1. People Who Don't Have a Lot of Time and Money Should

READING

PART 1

1. Read the following text and choose the correct answer; A, B or C.

Today, millions of people want to learn or improve their English but it is difficult to find the best method. Is it better to study in Britain or America or to study in your own country?

The advantages of going to Britain seem clear. Firstly, you will be able to listen to the language all the time you are in the country. You will be surrounded totally by the language wherever you go. Another benefit is that you have to speak the language if you are with other people. In Italy, it is always achievable, in the class, to speak Italian if you want to and the learning is slower.

On the other hand, there are also advantages to staying at home to study. You don't have to make big changes to your life. As well as this, it is also a lot cheaper than going to Britain but it is never possible to attain the results of living in the UK. If you have a good instructor in Italy, I think you can learn in a more intense way than being in Britain without going to a school.

So, in conclusion, I think that if you have enough time and enough money, the best choice is to spend some time in the UK. This is simply not possible for most people, so being here in Italy is the only feasible alternative. The most important thing to do in this condition is to maximise your opportunities: to speak only English in class and to try to use English whenever possible outside the class.

1. People who don't have a lot of time and money should...

1. Learn English in Britain.
2. Try and speak English in class more often.
3. Go to Italy to learn English.

B. Decide if the following statements are True / False or Not Given

1. If you try to learn a foreign language in your country, it takes longer. ______
2. It is not possible to learn another language in your home country. ______
3. If you go to Britain to learn English, your English will better at the end. ______

PART 2

The Shock of the Truth
A Throughout history, there have been instances in which people have been reluctant to accept new theories, despite astonishing evidence. This was certainly the case when Copernicus published his theory - that the earth was not the centre of the universe.

B Until the early 16th century, western thinkers believed the theory put forward by Ptolemy, an Egyptian living in Alexandria in about 150 A.D. His theory, which was formulated by gathering and organizing the thoughts of the earlier thinkers, proposed that the universe was a closed space bounded by a spherical envelope beyond which there was nothing. The earth, according to Ptolemy, was a fixed and motionless mass, located at the centre of the universe. The sun and the stars, revolved around it.

C The theory appealed to human nature. Someone making informal observations as they looked into the sky might come to a similar conclusion. It also fed the human ego. Humans could believe that they were at the centre of God's universe, and the sun and stars were created for their benefit.

D Ptolemy's theory, was of course, incorrect, but at the time nobody contested it. European astronomers were more prone to save face. Instead of proposing new ideas, they attempted to patch up and refine Ptolemy's flawed model. Students were taught using a book called The Sphere which had been written two hundred years previously. In short, astronomy failed to go forward.

E In 1530, however, Mikolaj Kopernik, more generally known as Copernicus, made an declaration which shook the world. He proposed that the earth turned on its axis once per day, and travelled around the sun once per year. Even when he made his discovery, he was reluctant to make it public, knowing how much his shocking revelations would disturb the church. However, George Rheticus, a German mathematics professor who had become Copernicus's student, persuaded Copernicus to publish his ideas, even though Copernicus, a perfectionist, was never satisfied that his observations were complete.

F Copernicus's ideas went against all the political and religious beliefs of the time. Humans, it was believed, were made in God's image, and were superior to all creatures. The natural world had been created for humans to make use of. Copernicus's theories contradicted the ideas of all the powerful churchmen of the time. Even the famous playwright William Shakespeare feared the new theory, pronouncing that it would destroy social order and bring chaos to the world. However, Copernicus never had to suffer at the hands of those who disagreed with his theories. He died just after the work was published in 1543.

G However, the scientists who followed in Copernicus's footsteps bore the brunt of the church's anger. Two other Italian scientists of the time, Galileo and Bruno, agreed sincerely with the Copernican theory. Bruno even dared to say that space was endless and contained many other suns, each with its own planets. For this, Bruno was sentenced to death by burning in 1600. Galileo, famous for his construction of the telescope, was forced to deny his belief in the Copernican theories. He escaped execution, but was incarcerated for the rest of his life.

H In time however, Copernicus's work became more accepted. Subsequent scientists and mathematicians such as Brahe, Kepler and Newton took Copernicus's work as a starting point and used it to glean further truths about the laws of celestial mechanics.

I The most important aspect of Copernicus' work is that it forever changed the place of man in the cosmos. With Copernicus' work, man could no longer take that premier position which the theologians had immodestly assigned him. This was the first, but certainly not the last time in which man would have to accept his position as a mere part of the universe, not at the centre of it.

1. The text has nine paragraphs, A-I.
   Which paragraph contains the following information? There are two extras.
   1. the public's reaction to the new theory______
   2. an antique belief about the location of the earth______
   3. Copernicus's legacy to the future of science ______
   4. How academics built on Copernican ideas______
   5. An idea which is attractive to humans______
   6. Out-dated teaching and defective research______
   7. Scientists suffer for their beliefs______

1. Match the people with their ideas. You may not use all of them.

Ptolemy George Rheticus William Shakespeare GalileoBruno Newton

1. He, among others, used Copernicus's theories to proceed scientific knowledge.
2. He proposed an incorrect theory based on the work of early philosophers.
3. His manner to the new theory was similar to that of the Church.
4. He was killed because of his faith in the new theory.
5. He was accountable for Copernicus's ideas being made public.

PART 3

Antarctic Penguins

Though penguins are presumed to be native to the South Pole, only four of the seventeen species have evolved the survival adaptations necessary to live and breed in the Antarctic year round. The physical features of the Adelie, Chinstrap, Gentoo, and Emperor penguins equip them to withstand the harshest living conditions in the world. Besides these four species, there are a number of others, including the yellow feathered Macaroni penguin and the King penguin that visit the Antarctic on a regular basis but migrate to warmer waters to breed. Penguins that live in Antarctica year round have a thermoregulation system and a survival sense that allows them to live comfortably both on the ice and in the water.

In the dark days of winter, when the Antarctic sees almost no sunlight, the penguins that remain on the ice sheet sleep most of the day. To keep the temperature, penguins group in communities of up to 6,000 of their own species. When it's time to make a nest, most penguins construct a pile of rocks on top of the ice to put their eggs. The Emperor penguin, however, doesn't bother with a nest at all. The female Emperor places just one egg and gives it to the male to look after the egg while she goes off for weeks to feed. The male balances the egg on top of his feet, covering it with a small fold of skin called a brood patch. In the huddle, the male penguins rotate regularly so that none of the penguins have to stay on the outside of the circle exposed to the wind and cold for long periods of time. When it's time to take a turn on the outer side of the pack, the penguins tuck their feathers in and shiver. The movement offers enough warmth until they can go back into the inner core and rest in the warmth. In order to decrease the cold of the ice, penguins often put their weight on their heels and tails. Antarctic penguins also have complex nasal passages that prevent 80 percent of their heat from leaving the body. When the sun is out, the black dorsal plumage attracts its rays and penguins can stay warm enough to waddle or slide about alone.

Antarctic penguins spend about 75 percent of their lives in the water. A number of survival adaptations let them swim through water as cold as -2 degrees Celsius. In order to stay warm in these temperatures, penguins have to keep moving. Though penguins don't fly in the air, they are often said to fly through water. Instead of stopping each time they come up for air, they use a technique called "porpoising," in which they leap up for a quick breath while swiftly moving forward: Unlike most birds that have hollow bones for flight, penguins have evolved hard solid bones that keep them low in the water. Antarctic penguins also have unique feathers that work similarly to a waterproof diving suit. Tufts of down trap a layer of air within the feathers, preventing the water from penetrating the penguin's skin. The force of a deep dive releases this air, and a penguin has to reorganize the feathers through a process called "preening." Penguins also have an amazing circulatory system, which in extremely cold waters diverts blood from the flippers and legs to the heart.

While the harsh climate of the Antarctic doesn't threaten the survival of Antarctic penguins, overheating can be a concern, and therefore, global warming is a threat to them. Temperate species have certain physical features such as fewer feathers and less blubber to keep them cool on a hot day. African penguins have bald patches on their legs and face where excess heat can be released. The blood vessels in the penguin's skin dilate when the body begins to overheat, and the heat rises to the surface of the body. Penguins who are built for cold winters of the Antarctic have other survival methods for a warm day, such as moving to shaded areas, or holding their fins out away from their bodies.

A. Categorize the following facts as applying to:

A) Antarctic penguins

B) Temperature-area penguins

Write the appropriate letter, A or B, on lines 1-5.

1) stand in big groups to keep warm ______

2) have feathers that keep cold water away from its skin ______

3) have less blubber ______

B. Complete each of the following sentences with information from the reading passage. Write NO MORE THAN THREE words for each answer.

4) Most penguins use ______ to build their nests.

5) While the male emperor penguin looks after the egg, the female goes away to ______

C. The article mentions many facts about penguins.
Which THREE of the following features are things that enable them to survive in very cold water?

6. 7. 8.

1. A
2. A
3. B
4. Rocks or rocks and ice
5. Feed/eat
6. A
7. C
8. D