TEST 20

LISTENING
Task 1
Task 2. Fill in each blank with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS

total sensory design

roundabouts

shiny surfaces

stone and wood

people like us

exclusive and discount

home comfortables

budget optimists

young survivors

Task 3. T, F, NG
1. In his introduction, the presenter says that celebrity interviews are given considerable
prominences in most British papers. T
2. Lynn Barber’s approach involves making interviewees who she dislikes believe that she
likes them. NG
3. Zoe Heller is less concerned about upsetting some of the people she interviews than
others. NG
4. Angela Lambert dislikes it when interviewees think that she genuinely likes them a lot. T
5. Ray Connolly implies that his approach may involve including comments that
interviewees may come to regret. F
Task 4.
1. In the Americas and Australasia, what category are starlings listed as? invasive species
2. What color around its beak makes a female starling most easily identified? pink
3. What are young starlings fed almost exclusively on? worms
4. What do researchers point to to explain how starlings manage to fly in such close
formation? incredible speed of reaction time
 5. What do researchers compare the local variations of in starling song with? human
dialects
READING
Task 1

Video Games’ Unexpected Benefit to Human Brain

James Paul Gee, professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
played his first video game years ago when his six-year-old son Sam was playing
Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside. He wanted to play the
game so he could support Sam’s problem solving. Though Pajama Sam is not an
“educational game”, it is replete with the types of problems psychologists study
when they study thinking and learning. When he saw how well the game held
Sam’s attention, he wondered what sort of beast a more mature video game
might be.

Video and computer games, like many other popular, entertaining and addicting
kid’s activities, are looked down upon by many parents as time-wasters, and
worse, parents think that these games rot the brain. Violent video games are
readily blamed by the media and some experts as the reason why some youth
become violent or commit extreme anti-social behavior. Recent content analyses
of video games show that as many as 89% of games contain some violent
content, but there is no form of aggressive content for 70% of popular
games. Many scientists and psychologists, like James Paul Gee, find that video
games actually have many benefits – the main one being making kids smart.
Video games may actually teach kids high-level thinking skills that they will need
in the future.

“Video games change your brain,” according to University of Wisconsin

psychologist Shawn Green. Video games change the brain’s physical structure
the same way as do learning to read, playing the piano, or navigating using a
map. Much like exercise can build muscle, the powerful combination of
concentration and rewarding surges of neurotransmitters like dopamine, which
strengthens neural circuits, can build the player’s brain.

Video games give your child’s brain a real workout. In many video games, the
skills required to win involve abstract and high level thinking. These skills are not
even taught at school. Some of the mental skills trained by video games include:
following instructions, problem solving, logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor
and spatial skills. Research also suggests that people can learn iconic, spatial,
and visual attention skills from video games. There have been even studies with
adults showing that experience with video games is related to better surgical
skills. Jacob Benjamin, doctor from Beth Israel Medical Center NY, found a direct
link between skill at video gaming and skill at keyhole or laparoscopic surgery.
Also, a reason given by experts as to why fighter pilots of today are
more skillful is that this generation’s pilots are being weaned on video games.

The players learn to manage resources that are limited, and decide the best use
of resources, the same way as in real life. In strategy games, for instance, while
developing a city, an unexpected surprise like an enemy might emerge. This
forces the player to be flexible and quickly change tactics. Sometimes the player
does this almost every second of the game giving the brain a real workout.
According to researchers at the University of Rochester, led by
Daphne Bavelier, a cognitive scientist, games simulating stressful events such
as those found in battle or action games could be a training tool for real-world
situations. The study suggests that playing action video games primes the brain
to make quick decisions. Video games can be used to train soldiers and surgeons,
according to the study. Steven n, author of Everything Bad is Good For You: How
Today’s Popular Culture, says gamers must deal with immediate problems while
keeping their long-term goals on their horizon. Young gamers force themselves to
read to get instructions, follow storylines of games, and get information from the
game texts.

James Paul Gee, professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,

says that playing a video game is similar to working through a science problem
Like students in a laboratory, gamers must come up with a hypothesis. For
example, players in some games constantly try out combinations of weapons and
powers to use to defeat an enemy. If one does not work, they change hypothesis
and try the next one. Video games are goal-ven experiences, says Gee, which
are fundamental to learning. Also, using math skills is important to win in many
games that involve quantitative analysis like managing resources. In higher levels
of a game, players usually fail the first time around, but they keep on trying until
they succeed and move on to the next level.

Many games are yed online and involve cooperation with other online players in
order to win. Video and computer games also help children gain self-confidence
and many games are based on history, city building, and governance and so on.
Such games indirectly teach children about aspects of life on earth.

In an upcoming study in the journal Current Biology, authors

Daphne Bavelier, Alexandre Pouget, and C. Shawn Green report that video
games could provide a potent training regimen for speeding up reactions in many
types of real-life situations. The researchers tested dozens of 18- to 25-year-
olds who were not ordinarily video game players. They split the subjects into two
groups. One group played 50 hours of the fast-paced action video games “Call of
Duty 2” and “Unreal Tournament,” and the other group played 50 hours of the
slow-moving strategy game “The Sims 2.” After this training period, all of the
subjects were asked to make quick decisions in several tasks designed by the
 researchers. The action game players were up to 25 percent faster at coming to
a conclusion and answered just as many questions correctly as their strategy
game playing peers.

Questions 14-17

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write your answers in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.

14

What is the main purpose of paragraph one

 A Introduction of professor James Paul Gee.
 B Introduction of the video game: Pajamas Sam.
 C Introduction of types of video games.
 D Introduction of the background of this passage.

15

What does the author want to express in the second paragraph

 A Video games are widely considered harmful for children’s brain.
 B Most violent video games are the direct reason of juvenile delinquency.
 C Even there is a certain proportion of violence in most video games; scientists and
psychologists see its benefits of children’s intellectual abilities.
 D Many parents regard video games as time-wasters, which rot children’s brain.

16

What is correctly mentioned in paragraph four

 A Some schools use video games to teach students abstract and high level thinking.
 B Video games improves the brain ability in various aspects.
 C Some surgeons have better skills because they play more video games.
 D Skillful fighter pilots in this generation love to play video games.

17

What is the expectation of the experiment the three researchers did

 A Gamers have to make the best use of the limited resource.
 B Gamers with better math skills will win in the end.
 C Strategy game players have better ability to make quick decisions.
 D Video games help increase the speed of players’ reaction effectively.
Questions 18-21

Do the following statement with the information given in Reading Passage?

In boxes 18-21 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN If there is no information on this

18 Most video games are popular because of their violent content.

19 The action game players minimized the percentage of making
mistakes in the experiment.
20 It would be a good idea for schools to apply video games in their
classrooms.
21 Those People who are addicted to video games have lots of
dopamine in their brains.

Questions 22-26

Use the information in the passage to match the people (listed A-F) with opinions
or deeds below.

Write the appropriate letters, A-F, in boxes 22-26 on your answer sheet.
A The writer’s opinion

B James Paul Gee

C Shawn Green

D Daphne Bavelier

E Steven Johnson

F Jacob Benjamin

22 Video games as other daily life skills alter the brain’s physical
structure.
23 Brain is ready to make decisions without hesitation when players are
immersed in playing stressful games.
24 The purpose-motivated experience that video games offer plays an
essential role in studying.
25 Players are good at tackling prompt issues with future intensions.
26 It helps children broaden their horizon in many aspects and gain self-
confidence.
Task 2.

Task 3.
Task 4
Task 5.
WRITING
Summary

Researchers and designers around the globe endeavor to create new

technologies that, by honoring the tenets of life, are both highly efficient and
often environmentally friendly. And while biomimicry is not a new concept
(Leonardo da Vinci looked to nature to design his flying machines, for example,
and pharmaceutical companies have long been miming plant organisms in
synthetic drugs), there is a greater need for products and manufacturing
processes that use a minimum of energy, materials, and toxins. What’s more, due
to technological advancements and a newfound spirit of innovation among
designers, there are now myriad ways to mimic Mother Nature’s best assets.“We
have a perfect storm happening right now,” says Jay Harman, an inventor and
CEO of PAX Scientific, which designs fans, mixers, and pumps to achieve
maximum efficiency by imitating the natural flow of fluids. “Shapes in nature are
extremely simple once you understand them, but to understand what geometries
are at play, and to adapt them, is a very complex process. We only just recently
have had the computer power and manufacturing capability to produce these
types of shapes.” “If we could capture nature’s efficiencies across the board, we
could decrease dependency on fuel by at least 50 percent,” Harman says. “What
we’re finding already with the tools and methodology we have right now is that
we can reduce energy consumption by between 30 and 40 percent.”

It’s only recently that mainstream companies have begun to equate biomimicry
with the bottom line. DaimlerChrysler, for example, introduced a prototype car
modeled on a coral reef fish. Despite its boxy, cube-shaped body, which defies a
long-held aerodynamic standard in automotive design (the raindrop shape), the
streamlined boxfish proved to be aerodynamically ideal and the unique
construction of its skin—numerous hexagonal, bony plates—a perfect recipe for
designing a car of maximum strength with minimal weight.
Graph

Essay
Nowadays, more people are choosing to socialize online rather than face to face. What are the
reasons for this? Is this a positive or negative development? Give reasons for your answer and
include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Listening
Task 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbJICQcAbDk&t=1084s
1B 2D 3C 4D 5A 6D
Task 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKB_jvA-uF8&list=PL1VgFeDQB-hD8LMDsiJ5Oa7v-
BEJAi7nL&index=2
7. total sensory design 8. roundabouts 9. shiny surfaces 10. stone; wood 11. People Like Us/ PLUs 12. exclusive;
discount 13. Home Comfortables 14. Budget Optimists 15. Young Survivors

Task 3

1T 2NG 3NG 4T 5F

Task 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw49B-Dk18I&list=PL1VgFeDQB-hD8LMDsiJ5Oa7v-
BEJAi7nL&index=4
1. invasive species 4. incredible speed of reaction time
2. pink 5. human dialects
3. worms
 Reading
Task 1

 14 D
 15C
 16B
 17D
 18NOT GIVEN
 19FALSE
 20NOT GIVEN

 21 TRUE
 22C
 23D
 24B
 25E
 26A
Passage 2
9. every 10. from 11. false 12. little/no 13. cause/reason 14. goes
15. turn
16. use
Passage 3

Graph
The pie charts detail the rationales for immigration to and emigration from the UK in 2007. Looking from an overall
perspective, it is readily apparent that immigration was mainly related to various kinds of work, study, and
accompanying someone, with no reasons stated and other less typical. Emigration was similarly focused on work
(non-definite work being more prevalent) but formal study was a less likely reason and less defined reasons were
more common.
In terms of study and work, 30% of immigrants came to the UK for definite jobs, just 1% above the number
emigrating for the same purpose. The disparity regarding looking for work was greater (12% for immigration and
22% for emigration) and even more significant concerning formal study (26% immigrating and just 4% emigrating for
school).
There was relative alignment for other reasons with 11% immigrating with another purpose and 14% emigrating,
comparable to the figures for accompanying another person (15% and 13%, respectively). Finally, only 6% of
individuals immigrate to the United Kingdom without a reason, while three times this figure emigrate lacking a stated
purpose.
Essay
It can be easily recognized that communicating through the internet is becoming
more and more engaging to people, in comparison with face-to-face interaction.
There are several factors that account for this trend, which leads to my belief
that this change is for the better.
Firstly, online communication is not as time and cost consuming as the real one.
The amount of time used to get dressed, travel, etc. is minimized, which also
helps reduce the relating expenses. There is no need to pay for the
transportation, or the foods and drinks if somebody decides to meet up at the
cafe, or a restaurant, for instance. Moreover, when it comes to online shopping, in
no way do we have to walk from place to place or stand in queues in cash
counters. Instead, we can enter the key words in the search engine and take a
look at all of the items on display without having to touch them one by one.
Secondly, online interaction secures a higher possibility of attendees’
involvement. Those obstacles that occur in the real world, such as: traffic
congestion, hearing or seeing difficulty in open spaces or large rooms, etc. are
not of concern anymore. Everybody has the equal opportunity to get access to the
information, therefore leaving no excuses for delaying or procrastination. All of
the working process is clearly recorded by AI, which intensify the fairness and
objectivity. For example, in online learning, the due date for every assignment or
homework is clearly informed, as well as the time you submitted it and the
scoring as well. This helps raise people’s awareness and sense of responsibility.
In conclusion, online interaction has proved to be a superior invention. In believe
its potential benefits can definitely make up for the problems that face-to-face
communication confronts.