’s relatives called the mastodon. Like mammoths,
mastodon may also have had a hairy coat, but while mammoths mainly ate grass on the
plains, mastodons (7) _______ to eat twigs and leaves.
We do not know why mastodons became extinct. However, computer studies of the
decrease in mammoth (8) _______ suggest that it was a particular (9) _______ of over-
hunting by humans, and changes in the climate at that time which (10)_______ to their
disappearance.
1. A. made B. took C. did D. had
2. A. watching out B. watching over C. looking after D. looking out
3. A. grew B. felt C. found D. experienced
4. A. increasing B. reaching C. expanding D. completing
5. A. put B. held C. set D. kept
6. A. usual B. frequent C. regular D. familiar
7. A. preferred B. enjoyed C. desired D. selected
8. A. quantities B. amounts C. totals D. numbers
9. A. combination B. addition C. attachment D. connection
10. A. guided B. caused C. led D. influenced

Part 2.
The human race is only one species of (11) _________ in the living world. Many other
species exist on this planet. However, human beings have a great influence on the rest of
the world. They are changing the environment (12) _________ building cities and villages
where forests once stood. They are affecting the water supply by using water for
industry and agriculture. They are changing weather conditions by cutting down trees
in the forests and are destroying the air by adding (13) ________ to it.
It can be said that human beings are changing the environment in all respects
through their actions and by their habits. This has (14) _________ in two serious
consequences. The (15) _________ is that many kinds of animals are killed. The second is
that the environment where these animals are living is being destroyed. As the result,
the number of (16) _________ animals is decreasing so rapidly that they are in danger of
becoming extinct.
In order to make sure that these rare animals do not disappear, (17) _________ have
been made to protect endangered nature. Scientists have made lists of these species and
suggested ways to save them. Many organizations have been set up and (18) _________
have been raised. Thousands of national parks all over the world have been established
to protect endangered animals. Laws have been introduced to prohibit (19) _________
endangered animals and destroying the environment where animals are living.
If people’s (20)_________with the environment decreases, more species will survive
and produce offspring. The earth will be a happy planet where human beings, animals
and plants peacefully co-exist.

Part 3.
TALKING RUBBISH
Reduce! Re-use! Recycle! The message hits Canadian consumers through all the media.
As newcomers from Sri Lanka, we compare the situation here with the one back home.
We may not be the most environmentally (21)________citizens in the world but,
compared with this, we do not have a rubbish problem - yet.
Like many shoppers in Colombo, my partner Shahid and I used to have a cane basket we
took along with us to the Sunday market or pola every week. No environmentalist could
have complained about it. You need a good strong basket at the pola. There are no
supermarket carts to push around. Most items - rice, flour, vegetables, fruit, biscuits, eggs -
are bought (22)________ or wrapped in newspaper. At (23)________ we would carry one
plastic bag separately. For eggs we took a reusable plastic tray with us.
When income (24)_________ are low, people need to buy in small quantities. It is quite
normal to ask for a 108 envelope, two eggs or 100 grams of sugar. The (25)________ is
that, for the most part, urban consumers in Sri Lanka cannot afford the luxury of waste.
Most people do not buy more from the grocers than they know they will actually
consume. They re-use whatever they can and are loath to discard bags, jars, tins or
boxes that can be (26)________to other uses.
But in recent years Western-style supermarkets have begun to spring up in Colombo.
They hold out the (27) ________of a clean, efficient, streamlined service to customers. A
(28) ________ of imported goods, dressed up in their layers of attractive, colourful (29)
________ beckons from the shelves. These are the (30) ________ products that demand your
attention on the TV advertisements. Along with them, Sri Lanka, like so many other
developing countries, may have imported a problem that once never existed.

21. A. qualified B. concerned C. worried D. experienced


22. A. free B. in pieces C. bit by bit D. loose
23. A. maximum B. most C. highest D. best
24. A. rates B. amounts C. sizes D. levels
25. A. point B. case C. example D. question
26. A. made B. set C. given D. put
27. A. promise B. advantage C. evidence D. sight
28. A. set B. range C. store D. band
29. A. packets B. packs C. packaging D. pecks
30. A. very B. just C. similar D. likely

Part 4.
VIETNAM TOURISM GUIDE
Vietnam is one of Southeast Asia’s most beautiful countries, attracting travellers to its
lush mountains, bustling cities and golden sand beaches. (31)_____ rapid modernisation
in Vietnam’s urban centres of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, time-honoured traditions
(32)_____ intact amongst the locals. There are numerous ancient landmarks and colonial
structures that have survived throughout the (33)_____ and scrapes of history.
Buddhist shrines can be found next to towering skyscrapers, (34)_____ you can
experience vibrant festivals and ceremonies dating back hundreds of years. Long, sandy
beaches are (35)_____ to luxurious resorts and fine-dining venues, making them ideal
romantic getaways, while expansive rice (36)_____ on the hills make for excellent hiking
excursions. (37)_____ you’re planning a historical tour of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, a
relaxing beach break or simply want to escape the bustling city life, our Vietnam travel
guide caters (38)_____ just about any holiday preference. If this is your first time to
Vietnam, getting to know the country’s many cultural issues, festivals, and customs
allows you to (39)_____ experience the local lifestyle as you get to enjoy vibrant
celebrations and religious (40)______ that you won’t find in other places. We’ve also
compiled other local information you may need during your travels to help you further
understand this unique country.

Part 5.
The issues for 41. ____________ economies are a little more straightforward. The desire to
build on undeveloped land is not 42.   ____________out of desperation or necessity, but is a
result of the relentless march of progress. Cheap labour and a relatively highly-skilled
workforce make these countries highly competitive and there is a flood of inward
investment, particularly from 43. ____________looking to take advantage of the low wages
before the cost and standard of living begin to rise. It is factors such as these that are
making many Asian economies extremely attractive when viewed as investment
opportunities at the moment. Similarly, in Africa, the relative 44. ____________of precious
metals and natural resources tends to attract a lot of 45. ____________ companies and a
whole sub-industry develops around and is completely dependent on this foreign-direct
investment. It is understandable that countries that are the focus of this sort of attention
can lose sight of the environmental implications of large-scale industrial development,
and this can have devastating consequences for the natural world. And it is a 46.
____________ cycle because the more industrially active a nation becomes, the greater the
demand for and harvesting of natural resources. For some, the environmental issues,
though they can hardly be ignored, are viewed as a 47. ____________ concern. Indeed,
having an environmental conscience or taking environmental matters into
consideration when it comes to decisions on whether or not to build rubber-tree
48. ____________  or grow biofuel crops would be quite 49. ____________ indeed. For those
involved in such schemes it is a pretty black-and-white issue. And, for vast 50.
____________of land in Latin America, for example, it is clear that the welfare of the
rainforests matters little to local government when vast sums of money can be made
from cultivating the land.
41. A.emerging B. emergent C. convergent D. resurgent
42. A.grown B. born C. bred D. arisen
43. A.multinationals B. migrants   C. continentals D. intercontinentals
44. A.premonition B. abundance   C. amplitude           D. accumulation
45. A.exploitation B. exploration C. surveyance D. research
46. A.vacuous B. viscous C. vexatious D. vicious
47. A.parallel B. extrinsic C. peripheral D. exponential
48. A.plantations B. homesteads C. ranches D. holdings
49. A.proscriptive B. prohibitive C. prospective D. imperative
50. A.regions B. plots C. tracts D. sectors
Part 1.
Despite the continued resilience of those early town perks, it wasn't until the
Depression that modern Hershey started to take (1) …………. Perhaps the only town
in the country actually to prosper during the 1930s, it thrived because Hershey
vowed his Utopia would never be on the (2) ………….. Instead he funded a massive
building boom that gave (3) …………. to the most visited buildings in today's Hershey
and delivered wages to more than 600 workers. He admitted that his (4) ………….
were partly selfish: "If I don't provide work for them, I’ll have to feed them. And since
building materials are now at their lowest cost levels, I'm going to build and give
them jobs." He seems to have spared no (5) ………….; most of the new buildings were
strikingly opulent. The first to be finished was the three-million-dollar limestone
Community Centre, home to the 1,904-seat Venetian-style Hershey Community
Theatre, which has played (6) …………. since 1933 to touring Broadway shows and to
music, dance, and opera performances. It offers just as much to look at when the
lights are on and the curtains closed. The floors in the aptly (7) …………. Grand Lobby
are polished Italian lava rock, surrounded by marble walls and capped with a bas-
relief ceiling showing (8) …………. of wheat, beehives, swans, and scenes from Roman
mythology. With dazzling inner foyer, Hershey (9) …………. his nose even harder at
the ravages of the Depression: The arched ceiling is tiled in gold, the fire curtain
bears a painting of Venice, and the ceiling is studded with 88 tiny lightbulbs to re-
create a star-(10) …………. night.

Part 2.
It only requires the completion of the reconstruction of the human genetic map for a
whole host of hereditary diseases to be (11) ________. Originally, it was forecast that
the venture would take until the beginning of the 21st century to be accomplished. At
present, it is clear that the task can be finished much earlier.
Hundreds of scholars have gone to (12) _________ to help unravel the mystery of the
human genetic structure with an ardent hope for (13) ________ mankind from
disorders such as cancer, cystic fibrosis or arthritis.
The progress in this incredible undertaking is (14) ________ by an accurate
interpretation of the information contained in the chromosomes forming the trillions
of the cells in the human body. Locating and characterizing every single gene may
sound an implausible assignment, but very considerable
(15) _________ has already been made. What we know by now is that the hereditary
code is assembled in DNA, some parts of which may be diseased and (16) _________ to
the uncontrollable transmission of the damaged code from parents to their children.
Whereas work at the completion of the human genom may last for a few years more,
notions like gene therapy or genetic engineering don't (17) _________ much
surprise any longer. Their potential application has already been (18) _________ in the
effective struggle against many viruses or in the genetic treatment of blood
disorders. The hopes are, then, that hundreds of maladies that humanity is (19)
_________ with at present might eventually cease to exist in the not too (20) ________
future.
11. A. terminated B. interfered C. eradicated D. disrupted
12. A. maximum B. utmost C. supreme D. extremes
13. A. liberating B. surviving C. insulating D. averting
14. A. dependent B. reliant C. qualified D. conditioned
15. A. headline B. heading C. headway D. headship
16. A. amiable B. conceivable C. evocative D. conducive
17. A. evoke B. institute C. discharge D. encourage
18. A. examined B. inquired C. accounted D. corroborated
19. A. aggravated B. teased C. persecuted D. plagued
20. A. far-away B. outlying C. distant D. imminent

Part 3.
ECOTOURISM
Snacking on green ants is (21) _________ everyone’s idea of the most delicious holiday
indulgence, but on a recent walk through the Daintree rainforest in Queensland,
Australia, Aboriginal guide Kirsty Norris assured a group of uncertain guests that the
traditional food source of her KukuYalanji tribe was (22) _______ a try. She (23) _______
have been right - but luckily for the native ants and the tourists, rain came streaming
down through the canopy, sending (24) _________ possible food scurrying for cover.
Connecting with nature isn’t a compulsory (25) _________ of a stay at an environmentally
friendly resort, but at the Daintree Eco Lodge, (26) _________ tree-house villas are set on
stilts above the compound’s waterfall-fed creek, many people find (27) ________ doing a
bit of communing while they relax.
(28) _________ ecotourism is increasing in popularity, recording heady growth
worldwide, it is still difficult to define. For some travellers, ecotourism means
eavesdropping (29) _________ nature from the comfort of a plush bed with a magnificent
view. For (30) _________, it’s about doing without hot showers and trekking across
wildernesses. However, industry watchers say the category’s basic tenet is minimal
environmental impact combined with some contribution to education and conservation.

Part 4.
THE CHANGING FACE PF BRITAIN
It seemed to the generation Britons alive before the Second World War that their way of
life would (31) _________.for many years to come. However, the war caused a (32)
_________ in British life that completely changed the (33) _________ What had been a fairly
(34) _________ society up to that point, with people sharing many basic beliefs and values,
underwent (35) _________ changes after the war. The (36) _________ was away from fixed
social roles and towards a more dynamic society. Britain began to (37) _________ into its
present form and many ideas that are accepted today, such as a large amount of
freedom for teenagers, were at the time (38) _________ and exciting. New and (39)
_________ music and fashion had a great influence on young people and he whole of
Britain become less (40) _________

31. a. sustain b. maintain c. last d. be


32. a. revolution b. revision c. rotation d. rejection
33. a. social statusb. status quo c. status symbol d. high status
34. a. uniform b. same c. similar d. identical
35. a. refined b. potential c. alternative d. radical
36. a reform b. trend c. fashion d. decay
37. a. refine b. progress c. substitute d. evolve
38. a. novel b. mature c. alternate d. steady
39. a. internal b. incoherent c. innate d. innovative
40. a. conservativeb. concerned c. convinced d. contained

Part 6.
Sugar tastes sweet because of thousands of receptors on the tongue which connect the
substance with the brain. The taste of sweetness is (41) _________ accepted as the most
pleasurable known although it is a fructose Abundant is the most common occurring
sugar, sources of which include fruit and honey. Sucrose which supplies glucose to  the
body, is (42) _________ from the sugar cane plant, and white sugar (pure sucrose) is used
by food technologists to (43) _________ sweetness in other substances. Approximately a
dozen artificial (44) _________ have been discovered; one of the earliest was Sorbitol from
France. Manufacturers (45) _________ large amounts of sugar to foodstuffs but never
more than the maximum (46) _________ to produce the optimum pleasurable taste.
Surprisingly, this (47) _________ is similar for different people and in different cultures.
No one has (48) _________ discovered a way to predict whether a substance will taste
sweet, and it was by (49) _________ alone that all the (50) _________ chemical sweeteners
were found to be sweet

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