Traffic Accidents

Much of the blood on the street flows essentially from uncivil behavior of drivers who refuse to respect the
legal and moral rights of others. So the massacre on the road may be regarded as a social problem. Safety
standards for vehicle have been raised both at the point of manufacture and through periodic roadworthiness inspections. In addition, speed limits have been lowered. Due to these measures, the accident
rate has decreased. But the accident experts still worry because there has been little or no improvement in
the way drivers behave.
1. According to the passage, traffic accidents may be regarded as a social problem since ----.
A) the motor vehicle is a very dangerous invention
B) the accidents have more to do with hazardous conditions than hazardous drivers
C) most of the accidents are caused by drivers who don't pay attention to the traffic rules
D) the irresponsibility that accounts for much of the problem is not confined to drivers
E) traffic accidents can cause serious economic damage
2. According to the passage, the number of accidents has fallen because ----.
A) significant advances have been made towards safer driving
B) many people now know that driving is a skilled task requiring constant care and concentration
C) drivers are warned to take extra care on the roads
D) drivers have finally learned how to behave
E) there has been improvement in the way drivers behave
3. It is pointed out in the passage that those who violate traffic regulations ----.
A) are the most inexperienced drivers that we have on the roads
B) always blame the road conditions
C) don't have prior traffic violations or crashes on their records
D) are the biggest threat to those with whom they share the road
E) don't know most of the traffic rules and regulations

Mother Tongue

First language, also known as mother tongue, is generally the language a person learns first. However, one
can have two or more native languages thus being a native bilingual or indeed multilingual. The order in
which these languages are learned is not necessarily the order of proficiency. Incomplete first language skills
often make learning other languages difficult. Often a child learns the basics of his or her first language or
languages from his or her family. The term mother tongue, however, should not be interpreted to mean that it
is the language of one's mother. For instance, in some paternal societies, the wife moves in with the husband
and thus may have a different first language or dialect than the local language of the husband. Yet their
children usually only speak their local language.
1. According to the passage, first language skills ----.
A) take a very long time to develop
B) play an important role in learning a new language
C) are not transferable to the second language
D) can also have negative effects in foreign language acquisition
E) can aid children only in the beginning stages of learning a second language
2. We understand from the passage that ----.
A) most bilinguals don't have a dominant language
B) the acquisition of a first language is the most complex skill anyone ever learns
C) most children have learning difficulties in acquiring their first language
D) one's mother tongue might not be the language of the parents
E) it is very rare for bilinguals to have equal competence in both their languages
3. One can infer from the reading that ----.
A) one cannot be a native speaker of more than two languages
B) very few children throughout the world learn to speak two languages
C) it is possible for a bilingual to become more competent in his second language
D) bilinguals use their two languages for different purposes and functions
E) only a few people learn to speak his or her mother's language like a native

Bringing up Children
Answer the questions according to the reading passage.

In bringing up children, every parent, regardless of ethnicity, income, education, or geographic location,
watches eagerly the child's acquisition of each new skill. However, it is often tempting to hurry the child
beyond his natural learning rate, which can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the
child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be
encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though,
if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life
and his desire to find out new things for himself. Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards
their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters. Others are severed over times of coming
home at night or punctuality for meals. In general, the controls imposed represent the needs of the parents
and the values of the community as much as the child's own benefit.
1. According to the passage, in the process of children's learning new skills, parents ----.
A) must encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read
B) should achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own
C) never expect too much of their children
D) should create as many learning opportunities as possible for themselves
E) must exert strict control over the children

2. It is pointed out in the reading that ----.

A) parents should be strict with their children
B) parental controls reflect only the needs of the .parents and the values of the community
C) parents must maintain strict control over their children's pocket money
D) parents often enforce strict regulations on their children's eating habits
E) parental restrictions vary, and are not always enforced for the benefit of the children alone

3. As we understand from the passage, watching the child's acquisition of new skills ----.
A) sets up dangerous states of worry in the parents

B) is universal among parents

C) ensures the security of their children
D) will make him lose interest in learning new things
E) is what parenting is all about

2. The original Pilgrims called themselves the Saints and referred to others who joined with them for the
voyage as the Strangers.
In this context, original means _______.
a. one of a kind
b. first
c. humorous
c. musical
3. The Saints and Strangers argued about how they would live in the New World. After much discussion, they
came together and signed the Mayflower Compact.
The Compact was _______.
a. a container for makeup
b. a small item
c. a machine used for mashing corn
d. an agreement
4. When the Pilgrims landed in what is now Massachusetts, they were fearful that the Native Americans
would attack them. However, the people that they encountered, the Wampanoag Indians, were a peaceful
and generous tribe.
To encounter, is to _______.
a. meet
b. note how many
c. fight
d. exchange text messages
1.I believe that if you lower taxes so that people can keep more of the money they earn, it will be
an incentive for them to work harder.
What is the meaning of incentive? __________.
a. a reason to do something
b. a small amount of money

c. a tax
d. a good job
2. Most of America's Founding Fathers did not believe in women's suffrage. Only men could vote in the
United states until 1920.
What is suffrage ?
a. something that causes physical pain
b. an early flag
c. skirts that did not cover ankles
d. the right to vote
3. Some people are sure that the new health care law will mean better care for everyone. Others argue that
the law will mean less care and longer waiting lines for those who need to see doctors. It's
a controversy that will not go away soon.
A controversy is something that people _______.
a. have strong disagreements over
b. blow their noses into
c. need to pay for a visit to a doctor
d. eat with sweet candy
4. Removing seeds from cotton plants was a slow job until Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin.
What is a cotton gin?
a. a drink
b. a book
c. a machine
d. a cloth

Reading
Read the text. Then do Exercise 1.
For centuries people believed that the sun, the stars and the planets all move in a circle around the earth.
This is what is called a geocentric theory in astronomy. The word comes from the ancient Greek, geo which
means earth and centro which means middle or centre. This theory was believed by great minds like
Ptolemy, Aristotle and most ancient Greek philosophers as well as thinkers in ancient China.
Although geocentrists were wrong in the end, they were people who depended on scientific observation. The
geocentric belief in ancient Greece was based on observations of natural phenomena. By watching the stars,
planets and sun, it looks like they are moving around the earth. Also, it is easy to believe that if something we

are standing on is moving, we would feel it. Geocentrists, did not get everything wrong. They also believed
that the earth is round and not flat like we have read about in mythology.
The ancient Greeks believed that the planets and stars moved around the earth in circles. However, after
observing them they saw that that they do not move perfectly this way. In the 1600s, Polish astronomer
Copernicus, was able to better explain the motion of the planets and stars by saying that the sun, and not the
earth, was the centre of the universe. This is what we call a heliocentric solar system. This word also comes
from the Greek language, helios meaning sun and centro meaning centre. This theory was difficult to
accept as people, and the church in particular, wanted to believe that man is at the centre of the universe and
space.
Galileo also believed in the heliocentric theory and was able to further prove this theory by using a telescope
he had built. With it, he was able to better observe the motion of the planets and stars in space. He saw, for
example, that the moons of Jupiter moved around Jupiter and not the earth. At the same time that Galileo
was observing space with his telescope, a German mathematician and astronomer, Johannes Kepler, was
doing his own work to prove the heliocentric theory. He was able to explain the motion of planets by proving
mathematically that the planets and the stars move in ellipses and not in circles.
As years passed, more and more scientists, such as Isaac Newton, were able to give more information
proving that the Earth moves around the sun and not the other way around. Copernicus was not the first
astronomer to believe in a heliocentric theory. The ancient Greek Aristarchus of Samos believed this as well.
He was able to prove that the sun is larger than the earth, so he thought that the earth must go around it.
It often takes a long time to prove a theory and scientists may begin with one that is wrong. However, by
asking questions or trying to explain the world around us, scientists and philosophers have answered many
questions and have helped us to better understand the world around us.

1 Choose the correct answer. [10 points]

1 People who believed in a geocentric theory thought that...
a ...the earth moved around the sun.
b ... the sun moved around the earth.
c ...moons moved around Jupiter.
2 People who believed in a geocentric theory thought that...
a ...the earth was flat.
b ...the earth was round.
c ...the earth was an ellipse.
3 A heliocentric solar system means that...
a ...the planets move around the sun.
b ... the sun moves around the earth.
c ...moons move around Jupiter.
4 ... used a telescope to prove the heliocentric theory.
a Ptolemy...
b Copernicus...
c Galileo...

5 ...believed in a heliocentric solar system first.

a Aristarchus...
b Copernicus...
c Galileo...
Reading
Read the text. Then do Exercise 1.
This should have been the most exciting day of Claire Winterbournes life. She had picked up painting as a
hobby six years ago and today she had a meeting with destiny. Instead, she was sitting at the airport, terrified
and waiting for her flight. When she first got the message to fly to Berlin to show her work, she was the
happiest person in the world. But then she realized, Berlin, she would have to fly to Berlin. That was one
thing Claire had had no intention of doing.
Claire had always been very artistic ever since she was a child. At school her teachers encouraged her to
take up art lessons. But when she finished school and went to study at university, she began to paint less
and less. She got a degree in business management and started working in an office for a big company. She
enjoys her work there and likes the challenge of business. But after she had worked there for 5 years, she
realized that she should make time for other things that interest her, and thats when she started painting
again. At first, she only showed her family and friends her work. They were all very impressed and
encouraged her to start a website and upload some pieces. She got lots of messages from people she didnt
know telling her how much they liked her work. One day she got a message that she will always remember.
The man wrote, Hello Claire. I have become a huge fan of your work and would like to meet you to discuss
exhibiting at my art gallery here in Berlin, Germany. Please contact me for details if you are interested.
Claire did, and arranged to have an exhibit at his gallery. She was so excited that she forgot about her fear of
flying. When she calmed down, she realised what she was in for. She started to sweat and became very
nervous. She tried to find a different way of getting to Berlin from Edinburgh, Scotland. She saw that she
could get there by taking the train to London and then by taking the Eurostar train to Brussels in Belgium.
Then she would have to take yet another train to Berlin. That would take far too long and would cost a lot
more. Horrified, she realised that she had no other options but to go by plane.
So here she was at Heathrow airport waiting for her flight. Instead of imagining her artwork hanging on
gallery walls in a city famous for its support of the arts, she was imagining her plane falling to the ground with
her in it. It was almost time to board and Claire had to make a decision. Either she would let her fear defeat
her and she would go home, or she would beat her fear, get on the plane and reach for her dreams. After
taking a deep breath, she gave in her plane ticket and boarded the plane.
1 Write true (T), false (F), or not stated (NS) if the answer isnt in the text.
[10 points]
1 After thinking about the message to go to Berlin, Claire was happy. ____
2 People noticed Claires talent in art six years ago. ____
3 Claire got lots of messages, but one message she will never forget. ____
4 There is more than one way to go to Berlin from Edinburgh. ____
5 Claire allowed her fear to win. ____