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GENERAL ENGLISH PROFICIENCY TEST

ADVANCED READING COMPREHENSION TEST

SECTION II: SKIMMING & SCANNING

In this section, there are 20 questions altogether. You will have 20 minutes to complete this
section. Please read the passages quickly and selectively to get the answers. Please write your
answers on your answer sheet.

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Part I

In this part, there are 3 passages with a total of 6 multiple-choice questions. For each passage,
please first read the question(s) and then read the passage quickly and selectively to find the
answer(s). Please write your answers on your answer sheet.

Question 21

First read the following question.

21. What is the main purpose of this passage?

A. To announce a forthcoming activity
B. To demonstrate computer software
C. To explain an office regulation
D. To introduce new technology

Now skim the following text to find the answer to the above question.

Even with computerized information storage systems, modern offices continue to generate a
lot of used paper. In Japan, for example, paper accounts for around 40 percent of office waste. Until
now the most that environmentally-conscious companies have been able to do about the one-way
paper flow is to ask their staff to write fewer memos and to use both sides of each sheet of paper
before consigning it to the recycling bin. It has not been possible for office workers to reuse the
paper itself because most inks contain a dye known as carbon black, which is very difficult to
remove, or "decolor," from paper.
Recently, though, Toshiba has developed a new kind of ink, one which does not contain carbon
black but does contain a decoloring agent mixed with the dye. When subjected to temperatures
above 356 degrees Fahrenheit, the chemical bonding of the ingredients in the ink breaks down, and
the decoloring agent erases the ink from the page. By using the new ink, offices could easily do
their own paper recycling.

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Question 22

First read the following question.

22. According to the following passage, what experience have the winners of the 15th
Future Magazine Innovation Awards had in common?
A. They have suffered unexpected setbacks.
B. They have saved the lives of a lot of people.
C. They have been the leaders of university research teams.
D. They have achieved breakthroughs in surprising circumstances.

Now skim the following passage to find the answer to the above question.

The 15th Future Magazine Innovation Awards

Even the most brilliant scientists tend to be caught off guard when inspiration
strikes. The nine winners of our 15th Future Magazine Innovation Awards all report
that the best ideas come to mind when—and where—you’d least expect them. One of
our winners thought up a concept that may revolutionize telecommunications as he
was retrieving his car from a university parking lot. Another hatched a plan to save
millions of people from being blown up by land mines as he and a colleague ate lunch
at an outdoor restaurant. Still another was rendered speechless when a way to make
plastic from corn came to him out of the blue as he walked from his desk to his lab
bench.
As we hurtle headfirst into the new millennium, it can’t hurt to remember that the
world can change because one human mind suddenly and unexpectedly cast up a
gem of an idea. One person’s imagining benefits us all.

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Questions 23-24

First read the following questions.

23. What is the main subject of this passage?

A. The style of a renowned glass artist
B. The revival of glass architecture
C. The uses of glass in theater design
D. The glass buildings constructed in the 1950s

24. What is the purpose of the third paragraph?

A. To explain the reasons for a phenomenon
B. To compare two different viewpoints
C. To point out some potential problems
D. To describe a production process

Now skim the following passage to find the answers to the above questions.

In the 1920s, the renowned Swiss architect Le Corbusier observed that the history of
architecture is the history of the window. In the new generation of glass buildings now appearing in
cities around the globe, "the window has broken out of the frame," says architect James Polshek,
lead designer of the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History in
Manhattan.
From Berlin to Tokyo, New York to London, a rash of striking new structures is giving glass
construction new life. Not since the early 1950s, when sleek, green-tinted glass buildings like New
York City's Lever House rose amid the stone canyons of countless major cities, has glass elicited so
much attention. There are so many glass buildings currently on the drawing boards or under

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construction, in fact, that it is hard to keep track of them all. From the 357-foot-long barrel-vaulted,
transparent roof of New York-based architect Rafael Vinoly's Kimmel Center for the Performing
Arts in Philadelphia to the soaring glass dome of London architect Norman Foster's restoration of
the historic German Reichstag, glass is assuming innovative, dramatic and surprising forms.
This new trend is due primarily to the development of new construction methods and glass
production techniques. Ingenious systems now allow expanses of glass to be suspended in front of a
series of nearly invisible metal trusses and braces. In addition, advancements in glass production
since the 1973 energy crisis have resulted in revolutionary changes in its performance. Glass is now
being manufactured with special coatings that adjust the thermal intake for all four directions of the
compass and even allow for the increased intensity of the sun at certain latitudes. The new glass is
not only spectacular to look at and through, it is also safer, stronger and more energy efficient.

Questions 25-26

First read the following questions.

25. Who is most probably the writer of the passage?

A. The spokesperson for a human rights organization
B. A former employee of the Prison Bureau
C. The chief of the Prison Bureau
D. A prisoner in an overcrowded prison

26. The passage mentions a recent change in funding for prisons. What is the writer’s
attitude toward this change?
A. It seems promising.
B. It will cause more problems.
C. It is a disappointing decision.
D. It will have both positive and negative effects.

Now skim the following passage to find the answers to the above questions.

OPINION

Locking up criminals is an easy option

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For the past five and a half years, I have been calling for increased investment in
better treatment of and conditions for prisoners, aimed at protecting the public by preventing
reoffending, and so I am delighted that the government is planning to give additional money
to the Prison Bureau. The dirty and overcrowded state of our prisons, and the current rate of
reoffending, are both by-products of the lack of consistent and well-planned investment, not
just in prisons but in society as a whole, improvements to both of which now appear
possible.

I took over at a time when the morale in the Prison Bureau was at rock bottom.
Reports attacking the Bureau over two escapes by prisoners had been followed by the
resignation of the former chief. The prison population was rising rapidly, by more than 30
percent, while, at the same time, a 13.5 percent reduction was being imposed on its budget.

The politicians’ cry that “prison works,” echoed by some members of the public,
encouraged this increase in the prison population. This is a cry that is true to the extent that
people in prison cannot commit crimes outside. But it ignores the fact that all except a very
few of those in prison are going to come out. These people will be more likely to reoffend if
nothing is done, in prison, to tackle their offending behavior. Therefore, I sincerely expect
that, with the new government funding, more resources can be allocated to the provision of
full, purposeful and active days for all types of prisoners, designed to challenge offending
behavior and enable them to live useful and law-abiding lives on release.

Part II

In the following article, each paragraph has a heading which expresses the main idea of that
paragraph. Six of the headings have not been filled in. For questions 27-32, choose one of the
headings from the list (A-K) for each paragraph that lacks a heading. Note that you will not use all
the headings in the list. One of the missing headings has been filled in for you as an example (E for
paragraph 1). Mark the appropriate letters for questions 27-32 on your answer sheet.

Questions 27-32

Headings for "The First Greenlanders"

A. A New Culture G. Invaders from the West

B. Communities Are Established H. Life on the Land

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C. Crops Flourish I. Difficult Times
D. Natives Resist Icelanders J. A Pioneer Attracts Followers
E.
Early Stories May Be True K. Ties with North America Strengthen
F. Greater Dependence on the Sea

The First Greenlanders

E
About a millennium ago, legends tell us, a Viking named Leif Eriksson sailed to the shores of
North America, arriving hundreds of years ahead of Christopher Columbus. Even though
archaeologists have yet to uncover any physical evidence of Eriksson's visit, the presumption that a
Viking band traveled that far has gained credibility in recent years. Excavations in Greenland
indicate that Vikings flourished there for hundreds of years, trading with the European continent
and probably Native American tribes, before disappearing.

27. ______
A central figure in this story was Eriksson's father, Erik the Red, who grew up in Iceland. In
980 A.D., Erik the Red headed farther west when he was banished from Iceland--for murder. He set
sail for land that was visible west of Iceland. Three years later, he returned to Iceland and convinced
hundreds of others to join him in settling this new country. Some 25 boats set out for what Erik the
Red had dubbed Greenland. Only 14 ships survived the seas, but about 450 new colonists set foot
ashore.

28. ______
The land they saw before them was bare, uninhabited, and inhospitable, but Erik the Red's
advertisements were not entirely false. A thin green carpet of arctic heath promised support for
grazing farm animals. Farms sprang up quickly and, later, churches. One colony, simply called the
Eastern Settlement, sat in the toe of Greenland; the Western Settlement lay close to what is now
Nuuk, Greenland's capital.

Settlement a Challenge
Settling Greenland posed a formidable challenge. There were no trees large enough to produce
timber for shelter or fuel. The only wood was small brush and driftwood. The Vikings settled
inland, on fjords resembling those of their homeland. There they built homes of driftwood, stone,
and sod. For adequate insulation, the walls of some buildings were made six to 10 feet thick.

29. ______

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Shelter, food, and clothing were, of course, essential to survival. The summer was too short to
farm grain crops, so settlers probably went without beer or bread. Although they farmed
domesticated animals imported from Europe--goats, sheep, cattle--the settlers ate them sparingly,
relying instead on secondary products, such as milk and cheese. In the early days, the Greenlanders'
lives differed little from those of their compatriots in Scandinavia. They netted fish and hunted seal
and caribou. They wove clothing from wool and linen, sometimes adding the fur of the arctic hare.

Trade with Scandinavia

For about two centuries, Greenland's Vikings had the country to themselves. Yet life was by no
means easy, and they relied on a fragile trade with Scandinavia to survive. In exchange for iron,
timber, and grain from Europe, they traded pelts of bear and arctic fox as well as narwhale tusks and
rope made of walrus hide. Whalebone, too, was traded to Europeans for use in stiffening clothes.
According to one account, the Greenlanders even traded live polar bears.

30. _______
At some point during the fourteenth century, Greenland's climate grew colder. With the
climate change, glaciers began creeping over the land, bringing with them a runoff of sand, silt, and
gravel. That runoff slowly robbed the settlers of valuable pastureland. To make matters worse, the
Black Death hit Iceland, killing some 30 percent. Although there is still no evidence the sickness
reached Greenland, archaeologists believe it left its mark by curtailing the flourishing trade.

31. _______
The Greenlanders adapted. Recent evidence shows that their diet shifted from land-based
foods to marine products. Like their kin in Norway, the Vikings in Greenland had always exploited
marine life but, by the close of the fourteenth century, the proportion of their food taken from the
sea had risen to 80 percent.

32. _______
Between 1100 and 1200 A.D., as the colder weather arrived, so did the Thules. These Native
Americans, migrants from the area surrounding the Bering Strait began trickling eastward from
Ellesmere Island, just northwest of Greenland. It's likely that an uneasy trade between the Vikings
and Thules sprang up and that, as living conditions grew harsher for the Vikings, the better-adapted
Thules thrived.

Greenland Settlements Abandoned

The Western Settlement was abandoned by 1350 A.D. and the Eastern Settlement by 1500
A.D. When asked what became of the Vikings, Danish archaeologist Jette Arneborg says she thinks
they struggled mightily to adapt to the increasingly difficult conditions. But as the weather

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worsened and life became even harsher, some may have returned to Iceland. And it's easy to
imagine that, as trade dwindled, the settlements may have become so depopulated the colonists
simply were unable to replace themselves.

Part III

In this part, there are 3 passages with 12 questions. Please first read the questions and then read
the passages quickly and selectively to find the answers. For each question, mark A, B, or C on
your answer sheet.

Questions 33-40

First read the following questions.

(A=Middlebury; B=Bowdoin; C=Colgate)

_____ 33. Which school is located close to a large city?
_____ 34. Which school has the largest percentage of minority students?
_____ 35. Which school has announced plans to hire more teachers?
_____ 36. Which school recently built a new cultural center?
_____ 37. Which school did writer Hawthorne graduate from?
_____ 38. Which school offers students summer research opportunities?
_____ 39. Which school requires students to take a writing course?
_____ 40. Which school claims that its strongest programs are in the sciences?

Now scan the following passages to find the answers to the above questions.

Middlebury College

Middlebury College, located in Middlebury, Vermont, is one of New England's leading small,
residential liberal arts colleges. It offers students a broad curriculum embracing the arts, humanities,
literature, foreign languages, social sciences, and natural sciences. In addition, the College's 350-
acre campus has been said to be "among the prettiest in the world."
Middlebury believes that the purpose of the liberal arts curriculum is to give every student a

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detailed knowledge of at least one subject, and to correlate this with a broad understanding of the
liberal arts. To achieve this objective, students are required to work intensively in one or more
departments, while also completing electives in fields outside of their specialization. All students
must complete a major, a first-year seminar, a college writing course, and two units of physical
education.
Middlebury's undergraduate program is greatly enriched by its other programs. Every summer,
the main campus is devoted completely to the study of eight foreign languages and cultures. At the
same time, at the nearby Bread Loaf campus, the Bread Loaf School of English is in session.
Currently, there are 2,265 students enrolled at Middlebury, of whom 12% are members of
minority groups, and 95% are from out of state. By the year 2005, the College plans to increase the
size of its student body to around 2,350. Middlebury's full-time faculty of 218 is also expected to
increase to nearly 250 by that time, enabling the College to further deepen and strengthen its
academic programs.
And to better serve this enlarged community, Middlebury is in the process of constructing
major new facilities. In addition to a new hockey rink and a new science center, planned capital
projects include an expansion and renovation of Starr Library, new dining facilities, expanded
student activities space, new student residence halls, and a new humanities center.

Bowdoin College

Bowdoin College's beautiful 110-acre campus is located in Brunswick, Maine. Brunswick, one
of New England's most attractive college towns, is just 42 kilometers from Maine's largest city of
Portland, and a two-hour drive from Boston.
The alma mater of literary giants Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
Bowdoin has undergone significant changes in recent years. The College now boasts two new, state-
of-the-art science facilities and new residential halls. It has gradually phased out its fraternities and
sororities, and instituted a new College House system designed to promote interaction among
diverse groups of students.
Bowdoin currently enrolls 1,608 students, of whom 13% are members of minority groups, and
82% come from out of state. The school has a full-time faculty of 113, for a student/faculty ratio of
10:1.
Bowdoin's general distribution requirements ensure that all graduates gain a strong foundation
in humanities and the arts, natural sciences and math, social sciences, and non-Eurocentric studies.
At the same time, Bowdoin is unusual among liberal arts colleges because its strongest programs
are in the sciences. Self-designed and double majors have become increasingly popular among
Bowdoin undergraduates, and about 80 percent of juniors and seniors conduct independent study
programs with faculty members. Students can also elect unusual research opportunities, such as

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participation in Arctic archaeological research in Labrador or ecological research in the Bay of
Fundy, Canada.
During the nonacademic portion of the year, Bowdoin opens its doors to people from all walks
of life. Bowdoin College Summer Programs consist of educational seminars, professional
conferences, sports clinics, specialized workshops, and occasional social events, and they attract
several thousand people to the College each summer.

Colgate University

Colgate University is located in the village of Hamilton, at the northern end of the Chenango
Valley, in upstate New York. Its 515 acres of campus begin at the village edge on the valley floor
and rise to a forested hill.
Colgate currently enrolls 2,866 students, of whom 68% come from outside of New York State,
and 14% are members of minority groups. Its full-time faculty of 230 gives Colgate a
student/faculty ratio of 11:1.
Colgate is currently in the process of expanding and renovating its campus. Case Library was
recently renovated, new housing has been built, and a social sciences academic building, cultural
center, and fitness center have been added. Residence hall renovation continues, and a new
academic facility for the arts is under construction.
Colgate offers 50 undergraduate concentrations (majors), in four academic divisions:
Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences, and University Studies.
Competency must be demonstrated in a foreign or classical language, and in English composition.
First-year students enroll in a first-year seminar during the fall term.
In addition, Colgate offers a small graduate program leading to the Master of Arts (M.A.) in
several academic fields, and the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree.
During the summer, Colgate encourages its students to take part in one of the many research
projects being carried out on campus. Each year, more than 100 Colgate undergraduates receive
summer research assistantships, enabling them to work full-time on research or scholarly projects in
close collaboration with faculty members. Typical research appointments are for eight- to ten-week
periods. During this time, partially subsidized on-campus housing is available, and special academic
and recreational events enhance this scholarly-The End- at Colgate.
community

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