READING SKILL TERM 3 – WEEK 17

TRIAL TEST (35 minutes)

SECTION 1 – QUESTIONS 1-10
The honey badger
It looks harmless and vulnerable. But the honey badger is afraid of nothing... and will attack
and eat almost anything
The honey badger (Melivora capensis), is an African and south-Asian mammal that has a
reputation for being one of the world's most fearless animals, despite its small size. And in spite
of its gentle-sounding name, it is also one of its most aggressive. Honey badgers have been
known to attack lions, buffalo, and snakes three times their size. Even humans are not safe from
a honey badger if it thinks the human will attack or harm it. They are also extremely tough
creatures, and can recover quickly from injuries that would kill most other animals.
At first glance, honey badgers look like the common European badger. They are usually
between 75cm and 1 metre long, although males are about twice the size of females. They are
instantly recognisable by grey and white stripes that extend from the top of the head to the tail.
Closer inspection, which is probably not a wise thing to do, reveals pointed teeth, and sharp
front claws which can be four centimetres in length.
Honey badgers are meat-eating animals with an extremely varied diet. They mainly eat a range
of small creatures like beetles, lizards and birds, but will also catch larger reptiles like snakes
and small crocodiles. Some mammals, such as foxes, antelope and wild cats also form part of
their diet.
The badgers locate their prey mainly using their excellent sense of smell, and catch most of
their prey through digging. During a 24-hour period, they may dig as many as fifty holes, and
travel more than 40 kilometres. They are also good climbers, and can easily climb very tall trees
to steal eggs from birds' nests, or catch other tree-dwelling creatures.
As their name suggests, honey badgers have always been associated with honey, although they
do not actually eat it. It is the highly nutritious bee eggs (called brood) that they prefer, and
they will do anything to find it. They usually cause a lot of damage to the hive in the process,
and for this reason, humans are one of their main predators. Bee-keepers will often set special
traps for honey badgers, to protect their hives.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the honey badger is its working relationship with a bird
called the greater honeyguide (Indicator indicator). This bird deliberately guides the badger to
beehives, then waits while the badger breaks into the hive and extracts the brood. The two
creatures, bird and mammal, then share the brood between them.
Questions 1-4
Answer the following questions with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage
for each answer
1. What are some larger animals that honey badgers usually attack?
……………………………………………………………………
 2. What forms the biggest part of a honey badger's diet?
……………………………………………………………………
3. What do honey badgers use to find the location of the creatures they eat?
……………………………………………………………………
4. If it is not for honey, what do honey badgers look for in beehives?
……………………………………………………………………
Questions 5-10
Complete the following statements with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage
for each gap
5. Although they are not big animals, honey badgers are fearless, …………… and tough.
6. Honey badgers will even attack …………… if they need to protect themselves.
7. The pattern and colours on the honey badger's back make it ……………
8. The food they eat is meat-based and ……………
9. …………… are often used to catch honey badgers which attack beehives.
10. For one particular type of food, the honey badger has a …………… with another creature.
SECTION 2 – QUESTIONS 11-20
The man who tried to destroy Paris
Le Corbusier was one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. But many may
wish he had never built anything
Born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret in Switzerland in 1887, the architect Le Corbusier used his
grandfather's name when he went to Paris at the age of 29. As Jeanneret, he had been a fairly
successful small-town architect; as Le Corbusier, he had bigger ideas. He disliked the
architectural styles that were popular at the time, and considered them to be out of date in an
industrial age. He believed that the 20th century deserved a brand-new style of architecture.
"We must start again from zero," he said.
The new style of architecture was called the International Style, and it attracted
many followers in the architectural world. However, nobody was as enthusiastic about it as Le
Corbusier at the beginning. He worked hard to promote his ideas at exhibitions, at talks, in
books and in his own magazine. He loved machines, and believed that, like a machine, a
building should have a function. He is famous for saying: "A house is a machine for living in."
The machines he admired the most were ships, and his early buildings tried to capture the spirit
of the sea with their white walls, exposed rooms, shining glass and flat roofs. He called this
style of architecture purism. The first building to embrace this style was the Villa Savoye in
France. Le Corbusier believed that it was one of the best, most functional houses ever built.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be an exaggeration. The flat roof was a particular problem, as
water poured in every time it rained, and it needed constant repairs. Nevertheless, its design
was revolutionary, and it should be considered a significant piece of early 20th-century
architecture.
In 1935, Le Corbusier visited New York City. He loved the city, and especially its tall buildings.
He had only one reservation, which he explained to a journalist for the Herald
Tribune newspaper. American skyscrapers were the biggest, tallest buildings in the world at
that time, but Le Corbusier was a man who always thought big, and as far as he was concerned,
they were "just too small". Le Corbusier had always admired tall buildings. Now, inspired by
his visit, he abandoned purism. It is doubtful that he could have created anything as grand as
the skyscrapers he had seen in the city, but from now on Le Corbusier started designing
buildings that sent out a more powerful message.
He first started using bright colours, and then experimented with concrete. Le Corbusier loved
the look and flexibility of concrete, and found it hard to hide it behind brick or paint, preferring
to leave it on full view. At a time when concrete was seen as modern and exciting, his designs
made him world famous, and he was asked to design several important buildings around the
world. Altogether, he designed about 60 major buildings worldwide, in a style that became
known as modernism.
However, while many admired and copied his new style of architecture, many more hated it.
They turned against him, and tried to block his plans. Buildings should inspire people and make
them feel good, they said, and Le Corbusier's ugly, depressing buildings often had the opposite
effect. In this respect, the people of Paris had a lucky escape. Early in his career, Le Corbusier
had wanted to knock down the centre of Paris and replace the old buildings with huge towers.
Fortunately, his plan was rejected. Justifiably, in view of his plans to transform one of the
world's most beautiful cities into a hideous concrete jungle, Le Corbusier is still known as 'the
man who tried to destroy Paris'.
Despite the criticism, he had an enormous effect on the world of architecture, and attracted a
large number of followers. As a result, many places were subjected to his style. In the Paris
suburbs of Bobigny, for example, huge towers were built to house some of the city's poorer
inhabitants. Other European cities such as London, Berlin and Dublin also felt his influence.
Apart from the buildings that were directly influenced by Le Corbusier, something else
happened that the architect never planned: there was a return to older styles of architecture.
Today, many people live in modern houses that look like they are much older. This look may
represent a return to traditional tastes and values. More likely, however, it represents a reaction
against modernist architecture.
Questions 11-14
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
11. What does the writer say about Le Corbusier in the first paragraph?
A. He had a relative who was also an architect.
B. He became successful when he went to Paris.
C. He thought that there were too many industrial buildings.
D. He wanted to do something different from everyone else.
12. What does the writer say about the International Style in the second paragraph?
A. A lot of other architects liked it.
B. At first, people did not like it very much.
C. It took a lot of hard work to get people to accept it.
D. The buildings looked like machines.
 13. Why does the writer describe the Villa Savoye as revolutionary in the third paragraph?
A. It looked more like a ship than a building.
B. Nobody had built anything like it before.
C. It looked nice but had too many faults.
D. It was more functional than any other building of the time.
14. What is the writer's main purpose in the fourth paragraph?
A. to explain why Le Corbusier visited New York
B. to show that Le Corbusier was not impressed by New York's skyscrapers
C. to describe Le Corbusier's reaction to New York
D. to explain why Le Corbusier changed his style of architecture
Questions 15-20
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the reading passage? Write
YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
15. …………… At first, people were not as enthusiastic about the International Style as Le
Corbusier was.
16. …………… The Villa Savoye is an important building.
17. …………… Le Corbusier could have designed buildings that were as big and as
impressive as those in New York.
18. …………… Le Corbusier found concrete a difficult material to work with.
19. …………… Le Corbusier’s plans for Paris would have ruined the city.
20. …………… Many people show they reject Le Corbusier’s style of architecture by living
in old houses.