Tài liệu Cracking the toefl IBT 2009 edition part 7 pdf

YOUR TURN: DRILL #5—FINDING DIRECTIONS Read each paragraph, circle the direction markers, and identify whether they are same-direction or opposite-direction words.. Direction Paragraph C

by "unweaving the rainbow." His colleague, Samuel Taylor

Coleridge, famously remarked that the souls of 500 Newtons

would be needed to make 1 Shakespeare And yet, from another

perspective, Newton did not diminish the beauty of the rainbow;

he enhanced it In his quest to uncover the secrets of the rainbow,

Newton demonstrated the wonder, creativity, and inspiration

of an artist And he gave the world another opportunity to

experience the sublime Newton's discovery paved the way for the

development of the science of spectroscopy, a way of analyzing

the chemical makeup of light Now scientists can look at the stars

and discern their composition The sense of wonder this ability

creates is not much different from the wonder the poet or artist

feels when gazing at those same stars

Here's the passage again, with the direction changes indicated The same-direction

words are bolded, whereas the opposite-direction words are italicized

Art has always occupied a special place in society Many people

consider artists to be the ultimate authorities on aesthetics, the

nature and expression of beauty For much of history, the practice

of art was inscrutable, and artists were viewed as being somewhat

strange and often mad Even the word most commonly associated

with artists—inspiration—has its own magical overtones Literally,

“inspiration is the breathing in of a spirit Artists were thought of as

people who were divinely inspired to create

Of course, artists contributed to this mythology Many artists

ascribed their talents to the presence of some supernatural

agent or “muse.” Whole movements of art have centered on the

supposedly otherworldly nature of art For example, the Romantic

poets believed that art was the search for the sublime, a term

for them that meant an ultimate expression of beauty and truth

The search for this ideal led them to explore both natural and

supernatural themes in their works

Another persistent view of art regarded its divorce from rationality

Reason and logic were the province of scientists and philosophers,

whereas creativity and intuition were the domain of the artists

The two separate spheres of the mind were supposed to remain

distinct

But in 1704, a major transgression occurred Sir Isaac Newton,

mathematician and physicist extraordinaire, published his study

of light, Opticks One of Newton’s major discoveries was on the

nature of color Using a prism, Newton found that white light

is actually composed of all the colors of the rainbow He even

provided a scientific explanation for the presence of rainbows The

artistic community was shocked A scientist had taken a beautiful

and magical experience and reduced it to the simple refraction

of beams of light through the prism of a raindrop A scientist had

Cote Concept: Reading | 57

More than a hundred years later, John Keats, one of the most famous Romantic poets, accused Newton of diminishing beauty

by “unweaving the rainbow." His colleague, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, famously remarked that the souls of five hundred Newtons would be needed to make one Shakespeare And yet, from another perspective, Newton did not diminish the beauty of the rainbow: he enhanced it In his quest to uncover the secrets

of the rainbow, Newton demonstrated the wonder, creativity, and inspiration of an artist And he gave the world another opportunity

to experience the sublime Newton’s discovery paved the way for the development of the science of spectroscopy, a way of analyzing the chemical makeup of light Now scientists can look at the stars and discern their composition The sense of wonder this ability creates is not much different from the wonder the poet or artist feels when gazing at those same stars

When reading actively, use direction words to help you organize the information Same-direction markers mean that the information you are about to read supports the topic Once you notice this, you can often skim through this informat However, pay particular attention to changes of direction in a passage These

cate an important shift in the author's purpose

Look for the following common direction words:

Same Direction Opposite Direction

However

YOUR TURN: DRILL #5—FINDING DIRECTIONS

Read each paragraph, circle the direction markers, and identify whether they are same-direction or opposite-direction words

Direction Paragraph A

Hallucinations can also be elicited in a number of other ways Some of the most common

experiences of hallucinations happen when a person is in the throes of an epileptic fit or suffering from a high fever Other methods of bringing about a hallucination include fasting or sleeplessness

‘Admiral Richard Byrd reported having hallucinations after spending several months alone in

the Antarctic Hallucinations can be so powerful that members of many cultures seek them

out, undertaking “vision quests” in the hopes of having a hallucinatory experience Usually, the

participants who go on these quests journey out into the elements without food or shelter

Direction Paragraph B

‘Another connection between the lower classes and the centralization of power is literacy, or more accurately, literacy In aristocratic societies, widespread illiteracy did not result in the consolidation

of power because the social structure was so segmented But in an egalitarian society, the

intermediate agencies vanish Without these agencies acting on behalf of the less-informed

citizenry, the responsibility falls to the government Centralization is therefore necessary to aid and provide for citizens who may otherwise have nowhere else to turn to for assistance

Direction Paragraph C

It is also suspected that the brain has its own chemicals designed to produce hallucinations

For example, some patients suffer from delirium tremens, a violent period of hallucinations

accompanied by sweating, an increase in heart rate, and a rise in body temperature Through

experience treating episodes such as this, it is also known that certain chemicals can stop

hallucinations The drug Thorazine is often used to treat patients suffering from psychotic disorders that involve hallucinations

Direction Paragraph D

The career of Phillip Johnson, one of America’s foremost architects, was a study in contrasts Initially, Johnson was a staunch proponent of the Modernist school of architecture, and he achieved his

early fame by working in this style After a time, however, Johnson apparently became bored with Modernism, even though he claimed that he loved the experience of the new above all things

Johnson decided to move from Modernism to Classicism, a style that he explored thoroughly He soon tired of the Classical school as well and moved back toward Modernism, although his later

works still Incorporate classical elements

Core Concept: Reading | 59

Direction Paragraph E

John James Audubon began his career by painting portraits of people, although most people know him not for his portraits of people but for his drawings of birds Audubor's collections of bird drawings represent one of the great achievements in the field of natural history Although critics may debate the artistic merits of his work and scientists the accuracy of his drawings, no one can question the impact his books have had on the population at large His books, which he produced

in collaboration with naturalists, brought science and art together in a most appealing fashion and are sometimes credited with bringing a new appreciation of the natural world to the public

Answers to Drill #5

Direction Paragraph A

Hallucinations can also (same direction) be elicited in a

number of other ways Some of the most common experiences

of hallucinations happen when a person is in the throes of

an epileptic fit or suffering from a high fever Other (same

direction) methods of bringing about a hallucination include

fasting or sleeplessness Admiral Richard Byrd reported having

hallucinations after spending several months alone in the Antarctic

Hallucinations can be so powerful that members of many cultures

seek them out, undertaking “vision quests" in the hopes of having

a hallucinatory experience Usually, the participants who go on

these quests journey out into the elements without food or shelter

Direction Paragraph B

Another (same direction) connection between the lower classes

and the centralization of power is literacy, or more accurately,

illiteracy In aristocratic societies, widespread illiteracy did not

result in the consolidation of power because the social structure

was so segmented But (opposite direction) in an egalitarian

society, the intermediate agencies vanish Without these agencies

acting on behalf of the less-informed citizenry, the responsibilty

falls to the government Centralization is therefore (same direction)

necessary to aid and provide for citizens who may otherwise have

nowhere else to turn to for assistance

ection Paragraph C

Itis also (same direction) suspected that the brain has its own

chemicals designed to produce hallucinations For example (same

direction), some patients suffer from delirium tremens, a violent

period of hallucinations accompanied by sweating, an increase

in heart rate, and a rise in body temperature Through experience

treating episodes such as this, it is also (same direction) known

that certain chemicals can stop hallucinations The drug Thorazine

is often used to treat patients suffering from psychotic disorders

that involve hallucinations,

ection Paragraph D

The career of Phillip Johnson, one of America's foremost architects,

was a study in contrasts Initially (same direction), Johnson was

a staunch proponent of the Modernist school of architecture, and

he achieved his early fame by working in this style After a time,

however, Johnson apparently became bored with Modernism,

even though (opposite direction) he claimed that he loved the

Core Concept: Reading | 61

experience of the new above all things Johnson decided to move from Modernism to Classicism, a style that he explored thoroughly

He soon tired of the Classical schoo! as well and moved back toward Modernism, although (opposite direction) his later works stil incorporate classical elements

Direction Paragraph E

John James Audubon began his career by painting portraits

of people, although (opposite direction) most people know him not for his portraits of people but for his drawings of birds Audubon's collections of bird drawings represent one of the great achievements in the field of natural history Although (opposite direction) critics may debate the artistic merits of his work and scientists the accuracy of his drawings, no one can question the impact his books have had on the population at large His books, which he produced in collaboration with naturalists, brought science and art together in a most appealing fashion and are sometimes credited with bringing a new appreciation of the natural world to the public

Summary: Understanding Structure

1 Identify the structure of the passage because this knowledge will help you to find information quickly

2 Remember, TOEFL passages are made up of the following para- graph types: introduction, body, and conclusion Know what type of

information is usually found in each paragraph

3 Use the first sentence of the paragraph as a guide to the information

contained in the rest of the paragraph

4, Keep in mind that the remaining sentences provide details about the

topic

5 Payattention to direction markers Same-direction markers indicate

the author is continuing the discussion Opposite-direction markers highlight contrasting ideas

STEP 3: STATE THE MAIN IDEA

Al passages on the TOEFL have a main idea The main idea is the central mes- sage or point of the passage When we looked for the primary purpose, we asked ourselves two questions: What is the author writing about, and why is the author

writ 2 The main idea is the “what” part, whereas the primary

purpose is the “why” part

Let's return to a prior passage and look at how the main idea is different from the primary purpose

Sometimes it appears that the human mark on this planet is

indelible In only a blink of geological time, 200 years or so, human

construction and expansion has resulted in the destruction of

more than one-fifth of the world's forests, the recession of the

polar icecaps, and the creation of a huge hole in the ozone layer

Additionally, industrial activity has damaged rivers and oceans,

as well as groundwater supplies Environmental scientists and

activists warn that if Earth’s future is not taken into account,

humankind could very well destroy the planet

However, Earth is an amazingly resilient place In its 4.5-billion-

year lifespan, Earth has endured bombardment by cosmic rays

and meteors, violent earthquakes, volcanism, and frigid ice ages

In light of all these catastrophic events, many geologists and

ecologists say that Earth could recover from any damage caused

by human actions

One theorist has gone so far as to predict exactly what would

happen on Earth if all humans were to disappear Without upkeep,

the concrete jungles of the world’s largest cities would be slowly

reclaimed by the wilderness around them Harsh temperatures

would cause pavement to crack Plants would return to areas

covered by streets and sidewalks

Different fates would await humankind's other creations Litter and

leaf matter would accumulate, and it would take only one chance

lightning strike to start a raging fire Many structures would burn

to the ground, The steel foundations supporting larger buildings

and bridges would corrode and buckle, especially with the rise

in groundwater that would accompany the clogging of sewer

systems

Without human interference, many of the threatened or

endangered fauna would reclaim their ecological niches

Unfortunately, household pets would suffer In addition, the rat,

one of the greatest pests in large cities, would not have the waste

of humankind to feed off of and would be hunted mercilessly by

growing populations of hawks and falcons And the cockroach,

which to many a city dweller seems to symbolize invincibility,

would disappear from all but the warmest climes without artificial

heat to sustain it

Within 500 years, again barely a heartbeat in geological time,

most of humankind’s monuments would be gone, covered over by

plants and trees It's happened before; the Mayan civilization in

Northern Guatemala survived for 2,000 years but was swallowed

up by the jungle at its end And after a few thousand years,

if earthquakes and volcanic eruptions have not obliterated

everything made by humans, the glaciers would come, sweeping

down from the mountains, slowly and inexorably destroying

everything in their path, Several times in its history, Earth has been

Core Concept: Reading | 63

swept clean by these giant sheets of ice The legacy of humankind would be wiped from Earth

There is some evidence that this theorist’s view may be true Since

1953, a 150-mile-long tract of land separating North and South

Korea has been declared a no-man's-land After only a little more than 50 years, there is almost no trace of the rice paddies that

farmers had created and used for almost 5,000 years Even more

spectacular are the flocks of red-crowned cranes that now inhabit the zone These birds are the second rarest of all birds, but they

have flourished in this area, free from human interference of all kinds

Remember that the primary purpose of this passage is to convince the reader of the outcome of a situation To find the main idea we'll proceed in much the same way

as we did to find the primary purpose Read the first sentence or two of the intro- duction, the first sentence of each body paragraph, and the first and last sentence

of the conclusion

fier reading each sentence again ask yourself, “What is the author writing about?” Let's gather up the first sentences of each paragraph and the last sentence of the conclusion to see what we have

Paragraph 1 Sometimes it appears that the human mark on

this planet is indelible

Paragraph 2 However, Earth is an amazingly resilient place Paragraph 3 One theorist has gone so far as to predict

exactly what would happen on Earth if all hu- mans were to disappear

Paragraph 4 Different fates would await humankind's other

creations

Paragraph 5 Without human interference, many of the

threatened or endangered fauna would re- claim their ecological niches

Paragraph 6 Within 500 years, again barely a heartbeat in

geological time, most of humankind’s monu- ments would be gone, covered over by plants and trees

Paragraph 7 ‘There is some evidence that this theorist’s view

may be true

Last sentence These birds are the second rarest of all birds,

but they have flourished in this area, free from

human interference of all kinds.

‘When stating the main idea, we must try to tie together all of these topics Take a

look at the sentences above and write down what you think the main idea is

A good answer to this question might be

If humans were to disappear, plants and animals would soon take over Earth

again

Notice how this sentence brings together all of the elements The sentences from

paragraphs one, three, and four all mention people; the sentence from paragraph

two talks about Earth; and the sentences from paragraphs five, six, and seven men-

tion both

Let's try it one more time ‘Try to find the main idea of the following passage

‘Write your answer in the space provided after the passage

Scientists at Michigan State University are asking a most

challenging question Can a computer program be considered

alive? The members of the Digital Evolution Laboratory say yes

Computer scientists at the laboratory have created a program

called Avida that has intrigued not only scientists and engineers

but biologists and philosophers as well

The Avida project began in the late 1990s, when Chris Adami,

a physicist, sought to create a computer program that could

evolve to do simple addition problems The digital “organisms”

he created replicated themselves, and each time they replicated,

they had a chance to mutate and thus evolve Initially, the digital

creations were unable to process numbers in any way But Adami

designed the program to reward programs that were able to work

with the numbers in some way The digital organisms that could

process numbers were allowed to reproduce in higher numbers In

only six short months, the primitive program had evolved a number

of mechanisms to perform addition And, most surprisingly, not all

of the digital creatures performed addition in the same way

The Avida program now resides at Michigan State University,

where it has been growing and changing for years The digital

creatures number in the billions and have colonized more than two

hundred computers Each digital organism consists of a pattern

of code The organisms compete with one another for resources,

and the most successful ones are able to make more copies of

themselves Just like a living creature, the digital entities also undergo mutations Mutations that are beneficial ensure greater reproduction; harmful mutations have the opposite effect

According to the director of the Avida project, the processes undergone by the digital creatures are the same as those experienced by biological organisms The only difference is that biological entities are based on strings of DNA, whereas the digital creations from Avida are based on strings of ones and zeros In

a living creature, different sequences of DNA instruct cells to create certain proteins In one of the Avida creations, different sequences of computer code instruct the program to perform certain functions In both cases, the reproduction of the organisms

is subject to forces such as competition and mutation Now, some biologists are maintaining that the programs in the Avida project are alive The programs live, die, reproduce, compete, cooperate, and evolve—activities that many biologists consider the hallmarks of life One prominent biologist says, “They don't have a metabolism—at least not yet But otherwise, they're alive.”

Of course, not everyone agrees that the program's creations are alive One difficulty is that biologists do not even agree on the definition of life The diversity of life on Earth constantly surprises scientists, and there are simply too many characteristics and qualities to provide one simple definition of life

Despite these misgivings, the directors of the Avida program remain optimistic that their program, even if not considered alive,

is leading to a greater understanding of life in all its forms It may even facilitate future searches for life on other planets According

to one member of the Avida team, “The problem that we have now

is that we are focused on looking for DNA-based life But there may be other kinds of life out there that we have never dreamed of." The Avida program may provide biologists with another avenue to explore,

Write down what you think the main idea is

Here are the first sentences of each paragraph and the last sentence of the

conclusion

Paragraph 1 Scientists at Michigan State University are ask-

ing a most challenging question

Paragraph 2 The Avida project began in the late 1990s,

when Chris Adami, a physicist, sought to cre- ate a computer program that could evolve to

do simple addition problems,