Mock test 1 · Listening + Reading đủ 80 câu theo giờ thi thật

RIVERSIDE SPORTS CENTRE — NEW MEMBER FORM Name: Daniel (1) ___ Address: 18 (2) ___ Road, Eastfield Postcode: (3) ___ Membership type: (4) ___ Class chosen: (5) ___ on Thursday evenings Monthly fee this month: £(6) ___ Bring to first session: a (7) ___ Health problem: bad (8) ___ Found out about the centre from: an advertisement in the local (9) ___ Start date: (10) ___ October

Tối đa 3 từ mỗi chỗ trống.

1. 1. (1)
2. 2. (2)
3. 3. (3)
4. 4. (4)
5. 5. (5)
6. 6. (6)
7. 7. (7)
8. 8. (8)
9. 9. (9)
10. 10. (10)

1. 1. 11 · Who raised the money to create the garden?

   A. the local councilB. a group of parentsC. college studentsD. retired people

2. 2. 12 · Before the garden was opened, the land was

   A. a school playground.B. a car park.C. a market.D. a farm.

3. 3. 13 · Which group of volunteers is now the largest?

   A. retired peopleB. parentsC. college studentsD. local office workers

4. 4. 14 · What happens to most of the vegetables now?

   A. They are sold at a weekly market.B. They are used in cooking workshops.C. They are given to a food bank.D. Volunteers take them home.

5. 5. 15 · Which new workshop will start this year?

   A. making furniture from recycled woodB. keeping beesC. cooking with herbsD. repairing greenhouses

GREENWAY GARDEN — TOUR NOTES • Tool shed: volunteers must sign the (16) ___ before borrowing tools • Children's area: children enjoy picking (17) ___ • Pond: attracts frogs and insects, so no (18) ___ are needed • Greenhouse: made from 400 plastic (19) ___ collected by schools • Compost area: about two (20) ___ of food waste turned into compost last year

Tối đa 1 từ mỗi chỗ trống.

1. 1. (16)
2. 2. (17)
3. 3. (18)
4. 4. (19)
5. 5. (20)

1. 1. 21 · What surprised Sophie about the survey results?

   A. Most waste came from students' plates.B. Most waste was food that was never served.C. The kitchen cooked too little food.D. Students wanted bigger portions.

2. 2. 22 · What do they agree their recommendations should focus on?

   A. persuading studentsB. planning in the kitchenC. reducing pricesD. using smaller plates

3. 3. 23 · According to the tutor, why did few people complete the questionnaire?

   A. It was too long.B. It was only on paper.C. Students were too busy.D. The questions were unclear.

4. 4. 24 · What do they decide to do about the method?

   A. replace the questionnaire with interviewsB. use both interviews and a questionnaireC. shorten the questionnaire and put it onlineD. stop collecting data

5. 5. 25 · When is the project now due?

   A. the 10thB. the 13thC. the 20thD. the 27th

1. 1. 26 · Introduction

   A. SophieB. TomC. both

2. 2. 27 · Literature review

   A. SophieB. TomC. both

3. 3. 28 · Methods

   A. SophieB. TomC. both

4. 4. 29 · Results

   A. SophieB. TomC. both

5. 5. 30 · Conclusion

   A. SophieB. TomC. both

THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT Basic idea • Cities are warmer than the countryside, especially at (31) ___ Causes • Dark surfaces, e.g. (32) ___, absorb up to 90% of sunlight • Lack of vegetation: trees give shade and release (33) ___ through their leaves • Waste heat from cars, factories and air (34) ___ Effects • Health: death rates rise during heatwaves; (35) ___ people are at greatest risk • Higher demand for (36) ___ • Worse air quality: heat speeds up reactions that produce (37) ___ Solutions • White roofs reflect sunlight; buildings about 3 degrees cooler inside • Green roofs: more expensive, but also absorb (38) ___, reducing flood risk • Street trees: one Australian city plans to (39) ___ its tree cover • Tree species must survive (40) ___; roots must not damage pipes

Tối đa 1 từ mỗi chỗ trống.

1. 1. (31)
2. 2. (32)
3. 3. (33)
4. 4. (34)
5. 5. (35)
6. 6. (36)
7. 7. (37)
8. 8. (38)
9. 9. (39)
10. 10. (40)

1. 1. The table is for six people.

   TF

2. 2. The booking is for Friday the ninth.

   TF

3. 3. The man wants the table at half past seven.

   TF

4. 4. The man's surname is Grant.

   TF

5. 5. The man changes two pieces of information.

   TF

THE PENCIL: A SHORT HISTORY A For something so ordinary, the pencil has a surprisingly long and complicated history. Its story begins in the middle of the sixteenth century in Borrowdale, a valley in the north-west of England, where local people discovered a large deposit of an unusual black mineral. According to local tradition, shepherds were the first to find a use for it: they used lumps of the substance to mark their sheep so that they could tell their own animals from their neighbours'. B At the time, nobody understood what the material was. Because it left a dark grey mark, similar to the mark left by lead, it was believed to be a type of lead, and it was given names such as 'plumbago', from the Latin word for lead. It was not until the late eighteenth century that chemists showed it was in fact a form of carbon, and it was renamed 'graphite', from a Greek word meaning 'to write'. Even so, the old name has never disappeared. People still talk about pencil 'lead', although no pencil has ever contained it. C The Borrowdale graphite was remarkably pure, and it soon became extremely valuable — not mainly for writing, but because it could be used to line the moulds in which cannonballs were made. As a result, the mine was guarded, and the amount removed each year was strictly controlled. Stealing graphite became such a problem that, in the eighteenth century, the British Parliament made it a serious crime. D The first pencils were simply sticks of graphite. Because graphite is soft, breaks easily and leaves marks on the hands, users wrapped the sticks in string or sheepskin. Later, craftsmen began placing the graphite inside a wooden holder, and this basic design — a core surrounded by wood — has remained almost unchanged ever since. E The next major development came from France. In the 1790s, France was at war with Britain and could no longer obtain English graphite. The French government asked an inventor, Nicolas-Jacques Conté, to find a solution. Conté discovered that he could grind lower-quality graphite into powder, mix it with clay and water, shape the mixture into thin rods and then heat them in a kiln. His method had an important advantage: by changing the amount of clay, manufacturers could control how hard or soft the pencil was. More clay produced a harder pencil and a lighter line, while less clay produced a softer pencil and a darker line. The letters still printed on many pencils today — H for 'hard' and B for 'black' — reflect this system. F In the nineteenth century, pencil production became an industry. Factories in Germany, and later in the United States, produced pencils in enormous quantities. In 1858, an American, Hymen Lipman, received a patent for attaching a rubber to the end of a pencil, although the patent was later declared invalid. Interestingly, in many European countries, pencils are still commonly sold without one. G Towards the end of the century, the pencil's appearance changed too. According to a popular story, one manufacturer began painting its best pencils yellow, a colour which many buyers associated with luxury and with China, the source of some of the finest graphite at that time. The colour became so popular that other manufacturers copied it, and in North America, at least, the yellow pencil is still the standard image of a pencil. H Today, despite computers and tablets, billions of pencils are made every year. Artists value them for the wide range of tones they can produce, while engineers and carpenters prefer them because their marks can be erased. Perhaps the pencil's greatest strength, however, is its reliability: it works in extreme cold and upside down — which is one reason why pencils have been taken into space.

1. 1. 1 · Shepherds in Borrowdale are said to have used graphite to identify their animals.

   TFNG

2. 2. 2 · Early users correctly identified graphite as a form of carbon.

   TFNG

3. 3. 3 · Borrowdale graphite was valued mainly as a writing material.

   TFNG

4. 4. 4 · Workers at the Borrowdale mine were paid more than other miners.

   TFNG

5. 5. 5 · The basic structure of the pencil has changed very little since wooden holders were introduced.

   TFNG

6. 6. 6 · Conté's pencils were cheaper to produce than English pencils.

   TFNG

7. 7. 7 · Adding more clay to Conté's mixture produced a darker line.

   TFNG

THE PENCIL: A SHORT HISTORY A For something so ordinary, the pencil has a surprisingly long and complicated history. Its story begins in the middle of the sixteenth century in Borrowdale, a valley in the north-west of England, where local people discovered a large deposit of an unusual black mineral. According to local tradition, shepherds were the first to find a use for it: they used lumps of the substance to mark their sheep so that they could tell their own animals from their neighbours'. B At the time, nobody understood what the material was. Because it left a dark grey mark, similar to the mark left by lead, it was believed to be a type of lead, and it was given names such as 'plumbago', from the Latin word for lead. It was not until the late eighteenth century that chemists showed it was in fact a form of carbon, and it was renamed 'graphite', from a Greek word meaning 'to write'. Even so, the old name has never disappeared. People still talk about pencil 'lead', although no pencil has ever contained it. C The Borrowdale graphite was remarkably pure, and it soon became extremely valuable — not mainly for writing, but because it could be used to line the moulds in which cannonballs were made. As a result, the mine was guarded, and the amount removed each year was strictly controlled. Stealing graphite became such a problem that, in the eighteenth century, the British Parliament made it a serious crime. D The first pencils were simply sticks of graphite. Because graphite is soft, breaks easily and leaves marks on the hands, users wrapped the sticks in string or sheepskin. Later, craftsmen began placing the graphite inside a wooden holder, and this basic design — a core surrounded by wood — has remained almost unchanged ever since. E The next major development came from France. In the 1790s, France was at war with Britain and could no longer obtain English graphite. The French government asked an inventor, Nicolas-Jacques Conté, to find a solution. Conté discovered that he could grind lower-quality graphite into powder, mix it with clay and water, shape the mixture into thin rods and then heat them in a kiln. His method had an important advantage: by changing the amount of clay, manufacturers could control how hard or soft the pencil was. More clay produced a harder pencil and a lighter line, while less clay produced a softer pencil and a darker line. The letters still printed on many pencils today — H for 'hard' and B for 'black' — reflect this system. F In the nineteenth century, pencil production became an industry. Factories in Germany, and later in the United States, produced pencils in enormous quantities. In 1858, an American, Hymen Lipman, received a patent for attaching a rubber to the end of a pencil, although the patent was later declared invalid. Interestingly, in many European countries, pencils are still commonly sold without one. G Towards the end of the century, the pencil's appearance changed too. According to a popular story, one manufacturer began painting its best pencils yellow, a colour which many buyers associated with luxury and with China, the source of some of the finest graphite at that time. The colour became so popular that other manufacturers copied it, and in North America, at least, the yellow pencil is still the standard image of a pencil. H Today, despite computers and tablets, billions of pencils are made every year. Artists value them for the wide range of tones they can produce, while engineers and carpenters prefer them because their marks can be erased. Perhaps the pencil's greatest strength, however, is its reliability: it works in extreme cold and upside down — which is one reason why pencils have been taken into space.

Tối đa 2 từ mỗi chỗ trống.

1. 1. (8) Early users covered graphite sticks with string or to protect their hands.
2. 2. (9) Conté heated the graphite and clay rods in a .
3. 3. (10) On a pencil, the letter B stands for .
4. 4. (11) Hymen Lipman's patent for adding a rubber was later declared .
5. 5. (12) Buyers associated the colour yellow with luxury and with .
6. 6. (13) Engineers and carpenters like pencils because their marks can be .

BEES ON THE ROOF A Ten years ago, a beehive on the roof of an office building would have seemed strange. Today, hives can be found on hotels, museums, schools and even railway stations in many large cities. In some city centres, the number of hives has risen so quickly that local beekeeping associations have struggled to keep up with requests for training. For many companies, a rooftop hive has become a symbol of their commitment to the environment, and some even give jars of 'office honey' to clients as gifts. B The popularity of urban beekeeping is closely connected with public concern about the decline of bees. Over the past few decades, news reports have regularly described large losses of honeybee colonies, and many people have concluded that keeping a hive is a simple way to help. The argument seems reasonable: bees pollinate crops and wild flowers, so more bees should mean a healthier environment. C However, a growing number of ecologists believe that this argument is based on a misunderstanding. The honeybee is just one of many bee species. In Britain, for example, there are around 270 species of bee, and only one of them is the honeybee; the rest are bumblebees and solitary bees, most of which do not live in hives at all. It is these wild species, not honeybees, that face the greatest threat. Honeybees are managed by humans, who can replace a lost colony by buying a new one. Wild bees have no such protection. D In fact, researchers have suggested that too many honeybees may harm wild bees. A single hive can contain tens of thousands of bees, all collecting nectar and pollen from the same flowers that wild bees depend on. Where flowers are limited, as they often are in cities, wild bees may simply not find enough food. Some studies have also shown that diseases can spread from managed honeybees to wild species through shared flowers. In one large city, scientists calculated that the number of hives had grown faster than the supply of flowers, meaning that each colony had less food available than before. E This does not mean that urban beekeeping is always harmful. Experienced beekeepers point out that hives in cities are often healthier than those in the countryside, because city gardens and parks contain a wide variety of plants and are exposed to fewer agricultural chemicals. Beekeeping can also raise public awareness of the importance of insects and encourage people to learn more about nature. The problem, critics argue, is not beekeeping itself but beekeeping without planning. F So what should individuals and businesses do if they want to help bees? Most experts agree that the most effective action is to increase the number of flowers. Planting a range of species that flower at different times of year provides food for both honeybees and wild bees from spring until autumn. Leaving areas of grass uncut, and providing nesting places such as piles of dead wood or 'bee hotels', can also make a significant difference. For those who still want to keep honeybees, the advice is to find out how many hives already exist nearby, and to plant enough flowers to support any new colony before installing it.

1. 1. 14 · Paragraph A

   A. i. A rapid rise in an unusual activityB. ii. The reasoning behind a popular choiceC. iii. Confusion over which insects are in dangerD. iv. How one group of insects may harm anotherE. v. Advantages that should not be ignoredF. vi. Recommendations for those who want to helpG. vii. A profitable business for city companiesH. viii. The difficulty of training new beekeepers

2. 2. 15 · Paragraph B

   A. i. A rapid rise in an unusual activityB. ii. The reasoning behind a popular choiceC. iii. Confusion over which insects are in dangerD. iv. How one group of insects may harm anotherE. v. Advantages that should not be ignoredF. vi. Recommendations for those who want to helpG. vii. A profitable business for city companiesH. viii. The difficulty of training new beekeepers

3. 3. 16 · Paragraph C

   A. i. A rapid rise in an unusual activityB. ii. The reasoning behind a popular choiceC. iii. Confusion over which insects are in dangerD. iv. How one group of insects may harm anotherE. v. Advantages that should not be ignoredF. vi. Recommendations for those who want to helpG. vii. A profitable business for city companiesH. viii. The difficulty of training new beekeepers

4. 4. 17 · Paragraph D

   A. i. A rapid rise in an unusual activityB. ii. The reasoning behind a popular choiceC. iii. Confusion over which insects are in dangerD. iv. How one group of insects may harm anotherE. v. Advantages that should not be ignoredF. vi. Recommendations for those who want to helpG. vii. A profitable business for city companiesH. viii. The difficulty of training new beekeepers

5. 5. 18 · Paragraph E

   A. i. A rapid rise in an unusual activityB. ii. The reasoning behind a popular choiceC. iii. Confusion over which insects are in dangerD. iv. How one group of insects may harm anotherE. v. Advantages that should not be ignoredF. vi. Recommendations for those who want to helpG. vii. A profitable business for city companiesH. viii. The difficulty of training new beekeepers

6. 6. 19 · Paragraph F

   A. i. A rapid rise in an unusual activityB. ii. The reasoning behind a popular choiceC. iii. Confusion over which insects are in dangerD. iv. How one group of insects may harm anotherE. v. Advantages that should not be ignoredF. vi. Recommendations for those who want to helpG. vii. A profitable business for city companiesH. viii. The difficulty of training new beekeepers

BEES ON THE ROOF A Ten years ago, a beehive on the roof of an office building would have seemed strange. Today, hives can be found on hotels, museums, schools and even railway stations in many large cities. In some city centres, the number of hives has risen so quickly that local beekeeping associations have struggled to keep up with requests for training. For many companies, a rooftop hive has become a symbol of their commitment to the environment, and some even give jars of 'office honey' to clients as gifts. B The popularity of urban beekeeping is closely connected with public concern about the decline of bees. Over the past few decades, news reports have regularly described large losses of honeybee colonies, and many people have concluded that keeping a hive is a simple way to help. The argument seems reasonable: bees pollinate crops and wild flowers, so more bees should mean a healthier environment. C However, a growing number of ecologists believe that this argument is based on a misunderstanding. The honeybee is just one of many bee species. In Britain, for example, there are around 270 species of bee, and only one of them is the honeybee; the rest are bumblebees and solitary bees, most of which do not live in hives at all. It is these wild species, not honeybees, that face the greatest threat. Honeybees are managed by humans, who can replace a lost colony by buying a new one. Wild bees have no such protection. D In fact, researchers have suggested that too many honeybees may harm wild bees. A single hive can contain tens of thousands of bees, all collecting nectar and pollen from the same flowers that wild bees depend on. Where flowers are limited, as they often are in cities, wild bees may simply not find enough food. Some studies have also shown that diseases can spread from managed honeybees to wild species through shared flowers. In one large city, scientists calculated that the number of hives had grown faster than the supply of flowers, meaning that each colony had less food available than before. E This does not mean that urban beekeeping is always harmful. Experienced beekeepers point out that hives in cities are often healthier than those in the countryside, because city gardens and parks contain a wide variety of plants and are exposed to fewer agricultural chemicals. Beekeeping can also raise public awareness of the importance of insects and encourage people to learn more about nature. The problem, critics argue, is not beekeeping itself but beekeeping without planning. F So what should individuals and businesses do if they want to help bees? Most experts agree that the most effective action is to increase the number of flowers. Planting a range of species that flower at different times of year provides food for both honeybees and wild bees from spring until autumn. Leaving areas of grass uncut, and providing nesting places such as piles of dead wood or 'bee hotels', can also make a significant difference. For those who still want to keep honeybees, the advice is to find out how many hives already exist nearby, and to plant enough flowers to support any new colony before installing it.

1. 1. 20 · Why do some companies keep hives on their roofs?

   A. to sell honey to the publicB. to show they care about the environmentC. to train their staff as beekeepersD. to reduce their energy costs

2. 2. 21 · Why are wild bees more at risk than honeybees?

   A. They live in hives in cities.B. Humans can replace lost honeybee colonies.C. They produce less honey.D. They cannot pollinate crops.

3. 3. 22 · What did scientists find in one large city?

   A. Hives had increased faster than flowers.B. Wild bees had disappeared completely.C. Honeybees were healthier there than in the country.D. Chemical use had risen sharply.

BEES ON THE ROOF A Ten years ago, a beehive on the roof of an office building would have seemed strange. Today, hives can be found on hotels, museums, schools and even railway stations in many large cities. In some city centres, the number of hives has risen so quickly that local beekeeping associations have struggled to keep up with requests for training. For many companies, a rooftop hive has become a symbol of their commitment to the environment, and some even give jars of 'office honey' to clients as gifts. B The popularity of urban beekeeping is closely connected with public concern about the decline of bees. Over the past few decades, news reports have regularly described large losses of honeybee colonies, and many people have concluded that keeping a hive is a simple way to help. The argument seems reasonable: bees pollinate crops and wild flowers, so more bees should mean a healthier environment. C However, a growing number of ecologists believe that this argument is based on a misunderstanding. The honeybee is just one of many bee species. In Britain, for example, there are around 270 species of bee, and only one of them is the honeybee; the rest are bumblebees and solitary bees, most of which do not live in hives at all. It is these wild species, not honeybees, that face the greatest threat. Honeybees are managed by humans, who can replace a lost colony by buying a new one. Wild bees have no such protection. D In fact, researchers have suggested that too many honeybees may harm wild bees. A single hive can contain tens of thousands of bees, all collecting nectar and pollen from the same flowers that wild bees depend on. Where flowers are limited, as they often are in cities, wild bees may simply not find enough food. Some studies have also shown that diseases can spread from managed honeybees to wild species through shared flowers. In one large city, scientists calculated that the number of hives had grown faster than the supply of flowers, meaning that each colony had less food available than before. E This does not mean that urban beekeeping is always harmful. Experienced beekeepers point out that hives in cities are often healthier than those in the countryside, because city gardens and parks contain a wide variety of plants and are exposed to fewer agricultural chemicals. Beekeeping can also raise public awareness of the importance of insects and encourage people to learn more about nature. The problem, critics argue, is not beekeeping itself but beekeeping without planning. F So what should individuals and businesses do if they want to help bees? Most experts agree that the most effective action is to increase the number of flowers. Planting a range of species that flower at different times of year provides food for both honeybees and wild bees from spring until autumn. Leaving areas of grass uncut, and providing nesting places such as piles of dead wood or 'bee hotels', can also make a significant difference. For those who still want to keep honeybees, the advice is to find out how many hives already exist nearby, and to plant enough flowers to support any new colony before installing it.

Tối đa 2 từ mỗi chỗ trống.

1. 1. (23) Experts say the most effective way to help bees is to increase the number of .
2. 2. (24) Plants that flower at different times give bees food from spring until .
3. 3. (25) Leaving some grass also helps.
4. 4. (26) Before installing a new colony, people should find out how many already exist nearby.

THE UNEXPECTED VALUE OF BOREDOM A Few experiences are as widely disliked as boredom. We fill every spare moment — waiting for a bus, standing in a queue, even pausing at traffic lights — by reaching for our phones. Many people, it seems, would rather do almost anything than sit alone with their thoughts. In one widely reported experiment in the United States, a number of participants who were left alone in a room for a short period chose to give themselves a mild electric shock rather than simply sit and think. Boredom, it seems, is something we will go to considerable lengths to avoid. B Yet a growing body of research suggests that this may be a mistake. Psychologists now argue that boredom is not simply an unpleasant feeling but a signal — a message from the brain that our current activity is not meeting our needs and that we should look for something more meaningful. Like pain or hunger, boredom is uncomfortable precisely because it is meant to make us act. Seen in this way, the problem is not boredom itself but the way we respond to it. C Some of the most interesting evidence concerns creativity. In a study carried out in Britain, one group of participants was given a deliberately dull task — copying numbers from a telephone directory — before being asked to think of as many uses as possible for a pair of plastic cups. A second group went straight to the creative task. The participants who had been bored produced more ideas, and more original ones. The researchers suggested that boredom encourages the mind to wander, and that daydreaming allows us to make unusual connections between ideas. D I find this research persuasive, but it should be interpreted with care. Not all boredom is equally useful. The short, mild boredom of a long train journey is very different from the chronic boredom of a person stuck in an unsatisfying job for years, which has been linked to depression, overeating and other harmful behaviours. To claim that boredom is simply 'good for us' would be just as misleading as to claim that it is always bad. E What, then, has changed? Boredom is hardly a new experience, but our ability to escape it is. Smartphones offer an unlimited supply of short, easy entertainment, and they are always within reach. The result is that many of us — and children in particular — rarely experience boredom long enough for it to lead anywhere. In my view, this is a genuine loss. A child who is never allowed to be bored never has to discover what he or she really enjoys doing. F This does not mean that parents should take away all screens or that adults should force themselves to sit in empty rooms. A more realistic approach is to build small periods of unstructured time into the day: a walk without headphones, a journey without a phone, an evening without plans. Some schools have begun experimenting with 'quiet time', when pupils are free to do nothing at all. It is too early to know whether such schemes will have lasting effects, but the idea deserves serious attention. Boredom, after all, may be the price we pay for an imagination of our own.

1. 1. 27 · People generally make great efforts to avoid being bored.

   YNNG

2. 2. 28 · Boredom has a useful purpose, in a similar way to hunger.

   YNNG

3. 3. 29 · The British study was too small to produce reliable results.

   YNNG

4. 4. 30 · Boredom that lasts for years can lead to harmful behaviour.

   YNNG

5. 5. 31 · Smartphones have made boredom a completely new experience.

   YNNG

6. 6. 32 · Schools that have introduced quiet time have seen better exam results.

   YNNG

THE UNEXPECTED VALUE OF BOREDOM A Few experiences are as widely disliked as boredom. We fill every spare moment — waiting for a bus, standing in a queue, even pausing at traffic lights — by reaching for our phones. Many people, it seems, would rather do almost anything than sit alone with their thoughts. In one widely reported experiment in the United States, a number of participants who were left alone in a room for a short period chose to give themselves a mild electric shock rather than simply sit and think. Boredom, it seems, is something we will go to considerable lengths to avoid. B Yet a growing body of research suggests that this may be a mistake. Psychologists now argue that boredom is not simply an unpleasant feeling but a signal — a message from the brain that our current activity is not meeting our needs and that we should look for something more meaningful. Like pain or hunger, boredom is uncomfortable precisely because it is meant to make us act. Seen in this way, the problem is not boredom itself but the way we respond to it. C Some of the most interesting evidence concerns creativity. In a study carried out in Britain, one group of participants was given a deliberately dull task — copying numbers from a telephone directory — before being asked to think of as many uses as possible for a pair of plastic cups. A second group went straight to the creative task. The participants who had been bored produced more ideas, and more original ones. The researchers suggested that boredom encourages the mind to wander, and that daydreaming allows us to make unusual connections between ideas. D I find this research persuasive, but it should be interpreted with care. Not all boredom is equally useful. The short, mild boredom of a long train journey is very different from the chronic boredom of a person stuck in an unsatisfying job for years, which has been linked to depression, overeating and other harmful behaviours. To claim that boredom is simply 'good for us' would be just as misleading as to claim that it is always bad. E What, then, has changed? Boredom is hardly a new experience, but our ability to escape it is. Smartphones offer an unlimited supply of short, easy entertainment, and they are always within reach. The result is that many of us — and children in particular — rarely experience boredom long enough for it to lead anywhere. In my view, this is a genuine loss. A child who is never allowed to be bored never has to discover what he or she really enjoys doing. F This does not mean that parents should take away all screens or that adults should force themselves to sit in empty rooms. A more realistic approach is to build small periods of unstructured time into the day: a walk without headphones, a journey without a phone, an evening without plans. Some schools have begun experimenting with 'quiet time', when pupils are free to do nothing at all. It is too early to know whether such schemes will have lasting effects, but the idea deserves serious attention. Boredom, after all, may be the price we pay for an imagination of our own.

1. 1. 33 · The writer mentions the electric shock experiment to show that

   A. people enjoy taking risks.B. many people find being alone with their thoughts very unpleasant.C. the experiment was badly designed.D. boredom causes physical pain.

2. 2. 34 · According to paragraph B, psychologists see boredom as

   A. a sign of laziness.B. a message that we need a more meaningful activity.C. a type of mental illness.D. a problem caused by technology.

3. 3. 35 · In the British study, the participants who did the dull task first

   A. gave up the creative task.B. produced fewer but better ideas.C. produced more ideas and more original ones.D. copied ideas from the other group.

4. 4. 36 · What is the writer's main concern in paragraph E?

   A. Children use phones mainly for entertainment.B. People, especially children, are rarely bored for long enough to benefit.C. Boredom has become a serious health problem.D. Smartphones are too expensive for many families.

THE UNEXPECTED VALUE OF BOREDOM A Few experiences are as widely disliked as boredom. We fill every spare moment — waiting for a bus, standing in a queue, even pausing at traffic lights — by reaching for our phones. Many people, it seems, would rather do almost anything than sit alone with their thoughts. In one widely reported experiment in the United States, a number of participants who were left alone in a room for a short period chose to give themselves a mild electric shock rather than simply sit and think. Boredom, it seems, is something we will go to considerable lengths to avoid. B Yet a growing body of research suggests that this may be a mistake. Psychologists now argue that boredom is not simply an unpleasant feeling but a signal — a message from the brain that our current activity is not meeting our needs and that we should look for something more meaningful. Like pain or hunger, boredom is uncomfortable precisely because it is meant to make us act. Seen in this way, the problem is not boredom itself but the way we respond to it. C Some of the most interesting evidence concerns creativity. In a study carried out in Britain, one group of participants was given a deliberately dull task — copying numbers from a telephone directory — before being asked to think of as many uses as possible for a pair of plastic cups. A second group went straight to the creative task. The participants who had been bored produced more ideas, and more original ones. The researchers suggested that boredom encourages the mind to wander, and that daydreaming allows us to make unusual connections between ideas. D I find this research persuasive, but it should be interpreted with care. Not all boredom is equally useful. The short, mild boredom of a long train journey is very different from the chronic boredom of a person stuck in an unsatisfying job for years, which has been linked to depression, overeating and other harmful behaviours. To claim that boredom is simply 'good for us' would be just as misleading as to claim that it is always bad. E What, then, has changed? Boredom is hardly a new experience, but our ability to escape it is. Smartphones offer an unlimited supply of short, easy entertainment, and they are always within reach. The result is that many of us — and children in particular — rarely experience boredom long enough for it to lead anywhere. In my view, this is a genuine loss. A child who is never allowed to be bored never has to discover what he or she really enjoys doing. F This does not mean that parents should take away all screens or that adults should force themselves to sit in empty rooms. A more realistic approach is to build small periods of unstructured time into the day: a walk without headphones, a journey without a phone, an evening without plans. Some schools have begun experimenting with 'quiet time', when pupils are free to do nothing at all. It is too early to know whether such schemes will have lasting effects, but the idea deserves serious attention. Boredom, after all, may be the price we pay for an imagination of our own.

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1. 1. (37) The researchers believed that boredom allows the mind to .
2. 2. (38) The writer warns that calling boredom simply 'good for us' would be .
3. 3. (39) A child who is never bored may never discover what he or she really .
4. 4. (40) One example of unstructured time is a walk without .