Passages

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow : (10X1 = 10) Books are companions for people of all age groups. E-books vs. printed books is like comparing joint and nuclear family systems. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. E-books are cost effective and books of all genres can be easily accessed from the internet. Font flexibility makes reading easier, uncountable books can be stored in a single device and most importantly it can help save trees. Packing for trips is hard enough, but it gets doubled when faced with the task of choosing which book to carry, The device takes a whole lot of weight off from shoulders literally. With the e-book, a reader can take hundreds of books with him on the journey, and only take up a few square inches in his carry bag. Reading a printed book can save you from the health hazards of using hi-tech gadgets. For people who consider reading a book as worship, the scent of its pages intoxicate their senses. The pleasure of reading a printed book and scribbling comments on the sides of the pages are unmatched. Printed books are not merely about reading, they are an experience. The joy of flipping pages and keeping book+marks cannot be experienced in an e-book. Constantly reading on the computer screen or a mobile phone can damage the eyes. Apart from physical considerations, studies have shown that when it comes to reading comprehension, printed books are still a better choice. Literacy building in children is more effective with printed books than with an e-book because of the opportunities for interaction between the child and the parent, reading the book with the child. In fact, in e-books there is no conversation and nothing to encourage the child to verbalise or explore using language. The research concluded that 'click through' added features can actually detract from the reading experience because of all the interruption. This is not to say e-books do not have advantages. It can effectively serve the purpose of convenience and portability. The excitement generated around technologies such as Amazon's Kindle has played its part in changing from page to screen. Both versions complement each other based on why and where each is being used.

• cost-effective

• scribbling is easier

• good for eyes

• pages can be flipped easily

Stonehenge is an ancient monument situated about ten miles north of Salisbury in England. It was built about 4500 years ago, but by whom and for what purpose remains a mystery. The builders must have known of geometry. They may have been influenced by the Mycenaeans, whose architecture was similar. Some of the stones must have been brought from West Wales, over 135 miles away. These stones weigh more than fifty tons. They may have been brought on rafts and rollers. Experts say that it must have taken 1500 men more than five years to transport them. Stonehenge was probably built in three stages. First, settlers from continental Europe built a temple for sun worship. Later the "Beaker" people added the stone circles. Finally, people of the Wessex Culture transformed Stonehenge into an observatory. They could calculate the exact time of Midsummer and Midwinter and of equinoxes. We understand from the passage that the construction of the Stonehenge ----

• began 135 miles away from Salisbury

• is thought to have taken place in more than one stage

• was first documented by the Mycenaeans

• is not a mystery that needs to be solved

• was completed in less than five years

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

• was built by the Mycenaeans, who were very advanced in geometry

• probably has religious origins, possibly for worship of the sun

• had no astrological purposes

• was erected thousands of years ago in West Wales

• is still used to calculate the changes of the seasons

According to the passage, there is no certainty about ----.

• where the Stonehenge was built

• what kind of stones were used in the construction of the Stonehenge

• how to calculate the exact time of Midsummer and Midwinter and of equinoxes

• how the stones used in the construction of the Stonehenge were transported

• whether some of the stones are in position to reflect the movements of the sun and the moon

Aristotle, who lived from 384 BC to 322 BC, taught that the heart contained the intelligence. Except for a few guesses like this, he observed carefully. He described the habits and the bodily structure (anatomy) of many animals, birds and fish. Another Greek, Galen, who lived in the second century AD, performed biological experiments. Both careful observation of living things and experiments are used today in the study of biology. Galen observed and described the internal anatomy of the human body.-He described many parts that he saw in the body. But he was not always careful. He sometimes described what he expected to see and did not look carefully to see what was really there. For centuries after Galen, people studied anatomy from his books instead of trusting their own observations.

• became more successful than Aristotle

• studied the exterior parts of the body

• sometimes depended more on his ideas than observation

• lived in Greece during his whole life-time

• adapted the works of Aristotle

It can be inferred from the passage that ----.

• there is a strong link between Galen and Aristotle in terms of friendship

• Galen studied the external part of the body while Aristotle studied the internal part

• the studies of Aristotle couldn't satisfy the expectations of people

• Galen and Aristotle have been influential in the following centuries

• people never trusted the knowledge of Galen

Homer was a Greek epic poet. Both the date and the place of his birth and death are not known precisely, but recent research suggests a date between 1050 and 800 BC. It has even been claimed that no such man as Homer existed and that The Iliad and The Odyssey are collections of traditional ballads and not the work of one man. In any event they were known all over the Greek-speaking world before the sixth century BC. The Iliad is an epic poem dealing with the siege of Troy by the Greeks. The Odyssey describes the wandering of Odysseus, a Greek seafarer, on his way back to Ithaca after the fall of Troy. We can infer from the passage that ----.

• it's not definite when and where Homer was born

• Homer only deals with poetry

• recent research shows the impossibility of finding Homer's birth date

• some suggest that he was born in 800 BC

• Homer's birth place is known but his date of birth is still unknown

Early man know about the natural fire of lightning and volcanoes long before he began to use fire himself. He didn't know what fire was, but he had seen the damage it could cause. Fire was powerful and dangerous, and so he was frightened. Greek legend tells how Prometheus stole fire from God Zeus, and brought it to Earth for man to use. Zeus was very angry. He ordered Prometheus to be chained to a rock. Every day an eagle pecked out his liver, and every night his liver grew again. So Prometheus suffered a terrible punishment for his deed. The name "Prometheus" means "the fore thinker". One Greek philosopher wrote that all arts, all skills, men owe to the fore-thinker. By this he meant that civilisation is founded on fire and using fire. When man eventually learned how to use fire, he guarded it carefully. Some ancient peoples worshipped fire as a goddess. Even when man learned to make fire whenever he liked, often kept sacred fires burning.

A Greek philosopher thinks that ----.

• if Prometheus hadn't stolen fire from Zeus, there wouldn't have been a civilisation

• Prometheus can't exactly imagine what will happen in the future

• man has not got the ability to use fire

• Zeus can't have punished Prometheus

• Prometheus is the most evil creature

A bat can fly at night or even with its eyes closed.  But if you cover its ears, it can't fly very well.  Bats make sounds that people can't hear.  The bats find their way by listening to these sounds as they echo off things.  Bats even locate insects to eat by following the sounds that bounce off the bugs.  People use their eyes, but bats use their ears to know where they're going.  This paragraph mainly tells:

• how bats use sound

• what things bats often eat as food

• how bats fly toward people

• how people can hear the sounds of bats

“I don’t want a new baby brother!” whined Kim.

“Honey, you don’t have a choice. He will be here next

month,” mom said rubbing her big belly.

Kim couldn’t believe that she would have to be around a

loud, slobbery baby. Plus, the thought of sharing anything,

especially attention from her mom and dad, with a new baby

didn’t sound fun at all!

“You will be one of the most important people in his life!”

mom exclaimed. “He will need you to look out for him and to

teach him new things!”

“Hmm, I guess that’s true. I will be showing him a lot of

new things. Maybe it won’t be all that terrible having a little

rugrat running around here,” Kim replied with a sigh. “Just

don’t expect me to change his diapers!”

• Anger can help you take responsibility for your behavior.

• New babies are just loud and slobbery.

• Feeling important can help people accept change more easily.

• Having a sibling has its advantages.

• It's fun teaching your younger sibling new things.