1. 3. THE INTERNET The Internet originated as a system used for research by the military in the USA. Universities were the next group to connect to the system. The Internet started to develop as commercial system in the late 1980s and by the mid-1990s, home users were starting to connect to the Internet in significant numbers. Internet usage is still growing quickly and the number of hours we spend 'on-line' is rising sharply. The United States still leads the way in Internet usage, but Europe is catching up. It is difficult to predict such a fast-growing area, but at the end of 1999, it was estimated that between 13 and 14 million people in the UK, about one fifth of the population, had access to the Internet. World-wide, at least 100 million people are connected to the system. E-mail is the simplest application of the Internet, but it is also the most popular both among businesses and personal users. E-mail is a straightforward and cost-effective way of communicating using the Internet, falling somewhere between the phone and the facsimile in terms of formality and speed. E-mail is cheap and it only takes a few seconds for a message to reach the Internet. At the moment, the computer is the most common way people connect to the Internet, followed by mobile phones, but in the future, television sets will have Internet capabilities: According to the passage, the Internet was first used ........................ .
- A) by the American army to search for information
- B) to carry out research for the American universities
- C) by businesses to attract more customers
- D) to retrieve information through television screens
- E) by American households to send e-mail messages around the world
2. 2. THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY The Bayeux Tapestry, a historical record created in the 11th century, is the only masterpiece of its kind in the world. The most extraordinary thing about it is its sheer size. It is a huge embroidered piece of linen cloth measuring 70 metres long and 50 metres high. The pictures tell the story of the conquest of England, by William the Conqueror in 1066. The designers sectioned the story into 72 separate scenes, which begin with the King of England, Edward the Confessor, shown close to death in 1064 and ends with the crushing defeat of the Anglo- Saxons by the Normans at Hastings on the south coast of England. It shows King Harold with an arrow in his eye. The scenes which include battles kidnappings ransoms are embroidered in rich colours which bears no resemblance to reality. Animals, for example, can be depicted in blue, green or yellow. For many years the tapestry, which served as a decoration in the cathedral at Bayeux, was little known outside the town. Today, after being meticulously repaired, it is on display for tourists.
- A) also reflect parts of the cathedral in the French town of Bayeux
- B) also include parts from the lives of the people who embroidered it
- C) are made up of seventy-two separate sections showing the conquests of all countries by the Normans
- D) show the history of England-being conquered in the 11th century
- E) tell of Edward the Confessor's childhood in detail
3. Judo, which means 'the gentle way’, is a perfect example of how skill can overcome brute force because it teaches a person to use an opponent's weight against them. So, although a woman may feel intimidated by a taller male opponent, through the skilful application of throws and holds, she can overpower him. It's easy to see why this sport produces selfconfidence and is a great way of releasing tension. The sport of judo was invented in Japan in 1882 to combat bullying in schools. Jigoro Kano founded a judo academy after years of studying other martial arts to discover the most efficient way of deterring his playground enemies. Initially judo was not accepted by other martial artists, but in 1886, Tokyo's police force held a martial art tournament and judo techniques scored highly. Recently, judo has been the most widely practiced of martial arts outside China and Japan. We are told in the passage that judo ........ .
- A) was never popular with many martial artists
- B) was designed to fight bullying in Japanese schools
- C) was invented by a Japanese policeman
- D) is the only martial art practised by women
- E) was developed outside China or Japan
4. 4. MIGUEL GIL MORENO (1968-2000) Even the most war-hardened journalists must have felt a cold shiver of shock on the day that Miguel Gil Moreno was shot dead by rebels from Sierra Leone. Miguel was killed close to where he had recently shot his last pictures, which were images of a massacre of UN troops. The death of Miguel, who was just 32 years old, deprives television news of the cameraman who shot some of the most compelling and powerful images of war. Miguel did not start out as a photographer or journalist, but as a lawyer. After graduating from Barcelona Central University Law School, he practised law at a city firm before studying Human Rights at the Centre for Human Rights in Barcelona. Miguel believed wholeheartedly in the right and obligation to bear witness and to report. He soon gained himself a reputation for, unequalled brilliance in photographing human suffering during conflicts. He worked in dangerous places such as Kosovo, the Congo and Sierra Leone. In 1998, he won the Rory Peck Award for his Kosovo coverage. How many people will be brave enough, like him, to go where the perpetrators of war would rather no one went? How many will carry on the work of bringing the ugly and brutal truth into our comfortable lives? It's mentioned in the passage that Miguel last photographed............ .
- A) a mass killing of United Nations soldiers
- B) some "war-hardened journalists
- C) the ceremony of the Rory Peck Award
- D) casualties of the Kosovon crisis
- E) law graduates from Barcelona Central University
5. ETERNAL ART, TRANSITORY TECHNOLOGY Technology suggests permanent change and improvement. Once a new technique is discovered and adopted, society does not attempt to revert to the former technique. The automobile displaced the horse; the electric light replaced silent films; and word processors are rapidly making typewriters obsolete. This forward march of technology is called progress. In the fine arts such progress does not exist. The skill of the artist rests upon knowledge and experience, just as the skill of the technician does. But the creative processes involved seem to be different. Today, for example, one can admire the design of a Roman chariot, but few people would ever want to depend on it as a regular means of transportation. By contrast, it is still possible to walk into the Vatican's Sistine Chapel and be astounded by the magnificence of Michelangelo's frescoes. These paintings have an excellence that will never become outmoded. A work of art, whether it is a painting by Titian or a concerto by Mozart, is not a stepping-stone to something else that will someday be considered better. It is not like the vacuum tube, which served its purpose well enough until the transistor was invented. Each artwork stands on its own — distinctive for all time. Even poor imitations cannot damage the goodness and integrity of the original. We understand from the passage that Michelangelo's frescoes ...... .
- A) were produced using the latest technology of the time
- B) will not be discarded by the creation of similar works
- C) were a stepping-stone for him to produce better ones
- D) will some day lose their quality and value due to corrosion
- E) are hard to appreciate in this technological age
6. HOW TO BALANCE THE DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH? In a United States that was so economically productive, why were there so many people in poverty and so few who were wealthy? Economist and social reformer Henry George found an answer to this question by analysing the workings of capitalism. He concluded that economic progress tremendously increases the value of land. Those who own the land reap great, unearned rewards from rent. This unearned prosperity for a few, George felt, was an obstacle to economic growth because it suppressed productivity. His solution, published in his book 'Progress and Poverty' in 1879, was to have government tax away all rent. This "single tax" would bring in enough revenue so that an other taxes could be eliminated, and it would end the desire to speculate in land values. The publication of 'Progress and Poverty' made George instantly famous. He made lecture tours in America, England, Ireland and Australia, and he was nearly elected mayor of New York City in 1886. According to the passage, Henry George found out why so few people were wealthy in the United States by ......... .
- A) reading the book 'Progress and Poverty'
- B) studying the process of capitalism
- C) attending lectures in America, England, Ireland and Australia
- D) thinking like a capitalist rather than an economist
- E) listening to rich people who owned a lot of land
7. What does "abandon" mean?
- A) Keep
- B) Leave
- C) Find
- D) Buy
- E) Sell
8. What does "acquire" mean?
- A) Lose
- B) Obtain
- C) Give
- D) Sell
- E) Find
9. What does "beneficial" mean?
- A) Harmful
- B) Useful
- C) Useless
- D) Bad
- E) Wrong
10. What does "comprehend" mean?
- A) Ignore
- B) Understand
- C) Forget
- D) Reject
- E) Miss
11. What does "decline" mean?
- A) Increase
- B) Accept
- C) Decrease
- D) Improve
- E) Grow
12. What does "establish" mean?
- A) Destroy
- B) Set up
- C) Close
- D) End
- E) Remove
13. What does "frequent" mean?
- A) Rare
- B) Often
- C) Never
- D) Seldom
- E) Occasional
14. What does "generate" mean?
- A) Consume
- B) Produce
- C) Waste
- D) Use
- E) Destroy
15. What does "hypothesis" mean?
- A) Fact
- B) Theory
- C) Assumption
- D) Proof
- E) Result
16. What does "implement" mean?
- A) Cancel
- B) Apply
- C) Delay
- D) Stop
- E) Ignore
17. What does "justify" mean?
- A) Criticize
- B) Blame
- C) Defend
- D) Attack
- E) Reject
18. What does "maintain" mean?
- A) Abandon
- B) Keep
- C) Lose
- D) Give up
- E) Destroy
19. What does "negotiate" mean?
- A) Fight
- B) Argue
- C) Discuss
- D) Ignore
- E) Accept
20. What does "obtain" mean?
- A) Lose
- B) Get
- C) Give
- D) Offer
- E) Reject
