READING PASSAGE 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26 which are based on
Reading Passage 2 below.

The study of laughter

Humans don’t have a monopoly on laughter, says Silvia Cardoso. A behavioral
biologist at the State University of Campinas, Brazil, she says it’s a primitive reflex
common to most animal; even rats laugh. She believes that too little laughter could
have serious consequences for our mental, physical and social well-being.
Laughter is a universal phenomenon, and one of the most common things we do.
We laugh many times a day, for many different reasons, but rarely think about it,
and seldom consciously control it. We know so little about the different kinds and
functions of laughter, and our interest really starts there. Why do we do it? What
can laughter teach us about our positive emotions and social behavior? There’s so
much we don’t know about how the brain contributes to emotion and many
scientists think we can get at understanding this by studying laughter.
Only 10 or 20 percent of laughing is a response to humor. Most of the time, it’s a
message we send to other people, communicating joyful disposition, a willingness to
bond and so on. It occupies a special place in social interaction and is a fascinating
feature of our biology, with motor, emotional and cognitive components. Scientists
study all kinds of emotions and behavior, but few focuses in this most basic
ingredient. Laughter gives us a clue that we have powerful systems in our brain
which respond to pleasure, happiness and joy. It’s also involved in events such as
release of fear.
Many professionals have always focused on emotional behavior. Researchers spent
many years investigating the neural basis of fear in rats, and came to laughter via
that route. It is noticed that when they were alone, in an exposed environment, they
were scared and quite uncomfortable. Back in a cage with others, they seemed
much happier. It looked as if they played with one another real rough and tumble,
and researchers wondered whether they were also laughing. The neurobiologist
Jaak Panksepp had shown that juvenile rats make short vocalizations, pitched too
high for humans to hear, during rough-and-tumble play. He thinks these are similar
to laughter. This made us wonder about the roots of laughter.
We only have to look at the primate closest to humans to see that laughter is
clearly not unique to us. This is not too surprising, because humans are only one
among many social species and there’s no reason why we should have a monopoly
on laughter as a social tool. The great apes, such as chimpanzees, do something
similar to humans. They open their mouths wide, expose their teeth, retract the
corners of their lips, and make loud and repetitive vocalizations in situations that
tend to evoke human laughter, like when playing with one another or with humans,
or when tickled. Laughter may even have evolved long before primates. We know
that dogs at play have strange patterns of exhalation that differ from other sounds
made during passive or aggressive confrontation.
But we need to be careful about over-interpreting panting behavior in animals at
play. It’s nice to think of it as homologous to human laughter, but it could just be
something similar but with entirely different purposes and evolutionary advantages.
Everything humans do has a function, and laughing is no exception. Its function is
surely communication. We need to build social structures in order to live well in our
society and evolution has selected laughter as a useful device for promoting social
communication. In other words, it must have a survival advantage for the species.
The brain scans are usually done while people are responding to humorous
material. Brainwave activity spread from the sensory processing area of the
occipital lobe, the bit at the back of the brain that processes visual signals, to the
brain’s frontal lobe. It seems that the frontal lobe is involved in recognizing things
as funny. The left side of the frontal lobe analyses the words and structure of jokes
while the right side does the intellectual analyses required to “get” jokes. Finally,
activity spreads to the motor areas of the brain controlling the physical task of
laughing. Researchers also found out that these complex pathways involved in
laughter from neurological illness and injury. Sometimes after brain damage,
tumors, stroke or brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, people get
“stonefaced” syndrome and can’t laugh.
We are sure that laughter should differ between the sexes, particularly the uses to
which the sexes put laughter as a social tool. For instance, women smile more than
laugh, and are particularly adept at smiling and laughing with men as a kind of
“social lubricant”. It might even be possible that this has a biological origin, because
women don’t or can’t use their physical size as a threat, which men do, even if
unconsciously.
Laughter is believed to be one of the best medicines. For one thing, it’s exercise. It
activates the cardiovascular system, so heart rate and blood pressure increase,
then the arteries dilate, causing blood pressure to fall again. Repeated short, strong
contractions of the chest muscles, diaphragm and abdomen increase blood flow into
our internal organs, and forced respiration –the ha! ha! –making sure that this blood
is well oxygenated. Muscle tension decreases, and indeed we may temporarily lose
control of our limbs, as in the expression “weak with laughter”. It may also release
brain endorphins, reducing sensitivity to pain and boosting endurance and
pleasurable sensations. Some studies suggest that laughter affects the immune
system by reducing the production of hormones associated with stress, and what
when you laugh the immune system produces more T-cells. But no rigorously
controlled studies have confirmed these effects. Laughter’s social role is definitely
important.
Today’s children may be heading for a whole lot of social ills because their play and
leisure time is so isolated and they lose out on lots of chances for laughter. When
children stare at computer screens, rather than laughing with each other, this is at
odds with what’s natural for them. Natural social behavior in children is playful
behavior, and in such situations laughter indicates that make-believe aggression is
just fun, not for real, and this is an important way in which children from positive
emotional bonds, gain new social skills and generally start to move from childhood
to adulthood. Parents need to be very careful to ensure that their children play in
groups, with both peers and adult, and laugh more.

Questions 14-15
Which of the following claims and arguments are presented in the passage above?
Choose TWO letters from A-E
A All animals share the phenomenon of laughter.
B Laughter can influence both adult and child health.
C Laughter is not unique to humans.
D Human mental, physical and social well-being are closely related.
E Laughter teaches us how to behave.

Questions 16-20
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage
2?
On your answer sheet please write
YES if the statement agrees with the writer
NO if the statement contradicts with the writer
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage.
16 Laughter is one of the most common expressions shared by all humans.
17 There are complicated systems in the human brain that take the responsibility
of our emotions as happiness and fear.
18 Communication is the only purpose of laughter.
19 Reduced blood pressure would lead to a stimulated cardiovascular system.
20 With the mass production of T-cells from the laughter, stress hormones would
be deducted from the immune system.

Questions 21-26
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Emotional behavior takes academic concerns. For years scientists have been
examining the origin of 21 _________ and laughter that comes from the same route
as rats. Within an open environment, they have been noticed to be 22 _________
when they are alone, and happier when they are back with others. Jaak Panksepp
even found that rats make 23 _________ when they are in a chaotic state. It is well
understand that humans are not the only living species that laughs and laughter
may have developed long before 24 _________. Despite such facts, we need to pay
attention when we explain various animal behavior, as they may express with
differed 25 _________ and 26 _________.

READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40 which are based on
Reading Passage 3 below.

Shoemaker-Levy 9 Collision with Jupiter

A
The last half of July 1994 witnessed much interest among the astronomical
community and the wider public in the collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with
Jupiter. The comet was discovered on 25 March 1993 by Eugene and Carolyn
Shoemaker and David Levy, using a 450 mm Schmidt camera at the Mount Palomar
Observatory. The discovery was based on a photographic plate exposed two days
earlier. The Shoemakers are particularly experienced comet hunters with 61
discoveries to their credit. Their technique relied on the proper motion of a comet to
identify the object as a non-stellar body. They photograph large areas of the sky,
typically with an eight minute exposure, and repeat the photograph 45 minutes
later. Comparison of the two photographs with a stereo-microscope reveals any
bodies which have moved against the background of fixed stars.
B
As so often in science, serendipity played a large part in the discovery of the
Shoemaker-Levy 9. The weather in the night of 23 March was so poor that the
observers would not normally have bothered putting film into their camera.
However, they had a box of old film to hand which had been partially exposed by
accident some days previously, so decided to insert it into the camera rather than
waste good film. Fortunately, two of the film plates, despite being fogged round the
edges captured the first image of a very strange, bar-shaped object. This object,
which Carolyn Shoemaker first described as a squashed comet, later became known
as comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.
C
Other, more powerful, telescopes revealed that the comet was in fact composed of
21 cemetery fragments, strung out in a line, which accounted for the unusual
shape. The term string of pearls was soon coined. Some graphic proofs obtained by
the Hubble Space Telescope shows the main fragments which at that time spanned
a linear distance of approximately 600,000 km. Initially the fragments were
surrounded by extensive dust clouds in the line of the nuclei but these later
disappeared. Some of the nuclei also faded out, while others split into multiple
fragments.
D
The size of the original comet and each of the fragments was, and still is, something
of a mystery. The first analysis of the orbital dynamics of the fragments suggested
that the comet was originally some 2.5 km in diameter with an average fragment
diameter of 0.75 km. Later work gave corresponding diameters of approximately 10
km and 2 km and these values are now considered more likely. There was
considerable variation in the diameters of different fragments.
E
Further calculations revealed that the cemetery fragments were on course to collide
with Jupiter during July 1994, and that each fragment could deliver an energy
equivalent to approximately 500,000 million tons of TNT. The prospect of celestial
fireworks on such a grand scale immediately captured the attention of astronomers
worldwide!
F
Each fragment was assigned an identity letter A-W and a coordinated program of
observations was put in place worldwide to track their progress towards impact with
Jupiter. As the cemetery fragments reached the cloud tops of Jupiter, they were
travelling at approximately 30,000,000 km. The impacts occurred during 16-22 July.
All took place at a latitude of approximately 48 degrees south which nominally
placed them in the SSS Temperate Region, however visually they appeared close to
the Jovian polar region. The impacts all occurred some 10-15 degrees round the
limb in the far side of the planet as seen from Earth. However the rapid rotation of
the planet soon carried the impact sites into the view of Earth-based telescopes.
The collisions lived up to all but the wildest expectations and provided a truly
impressive spectacle.
G
Jupiter is composed of a relatively small core of iron and silicates surrounded by
hydrogen. In the depths of the planet the hydrogen is so compressed that it is
metallic in form; further from the center, the pressure is lower and the hydrogen is
in its normal molecular form. The Jovian cloud tops visible from Earth consist
primarily of methane and ammonia. There are other elements and compounds
lurking in the cloud tops and below which are thought to be responsible for the
colors seen in the atmosphere.
H
The smaller cemetery fragments plunged into Jupiter, rapidly disintegrated and left
little trace; three of the smallest fragments, namely T, U and V left no discernible
traces whatsoever. However, many of the cemetery fragments were sufficiently
large to produce a spectacular display. Each large fragment punched through the
cloud tops, heated the surrounding gases to some 20,000 K on the way, and caused
a massive plume or fireball up to 2,000 km in diameter to rise above the cloud tops.
Before encountering thicker layers of the atmosphere and disintegrating in a
mammoth shock wave, the large fragments raised dark dust particles and ultra
violet absorbing gases high into the Jovian cloud tops. The dark particles and ultra
violet absorbing gases manifested themselves as a dark scar surrounding the
impact site in visible light.
I
Somedays after collision the impact sites began to evolve and fade as they became
subject to the dynamics of Jupiter’s atmosphere. No one knows how long they will
remain visible from Earth, but it is thought that the larger scars may persist for a
year or more. The interest of professional astronomers in Jupiter is now waning and
valuable work can therefore be performed by amateurs in tracking the evolution of
the collision scars. The scars are easily visible in a modest telescope, and a large
reflector will show them in some detail. There is scope for valuable observing work
from now until Jupiter reaches conjunction with the Sun in November 2004.
J
Astronomers and archivists are now searching old records for possible previously
unrecognized impacts on Jupiter. Several spots were reported from 1690 to 1872 by
observers including William Herschel and Giovanni Cassini. The records of the BAA
in 1927 and 1948 contain drawings of Jupiter with black dots or spots visible. It may
be possible that comet impacts have been observed before, without their identity
being realized, but no one can be sure.

Questions 27-31
Choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs B-F from the list of headings
below
Write appropriate numbers (i-x) in boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet.
NB There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use them all.
List of Headings
i Camera settings for observation
ii Collisions on stage
iii Size of comet
iv String of pearls
v Scientific explanations
vi Hubble Space Telescope
vii First discovery of the squashed comet
viii Power generated from the collisions
ix Calculations, expectations and predictions
x Change of the fragment’s shape
27 Paragraph B
28 Paragraph C
29 Paragraph D
30 Paragraph E
31 Paragraph F

Questions 32 -35
Reading Passage 3 contains 10 paragraphs A-J.
Which paragraphs state the following information?
Write the appropriate letters A-J in boxes 32-35 on your answer sheet.
32 Shoemaker-Levy 9 comets had been accidentally detected.
33 The collision caused a spectacular vision on Jupiter.
34 Every single element of Shoemaker-Levy 9 was labeled.
35 Visual evidence explains the structure of Shoemaker-Levy 9.

Questions 36 -40
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
The core of Jupiter, which is enclosed by hydrogen, consists of 36 _________
and 37 _________. Hydrogen is in metallic form as it is squeezed by pressure
generated from the depths of the planet. The pressure is gradually reduced from
the center to the outside layers, where hydrogen is in normal form of 38 _________.
Far from the ground, methane and ammonia structures the 39 _________, which can
be observed from earth. Colors seen in the atmosphere is largely due to other
particles 40 _________ in the cloud.

READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-14 which are based on
Reading Passage 1 below.

Dealing with Different Sleep Patterns

Sleep medicine is a relatively young field in the UK, with only a couple of centers
until the 1980s. In the last decade a number of centers have sprouted, often led by
chest physicians and ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) surgeons with an interest in
obstructive sleep apnoea, forcing neurologists and neurophysiologists to wake up
and contribute to the non –respiratory aspect of this neglected subject.
Within sleep, two states are recognized – non rapid eye movement (NREM) and
rapid eye movement (REM). These alternate cyclically through the night with cycle
time of 90 minutes (50 ~ 60 minutes in the newborn). NREM sleep evolved with the
homeothermic state and is divided into four stages: stage 1and 2 which are
considered light sleep, and stages 3 and 4 which are considered deep sleep with
high arousal threshold.
REM is ontogenecally primitive with EEG (electroencephalo-graph) activity closer to
wake state, intermittent bursts of REMs and muscle atonia interrupted by phasic
burst producing asynchronous twitching. The atonia of REM sleep prevents acting
out of dreams and is lost in REM behavior disorder when dreams content becomes
violent and patients act out their dream, often resulting in injury.
REM behavior disorder can be a precursor of neurodegenerative disease including
Parkinsons. Dream content –pleasant or unpleasant –will be remembered on waking
from REM sleep but there is often little or no memory of the preceding mental
activity on arousals from NREM sleep, even when associated with complex
behaviors and autonomic disturbance as occurs in night terrors or sleep walking.
In the newborn, 50 percent of total sleep time is occupied by REM sleep,
progressively shrinking to 25 percent in the adult, the first block of REM sleep
occurring about 90 minutes after sleep onset. Abrupt withdrawal of alcohol and
many centrally acting recreational and non-recreational drugs can cause REM sleep
to occur at sleep onset. This can also increase total REM sleep, leading to intense
vivid often frightening dreams, similar to that experienced by patients with
narcolepsy.
The NREM/REM sleep states are interrupted by brief arousals and transient
awakenings. The frequency of the arousals may increase with emotional
disturbance or environmental discomfort but also in many intrinsic sleep disorders
such as periodic leg movements in sleep, obstructive sleep apnoea and narcolepsy.
A basic rest/activity cycle originates in fetal life. The newborn sleeps an equal
amount during the day and night, the sleep/wake cycle organized around three to
four hourly feeds. By the second month favoring of sleep towards night time occurs
and by six months the baby will have about 12 hour of sleep at night in addition to a
couple of daytime naps.
In general, children born prematurely have a tendency to be awake more at night in
the first year and breast-fed babies wake more frequently, but the difference
disappears by the second year. Persistent night awakenings in infants and toddlers
usually reflect the child’s inability to self-soothe back to sleep without parental
attention and will respond to a well supported behavioral programme.
The establishment of a consolidated night sleep pattern in children reflects brain
maturation and may be disrupted in children with developmental problems. Even in
this group success is possible by persisting with behavioral work, though many
paediatricians prescribe melatonin for these children with some success. But as the
long-term safety of melatonin remains unknown it should be used as a last resort.
There are now good studies looking at short term use of melatonin in sleep wake
cycle disorders such as delayed sleep phase syndrome. Its use as a hypnotic should
be discouraged, especially in the developing child as there is uncertainty on other
cycles, such as menstrual.
In addition to the NREM/REM cycles, there is a circadian sleep/wake cycle entrained
by intrinsic rhythms –melatonin and body temperature and extrinsic factors –light
and social cues such as mealtimes, work times.
The pineal hormone melatonin plays a role in entraining the sleep/wake cycle to the
light/dark cycle. Melatonin secretion is high in darkness and low in daylight hours,
the process beginning in the retina with the supra chiasmatic nucleus playing a
major role as a sleep regulator via melatonin. Blind people may lose this
entrainment and develop a free running sleep/wake cycle with progressive
advancement of sleep onset time.
Polymorphism of the circadian clock gene has now been identified with the
population divided between morning types (larks) and evening types (owls). Those
predisposed to later sleep onset time are susceptible to developing delayed sleep
phase syndrome especially during adolescence when sleep requirement increases
and there is a tendency towards later time for sleeping and waking.
In delayed sleep phase syndrome, sleep onset is delayed to the early hours of the
morning with consequent difficulty in waking in time for school/work. Once
established advancing sleep onset time is difficult and requires treatment with
appropriately timed melatonin or bright light therapy, or chronotherapy –advancing
sleep onset progressively forwards until the desired sleep time is reached.
In contrast the elderly who are more susceptible to perturbation in their sleep/wake
schedule can develop advanced sleep phase syndrome with sleep onset occurring
early in the evening. Shift workers often struggle to cope with shift patterns as they
grow older due to difficulty in re-adjusting their circadian clock. In general, morning
bright light exposure is a more powerful synchronizer of the circadian rhythm than
melatonin.

Questions 1-8
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage
1?
On your answer sheet please write
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage.
1 Growth interest on sleeping disorder studies caused growth number of centers
for researching on sleep medicines.
2 People are often injured when dreaming aggressive scenes or sleepwalking.
3 Parkinsons is scientifically proved to be the only result of REM disorders.
4 REM sleep counts for less proportion of total sleep time for grownups than
newborns.
5 Frightening dreams are considered irrelevant to alcohols and drugs.
6 According to the author, babies would sleep more at night from the second
month of their births.
7 During the night, children born prematurely wake as frequently as breast fed
babies.
8 Children require more deep sleep and less disruption during their sleep in the
first half of the night.

Questions 9-14
Complete the summary below.
Choose your answer from the list below and write them in boxes 9-14 on your
answer sheet.
NB There are more words than spaces so you will not use them all.
Researchers had laid their eyes on using medicines in sleep-wake cycle disorders.
The NREM/REM cycles affect sleep along with human 9 _________ and outside
factors. Melatonin plays a determinant role in 10 _________ the sleep wake cycle to
the day-night cycle. Scientists found that melatonin is high within 11 _________
environment, with an exception of 12 _________ subject who may build up a free
cycle. Circadian clock genes are 13 _________ between “morning people” and “night
people”. It is difficult for people with delayed sleep phase syndrome to wake in
time. Conversely, 14 _________ are more susceptible to sleep early in the evening.
rhythms shadow different identical
paces bright body shift workers
entraining daylight elders blind
physiological cycle younger sight