Exam I8

Match each underlined part of the sentence to a word that has a similar meaning. 

1. Zaha Hadid is the designer and engineer who created the Guangzhou Opera House in China.

2. The subject or topic of humans and nature is important in 19th century American paintings.

3. Biologist George Schaller is dedicated to the survival of big cats like lions and tigers.

4. The sculptures, diagrams, and paintings inside the museum show the history of the city.

5. Turkish rulers used a tugra, a complex drawing that represented the ruler’s signature on important documents.

6. The politicians are holding a public meeting to discuss increasing taxes.

7. Nature was Gaudi’s creative influence for building a cathedral that looks like a forest.

8. St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow is constructed in a manner that became typical of Russian architecture.

Read the passage. Complete each space with a suitable word. Not all words will be used. 

• consists of
• construct
• holy
• requires
• represent
• sculptors
• structures
• transport

World Heritage Sites in Indonesia: Borobudur 

A Borobudur and Prambanan are both large World Heritage Sites located in Central Java in Indonesia. That area near the city of Yogyakarta is tectonically very active which means many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The two sites have significant features in common as well as important differences.

B Borobudur is the world’s largest Buddhist monument. It is one huge pyramid made about 1,200 years ago from river rocks that were fitted together without using any cement. It has three levels, each of which symbolizes an important stage for believers in Buddhism. As pilgrims, or religious visitors, reach their goal of climbing up the pyramid, they see more than 3,000 sculptures that tell about the life of Buddha and his teachings. There are also over 500 statues of Buddha to inspire the pilgrims. So the journey to the top of Borobudur is both physical and spiritual, symbolizing the concept of reaching Nirvana.

C Although there are no written records about the construction of Borobudur or its purpose, it is believed to have been constructed around the year 800 when Mataram rulers created several large Buddhist and Hindu monuments in Central Java. After Borobudur was completed around 875 until about 1500, there were Chinese visitors who left coins and pottery. After 1500, Borobudur mysteriously became abandoned There are several possible reasons for this development. Political changes occurred, culture changed, and there were volcanic eruptions that covered the site with ash. However, people in the area continued to tell folk stories about the monument.

D In the early 1800s, the British took control of Java. The leader or governor, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, was particularly interested in history. Raffles had heard the folk stories and organized an expedition to uncover Borobudur. He wrote: “The antiquities of Java have not, till lately, excited much notice; nor have they yet been sufficiently explored. The pursuits of commerce have been too exclusive to allow there being much interest in the subject.”1 Raffles himself visited Borobudur and word got out about the discovery. Unfortunately, that led to people stealing sculptures from the site. By the 1960s, the site had deteriorated, necessitating a Save Borobudur movement funded by UNESCO and countries around the world.

E Not even foreign aid for restoration can stop nature. In 2006, a severe earthquake hit the nearby city of Yogyakarta, but Borobudur was spared. In autumn 2010, nearby Mount Merapi erupted, covering Borobudur in volcanic ash. Another volcano erupted in February 2014. Now scientists are trying to learn how to protect this special site.

Read the passage before. Then read each question and choose the best answer. 

10. Why does the author mention volcanoes and earthquakes in the Paragraph A?

11. In Paragraph B, what is the purpose of the sculptures and statues?

12. Which of these would be most important for a pilgrim?

13. What evidence do we have of early Chinese visitors to Borobudur?

14. In Paragraph D, why were the folk stories important?

15. What does the quote from Raffles in Paragraph D mean?

16. What is the author’s feeling in Paragraph E?

World Heritage Sites in Indonesia: Prambanan 

A Borobudur and Prambanan are both large World Heritage Sites located in Central Java in Indonesia. That area near the city of Yogyakarta is tectonically very active which means many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The two sites have significant features in common as well as important differences.

B Prambanan is a large temple complex consisting of a main temple, three temples dedicated to the Hindu gods Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, another three temples for holy beings associated with them, and 240 other smaller temples. Prambanan was built slightly later than Borobudur but by the same ruling family. It may suggest that people had shifted from Buddhism to Hinduism. There is an ancient inscription, or carved writing, that says that around 876, a temple was built in honor of Shiva. The inscription also says that a river’s course or route was changed away from the temple. At that time, the royal court lived there and people came to study in the temple area.

C Around 930, the capital moved east. Scholars do not know whether this was due to a political change or because of an eruption of the Mount Merapi volcano. At any rate, Prambanan became deserted and started to decline. An earthquake in the 1500s destroyed some buildings. However, as with Borobudur, the ruins and statues became the inspiration for folktales that lasted for centuries. These folk stories had giants, devils, and an unfortunate princess as themes.

D In the early 1800s, Prambanan – like Borobudur – was briefly of interest to the British, but also became subject to looting and stealing. Local people took stones to use in construction or even as garden ornaments. Moreover, heavy rains eroded the structures. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the government of Indonesia undertook major restoration, or rebuilding, of the site. The outside areas of the temple complex are now used as a stage for the dance drama of Ramayana, a traditional story. More than a million tourists a year visit Prambanan.

E In common with Borobudur, Prambanan suffers from violent geological activity. The 2006 earthquake caused major damage to the 9th century temple. Mount Merapi is close, but when it erupted in 2010, the wind blew ash westward towards Borobudur, so Prambanan was not affected. Prambanan was not so lucky in February 2014 when another volcano closed down all the World Heritage sites in Central Java. Protecting these historic places is important, but the Indonesian government also has to consider the needs of 90 percent of the population that has been affected by these natural disasters.

Read the passage before. Then read each question and choose the best answer. 

17. What does the whole architectural design of Prambanan consist of?

18. Where does evidence telling about the construction of Prambanan come from?

19. Which of the following statements is NOT true of both Prambanan and Borobudur?

20. Why did Prambanan become deserted?

21. In Paragraph D, what is NOT mentioned as a problem?

22. Why do tourists visit Prambanan today?

23. What is the main point of Paragraph E?

Unfinished Masterpiece 

A It’s a structure that isn’t finished, yet two million people visit it every year. Antoni Gaudí began building his church, La Sagrada Família, in 1883 – and work continues to this day.

B The architect Antoni Gaudí was born in 1852 near the town of Reus, in the Catalonian region of Spain. As a child, he was interested in the natural wonders of the Catalonian countryside. When he grew up, he went to Barcelona to study architecture. Gaudí designed many structures in Barcelona during his career, but he was most committed to La Sagrada Família. In fact, after 1910, he stopped working on nearly all other projects to focus on it.

INSPIRED BY NATURE 

C Gaudí experimented with many styles early in his career, but eventually developed his own ideas about architecture. The natural world was the main inspiration for Gaudí’s designs. “Nothing is art if it does not come from nature,” he believed. Gaudí understood that the natural world is full of curved forms, not straight lines. With this idea in mind, he based his structures on a simple idea: If nature is the work of God, then the best way to honor God is to design buildings based on nature.

D The architect’s love of nature combined with his religious beliefs guided the design of La Sagrada Família. Gaudí designed the inside of La Sagrada Família to feel like a forest. Inside the church, pillars rise up like trees. This theme continues outside. The outside of the church is decorated with sculptures of wildlife. For example, a turtle – a symbol of the sea – and a tortoise – a symbol of the land – are carved into the base of two columns. Carvings of other animals, such as reptiles and birds, appear throughout the structure.

AN END IN SIGHT 

E Gaudí died in 1926. Before his death, he made three-dimensional models of his plans for the building, hoping that others could complete his masterpiece. Many of these models were lost during the Spanish Civil War (1936 – 1939), but some survived. These models have helped Gaudí’s successors. For example, Mark Burry, an architect from New Zealand, has worked on La Sagrada Família for almost 40 years. He uses computer technology and the surviving models to bring Gaudí’s plans to life.

F Gaudí’s work illustrates a timeless truth. As the architectural historian Joan Bassegoda wrote: “The lesson of Gaudí is … to look at nature for inspiration … Nature does not go out of fashion.” In fact, you might say Gaudí’s architectural style was ahead of its time. The architect’s nature-inspired designs can be seen as an early example of the modern science of biomimetics – a science that uses designs in nature to solve modern problems.

G Work on La Sagrada Família is expected to be finished in 2026, a hundred years after Gaudí’s death. Gaudí was once asked why La Sagrada Família was taking so long to complete. “My client is not in a hurry,” he said.

Scan the reading before to find the information for each statement. Write in CAPITAL LETTERS if the statement is TRUE or FALSE.

Read the sentences and write the correct form of the adjective in parentheses. Write one or two words only. 

Read the sentence and decide whether the underlined section applies to Borobudur, Prambanan, or both places. Choose the correct answer. 

34. Similarly, during the 1800s, Borobudur also became subject to looting and stealing.

35. Unlike Borobudur, Prambanan was not affected by the 2010 eruption of Mount Merapi.

36. In contrast to Borobudur, Prambanan has a carved inscription that documents its construction.

37. Like Prambanan, Borobudur was abandoned for centuries.

38. However, in contrast to Prambanan’s many temples, Borobudur has one main structure, a three-stage pyramid.

In each pair of sentences, one sentence has an error. Choose the sentence that is correct by writing A or B in the space. (IN CAPITAL LETTERS)

Write a paragraph comparing two places, describing things that are similar or different. 

44. Include the following:

• a topic sentence saying whether you will mention similarities or differences
• 2 main points of comparison, using transition words
• a detail sentence for each point you are comparing
• a concluding sentence