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PASSAGE 1
Social and cultural impacts of tourism in Cyprus
In Cyprus, hospitality forms an integral part of the culture,
and the people have a welcoming
attitude towards foreigners. Furthermore, the society's culture
emphasizes ideologies and value
systems which attach great importance to individual achievement. As
the tourist policy followed
by the Cyprus Government and the tourists come mainly from Europe,
tourism has not had as
marked an adverse effect on the values and attitudes of Cypriot
society as may otherwise have
been the case. In certain areas, such as Ayia Napa, however, the
influx of large numbers of tourists
has influenced social behaviour and social values, and caused a
certain amount of antagonism.
Bryden suggests that:
there may be a relationship between tourism density, expressed
in the annua
l numbers of tourists as a proportion of the population...and the
growth of rese
ntment towards tourists....The inference here is that tourism
density is an indi
cator of the degree of confrontation between tourists and indigenes
and that thi
s confrontation gives rise to the resentment of tourists.
Table 1 Contact ratio values, 1985
The concept of 'tourism density' is thus used as a measure
of 'social carry
ing capacity' which Mathieson and Wall define as 'host peoples'
levels of tol
erance for the presence and behaviour of tourists. An alternative
measure used b
y Andronikou is the 'contact ratio', which is the inverse of tourism
density,
that is the ratio of the local population to tourist population.
Now, whereas An
dronikou suggests that the minimum value that the contact ratio can
fall to befo
re the social impact resulting from tourist development becomes
detrimental is a
bout eight, most authors now do not believe that a single specific
value can be
given for social carrying capacity. Mathieson and Wall point out
that:
Carrying capacity remains an elusive concept, but the time
when researchers
and managers sought one mythical magic number, which could be
approached with safety
but exceeded at peril, has passed.
Nevertheless, inspection of table 1 does suggest that it is
highly likely that t
he social carrying Capacity in Ayia Napa has been overreached. The
extreme conce
ntration of tourists here has resulted in a modification of social
attitudes amon
g young people, especially towards sexual behaviour. This is part of
the 'demon
stration effect' which introduces foreign ideologies and ways of
life into soci
eties that have not been exposed to tourist lifestyles. The close
and continued
contact of Cypriot youth with young foreign tourists has resulted
in them adopting different sets of
values on morality, style of dressing, and so on, in comparison with
prevailing traditional attitudes,
and as a result the bonds of closely knit families are in some cases
being loosened.
Questions 16-18
Reading the following statements and say how they reflect the
information in thereading passage, by writing.
T if it is true according to the passage.
F if it is false according to the passage, and NCG if the
information is not clearly given in the passage.
Write your answers in boxes 16-18 on your answer sheet.
Example Answer
Cypriots are welcoming T
16 Individual achievement is more important than hospitality.
17.Tourits come mainly from the UK.
18.Cypriot society has not been adversely affected by tourism.
Questions 19-21
In the two lists below, a definition in the list on the right (A-G)
matches one item in the list on the left (19-21). Show which items
match by writing one appropriate letter (A-G) in boxes 19-21 on your
answer sheet.
Example Answer
social carrying capacity C
19 'contact ratio' A ratio of locals to tourists
20 tourism density B introduction of foreign values to tourists
21 the' demonstration effect' C host's tolerance towards
D proportion of tourists to locals
E approximately eight
F introduction of new lifestyles
into societies
G different sets of values
Passage 2
In 1952 the neurophysiolgist Nathaniel Kleitman and one of his
students, Eugene Aserinsky,
studied the rolling movements of the eyes which occur early in
sleep. They attached electrodes
which responded to eye movements to the temples of volunteers who
came to sleep in their
laboratory. As the volunteers began to fall asleep, the electrodes
detected the slow rolling eye
movements which could be seen easily through their eyelids. Soon
after, the volunteers fell deeper
into sleep and their eyes became still. An hour or so later, to the
great surprise of Aserinsky, them
pen recorders showed that the eyes were moving again. This time they
were not just
swinging from side to side but were darting back and forth(see fig
ure 2). These rapid eye movements continued for some time and then
the eyes came to rest again.
These phases of rapid eye movement (R.E.M.) occur every ninety
minutes or so and
represent a distinct and important stage of sleep. The huge slow
waves of norma
l sleep are replaced by a higher frequency pattern closer to the
brainwaves of the
normal waking state. In this state of ??paradoxical sleep?ˉ, it is
more difficult
to wake the sleeper even though the brain is active. Indeed, most of
the muscles
of the body are paralysed, cut of from the restless activity of the
brain
by inhibitory signals from a tiny region deep in the brainstem.
The
only responses to the brain activity are the eye movements and the
occasional twitching of fingers or the grinding of the teeth.
During this period of paradoxical sleep, vivid wild dreams
usually
occur. People deprived of this stage of sleep show many more signs
of a sleepless night than if they have been woken at other times
during
sleep. Moreover, the following night they spend more time than usual
in paradoxical sleep, as if they need to catch up on the dreams they
had lostˉ. This discovery has led to the identification of regions
within the reticular formation of the brainstem which might
control this specific phase of sleep
Questions 27-35
The block diagram below represents key information from the reading
passage Pe
rchance to dream. Complete the diagram by finding no more than two
words from
the text to fill each numbered space. Write your answers in the
corresponding bo
xes on your sheet. If the information is not given in the passage,
leave the box
blank.
State Brainwaves Eyes Body
waking 27
onset of sleep slower 28 29
30 31 32 33
paradoxical sleep as waking 34 35
Questions 36-37
From the information in the passage, match the phrases A_D below
with the brain
pattern and physical evidence given. Write the appropriate letter in
spaces 36 a
nd 37 on your answer sheet. Note that there are more phrases than
answer so you will not need to use all of them.
A rapid eye movement B slow waves dominate
C vivid dreams occur D high frequency pattern
Brain pattern Physical evidence
36 eyes roll slowly from side to side
very similar to the normal waking state 37
Passage3.
Reading skills
At university and college, all the four skills in English are
important:
l listening, for information in lectures, seminars and tutorials
l speaking, when taking part in seminars and tutorials
l reading, of textbooks, journals and handouts
l and writing, for essays and reports
Of these, reading is at least as important as any of the
four. Students at tertiary level have a
huge amount of reading to do; some for core information and even
more as background to the
main subject. It is therefore essential that it be done as
efficiently as possible.
Written text has one distinct advantage over spoken
discourse: it is static. Whilst this means a
text can be reviewed as many times as the reader wishes, the rate at
which any text is read will
depend entirely on the speed of the reader's eye movements. Given
the amount of reading that
most students have to do, it is clearly in their interests to do so
as quickly and as effectively as
possible.
Obviously students must understand what they are reading.
Less obviously, reading slowly does
not necessarily increase comprehension. In fact, increasing reading
speed may actually improve
understanding. One thing to bear in mind is that reading, whilst
being a receptive skill, is most
certainly not a passive one. There must be an interactive process
between the reader and the text in
order to extract the meaning.
To illustrate this, some common misconceptions, and some
common sense, are discussed below.
Vocabulary and discourse
Clearly one must have a command of the words of a language before
comprehension can be
achieved. There are, however, at least two other levels to be
considered: syntax and discourse. It is
almost pointless attempting to make sense of comprehensible lexis if
one is not also very clear
about how words are strung together in the target language. An
understanding of word order, and
the significance of changes in word order, are vital. The
anticipation and recognition of common,
acceptable and essential collocations clearly help the process of
extracting information and
meaning. Beyond this it is also of paramount importance to recognize
and understand the
conventions of discourse structure, both generally and within
specific subject areas. Recognizing
the topic sentence in a paragraph, or the use of discourse sequence
markers, for example, are the
first important steps.
Eye movements
In practical terms, in order to read any passage, the eyes
must follow the print on the page. This,
however, cannot be a smooth, even flow; it would be impossible to
focus on anything unless the
eyes are momentarily fixed on the words. The eyes, then must move in
a series of pauses and
jumps. There are several points to bear in mind with this process:
the eyes and brain are so efficient that each fixation need
last no more than a quarter of a
second.
skipping back to re-read words is usually a result of anxiety
and a feeling of insecurity; with
confidence it can be eliminated almost entirely, instantly
increasing reading speed.
It is very inefficient to read one word at a time. As
mentioned above, collocation is very
important; with practice, up to five words can be taken in at each
fixation. Clearly this will
increase reading speed dramatically.
Sense units
Reading slowly necessitates adding the meaning of one word to the
meaning of the next, which is
a very inefficient process. By reading in 'sense units', rather than
one word at a time,
concentration will be improved and meaning will be more easily
extracted.
Using a guide
At school, children are often taught not to use their fingers as
a guide while reading. If we wish to
help our eyes follow the words efficiently, we can only gain by
using some kind of visual aid.
Whether we use our finger or another object, such as a pencil or a
ruler, the only important thing is
to increase the speed at which it moves across and down the page.
Skimming and scanning
With so much to cover, it is vital that students are selective in
what they read. Skimming is a
technique used in previewing or for getting an overview of a text;
the eyes 'skim' rapidly over the
page, just picking out the main ideas and topics. Scanning also
involves rapid movement through a
text, but looking for specific key information rather than the gist.
Practice
As with any skill, the more one practices the better one becomes.
This will include both increasing
the speed of movement of the visual guide and increasing the amount
of text taken in at one
fixation. Some move the guide vertically down the page, others
diagonally; they all benefit. With
practice it is not difficult, certainly when skimming and scanning,
to take in two or more lines at a
time. Moreover, as success comes with practice, confidence and
motivation will increase also.
Fatigue
By reducing the back skipping and the number of fixations per
page, the eyes will actually be
doing far less word. This will reduce fatigue, thus allowing more to
be read at one sitting.
Time
To sustain concentration and maintain efficiency, it is best to
take regular short breaks. Most
people find around half an hour of study is the optimum, followed by
a few minutes to reflect
before starting another period of reading. Regardless of the number
of breaks, concentration is
bound to fall to a counterproductive level after about two hours.
Questions 50-52
Reading the following statements and
indicate whether or not they reflect the
information in the reading passage by
writing:
T if the statement is true according to the
passage
C if it contradicts the passage, and
U if it is unclear from the passage.
Write your answers in boxes 50-52 on your answer sheet.
50 The speed of a reader's eye
movement is irrelevant.
51 Reading slowly increases comprehension.
52 Reading is a passive skill
PASSAGE4 Reading Tasks
True／False／Not Given Exercises
Unit1
1 It is almost impossible to write of the Arts in Australia
without mentioning the building that first
put Australia firmly on the world cultural map-the Sydney Opera
House. Completed in 1973 after
14 years of much heated discussion and at a cost of over $85
million, it is not only the most
well-known Australian building in the world but perhaps
5 the most famous design of any modern building anywhere. Its
distinctive and highly original
shape has been likened to everything from the sails of a sailing
ship to broken eggshells, but few
would argue with the claim that the Opera House is a major
contribution to world architecture. Set
amidst the graceful splendour of Sydney Harbour, presiding like a
queen over the bustle and
brashness of a modern city.
10 striving to forge a financial reputation in a tough commercial
world, it is a reminder to all
Australians of their deep and abiding love of all things cultural.
The Opera House was designed
not by an Australian but by a celebrated Danish architect, Jorn
Utzon, whose design won an
international competition in the late 1950s. However, it was not, in
fact, completed to his original
specifications. Plans for much of the intended
15 interior design of the building have only recently been
discovered. Sadly, the State Government
of the day interfered with Utzon's plans because of concerns about
the escalating cost, though this
was hardly surprising the building was originally expected to cost
only $8 million. Utzon left the
country before completing the project and in a fit of anger vowed
never to return. The project was
eventually paid for by a State run lottery.
20 The size of the interior of the building was scaled down
appreciably by a team of architects
whose job it was to finish construction within a restricted budget.
Rehearsal rooms and other
facilities for the various theatres within the complex were either
made considerably smaller or cut
out altogether, and some artists have complained bitterly about them
ever since. But despite the
controversy that surrounded its birth, the Opera House has risen
25 above the petty squabbling and is now rightfully hailed as a
modern architectural masterpiece.
The Queen officially opened the building in 1975 and since then,
within its curved and twisted
walls, audiences of all nationalities have been quick to acclaim the
many world class
performances of stars from the Australian opera, ballet and theatre.
1. The building is possibly the most famous of its type in the
world.
2. The Opera House drew world attention to the Arts in Australia.
3. Utzon designed the roof to look like the sails of a sailing ship.
4. A few people claim that it is a major architectural work.
5. According to the author, Sydney is a quiet and graceful city.
6. The cost of construction went more than $75 million over budget.
7. Utzon never returned to Australia to see the completed building.
8. There is only one theatre within the complex.
9. The Government was concerned about some artists complaints.
10. Australian artists give better performances in the Opera House.
Unit2
When was the last time you saw a frog? Chances are, if you
live in a city, you have not seen
one for some time. Even in wet areas once teeming with frogs and
toads, it is becoming less and
less easy to find those slimy, hopping and sometimes poisonous
members of the animal kingdom.
All over the world, and even in remote parts of Australia, frogs are
losing the ecological battle for
survival, and biologists are at a loss to explain their demise. Are
amphibians simply oversensitive
to changes in the ecosystem? Could it be that their rapid decline in
numbers is signaling some
coming environmental disaster for us all?
This frightening scenario is in part the consequence of a
dramatic increase over the last
quarter century in the development of once natural areas of wet
marshland; home not only to frogs
but to all manner of wildlife. However, as yet, there are no obvious
reasons why certain frog
species are disappearing from rainforests in Australia that have
barely been touched by human
hand. The mystery is unsettling to say the least, for it is known
that amphibian species are
extremely sensitive to environmental variations in temperature and
moisture levels. The danger is
that planet Earth might not only lose a vital link in the ecological
food chain (frogs keep
populations of otherwise pestilent insects at manageable levels),
but we might be increasing our
output of air pollutants to levels that may have already become
irreversible. Frogs could be
inadvertently warning us of a catastrophe.
An example of a species of frog that, at far as is known, has
become extinct, is the platypus
frog. Like the well-known Australian mammal it was named after, it
exhibited some very strange
behaviour; instead of giving birth to tadpoles in the water, it
raised its young within its stomach.
The baby frogs were actually born from out of their mother's mouth.
Discovered in 1981, less than
ten years later the frog had completely vanished from the crystal
clear waters of Booloumba Creek
near Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Unfortunately, this freak of
nature is not the only frog species
to have been lost in Australia. Since the 1970s, no less than eight
others have suffered the same
fate.One theory that seems to fit the facts concerns the
depletion of the ozone layer, a well
documented phenomenon which has led to a sharp increase in
ultraviolet radiation levels. The
ozone layer is meant to shield the Earth from UV rays, but increased
radiation may be having a
greater effect upon frog populations than previously believed.
Another theory is that worldwide
temperature increases are upsetting the breeding cycles of frogs.
TRUE／FALSE／NOT GIVEN
1.Frogs are disappearing only from city areas.
2.Frogs and toads are usually poisonous.
3.Biologists are unable to explain why frogs are dying.
4.The frogs' natural habitat is becoming more and more developed.
5.Attempts are being made to halt the development of wet marshland.
6.Frogs are important in the ecosystem because they control pests.
KEY:
18.F 19.A 20.D 21.F
27 higher frequency
28. roll slowly
29.-
30. normal/deep sleep
31.large/slow waves
32 still
33.-
34 jerk rapidly
35.paralysed
36.B
37.A
50.C
51.U
52.C
Unit1: 1.T 2.T 3.NG 4.F 5.F 6.F 7.NG 8.F 9.NG 10.NG
Unit2: 1.F 2.F 3.T 4.T 5.NG 6.T
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