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MODEL TEST - ACADEMIC IELTS
(Time: 90 minutes)
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Section 1
Script:
Man: Easylet. Good morning. How can I help you? Woman: Hello. I saw your advertisement in the paper and I'm calling to ask about renting a flat. Man: Certainly. What kind of flat had you in mind? Woman: Well, er, I don't know exactly ... I mean, it depends on price, to some extent. Man: OK, now we have properties across the whole range. The average is probably £120 a week. Woman: Oh, I was hoping for something a little cheaper. Man: They start at £90. That's the lowest we have usually. And they go up to £200. Woman: I could manage the lowest figure. Man: An important question is how long you're thinking of staying in the property. We don't do short lets. Woman: I'd want a flat for nine months, perhaps longer. Man: That would be fine. Our contracts are for a standard six months, and that can be extended. Woman: Fine. I'd need to come in and see you? Man: Yes, our office is open from 9 am to 5 pm. Woman: I'd need to come in on Saturday. Man: OK, then we're here between 10 am and 4 pm. We also open on Sunday mornings, until 1 pm. Woman: Saturday is fine. If possible. I'd like to see details of some properties first. Man: We can post you a list. Or you may find it easier to look on the internet. Woman: Oh, yes, I have the address here, thank you. Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. Easylet Accommodation Agency
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4
the internet/ internet
6 months
90
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Script:
Man: What else would you like to know? Woman: I wonder what I might need to buy for a flat. What's included in the rent? Man: That depends on the flat, to a certain extent, although some things are standard in all flats. For example, every flat has kitchen equipment provided for your use. Woman: Good. Does that also mean tableware, cups, glasses, plates? Man: In some flats, but not all. Woman: OK. And bathroom towels, sheets, and so on? Man: I don't think any flats have those included. Woman: I can easily buy some. I don't suppose flats come with a TV? Man: In fact they all do - although they may not be the most modern models. Woman: Oh, that's fine. Man: But it's different with the telephone. That's up to you to organise. These days, most people seem just to use their mobile phone. Woman: I can imagine. What extra charges would I get? Is heating extra? Man: Yes, it is, but the water bill is part of the rent, so you don't have to pay for that. Woman: Right, I've noted all that.
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1. Which THREE things are included for free with every property fin rent from Easylet?
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Explain:
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Script:
Man: Are you looking to move into a flat soon? Woman: I hope so, yes. Man: The thing is, we have a few flats at the moment that we'd like to get rented out by the end of the month. Woman: I see. Man: They're all good flats, and at the price you want. There's one in Eastern Towers, one in Granby Mansions and another in Busby Garden. All three are nice blocks of flats. Woman: Could you tell me where they are? I'm at the train station at the moment. Man: Eastern Towers, if you're coming from the station, isn't very far. Cross over City Bridge. Then go left, and where the road divides, you want the right-hand fork. You'll see Eastern Towers on the left side of the road. It's a lovely building, with trees around it. Woman: That sounds nice. What about Granby Mansions? Man: The best way to get there from the station is probably to go down River Road and then cross over Old Bridge. The road bends to the right, round the park, and if you follow along, you'll find it there, on the left side. That's a great location, with lovely views of the park. Woman: Very nice. And you said there was one more? Man: Busby Garden, yes. OK, from the station, cross over City Bridge, keep going through the first crossroads until you come to the second crossroads. Busby Garden will be facing you, over to the right side. It's very convenient for the shops. Woman: Fine. Thank you. Well, I'll see you on Saturday. Label the map below. Where are the following blocks of flats situated?
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1. Eastern Towers
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Explain:
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2. Granby Mansions
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Explain:
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Section 2
Script:
Well, good afternoon. I'm Constable James McDonald, and as you may know, I'm the community police officer for the local area. That means that - as part of my job -1 try to get out in the community as much as possible - talk to the people that live in this neighbourhood - people like yourselves - and make sure there's an effective level of communication between the public and the police - hence the reason for this meeting. There have been several burglaries in the area in the last few weeks and I'd like to talk about ways you can keep your home and property safe. So, I'd suggest that a good way to start is by talking to your neighbours and exchanging contact details with them. This'll allow you to get in touch immediately if there's anything suspicious happening next door. Then, make sure you have a good discussion about the best course of action to take in case of emergency - make sure everyone is clear about what to do and who to call. If you plan ahead, this'll prevent uncertainty and even panic should anything happen later. Another thing that I would advise you to do is always leave your radio playing - even when you go out. And if you keep your curtains closed, burglars are less likely to try and break in because they can't be sure whether someone's home or not. Now, none of us want to be in the situation where we can't get into our own home, but do take time to think where the best and safest place is to leave your spare keys. Putting them under the door mat or anywhere near the front door is just asking for trouble. You'd be surprised how many people actually do this - and it makes life really easy for burglars. All these things will help keep your community safe and will cost you nothing. However, if you are going to spend some money, what I'd recommend more than anything else is that you invest in some well-made window locks for your house. This will give you peace of mind. Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
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spare keys/ extra keys/ keys
an emergency/ emergency
radio
window locks/ locks
contact details
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Script:
OK, moving on. Unfortunately, there's been an increase in the number of minor crimes and anti-social behaviour in the general area and I want to talk about some specific prevention measures that are being proposed. First of all, the skate park. As you probably know, it's well used by younger people in our community but unfortunately we're getting more and more reports of broken glass - making it especially dangerous for younger children. One possible solution here is to get rid of some of the trees and bushes around the park - making it more visible to passersby and vehicles. If the vandals know they're being watched, this might act as a deterrent. As you will have heard, a couple of local primary schools have also been vandalised recently - despite the presence of security guards. The schools don't have the funds for video surveillance - so we need people in the neighbourhood to call their nearest police station and report any suspicious activity immediately. Please don't hesitate to do this. I expect most of you are familiar with the problems facing Abbotsford Street. It seems that no amount of warning signs or speed cameras will slow speeding drivers down. I'm happy to say, however, that the council have agreed to begin work over the next few months to put in a new roundabout. What else? Oh, yes. The newsagent and the gift shop on Victoria Street were both broken into last week, and although no money was taken, the properties have suffered some serious damage. Access was gained to these shops through the small alleyway at the back of the properties - it's dark and as you can imagine, no one saw the thief or thieves in action. So, we've been advising shop owners along there about what kind of video recording equipment they can have put in - we'll then be able to get evidence of any criminal activity on film. The supermarket car park is also on our list of problem areas. We've talked to the supermarket managers and council authorities and we've advised them to get graffiti cleaned off immediately and get the smashed lights replaced. If you don't deal with this sort of thing at once, there's a strong possibility that the activity will increase and spread, and then it becomes ... Which crime prevention measure is proposed for each area affected by crime?
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2. local primary schools
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Explain:
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3. Abbotsford Street
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Explain:
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4. shops on Victoria Street
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Explain:
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5. supermarket car park
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Explain:
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Section 3
Script:
You will hear a student, Alex, asking his tutor for advice about essay writing. Tutor: Hi, Alex, come in. I gather you wanted some help with writing essays. Alex: Yes. I’m finding this first term difficult and I’m worried about the assignments we have to do for January. Tutor: Well, let me see if I can help. You shouldn’t panic about it because essay writing is a very straightforward process really. What it involves is organising the information that you want to include. You shouldn’t have more than you can easily manage within the word count. Make sure you haven’t got too much or anything irrelevant. You need to look at that and work out what you need and what you don’t need before you start. And then you just have to think about how you’re going to put forward your argument. Alex: Oh, that sounds very straightforward when you put it like that. But I’m worried I haven’t got the necessary skills for writing an effective essay because English is my second language. Tutor: Well, perhaps you misunderstand the skills you need. You need to be able to analyse your data and then I would say the skills of interpretation and expressing yourself are important. Perhaps it’s this last one that bothers you, but the more essays you write, the more you will develop these skills. Alex: Yes - and I don’t quite know how to improve at that - though as you say, I know practice will help. And I need to make sure I’ve got everything ready before I start. Tutor: Yes. What is vital to good essay writing is preparation so make sure you build in enough time to do the research you need. Alex: Are there any other sources I can use to help me with essays? Tutor: Yes. You should go to the library and look through the reference section because there are books that focus on the style we use in academic writing and those will help you a lot. The other thing that you should think about is, what happens when you’ve actually written your essay. Too many students just complete their work and hand it in, whereas what you should be doing is making sure that you edit it as thoroughly as possible. Alex: Oh, yes. That’s a good idea. Then I’d pick up any mistakes and also see if it reads logically. Tutor: Exactly. The other thing is, again, what a lot of students do is get their essays back, look at the marks, then just file it away. They don’t seem to realise that if they checked it through and looked at what the tutor had written, then they can learn from their old essays. Alex: Yeah, I can see that’s a good idea. Tutor: So, is that OK? You can always come back to me. Complete the summary below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
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preparation
style
edit
learn
interpretation
argument
organizing / organising
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Script:
Alex: Actually, there were a couple of other things I wanted to ask you about essay writing. I had had a few thoughts of my own about what I should do such as really taking good notes when I’m reading because that helps, doesn’t it? Tutor: I think it improves your knowledge rather than your actual writing. But one tip I can give you is to try and not read too much, otherwise you end up including irrelevant material in your essay. Remember to stay on task. Alex: Yes, sometimes I have problems interpreting the questions correctly, or the whole question seems overwhelming to me. What I try to do is highlight the key parts and divide it into smaller chunks, so I can manage it. Tutor: Well, you might find it useful to break it down even further by making sure you understand all the words perfectly before you start. Things like ‘assess’ or ‘comment’ and such like. Alex: Yes, I see. Tutor: Sometimes, after an objective analysis, the question actually asks you for a subjective opinion, but you must remember to support your arguments, if that’s the case. One final comment I can make is about using your own words - you must try to do this as far as possible. You’re expected to summarise what you’ve read not just string together a list of quotations. In fact, you shouldn’t have too many - just use them where it’s really important. Alex: OK, thanks. Tutor: Do you read other student’s essays when you’ve finished? Alex: No. Why? Is that a good idea? Tutor: Well, you can confuse each other so I’d advise against it - but it’s up to you. Alex: OK. Thanks very much ... (fade) ... Choose THREE answer choices.
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1. Which THREE pieces of advice does the tutor give the student?
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Explain:
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Section 4
Script:
You will hear a lecture on learning. First read a summary of the lecture made by a student. Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the last lecture in this series for new, mature-age students. I hope in this short lecture to provide you with information and strategies which will make your studies both more enjoyable and successful. Specifically, I will be looking at how ‘learning strategies’ or ‘approaches to learning’ contribute to successful learning. Learning is a complex process and, while it is often a natural process to which we give little thought, at university it certainly requires effort, concentration, motivation and change. When we learn new information or skills, there are two aspects we tend to focus on. Primarily we focus on the content or information on which we are likely to be examined or assessed-in other words, what we are learning. This focus on content can prevent us focusing-at least initially-on how we learn. When researchers have studied successful learning and successful learners, they have often found that these students have at some stage, implicitly or explicitly, identified strategies and behaviours that enable them to effectively take on new information and skills. So let’s take a quick look at adults who have been less successful in their learning attempts-particularly in formal settings such as schools, universities and colleges. They may attribute their perceived failure to a lack of intelligence without ever looking at the strategies they have used and whether it is these strategies that have failed them rather than their intellect. In fact there is a myriad of factors which contribute to successful or unsuccessful learning, but today I will be looking specifically at the ways in which effective and successful learning takes place-that is, specifically, learning how to learn. Learning to learn activities aim to assist students to operate with greater independence, confidence, autonomy and self-direction in study, work practices and life. Learning to learn activities can offer you a range of outcomes-specifically these include: Firstly, an improved generic skills base-that is enhancing general life skills which you will use in all facets of study, work and social life. A second outcome is the ability to direct your own learning-to take control of what you want to learn-to identify elements of subject and follow those particular interests. Another outcome will be the ability to both choose and use resources more effectively. Fourthly, the increased opportunity to engage in critical and reflective thinking-which is central to tertiary study and so is often assumed by lecturers and not taught directly. Yet another outcome will be enhanced organisational skills-which I think most people will agree are essential skills across all aspects of our lives be it study, family or work demands. And the final, but by no means least important, outcome will be having opportunities and confidence to network, team build and collaborate with others-exploiting all of the available resources including colleagues-their knowledge and skills. In short, learning to learn activities aim to direct your attention to your capacity to organise yourself, your resources and your time. Let’s stop for a moment and look at some of the characteristics that researchers and students themselves have identified in successful learners and learning. While this list is not exhaustive or definitive, you will probably identify with some of the characteristics while recognising areas of weakness or barriers to success in the past. Firstly, good learners have the ability to identify their goals-short, medium and long term goals and the steps required to achieve them. Secondly, they also identify their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning and work towards maximising the former and eliminating, or at least minimising the latter. Next is the recognition of techniques and approaches to learning which suit them as learners-as individuals. Techniques which work for one will not necessarily work for everyone so you really need to know which suit you specifically as a learner. Of course success also hinges on managing commitments-study, work and/or family-which includes things like attending classes, actively participating-questioning, contributing to discussion groups etc. and submitting all required assignments. Good learners will also evaluate and adjust their approaches and strategies when or if necessary-rather than persevering even when clearly nothing is being learnt or remembered, etc. Finally, successful learners are not passive or dependent on the lecturer or tutor but are active and involved both in the learning process and the content being covered. Successful learners actively engage in learning tasks-whether they be collaborative activities or independent work, successful learners question and critique the learning materials and other students’ responses as opposed to less successful learners who might simply sit back and passively absorb information, (fade out) OK, let’s now move on to… Complete the summary. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
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what / content / information
not passive / active / be active / are active / be involved / are involved / actively engage
intelligence / intellect
strategies / techniques
direct own learning, direct learning / take control
network / team build / collaborate
strategies / techniques / approaches
how / processes / behaviours, behaviour / strategies
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Passage 1
The Rufous Hare-Wallaby The Rufous Hare-Wallaby is a species of Australian kangaroo, usually known by its Aboriginal name, ‘mala’. At one time, they may have been as many as ten million of these little animals across the arid and an semi-arid landscape of Australia, but their populations, like those of so many other small endemic species, were devastated when cats and foxes were introduced – indeed during the 1950s it was thought that the mala was extinct. But in 1964, a small colony was found 450 miles northwest of Alice Springs in the Tanami Desert. And 12 years later, a second small colony was found nearby. Very extensive surveys were made throughout historical mala range - but no other traces were found. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, scientists from the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory monitored these two populations. At first it seemed that they were holding their own. Then in late 1987, every one of the individuals of the second and smaller of the wild colonies was killed. From examination of the tracks in the sand, it seems that just one single fox had been responsible. And then, in October 1991, a wild-fire destroyed the entire area occupied by the remaining colony Thus the mala was finally pronounced extinct in the wild. Fortunately, ten years earlier, seven individuals had been captured, and had become the founders of a captive breeding programme at the Arid Zone Research Institute in Alice Springs; and that group had thrived. Part of this success is due to the fact that the female can breed when she is just five months old and can produce up to three young a year. Like other kangaroo species, the mother carries her young – known as a joey – in het pouch for about 15 weeks, and she can have more than one joey at the same time. In the early 1980s, there were enough mala in the captive population to make it feasible to start a réintroduction programme. But first it was necessary to discuss this with the leaders of the Yapa people Traditionally, the mala had been an important animal in their culture, with strong medicinal powers for old people. It had also been an important food source, and there were concerns that any mala returned to the wild would be killed for the pot. And so, in 1980, a group of key Yapa men was invited to*S the proposed réintroduction area. The skills and knowledge of the Yapa would play a significant and enduring role in this and all other mala projects. With the help of the local Yapa an electric fence was erected around 250 acres of suitable habitat about 300 miles northwest of Alice Springs so that the mala could adapt while protected from predators By 1992, there were about 150 mala in their enclosure, which became known as the Mala Paddock However all attempts to reintroduce mala from the paddocks into the unfenced wild were unsuccessful so in the end the reintroduction programme was abandoned. The team now faced a situation where mala could be bred, but not released into the wild again. Thus, in 1993, a Mala Recover Team was established to boost mala numbers, and goals for a new programme were set: the team concentrated on finding suitable predator-free or predator-controllcd conservation sites within the malas known range. Finally, in March 1999, twelve adult females, eight adult males, and eight joeys were transferred from the Mala Paddock to Dryandra Woodland in Western Australia. Then, a few months later, a second group was transferred to Trimouille, an island off the coast of western Australia. First, it had been necessary to rid the island of rats and cats - a task that had taken two years of hard work. Six weeks after their release into this conservation site, a team returned to the island to find out how things were going. Each of the malas had been fitted with a radio collar that transmits for about 14 months, after which it falls off. The team was able to locate 29 out of the 30 transmitters - only one came from the collar of a mala that had died of unknown causes. So far the recovery programme had gone even better than expected. Today there are many signs suggesting that the mala population on the island is continuing to do well.
Complete the flow chart below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer. THE WILD AUSTRALIAN MALA
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extinct
cats and foxes/foxes and cats
10 million/ten million
monitored
fire
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Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
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5 months/five months
skills and knowledge/knowledge and skills
strong medicinal powers/ medicinal powers
15 weeks/fifteen weeks
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Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? TRUE if the statement agrees with the information FALSE if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
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1. Natural defences were sufficient to protect the area called Mala Paddock.
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Explain:
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2. Scientists eventually gave up their efforts to release captive mala into the unprotected wild.
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Explain:
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3. The mala population which was transferred to Dryandra Woodland quickly increased in size.
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Explain:
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4. Scientists were satisfied with the initial results of the recovery programme.
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Explain:
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Passage 2
GREYING POPULATION STAYS IN THE PINK Elderly people are growing healthier, happier and more independent, say American scientist. The result of a 14-year study to be announced later this month reveal that the diseases associated with old age are afflicting fewer and fewer people and when they do strike, it is much later in life. In the last 14 years, the National Long-term Health Care Survey has gathered data on the health and lifestyles of more than 20,000 men and women over 65. Researchers, now analysing the results of data gathered in 1994, say arthritis, high blood pressure and circulation problems - the major medical complaints in this age group - are troubling a smaller proportion every year. And the data confirms that the rate at which these diseases are declining continues to accelerate. Other diseases of old age - dementia, stroke, arteriosclerosis and emphysema - are also troubling fewer and fewer people. 'It really raises the question of what should be considered normal ageing,' says Kenneth Manton, a demographer from Duke University in North Carolina. He says the problems doctors accepted as normal in a 65-year-old in 1982 are often not appearing until people are 70 or 75. Clearly, certain diseases are beating a retreat in the face of medical advances. But there may be other contributing factors. Improvements in childhood nutrition in the first quarter of the twentieth century, for example, gave today's elderly people a better start in life than their predecessors. On the downside, the data also reveals failures in public health that have caused surges in some illnesses. An increase in some cancers and bronchitis may reflect changing smoking habits and poorer air quality, say the researchers. 'These may be subtle influences,' says Manton, 'but our subjects have been exposed to worse and worse pollution for over 60 years. It's not surprising we see some effect.' One interesting correlation Manton uncovered is that better-educated people are likely to live longer. For example, 65-year-old women with fewer than eight years of schooling are expected, on average, to live to 82. Those who continued their education live an extra seven years. Although some of this can be attributed to a higher income, Manton believes it is mainly because educated people seek more medical attention. The survey also assessed how independent people over 65 were, and again found a striking trend. Almost 80% of those in the 1994 survey could complete everyday activities ranging from eating and dressing unaided to complex tasks such as cooking and managing their finances. That represents a significant drop in the number of disabled old people in the population. If the trends apparent in the United States 14 years ago had continued, researchers calculate there would be an additional one million disabled elderly people in today's population. According to Manton, slowing the trend has saved the United States government's Medicare system more than $200 billion, suggesting that the greying of America's population may prove less of a financial burden than expected. The increasing self-reliance of many elderly people is probably linked to a massive increase in the use of simple home medical aids. For instance, the use of raised toilet seats has more than doubled since the start of the study, and the use of bath seats has grown by more than 50%. These developments also bring some health benefits, according to a report from the MacArthur Foundation's research group on successful ageing. The group found that those elderly people who were able to retain a sense of independence were more likely to stay healthy in old age. Maintaining a level of daily physical activity may help mental functioning, says Carl Cotman, a neuroscientist at the University of California at Irvine. He found that rats that exercise on a treadmill have raised levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor coursing through their brains. Cotman believes this hormone, which keeps neurons functioning, may prevent the brains of active humans from deteriorating. As part of the same study, Teresa Seeman, a social epidemiologist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, found a connection between self-esteem and stress in people over 70. In laboratory simulations of challenging activities such as driving, those who felt in control of their lives pumped out lower levels of stress hormones such as cortisol. Chronically high levels of these hormones have been linked to heart disease. But independence can have drawbacks. Seeman found that elderly people who felt emotionally isolated maintained higher levels of stress hormones even when asleep. The research suggests that older people fare best when they feel independent but know they can get help when they need it. 'Like much research into ageing, these results support common sense,' says Seeman. They also show that we may be underestimating the impact of these simple factors. 'The sort of thing that your grandmother always told you turns out to be right on target,' she says.
Complete the summary using the list of words below. cost | falling | technology | undernourished | earlier | later | disabled | more | increasing | nutrition | education | constant | medicine | pollution | environmental | health | independent | | | |
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pollution
cost
increasing
disabled
falling
nutrition
education
later
medicine
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Complete each sentence with the correct ending.
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1. Home medical aids ................
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Explain:
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2. Regular amounts of exercise ................
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Explain:
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3. Feelings of control over life ................
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Explain:
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4. Feelings of loneliness ................
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Explain:
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Passage 3
LIFE, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT Henry Gee Astrobiology is arguably the trendiest buzzword in science after genomics. Like genomics, it is as hip as it is hard to define. Broadly speaking, it is an umbrella term for the efforts of many scientists working in diverse fields to understand the conditions of life in the universe, whether on Earth or elsewhere. The canvas is, in fact, so broad that many scientists might be astrobiologists without knowing it: astrobiology adds glamour to all science, from astronomy to zoology. Those with long memories and a cynical mien will have seen all this before. Once upon a time, there was a research programme called exobiology. Is astrobiology a new name for repackaged goods? No, for two reasons. First, many discoveries made in the past decade have set people thinking, once again, about life elsewhere. For example, hardly a month goes by without the discovery of yet another planet orbiting a distant star. And whatever the truth about the much-disputed claims for fossils in martian meteorites, the controversy has rehabilitated the idea of panspermia: that life can spread between planets. Second, astrobiology is almost a trademarked term. The Nasa Astrobiology Institute is a virtual campus linking research centres with universities, all devoted to learning more about the general principles governing the origin of life in the universe. Significantly, Nature magazine recently looked at astrobiology in all its forms, from the quest to understand how life began on Earth to the prospects of finding intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Not that this should be a cause for wide-eyed celebration, say its critics. Ironically, the most vociferous of these come not from the world of science but from science fiction. Brian Aldiss, veteran writer, critic, and leading light of the genre, dismisses our current obsession with life elsewhere, however much it is justified by science, as an expensively scratched itch. Aliens, he argues, are a manifestation of a fundamental human urge to populate the universe with ‘others’, whether gods, ghosts, little green men, or cartoon characters. Scientists should beware of taking science fiction too seriously: aliens are useful as plot devices, but this does not make them real. A rather different criticism comes from scientists-turned-science fiction writers Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart. Both are academics - Cohen is a biologist, Stewart is a mathematician - but they have worked in SF, most recently on their novel Wheelers. Their argument with astrobiology is not that aliens might not exist, but that we cannot help be constrained in our search. All organisms on Earth, from the tiniest bacterium to the biggest whales, are constructed according to the same rules. Earthly genetic information is carried in genes made of DNA, earthly life is based on polymers of carbon, and its chemistry happens in liquid water. Because this kind of life is all we know, we tend to think that the same rules need apply everywhere. So, when probes land on Mars, or scientists look at martian meteorites, they tend to look for the kinds of vital signs that betray earthly organisms when we have absolutely no reason for thinking that life elsewhere should be earthlike, or that our definition of life cannot be based more broadly. When the Mars Rover sat and stared at a rock, how do we know that the rock was not staring right back? It is a fairly simple matter to come up with a definition of life that is based on what it does, rather than what it is made of. It is much more difficult, however, to make such a definition stick, preventing the term from becoming so inclusive as to be meaningless. You might start by positing three rules. The first is that life requires the existence of information that can be reproduced and inherited, with variation. Second, that living systems seem to create order and structure and maintain it in the face of chaos. Third, that a living system has to work hard to maintain its structure, and as soon as it stops doing this it degenerates. These rules seem, at first, to be fairly precise, in as much they weed out quietly observant martian surface rocks. But as Cohen and Stewart show in their novel, it is possible to imagine entities that follow all three rules and which appear to be alive, but which bear absolutely no resemblance to terrestrial organisms. In Wheelers, they describe civilizations of floating, methane-breathing balloons in the atmosphere of Jupiter and organisms made of magnetically-confined plasma, living in the outer layers of the sun. Other science fiction writers have imagined life on the surfaces of neutron stars, inside computers, or even in interstellar space. In his latest novel, Look to Windward, lain M Banks describes organisms the size of continents, supporting entire civilizations as their intestinal parasites. All could be said to constitute life, but in Dr McCoy’s immortal phrase from Star Trek, ‘not as we know it’. Could this mean that astrobiology, the aims of which are universal, is really no more than a parochial exercise? We might never know - perhaps even when we are visited by aliens from the other side of the galaxy who try, frantically, to gain our attention, by waving under our noses whatever it is they wave under such circumstances. It will not be their fault that they will be microscopic and destroyed by a single sneeze. As Cohen and Stewart conclude in Wheelers'. ‘Life goes on everywhere.’
Complete the summary below. Choose the answers from the box. There are more choices than spaces, so you will not need to use all of them. location | principles | previous | frequently | galaxy | narrow | discussing | defining | rarely | size | never | composition | planet | extending | breakthrough | definition | mistake | regulations | basing | |
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mistake
narrow
size
defining
composition
planet
never
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The text refers to the ideas of various science fiction writers. Match writers with the points.
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1. Other life forms may fit a definition of life but be quite unlike anything on Earth.
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Explain:
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2. People instinctively want to believe in extraterrestrial life forms.
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Explain:
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3. There could be life within life on an immense scale.
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Explain:
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4. Humans are inevitably limited in their ability to find life beyond Earth.
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Explain:
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Choose the correct answer.
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1. The writer believes that astrobiology ................
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Explain:
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2. Which of the following statements best describes the writer′s main purpose in the reading passage?
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Explain:
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| No. | Date | Right Score | Total Score |
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PARTNERS |
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NEWS |
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