READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-12 which are based on Reading Passage
1 below.
How we manage the land on Earth
Overpopulation, climate change, mass
migration, farming issues and the use of natural resources are all affecting
our relationship with terra firma, and it has never been more complicated. It
is increasingly looking like Earth’s land is being overlooked rather than
valued as precious resource.
For those living in Malé, the overcrowded
capital of the Maldives, there is no choice but to build upwards. Caged by the
sea, they have no more land to spread onto, yet the city’s population has
soared by nearly 52% since 2006. The last census in 2014 counted 158,000 people
crammed into the city’s 5.7 sq km of space, and officials say the figure has
since grown further.
Space is such a premium in Malé that pavements
are often less than one metre wide, forcing pedestrians to walk in single file,
while many streets have no sidewalk at all.
Malé, capital of the Maldives, is emblematic
of modern-day land issues: A small, increasingly urbanising space with a
skyrocketing population. Rents have risen exorbitantly and, in some of the
poorest areas, up to 40 people can be squeezed into buildings with just 23.2 sq
metres of space – about the same size as a small studio flat.
With so many people living under each other’s
feet, crime, drugs and domestic violence have risen alarmingly while the city
frequently runs out of water. An entirely new island has risen next door out of
the sea itself simply from the city’s garbage.
In the early 1990s the tallest buildings in
the city were only two storeys high, whereas now the average height is eight
storeys and some are as high as 25 storeys high. People are coming here because
this is where the health, education and jobs are, but overpopulation is leading
to many socioeconomic problems.
Although extreme, Malé is an example in
miniature of something that is happening on a far larger scale around the
world. With 83 million more people appearing on the planet every year, rising
populations are placing increasing pressure on the land.
The UN’s latest estimates state that there are
7.6 billion people jostling for space on Earth at present and that number will
rise to 9.8 billion by 2050. By the end of the century, their projections say
there could be 11.2 billion people on our planet.
With 83 million more people appearing on the
planet every year, rising populations are placing increasing pressure on the
land. Each of those people will need somewhere to live, a place to work and
fertile land to provide them with food. They will need water and energy to stay
warm or to light their way at night. They will want roads to drive on and
places to park. For the lucky ones, there will be space for their pastimes and
leisure activities.
At first, it can be easy to dismiss fears that
mankind may one day run out of space as ridiculous. Physically, the land can
easily accommodate 11 billion people – there are around 51.7million sq miles of
ice-free land on the planet.
But large tracts of land remain virtually
uninhabitable due to their climate or their remote location: Enormous tracts of
Siberia are too inhospitable to be lived upon, and the huge landmass at the
centre of Australia is too arid to support many people, meaning the majority of
its population is clustered along its coastline.
The cities and towns we live in account for
less than 3% of the Earth’s total land area, but between 35% and 40% is used
for agriculture. As populations grow, many fear that more h land will be used
up to grow more food. And land management has a lot to do with resource
management – what eat, how we grow it, and how we eat it.
To feed the world’s growing population, a
study by researchers at Stanford University estimated that between
10,400-18,900 sq miles of additional land will be required, and that there is a
reserve of 1.7 million sq miles thought to be suitable for growing crops left
in the world.
The researchers predicted that increasing
demand for food, biofuels, industrial forestry and the spread of urbanisation
will result in this reserve of land being completely used up by 2050.
The bad news is that the demand for new
cropland and pastures for animals is already thought to have caused 80% of the
deforestation taking place around the world today, wiping out large areas of
rich biodiversity and trees that act as natural sinks for greenhouse gases.
The way we use land right now is extremely
inefficient, so much of our land is being used to grow food for livestock – 75%
of the world’s agricultural land is used for feeding animals that we then eat
ourselves. About 40% of the food grown in the world is also never eaten by
anybody – it is thrown away.
Questions 1-4
Read the text and choose the correct
letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter on your answer sheet
for questions 1-4.
1 The height of most city buildings
are now measured to be at a general level of
A 25-storeys
B 2-storeys
C 8-storeys
D 40-storeys
2 The estimated spare land
available that is considered to be good for agricultural use, such as the
growing of vegetables is
A 51.7m sq miles
B 1.7m sq miles
C 10,000 sq miles
D 18,900 sq miles
3 The current population figure
produced by the United Nations for our planet is an estimated
A 11.2 billion
B 11 billion
C 7.6 billion
D 9.8 billion
4 The percentage figure for the
food we humans grow on Earth that is discarded as waste is approximately
A 75%
B 3%
C 52%
D 40%
Questions 5-8
Do the following statements agree with the
information given in the passage on the previous page?
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In boxes 5-8 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
5 From 2006 onwards, the rate of
city dwellers in the Maldivian capital has grown at just under 50%.
6 Walking single file is common on
the pavement due to the crowding.
7 Water shortages are an almost
every day occurrence in the city mentioned.
8 Large portions of the land on
Earth are completely unsuited for human occupation.
Questions 9-12
Complete the sentences below.
Write ONE OR TWO WORDS ONLY to complete the
sentences.
Write your answers in boxes 9-12 on
your answer sheet.
Almost 52 million sq km of land is available
to handle the more than 11 billion projected populations as it is classified as
being 9…………………
Whereas cities account for less than 5% of
land usage, just over a third of the land available on Earth is used for 10………………….
The loss of vast expanses of healthy forests
that act naturally to absorb 11………………….
A brand new piece of man-made
land has been formed besides the current city, jumping out from the sea itself,
made solely by using unwanted 12…………………
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 13-27 which are based on
Reading Passage 2 below.
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The monster ships that changed how we
travel
When the world’s then-largest ocean liner
embarked on its first transatlantic voyage in September 1907, thousands of
spectators gathered at the docks of Liverpool to watch. Cunard’s RMS Lusitania
had been outfitted with a new type of engine that differed from that of its
rivals – and it would go on to break the speed record for the fastest ocean
crossing not once, but twice.
Between 1850 and 1900, three British passenger
lines – Cunard, Inman and White Star -dominated transatlantic travel. Toward
the end of the century, as increasing numbers of emigrants sought passage to
the US and a growing class of Gilded Age travellers demanded speed and luxury,
corporate rivalry intensified. Pressure from other European lines forced the
British companies to add amenities like swimming pools and restaurants.
Not unlike today’s rivalries between, say,
aircraft manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing, each raced to make its ocean
liners the largest, fastest and most opulent. In the process, they launched the
modern age of leisure cruising – and developed innovations and technologies
that continue to be used on cruise ships today.
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In the mid-19th Century, there were two main
players. Inman’s inaugural steamship, launched in 1850, made it the first major
British line to replace traditional side-mounted paddlewheels with a screw
propeller – an apparatus with fixed blades turning on a central axis. With the
added speed and fuel efficiency this brought, plus a sleek iron hull that was
more durable than wood, Inman established itself as a company unafraid to try
new technology for faster crossings.
Inman’s main rival, Cunard, focused on safety
instead. The Cunard way was to let competitors introduce new-fangled technology
and let them deal with the setbacks, once that technology had proved itself,
only then would Cunard consider using it.
But Cunard risked being left behind both by
Inman and by a new rival which burst onto the scene in 1870 – the White Star
line’s splashy debut included five huge ocean liners, dubbed floating hotels.
Their flagship, RMS Oceanic, launched in 1871 and the contrast with Cunard was
stark, for example where Oceanic had bathtubs, Cunard offered a sink.
In 1888, Inman introduced ships which no
longer required auxiliary sails, giving ocean liners a similar look to the one
they have today.
Cunard, meanwhile, ventured into the new world
of telecommunications by installing the first Marconi wireless stations, which
allowed radio operators to transmit messages at sea, on its sister ships RMS Lucania
and RMS Campania. First-class passengers could even book European hotels by
wireless before reaching port.
In 1897, Germany entered the fray with the SS
Amerika, wowed its well-heeled guests by introducing the first à la carte
restaurant at sea: the Ritz-Carlton, brainchild of Paris hotelier Cesar Ritz
and renowned chef Auguste Escoffier. It allowed guests to order meals at their
leisure and dine with their friends rather than attend rigidly scheduled
seatings – a forerunner of the kind of freestyle dining seen on today’s cruise
ships.
To complicate matters, American banking tycoon
JP Morgan was buying up smaller companies to create a US-based
shipping-and-railroad monopoly. In 1901, White Star became his biggest
acquisition. Suddenly, the battles weren’t only in the boardrooms: building the
world’s top ocean liners was now a point of national pride.
With the help of a £2.6 million government
loan (equivalent to more than £261 million today), Britain’s Cunard line
launched the massive twins RMS Lusitania and RMS Mauretania. Both had the first
steam turbine engines of any superliner.
White Star fought back with RMS Olympic and
RMS Titanic that would feature double hulls and watertight bulkheads. With
standard reciprocating engines, they were slower than the Cunarders, but
surpassed them in size and elegance, even debuted the first indoor swimming
pools at sea.
History changed course when Titanic hit an
iceberg on 14 April 1912 and sank on her first transatlantic voyage. As a
result of the tragedy, safety regulations were updated to require lifeboat
berths for every passenger and 24-hour radio surveillance (rules which are
still in place).
But there were more challenges to come. World
War One broke out in 1914 and European governments requisitioned liners for war
service. Despite a post-war liner-building boom, US anti-immigration laws
reduced the number of transatlantic emigrants – the liners’ bread and butter –
in the 1920s.
In 1957, more people crossed the Atlantic by
ship than ever before, but by the following year, jet passengers outnumbered
them. Cunard said flying was a just fad, and that it was not a genuine concern.
Despite Cunard’s best efforts, by the late
1950s more people were flying than taking ships to their destinations. Air
travel and high operating costs doomed most transatlantic liners by the 1970s –
only Cunard’s RMS Queen Mary 2 makes regular transatlantic crossings now.
Questions 13-18
Label as true, false, or not given (T / F /
NG)
Do the following statements agree with the
information given in passage 2?
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Write your answers in the boxes for
questions 13-18 as:
TRUE
if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE
if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on
this
13 The competition between
modern day airline manufacturers is very much like the early days of ship
construction.
14 Inman was fearful of using the
latest available materials alongside progressive construction methods to cut
crossing times.
15 Following the invention of the
radio, second class guests could reserve rooms to stay in the cities they were
heading to from the ship they were on.
16 By borrowing a substantial amount
of money, a leading British company built a couple of huge identical ships with
the very first steam engine propulsion.
17 Crossing the Atlantic is done by
the one remaining cruise ship these days on a scheduled timetable.
18 A German company introduced fixed
and tightly controlled set-seating meal times on their newest ships.
Questions 19–23
Match letters A-C, to the
statements numbered below 19-23
Which company does each of the following
statements refer to?
19 Being acquired by a high-powered
financier meant that the proud thoughts of a nation were at stake.
20 Claiming air travel was a
short-term temporary fashionable form of travel not to be overly worried about.
21 Using alternate newer
technologies rendered older wind powered systems obsolete giving them the
modern-day look.
22 Patiently waiting for their
rivals to prove that new technologies and systems worked before implementing
them themselves.
23 Producing massive ocean going
vessels that gained them the nickname ‘hotels that float’.
A Cunard
B Inman
C White Star
Questions 24–27
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO TO THREE WORDS from the passage for each
answer.
It was a couple of times in the early 1900s
that the newest ship of the day broke the 24……………………
As European firms excelled, it forced the
U.K.-based companies to improve their ships and in particular to 25……………………
Due to a terrible disaster, new rules were put
in place after that we can see today are 26…………………….
It was often whole families in
the early part of the 20th Century, moving from Europe to America that was
known to the industry as their 27…………………….
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 28-40 which are based on
Reading Passage 3 below.
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A
When you get tired of typical sight-seeing,
when you have had enough of monuments, statues, and cathedrals, then think
outside the box. Read the four paragraphs below about the innovative types of
tourism emerging around the globe and discover ways to spice up your itinerary.
B
One could eat your way through your travels if
one wished. A comparatively new kind of tourism is gaining popularity across
the world. In this, food and beverages are the main factors that motivate a
person to travel to a particular destination. Combining food, drink and
culture, this type of travel provides for an authentic experience, the food and
restaurants reflecting the local and unique flavors of a particular region or
country. Studies conducted into this travel phenomenon have shown that food
plays, consciously or unconsciously, an important part in the vacations of a
good number of travelers. Those trying this are looking for a more
participatory style of holiday experience. Analysts have noticed a shift from
‘passive observation’ to ‘interaction and involvement’ in tourists, whereby the
visitor comes into close contact with locals and their way of life rather than
remaining a mere spectator.
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C
This is a novel approach to tourism in which
visitors do not visit the ordinary tourist attractions in traditional fashion.
Rather, they let their whims be their guides! Destinations are chosen not on
their standard touristic merit but on the basis of an idea or concept often
involving elements of humor, serendipity, and chance. One example is known as
Monopoly-travel. Participants armed with the local version of a Monopoly game
board explore a city at the whim of a dice roll, shuttling between elegant shopping
areas and the local water plant – with the occasional visit to jail.
Another example is Counter-travel, which
requires you to take snapshots with your back turned to landmarks like the
Eiffel Tower or Big Ben. Joël Henry, the French founder of Latourex, has
developed dozens of ideas since coming up with the concept in 1990. The
traveler must increase his or her receptiveness, in this way, no trip is ever
planned or predictable. Henry’s most unusual invention is known as “Erotravel”,
where a couple heads to the same town but travels there separately. The
challenge is to find one another abroad. He and his wife have engaged in the
pursuit in five cities and have managed to meet up every time.
D
This involves any crop-based or animal based
operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. It has recently
become widespread in America, and participants can choose from a wide range of
activities that include picking fruits and vegetables, riding horses, tasting
honey, learning about wine and cheese making, or shopping in farm gift shops
for local and regional products or handicrafts. For rural economies struggling
to stay afloat in this age of industrial farming, it has become an important
and marketable opportunity for improving the incomes and potential economic
viability of small farms and rural communities. In western North Carolina, the
organization ‘HandMade in America’ is using this method to develop their local
economy and craft trades, and to educate visitors about farming practices. On their
website, it is described as a niche market. As people are becoming more
interested in the ecological importance of local food production, related
projects reinforce the need to support local growers and allow visitors to
experience the relationship between food and our natural environment.
E
This is the trend of traveling to destinations
that are first seen in movies, for instance, touring London in a high-speed
boat like James Bond or visiting the stately homes that are seen in Jane Austin
films. The term was first coined in the US press in the New York Post by
journalist Gretchen Kelly, who wrote a 2007 article entitled “The sexiest film
locations from 2007 to visit now.”
Currently, summer blockbuster movies are being
used as themed marketing tools by companies like Expedia and Fandango, who are
promoting trips to where the Steven Spielberg film, Indiana Jones and the
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was made. Corporations as well as convention and
tourism boards are exploiting the trend, creating their own location based
travel maps, like the Elizabeth: The Golden Age movie map published by
VisitBritain, Britain’s official travel and tourism guide. Other travel
itineraries have been created by tourism boards for movies including The Da
Vinci Code (France), In Bruges (Belgium), and P.S. I Love You (Ireland).
Although a new concept, it’s fast becoming a major factor in the choices
travelers make in an increasingly tight economic climate. If a traveler has
seen a site in a major motion picture, its media exposure makes it a compelling
choice for a family vacation or honeymoon.
Questions 28-31
Reading Passage 3 has five sections, A–E.
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Choose the correct heading for sections B–E from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i–viii,
in boxes 28–31 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i
Experimental Tourism
ii
Cuisine Tourism
iii
Adventure Tourism
iv
Fashion Tourism
v
Photographic Travels
vi
Set-jetting.
vii
Agritourism.
viii
Introduction
ix
Capital Cities
Example:
Section A
viii
28 Section B
29 Section C
30 Section D
31 Section E
Questions 32–35
Look at the following statements
(Questions 32–35).
Read passage 3 and complete the sentences
using one word only from the text.
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Write the answers for questions 32-35 on
your answer sheet.
Putting together and enjoying culinary
delights ensures the trip is more 32……..……………
Moving quickly between more mundane public
service facilities and malls that are more 33…………………….
Film sets for hugely popular blockbuster
movies are attracting couples to go there for their 34…………………….
In the USA, visiting a strawberry picking
field or listening to lectures on producing good wine is becoming
increasingly 35…………………….
Questions 36-39
Label as true, false or not given (T / F / NG)
Do the following statements agree with the
information given in passage 2?
Write your answers in the boxes for
questions 36-39 as:
TRUE
if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE
if the
statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on
this
36 Enjoying good foods is the most
critical part of any good holiday for the majority of travellers.
37 Taking photos facing directly
opposite from and facing away from a popular tourist site is a need for
Counter-travel.
38 People are gaining appreciation
for the need to back those producing local grown vegetables and other crops.
39 The term for promoting travel
related to the film industry was first used in the British media.
Question 40
Read the text and choose the best match for
the underlined phrase in the text, from the three options, A-C.
For people who are bored of doing the usual
activities such as looking at the common tourist attractions, they need to
reconsider things from a different perspective. This means to think is a way
that is ………………….
A unique.
B new.
C creative.
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