MOCK TEST 2

LISTENING
Part 1. For questions 1-5, listen to five short extracts in which people are talking about
television programme. Choose from the list (A-H) the main reason why each speaker watches
the programme and write the correct letter in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
A to appreciate nature at its best
B to spy on a secret environment
C to catch a glimpse of life in a different era
D to witness the dark side of people
E to observe those experiencing difficulties
F to see the information unabridged
G to learn about conservation
H to marvel at a perceptive nature
Speaker 1
Speaker 2
Speaker 3
Speaker 4
Speaker 5
Your answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Part 2. For questions 6-10, listen to a talk about the world in 20 years' time and answer the
questions. Write NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS taken from the recording for each answer in
the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
6. What is the stimulant behind Africa’s economic boom?
7. What will become heavily dependent on AI in Europe?
8. What have fossil fuels been labelled as in the Middle East?
9. What will stand in lieu of oil disputes in the future?
10. What will citizens across the globe become in order to fight cyber threat?
Your answers
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 3. For questions 11-15, listen to part of a radio interview with two academics, Anne
Trowell and Jonathan Sims, on internet technology and choose the answer (A, B, C or D)
which fits best according to what you hear. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes provided.
11 Anne and Jonathan agree that people become anxious when technology
A begins to control their children’s lives.
B establishes unsustainable connections.
C forces a redefinition of social relations.
D introduces feelings of inadequacy.

12 What point is made about changes in our relationship with technology?

A The changes will require creative thinking.
B Technology will have to be more tightly controlled.
C People must learn to trust technology.
D The changes will involve more attention to detail.

13 When talking about internet search engines, the speakers agree that
A they are improving social interaction.
B much information is oversimplified.
C they sometimes lead to confusion.
D basic knowledge is widely available.

14 How does Jonathan define the problem of increased connectivity between people?
A It facilitates the communication of false emotion.
B It decreases the likelihood of agreement.
C It allows only a few people to compete for attention.
D It makes human interaction dependent on machines.

15 What does Anne find striking about international news in the digital age?
A the limited focus of the public
B the diversity of the media used
C the risks involved in reporting
D the need for sensitivity in editing
Your answers
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Part 4. For questions 16-25, listen to a talk about how pandemics are linked to climate change
and supply the blanks with the missing information. Write NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS
taken from the recording for each answer in the space provided.
The prevailing catastrophe is considered an (16) ______________________ with the outbreak of a
nightmarish novel virus which has a tremendous level of (17) ______________________. Humanity
has already witnessed the contribution that climate change has made to the rising likelihood of
pandemics such as Zika, Ebola, SARS and recently, Covid-19. By forcing wild animals to (18)
______________________ and move nearer to human due to loss of habitat and inappropriate
temperature, climate change has cleared the way for diseases to spread from these animals to our
community. Deforestation for (19) ______________________, in fact, is the major culprit of so
serious a situation. In addition, air pollution carries an alarming risk for (20)
______________________, which accounts for high lethality level among respiratory diseases like
Covid-19. The immense population density in cosmopolitan areas worldwide also means frequent
human-to-human contacts that ,in turn, increases the peril of (21) ______________________.
Another drive behind the pandemic is civil aviation. The fact that only Chinese passengers were (22)
______________________ for coronavirus initially, for instance, caused other infected travellers to
(23) ______________________ nationwide. To protect our planet from both the (24)
______________________ of climate disruption and Covid-19, it’s high time urgent action was taken.
However, dangers can be expected from the pathogens as we necessarily remove (25)
______________________ of life on our planet.
LEXICO-GRAMMAR
Part 1: For questions 1-15, choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D to each of the following
questions and write your answer in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
1. Reporters often investigate the lives of celebrities simply on the _______ that they might discover
something scandalous.
A. upshot B. up-chance C. off-chance D. off-shot
2. As a result of washing the jeans in very hot water, they had ______ to a child’s size.
A. faded B. shrunk C. reduced D. dwindled
3. Far from finding the job too demanding, she seems to ______ the challenge it presents.
A. relish B. savour C. cherish D. luxuriate
4. He still suffers from occasional bouts of a rare tropical disease which he ______ while on military
service in Borneo.
A. gained B. infected C. incurred D. contracted
5. You look __________ ; what’s wrong with you ?
A. castdown B. downcast C. downpour D. downcrash
6. This company needs ______ executives, men and women who are capable of taking on a variety
of roles, of multitasking of being polyvalent.
A. versatile B. changeable C. variable D. diverse
7. Since placing an advertisement in the local paper, we‘ve been ______ with applications for
the post.
A. swamped B. bogged C. drowned D. drenched
8. I ______ the interview by saying all the wrong things.
A. bungled B. jumbled C. stumbled D. bumbled
9. He shouts a lot, but as Shakespeare said: “ Much _________ about nothing”
A. ado B. adding C. done D. noise
10. I gave them ______ time to make a decision.
A. spacious B. lavish C. extensive D. ample
11. Her teaching method discourages simple ________ of the information in the textbook.
A. regulation B. reclamation C. reparation D. regurgitation
12. The measure protects workers from ________ employers.
A. excruciating B. exploitative C. exclusive D. excessive
13. The government has given police further powers, ________ the recent rise in crime.
A. in answer to B. in line with C. in bulk D. in view of
14. If children see parents drinking and smoking, they are more likely to follow ________, particularly
if they see you using alcohol as a prop.
A. cause B. suit C. example D. action
15. And the questions he asked! He really gave me the ________ degree.
A. second B. sixth C. third D. seventh

YOUR ANSWERS:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
Part 2: For questions 1- 5, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of
some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line.

1. I really believe that it would be a major mistake to _____ (crime) any drugs that is currently illegal.
2. There's so much fighting between rival groups that the country has become practically _______
(govern)
3. He wanted to go out with her, but all he got was a ____________ (brush)
4. They always wanted to get rid of him; they don’t like him being part of their circle of friends. They
treated him as an (cast)__________
5. Mr. Jones had a ________ (show) with the manager which resulted in his resignation.

YOUR ANSWERS:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

READING (5 pts)
Part 1: For questions 1- 10, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap.
Use only ONE word in each space.

Control Your Body

Self-control of a remarkable kind is being (1)________ by doctors in Topeka, Kansas. Dr. Elmar
Green and his wife Alice, both psychologists, set (2)_____ in 1964 to discover what a person could do
to change his or her (3)________ physiological state. The method they employed is autogenic training
(i.e. a process that takes place at a conscious (4) ________). The doctors launched a two-week
training programme with 33 housewives, whose first lesson was to warm their hands at (5)__ ______.
With practice they mastered an increase of up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, (6) ________ for the pur-
pose of making cold hands warm, but to alter the patterns of the brain.
Today this exercise has particular significance for the migraine victim, (7) ________ can learn to
control the temperature of her hands as a step in gaining voluntary relief from headache. Epileptics
learn similar controls so that they can spare (8)________ an oncoming epileptic brain pattern. The
Kansas doctors would describe a homely old thermometer as a ‘biofeedback instrument’: it feeds
back biological information to the (9)________ about herself. The whole point of ‘biofeedback’ is that
it makes it possible to know consciously what normally carries on at a sub-conscious level; i.e. heart
beat, (10) ________ of breathing.
.

YOUR ANSWERS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 2: Read the passage and answer the questions that follow by circling A, B, C, or D to
indicate your answers
Ancient Angkor

In the regions of Southeast Asia dwell the remains of an era that far exceeded its time in
developments and industrialization. This ancient city, which was mysteriously deserted in the 15 th
century, is known as Angkor. Located in Cambodia, Angkor was established in 802 CE as the seat
of the Khmer Empire. Khmer was the largest continuous empire in Southeast Asia. Its main city of
Angkor grew and developed until it was abandoned in the year 1431. Many historians theorize as to
why it was abandoned, but the mystery remains.
Angkor was a city of power, industry, architecture, and cultural unity, which is why
speculation surrounds its decline. The ancient Khmer city stretched over an area of nearly 120
square miles, comparable to present-day Los Angeles. Each successive ruler to the throne brought
significant additions that diversified the territory. One ruler is known for constructing a baray, a
massive water reservoir. Another built the imposing Angkor Wat, a temple of great proportions that
survived the city’s demise and exists today as a Buddhist temple. Along with over seventy other
temples in the region, Angkor was home to an expansive waterworks of marked ingenuity when
nothing of its kind existed in the world. The civilization was structured around the Mekong River.
Intricate and sophisticated irrigation systems were fashioned to transport water to people and fields
in all parts of the city, including those removed from the central water source. For this, the city
became known as the “Hydraulic City.” The people of Angkor were led by an extensive court
system, made up of religious and secular nobles as well as artisans, fishermen, rice farmers,
soldiers, and elephant keepers. The civilization was guarded by an army transported by elephants
and ruled by shrewd and powerful kings. Yet after 600 years of existence, an abandoned shell was
all that remained.
The land, buildings, and architecture were reclaimed by the surrounding forest
regions until the 19th century, when French archaeologists discovered the remains and
began restoring sites in the great city of Angkor. Since then, theories have evolved over time
relating to the death of Angkor’s civilization. The first theory states that the city fell because of war.
The last two centuries of Angkor’s existence showed a decline in the Khmer Empire’s population
and power. Ongoing wars with neighboring Thailand had devastated the nation. In 1431, attackers
from Thai nations invaded and looted Angkor, leaving it desolate and vacant. Continuous war with
Thailand culminating in a final attack on the city could have weakened the empire and led to the
city’s demise.

Another theory states that a change in religion led to the country’s downfall. The Khmer
Empire had predominately been a Hindu nation, and the people were unified in their religion.
Jayavarman VII, acclaimed as the greatest of Angkor’s kings, took the throne in 1181 CE. He
instituted a change in religion from Hinduism to Mahayana Buddhism. This action subsequently
could have destroyed the unity of the people and the overall foundation of the empire.
 A) Natural disaster in another feasible possibility for the scattering of people from the
Angkor region. B) Historians say earthquakes, floods, and drastic climate changes would
have been capable of stripping Angkor of its people. C) One researcher hypothesized that
the city suffered from a lack of water due to the transition from the medieval warm period to
the little ice age. Others dismiss this idea. D)
However, a recently developed theory built on the work of French archaeologist Bernard-
Philippe Groslier may have shed the most light on Angkor’s demise. The theory suggests that the
Angkorian civilization was “defined, sustained, and ultimately overwhelmed by over-exploitation and
the environmental impacts of a complex water-management network.” Its vast waterworks proved
too great for the city to manage. Also, supplying such a massive empire with water had adverse
effects on the environment. Ecological problems included deforestation, topsoil degradation, and
erosion due in part to clearing vegetation for cropland. Thus, the city inadvertently brought about its
own environmental collapse.
With the use of aerial photography and high-resolution, ground-sensing radar, researchers were
able to support Groslier’s theory with images that complete existing topographical maps. The radar
detected surface structures as well as subtle variances in surface vegetation and soil moisture. This
proved that environmental erosion had occurred. The combined images and ground-based
investigations further revealed that Angkor was a victim of its own industrial ingenuity, a city ahead
of its time and vulnerable to its own power.
1. The author mentions the Khmer Empire in paragraph 1 in order to .
A. establish the size and importance of the civilization
B. explain the downfall of the main city in the empire
C. compare the nation’s size to a present-day location
D. demonstrate why people were not loyal to the city
2. The word speculation in the passage is closest meaning to .
A. evidence B. mystery C. question D. growth
3. According to paragraph 2, which of the following is true about the waterworks built within Angkor?
A. They transported drinking water to Angkor Wat.
B. They were a money-making venture for the city.
C. They were built to extend the water supply.
D. They irrigated fields along the sides of the river.
4. All of the following are true about the city of Angkor EXCEPT .
 A. It was built around a water source.
B. It had an advanced road system.
5. The word its in the paragraph 2 refers to .
C. It surpassed other cities of its time.
D. It is home to a Buddhist shrine.
 A. Angkor’s B. baray’s C. waterworks’ D. home’s
6. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence?
Incorrect choices may change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. Archaeologists built a replica of what Angkor looked like.
B. Archaeologists uncovered the overgrown city and rebuilt its sites.
C. Finding the city, workers cleared the forest and studied the architecture.
D. The city’s architecture was inspired by the forest regions nearby.
7. What can be inferred from paragraph 4 about the people who inhabited Angkor?
A. They worshipped ruler Jayavarman VII.
B. Hinduism was central to their way of life.
C. Religion led to more violence among them.
D. They were unified regardless of national religion.
8. Look at the four squares [] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the
passage These natural catastrophes would have likely resulted in destroyed buildings, ruined
cops, and a decreased water supply that would have forced citizens to leave.
Where would the sentence best fit?

A. first square B. second square C. third square D. fourth square.

9. The word inadvertently in the passage is closest in meaning to .
A. purposely B. freely C. sadly D. accidentally
10. According to paragraph 7, which of the following did researchers prove about Groslier’s theory with
the use of aerial photography and advanced radar?
A. The surface soil showed evidence of dirt washing away.
B. The waterworks were filled with topsoil.
C. Vegetation was thriving where soil was deeper.
D. Soil damage was stable throughout the changes.

YOUR ANSWERS:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 3: Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.

The issues for (1) _________ economies are little more straightforward. The desire to
build on undeveloped land is not (2) _________ out of desperation or necessity, but is a result
of the relentless march of the progress. Cheap labour and a relatively highly-skilled workforce make
these countries highly competitive and there is a flood of inward investment, particularly from (3)
_____ 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 (4) ___________of precious
metals and natural resources tends to attract a lot of (5) __________ 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 (6) _________cycle because the more industrially
active a nation becomes, the greater the demand for and harvesting of natural resources. For some, the
environment issues, though they can hardly be ignored, are viewed as a (7) _________ 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 (8)_____ or grow biofuel crops would be quite (9)
_______ indeed. For those involved in such schemes it is a pretty black –and-white issue. And , for vast
(10)__________ 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.

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1. A. emerging B. emergent C. convergent D. resurgent.
2. A. grown B. born C. bred D. arisen
3. A. multinationals B. migrants C. continentals D. intercontinentals
4. A. premonition B. abundance C. amplitude D. accumulation
5. A. exploitation B. exploration C. surveyance D. research
6. A. vacuous B. viscous C. vexatious D. vicious
7. A. parallel B. extrinsic C. peripheral D. exponential
8. A. plantations B. homesteads C. ranches D. holdings
9. A. proscriptive B. prohibitive C. prospective D. imperative
10. A. regions B. plots C. tracts D. sectors

YOUR ANSWERS:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 4: Read the following passage and do the tasks that follow
When the Tulip Bubble Burst

Tulips are spring-blooming perennials that grow from bulbs. Depending on the species, tulip plants can
grow as short as 4 inches (10 cm) or as high as 28 inches (71 cm). The tulip’s large flowers usually
bloom on scapes or sub-scapose stems that lack bracts. Most tulips produce only one flower per stem,
but a few species bear multiple flowers on their scapes (e.g. Tulipa turkestanica). The showy, generally
cup or star-shaped tulip flower has three petals and three sepals, which are often termed tepals because
they are nearly identical. These six tepals are often marked on the interior surface near the bases with
darker colorings. Tulip flowers come in a wide variety of colors, except pure blue (several tulips with
“blue” in the name have a faint violet hue)
A. Long before anyone ever heard of Qualcomm, CMGI, Cisco Systems, or the other high-tech stocks
that have soared during the current bull market, there was Semper Augustus. Both more prosaic and
more sublime than any stock or bond, it was a tulip of extraordinary beauty, its midnight-blue petals
topped by a band of pure white and accented with crimson flares. To denizens of 17th century Holland,
little was as desirable.
B. Around 1624, the Amsterdam man who owned the only dozen specimens was offered 3,000 guilders
for one bulb. While there’s no accurate way to render that in today’s greenbacks, the sum was roughly
equal to the annual income of a wealthy merchant. (A few years later, Rembrandt received about half that
amount for painting The Night Watch.) Yet the bulb’s owner, whose name is now lost to history, nixed the
offer.
C. Who was crazier, the tulip lover who refused to sell for a small fortune or the one who was willing to
splurge. That’s a question that springs to mind after reading Tulip mania: The Story of the World’s Most
Coveted Flower and the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused by British journalist Mike Dash. In recent
years, as investors have intentionally forgotten everything they learned in Investing 101 in order to load
up on unproved, unprofitable dot- com issues, tulip mania has been invoked frequently. In this concise,
artfully written account, Dash tells the real history behind the buzzword and in doing so, offers a
cautionary tale for our times.

D. The Dutch were not the first to go gaga over the tulip. Long before the first tulip bloomed in Europe-in
Bavaria, it turns out, in 1559-the flower had enchanted the Persians and bewitched the rulers of the
Ottoman Empire. It was in Holland, however, that the passion for tulips found its most fertile ground, for
reasons that had little to do with horticulture.

E. Holland in the early 17th century was embarking on its Golden Age. Resources that had just a few
years earlier gone toward fighting for independence from Spain now flowed into commerce. Amsterdam
merchants were at the center of the lucrative East Indies trade, where a single voyage could yield profits
of 400%. They displayed their success by erecting grand estates surrounded by flower gardens. The
Dutch population seemed tom by two contradictory impulses: a horror of living beyond one’s means and
the love of a long shot.

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F. Enter the tulip. “It is impossible to comprehend the tulip mania without understanding just how different
tulips were from every other flower known to horticulturists in the 17th century,” says Dash. “The colors
they exhibited were more intense and more concentrated than those of ordinary plants.” Despite the
outlandish prices commanded by rare bulbs, ordinary tulips were sold by the pound. Around 1630,
however, a new type of tulip fancier appeared, lured by tales of fat profits. These “florists,” or professional
tulip traders, sought out flower lovers and speculators alike. But if the supply of tulip buyers grew quickly,
the supply of bulbs did not. The tulip was a conspirator in the supply squeeze: It takes seven years to
grow one from seed. And while bulbs can produce two or three clones, or “offsets,” annually, the mother
bulb only lasts a few years.

G. Bulb prices rose steadily throughout the 1630s, as ever more speculators into the market. Weavers
and farmers mortgaged whatever they could to raise cash to begin trading. In 1633, a farmhouse in
Hoorn changed hands for three rare bulbs. By 1636 any tulip-even bulbs recently considered garbage-
could be sold off, often for hundreds of guilders. A futures market for bulbs existed, and tulip traders
could be found conducting their business in hundreds of Dutch taverns. Tulip mania reached its peak
during the winter of 1636-37, when some bulbs were changing hands ten times in a day. The zenith
came early that winter, at an auction to benefit seven orphans whose only asset was 70 fine tulips left by
then father. One, a rare Violetten Admirael van Enkhuizen bulb that was about to split in two, sold for
5,200 guilders, the all-time record. All told, the flowers brought in nearly 53,000 guilders.

H. Soon after, the tulip market crashed utterly, spectacularly. It began in Haarlem, at a routine bulb
auction when, for the first time, the greater fool refused to show up and pay. Within days, the panic had
spread across the country. Despite the efforts of traders to prop up demand, the market for tulips
evaporated. Flowers that had commanded 5,000 guilders a few weeks before now fetched one-
hundredth that amount. Tulip mania is not without flaws. Dash dwells too long on the tulip’s migration
from Asia to Holland. But he does a service with this illuminating, accessible account of incredible
financial folly.

I. Tulip mania differed in one crucial aspect from the dot-com craze that grips our attention today: Even at
its height, the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, well- established in 1630, wouldn’t touch tulips. “The
speculation in tulip bulbs always existed at the margins of Dutch economic life,” Dash writes. After the
market crashed, a compromise was brokered that let most traders settle then debts for a fraction of then
liability. The overall fallout on the Dutch economy was negligible. Will we say the same when Wall
Street’s current obsession finally runs its course?
Questions 1-5
The reading Passage has seven paragraphs A-I.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter A-I, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.
1.  Difference between bubble burst impacts by tulip and by high-tech shares
2.  Spread of tulip before 17th century
3.  Indication of money offered for rare bulb in 17th century
4.  Tulip was treated as money in Holland
5.  Comparison made between tulip and other plants
Questions 6-9
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 19-23 on
your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage 
6.  In 1624, all the tulip collection belonged to a man in Amsterdam.
7.  Tulip was first planted in Holland according to this passage.
8.  Popularity of Tulip in Holland was much higher than any other countries in 17th century.
9. Holland was the most wealthy country in the world in 17th century.
Questions 10-13
Summary

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Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage, using no more than two words
from the Reading Passage for each answer.
Dutch concentrated on gaining independence by ____10___ against Spain in the early 17th century;
consequently spare resources entered the area of _____11_____. Prosperous traders demonstrated
their status by building great _____12____ and with gardens in surroundings. Attracted by the success of
profit on tulip, traders kept looking for______13_____and speculator for sale.
YOUR ANSWERS:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
11. 12. 13.

Part 5: In the passage below, seven paragraphs have been removed. For questions 1-7, read the
passage and choose from paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap. There is ONE extra
paragraph which you do not need to use. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered
boxes provided.
The origins of the universe
A powerful conviction for me is the idea that as we converge on the moment of creation, the constituents
and laws of the universe become ever simpler. A useful analogy here is life itself, or, more simply, a
single human being. Each of us is a vastly complex entity, assembled from many different tissues and
capable of countless behaviours and thoughts.
1
Cosmology is showing us that this complexity flowed from a deep simplicity as matter metamorphosed
through a series of phase transitions. Travel back in time through those phase transitions, and we see an
ever-greater simplicity and symmetry, with the fusion of the fundamental forces of nature and the
transformation of particles to ever-more fundamental components.
2
Go back further still. What was there before the big bang? What was there before time began? Facing
this question challenges our faith in the power of science to find explanations of nature. The existence of
a singularity - in this case the given, unique state from which the universe emerged - is anathema to
science, because it is beyond explanation.
3
Cosmologists have long struggled to avoid this bad dream by seeking explanations of the universe that
avoid the necessity of a beginning. Einstein, remember, refused to believe the implication of his own
equations - that the universe is expanding and therefore must have had a beginning - and invented the
cosmological constant to avoid it. Only when Einstein saw Hubble’s observations of an expanding
universe could he bring himself to believe his equations.
4
Stephen Hawking and J B Hartle tried to resolve the challenge differently, by arguing the singularity out of
existence. Flowing from an attempt at a theory of quantum gravity, they agreed that time is finite, but
without a beginning. Think of the surface of a sphere. The surface is finite, but it has no beginning or end
- you can trace your finger over it continuously, perhaps finishing up where you began. Suppose the
universe is a sphere of space time. Travel around the surface, and again you may finish up where you
started both in space and time.
5
We simply do not know yet whether there was a beginning of the universe, and so the origin of space-
time remains in terra incognita. No question is more fundamental, whether cast in scientific or theological
terms. My conviction is that science will continue to move ever closer to the moment of creation,
facilitated by the ever-greater simplicity we find there. Some physicists argue that matter is ultimately
reducible to pointlike objects with certain intrinsic properties.
6
To an engineer, the difference between nothing and practically nothing might be close enough. To a
scientist, such a difference, however miniscule, would be everything. We might find ourselves
experiencing Jarrow’s bad dream, facing a final question: 'Why? "Why" questions are not amenable to
scientific inquiry and will always reside within philosophy and theology, which may provide solace if not
material explication.
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 7
The list of cosmic coincidences required for our existence in the universe is long, moving Stephen
Hawking to remark that, "the odds against a universe like ours emerging out of something like the big
bang are enormous.” Princeton physicist Freeman Dyson went further, and said: 'The more I examine the
universe and the details of its architecture, the more evidence I find that the universe in some sense must
have known we were coming." This concatenation of coincidences required for our presence in this
universe has been termed the anthropic principle. In fact, it is merely a statement of the obvious: Had
things been different, we would not exist.

A. This, of course, requires time travel, in violation of Mach’s principle. But the world of quantum
mechanics, with its uncertainty principle, is an alien place in which otherworldly things can happen. It is
so foreign a place that it may even be beyond human understanding.

B. But what if the universe we see were the only one possible, the product of a singular initial state
shaped by singular laws of nature? It is clear that the minutest variation in the value of a series of
fundamental properties of the universe would have resulted in no universe at all, or at least a very alien
universe. For instance, if the strong nuclear force had been slightly weaker, the universe would have
been composed of hydrogen only. An expansion more rapid by one part in a million would have excluded
the formation of stars and planets.

C. Trace that person back through his or her life, back beyond birth to the moment of fertilisation of a
single ovum by a single sperm. The individual becomes ever simpler, ultimately encapsulated as
information encoded in DNA. The development that gradually transforms a DNA code into a mature
individual is an unfolding, a complexification, as the information in the DNA is translated and manifested
through many stages of life. So, I believe, it is with the universe. We can see how very complex the
universe is now, and we are part of that complexity.

D. Others argue that fundamental particles are extraordinarily tiny strings that vibrate to produce their
properties. Either way, it is possible to envisage creation of the universe from almost nothing - not
nothing, but practically nothing. Almost creation ex nihilo, but not quite. That would be a great intellectual
achievement, but it may still leave us with a limit to how far scientific inquiry can go, finishing with a
description of the singularity, but not an explanation of it.

E. For many proponents of the steady state theory, one of its attractions was its provision that the
universe had no beginning and no end, and therefore required no explanation of what existed before time
= 0. It was known as the perfect cosmological principle.

F. There can be no answer to why such a state existed. Is this, then, where scientific explanation breaks
down and God takes over, the artificer of that singularity, that initial simplicity? The astrophysicist Robert
Jastrow described such a prospect as the scientist’s nightmare: "He has scaled the mountains of
ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted
by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."

G. Various COBE team members and other cosmologists were on TV, radio talk shows, and in
newspapers for several days. The publicity and tremendous public interest provided a unique opportunity
to discuss science with a very large audience and to promote the power of human endeavour in pursuing
the mysteries of nature.

H. Go back further and we reach a point when the universe was nearly an infinitely tiny, infinitely dense
concentration of energy. This increasing simplicity and symmetry of the universe as we near the point of
creation gives me hope that we can understand the universe using the powers of reason and philosophy.
The universe would then be comprehensible, as Einstein had yearned.

Your answers:

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 1 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Part 6: You are going to read extracts from an article written by a football analyst in which she
discusses the weekend’s football program. For questions 1-10, choose from the sections (A-E).
The extracts may be chosen more than once.
According to the analyst, which team
1. is performing better than it should?
2. has already shown great resilience this season?
3. has played exciting football but not got the right results?
4. is more concerned with success than playing stylishly?
5. manager is realistic about the uphill challenge they face for the rest of the season?
6. desperately needs a string of good results to survive?
7. manager has seen fans' opinion of him change favourably?
8. is missing several key first-team players?
9. manager wants certain players to exploit their lucky chance?
10. is not popular with neutral fans?
A. Manchester
We kick off with Manchester. Despite a severely depleted squad, with much of the first team hit by a
mysterious ailment midweek, manager, Noel Harriot, remains upbeat about his team’s prospects this
weekend and has appealed for his squad players to stand up and be counted, and to grasp the
opportunity by seizing the moment and cementing their first-team place. However, in Doncaster, they will
go up against a side undefeated in twenty-eight games, which is a record run for the club, and this will
undoubtedly represent their stiffest challenge to date. Harriot, though, is hopeful that new star signing
Gregor Dmitri, can inspire his side to defy the odds and emerge victorious in Sunday’s midday kick-off.
While the title appears to be out of reach for Manchester now, a string of good results could yet see them
finish in the coveted top four spots, but they are clearly up against it.

B. Doncaster
And now to their opponents on Sunday, Doncaster will hope to continue building on the momentum of a
string of successive victories, which sees them flying high at the top of the table. Their coach, Yale
Edwards, is understandably in confident mood ahead of Sunday's match-up; however, in Manchester,
they face a team known for their resilience and battling qualities, as evidenced last year, so a win is not
as simple as it may seem on paper. Victory would, though, put them nearly out of reach of their rivals and
a step closer to the title. Indeed, they are now odds-on to claim the crown for a second successive
season with most bookmakers. Their pragmatic style of play may not have won them many fans without
the club, but the club faithful remain united and steadfast in their support, and so long as the
unprecedented success continues, this is unlikely to change. It is, after all, not how but how many that
counts at the end of the day.

C. Liverpool
Liverpool must tear up the formbook if they are to come away from Saturday’s clash with Brighton with
more than a draw. Considering last year's notoriously leaky defence, their record in that department is
incredibly impressive this season. However, their problems now are in front of goal. They are playing the
kind of football that has fans salivating at times, but they simply cannot convert their chances. Indeed,
this no doubt explains why manager, Alain Jerome, is coming under increasing pressure. There have
long been rumours of boardroom dissatisfaction with the team’s results, but as long as Jerome had the
backing of supporters, his position was considered safe. There are growing signs, however, that they are
losing faith in him and this will only add to the pressure this weekend to get a result. This season has for
Jerome, sadly, been a case of style over substance so far. Can their swashbuckling approach finally pay
dividends?

D. Brighton
Midseason, Brighton were top of the list of teams analysts thought likely to be in the relegation fight,
facing demotion. They have defied the odds and their position in the league is already secure with five
games to go. This must surely be a weight off manager Landon Grieg's shoulders. The commotion of the

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early season has died down now and fans are no longer calling for his head. In this fickle game that is
football, Grieg has somehow managed to win them over. The secret to Brighton's success doesn't lie in
their defensive resilience or attacking prowess, though. They are average at best in all departments.
However, Grieg has somehow galvanized his squad of mediocre players and transformed them into
something far more than the sum of their parts. Anything less than a draw on Saturday against Liverpool
would be a disappointment; that is how far they have come. It has been a turnaround not without trials,
tribulations and setbacks, but it has been one, nonetheless, of epic proportions.
E. Leicester
Leicester have had a season beset by misfortune, with the squad ravaged by injury for much of the first
half, which stifled any momentum they could have hoped to build. They are now, as a result, in a battle
for their lives, where every game and every point won or lost could mean the difference between survival
and being cast off into the abyss of the lower leagues. Manager, Thomas Waylander, cut a despondent
figure at the press conference earlier today, admitting that the odds are stacked up against them now
(which, incidentally, is quite remarkable considering they were many experts’ pre-season pick as title
favourites and have been serious contenders in each of the last two seasons). However, he did see one
dim ray of light at the end of this long and very dark tunnel; suggesting that, with the squad more or less
returned to full fitness, if they could claim an unlikely victory on Saturday against Northampton, then that
could be the momentum-builder to spur them on to a miraculous escape.

Your answers:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

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