Cambridge 17 Academic Reading Test 3

READING PASSAGE 1 : Questions 1-13

Complete the notes below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

The thylacine

Appearance and behaviour

- looked rather like a dog

- had a series of stripes along its body and tail

- ate an entirely 1. diet

- probably depended mainly on 2. when hunting

- young spent first months of life inside its mother’s 3.

Decline and extinction

- last evidence in mainland Australia is a 3,100-year-old 4.

- probably went extinct in mainland Australia due to animals known as dingoes

- reduction in 5. and available sources of food were partly responsible for decline in Tasmania

Questions 6-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

6. Significant numbers of thylacines were killed by humans from the 1830s onwards.

TRUE FALSE NG

7. Several thylacines were born in zoos during the late 1800s.

TRUE FALSE NG

8. John Gould’s prediction about the thylacine surprised some biologists.

TRUE FALSE NG

9. In the early 1900s, many scientists became worried about the possible extinction of the thylacine.

TRUE FALSE NG

10. T.T. Flynn’s proposal to rehome captive thylacines on an island proved to be impractical.

TRUE FALSE NG

11. There were still reasonable numbers of thylacines in existence when a piece of legislation protecting the species during their breeding season was passed.

TRUE FALSE NG

12. From 1930 to 1936, the only known living thylacines were all in captivity.

TRUE FALSE NG

13. Attempts to find living thylacines are now rarely made.

TRUE FALSE NG

READING PASSAGE 2 : Questions 14-26

Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs, A-H.

Which section contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet.

14. examples of a range of potential environmental advantages of oil palm tree cultivation

A B C D E F G H

15. description of an organisation which controls the environmental impact of palm oil production

A B C D E F G H

16. examples of the widespread global use of palm oil

A B C D E F G H

17. reference to a particular species which could benefit the ecosystem of oil palm plantations

A B C D E F G H

18. figures illustrating the rapid expansion of the palm oil industry

A B C D E F G H

19. an economic justification for not opposing the palm oil industry

A B C D E F G H

20. examples of creatures badly affected by the establishment of oil palm plantations

A B C D E F G H

Questions 21 and 22

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

Write the correct letters in boxes 21 and 22 on your answer sheet.

Which TWO statements are made about the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)?

A Its membership has grown steadily over the course of the last decade.

B It demands that certified producers be open and honest about their practices.

C It took several years to establish its set of criteria for sustainable palm oil certification.

D Its regulations regarding sustainability are stricter than those governing other industries.

E It was formed at the request of environmentalists concerned about the loss of virgin forests.

Questions 23-26

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.

23. One advantage of palm oil for manufacturers is that it stays even when not refrigerated.

24. The is the best known of the animals suffering habitat loss as a result of the spread of oil palm plantations.

25. As one of its criteria for the certification of sustainable palm oil, the RSPO insists that growers check on a routine basis.

26. Ellwood and his researchers are looking into whether the bird’s nest fern could restore in areas where oil palm trees are grown.

READING PASSAGE 3 : Questions 27-40

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet.

27. What point does Shester make about Barr’s book in the first paragraph?

A. It gives a highly original explanation for urban development.

B. Elements of Barr’s research papers are incorporated throughout the book.

C. Other books that are available on the subject have taken a different approach.

D. It covers a range of factors that affected the development of New York.

28. How does Shester respond to the information in the book about tenements?

A. She describes the reasons for Barr’s interest.

B. She indicates a potential problem with Barr’s analysis.

C. She compares Barr’s conclusion with that of other writers.

D. She provides details about the sources Barr used for his research.

29. What does Shester say about chapter six of the book?

A. It contains conflicting data.

B. It focuses too much on possible trends.

C. It is too specialised for most readers.

D. It draws on research that is out of date.

30. What does Shester suggest about the chapters focusing on the 1920s building boom?

A. The information should have been organised differently.

B. More facts are needed about the way construction was financed.

C. The explanation that is given for the building boom is unlikely.

D. Some parts will have limited appeal to certain people.

31. What impresses Shester the most about the chapter on land values?

A. the broad time period that is covered

B. the interesting questions that Barr asks

C. the nature of the research into the topic

D. the recommendations Barr makes for the future

Questions 32-35

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?

In boxes 32-35 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

32. The description in the first chapter of how New York probably looked from the air in the early 1600s lacks interest.

YES NO NG

33. Chapters two and three prepare the reader well for material yet to come.

YES NO NG

34. The biggest problem for many nineteenth-century New York immigrant neighbourhoods was a lack of amenities.

YES NO NG

35. In the nineteenth century, New York’s immigrant neighbourhoods tended to concentrate around the harbour.

YES NO NG

Questions 36-40

Complete the summary using the list of phrases, A-J, below.

Write the correct letter, A-J, in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet.

The bedrock myth

In chapter seven, Barr indicates how the lack of bedrock close to the surface does not explain why skyscrapers are absent from 36. He points out that although the cost of foundations increases when bedrock is deep below the surface, this cannot be regarded as 37. especially when compared to 38. A particularly enjoyable part of the chapter was Barr’s account of how foundations are built. He describes not only how 39. are made possible by the use of caissons, but he also discusses their 40. . The chapter is well-researched but relatively easy to understand.

A development plans B deep excavations

C great distance D excessive expense

E impossible tasks F associated risks

G water level H specific areas

I total expenditure J construction guidelines

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Cambridge 17 Academic Reading Test 3

The thylacine

The bedrock myth

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