READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
The Lake Erie Canal
Begun in 1817 and opened in its entirety in 1825, the Erie Canal is considered by some to be the engineering marvel of the nineteenth century. When the federal government concluded that the project was too ambitious to undertake, the State of New York took on the task of carving 363 miles of canal through the wilderness, with nothing but the muscle power of men and horses.
Once derided as ‘Clinton’s Folly’ for the Governor who lent his vision and political muscle to the project, the Erie Canal experienced unparalleled success almost overnight. The iconic waterway established settlement patterns for most of the United States during the nineteenth century, made New York the financial capital of the world, provided a critical supply line that helped the North win the Civil War, and precipitated a series of social and economic changes throughout a young America.
Explorers had long searched for a water route to the west. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the lack of an efficient and safe transportation network kept populations and trade largely confined to coastal areas. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Allegheny Mountains were the Western Frontier. The Northwest Territories that would later become Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio were rich in timber, minerals, and fertile land for farming, but it took weeks to reach these things. Travellers were faced with rutted turnpike roads that baked to hardness in the summer sun. In the winter, the roads dissolved into mud.
An imprisoned flour merchant named Jesse Hawley envisioned a better way: a canal from Buffalo on the eastern shore of Lake Erie to Albany on the upper Hudson River, a distance of almost 400 miles. Long a proponent of efficient water transportation, Hawley had gone bankrupt trying to move his products to market. Hawley’s ideas caught the interest of Assemblyman Joshua Forman, who submitted the first state legislation related to the Erie Canal in 1808, calling for a series of surveys to be made examining the practicality of a water route between Lake Erie and the Hudson River. In 1810, Thomas Eddy, and State Senator Jonas Platt, hoping to get plans for the canal moving forward, approached influential Senator De Witt Clinton, former mayor of New York City, to enlist his support. Though Clinton had been recruited to the canal effort by Eddy and Platt, he quickly became one of the canal’s most active supporters and went on to successfully tie his very political fate to its success.
On April 15th, 1817, the New York State Legislature finally approved construction of the Erie Canal. The Legislature authorised $7 million for construction of the 363-mile long waterway, which was to be 40 feet wide and eighteen feet deep. Construction began on July 4th 1817 and took eight years.
Like most canals, the Erie Canal depended on a lock system in order to compensate for changes in water levels over distance. A lock is a section of canal or river that is closed off to control the water level, so that boats can be raised or lowered as they pass through it. Locks have two sets of sluice gates (top and bottom), which seal off and then open the entrances to the chamber, which is where a boat waits while the movement up or down takes place. In addition, locks also have valves at the bottom of the sluice gates and it is by opening these valves that water is allowed into and out of the chamber to raise or lower the water level, and hence the boat.
The effect of the Erie Canal was both immediate and dramatic, and settlers poured west. The explosion of trade prophesied by Governor Clinton began, spurred by freight rates from Buffalo to New York of $10 per ton by canal, compared with $100 per ton by road. In 1829, there were 3,640 bushels of wheat transported down the canal from Buffalo. By 1837, this figure had increased to 500,000 bushels and, four years later, it reached one million. In nine years, canal tolls more than recouped the entire cost of construction. Within 15 years of the canal’s opening, New York was the busiest port in America, moving tonnages greater than Boston, Baltimore and New Orleans combined. Today, it can still be seen that every major city in New York State falls along the trade route established by the Erie Canal and nearly 80 per cent of upstate New York’s inhabitants live within 25 miles of the Erie Canal.
The completion of the Erie Canal spurred the first great westward movement of American settlers, gave access to the resources west of the Appalachians and made New York the preeminent commercial city in the United States. At one time, more than 50,000 people depended on the Erie Canal for their livelihood. From its inception, the Erie Canal helped form a whole new culture revolving around canal life. For those who travelled along the canal in packet boats or passenger vessels, the canal was an exciting place. Gambling and entertainment were frequent pastimes, and often families would meet each year at the same locations to share stories and adventures. Today, the canal has returned to its former glory and is filled with pleasure boats, fishermen, holidaymakers and cyclists riding the former towpaths where mules once trod. The excitement of the past is alive and well.
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.
Playing Soccer
There are many differences between playing soccer in the street and joining a youth team in an organized league in the USA.
A
Street soccer, as its name implies, is an informal variation of the sport, often played on the street, particularly in urban areas. There are many reasons for the widespread popularity of street soccer. Unlike youth soccer, its more formally organized counterpart, no large space is needed, and goal posts, corner markers, and marked lines, associated with the formal game, are typically absent, as are game officials or referees. Another attraction of street soccer is that it is played frequently and competitively, but does not necessarily require standard 11-a-side teams or fixed playing positions. Unlike in youth soccer, inexperienced street soccer players rarely learn from repetitive technical and tactical drills. Instead, they learn from their poor performance in competition, unconscious of the skills they are nonetheless developing, and without older adults or coaches present. Players learn without effort through playing the game and soon attain an almost natural feeling for the sport.
B
However, there are lots of cities in the world today where conditions are such that street soccer is no longer possible. Congested traffic now dominates where games were once played. Parks and open fields are used as hangouts for older teenagers with other interests. Add to this the requirement in many localities for official permits to use public spaces and the managed schedules that many young people have today, and spontaneous play of any kind is hard to imagine.
C
In spite of all these obstacles, which are probably solvable in most instances, there is another sociological explanation of why in many places street soccer doesn't enjoy the same popularity it once did. In his book How Soccer Explains the World, US writer Franklin Foer observes:
"But for all the talk of freedom, the 1960s parenting style had a far less relaxed side too. Like the 1960s consumer movement which brought seat belts and airbags to cars, the (youth) soccer movement felt like it could create a set of... regulations that would protect both the child's body and mind from damage. Soccer leagues like the one I played in as a child handed out 'participation' prizes to every player, no matter how few games his (or her) team won. Where most of the world accepts the practice of using your head to hit the ball as an essential element of the game, some (youth) soccer parents have worried over the potential for injury to the brain. An entire industry grew up to manufacture protective headgear...
Even though very little medical evidence supports this fear, some youth leagues prohibited heading the ball altogether."
D
A growing body of people don't believe street soccer involves a legitimate educational method. They argue that children need to be taught by experts. Youth soccer instruction now begins with four-year-olds, so that they will have an advantage as six-year-olds. This need to get ahead brings with it a fear of falling behind that only expert instruction can prevent. This type of instruction leaves no room for the trial and error approach of street soccer.
E
One of the basic ideas of street soccer is that young players are assigned a particular role by a better player and are expected to play for the good of the team. Such an assignment runs counter to the idea of youth soccer that every child needs to learn every position and will benefit from doing so. In street soccer, you fill the role that you are best suited to at a particular time. While this role assignment can change from game to game, the purpose is always the same: to get the best out of each individual at any given moment.
F
In street soccer, children have to learn patience, to wait their turn, to realize that they are not entitled to make decisions, or even be listened to simply because they show up. Positions of responsibility are earned through competition within the team. Younger players in street soccer must wait to attain those positions. In youth soccer, however, with its overly democratic values, youngsters are guaranteed their time in the spotlight. Whether it's their turn to be captain, to play a central position, or to take a crucial shot, youth soccer players come to believe that hard work and patience aren’t really necessary.
G
Not only does every youth soccer player get a chance, it is assumed that each individual has played well. “Everyone’s a winner, no one’s a loser” is a guiding principle of youth soccer. This ensures each individual goes away feeling positive about themselves. No one can leave a game or a practice feeling bad. But, if there really are no losers, then why try at all? Since giving less than your best receives the same reward as giving your best, why go to any extra effort?
In street soccer, every game results in a winner and a loser, and everyone knows who is who. Losing a game is a common experience, and players learn early on how to handle this. As a result, unlike most youth soccer players, they acquire resilience.
A further difference between these two strands of soccer is that in street soccer a formal record is not kept. You can lose one day and win the next. The results are only temporary and are forgotten within minutes of the end of the match. But in organized youth soccer, the position each person plays and the results are formally noted and maintained throughout a season.
READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.
New Types of Tourism
A
When you get tired of typical sightseeing, when you have had enough of monuments, statues, and cathedrals, then think outside the box. Read the four paragraphs below about the innovative types of tourism emerging around the globe and discover ways to spice up your itinerary.
B
One could eat your way through your travels if one wished. A comparatively new kind of tourism is gaining popularity across the world. In this, food and beverages are the main factors that motivate a person to travel to a particular destination. Combining food, drink and culture, this type of travel provides for an authentic experience, the food and restaurants reflecting the local and unique flavors of a particular region or country. Studies conducted into this travel phenomenon have shown that food plays, consciously or unconsciously, an important part in the vacations of a good number of travelers. Those trying this are looking for a more participatory style of holiday experience. Analysts have noticed a shift from 'passive observation' to 'interaction and involvement' in tourists, whereby the visitor comes into close contact with locals and their way of life rather than remaining a mere spectator.
C
This is a novel approach to tourism in which visitors do not visit ordinary tourist attractions in traditional fashion. Rather, they let their whims be their guides! Destinations are chosen not on their standard touristic merit but on the basis of an idea or concept often involving elements of humor, serendipity, and chance. One example is known as Monopoly-travel. Participants armed with the local version of a Monopoly game board explore a city at the whim of a dice roll, shuttling between elegant shopping areas and the local water plant – with the occasional visit to jail.
Another example is Counter-travel, which requires you to take snapshots with your back turned to landmarks like the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben. Joël Henry, the French founder of Latourex, has developed dozens of ideas since coming up with the concept in 1990. The traveler must increase his or her receptiveness, in this way, no trip is ever planned or predictable. Henry's most unusual invention is known as "Erotravel", where a couple heads to the same town but travels there separately. The challenge is to find one another abroad. He and his wife have engaged in the pursuit in five cities and have managed to meet up every time.
D
This involves any crop-based or animal-based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. It has recently become widespread in America, and participants can choose from a wide range of activities that include picking fruits and vegetables, riding horses, tasting honey, learning about wine and cheese making, or shopping in farm gift shops for local and regional products or handicrafts. For rural economies struggling to stay afloat in this age of industrial farming, it has become an important and marketable opportunity for improving the incomes and potential economic viability of small farms and rural communities. In western North Carolina, the organization 'HandMade in America' is using this method to develop their local economy and craft trades, and to educate visitors about farming practices. On their website, it is described as a niche market. As people are becoming more interested in the ecological importance of local food production, related projects reinforce the need to support local growers and allow visitors to experience the relationship between food and our natural environment.
E
This is the trend of traveling to destinations that are first seen in movies, for instance, touring London in a high-speed boat like James Bond or visiting the stately homes that are seen in Jane Austin films. The term was first coined in the US press in the New York Post by journalist Gretchen Kelly, who wrote a 2007 article entitled "The sexiest film locations from 2007 to visit now."
Currently, summer blockbuster movies are being used as themed marketing tools by companies like Expedia and Fandango, who are promoting trips to where the Steven Spielberg film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was made. Corporations as well as convention and tourism boards are exploiting the trend, creating their own location-based travel maps, like the Elizabeth: The Golden Age movie map published by VisitBritain, Britain's official travel and tourism guide. Other travel itineraries have been created by tourism boards for movies including The Da Vinci Code (France), In Bruges (Belgium), and P.S. I Love You (Ireland). Although a new concept, it's fast becoming a major factor in the choices travelers make in an increasingly tight economic climate. If a traveler has seen a site in a major motion picture, its media exposure makes it a compelling choice for a family vacation or honeymoon.
Part 1
Questions 1-6
Write the correct letter, A-K, in any order in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.
Choose SIX letters, A-K.
What SIX of the following were effects of the Lake Erie Canal?
Questions 7-9
Label the diagram below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 7-9 on your answer sheet.
7
8
9
Questions 10-13
Answer the questions below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.
10. What was the beneficial factor for productive agriculture in the Northwest Territories at the beginning of the nineteenth century?
10
11. In what commodity did the person who first came up with the idea of the Erie Canal trade?
11
12. How long did it take to build the Erie Canal?
12
13. How were the Erie Canal’s building costs recovered?
13
Part 2
Questions 14-19
Questions 14-19
Reading Passage 2 has seven sections, A-G.
Which section contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.
14 a contrast between the ways young players gain experience of playing different positions
15 examples outside sport of greater emphasis on individual safety
16 a description of methods of selection for leadership on soccer teams
17 details of urban changes that discourage street soccer
18 a mention of the lesson that failure teaches street soccer players
19 an explanation of why youth soccer emphasises the need for coaches
Questions 20-21
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 20 and 21 on your answer sheet.
The list below gives some possible reasons for the popularity of street soccer.
Which TWO of these reasons are mentioned by the writer of the text?
Questions 22-23
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 22 and 23 on your answer sheet.
The list below gives some possible results of the 1960s parenting style.
Which TWO of these results are mentioned by Franklin Foer in the excerpt from How Soccer Explains the World?
Questions 24-26
Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 24-26 on your answer sheet.
Winners and losers
For youth soccer players, a key 24 is that they should always come away from the game with a positive attitude. In this respect, regardless of the effort the players make, they get some kind of 25 at the end of a game.
In street soccer, however, players gain resilience because they have to learn to cope with failure. But the outcome of a match isn't remembered for long. In fact, no one ever keeps a 26 of the results of games.
Part 3
Questions 27-31
Reading Passage 3 has five sections, A–E.
Choose the correct heading for sections A–E from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i–viii, in boxes 27–31 on your answer sheet.
|
List of Headings i. Experimental Tourism |
Example:
Section A 27
Section B 28
Section C 29
Section D 30
Section E 31
Questions 32-35
Complete the sentences using ONE WORD ONLY from the text.
Write your answers in boxes 32-35 on your answer sheet.
32. Putting together and enjoying culinary delights ensures the trip is more 32 .
33. Moving quickly between more mundane public service facilities and malls that are more 33 .
34. Film sets for hugely popular blockbuster movies are attracting couples to go there for their 34 .
35. In the USA, visiting a strawberry picking field or listening to lectures on producing good wine is becoming increasingly 35 .
Questions 36-39
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
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
36 Enjoying good foods is the most critical part of any good holiday for the majority of travellers.
37 Taking photos facing directly opposite from and facing away from a popular tourist site is a need for Counter-travel.
38 People are gaining appreciation for the need to back those producing locally grown vegetables and other crops.
39 The term for promoting travel related to the film industry was first used in the British media.
Question 40
Choose the best match for the underlined phrase in the text, from the three options, A-C.