Undergraduate 2010

I Read the following passage and choose the best answer to each question.

A new study has found that it may be possible to train people to be more intelligent,
increasing the brainpower they had at birth.
Until now, it had been widely assumed that the kind of mental ability that allows us to
solve new problems without having any relevant previous experience — what psychologists
call fluid intelligence — is innate and cannot be taught (though people can raise their grades on
tests of it by practicing).
But in the new study, researchers describe a method for improving this skill, along with
experiments to prove it works.
The key, researchers found, was carefully structured training in working memory — the
kind that allows memorization of a telephone number just long enough to dial it. This type of
memory is closely related to fluid intelligence, according to background information in the
article, and appears to rely on the same brain circuitry. So the researchers reasoned that
improving it might lead to improvements in fluid intelligence.
First, they measured the fluid intelligence of four groups of volunteers using standard tests.
Then they trained each in a complicated memory task, an elaborate variation on Concentration,
the child's card game, in which they memorized simultaneously presented auditory and visual
stimuli that they had to recall later.
The game was set up so that as the participants succeeded, the tasks became harder, and as
they failed, the tasks became easier. This assured a high level of difficulty, adjusted
individually for each participant, but not so high as to destroy motivation to keep working. The
four groups underwent a half-hour of training daily for 8, 12, 17 and 19 days, respectively. At
the end of each training, researchers tested the participants' fluid intelligence again. To make
sure they were not just improving their test-taking skills, the researchers compared them with
control groups that took the tests without the training.
The results, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, were
striking. Although the control groups also made gains, presumably because they had practice
with the fluid intelligence tests, improvement in the trained groups was substantially greater.
Moreover, the longer they trained, the higher their scores were. All performers, from the
weakest to the strongest, showed significant improvement.
"Intelligence has always been considered principally an immutable inherited trait," said
Susanne M. Jaeggi, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at the University of Michigan and a
co-author of the paper. "Our results show you can increase your intelligence with appropriate
training."
Why did the training work? The authors suggest several aspects of the exercise relevant to
solving new problems: ignoring irrelevant items, monitoring ongoing performance, managing
two tasks simultaneously and connecting related items to one another in space and time.
No one knows how long the gains will last after training stops, Dr. Jaeggi said, and the
experiment's design did not allow the researchers to determine whether more training would
continue to produce further gains.
1. What is the purpose of the new study?
(A) To find whether memory training will enhance the people's brainpower.
(B) To find why memory training is popular among children.
(C) To find when people's brainpower will decline,
(D) To find how many telephone numbers people can memorize in four minutes.
2. What has fluid intelligence been widely considered?
(A) It has been widely considered a kind of intellectual power that cannot be acquired and
taught.
(B) It has been widely considered a kind of artificial power that can be trained by
resourceful teachers.
(C) It has been widely considered a kind of bodily power that cannot be activated by a lot
of practice.
(D) It has been widely considered a kind of creative power that can be caused by
changeable experience.

3. What did the participants NOT do in the experiment?

(A) They didn't carry out elaborate memory task.
(B) They didn't learn various stimuli by heart in the child's card game.
(C) They didn't recall memorized stimuli.
(D) They didn't call the participants' names.

4. What group was prepared in addition to four groups of the participants in the experiment?
(A) A group in which only the same child's card game was played every day.
(B) A group which consists of only successful participants.
(C) A group which consists of psychologists and researchers.
(D) A group in which the training was never conducted.

5. Which group showed the highest score in the experiment?

(A) A group which underwent a half-hour of training daily for 8 days.
(B) A group which underwent a half-hour of training daily for 12 days.
(C) A group which underwent a half-hour of training daily for 17 days.
(D) A group which underwent a half-hour of training daily for 19 days.

6. What can be said based on the results of the experiment?

(A) Children should play cards more often.
(B) Our brainpower is unchangeable.
(C) Our intelligence can be developed with appropriate training.
(D) The good influence on our brain will last forever after training stops.

7. Who is Susanne M. Jaeggi?

(A) A volunteer for the experiment.
(B) A publisher in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
(C) A psychologist at the University of Michigan.
(D) An experiment advisor.

II Read the following passage and choose the best answer to each question.

People who struggle with clutter sometimes have a deep-rooted need for volume in their
lives. If this is you, you like to surround yourself with lots of stuff. You are among the
collectors of the world. You buy items in bulk, cook in bulk, save treasures in bulk. Nothing
you do is small or stark. You may enjoy visiting people who live in spare environments, but
the idea of living like that starts your stomach turning. You keep a lot of everything, and the
idea of getting rid of anything fills you with anxiety and dread. You may associate volume
with a sense of fullness, comfort, security, and identity. Your need for abundance can evolve
from a childhood of deprivation* or emptiness where you never had enough food, clothing,
toys, or most important, love and companionship.
Interestingly, even if you didn't grow up suffering from scarcity yourself, you may have
"inherited" a need for abundance from someone who did. Perhaps your parents or grandparents
lived through the Great Depression and World War II when shortages were commonplace.
Perhaps they're immigrants from a less developed country or survivors of some traumatic
life-and-death experience such as the Holocaust. If so, you may have picked up some of their
habits developed from their experiences—e.g., always being prepared for shortages, and
"pack-ratting" against future privation.
No matter where this need for abundance comes from, the key is to work with and build
around it, rather than fight against it. There is nothing wrong with living your life surrounded
by volume, as long as you possess sufficient organizing skills to keep everything accessible
and orderly. Otherwise, you will wind up drowning in clutter, surrounded by stuff that you
have no access to, and feeling badly about yourself.
Carrie was a perfect example. Her kitchen and dining rooms were filled with craft
supplies scattered everywhere—in bags and baskets, in corners, on counters and in cupboards
mixed in with papers and other household belongings. She had enough to open her own store.
She had grown up in a large household where money was always scarce, and attention
even scarcer. Her parents both worked and, with seven other kids to care for, seldom gave her
much one-on-one attention. She grew up feeling lonely and neglected; one of the ways she
used to occupy her thoughts and entertain herself was doing arts and crafts.
As an adult, she was committed to spending more time with her own kids than her
parents had with her. The centerpiece activity of the time she spent with her children was arts
and crafts, and the massive collection of materials represented a volume of comfort and
companionship she never experienced as a child.
Recognizing her need for abundance, I surprised her by suggesting that for now we
focus on consolidating and organizing what she owned, not reducing the quantity. She was
quite relieved. We devoted an entire closet to her supplies, lining the shelves with attractively
labeled containers that gave her access to everything she had collected over the years. Creating
this "Arts & Crafts Center" was a way of celebrating Carrie's need for abundance, rather than
criticizing it. For the first time she felt good about the volume she had amassed instead of
ashamed of it. And with everything now accessible, she and her kids were able to make use of
most of it. Ironically, once everything was consolidated, it became much easier for Carrie to
part with those items that went unused.
If you have a need for abundance, it is often better to organize what you have rather
than try to force yourself to throw stuff out. Once things are organized, it may be easier for you
to see what is excessive, and part with it bit by bit. Just don't expect yourself to become a
minimalist overnight.

(Note) *deprivation: a lack of something you need or want

8. According to the passage, some people need volume because

(A) they are used to having many items inherited from their parents or grandparents.
(B) they are immigrants and need various things from their home countries.
(C) they feel that having lots of things shows they are successful and makes them
confident.
(D) they are compensating for the lack of emotional fulfillment by keeping many things.

9. According to the passage, which one of the following is NOT an accurate statement about
the characteristics of people who need volume in their lives?
(A) They feel anxious if they have to get rid of things they own.
(B) They have a direct experience in suffering from scarcity.
(C) They do not have problems with people who live in a spare environment.
(D) They like buying in bulk and having many things around them.
10. Carrie grew up
(A) with abundance and clutter. (B) with one-on-one attention.
(C) with a large loving family. (D) with a sense of abandonment.

11. When she was first getting organized with the author's help, Carrie assumed that
(A) she would be criticized for wasting money on arts and crafts.
(B) she would be asked to talk about her childhood.
(C) she would be able to understand why she needed abundance.
(D) she would be forced to throw away a lot of things.

12. In getting organized, Carrie

(A) needed to buy an entirely new closet to organize all her possessions.
(B) gathered what she collected over the years in one place.
(C) parted with as many things as possible to minimize excessive items.
(D) celebrated her arts and crafts before throwing them away bit by bit.

13. The author says it was ironical that

(A) Carrie was committed to spending more time with her own kids even though her parents
were not attentive to her.
(B) Carrie was able to throw things away better after she consolidated her possessions.
(C) Carrie was able to celebrate her arts and crafts despite the criticisms she received over the
years.
(D)Carrie was able to feel good about herself even though she needed help in getting
organized.

14. According to the passage, which one of the following is an accurate statement about some
people's need for abundance?
(A) There are various reasons for why people feel the need to keep a lot of things.
(B) No matter what the causes are for the need of abundance, you must clean up the clutter
first.
(C) It is best to cure your desire for volume by consulting a psychologist.
(D) The deep-rooted reasons wanting for volume are essentially the same for everyone.

15. According to the author, what is most important in getting organized?

(A) Trying to throw away as many things as possible.
(B) Taking time to get rid of many excessive items instead of rushing it.
(C) Identifying the causes of clutter to find the effective solution that suits you.
(D) Finding out your family history to cope with your struggle for clutter better.

III Choose the most appropriate phrase from 1-10 to complete the story.

What an awful world we live in! ( 16 ) . It's probably true that human beings have always
felt this way. But when the person who said, "What an awful world we live in," is a ten-year
old boy, it is a different matter altogether. The boy's name is Kenichi, but everyone calls him
Ken-chan.
"Ken-chan, what are you mumbling about?"
"Hi, Yakko."
Her name is Yasuko. For a ten-year-old, she is a little more grown-up than Kenichi. She sat
down next to Kenichi on the grass.
"Why does everyone have to give presents?"
When Kenichi said this, Yasuko exclaimed, "I know what it is! ( 17 ) because you didn't get
any Valentine's Day chocolate."
"Dummy.( 18 )
"Huh? I did? I gave so many, I forgot."
"How could you forget something like that? Anyway, it's not that. It's my birthday. ( 19 ).
"Really? And you're worrying about what you're going to ask for? I wish I had that
problem!"
" ( 20 ) ," said Kenichi, frowning.
"I guess not. You don't look like you're worrying about that."
"Actually, it's our family finances. ( 21 ) , I know because I heard Mom and Dad
whispering about it late at night."
"Really? But isn't your dad president of a company?"
"It's a very small company. And it's in trouble."
"Is it going bankrupt?" "Hey, don't say that word. But, yeah, it's pretty bad."
“ 22 ,” Yasuko nodded in sympathy.
"But what does that have to do with your birthday?"
"My mom and dad asked me what I wanted for a present. Actually, I don't want anything in
particular, but I guess my parents think it wouldn't be good not to give me anything at all."
Even at school these days, someone would say, " ( 23 ) ." Then someone else would
be sure to ask, "What did you get?" It would be pretty hard to say, "We don't have any money,
so I didn't get anything." Kenichi's parents were well aware of this. "Why don't you ask for
something inexpensive?" Yasuko asked.
" ( 24 ) ."
"You can't?"
"If I said something like that, they'd know I had overheard their conversation. They're
always saying, 'No matter what, let's keep it a secret from Kenichi.'"
" ( 25 ) "
"Sometimes I think I would be a good son if I pretended I didn't know anything and asked
for a present. But then I get confused because I know there's no money."

(1) You gave me some (2) We're in bad shape

(3) You're angry (4) It's coming up soon
(5) They sound like great parents (6) This is a feeling most adults have
(7) That's too bad (8) Today is so-and-so's birthday
(9) That's not it, either (10) I thought of that
Undergraduate 2010

IV Choose the most suitable word or phrase from the list to fill each of the blanks below.

(l) I was advised to arrange for insurance ( 26 ) I needed medical treatment while I was abroad
on vacation.
1. so 2. after 3. in case 4. although
(2) She was made ( 27 ) the room as punishment.
1. to clean 2. clean 3. be cleaned 4. cleaning
(3) Unfortunately, few people ( 28 ) the party last night.
1. attended 2. presented 3. arrived 4. appeared
(4) He managed to get into a highly ( 29 ) university.
1. qualitative 2. competitive 3. preserved 4. evaluative
(5) I went to a Japanese restaurant with my co-workers, but I didn't enjoy it. I'd prefer ( 30 )
at home.
1. to eat 2. eat 3. to have eaten 4. have eaten
(6) The music at the party was very loud and ( 31 ) from far away.
1. could hear 2. could be heard 3. can hear 4. is heard
(7) When he came to Japan 20 years ago, he had no ( 32 ) that he was going to end up
living in Japan for so long.
1. choice 2. reason 3. matter 4. idea
(8) ( 33 ) being diagnosed with cancer, he did not give up his dream.
1. Instead of 2. Although 3. Because of 4. Despite
(9) We should get there immediately. The free gifts are given on the "( 34 )" basis.
1. What goes around, comes around 2. No pain, no gain
3. Easy come, easy go 4. First come, first served
(10) George has gone to work in Japan. At first, his Japanese wasn't very good, but now it (35).
1. improves 2. improved 3. is improving 4. is improved

V Complete each of the following passages by filling in the blanks, using all the words
given below. Mark only the numbers of the word or words that should come in the third
and fifth places in the expression.
(1) A: Did you vote in the last election, Bob?
B: No, I didn't.
A: Why not?
B: It ________ ________ ( 36 ) _________ ( 37 ) .
1. worth 2. the trouble 3. seem 4. just 5. didn't

(2) A: John, I thought the report was due on Friday.

B: It was postponed till the next Monday.
A: We should probably write it up today anyway.
B: Sure, I'll _______ _______ ( 38 ) _____ ( 39 ) sending this e-mail.
1. get to 2. I 3. it 4. finish 5. as soon as

(3) A: Congratulations, Mr. Jackson. You have just won a special award.
B: Thank you very much.
A: How do you feel now?
B: It's ______ _______ ( 40 ) _____ ( 41 ) . Today is the best day of my life.
1. prestigious 2. to receive 3. such a 4. award 5. an honor
(4) A: Kathy, you've got a brand-new camera!
B: Actually, I got it off the internet auction.
A: Wasn't it expensive?
B: Yeah, but I saw the same camera
1. for 2. twice 3. at 4. a local store 5. as much

(5) A: Why didn't Ann answer my phone last night? I'm sure she was in the house at the time.
B: She may have gone to bed early _______ _______ ( 44 ) ________ ( 45 )
her history assignment the night before.

1. she 2. because 3. working 4. had been busy 5. on

VI Choose the word from below that has the closest meaning with each of the underlined
word.

The commercialization of Christmas as the time to decorate and give gifts has made this
pre-Christmas season very busy. Although Christmas is the time when the birth of Jesus, the
Christ, is celebrated, we are not certain ( 46 ) of the day or the month or the year of his
birth. It was about 200 years after Jesus was born that December 25 was chosen as the day to
commemorate ( 47 ) his birth. The reason for choosing that day is not related to scholarly
( 48 ) research. Rather it was the result of the Church's attempt ( 49 ) to take
advantage of the elaborate ( 50 ) celebration of a Roman god.

1. academic 2. commercialize 3. ignorant 4. effort 5. sure

6. Decorative 7. ever-lasting 8. celebrate 9. Holy 10. advice