PASSAGE 2 New Foods and the New World In the last 500 years, nothing about people---not their clothes, ideas, or languages---has changed as much as what they eat. The original chocolate drink was made form the seeds of the cocoa tree by South American Indians. The Spanish introduced it to the rest of the world during the 1500’s. And although it was very expensive, it quickly became fashionable. In London shops where chocolate drinks were served became important meeting places. Some still exist today. The potato is also from the New World. Around 1600, the Spanish brought it from Peru to Europe, where it soon was widely grown. Ireland became so dependent on it that thousands of Irish people starved when the crop failed during the "Potato Famine" of 1845-6, and thousands more were forced to emigrate to America. There are many other foods that have traveled from south America to the Old World. But some others went in the opposite direction. Brazil is now the world’s largest grower of coffee, and coffee is an important crop in Colombia and other South American countries. But it is native to Ethiopia. It was first made into a drink by Arabs during the 1400’s. According to an Arabic legend, coffee was discovered when a goatherd named Kaldi noticed that his goats were attracted to the red berries on a coffee bush. He tried one and experienced the "wide-awake" feeling that one-third of the world’s population now starts the day with. 1. According to the passage, which of the following has changed the most in the last 500 years? A) Food. B) Chocolate. C) Potato. D) Coffee 2. "Some" in "Some still exist today" means A) some cocoa trees. B) some chocolate drinks. C) some shops. D) some South American Indians. 3. Thousands of Irish people starved during the "Potato Famine" because A) they were so dependent on the potato that they refused to eat anything else. B) they were forced to emigrate to America. C) the weather conditions in Ireland were not suitable for growing the potato. D) the potato harvest was bad. 4. Coffee originally came from A) Brazil. B) Colombia. C) Ethiopia. D) Arabia. 5. The Arabic legend is used to prove that A) coffee was first discovered by Kaldi. B) coffee was first discovered by Kaldi’s goats. C) coffee was first discovered in south American countries. D) coffee drinks were first made by Arabs. KEY: ACDCD PASSAGE 3 A Football Club During the 1970 season, the club played 42 matches: of these, 34 were League and Cup games, and the remainder were friendly matches. In the League, the Club finished in third place, two points behind the champions. Out of 28 League games, 16 were won, 8 were drawn and 4 were lost, whilst the Club managed to reach the semi-final of the Challenge Cup for the first time in its history. Of the eight friendly matches, four were won, two were drawn, and two were lost, but these defeats were at the hands of visiting teams whose standards were generally much higher than those of players of this area. At the same time, the standard of play shown by our own team was markedly superior to that seen in previous years, and this success is largely due to the intensive training programme which has been supervised by the team captain. In this connection, the provision of adequate training facilities must remain a priority, and the erection of an indoor gymnasium or hall in which the players can practise on wet evenings is essential. It would do much to supplement the outdoor training being carried on, and would help the Club in the recruitment of younger players. There are now 28 players registered with the Club, and many more have asked to join but have been discouraged by the fact that the Club fields only one team. With the improvement in the financial position, concerning which the Treasurer will report in a minute. I suggest that the Committee consider entering a team in the Second Division of the League. 1. How many Cup matches did the Challenge Club play? A) 34 B) 6 C) 8 D) 42 2. What reason does the speaker give for the Club’s improved playing record? A) The provision of adequate training facilities. B) The erection of an indoor gymnasium. C) The intensive training under the team captain. D) The low standards of the visiting teams. 3. In the second paragraph," this connection" refers to A) an indoor gymnasium. B) An indoor hall. C) The team captain. D) The intensive training programs. 4. The committee may enter a team in the Second Division of the League because of A) its improved financial position. B) Its better training facilities. C) Its improved playing record. D) Its ambition to become famous. 5. The tone of this report is A) objective. B) Unfriendly. C) Pessimistic. D) Critical. KEY: BCDAA PASSAGE 4 "Lemons" in Used Car Market Suppose that you, a college student of somewhat limited means, are in the market for a used pickup truck. The following ad in a local used car publication catches your eyes. 1993 Ford Ranger, bilk, 4WD, a/c AM/FM/cass., showroom condition. Call 555-1234 after 5 p.m This is exactly the kind of vehicle you want, so you call to inquire about the price. The price you are quoted over the phone is $2,000 lower than the price for this model with this equipment listed in a used car guidebook. Instead of being ecstatic, however, you are suspicious. For many products, when you must pay less than the going rate, you believe you are getting a great deal. This is not necessarily the case for used cars or other durable goods(washing machines and television sets, for example) because with expensive products-or, what is essentially the same thing, products with high replacement costs-you must be particularly careful about getting a "lemon." Or a product of substandard quality. In addition to asking the price, the age of a car-or any other consumer durable-is a factor when you are trying to determine whether a seller is attempting to unload a lemon. While people have all sorts of reasons for wanting to sell their cars-even relatively new cars-most people hold off until they have put many thousands of miles on a car or until the used car is several years old. You would probably be as suspicious of a car that is "too new" as you would a car that is "too good " a deal. In fact, you are probably willing to pay a high price for a high-quality used car. While this price would certainly be acceptable to the seller, the competitive market might not facilitate such trades.