Ecologically speaking, why is it better for humans to be ve…
Questions
Ecоlоgicаlly speаking, why is it better fоr humаns to be vegetarians than to be carnivores?
PASSAGE 2: Reаd this pаssаge tо answer questiоns 7-12. DIRECTIONS: Read the passage. Chоose the best summary for each paragraph. Magic Mountain (A) It is fair to say that mountains have always played a special role in many societies. Before the discovery of antibiotics,1 Europeans used to seek the mountain air as a remedy for tuberculosis - a deadly lung disease. Furthermore, before the age of airplanes and space flight, the summits of the world's great mountains were the highest places that humans could physically reach. High above the world of humans, the peaks of mountains were considered by many people to be the gateway between heaven and earth. In many places, the belief that mountains are sacred places fit for the gods still holds true. (B) One such place is Mount Kinabalu, located in the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo. For locals and visitors alike, Mount Kinabalu is an impressive natural wonder, standing at 4,095 meters. This makes it the tallest mountain on Borneo as well as one of the tallest in the Southeast Asian region. (C) Estimated to be 15 million years old, the mountain plays a massive role in the daily lives of Sabah's indigenous2 groups. This is especially true for one local tribe, the Kadazan-Dusun. The people of this tribe have lived and farmed at the base of the great mountain for several centuries. Due to the plentiful natural resources in the surrounding areas, Mount Kinabalu has been considered a provider, whose gifts have served as the foundation for the locals' livelihoods. (D) Beyond these practical reasons, the mountain is also deeply respected for the fact that it is central to the religious beliefs of the Kadazan-Dusun. For locals, Mount Kinabalu stands as a monument created by two gods, Kinohiringan and Umusumundu, who erected the mountain once the job of creating the world was complete. Because Mount Kinabalu represents a connection between the sacred and human worlds, members of the Kadazan-Dusun community have traditionally been buried at the foot of the mountain after their death. According to local belief, after dying, the souls of the dead will engage in a long journey to the top of the mountain. This is aided by the funeral rituals performed by living relatives and friends. Upon reaching the peak, they will wait for the gods to make their decision about entrance into libabou - the Kadazan-Dusun equivalent of heaven. (E) Since the mountain is understood as part of the journey from human existence to the afterlife, appreciation for the mountain is directly connected to appreciation for the gods. For locals, any disrespect shown to the mountain could lead to trouble for members of the community. Indeed, after an earthquake violently shook the mountain and its surrounding areas, many locals blamed the natural disaster on a group of foreign tourists who had taken off their clothes on the top of the mountain. As a result of such deeply held beliefs, travel agencies and tour guides provide foreign mountain climbers with not only safety information, but also instructions on proper etiquette. Smoking, littering, shouting, and cursing3 are all prohibited on the mountain. When combined with the traditional practices of the locals, such care ensures that Mount Kinabalu remains one of the world's most special mountains. 1 Antibiotics are medicines that fight bacterial infections. 2 Indigenous refers to people or things that are originally in a particular place. 3 Cursing means using bad language. Choose the best summary for each paragraph: Paragraph A [A] Paragraph B [B] Paragraph C [C] Paragraph D [D] Paragraph E [E]
PASSAGE 1: Reаd this pаssаge tо answer questiоns 2-11. The State оf Sleep Deprivation in America [A] If you're able to pause between sips of coffee and keep your eyes open long enough to read this message, please pay attention. You need to start regularly getting an adequate night's sleep. Not enough rest is bad for your health, and may even lead to deadly consequences. [B] The Mayo Clinic, one of the U.S.'s most prestigious medical institutions, recommends that adults get seven to eight hours of sleep each night. However, a lot of Americans disregard that advice. A 2009 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 35 percent of Americans typically got less than seven hours of sleep a night. [C] Sleep is really important for maintaining our overall health. During deep sleep, growth hormones are released in children and young adults. Cells use the downtime to repair themselves from damage caused by stress and exposure to ultraviolet rays. The break seems especially crucial for the brain, whose nerve cells, or neurons, can become so energy-depleted and polluted with waste products from normal cellular activity that they may begin to malfunction if you stay awake. [D] While we don't generally think of sleep deprivation as a massive public health problem, medical research suggests that inadequate sleep plays a factor in a surprising array of problems. Here are a few of the more serious ones: [E] Obesity: Studies show that the less you sleep, the greater the likelihood that you'll pack on the pounds. In one study, subjects in their twenties who got less than six hours of sleep each night were 7.5 times likely to have a higher body mass index than people who got adequate sleep, even when family history, the amount of exercise, and other factors were accounted for. Studies suggest that not getting enough sleep can contribute to lower levels of leptin, a hormone that controls appetite, and higher levels of ghrelin, which tends to make you feel hungrier. [F] Diabetes: A 2005 study found that middle-aged and older adults who got six hours of sleep each night were 1.7 times more likely to develop diabetes, and those who got five hours or less were 2.5 times as likely. [G] Cardiovascular disease and hypertension: A 2011 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association reported that people who suffered from insomnia had between a 27 and 45 percent increased risk of having a heart attack in which a part of the heart muscle becomes blocked and can't get oxygen. Another study, published in 2013 in the European Heart Journal, found that chronic insomniacs had three times the risk of heart failure in which the heart is so weakened that it can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. A study published in the journal Stroke in 2014 reported that people who suffered from insomnia also had a 54 percent higher chance of being hospitalized for a stroke over a four-year period. [H] Immune system: According to the Mayo Clinic, sleep deprivation can contribute to decreased production of proteins called cytokines, which your body needs when you have an infection or inflammation, and also hinders infection-fighting antibodies and cells. A study published in 2012 in the journal Sleep reported that subjects who got less than six hours of sleep were 11.5 percent less likely to get protection from a hepatitis B vaccination than others who slept seven or more hours. [I] These four conditions may result in a shortened life span. In a study published in 2010 in the journal Sleep, researchers reported that over a 14-year period, men who complained of chronic insomnia and routinely slept for less than six hours a night were four times more likely to die. [J] But the conclusion of all this is that you need to make a habit of getting a good night's sleep to avoid potentially serious health problems. Or, to look at it in a more positive way, if you get adequate rest, your body and mind are going to work and feel better. QUESTION: Which statement would the author most likely agree with?
PASSAGE 2: Reаd this pаssаge tо answer questiоns 12-1. Damage Cоntrol [A] Measuring the scale of a natural disaster is not easy. Tornados, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions are typically measured according to their intensity. Part of this measurement includes the amount of destruction that the incident can inflict on the natural setting, as well as on human life. Tornados, for example, are measured on what is known as the Fujita Scale. While the weakest tornados are classified as F0s, those that are the most powerful and destructive are classified as F5s. [B] Perhaps the most famous of these measurement scales, however, is the Richter Scale - the system for measuring the strengths of earthquakes. Most earthquakes that have been recorded in the modern era have fallen somewhere between 0 and 9. At the lower end of the scale, earthquakes that register between 2.5 and 5.4 can be felt on the Earth's surface, but only cause minor damage. Those below 2.5, while technology designed to monitor seismic activity can capture movement, cannot be felt at all. By contrast, at the higher end of the Richter Scale, seismic activity that registers above 8 are considered catastrophic - capable of causing massive damage at the epicenter of the earthquake. [C] Despite the usefulness of these scales, however, it is essential to keep in mind that the raw strength of a natural disaster does not directly correlate with the amount of death and destruction that it leaves in its wake.1 Rather, researchers have come to understand that high levels of preparation for such events can dramatically reduce the negative impact that they can have on a society. [D] Internationally, the most impressive case of this preparedness is Japan. Given its location on several fault lines,2 the Japanese government and Japanese companies have spent billions of dollars preparing their buildings as well as public infrastructure for the possibility of a major earthquake. In Tokyo, nearly 90 percent of buildings have been designed to survive the impact of major earthquakes. As one example of this commitment to earthquake-proof engineering, many towers in Japan are built upon special foundations that allow them to slightly slide when the ground begins to shake. Furthermore, Japanese bullet trains are programmed to immediately stop once an earthquake has been detected somewhere nearby. [E] By contrast, experts have suggested that the United States is nowhere near as prepared if a massive earthquake were to hit the highly vulnerable West Coast. While some buildings and public utilities have been built to withstand a major earthquake, projects such as these have been in the minority. Since many seismologists3 have predicted that a major earthquake along the U.S. West Coast is almost inevitable in the next 100 years, some believe that the Americans are taking an incredible gamble. For these critics, taking inspiration from the Japanese and committing to a higher level of preparedness is the only path to take. By doing so, future earthquakes need not be described as "major" or "great," despite the use of measurement systems like the Richter Scale. 1 If something happens in the wake of an event, it happens afterwards as a result of the event. 2 A fault line is a location on the Earth's surface that is very likely to experience earthquakes. 3 A seismologist is a scientist who studies earthquakes. QUESTION: In paragraph C, what does the phrase correlate with mean?