Reading Test 10
Reading Workspace
|Part 1|
A bad image not justified
‘Flies are a nuisance, wasps are a pest...’ as the children’s rhyme goes. Indeed, local council environmental health departments everywhere recognise them as such. A wasps’ nest in the vicinity of your home is certainly cause for concern. But all creatures have a function in life: flies do serve a useful purpose – they help dispose of waste matter and feed other animals higher up the food chain.
And wasps? To most of us they appear to possess no redeeming features whatsoever. Having been stung, the majority of people hate them and question their right to exist. As John Crompton points out in ‘The Hunting Wasp’, we generally tend to overreact to the presence of insects that are far more afraid of us, and whose only desire is to escape our company. Nevertheless, their sting is at least a nuisance factor, and, in the case of allergy sufferers, a serious health hazard, but wasps do not attack without good (in their opinion) reason. Very often, we accidentally disturb them, only to pay the painful price.
The problem is that two or three species give the rest a bad name. Vespula vulgaris and vespula germanica, the Common and German wasps respectively, are attracted to our food, and can ruin a picnic by challenging our every lick of ice cream, bite of sandwich and sip of drink. Barbecues are another regular battlefield, as wasps love sucking the juices out of meat. They also frequent dustbins and other unhygienic places, and so can pose a health risk, albeit not as much as flies. Another of their vices, often overlooked, is that they are fond of feeding mashed honeybee flesh to their young, while gorging themselves on the honey. Apiarists loathe them, for their raids seriously disrupt the normal routine of the hives.
This is not a complete picture, however, and it is necessary to redress the balance in favour of our black and yellow chums, notwithstanding the downside of course! Together with bees and ants, wasps form the insect order hymenoptera, and can be divided into two main categories: solitary and social. The former need not concern us here, as they cause us no problems. They live alone or in small groups, and use their delicate sting exclusively to paralyse prey for their larvae to devour alive and fresh. They can also be employed in natural pest control operations. Social wasps are so called because they form large colonies of infertile female ‘workers’ ruled by a single queen. In Britain, apart from the species mentioned above, there are also the Tree, Norwegian, Saxon, Red and Cuckoo wasps, plus the hornets, which rarely come into contact with us.
There is also, of course, the dolichovespula media, or Median Wasp. Since it first established itself in Kent in 1985, it has spread rapidly throughout the country, provoking the tabloid press to dub it every year the ‘French Killer Wasp’ or the ‘Eurowasp’, blaming global warming for the superbug invasion! Indeed, it is larger than our native wasps, and its sting more powerful, but it is no more aggressive, despite what one reads in the paper. It will not bother you if you leave it alone, the point being that the sting of all social wasps is defensive, and will be used against anyone or thing perceived as a threat to themselves or their nest. Whatever is contained in that unlovely cocktail they inject is their secret recipe which scientists have still to analyse.
The life cycle of social wasps begins on a warm day in April, when queens emerge from hibernation and select a place for their nest, usually a hole in the ground, in a tree or in our attics, lofts and under our eaves. The structure is made from chewed up wood mixed with saliva, which forms a grey papery substance. The queen builds a dozen or so hexagonal cells and lays the first of up to thirty thousand eggs. The grubs hatch and she feeds them until they pupate. When the new adults, or imagines, appear about eight weeks later, the queen continues to lay eggs while her infertile daughters continue to build the expanding nest and feed the new larvae. In August males and females hatch, bigger and more brightly coloured than the worker ‘caste’. Males, who have slightly longer antennae, are stingless, and can be seen in autumn mating with the young queens and sipping nectar from ivy, the last plant in Britain to blossom. As the weather gets colder and the flowers disappear, the males and the surviving workers die. The old queen perishes too, together with the last remaining intended grubs. Heavy November rains finally destroy the nest, although in milder climatic conditions colonies are known to last much longer. Having fed well to build up their fat reserves for the long hard winter to come, the impregnated queens seek out a suitable sheltered spot for hibernation, such as under a fold of bark.
We must ask those who would be rid of wasps what the world would be like without them. Quite simply, there would be far fewer flowers and much less fruit, and also many more flies, mosquitoes and other bugs, for they pollinate the former and favour the latter as baby food. So perhaps we should be thankful for these services, even though they come at a slight cost. If we leave wasps alone, they will not hurt us. Just as we treat bees with caution and respect, so we should deal with wasps. They are fascinating creatures, which really do have the right to exist as part of our ecosystem, and besides being attractive, are actually beneficial in more ways than one.
|Part 2|
Digital screams
A What holds new advances in technology back is not the pace of development. Is it then the fact that people are generally conservative by nature? Or is it instead the inability of the marketplace to absorb new products fast enough?
B There is always a time lag between new inventions and discoveries being made and the release of any related technology into the public domain. Like aircraft hovering to land at a busy airport, new products are frequently held in abeyance, while the marketplace is emptied of the last ‘latest’ gadget. Meanwhile, the general population are drip-fed information about what is to come. In this way, the public appetite for new products is constantly being whetted.
C People’s blind faith in any new technological device prevents them from thinking through the implications of what is happening. Fewer and fewer people seem to have any serious misgivings about mankind’s Promethean march to some great dystopia. Any lurking dangers are brushed aside, as are the diminishing band of dissenters.
D People are oblivious of the creeping advance of robots into their lives. Operations are being performed with voice-operated robots, not only giving surgeons an extra pair of safe hands, but also allowing a range of procedures to be carried out anywhere in the world by computer. Apart from surgery, voice-operated devices are also being introduced into cars. Drivers will soon be able to bark at mobile-phone-like gadgets capable of supplying them with all the information they need from weather forecasts to stock market quotations. Who needs friends?
E Experiments have already been carried out on inserting micro-chips under the human skin so that people can be monitored at any time. Tagging is currently in use in some areas for criminals in the community. And data-tagging is being used for technical equipment like expensive motorbike parts and also for tracing lost dogs. Details about using micro-chips in humans have already been flagged in the press. And given the right circumstances, the procedure will be introduced with barely a whimper. Micro-chip implants might perhaps become the passport of the future.
F Without knowing it, you are already being monitored without the slightest hint of protest. The technology in your mobile phones allows you to be located. It is ironic that when mobile phones were first introduced they were perceived as status symbols. But now they are viewed as symbols of slavery, as bosses can monitor their work-force when they are out on the job. Video cameras in public places are now so wide-spread that it is possible to trace you for quite a distance. Supermarket loyalty cards and bank cards leave traces of your life everywhere.
G As we naively come to accept the role of machines, they are appearing in roles that were exclusively the preserve of humans. Robots in bars already exist; soon they will replace hosts on chat-shows, and people as shop assistants or drivers and humans in many other professions. No? Do you take money from a teller at your bank or do you receive it from a robot built into a wall?
H And much to the chagrin of traditionalists, toys have now come on the market which teach children to speak and which children can then communicate with. The novelty apart, this is a rather sinister turn of events. It is bad enough for adults to talk to cars and computers. But this development is much more disturbing. Children may develop certain linguistic skills from the robotic toy, but will lose out on the necessary social and emotional interaction. Social de-skilling of this kind will lead to untold social problems.
I Yet, not all the developments are bad. The advances taking place in medicine, herald a new dawn for the human race. Disease will become an irritation rather than the bane it is now. Humans will replace body-parts as they wear out, with specially grown prostheses or electronic parts, whatever is in vogue at the time. Certain diseases which required huge resources and expenditure will be treated by gene therapy. Paralysis will become a thing of the past. By 2020, the life expectancy for new babies will be well over 100 years and more. Recently, the ‘immortality’ gene was located; so soon the world may be full of Methuselahs.
J A nightmare scenario perhaps. Not half as nightmarish as the future possibility of downloading the human mind before the body dies. But I for one do not wish to live out eternity as some sort of digital collectable item. Against the hum of machines who will hear my screams? Or yours?
|Part 3|
Russian icons
The ambivalence of the Soviet authorities towards the art and artefacts of the Orthodox Church throughout the 50s and 60s is even more apparent in relation to icons. These religious paintings have always held a personal spiritual significance for believers in Russia, and some have been the objects of public veneration at a level. Conscious of the need to instil a sense of pride in the richness of pre-revolutionary Russian heritage, but wary of allowing religious sentiment to flourish, Soviet art historians strove to emphasise the uniqueness of the Russian icon tradition and its central role in the cultural development of 12th to 16th century Russia, while minimising its Orthodox Christian essence. It was a narrow path to tread.
One obvious ploy was to detach the icons from their normal setting in churches and cathedrals and display them in secular art galleries. This is particularly clear in the case of the Tretyakov Art Gallery in Moscow which houses many of the oldest, most beautiful and most venerated icons. Hung on impassive cream walls, these wonderful paintings are stripped of their religious significance encouraging the spectator to concentrate on their artistic merits. Elsewhere in the gallery hang the mordant social commentaries of nineteenth century Russian realist painters such as Repin, Makovsky and Yaroshenko, some of them specifically attacking the veniality and corruption of the Russian Orthodox Church, or mocking the superstitious ignorance of the Russian peasants. Further on are the paintings of the Soviet era, explicitly socialist, concentrating on human, particularly collective human, achievement. The peasants, now liberated from their attachment to religion and superstition become heroic figures, contributing to the socialist future. The inference is not hard to draw: the icons belong to a continuous tradition of Russian artistic creativity which emphasises the dignity and universal emotional, intellectual and spiritual integrity of man, without reference to an external God. The Soviet authorities, of course, were not content to let visitors to the gallery draw this inference for themselves. It was explicitly stated in all the official guidebooks.
A further development in this separation of icons from their religious context can be seen in the creation of the Museum of Iconography in north-west Moscow. Housed in the former Andronikov Monastery, and named after the 15th century icon painter Andrei Rublev, the museum contains a representative selection of icons mainly from the 15th to the 17th century from various parts of Russia. The paintings are displayed in 15th century monastic buildings retaining the outward semblance of a church with monks’ living quarters, but which have been stripped of all religious purpose. The guidebook stresses the harmonious lines of the museum buildings as if the original architects had designed them with that future purpose in mind.
Icons depicting the Virgin and Child lent themselves easily to appropriation by the secularising art historians. The Virgin is no longer the Mother of God, but a symbol of human motherhood, her sorrowing face no longer a foreboding of the death of her son on the cross, but an expression of universal maternal tenderness and pity. Icons of saints of the early eastern and Russian churches, such as St. Nicholas, Sts. Cosmas and Damian, and St. Sergius of Radonezh are similarly described in terms of their civilising influence, the humanitarian acts they performed or the role they played in the early development of a Russian national identity. Some of these saints were martyrs, dying for their faith, and so become symbols of Russian stoicism and steadfastness in the face of the invader.
But icons of a more abstract or mystical nature, particularly those depicting the Holy Trinity, presented a more intractable interpretative problem. In the Bible, the Holy Trinity is described as appearing to Abraham and his wife Sarah in the form of three angels. Icons of the Three Angels of the Trinity are to be found dating from the late 14th century onward, though few survive from this early period. The angels are normally depicted seated in repose, gesturing towards mystical symbols of divinity. They do not lend themselves to humanistic interpretation, but the three relaxed yet at the same time grave and tautly composed linear figures, combine to create some of the most compelling images in Russian iconography. The names of few icon painters from the 15th century are known to us, but, fortunately for Soviet art historians, the name of the painter of what is usually considered the most astonishingly beautiful “Trinity” icon of all is known. It is Andrei Rublev. So instead of being forced to focus on the not-very-apparent humanity of the painting the historians are able to turn their attention to the artist. They emphasise his skill, they explain his technique, they place his work firmly in the emerging Russian national consciousness of the early 15th century. The artist is hero.
|Part 1|
Questions 1–4
Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage, answer the questions below.
(Q:1) To most people, what do wasps not seem to have?
{redeeming features}
(Q:2) What do people usually do when confronted with insects which have a greater fear of people?
{overreact}
(Q:3) What do several species of wasp give other wasps?
{a bad name}
(Q:4) What does the writer want to do as regards the image of wasps?
{redress the balance}
Questions 5–10
Complete the notes below. Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage to complete each blank space.
Hymenoptera
Solitary
- ✦ cause no (Q:6) {problems}
- ✦ sting used to paralyse prey
- ✦ wasps used in (Q:7) {pest control} programmes
Social
- ✦ create large colonies of infertile female workers under a (Q:8) {single queen}
- ✦ different species, e.g. Tree, Saxon, Cuckoo and Median wasp
- known as Eurowasp
- larger than native wasps
- more powerful sting
- not any more (Q:9) {aggressive} than the native wasp
- sting is (Q:10) {defensive} unless provoked
Questions 11–16
Use NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage to complete each blank space in the summary about the life cycle of social wasps.
The life cycle of social wasps begins on a warm day in April ...
Queens (Q:11) {emerge} from hibernation.
↓
Each lays the first of up to thirty thousand eggs.
↓
The (Q:12) {grubs} hatch.
↓
The queen feeds them until they pupate.
↓
Imagines appear about eight weeks later.
↓
The queen's infertile daughters build the expanding nest and feed the new (Q:13) {larvae}.
↓
In August, males and females hatch.
↓
The males (Q:14) {mating} with the young queens. (Note: Key says 'mating' based on text 'mating with')
↓
As the weather gets colder, the males and the remaining workers die.
↓
The old queen (Q:15) {perishes}.
↓
The impregnated queens seek out a suitable spot for (Q:16) {hibernation}.
|Part 2|
Questions 17–24
Reading Passage 2 has 10 paragraphs (A–J). Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i–xvii.
ii. Humans helping robots
iii. A sinister side
iv. People are already being monitored
v. A novelty apart
vi. The dangers ignored
vii. A personal nightmare
viii. Some Metushelahs
ix. Robots helping humans
x. Tagging
xi. Hovering aircraft
xii. Technology not all negative
xiii. Drip feeding the public
xiv. Robots replacing humans
xv. Expensive motorbike parts
xvi. Who needs friends?
xvii. What stops technology from advancing faster?
Example: Paragraph A | Answer: xvii
(Q:17) Paragraph B [select: *i/ii/iii/iv/v/vi/vii/viii/ix/x/xi/xii/xiii/xiv/xv/xvi/xvii]
(Q:18) Paragraph C [select: i/ii/iii/iv/v/*vi/vii/viii/ix/x/xi/xii/xiii/xiv/xv/xvi/xvii]
(Q:19) Paragraph D [select: i/ii/iii/iv/v/vi/vii/viii/*ix/x/xi/xii/xiii/xiv/xv/xvi/xvii]
(Q:20) Paragraph E [select: i/ii/iii/iv/v/vi/vii/viii/ix/*x/xi/xii/xiii/xiv/xv/xvi/xvii]
(Q:21) Paragraph F [select: i/ii/iii/*iv/v/vi/vii/viii/ix/x/xi/xii/xiii/xiv/xv/xvi/xvii]
(Q:22) Paragraph G [select: i/ii/iii/iv/v/vi/vii/viii/ix/x/xi/xii/xiii/*xiv/xv/xvi/xvii]
(Q:23) Paragraph H [select: i/ii/*iii/iv/v/vi/vii/viii/ix/x/xi/xii/xiii/xiv/xv/xvi/xvii]
(Q:24) Paragraph I [select: i/ii/iii/iv/v/vi/vii/viii/ix/x/xi/*xii/xiii/xiv/xv/xvi/xvii]
Example: Paragraph J | Answer: vii
Questions 25–27
Do the following statements agree with the information in Reading Passage 2? Write Yes, No or Not Given.
No if the statement contradicts the information
Not Given if there is no information on this
(Q:25) [select: *Yes/No/Not Given] The writer feels that the general public have too much faith in the technological devices being introduced into the marketplace.
(Q:26) [select: *Yes/No/Not Given] Tagging criminals by inserting microchips into their bodies will dramatically reduce the number of crimes being committed.
(Q:27) [select: *Yes/No/Not Given] The writer of the article does not have serious doubts about the direction technology is taking.
|Part 3|
Questions 28–33
Do the following statements agree with the information in Reading Passage 3? Write Yes, No or Not Given.
No if the statement contradicts the information
Not Given if there is no information on this
Example: The Soviet authorities are ambivalent towards the art of the Orthodox Church. | Answer: Yes
(Q:28) [select: Yes/*No/Not Given] Icons have never been of much importance to Russian believers.
(Q:29) [select: Yes/*No/Not Given] Soviet art historians have stressed the contribution of the Russian icon tradition to Russian cultural development in the 12th to 16th centuries.
(Q:30) [select: Yes/*No/Not Given] To downplay the connection between Russian icons and Orthodox Christianity Russian icons were removed from churches and cathedrals and displayed in a secular setting.
(Q:31) [select: Yes/*No/Not Given] The Tretyakov Art Gallery is home to paintings of a secular nature as well as religious paintings.
(Q:32) [select: Yes/*No/Not Given] The spectator of the icons in the Tretyakov Art Gallery is invariably mesmerised by the sheer artistry of the works.
(Q:33) [select: Yes/*No/Not Given] None of the works by Repin, Makovsky and Yaroshenko make fun of the religious beliefs of Russian peasants.
Questions 34–37
Choose the appropriate letters A–D.
(Q:34) The Tretyakov Art Gallery . . .
[A. only contains major religious paintings/B. contains only icons/*C. contains a range of paintings from different eras/D. is worth visiting according to the author]
(Q:35) From the layout of the Tretyakov Art Gallery, spectators are meant to see . . .
[*A. that Russian icons belong to a tradition which stresses the qualities of man and has nothing to do with God/B. that Russian icons belong to a long religious tradition
/C. that Russian icons belong to a tradition which stresses the glory of God and diminishes the qualities of man/D. that Russian icons belong to a tradition which celebrates the achievements of Russian peasants]
(Q:36) Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
[*A. The icons in the Museum of Iconography come from different parts of Russia/B. The Museum of Iconography contains only religious paintings from the 15th and 17th centuries/C. The Museum of Iconography is the premier museum in the world for Russian icons/D. The former Andonikov Monastery was destroyed to build the Museum of Iconography]
(Q:37) The guidebooks for the Museum of Iconography . . .
[A. sing the praises of the original architects of the monastic complex/B. point out the importance of the 15th century icons/*C. minimise the religious significance of the monastery buildings/D. stress the religious significance of the monastery buildings]
Questions 38–40
Complete the sentences below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each blank space.
(Q:38) To secularising art historians, the Virgin was symbolic of {human motherhood}.
(Q:39) The Three Angels of the Holy Trinity are not easily open to {humanistic interpretation}.
(Q:40) The artist of what is considered the most beautiful ‘Trinity’ icon in the world is celebrated by Soviet art historians as a {hero}.
Collected Notes
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