@mindless_writer

READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on
Reading Passage 1 on pages 2 and 3.

Tunnelling under the Thames

The first tunnel ever to be built under a major river was the tunnel under London's
River Thames

At the beginning of the 19th century, the port of London was the busiest in the world.
Cargoes that had travelled thousands of miles and survived all the hazards of the sea
were unloaded on the banks of the Thames, only for their owners to discover that the
most frustrating portion of their journey lay ahead. Consignments intended for the
southern parts of Britain had to be lifted onto horse carts, pulled through the docks
and across London Bridge, built in the 12th century and as impractical as its early
date implies. By 1820, London Bridge had become the centre of the world's largest
traffic jam.

It was an intolerable situation, and it was clear that if private enterprise could build
another crossing closer to the docks, there would be good money to be made in tolls
paid by users. Another bridge was out of the question, as this would deny sailing
ships access to the city centre and ambitious men turned their thoughts to tunnelling
beneath the Thames instead. This was not such an obvious idea as it might appear.
Although increasing demand for coal had meant a great many tunnels had been dug
in mines in Britain, working methods remained primitive. Tunnels were dug by men
with simple tools, by candlelight. However, in 1807, a group of businessmen set
themselves up as the Thames Archway Company. Their ambition was to tunnel
below the Thames, but there was little to guide them as there had been no previous
attempt to do this. Their chief engineer was Richard Trevithick, designer of the
world's first high-pressure steam engine. His men made progress at the beginning,
but then things began to go disastrously wrong, with muddy soil pouring into the
tunnel. Eventually, the Thames Archway Company had had enough. Its funds were
exhausted, Trevithick was sick from exposure to the river water, and its efforts had
proved only that a passage under the river exceeded the limits of contemporary mining
technology.

At that time, the only machines used in mines were pumps. It took a man of genius to
recognise that a different sort of machine was needed, a machine that could prevent
the roof and walls of a tunnel from collapsing. This man was Marc Brunel, a
Frenchman who had become one of the most prominent engineers in Britain. Not
long after the failure of the Thames Archway Company, Brunel saw a rotten piece of
wood lying on the riverbank. Examining the wood through a magnifying glass, he
observed it was infested with something that looked like a worm. Brunel realised that
as it tunnelled through the wood, it would push chewed wood into its mouth and
digest it, then excrete a hard substance that lined the new tunnel. Brunel realised that
the worm's digging technique could be adapted to produce a new way of tunnelling.
His realisation led him to invent a device that has been used in one form or another in
most major tunnels built since – the tunnelling shield. It consisted of a heavy iron
frame that could be pushed forward a few inches at a time. The front of the frame
was made up of a series of iron frames that could be folded back to allow miners to
dig the ground ahead. Behind these frames was a wall consisting of a series of iron
@mindless_writer

plates pressed against the tunnel face and supported on a set of horizontal wooden
planks, that would prevent the face from collapsing. It was a complex and rather
cumbersome machine and not easy to use, but it seemed that it would protect the
miners from the worst of the river's water. Brunel's team carefully examined earth
samples taken from beneath the riverbed, and subsequently decided to dig the tunnel
close to the muddy river bottom, where he could expect to find clay. This would be a
more solid and safe substance to dig through than the sand that was found deeper
down.

Brunel began work on his tunnel in 1825, but the problems of such an operation soon
became apparent. Although the shield itself worked well, water began to drip into the
tunnel. This was more of an annoyance than a danger while the pump was working,
but this machine proved unreliable and sometimes failed altogether. When the pump
broke down, work had to stop as the tunnel quickly flooded. There were occasions
when the miners had to abandon their tools and flee for their lives. Even when
Brunel's men were able to work, they had to run the constant risk of the pumps
failing. They also complained of frequent headaches and dizziness, caused by the
poor air quality. The air underground was dirty and stale, contaminated due to the
lack of an adequate ventilation system. There were lighting problems too. Illuminating
the tunnels by candlelight was a constant challenge. Lamps give off only a very weak
glow, and there were a number of accidents because the miners could not see what
they were doing. Lastly, a number of Brunel's miners walked off the job because they
could not tolerate the excessive temperatures that developed in the cramped
conditions underground.

Despite all these setbacks, the tunnel finally emerged on the opposite river bank on
August 12, 1841. Brunel's triumph, however, was only partial. The small payment per
person made by the thousands of visitors who flocked to see the marvel hardly paid
even a penny per foot of the tunnel's construction costs. Brunel had gone bankrupt
long before the project was completed, and the government loan he had required to
complete the project had to be paid back with interest. As a result, there was not
enough funding to make it accessible to horse-drawn vehicles, as intended. Instead,
the passageways were filled with souvenir sellers and entertainers. In the end, the
tunnel was closed two years later, used at night, before it was finally closed entirely
and fell into dereliction for decades.

It was only when the underground railway came to London in the 1880s that the
Thames Tunnel found and achieved a measure of real usefulness. It was bought in
1869 by the East London Railway, who found it to be in such excellent condition that
it was immediately pressed into service as a route for passenger trains heading east.
The tunnel became, and remains, part of the London Underground network.
@mindless_writer

Questions 1-8

In boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. In the early 19th century, the port of London was considered a safer
destination than other ports.

2. London Bridge provided quick access for cargo being sent to southern Britain.

3. It was generally believed that a new river crossing would be profitable.

4. Building a second bridge crossing was initially considered to be the best

solution.

5. It was believed that coal could be found under the River Thames.

6. The Thames Archway Company was the first group to try tunnelling below the
Thames.

7. Some of Trevithick's men were injured during a mudslide at his tunnel.

8. The Thames Archway Company ran out of money to finance the tunnel
project.

Questions 9-13
Complete the notes below
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.
Marc Brunel's tunnel

Preparing to build the tunnel

 Brunel noticed how a kind of 9 ………….. made its tunnels in wood.

 Brunel created a device called a tunnelling shield, to protect people working

under the river.

 Brunel planned to build a shallow tunnel so the earth would have a higher
content of 10 …………..

Problems faced by miners

 There were frequent floods caused by mechanical breakdowns.

 The miners suffered from 11 ………….. because of pollution in the tunnels.

@mindless_writer

 Lighting problems led to several 12 …………..

 Some workers quit because of the high temperatures in the tunnel.

After the tunnel was finished

 The tunnel was finally completed in 1841.

 Brunel did not have enough money to repay his debt to the 13 …………..

 The tunnel was abandoned until the 1880s.

READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on
Reading Passage 2 on pages 5 and 6.

Skyscraper Farming
With a global food crisis predicted, a group of scientists is advocating an innovative
alternative to conventional farming that could radically transform the way that food is
produced .
A. Today's environment scientists are in no doubt that the world's resources of fertile
sol are rapidly deteriorating, and that new land for agriculture is becoming ever more
sparse Intensive farming urbanisation, desertification and sea-level rises are all
putting growing pressure on the planers agricultural land and therefore on food
supplies. Currently 24 per cent of the worlds 11.5 billion hectares of cultivated land
has already undergone humaninduced soil degradation particularly through erosion,
according to a recent study by the UK Government Office for Science.
B. The global population is expected to exceed nine billion by 2050 - up a third
from today'slevel and studies suggest that food production will have to go up by 70
per cent if we are to feed all of those new mouths This means that scientists will have
to develop new ways of growing crops if we are to avoid a humanitarian crisis.
Indeed, UN Food and Agriculture
Organization figures suggest that the number of undernourished people is already
growing. And with escalating climate change, crop yields in many areas have been
projected to decline
C. With this in mind, some scientists and agricultural experts are advocating an
innovativealternative to traditional farming whereby skyscrapers packed with shelf-
based systems for growing vegetables on each storey -known as 'vertical farms' -
could hold the key to revolutionising agriculture. Columbia University professor
Dickson Despommier claims that vertical farming could boost crop yields many times
over. A single 20-storey vertical farm could theoretically feed 50 000 people,
according to Despommier. And if the theory translates Into realty as proposed. 160
skyscraper-sized vertical farms could feed the entire population of New York City,
@mindless_writer

while 180 would be needed to feed London, 289 to feed Cairo and 302 to feed
Kolkata a.

D It's a compelling vision, and one that has already been put into practice in
Asia. Albeit ona smaller scale But there are problems, such as initial investment and
operating costs that are too great' says a spokesman for Japan's Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Nevertheless Tokyo-based mushroom producer
Hokuto Corporation is a model example of how a vertical farm can be profitable. With
28 vertical mushroom farms operating across the country, it produces some 68,000
tonnes of mushrooms annually. Vertical mushroom fams have more advantages than
ground-level farms,' says Hokuto's Ted Yamanoko. Yamanoko goes on to highlight
the relative cost-effectiveness of his organisation's farming practices together with
reduced emissions of greenhouse gases

E And the impact of vertical farms could extend beyond feeding established
urbanpopulations. Despommier sees them as being capable of helping centres of
displaced persons - such as refugee camps - in much the same way that Mobile
Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) units are deployed in emergency situations.
"Developing an emergencyresponse system for crop production inside specially
constructed modular and highly transportable greenhouses would allow for
humanitarian interventions, at least tor refuges that are forced out of their countries
by political tumor, he says. If you have three or four storeys of food already growing
some place, they could become mobile units that could be picked up by helicopters
and dropped into the middle of a crisis zone. The food would be ready to pick and
eat. It could be designed to supply people with all the nutrition they need to make it
through the crisis."

F But it isn't only about increasing food production. Despommier is concerned

about theharm which farming has done to the world's landscape over a relatively
short time span, particularly the elimination of hardwood forests. Farming is only
12,000 years old, 'he points allow US for the first time to feed everyone on earth and
still return land to its original ecological function.' Natalie Jeremijenko, associate
professor at New York University, agrees. The challenge that we have now is how we
can design urban agriculture systems that not only reduce food miles, but also
improve the world's ecosystems,' she says. By significantly reducing the amount of
land required for food production, vertical farms could help to enrich biodiversity. And
according to Jeremijenko, this can, in turn, help to improve the productivity of
conventional farms, as the health of agricultural land is often tied to the health of the
surrounding ecosystems. Furthermore, vertical farming could dramatically cut the
utilisation of fossil fuels. And also reduce geopolitical tensions in countries where
poor farming conditions cause conflict and malnutrition.
@mindless_writer

Questions 1-6
Reading Passage has six paragraphs. A-F
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

i. Potential production capabilities of vertical farms

ii. Opposition to new ideas about food production
iii. A successful application of vertical farming technology
iv. The potential to provide urgent relief
v. The original inspiration for vertical farming
vi. Various environmental benefits of vertical farming
vii. An increasing problem for farmers worldwide
viii. A return to traditional farming methods
ix. A rising demand for food
1 Paragraph A
2 Paragraph B
3 Paragraph C
4 Paragraph D
5 Paragraph E
6 Paragraph F

Questions 7-9
Complete the sentences below
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 7-9 on your answer sheet.
A UK Government study found that 7..................... is a significant factor contributing
to worldwide levels of soil degradation

Disadvantages of vertical taming projects include the expense of setting them up, as
wellas their high 8.....................

9..................... could potentially be used to take vertical farming facilities to areas

where there is a critical food shortage
@mindless_writer

Questions 10-13
Look at the following statements (Questions 10-13) and the list of people below
Match each statement with the correct person, A.B or c
Write the correct letter A, B or c, in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet
NB You may use any letter more than once
10..................... Vertical farming can have financial benefits
11..................... Traditional farming has had a negative effect on the natural world
12..................... Vertical farming could dramatically increase world food production.
13..................... Traditional farms may benefit from wider use of vertical farming
List of people

A. A Dickson Despommier
B. Ted Yamanoko
C. Natalie Jeremijenko
@mindless_writer

READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on
Reading Passage 3 oh pages 10 and 11.

The hazards of multitasking

Doing more than one thing at once – is it always a good idea?

You arrive at the office, review your difficulties. The combination results in
todo list and start to feel a headache inefficiency, careless thinking and
coming on. You resolve to tackle the mistakes – not to mention the possible
items as quickly as possible. While you dangers of divided attention for drivers,
return calls, you sort email and other air traffic controllers, and others who
letters. You begin keying in slides for handle machinery.
tomorrow’s presentation. Then your
How can a time management
manager comes in wanting an
strategy that has become part of the
immediate update on sales figures. You
common wisdom actually be so wrong?
have just opened the spreadsheet
Exploring that question requires a
when a very important customer calls.
closer look at an area of consciousness
With the receiver held between your
research that examines how the brain
shoulder and your ear, you continue
focuses attention. One of the modern
adding up the sales totals until, 15
foundations of current knowledge of
minutes later, you finally manage,
multitasking was laid in 1935, when the
politely, to get rid of the client. You’ve
American psychologist John Ridley
been multitasking again.
Stroop reported that processing
You may believe that anyone who information from one task could cause
wants to get ahead today should interference with another. Stroop
master the art of multitasking. noticed that when study participants
However, a recent study by the were asked to name the colour of a
Families and Work Institute in New word – such as ‘green’ – printed in a
York City has found that 45 per cent of different colour – red, for example –
US workers believe that they are asked they experienced difficulty saying the
or expected to work on too many tasks name of the colour. This phenomenon
at once. Managers may be surprised to is thought to occur when two tasks get
learn that they are actually wasting tangled: the brain must suppress one
their workers’ time. As it turns out, the that has been learned so well that it
human brain cannot really master the has become automatic (reading), to
computer’s art of crunching data in the attend to a second task that requires
background while moving between concentration (naming the colour).
process windows. Instead, a growing
During the past couple of decades,
number of studies show that trying to
psychologists have probed more
juggle jobs rather than completing
deeply into the nature and limitations of
them sequentially can take longer, and
multitasking. Psychologist and brain
leave workers with a reduced ability to
researcher Ernst Pӧppel, of the Ludwig
perform each task. In addition, the
Maximilian University in Munich,
stress associated with multitasking
believes that it is impossible to car, out
may contribute to shortterm memory
@mindless_writer

two or three different tasks rules for another. ‘Multitasking saves

simultaneously with the same degree time only when it is a matter of relaxed,
of concentration. He says that routine tasks,’
seemingly simultaneous awareness Meyer says. It also takes the brain
and processing of information actually longer to adapt when switching rapidly
takes place in ‘three-second windows’. back to an interrupted task, rather than
In thelse three-second segments, the waiting longer before switching back.
brain takes in, as a block, all the data
By its nature multitasking is
about the environment streaming in
stressful, and the area in the brain
from the sensory systems; subsequent
most involved with multitasking is also
events are processed in the next
most affected by the resulting stress.
window. So a person can concentrate
Located behind the forehead. the
on a conversation for three seconds,
prefrontal cortex, which ,
then for three seconds on a crying
neuroscientists call the ‘executive’ part
child, and three seconds on a
of the brain, helps as to assess tasks,
computer screen. While one subject at
prioritise them and assign mental
a time occupies the foreground of
resources. It also ‘marks’ the spot at
consciousness, the others stay in the
which a task has been interrupted, so
background until they, in turn, are given
that we can return to it later. This stress
access to the central processor.
can also affect brain cells in another
Another experiment by psychologist region, the hippocampus, which is
David E Meyer, of the University of important for forming new memories;
Michigan, quantified just how much damage in that area also makes it
time we can lose when we shuttle difficult for a person to acquire new
between tasks. The researchers asked skills.
test participants to write a report and
Psychiatrists Edward Halliwell and
check their email at the same time.
John Ratey, of Harvard University, say
Those individuals who constantly
that multitasking can bring about a
jumped back and forth between the two
brain condition that causes sufferers to
tasks took about one and a half times
constantly seek new information while
as long to finish as those who
having difficulties concentrating on its
completed one job before turning to the
content. All in all, it may be wise to let
other. Each switchover from one task
the email wait while you work on your
to another meant rethinking, and thus
presentation. You will save time and
involved additional neural resources. In
perform each task better.
effect, the brain needs time to that off
the rules for one task and to turn on the

Questions 27 – 31
@mindless_writer

Look at the following theories (Questions 27-31) and the list of people below.
Match each theory with the correct person or people, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, in boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
27 Less attention will be paid to each task when more than one task is attempted
at the same time.
28 Repeated changes of task mean that the brain will take a while to adjust.
29 Using the skills required for one task may make performing another one more
difficult.
30 When multitasking, the brain can only focus on single tasks for very short
periods.
31 Multitasking can lead to a medical problem.

List of People

A John Ridley Stroop

B Ernst Pӧppel
C David E Meyer
D Edward Halliwell & Joh Ratey

Questions 32 – 34
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 32-34 on your answer sheet.
32 What is suggested about the worker in the opening paragraph?
A. Anxiety deprived him of sleep the previous night.
B. He feels overwhelmed by his workload.
C. His manager has expressed disapproval.
D. He finds his work dull and uninteresting.

33 Drivers and air traffic controllers are mentioned in the passage because the
A. need to perform several tasks at once.
B. are unable to maintain concentration.
@mindless_writer

C. use their time efficiently.

D. cannot afford to make mistakes.
34 In John Ridley Stroop’s experiment, participants found it difficult to
A. tell one colour from another.
B. match up pairs of similar colours.
C. read out the name of one colour printed in another colour.
D. decide what colour looks most appropnate for a particular word.

Questions 35 – 39
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 35-39 on your answer sheet.
Multitasking and its effects on the brain
The stressful nature of multitasking has been shown to affect parts of the brain. The
area most affected is the prefrontal cortex. which is found to the rear of the 35
……………… . It is the part of the brain which judges tasks, then puts them in order
of importance and allocates 36 ……………… ; it also enables a worker to resume a
task which has been put to one side.
A second area, the hippocampus, may also be affected by the stress of
multitasking. If any 37 ……………… in the hippocampus are affected, people may
have problems with storing 38 ……………… , as well as learning 39 ………………. .

Question 40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in box 40 on your answer sheet.
The main aim of this passage is to
A. describe areas where multitasking is useful.
B. challenge widely held opinions on multitasking.
C. show the physical damage that multitasking can cause.
D. call for better psychological experiments on multitasking.
@mindless_writer

PASSAGE 1:

1 NG
2 F
3 T
4 F
5 NG
6 T
7 NG
8 T
9 WORM
10 CLAY
11 HEADACHES
12 ACCIDENTS
13 GOVERNMENT
PASSAGE 2:
@mindless_writer

14 VII
15 IX
16 І
17 III
18 IV
19 VI
20 EROSION
21 OPERATING COSTS
22 HELICOPTERS
23 B
24 A
25 A
26 C
PASSAGE 3:

27 A
28 C
29 A
30 B
31 D
32 B
33 D
34 C
35 forehead
36 mental resources
37 brain cells
38 new memories
39 new skills
40 C