READING PASSAGE 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1
on pages 2 and 3.

Why good ideas fail

As part of a marketing course, two marketing expert comment on a
hypothetical case study involving TF, a fictional retail giant specializing
in home furnishing. The experts give concrete solutions and advice to
assist students
Hypothetical case study:
TF became a retail success in the 1970s when it succeeded in spotting homeware trends and
meeting the needs of its then trendy young customer. However, by 2004, the TF stores were
failing and a rethink was clearly necessary. Tibal Fisher, TF's founder and CEO, decided to
change its focus under the new brand name of TF’s NextStage. His aim was to recapture the now
ageing customer s that had given him his early success and target consumers aged 60+ with
devices and gadgets specifically designed to assist them with the problems associated with
agenig: mobile phones with screens that were easy to set and adjust. TF’s market research proved
to be very positive, showing strong consumer support for the products.
In 2007, the store were remodeled at a cost of USS40 million and the new brand was launched.
Each store was made more comfortable and featured a coffee shop to help increase trafiic-Tibal
had predicted that if they could get customers into Hie stores then the products would sell
themselves. However, by 2009 it was clear that the idea was a failure and the stores consistently
remained empty. Customers complained that the new stores felt like a senior center and
reminded them that they were growing old.

Feedback from experts:

Expert 1: Donna Sturgess, global head of innovation, GlaxoSmithKline

The TFteam’s customer research efforts are a classic case of missing the subconscious
associations at work in consumers’minds. Tibal and his executives looked only at sur face
attitudes. Since those attitudes make up a relatively small part of the total consumer response, the
executives are clueless about the reason for the poor sales. It's critical for companies to
understand that every customer relates to a brand emotionally, and it's those emotions that
trigger-or block-purchases.
That's why we're focused on using emotional strategies behind branding for a number of years
now. A great example is Alli (pronounced'ally*), a drug to aid weight loss. The product deals
with a highly emotional issue, so in marketing it, we faced the same challenge that the new
TFstores are facing: the verv thought of buying the product reminds customers that they have
about. In the case of TF's NextStage, the problems are age and
infirmity. In the case of Alli, the problems are excessive weight and all its consequences. There's
always a risk that consumer’s negative feelings will discourage them from starting or staying on
a diet. So, after extensive market research, we took a number of steps to inject positive emotions
into the whole process or using the product.

Fu st we came up with a name that sounds like a helpfill partner. We also aimed to make the
container- both beautiful and functional - something that didn't just hold pills but could later be
used to store diet guides and recipes. Traditional market research is unlikely to uncover ideas like
tliis, so we use a wide variety of techniques. Even sunpie techniques such as one-on-one
interviews, or ethnographical observation that involves going into people's houses to examine
their behavior, can provide valuable data.

Expert 2: Alex Lee, president of OXO International, maker of 0X0 Good Grips household
products

This retailer can get back on track by remembering a principle that applies to consumers in
general and those aged 60+ in particular: they're attracted by brands they associate with the type
of people they'd like to be-not the type tliey really are. That's why marketing campaigns for surf
gear- feature surfers not the city dwellers who will wear the products while doing their shopping.

I was reminded of tliis principle a few years ago when we wanted to find out how far we could
apply our design philosophy of making things easier to sue in order to move from our core
business, kitchen tools, into other products. We conducted what are known as focus groups,
where participants were asked to look at photos of people and pick those they perceived to be
user and nonusers of our products. Consistently they picked people who looked fid as the sort
who would use our products, and people who looked old and boring as the sort who wouldn't.
Yet the participants, all owners of our product s, looked a lot more like the latter than the former.
Although the needs of elderly users and those with deteriorating vision or dexterity are very
much taken into consideration when we develop new designs, we tiy to offer products that
appeal to 20- and 30-year-olds. We believe that referring to these products as helping tools
would serve only to harm the brand in our customers ‘eyes. That's why our philosophy of
universal design, winch involves creating products that are comfortably useable by the largest
possible range of people, is never explicitly stated as part of our marketing position.

We've found that market research doesn't need to be very sophisticated. For instance, we have
conducted simple surveys in the lobby of our building offering free products in exchange for
people's opinions. Some may call tliis unscientific but we have uncovered great insights this way.
Sometimes the most important signals come from an executive's own instincts. In Tibal Fisher's
case, this could have told him what his surveys and focus groups didn't: 60-plus-year-olds won't
support a busmess that expects them to act their age.
Questions 1-5

Do the following statements agree with the information given Reading Passage 1?

hi boxes 1-5 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

1 The TF NextStage stores planned to sell products to make life easier for older people.

2 TFs market research indicated that people liked the products.

3 It cost more than expected to remodel the TFstores.

4 The TF NextStage coffee shops sold their own brand of food and drink.

5 TF Nextstage customers liked the atmosphere in the new stores.

Questions 6-13
Complete the notes below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 6-13 on your answer sheet.
Feedback from experts
Donna Sturgess
Problems with customer research:
• TF team limited their research to attitudes that occur at a 6 level in
customers’ minds
• TF didn't consider customers’ emotions
How my company dealt with a similar problem:
• Product: Alli
• Use: help people achieve 7
• Marketing aim: help customers see the product in a positive way by:
- giving the product a 8 that seems helpfill and supportive
- giving the product a reusable 9
Market research
• does not need to be complex
• good information can come from interviews or studying the 10of
consumers in the home
Alex Lee
Problem:
• customers are attracted to the ideal not the reality, e.g. ads for surf gear
How my company dealt with a similar problem:
• we organised 11 to find out what images customers associate with our
products
• we do not call our products helping tools in our marketing campaigns
Market research:
• can be basic, e.g. by doing 12
• company executives should follow their 13
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Question 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2
on pages 6 and 7.

Keeping the water away

New approaches to flood control
A. Recently, winter floods on the rivers and uncontrollable; by turning
of central Europe have been among complex river systems into the
the worst for 600 to 700 years, and simple mechanics of a water pipe,
dams and dykes (protective sea engineers have often created danger
walls) have failed to solve the where they promised safety. The
problem. Traditionally, river Rhine, Europe's most engineered
engineer s have tried to get rid of the river, is a good example. For a long
water quickly, draining it off the land tune engineers have erased its
and down to the sea in river s re­ backwaters and cut it off from its
engineered as high-performance flood plain. The aim was partly to
drains. But however high they build improve navigation, and partly to
the artificial riverbanks, the floods speed floodwaters out of the Alps
keep coming back. And when they and down to the North Sea. Now,
come, they seem to be worse than when it rains hard in the Alps, the
ever. peak flows from several branches of
B. Engine ers are now turning to a the Rhine coincide where once they
different plan: to sap the water's arrived separately, and with four-
destructive strength by dispersing it fifths of the Lower Rhine's flood
mto fields, forgotten lakes and flood plain bairicaded off, the waters rise.
plains. They ar e reviving river bends The result is more frequent flooding
and marshes to curb the flow, and and greater damage. The same thing
even plugging city drains to has happened in the Us on the
encourage floodwater to use other Mississippi river, which drains the
means to go underground. Back in world's second largest river
the days when river s took a winding catchment into the Guli of Mexico.
path to sea, floodwaters lost force Despite some S7 billion spent over
and volume while meandering across the last century on levees
flood plains and island deltas, but (embankments), the situation is
today the water tends to have a dir ect growing worse.
passage to the sea. This means that, D. Special hi w'atei control now say that
when it rains in the uplands, the a new approach is needed-one which
water comes down all at once. takes the whole landscape mto
C. Worse, when the flood plains are consideration. To help keep
closed off, the river's flow e violent London's feet dry, the UK
Environment Agency is reflooding
 10 square kilometres of the ancient overloaded after heavy rains.
flood plain of the River Thames Architects of new urban buildings
outside Oxford. Nearer to London, it are diverting rainwater from the roof
has spent £100 million creating new for use in toilets and the irrigation of
wetlands and a relief channel across roof gardens, while water felling
16 kilometres of flood plain. Similar onto the ground os collected in
ideas are being tested in Austria, in ponds, or passes underground
one of Europe's largest river through porous paving. One high-
restorations to date. The engineers tech urban development can store a
calculate that the restored flood plain sixth of its annual rainfell, and reuse
of the Drava River can now store up most of the rest.
to 10 million cublic metres of G. Could this be expanded to protect a
floodwater, and slow down storm whole city? The test case could be
surges coining out of the Alps by Los Angeles. With non-porous
more than an hour, protecting towns surfaces covering 70% of the city,
not only in Austria, but as far drainage is a huge challenge. Billions
downstream as Slovenia and Croatia. of dollars have been spent digging
E. The Dutch, for whom preventing huge drains and concreting
floods is a matter of survival, have riverbeds, but many communities
gone furthest. This nation, built still flood regularly. Meanwhile this
largely on drained marshes and desert city ships water- from
seabed, has had several severe hundreds of kilometres away to fill
shocks in the last two decades, when its taps and swimming pools. Los
very large numbers of people have Angeles lias recently launched a new
had to be evacuated. Since that time, scheme to utilise floodwater in the
the Dutch have broken one of then Sun Valley section of the city. The
most enduring national stereotypes plan is to catch the rain that falls on
by allowing engineers to punch holes thousands of driveways, parking lots
in dykes. They plan to return up to a and rooftops in the valley. Trees will
sixth of the country to its former soak up water- from parking lots;
waterlogged state in order to better houses and public buildings will
protect the rest. capture roof water to irrigate garden
F. Water use in cities also needs to and parks, and road drains will
change. At the moment, cities seem empty into old gravel pits to recharge
designed to create floods; they are the city’s underground water
concreted and paved so that rains reserves. Result: less flooding and
flow quickly into rivers. A new more water for the city. It may sound
breed of 'soft engineers' wants cities expensive, until we realise how
to become porous. Berlin is one much is spent frying to drain cities
place 'where this is being done. and protect areas from flooding, and
Tough new rules for new how little this method achieves.
developments mean that chains will
be coming
Questions 14-19

Reading Passage 2 lias seven paragraphs, A-G.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the collect letter, A-G, inboxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.

14 how legislation has forced building designers to improve water use

15 two reasons why one river was isolated from its flood plain
16 how natural water courses in the past assisted flood control

17 an example of flood control on one liver, affecting three countries

18 a country which lias partly destroyed one of its most typical features in order to control
water

19 the winter's comment on the comparative cost effectiveness of traditional flood control
and newer methods

Questions 2

According to the article, which TWO of these statements are true of the new approach to flood
control?

A It aims to slow the movement of water to the sea.

B It aims to channel water more dir ectly into rivers.

C It will cost more than twice as much as former measures.

D It will involve the loss of some areas of land.

E It has been tested only in The Netherlands.

Questions 22 - 26

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer-.

Write your answers in boxes 22-26 on your answer sheet.

22 Some of the most severe floods for many centuries have recently occurred in parts
of

23 The Rhine and therivers have exper ienced similar problems wiill water
control.

24 An area near Oxford will be flooded to protect the city of

25 Planners who wish to allow water to pass more freely through city surfaces are
called

26 A proposal for part of the city ofcould show whether small-scale water-
projects could apply on a large scale.
READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3
on pages 10 and 11

The Diprotodon (a rhinoceros-sized wombat), an example of Australia's now extinct megafauna

Australia’s Megafauna Controversy

Just how long did humans live side by side with megafauna in Australia?
Barry Brook, Richard Gillespie and Paul Martin dispute previous claims
of a lengthy coexistence
Over the past 50 millennia, Australia has Ice Age brought about then eventual
witnessed the extinction of many species of demise. In the long-standing explanation of
large animals, including a rhinoceros-sized this site, artefacts such as stone tools and
wombat and goannas the size of crocodiles, extinct annual remains were deposited over
Debate about the possible cause of these many thousands of years in an ephemeral
extinctions has continued for more than 150 lake-a body of water existing for a relatively
years and one of the crucial questions raised short time - and remained in place and
is how long humans and megafauna undisturbed until the present day.
coexisted in Australia. We need to know the
There is no disputing the close
overlap of time to make an informed choice
association of bones and stones at Cuddle
between the two main theories regarding the
Springs, as both are found 1 to 1.7 metres
causes of these extinctions If humans and
below the modern surface. The dating of
megafauna coexisted fora protracted period
these layers is accurate: ages for the
then climate change is the more likely cause.
sediments vrere obtained through
However, if the megafauna became extinct
radiocarbon dating of charcoal fragments
shortly after the arrival of humans, then
and luminescence dating of sand grains from
humans are the likely culprits.
the same levels (revealing when a sample
The archaeological site at Cuddle was last exposed to sunlight). Intriguingly,
Springs in eastern Australia appears to be some of the stone tools show surface
well preserved. This dusty claypan holds features indicating their use for processing
within its sediments a rich cache of flaked plants, and a few even have well-preserved
stone and seed-grinding tools, and side by blood and hair residues suggesting were
side with these clear signals of human used in butchering animals
culture are the bones of a dozen or more
But is the case proposed by Field and
species of megafauna. Drs Judith Field and
Wroe clear-cut? We canied out a reanalysis
Stephen Wroe of the University of Sydney,
of the scientific data from Cuddie Springs
who excavated the site, claim that it
that blings into question their conclusions.
provides unequivocal evidence of a long
The amount of anthropological evidence
overlap of humans and megafauna, and
found at the site is remarkable: we estimate
ding ip to the last
there are more than 3 tonnes of charcoal and
more than 300 tonnes of stone buried there. bushfires that intermittently occurred within
Field and Wroe estimate that there ate the catchment. Flood events more likely
approximately 20 million artefacts. This explain the accumulation of megafauna
plethora of tools is hard to reconcile with a remains, and could have mixed old bones
site that was only available for occupation with fresh deposits. European glaziers also
when the lake was dry. Furthermore, no disturbed the site in 1876 by constructing a
cultural features such as oven pits have been well to provide water for their cattle. Given
discovered. If the sediment layers have the expense of well-digging, we speculate
remained undisturbed since being laid down, that the graziers made sine it was protected
as Field and Wroe contend, then the ages of from the damage caused by cattle hooves by
those sediments should increase with depth. lining the surface with small stones collected
However-, our analysis revealed a number of fr om ftu flier afield, including prehistoric
inconsistencies. quarries. This idea is consistent with the thin
layer of stones spread over a large area, with
First, the charcoal samples are all
cattle occasionally breaking through the
roughly 36,000 years old. Second, sand in
gravel surface and forcing the stone and
the two upper levels is considerably younger
even cattle bones deeper into the
than charcoal h orn the same levels. Third,
waterlogged soil.
Field and Wroe say that the tools and seed­
grinding stones used for plant and animal The lack of conclusive evidence that
processing are ancient, yet they are very humans and megafauna coexisted for a
similar to implements found elsewhere that lengthy period casts doubt on Field and
were in use only a few thousand years ago. Wroe's assertion that clmiate change was
Also of interest is the fact that a deep dull responsible for the extinction of Australia's
core made a mere 60 metres from the site megafauna. However, we do not suggest that
recovered no stone artefacts or fossil bones newly arrived, well-armed hunters
whatsoever. These points suggest strongly systematically slaughtered all the large
that the sediments have been moved about beasts they encountered. Recent studies
and some of the old charcoal has been re­ based on the biology of modern-day large
deposited m younger layers. Indeed, one mammal, combined with observations of
sample of cow bone found 1 metre below people who still practice a traditional hunter­
the surface came from sediments where gatherer lifestyle, reveal an unexpected
charcoal dated at 6,000 and 23,000 years old paradox and suggest a further possible
is mixed with 17,000-year-old sand. The explanation as to what happened. Using a
mega fauna bones themselves have not yet mathematical model, it wras found that a
been dated, although new technological group of 10 people killing only one juvenile
developments make this a possibility in the Diprotodon each year would be sufficient to
near future. bring about the extinction of that species
within 1,000 years. This suggests that here,
We propose that the archaeologists have
as in other parts of the world, the arrival of
actually been sampling the debris carried by
humans in lands previously inhabited only
ancient flood channels beneath the site,
by animals created a volatile combination in
including chaicoal transported from
which large animals fared badly.
Questions 27-30

Do the following statements agree with claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?

hi boxes 27-30 oil your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

27 Field and Wroe argue that findings at the Cuddie Springs site show that people lived in
this area at the same time as megafauna.
28 Field and Wroe believe it is likely that smaller megafauna species survived the last Ice
Age.
29 The writers believe that the dating d earth up to 1,7m below the present surface at Cuddie
Springs is unreliable.

30 Some artefacts found at Cuddie Spings were preserved well enough to reveal their
function.

Questions 31-35

Complete the summary using the list of words, A-I, below.

Write the collect letter, A-I, in boxes 31-35 on your answer sheet.

The writer' arguments Field and Wroe's analysis of the scientific data from Cuddie Springs
One objection to Field and Wroe's interpretation i the large quantity of charcoal, 31
and artefacts found at Cuddie Springs. Such large numbers of ar tefacts would be impossible if
the area had been covered with 32for a period. There is also a complete lack of
man-made structures, for instance those used for 33
Other evidence that casts doubt on Field and Wroe’s claim is the fact that while some material in
the highest levels of sediment is 36.000 year s old. the 34in the same levels is
much more recent. The tools used to process plants and animals may also be newer than Field
and Wroe believe. Further evidence against human occupation of the area is the absence of tools
and 35just a short distance away.

A seeds B stone C sand

D cooking E deep drill core F water
G fossil bones H sediment I storage
Questions 36 — 40

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

Write the collect letter in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet.

36 What conclusions did the writers reach about the inconsistencies in the data from Cuddle
Springs?

A The different layers of sediment have been mixed over time.

B The sand evidence is unhelpful and should be disregarded.
C The area needs to be re-examined when technology improves.
D The charcoal found in the area cannot be dated.

37 According to the writers, what impact could a natural phenomenon have had on this site?
A Floods could have caused the death of the megafauna.
B Floods could have disturbed the archaeological evidence.
C Bushfires could have prevented humans from settling in the area for any
length of time.
D Bushfires could have destroyed much of the evidence left by megafauna
and humans.

38 What did the writers speculate about the people who lived at this site in 1876?

A They bred cattle whose bones could have been confused with megafaima.
B They found that the soil was too waterlogged for farming.
C They allowed cattle to move around freely at the site.
D They broil gilt stones there from another area.

39 hi the final paragraph, what suggestion do the writers make about Australia's megafauna?

A A rapid change in climate may have been responsible for the extinction of
the megafauna.
B Megafauna could have died out as a result of small numbers being killed
year after year.
C The population of humans at that time was probably insufficient to cause
the extinction of the megafaima.
D The extinction of ancient animals should not be compared to that of
modern-day species.

40 Which of the following best represents the writers' criticism of Field and Wroe?
A Their methods were not well thought out.
B Their excavations did not go deep enough.
C Their technology failed to obtain precise data.
D Their conclusions were based on inconsistent data.
Test Why good ideas fail Keeping the water away Australia's Megafauna
Controversy
1 TRUE 14F 27 YES
2 TRUE 15 C 28 NOT GIVEN
3 NOT GIVEN 16B 29 NO
4 NOT GIVEN 17D 30 YES
5 FALSE 18E 31 B
6 surface 19G 32 F
7 weight loss 20 A 33 D
8 name 21 D 34 C
9 container 22 Europe 35 G
10 behavior 23 Mississippi 36 A
11 focus gi oups 24 London 37B
12 (simple) surveys 25 soft engineers 38 D
13 instincts 26 Los Angeles 39 B
40 D