Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer of 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 |
1 The co-existence of wolves and humans began 10,000 years ago.
2 Dogs, wolves, jackals and coyotes share a common ancestor.
3 Wolves are a protected species in most parts of the world.
4 Dogs evolved from wolves which chose to live with humans.
5 Dogs probably influenced the development of human hunting skills.
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q1: The co-existence of wolves and humans began 10,000 years ago. | all dog breeds had only one ancestor, the wolf… The fact that our companionship with dogs now appears to go back at least 100,000 years. |
Note: From the very first sentence, we can be aware that the domestication of wolves began between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago according to the conventional view. But the fact is that the companionship between humans and dogs which are descended from wolves appears to be at least 100,000 years ago. Therefore, the answer to this question is NO. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q2: Dogs, wolves, jackals and coyotes share a common ancestor. | The research also confirms, for the first time, that dogs are descended only from wolves and do not share DNA with coyotes or jackals. |
Note: Based on the keywords, we can easily find out the needed information for this question. Accordingly, dogs are said to be descended from wolves, not coyotes or jackals. For that reason, NO is the answer to this question. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q3: Wolves are a protected species in most parts of the world. | The descendants of the wolves that remained wolves are now sparsely distributed, often in endangered populations. |
Note After scanning based on the keywords, we are aware that wolves are now in endangered populations and sparsely distributed which does not mean whether they are in most parts of the world or not. Thus, the statement is NOT GIVEN. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q4: Dogs evolved from wolves which chose to live with humans. | Wolves may have started living at the edge of human settlements as scavengers, eating scraps of food and waste. Some learned to live with human beings in a mutually helpful way and gradually evolved into dogs. |
Note Based on the keyword ‘live with humans’, we can figure out the needed information for this question. It is clear that some wolves learned to live with human beings in a mutually helpful way and gradually evolved into dogs. In other words, dogs evolved from wolves which chose to live with humans. From that point, we can conclude that YES is the answer to this question. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q5: Dogs probably influenced the development of human hunting skills. | In return for companionship and food, the early ancestor of the dog assisted humans in tracking, hunting, guarding and a variety of other activities. |
Note: Based on the keyword ‘hunting’, we can find out the needed information for this question. As a mutually benefit-based relationship, dogs assisted humans many activities, particularly hunting and they would receive food in return. In other words, it can be said that dogs probably influenced the development of human hunting skills. Thus, YES is the answer. |
Choose the correct letter A-D.
How do we know that dogs have been more successful in evolutionary terms than wolves?
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q6: How do we know that dogs have been more successful in evolutionary terms than wolves? A. Dogs can be trained more easily than wolves. B. Wolves are stronger than dogs. C. Humans prefer dogs to wolves. D. There are more dogs than wolves today. | The wolves that evolved into dogs have been enormously successful in evolutionary terms. They are found everywhere in the inhabited world, hundreds of millions of them. The descendants of the wolves that remained wolves are now sparsely distributed, often in endangered populations. |
Note Based on the keyword, we can easily figure out the needed information for this question. Following the flow of information, we acknowledge that dogs have been more successful in evolutionary terms because they can be found everywhere in the inhabited world while wolves are now sparsely distributed. For that reason, we can conclude that the answer to this question must be D. |
As a result of domestication, the size of the human brain has ...
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q7: As a result of domestication, the size of the human brain has _______ A. increased. B. decreased C. stayed the same. D. become more complex. | early humans came to rely on dogs’ keen ability to hear, smell and see - allowing certain areas of the human brain to shrink in size relative to oilier areas. |
Note: After skimming, we can easily find out the needed information in the last two paragraphs. Accordingly, it is clear that the size of the human brain has decreased as a result of domestication. Thus, B is the answer. |
What can we infer from the studies of brain size and domestication?
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q8: What can we infer from the studies of brain size and domestication? A. Domestic life is less demanding than surviving in the wild. B. Animals like living with humans. C. Domestication has made animals physically weaker. D. Pigs are less intelligent than dogs. | Dr. Groves believes this reduction may have taken place as the relationship between humans and dogs intensified. The close interaction between the two species allowed for the diminishing of certain human brain functions like smell and hearing. |
Note After skimming, we can recognize that the studies of brain size and domestications belong to Dr.Groves, so we scan the two last paragraphs. Accordingly, the close interaction between the two species is said to allow for the diminishing of certain human brain functions such as smell and hearing. In other words, it can be said that domestic life is less demanding than surviving in the wild, the diminishing of certain human brain functions as an example. Therefore, the answer to this question must be A. |
Choose TWO WORDS from the passage for the answer.
There are many different types of dogs today, because, in early times humans began to 9 their animals for the characteristics they wanted.
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q9: There are many different types of dogs today, because, in early times humans began to _______ their animals for the characteristics they wanted. | the early ancestor of the dog assisted humans in tracking, hunting, guarding and a variety of other activities. Eventually humans began to selectively breed these animals for specific traits. |
Note The popularity of dogs nowadays has been presented in Q6. Following the flow of information, we can find out the answer for this question in the next paragraph. Accordingly, humans began to selectively breed their animals for specific traits, so there are many different types of dogs today. From that point, we can conclude that the answer to this question is “selectively breed”. |
Match one of the researchers (A-C) to each of the findings (10-14) below.
A | Dr. Wayne |
B | Dr. Paxton |
C | Dr. Groves |
Example found the common ancestor of the dog A 10 studied the brain size of domesticated animals 11 claims that wolves chose to interact with humans 12 established a new time frame for domestication of wolves 13 believes that dogs and humans domesticated each other 14 studied the DNA of wolves and dogs |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q10: _______ studied the brain size of domesticated animals | Dr. Groves repealed… humans have some of the same physical characteristics as domesticated animals, the most notable being decreased brain size. The horse experienced a 16 percent reduction in brain size after domestication while pigs’ brains shrank by as much as 34 percent… |
Note Based on the clue of previous questions, we can figure out that the information relating to the brain size of domesticated animals is located at the last paragraphs. For that reason, the finding is from the study of Dr. Groves. In other words, the answer to this question is C. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q11: _______ claims that wolves chose to interact with humans | The Australian veterinarian David Paxton suggests that in that period of first contact, people did not so much domesticate wolves as wolves domesticated people. Wolves may have started living at the edge of human settlements as scavengers, eating scraps of food and waste. |
Note Based on the keywords, we can find out the needed information for this question. According to the second paragraph, Dr. Paxton states that wolves may have started living at the edge of human settlements as scavengers. In other words, wolves chose to interact with humans. From that point, we can conclude that B is the answer to this question. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q12: _______ established a new time frame for domestication of wolves | The conventional view is that the domestication of wolves began between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago. However, a recent ground-breaking paper by a group of international geneticists has pushed this date back by a factor of 10. |
Note We can figure out the answer to this question based on the clue using in Q1. Accordingly, the study led by Dr. Wayne reveals that the domestication of wolves did not begin between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago, but at least 100,000 years ago. From that point, we conclude that Dr. Wayne established a new time frame for domestication of wolves. Thus, the answer to this question is A. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q13: _______ believes that dogs and humans domesticated each other | Dogs acted as human's alarm systems, trackers and hunting aids, garbage disposal facilities, hot-water bottles and children's guardians and playmates. Humans provided dogs with food and security. This symbiotic relationship was stable for over 100,000 years and intensified into mutual domestication,’ said Dr. Groves. |
Note After skimming, we may misunderstand that Dr. Paxton is the author of this finding. However, he mostly states the domestication of wolves on humans, so B is not the answer. Continuing skimming, we are aware from the study of Br. Groves that dogs help humans and humans give them food. The relationship intensified into mutual domestication. For that reason, we can conclude that the answer to this question must be C. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q14: _______ studied the DNA of wolves and dogs | The research also confirms, for the first time, that dogs are descended only from wolves and do not share DNA with coyotes or jackals. |
Note Based on the keyword ‘DNA’, we can easily find out the answer for this question. According to Dr. Wayne, dogs are descended only from wolves and do not share DNA with coyotes ỏ jackals. In other words, he studied the DNA of wolves and dogs. From that point, we can conclude that A is the answer. |
Do the following statements reflect the claims of the writer of this 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 |
15 Crop circles only appear in wheat fields.
16 Crop circles have never been documented in tropical countries.
17 The largest number of crop circle reportings in a single year occurred in 1990.
18 The patterns of crop circles have become increasingly complex over the years.
19 All crop circles are hoaxes.
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q15: Crop circles only appear in wheat fields. | The designs just appear, placed carefully in fields of food grains… Soon seven swirled circles up to 14 feet in diameter appeared in an oatfield nearby. |
Note Based on the keywords, we can find the information relating to the appearance of crop circles in the two first paragraphs. Accordingly, circles are placed in fields of food grains such as wheat fields and oatfield. For that reason, we can figure out that the answer to this question is NO. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q16: Crop circles have never been documented in tropical countries. | Crop circles have appeared all over the world. About 10,000 instances from various countries have been reported in recent years. |
Note The information about the countries that have been reported to have crop circles is mentioned in the second paragraph. Accordingly, crop circles have appeared all over the world. This statement cannot give an answer to the question whether they have been reported in tropical countries or not. Therefore, NOT GIVEN is the answer to this question. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q17: The largest number of crop circle reportings in a single year occurred in 1990. | The total grew to an outstanding 1,000 newly -formed circles in 1990 |
Note We continue to scan the second paragraph to find out the answer for this question. Based on the figures over the years, we can figure out that 1,000 newly-formed circles were found in 1990 and this is the largest number of all. Thus, the answer is YES. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q18: The patterns of crop circles have become increasingly complex over the years. | But over the years, crop circles have become much more geometrically intricate. Patterns involved multiple circles, bars, triangles, rings and spurs. |
Note Based on the keywords, we can find out the needed information for this question. Accordingly, the patterns of crop circles have become much more geometrically intricate with multiple circles, bars, triangles, rings and spurs. In other words, the patterns have become increasingly complex over the years. From that point, we can conclude that YES is the answer. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q19: All crop circles are hoaxes. | Another theory is that the circles are all hoaxes or practical jokes… It is irrational to believe that all crop circles are fake for publicity or other reasons. Many crop circles appeared long before the phenomenon pained large recognition from the public and press. Too many circles and patterns are formed each year in too many countries for them to have been hoaxes. |
Note Based on the keywords, we can find out the answer by scanning the information about the characteristics of crop circles. Accordingly, the majority of crop circles are simple with broken stems flattened to the ground and swirled. From that point, we are aware that not all crop circles are hoaxes. Thus, NO is the answer. |
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Since the early 1970s, over ten thousand crop circles have been reported around the world, the greatest number in 20 , where in a single year, over one hundred circles appeared. Phenomena such as the appearance of strange lights and unusual 21 sometimes occur around the sites of crop circles. 22 are not affected but it has been observed that birds 23 flying over a formation. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q20: Since the early 1970s, over ten thousand crop circles have been reported around the world, the greatest number in _______, where in a single year, over one hundred circles appeared | The best documented and largest modern spread of crop circles began in southern England during the summer of 1980. By the end of 1988, 112 new circles had been formed. |
Note After skimming, it is apparent that we can find out the answer by scanning the second and third paragraph. Based on the keyword ‘the greatest number’, we can find out the answer for this question. Accordingly, the largest spread of crop circles was in southern England, where 112 new circles had been formed by the end of 1988. From that point, we can conclude that the gap needs filling with “(southern) England”. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q21: Phenomena such as the appearance of strange lights and unusual _______ sometimes occur around the sites of crop circles. | Reliable eyewitnesses have reported seeing unusual lights and hearing unidentifiable sounds while on an early-morning walk in the countryside where a crop circle showed later that day. High-pitched, warbling noises have been recorded at the site of some crop circles. |
Note Based on the keyword ‘strange light’, we can find out the needed information for this question. Accordingly, it is reported that unusual lights and unidentifiable sounds or high-pitched, warbling noises appeared around the sites of crop circles. From that point, we can figure out that the gap can be filled with “(high-pitched, warbling) noises/sounds”. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q22-23: _______ are not affected but it has been observed that birds _______ flying over a formation. | While the causal energies do not seem to harm animals, or even insects as far as we can tell, wild creatures tend to avoid the circles. Flocks of birds have been seen to split apart and fly around the perimeter rather than go directly over a crop circle formation. |
Note Based on the keywords, we can find out the answer for Q22 and Q23. Accordingly, causal energies are reported to not harm animals or even insects and wild creatures. For that reason, we can conclude that the gap in Q22 needs filling with “animals/insects/wild creatures”. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q22-23: _______ are not affected but it has been observed that birds _______ flying over a formation. | While the causal energies do not seem to harm animals, or even insects as far as we can tell, wild creatures tend to avoid the circles. Flocks of birds have been seen to split apart and fly around the perimeter rather than go directly over a crop circle formation. |
Note Based on the keywords, we can find out the answer for Q22 and Q23. Accordingly, causal energies are reported to not harm animals or even insects and wild creatures. For that reason, we can conclude that the gap in Q22 needs filling with “animals/insects/wild creatures”. Following the flow of information, we are aware that birds are said to split apart and fly around the perimeter, not go directly over a crop circle formation. In other words, birds void flying over a formation. Thus, the answer to Q23 is “avoid”. |
Use the information in the text to match one scientist (A-C) with each area of study (24-27) listed below.
A | Dr. Mearden |
B | Dr. Levengood |
C | Michael Chorost |
Example
observations of light in relation to crop circles A
24 changes in the structure of soil within crop circles
25 accelerated growth of seeds from crop circles
26 electrical charges in the air around crop circles
27 changes in cell structure of plants found in crop circles
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q24: changes in the structure of soil within crop circles | Michael Chorost of Duke University found occasions of short-lived radionuclides in the top layer of soil in some of the formations. A British government laboratory found diminished nitrogen and decreased nematode populations as well as decreased water con-lent in the soil of a formation. |
Note Based on the keywords, we can easily find out the needed information for this question. According to Michael Chorost, short-lived radionuclides were found in the top layer of soil in some of crop circle formations. For that reason, we can figure out that C is the answer. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q25: accelerated growth of seeds from crop circles | Dr. W. C. Levengood… has analyzed many grain samples and confirmed… The plants front the circles have elongated cells and blown-out growth nodes. Seeds front the circle plants often show accelerated growth rates when they are sown |
Note Based on the keywords, we can locate the needed information for this question. Accordingly, Dr. Levengood states that seeds front the circle plants often show accelerated growth rates when they are sown. From that point, we can conclude that the answer to this question is B. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q26: electrical charges in the air around crop circles | Developed by Dr. Terence Mearden,… The theory also holds that the electrified air would cause a light to appear above the circle and therefore account for UFO sightings. |
Note Based on the keywords, we can find out the needed information of this question. Dr Mearden created the theory which holds that the electrified air would cause a light to appear above the circle. From that point, we can figure out that A is the answer. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q27: changes in cell structure of plants found in crop circles | Dr. W. C. Levengood of BLT Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has analyzed many grain samples and confirmed, time after time, significant changes at the cellular level of crop circle plants. |
Note Based on the keywords, we can find out the answer for this question. It is stated in the study of Dr. Levengood that significant changes occur at the cellular level of crop circle plants. From that point, we can conclude that B is the answer. |
Use the information in the passage to match the people (A-C) with the opinions (28-33) listed below.
There may be more than one correct answer.
Example
Environmental challenges will be met by technological advances B
28 Our patterns of consumption are using up the ecological capital of the planet.
29 Crises beginning in the Third World will spread to developed countries.
30 Scientific progress will enable the planet to sustain increased population.
31 Social and political infrastructure worldwide could collapse.
32 Earth’s life support systems are at critical risk.
33 Environmental problems are not a threat to progress.
A | R. Kaplan, author of The Coming Anarchy |
B | M. Gee, author of Apocalypse Deferred |
C | D. Suzuki, author of this passage |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q28 Our patterns of consumption are using up the ecological capital of the planet. | But it would be foolish to conclude that we could keep drawing more from the account indefinitely. Yet that is what Gee believes. As ocean fisheries around the world show, we are using up the ecological capital of the planet (biodiversity, air. water, soil) rather than living off the interest. |
Note It is essential to understand that this article belongs to D. Suzuki and he mentions two studies of other authors. Based on the keywords, we can find out the needed information for this question. While Gee believes that we could keep drawing more from the account indefinitely (the capital unlimited in other words), D. Suzuki states that we are using up the ecological capital of the planet rather than living off the interest. From that point, we can conclude that the answer is C. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q29 Crises beginning in the Third World will spread to developed countries. | Kaplan believes what he has seen in Africa and Southeast Asia is the beginning of a global pattern of disintegration of social, political and economic infrastructure under the impact of ecological degradation, population pressure and disease. As ecosystems collapse, this scenario could sweep the planet, first in Eastern Europe and then the industrialised countries. |
Note We should be aware that the Third World includes the developing countries from Africa, South America and Asia. Based on the keywords, we can find out the needed information for this question. Accordingly, the global pattern of disintegration from the Third World could sweep the planet, first in Eastern Europe and then the industrialized countries. From that point, we can figure out that A is the answer. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q30 Scientific progress will enable the planet to sustain increased population. | Gee's outlook rests on a tiny minority of scientists who have faith in the boundless potential of science and technology to overcome the physical constraints of air, water and soil so that a much larger population can be sustained. |
Note After skimming, we are aware that the problem of increased population is mentioned in the study of M. Gee. Accordingly, Gee states that the science and technology facilitates to sustain a much larger population. For that reason, we can conclude that B is the answer. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q31 Social and political infrastructure worldwide could collapse. | Kaplan believes what he has seen in Africa and Southeast Asia is the beginning of a global pattern of disintegration of social, political and economic infrastructure under the impact of ecological degradation, population pressure and disease. |
Note Based on the keywords ‘social and political infrastructure’, we can locate the needed information for this question. According to Kaplan, the crises in Africa and Southeast Asia are the beginning of a global pattern of disintegration of social, political and economic infrastructure. In other words, social and political infrastructure worldwide could collapse. Thus, the answer to this question is A. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q32 Earth’s life support systems are at critical risk. | As ecosystems collapse, this scenario could sweep the planet, first in Eastern Europe and then the industrialised countries. It is a frightening scenario, built on a serious attempt to project the aftermath of ecological destruction… It also blinds the public to the urgency and credibility of warnings that an environmental crisis confronts us. |
Note Following the flow of information, we can find out the answer for this question. As in Kaplan’s study, he supposes that the collapse of ecosystems is a frightening scenario. In other words, he recognizes that Earth’s life support systems are at critical risk. On another statement of D. Suzuki, he also realizes that an environmental crisis confronts us. All in all, we can conclude that the answer to this question is A/C. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q33 Environmental problems are not a threat to progress. | He does acknowledge the threats of loss of topsoil and forests, pollution of the air and contamination of water. However, he concludes that there is little evidence they are serious enough to hall or even reverse human progress. |
Note After skimming, we are aware that it is M. Gee who is optimistic about the development of science that helps overcome the environmental threats. Then, this statement is likely to result from M. Gee’s study. Actually, he concludes that there is little evidence these threats are serious enough to hall or even reverse human progress. Thus, B is the answer to this question. |
Choose ONE phrase pom the list below (A-G) to complete each of the following sentences.
There are more phrases than questions so you will not use all of them.
34 The growth of world trade
35 The relationship between population and standard of living
36 Natural resources and the economy
List of Phrases | |
A | have most benefited developing countries |
B | has led to a drop in the standard of living generally |
C | cannot continue to expand indefinitely |
D | have decreased third world debt |
E | shows a correlation, not cause and effect |
F | pose a threat to human progress |
G | has been accompanied by a fall in tariffs |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q34 The growth of world trade | World trade has done even better, growing by 6 percent of a product's price in 1947 to 5 percent today. |
Note Based on the keywords, we can locate the needed information for this question. Accordingly, it is understandable that tariffs decrease from 6 percent of a product’s price in 1947 to 5 percent today. From that point, we can figure out that the answer must be G. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q35 The relationship between population and standard of living | But the relationship between changes in living standards and population is a correlation, not proof of causal connection. Gee is ignoring basic economic as well as scientific reality. |
Note Based on the keywords, we can find out the needed information for this question. Accordingly, the relationship between changes in living standards and population is a correlation, not proof of causal connection. From that point, we can figure out that E is the suitable phrase for this question. |
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q36 Natural resources and the economy | The value system that dominates most of the popular media promotes the delusion that resources and the economy can continue to expand indefinitely. |
Note Based on the keywords, we can easily find out the needed information in the last paragraph. Accordingly, it is wrongly believed that resources and the economy can continue to expand indefinitely. In other words, natural resources and the economy cannot continue to expand indefinitely. For that reason, we can conclude that the answer to this question is C. |
Choose the correct letter A-D.
Which of the following is NOT stated by Kaplan as a key contributing factor to potential global destabilisation?
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q37 Which of the following is NOT stated by Kaplan as a key contributing factor to potential global destabilisation? A. political corruption B. collapse of ecosystems C. population explosion D. malnutrition and disease | Kaplan believes what he has seen in Africa and Southeast Asia is the beginning of a global pattern of disintegration of social, political and economic infrastructure under the impact of ecological degradation, population pressure and disease |
Note Based on the keywords, we can find out the needed information in the paragraph mentioning the study of Kaplan. Accordingly, we are aware that key contributing factors include collapse of ecosystems, population explosion and malnutrition and disease. From that point, we can figure out that A is the answer to this question. |
What is the main source of Gee’s optimism?
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q38 What is the main source of Gee’s optimism? A. scientific and technological advances B. decreasing Third World debt C. the rise in the standard of living worldwide D. economic growth | Attacking the ‘doomsayers’, Gee counters with the statistics favoured by believers in the limitless benefits and potential of economic growth. |
Note After skimming, we are informed that Gee believes in the economic growth and scientific progress. Yet the main source must be economic growth as it is mentioned in most of the paragraphs with convincing figures. Therefore, we can conclude that D is the answer to this question. |
Which of the following can we infer about the views of the author of this passage?
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q39 Which of the following can we infer about the views of the author of this passage? A. He disagrees with both Gee and Kaplan. B. He supports the views of Gee. C. His views are closer to those of Kaplan. D. He thinks both Gee and Kaplan are right. | He also fails to mention that during this period the gulf between rich and poor countries has increased… His final proof? The general rise in living standard along with population growth. But the relationship between changes in living standards and population is a correlation, not proof of causal connection. Gee is ignoring basic economic as well as scientific reality… It also blinds the public to the urgency and credibility of warnings that an environmental crisis confronts us. |
Note After scanning, we are aware that the author does not agree with the views of Gee as he gives many arguments against the findings of Gee. On the other hand, the author supports Kaplan’s views, particularly environmental crisis confronting us. From that point, we can figure out that the answer to this question must be C. |
The main purpose of the author in this passage is ...
Keywords in Questions | Similar words in Passage |
Q40 The main purpose of the author in this passage is ... A. to alert us to an environmental crisis. B. to educate the media. C. to create uncertainty about the future. D. to challenge current economic theory. | The value system that dominates most of the popular media promotes the delusion that resources and the economy can continue to expand indefinitely. It also blinds the public to the urgency and credibility of warnings that an environmental crisis confronts us. |
Note The main idea of the passage is located at the end of it. We can be clear that all of the information he mentions is to illustrate the seriousness of environmental problems and would like to alert us about those. Therefore, A must be the answer to this question. |
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-14 which are based on this passage.
There is no doubt that dogs are the oldest of all species tamed by humans and their domestication was based on a mutually beneficial relationship with man. The conventional view is that the domestication of wolves began between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago. However, a recent ground-breaking paper by a group of international geneticists has pushed this date back by a factor of 10. Led by Dr. Robert Wayne, at the University of California, Los Angeles, the team showed that all dog breeds had only one ancestor, the wolf. They did this by analysing the genetic history through the DINA of 162 wolves from around the world and 140 domestic dogs representing 67 breeds. The research also confirms, for the first time, that dogs are descended only from wolves and do not share DNA with coyotes or jackals. The fact that our companionship with dogs now appears to go back at least 100,000 years means that this partnership may have played an important part in the development of human hunting techniques that developed 70,000 to 90,000 years ago. It also may even have affected the brain development in both species.
The Australian veterinarian David Paxton suggests that in that period of first contact, people did not so much domesticate wolves as wolves domesticated people. Wolves may have started living at the edge of human settlements as scavengers, eating scraps of food and waste. Some learned to live with human beings in a mutually helpful way and gradually evolved into dogs. At the very least, they would have protected human settlements, and given warnings by barking at anything approaching. The wolves that evolved into dogs have been enormously successful in evolutionary terms. They are found everywhere in the inhabited world, hundreds of millions of them. The descendants of the wolves that remained wolves are now sparsely distributed, often in endangered populations.
In return for companionship and food, the early ancestor of the dog assisted humans in tracking, hunting, guarding and a variety of other activities. Eventually humans began to selectively breed these animals for specific traits. Physical characteristics changed and individual breeds began to take shape. As humans wandered across Asia and Europe, they took their dogs along, using them for additional tasks and further breeding them for selected qualities that would better enable them to perform specific duties.
According to Dr. Colin Groves, of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at Australian National University, early humans came to rely on dogs’ keen ability to hear, smell and see - allowing certain areas of the human brain to shrink in size relative to oilier areas. ‘Dogs acted as human's alarm systems, trackers and hunting aids, garbage disposal facilities, hot-water bottles and children's guardians and playmates. Humans provided dogs with food and security. This symbiotic relationship was stable for over 100,000 years and intensified into mutual domestication,’ said Dr. Groves. In his opinion, humans domesticated dogs and dogs domesticated humans.
Dr. Groves repealed an assertion made as early as 1914 that humans have some of the same physical characteristics as domesticated animals, the most notable being decreased brain size. The horse experienced a 16 percent reduction in brain size after domestication while pigs’ brains shrank by as much as 34 percent. The estimated brain-size reduction in domesticated dogs varies from 30 percent to 10 percent. Only in the last decade have archaeologists uncovered enough fossil evidence to establish that brain capacity in humans declined in Europe and Africa by at least 10 percent beginning about 10,000 years ago. Dr. Groves believes this reduction may have taken place as the relationship between humans and dogs intensified. The close interaction between the two species allowed for the diminishing of certain human brain functions like smell and hearing.
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 15-27 which are based on this passage
The crop circle phenomenon has puzzled and mystified humanity for many years. The designs just appear, placed carefully in fields of food grains. Some are larger than football fields and highly complex in design and construction. Others are smaller and more primitive. We call them crop circles, but many of them are not circular. Some are elongated abstract designs, a few resemble insects or other known forms, and some are mixtures of lines, circles, and other shapes melded into intricate patterns. Most become visible overnight, though it has been claimed that a few have appeared within a half-hour in broad daylight.
Crop circles have appeared all over the world. About 10,000 instances from various countries have been reported in recent years. The first modern rash of crop circles appeared in Australia in December of 1973. A strange circular imprint appeared in a wheat field near Wokurna, a community southeast of Adelaide. Soon seven swirled circles up to 14 feet in diameter appeared in an oatfield nearby. In December of 1989, an amazing set of circles, ranging from a few inches to a few feet in diameter appeared in the wheat best west of Melbourne. As many as 90 crop circles were found. The best documented and largest modern spread of crop circles began in southern England during the summer of 1980. By the end of 1988, 112 new circles had been formed. At that time circles were being reported worldwide, 305 by the end of 1989. The total grew to an outstanding 1,000 newly -formed circles in 1990. In 1991,200 to 300 circles were reported. Crop circles have been documented in over 30 countries, including Canada, the former Soviet Union Japan and the United States.
Nine out of ten circles remained simple with broken stems flattened to the ground and swirled. The stalks around the circles remained completely erect. But over the years, crop circles have become much more geometrically intricate. Patterns involved multiple circles, bars, triangles, rings and spurs. Pictorial imagery also appeared. Reliable eyewitnesses have reported seeing unusual lights and hearing unidentifiable sounds while on an early-morning walk in the countryside where a crop circle showed later that day. High-pitched, warbling, noises have been recorded at the site of some crop circles. On several occasions a strange glow or a darker colouring has been seen in the sky over a crop circle. And in more than one instance, the electrical power of small planes flying overhead has been cut off abruptly. While the causal energies do not seem to harm animals, or even insects as far as we can tell, wild creatures tend to avoid the circles. Flocks of birds have been seen to split apart and fly around the perimeter rather than go directly over a crop circle formation.
Researchers have spent a great deal of time investigating different aspects of crop circles. They try to detect traces of human involvement in the circle-making, test the area of the circle itself for geophysical anomalies, and analyze the field's grain both from within and outside the circles, searching for differences.
Dr. W. C. Levengood of BLT Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has analyzed many grain samples and confirmed, time after time, significant changes at the cellular level of crop circle plants. The plants front the circles have elongated cells and blown-out growth nodes. Seeds front the circle plants often show accelerated growth rates when they are sown, and in some instances, quite different-looking plants result. In many instances it appears that a vortex-like energy causes the plants to swirl down, flattening the design into the land. Whatever this energy is, it does not generally inhibit the plants' growth. They continue to show normal response to the sun, raising upward over several days following the appearance of the circle. Michael Chorost of Duke University found occasions of short-lived radionuclides in the top layer of soil in some of the formations. A British government laboratory found diminished nitrogen and decreased nematode populations as well as decreased water con-lent in the soil of a formation. Researchers have discovered other anomalies as well, such us curious embedded magnetic particles and charred tissue. Some of the plant stalks within the circles show evidence of being exposed lo rapid microwave heating.
Scientists have attempted to explain crop circles as a result of natural processes. One popular theory accepted by many mainstream scientists and academics, is known as 'Plasma Vortex Theory'. Developed by Dr. Terence Mearden, it theorizes that electrified air (plasma), on the side of hills, becomes mini-tornadoes and screws down onto the ground, creating the circles. The theory also holds that the electrified air would cause a light to appear above the circle and therefore account for UFO sightings. Although this theory still has considerable support, it has come under lire because of the highly intricate and complex crop circle patterns that have appeared since 1991. Another theory is that the circles are all hoaxes or practical jokes. Major support came to this theory when, on September 9, 1991, two Englishmen claimed to have created approximately 250 crop circles. However, those circles were more rugged than others, and many were already suspect. It is irrational to believe that all crop circles are fake for publicity or other reasons. Many crop circles appeared long be-fore the phenomenon pained large recognition from the public and press. Too many circles and patterns are formed each year in too many countries for them to have been hoaxes. Many crop circles show strange mathematical trails when analyzed.
The crop circle phenomenon is an enigma. Many dollars have been spent by re-searchers and their associations in an attempt to find a solution to this intriguing puzzle which will continue to haunt humanity until an explanation is found
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 28-40 which are based on this passage.
A number of books, articles and television programs have disputed the reality of the claimed hazards of global warming, overpopulation, deforestation and ozone depletion. Two newspaper commentaries show the profound differences of opinion on critical issues affecting the planet.
The first, by Robert Kaplan, has generated both fear and denial. Entitled The Coming Anarchy, the report paints a horrifying picture of the future for humanity. The author suggests that the terrible consequences of the conjunction between exploding human population and surrounding environmental degradation are already visible in Africa and parts of Southeast Asia. As society is destabilised by the AIDS epidemic, government control evaporates, national borders crumble beneath the pressure of environmental refugees and local populations revert to tribalism to settle old scores or defend against fleeing masses and bands of stateless nomads on the move.
Kaplan believes what he has seen in Africa and Southeast Asia is the beginning of a global pattern of disintegration of social, political and economic infrastructure under the impact of ecological degradation, population pressure and disease. As ecosystems collapse, this scenario could sweep the planet, first in Eastern Europe and then the industrialised countries. It is a frightening scenario, built on a serious attempt to project the aftermath of ecological destruction. It comes from a core recognition that the planet is finite and consumption has vast social, political and economic ramifications. It has also generated a great deal of discussion and controversy.
Marcus Gee pronounces Kaplan’s vision ‘dead wrong’ in a major article headlined Apocalypse Deferred. Attacking the ‘doomsayers’, Gee counters with the statistics favoured by believers in the limitless benefits and potential of economic growth. Citing the spectacular improvements in human health, levels of education and literacy, availability of food and length of life even in the developing world, Gee pronounces the fivefold increase in the world economy since 1950 as the cause of this good news. He does concede that immense problems remain, from ethnic nationalism to tropical deforestation to malnutrition to cropland losses but concludes that Kaplan has exaggerated many of the crises and thus missed the broad pattern of progress.
Focusing on statistics of the decline in child mortality and the rise in longevity, food production and adult literacy, Gee reaches the conclusion that things have never been better. Economic indicators, such as the rise in gross world product and total exports show 'remarkable sustained and dramatic progress'. Life for the majority of the world's citizens is getting steadily better in almost every category.'
Gee's conclusions rest heavily on economic indicators. He points out the annual 3.9 percent rise in the global economy and the more than doubling of the gross output per person, that has occurred for the past thirty years. World trade has done even better, growing by 6 percent of a product's price in 1947 to 5 percent today.
Gee skips lightly over such facts as third world debt and the daily toll of 22,000 child deaths from easily preventable disease. He also fails to mention that during this period the gulf between rich and poor countries has increased. He does acknowledge the threats of loss of topsoil and forests, pollution of the air and contamination of water. However, he concludes that there is little evidence they are serious enough to hall or even reverse human progress. Gee challenges the notion of a population crisis since there have never been as many people so well off. Furthermore, he suggests there will never be a limit to population because more people means more Einsteins to keep making life better.
Gee's outlook rests on a tiny minority of scientists who have faith in the boundless potential of science and technology to overcome the physical constraints of air, water and soil so that a much larger population can be sustained. His final proof? -the general rise in living standards along with population growth. But the relationship between changes in living standards and population is a correlation, not proof of causal connection. Gee is ignoring basic economic as well as scientific reality.
If we inherit a hank account with a thousand dollars that earns 5% interest annually, we could withdraw fifty dollars or less each year forever However, suppose we start to increase our withdrawals, say up to sixty dollars, then seventy dollars and more each year. For many years the account would yield cash. But it would be foolish to conclude that we could keep drawing more from the account indefinitely. Yet that is what Gee believes. As ocean fisheries around the world show, we are using up the ecological capital of the planet (biodiversity, air. water, soil) rather than living off the interest. It is a dangerous deception to believe that the human-created artifice called economies can keep the indicators rising as the life support systems of the planet continue to decline.
The value system that dominates most of the popular media promotes the delusion that resources and the economy can continue to expand indefinitely. It also blinds the public to the urgency and credibility of warnings that an environmental crisis confronts us.
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