PASSAGE 01 Read the passage below and answer 10 questions.

Early Clocks Humans have been trying, in various ways, to keep track of the passing of time for around 6000 years. This means, of course, that for the very long stretch of human history before this time, people didnt have ways to divide the day other than the rising and the setting of the sun. It is thought that the ancient Sumerians may have been the first true time-keepers, but this is not clear as archaeological evidence is not sufficient. There is evidence, however, that the ancient Egyptians incorporated time-keeping as an aspect of their daily life over five thousand years ago. The earliest type of clock, and the one which was used in ancient Egypt, was the sundial. As the name suggests, the sundial uses the sun to show the time. There were many different types of such clocks in use at that time, but it is one type, the obelisk, which has become most closely linked with ancient Egypt. An obelisk is a tall, narrow stone tower, built outside, which would cast a shadow on the ground in different places during different times of the day. As time progressed, obelisks became more complex, and markings around the base of the tower could indicate further time divisions. Two centuries after obelisks were first used the Egyptians had expanded upon the idea and created more complex sundials. Sundials as we think of them today are flat stone objects with a long, narrow bar, called a gnomon, attached at the centre of the face, or surface of the stone. The sun would shine down on the gnomon and its shadow would fall on the face, indicating the time of day. Water clocks were among the first clocks which didnt depend on the sun or stars to keep time. The oldest one known dates back to 1500 BC, and water clocks or clepsydras became popular in amongst the Greeks and Arabs a thousand years later. The Clepsydra (Greek for water thief) consisted of a reservoir for holding water, and a mechanism by which water would and steadily flow or drip into the reservoir. The rising level of the water would indicate how much time had passed since the dripping began. The earliest water clocks were not very accurate, but as with the sundial, as time passed, water clocks became more mechanised and complex and they were increasingly outfitted with gadgets some rang bells or gongs, some showed the movement of the planets, and some opened little windows to display statues or figures. Just before the turn of the century, the Greeks built what is called the tower of winds, a complex water clock showing time, seasons, wind direction, and much more. Around this time, water clock making took root in China, and after a thousand years of development, another famous clock, the eponymous Su Sung clock tower, was built. This tower clock was over 30 feet tall and contained a variety of mechanisms not only for telling time accurately, but for following the position of the stars and planets. The history of the development of clocks continued in Europe, and starting a few hundred years after the building of the Su Sung, clocks were developed that kept time due to other natural phenomenon, mostly related to natural motion the pulling of gravity, the swinging of pendulums, and finally, the released tension of coiled springs, a mechanism which, for the first time, allowed portable watches to become a reality. Label the diagram below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Classify the following features according to the type of clock: A) Sundials

B) C)

Water Clocks Other kinds of clocks

Write the correct letter, A, B or C in boxes 7-10 on your answer sheet. 7) Developed in Europe after the Su Sung 8) Served purposes other than telling time 9) Were easily portable 10) Oldest recorded time-keeping device PASSAGE 2 Read the passage below and answer 10 questions. Many people are affected by discomfort or injury resulting from the use of equipment which is not suited or not adjusted for our bodies. If you have ever experienced pain in your hands after a lengthy session of typing, or have had back pain after sitting at a desk for a long time, you will be able to imagine how much a persons productivity would be affected if these minor pains became persistent injury. Discomfort in the hands, back, shoulders, elbows, and neck can be caused by overuse or misuse of the machines and equipment we use everyday, and it is because of this that students and office workers alike are now learning about and applying the principles of ergonomics, the practice of arranging an environment to suit the person using it. While based in science and engineering, ergonomics has practical applications that anyone can use on their working or studying environment. How you position and use your computer, for example, can make all the difference. Pay attention first of all to the height of the monitor. Too low and you are constantly looking down; too high and you are constantly straining your neck to look up. Try to adjust the height of your monitor so that the first line of text is at eye-level. You can also reduce the risk of discomfort in your wrists and the tendons of your hands by making sure you type so that your wrists are suspended in the air, not resting against the desk top. By making sure the mouse is right next to the keyboard, you can avoid having to stretch to reach it, and therefore avoid unnecessary stress on your shoulder, elbow and wrist. How you sit is also of vital importance in avoiding injury and discomfort, a fact which has directed chair design in recent year. Today, it is easy to find ergonomically designed chairs which promise to reduce stress on your back and legs when sitting for long periods, but it is not always easy to decide which one is best for you. Youll want to make sure the chair is adjustable in height and has a back which is at a 90 to 110 degree angle to the chair seat. Whether or not the chair has a reclining back or armrests is more a matter of personal preference than ergonomics, and as with using a computer, the best way to avoid discomfort is to adjust the equipment to suit your body; the chair should be not so high as to cause strain on your legs, but not so low as to make typing uncomfortable. The principles of ergonomics make good sense, but the suggestions made above will reduce but not eliminate discomfort associated with long periods at a desk. The best advice for avoiding repetitive stress injury at work or home is tried and true take breaks. Make sure you rest periodically during your work period. Five or ten minutes every hour should do it. Take a short walk, make a cup of tea, anything which interrupts the repetitive motions required when working or studying at a desk. The human body is designed for action, not long periods of inaction, so regardless of how comfortable your surrounding environment is, you will feel some discomfort if you stay in one position too long. Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write your answer in box 1-4 on your answer sheet. 1) Ergonomic chairs A. Make sitting for long periods comfortable. B. Should always have armrests. C. Should accommodate both short and tall people. D. Should allow the sitter to recline. 2) The best way to avoid discomfort while doing office work is A. To make sure to keep yourself hydrated by drinking liquids. B. To make sure your chair suits your body. C. To adjust your computer according to the principles of ergonomics.

D. To make sure you dont stay in the same position for too long. 3) If your computers monitor is not at an appropriate height, A. You will increase stress on your eyes. B. You will increase stress on your neck. C. You will reduce your efficiency at work. D. You should adjust your seat height. 4) Ergonomics A. Is something which comes into play mostly in the design phase of equipment. B. Depends on both the designer and the user to be effectively employed. C. Is based on traditional ideas. D. Is most useful to students.

Complete the summary with words (A-L) from the box below. Write the correct letter A-L in boxes 5-10 on your answer sheet. People who ____(5)____ for long periods of time are at risk of ____(6)____ resulting from prolonged ____(7)____ on the muscles of the body. To combat this risk, you should ensure your environment is ____(8)____ to your body. You must also make sure that you change ____(9)____ often, as the human body is not suited to stay still for too long. Taking breaks is also highly recommended, especially if these breaks involve ___(10)___ around.

A breaks D rest G stress J moving

B adjusted E sit H painful K motion

C positions F injury I suits L chairs

PASSAGE 3 Read the passage below and answer 10 questions. Ethnic Groups in Singapore In addition to being one of the smallest (and youngest) countries in the world, Singapore, with its population of less than four million, is one of the worlds most ethnically mixed countries. It is primarily Chinese, a group to which over three quarters of permanent residents assign themselves, but even in this group there are differences in languages and cultures. The other two main ethnic groups in Singapore are Malays and Indians, each representing around ten percent of the population. It has long been the goal of the government to promote Singapore as a multicultural society in which all three of these main groups enjoy equal access to the wealth, education, and social systems that Singapore offers. For nearly seven hundred years, Chinese have been travelling to Southeast Asia in search of wealth and prosperity. Those who settled in Singapore came mainly from southern China and spoke different languages depending on which area was home. Hokkien, one of the main Chinese languages spoken in Singapore, originates from Fujian Province. Speakers of Teochew had ancestors from eastern Guangdong. Hakka has roots in both Fujian and Guangdong. Cantonese is also spoken in Singapore today, and originates from Guangzhou. All of these languages (and more) are spoken by the Chinese population of Singapore today, though there are very few communities now that are linguistically isolated as they were in the past, and in recent years the government has also heavily promoted the

teaching and learning of Mandarin to serve as a common language for the Chinese community. Though representing a much smaller proportion of the population, the Malays are the second largest ethnic group in Singapore and the original inhabitants of Singapore. They are still today the main ethnic group throughout the region stretching from Malaysia to Indonesia and the Philippines. The Malay community in Singapore came mainly from the Malaysian peninsula, though many also came from Java and other Indonesian islands. The Malay community practices Islam, which came to the area via Arab and Indian traders in the 1400s, but their religion also retains some features of pre-islamic Hindu beliefs. The third largest ethnic group in Singapore, slightly smaller than the Malay community, is that of the Indians. Migration from India dates mainly from the days of the British colony of Malaya in the 18th century, and most Indians came to the area as labourers recruited by the British to work on plantations. Most of the Indian community are Tamil from the southern part of India, but a sizeable portion originates from Kerala in the southwest. Another group of people with a long history in Singapore are known as the Peranakans. The word peranakan in Malay means half-caste and the Peranakans are the descendants of Chinese immigrants who settled in the area and married Malay women. The groups of Chinese who travelled and settled in the region centuries ago were predominantly (if not entirely) men, and so a most were married to local women. The culture of the Peranakans is a mix of both Chinese and Malay traditions, and in most cases this group adopted the name and religion of their Chinese fathers, but retained the language and customs of their Malay mothers. Today, the Peranakan population speaks a version of Malay which borrows from Hokkien so much that Malay speakers often cannot understand the dialect. While the Peranakan culture is being preserved and revived by organisations in Singapore, there are just a few thousand Peranakan Malay speakers left on the island.

According to the information in the reading passage, which group(s) have the following features: A Chinese Malays Indians Peranakans

1) Has/Have features of more than ethnic group? 2) Is/Are united strongly through religion? 3) Speak / Speaks many different languages? 4) Is/Are not native to the Singapore region? 5) Was originally made up mostly of men?

In boxes 6-10 on your answer sheet write Yes if the statement is true according to the article if the statement is not true according to the article if it is not possible to determine the truth of the statement from the article

No

NOT GIVEN

6) Originally, many Chinese communities in Singapore couldnt communicate easily with each other due to linguistic differences. 7) Mandarin is the main language of Singapore. 8) Indians were the most recent of the three to arrive in Singapore. 9) Arab and Indian traders settled in Singapore in the 1400s. 10) The Peranakan language is being increasingly used in Singapore.