Comprehension Practice:

Pahela  Baishakh is perhaps the single biggest celebration for the Bengalees. On this morning everybody is happy and relaxed, and everybody has a smile on their lips. Greetings are exchanged, gifts given and received, and sweets distributed. Violence and despair do not figure on this day: they are things done away with, and it is only the joy and happiness of the moment that unite the Bengalees. Tragedy and absurdity take leave, to be replaced by hopes and dreams. For are we not what we dream? And on Pahela Baishakh, the Bengalees dream and sing , and we are left wondering, in a quiet moment by ourselves, how a nation which is so fond of music and songs, which has created and produced amongst the best poets and singers of the world, can stoop to such of moral depravity. It must not be allowed to flourish.

On this first day of Bengali New Year, the resolution should be one of unity, of love and compassion, not one of hate and discord. Let us all attempt to rise above our self-seeking selves, to unite together. For once, let us not allow our petty differences to rule our hearts: the Bengalees are capable of far better, far superior things as has been proven over and over again. Let us all say on Pahela Baishakh, with determination, “where the mind is without fear and the head is held high , where knowlwdge is free, where words come out from the depths of truth-into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake”.

Read the following passage carefully and then answer question 1-5:

The consequences of global warming can no longer be ignored. Islands are sinking into the sea. The entire world knows the disaster to be caused by global warming. As the sea level continues to rise, many countries including Bangladesh face the prospect of practically or fully disappearing into the sea. The prospect of Bangladesh losing 20 per cent of its islands would spell disaster for at least 20 per cent of its over 150 million people. At least twenty per cent of the earth’s land space is similarly threatened by global warming. The consequences for the countries to be submerged by the sea partially or fully would be disastrous. Global warming would not spare even some of the cities of relatively more developed countries. Among them, Bangkok, Manila and  Jakarta also face the grim prospects.

Climate change, no doubt, calls for a collective response from the international community. Experts have called for a drastic reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuel. But there has been less of action and more of lip-service so far. The United States is responsible for approximately one-fourth of world’s carbon dioxide emission. In the twentieth century, global warming doubled from 0.4 degrees to 0.8. But temperature would rise sharply, unless checked, in the coming years. By 2100, the sea level is expected to rise by 60 centimeters. In the worst-case scenario, however, the sea could rise by 3.5 meters due to the melting of ice caps in Artic and Antarctic. Global warming is causing droughts in many parts of the earth. A change in rainfall patterns has become a matter of worry across the world. Global warming is also adversely affecting agriculture.

Read the following passage carefully and answer question 1-5

There are few places in the world today that have not been spoiled by industrialization and pollution. The air we breather is more often than not polluted by the smoke factory chimneys and the exhaust fumes of motor vechicles, while chemical waste poisons our rivers, lakes, and seas. And by covering more and more of the earth’s surface with buildings and roads, we are erecting huge barriers of concrete between ourselves and nature. We are leaving neither enough vegetation nor enough vacant space to breathe in. It would appear that we are purposely cutting ourselves off from nature and destroying wildlife as we do so. Thus, we are actively contributing to pollution.

Read the following passage carefully and then answer question 1-5:

The United States of America, The European countries and the world are facing an unprecedented financial crisis. Big banks and financial institutions are collapsing one after another. The World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pressurize developing countries to go for economic development and financial reforms. Both the institutions spend a lot of money to implement their suggestions. But what is the result? It is difficult to understand how the banking system in the developed countries is crumbling. The US government had to pump billions to bail out the banks, insurance companies, and financial institutions.

The market economy is not working. Why should the developing countries listen to the WB and IMF when the prescriptions of the developed countries are not working in their own countries? These two ‘multinational’ institutions have done great harm to the world. The US has spent billions of dollars on unwanted wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US has spent billion of dollars of tax payers’ money for destructive purposes. Do the US people endorse such unjust work? Do they approve such wastage of the tax payers money? Who will fund the staggering bailout? The recession has slowed down everything in the US. Americans now earn less, and they can afford less. Many have lost their jobs.

The US, a traditional donor for the poor and developing countries, will not able to help them in a big way. Due to less contribution from the US, the capacity of the WB and IMF to help the developing countries will shrink. The fall in employment and production could take long to solve. How far the prescriptions of the World Bank and IMF consulting teams to switch over to private sector banking provide good results to Bangladesh and other countries is an open question.

Read the following passage carefully and then answer question 1-5:

It is emphasized that the term ‘business’ has been misinterpreted by economists as just wealth creation. Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus called for establishing a ‘social stock market’ in which companies doing good for society will be listed. Apart from creating wealth, business also involves doing good to people. It is time to have a social stock exchange for companies which do good for siciety on a no-profit no-loss. Yunus, founder of Bangladesh's Grammen Bank engaged in microfinance, said the above during an interaction.

The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient said, Grammen Bank in tie up with a French company had started a nutritious yoghurt manufacturing venture recently. “We are not looking for profits from the company and are happy to get back our investments in it and will be giving the profit for community development." Such companies can be listed on the social stock market and people can invest in the company of their choice. “Rather than the money it creates, the bottom-line for such companies will be how are they helping people and how are their cost-effectiveness.”

Criticising the modern micro-finance institutions which are looked to as a “good business”. Yunus said, “Micro credit and money lending are getting mixed. Many lend money and call it micro finance.”

Read the following passage carefully and then answer question 1-5:

It is impossible to keep the entire food supply completely free of potentially dangerous bacteria. For this reason, you need to take precautions at home to prevent food poisoning. Food poisoning refers to gastrointestinal disorder caused by eating contaminated food. Most often, food poisoning occurs because the food has been incorrectly handled, improperly cooked or inadequately stored. It is especially serious and potentially life threatening for young children, pregnant women and their fetuses, older adults, and people with weakened immune system. These individuals are at great risk of severe health problems from food poisoning, and should take extra precautions by avoiding the foods like raw or rare meat and poultry, raw or uncooked fish or shelifish, raw or uncooked eggs or foods, unpasteurized milk and milk products, refrigerated pates and luncheon meats. Professionals and health scientists always advise to take appropriate measures to prevent food poisoning. Keeping your hands, utensils and food preparation surfaces clean can prevent cross-contamination. Keeping raw foods separted from ready-to-eat foods also prevents cross-contamination. Cooking foods at a safe temperature prevents contamination. Using a food thermometer is the only way to know that your cooked food has reached a high enough temperature to destroy bacteria. However, harmful bacteria can reproduce rapidly if foods are not properly cooled. Refrigerate perishable foods within two hours of purchasing or preparing them. It can also grow rapidly when prepared food is kept without proper heating or cooling-especially during buffets or outdoor parties. Be careful and protect yourself from food poisoning.

Read the following passage carefully and then answer question 1-5:

The growth rate of large and medium manufacturing industries, which hovered below 7 percent during the last three fiscal years, soared to 10.2 percent in the first quarter of 2005-06, due mainly to an investment hike to counter the adverse impacts of the quota phase-out. However, experts warn that if the government’s current tight monetary policy brings in any further interest rate hike, it might retard the boom in Bangladesh. Among the large and medium industries, paper, ceramics, plastic goods, wood products, garments and textiles marked the highest growth, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics(BBS. In July-September 2005, the category comprising of paper, newsprint and books scored the growth rate of 21.21 percent. The industries of non-metallic products including ceramics, cement and glass posted a 17.2 percent growth. Among the small industries, textiles, leather, apparel, paper and printing witnessed growth ranging from 10 to 16 percent. Non-metallic products grew by 28.26 percent. A Bangladesh Bank source said a huge amount of loan had been disbursed in the last two years in the industrial sector. Economies consider investment in textiles to meet the post-multi-fiber-agreement (MFA) challenges, has resulted in a significant production growth. They do, however, argue that if the pace of industrial growth is to be sustained the government has to improve the law and order as well as the infrastructure including port facilities.

Read the following passage carefully and then answer question 1-5:

Unemployment is an important index of economic slack and lost output, but it is much more than that. It is a phenomenon, which can be termed as a social evil. For the unemployed person, it is often a damaging affront to human dignity and sometimes a catastrophic blow to family life. From the social point of view, an unemployed person suffers from a sense of discontentment, and unemployment problem may eventually lead to social disorder and anarchy. The cost of unemployment is not also distributed in proportion to the ability to bear it. It falls most heavily on the young, the semi-skilled and unskilled, the down-trodden, the old-worker and the unemployed persons in a low income rural area who are denied the option of securing more rewarding urbann employment.

There is more subtle cost of unemployment also. The social and ecomomic strains of prolonged underutilization create strong pressures for cost increasing solutions.  On the side of labour, prolonged high unemployment leads to ‘share-the-work’ pressure for shorter hours; intensifies resistance to technological change and to rationalization of rules and in general, increases incentives for restrictive and inefficient measures to protect existing jobs.

Read the following passage carefully and then answer question 1-5:

Some scientists have claimed that there is a correlation between your intelligence and the amount of sleep you need. The higher your intelligence, the less sleep you need. Intelligence reaches its peak in the early twenties and most great scientific discoveries have been made by under thirties. It has been shown that the two best ways to keep your intelligence at its youthful strength are to drink no alcohol and to continue studying throughout your life.

Answer the questions 1-6 based on the following passage:

The first shock that I received had nothing to do with the stone figures I had come to see. It was the sight of the island itself that filled me with astonishment. It was so barren: there were two trees, and it was apparent that scarcely any ground was good enough to support corps. Yet nobody looked hungry or unhappy. The second shock left me in a state of wonder. Many people have indeed seen photographs of the enormous stone figures, but pictures show single states or groups of only three or four. What I now discovered was that there are hundreds; they are all over the island. The greatest concentration of the figures is near the eastern tip. Here lies the quarry from which the stone was taken.

Answer the questions 1-5 based on the following passage:

Academically, Asian students are outperforming their American counterparts on all levels. However, as adults, we are finding ourselves falling short in the area of creativity and the ability to influence others, and the successful people are those who can know how to influence others. This in an area that is emphasized in a Western upbringing. In the West, children are taught to question authority by asking why, something which is not encouraged in Asian culture. At the same time, I think the Western emphasis on creativity may have gone too far. On the other hand, in Asia, there is too much emphasis on memorization and drilling. I find that my Asian students in law school have trouble coming up with creative ideas. Ideally, we should take the best from both worlds.

Answer question 1-6 based on the following passage :

There are some qualities of a sonnet which make it different from other poem. Its definite restrictions make it a challenge to the artistry of the poet and call for all technical skills at the poet’s command. The more or less set rhyme patterns occurring regularly within the short space of fourteen lines afford a pleasant effect on the ear of the reader, and can create truly musical effects. The rigidity of the form precludes too great economy or too great prodigality of words. Emphasis is placed on exactness and perfection of expression. The brevity of form favours concentrated expression of ideas or passion.

Answer question 1-6 based on the following passage :

Making judgments about people is common feature of everyday life. We are continually evaluating what others say and do, in comments called for or not, offering criticism and feedback informally to friends and colleagues about their behaviour. Formal, institutional judgements figure prominently in our lives too. For example : people pass driving tests, survive the probationary period in a new job, get promotions at work, succeed at interviews, win Oscars for performances in a film, win medals in driving competitions, and are released from prison for good behaviour.

Vultures are not careful about what they eat. This makes them vulnerable to eating meat that could be toxic. The consequence often is the death of these birds. That is one reason why these birds are not widely seen in Bangladesh anymore. The other is that the trees which vultures perch on have also been disappearing from the land. The net result is the birds are not present throughout the country in the numbers in which they were viewed a generation, or even a decade ago. 

Many young people know that conservation is necessary. Boy scouts in many countries study man and nature. These ‘conservation volunteers’ spend their spare time planting trees, building bridges, and so on. Some girls in a town in United States cleaned the banks of their river, and a group of boys in a village in Bangladesh mended a wooden bridge on a canal and cleaned the canal of debris. Actors; singers and writers in many countries have spoken about conservation. The popular English rock band, the Beatles and the singer Cliff Richard, have made records on conservation. The money from the sale of the records has helped conserve wild animals.

Singapore ranked by the World bank as the second most densely populated country of the world, imports more than 90 percent of its food. Singapore produced nearly 22,000 tons of vegetables in 2013, Compared with a little more than 17,000 tons in 2004. Last year, it imported 514574 tons of vegetables. While Singapore ranks fifth out of 109 countries in the Economist intelligence Unit’s global food security index, the government wants to diversify its food sources and become more self-reliant in producing eggs, fish and leafy vegetable. As part of its efforts, it has provided some funding and research support to local vertical farming company sky greens, which grows leafy vegetables at its farm in three-storey high fames inside greenhouse.

The Geographical indication (Gl) Law 2013, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, was enacted in parliament on Tuesday to protect the patent rights of traditional products. ‘Historically’ we produce some unique products naturally that others cannot. The law will  ensure the exclusive rights of the products, ‘said industries Secretary Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah. The government has passed the law in compliance with Article-22 of Trade Related Aspects of intellectual Property Rights. Gl is  name or sign used on certain products to certify that they possess certain qualities because they are made as per traditional methods or enjoy a certain reputation due to their geographical origin. The law will protect the country’s claims to commodities such as hilsa fish, jamdani sari, nakshikantha and fruits, including pincapple and fail, a variety of mango, said Mahboob Mushed, who is an advocate of the supreme Court and a leagal expert on gl law. this mians that the real producers of any particular goods in an area will get the absolute rights to their registered products, he went on to observe, and addd that the law will ensure that customers get genuine products.

Joy Card and Printing Ltd.,a local company, made around 4 million SIM cards since 201 1 at its own plant for the country’s mobile phone operators, testimony to the capability of domestic enterprises. From 2010, the company also supplied 40 million scratch cards used for recharging balance in mobile phones. this local initiative was able to gain confidence in both national and multinational cell phone companies. joy, a 200- person strong company with the capacity to produce 2 million SIM cards a month imports ABS sheet and then installs chips for making the SIM cards. However, the company today is faced with a setback due to poor customer acquisition and the operators unwillingness to buy the SIM cards from domestic markets. 

Oil markets are full of uncertainty. Asian demand is booming and doubts abound over the ability of supply to match the world’s appetite. What goes for crude oil also applies to the stuff squeezed out of vegetable matter. The price of frying food and cooking has rarely been higher. Over the past decade the price of vegetable oils has increased substantially. Like other commodities, prices hit records in 2008. The subsequent slump is now forgotten: prices are back close to the peaks. Increasing demand and supply problems indicate that prices will not go down in the near future.

Use of electronic mail (e-mail) has been widespread for more than a decade and a half. E-mail simplifies the flow of ideas, connects people from distant offices, eliminates the need for meetings, and often boosts productivity. However, e-mail should be carefully managed to avoid unclear and inappropriate communication. E-mail messages should be concise and limited to one topic. When complex issues need to be addressed, phone calls are still the best. Use of electronic mail (e-mail) has been widespread for more than a decade and a half. E-mail simplifies the flow of ideas, connects people from distant offices, eliminates the need for meetings, and often boosts productivity. However, e-mail should be carefully managed to avoid unclear and inappropriate communication. E-mail messages should be concise and limited to one topic. When complex issues need to be addressed, phone calls are still the best. 

A second green revolution is imminent in Asia. It will not be the same as the first one, since it will not depend on a few miracle varieties of wheat or rice but on adapting existing seeds to different environmental conditions. This second revolution promises to bring similar benefits though-this time to poor lands and poorer farmers that were not covered by the fist green revolution. Such lands are poor because they are prone to floods, droughts and salinity. New seeds have been developed which can survive flooding and tolerate drought and saline conditions better.

Researches suggest that there are creatures that do not know what light means at the bottom of the sea. They don’t have either eyes or ears; they can only feel. There is no day or night for them. There are no winters, no summers, no sun, no moon, and no stars. It is as if a child spent its life in darkness in bed, with nothing to see or hear. How different our won life is? Sight shows us the ground beneath our feet and the heavens above us the sun, moon, and stars, shooting stars, lightning and he sunset. It shows us day and night. We are able to hear voices, the sound of the sea, and music. We feel, we taste, we smell. How fortunate we are.

Various research centers are studying identical twins in order to discover the “heritability” of behavioral  characteristics that is the degree to which a trait is due to genes (“mature”)  instead of environment. They have reached some startling conclusions. One study found, for example, that optimism and pessimism are both very much influenced by genes, but only optimism is affected by environment as well. According to another study, genes influence our coffee consumption, but not depend much on money or love 40 to 50 percent heritable. Another study tells us that happiness does of depend much on money or love or professional success; instead, it s 80 percent heritable Among the traits that appear to be largely heritable are shyness, attraction to danger (thrill seeking), choice of career and religious belief.

Why is literacy so important in the modern world? Some of the reasons, like the need to fill our forms or get a good job, are obvious. But the chief reason is broader. The complex undertakings of modern life depend on the cooperation of many people with different places. Where communications fall, so do the undertakings. The function of national literacy is to foster effective nationwide communications. Our chief instrument of communication over time and space is the standard national language, which is sustained the airplane to fly without crashing. All nationwide communications, whether by telephone, radio TV, or writing, are fundamentally dependent upon literacy, for the essence of literacy is not simply reading and writing but also effective use of the standard literate language. 

Nine years ago, a rice paddy in eastern Java suddenly began spewing steaming mud. Before long, it covered three square miles; roads, factories and homes disappeared under a tide of muck. Twenty lives were lost and nearly 40,000 people displaced, with damages topping $2.7 billion. The disaster, known as the Lusi mudflow, continues to have its impact till now. A mud volcano, Lusi expels water and clay rather than molten rock. Such eruptions occur around the world, but Lusi is the biggest and most damaging know. Scientists have debated the cause for years, and two intensely argued hypotheses have emerged: Some believe an earthquake set off the disaster, others that the mudflow was caused by a company drilling for natural gas. Researchers largely relied on computer models and comparisons with other earthquakes and mud volcano eruptions. But recently scientists uncovered a previous overlooked set of gas readings collected at the drilling site by LapindoBrantas, a natural gas and oil company, in the days before the mudflow began. In a report in the  journal Nature Geoscience, the researchers said that the new data proves that the drilling by the company caused the disaster.

Recently, significant problems regarding energy use have emerged. Enormous amounts of pollutants are being emitted from power plants, factories, and automobiles, which are worsening the condition of the earth. This environmental degradation is a clear result of acid rain, increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and other forms of air pollution. Acid rain and air pollution, for instance, are devastating forests, crops, and lakes over wide areas all over the world. Since the 1950s, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have increased by 13%, setting the stage for global warming. As atmospheric temperature rise, grain output may significantly decrease, making it more difficult for farmers to keep pace with the growth of population. In urban areas, air pollution is taking a toll on the buildings and human health.

To reduce the amount of environmental damage in cities, developed countries, have devised technology to control the harmful emissions. However, as these countries already have an abundance of vehicles that continue to grow in number the : efficacy of these measures is diminished. Since cars and other vehicles create more air pollution than any other human activity, the most effective means to reduce pollution is to decrease the number of vehicles. A major shift away from automobile usage in urban areas may be possible with the aid of urban planning.

Increased numbers of women in science can only be a good thing. Not simply because it is grossly unjust for women to be unable to experience the challenging but also hugely intellectually rewarding experience of participating in scientific research, but also because the cost to society of excluding women is intolerably high. We need the very best minds going into science, and it stands to reason that if women are excluded, we cut this resource in half. What's more, women bring new ways of thinking and a broader range of ideas to the table, which is crucial for science to flourish.

All scientists have a responsibility to be feminists and encourage women to participate in science and fight the barriers that exist. However, this is often more easily said than done. There are several proposed reasons for why women are discouraged from participating in science at a range of levels- from primary school children to professors. Among other things, these include a lack of role models and support networks-as well as harassment and bullying-but also less obvious barriers, for example, unconscious biases in job interviews and letters of reference.

It is not only diet and lifestyle that make you obese. There is another factor that lies in your part of DNA called gene that may influence the shape of your body. A study has recently revealed that genes may play a role in regulating body shape. The effect of genes may be stronger for women than for men. Scientists have found gene variations linked to obesity and fat, which explain why some people are apple-shaped and some are pear-shaped. Previous studies found that when we store fat in our bodies it can affect our health. More fat around the waist is linked with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease while having a fat posterior and thighs may offer some protection against diabetes and heart disease.

Experts have opined that in most cases obesity is caused by unhealthy diet and lifestyle and that tackling obesity is challenging. However, recent developments in genetics will enable more targeted approaches to obesity prevention and to the invention of new drugs.