Reading Passage 1

You should spend 20 minutes on questions 1-14, which are based on Reading Passage
1.

Technique
Read the title and skim the questions first. Use the information from these to predict
the content of the reading passage.

Swallows in migration
Every April, along with many other species of birds, the swallow arrives to spend the
summer months in northern Europe, in Russia, Iran, and parts of Siberia. Here it will
breed and raise its young.

The swallow is well known throughout its range for several reasons. Firstly, it is very
distinctive, with its forked tail and characteristic acrobatic swooping flight. Secondly,
it is very common, and, like its near relative the house martin, lives in close proximity
to human habitation, at least in rural areas. It is, however, rarely to be encountered in
towns or cities.

For centuries, people have observed swallows, noted their arrival and their 10 patterns
of feeding. In several countries, these observations have passed into the language as
proverbs or sayings. In England, people comment on unpredictable late spring weather
by saying, ‘one swallow does not make a summer’. Similarly, if the swallows are
flying low, this was held to predict rainy, even stormy weather. There may be some
truth in this observation, though it is the insects the swallows feed on that seem to be
more susceptible to the fall in barometric pressure that heralds a storm. Insects keep
low in these conditions, and so do the swallows that hunt them. At the end of the
summer season, when the swallows are about to leave, they frequently flock together
in large numbers on convenient high open perches, like roof ridges and telegraph
wires. When people remark that "the swallows are gathering', they mean that autumn
has arrived.
At some point in mid-September the swallows leave together, usually all on the same
day. One day there are thousands, the next there are none, and none will be seen again
until the following spring. For centuries, this was a complete mystery to people. The
Hampshire naturalist Gilbert White, writing in the late eighteenth century, believed
that the swallows dived into ponds and rivers in autumn and remained in the bottom
mud the whole winter, re-emerging the following spring. This idea seems
extraordinary to us, but White was not a stupid man: many of his other observations of
natural life were informed and accurate. In this case, however, he simply had no
means of determining the truth and was forced to make a random guess. The idea that
swallows migrate to central or southern Africa would have seemed as fanciful to him
as his theory seems to us.

Although we now know that swallows migrate, there are still unanswered questions.
Why do they go so far? Why not stay on the shores of the Mediterranean? The
majority continue to equatorial Africa, and some even further south. Also it appears
that populations of swallows that have bred in different countries also spend the
winter in different areas. Those from France, Germany, and much of western Europe
have mostly been traced to East Africa, Kenya, or Tanzania for example. Above all,
how does a bird weighing approximately twenty grammes find its way across
mountain ranges, ocean, and desert to winter in the south, and then return the
following year to the very location it was born, in some cases to the very same nest?

Birds can navigate by the sun, and are also able to detect the magnetic field of the
earth. Species that migrate at night are also able to navigate by the stars. By these
means, they travel long distances. The close navigation that brings them back to the
same field or nest appears to be related to memory of local landmarks imprinted on
the minds of young birds as they criss- cross the area in the weeks before departure.

Nevertheless, the journey is very dangerous. Long sea crossings, where there is little
available food or water, are generally avoided. In western Europe, most swallows
cross to Africa via the Straits of Gibraltar, or fly the length of Italy before tackling the
relatively short crossing to Tunisia in North Africa. However, in storms they may be
blown hundreds of kilometres off course. Exhausted swallows sometimes come to rest
on ships way out in the Atlantic Ocean. They have to cross mountain ranges too,
where again the weather may be unpredictable and food scarce.

Along the coast of North Africa, many young swallows become the prey 60 of
Eleonora's falcons, which time their breeding to coincide with the migration of young
birds southwards. But the most dangerous part of the journey is the crossing of the
Sahara desert. Here, there is little food or water, sandstorms may delay and exhaust
the already weakened birds, and many die. It is estimated that around 50 per cent of
adult birds die, and up to 80 per cent of young birds, but enough survive to ensure the
continuation of the species.
 Technique:True/False/Not Given
1. Look for words in each statement to help you scan.
2. Identify comparisons or qualifying expressions in the statements.
3. Try to predict some answers
4. Find your scan words in the text. Then read around them to locate the answers

Questions 1-6
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
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

1. The swallow is the only species of bird that migrates to spend the summer in
northern Europe. F
2. The swallow is easily noticeable because of its tail and the way it flies. T
3. The swallow is frequently seen in cities.NG
4. The insects, not the swallows themselves, appear to predict stormy weather.T
5. Swallows form larger flocks than other birds when they depart in the autumn.F
6. White's theory seems strange to people now.T
 Technique: Sentence completion
1 Remember that the answers are in order
2 Note the word limit for each gap
3 Look for words in each sentence to help you scan.
4 Find your scan words in the text. Then read around them to locate the answers.

Questions 7-12
Complete the sentences
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
7. In the past, the destination of the swallows in the autumn was a
_____________ .
8. As White could not verify what happened to the swallows, he made a
_____________.
9. Despite knowing that swallows migrate, we are still left with _____________ .
10. Sometimes, swallows have been known to return not just to the same area, but
even to the _____________.
11. Birds that travel by night can find their way using the _____________ .
12. Bird navigation appears to be connected with the memory of _____________ .

Questions 13 and 14
Choose TWO letters, A-F
Which TWO of the following dangers faced by swallows during migration are
mentioned in the text?
A The Sahara desert
B Long sea crossings
C Lack of nesting places
D Hungry sailors
E Eleanora's falcons
F The crossing to Tunisia
 READING EXERCISE

READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading
Passage I below.
A disaster of Titanic proportions
At 11.39 p.m. on the evening of Sunday 14 April 1912, lookouts Frederick Fleet and
Reginald Lee on the forward mast of the Titanic sighted an eerie, black mass coming
into view directly in front of the ship. Fleet picked up the phone to the helm, waited
for Sixth Officer Moody to answer, and yelled "Iceberg, right ahead!" The greatest
disaster in maritime history was about to be set in motion.

Thirty-seven seconds later, despite the efforts of officers in the bridge and engine
room to steer around the iceberg, the Titanic struck a piece of submerged ice, bursting
rivets in the ship's hull and flooding the first five watertight compartments. The ship's
designer, Thomas Andrews, carried out a visual inspection of the ship's damage and
informed Captain Smith at midnight that the ship would sink in less than two hours.
By 12.30 a.m., the lifeboats were being filled with women and children, after Smith
had given the command for them to be uncovered and swung out 15 minutes earlier.
The first lifeboat was successfully lowered 15 minutes later, with only 28 of its 65
seats occupied. By 1.15 a.m., the waterline was beginning to reach the Titanic's name
on the ship’s bow, and over the next hour every lifeboat would be released as officers
struggled to maintain order amongst the growing panic on board.

The closing moments of the Titanic's sinking began shortly after 2 a.m., as the last
lifeboat was lowered and the ship's propellers lifted out of the water, leaving the 1,500
passengers still on board to surge towards the stern. At 2.17 a.m., Harold Bride and
Jack Philips tapped out their last wireless message after being relieved of duty as the
ship's wireless operators, and the ship's band stopped playing. Less than a minute
later,
occupants of the lifeboats witnessed the ship's lights flash once, then go black, and a
huge roar signalled the Titanic's contents plunging towards the bow, causing the front
half of the ship to break off and go under. The Titanic's stern bobbed up momentarily,
and at 2.20 a.m., the ship finally disappeared beneath the frigid waters.

What or who was responsible for the scale of this catastrophe? Explanations abound,
some that focus on very small details. Due to a last minute change in the ship's officer
line-up, iceberg lookouts Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee were making do without a
pair of binoculars that an officer transferred off the ship in Southampton had left in a
cupboard onboard, unbeknownst to any of the ship's crew. Fleet, who survived the
sinking, insisted at a subsequent inquiry that he could have identified the iceberg in
time to avert disaster if he had been in possession of the binoculars.

Less than an hour before the Titanic struck the Iceberg, wireless operator Cyril Evans
on the Californian, located just 20 miles to the north, tried to contact operator Jack
Philips on the Titanic to warn him of pack ice in the area. "Shut up, shut up, you're
jamming my signal", Philips replied. “I'm busy." The Titanic's wireless system had
broken down for several hours earlier that day, and Philips was clearing a backlog of
personal messages that passengers had requested to be sent to family and friends in the
USA. Nevertheless, Captain Smith had maintained the ship's speed of 22 knots despite
multiple earlier warnings of ice ahead. It has been suggested that Smith was under
pressure to make headlines by arriving early in New York, but maritime historians
such as Richard Howell have countered this perception, noting that Smith was simply
following common procedure at the time, and not behaving recklessly.

One of the strongest explanations for the severe loss of life has been the fact that the
Titanic did not carry enough lifeboats for everyone on board. Maritime regulations at
the time tied lifeboat capacity to ship size, not to the number of passengers on board.
This meant that the Titanic, with room for 1,178 of its 2,222 passengers, actually
surpassed the Board of Trade's requirement that it carry lifeboats for 1,060 of its
passengers. Nevertheless, with lifeboats being lowered less than half full in many
cases, and only 712 passengers surviving despite a two and a half hour window of
opportunity, more lifeboats would not have guaranteed more survivors in the absence
of better training and preparation. Many passengers were confused about where to go
after the order to launch lifeboats was given; a lifeboat drill scheduled for earlier on
the same day that the Titanic struck the iceberg was cancelled by Captain Smith, in
order to allow passengers to attend church.

Questions 1-6
Complete the table below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.

Time Person's Position Action

11.39 p.m. 1. 2. Reported sighting of iceberg

___Fleet_____ ___lookout______
__ __
3. _ Andrews Ship's designer Reported how long the
Midnight _ Titanic could stay afloat
_____
12.15 a.m Smith Captain Ordered 4.
____lifebots_______ to be
released
2.17 a.m Bride & Philips 5. ___Wireless Relayed final 6.
Operators________ ___message_______

Questions 7-13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 7–13 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

7. The binoculars for the men on watch had been left in a crew locker in
Southampton.F
8. The missing binoculars were the major factor leading to the collision with the
iceberg.NG
9. Philips missed notification about the ice from Evans because the Titanic's wireless
system was not functioning at the time.F
10. Captain Smith knew there was ice in the area.T
11. Howell believed the captain's failure to reduce speed was an irresponsible action.F
12. The Titanic was able to seat more passengers in lifeboats than the Board of Trade
required.T
13. A lifeboat drill would have saved more lives.NG

READING PASSAGE 3 (Optional - Không bắt

buộc làm)
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading
Passage 1 below.
Cork
Cork - the thick bark 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 their 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, insulating the tree like a coat wrapped around the trunk and branches and
keeping the inside at a constant 20°C 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. The cells are filled with air, which is why cork is so buoyant. It also has
an elasticity that means you can squash it and watch it spring back to its original size
and shape when you release the pressure.

Cork oaks grow in a number of Mediterranean countries, including Portugal, Spain,

Italy, Greece and Morocco. They flourish in warm, sunny climates where there is a
minimum of 400 millimetres of rain per year, and not more than 800 millimetres. Like
grape vines, the trees thrive in poor soil, putting down deep boots in search of
moisture and nutrients. Southern Portugal's Alentejo region meets all of these
requirements, which explains why, by the early 20th century, this region had become
the world's largest producer of cork, and why today it accounts for roughly half of all
cork production around the world.

Most cork forests are family-owned. Many of these family businesses, and indeed
many of the trees themselves, are around 200 years old. Cork production is, above all,
an exercise in patience. From the planting of a cork sapling to the first harvest takes
25 years, and a gap of approximately a decade must separate harvests from an
individual tree. And for top-quality cork, it's necessary to wait a further 15 or 20 years.
You even have to wait for the right kind of summer's day to harvest cork. If the bark is
stripped on a day when it's too cold - or when the air is damp - the tree will be
damaged.

Cork harvesting is a very specialised profession. No mechanical means of stripping

cork bark has been invented, so the job is done by teams of highly skilled workers.
First, they make vertical cuts down the bark using small sharp axes, then lever it away
in pieces as large as they can manage. The most skilful cork- strippers prise away a
semi-circular husk that runs the length of the trunk from just above ground level to the
first branches. It is then dried on the ground for about four months, before being taken
to factories, where it is boiled to kill any insects that might remain in the cork. Over
60% of cork then goes on to be made into traditional bottle stoppers, with most of the
remainder being used in the construction trade. Corkboard and cork tiles are ideal for
thermal and acoustic insulation, while granules of cork are used in the manufacture of
concrete.

Recent years have seen the end of the virtual monopoly of cork as the material for
bottle stoppers, due to concerns about the effect it may have on the contents of the
bottle. This is caused by a chemical compound called 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA),
which forms through the interaction of plant phenols, chlorine and mould. The tiniest
concentrations - as little as three or four parts to a trillion - can spoil the taste of the
product contained in the bottle. The result has been a gradual yet steady move first
towards plastic stoppers and, more recently, to aluminium screw caps. These
substitutes are cheaper to manufacture and, in the case of screw caps, more convenient
for the user.

The classic cork stopper does have several advantages, however. Firstly, its traditional
image is more in keeping with that of the type of high quality goods with which it has
long been associated. Secondly - and very importantly - cork is a sustainable product
that can be recycled without difficulty. Moreover, cork forests are a resource which
support local biodiversity and prevent desertification in the regions where they are
planted. So, given the current concerns about environmental issues, the future of this
ancient material once again looks promising.

Questions 1-5
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 1-5 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

1. The cork oak has the thickest bark of any living tree.NG
2. Scientists have developed a synthetic cork with the same cellular structure as
natural cork.F
3. Individual cork oak trees must be left for 25 years between the first and second
harvest.F
4. Cork bark should be stripped in dry atmospheric conditions.T
5. The only way to remove the bark from cork oak trees is by hand.T
Questions 6-13
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 6–13 on your answer sheet.
Comparison of aluminium screw caps and
cork bottle stoppers
Advantages of aluminium screw caps
● do not affect the 6. ____taste________ of the bottle contents
● are 7. __cheaper__________ to produce
● are 8. _____convenient_______ to use
Advantages of cork bottle stoppers
● suit the 9. _____image_______ of quality products
● made from a 10. ___sustable_________ material
● easily 11.____recycled________
● cork forests aid 12. ___bioversity_________
● cork forests stop 13. ___desertification______ happening