Cambridge 20 Academic Reading Test 1

Reading Passage 1

Questions 1 to 6
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 1–6 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. There are other parrots that share the kakapo’s inability to fly.

2. Adult kakapo produce chicks every year.

3. Adult male kakapo bring food back to nesting females.

4. The Polynesian rat was a greater threat to the kakapo than Polynesian settlers.

5. Kakapo were transferred from Rakiura Island to other locations because they were at risk from feral cats.

6. One Recovery Plan initiative that helped increase the kakapo population size was caring for struggling young birds.

Questions 7–13

Complete the notes below.

Choose ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

New Zealand’s kākāpō

A type of parrot:

  • diet consists of fern fronds, various parts of a tree and 7

  • nests are created in 8 where eggs are laid.

Arrival of Polynesian settlers

  • the 9 of the kākāpō were used to make clothes.

Arrival of European colonisers

  • 10 were an animal which they introduced that ate the kākāpō’s food sources.

Protecting kākāpō

  • Richard Henry, a conservationist, tried to protect the kākāpō.

  • a definite sighting of female kākāpō on Rakiura Island was reported in the year 11

  • the Recovery Plan included an increase in 12

  • a current goal of the Recovery Plan is to maintain the involvement of 13 in kākāpō protection.

Questions 14–18

Reading Passage 2 has seven sections, A–G.
Which section contains the following information?
NB You may use any letter more than once.
14. reference to the research problems that arise from there being only a few surviving large elms __

15. details of a difference of opinion about the value of reintroducing elms to Britain

16. reference to how Dutch elm disease was brought into Britain

17. a description of the conditions that have enabled a location in Britain to escape Dutch elm disease

18. reference to the stage at which young elms become vulnerable to Dutch elm disease

Questions 19–23

Look at the following statements (Questions 19–23) and the list of people below.
Match each statement with the correct person, A, B, or C.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

List of People
A. Matt Elliot
B. Karen Russell
C. Peter Bourne
19. If a tree gets infected with Dutch elm disease, the damage rapidly becomes visible.

20. It may be better to wait and see if the mature elms that have survived continue to flourish.

21. There must be an explanation for the survival of some mature elms.

22. We need to be aware that insects carrying Dutch elm disease are not very far away.

23. You understand the effect Dutch elm disease has had when you see evidence of how prominent the tree once was.

Questions 24–26

Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Uses of a popular tree
For hundreds of years, the only tree that was more popular in Britain than elm was 24 Starting in the Bronze Age, many tools were made from elm and people also used it to make weapons. In the 18th century, it was grown to provide wood for boxes and 25 Due to its strength, elm was often used for mining equipment and the Cutty Sark’s 26 was also constructed from elm.

Reading Passage 3

Questions 27–30
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

27. In the first paragraph, the writer introduces the topic of the text by

28. What point does the writer make about firefighters in the second paragraph?

29. What is the writer doing in the fourth paragraph?

30. In the seventh paragraph, the writer describes a mechanism in the brain which

Questions 31–35

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A–G, below.

A. made them feel optimistic.
B. took relatively little notice of bad news.
C. responded to negative and positive information in the same way.
D. were feeling under stress.
E. put them in a stressful situation.
F. behaved in a similar manner, regardless of the circumstances.
G. thought it more likely that they would experience something bad.

31 At times when they were relaxed, the firefighters usually

32 The researchers noted that when the firefighters were stressed, they

33 When the firefighters were told good news, they always

34 The students’ cortisol levels and heart rates were affected when the researchers

35 In both experiments, negative information was processed better when the subjects

Questions 36–40

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3?
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

36. The tone of the content we post on social media tends to reflect the nature of the posts in our feeds.

37. Phones have a greater impact on our stress levels than other electronic media devices.

38. The more we read about a stressful public event on social media, the less able we are to take the information in.

39. Stress created by social media posts can lead us to take unnecessary precautions.

40. Our tendency to be affected by other people’s moods can be used in a positive way.

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