READING PASSAGE 2
Lunar Cycles and SleepA _Sleep specialist Professor Wiseman recently set out to determine if sound could affect dream content. However, he also ended up uncovering an uncanny correlation between lunar cycles and sleep processes. B _Volunteers in his study were played a variety of sounds ranging from bird song to traffic. If sensors detected the subject was sleeping, shortly before the alarm was set to go off, the sounds were played. The reasoning behind this was that sleepers recall dreams more accurately just after waking and so would still remember sound-induced dreams. C _Whilst the content of dreams was found to remain constant with the seasons or the days of the week, it showed considerable variation with the full moon. Dreams became increasingly bizarre, bearing little relation to the usual pedestrian dreams we normally have about being late for work or losing personal items. In some cases, subjects became superheroes such as Batman or Superman. D _The findings build on research that had previously demonstrated a link between lunar cycles and duration and quality of sleep rather than content. These earlier findings revealed a more fitful sleep in subjects during the full moon and difficulty initially falling asleep. E _Biologically, an inability to sleep soundly during a full moon is probably attributable to low levels of the sleep hormone melatonin. The waxing and waning of the moon can directly affect melatonin levels and hence sleep quality. F_Wiseman believes that the evolutionary advantage conferred on our predecessors by such sensitivity to lunar rhythms was incalculable. Sleeping lightly at the full moon would have heightened our awareness to predators. In addition, a full moon may have been the optimum conditions for our ancestors to go hunting by. This accounts for the lunar influence on our sleeping habits today. G _Sensitivity to the moon's rhythms and concurrent lack of good quality sleep is likely, however, to be seen as a source of irritation to most. This is because contemporary Man is unlikely to derive the same benefit from moon-induced sleep changes compared to his ancestors. |
Different ways to exercise and get healthyAs the pounds pile on we may become more complacent about keeping fit. However there is a lot at stake if you resign yourself to an indolent lifestyle. Cosmetic concerns as to increasing girths and flabby abdomens aside, there is also your health to consider. Many diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and cancer arise from obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle. So here are some suggestions to kick start your exercise regime, focusing on body-specific areas that you might wish to improve upon. If you are seeking to improve stamina and cardiovascular fitness, then interval training is a good way to start. Activities are completed at high intensity for a specific length of time, followed by another cycle of low intensity exercises termed 'sets' which are repeated throughout the routine. For those desiring speedy results and wanting to simultaneously boost overall fitness levels, then practising squats is the answer. Squats not only help burn fat but also build muscle strength and aid suppleness throughout the entire body, which in turn helps prevent injuries. Performing this exercise that is heavily focused on working the muscles along the hips and upper thighs can help streamline your body. Lunges are another ideal choice for toning and building thigh muscles. They are also regarded by fitness experts as one of the best functional activities during which the body is exercised through multiple planes of motion. Because the entire body is involved, lunges are a great exercise choice for hectic days as they offer multiple benefits within a short time frame. If your focus is more on improving your chest and torso then you would be better off doing push ups. In addition to working on the chest and torso, push ups also help define the shoulders, triceps and oblique muscles. If increasing body bulk takes precedence over improving fitness levels and general mobility, then weight training is for you. This activity aims to develop the size and strength of the skeletal muscles by using weight stacks, dumbbells and weighted bars to create gravity resistance, thereby increasing muscle mass. Since individual target goals will vary with regard to what muscle groups need to be developed, weight training programmes need to be adjusted to the individual concerned. |
Read the text below and answer Questions 29-35.
‘Thought’ Crime
A. In George Orwell’s dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, the government attempts to curb not only the speech and actions but also the thoughts of its subjects. Unapproved thoughts are labelled ‘thought’ crime and draconically punished with the death sentence. It is undoubtedly a grim portrayal of the future. Alarmingly, it could soon become, partially at least, a reality.
B. Future policing systems aimed at identifying deviant thought processes are currently in the pipeline. The US Department of Homeland Security believes that the system will be capable of detecting ‘hostile thoughts’ in individuals passing through border controls, airports and public places.
C. Its critics believe that ‘Project Hostile Intent’, as it is called, is entering the realms of fantasy. The belief that sensors could single out ne’er-do-wells via increased pulse rate, breathing, skin temperature or fleeting facial expressions is viewed by the project’s detractors as frankly absurd and more akin to something out of the sci-fi movie Minority Report and the ‘pre-crime’ units featured in the movie.
D. The project’s promoters are not impervious to the public controversy that their proposed policing system has stirred up. So significant has the backlash been to the proposed project that it has now been dubbed the less innocuous-sounding Future Attribute Screening Technologies (FAST). Whether re-branding quells public dissent remains to be seen.
E. In the meantime, a pilot study to test the system has been undertaken. At an equestrian centre in Maryland, 140 paid volunteers walked through a machine kitted out with a battery of FAST sensors, in addition to cameras, infrared heat sensors and an eyesafe laser radar (named a Bio-Ladar) that measures pulse and breathing rate from a distance.
F. According to individual briefing, subjects acted either shifty, hostile and evasive whilst others acted the exact opposite, conforming to model citizen behaviour. DHS science spokesman, John Verrico, claims the study was ‘promising’, achieving a 78% accuracy on mal-intent and 80% on deception.
G. It could be argued, however, that such overt visual behaviour would be apparent without recourse to specialist equipment and that border control and security officers would do better to improve on honing their knowledge of body language. We judge people daily, after all, from their appearance, so this must count for something. It’s certainly a method that is a lot less obtrusive than the FAST system.
H. Finally, there is the matter of invasion of privacy. The FAST system is capable of detecting health problems such as heart murmurs in those passing through the security mechanism, Seemingly this would seem to open up a whole new moral debate. Should those previously unaware of health issues be informed, or not? Assurances have been issued, however, by proponents of the FAST system, that individual data will not be stored on the database to avoid a breach of confidentiality. But why not put such information to good effect? If it is considered permissible to analyse the very thought processes of individuals then why is the assessment of health considered too invasive? The FAST system has a long way to go yet in answering such issues adequately and becoming an acceptable method of surveillance.
Part 1
Questions 1-8
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet.
Quotes are given with 1 to buy.
There is a tendency to 2 drivers over a certain age.
Those paying in 3 will not be liable for extra interest.
Provision of 4 will ensure you are not left without a means of transport.
To receive full benefit from the policy, 5 is required.
Should 6 be required, medical transfers may be possible.
Claimants are entitled to a maximum of £100 after a breakdown, should 7 arise.
By phoning our 8 you can receive a quote today.
Questions 9-14
Look at the five advertisements, A-E, referring to winter events in London.
Which advertisement mentions the following?
Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 9-14 on your answer sheet.
You may use any letter more than once.
9 additional costs
10 fluctuation in public attendance
11 a possible source of regret
12 seasonal food on offer
13 a change in career
14 seasonally induced mood changes
Part 2
Questions 15-21
The text on the next page has seven sections, A-G.
Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-x, in boxes 15-21 on your answer sheet.
| List of Headings | |
| i | A previously proven correlation |
| ii | An unwelcome inheritance |
| iii | Old habits die hard |
| iv | A modern advantage |
| v | A departure from the mundane |
| vi | A physical interaction |
| vii | An unexpected finding |
| viii | Fantasies become reality |
| ix | A theory is disproved |
| x | Theory is put into practice |
15 Section A
16 Section B
17 Section C
18 Section D
19 Section E
20 Section F
21 Section G
Questions 22-23
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 22-23 on your answer sheet.
There is too much 22 if you fail to keep to a healthy fitness regime.
23 apart, there is also the matter of your health to think about.
Questions 24-28
Look at the following descriptions and the list of terms in the box below.
Match each description with the correct term, A-E.
Write the appropriate letter, A-E, in boxes 24-28 on your answer sheet.
List of Descriptions
24 Works on the upper body only
25 Requires the individual to follow a tailor-made programme
26 High impact exercises are interspersed with low impact ones.
27 General mobility is improved in addition to fitness levels and overall appearance.
28 A workout simultaneously affecting several areas of main body
| A | Interval training |
| B | Squats |
| C | Lunges |
| D | Push ups |
| E | Weight training |
Part 3
Questions 29-35
The text has eight paragraphs, A-H.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 29-35 on your answer sheet.
29 an inconsistency in approach
30 already a new policing system is underway
31 a public relations exercise
32 fiction not transferable into fact
33 the future foreshadowed in fiction
34 effective but commonplace assessment methods
35 official confirmation of the efficacy of the FAST system
Questions 36-40
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet.
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The dystopian future predicted in Orwell’s novel 1984 may soon become reality. A policing system said to be thought-sensitive is in 36 . It is reputedly able to reveal 37 sand so is arguably of use at security checkpoints. Subtle changes in an individual’s behaviour and physiological processes can be measured by the policing system. Until now the project has met with 38 which officials attempted to quell by renaming the project ‘FAST’, a considerably less offensive title than the original ‘Project Hostile Intent’. So far, a 39 has provided tentative confirmation of the efficacy of the FAST system. However, it is arguable that simple methods such as reading body language might be equally effective. More problematic is the possibility that the FAST system may uncover health issues an individual is unaware of. Whether to inform the individual or not is subject to 40 |