Reading-Illiteracy-E11

I. READING
A. Fill in each blank space with one appropriate word from the box.
advantage qualifications hopefully effective training practical
eradicated worth while unemployment opportunities break
Around the age of sixteen, you must make one of the biggest decisions of your life. Do I stay on at school and (31)
hopefully go on to university later? Do I leave and start work or begin a (32) training course? The decision is yours, but it
may be (33) worth remembering two things: there is more (34) unemployment among who haven't been to university, and
people who have the right skills will have a big (35) advantage in the competition for jobs. If you decide to go straight into a
job, there are many (36) opportunities for training. Getting (37) qualifications will help you to get on more quickly in many
careers, and evening classes allow you to learn (38) while you earn. Starting work and taking a (39) break to study when
you are older is another possibility. This way, you can save up money for your student days, as well as getting (40)
practical work experience.
B. Read the passage carefully, then choose the correct answers.
In the primary school, a child is in a comparatively simple setting and most of the time forms a relationship with one
familiar teacher. On entering secondary school, a new world opens up and frequently it is a much more difficult world. The
pupil soon learns to be less free in the way he speaks to teachers and even to his fellow pupils. He begins to lose gradually
the free and easy ways of the primary school, for he senses the need for a more cautious approach in the secondary school
where there are older pupils, Secondary staff and pupils suffer from the pressures of academic work and seem to have less
time to stop and talk. Teachers with specialist roles may see hundreds of children in a week, and a pupil may be able to
form relationships with very few of the staff. He has to decide which adults are approachable ; good schools will make clear
to every young person from the first year what guidance and personal help is available - but whether the reality of life in the
institution actually encourages requests for help is another matter.
Adults often forget what a confusing picture school can offer to a child. He sees a great deal of movement, a great
number of people – often rather frightening-looking people - and realizes that an increasing number of choices and
decisions have to be made. As he progresses through the school the confusion may become less but the choices and
decisions required will increase. The school will rightly expect the pupil to take the first steps to obtain the help he needs, for
this is the pattern of adult life for which he has to be prepared, but all the time the opportunities for personal and group
advice must be presented in a way which makes them easy to understand and within easy reach of pupils.
41. According to the passage one of the problems for pupils entering secondary schools is that _________.
a. they are taught by many different teachers
b. they do not attend lessons in every subject

c. the teachers do not want to be friendly
d. the teachers give most attention to the more academic pupils
42. In secondary schools every pupil having problems should _________.
a. be able to discuss 'his problems in class'
b. be able to discuss his problems with any teacher
c. know how to ask for help I
d. be freed from any pressure of academic work.
43. Talking about secondary schools, the author is mainly concerned about _________.
a. academic standards b. the personal development of pupils
c. the role of specialist teachers d. the training of the individual teachers
44. The word 'approachable' means most nearly the same as _________.
a. friendly and easy to talk to b. desirable
c. capable of offering accommodation d. advisable
45. According to the passage adults usually _________.
a. think that children learn better in secondary school
b. neglect their children when they enter secondary school
c. fail to encourage their .children to work hard
d. fail to know how confusing things may be to a child when she enters secondary school.
A. Choose the correct word or phrase - a, b, c or d - that best completes the passage.
The traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write, or the ability to use language to,
read, write, listen, and speak. In modern contexts, the word refers to reading and writing at a level (31) _____ for
communication, or at a level that lets one understand and communicate ideas in a literate society,' so as to take (32)
_______ in that society. The United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has drafted the
following definition: “Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed
and written 'materials (33) _______ with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning to enable an Individual
to achieve his or her goals, to develop his, or her (34) _______ and potential, and to participate fully in the wider society."
Many policy analysts consider literacy rates a crucial measure of a region's human capital. This claim is made on the
(35) _______ that literate people can be trained less expensively than illiterate people, generally have a higher socio-
economic (36) _______ and enjoy better health and employment prospects. Policy makers also argue that literacy increases
job opportunities and access to higher education. In Kerala, India, for example, female and child mortality rates declined

(37) _______ in the 1960s, when girls who were educated in the education reforms after 1948 began to raise families.
Recent researchers, (38) _______, argue that correlations such as, the one listed above may have more to do with the
effects of schooling rather than literacy in general. Regardless, the (39)_______ of educational systems worldwide includes
a basic (40) _______ around communication through test and print, which is the foundation of most definitions of literacy.
1. a. important b. adequate c. adaptable d. suitable
2. a. control b. comfort c. part d. honor
3. a. associated b. worked c. appropriated d. related
4. a. ability b. knowledge c. behavior d. performance
5. a. basics b. ways c. foundations d. grounds
6. a. status b. request c. condition d. state
7. a. actually b. dramatically c. extremely d. accurately
8. a. therefore b. however c. consequently d. additionally
9. a. main b. majority c. focus d. demand
10. a. concept b. content c. contact d. context
B. Read the passage carefully, then choose the correct answers.
A literate population is a necessity for any nation wishing to take advantage of modern technological growth. For
.instance, research has shown a direct relationship between literacy among women and improved health' and child care in
the family. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has long supported the concept
that education must be considered an ongoing process.
Adult education has long been important in Europe, where formal programs began in the 18th century. In Britain,
concern for the education of poor and working-class people resulted in the growth of adult education programs, such as the
evening school and the, Mechanic's Institute, to expand education opportunities for all people: ,After the Russian
Revolution, the Russian government virtually eliminated illiteracy through the establishment of various institutions and
extension classes for adults.
In other areas of the world, adult education movements are of a more recent origin. In 1960, Egypt established a
'schools for the people' system designed to educate the adult population. In the 1970s, countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin
America began to increase opportunities for adult education. Innovative programs involving the mass media are being used
in many countries. Tanzania, for example, has used mass education techniques and the radio to organize national
education programs in health, nutrition, and citizenship. In the 1980s, international educational exchange programs grew in
popularity in the United States and many other countries.

11. What does this passage mainly discuss?
a. National education b. Illiteracy eradication
c. Adult education d. Primary education
12. It can be inferred from this passage that education ________.
a. help people to read and write
b. is an important factor in the country's development
c. is a constant process
d. must only be given to adults
13. Which of the followings is not' true?
a. Adult education has boomed in Europe in recent years.
b. Educated women know how to take care of their children properly.
c. Illiteracy is almost erased in Russia.
d. In many countries, mass education is carried out through television.
14. Which of the followings is not mentioned as means used for mass education?
a. radio b. newspapers c. internet d. textbooks
15. According to the passage, adult education ________.
a. offers opportunities for promotion
b. is to educate people to improve their health
c. is popular all over the world nowadays
d. has been developed thanks to the mass media