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READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14 - 26 which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.
The Step Pyramid of Djoser
A. The pyramids are the most famous monuments of ancient Egypt and still hold enormous interest for people in the present day. These grand, impressive tributes to the memory of the Egyptian kings have become linked with the country even though other cultures, such as the Chinese and Mayan, also built pyramids.The evolution of the pyramid form has been written and argued about for centuries. However, there is no question that, as far as Egypt is concerned, it began with one monument to one king designed by one brilliant architect: the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara.
B. Djoser was the first king of the Third Dynasty of Egypt and the first to build in stone. Prior to Djoser’s reign, tombs were rectangular monuments made of dried clay brick, which covered underground passages where the deceased person was buried. For reasons which remain unclear, Djoser’s main official, whose name was Imhotep, conceived of building a taller, more impressive tomb for his king by stacking stone slabs on top of one another, progressively making them smaller, to form the shape now known as the Step Pyramid.Djoser is thought to have reigned for 19 years, but some historians and scholars attribute a much longer time for his rule, owing to the number and size of the monuments he built.
C. The Step Pyramid has been thoroughly examined and investigated over the last century, and it is now known that the building process went through many different stages. Historian Marc Van de Mieroop comments on this, writing ‘Much experimentation was involved, which is especially clear in the construction of the pyramid in the center of the complex. It had several plans before it became the first Step Pyramid in history, piling six levels on top of one another. The weight of the enormous mass was a challenge for the builders, who placed the stones at an inward incline in order to prevent the monument breaking up.’
D. When finally completed, the Step Pyramid rose 62 meters high and was the tallest structure of its time.The complex in which it was built was the size of a city in ancient Egypt and included a temple, courtyards, shrines, and living quarters for the priests.It covered a region of 16 hectares and was surrounded by a wall 10.5 meters high. The wall had 13 false doors cut into it with only one true entrance cut into the south-east corner; the entire wall was then ringed by a trench750 meters long and 40 meters wide. The false doors and the trench were incorporated into the complex to discourage unwanted visitors. If someone wished to enter, he or she would have needed to know in advance how to find the location of the true opening in the wall.Djoser was so proud of his accomplishment that he broke the tradition of having only his own name on the monument and had Imhotep’s name carved on it as well.
E. The burial chamber of the tomb, where the king’s body was laid to rest, was dug beneath the base of the pyramid, surrounded by a vast maze of long tunnels that had rooms off them to discourage robbers. One of the most mysterious discoveries found inside the pyramid was a large number of stone vessels. Over 40,000 of these vessels, of various forms and shapes, were discovered in storerooms off the pyramid’s underground passages. They are inscribed with the names of rulers from the First and Second Dynasties of Egypt and made from different kinds of stone. There is no agreement among scholars and archaeologists on why the vessels were placed in the tomb of Djoser or what they were supposed to represent. The archaeologist Jean-Philippe Lauer, who excavated most of the pyramid and complex, believes they were originally stored and then given a ‘proper burial’ by Djoser in his pyramid to honor his predecessors. There are other historians, however, who claim the vessels were dumped into the shafts as yet another attempt to prevent grave robbers from getting to the king’s burial chamber.
F. Unfortunately, all of the precautions and intricate design of the underground network did not prevent ancient robbers from finding a way in. Djoser’s grave goods, and even his body, were stolen at some point in the past and all archaeologists found were a small number of his valuables overlooked by the thieves.There was enough left throughout the pyramid and its complex, however, to astonish and amaze the archaeologists who excavated it.
G. Egyptologist Miroslav Verner writes, ‘Few monuments hold a place in human history as significant as that of the Step Pyramid in Saqqara.It can be said without exaggeration that this pyramid complex constitutes a milestone in the evolution of monumental stone architecture in Egypt and in the world as a whole.’ The Step Pyramid was a revolutionary advance in architecture and became the archetype which all the other great pyramid builders of Egypt would follow.
Questions 1 - 7:
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
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
Polar bears suffer from various health problems due to the build-up of fat under their skin.
The study done by Liu and his colleagues compared different groups of polar bears.
Liu and colleagues were the first researchers to compare polar bears and brown bears genetically.
Polar bears are able to control their levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol by genetic means.
Female polar bears are able to survive for about six months without food.
It was found that the bones of female polar bears were very weak when they came out of their dens in spring.
The polar bear’s mechanism for increasing bone density could also be used by people one day.
Questions 8 - 13:
Complete the table below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 8 - 13 on your answer sheet.
Reasons why polar bears should be protected
People think of bears as unintelligent and 8
However, this may not be correct. For example:
- In Tennoji Zoo, a bear has been seen using a branch as a 9 . This allowed him to knock down some 10
- A wild polar bear worked out a method of reaching a platform where a 11 was located.
- Polar bears have displayed behaviour such as conscious manipulation of objects and activity similar to a 12
Bears may also display emotions. For example:
- They may make movements suggesting 13 if disappointed when hunting.
- They may form relationships with other species.
Questions 14 - 20:
Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 14 - 20 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
|
i The areas and artefacts within the pyramid itself
ii A difficult task for those involved
iii A king who saved his people
iv A single certainty among other less definite facts
v An overview of the external buildings and areas
vi A pyramid design that others copied
vii An idea for changing the design of burial structures
viii An incredible experience despite the few remains
ix The answers to some unexpected questions |
Paragraph A
Paragraph B
Paragraph C
Paragraph D
Paragraph E
Paragraph F
Paragraph G
Questions 21 - 24:
Complete the notes below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 21-24 on your answer sheet.
The Step Pyramid of Djoser
The complex that includes the Step Pyramid and its surroundings is considered to be as big as an Egyptian 21 of the past. The area outside the pyramid included accommodation that was occupied by 22 , along with many other buildings and features.
A wall ran around the outside of the complex and a number of false entrances were built into this. In addition, a long 23 encircled the wall. As a result, any visitors who had not been invited were cleverly prevented from entering the pyramid grounds unless they knew the 24 of the real entrance.
Questions 25 - 26:
Choose TWO letters, A-E. Which TWO of the following points does the writer make about King Djoser?
Questions 27 - 30:
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 27 - 30 on your answer sheet.
The first paragraph tells us about
According to the second paragraph, what is Stella Pachidi’s view of the ‘knowledge economy’?
What did Pachidi observe at the telecommunications company?
In his recently published research, Ewan McGaughey
Questions 31 - 34:
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-G. Write the correct letter in boxes 31 - 34 on your answer sheet.
| A pressure | B satisfaction | C intuition |
| D promotion | E reliance | F confidence |
| G information |
The ‘algorithmication’ of jobs
- Stella Pachidi of Cambridge Judge Business School has been focusing on the ‘algorithmication’ of jobs which rely not on production but on 31
- While monitoring a telecommunications company, Pachidi observed a growing 32 on the recommendations made by AI, as workers begin to learn through the ‘algorithm’s eyes’. Meanwhile, staff are deterred from experimenting and using their own 33, and are therefore prevented from achieving innovation.
- To avoid the kind of situations which Pachidi observed, researchers are trying to make AI’s decision-making process easier to comprehend, and to increase users’ 34 with regard to the technology.
Questions 35 - 40:
Look at the following statements (Questions 35 - 40) and the list of people below. Match each statement with the correct person, A, B or C.
Write the correct letter, A, B or C, in boxes 35 - 40 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
List of people
|
A Stella Pachidi B Hamish Low C Ewan McGaughey |
Greater levels of automation will not result in lower employment.
There are several reasons why AI is appealing to businesses.
AI’s potential to transform people’s lives has parallels with major cultural shifts which occurred in previous eras.
It is important to be aware of the range of problems that AI causes.
People are going to follow a less conventional career path than in the past.
Authorities should take measures to ensure that there will be adequately paid work for everyone.
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14 - 26 which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.
The Step Pyramid of Djoser
A. The pyramids are the most famous monuments of ancient Egypt and still hold enormous interest for people in the present day. These grand, impressive tributes to the memory of the Egyptian kings have become linked with the country even though other cultures, such as the Chinese and Mayan, also built pyramids.The evolution of the pyramid form has been written and argued about for centuries. However, there is no question that, as far as Egypt is concerned, it began with one monument to one king designed by one brilliant architect: the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara.
B. Djoser was the first king of the Third Dynasty of Egypt and the first to build in stone. Prior to Djoser’s reign, tombs were rectangular monuments made of dried clay brick, which covered underground passages where the deceased person was buried. For reasons which remain unclear, Djoser’s main official, whose name was Imhotep, conceived of building a taller, more impressive tomb for his king by stacking stone slabs on top of one another, progressively making them smaller, to form the shape now known as the Step Pyramid.Djoser is thought to have reigned for 19 years, but some historians and scholars attribute a much longer time for his rule, owing to the number and size of the monuments he built.
C. The Step Pyramid has been thoroughly examined and investigated over the last century, and it is now known that the building process went through many different stages. Historian Marc Van de Mieroop comments on this, writing ‘Much experimentation was involved, which is especially clear in the construction of the pyramid in the center of the complex. It had several plans before it became the first Step Pyramid in history, piling six levels on top of one another. The weight of the enormous mass was a challenge for the builders, who placed the stones at an inward incline in order to prevent the monument breaking up.’
D. When finally completed, the Step Pyramid rose 62 meters high and was the tallest structure of its time.The complex in which it was built was the size of a city in ancient Egypt and included a temple, courtyards, shrines, and living quarters for the priests.It covered a region of 16 hectares and was surrounded by a wall 10.5 meters high. The wall had 13 false doors cut into it with only one true entrance cut into the south-east corner; the entire wall was then ringed by a trench750 meters long and 40 meters wide. The false doors and the trench were incorporated into the complex to discourage unwanted visitors. If someone wished to enter, he or she would have needed to know in advance how to find the location of the true opening in the wall.Djoser was so proud of his accomplishment that he broke the tradition of having only his own name on the monument and had Imhotep’s name carved on it as well.
E. The burial chamber of the tomb, where the king’s body was laid to rest, was dug beneath the base of the pyramid, surrounded by a vast maze of long tunnels that had rooms off them to discourage robbers. One of the most mysterious discoveries found inside the pyramid was a large number of stone vessels. Over 40,000 of these vessels, of various forms and shapes, were discovered in storerooms off the pyramid’s underground passages. They are inscribed with the names of rulers from the First and Second Dynasties of Egypt and made from different kinds of stone. There is no agreement among scholars and archaeologists on why the vessels were placed in the tomb of Djoser or what they were supposed to represent. The archaeologist Jean-Philippe Lauer, who excavated most of the pyramid and complex, believes they were originally stored and then given a ‘proper burial’ by Djoser in his pyramid to honor his predecessors. There are other historians, however, who claim the vessels were dumped into the shafts as yet another attempt to prevent grave robbers from getting to the king’s burial chamber.
F. Unfortunately, all of the precautions and intricate design of the underground network did not prevent ancient robbers from finding a way in. Djoser’s grave goods, and even his body, were stolen at some point in the past and all archaeologists found were a small number of his valuables overlooked by the thieves.There was enough left throughout the pyramid and its complex, however, to astonish and amaze the archaeologists who excavated it.
G. Egyptologist Miroslav Verner writes, ‘Few monuments hold a place in human history as significant as that of the Step Pyramid in Saqqara.It can be said without exaggeration that this pyramid complex constitutes a milestone in the evolution of monumental stone architecture in Egypt and in the world as a whole.’ The Step Pyramid was a revolutionary advance in architecture and became the archetype which all the other great pyramid builders of Egypt would follow.