Milestones in Space Exploration

A For thousands of years, people looked up at the night sky and wondered what was out there. It was not until the twentieth century that humans finally had the technology to leave Earth and explore space directly. The journey began in the late 1950s, when the Soviet Union and the United States started competing to be the first to reach space. This period, often called the Space Race, pushed both countries to develop rockets, satellites, and other systems much faster than they might have done without that competition. The rivalry between the two nations changed what was possible for all of humanity.
B The first major milestone came in October 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite. Sputnik was a small metal sphere, but it had a huge effect on the world. It proved that a human-made object could be sent into orbit around the Earth. Scientists and governments around the world paid close attention, because Sputnik showed that space travel was no longer just a dream. Many countries began investing money and talent into their own space programs after this moment.
C A few years later, in April 1961, the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to travel into space. His flight lasted about 108 minutes and took him once around the Earth. People all over the world celebrated this achievement, and Gagarin became one of the most famous people of his time. His mission showed that the human body could survive in space, which was something scientists had not been completely sure about before. This opened the door for longer and more ambitious space journeys in the future.
D The United States responded to the Soviet successes by setting a very ambitious goal. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy told the American people that the country would put a man on the Moon before the end of the decade. This was a bold promise, because the technology needed for a Moon landing did not fully exist at that time. Thousands of engineers and scientists worked on the Apollo program for years to make this goal possible. Their hard work finally paid off in July 1969, when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the surface of the Moon.
E After the Moon landing, space agencies began to focus more on long-term projects. One important development was the creation of space stations, which are large structures that orbit the Earth and allow astronauts to live and work in space for months at a time. The Soviet Union launched the first space station, Salyut 1, in 1971. Later, the International Space Station, or ISS, became a place where astronauts from many different countries work together on scientific research. The ISS has been in operation since the year 2000 and is one of the best examples of international cooperation in modern history.
F Space exploration has also produced many practical benefits for people on Earth. Satellites that were first developed for space programs are now used for weather forecasting, GPS navigation, and communication systems. Some medical tools and materials that were created for use in space have since been used in hospitals and everyday life. Many people do not realise how much modern technology, including the internet and smartphone applications, depends on systems that were originally designed for space research. The benefits of space programs go far beyond what happens above the atmosphere.
G Today, space exploration is entering a new and exciting phase. Private companies, not just governments, are now building rockets and planning missions to the Moon and even to Mars. Some of these companies believe it might be possible for ordinary people to travel to space in the future, not just trained astronauts. Young people around the world are studying science and engineering because they hope to be part of this new era of space travel. The opportunities in the space industry are growing quickly, and the next few decades could bring changes that are just as surprising as the first Moon landing was in 1969.

Questions 1–6

The reading passage has 7 paragraphs, A–G.

Which paragraph contains the following information? Choose the correct letter, A–G, for each question.

A B C D E F G
1 The reason two nations developed space technology so rapidly
2 Proof that a living person could survive beyond the Earth's atmosphere
3 A national leader's public promise about reaching the Moon
4 A place where people from several countries carry out research together
5 How space research has improved tools used in everyday health care
6 The growing role of non-government organisations in future space missions

The History of Coffee

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world today, but it has a long and interesting history that goes back many centuries. Most historians believe that the coffee plant was first discovered in Ethiopia, in a region called Kaffa. According to an old story, a goat farmer named Kaldi noticed that his goats became very active and did not sleep at night after eating red berries from a certain tree. He brought the berries to a local monk, who made a drink from them and found that it helped him stay awake during long evening prayers.

From Ethiopia, the use of coffee spread to Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula around the 15th century. People in Yemen began to grow coffee plants and prepare the drink in a way that is quite similar to how we make it today. The city of Mocha in Yemen became an important centre for the coffee trade, and its name is still used today for a type of coffee drink.

By the 16th century, coffee had become very popular across the Middle East, Persia, and Turkey. Special places called coffeehouses opened in cities such as Istanbul and Cairo. These coffeehouses were not just places to drink coffee. They were also important social spaces where people met to talk, play games, and share news and opinions. Some governments tried to ban coffeehouses because they were worried that people were sharing political ideas there, but the bans were usually not successful.

Coffee arrived in Europe in the 17th century, and it quickly became popular there too. The first coffeehouse in England opened in Oxford in 1652, and many more followed in London and other cities. In the early 18th century, a French sailor brought a single coffee plant to the island of Martinique in the Caribbean. This one plant is said to be the origin of millions of coffee trees that were later grown across Central and South America. Today, Brazil is the world's largest producer of coffee.

The modern coffee industry is enormous. Millions of people work in jobs that are connected to coffee, from farmers who grow the plants to managers who run large coffee companies. The global coffee market is worth hundreds of billions of dollars each year. Many well-known coffee companies have opened thousands of shops in countries around the world, making coffee culture part of daily life in many different societies.

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the environmental impact of coffee farming. Growing coffee plants requires a lot of water, and in some regions, forests have been cleared to make space for coffee farms. Many farmers and companies are now trying to find more responsible ways to grow coffee so that the environment is protected for future generations. Customers are also becoming more aware of these issues and are choosing to buy coffee that has been grown in a more careful way.

Questions 1–10

Do the following statements agree with the information in the reading passage?

Choose TRUE if the statement agrees with the information.
Choose FALSE if the statement contradicts the information.
Choose NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this in the passage.

1 The coffee plant was first discovered in a part of Ethiopia called Kaffa.
2 Kaldi was a monk who used coffee berries to stay awake during prayers.
3 Coffee reached Yemen before it became known in Ethiopia.
4 The city of Mocha in Yemen gave its name to a type of coffee drink that people still use today.
5 Coffeehouses in the Middle East served food as well as coffee.
6 Some governments in the Middle East tried to close coffeehouses but were generally unable to do so.
7 The first coffeehouse in England opened in London in 1652.
8 A single coffee plant brought to Martinique is said to be the origin of millions of trees in Central and South America.
9 The world's largest coffee company was founded in Brazil.
10 Coffee farming has caused some forests to be cut down in certain parts of the world.

A Brief History of Vaccinations

A Long before modern medicine existed, people in different parts of the world had already found ways to protect themselves from certain deadly diseases.
B The English doctor Edward Jenner changed the history of medicine in the late 1700s when he tested a new method of protecting people from smallpox.
C During the 1800s, governments began to get involved in vaccination programmes, making them a matter of public policy rather than personal choice.
D Many communities around the world were not happy about being told they had to receive vaccinations, and public resistance became a serious problem for health officials.
E Scientists in the twentieth century used new technology and better research methods to create vaccines for a much wider range of dangerous illnesses.
F The work of international organisations such as the World Health Organization has been important in making vaccines available to people in poorer countries.
G Today, social media and the internet have changed the way people think and talk about vaccines, creating both new opportunities and new challenges for public health.

Questions 1–6

The reading passage has 7 paragraphs, A–G.

Choose the correct letter, A–G, for each question.

A B C D E F G
1 early practices used by communities to avoid serious illness
2 the strong opposition some people showed towards compulsory vaccination
3 the role of one scientist in proving a new protective treatment
4 efforts to reduce the gap in vaccine access between rich and poor nations
5 how laws and official systems were used to spread vaccination
6 the spread of false information about vaccines through online platforms