2017-2018 ACADEMIC YEAR SPRING SEMESTERMDB1032 ADVANCED ENGLISH 2 *** 1ST MIDTERM REVISION

READING: Read the following text and answer the questions below.

ONE HUMAN BRAIN, OR TWO?The human brain is complex enough. But what if there were not one, but two?

1 Anyone who knows the opposite sex well will tell you that, at times, men and women seem to be from different planets. The sexes often appear to think very differently from each other. However, until recently, researchers thought that these differences were caused by two things: social pressures, which have encouraged males and females to behave in a certain way, and secondly, hormones_ chemical signals which tell different parts of the body, including the brain, what to do. Researchers didn’t think the brain itself caused differences_ on the contrary; they thought the brain’s structure was mostly the same for both sexes. Interestingly, though, new research is casting doubt on these assumptions: There may be a third factor that had not previously been considered seriously. Research is now revealing that male and female brains have many differences in structure. There are also differences in how the various parts of the brain are linked and in the chemicals that transmit messages between neurons. All this suggests that there is not just one kind of human brain, but two.

2 This is giving neuroscientists something of a headache, because most of what we know about the brain comes from studies of male animals and male humans. Generally, neuroscientists avoided using females in their research. This was because the monthly ups and downs of female hormones made it more complicated to interpret the results. If even a small proportion of what has been inferred from these studies does not apply to females, a huge body of research could be wrong.

3 Male- female differences in brain structure that had long been known to differ slightly in males and females was the hypothalamus, which helps to control basic human instincts such as regulating food intake. But new technology has helped scientists find other differences. For a start, the relative sizes of many of the structures inside female brains are different from those of males. In 2001, Jill Goldstein of Harvard Medical School and colleagues measured and compared 45 brain regions in healthy men and women. They found that parts of the frontal lobe, which houses decision-making and problem solving functions, were proportionately larger in women, as was the limbic cortex, which controls emotions. Other studies have found that the hippocampus, involved in short-term memory and spatial* navigation, is proportionally larger in women-perhaps surprisingly, given women’s reputation as poor map readers. In men, proportionately large areas include the parietal cortex, which processes signals from the sensory organs and is involved in spatial perception, and the amygdala, which controls emotions and social behavior.

4 Larry Cahill, a neurobiologist at the University of California, Irvine, has found evidence that, in some circumstances, people of different sexes use the same brain structures differently. In brain- imaging experiments, he asked groups of men and women to remember images they had been shown earlier. These images were chosen because they produce a strong emotional reaction. Both men and women consistently used the amygdale, while the women used the left side. What’s more, each group remembered different aspects of the image. The men remembered the gist of the situation, whereas the women concentrated on the details. This suggests men and women process information from emotional events in very different ways.

5 These studies are still in their early days, and there is much to be learned. Neurobiologists don’t really have a clear overall picture yet. Large pieces of the puzzle are missing, in part because imaging techniques are still rather basic. For researchers to see the brain in action, test subjects need to lie down inside a scanner or be wired up to a PET machine, which is very different from a real world situation. One possible solution is to attach a miniature MRI scanner to subject’s heads. Then researchers would be able to see what happens as people go about their everyday lives.

6 This area of research has some important uses. Working out exactly how brains are different could explain some mysteries, such as why men and women tend to have different mental health problems and why some drugs work well for one sex but have little effect on the other. Finding the reasons for this could lead to more effective treatments and better ways to prevent illness. This would be a very positive result.

*Spatial: adj. relating to the position, size, and shape of things; navigation n. planning which way to go when you are travelling from one place to another.

From: Academic Connections 3, Julia Williams, Pearson Longman.Sources: Adapted from: Hoog, H. (2008). Sex on the brain. New Scientist, Australasian Edition, 2665, 28-31.Marsa, L. (2007). He thinks, she thinks. Discover Magazine. Retrieved August 14, 2008, from http://discovermagazine.com.

Choose the best answer:

1. What part of the brain gives people a feeling of hunger? (scan the article for key words or synonyms)a. amygdala b. frontal lobe c. hypothalamus d. limbic cortex

2. Who suggested that differences in sizes of structures suggest different functional organization? (scan for capital letters for names)

a. Larry Cahill b. Jill Goldstein c. Some researchers d. Some neurobiologists

3. What is the limbic cortex responsible for? (scan the article for key words or synonyms)a. Sending messages around the bodyc. deciding on a solution to a problem at workb. Feeling hungry d. feeling stressed because of a problem at work (par 3)

4. What structures in the brain show male-female differences? (skim first to find most likely paragraph)a. Parietal cortex b. amygdala c. hippocampus d. all of the above (par 3)

5. Which area of your brain would you use to find the solution to a puzzle? (skim first to find most likely paragraph then scan the paragraph for key words or synonyms)

a. Frontal lobe (par 3; frontal lobe is responsible for problem solving) b. Limbic cortexc. amygdaled. Hippocampus

6. Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons that researchers give for the difference between men and women?

a. social pressures c. brain structureb. hormones d. upbringing (not mentioned, but all the others are in prg.

1)

7. What is an example of males and females using the same structure of the brain differently?a. women use their frontal lobe less than men do (no, they use it more than men do)b. women are better in reading maps than men are (true but that is not an example of the given

case)c. men use the right side of the amygdala while women use the left side to complete a taskd. men can remember the gist of the situations while women remember the details (this doesn’t tell

us directly about brain structure)

8. What does this in paragraph 4 refer to?a. different aspectsb. the fact that men remembered the gist while women remembered the detailsc. the fact that men remembered the gistd. the fact that women concentrated on the details

9. What does contrary mean in paragraph 1?a. concluding b. opposing c. supporting d. differentiating

VOCABULARY: Complete the sentences with the BEST word from the table. Two words are EXTRA.

diversity (n) replaced (v) vote (v) fertility rate (n)

explosions (n) retired (adj) financial (adj) maternity leave (n) minority (n)

manipulate (v) divisions (n) disrupt (v) multilingual (adj) penalty (n)

1. The total fertility rate, which indicates the average number of live births for a woman in her reproductive

life - between the ages of 15 and 49 - declined from 2.18 to 2.174 children in 2014, according to TurkStat.

2. Turkish labor law allows a pregnant woman 16 weeks maternity leave with eight weeks to be taken

before the birth and eight after.

3. In recent decades, almost all democracies in the world have abandoned the death penalty, which is also

known as capital punishment.

4. The company wanted to reduce the cost of employees and they replaced the permanent staff with part-

timers.

5. In Turkey, men could get retired at the age of 45 or even younger in the past. However, today they have

to work until they reach 60 in order to get a pension.

6. Today a lot of children unfortunately have more control over their parents and less control over their own

behavior. They know how to manipulate their parents into getting what they want.

7. The growing population and the increasing variety of human activities disrupt the balance of

nature. Some of the activities that cause damage to the environment are dynamite fishing, illegal hunting,

waste dumping by industrial plants, and deforestation.

8. Cultural diversity refers to having a variety of cultures or human societies within a specific region. It is

possible when individuals accept, acknowledge and value the different ways in which people interact and

live in the world. 

9. Singapore has four official languages: English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay and Tamil. People living in this

country are multilingual.

10. Ethnic divisions in Ukraine go back several countries and are a result of imperial fighting between

Russia, Austro-Hungary and Polish-Lithuanian Commomwealth.

11. In the United States, White Americans are the racial majority while Hispanic and Latino Americans

amount to 17% of the population, making up the largest ethnic minority.

12. The Electoral Commission reported that 6.6 million Kenyans did not vote in the last general elections

because they lacked national ID cards. 

Find the sentence that is closest in meaning to the one given for each question.

1. The given diagram shows the process of brick manufacturing in different stages for the building industries. 

a) The diagram below summarizes the various ways of creating walls in building industries.b) It is shown that there are too many stages for the building industries to follow for brick manufacturing.c) In the provided diagram various steps of producing bricks for the building industries are illustrated.

2. Extra quantities of carbon dioxide have been released into the atmosphere as a result of burning fossil fuels as a source of energy in power stations, factories and homes.

a) When factories use fossil fuels to generate energy, a fair amount of carbon dioxide is let out to the air.b) Since people burn fossil fuels to produce energy in power plants, firms and houses, they

release excessive amounts of harmful gases into the atmosphere.c) If people had used alternative energy sources such as the sun or the wind, we wouldn’t face with the

problem of air pollution today.

3. Exhaust gases from cars and lorries have resulted in further emissions of carbon dioxide.a) Exhaust gases from many vehicles lead to inadequate amount of carbon dioxide emissions in the air.b) Because of the exhaust gases from automobiles and trucks, the emissions of carbon dioxide

have expanded.c) Further emissions of carbon dioxide have given way to excessive amounts of exhaust gases from

cars and lorries.

4. The hot water is pumped round the house through a system of pipes. a) A system of pipes makes the hot water pump round the house.b) The hot water is blocked all around the house by using a pipe system.c) A system of pipes converts hot water to cold water through pumping.

5. Although details have yet to be finalized, there are now plans to build a new bridge.a) Long before planning to build a new bridge, they they had thought about the details carefully.b) Since they couldn’t finish working on the details, their plan about building a new bridge didn’t come

true.c) They are planning to construct a new bridge but they haven’t come to an agreement on the

details yet.

6. A product's design is not only the result of product research, but is also influenced by market research.

a) Both product and market research determines the design of a product.b) As a result of product research, they conduct market research.c) Without market research, one cannot design a product.

7. The diagram above illustrates the basic principles of hydroelectric power.a) The basic principles of hydroelectric power are represented in the above diagram.b) As can be seen from the diagram, there are some basic principles of hydroelectric power.c) The main principles of hydroelectric power are listed in the given figure.

8. The first stage in the manufacture of silk is the selection of cocoons.a) Firstly, you have to make a collection of cocoons and make silk.b) To start with, cocoons are chosen in order to produce silk.c) After choosing the correct cocoons, you can weave silk into cloth.

9. The production of silk is a process comprising of six main stages.a) There are six basic steps in the process of manufacturing silk.b) If you follow one of the six major stages, you can make a silk scarf.c) Once you apply the main stages, it is easy to produce silk.

10. Large cigars have been smoked in Cuba since the sixteenth century, but only a few are manufactured for export.

a) Cuba has been exporting large cigars to foreign markets since the sixteenth century but nevertheless only a few people know this fact.b) In the sixteenth century large cigars were produced in Cuba not only for inland use but also for export.c) Although large cigars have been smoked since the sixteenth century in Cuba, not many of them are produced for export.

WRITING

Exercise1: Read the following instructional process essay on how to make pancakes. Fill in the blanks with appropriate sequencers, time adverbials or transition words.

in order to finally until until

secondly now firstly once

after at this point as soon as so

This illustration shows the stages

of making a pancake at home. It is easy if

you follow these simple steps. Firstly,

begin by sifting the flour into a mixing

large bowl. Once sifted, make a well in

the centre of the flour and break two eggs

into it. Secondly, mix the flour and eggs,

while gradually adding small amounts of

the milk and water until the batter is

smooth and lump free. After the batter is

mixed thoroughly, the fruit is added and

stirred in.

Now the mixture is ready for cooking.

Begin by placing a medium or large sized

pan over medium heat and coating the

bottom of the pan with a small amount of

butter in order to ensure that the

pancake does not stick to the pan. Pour

about a half a cup of batter into the centre

of the heated pan. As soon as the batter

hits the pan, tip the pan so the batter

spreads out, forming a circular shape.

Cook for 30 to 60 seconds until the

bottom of the pancake is golden brown

and small air bubbles appear on the top.

Using a spatula, flip the pancake over and cook an additional 30 to 60 seconds.

At this point the pancake is done, remove it from the pan and place on a plate. Using a kitchen knife,

smear a dab of butter over the top of the pancake. Finally, pour one or two tablespoons of maple or

pancake syrup evenly over the pancake. The breakfast is now ready to eat.

Exercise 2: Read the following analytical essay on how a washing machine works. Fill in the blanks with an appropriate preposition.

of back against from

of at the beginning of in from

through at the top of in to

for into in by

The diagram presents the operation of a modern washing machine which involves the interaction of three essential components: the tub and agitator, the timers and control settings, and the pumps.

The first part - the tub - is the circular shaped

container in which the clothes are placed in the

machine. During the washing cycle, the tub

slowly rotates back and forth. Thus, this

brushing motion results in the removal of dirt

and soil from the clothes. At the bottom of the

tub, there are small fin-like projections which

increase the movement of the clothes. During

the spin cycle, the tub rotates quickly, forcing

the clothes against the sides of the tub through

centrifugal force, by which excess water in the

clothes is removed.

The second part - the timers and control setting

- are electronic components which regulate the

actions of the machine through three basic

cycles: wash, rinse, and spin. First, in the wash

cycle, detergent is added to facilitate the

removal of dirt. Then, in the rinse cycle, clean water is added to the tub to remove the dirt and detergent.

Finally, the spin cycle removes excess water from the clothes so they are ready for drying.

The last part - the pumps - are the components of the machine that add water to and remove water from

the tub. First of all, the water is added to the tub at the beginning of the wash and rinse cycles. After that,

the water flows into the tub from a hose located at the top of the tub. Finally, the water is removed

through hundreds of small holes in the tub.

Exercise 3:

The diagram below shows the production of electricity using a system called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC). Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs given in brackets.

How Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) works

Source: Daily Telegraph - 8th Jan 2008

Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) is

a system that converts (convert) heat energy

into the electric power using the temperature

difference between surface seawater, which

can be up to 29 degrees Celsius, and deep

seawater, which is only 5 degrees Celsius.

The main components of the system are an

evacuated evaporation chamber, a turbine

and a condensing chamber. The solar energy

of the sun heats up (heat up) the surface

water and this warm water is introduced (introduce) into the evacuated evaporation

chamber, where it boils (boil). As it boils (boil), salt is deposited (deposit) and water

vapour is generated (generate). This vapour

then drives (drive) a turbine to generate

electricity. After it powers (power) the turbine, the water vapour enters (enter) the condensing chamber,

which is cooled (cool) by the water from the depths of the ocean. The water vapour is condensed (condense) in this chamber, producing drinking water. Meanwhile, waste salt water is discharged (discharge) into the ocean and the process can be repeated (repeat).

(152 words)

Exercise 4: The diagrams show a structure that is used to generate electricity from wave power. Fill in the blanks with an appropriate article or determiner from the table below.

the the the a thisthe the the a thisthe the the a thisthe the the a thisthe the the other a

Generating electricity from sea waves

The two diagrams show how

electricity can be generated from the rise and fall of water caused by sea

waves.

The process involves a structure

which is mounted on the side of a cliff

or sea wall. This structure consists of

a large chamber. One end is open to

the sea, and the other leads into a vertical column, which is open to the atmosphere. A turbine is installed

inside this column and this is used to

generate the electricity in two phases.

The first diagram indicates that when

a wave approaches the device, water

is forced into the chamber, applying

pressure on the air within the column.

This air escapes to atmosphere

through the turbine, thereby producing

electricity.

The second diagram illustrates the next part of the process when wave retreats. As the water level falls,

the air from outside the column is sucked back in through the turbine. As a result, electricity continues to be

generated. The turbine rotates only in one direction, regardless of the direction of the air flow.

In conclusion, we can see that this structure is useful as electricity is generated in both phases: entering

and retreating of water.

(195 words)

Exercise 5: Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features. Write an introduction sentence and a general overview sentence in the introduction paragraph and analyze each stage using a sequencer in the body paragraph.

THE PROCESS OF CANNING APPLES

The diagram shows how fresh apple is canned. Overall, there are 14 stages beginning with handpicking of

apples and ending with dispatching and selling to the public.

First, 1) the apple is picked from trees by hand. It is then transported to the cannery by large trucks. At

the cannery, 3) the apple is washed and 4) quality is checked, and any poor quality apple is rejected.

The good quality apple is put into cold storage. 6) Following this, the apple is weighted and graded. The grading ensures that the apple of a similar size is kept together. 7) After this, the apple is peeled and

the cores are removed. 9) It is then sliced into the required sizes and 10) put into cans. Once the cans

have been filled, 11) they are sealed and 12) cooked over heat to ensure that the cans are sterilized. When the cans are cool, 13) a label is attached and they are placed into storage. The canned apple is

now ready 15) to be dispatched to supermarkets and sold.

(158 words)