Direction: Look at the text below. In 40 seconds, you must read this text aloud as naturally and clearly as possible. You have 40 seconds to read aloud.
Q (1)
Many adults have clear memories of stories and books encountered as young readers. Colourful illustrations captured our childhood imagination, and tales of magic and myth carried us away to other worlds. To the eye of an adult, however, picture books might appear overly simple. Colours may seem too bright, for example, and words too large.
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Q (2)
Conflict is inevitable in the workplace due to the wide range of opinions that exist within any large group of individuals. It is, therefore, crucial that managers resolve conflicts efficiently and ensure that the relevant parties don’t suffer any emotional stress during this process.
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Q (3)
In order to understand whether our forecasts are effective, they have to be evaluated. We can use the same methods to do this across a wide variety of fields, from banking to public health. However, the aim is always to confirm the accuracy of a forecast and identify any trends which arise during this process.
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Q (4)
Bobcats are mammals which are roughly twice the size of the average domestic cat. They only come out at night and avoid contact with humans. As they move around their native North America, bobcats cover large distances. They are known for their ability to successfully adapt to different habitats.
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Q (5)
Psychologists have been investigating why people often forget what they came into a room for. Their results suggest that memory operates in a slightly different way than we expect. When information no longer seems relevant, we get rid of it. In this case, the information we learned in one room may seem irrelevant in another room.
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Q (6)
Many people go to faraway places to encounter wildlife, but there may be plenty to see on your very doorstep. Many species are adapting successfully to urban life, such as the badgers foraging in food bins and the notorious urban foxes prowling through the city streets.
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Q (7)
For any live performer, engaging with the audience is paramount. In fact, an effective live performance involves the transfer of energy from performer to audience and vice versa. This can create an emotional, almost magical, connection between performer and audience that other forms of entertainment can only aspire to.
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Q (8)
Business leaders recommend that while members of their organisations are on vacation, they should try to disconnect completely from their working lives. Strategies for this include switching off smartphones and entering into new activities and adventures. Not only can this help them to unwind, it may also be rejuvenating.
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Q (9)
One factor contributing to pollen levels rising around the world is climate change. Warmer temperatures have given rise to an extended blooming season and peak pollen production is shifting fractionally earlier year on year. This may explain why an increasing number of people are suffering from allergies triggered by it.
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Q (10)
Health coaching is yielding excellent results in many European countries. Three months is believed to be the optimal time for health coaches to get positive results after establishing regimes designed to make individuals feel as well as possible. Individuals who have stuck at it report positive outcomes in areas such as quality of sleep, nutrition, stress management and physical fitness.
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Q (11)
This comedy show looks at what it means to fail. That might sound too serious for a comedy, but it’s actually one of the funniest shows you’ll see this semester. There are some extremely good moments as the actors make jokes out of awful situations they have been in.
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Q (12)
Some personality tests are designed to identify what type of person someone is. They usually involve questions about people’s feelings or reactions in different situations and points are given for each answer. The results of these tests can help people to understand themselves better.
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Q (13)
There are several different types of essay that you could be asked to write. For example, you may have to persuade the reader to agree with your point of view on an issue. In this kind of essay, you should first make it clear what your opinion is and then present arguments which support your opinion.
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Q (14)
This report presents recommendations and proposals for the construction of a new sustainable laboratory on the east side of the campus. The environmental features of the design are outlined, along with a full breakdown of the costs involved. Discussion of the potential benefits to the campus is included, as are suggestions for how these issues can be implemented.
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Q (15)
Sports science degrees offer graduates many interesting career opportunities. Obviously, such courses enable graduates to work as sports coaches or personal trainers. Sports research is another important field for graduates who are interested in following an academic career. Depending on the particular subjects studied as part of their course, many sports science graduates may develop careers in sports management.
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Q (16)
We all learn from the people around us, including our family, our school friends and our teachers. Learning is believed to be a social activity and one that is most successful when we feel comfortable and safe in the environment we are learning in.
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Q (17)
While many new types of plants are discovered every year around the world, many others are dying. Scientists say this is happening for a variety of reasons, including climate change, disease and too much building taking place in natural environments.
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Q (18)
National Environment Research Council has become a leading funder of climate science and their research has been crucial in uncovering the effects of climate change on the planet. Their scientists discovered the hole in the ozone layer, laying the foundations for the Montreal Protocol, one of the most successful international environmental agreements ever.
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Q (19)
Meadows of underwater sea grasses around the UK have been depleted significantly by environmental pollution, anchor damage and marine construction. A project is currently underway to regenerate this once lush vegetation, which is capable of storing carbon more effectively than tropical rainforests.
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Q (20)
Sitting down for team meetings is not a good idea. Standing up is so much better. When we sit down, blood and oxygen move more slowly around our bodies, and we find it harder to concentrate. When we stand up, meetings are usually shorter and focus only on the most important things. This saves us valuable time.
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Q (21)
From a philosophical position, logic is concerned with establishing rules of reasoning to explain universally accepted truths. To establish logical truth requires a framework in which a compatible juxtaposition of the objective and subjective can be achieved. Yet, in academic writing, an objective stance is essential since the validity of arguments is based on this.
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Q (22)
In recent years, supermarkets have needed to make changes to the way they do business in order to meet the changing needs of their customers, who are going online in higher numbers to do their weekly food shopping. To deal with this, supermarkets are offering more delivery options and a better online experience.
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Q (23)
Programming languages are those which consist of sets of instructions for computers. These languages come in various different formats and are available to use on most modern operating systems. They can process data, images and text and nowadays students learn how to do this by studying computer programming in classes.
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Q (24)
Research has shown that, despite concerns about addictive behaviour, online gaming may be useful as an educational resource for language learning. Experts believe that progressing through game levels and receiving bonuses may help to encourage learners to improve their communication skills and their ability to make social connections.
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Q (25)
Project management is an area of growing importance across many fields, from engineering and information technology through to education and marketing. Therefore, if you study this exciting subject, you will be opening the doors to a career with plenty of variety and excellent opportunities.
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Q (26)
Astronomers have recently discovered a large cloud of gas, in which many new stars are being formed, not far from our own solar system. While it would seem surprising that this phenomenon hadn’t been previously noticed, the researchers explained that recent innovations in measuring the distance of gas clouds more accurately led to this discovery after older observations were reinterpreted.
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