| GENERAL TRAINING READING ANSWERS | |
| READING PASSAGE 2 (TWO) | |
| 15 | C |
| 16 | C |
| 17 | E |
| 18 | B |
| 19 | A |
| 20 | B |
| 21 | C |
| 22 | NG |
| 23 | F |
| 24 | NG |
| 25 | T |
| 26 | NG |
| 27 | T |
SECTION 2 Questions15 – 27
Read the text and answerQuestions 15-21
Safety and Security
A Civil Unrest/Political Tension You should avoid any large public gatherings or political demonstrations as they may tum violent.
B Crime Petty crime targeting foreigners, including pickpocketing mugging and theft, occurs throughout Turkmenistan particularly on trains (commonly on overnight rail services) and in markets. Travelers have been robbed when using unofficial taxis. You should seek assistance from staff at hotels, restaurants or places of entertainment to book a licensed taxi.Crime levels are higher at night. You should avoid walking alone and avoid using public transport after dark. Women can be subjected to verbal and physical harassment. You should take care when travelling alone and payattention to your immediate surroundings.There have been reports of harassment, mistreatment and extortion by police or other local officials. Gangs of bandits are known to operate in the south-east area of the country.
C Local Travel Identity checks are common and you should carry identification with you at all times and ensure all travel documents are in order. Foreigners may be subject to increased security checks and scrutiny from internal security, including questioning and car and home searches. The regions bordering Afghanistan, Iran and Uzbekistan, areas of the Caspian coast and Dashoguz are designated restricted zones and are closed to foreigners without government permission. Road conditions and driving standards are poor. Roads can be particularly hazardous in winter and spring, when avalanches and landslides occur. Driving at night is also particularly dangerous. Access to service stations can be limited in rural areas.Arbitrary police checks and security check-points on roads are common. You should carry a copy of your passport and visa at all times. Rail travel can be unreliable and dangerous due to criminal activity. If you are travelling overnight, store your valuables in a safe place. Do not leave the compartment unattended and secure the door from the inside.
D Airline Safety Airline and air charter safety and maintenance standards vary throughout the world. It is not known whether maintenance procedures and safety standards on aircraft used on internal flights are always properly observed or whether passengers are covered by airline insurance.
E Money and Valuables Before you go, organise a variety of ways to access your money overseas, such as credit cards, travelers’ cheques, cash, debit cards or cash cards. Australian currency and travelers’ cheques are not accepted in many countries. Consult with your bank to find out which is the most appropriate currency to carry is and whether your ATM card will work overseas. Turkmenistan is predominantly a cash economy and travelers’ cheques are only accepted in some major hotels. There are no ATMs in Turkmenistan. The official currency is the Turkmen Manat (TMM). US dollars are readily exchanged. To avoid difficulties, ensure banknotes are in good condition. You should exchange any unspent local currency prior to departure as you may not be able to exchange it outside Turkmenistan.
| Questions 15 – 21
The text contains five sections, A – E. Which section contains the following information? 15. random security checks made by the police 16. areas of the country that foreign visitors are not allowed to enter 17. a caution about your banknotes 18. using buses and trains at night 19. advice about crowded areas 20. advice about taking a cab 21. the possibility of having your car searched
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Read the text and answerQuestions 22 – 27
Tourism in Mexico
They appear out of nowhere like a heat-addled mirage on the flat, straight, mangrove-fringed road. The first sign of humanity in 40 miles, the tourists have ripened to pink under the glare of the tropical sun, with their legs wrapped around shiny red all-terrain vehicles buzzing down the asphalt like one giant invasive insect.
It’s a strange sight, all right. But it’s eclipsed moments later by an even stranger one. Looming on the Caribbean just beyond the end of the road is the world’s largest cruise ship, the lndependence of the Seas, harboring a bounty of3, 811 passengers.
Thanks to cruise ships like this one, Mexico’s Costa Maya (not to be confused with the Riviera Maya farther north), set along a once mostly deserted stretch of the Yucatan Peninsula, is becoming one of the most visited, albeit least known, tourist regions in the nation. In 2006, just five years after the opening of the cruise ship facility here, 850,000 passengers sailed into port. By then, the once tiny fishing village of Mahahual had exploded from 80 souls dependent on the sea, to 3,500 dependent on tourism.
The region begins about 80 miles south of Cancun and stretches from the vast Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve almost to the Belize border. It encompasses huge swaths of protected jungle, a number of lesser-known Maya archaeological sites, indigenous villages, pristine lagoons and top-notch diving. Plans call for low-rise, low-density development emphasizing small, eco-friendly hotels that cater to adventure seekers and cultural travelers.
South of Tulum, a lengthy stretch of almost uninterrupted resort development comes to an abrupt halt at the northern edge of the Sian Ka’an Reserve. The UNESCO World Heritage site (whose name is Maya for “where the sky is born”) is a 1.3-million-acre haven of tropical forest and wetlands. It’s alive with more than 300 bird species, pig-like peccaries, monkeys, puma and jaguar. It harbors turquoise lagoons where orchids and bromeliads cling lo mangroves whose spiny roots grasp the earth like gnarled fingers.
Save for a few fishing lodges, Sian Ka’an isn’t set up for overnight visitors. But day trips are organized by a number of tour operators, including Community Tours of Sian Ka’an, a cooperative formed in an attempt to keep profits – and residents – in the small Maya town of Muyil.
| Questions 22 – 27
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? TRUE – if the statement agrees with the information FALSE – if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN – if there is no information on this 22. The Independence of the Seas is currently the largest ship in the Caribbean. 23. Costa Maya is still not well-known by tourists. 24. Mahahual now has a population of 3,500. 25. Costa Maya is a great place for tourists who enjoy diving. 26. The UNESCO site has a larger area of tropical forest than any other area of Mexico. 27. lt’s difficult to find a hotel with vacancies in Sian Ka’an.
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