Part 1Read the text and answer questions 1–13. Nutmeg – a valuable spice The nutmeg tree, Myristica fragrans, is a large evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. Until the late 18th century, it only grew in one place in the world: a small group of islands in the Banda Sea, part of the Moluccas –…
Part 1Read the text and answer questions 1–13. Could urban engineers learn from dance? A The way we travel around cities has a major impact on whether they are sustainable. Transportation is estimated to account for 30% of energy consumption in most of the world’s most developed nations, so lowering the need for energy-using vehicles is…
Part 1Read the text and answer questions 1–13. Henry Moore (1898-1986)The British sculptor Henry Moore was a leading figure in the 20th-century art world Henry Moore was born in Castleford, a small town near Leeds in the north of England. He was the seventh child of Raymond Moore and his wife Mary Baker. He studied…
Part 1Read the text and answer questions 1–13. The return of the huarangoThe arid valleys of southern Peru are welcoming the return of a native plant The south coast of Peru is a narrow, 2,000-kilometre-long strip of desert squeezed between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean. It is also one of the most fragile ecosystems…
Part 1Read the text and answer questions 1–13. THE IMPORTANCE OF CHILDREN’S PLAY Brick by brick, six-year-old Alice is building a magical kingdom. Imagining fairy-tale turrets and fire-breathing dragons, wicked witches and gallant heroes, she’s creating an enchanting world. Although she isn’t aware of it, this fantasy is helping her take her first steps towards…
Part 1Read the text and answer questions 1–13. Alexander Henderson (1831-1913)Born in Scotland, Henderson emigrated to Canada in 1855 and become a well-known landscape photographer Alexander Henderson was born in Scotland in 1831 and was the son of a successful merchant. His grandfather, also called Alexander, had founded the family business, and later became the…
Part 1Read the text and answer questions 1–13. The concept of intelligence A Looked at in one way, everyone knows what intelligence is; looked at in another way, no one does. In other words, people all have unconscious notions – known as ‘implicit theories’ – of intelligence, but no one knows for certain what it actually…
Part 1Read the text and answer questions 1–13. The secret of staying young Pheidole dentata, a native ant of the south-eastern U.S., isn’t immortal. But scientists have found that it doesn’t seem to show any signs of aging. Old workers ants can do everything just as well as the youngsters, and their brains appear just…
Part 1Read the text and answer questions 1–13. Case Study: Tourism New Zealand website New Zealand is a small country of four million inhabitants, a long-haul flight from all the major tourist-generating markets of the world. Tourism currently makes up 9% of the country’s gross domestic product, and is the country’s largest export sector. Unlike…
Part 1Read the text and answer questions 1–13. Bringing cinnamon to Europe Cinnamon is a sweet, fragrant spice produced from the inner bark of trees of the genus Cinnamomum, which is native to the Indian sub-continent. It was known in biblical times, and is mentioned in several books of the Bible, both as an ingredient…
