READING PRACTICE 1

EXERCISE 1
How well do we concentrate?
A. Do you read while listening to music? Do you like to watch TV while finishing your
homework? People who have these kinds of habits are called multi-taskers. Multitaskers are
able to complete two tasks at the same time by dividing their focus. However, Thomas
Lehman, a researcher in Psychology, believes people never really do multiple things
simultaneously. Maybe a person is reading while listening to music, but in reality, the brain can
only focus on one task. Reading the words in a book will cause you to ignore some of the
words of the music. When people think they are accomplishing two different tasks efficiently,
what they are really doing is dividing their focus. While listening to music, people become less
able to focus on their surroundings. For example, we all have experience of times when we talk
with friends and they are not responding properly. Maybe they are listening to someone else
talk, or maybe they are reading a text on their smartphone and don't hear what you are saying.
Lehman called this phenomenon “email voice".
B. The world has been changed by computers and its spin offs like smart-phones or cellphones.
Now that most individuals have a personal device, like a smart-phone or a laptop, they are
frequently reading, watching or listening to virtual information. This raises the occurrence of
multitasking in our day to day life. Now when you work, you work with your typewriter, your
cellphone, and some colleagues who may drop by at any time to speak with you. In
professional meetings, when one normally focuses and listens to one another, people are more
likely to have a cell phone in their lap, reading or communicating silently with more people
than ever, liven inventions such as the cordless phone has increased multitasking. In the old
days, a traditional wall phone would ring, and then the housewife would have to stop her
activities to answer it. When it rang, the housewife will sit down with her legs up. and chat,
with no laundry or sweeping or answering the door. In the modern era, our technology is
convenient enough to not interrupt our daily tasks.
C. Earl Miller, an expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, studied the prefrontal
cortex, which controls the brain while a person is multitasking. According to his studies, the
size of this cortex varies between species, He found that for humans, the size of this part
constitutes one-third of the brain, while it is only 4 to 5 percent in dogs, and about 15% in
monkeys. Given that this cortex is larger on a human, it allows a human to be more flexible and
accurate in his or her multitasking. However, Miller wanted to look further into whether the
cortex was truly processing information about two different tasks simultaneously. He designed
an experiment where he presents visual stimulants to his subjects in a way that mimics multi-
tasking. Miller then attached sensors to the patients " heads to pick up the electric patterns of
the brain. This
sensor would show if " the brain particles, called neurons, were truly processing two different
tasks. What he found is that the brain neurons only lit up in singular areas one at a time, and
never simultaneously.
D. Davis Meyer, a professor of University of Michigan, studied the young adults in a similar
experiment. He instructed them to simultaneously do math problems and classify simple words
into different categories. For this experiment. Meyer found that when you think you are doing
several jobs at the same time, you are actually switching between jobs. Even though the people
tried to do the tasks at the same time, and both tasks were eventually accomplished, overall, the
task took more time than if the person focused on a single task one at a time.
E. People sacrifice efficiency when multitasking, Gloria Mark set office workers as his
subjects. He found that they were constantly multitasking. He observed that nearly every 11
minutes people at work were disrupted. He found that doing different jobs at the same time
may actually save time. However, despite the fact that they are faster, it does not mean they are
more efficient. And we are equally likely to self-interrupt as be interrupted by outside sources.
He found that in office nearly every 12 minutes an employee would stop and with no reason at
all, cheek a website on their computer, call someone or write an email. If they concentrated for
more than 20 minutes, they would feel distressed. He suggested that the average person may
suffer from a short concentration span. This short attention span might be natural, but others
suggest that new
technology may be the problem. With cellphones and computers at our sides at all times,
people will never run out of distractions. The format of media, such as advertisements, music,
news articles and TV shows are also shortening, so people are used to paying attention to
information for a very short time.
F. So even though focusing on one single task is the most efficient way for our brains to work,
it is not practical to use this method in real life. According to human nature, people feel more
comfortable and efficient in environments with a variety of tasks, Edward Hallowell said that
people are losing a lot of efficiency in the workplace due to multitasking, outside distractions
and self distractions. As a matter of fact, the changes made to the workplace do not have to be
dramatic. No one is suggesting we ban e-mail or make employees focus on only one task.
However, certain common workplace tasks, such as group meetings, would be more efficient if
we banned cell-phones, a common distraction. A person can also apply these tips to prevent
self distraction. Instead of arriving to your office and checking all of your e-mails for new
tasks, a common workplace ritual, a person could dedicate an hour to a single task first thing in
the morning. Self-timing is a great way to reduce distraction and efficiently finish tasks one by
one, instead of slowing ourselves down with multi-tasking.

Questions 1-5
The Reading Passage has six paragraphs, A-F.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.
1. a reference to a domestic situation that does not require multitasking
2. a possible explanation of why we always do multitask together
3. a practical solution to multitask in work environment
4. relating multitasking to the size of prefrontal cortex
5. longer time spent doing two tasks at the same time than one at a time
1 2 3 4 5

Questions 6-10
Look at the following statements (Questions 19-23) and the list of scientists below. Match each
statement with the correct scientist, A-E.
Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 19-23 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
List of Scientists
A. Thomas Lehman
B. Earl Miller
C. David Meyer
D. Gloria Mark
E. Edward Hallowell

6. When faced multiple visual stimulants, one can only concentrate on one of them.
7. Doing two things together may be faster but not better.
8. People never really do two things together even if you think you do.
9. The causes of multitask lie in the environment.
10. Even minor changes in the workplace will improve work efficiency.
6 7 8 9 10

Questions 11-13
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 11-13 on your answer sheet.
A term used to refer to a situation when you are reading a text and cannot focus on your
surroundings is 11 _________
The 12 _________ part of the brain controls multitasking.
The practical solution of multitask in work is not to allow use of cellphone in 13 _______
11 12 13

ANSWERS
 LOCATION OF ANSWER IN TEXT
Answers
Paragraph Sentence(s)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

SYNONYMS
Q WORDS IN THE QUESTION WORDS IN TEXT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

EXERCISE 2
You are going to read an extract from an article. Seven paragraphs have been removed
from the extract. Choose from the paragraphs A - H the one which fits each gap (1 - 7).
There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.
EXERCISE AND THOSE WITH MOBILITY PROBLEMS
We live in an exercise-crazy society. Wherever you look, there are people trying to shape up
and slim down. Gyms are cropping up all over the place. On the surface, they all look the same
and may offer the same services. However, when you peel back the veneer, there are
differences people should be aware of.
1.
'The biggest problem is the lack of knowledge and education," says one fitness expert. "There
are very few gyms that have staff trained to deal with those with special needs. They'll sign you
up but don't know how to help you. A further problem is the unsuitability of the building
itself."
2.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) categorises gyms and fitness centres under the
umbrella of places of public accommodation. They must follow the same rules and guidelines
as those which apply to hotels and restaurants. For example, their shower facilities must be
wheelchair accessible.
3.
Some owners of gyms try to find ways to alleviate this problem. "A number of our facilities are
on two levels, but for whatever equipment we have on one level, there's usually a complement
on the other level as well," says one owner. "No one has to go to the second level to use a piece
of equipment."
4.
"The trouble is in the definition of the phrase," says the legal advisor of an organisation that
represents 400 health clubs worldwide. "We don't have an easy checklist to determine
compliance. It's hard to say what's reasonable for any particular facility."
5.
"The suggestion came from our participants,!" says the manager of a new fitness centre in New
York City. "They wanted to find a place to work out and exercise. They'd been trying to make
use of city facilities but had found them inaccessible. We took the idea to some people who we
thought might be interested in funding the project."
6.
One such manufacturer says he's had a lot of difficulty trying to sell his equipment to gyms and
fitness centres across the country. "There's a lot of red tape involved in selling to gyms. And
they're really not interested in having this kind of equipment. They'd rather have their staff
members help disabled clients. They disregard the issue because they don't have many
members or potential members with disabilities."
7.
"What needs to be done is to educate the public and those who are working in gyms," says the
manager of a gym in Venice, California. "We need to better understand the needs of this group.
They don't have to stay away from clubs; they don't have to stand out."
A. Many gyms follow these rules, but some don't. Like other establishments, they either
claim poverty or say they are reasonably accessible. However, according to the law,
buildings with only two floors don't need a lift. Unfortunately, many gyms are housed in
two-storey buildings.
B. No two gyms are exactly alike. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Of all the
things a prospective consumer should look at, the principal item is the staff. Do the
trainers and assistants have experience working with disabled individuals? The answer is
commonly "no".
C. A lot of times, navigating a chair in a fitness centre or gym is difficult. We try to place
as much equipment to service as many clients as possible so no one has to wait.
Unfortunately, that's a• double-edged sword. It means that navigating around the club is
often difficult.
D. Standard gyms aside, people with disabilities sometimes prefer to exercise in a place
where they know the staff is knowledgeable of their needs. This is why a few speciality
gyms are opening up around the country.
E. When you visit a gym, the first thing you see is the layout. The first impression answers
many questions that should be asked by prospective consumers with disabilities. Is the
gym multilevel? Is there a lift? Is the locker room accessible?
F. Finding appropriate equipment for the centre, however, is not an easy task. Access is
limited due to awkward equipment design, making it difficult for people with mobility
impairments to transfer onto pieces of equipment that might otherwise provide them
with a good workout. Nevertheless, there are people who do build equipment with
disabled users specifically in mind.
G. Fortunately, times are changing and people with disabilities are working out in the gym.
Markets for special populations like the disabled are growing. Younger people with
disabilities aren't willing to just sit at home and the newer club administrators are
beginning to understand their needs. Out of necessity, clubs are becoming more aware of
how to deal with special populations like the disabled.
H. It is difficult to hold small, privately owned gyms to any kind of standard in terms of
physical layout. Chain gyms are somewhat easier to regulate. Most gyms are housed in
already existing buildings. They stick to the letter of the law and the rather flimsy
definition of "reasonable accommodation".

Q Signals in the extract Signals in the paragraph