You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 16-28 which are based on Reading Passage below.

Zoo conservation Program

One of London Zoo's recent advertisements caused me some irritation, so patently did it distort reality. Headlined "Without zoos you might as well tell these animals to get stuffed", it was bordered with illustrations of several endangered species and went on to extol the myth that without zoos like London Zoo these animals "will almost certainly disappear forever". With the zoo world's rather mediocre record on conservation, one might be forgiven for being slightly skeptical about such an advertisement.

Zoos were originally created as places of entertainment, and their suggested involvement with conservation didn't seriously arise until about 30 years ago, when the Zoological Society of London held the first formal international meeting on the subject. Eight years later, a series of world conferences took place, entitled "The Breeding of Endangered Species", and from this point onwards conservation became the zoo community's buzzword. This commitment has now been clear defined in The World Zoo Conservation Strategy (WZGS, September 1993), which although an important and welcome document does seem to be based on an unrealistic optimism about the nature of the zoo industry

The WZCS estimates that there are about 10,000 zoos in the world, of which around 1,000 represent a core of quality collections capable of participating in co-ordinate conservation programs. This is probably the document's first failing. As I believe that 10,000 is a serious underestimate of the total number of places masquerading as zoological establishments, Of course it is difficult to get accurate data but, to put the issue into perspective, I have found that, in a year of working in Eastern Europe, 1discover fresh zoos on almost a weekly basis.

The second flaw in the reasoning of the WZCS document is the naive faith it places in its 1,000 core 200s. One would assume that the caliber of these institutions would have been carefully examined, but it appears that the criterion for inclusion on this select list might merely be that the zoo is a member of a 200 federations or association. This might be a good starting point, working on the premise that members must meet certain standards, but again the facts don't support the theory. The greatly respected American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA) has had extremely dubious members, and in the UK the Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland has occasionally had members that have been roundly censured in the national press. These include Robin Hill Adventure Park on the Isle of Wight, which many considered the most notorious collection of animals in the country. This establishment, which for years was protected by the Isle's local council (which viewed it as a tourist amenity), was finally closed down following a damning report by a veterinary inspector appointed under the terms of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981. As it was always a collection of dubious repute, one is obliged to reflect upon the standards that the Zoo Federation sets when granting membership. The situation is even worse in developing countries where little money is available for redevelopment and it is hard to see a way of incorporating collections into the overall scheme of the WZCS.

Even assuming that the WZCS's 1,000 core are all Of a high standard complete with scientific staff and research facilities, trained and dedicated keepers, accommodation that permits normal or natural behavior. and a policy Of co-operating fully with one another what might be the potential for conservation? Colin Tudge, author of last Animals at the (Oxford University Press, 1992), argues that "if the world’s zoos worked together in co-operative breeding programes, then even without further expansion they could save around 2,000 species of endangered land vertebrates'. This seems an extremely optimistic proposition from a man who must aware of the failings and weaknesses of the industry the man who, when a member of the council of London Zoo, had to persuade the zoo to devote more of its activities to conservation Moreover, where are the facts to support such optimism?

Today approximately 16 Species might be said to have been "saved' by captive breeding programs, although a number of these can hardly be looked upon as resounding successes. Beyond that, about a further 20 species are being seriously considered for zoo conservation programs. Given that the international conference at London Zoo was held 30 years ago, this is pretty slow and a long way off Tudge’s target of 2,000.

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 29-40 which are based on Reading 3 below.

ARCHITECTURE - Reaching for the Sky

Architecture is the art and science of designing buildings art structures. A building reflects the scientific and technological achievements of the age as well as the ideas and aspirations of the designer and client. The appearance of individual buildings, however, is often controversial.

The use of an architect" style cannot be said to start or finish on a specific date. Neither is it possible to say exactly what characterizes a particular movement. But origins of what is now generally known as modern architecture can be traced back to the social and changes of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Instead of using timber, stone and traditional building techniques, architects began to explore ways of creating buildings by using the latest technology and materials such as steel, glass and concrete strengthened steel bars, known as reinforced concrete. Technological advances also helped bring about the decline of rural industries and an increase in urban populations as people moved to the towns to work in the new factories. Such raped and uncontrolled growth helped to turn parts of cities into slums.

By the 1920s architects throughout Europe were reacting against the conditions created by industrialization. A new style of architecture emerged to reflect more idealistic notions for the future. It was made possible by new materials construction techniques and was known as Modernism.

By the 1930s many buildings emerging from this movement were designed in the International style. This was largely characterized by the bold use of new materials and simple, geometric forms, often with white walls supported by stilt like pillars. These were stripped of unnecessary decoration that would detract from their primary purpose — to be used or lived in.

Walter Gropius, Charles

Jeanneret (better known as Le Corbusier) and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe were among the most influential of the many architects who contributed to the development of Modernism in the first half of the century. But the economic depression of the 1930s and the Second World War (1939-45) prevented their ideas from being widely realised until the economic conditions improved and war-torn cities had to be rebuilt. By the 1950s, the International Style had developed into a universal approach to building, which standardized the appearance of new buildings in cities across the world.

Unfortunately, this Modernist interest in geometric simplicity and function became exploded for profit. The rediscovery of reinforced concrete and an improved ability to prefabricate building sections meant that builders could meet the budgets of commissioning authorities and handle a renewed demand for development quickly and cheaply. But this led to many badly designed buildings, which discredited the original aims of Modernism.

Influenced by Le Corbusier's ideas on town planning, every large British City built multi-storey housing estates in the 1960s. Mass produced, low-cost high-rises seemed to offer a solution to the problem of housing a growing inner-city population. But far from meeting human needs, the new estates often proved to be windswept deserts lacking essential social facilities and services. Many of these buildings were poorly designed and constructed and have since been demolished.

                  By the 1970s, a new respect for the place of buildings within the existing townscape arose. Preserving historic buildings or keeping only their facades (or fronts) grew common. Architects also began to make more use of building styles and that were traditional to the area. The architectural style usually referred to as High Tech was also emerging. It celebrated scientific and engineering achievements by openly parading the sophisticated techniques used in construction. Such buildings are commonly made of metal and glass: examples are Stansted airport and the Lloyd’s building in London.

Disillusionment at the failure of many of the poor imitations of Modernist architecture led to interest in various styles and Ideas from the past and present. 

                   By the 1980s the coexistence of different style of architecture in the same building became known as Post Modern. Other architects looked back to the classical tradition. The trend in architecture now favors smaller scale building design that reflects a growing public awareness of awareness of environmental issues such as energy efficiency. Like the Modernists, today recognize that a well designed environment improves the quality of life but is not necessarily achieved by adopting one well defined style of architecture.

                     Twentieth century architecture will mainly be remembered for its all buildings. They have been made possible by the development of light steel frames and save passenger lifts. They originated in the US over a century ago to help meet the demand for more economical use of land. As constructions techniques improved, the skyscraper became a reality.