Reading set 7

READING SET 7

EPE PRACTICE

PART B: READING COMPREHENSION

(30 points)

READING SET 7 ODTÜ İNGİLİZCE YETERLİK SINAVI OKUMA BÖLÜMÜ

SADECE BİREYSEL KULLANIM İÇİNDİR

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© Nükte DURHAN All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or held within any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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EPE Practice Materials by Nukte Durhan

READING SET 7

EPE PRACTICE

PART B: READING COMPREHENSION

(30 points)

SECTION I: SENTENCE COMPLETION Questions 1-4 On your answer sheet, mark the alternative which best completes each sentence or thought.

1. From the time their children are born, French parents provide them with a firm cadre, which means "frame" or “structure”. For example, ____________. a) children grow up in families in which the rules are well-understood b) French child psychiatrists don't use the same system of classification of childhood emotional problems as American psychiatrists c) French psychiatrists emphasize that the behavior of some children is worsened after eating foods with artificial colors and certain preservatives d) children are not allowed to snack whenever they want and learn to wait patiently for meals 2. Research indicates that there aren’t differences in intelligence among human populations in the way that there are differences in the use of technology. In fact, ____________. a) numerous white American psychologists have been trying for decades to demonstrate that black Americans are innately less intelligent than white Americans b) modern “Stone Age” communities are on the average probably more intelligent, not less intelligent, than industrialized populations c) our mental abilities as adults are heavily influenced by the social environment that we experience during childhood d) white immigrants to Australia built an industrialized state where the Aborigines had been living as tribal hunter-gatherers for at least 40,000 years 3. In the eyes of most of the world, responsibility for bringing up baby still falls directly on the mother. However, ____________. a) national governments have been uninterested in offering paternity leave b) most countries have found that when they offer adequate maternity leave, they increase female employment c) around the world, legal and financial support for new parents is better than it has ever been d) growing evidence suggests that children benefit from seeing more of their fathers 4. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition came to the conclusion that there is no convincing evidence that saturated fat causes heart disease. Similarly, ____________. a) the campaign against butter was part of a dietary war on saturated fat that was fought through the late 1970s up until very recently b) some cardiologists argue that the tendency to remove saturated fat from our diet may have increased the risk of cardiovascular disease c) the type of fat considered most deadly was saturated fat- anything that is solid at room temperature like butter- as opposed to sunflower or olive oil d) the British Medical Journal has stated that the link between saturated fat in dairy products and heart disease may not have been correct

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EPE Practice Materials by Nukte Durhan

READING SET 7

EPE PRACTICE

PART B: READING COMPREHENSION

(30 points)

SECTION II: PARAGRAPH COMPLETION Questions 5-7 Mark the alternative which best completes each paragraph.

5. Sending students abroad has been central to China’s efforts to improve its education since the late 1970s, when it began trying to repair the damage caused by Mao’s destruction of the country’s academic institutions. ____________. Chinese youths make up over a fifth of all international students in higher education in the OECD, a club mostly of rich countries. More than a quarter of them are in America. a) b) c) d)

Only a third of the Chinese bright minds have come back Chinese universities have great difficulty promoting talent at home More than 3 million Chinese have gone overseas to study To attract experts to Chinese universities, the government has launched a series of programs

6. In many ways, adolescence is the healthiest time of life. The immune system, resistance to cancer, tolerance to heat and cold, and other traits are at their greatest. ____________. Motor vehicle accidents, the number-one cause, account for about half of teen deaths. Homicide and suicide rank second and third. Unwanted teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and behavior leading to imprisonment are also high, imposing tough, lifelong consequences. a) Adolescence is also the peak time of emergence for several types of mental illnesses, including anxiety and eating disorders b) Despite physical strength, however, serious illness and death are 200 to 300 higher for teens than for children c) The special changeability in the teen brain allows teenagers to make enormous progress in thinking and socializing, but makes them vulnerable to dangerous behavior d) Teenagers are more likely than children to engage in risky behavior because of mismatch between two major brain regions 7. JK Rowling was a struggling single mother, living on state benefits, when she arrived in Edinburgh in 1993 with her infant daughter in her arms and the first three chapters of Harry Potter and Philosopher's Stone tucked into her suitcase. She wrote the rest in the city’s cafes, including the Nicholson’s Café and the very much thriving Elephant House, which displays a sign outside announcing that you have arrived at “The Birthplace of Harry Potter”. ____________. As many locals have noted, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry bears a striking resemblance to George Heriot’s School in Old Town Edinburgh. a) In an interview, Rowling denied the rumor that she wrote in local cafés to escape from her unheated flat, pointing out that it had heating b) In 1995, Rowling finished her manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on an old manual typewriter. c) After completing her first novel, Rowling began a teacher training course at Edinburgh University d) In fact, Edinburgh’s influence on Rowling’s imaginary world of wizardry is unmistakable

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EPE Practice Materials by Nukte Durhan

READING SET 7

EPE PRACTICE

PART B: READING COMPREHENSION

(30 points)

SECTION III: SUPPORTING IDEAS Questions 8-10 In the following items, three of the alternatives support the main statement or idea and one does not. Mark the alternative that DOES NOT support the given topic statement.

8. Although French education caters well to the top end of the ability range, it is miserably failing the bottom. a) France possesses five of the top 15 European business schools. b) French tech engineers are in high demand with new businesses in San Francisco. c) Each year 122,000 pupils – 17% of the total – leave French high-schools without obtaining a diploma, the baccalaureate. d) The country’s education minister recently announced a plan to finally get digital technology into classrooms.

9. Because diseases have been the biggest killers of people, they have also been decisive shapers of history. a) During the European conquest of the Americas, Native American victims of murderous Spanish microbes outnumbered the victims of murderous Spanish soldiers. b) Microbes have evolved diverse ways of spreading from one person to another, and from animals to people. c) Until World War II, more victims died of war-borne microbes than of battle wounds. d) The winners of past wars were not always the armies with the best generals and weapons, but were often those bearing the nastiest microbes to transmit to their enemies.

10. The world’s most dysfunctional people–deviating from normal and accepted social behavior– are nearly all male. a) b) c) d)

In America today men commit 90% of murders.

Men are four times more likely to kill themselves than women are.

Most schools would love to have more male teachers to serve as role models for boys.

Criminality remains an option for men of all skill sets.

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EPE Practice Materials by Nukte Durhan

READING SET 7

EPE PRACTICE

PART B: READING COMPREHENSION

(30 points)

SECTION V: TEXT COMPREHENSION Questions 11-30 Mark the alternative which best answers the question or completes the statement about the text.

Reading 1: Football in China (1) Chinese demand for the world’s commodities may be weakening, but not for the most vital ingredient of football: its players. In recent weeks, the country’s football clubs have been on their biggest ever spending spree, signing up foreign talent for sums which, by Asian standards, have been jaw-dropping. One local newspaper in China said anyone who paid attention to Chinese football would conclude that the clubs had “gone mad”.

(3) President Xi Jinping may be less inclined to call this mad. Oddly for someone with so much else to worry about, from reviving a slowing economy to fighting corruption, he has very high hopes for football. A year ago a committee charged with overseeing wide-ranging economic and social reforms turned its attention to an area of great concern in the football-loving nation: its miserable performance in the game. The committee, headed by Mr. Xi, endorsed the Communist Party’s first ever plan for “football reforms”. These, it said, were aimed at ending the “backward” state of football in China and helping the country realize its “dream of sporting great-power”. The plan says the number of football academies should increase tenfold to 50,000 by 2025. It orders that football be made compulsory at school.

Adapted from: www.economist.com (Feb 2016) 11. The text emphasizes the fact that football clubs in China ____________. a) b) c) d)

have been paying huge amounts of money for foreign players have been increasingly covered by the local newspapers have much lower standards compared to clubs in other Asian countries do little in increasing the popularity of the game in China

12. As we understand from the text, although China is a football-loving nation, ____________. a) b) c) d)

football clubs cannot perform well in the game the state cannot turn its attention to football because of economic problems the economic and social reforms committee does not have future plans for football the President is against a football reform in the country

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EPE Practice Materials by Nukte Durhan

READING SET 7

EPE PRACTICE

PART B: READING COMPREHENSION

(30 points)

Reading 2: Late Nights (1) From staying up working late at night to partying until the early hours, most of us have cut corners when it comes to sleep. That can have a serious impact on our ability to function.

According to experts at Harvard Medical School, being awake for 24 hours will leave you with the same level of cognitive damage as having blood alcohol volume of 0.1 per cent, which would push you over the drink-drive limit in several countries.

(2) The areas of the brain involved in attention, judgement and sensory processing are particularly hard hit. Accident statistics bear this out: traffic accidents peak in the early hours when the drive for alertness is at a low, and our drive for sleep is the strongest. The impact on abilities depends partly on age; lab tests show that young people’s reaction times suffer more than older people’s after being kept up all night. Lack of sleep also affects the parts of the brain in charge of emotions and decision-making, and makes people more impulsive.

(3) Can you counter such effects? Stimulants like caffeine can lessen the effects of sleep loss, but a better strategy might be to catnap your way to a clearer state of mind. “You can certainly offset the impact of sleep loss by strategic napping”, says Judith Owens at Boston Children’s Hospital.

A short nap of just 10 to 30 minutes can improve alertness for 2 to 3 hours afterwards. A nap exceeding half an hour will have longer-lasting benefits, but is likely to leave you feeling even dizzier than before you nodded off, a phenomenon known as sleep inertia. An expert tip for avoiding that is to drink a cup of coffee just beforehand. The caffeine will kick in after about 20 minutes – in time to wipe away that hazy feeling when you wake.

(4) Trying to get away with lack of sleep over the long term is much more risky. For one thing, its effects are much more deceptive. Sleeping for 6 hours a night instead of 8 for two weeks, for instance, produces the same cognitive deficits as going 24 hours without sleep. But you may not pick up on it- people stop feeling as tired after the third of fourth day of sleep deprivation, even though their abilities are still worsening.

Adapted from www.newscientist.com

13. By the expression most of us have cut corners when it comes to sleep (para. 1), the writer means that ____________.

a) b) c) d)

we have reduced our sleeping time we are sleeping at odd times lack of sleep has deteriorated our cognitive skills sleep deprivation has similar effects to alcohol overconsumption

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EPE Practice Materials by Nukte Durhan

READING SET 7

EPE PRACTICE

PART B: READING COMPREHENSION

(30 points)

14. Which cognitive ability, which is influenced by lack of sleep, is exemplified in paragraph 2? a) b) c) d)

Decision-making Attentiveness Control of impulses Control of emotions

15. According to experts, when should we drink a cup of coffee? a) b) c) d)

After a nap exceeding half an hour.

2 or 3 hours after a short nap.

Just before a short nap.

20 minutes before a long nap.

16. According to the writer, why is long-term lack of sleep more dangerous than the short-term? a) b) c) d)

Long-term lack of sleep is more damaging for our cognitive abilities.

We get used to it and do not become aware of its harmful effects.

Long sleep deprivation requires a long period of recovery.

Feeling tired for a couple of weeks increases the risk of accidents.

Reading 3: Social Equality in Islam

(1) It is often said that Islam is an egalitarian religion. There is much truth in this statement. If we compare Islam at the time of its arrival with the societies that surrounded it - the stratified feudalism of Iran and the caste system of India to the east, the privileged aristocracies of both Byzantine and Latin Europe to the West – the Islamic order does indeed bring a message of equality. It rejects systems of social differentiation in an explicit and resolute way. The actions and utterances of the Prophet, the honored examples of the early rulers of Islam as preserved by tradition, are overwhelmingly against privilege by birth, by status, by wealth, or even by race, and insist that rank and honor are determined only by piety and merit in Islam.

(2) The realities of conquest and empire, however, inevitably created new elites and in the natural course of events these sought to maintain for their descendants the advantages that they had gained. From early until modern times there has been a repeated tendency in Islamic states for aristocracies to appear. These are differently defined and arise from varying circumstances at different times and in different places. What is significant is that the rise of elites happens in spite of Islam and not as part of it. Again and again through Islamic history the establishment of privilege was seen and condemned by traditional conservatives as a non-Islamic or even an antiIslamic innovation.

(3) The egalitarianism of traditional Islam is not however complete. From the beginning Islam recognized certain social inequalities, which are indeed approved by holy law. But even in the three basic inequalities of master and slave, man and woman, believer and unbeliever, the situation in the classical Islamic civilization was in some respects better than elsewhere. The

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EPE Practice Materials by Nukte Durhan

READING SET 7

EPE PRACTICE

PART B: READING COMPREHENSION

(30 points)

Muslim women had property rights unparalleled in the modern West until comparatively recent times. Even for the slave, Islamic law recognized human rights unknown in classical antiquity, in the Orient, or in the colonial and post-colonial societies of the Americas. But these three basic inequalities remained, established and unchallenged. In the course of the centuries, a whole series of radical movements of social and religious protest arose within the Islamic world. These movements attempted to remove the barriers that from time to time appeared between highborn and lowborn, rich and poor, Arab and non-Arab, white and black, all regarded as contrary to the true spirit of Islamic brotherhood. None of these movements ever questioned the three sacred distinctions establishing the subordinate status of the slave, the woman and the unbeliever.

Adapted from: Lewis, B. (2003). What went wrong?: The Clash between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East. New York: Perennial.

17. It is emphasized in the text that, from the beginning, Islam _______. a) b) c) d)

was influenced by the systems in Iran and India brought some privilege to aristocracies stood against systems of social differentiation could only give a weak message of equality

18. It is pointed in the text that the appearance of elite classes in Islamic states _______. a) b) c) d)

has happened despite the teachings of Islam was limited to special times and circumstances occurred mainly in early times was encouraged by the conservatives

19. It is argued in the text that the three basic inequalities in the Muslim world _____. a) b) c) d)

were abolished in time thanks to social and religious movements of protest slowly disappeared as they were contrary to the true spirit of Islam were experienced in a better way in Islamic states than in other places caused the black, lowborn and poor to have a subordinate status

20. The text mainly discusses how, in Islamic civilization, _____. a) b) c) d)

slaves gained some rights women’s inferior situation affected their lives privileges were distributed among elites a tradition of egalitarianism existed

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EPE Practice Materials by Nukte Durhan

READING SET 7

EPE PRACTICE

PART B: READING COMPREHENSION

(30 points)

Reading 4: Aspirin (1) It’s hard to keep up with the latest advice on aspirin. Known for its powerful blood-thinning properties, aspirin is routinely prescribed to people who have had a heart attack or stroke to protect them from having another. This has prompted some to argue that it could have a preventive effect in people who have no history of heart problems too. In the US, an estimated 40 million adults now take aspirin every day. But last year, the US Food and Drug Administration warned against this practice, saying there was not enough evidence to guarantee that taking aspirin will help prevent heart disease in healthy people.

(2) The key concern is a small but unquestionable risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and haemorrhagic stroke, caused by bleeding in the brain. A study published in January found that out of 68,000 people in the US who had been prescribed aspirin for primary prevention – meaning they had a history of heart disease – one in 10 were inappropriately given the drug because their chances of heart attack or stroke were not high enough to justify the risks.

(3) Now the humble painkiller is attracting attention for a different reason – its apparently remarkable effects on cancer prevention. Last year, a review of the evidence led by Jack Cuzick at Queen Mary University of London found that more than 130,000 deaths from cancer would be prevented in the UK alone if all people aged 50 to 64 took a low-dose aspirin every day. Cuzick found that aspirin use led to a 30 per cent reduction in both the incidence and mortality of bowel, stomach and oesophageal cancer, with smaller effects on prostate, breast and lung cancer. The benefits took five years to kick in, but continued after stopping aspirin.

(4) The effect seems to be down to aspirin’s anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is part of the body’s natural reaction to an invader, but cancerous cells seize it and use it to divide and spread. Aspirin may also help because it reduces the number of platelets in the blood – platelets can shield cancerous cells in the bloodstream so they are not recognized by the immune system.

(5) So how do you weigh up the risks? “We estimate that there would be one serious bleeding event for every 300 people that took aspirin for 10 years,” says Cuzick. “But aspirin would reduce eight deaths for every one that might be caused, so it’s a pretty strong case.”Cuzick found that to get the benefits, adults would need to take a low dose-aspirin daily for five years – probably 10 – between the ages of 50 and 65. However, after the age of 70, the risk of side effects increases, so at this point aspirin would be likely to do more harm than good.

(6) Peter Elwood at Cardiff University School of Medicine, UK, says the risk of bleeds has been “grossly exaggerated”. His research suggests they tend to occur when patients begin taking aspirin without being properly assessed for risk factors, such as high blood pressure or a history of stomach ulcers, so anyone thinking of taking aspirin regularly should consult their doctor first.

And, because ulcers are often caused by the common bacterium Helicobacter pylori, treating that first could protect against the side effects.

Adapted from www.newscientist.com

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EPE Practice Materials by Nukte Durhan

READING SET 7

EPE PRACTICE

PART B: READING COMPREHENSION

(30 points)

21. It is understood from the text that a very large number of people take an aspirin daily in the US because ____________. a) they believe it has a preventive effect against heart disease b) it is recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration c) it is routinely prescribed to even healthy people d) more people suffer from heart attacks or stroke 22. Now researchers are willing to further study aspirin because ____________. a) the cases of serious bleeding caused by aspirin use have been increasing b) aspirin seems to have important cancer prevention effects in the long term c) in a new study thousands of people survived cancer after receiving an aspirin treatment d) it has been found that aspirin’s previously unknown risks appear after five years of use 23. Which of the following is a specific property of aspirin that can help in cancer prevention? a) Killing cancerous cells b) Boosting the immune system c) Increasing inflammation for a better fight d) Getting rid of the platelets in the blood 24. What is Dr. Cuzick’s opinion about long-term aspirin use? a) The risks are higher between the ages of 50 to 65. b) Because of the serious risk of bleeding he doesn’t recommend long-term use. c) The benefits outweigh the risks in terms of aspirin’s cancer prevention properties. d) The beneficial dose of aspirin changes according to the type of cancer.

25. According to recent research, the risk of bleeding can be reduced if aspirin use____________. a) stops at the end of 10 years of low dose intake b) is done on a regular base c) is prescribed before the age of 50 d) starts after the treatment of stomach ulcers

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EPE Practice Materials by Nukte Durhan

READING SET 7

EPE PRACTICE

PART B: READING COMPREHENSION

(30 points)

Reading 5: Dynasties (1) Around the world, in politics and business, power is still concentrated in the family. The importance of power families would have surprised the founders of modern economic and political theory. Political dynasties were supposed to fade as ordinary people got the vote. Family businesses were supposed to lose ground as public companies raised money from millions of small investors.

(2) This never happened—partly because many advantages of kinship proved surprisingly longlasting. Political dynasties have a powerful mixture of brand names and personal connections. Family companies can be more flexible and farseeing than public companies. Family owners typically want their firms to last for generations, and they can make long-term investments without worrying about shareholders hunting for immediate profits.

(3) Power families have also prospered from big social and economic shifts. Their importance reflects the increasing prosperity of Asia, where families traditionally play a large role. The emancipation of women is doubling the talent pool. In an earlier age political sexism would have excluded Park Geunhye, Keiko Fujimori—and Mrs Clinton. Likewise women have successfully taken the reins at Spain’s Santander bank, Australia’s Hancock Prospecting, Turkey’s Sabanci Group and even Saudi Arabia’s Olayan Financing Company.

(4) However, family power poses problems. Liberals, including this newspaper, believe in the importance of protecting private property and allowing entrepreneurs to enjoy the fruits of their talents. But at the same time they believe that people should be judged on their individual merits rather than their family connections or their brand name. The New York Times reckons that the son of a governor is 6,000 times more likely than the average American male baby boomer to become a governor himself, and the son of a senator is 8,500 times more likely to become a senator. The concentration of power and wealth in small elite raises questions about legitimacy.

(5) Family power also has its dark side—especially where business and politics are tangled in a special nexus of money and influence. The Clintons are a worrying example: all sorts of people, including foreign governments, have given millions to the Clinton family foundation, perhaps in part because they think it will give them influence over a future president. Lazy government officials and company managers are encouraged to use political connections to protect themselves from competition. This can lead to corruption. A study found that in 2003 firms representing almost 8% of the world’s market capitalization were run by relatives of their countries’ political leaders. Even without political connections, business families can exercise an unhealthy influence over the wider economy. Pyramid ownership structures enable a small chunk of capital to exert a large degree of control. Another study found that the richest ten families controlled 34% of market capitalization in Portugal and 29% in both France and Switzerland.

(6)The secret to healthy family power is competition. In an open system of free markets, governed by the rule of law and held to account by a free press, favoritism matters less. Family power, like any other sort, needs watching over. If it cannot be questioned, it should not be welcome.

Adapted from: www.economist.com Page 11 of 13

EPE Practice Materials by Nukte Durhan

READING SET 7

EPE PRACTICE

PART B: READING COMPREHENSION

(30 points)

26. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of power families? a) b) c) d)

Quick profits Succeeding during periods of economic change Having long-term goals Brand names

27. The sentence “The emancipation of women is doubling the talent pool “(para. 3) probably means that ____________. a) women in Asia are now better educated and have a higher chance of succeeding in the family company b) women’s freedom movement makes it possible to consider women as candidates to run the company c) women are more far-seeing and can make long-term investments, which is more profitable for the family d) the increasing wealth in Asia is due to the growing importance of women in family business 28. What does “the Economist” criticize about family power? a) The tendency of a small group to hold in their hands most of the power in the community b) The average Americans not having any chance of becoming a governor because of the influence of powerful families c) Members enjoying their families’ benefits of private property and entrepreneurship. d) Politics being separated from business.

29. The word “nexus” in paragraph 5 probably means ____________. a) connection b) hunt c) investment d) rejection 30. According to the writer, one reason why the existence of families like the Clintons is worrying is that ____________. a) b) c) d)

these families become excessively rich the capital becomes concentrated in the hands of western families office holders use their political relations to avoid competition pyramid ownership structures allow the accumulation of large capital

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EPE Practice Materials by Nukte Durhan

READING SET 7

EPE PRACTICE

PART B: READING COMPREHENSION

ANSWER KEY FOR READING SET 7

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d b d d c b d d b c a a a b c b c a c d a b d c d a b a a c

This and other reading sets can be found on the Internet: http://metuepepractice.blogspot.com.tr/

or

https://www.facebook.com/metuepe

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EPE Practice Materials by Nukte Durhan

(30 points)