General Reading Practice Test – 5

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Section 1: Question 1-14

You are advised to spend 20 minutes on Questions 1-14.

Question 1-7:

MAIL ORDER BROCHURE 

Want some great clothing ideas for your family?

Our key for clothing specials in July: 

M – for men       W – for women      C – for children

For under $10       
Cotton socks C          – made of pure cotton for long-wearing
Woollen socks C        – to keep young feet warm in winter
Sports socks M          – to go with jeans and other casual clothes
Patterned belts W      – to go with jeans and other casual clothes
       
For under $25      
Cotton shirts W           – for day and evening wear
Silk shirts M                – five sizes, in designer colours, for that special social occasion
T-shirts C                    – hard-wearing, white with a variety of animal motifs
Colour T-shirts M W    – cotton and polyester blend, plain colours, no ironing
       
For under $50      
Blue jeans M W            – non-shrink, colourfast, small sizes only
Silk shirts M W             – plain and patterned, all sizes
Hooded jacket C           – protects from the wind, 4 sizes, large strong pockets
jacket W                       – waterproof with zipper front, all sizes

Or you can buy a gift voucher so that someone else can choose. These come in $10, $20 and $50 amounts.

Additional monthly specials for July to September
July – $10 voucher with any purchase over $60
August – Travel alarm clock worth $19.95 free with purchases of $80 or more!
September – Children’s backpacks. Free with any credit card purchase over $75!

Note: Postage and packing charges
These are applied to each order as follows:
 
Within Australia:
$7.95 per address, regular post
$17.95 for Express Delivery Service (overnight)
 
Overseas:
Surface Mail (allow a minimum of two months for delivery)
Airmail (allow around two weeks delivery to most destinations)

Questions 1-7

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?
In boxes 1-7 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. Women’s cotton socks cost less than men’s. 
2. Men’s silk shirts are available in more than five colours.
3. Children’s T-shirts come in a variety of colours. 
4. The child’s jacket has four pockets. 
5. If you buy clothes worth $80 in August, you will receive a free alarm clock. 
6. The charge for special next-day delivery in Australia is $7.95. 
7. All clothing is guaranteed to arrive within two months for international delivery.

Question 8-14:

New Book Releases

A.  This book describes the creativity of Aboriginal people living in the driest parts of Australia. Stunning reproductions of paintings, beautiful photography and informative text.

B.  Pocket-sized maps and illustrations with detailed information on the nesting sites and migration patterns of Australia. This is a classic booklet suitable for both beginner and expert.

C. Packed full of information for the avid hiker, this book is a must. Photographs, maps and practical advice will guide your journeys on foot through the forests of the southern continent.

D.  More than an atlas – this book contains maps, photographs and an abundance of information on the land and climate of countries from around the globe.

E.  Australia’s premier mountain biking guidebook – taking you through a host of national parks and state forests.

F.  Here’s the A-Z of Australian native animals – take an in-depth look at their lives and characteristics, through fantastic photographs and informative text.

G. Graphic artists have worked with researchers and scientists to illustrate how these prehistoric animals lived and died on the Australian continent.

H. A definitive handbook on outdoor safety – with a specific focus on equipment, nutrition, first aid, special clothing and bush skills.

I.  Detailed guides to 15 scenic car tours that will take you onto fascinating wilderness tracks and along routes that you could otherwise have missed.

Questions 8-14

The list of New Book Releases on the following page has nine book descriptions A-I. Choose the correct title for each book from the list of book titles below. Write the correct number i-xi in boxes 8-14 on your answer sheet.

List of Book Titles

i. Field Guide to Native Birds of Australia
ii. The Bush on Two Wheels: 100 Top Rides
iii. Bush Foods of Australian Aborigines
iv. A Pictorial History of the Dinosaur in Australia
v. Bush walking in Australia
vi. WorldGeographica
vii. Driving Adventures for 4-wheel-drive Vehicles
viii. Survival Techniques in the Wild
ix. Encyclopaedia of Australian Wildlife
x. Guide to the Art of the Australian Desert
xi. Field Guide to Animals of the World

8.     Book  A      
9.     Book  B     
10.   Book  C   
    Book D           vi
11.   Book  E  _____
12.   Book  F  _____
13.   Book  G  _____
14.   Book  H  _____
    Book I            vii

Section 2: Question 15-27

You are advised to spend 20 minutes on Questions 15-27.

Question 15-20:

WORK & TRAVEL USA

Do you want to have the best summer holiday ever?Have you just graduated and want to escape for a unique experience abroad?

Only $1950 will make it all happen!

This unbeatable program fee includes:

•    return flight from Sydney to Los Angeles (onward travel in the USA not included)
•    3 months’ insurance cover
•    2 nights’ accommodation on arrival plus meet and greet and airport transfer
•    arrival orientation by experienced InterExchange staff
•    visa application fees
 
You also have:

•    access to a J-l visa enabling you to work in the USA
•    an extensive directory of employers
•    InterExchange support throughout the program
•    24-hour emergency support throughout the length of the programCall toll-free 1800 678 738

InterExchange has 50 years’ experience in international student exchange programs. 18,000 students from around the world travel yearly to the USA on this very program. InterExchange con also offers you work opportunities in other countries.

WHAT IS INTEREXCHANGE?
InterExchange, one of the world’s leading operators of international exchange programs and related services:

•    is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation
•    has 700 professional staff in 30 countries worldwide
•    was founded in 1947

InterExchange operates these programs for students all around the world. It offers you trained and travelled staff, plus full support during the application process. You can choose any job that interests you anywhere in the USA, whether that is working in a law firm in Boston, a famous ski resort in Colorado or serving coffee and doughnuts in the buzzing streets of New York. You can select the period you work and the period you travel; you may want to work for 1 month and travel for 3 or work the entire duration of your stay. The choice is yours.

 YOU CAN TAKE UP THIS OPPORTUNITY IF YOU ARE:

•    a full-time student at an Australian university or TAFE college
•    presently enrolled, or finishing this year, or you have deferred a year of study
•    over 18 years old by November in the academic year in which you apply to InterExchange
•    enthusiastic about the experience of a lifetime …

Sign up now!!

Questions 15-20

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the advertisement.
In boxes 15-20 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

15. The program cost includes internal flights within the USA. 
16. Emergency assistance offered in the program includes legal advice.
17. InterExchange offers similar programs in countries other than the USA. 
18. InterExchange is part of a government program. 
19. There are no restrictions on the type of job you can do. 
20. There is an upper age limit for applicants.

CONTENTS: ARTHUR PHILLIP COLLEGE

A about Arthur Phillip CollegeG learning methods
B entry requirementsH course fees
C orientation for new studentsI study commitment
D academic counselling serviceJ assessment and results
E credit courses to universityK social activities and clubs
F assistance for international studentsL what’s new

36. Sleep can cure some illnesses.  
37. The various stages of sleep occur more than once a night.
38. Dreaming and sleep-walking occur at similar stages of sleep.  
39. Sleepers move around a lot during the REM stage of sleep.  
40. The body temperature rises relatively early in elderly people. 

1. NOT GIVEN
2. NOT GIVEN
3. FALSE
4. NOT GIVEN
5. TRUE
6. FALSE
7. FALSE
8. x
9. i
10. v
11. ii
12. ix
13. iv
14. viii
15. FALSE
16. NOT GIVEN
17. TRUE
18. FALSE
19. TRUE
20. NOT GIVEN
21. J
22. K
23. E
24. A
25. G
26. I
27. C
28. A
29. C
30. E
31. F
32. B
33. G
34. E
35. D
36. NOT GIVEN
37. TRUE
38. FALSE
39. FALSE
40. TRUE

Questions 28-37

The passage has seven sections labelled A-G. Which section contains the following information? Write the correct letter A-G in boxes 28-35 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once.

28. the different amounts of sleep that people require  
29. an investigation into the results of sleep deprivation
30. some reasons why people may suffer from sleep disorders  
31. lifestyle changes which can help overcome sleep-related problems  
32. a process by which sleep helps us to remain mentally and physically healthy  
33. claims about a commercialised man-made product for sleeplessness  
34. the role of physical changes in sleeping habits  
35. the processes involved during sleep  
 

Questions 36-40

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? In boxes 36-40 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

36. Sleep can cure some illnesses.  
37. The various stages of sleep occur more than once a night.
38. Dreaming and sleep-walking occur at similar stages of sleep.  
39. Sleepers move around a lot during the REM stage of sleep.  
40. The body temperature rises relatively early in elderly people. 

1. NOT GIVEN
2. NOT GIVEN
3. FALSE
4. NOT GIVEN
5. TRUE
6. FALSE
7. FALSE
8. x
9. i
10. v
11. ii
12. ix
13. iv
14. viii
15. FALSE
16. NOT GIVEN
17. TRUE
18. FALSE
19. TRUE
20. NOT GIVEN
21. J
22. K
23. E
24. A
25. G
26. I
27. C
28. A
29. C
30. E
31. F
32. B
33. G
34. E
35. D
36. NOT GIVEN
37. TRUE
38. FALSE
39. FALSE
40. TRUE

Questions 21-27

Each of the short paragraphs below (21-27) gives information about Arthur Phillip College. Read each paragraph and choose which of the linked sections of the website, A-L, would contain this information. Write the correct letter A-L in boxes 21-17 on your answer sheet.
 
21. All students receive a transcript of results and relevant award documentation when they end their studies with the College. 
 
22. On enrolment, all students receive automatic membership to the Social Club and Public Speaking Club. Students may choose to participate in any arranged activities. The College encourages and promotes interaction between students and teaching and non-teaching staff.
 
23. Successful completion and the achievement of an A or B result in some courses will enable students to achieve advanced standing in these subjects if they proceed to university study. For a list of the courses acceptable to a particular university, e-mail us your request with the name of the university and the course you are interested in. 
 
24. Arthur Phillip College is one of the top business colleges in Sydney, Australia. The College offers a wide range of educational and training programs in business and related areas. Its accredited vocational training courses are designed to meet the needs of individual students and industry. 
 
25. At Arthur Phillip College you will learn from lectures, seminars, case studies, group projects, individual assignments and class workshops. Lectures and seminars present concepts and ideas and provide for question-and-answer sessions. Students are expected to take an active role in the learning process through class participation, presentations and projects. 
 
26. Courses at Arthur Phillip College involve an average of 25 hours per week of tuition time, with supervised group study accounting for a further 5 hours per week. At least 10 hours per week of individual study is also recommended for most courses. 
 
27. During this program, you will meet the Director of Studies, teachers and key administrative staff such as the Accommodation Officer and Student Counsellor so that, right from your first day, you will know how each of them can help you during your time at the College.  

Section 3: Question 28-40

You are advised to spend 20 minutes on Questions 28-40.

The Lack Of Sleep

Section A
It is estimated that the average man or woman needs between seven-and-a-half and eight hours’ sleep a night. Some can manage on a lot less. Baroness Thatcher, for example, was reported to be able to get by on four hours’ sleep a night when she was Prime Minister of Britain. Dr Jill Wilkinson, senior lecturer in psychology at Surrey University and co-author of ‘Psychology in Counselling and Therapeutic Practice’, states that healthy individuals sleeping less than five hours or even as little as two hours in every 24 hours are rare, but represent a sizeable minority.

Section B
The latest beliefs are that the main purposes of sleep are to enable the body to rest and replenish, allowing time for repairs to take place and for tissue to be regenerated. One supporting piece of evidence for this rest-and¬repair theory is that production of the growth hormone somatotropin, which helps tissue to regenerate, peaks while we are asleep. Lack of sleep, however, can compromise the immune system, muddle thinking, cause depression, promote anxiety and encourage irritability.

Section C
Researchers in San Diego deprived a group of men of sleep between Sam and lam on just one night, and found that levels of their bodies’ natural defences against viral infections had fallen significantly when measured the following morning. ‘Sleep is essential for our physical and emotional well-being and there are few aspects of daily living that are not disrupted by the lack of it’, says Professor William Regelson of Virginia University, a specialist in insomnia. ‘Because it can seriously undermine the functioning of the immune system, sufferers are vulnerable to infection.’

Section D
For many people, lack of sleep is rarely a matter of choice. Some have problems getting to sleep, others with staying asleep until the morning. Despite popular belief that sleep is one long event, research shows that, in an average night, there are five stages of sleep and four cycles, during which the sequence of stages is repeated. In the first light phase, the heart rate, and blood pressure go down and the muscles relax. In the next two stages, sleep gets progressively deeper. In stage four, usually reached after an hour, the slumber is so deep that, if awoken, the sleeper would be confused and disorientated. It is in this phase that sleep-walking can occur, with an average episode lasting no more than 15 minutes. In the fifth stage, the rapid eye movement (REM) stage, the heartbeat quickly gets back to normal levels, brain activity accelerates to daytime heights and above and the eyes move constantly beneath closed lids as if the sleeper is looking at something. During this stage, the body is almost paralysed. This REM phase is also the time when we dream.

Section E
Sleeping patterns change with age, which is why many people over 60 develop insomnia. In America, that age group consumes almost half the sleep medication on the market. One theory for the age-related change is that it is due to hormonal changes. The temperature rise occurs at daybreak in the young, but at three or four in the morning in the elderly. Age aside, it is estimated that roughly one in three people suffer some kind of sleep disturbance. Causes can be anything from pregnancy and stress to alcohol and heart disease. Smoking is a known handicap to sleep, with one survey showing that ex-smokers got to sleep in 18 minutes rather than their earlier average of 52 minutes.

Section F
Apart from self-help therapy such as regular exercise, there are psychological treatments, including relaxation training and therapy aimed at getting rid of pre-sleep worries and anxieties. There is also sleep reduction therapy, where the aim is to improve sleep quality by strictly regulating the time people go to bed and when they get up. Medication is regarded by many as a last resort and often takes the form of sleeping pills, normally benzodiazepines, which are minor tranquillizers.

Section G
Professor Regelson advocates the use of melatonin for treating sleep disorders. Melatonin is a naturally secreted hormone, located in the pineal gland deep inside the brain. The main function of the hormone is to control the body’s biological clock, so we know when to sleep and when to wake. The gland detects light reaching it through the eye; when there is no light, it secretes the melatonin into the bloodstream, lowering the body temperature and helping to induce sleep. Melatonin pills contain a synthetic version of the hormone and are commonly used for jet lag as well as for sleep disturbance. John Nicholls, sales manager of one of America’s largest health food shops, claims that sales of the pill have increased dramatically. He explains that it is sold in capsules, tablets, lozenges and mixed with herbs. It is not. effective for all insomniacs, but many users have weaned themselves off sleeping tablets as a result of its application.

Questions 28-37

The passage has seven sections labelled A-G. Which section contains the following information? Write the correct letter A-G in boxes 28-35 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once.

28. the different amounts of sleep that people require  
29. an investigation into the results of sleep deprivation
30. some reasons why people may suffer from sleep disorders  
31. lifestyle changes which can help overcome sleep-related problems  
32. a process by which sleep helps us to remain mentally and physically healthy  
33. claims about a commercialised man-made product for sleeplessness  
34. the role of physical changes in sleeping habits  
35. the processes involved during sleep  
 

Questions 36-40

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? In boxes 36-40 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

36. Sleep can cure some illnesses.  
37. The various stages of sleep occur more than once a night.
38. Dreaming and sleep-walking occur at similar stages of sleep.  
39. Sleepers move around a lot during the REM stage of sleep.  
40. The body temperature rises relatively early in elderly people. 

1. NOT GIVEN
2. NOT GIVEN
3. FALSE
4. NOT GIVEN
5. TRUE
6. FALSE
7. FALSE
8. x
9. i
10. v
11. ii
12. ix
13. iv
14. viii
15. FALSE
16. NOT GIVEN
17. TRUE
18. FALSE
19. TRUE
20. NOT GIVEN
21. J
22. K
23. E
24. A
25. G
26. I
27. C
28. A
29. C
30. E
31. F
32. B
33. G
34. E
35. D
36. NOT GIVEN
37. TRUE
38. FALSE
39. FALSE
40. TRUE