Reading & Use of English — Test 1

THE ART OF SLOW TRAVEL In an age of budget flights and tightly packed itineraries, a growing number of travellers are beginning to ¹— select —A — appreciateB — admireC — regardD — approve the value of doing less. Rather than trying to ²— select —A — crowdB — cramC — stuffD — press as many destinations as possible into a single trip, they prefer to settle in one place and absorb the rhythm of local life. Supporters of so-called 'slow travel' argue that racing from one landmark to the next rarely ³— select —A — leadsB — resultsC — endsD — finishes in any real understanding of a culture. By staying longer, visitors can ⁴— select —A — buildB — raiseC — growD — gather genuine relationships with the people they meet, and they gain a far deeper ⁵— select —A — graspB — holdC — catchD — reach of how a society actually functions. Detractors, however, are quick to ⁶— select —A — bringB — pointC — setD — put out that not everyone can afford unlimited time away from work. For those with only a fortnight to spare, slowing down may simply ⁷— select —A — amountB — comeC — addD — total to seeing less. Even so, the idea has gained considerable ⁸— select —A — momentumB — progressC — movementD — motion in recent years.

WHY WE YAWN Despite ⁹ one of the most common human behaviours, yawning remains surprisingly poorly understood. For centuries, it was widely assumed ¹⁰ we yawn simply because we are tired or bored. While there may be ¹¹ truth in this, recent research suggests that the real explanation is far more complex. One theory holds ¹² yawning helps to cool the brain, which works most efficiently within a narrow range of temperatures. ¹³ is also the curious fact that yawning is contagious: the mere sight of ¹⁴ else yawning is often enough to set us off. Interestingly, this seems to ¹⁵ place more readily among people who know each other well, which has led some scientists to link yawning ¹⁶ empathy.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOUR Few of us pay much conscious attention to colour, yet its influence on our mood and behaviour is ¹⁷SURPRISE powerful. Marketing experts have long understood this, which ¹⁸EXPLAIN why so much thought goes into the colour of a product's packaging. Blue, for instance, is widely associated with ¹⁹SECURE and trust, which is why it is favoured by so many banks. Red, by contrast, can create a sense of ²⁰URGENT, making it useful for clearance sales. The effects are not always ²¹PREDICT, however. The ²²SIGNIFY of a colour can vary enormously from one culture to the next, and what seems cheerful in one country may be considered ²³LUCK in another. For this reason, international companies must be especially ²⁴CAUTION when choosing the colours that will represent their brand abroad.

RECLAIMING THE NIGHT SKY For most of human history, a clear night sky filled with thousands of stars was a sight available to everyone. Today, however, the majority of people living in cities will never see the Milky Way. ⁴¹—ABCDEFG The cause is light pollution: the excessive and often careless use of artificial light. The problem has grown steadily worse over the past century. As towns have expanded and electricity has become cheaper, the glow above our cities has spread ever outwards. ⁴²—ABCDEFG In some densely populated regions, it is now almost impossible to escape it without travelling hundreds of kilometres. The consequences are not merely aesthetic. A growing body of research suggests that artificial light at night disrupts the natural behaviour of countless species. ⁴³—ABCDEFG Migrating birds, for example, become confused by the bright lights of tall buildings, often with fatal results. Humans are affected too. Our bodies rely on the cycle of light and darkness to regulate sleep. ⁴⁴—ABCDEFG When that darkness is constantly interrupted, the production of important hormones can be thrown off balance. Fortunately, light pollution is one of the easiest environmental problems to reverse. Unlike carbon in the atmosphere, light disappears the moment it is switched off. ⁴⁵—ABCDEFG Simply shielding street lamps so that they point downwards, rather than spilling light sideways and upwards, can make a dramatic difference. A number of communities have already taken action, and the results have been striking. ⁴⁶—ABCDEFG For the people who live there, the return of the stars has been a powerful reminder of something precious that was very nearly lost for good.