ENGLISH TEST 91
Read the following passage and indicate the correct word for each of the blanks.
Getting to the root of Bonsai crime
Bonsai trees have always been a source of great fascination to people. They are perfect miniatures, grown in pots small
enough to sit on a windowsill. You have to keep reminding yourself that these trees are (1) _____ real and identical to their larger
cousins in all respects except their size. Rather like other small and perfectly-formed artifacts, bonsai trees ( 2) _____ quite a high
price in the marketplace and so it doesn’t come as a great surprise to find that they also attractthe attention of thieves. It seems
that quite a flourishing business has (3) _____, in which they are stolen from the homes of growers and collectors, then repotted
and trimmed by unscrupulous dealers, to be sold on, at good prices, to unsuspectingbuyers.One of Britain’s top collectors of
bonsai trees, Paul Widdington, believes that he has found a solution, however. After losing his life’s work, (4) _____ at
£250,000, when burglars broke into his home one night, Paul decided to (5) _____ the possibilities of electronically tagging the
trees he bought as a replacement. This (6) _____ injecting a microchip the size of a (7) _____ of rice into the trunk of each tree.
Each chip is a laser-etched with information which is (8) _____ in a central register held by the police. Paul is quite aware that
this kind of data-tagging doesn’t prevent thieves from stealing the trees in the first (9) _____, although it may increase the (10)
_____ of getting them back. So he’s also installinga security alarm system, complete with infra-red detectors, in his home.
1
A. deeply
B. eventually
C. actually
D. greatly
2
A. obtain
B. expect
C. command
D. charge
3
A. erupted
B. evolved
C. adapted
D. arrived
4
A. prized
B. treasured
C. valued
D. costed
5
A. look into
B. set about
C. try out
D. go after
6
A. requires
B. includes
C. involves
D. reflects
7
A. crumb
B. speck
C. bean
D. grain
8
A. stored
B. detained
C. locked
D. piled
9
A. turn
B. time
C. point
D. place
10
A. counts
B. chances
C. choices
D. claims
Read the following passage and indicate the answer to each of the questions.
TELEVISION
An American TV network has had an international hit with the drama “24”, a thriller known for its suspense and often graphic
violence. Over the past year, controversy has surrounded the series because of its portrayal of Muslim terrorists and its frequent
scenes of torture. But the content of “24” is not the only thing that would have been unthinkable of prime-time television 20 years
ago. Its form also represents a major change in modern TV: during each episode’s 44 minutes – a real-time hour, minus 16
minutes for commercials – the show connects the lives of 21 different characters, each with their own personalities and specific
relationships with other characters. Nine different story lines (or “threads”) are depicted, each involving events and information
revealed in previous episodes. [1)
[2] For years many people have assumed that popular culture is in a state of decline, rapidly degenerating into “junk culture”
with no worthwhile purpose. But an interesting new book challenges that assumption. “Everything Bad is Good for You: How
Today’s Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter,” by Steven Johnson, makes a persuasive argument that today’s
complex TV dramas and other pop culture products give us healthy mental exercise. He calls the use of complex, interwoven plot
lines involving multiple characters “multi-threading”, and it is a new and growing phenomenon in TV. To keep up with shows
like “24”, he points out, you must “pat attention, make inferences, track shifting social relationships”, and these cognitive
challenges are changing our mental development for the better. [3]
[4] The most obvious change in the last five years of narrative entertainment is the rise of TV. Surely, you might be thinking,
watching “Survivor” or “The Bachelor” cannot possibly raise anyone’s IQ. “Survivor” is now in its tenth season, and “The
Bachelor” is in its seventh. But as Johnson tells us, lately “even the junk has improved.” The new reality shows are like games:
they are series of competitive tests, each more challenging than the last, and with rules that be learned as you play On “Survivor”,
for instance, the participants and the audience know the general objective of the game, but each episode brings new challenges
that require quick thinking. Success in these games calls for the intellectual labor of finding the weak spots in the rules and in
your opponents. This labor is done not just by the stars of the shows, but the viewers at home as well. This is what makes these
shows such fun to watch – the human mind enjoys being challenged. As Johnson writes, “There’s real pleasure …..in solving
puzzles, detecting patters or understanding a complex drama system.”
11
What is the main topic of the passage?
A. The decline of TV today B. Benefits of TV today C. TV and culture D. Why “24” became I hot
12
Which is the best place for the following sentence?
A. [1]
B. [2]
C. [3]
D. [4]
13
The author begins the passage by discussing “24” in order to
A. prove that TV has become more violent
B. show how TV has become more complex
C. explain why many TV shows nowadays are controversial
D. argue against its graphic violence and portrayal of terrorist
14
It can be inferred that the author of the passage
A. agrees with Steven Johnson’s views
C. has no opinion about Steven Johnson’s views
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