HUE UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES MID-TERM TEST ONE

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT SUBJECT: READING 1

Name: Student ID Group:

Passage 1
Sometimes humans kill animals indirectly. Few places on the planet are
untouched by humans. The ever-increasing human population needs more space.
Industries use more and more of the Earth’s natural resources. The result: in less than
one hundred years, as many as two hundred known species of birds and mammals
have vanished. How? Many natural habitats are disappearing. The Earth’s rainforests
are being destroyed, along with their inhabitants. Toxic wastes, air pollution, and
radiation take terrible tolls on wildlife. Changes in the planet’s ozone layer and in its
climate threaten all animals, including humans.
In 1977, President Jimmy Carter asked for an official study of the environment.
What, he asked, would our planet be like in the year 2000 if present trends continue?
This study was done by several U.S. government departments at the direction of Dr.
Gerald Barney. Published in 1980, the Global 2000 Report to the President provided
startling warnings and predictions about the fate of the Earth if we do not make
changes in the way we treat it. The report predicted,among other things, that “between
half a million and 2 million species — 15 to 20 percent of all species on earth —
could be extinguished by the year 2000.” It warned of more hardship for the Earth’s
human inhabitants as well — more starvation, for example. This report strongly urged
the government to take immediate action. It gave recommendations for change. But by
the time the study was completed, Ronald Reagan had been elected president and his
administration ignored the report.
The 1980s were not a good decade for the environment. It is likely that a global
report now would be even bleaker than the one published after the 1970s. Many
environmentalists wonder if we can stop the destruction of our planet before it is too
late. When, they ask, will humans realise that they are not meant to be masters of the
Earth, only one of its guests?
Questions 1-5: Read the passage and CIRCLE the letter A, B, or C next to the correct
answer for these following questions.
1) Which of these below is NOT causing the natural habitats to disappear?

A. Toxic wastes B. Radiation C. Starvation

2) The word “IT” in paragraph 2 refers to…

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A.The President B. The Earth C. The report

3) When was the Global 2000 Report published?

A. 1977 B. 2000 C. 1980

4) Who/Which led the official study of the environment?

A. Jimmy Carter B. Dr. Gerald Barney C. Several US. departments

5) Which of the following could also be a title for this text?

A. What is happening to our planet?

B. An official study of the environment asked by US President Jimmy Carter.

C. Humans kill animals indirectly.

Questions 6-10: Read the passage and look at the following statements. Circle T if
the statetement is true, F if the statement is false.
6. The increase of human population and the need of industries T F
result in the death of lots of birds and mammals.

7. According to the report, more than 2 million species on earth T F

Passage 2
Ann Daniels and Helen Findlay faced the dangers of polar bears, thin ice and frostbite
when they became members of an expedition to the Arctic in 2010. The expedition
team consisted of six scientists and a separate group of three explorers. While Helen
and the other scientists were setting up a laboratory site on the ice in northern Canada,
Ann and two other explorers set off on a 500 kilometer journey on foot across floating
sea ice from Greenland to the North Pole.

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Both groups planned to measure how thick the ice was at various sites in the Arctic.
They would also collect water samples for testing, in order to discover how the
chemistry of sea water was changing, and what effect this was having on plant-life
and animals in the ocean. On previous expeditions, the water was tested in the
summer, using ships at sea, but they had never collected it from under the ice before.
The research was important for understanding what might happen in other oceans
around the world in the future, as a result of climate change.

Ann Daniels was working in a bank in 1996 when she answered an advert, inviting
ordinary women to join a trek to the North Pole in the Arctic. Since then she has
become one of the world’s leading professional polar explorers. For the 2010
expedition, she and her two colleagues attended a week-long fitness camp to prepare
them for pulling the 120 kilogram sledges over the ice for 12 hours a day. Despite her
previous experience, however, Ann suffered in the freezing conditions. ‘It gets into
your bones and never leaves you, even when you’re in your tent at night,’ she said.
‘Especially at the end of an expedition when you’re totally exhausted.’ Yet Ann
successfully guided her companions for 73 days and collected all the samples and
information that were needed.

Helen Findlay was one of the scientists on the laboratory site based in Canada.
Although it was not her first visit to the Arctic, she had never been there in winter and
realized that carrying out experiments in such an extreme environment would be
challenging. The laboratory tents were heated, but getting equipment to work outside
while wearing gloves and thick clothes meant every job took twice as long as it would
normally. When they went out onto the ice to collect samples, the scientists were
protected by two guides with guns and bangers to frighten any curious polar bears
who might be attracted by the smell of humans.

Despite the difficulties, both Ann and Helen stayed out on the ice for the whole of the
project, and the results of their studies have been widely published.

Questions 11-15: Read the passage and CIRCLE the letter A, B, C or D next to the
correct answer for these following questions.
11) The word “ARCTIC” has the closest meaning to …
A. North Pole B. South Pole C. Greenland D. Canada
12) The word “THEY” in the 3rd paragraph refers to …
A. expeditions B. animals C. Both groups D. water samples

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13) Why was the research important?
A. It helped to test the water samples in the summer
B. It helped to understand what effects climate change might have on oceans.
C. It helped to test the water samples in the winter
D. It helped to measure how thick the ice was at various sites in the Arctic.
14) Who has become one of the world’s leading professional polar explorers?
A. Ann Daniels’s companions
B. Ann Daniels
C. Helen Findlay
D. Helen Findlay’s guide
15) The passage mainly discusses…
A. The impact of climate change on oceans around the world
B. Life of Ann Daniels
C. Achievement of Helen Findlay
D. The Arctic expedition
Questions 16-20: Read the passage and look at the following statements. Circle T if
the statetement is true, F if the statement is false.
16. A building was ready for the scientists to work in on their T F
arrival in northern Canada.
17. This was the first time scientists had tested Arctic sea water T F
during the winter months.
18 Information was collected on the expedition to help explain the T F
reasons for climate change.
19 The North Pole was the destination of a previous expedition T F
that Ann had been on.
20 Ann had to do special training to be strong enough for the T F
expedition.

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