The passage has 5 sections A-E.
Choose the most suitable heading for sections B-E from the list of headings below.
Write the appropriate numbers (i-viii).
There are more headings than sections so you will not use all of them.
List of Headings | |
i | Cost of exploration |
ii | Location and description of the lake |
iii | Potential for living organisms in the lake |
iv | Challenges of exploration |
v | Discovery of the lake |
vi | Possible sources of nutrients to support life |
vii | Types of organisms in the lake |
viii | Scientific interest in Lake Vostok |
Example:
Section A v
1 Section B
2 Section C
3 Section D
4 Section E
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q1: Section B viii. Scientific interest in Lake Vostok | As details have emerged, a growing number of scientists are showing interest, with dozens of investigators keen to explore the feature, known as Lake Vostok. |
Note: - According to the passage, a growing number of scientists are showing interest. In other words, more and more scientists are interested in exploring Lake Vostok. Hence, the answer to Q1 is viii. Science interest in Lake Vostok. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q2: Section C ii. Location and description of the lake | Thermometers there measured in July 1983, and the average temperature hovers around -55⁰C… . These factors have helped lakes develop across much of the thickly blanketed East Antarctica. To date more than 70 hidden lakes have been detected in the small portion of the continent. Lake Vostok is the largest of these, stretching 280 km from south to north and some 60 km from east to west. |
Note: - According to Section C, Lake Vostok is in East Antarctica, stretching 280 km from south to north and some 60 km from east to west. This piece of information is about location. - Besides, the author also gives a description of the lake such as its temperature (-55⁰C). Moreover, it is also described that the thick ice acts as an insulating blanket protecting bedrock and the geothermal heat keeps the lake from freezing and warms the lowest layers of ice. - Hence, the answer for Q2 is ii. Location and description of the lake. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q3: Section D iv. Challenges of exploration | Along with the potential rewards come a host of challenges. Researchers must find a way to penetrate the icy covering without introducing any microorganisms or pollutants into the sealed-off water. |
Note: - In the 1970s, the first clues to the lake’s existence were made. Next, the further exploration comes a host of challenges as they have to find a way to penetrate the icy covering without introducing any microorganisms or pollutants into the water. Therefore, the answer for Q3 is iv. Challenges of exploration. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q4: Section E iii. Potential for living organisms in the lake | What about life in the depths?... Bacteria, yeasts, fungi, algae and even pollen grains have been found in the Vostok ice core samples taken down to depths of 2,750 m - three quarters of the way to the bottom. At least some of these organisms are alive and capable of growing… . |
Note: - Two headings that seem to relate to section E is iii. Potential for living organisms in the lake and vi. Possible sources of nutrients to support life. - However, the idea of nutrients just supports the idea of the potential for living organisms in the lake. Moreover, the topic sentence of this section, “What about life in the depths?”, also talks about living organisms, but not nutrients. Hence, the answer for Q4 is iii. |
Choose the correct letter A-D.
Which is NOT given as a reason for interest in exploring Lake Vostok?
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q5: Which is NOT given as a reason for interest in exploring Lake Vostok? A. to test technology for space exploration B. to develop anti-pollution devices C. to investigate the history of Earth’s climate D. to look for living organisms | B. By looking at the ratio of different oxygen isotopes, scientists should be able to trace how Earth’s temperature changed over the millennia. .... Vostok would be an ideal testing ground for technology that would eventually fly to Europa or places even more distant, say many scientists. E. The results of this analysis may indirectly indicate whether anything survives in the lightless body of water |
Note: - The information relating to scientific interest in exploring Lake Vostok is located in paragraph B and E. - Option A is mentioned. The phrase to test technology for space exploration is the same as the phrase an ideal testing ground for technology. - Option C is mentioned. The verb “to investigate” means “to trace” while the history of Earth’s climate is how Earth’s temperature changed over the millenia. - Option D is also mentioned. In paragraph D, recent reports are made to know whether organisms survive in this lake, which is also the reason for interest in exploring Lake Vostok - There is no information relating option B at all, therefore, the answer for Q5 is B. |
Lake Vostok does not freeze because ...
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q6: Lake Vostok does not freeze because ... A. a thick ice cover provides insulation. B. it is waned by heat from the earth’s surface. C. low pressure prevents freezing. D. an underwater volcano erupted recently. | It’s the thick ice, strangely, that enables a lake to survive in such a frozen environment. The 4 kilometers of ice acts effectively as an insulating blanket protecting the bedrock underneath the ice from the cold temperatures above. Geothermal heat coming from the planet’s interior keeps the lake from freezing and warms the lowest layers of ice. Beneath 4 km of glacier, the pressure is intense enough to melt ice at a temperature of -4°C. These factors have helped lakes develop across much of the thickly blanketed East Antarctica. |
Note: - Option B is wrong. It is because the heat coming from the interior keeps the lake from freezing but not the one from the surface. - Option C is wrong because intense pressure but not low pressure helps melt the ice. - Option D is not mentioned at all. - For that reason, after comparing all the keywords, we can assume that the answer for Q6 is A. |
Do the following statements reflect the claims of the author?
Write:
YES | if the statement agrees with the views of the writer |
NO | if the statement contradicts the views of the writer |
NOT GIVEN | if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this |
7 Only one lake has been found beneath Antarctica.
8 Lake Vostok was detected by radar.
9 Exploration of Lake Vostok is coordinated by Russia.
10 Nutrients to support life have been found in the Antarctic ice.
11 The ice above the lake is moving to the east.
12 Scientists have drilled through the ice into the water of Lake Vostok.
13 The water in the lake is approximately 500 in deep at the southern end.
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q7: Only one lake has been found beneath Antarctica. | To date more than 70 hidden lakes have been detected in the small portion of the continent. Lake Vostok is the largest of these, stretching 280 km from south to north and some 60 km from cast to west. |
Note: - By skimming through the passage again, we can assume that the information relating to this is in paragraph C. - There are 70 hidden lakes detected in the small portion of the continent, and Lake Vostok is the largest of which. For that reason, it is wrong that there is only a lake found beneath Antarctica. Hence, the answer for Q7 is NO. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q8: Lake Vostok was detected by radar. | The first clues to Lake Vostok’s existence came in the 1970s, when British, U.S. and Danish researchers collected radar observations by flying over this region |
Note: - The answer for Q8 can be found in paragraph D. - By collecting radar observations by flying over this region, the first clues to the lake’s existence came; in other words, Lake Vostok was detected. Hence, the answer for Q8 is YES. |
Keywords in Questions | |
Q9: Exploration of Lake Vostok is coordinated by Russia. | |
Note: - In paragraph A, it is said that an immense lake was identified by Russian and British glaciologists. According to paragraph C, seismic experiments carried out by Russian researchers are about the depth of the water. However, there is no information whether Russia coordinated the exploration of Lake Vostok. Therefore, the answer for Q9 is NOT GIVEN. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q10: Nutrients to support life have been found in the Antarctic ice. | For the lake’s residents, the only nutrients would come from below...Bacteria, yeasts, fungi, algae and even pollen grains have been found in the Vostok ice core samples taken down to depths of 2,750 m - three quarters of the way to the bottom. At least some of these organisms are alive and capable of growing, according to recent reports. |
Note: - It is said that nutrients may come from below. According to paragraph E, bacteria, yeast, fungi and pollen grains are found in the ice core samples taken down to depths of 2,750 m - three quarters of the way to the bottom. In other words, these organisms found from below are able to grow, which means that nutrients may have been found there either. - Hence, the answer for Q10 is YES. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q11: The ice above the lake is moving to the east. | The ice sheet above the water is creeping from west to east at a rate of roughly four meters per year. |
Note: - The answer for Q11 could be found in the last paragraph. - In this question, the verb “to move“ is paraphrased into “to creep”. Hence, after comparing all the keywords above, we assume that the answer for Q11 is YES. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q12: Scientists have drilled through the ice into the water of Lake Vostok. | Along with the potential rewards come a host of challenges. Researchers must find a way to penetrate the icy covering without introducing any micro-organisms or pollutants into the sealed-off water. |
Note: - The information relating to Q12 is located in paragraph D. - At the present, the challenge is to find a way to penetrate the icy covering without introducing any micro-organisms or pollutants into the sealed-off water. In other words, scientists have not drilled through the ice into the water of the lake now; therefore, the answer to Q12 is NO. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q13: The water in the lake is approximately 500 in deep at the southern end. | At Vostok station, which sits at the southern end of the lake, the water depth appears to be 500 m according to seismic experiments carried out by Russian researchers. |
Note: - The information relating to the water depth is in paragraph C. - After comparing all the keywords above, we can assume that the answer for Q13 should be YES. |
There are four sections in the Listening test. The first two sections are general listening situations, whereas the last two sections are academic...
The passage has 5 sections A-E.
Choose the most suitable heading for sections B-E from the list of headings below.
Write the appropriate numbers (i-viii).
There are more headings than sections so you will not use all of them.
List of Headings | |
i | Cost of exploration |
ii | Location and description of the lake |
iii | Potential for living organisms in the lake |
iv | Challenges of exploration |
v | Discovery of the lake |
vi | Possible sources of nutrients to support life |
vii | Types of organisms in the lake |
viii | Scientific interest in Lake Vostok |
Example:
Section A v
1 Section B
2 Section C
3 Section D
4 Section E
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q1: Section B viii. Scientific interest in Lake Vostok | As details have emerged, a growing number of scientists are showing interest, with dozens of investigators keen to explore the feature, known as Lake Vostok. |
Note: - According to the passage, a growing number of scientists are showing interest. In other words, more and more scientists are interested in exploring Lake Vostok. Hence, the answer to Q1 is viii. Science interest in Lake Vostok. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q2: Section C ii. Location and description of the lake | Thermometers there measured in July 1983, and the average temperature hovers around -55⁰C… . These factors have helped lakes develop across much of the thickly blanketed East Antarctica. To date more than 70 hidden lakes have been detected in the small portion of the continent. Lake Vostok is the largest of these, stretching 280 km from south to north and some 60 km from east to west. |
Note: - According to Section C, Lake Vostok is in East Antarctica, stretching 280 km from south to north and some 60 km from east to west. This piece of information is about location. - Besides, the author also gives a description of the lake such as its temperature (-55⁰C). Moreover, it is also described that the thick ice acts as an insulating blanket protecting bedrock and the geothermal heat keeps the lake from freezing and warms the lowest layers of ice. - Hence, the answer for Q2 is ii. Location and description of the lake. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q3: Section D iv. Challenges of exploration | Along with the potential rewards come a host of challenges. Researchers must find a way to penetrate the icy covering without introducing any microorganisms or pollutants into the sealed-off water. |
Note: - In the 1970s, the first clues to the lake’s existence were made. Next, the further exploration comes a host of challenges as they have to find a way to penetrate the icy covering without introducing any microorganisms or pollutants into the water. Therefore, the answer for Q3 is iv. Challenges of exploration. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q4: Section E iii. Potential for living organisms in the lake | What about life in the depths?... Bacteria, yeasts, fungi, algae and even pollen grains have been found in the Vostok ice core samples taken down to depths of 2,750 m - three quarters of the way to the bottom. At least some of these organisms are alive and capable of growing… . |
Note: - Two headings that seem to relate to section E is iii. Potential for living organisms in the lake and vi. Possible sources of nutrients to support life. - However, the idea of nutrients just supports the idea of the potential for living organisms in the lake. Moreover, the topic sentence of this section, “What about life in the depths?”, also talks about living organisms, but not nutrients. Hence, the answer for Q4 is iii. |
Choose the correct letter A-D.
Which is NOT given as a reason for interest in exploring Lake Vostok?
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q5: Which is NOT given as a reason for interest in exploring Lake Vostok? A. to test technology for space exploration B. to develop anti-pollution devices C. to investigate the history of Earth’s climate D. to look for living organisms | B. By looking at the ratio of different oxygen isotopes, scientists should be able to trace how Earth’s temperature changed over the millennia. .... Vostok would be an ideal testing ground for technology that would eventually fly to Europa or places even more distant, say many scientists. E. The results of this analysis may indirectly indicate whether anything survives in the lightless body of water |
Note: - The information relating to scientific interest in exploring Lake Vostok is located in paragraph B and E. - Option A is mentioned. The phrase to test technology for space exploration is the same as the phrase an ideal testing ground for technology. - Option C is mentioned. The verb “to investigate” means “to trace” while the history of Earth’s climate is how Earth’s temperature changed over the millenia. - Option D is also mentioned. In paragraph D, recent reports are made to know whether organisms survive in this lake, which is also the reason for interest in exploring Lake Vostok - There is no information relating option B at all, therefore, the answer for Q5 is B. |
Lake Vostok does not freeze because ...
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q6: Lake Vostok does not freeze because ... A. a thick ice cover provides insulation. B. it is waned by heat from the earth’s surface. C. low pressure prevents freezing. D. an underwater volcano erupted recently. | It’s the thick ice, strangely, that enables a lake to survive in such a frozen environment. The 4 kilometers of ice acts effectively as an insulating blanket protecting the bedrock underneath the ice from the cold temperatures above. Geothermal heat coming from the planet’s interior keeps the lake from freezing and warms the lowest layers of ice. Beneath 4 km of glacier, the pressure is intense enough to melt ice at a temperature of -4°C. These factors have helped lakes develop across much of the thickly blanketed East Antarctica. |
Note: - Option B is wrong. It is because the heat coming from the interior keeps the lake from freezing but not the one from the surface. - Option C is wrong because intense pressure but not low pressure helps melt the ice. - Option D is not mentioned at all. - For that reason, after comparing all the keywords, we can assume that the answer for Q6 is A. |
Do the following statements reflect the claims of the author?
Write:
YES | if the statement agrees with the views of the writer |
NO | if the statement contradicts the views of the writer |
NOT GIVEN | if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this |
7 Only one lake has been found beneath Antarctica.
8 Lake Vostok was detected by radar.
9 Exploration of Lake Vostok is coordinated by Russia.
10 Nutrients to support life have been found in the Antarctic ice.
11 The ice above the lake is moving to the east.
12 Scientists have drilled through the ice into the water of Lake Vostok.
13 The water in the lake is approximately 500 in deep at the southern end.
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q7: Only one lake has been found beneath Antarctica. | To date more than 70 hidden lakes have been detected in the small portion of the continent. Lake Vostok is the largest of these, stretching 280 km from south to north and some 60 km from cast to west. |
Note: - By skimming through the passage again, we can assume that the information relating to this is in paragraph C. - There are 70 hidden lakes detected in the small portion of the continent, and Lake Vostok is the largest of which. For that reason, it is wrong that there is only a lake found beneath Antarctica. Hence, the answer for Q7 is NO. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q8: Lake Vostok was detected by radar. | The first clues to Lake Vostok’s existence came in the 1970s, when British, U.S. and Danish researchers collected radar observations by flying over this region |
Note: - The answer for Q8 can be found in paragraph D. - By collecting radar observations by flying over this region, the first clues to the lake’s existence came; in other words, Lake Vostok was detected. Hence, the answer for Q8 is YES. |
Keywords in Questions | |
Q9: Exploration of Lake Vostok is coordinated by Russia. | |
Note: - In paragraph A, it is said that an immense lake was identified by Russian and British glaciologists. According to paragraph C, seismic experiments carried out by Russian researchers are about the depth of the water. However, there is no information whether Russia coordinated the exploration of Lake Vostok. Therefore, the answer for Q9 is NOT GIVEN. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q10: Nutrients to support life have been found in the Antarctic ice. | For the lake’s residents, the only nutrients would come from below...Bacteria, yeasts, fungi, algae and even pollen grains have been found in the Vostok ice core samples taken down to depths of 2,750 m - three quarters of the way to the bottom. At least some of these organisms are alive and capable of growing, according to recent reports. |
Note: - It is said that nutrients may come from below. According to paragraph E, bacteria, yeast, fungi and pollen grains are found in the ice core samples taken down to depths of 2,750 m - three quarters of the way to the bottom. In other words, these organisms found from below are able to grow, which means that nutrients may have been found there either. - Hence, the answer for Q10 is YES. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q11: The ice above the lake is moving to the east. | The ice sheet above the water is creeping from west to east at a rate of roughly four meters per year. |
Note: - The answer for Q11 could be found in the last paragraph. - In this question, the verb “to move“ is paraphrased into “to creep”. Hence, after comparing all the keywords above, we assume that the answer for Q11 is YES. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q12: Scientists have drilled through the ice into the water of Lake Vostok. | Along with the potential rewards come a host of challenges. Researchers must find a way to penetrate the icy covering without introducing any micro-organisms or pollutants into the sealed-off water. |
Note: - The information relating to Q12 is located in paragraph D. - At the present, the challenge is to find a way to penetrate the icy covering without introducing any micro-organisms or pollutants into the sealed-off water. In other words, scientists have not drilled through the ice into the water of the lake now; therefore, the answer to Q12 is NO. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q13: The water in the lake is approximately 500 in deep at the southern end. | At Vostok station, which sits at the southern end of the lake, the water depth appears to be 500 m according to seismic experiments carried out by Russian researchers. |
Note: - The information relating to the water depth is in paragraph C. - After comparing all the keywords above, we can assume that the answer for Q13 should be YES. |
Complete the summary below.
Choose your answers from the box below the summary.
There are more words than you need so you will not use all of them.
Pfiesteria is a microorganism (Example) with some unusual characteristics. Under normal conditions, it acts like a 14 but it has also developed powerful 15 as a defence against being eaten by fish. When the fish are disabled and killed by the neurotoxins, the organism 16 them and it 17 afterward. |
jaws | grows | animal |
kills | eats | poisons |
plant | disappears | microorganism |
bacteria | fish | dies |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q14: Pfiesteria is a microorganism (Example) with some unusual characteristics. Under normal conditions, it acts like a ____ | In tanks, pfiesteria was quite content to behave like a plant and can photosynthesize. However, when fish were added a dramatic transformation occurred, pfiesteria switched to attack mode. |
Note: - Paragraph from 2 to 6 talk about pfiesteria; however, the question for Q14 is in the fifth paragraph. - As the blank follows the preposition “a”, a singular noun must be filled in. For that reason, the word needed can be plant, bacteria, fish and animal (the word microorganism is eliminated because it is used in the example). - As I quoted above, pfiesteria switched to attack mode when fish were added a dramatic transformation occurred. That is an extraordinary condition so the previous sentence is about normal conditions. It is said that pfiesteria behaved like a plant and photosynthesized (photosynthesis is a process by which green plants turn carbon dioxide and water into food using energy obtained from light from the sun) - In this question, the phrase “to act like” is changed into “to behave like”. All the keywords match so the answer for Q14 is plant. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q15: but it has also developed powerful ____ as a defence against being eaten by fish. | They are at the bottom of the food chain but, to deter fish from swallowing them, some have evolved powerful toxins. |
Note: - The answer for Q15 is located in paragraph 3 which introduces pfiesteria. - The blank follows an adjective, therefore, the answer for this question may be a noun. - The verb “to develop” is changed into “to evolve”. Meanwhile, when pfiesteria deter fish from swallowing them, it means that pfiesteria become a defence against being eaten by fish. - After comparing all the keywords, we can assume that the answer for Q15 is poisons. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q16: When the fish are disabled and killed by the neurotoxins, the organism _____ them. | The fish quickly became disorientated and within five minutes all were dead. Pfiesteria changed shape again and devoured them. |
Note: - The answer for Q16 is in paragraph 5 which relates to the behavior of pfiesteria. - In the question, because the clause above has had the subject and object already, a verb must be filled in. - In this question, the organism indicates pfiesteria. Meanwhile, the adjective disorientated means to be disabled. When the fish are killed, they are also dead. - After comparing all the keywords above, we can assume that the answer could be “devours”. However, this word doesn’t exist in the list of words. Fortunately, there is the word “eats” which has the same meaning. Hence, the answer for Q16 is eats. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q17: Then it ____ . | When it had had its fill, it vanished. |
Note: - The word “then” is used to introduce the next item in a series of actions, therefore, the answer for Q17 is also in the fifth paragraph. Similar to Q16, verb is also needed to be filled in. - The verb “to vanish” is equal to the verb “to disappear”. Hence, the answer for Q17 is disappears. |
Fill in the blanks with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage.
Conditions which favour the growth of toxic algae include high levels of 18 and 19 fish feeding together. Research scientists at the international conference learned about 20 toxic algae and how they are spreading around the world in water 21 . |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q18: Conditions which favour the growth of toxic algae include high levels of ____ | When the water containing the biggest fish kills was analysed, scientists found high levels of pollution. But this is just one of the factors that can boost the transformation in pfiesteria. |
Note: - The information relating to Q18 is in paragraph 6. - As the blank follows the preposition “of”, a noun or compound noun should be the answer. - The conditions that boost the transformation in pfiesteria is the factors that favour the growth of this kind of toxic algae. - According to the passage, scientists found high levels of pollution; in other words, these conditions include high levels of pollution. Hence, the answer for Q18 is pollution. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q19: and ____ fish feeding together. | Others include large numbers of fish travelling together which feed in poorly flushed places with a lot of algae to eat and other rich food sources. |
Note: - Similar to Q18, the answer for this question can also be found in the sixth paragraph. - When the fish travel together which feed in places with a lot of algae to eat, they feed together. - The phrase we need is followed by the word “fish”; therefore, we can assume that the answer for Q19 is large numbers of. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q20: Research scientists at the international conference learned about ______ toxic algae | Researchers from forty-seven nations met recently to share the latest information about harmful algal blooms. They heard about new kinds of toxins and discussed possible links between algae and whale standings. |
Note: - The information relating to this is in paragraph 7. - According to the passage, research scientists from forty-seven nations are the ones at the international conference. - After comparing all the keywords above, we assume that the answer for Q20 is new kinds of. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q21: and how they are spreading around the world in water ______. | But what dominated the proceedings was news that toxic algae are spreading to new shores in ballast water carried by ships. |
Note: - Similar to Q20, the answer for this question is also located in paragraph 7. - Once they spread around the world, they spread to new shores. - This question is quite hard for you as the answer for Q21 is carried by ship. You cannot predict what type of words needs to be filled out. |
Classify the following as:
A | caused by pfiesteria |
B | caused by chattonella |
C | caused by an unidentified micro-organism |
Example
Serious illness of researcher A
22 death of sea-lions off the coast of California (1990s)
23 fish kill in Japan (1972)
24 shellfish industry losses in New Zealand (1990s)
25 tuna industry losses in Australia (1990s)
26 fish kill in North Carolina (1980s)
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q22: death of sea-lions off the coast of California (1990s) | But pfiesteria is not the only concern. In the oceans all around the world similar kinds of algae are now materialising and turning toxic. In the last decade these algal blooms have poisoned sea-lions in California, caused catastrophic fish kills,... and devastated the shellfish industry in New Zealand. |
Note: - A hint is you should scan for words capitalized or numbers. In this question, you should scan for the word “California” or the keyword “sea-lions”. You will find that the information relating to Q22 is in paragraph 7. - In paragraph 7, pfiesteria is said to be not the only concern and other unidentified micro-organisms which are turning toxic are later mentions. Hence, pfiesteria does not cause this event but an unidentified micro-organism. For that reason, the answer for Q22 is C. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q23: fish kill in Japan (1972) | The same chattonella killed half a billion dollars’ worth of fish in Japan in 1972. |
Note: - Fish kill is mentioned in four paragraphs (2,5,6 and 7) but those first three paragraphs are not about one in Japan. Hence, a hint is you should scan for the country name “Japan” so that you can find the information we need in paragraph 7. - According to the passage, this event was caused by chattonella; therefore, the answer for Q23 must be B. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q24: shellfish industry losses in New Zealand (1990s) | In the oceans all around the world similar kinds of algae are now materialising and turning toxic. In the last decade these algal blooms1 have poisoned sea-lions in California, caused catastrophic fish kills ... and devastated the shellfish industry in New Zealand. |
Note: - By scanning for the country name “New Zealand” or the keyword “shellfish industry”, you can find the information relating to this in paragraph 7. - Similar to the event in Q22, shellfish industry losses in New Zealand was also caused by an unidentified organism. Hence, the answer for Q24 is C. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q25: tuna industry losses in Australia (1990s) | That may have already happened in Australian waters. A tuna kill in 1996 cost fish farmers an estimated $45 million. The official explanation was that a storm was to blame. But there were also reports of orange-brown streaks in the water. When a water sample was examined, it was found to be teeming with an alga never before seen in Australia, called chattonella. |
Note: - By scanning for the country name “Australia” or the keyword “tuna industry”, the information relating to Q25 can be found in the eighth paragraph. - Even though a storm was responsible for the tuna kill in 1996, chattonella in the water was also considered as one of the reasons for this. For that reason, the answer for Q25 is B. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q26: fish kill in North Carolina (1980s) | In the mid-1980s, fishermen in North Carolina, on the eastern coast of the United States, began complaining about mysterious fish kills … Tank after tank of fish suddenly died. Researchers spotted an unknown microorganism in the water. It was later named pfiesteria. |
Note: - In the passage, fish kill is mentioned in four distinct paragraphs but only paragraph 2 talks about one in North Carolina. There is a hint for you to discriminate them: you should scan for the name “North Carolina” which is capitalized. - Researchers found a kind of micro-organism called pfiesteria which was responsible for that mysterious fish kills in North Carolina. For that reason, the answer for Q26 is A. |
Choose the correct letter A-D.
What most surprised Dr. Balabanova about her discovery?
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q27: What most surprised Dr. Balabanova about her discovery? A. the presence of drugs in the mummies B. the fact that the plants originated in the western hemisphere C. the positive results of tests on other mummies D. the hostile reaction of the scientific community | If Balabanova was shocked by the results of her tests, she was even more shocked at the hostile response to her publication. She received many insulting letters, accusing her of fraud. |
Note: -.The information about Dr.Balabanova can be found in the first three paragraphs but the answer for this question is just located in paragraph 2. - The author indicates two times that Dr.Balabanova felt shocked. However, the second time was described as “‘she was even more shocked at the hostile response to her publication”; in other words, that hostile reaction of the scientific community made her surprised the most. Hence we can assume that the answer for Q27 is D. |
Which of the following was ruled out by Dr. Lescot’s investigation?
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q28: Which of the following was ruled out by Dr. Lescot’s investigation? A. Tobacco had been dropped onto the mummy. B. Tobacco grew in Ancient Egypt. C. Chemicals produced false test results. D. The mummies were fake. | Dr. Michelle Lescot of the Natural History Museum (Paris) was looking at sections of bandages and within the fibres found a plant fragment. When she checked it under a microscope, she was amazed to discover that the plant was tobacco.... Was it possible that a piece of tobacco had been dropped by chance from the pipe of some forgotten archaeologist? |
Note: - The answer for this question is located in the fourth paragraph as it is the only one that talks about Dr.Lescot. - Option C and D are eliminated. These ideas were two explanations of the experiment of Dr.Balabanova who found cocaine and nicotine in a mummy’s body. - Option B is wrong because Dr.Lescot did not rule out this idea and whether Tobacco grew in Ancient Egypt was controversial then. - “To rule out” means “to state that something is not possible”. The question “Was it possible…?” is a means of ruling out or stating whether something is suitable. Hence A is the most appropriate answer for this question. |
Why was the discovery of tobacco in the body of Ramses II ignored?
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Q29: Why was the discovery of tobacco in the body of Ramses II ignored? A. Contamination was suspected. B. The evidence raised difficult questions. C. The tests produced false results. D. The researcher was a woman. | The discovery of tobacco fragments in the mummified body of Ramses II should have had a profound influence upon our whole understanding of the relationship between Ancient Egypt and America but this piece of evidence was simply ignored. It raised too many questions and was too far outside of commonly accepted scientific views. |
Note: - The information relating to Q29 is located in paragraph 4. To be specific, you should scan for the word “Ramses II” which is capitalized to know where the answer is. - The questions raised was far outside of commonly acceptable scientific views. In other words, these questions are difficult and inaccessible. - All the keywords match so we can assume that the answer for Q29 must be B. |
Match ONE of the researchers (A-D) to each of the statements (30-34) below.
There may be more than one correct answer.
30 first to find a substance from the Americas in a mummy
31 argues against transoceanic trade because of lack of evidence
32 had to defend against attacks on research methodology
33 gives evidence of extensive Egyptian trade in ancient times
34 publication of research results was controversial
A | Dr. Svetlana Balabanova |
B | Dr. Michelle Lescot |
C | Professor John Baines |
D | Professor Martin Bernal. |
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Q30: first to find a substance from the Americas in a mummy | In 1992... Dr. Balabanova had regularly used the same testing methods to convict people of drug consumption but she had not expected to find nicotine and cocaine in an Ancient Egyptian mummy. In 1976... Dr. Michelle Lescot of the Natural History Museum (Paris) was looking at sections of bandages and within the fibres found a plant fragment. When she checked it under a microscope, she was amazed to discover that the plant was tobacco. |
Note: - You may choose A. Dr.Svetlana Balabanova instead of B. Dr.Michelle Lescot. The question is about the first one to find a substance so that you have to read carefully and determine which event began first. - The event that Dr. Balabanova found nicotine and cocaine in an Ancient Egyptian mummy took place in the 1990s. Meanwhile, the event that Dr.Lescot found a piece of tobacco in another mummy was in the 1970s. - For that reason, Dr. Lescot was the first to find a substance from the Americas (tobacco) in a mummy. Hence, the answer for Q30 is B. |
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Q31: argues against transoceanic trade because of lack of evidence | Professor John Baines, an Egyptologist from Oxford University states: ‘I don’t think it is at all likely that there was an ancient trade network that included America. The essential problem with any such idea is that there are no artefacts … found either in Europe or in America.’ |
Note: - The information relating to Q31 is located in the sixth paragraph. - Transoceanic trade is an ancient trade network included America. Meanwhile, lack of evidence has the same meaning as having no artefacts. - Dr.John Baines didn’t think there was a trade like that; in other words, that is his argue against this trade. To conclude, the answer for Q31 is C. |
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Q32: had to defend against attacks on research methodology | Dr. Balabanova ... received many insulting letters, accusing her of fraud. Dr. Michelle Lescot … It raised too many questions and was too far outside of commonly accepted scientific views. |
Note: - According to the passage, both Dr. Balabanova and Dr. Michelle Lescot all carried out the experiment on mummy, then provoke arguments among scientific community so they had to defend against attacks on research methodology. Hence, the answer for Q32 is A and B. |
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Q33: gives evidence of extensive Egyptian trade in ancient times | Professor Martin Bernal, an historian, from Cornell University says, ‘We’re getting more and more evidence of world trade at an earlier stage. You have the Chinese silk definitely arriving in Egypt by 1000 BC.’ In his opinion, it is arrogance on the part of modern people to believe that a transoceanic trading network could only have been set up in recent times. |
Note: - The information relating to Q33 is in paragraph 6. - The phrase “it is arrogance on the part of modern people to believe that a transoceanic trading network could only have been set up in recent times” means that “it is wrong to believe that an extensive Egyptian trade have just been set up recently” - According to the passage, by indicating Chinese silk arriving in Egypt by 1000 BC, professor Martin Bermal wanted to give evidence of transoceanic trading network which had been in existence for a long period of time. Hence, the answer for Q33 is D. |
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Q34: publication of research results was controversial | When the results came back positive, she published a paper with two other scientists. If Balabanova was shocked by the results of her tests, she was even more shocked at the hostile response to her publication. She received many insulting letters, accusing her of fraud. |
Note: - The information about Q34 is located in the second paragraph. - Something “controversial” is the one causing a lot of angry public discussion and disagreement. Similarly, after publishing a paper with other scientists, Dr.Balabanova received many hostile responses such as insulting letter, accusing her of fraud. In other words, her research result was controversial. Therefore, the answer for Q34 must be A. |
Do the following statements reflect the opinions of the writer in the passage?
Write:
YES | if the statement agrees with the views of the writer |
NO | if the statement contradicts the views of the writer |
NOT GIVEN | if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this |
35 There is proof that tobacco was grown in Ancient Egypt.
36 Trade routes across the Atlantic Ocean may have existed thousands of years ago.
37 Ancient Egyptians were great ship builders.
38 The scientific community generally rejects the idea of contact between Ancient Egypt and the Americas.
39 The unusual test results could have come from ‘qat’, a plant native to North Africa.
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Q35: There is proof that tobacco was grown in Ancient Egypt. | When she checked it under a microscope, she was amazed to discover that the plant was tobacco...The discovery of tobacco fragments in the mummified body of Ramses II should have had a profound influence upon our whole understanding of the relationship between Ancient Egypt and America but this piece of evidence was simply ignored. It raised too many questions and was too far outside of commonly accepted scientific views. |
Note: - The answer for Q35 must be NO because this statement contradicts the views of the writer. - Since Dr.Michelle Lescot found tobacco (a substance derived from the US) in an Ancient Egyptian mummy, it has aroused a bitter controversy among scientific community about whether there was a trading networking between Ancient Egypt and America in the past. In other words, tobacco from the USA might be imported to Egypt. However, there is no proof that tobacco was grown in Ancient Egypt. |
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Q36: Trade routes across the Atlantic Ocean may have existed thousands of years ago. | In his opinion, it is arrogance on the part of modern people to believe that a transoceanic trading network could only have been set up in recent times. (6) |
Note: - There has been a controversy among scientific community about the existence of a trading networking between Ancient Egypt and America in the past since Dr.Michelle Lescot found a substance from the USA in an Ancient Egyptian mummy - The question agrees with the writer’s view so the answer for Q36 is YES. |
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Q38: The scientific community generally rejects the idea of contact between Ancient Egypt and the Americas. | 4.The discovery of tobacco fragments in the mummified body of Ramses II should have had a profound influence upon our whole understanding of the relationship between Ancient Egypt and America but this piece of evidence was simply ignored. It raised too many questions and was too far outside of commonly accepted scientific views. 5. Could Ancient Egyptian trade have stretched all the way across the Atlantic Ocean? This was an idea so unbelievable it could only be considered after all other possibilities had been eliminated. |
Note: - According to paragraph 4, the idea of contact between these two places was rejected because we did not have enough evidence and we could not answer such a difficult question raised. - As for paragraph 5, this idea could only be considered after all other possibilities had been eliminated. In other words, the scientific community rejected this idea and just accepted that as the last choice. The statement agrees with the author’s views. Hence, the answer for Q38 is YES. |
Choose the correct letter A-D.
What is the main idea of this passage?
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Q40: What is the main idea of this passage? A. Experimental research often gives false results. B. Long-held beliefs can be challenged by new information. C. The scientific community is conservative by nature. D. Ideas which don’t fit our belief system must be wrong. | The discoveries in mummies from Egypt and Sudan have challenged conventional beliefs. It is no longer possible to exclude the hypothesis of transoceanic trade in ancient times. |
Note: - The last paragraph helps us come up with the main idea of this passage. - From year to year, there is a difference in the way we think and solve a problem like what is thought about “The tale of Henut-Taui”. The present researchers makes long-held beliefs no longer appropriate so that we can not exclude any hypothesis anymore. In other words, this conventional beliefs will be changed or challenged by new information in order to be something more suitable. Hence, the answer to this question must be B. |
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on this passage.
A
Beneath the white blanket of Antarctica lies half a continent of virtually uncharted territory - an area so completely hidden that scientists have little clue what riches await discovery. Recently, Russian and British glaciologists identified an immense lake - one of Earth’s largest and deepest - buried beneath 4,000 meters of ice immediately below Russia’s Vostok Station.
B
As details have emerged, a growing number of scientists are showing interest, with dozens of investigators keen to explore the feature, known as Lake Vostok. A thick layer of sediment at the bottom of the lake could hold novel dues to the planet’s climate going back lens of millions of years. By looking at the ratio of different oxygen isotopes, scientists should be able to trace how Earth’s temperature changed over the millennia. NASA has expressed interest in Lake Vostok because of its similarity to Europa. This moon of Jupiter appears to have a water ocean covered by a thick ice sheet, measuring perhaps tens of kilometers in depth. If hydrothermal vents exist beneath the ice, chemical reactions on Europa could have created the molecular building blocks for life, if not life itself. Vostok would be an ideal testing ground for technology that would eventually fly to Europa or places even more distant, say many scientists. Though cheap compared with a Europan mission, any expedition to Vostok would represent a significant investment.
C
Vostok Station holds the uncomfortable distinction of having recorded the coldest temperature on Earth. Thermometers there measured in July 1983, and the average temperature hovers around -55°C. It’s the thick ice, strangely, that enables a lake to survive in such a frozen environment. The 4 kilometers of ice acts effectively as an insulating blanket protecting the bedrock underneath the ice from the cold temperatures above. Geothermal heat coming from the planet’s interior keeps the lake from freezing and warms the lowest layers of ice. The tremendous weight of the ice sheet also plays a role in maintaining the lake. Beneath 4 kilometers of glacier, the pressure is intense enough to melt ice at a temperature of -4°C. These factors have helped lakes develop across much of the thickly blanketed East Antarctica. More than 70 hidden lakes have been detected in the small portion of the continent to date. Lake Vostok is the largest of these, stretching 280km from south to north and some 60km from east to west. At Vostok station, which sits at the southern end of the lake, the water depth appears to be 500m according to seismic experiments carried out by Russian researchers.
D
The first clues to Lake Vostok’s existence came in the 1970s, when British, U.S., and Danish researchers collected radar observations by flying over this region. The radar penetrates the ice and bounces off whatever sits below. When researchers found a surface as flat as a mirror, they surmised that a lake must exist underneath the ice. An airborne survey of the lake is being undertaken, the first step toward eventually drilling into the water. Along with the potential rewards come a host of challenges. Researchers must find a way to penetrate the icy covering without introducing any microorganisms or pollutants into the sealed-off water.
E
What about life in the depths? If tiny microbes do populate the lake, they may be some of the hungriest organisms ever discovered. Lake Vostok has the potential to be one of the most energy-limited, or oligotrophic, environments on the planet. For the lake’s residents, the only nutrients would come from below. Russian investigators have speculated that the lake floor may have hot springs spewing out hydrothermal fluids stocked with reduced metals and other sorts of chemical nutrients. Scant geological evidence available for this region, however, indicates that the crust is old and dead. Without a stream of nutrients seeping up from the deep Earth, the only potential source of energy lies above the lake. The ice sheet above the water is creeping from west to east at a rate of roughly four meters per year. The lowermost layers of ice melt when they come in contact with the lake, liberating trapped gases and bits of crushed-up rock. If the glacier recently passed over rock before reaching the lake, it could be supplying organic compounds useful to microorganisms. It also could be seeding the lake with a continuous source of new residents. Bacteria, yeasts, fungi, algae and even pollen grains have been found in the Vostok ice core samples taken down to depths of 2,750m - three quarters of the way to the bottom. At least some of these organisms are alive and capable of growing, according to recent reports. The results of this analysis may indirectly indicate whether anything survives in the lightless body of water.
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26 which are based on this passage.
Recently, an international team of biologists met to discuss what they believe is a global crisis in the sudden appearance of strange marine microorganisms capable of poisoning not just fish but people too.
In the mid-1980s, fishermen in North Carolina, on the eastern coast of the United States, began complaining about mysterious fish kills. They were convinced that pollution was responsible but nobody would listen. That changed in 1988 after an accident at. a research center. Tank after tank of fish suddenly died. Researchers spotted an unknown microorganism in the water. It was later named pfiesteria.
Pfiesteria belongs to a prehistoric group of algae that are part plant, part animal. They are called dinoflagellates after the liny whips or flagella that propel them through the wafer. Magnified a thousand limes they are some of the strangest and most beautiful creatures in the sea. They are at the bottom of the food chain but, to deter fish from swallowing them, some have evolved powerful toxins.
As the researchers were to discover, pfiesteria doesn’t just discourage fish. It actively hunts them, then eats them. Fish are one of its preferred foods but one of the intriguing things about pfiesteria is that it will eat everything from bacteria to dead plant and animal remains all the way up to mammalian tissues. So its food spans the entire food web of an estuary. Gradually the researchers realised that nothing in the water was safe from pfiesteria. It could harm humans too. A mis-directed air-conditioning duct from a room containing the toxins nearly killed one of the researchers. He suffered a host of symptoms ranging from profuse sweating, tingling hands and feet, to liver and kidney problems, as well as memory
As the research intensified, some startling discoveries were made. In tanks, pfiesteria was quite content to behave like a plant and photosynthesize. However, when fish were added, a dramatic transformation occurred, pfiesteria switched to attack mode. In a matter of minutes it changed shape and secreted a toxin. The fish quickly became disorientated and within five minutes all were dead. Pfiesteria changed shape again and devoured them. When it had had its fill, it vanished. No one had ever seen an organism do this.
Initially scientists believed this was part of a natural cycle, but on closer examination, it seemed pollution was to blame. When the water containing the biggest fish kills was analysed, scientists found high levels of pollution. But this is just one of the factors that can boost the transformation in pfiesteria. Others include large numbers of fish travelling together which feed in poorly flushed places with a lot of algae to eat and other rich food sources. That is the perfect habitat for pfiesteria.
But pfiesteria is not the only concern. In the oceans all around the world similar kinds of algae are now materialising and turning toxic. In the last decade these algal blooms¹ have poisoned sea-lions in California, caused catastrophic fish kills in the Pacific, the Mediterranean and the North Sea, and devastated the shellfish industry in New Zealand. Researchers from forty-seven nations met recently to share the latest information about harmful algal blooms. They heard about new kinds of toxins and discussed possible links between algae and whale standings. But what dominated the proceedings was news that toxic algae are spreading to new shores in ballast water carried by ships.
That may have already happened in Australian waters. A tuna kill in 1996 cost fish farmers an estimated $45 million. The official explanation was that a storm was to blame. But there were also reports of orange-brown streaks in the water. When a water sample was examined, it was found to be teeming with an alga never before seen in Australia, called chattonella. The same chattonella killed half a billion dollars’ worth of fish in Japan in 1972.
This toxin was also present in the livers of the dead tuna. Despite this powerful evidence, the official explanation remains that a storm was the killer. However, in Japan this was a prime example of an algal bloom induced by the waste products of the aquaculture industry itself, and of course that is not something that the tuna industry wants to hear.
It is clear that chattonella is present in Australian waters. But there is little knowledge of what else may surface or where it may have come from. What is of greater concern is that, in Australia and around the world, there is a reluctance to acknowledge that it is human activity which is triggering the transformation of normally benign organisms into increasingly dangerous forms. If we continue to mismanage the way nutrients and pollutants are released into the environment, we will have to confront new versions of the cells from hell.
Glossary
¹ algal bloom: The rapid growth under specific conditions, of minute aquatic plants
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40 which are based on this passage.
In 1992, a German scientist made a discovery which was to upset whole areas of scientific study from history and archaeology to chemistry and botany. Dr. Svetlana Balabanova, a forensic specialist, was performing tissue tests on an Egyptian mummy, part of a German museum collection. The mummified remains were of a woman named Henut-Taui who had died over 3,000 years ago. Amazingly, the tests revealed that her body contained large quantities of cocaine and nicotine. Dr. Balabanova had regularly used the same testing methods to convict people of drug consumption but she had not expected to find nicotine and cocaine in an Ancient Egyptian mummy. It is generally accepted that these two plants, native to the Americas, did not exist on other continents prior to European exploration.
Dr. Balabanova repeated the tests then sent out fresh samples to three other labs. When the results came back positive, she published a paper with two other scientists. If Balabanova was shocked by the results of her tests, she was even more shocked at the hostile response to her publication. She received many insulting letters, accusing her of fraud.
There were two explanations that came immediately to mind. One was that something in the tests could have given a false result. The second was that the mummies tested were not truly Ancient Egyptian. Perhaps they were relatively modern bodies, containing traces of cocaine. Dr. Balabanova then examined tissue from 134 naturally preserved bodies over a thousand years old discovered in an excavated cemetery in the Sudan. About a third of them tested positive for nicotine or cocaine.
But something had happened even earlier which should have initiated serious discussion. In 1976, the mummified remains of Ramses II arrived in Paris for repair work. Dr. Michelle Lescot of the Natural History Museum (Paris) was looking at sections of bandages and within the fibres found a plant fragment. When she checked it under a microscope, she was amazed to discover that the plant was tobacco. Fearing that she had made some mistake, she repeated her tests again and again with the same result every time: a New World plant had been found on an Old World mummy. The results caused a sensation in Europe. Was it possible that a piece of tobacco had been dropped by chance from the pipe of some forgotten archaeologist? Dr. Lescot responded to this charge of contamination by carefully extracting new samples from the abdomen, with the entire process recorded on film. These samples, which could not be ‘droppings’, were then tested. Once again they were shown to be tobacco. The discovery of tobacco fragments in the mummified body of Ramses II should have had a profound influence upon our whole understanding of the relationship between Ancient Egypt and America but this piece of evidence was simply ignored.
It raised too many questions and was too far outside of commonly accepted scientific views. So now the question had returned. Could Ancient E
gyptian trade have stretched all the way across the Atlantic Ocean? This was an idea so unbelievable it could only be considered after all other possibilities had been eliminated. Could Egyptians have obtained imports from a place thousands of miles away, from a continent supposedly not discovered until thousands of years later? Was it possible that coca - a plant from South America - had found its way to Egypt 3,000 years ago? If the cocaine found in mummies could not be explained by contamination, or fake mummies or by Egyptian plants containing it, there appeared to be another interesting possibility: a trade route with links all the way to the Americas.
The Egyptians did make great efforts to obtain incense and other valuable plants used in religious ceremonies and herbal medicines, but to the majority of archaeologists, the idea is hardly worth talking about. Professor John Baines, an Egyptologist from Oxford University, states: ‘I don’t think it is at all likely that there was an ancient trade network that included America. The essential problem with any such idea is that there are no artefacts found either in Europe or in America.’ But other experts aren’t so sure. Professor Martin Bernal, an historian from Cornell University, says, ‘We’re getting more and more evidence of world trade at an earlier stage. You have the Chinese silk definitely arriving in Egypt by 1000 BC.’ In his opinion, it is arrogance on the part of modern people to believe that a transoceanic trading network could only have been set up in recent times.
The discoveries in mummies from Egypt and Sudan have challenged conventional beliefs. It is no longer possible to exclude the hypothesis of transoceanic trade in ancient times. The tale of Henut-Taui and the story of Ramses II show that, in science, facts can be rejected if they don’t fit with our beliefs, while what is believed to be proven, may actually be uncertain. It is understandable then, how a story of a scientist, a few mummies and some routine tests, could upset whole areas of knowledge we thought we could take for granted.
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