Test21

The reading passage states that the library at Alexandria founded by Ptolemy 1 was the library that contained the greatest number of books in the ancient times. This library expanded in the period of Ptolemy 2, who wanted the library to collect every single Greek works,including the works from other western countries. It is estimated that this library contained approximately 300,000-700,000 books.

The listening passage adds that nowadays the library at A no longer exists. Historians have debated among themselves about who destroyed this library and when it was destroyed. One theory states Julies Caesar was the one who destroyed it when he invaded Alexandria. His forces set fire to the fleet of ships staying in the harbor and the fire spread into the city and burned the library down. However, this belief is not currently accepted nowadays because there were many references to this library after the death of Cesar.

The most widely accepted reason at present is that this library existed until the late of 4th century. During that time, There was a movement toward the destruction of pagan tramples and  libraries. Therefore, the library Alexandria should be destroyed during this period.

Library at Alexandria

Ptolemy I

Test20

From the reading passage,Venus is called the morning star or the evening star because it shines brightly. The brightness of Venus results from the fact that it is  close to Earth and it is covered with white clouds which reflect off the sunlight. A spacecraft has reported that thick white clouds surrounding Venus consist of sulfuric acid and the temperature on its surface is up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit.

The listening passage adds that the extremely high temperature on Venus has caused surprise to scientists. They used to think that the thick clouds surrounding Venus should make the star become cooler. Because the small amount sunlight which can penetrate should not cause such a high temperature. The extremely hot temperature also does not result from the fact that Venus is close to the sun because Mercury, which is close to the sun has a lower temperature than the temperature on Venus. One possible explanation is that the atmosphere on Venus is almost filled with carbon dioxide which plays a role in trapping the heat and preventing from it escaping.

Venus

Mercury

Sun

test18

The reading passage talks about Catch-22 which was one of the most popular novels of the twentieth century. This novel described the life of soldiers during World War 2. The protagonist was a bombardier who hated war and killing. At the beginning, Catch 22 did not get a good response because of admiration given to soldiers after the World War. However, when antiwar sentiment in SEA increased Catch 22 gained a lot of interest and appreciation.

The listening passage has added that the popularity of this novel became a catch word. In the stated novel, the protagonist tried to escape from a difficult situation or a "catch". In this case, it was the war that he did not want to be involved in, so he had to pretend to be insane. Nevertheless, today the phase catch 22 refers to a situation where there is no way out or no good choice. The number 22 has no significant meaning. It was only a technical problem during the production process.

Catch22 Movies

test14

In the lecture the professor mentions that chess playing is a good example of the use of visual-spatial intelligence. Chess players must make a plan for each move and foresee its consequence. This point illustrates the idea in the reading passage that visual-spatial intelligence is the ability to create and transform metal imagery.

The professor also gives an Example of a blind-folded chess player. He can play several games at the same time and remember each move of the chess board. This point illustrates the notion in the reading passage that those who have visual-spatial intelligence have good visual memory.

In the lecture the professor refers to the ability of the chase players who can recall previous important chess games. What he can remember is not merely rote memory but the plan and strategy of each game. This point again illustrates the idea in the reading passage that those with visual-spatial intelligence have abstract not pictorial memory.

The lecture also mentions that chess masters can reconstruct a chess board which he sees after a few seconds if the chess pieces are rationally located. This point supports the idea in the reading passage that a person with visual-spatial intelligence can memorize and draw the picture of an object which he has just seen.

Chess