APTIS – READING (30 MINUTES)

TASK 1

Choose one word (A, B, or C) for each space and write the letter on the answer
paper. The first one (0) is done for you as an example with the answer A marked
on your answer paper.

Dear Mum and Dad,

Hello from sunny Brighton! Pete and I are here on holiday for two weeks and having
a great time. There's a 0) A to do and eat here - the fish are 1_________! We went to
see a film and 2________ some of the local food. Pete hadn't been feeling very well,
so it's been good for him to 3_________ a real break. He wants to get some exercise
4
_________ we're on holiday. As you 5__________, he loves quiet places and I hope
it's not too hot!

Love,
Helen.

0) A lot B lots C few

1) A usual B well C great

2) A saved B liked C tried

3) A take B give C go

4) A while B and C that

5) A hear B think C know

TASK 2

Order the sentences (B-G) below to make a story. Write your answers on the
answer paper (Question 6-11). The first sentence of the story (A) is given for you
on the answer paper as an example.

MY FIRST DAY AT WORK

A My first day at work didn't go according to plan. 0

B By the time I got to the office I couldn't walk anymore.
C While walking up them I fell over and hurt my knee.
D I didn't even get to see my new desk before I left.
E My new boss told me to go to the hospital to make sure the problem wasn't
serious.
F I arrived early to make a good impression, but when I got there the lift was out
 of order.
G The office is on the 22nd floor so I decided to use the stairs.

O. A

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

TASK 3

Read the text and complete each gap with a word from the list at the bottom of
the page. Read the texts and answer questions 12-18.

GALILEO GALILEI

Often (0) A to as the 'father of modern physics', Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy,
in 1564, the son of a mathematician and musician.

He attended university in Pisa but had to leave due to a (12) __________ of funds,
and later taught sciences at the University of Padua. It was (13) ______________ his
time there that Galileo did a large number of (14) _________, the most famous
involving dropping balls of different sizes from (15) ___________ heights to
determine the law of acceleration of falling bodies. Indeed, he is credited with several
important scientific (16) ___________, and is still considered a great genius.

Unfortunately, however, he died in prison in 1642, whist (17) _________ a life

sentence for publishing works suggesting that the earth moved (18) _________ the
sun - something that went against accepted thinking at the time.

A. referred B. various C. discoveries

D. taking E. lot F. around
G. during H. lack I. at
J. serving K. experiments
TASK 4


You are going to read a magazine article about friendship. Match the headings
A-H to the paragraphs 19-25. There is one more heading than you need. The
answer to paragraph 0 is given on the answer paper as an example (H).

A. Life of Mars
B. Is space the future for mankind?
C. The difficulties of living in space
D. A successful outcome
E. A distant new world
F. Imitating life in space
G. A long journey in space
H. Only an experiment

MISSION TO MARS

19. On 3rd June 2010 an international crew of six astronauts entered a space ship
and prepared themselves for a 520-day voyage to the planet Mars and back. The
module that was to be their home for the next year and a half contained their sleeping
quarters, a kitchen/dining room, a living room, a control room and a toilet. There was
also space for food storage, a small greenhouse, a bathroom, a sauna and even a gym.
The Mars landing was scheduled for 12th February 2011, following a 255-day flight,
and would involve a full two days of exploration of the planet surface. An equally
long return journey would see the astronauts return to earth on 4th November 2011.

20. Emerging from the spaceship after an exhausting 520 days, Russian commander
Alexei Sitev declared the mission finally over. “The Programme has been fully carried
out,” he announced at a press conference. “All the crew members are in good health.
We are now ready for further tests.” Indeed, the general consensus in the scientific
community was that the Mars 500 project had achieved its aims, and, what is more,
the crew had managed to complete their mission without ever having to leave the
Earth’s atmosphere.

21. Mars 500 was, in fact, a simulation exercise. The astronauts never even left the
ground and their space ship was a specially constructed working model situated in a
warehouse in the suburbs of Moscow. The aims of the mission were to see how well
humans could cope with the confinement and stress involved in extended
interplanetary travel. The astronauts – three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian and a
Chinese national – were volunteers for the project, and, although all of them had the
option of leaving their 550-cubic meter living space at any time, none of them chose
to do so.
22. All communications between the crew and mission control were subject to a
twenty-minute delay to simulate the time it would take signals to reach the earth from
outer space. Although not all the elements of space flight - such as the effects of zero
gravity - could be reproduced, the conditions on board were made as realistic as
possible. The astronauts breathed recycled air, showered only once every ten days and
lived mostly on a diet of tinned food. Even the surface of Mars had been recreated to
allow the crew the simulated experience of walking on the red planet.

23. In addition to the discomforts of living in a confined space, the astronauts also
had to endure the psychological stresses brought about by isolation and boredom.
Scientific studies have already shown that extended periods of social isolation can
disrupt the normal mechanisms of the body. This can lead to increased levels of stress
and higher blood pressure, which, in turn, can create feelings of anxiety and
aggression. The astronauts were subject to regular medical tests throughout the
experiment and they were under constant observation via a twenty-four-hour closed-
circuit television system. The tests continued even after the men had completed their
mission as the scientists were interested to see how the astronauts would cope with a
return to normal life.

24. The data collected by the experiment is further evidence that human beings are
capable of overcoming the pressures of long space flight that will be necessary if
future exploration of planets is to be feasible. Although there is resistance in some
quarters to investment in space exploration, some scientists believe that our future lies
in the stars. With the world's population exceeding seven billion and showing no sign
of slowing down, future generations may be forced to seek out new worlds beyond
our own increasingly overcrowded planet.

25. Although the dry and dusty landscape of Mars may not be the most suitable
spot for future habitation, there are other planets that could sustain human life. To date
about 700 planets with similarities to Earth have been identified outside our own solar
system, and about 15 of these are potentially habitable. The most recent to be
discovered – Kepler 22-b – has a surface temperature of about 22°C and orbits a star
not unlike our own sun. Scientists believe that it may even contain water. However,
although it may seem like a good candidate for a future space colony, it is 600 light
years away, and so it is likely to remain beyond human reach for many generations to
come.