Read the following short texts and then show that you have understood them by marking the most suitable alternative (A, B, C, or D).
Lucky Pet
Jerry, a 12-month-old tabby cat, survived a 15-minute spin after climbing inside a tumble dryer at its owner’s home in Selly Oak, Birmingham.
Noisy Device
An underwater device which makes loud noises is the latest invention salmon farmers have introduced to keep seals away from their fish cages. However, seals are pretty smart, and once they have discovered the noise is associated with a salmon farm, it is a signal saying, “It’s mealtime”.
Gardening
Commercial flower growers are planting trip wires and alarms in daffodil beds to combat gangs of snatchers who clear fields overnight.
Smart Chimps
Sharing food may be a generous act, but there is often something in it for the sharer as well. It can be used to gain favors, pursue a potential partner, or even to show off. It’s true for chimpanzees as well as people, only what chimps share isn’t a big box of candy. Researchers from the University of Stirling in Scotland observed chimps in the West African country of Guinea for two years. In 58 of 59 instances of food sharing, male chimps shared food stolen from nearby farms, including papaya, oranges and cassava. And in most cases, they offered some of the loot to a female chimp of reproductive age. Researchers add that the chimps may also be showing off by stealing the food, perhaps as a way to intimidate other males with their bold behavior. Further study may provide insight into the evolution of food sharing among humans as to how we got to the point where sharing a box of chocolates helps build social relationships.
Tasty Gum
Four mornings a week, Sue McNamara sits in a spotless room in a lab coat, chews gum, and talks about how it tastes. McNamara is a gum taster at a commercial science and technology center in Whippany, N.J. “I have lawyer friends who tell me they want my job,” she says. But these are not easy jobs to get. Only ten percent of Americans are able to distinguish, say, between strawberry flavors that are green, gritty, or jammy, and the nearly 70 other ingredients in a wad of chewing gum. The company weeds out hundreds of candidates in finding its tasters. Those who make the cut undergo six months of training to learn the terminology and measurement techniques used to evaluate gum.
Food for Thought
Farmers in the UK have expressed concern over the number of children in both rural and urban areas that have a complete lack of knowledge about where their food comes from before it arrives at the shops. Keith Siddorn, who gives tours to children on his farm, said that a lot of children could not identify where the animal pork comes from and many get confused about how beef and milk can both come from cows. “They don’t even know whether a carrot is grown in the ground or on a tree. As far as they know, their food comes in a plastic bag from the shop and after that it is very blurred for them,” said Siddorn.
- Read the text first before you attempt to answer any questions.
- Find the part of the text which answers the question. The answers to the questions will generally follow in the same order in the text.
- Make sure there is evidence for your answer in the text and that it is not just an answer you think is right.
- Don’t choose an answer simply because a word in the question appears in the text. Sometimes specific words are used to trick you.
- Check that your chosen option is correct by trying to find out why the other options are incorrect.