MILESTONE PTE NAATI & IELTS

02 Reading PTE

Multiple-Choice: Single answer

Read the text and answer the question by selecting the correct response. Only one response is
correct.

01. Language is foremost not just because it came first. In its own right it is a tool of extraordinary
sophistication, yet based on an idea of ingenious simplicity: ‘this marvellous invention of composing out of
twenty-five or thirty sounds that infinite variety of expressions which, whilst having in themselves no
likeness to what is in our mind, allow us to disclose to others its whole secret, and to make known to
those who cannot penetrate it all that we imagine, and all the various stirrings of our soul’. This was how,
in 1660, the renowned French grammarians of the Port-Royal abbey near Versailles distilled the essence
of language, and no one since has celebrated more eloquently the magnitude of its achievement. Even
so, there is just one flaw in all these hymns of praise, for the homage to languages unique
accomplishment conceals a simple yet critical incongruity. Language is mankind’s greatest invention -
-except of course, that it was never invented. This apparent paradox is at the core of our fascination with
language, and it holds many of its secrets.

According to the text, which of the following is true?

A. Human beings might have achieved their present position without language.
B. The Port-Royal grammarians did justice to the nature of language.
C. A complex idea can be explained more clearly in a sentence than in a single word.
D. The Sumerians were responsible for starting the recording of events.

02. Cork - the thick bar of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber) is a remarkable material. It is tough, elastic,
buoyant, and fire-resistant, and suitable for a wide range of purposes. It has also been used for millennia:
the ancient Egyptians sealed then sarcophagi (stone coffins) with cork, while the ancient Greeks and
Romans used it for anything from beehives to sandals. And the cork oak itself is an extraordinary tree. Its
bark grows up to 20 cm in thickness, insulting the tree like a coat wrapped around the trunk and branches
and keeping the inside at a constant 20 degree celsius all year round. Developed most probably as a
defence against forest fires, the bark of the cork oak has a particular cellular structure - with about 40
million cells per cubic centimetre - that technology has never succeeded in replicating.

According to the text, which of the following is true?

A. The cork oak has the thickest bark of any living tree.
B. Cork bark should be stripped in dry atmospheric conditions.
C. The only way to remove the bark from cork oak trees is by hand.
D. Scientists didn’t fail to develop a synthetic cork with the same cellular structure as natural cork.

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03. ‘I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any subject’. That was the
founder's motto for Cornell University, and it seems an apt characterization of the different university, also
in the USA, where I currently teach philosophy. A student can prepare for a career in resort management,
engineering, interior design, accounting, music, law enforcement, you name it. But what would the
founders of these two institutions have thought of a course called ‘ Arson for profit’? I kid you not: we have
it on the books. Any undergraduates who have met the academic requirements can sign up for the course
in our program in ‘fire science’.

What can be the best title for the text?

A. A surprising course title

B. Different names for different outcomes.
C. Applying a theory in an unexpected context.
D. The possibility of attracting the wrong kind of student.

04. When the US explorer and academic Hiram Bingham arrived in SOuth America in 1911, he was ready
for what was to be the greatest achievement of his life: the exploration of the remote hinterland to the
west of Cusco, the old capital of the Inca empire in the Andes mountain of PEru. His goal was to locate
the remains of a city called Vitcos, the last capital of the Inca civilisation. Cusco lies on a high plateau at
an elevation of more than 3,000 metres, and Bingham’s plan was to descend from this plateau along the
valley of the Urubamba river, which takes a circuitous route down to the Amazon and passes through an
area of dramatic canyons and mountain ranges.

What can be the best title for the text?

A. Bingham publishes his theory

B. Bingham gains support
C. The aim of the trip
D. A common belief

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Re-order paragraphs

05.

A. To avoid such health risks, the trainer or coach needs to make sure that all aspects of a training plan are
specific to the sport or activity being trained for.

B. The body needs to be ‘overloaded' in some way. For example, to increase aerobic fitness, the
cardiorespiratory system must be made to work harder than it is used to.

C. Training sessions form an integral part of any serious attempt to improve fitness levels. There are several
key principles a personal trainer or coach considers when planning such sessions.

D. This specificity ensures that training maximizes performance safely. Each individual responds differently,
so the challenge is to create the right training load to meet each person's needs.

E. It is essential to apply the overload in a steady progression. In other words, an athlete should not do too
much too soon. That could be dangerous to health.

06.

A. The disparity in career progression becomes obvious further on, with a tiny proportion of women in senior
positions. It is not surprising that women have rejected this industry in the face of such rampant inequality.

B. However, recent figures suggest an alternative explanation, five years into their careers and before
starting a famiíly, female architects and engineers receive a lower salary than their male counterparts.

C. Experts often blame caregivers and careers advisers for discouraging women from considering this as
their industry of choice, and equally the women themselves who decide to leave it after having children.

D. The worst gender balance in the UK is seen in the construction and building trade. Less than I per cent of
the 800,000 employees are female.

E. In spite of sustained efforts to improve the situation, and a lot of research, attempts to encourage more
women to consider careers in construction just haven't worked.

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Reading: Fill in the blanks

In the text below some words are missing. Drag words from the box below to the appropriate place
in the text. To undo an answer choice, drag the word back to the box below the text.

07. Cape Town has (A)_________ a three-year drought. Winter rains have repeatedly (B)_________ and
reservoir levels have dropped dangerously low. The city is now facing the prospect of having to turn its
taps off in order to (C)_________ remaining water supplies: officials may be (D)_________ to cut off the
normal water supply to three out of four homes. If that happens, families will need to (E)_________ at
water collection points across the city.

supported failed conserve forced queue endured deserted suffer

08. The Post is a (A)_________ Steven Spielberg drama about the White House's war on the freedom of
the press. It is 1971, and the Washington Post decides to publish parts of the Pentagon Papers, a huge
(B)_________ report that describes America's (C)________ in Southeast Asia after World War II
Spielberg turns that decision into a gripping (D)_________ about journalistic expression and one
woman's battle to defend that (E)_________.

classified secrecy thriller brilliant minor involvement hesitant liberty

09. The box jellyfish has earned the reputation of being the most (A)_________ animal on Earth. The
venom in its tentacles can kill prey in seconds by (B)_________ the heart, nervous system and skin cells.
The box jellyfish's sting is so (C)_________ that some human victims go into shock immediately and die
of heart failure before help arrives. Survivors often go through (D)_________ discomfort for weeks after,
and carry significant (E)_________ where the tentacles make contact.

fighting considerable attacking scarring poisonous painful fatal ferocious

10. Coffee is a hugely popular drink worldwide. It is also one of the world's primary (A)_________,
generating an estimated value of over $173 billion per year, and it is responsible for providing
(B)_________ to millions. In spite of this, coffee (C)_________ remain some of the most disadvantaged
people in the world. This is partially caused by the fact that the coffee itself (D)_________ for only 5 per
cent of the price of a cup in a café.

livelihoods accounts commodities enterprises growers trades employs

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Reading & Writing: Fill in the blanks

Below is a text with blanks. Click on each blank; a list of choices will appear. Select the appropriate
choice for each blank.

11. It is easier to understand a foreign language than to

speak it, and this is true for most people. (A)_________ say A. Physicists/Linguists/Scientists/Surgeons
that this is because the cognitive energy we use to produce
language is far more intense than the energy we use to B. concept/example/rationale/evidence
understand it. An important (B)_________ to help
understand this is the 'activation threshold hypothesis'. This
C. recognized/is recognized/recognizes/is
hypothesis states that every time a word (C)_________, the
recognizing
brain requires fewer and fewer neural impulses to access it.
The cognitive energy needed to identify a word gradually D. unusually/Similarly/Naturally/Conversely
decreases. (D)_________, the energy needed to retrieve the
meaning of a word not heard or read very often is much E. than/to/from/that
higher. Producing a word is more difficult (E)_________
recognizing one, since this is not about responding to an
external stimulus.

12. A commonly (A)_________ claim about social media A. to make/making/is made/made

platforms like Twitter or Facebook is that everyone who is on
them turns into a journalist, not only reporting news as B. read/witness/share/testify
they(B)_________ it, but also being able to broadcast what
they see on an equal footing with traditional media."
(C)_________, this is far from the truth. As is obvious from C. nevertheless/Although/However/Despite
reports of fake news, differentiating between an authentic
report (D)_________ from a trustworthy source and a D. beginning/originating/producing/initiating
cooked-up or fake one is extremely difficult. For example,
how can you tell if a photo supposedly showing street
protestors in London has (E)_________ been taken at the E. factually/materially/obviously/actually
time it claims? It could be from a completely different
location, context and time altogether.

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13. Advertising is as central to business as it ever was, and

an effective advertising campaign can still be an excellent
(A)_________ for success. Especially in the online age, a
A. recipe/ingredient/procedure/indicator
company's first and most important step is to determine the
audience it wants to reach. The increasing popularity of
advertising on social media is no doubt a reflection of the
fact that such ads are highly targeted to customers.
B. led/was leading/has led/is being led
Data-capturing technology (B)_________ to a much greater
understanding of consumer behaviour, and this results in
more (C)_________ targeting. Being able to better target C. affective/effective/creative/addictive
selected audiences partly explains the move away from
D. systems/shapes/structures/forms
traditional (D)_________ of advertising such as TV,
newspaper, radio and billboards. Another reason is cost:
online advertising is much cheaper. In today's age of start-up
companies, why spend a (E)_________ amount of capital E. widespread/substantial/heavy/marginal
on expensive, traditional advertising?

14. A force is (A)_________ as any interaction that impacts A. stated/expressed/measured/defined

the motion of an object. Gravity is one of the four
B. that/who/by which/whom
fundamental forces (B)_________ govern the universe. The
others are electromagnetism and the strong and weak
nuclear forces. Together, these four forces underlie all C. discuss/order/dictate/pronounce
physics and (C)_________ how and why everything in the
universe interacts—from vast galaxies to inner atomic
bonds. Gravity is the one fundamental force that we D. have known/knew/know/are knowing
(D)_________ about for hundreds of years; (E)_________,
E.
however, have not yet succeeded in creating a single theory
psychologists/physicists/physiologists/psych
that links gravity to the other three forces. We still do not iatrists
have what is called the 'theory of everything'.

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15. Peanuts are loved all over the world. (A)_________ A. Previously/Ultimately/Originally/Definitely
South American, the plant travelled to Europe and then on to
Asia and Africa. But this beloved crop also causes sickness.
Aflatoxins, a cancer-causing fungus, grow on many peanut
crops. Research and public health experts believe that up to
500 million poor people currently living in Latin America,
B. are/are being/were/are to be
sub-Saharan Africa and Asia (B)_________ gradually C. hazard/discovery/exposure/contact
poisoned by long-term (C)_________ to aflatoxins. This D.
weakens the immune system and slows child (D)_________. expansion/enlargement/advancement/develo
pment
The fungus is also linked to acute liver damage and death.
Aflatoxin poisoning in India and Kenya, (E)_________ rare, E. while/yet/unless/since
has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people in the past.

Answer Key: https://bit.ly/2ErJ03U

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