Reading passage 1

A. Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. B. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. Since at least 1100, the castle has been used as a prison, although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. C. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under Kings Richard the Lion heart, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site. D. The Tower of London has played a prominent role in England's history. It was besieged several times and controlling it has been important to controlling the country. The Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, amenagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. E. From the early 14th century until the reign of Charles II, a procession would be led from the Tower to Westminster Abbey on the coronation of a monarch. In the absence of the monarch, the Constable of the Tower is in charge of the castle. This was a powerful and trusted position in the medieval period. In the late 15th century the castle was the prison of the Princes in the Tower. Under the Tudors, the Tower became used less as a royal residence, and despite attempts to refortify and repair the castle its defences lagged behind developments to deal with artillery. F. The zenith of the castle's use as a prison came in the 16th and 17th centuries, when many figures fallen into disgrace, such as Elizabeth I before she became queen, were held within its walls. This use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower". Despite its enduring reputation as a place of torture and death, popularised by 16th-century religious propagandists and 19thcentury writers, only seven people were executed within the Tower before the World Wars of the 20th century. Executions were more commonly held on the notorious Tower Hill to the north of the castle, with 112 occurring there over a 400-year period. G. In the latter half of the century, institutions such as the Royal Mint moved out of the castle to other locations, leaving many buildings empty. Anthony Salvin and John Taylor took the opportunity to restore the Tower to what was felt to be its medieval appearance, clearing out many of the vacant post-medieval structures. In the First and Second World Wars, the Tower was again used as a prison, and witnessed the executions of 12 men for espionage. After the wars, damage caused during the Blitz was repaired and the castle reopened to the public. Today the Tower of London is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. It is cared for by the charity Historic Royal Palaces and is protected as a World Heritage Site.
Source: Wikipedia.com

Questions You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1 to 14 which are based on Reading Passage 1

Questions 1 to 7 Reading Passage 1 has seven paragraphs A G. From the list of headings below, choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph. Write the appropriate numbers I ix in boxes 1 7 on your answer sheet.

i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix.

The zenith of the castle. The medieval period. The whaling lances and harpoons. A prominent role in England's history. The origin. Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress. The structure. A complex of several buildings. The Royal Mint.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Paragraph A Paragraph B Paragraph C Paragraph D Paragraph E Paragraph F Paragraph G

Questions 8 10 Choose the correct letters, A, B, C or D Write your answers in boxes 8 10 on your answer sheet. 8 The number of executions that are held in the Tower is A. B. C. D. 9 A. B. 118. 119. 120. 129. The Tower was founded in the 12th century. 13th century.

C. D. 10 A. B. C. D.

11th century. 10th century. The general layout established by the late 13th century. 10th century. 11th century. 12th century.

Questions 11 14 Complete each of the following statements (questions 11 14) with the best endings A G from the box below Write the appropriate letters A G in boxes 11 14 on your answer sheet. 11 The zenith of the castle's use as a prison came 12 Institutions such as the Royal Mint moved 13 The Tower of London was besieged several times and 14 The Tower of London is one of the country's

A B C D E F G

Most popular tourist attractions. Among early kings. Controlling it has been important to controlling the country. At last was founded by king the Lion Heart. Out of the castle to other locations. Into effect very lately. In the 16th and 17th centuries.

Reading passage 2 A. Typhoon Megi was first identified by the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) on October 12, 2010 as an area of disturbed weather roughly 90 km (55 mi) southeast of Guam. Radar imagery from the island depicted a developing area of low pressure and a surface circulation. Favourable environmental conditions, such as low wind shear, good upper-level divergence and pole ward outflow. The system quickly developed throughout the day, prompting the issuance of a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert by 0900 UTC. Several hours later, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) began monitoring the low as a tropical depression. B. Early on October 13, the JTWC also classified the system as a tropical depression, giving it the identifier 15W. Hours later, well-defined convective banding features developed around the

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

system and thunderstorm activity over the centre of circulation increased. Sea surface temperatures of 28 C (82 F) and high oceanic heat content allowed for further strengthening. Situated to the southwest of a subtropical ridge, the system slowly tracked towards the westnorthwest towards the Philippines. Around 1200 UTC, the depression further intensified into a tropical storm, earning the name Megi from the JMA. Late on October 13, Tropical Storm Megi became quasi-stationary; however, a mid-latitude trough moving from the west would prompt the storm to resume a north-westward track. Throughout the morning of October 14, a central dense overcast developed over the centre of Megi, allowing for intensification. According to data from a hurricane hunter aircraft, the system had attained winds just below typhoon status and the barometric pressure had decreased to 986 mbar (hPa; 29.11 inHg) at 0436 UTC. Later that day, an eye appeared on satellite imagery, resulting in the JTWC upgrading Megi to a minimal typhoon. As the storm neared landfall, torrential rains fell across much of Luzon, resulting in flash flooding. One person drowned near Tuguegarao during the afternoon of October 18. Later, the storm made landfall at Sierra Madre, Luzon, at 11:25 a.m. (local time). Many flights bound for the northern Philippines were cancelled because of the impact of the typhoon. Cebu Pacific Air announced on Facebook that they cancelled all their flights from Manila. With one person dead already, the president strictly ordered all government agencies to see that no other person dies in the typhoon. It has been estimated that Philippines could lose over 600,000 metric tons of their rice crop as the Typhoon rampages across the country. All state schools and colleges in Cagayan, the Ilocos and the Cordilleras were closed for the day in preparation. Many villagers in Cagayan rushed to high ground as the typhoon made landfall, while in some parts of Luzon severe rain caused flash floods. Over 1,000 people are stranded among different port terminals of Luzon as a total of 55 vessels were out of service due to typhoon restrictions. Two more people have been injured in the typhoon. The Philippine Red Cross sent a water search and rescue (WASAR) team to Cagayan in order to rescue as many people as possible. Late on October 18, the Isabela province was placed under a state of calamity when the typhoon finished its final landfall and moved further inland. Two more Air Philippines flights were cancelled due to the typhoon. Communication lines in Cagayan and Isabela were down during the typhoon and it was said that it would take five days to restore them. Another person was confirmed dead in the flash floods caused by the typhoon. UNICEF started monitoring the event and they said they would respond whenever necessary. A child was electrocuted when he stepped on a live wire from a fallen post while he followed his father, who did not know that his son was following him, later on that day. The typhoon swept through most of the agricultural areas in the northern Philippines, badly damaging the rice crops. Isabela and Cagayan, which were placed under storm signal number 4, were among the largest rice produces of the Philippines. However, The National Food Authority (NFA) assured the public that they have enough rice in warehouses, allaying fears of rice shortage in the next few weeks. There was zero visibility for hours on October 18. It was also reported that thousands of residents turned out to be homeless as the typhoon winds uprooted trees in these provinces and the roofs of the houses were blown away by the wind. PAGASA lowered storm signals as the typhoon weakened when it

slammed into the mountains in northern Luzon. This meant there were no provinces placed under storm signal 4. Source: Wikipedia.com Questions You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 15 27 which are based on Reading Passage 2 Questions 15 19 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 15 -19 in your answer sheet write TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. if the statement agrees with the information if the statement contradicts the information if there is no information on this

Typhoon Megi was a disastrous storm. Communication lines in Cagayan and Isabela were running smoothly. UNESCO sent rescue measure to the flood hit areas. Many flights bound for the northern Philippines were cancelled. Typhoon Megi was first identified by the Philippines weather department.

Question 20 23 Look at the following topics (questions 20 23) and the list of statements below. Match each topic to the correct statement. Write the correct letter A G in boxes 1 4 on your answer sheet. 20. The National Food Authority 21. The Philippine Red Cross 22. Typhoon Warning Centre 23. Cebu Pacific Air A B C D E F G Joined hands with the government. To rescue as many people as possible. Diverted all the flights to Hong Kong. They have enough rice in warehouses. Classified the system as a tropical depression. They cancelled all their flights from Manila. They have not enough stock of food grains for the victims.

Questions 24 27 Complete the following statements with the correct alternative from the box.

Write the correct letter A F in boxes 24 27 on your answer sheet. 24. 25. 26. 27. Torrential rains fell across much of Luzon, One person drowned near Tuguegarao Over 1,000 people are stranded Philippines could lose over

A Caused a lot of casualties. B During the afternoon of October 18. C Among different port terminals of Luzon. D 600,000 metric tons of their rice crop. E Resulting in flash flooding. F 60,000 metric tons of their rice crop.

Reading Passage 3 A. We often sailed so near the coast of Cornwall, that not only could we plainly perceive every village, but even the people in the streets and in the open country. The land is hilly and luxuriant, and appears carefully cultivated. During the whole time of our cruising in the Channel, the temperature was cold and raw, the thermometer seldom being higher than 65 to 75 degrees F. B. At last, on the 24th of July, we came to the end of the Channel, and attained the open sea; the wind was tolerably favourable, and on the2nd of August we were off Gibraltar, where we were becalmed for twenty-four hours. The captain threw several pieces of white crockery ware, as well as a number of large bones overboard, to show how beautifully such green objects appeared as they slowly sank down beneath the sea; of course this can only be seen in a perfect calm. C. In the evening we were greatly delighted by numbers of mollusc shining through the water; they looked exactly like so many floating stars, about the size of a man's hand; even by day we could perceive them beneath the waves. They are of a brownish red, and in form resemble a toadstool; many had a thick pedicle, somewhat fimbriatedon the under part; others, instead of the pedicle, had a number of threads hanging down from them. D. 4th August. This was the first day that it was announced by the heat that we were in southern latitude; but, as was also the case the following day, the clear dark blue sky that generally overarches the Mediterranean in such exceeding loveliness, was still wanting. We found, however, some slight compensation for this in the rising and setting of the sun, as these were often accompanied by unusual forms and colours of the clouds. E. We were now off Morocco, and were fortunate enough today to perceive a great number of bonitos. Everyone on board bestirred himself, and on every side fish hooks were cast overboard; unluckily only one bonito allowed himself to be entrapped by our friendly

invitations; he made a dart at the bait, and his good-natured confidence procured us a fresh meal, of which we had long been deprived. F. On the 5th of August we saw land for the first time for twelve days. The sun was rising as the little island of Porto Santo greeted our sight. It is formed of peaked mountains, which, by their shape, betray their volcanic origin. A few miles in advance of the island stands the beautiful Falcon Rock, like a sentinel upon the look-out. We sailed past Madeira (23 miles from Porto Santo) the same day, but unluckily at such a distance that we could only perceive the long mountain chains by which the island is intersected. Near Madeiralie the rocky Deserta Islands, which are reckoned as forming part of Africa. G. Near these islands we passed a vessel running under reefed sails before the wind, whence the captain concluded that she was a cruiser looking after slavers. On the 6th of August we beheld, for the first time, flying fish, but at such a distance that we could scarcely distinguish them. On the 7th of August we neared the Canary Isles, but unfortunately, on account of the thick fog, we could not see them. We now caught the trade wind that blows from the east, and is anxiously desired by all sailors. In the night of the 9-10th we entered the tropics. We were now in daily expectation of greater heat and a clearer sky, but met with neither. The atmosphere was dull and hazy, and even in our own raw fatherland the sky could not have been so overcast, except upon some days in November. Every evening the clouds were piled upon one another in such a way that we were continually expecting to see a water-spout; it was generally not before midnight that the heavens would gradually clear up, and allow us to admire the beautiful and dazzling constellations of the South. Source: Novel Questions You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 28 40 which are based on Reading Passage 3. Questions 28 32 The passage has seven paragraphs labelled AG. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter A-G in boxes 28-32 on your answer sheet. NB: You may use any letter more than once. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. The temperature was quite comfortable at the place. The atmosphere was dull and hazy. Everyone on board bestirred himself, and on every side fish hooks were cast overboard. Others had a number of threads hanging down from them. It was announced by the heat that we were in southern latitude.

Questions 33 36

Complete the sentences below with words taken from Reading Passage 3. Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 33-36 on your answer sheet.

33. 34. 35. 36.

On the 5th of August we saw land for the first time for . On the 7th of August we neared . The sun was rising as the little island of Porto Santo . The sky could not have been so overcast, except .

Questions 37 40 Complete the summary of the paragraphs A C below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet. During the whole time of our cruising in the Channel, the temperature 37 On the 24th of July, we came to the 38 .. The captain threw several pieces of white crockery ware to show how beautifully such 39 .. In the evening we were greatly delighted by numbers of mollusk 40 .