2023年博雅学校雅思阅读模拟题及答案三ver.5

ReadingPassage1NetworkingNetworkingasaconcepthasacquiredwhatisinalltruthanunjustifiedairofmodernity.Itisconsideredinthecorporateworldasanessentialtoolforthemodernbusinessperson,astheytrotroundtheglobedrummingupbusinessforthemselvesoracorporation.Theconceptiswornlikeabadgeofdistinction,andnotjustinthebusinessworld.Peoplecanbedividedbasicallyintothosewhokeepknowledgeandtheirpersonalcontactstothemselves,andthosewhoarepreparedtosharewhattheyknowandindeedtheirfriendswithothers.Apersonwhoisinsecure,forexamplesomeonewhofindsitdifficulttoshareinformationwithothersandwhoisunabletobringpeople,includingfriends,togetherdoesnotmakeagoodnetworker.Theclassicnetworkerissomeonewhoisstrongenoughwithinthemselvestoconnectdifferentpeopleincludingclosefriendswitheachother.Forexample,abusinessmanoranacademicmaymeetsomeonewhoislikelytobeavaluablecontactinthefuture,butatthemomentthatpersonmaybenefitfrommeetinganotherassociateorfriend.Ittakesquiteasecurepersontobringthesepeopletogetherandallowarelationshiptodevelopindependentlyofhimself.Fromthenon-networker'spointofviewsuchadevelopmentmaybeintolerable,especiallyifitishappeningoutsidetheircontrol.Theunfortunatethinghereisthattheinitiatorofthecontact,ifhedidbutknowit,wouldbetheonetobenefitmost.Andwhy?Becauseallthingsbeingequal,peoplemovewithincirclesandthatpersonhasthepotentialofbeingsuckedintoevergrowingspheresofnewcontacts.Itissaidthat,ifyouknoweightpeople,youareintouchwitheveryoneintheworld.Itdoesnottakemuchcommonsensetorealizethepotentialforanykindofventureasoneisabletodrawontheexperienceofmoreandmorepeople.Unfortunately,makingnewcontacts,businessorotherwise,whileitbringssuccess,doescauseproblems.Itenlargestheindividual'sworld.Thisisintruthnotaltogetherabadthing,butitputsmorepressureonthenetworkerthroughhishavingtomaintainaneverlargercircleofpeople.Themostconvenientwayoutis,perhaps,toculloldcontacts,butthiswouldbeanathematoournetworkerasitwoulddefeatthewholepurposeofnetworking.Anotherproblemisthereactionoffriendsandassociates.Spreadingoneselfthinlygivesonelesstimeforotherswhowereperhapsclosertooneinthepast.Intheworkplace,thiscancausetensionwithjealouscolleagues,andevenwithsuperiorswhomightbetemptedtoreininamoresuccessfulinferior.Jealousyandenvycanprovetobeverydetrimentalifoneisfacedwithaveryinsecuremanager,asthispersonmayseektostiflesomeone'scareerorevenblockitcompletely.Theanswerhereistoletone'ssuperiorsshareintheglory;tothrowthemafewcrumbsofcomfort.Itiscalledleadershipfromthebottom.Inthepresentbusinessclimate,companiesandenterprisesneedtoco-operatewitheachotherinordertoexpand.Asglobalizationgrowsapace,companiesneedtobeabletospannotjustcountriesbutcontinents.Whilstpeoplemayrailagainstthisdevelopmentitisforthemomentheretostay.Withoutco-operationandcontacts,specialistcompanieswillnotsurviveforlong.Computercomponents,forexample,needtobecompatiblewiththevariousmachinesonthemarketandtoachievethis,firmsneedtoworkinconjunctionwithothers.Nobusinessorinstitutioncanaffordtobeanislandintoday'senvironment.Inthenotverydistantpast,itwaspossibleforcompaniestogoitalone,butitisnowmoredifficulttodoso.Thesameappliesintheacademicworld,whereideashavebeenjealouslyguarded.Theopening-upofuniversitiesandcollegestotheoutsideworldinrecentyearshasbeenofenormousbenefittoindustryandeducationalinstitutions.Thestereotypicalacademicisonewhomovesinararefiedatmospherelivingalifeofsometimessplendidisolation,aprisoneroftheirowngenius.Thissortofpersondoesnotfiteasilyintothemouldofthemodernnetworker.Yeteventhisinsularworldischanging.Theivorytowersarebeingleftevermorefrequentlyaseducationalexpertsforgelinkswithotherbodies;sometimestostunningeffectasinSiliconValleyinAmericaandaroundCambridgeinEngland,whichnowhasoneofthemostconcentratedclustersofhightechcompaniesinEurope.Itisthenetworkers,thewheeler-dealers,themoversandshakers,callthemwhatyouwill,thatcarrytheworldalong.TheworldoftheNeanderthalswasshakenbetween35,000and40,000BC;theyweresupersededbyHomoSapienswiththevery'networking'skillsthatseparateusfromotheranimals:understanding,thoughtabstractionandculture,whichareinextricablylinkedtoplanningsurvivalandproductivityinhumans.Itissaidthemeekwillinherittheearth.Butwillthey?Questions1-5

Dothefollowingstatementsagreewiththeinformationgivenin

ReadingPassage1?

Inboxes11-13onyouranswersheet,writeYESifthestatementagreeswiththewriter'sclaims

NOifthestatementcontradictsthewriter'sclaims

NOTGIVENifthereisimpossibletosaywhatthewriterthinksaboutthisExampleAnswerNetworkingisaconceptYes1

Networkingisnotamodernidea.2

Networkingiswornlikeabadgeexclusivelyinthebusinessworld.3

Peoplefallintotwobasiccategories.4

Apersonwhosharesknowledgeandfriendsmakesabetternetworkerthanonewhodoesnot.5

Theclassicnetworkerisphysicallystrongandgenerallyingoodhealth.Questions6-10

Using

NOMORETHANTHREEWORDS

fromthepassage,completethesentencesbelow.6

Makingnewacquaintances

........................................

butalsohasitsdisadvantages.7

Atwork,problemscanbecausedifthemanageris

........................................

.8

Amanagercansuppress,oreventotally

........................................

thecareerofanemployee.9

Inbusinesstoday,workingtogetherisnecessaryinorderfor........................................

togrow.10

Businessesthatspecializewillnotlastforlongwithout

........................................

.Questions11-15

Using

NOMORETHANTHREEWORDS

fromthepassage,completethesentencesbelow.11

Inwhichsphereoflifehaveideasbeenprotectedjealously?

12

Whichtypeofindividualdoesnoteasilybecomeamodernnetworker?13

WhereisoneofthegreatestconcentrationsofhightechcompaniesinEurope?

14

WhoreplacedtheNeanderthals?

15

What,aswellasunderstandingandthoughtabstraction,setsusapartfromotheranimals?

ReadingPassage2ASILENTFORCEA

ThereisalegendthatStAugustineinthefourthcenturyADwasthefirstindividualtobeseenreadingsilentlyratherthanaloud,orsemi-aloud,ashadbeenthepracticehitherto.ReadinghascomealongwaysinceAugustine'sday.Therewasatimewhenitwasamenialjobofscribesandpriests,notthemarkofcivilizationitbecameinEuropeduringtheRenaissancewhenitwasseenasoneoftheattributesofthecivilizedindividual.B

Modernnationsarenowseriouslyaffectedbytheirlevelsofliteracy.WhiletheWesternworldhasseenanoticeabledeclineintheseareas,otherlessdevelopedcountrieshaveadvancedand,insomecases,overtakentheWest.India,forexample,nowhasalargepoolofeducatedworkers.SoEuropeancountriescannolongerrestontheirlaurelsastheyhavedoneforfartoolong;otherwise,theyareindangeroffallingevenfurtherbehindeconomically.C

Itisdifficultinthemodernworldtodoanythingotherthanabasicjobwithoutbeingabletoread.Readingasaskillisthekeytoaneducatedworkforce,whichinturnisthebedrockofeconomicadvancement,particularlyinthepresenttechnologicalage.StudieshaveshownthatbyincreasingtheliteracyandnumeracyskillsofprimaryschoolchildrenintheUK,thebenefittotheeconomygenerallyisinbillionsofpounds.Theskillofreadingisnownomorejustanintellectualorleisureactivity,butratherafully-fledgedeconomicforce.D

Partoftheproblemwithreadingisthatitisaskillwhichisnotappreciatedinmostdevelopedsocieties.ThisisanattitudethathascondemnedlargeswathesofthepopulationinmostWesternnationstoilliteracy.ItmightsurprisepeopleincountriesoutsidetheWesttolearnthatintheUnitedKingdom,andindeedinsomeotherEuropeancountries,theliteracyratehasfallentobelowthatofso-calledlessdevelopedcountries.E

Therearealsoforcesconspiringagainstreadinginourmodernsociety.ItisnotseenascoolamongayoungergenerationmoreathomewithcomputerscreensoraWalkman.Thesolitudeofreadingisnotveryappealing.Studentsatschool,collegeoruniversitywhoreadalotarecalledbookworms.Thetermindicatesthecontemptinwhichreadingandlearningareheldincertaincirclesorsubcultures.Itisacriticism,likeallsuchattacks,drivenbytheinsecurityofthosewhoarenotliterateoraresemi-literate.Criticismisalsoameans,likeallbullying,ofkeepingpeersinplacesothattheydonotstepoutofline.Peerpressureamongyoungpeopleissopowerfulthatitoftenkillsanyattemptstochangeattitudestohabitslikereading.F

Butthenegativeconnotationsapart,ismodernWesternsocietystandingCanute-likeagainstanuncontrollablespiralofdecline?Ithinknot.G

Howshouldpeoplebeencouragedtoreadmore?Itcaneasilybedonebyincreasingbasicreadingskillsatanearlyageandencouragingyoungpeopletoborrowbooksfromschools.Someschoolshaveclassroomlibrariesaswellasschoollibraries.Itisnogoodwaitinguntilpupilsareintheirsecondaryschooltoencourageaninterestinbooks;itneedstobepushedatanearlyage.Readingcomics,magazinesandlowbrowpublicationslikeMillsandBoonisfrownedupon.Butsurelywhatpeople,whethertheybeadultsorchildren,readisoflittleimport.Whatissignificantisthefactthattheyarereading.Someonewhoreadsacomictodaymayhavethecouragetopickupamoresubstantialtomelateron.H

Butperhapsthebestideawouldbetostopthenegativeattitudestoreadingfromforminginthefirstplace.Takingchildrentolocallibrariesbringsthemintocontactwithanenvironmentwheretheycanbecomerelaxedamongbooks.Ifprimaryschoolchildrenwerealsotakeningroupsintobookshops,thismightalsoenticethemtowanttheirownbooks.Alocalbookshop,likesomelocallibraries,couldperhapsarrangebookreadingsforchildrenwhich,beingawayfromtheclassroom,wouldmakethereadingactivitymoreofanadventure.Onamoregeneralnote,mostcountrieshavewritersofnationalimportance.Byincreasingthestandingofnationalwritersintheeyesofthepublic,throughlocalandnationalwritingcompetitions,peoplewouldbedrawnmoretotheprintedword.Catchthemyoungand,perhaps,theyjustmightthenallbecomebookworms.

Questions16-22

ReadingPassage2

haseightparagraphslabelled

A-H.

Choosethemostsuitableheadingforeachparagraphfromthelistofheadingsbelow.

Writetheappropriatenumbers(i-xii)inboxes

16-22

onyouranswersheet.

Oneoftheheadingshasbeendoneforyouasanexample.Anyheadingmaybeusedmorethanonce.

Note:

Therearemoreheadingsthanparagraphs,soyouwillnotuseallofthem.ListofHeadingsiReadingnottakenforgrantediiTakingchildrentolibrariesiiiReading:themarkofcivilizationivReadinginStAugustine'sdayvAlargepoolofeducatedworkersinIndiaviLiteracyratesindevelopedcountrieshavedeclinedbecauseofpeople'sattitudeviiPersuadingpeopletoreadviiiLiteracyinfluencestheeconomiesofcountriesintoday'sworldxiReadingbenefitstheeconomybybillionsofpoundsxTheattitudetoreadingamongsttheyoungxiReadingbecomesaneconomicforcexiiThewriter'sattitudetothedeclineinreading16Paragraph

A17Paragraph

B18Paragraph

C19Paragraph

D20Paragraph

E21Paragraph

F22Paragraph

GExampleParagraph

HAnswer

viiQuestions23-27

Dothefollowingstatementsagreewiththeinformationgivenin

ReadingPassage2?

Inboxes23-27onyouranswersheet,writeYESifthestatementagreeswiththewriter'sclaims

NOifthestatementcontradictsthewriter'sclaims

NOTGIVENifthereisimpossibletosaywhatthewriterthinksaboutthisExampleAnswerAccordingtolegend,StAugustinewasthefirstpersontobeseenreadingsilently.Yes23

Europeancountrieshavebeensatisfiedwithpastachievementsfortoolongandhaveallowedothercountriestoovertakethemincertainareas.24

Readingisaneconomicforce.25

TheliteracyrateinlessdevelopednationsisconsiderablyhigherthaninallEuropeancountries.26

Ifyouencouragechildrentoreadwhentheyareyoungthenegativeattitudetoreadingthatgrowsinsomesubcultureswillbeeliminated.27

Peopleshouldbediscouragedfromreadingcomicsandmagazines.

ReadingPassage3Variationsonatheme:thesonnetforminEnglishpoetryA

Theformoflyricpoetryknownas‘thesonnet’,or‘littlesong’,wasintroducedintotheEnglishpoeticcorpusbySirThomasWyatttheElderandhiscontemporaryHenryHoward,EarlofSurrey,duringthefirsthalfofthesixteenthcentury.Itoriginated,however,inItalythreecenturiesearlier,withtheearliestexamplesknownbeingthoseofGiacomodaLentini,‘TheNotary’intheSiciliancourtoftheEmperorFrederickII,datingfromthethirddecadeofthethirteenthcentury.TheSiciliansonneteersarerelativelyobscure,buttheformwastakenupbythetwomostfamouspoetsoftheItalianRenaissance,DanteandPetrarch,andindeedthelatterisregardedasthemasteroftheform.B

ThePetrarchansonnetform,thefirsttobeintroducedintoEnglishpoetry,isacomplexpoeticstructure.Itcomprisesfourteenlineswritteninarhymingmetricalpatternofiambicpentameter,thatistosayeachlineistensyllableslong,dividedintofive‘feet’orpairsofsyllables(hence‘pentameter’),withastresspatternwherethefirstsyllableofeachfootisunstressedandthesecondstressed(aniambicfoot).ThiscanbeseenifwelookatthefirstlineofoneofWordsworth’ssonnets,‘After-Thought’:‘Ithoughtoftheemypartnerandmyguide’.Ifwebreakdownthislineintoitsconstituentsyllabicparts,wecanseethefivefeetandthestresspattern(inthisexampleeachstressedsyllableisunderlined),thus:‘Ithought/ofthee/mypart/nerand/myguide’.C

TherhymeschemeforthePetrarchansonnetisequallyasrigid.Thepoemisgenerallydividedintotwoparts,theoctave(8lines)andthesestet(6lines),whichisdemonstratedthroughrhymeratherthananactualspacebetweeneachsection.Theoctaveisusuallyrhymed

abbaabba

withthefirst,fourth,fifthandeighthlinesrhymingwitheachother,andthesecond,third,sixthandseventhalsorhyming.Thesestetismorevaried:itcanfollowthepatterns

cdecde,

cdccdc,or

cdedce.PerhapsthebestinterpretationofthisdivisioninthePetrarchansonnetisbyCharlesGayley,whowrote:‘Theoctavebearstheburden;adoubt,aproblem,areflection,aquery,anhistoricalstatement,acryofindignationordesire,avisionoftheideal.Thesesteteasestheload,resolvestheproblemordoubt,answersthequeryordoubt,solacestheyearning,realizesthevision’.Thus,wecanseethattherhymeschemedemonstratesatwofolddivisioninthepoem,providingastructurefordevelopmentofthemesandideas.D

Earlyon,however,Englishpoetsbegantovaryandexperimentwiththisstructure.ThefirstmajordevelopmentwasmadebyHenryHoward,EarlofSurrey,altogetheranindifferentpoet,butwastakenupandperfectedbyWilliamShakespeare,andisnamedafterhim.TheShakespeareansonnetalsohasfourteenlinesiniambicpentameter,butratherthanthedivisionintooctaveandsestet,thepoemisdividedintofourparts:threequatrainsandafinalrhymingcouplet.Eachquatrainhasitsowninternalrhymescheme,thusatypicalShakespeareansonnetwouldrhyme

ababcdcdefefgg.Suchastructurenaturallyallowsgreaterflexibilityfortheauthoranditwouldbehard,ifnotimpossible,toenumeratethedifferentwaysinwhichithasbeenemployed,byShakespeareandothers.Forexample,anideamightbeintroducedinthefirstquatrain,complicatedinthesecond,furthercomplicatedinthethird,andresolvedinthefinalcouplet-indeed,thecoupletisalmostalwaysusedasaresolutiontothepoem,thoughofteninasurprisingway.E

These,then,arethetwostandardformsofthesonnetinEnglishpoetry,butitshouldberecognizedthatpoetsrarelyfollowrulespreciselyandanumberofothersonnettypeshavebeendeveloped,playingwiththestructuralelements.EdmundSpenser,forexample,morefamousforhisverseepic‘TheFaerieQueene’,inventedavariationontheShakespeareanformbyinterlockingtherhymeschemesbetweenthequatrains,thus:

ababbcbccdcdee,whileinthetwentiethcenturyRupertBrookereversedhissonnet,beginningwiththecouplet.JohnMilton,theseventeenth-centurypoet,wasunsatisfiedwiththefourteen-lineformatandwroteanumberof‘Caudate’sonnets,orsonnetswiththeregularfourteenlines(onthePetrarchanmodel)witha‘coda’or‘tail’ofafurthersixlines.AsimilarnotioninformsGeorgeMeredith’ssonnetsequence‘ModernLove’,wheremostsonnetsinthecyclehavesixteenlines.F

Perhapsthemostradicalofinnovators,however,hasbeenGerardManleyHopkins,whodevelopedwhathecalledthe‘Curtal’sonnet.Thisformvariesthelengthofthepoem,reducingitineffecttoelevenandahalflines,therhymeschemeandthenumberoffeetperline.ModulatingthePetrarchanform,insteadoftwoquatrainsintheoctave,hehastwotercetsrhyming

abcabc,andinplaceofthesestethehasfourandahalflines,witharhymescheme

dcbdc.Asifthisisnotenough,thetercetsarenolongeriniambicpentameter,buthavesixstressesinsteadoffive,asdoesthefinalquatrain,withtheexceptionofthelastline,whichhasthree.Manycritics,however,arescepticalastowhethersuchamajorvariationcanindeedbeclassifiedasasonnet,butasverseformsandstructuresbecomefreer,andpoetslesssatisfiedwithconvention,itislikelythatevenmoreexperimentalformswillout.Questions28-32

ReadingPassage3

haseightparagraphslabelled

A-H.

Choosethemostsuitableheadingforeach