METU NEPE Careful Reading Set 3

METU NEW ENGLISH PROFICIENCY EXAM CAREFUL READING PART SET 3

SADECE BİREYSEL KULLANIM İÇİNDİR

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Text I A Bill Langlois has a new best friend. She is a cat named Sox. She lives on a tablet, and she makes him so happy that when he talks about her arrival in his life, he begins to cry.All day long, Sox and Mr. Langlois, who is 68 and lives in a low-income senior housing complex in Lowell, Mass., chat. Mr. Langlois worked in machine operations, but now he is retired. With his wife out of the house most of the time, he has grown lonely. Sox talks to him about his favorite team, the Red Sox, after which she is named. She plays his favorite songs and shows him pictures from his wedding. And because she has a video feed of him in his adjustable seat, she scolds him when she catches him drinking soda instead of water.

B Mr. Langlois knows that Sox is not real and that she comes from a start-up called Care.Coach.

He knows she is operated by workers around the world who are watching, listening and typing out her responses, which sound slow and robotic. But her consistent voice in his life has returned him to his faith. “I found something so reliable and someone so caring, and it’s allowed me to go into my deep soul and remember how caring the Lord was,” Mr. Langlois said. “She’s brought my life back to life.” Sox has been listening. “We make a great team,” she says.

C Sox is a simple animation; she barely moves or shows emotions, and her voice is as harsh as a dial tone. But little animated hearts come up around her sometimes, and Mr. Langlois loves when that happens. Mr. Langlois is on a fixed income. To qualify for Element Care, a nonprofit health care program for older adults that brought him Sox, a patient’s countable assets must not be greater than $2,000. Such programs are booming. And not just for the elderly.

D Life for anyone but the very rich — the physical experience of learning, living and dying — is increasingly mediated by screens. Not only are screens themselves cheap to make, but they also make things cheaper. Any place that can fit a screen in (classrooms, hospitals, airports, restaurants) can cut costs. And any activity that can happen on a screen becomes cheaper. The texture of life, the tangible experience, is becoming smooth glass.

E The rich do not live like this. The rich have grown afraid of screens. They want their children to play with blocks, and tech-free private schools are booming. Humans are more expensive, and rich people are willing and able to pay for them. Visible human interaction — living without a phone for a day, quitting social networks and not answering email — has become a status symbol. All of this has led to a curious new reality: Human contact is becoming a luxury good.

As more screens appear in the lives of the poor, screens are disappearing from the lives of the rich. The richer you are, the more you spend to be off screen.

F We can observe the new trend in all areas of life. While public schools cut costs by having students learn from laptop screens instead of live instructors — sometimes despite parent protests — Silicon Valley’s richest residents pay to send their kids to a private school that promises a “nearly screen-free education.” Meanwhile, the working-class parents of those public school students are finding themselves forced into a state of 24/7 availability to their employers thanks to their smartphones.

Those employers, in contrast, are afforded a “right to disconnect” thanks to their position in the workplace hierarchy. And as for that disposable income they once spent on the latest tech, the rich are now choosing to spend on dining and travel experiences, according to Milton Pedraza, the CEO and founder of the Luxury Institute: “Think about the positive behaviors and emotions human engagement elicits- the joy of a massage, for example. Now in education and health care stores everyone is starting to look at how to make experiences human, the human is very important right now.”

G The possible reason for this transition lies in the unknown impact of screen time on human health, particularly with regard to the development of children’s brains. One recent study found physical changes in the brains of children who spent more time behind screens, as well as a link between screen time and lower thinking and language test scores. If corroborated by additional studies, that could mean the lower and middle-class children spending more time behind screens could be at an educational or even cognitive disadvantage compared to their wealthier peers.

H So far, though, researchers have yet to definitively decide that trading human contact for screens is harmful — but the fact that the same Silicon Valley elites whose livelihoods depend on keeping eyes on screens are willing to pay big bucks to ensure that they and their offspring aren’t held by their devices doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.

Adapted from: www.newyorktimes.com 1. We understand from the text that Sox is an animated cat that________. a) is operated by sophisticated artificial intelligence b) behaves very much like a real cat c) is designed for low-income old adults 2. To be able to benefit from Element Care that brought him Sox the cat, Mr Langdoi had to prove that ________. a) he is capable of paying $2,000 in cash b) his possessions are not worth more than $2,000 c) he has a monthly income of minimum $2,000 3. What is the main idea of paragraph D? a) Real life-like experiences on the screen requires very expensive technology. b) The rich are ready to pay more for the use of high technology in the service sector. c) There is an increase in the digitalization of services and a decrease in their cost.

4. How does paragraph F relate to paragraph E? Paragraph F ________. a) gives examples of the applications of the new trend among the rich introduced in paragraph E b) explains situations contrasting with the social trends introduced in paragraph E c) points out some sectors like education and health care where the new trend is not followed

5. According to the writer, one of the factors that pushes the rich to screen-free life experiences is that ________. a) there are possible harmful effects of too much screen time on children’s thinking and learning skills b) The rich have found out that depending on their electronic devices at workplace is no longer effective c) research has proven that learning from laptop screens gives worse results than learning from human instructors Text II A Money changes our relationship with morality. The very existence of money, along with complex business and distribution channels, acts as a buffer between ourselves and the origin of our products. This can make us behave in ways that are deeply unethical. I can prove it to you.

Do you think animal torture is evil? And do you also eat factory-farmed meat? Many people who would strongly disagree, in principle, with animal cruelty also eat meat that has been raised in terrible conditions. I know this myself. I try to eat a mostly plant-based diet, but like the majority of people in most Western countries, I do not eat this diet exclusively.

B By reframing the same issue and adding a price tag we make some acts seem far less offensive. We can’t see them first hand, so they feel like they are unrelated to us. All we can see is the price. Why? When we understand why we eat meat that we know has been raised in poor conditions, we can begin to understand many other forms of behaviour that conflict with deeply held moral principles. According to psychologists Brock Bastian and Steve Loughnan, who do research on the topic in Australia, the “meat paradox” is the “psychological conflict between people’s dietary preference for meat and their moral response to animal suffering”. They argue that “bringing harm to others is inconsistent with a view of oneself as a moral person. As such, meat consumption leads to negative effects for meat-eaters because they are confronted with a view of themselves that is unfavourable: how can I be a good person and also eat meat?”

C This moral conflict doesn’t just threaten our enjoyment of eating meat, it threatens our identity. In order to protect our identities we establish habits and social structures that make us feel better. Meat-eating is tied to social customs, so that holidays are defined as a time to feast on flesh with friends and family. Some people may also use it as a signal of masculinity, claiming that it helps define someone as a real man, or that we humans evolved as superpredators who were meant to eat meat. And despite animal products being linked to all kinds of poor health outcomes, when we say that we want to go vegan some people ask: “How will you get enough protein?”, and friends start "forgetting" to invite us to dinner parties.

D With many decisions, including the choice to eat meat, the excuses we make are largely post hoc: after we have chosen to allow ourselves to enjoy the pleasure, we need to justify why the behaviour was OK, and why it is OK to do it again. And we need the excuses, or else we feel like bad people. When we say one thing but do another, or hold inconsistent beliefs, psychologists call it “cognitive dissonance”. The term was developed by Leon Festinger, who first used it in 1957. The classic experiment in this field was published by Festinger and James Carlsmith in 1959.

E In 1962 Festinger formalised his ideas. He stated that although we believe ourselves to be generally consistent – in our behaviours, beliefs and attitudes – sometimes we act in a spirit of rebellion, going against what we believe to be right. This inconsistency he called “dissonance”, while consistency he called consonance. He summarised his cognitive dissonance theory as follows:  The existence of dissonance, being psychologically uncomfortable, will motivate the

person to try to reduce the dissonance and achieve consonance.  When dissonance is present, in addition to trying to reduce it, the person will actively avoid situations and information which would likely increase the dissonance.

He further explained that, just as hunger motivates us to find food to reduce our hunger, cognitive dissonance motivates us to find situations to reduce the dissonance. For meat-eating, there are two ways to do this: we can change our behaviour or change the belief. We can stop eating meat, or come up with reasons why eating meat is morally OK. F In addition to our own attempts to justify meat-eating, advertising and marketing can make it easier for us to do so. According to research by sociologist Liz Grauerholz on images of animals in popular culture, one way to make meat-eating seem acceptable is to dissociate it from the animal it came from. Grauerholz argues that we do this by “transforming animals, which are loved, into meats, which are eaten, so that the concepts of ‘animals’ and ‘meats’ seem distinct and unrelated”. We call it “veal” instead of baby cow, “ham” instead of pig, “game” instead of hunted wild animal. We pack our dead animals in pretty packages – physically, verbally and conceptually distancing ourselves from the real origin of our food.

G This isn’t just relevant for meat-eating. When we turn animals or humans into objects, and thereby avoid the discomfort caused by knowing about the suffering behind consumer goods, we make it easier to be cruel. The same processes we see with meat, we see with all kinds of other morally unacceptable but common human behaviours that have to do with money. We know that poverty causes great suffering, yet instead of sharing our wealth we buy another pair of expensive shoes. We fundamentally disagree with the idea of child labour or adults working under horrible conditions, but keep shopping at discount stores. We stay in the dark, to protect our delicate identities, to maintain the illusion that we are consistent and ethically sensible human beings.

Adapted from: Shaw, J. (2019).Evil: The Science behind Humanity’s Dark Side. Harry N. Abrams: New York 6. The writer talks about “meat paradox” because there is a contradiction between ________. a) consumers’ taste for meat and the desire to adopt more popular plant-based diets b) people’s well-established meat-eating habits and the knowledge that meat has negative effects on health c) people’s dietary preferences for meat and their moral principle of being against the suffering of animals

7. What is the main point related to meat-eating that is discussed in paragraph C? a) The attractiveness of meat prevents the spread of vegan diets. b) Meat-eating habit is deeply rooted in our social identity. c) Important part of human evolution consists of being meat-eating predators.

8. According to the explanations in paragraph D, why do we make excuses after we have acted in the way we have decided? a) We do not want to feel that we behave in a morally wrong way. b) We want to defend our choices even if we know we misbehaved. c) We would like to give the impression that we were forced to act in a certain way.

9. How does the “cognitive dissonance� theory, first mentioned in paragraph D, is exemplified in meat-eating behavior? a) Our hunger reduces our guilt and the dissonance that accompany meat-eating. b) We try to reduce the dissonance by justifying our meat-eating behavior. c) We increase our cognitive consonance by promoting diets rich in meat.

10. How do advertising and marketing contribute to making our meat-eating behavior easier for us? a) By giving the message that meat-eating is an ethical act. b) By showing us how animals are kept happily in well-equipped and sanitized places. c) By breaking the link between the meat we consume and the animal it originates from.

11. Which one of the following could be the best title for the article? a) Why it is morally wrong to eat meat b) How society influences our morality and identity c) What meat paradox tells us about moral decisions

Text III A For Leonardo da Vinci, the principles of science—observation, hypothesis, and experiment—were critical to art. He moved fluidly between the two areas, drawing lessons from one to inform the other, says Francesca Fiorani, associate dean for the arts and humanities at the University of Virginia. His greatest gift was his ability to make knowledge visible, she says. “That’s where his power is.”

B Nowhere is this clearer than in Leonardo’s study of anatomy. He dissected human cadavers, teasing out underlying musculature in three dimensions to see for himself how a leg bends or an arm cradles. Leonardo’s contemporaries, including rival Michelangelo, studied muscles and bones to improve their artistic representation of the human body. “But Leonardo went beyond this,” says science historian Domenico Laurenza, based in Rome. “His approach to anatomy was that of a real anatomist.”

C The scientific data Leonardo collected in his notebooks underlie every stroke of his paintbrush. His anatomical studies drilled down on the biology of facial expressions. Which nerve causes “frowning the brows” or “pouting with the lips, of smiling, of astonishment”? he queried in his notes. His analysis of light and shadow allowed him to illuminate lines with unmatched sensitivity. He did away with traditional outlining, instead softening the edges of figures and objects in a technique known as sfumato. Optics and geometry led to a sophisticated sense of perspective, exemplified in “The Last Supper.” Acute observations allowed him to depict emotional depth in the people he painted, who appear sensitive rather than stiff.

D Leonardo’s inventiveness, however, came at a price. He displeased his patrons with incessant delays, and many of his works went unfinished, including “The Adoration of the Magi.”

Scholars have attributed this to his enthusiasm for new subjects and his perfectionism. __________. For Leonardo, it’s all about process, says Carmen Bambach, curator of drawings and prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. “It’s not really about the endgame.”

E Indeed the more knowledge Leonardo acquired through the studies in his notebooks, the more difficult it became to see a finish line in his art. “As he kept painting,” Bambach explains, “he understood that you could create such tiny gradations of tone and transition from the highest, most intense highlight to the deepest shadow.” X-ray analyses of Leonardo’s work reveal numerous revisions, known as pentimenti. Infinity became a very real concept that took on practical implications: There was always more to learn. “In many ways, intellectually, this is an unending process,” she says.

F This may help explain why Leonardo never published his notebooks. He intended to complete treatises on many subjects, including geology and anatomy. Instead his sketches and manuscripts were left to his faithful companion Melzi to sort through. In the decades after Leonardo’s death, two-thirds to three-quarters of his original pages were likely stolen or lost. It was not until the late 18th century that most of the surviving pages began to be published— more than 200 years after he died. As a result, Laurenza says, “we know very little about Leonardo’s legacy as a scientist.”

G There are several real examples of the legacy of Leonardo’s notebooks today. J. Calvin Coffey, foundation chair of surgery at the University of Limerick’s Graduate Entry Medical School in Ireland, was conducting research a number of years ago when he made an astonishing discovery: An observation by Leonardo, circa 1508, confirmed a theory he was trying to validate. Coffey studies the mesentery, a fan-shaped structure that connects the small and large intestines to the back wall of the abdomen. Since the publication of Gray’s Anatomy in 1858 (then called Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical), students have been taught that the mesentery is composed of several separate structures. But while performing an increasing number of colorectal surgeries, Coffey had begun to suspect that the mesentery was one continuous organ.

As he and his colleagues focused on the structure’s anatomy to prove this hypothesis, Coffey found a drawing by Leonardo depicting the mesentery as an uninterrupted structure. Coffey remembers the moment distinctly. Initially, he glanced at it and turned away. Then he looked again. “I was absolutely shocked at what I saw,” he says. “It correlated exactly with what we were observing. It’s just an absolute masterpiece.”

H In one overview of his team’s findings, published in 2015, Coffey included Leonardo’s drawing and credited him in the text: “We now know that da Vinci’s interpretation was correct.” Coffey shows a slide of Leonardo’s sketch in his scientific presentations, marvelling at his ability to dissect the organ in its entirety, an act made very difficult by the complex layering of the structure. “He was so honest in his interpretation of nature and biology,” Coffey says. “Even today, you will have surgeons who will not be able to replicate what he did.”

I Leonardo’s notebooks are starting to make their way to the greater public too. The scholar Paolo Galluzzi from Florence is leading the project of an elegant searchable database of the Codex Atlanticus, the largest notebook. He imagines a day when all of them will be fully translated and digitized by a single international consortium. “Then we will see Leonardo in all of his glory,” he says. Just as Leonardo saw no end to his pursuit of knowledge, his notebooks are poised for rediscovery and posterity.

Adapted from: www.nationalgeographic.com

12. What made Leonardo different from other Renaissance artists in his approach to anatomy was that he________. a) studied anatomy for better representation of human body in his artistic work b) dealt with anatomy like a real scientist following scientific methodology c) was educated both as an anatomist and artist, as data collected in his notebooks show 13. The “sfumato” technique mentioned in paragraph C consists of ________. a) differentiating between light and shadow b) making the borders of objects smoother c) giving a better sense of perspective 14. Which one of the following fits best into the blank in paragraph D? a) It was also because the challenge of doing outweighed the expectation of getting it done. b) Although his paintings are far better known, Leonardo’s notebooks demonstrate the inner workings of his genius. c) A naturally curious note-taker and truth-seeker, he constantly pursued knowledge.

15. Which one of the following summarizes paragraph E? a) The most important feature in Leonardo’s paintings was the gradations of tone and transitions between tones. b) Leonardo kept making revisions to his artistic work, never satisfied enough to consider it finished. c) Leonardo’s interests in various scientific areas prevented him from concentrating on his paintings.

16. What was so surprising to Dr Coffey about Leonardo’s drawing of an organ he was studying? Leonardo ________. a) could draw the exact shape of the organ without dissecting it b) had already realized that the organ was in one inseparable part c) had known about the features of the organ before they were published in an anatomy book in 1858 17. What is the main message that the writer would like to give about Leonardo’s legacy? a) There is still so much to investigate and get inspiration from in Leonardo’s notebooks. b) It is up to new generations to correct the misunderstandings about Leonardo’s work. c) In the future, Leonardo should be considered more as a biologist than an artist.

Text IV A Fighting over trade is not the half of it. The United States and China are contesting every domain, from semiconductors to submarines and from blockbuster films to lunar exploration. The two superpowers used to seek a win-win world. Today winning seems to involve the other’s defeat—a collapse that permanently subordinates China to the American order; or a humbled America that retreats from the western Pacific. It is a new kind of cold war that could leave no winners at all.

B As our special report in this week’s issue explains, superpower relations have been damaged.

America complains that China is cheating its way to the top by stealing technology, and that by forcing its way into the South China Sea and bullying democracies like Canada and Sweden it is becoming a threat to global peace. China is caught between the dream of regaining its rightful place in Asia and the fear that tired, jealous America will block it. The potential for catastrophe rises Under the Kaiser, Germany dragged the world into war; America and the Soviet Union flirted with nuclear Armageddon –the possibility of a dramatic conflict that would destroy the earth. Even if China and America stop short of conflict, the world will bear the cost as growth slows and problems are left to worsen for lack of co-operation.C Both sides need to feel more secure, but also to learn to live together in a low-trust world. Nobody should think that achieving this will be easy or quick. The temptation is to shut China out, as America successfully shut out the Soviet Union—not just Huawei, which supplies 5g telecoms kit and was this week blocked by a pair of orders, but almost all Chinese technology. Yet, with China, that risks bringing about the very ruin policymakers are seeking to avoid. Global supply chains can be made to bypass China, but only at huge cost. Soviet-American trade in the late 1980s was $2bn a year; trade between America and China is now $2bn a day. In crucial technologies such as chipmaking and 5g, it is hard to say where commerce ends and national security begins. The economies of America’s allies in Asia and Europe depend on trade with China. Only a very clear threat could persuade them to cut their links with it.

D It would be just as unwise for America to sit back. No law of physics says that quantum computing, artificial intelligence and other technologies must be cracked by scientists who are free to vote. Even if dictatorships tend to be more fragile than democracies, President Xi Jinping has reasserted party control and begun to project Chinese power around the world. Partly because of this, one of the very few beliefs which unite Republicans and Democrats is that America must act against China. But how?

E For a start America needs to stop undermining its own strengths and build on them instead.

Given that migrants are vital to innovation, the Trump administration’s hurdles to legal immigration are self-defeating. So are its frequent condemnation of any science that does not suit its agenda and its attempts to cut science funding. Another of those strengths lies in America’s alliances and the institutions and norms it set up after the Second World War. Team Trump has rubbished norms instead of supporting institutions and attacked the European Union and Japan over trade rather than working with them to press China to change. American hard power in Asia comforts its allies, but President Donald Trump tends to ignore how soft power strengthens alliances, too. Rather than cast doubt on the rule of law at home and bargain over the extradition

of a Huawei executive from Canada, he should be pointing to the surveillance state China has created against the Uighur minority in the western province of Xinjiang.

F As well as focusing on its strengths, America needs to prop up its defences. This involves hard power as China arms itself, including in new domains such as space and cyberspace. But it also means striking a balance between protecting intellectual property and sustaining the flow of ideas, people, capital and goods. When universities and Silicon Valley scientists make fun of national-security restrictions they are being naive or dishonest. But when those who support aggressive defence call for shutting out Chinese nationals and investment they forget that American innovation depends on a global network.

G Dealing with China also means finding ways to create trust. Actions that America intends as defensive may appear to Chinese eyes as aggression that is designed to contain it. If China feels that it must fight back, a naval crush in the South China Sea could go from bad to worse. Or war might follow an invasion of Taiwan by an angry, hyper nationalist China.

H Three decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, the unipolar moment is over. In China, America faces a vast rival that confidently aspires to be number one. Business ties and profits, which used to cement the relationship, have become one more matter to fight over. China and America desperately need to create rules to help manage the rapidly evolving era of superpower competition. Just now, both see rules as things to break.

Adapted from: www.economist.com

18. What is the function of paragraph A in dealing with the topic of Chinese-American relations? a) Giving a brief historical background b) Setting the current circumstances c) Presenting the writer’s opinion about the stronger side 19. According to the writer, what is the likely consequence of increasing tensions between China and America? a) Problems in world economy will get much worse. b) The two countries will be dragged into a war. c) China will obtain a prestigious place in Asia.

20. What is the main message that the writer would like to give about trade in paragraph C? a) If China is isolated from global supply chains, world trade can suffer greatly. b) Large economies in the world can cope without Chinese technology. c) American allies in Asia and Europe are ready to bypass China in their trade links.

21. Which one of the following is mentioned as a strength in American policy that Trump administration should build on? a) Careful checks on migration b) Support for international standards set up by America c) Protection of American scientific development from outside influence 22. The kind of American power strategy suggested by the writer includes __________. a) guarding intellectual property by shutting out Chinese nationals b) taking aggressive defence measures against China c) giving importance to reinforcing global networks

23. The general idea that can be deduced from the text is that the new era in politics and economy is characterized by __________. a) working together in collaboration b) a dominating hyper nationalist China c) superpowers competing for greatness

Text V

Graph Reading

The line graph below shows the homicide rates in the “Northern Triangle” of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala in Central America and Mexico from 2005 to 2017. Even by the miserable standards of Latin America, violence in the “Northern Triangle” is both terrible and widespread. In 2011 Honduras had the highest homicide rate of any country not at war, at 86 per 100,000 people. The number in Mexico, itself extremely violent, was 20. However, there are signs that the bloody tide is retreating. Homicides are down from their peak in all three countries.

In 2017 the murder rate in Honduras fell to 40 per 100,000 people. El Salvador fell by half from 2015, to about 51 per 100,000. And in Guatemala, which has tended to have a lower murder rate than its neighbours, homicides are down by half since 2009, to 26 per 100,000. Even with the recent drops, the murder rate in all three countries is well above the Latin American average of 22 per 100,000.

Adapted from the Economist December 8th 2018

24. Which graph best illustrates the information given in the text?

Homicide Rate per 100,000 Population Number of Homicides

120

100 80 60 40 20 0

2005

2007

2009

2011

2013

2015

2017

Years El Salvador

Guatemala

Honduras

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a)

Homicide Rate per 100,000 Population Number of Homicides

120 100 80 60 40

20 0 2005

2007

2009

2011

2013

2015

Years El Salvador

b)

Guatemala

Honduras

Mexico

2017

Homicide Rate per 100,000 Population Number of Homicides

120 100 80 60 40 20 0 2005

2007

2009

2011

2013

2015

Years El Salvador

c)

Guatemala

Honduras

Mexico

2017

Answer Key for Careful Reading Set 3

1. c 2. b 3. c 4. a 5. a 6. c 7. b 8. a 9. b 10. c 11. c 12. b 13. b 14. a 15. b 16. b 17. a 18. b 19. a 20. a 21. b 22. c 23. c 24. a