To make iris-scanning work, a computerized database has to match certain iris features with certain people. This means that each ATM customer has to allow a bank to photograph his or her iris and keep that highly personal information in a computer. Some people have worried, however, that an increased use of iris-scanning will lead to a dangerous loss of privacy. By mounting
iris-scan cameras in public places, governments could track a private citizen all day long without the person’s knowledge. This would be a great advantage to the police, but it could also give corrupt officials a new way to control their opponents. The military’s development of tiny robots suggests that government iris-scanners could even invade private homes!
Questions 56-60
Complete the summary with words from the passage, changing the form where necessary, with only one word for each blank.
Section B (10 marks)
Questions 61-65 are based on the following passage.
Seed catalogues feature hundreds of flowering species. For the persons just beginning garden this can be bewildering, and below are the details of some popular choices, nearly all of which should be sown in the spring. With the exception of busy lizzies, which need a little care, they are all very easy to grow from seed.
Dahlias
These are sturdy plants bearing showy flowers in a wide range of rather gaudy colors. Sow in a frame in April and plant the seedlings out when frosts are over. Dahlias flower throughout the summer and into the autumn. When autumn frosts begin to make them look unhappy, you should dig up the tuberous roots and save them. A frost-free loft, shed or garage is the ideal place. The following spring you plant the tubers instead of sowing seed again.
Lupins
Lupins are hardy perennials. This means that the plants will stay in your garden and carry on flowering year after year. Seed sown in April will usually give you some spikes of colors in the first summer, and year by year the plants get bigger and the flowering stems get taller and grander. Selective breeding has led to the introduction of some fine, bicolored varieties in some dazzling shades. The short-lived flowers make a real misunderstanding spectacle.
Busy lizzies
Like dahlias, busy lizzies need to be started off
under glass, as they cannot stand frost, and panting
out is best done in May. Outdoor flowering ends in
September, so beat the frosts and bring your favorite
specimens indoors to give your home some sinter
color! Indoors they will carry on flowering
indefinitely, though you may like to plant them out
again when spring returns. Like pansies (below) they do very well in sun or shade, but the soil must be moist. Most varieties grow to be a height of only 20 cm or so.
Potentillas
Potentillas are hardy shrubs. In other words, the woody branches spring from ground
level—there is no central trunk. Seed is probably best sown in autumn, in which case you should keep the plants in a sheltered spot until April offers favorable conditions for planting out. Once flowering begins in early summer the best varieties (such as Melton Fire) will stay in bloom ATM transactions are often cases of theft, where an unauthorized user takes (56) ____. To decrease insecurity, some banks have installed iris-scanning machines at ATMs. These small cameras scan the user’s iris, recording its features and (57) ____ them to a digital file. Every person has a (58) ____ iris, making iris identification highly reliable. Earlier efforts at biometric identification often relied on fingerprints. However, fingerprints can easily be (59) ____ through cutting, burning or scrapping. Iris scanners are so effective that they can even see through contact lenses and mirrored sunglasses. Use of iris scanners would provide great advantages to the police. However, others worry about a loss of (60) ____.
almost ceaselessly for years on end while at the same time spreading out to provide ground cover or a low hedge.
Pansies
Pansies have a good long flowering season year after year, and some varieties can be sown in spring to give truly splendid results the first autumn. Unlike dahlias and lupins, which can easily grow a meter tall, pansies grow no higher than 10 or 20 cm. Their soil, position and moisture requirements are just like those of busy lizzies but pansies differ in being hardy. Give them a try!
Questions 61-63
Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) according to the passage.
61. Both dahlias and lupins, which are sown in April, need protecting from frost.
62. Brought indoors in autumn, dahlias, busy lizzies and potentillas will carry on flowering almost non-stop.
63. Among all the flowers busy lizzies are not very easy to grow from seed.
Section C (10 marks)
Questions 66-70 are based on the following passage.
When looking for love, people may go to some extreme lengths. They might go on blind dates set up by family and friends. They might write personal ads to place in newspapers. Or they might use a computer to help them in their search for a soul mate by joining an online dating services. Some people have even tried to find their perfect match through game shows on