READING & USE OF ENGLISH 8 – ANSWER KEY Date: 30/9/2020
I. LEXICO-GRAMMAR (30 points)
Part 1. For questions 1-20, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D to each of the following questions
and write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
1. Phuong Thao is a student in Ms Lan’s writing class. She is asking for Ms Lan’s comments
on her last essay. Select the most suitable response to fill in the blank.
Phuong Thao: “You must have found reading my essay very tiring.”
Ms Lan: “_____________. I enjoyed it.” A. Not in the least B. Just in case C. At all costs D. You are welcome
Not in the least: hoàn toàn không
2. There weren’t many vegetarian dishes _____________, although there were several different kinds of cheese. A. like that B. as such C. such that D. such like as such: đúng nghĩa là
3. ________ hundreds of people dead during the evacuation from the war-torn area in the Middle East. A. It is estimated to be B. There is estimated to be
C. There are estimated to be D. It is estimated that
Phương án D sai vì sau it is estimated that phải là mệnh đề.
4. _____________, the diners settled the bill and left the restaurant. A. Having hunger satisfied
B. Their hunger satisfied C. Hunger been satisfied D. Satisfying their hunger
Mệnh đề đầy đủ là having their hunger been satisfied hoặc having satisfied their hunger, mục tiêu là tìm
dạng rút gọn chính xác của 1 trong 2 trường hợp trên trong 4 phương án A-D → B đúng.
5. Children’s _____________ skills, that is the brain-based skills required to carry out tasks, develop
rapidly in the first few years of their lives. A. characteristic B. conscious C. emotional D. cognitive
cognitive skills: khả năng tư duy
6. If you break the law while visiting a foreign country, you will most likely be _____________. A. deported B. reintegrated C. uprooted D. degraded deport: trục xuất
7. After the hurricane, all that was left of our house was a pile of _____________. A. rabble B. rubble C. ramble D. rumble
pile of rubble: đống đổ nát
8. If there happened to be both rich and poor people, as there happen to be both black and white ones,
then the advantages of the _____________ might well spread in time to the hard-up. A. well-heeled B. big-hearted C. open-handed D. tight-fisted
the well-heeled: người giàu có
9. The floral bouquets we entered into the competition were a _____________ of colour, but
unfortunately, we did not win first prize. A. wham B. riot C. drop D. buzz 1
a riot of colour: tập hợp đa màu sắc
10. I don't think Paul will ever get married — he's the stereotypical _____________ bachelor. A. settled B. confirmed C. fixed D. determined
confirmed bachelor: người thích độc thân
11. Harry was a _____________ of nerves the whole time his wife was in the hospital. A. batch B. bunch C. bundle D. bale
be a bundle of nerves: hồi hộp, lo lắng
12. It had been with a heavy _____________ that I watched her leave, and I had sunk into a dark and despairing mood. A. head B. mood C. mind D. heart
heavy heart: nỗi buồn miên man
13. Uncle Tom’s a _____________ who prefer his own company to anyone else’s. A. drowned rat B. lone wolf C. lame duck D. top dog
lone wolf: an animal or person that acts independently or generally lives or spends time alone instead of with a group drowned rat: thoroughly wet
lame duck: sb in trouble and needing help top dog: most important person
14. After months of trying to find a cheap flat in the centre of town, he’s finally _______ in the sponge. A. thrown B. swept C. cleared D. polished
throw in the sponge: bỏ cuộc
15. When I started talking about Miranda, Steven _____________ and left. A. cut corners B. cut it fine C. cut short D. cut me dead
cut corners: do sth quickly but not thoroughly
cut it fine: achieve sth just in time
cut sb/sth short: interrupt sb/sth
cut sb dead: ignore sb’s presence
16. Despite the economists’ forecast of _____________, the economy is well on the way to recovery. A. gloom and doom B. high and dry C. ups and downs D. hue and cry gloom and doom: bi quan
17. I’ve never actually studied Greek, but I live in Athens for six months and managed to
_____________ a few words and phrases here and there. A. make do with B. drop out of C. look over D. pick up
pick up: to learn a new skill or language by practising it rather than being taught it
18. We were just _____________ in the sitting area and somehow the window got broken. A. beetling about B. haring off C. horsing around D. wolfing down horse around: fool around beetle about: hurry hare off: rush off wolf down: eat quickly
19. Colin is only just ______________; he gets unemployment benefit, but it isn’t much. A. scraping by B. putting aside C. bailing out D. tiding over scrape by: vừa đủ sống
20. Insurance companies had to _____________ ￡10 million in storm damage claims. A. dip in B. rip off C. bail out D. cough up 2
cough up: buộc phải trả tiền
Part 2. For questions 21-25, write the correct form of each bracketed word in the numbered space provided.
Historically called radium F, the element polonium-210 (Po-210) is a naturally-occurring radioactive
element that emits highly hazardous alpha particles. Po-210 was discovered in 1898 by Marie and Pierre
Curie. It is (21-exceed) __________ rare in nature (tiny amounts exist in the soil and in the atmosphere)
and it does not (22-custom) __________ present a risk to humans. Today, Po-210 is studied in nuclear
research laboratories where its high radioactivity requires special handling techniques and (23-cautious)
__________. Po-210 is fantastically toxic but it does not represent a risk to human health, as long as it
remains outside the body. Internal exposure is the concern. In order to get into the human body, Po-210
must be ingested or inhaled as It cannot pass through the skin.
It has been known since the 1960s that Po-210 is present in tobacco smoke as a contaminant. Tobacco
plants which are fertilised with phosphate fertilisers absorb Po-210 through their roots. Even though
direct root (24-take) __________ of Po-210 by tobacco plants is small, Po-210 is still estimated to cause
some 11,700 lung cancer deaths annually worldwide. (25-deposit) __________ of Po-10 from the
atmosphere on tobacco leaves also results in elevated concentrations of Po-210 in tobacco smoke. 21. exceedingly: extremely
22. customarily: according to what is usual in a particular place or situation
23. precautions: biện pháp phòng ngừa
24. uptake: the process by which something is taken into a body or system; the rate at which this happens
25. Deposition: the natural process of leaving a layer of a substance on rocks or soil; a substance left in this way
Part 3. For questions 26-30, write the correct form of each bracketed word in the numbered space provided.
26. They have little __________ of people who do not observe the local traditions. (TOLERATE) tolerance: sự khoan dung
27. Some of their customs come from a ___________fear of the dark. (ROOT)
deep-rooted: very fixed and strong; difficult to change or to destroy
28. The school is acknowledged as providing equal access and ___________ to a rich and varied curriculum. (TITLE)
entitlement: quyền được hưởng
29. In China, the persistence of a(n) ___________currency has over the years effectively subsidised exports. (VALUE)
undervalued currency: chính sách làm giảm giá trị đồng nội tệ (phá giá tiền tệ)
30. Before the war the __________ output was produced in mass for a prospective demand. (PONDER)
preponderant: larger in number or more important than other people or things in a group II. READING (60 points) 3
Part 1. For questions 1-10, fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word and
write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Both women and men, it seems, have always had a fascination for changing their 1.____________ with
the aid of paints, powders, dyes and other artificial devices. The use of cosmetics, 2.____________ from
being a product of civilisation, originates from an inherent human desire for self-decoration. As far
3.____________ as 100,000 years ago, man is believed to have painted his body, and at a later period
the people of the Stone Age probably decorated 4.____________ in a similar fashion. However, the
original motivation for prehistoric man’s use of paint was 5.____________ from that which inspired
civilised cultures to adopt cosmetics 6.____________ a way of enhancing or creating beauty.
Prehistoric man must have been conscious that he was a weak animal struggling 7.____________ a
hostile environment. He had to develop his own tools for hunting because Nature had not provided him
with sharp teeth or claws or the overwhelming 8.____________ strength of the wild beasts which
roamed the ancient world. He decorated his skin with the markings of the most powerful animals
because he believed that by representing their physical characteristics on his own body he acquired some
of their power. But his fear of wild beasts 9.____________ as a constantly disturbing and inexplicable
phenomenon, and inspired in primitive man the belief that mysterious 10.____________ which he was
able neither to understand nor control were at work around him. 1. appearance 2. far 3. back 4. themselves 5. different 6. as 7. against 8. physical 9. remained 10. forces
Part 2. For questions 11-20, read the text below and decide which answer A, B, C or D best fits each
gap. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Oxford is a city with such a mind-blowing reputation that many who come here find themselves
intimidated by the place and can’t wait to leave, while others, taking to it like a duck to water, find
themselves returning again and again. The college lawns provide a gorgeous (11)______ to serious
study, and in the right light, on a sunny winter’s morning say, one feels as if one is (12)______ on air,
such is the sense of unreality. Oxford may like to (13)______ that it is at the intellectual hub of things,
but in many ways it is no more than a sleepy (14)______where, to mix metaphors, transitory students,
the (15)______of their generation, wait in the (16)______, allowing their talents to (17)______ before
moving off into the industrial or political fast-lane. Much of this is a myth, of course. Hardship and hard
work are very much part and (18)______ of student life. The (19)______ get through the three years’
hard grind by simply putting their shoulders to the wheel before going on to fairly average jobs. Only for
the tiny minority is Oxford the first (20)______ on the ladder to fame and fortune. 11. A. backdrop B. curtain C. scene D. screen
backdrop: the general conditions in which an event takes place
scene: the place where something happens, especially something unpleasant 12. A flying B. gliding C. floating D. swimming
float: to move slowly on water or in the air 4
glide: to fly using air currents, without the birds moving their wings or the aircraft using the engine 13. A. pretend B. act C. dissemble D. produce
to claim to be, do or have something, especially when this is not true 14. A. backwater B. stream C. tributary D. watershed
backwater: ) a place that is away from the places where most things happen, and is therefore not affected
by events, progress, new ideas, etc. 15. A. froth B. cream C. fat D. caviar
the cream of something: the best people or things in a particular group 16. A. pavilion B. dressing room C. wings D. foyer
in the wings: ready to take over a particular job or be used in a particular situation when needed 17. A. flourish B. open C. spread D. float 18. A. package B. section C. province D. parcel 19. A. level-headed B. hot-headed C. hot-blooded D. kind-hearted
level-headed: calm and sensible. 20. A. step B. position C. elevation D. ascent
Part 3. For questions 21-30, read the following passage and do the tasks that follow. READING WARS
A. In many developed countries literacy skirts are under siege. This is true even in societies where
access to primary education is universal and governments invest heavily in education. New Zealand, for
example, was leading the world in literacy rates in 1970, but tumbled to thirteenth place in 2001 and
then again to twenty-fourth just a few years later. Test scores in the USA also slumped ten percent
during the 1990s despite the country riding an economic boom for much of the decade. In some cases
these statistics reverse trends that were in motion for over a century and a half. The steady, gradual
expansion of literacy across social groups and classes was one of the greatest successes of the period of
industrialization that began in the mid-1850s. B . T
his reversal of fortunes has led to widespread contention over the pedagogy of teaching literacy.
What was once a dry and technical affair—the esoteric business of linguists and policy analysts—
rapidly escalated into a series of skirmishes that were played out in high-visibility forums: Newspapers
ran special features, columns and letters-to-the-editor on the literacy crisis; politicians successfully ran
their national campaigns on improving reading test scores; and parents had their say by joining Parent
Teacher Associations (PTAs) and lobby groups.
C. The arguments around reading pooled into two different classroom methodologies: constructivism
and behaviorism. The constructivist methodology grew from a holistic conception of knowledge
creation that understood reading and writing to be innate, humanistic and interpretative practices that
suffered when they were spliced and formalized within rigid doctrines, strict rules and universal skill-
sets. Constructivists associate words with meanings; each word might be thought of as a Chinese
ideogram. Students are encouraged to learn individual words and skip over and guess words they do not
understand, or learn to interpret those words by situating them within the lexical infrastructure of the
sentence and the story's wider narrative. These practices materialize as learning processes centered on
guided group reading and independent reading of high-quantity, culturally diverse literature or textual
composition that emphasises pupils conveying their own thoughts and feelings for real purposes such as
letters to pen pals or journal entries. 5
D. Behaviorism sees the pedagogical process in a less dialectical fashion—words are initially taught
not lexically, as vehicles to convey meaning, but rather sub-lexically, as a combination of features that
can be separated and learnt in a schematic process. The behaviorist approach does not focus on words at
all in the early stages of learning. Rather, it is centered on a universally applicable method of teaching
students to isolate graphemes and phonemes with the intention that students will eventually learn to
synthesize these individual parts and make sense of spoken words textually. In this way, individual
components are not equated with the strokes of a brush on a Chinese ideogram, but rather as the focal
pieces of interpretation—as in, for example, learning to read musical notations or Morse Code. Because
of its emphasis on universal rules, behaviorism is much more conducive to formal examination and the
consolidation of results across regions and countries. The ability to master language is considered to rest
in the acquisition of a set of skills that exist independently of individuals. Classroom learning is
therefore based upon the transmission of knowledge from tutor to student, rather than seen as an
internalized process that erupts within the students themselves.
E. So who comes out on top? It is not easy to say. Champions of behaviorism have claimed victory
because constructivist learning took over in the late 1980s, just before test scores on literacy began
sinking across the West. Constructivists, however, can make the valid claim that the behaviorist
approach has a heavy methodological bias towards testing and examination, and that test results do not
represent the ability of individuals to use and interpret language freely and creatively. Furthermore,
different socio-economic groups respond in different ways to each method. Those from wealthier
families tend to do well regardless of the method, but thrive on the constructivist approach implemented
in the 1990s. Children from poorer families, however, are better served by behaviorism. These outcomes
have ramped up levels of socio-economic based educational disparities in educational systems that have
pushed the constructivist method.
F. It is unlikely that either constructivism or behaviorism will be permanently sidelined from curricula
in the near future. Most teachers find it easier to incorporate aspects of each approach. Constructivism
may ultimately hold the trump card because of its proven success with pupils who come from families
where they are introduced to reading and writing in various forms from a young age—this process of
'living and learning' and immersing oneself in language is a sound principle. In a world rife with social
inequities, households with illiterate parents and a scarcity of funding for education, however, the
behaviorist approach may have the upper hand in teaching children to access the basic skills of literacy
quickly and efficiently, even if some linguistic creativity is crushed in the process.
Questions 21-27: There are six paragraphs marked A-F in the passage. In which paragraph is the
following mentioned? Write your answers in the corresponding numbered box provided.
21. A reason why constructivism might increase inequalities in society
22. Ways in which people debated the merits of different ways of teaching reading
23. A comparison between forms of communication that build meaning from isolated parts
24. Reasons why a method that is theoretically superior might not always work effectively in practice
25. An explanation of why measuring the success of different reading methods is difficult
26. An example of an activity that teachers might use to develop writing skills
27. Evidence of a national decline in reading standards 6 Your answers 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 21. E
These outcomes have ramped up levels of socio-economic based educational disparities in
educational systems that have pushed the constructivist method. 22. B
This reversal of fortunes has led to widespread contention over the pedagogy of teaching literacy. 23. D
In this way, individual components are not equated with the strokes of a brush on a Chinese ideogram,
but rather as the focal pieces of interpretation—as in, for example, learning to read musical notations or Morse Code. 24. F
Constructivism may ultimately hold the trump card because of its proven success with pupils who
come from families where they are introduced to reading and writing in various forms from a young age
—this process of 'living and learning' and immersing oneself in language is a sound principle. In a
world rife with social inequities, households with illiterate parents and a scarcity of funding for
education, however, the behaviorist approach may have the upper hand in teaching children to
access the basic skills of literacy quickly and efficiently, even if some linguistic creativity is crushed in the process. 25. E
So who comes out on top? It is not easy to say... Furthermore, different socio-economic groups respond
in different ways to each method. 26. C
Students are encouraged to learn individual words and skip over and guess words they do not
understand, or learn to interpret those words by situating them within the lexical infrastructure of
the sentence and the story's wider narrative. These practices materialize as learning processes
centered on guided group reading and independent reading of high-quantity, culturally diverse literature
or textual composition that emphasises pupils conveying their own thoughts and feelings for real
purposes such as letters to pen pals or journal entries. 27. A
In many developed countries literacy skirts are under siege. This is true even in societies where access
to primary education is universal and governments invest heavily in education. New Zealand, for
example, was leading the world in literacy rates in 1970, but tumbled to thirteenth place in 2001
and then again to twenty-fourth just a few years later. Test scores in the USA also slumped ten
percent during the 1990s despite the country riding an economic boom for much of the decade.
Questions 28-30: Which THREE of the following are features of constructivism? Choose THREE
letters, A-G. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered box provided.
A．Students learn best by working on their own.
B．People are naturally inclined to develop language abilities.
C．It is vital that a disciplined and regulated approach is used. 7
D．It is important that students understand every word they encounter.
E．Language is best learnt as a single, organic process.
F．Everyone learns to read and write in a similar manner.
G．Context can provide helpful cues to understanding words. Your answers 28. 29. 30.
28 – 30: B,E,G (IN ANY ORDER)
The constructivist methodology grew from a holistic conception of knowledge creation that
understood reading and writing to be innate, humanistic and interpretative practices that suffered when
they were spliced and formalized within rigid doctrines, strict rules and universal skill-sets.
Students are encouraged to learn individual words and skip over and guess words they do not
understand, or learn to interpret those words by situating them within the lexical infrastructure of
the sentence and the story's wider narrative.
Part 4. For questions 31-40, read the following passage and choose the answer A, B, C or D that fits
best according to the text. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
AROUND THE WORLD IN 94 DAYS
In February 2001, at the age of 24, Ellen Mac Arthur became the youngest and fastest ever woman to
sail round the world. After 94 days alone on board her yacht Kingfisher, she finished second to Michel
Desjoyaux of France in the single-handed Vende Globe event.
In sport, like life, the winner is usually feted, and runners-up quickly forgotten. This time the roles were
reversed and it was Ellen, weighing just 50 kilos and barely 1m60 tall, that really captured people's
imaginations and emotions. One newspaper in France, where she was and is a real heroine, summed up
the national mood there with the headline 'Well done, Michel, brave Ellen'.
As with many spectacular achievers, the signs were there from an early age, even in the unpromising
nautical terrain of landlocked Derbyshire. Her great-grandparents were sailing people and a great-uncle
was a merchant seaman, but any real link with the sea is tenuous. There was, however, an Auntie Thea
who lived on the east coast of England and had a 26-foot sailing boat called Cabaret. It took just one trip
on the open sea with her aunt to spark off Ellen's lifelong passion. She was eight years old. After that
she began saving her pocket money and spent all her spare time reading sailing books in the library,
absorbing information like a sponge. With her savings and the help of her grandmother she bought an 8-
£00t fibreglass dinghy, and from that moment on there was no keeping her away from the water.
Sailing round Britain single-handed at the age of 18 was just the start; Ellen had long since set her
sights on the Vende. But finding the money to undertake round-the-world voyages is no easy feat. She
wrote 2,000 letters requesting sponsorship and received just two replies, from the Kingfisher company
who were looking to expand into France. And in terms of race preparation, if thoroughness was the key
to success, Ellen could certainly be considered one of the favourites. In the eight months leading up to 8
the start of the race, she sailed no fewer than 60,000 miles at the helm of her 60-£001 Kingfisher, far
more than the rest of the fleet put together in the same period.
During her three months at sea MacArthur negotiated deadly icebergs, gigantic waves and gale-force
winds. She endured the freezing cold of the Antarctic and suffered the blistering heat of the windless
doldrums. Racing conditions meant sleeping in 10-minute bursts, a survival suit that stayed on for weeks
at a time and hands and wrists covered in sores and cuts. Food was dried or frozen. Water came from a
desalinator, which passes seawater through a membrane. 'You don't really wash in the icy waters of the
southern ocean,' she laughs. 'Anyway, there's no one to tell you that you smell.'
As Kingfisher crossed the finishing line Ellen was surrounded by hundreds of spectator boats and a
cheering crowd of 200,000 lined the shore. Stepping off her yacht she looked remarkably composed and
seemed to take the change from solitude to public adulation very much in her stride. Her thoughts, she
later confessed, were on the realization that she had fulfilled the ambition that had dominated her life for
the previous four or five years. 'Throughout that time my sole focus had been crossing the finishing line,
and in the fastest possible time.' Now she could savour that moment.
But despite MacArthur's belief that everyone who finishes the Vende is a winner, she still feels a sense
of disappointment that, having taken the lead from the eventual winner Michel Desjoyaux 10 days from
the finish, she did not quite have the energy or good fortune to turn her advantage into victory. 'You
have to believe you can win from the start,' she asserts. 'Deep down you're a competitor, you don't climb
the mast and come back black and blue just for a cruise. You do it because it's a race.'
The public will now be hoping to see a suitable encore, some new feat of endurance to justify her
celebrity status. For Ellen can no longer claim, as she did in her post-race press conference, to be the
simple Derbyshire girl with 'no mobile, no credit cards, no money, no nothing'; she is a heroine and an
inspiration to others of her generation. As if to reinforce this, and despite her reluctance to take on this
role, she later commented: 'If there's one thing I've learned in this past year, it's that deep down in your
heart, if you have a dream, then you can and must it happen.'
31. The word feted in the second paragraph means
A. to make somebody pleasant. B. to praise somebody. C. to make somebody happy. D. to give somebody a reward.
32. At the time of her achievement we learn that Ellen
A. enjoyed only short-lived success.
B. was more famous in France than anywhere else.
C. attracted more attention than Michel Desjoyaux.
D. became popular because of her size.
33. The word landlocked in the third paragraph means A. having no seaport. B. having no fresh water. C. having no land.
D. having no sea coast.
34. Where did Ellen's initial interest in sailing come from?
A. She came from a family of sailing enthusiasts.
B. She went to see one of her relatives.
C. She read widely on the subject. D. She lived near the sea.
35. The word single-handed in the fourth paragraph means
A. without any help from anyone else.
B. using only one of one's hands to row.
C. on a boat with only one paddle. 9
D. on a boat with only one sail.
36. What do we learn about Ellen at the start of the race?
A. People thought she had a very good chance of winning.
B. She was a more experienced sailor than the other racers.
C. She had been waiting for this moment since she was 18.
D. She had gone to great lengths to achieve her ambition.
37. The writer suggests that one cause of discomfort for Ellen at sea was A. the shortage of water. B. her failure to sleep.
C. extremes of temperature.
D. a lack of cooking facilities.
38. According to the writer, when Ellen finished the race, she was
A. overwhelmed by her new-found fame.
B. surprised by the number of people who came to greet her.
C. able to reflect on her achievement.
D. delighted to be amongst people again.
39. According to the writer, Ellen
A. thinks she deserved to win the race.
B. has mixed feelings about the outcome of the race.
C. knew she would win the race.
D. thinks Michel Desjoyaux was lucky to beat her.
40. Which of the following views does the writer express in the last paragraph?
A. She has the power to motivate.
B. She has no right to fame yet. C. Her comments lack depth.
D. She needs to change her lifestyle.
Part 5. The passage below consists of four sections marked A, B, C and D. For questions 41-50,
read the passage and do the task that follows. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
WOMEN WHO LIKE THE TASTE OF DANGER A
Marlee became a policewoman eight years ago, and has done a lot of work in undercover operations. W e ha
d a c a reer talk at school about j oi
nin g the police force, which interested me and I decided to apply. T
o be sure that a life as a policewoman was really for m
e , I first signed up for the Specials, a group of part-time officers . I re
ally liked the work so signed on the dotted line and became a full-time
officer. After a couple of years I joined the Special Inquiry Section, which deals with robberies. I have
to do a certain amount of undercover work, such as pretending to be a cashier in a bank about which
we've received a tip-off that it might be robbed. Obviously, we're dealing with criminals, some of whom
are violent, so there's already the element of risk. However, I have a back-up team that I have total
confidence in, and therefore, I don't really feel scared when I'm working undercover. It does frighten me 10 w
hen we have to do a raid thou g h,
as we never know what we're going to face when we walk into a
room. That makes me more careful, and not being alone, makes me feel more confident.
B. During the week, Eva works in a shop making chocolate. However, at weekends she drives down to
Dover, on the English Channel, where she trains to swim the thirty-five kilometre stretch of sea between
England and France, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. 'When I was young I kept winning long-
distance swimming events and eventually someone said to me, 'Why not have a go at the Channel?' I
thought I couldn't do it and made excuses saying I couldn't afford it. Then my friends started raising
money to pay for me to try, so I had no choice but to do it. When I got in the sea, I kept asking myself
‘What am I doing?’ lt was hard work and I was scared. It finally took me 11 hours 21 minutes and I was
told to try it again and do it a bit faster the next time! These days I swim the Channel mainly to raise
money for children in hospital.’
C. In 2007, although a mother of three small children, Katherine signed up for the Air Force because
she saw it as a change from her domestic routine. H
er husband was already a pilot and urged her t o join.
Katherine didn't think the Air Force would accept her, but they did and she is now not only an Air Force
pilot for her country, but also flies small planes in competitions. Tm quite a careful and cautious person
and don't think of what I do as dangerous because I always respect my limitations and those of the
aircraft. The engine could fail, but that’s a risk I have to take. My worst and most scary moment was
when I was flying home from a competition in France. The weather was awful, forcing me to fly lower
and lower. My heart was racing, my mouth was dry, and my hands were sweating. I had to turn back and
find another airfield to land at. I also race cars and have often been more frightened doing that than flying.'
D. Georgina gave up her career as a social worker to become a professional acrobatic parachutist. 'I first
tried parachute jumping in my teens, but didn't particularly like it. Then, in my mid-20s I visited the
States and went on a jump with a friend. I was hooked straight away. I like being in the air and the
freedom it gives me, and the fact that you can't switch off - you really have to concentrate or you put the
rest of51 the team in jeopardy. I t
hink I'm a level-headed and calm person, s o I rarely panic in a difficult
situation. I have been in danger though. One time another member off the team jumped out of the plane
too quickly, landed on me and knocked me out. Fortunately someone else saw it happen and grabbed
hold of me. We landed together with me still unconscious, which is a very difficult manoeuvre. The
accident damaged my confidence, but within weeks I was back jumping again.’ 11 Which of the women? Your answers:
was given encouragement by a family member? 41. A
says she remains calm in demanding situations? 42. D
has experienced physical symptoms of fear? 43. C
didn’t think much of the activity at first? 44. D
is frightened by one aspect of what she does? 45. A
avoided starting a new activity? 46. B
had a gradual introduction to what she does? 47. A
says it is important to focus on what she is doing? 48. D
wanted a change from her normal life? 49. C
was successful at a certain activity when young? 50. B 12
Document Outline

• Part 5. The passage below consists of four sections marked A, B, C and D. For questions 41-50, read the passage and do the task that follows. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
• WOMEN WHO LIKE THE TASTE OF DANGER