Reading Comprehension (40 minutes) Section A Directions: In this section , there is a passage w ith ten blanks . You are required to select one w ord for each blank from a list of choices gi v en in a w ord bank follo w ing the passage . Read the passage through carefully before making your choices . Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter . Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on the Ans w er Sheet . You may not use any of the w ords in the bank more than once . Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage. In an experiment , volunteers are asked to join a group which is investigating visual __ 36 __.The victims are not , therefore , aware of the real purpose of the__ 37 __.Each volunteer is taken to a room where he finds a group of about seven people who are __ 38 __ with the experimenter. The group is __ 39 __ a standard card which contains a single line. They are then asked to look at a second card. This has three lines on it. One is __ 40 __ longer than the line on the first card , one is shorter and one the same length. They have to say which line on the second card is the same length as the line on the standard card. The other members of the group answer first but what the volunteer does not know is that they have been told to pick one of the wrong lines. When his __ 41 __ comes he is faced with the unanimous opinion of the rest of the group—all the others have chosen line A but he quite clearly sees line B as correct. What will he do? It __ 42 __ out that more than half of the victims chosen will change their opinion. What is __ 43 __ surprising is that , when interviewed about their answers , most explained that they know the group choice was __ 44 __ but that they yield to the pressure of the group because they thought they must be suffering from an optical illusion , or because they were afraid of being __ 45 __. A) shown I) perception B) incorrect J) collaborating C) turns K) experiment D) turn L) different E) sensation M) conducting F) strange N) likely G) transformation O) obviously H) equally Section B Directions: In this section , you are going to read a passage w ith ten statements attached to it . Each statement contains information gi v en in one of the paragraphs . Identify the paragraph from w hich the information is deri v ed . You may choose a paragraph more than once . Each paragraph is marked w ith a letter . Ans w er the questions by marking the corresponding letter on the Ans w er Sheet. The African Diamond Trade A) Few things cause the response to the gift of a clear , perfect diamond—particularly if given in that trademark Tiffany­blue box. Women cry for them and men spend thousands of dollars for engagement rings , pendants and the like. Friends compete to see who has the biggest and best diamond ring , only to be one­upped by the next friend to get engaged (if her fiancé knows what's good for him) . This phenomenon has its roots in marketing by the diamond industry—ruled largely by the company De Beers—and has harvested benefits for decades. In 2005 , the diamond industry was estimated to be worth an impressive $60 billion. B) Diamonds are judged on the Four Cs—clarity , color , cut and carat weight. Critics wonder , however , if the same women who desire after these precious gems would feel the same if they knew about the fifth “C” : conflict. Known as blood diamonds or conflict diamonds , these gems are mined and exported illegally from certain parts of Africa by dishonest groups bent on funding bloody rebel conflicts and civil wars. Of course , only a small percentage of the world's diamonds are known still to come from these particular regions of Africa. Moreover , not all countries in Africa are home to dishonest diamond mining and trading. C) Diamonds in Africa were formed somewhere between 600 million and 3 billion years ago when titanic­force pressure and heat caused carbon 1,200 miles (1,931 km) below the Earth's surface to crystallize. As recently as a million years ago , erupting molten rock brought the diamonds closer to the Earth's surface. Since then , they have brought joy into the hearts of those who receive them and stress into the hearts of those who can't afford them. The irony of diamond desire is that it centers around the idea that diamonds are precious and rare. While diamonds may be precious gems , they aren't even a little bit rare. Mines in Africa , Canada and other countries boast large amounts of the stones , which are mined , cut and then marked way up to result in a huge profit. D) However , De Beers , the powerhouse that controls about 60 percent of the diamond industry , has spent the last decades promoting a stunning marketing campaign. Desire for diamonds has never been greater and the industry continues to grow despite rising costs and concern over legitimacy. Despite the company's seeming control on the world's diamonds , De Beers insists that their diamonds are 100 percent conflict­free. The World Diamond Council , formed in 2000 to combat illegal diamond trading in Africa , maintains that diamonds benefit the world in many ways other than just looking pretty. For example , roughly 10 million people worldwide are supported by the diamond industry. Also , revenue from the diamond industry is integral to the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa. E) Experts claim that the illegal sale of blood diamonds has produced billions of dollars to fund civil wars and other conflicts in various African nations , including Sierra Leone (where conflict ended in 2002) , Angola , Liberia , Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) . Most of the time , the people behind these civil wars and rebellions oppose legitimate governments and desire control over the area's profitable diamond industry. For example , in Sierra Leone a group known as the Revolutionary United Front killed , threatened , and even cut off the arms of people living and working in diamond villages until they were able to take control of the mines in the area. Then the group moved on to the next village to do more of the same , effectively frightening the entirety of Sierra Leone , to the point that many people fled their homes in fear. All in all , roughly 20,000 innocent people suffered bodily mutilation,75,000 were killed and 2 million fled Sierra Leone altogether. According to National Geographic News , all of these conflicts combined have displaced millions and resulted in the deaths of more than 4 million people. F)In the 1990s , human rights organizations worked to bring these tales of genocide and greed to the forefront of human concern. In response , the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KCPS) was created in 2002 to regulate diamond trading and keep blood diamonds from entering the legitimate diamond market. The Kimberley Process was proposed by the diamond industry and put into practice by the United Nations. According to De Beers , more than 70 countries participate in the Kimberley Process , which requires the governments in these countries to ensure that all diamond shipments are exported in secure containers. In addition , each shipment must also have a specifically numbered and government­validated certificate that promises the shipment does not contain conflict diamonds. The countries must also agree to refuse any diamond shipments not containing an authentic Kimberley Process Certificate. G) Supporters of the Kimberley Process claim that 99.8 percent of the world's diamonds are now legitimate and conflict­free. Critics , however , claim that the program doesn't prevent diamonds from being easily smuggled from war­torn countries to Kimberley Process countries and then passed off as legitimate. In fact , the United Nations and the United States government released reports as recently as 2006 stating that roughly $23 million worth of Ivory Coast diamonds were smuggled into trade and distributed as legitimate. H) Although Africa supplies about 60 percent of the world's diamond supply , there are secondary sources. First , remember that not all African diamond mines are corrupt. For example , the African nation Botswana has been able to prosper thanks to a successful diamond mining industry. As recently as 1999 , it was considered the world's fastest­growing economy. In fact , three­quarters of Botswana's export profits and 45 percent of the country's government revenue are produced by diamonds. Thanks to a legitimate diamond industry , Botswana has enjoyed a complete about­face from one of the world's poorest countries in 1966 to the world's most rapidly growing economy over the last 25 years. Canada also boasts an up­and­coming diamond industry , and many other countries around the world feature diamond mines. I) To the dismay of the diamond industry , scientists around the world have been trying for more than 50 years to create real diamonds in a laboratory setting , hoping to end the need for naturally occurring diamonds. Although stones that pass as diamonds as far as their consistency and ability to cut other diamonds have been created from carbon rich substances , they are not yet considered gem quality. Instead , they are used for industrial purposes , such as diamond­tipped cutting tools. 46. Blood diamonds are illegally mined and exported from some African countries. 47 . More than half of the diamond business is controlled by De Beers. 48 . Botswana owes its fast economic development to its diamond mining industry. 49 . The World Diamond Council promises to fight against illegal trading of diamonds. 50 . Diamonds produced in laboratories are used for industrial purposes. 51 . The Kimberley Process aims at stopping the trading of illegal diamonds. 52 . Contrary to the conventional wisdom , diamonds are not rare at all in the world. 53 . The popularity of diamond rings is supported by the marketing campaigns of the diamond industry. 54 . The Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone fought to control the diamond mines in the