MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENCE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA

NATO STANAG 6001 BI-LEVEL ENGLISH READING SAMPLE TEST

FOR LEVELS 2 AND 3

INSTRUCTIONS

1. This is bi-level English Reading Test. It tests NATO STANAG levels 2 and 3.
2. The Reading Test consists of four reading passages and 40 questions in total.
3. You have 60 minutes to do the test.
4. You are advised to attempt all the questions.
5. Instructions are given at the beginning of every task.
6. WRITE YOUR ANSWERS ON THE ANSWER SHEET.

READING PASSAGE 1

Task 1 You are going to read a text about a mission in Africa. For questions 16, choose from
headings AH the one which best summarizes each paragraph. There is one extra heading which
you do not need to use. Write the appropriate letters AH in boxes 16 on the answer sheet.
There is an example (0).

A Peacemakers, not combatants

B A dry and poor region
C Unrealistic hopes for fast changes
D Lack of upcoming resources
E A new figure in the peace keeping force
F Facing an unknown road ahead
G Rebels supported by the government
H The background of the conflict

Darfur is a semi-arid western province of SudanAfrica's largest country. Darfur alone is the size of
France. In an Arab-dominated country, Darfur's population is mostly black African. For years, there
have been tensions between the mostly African farmers and the mostly Arab herders, who have
competed for land. Opposition groups in Darfur say the government neglects their province, and
discriminates against black Africans. The conflict began in 2003, when rebel groups began
attacking government targets. The government responded by launching a military and police
campaign in Darfur.
1
If General Martin Luther Agwai's name is not yet familiar, it will be soon. He has been given one of
the toughest jobs in Africa, and perhaps the most thankless: Commander of the new combined
United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force for Darfur. General Agwai will lead the biggest
peacekeeping operation in the world with 20,000 troops and 6,000 police under his command. The
general told BBC News that building a peacekeeping force of that size from scratch would take
time, and he warned against high expectations, saying without peace his troops would be "in a very
uncomfortable position". The former head of Nigeria's armed forces is courteous and softly-spoken.
He told me his military heroes are General George Patton and General Ariel Sharon.
2
The general is spending a lot of time in the airit is the only way to get around his new territory. We
joined him on board a small UN helicopter for a tour of AU bases in south Darfur. The general kept
a watch on the terrain belowan endless stretch of parched earth, the size of France. Next month,
the first of the peacekeepers are due to arrive in this harsh environment. We land at a remote base,
surrounded by desertwith no roads, no airport and no water supplies.
2

3
Gen Agwai is well aware of the high expectations, in the international community, and in the camps
where some of the dispossessed are counting down the days to the arrival of the blue helmets. But
he has a message for all those who waitdo not expect too much too soon. "I'm worried because of
high expectation," he told me. "People will expect us by tomorrow to do something, without
knowing that on the ground not much has changed. And I can't see anything changing much even
up to the end of this year. Many people are basing their judgement on the resolution which has
given us 20,000 men. But you don't have anything on the ground." General Agwai is concerned
about managing the expectations of people who do not know the landscape of Darfur.
4
At the base there's a reception committee of tribal elders in flowing white robes, and rebel fighters
in camouflage. When they meet the general, one demand keeps coming up - security. But in the
absence of a peace deal, that won't be in the general's gift. His soldiers will be able to use force to
save livesunlike the current African Union observersbut according to the general, they are not
coming to Darfur to fight for peace. "We are not here to conquer anybody; we are not here to
impose peace. We are here to work with the Sudanese peopleboth the government and the parties
to assist them to find peace. We are not here to impose peace. We are not here to fight anybody."
5
In the forthcoming months, General Agwai may need to juggle the roles of mediator, diplomat and
military commander. He will be walking an unknown pathleading a 'hybrid' force, though no one
seems quite sure just how hybrid it will be. It will take a year or more before the peacekeeping
mission reaches full strength. And the Sudanese government could create obstacles, as it has done
in the past. In the words of a senior diplomat in the region: "The Sudanese have a way of getting
around things".
6
But some in the AU mission here believe the biggest problem will be the rebels, not the government
in Khartoum. At last count there were about a dozen rebel groups in Darfur, all trying to call the
shots. Before leaving the base, General Agwai met some of the weary AU observers, whose
operation has all but ground to a standstill. Many feel they have been made scapegoatsleft waiting
for equipment and support, and sometimes even for their salaries. The new peacekeeping force
could also be handicappedif the international community does not keep its word. Enough troops
have been promisedfrom Africa and elsewhere. But Western nations are not rushing in with
military hardware. So far not a single attack helicopter has been offered
Task 2 Answer questions 710 with NO MORE THAN FIVE WORDS.
Write your answers in boxes 710 on the answer sheet.
There is an example (0).
0 How big is Darfur?

the size of France

7 How many peacekeepers will General Agwai lead?

8 How does the General move around Darfur?
9 What three functions might the General have to combine in the future?
10 How many rebel groups are counted in Darfur?
3

READING PASSAGE 2
You are going to read four short texts about Chinese who studied abroad. For questions 1120,
choose from the texts AD. The texts may be chosen more than once.
Write the letters AD in boxes 1120 on the answer sheet.
There is an example (0).

Who/Whose:
0

thinks that the leader of the country enabled him to study abroad and at the same time
blocked up his coming back?

11

believes that young Chinese will be making good use from what they have learnt?

12

dropped the idea of working there after going into business with China?

13

parents initially didnt plan to stay abroad for all their life?

14

is planning to come back to China after he/she gains education, skills and wisdom?

15

shares with his/her students knowledge and experience acquired abroad?

16

was greatly disappointed in the values people have in China?

17

feels that his/her life quality abroad was worse than in China?

18

thinks that changes in China are still superficial?

19

thinks he/she is professionally much better than his/her co-workers?

20

thinks that nowadays the Chinese go abroad because it is becoming a way of life?

It was Deng Xiaoping that had made it possible

for people like me to receive education in a
foreign country. It was the same Deng Xiaoping
who stopped me from returning to China.
I was offered a job at a research institute in
Singapore.
In 2001 I went back to China for the first time. I
was very impressed by the economic
development. I decided to start doing business
with China. After a few years of experience, I
gave up on China completely.
On the surface China has changed so much, but
essentially it still is a coercive society. The
Maoist ideology has been replaced by getting
rich is glorious ideology. I discovered that it is
almost impossible not to become corrupt. The
hypocrisy of the establishment is destroying the
morality of Chinese people.
Hometown, family, friends and culture are
important to me. But what matters to me most is
the freedom of choice.

I am originally from Shaanxi Province in

western China. My parents decided to come to
Canada in 2000 when I was 13.

I am from south-east China, not far from

Shanghai. I came to the UK to do my Masters in
2004. I didnt leave China to find a better life
abroad. To be honest, the life quality I had in
China was much better than here. The reason for
me to be here is to get knowledge and
experience in a developed country.
Chinas growing integration with the rest of the
world means that the need of multi-culturalism
is more important than ever. After I gain
experience and knowledge I plan to go back.
Many of those who started leaving from the
1980s until late 1990s have chosen to stay
abroad. The reason is that China used to be poor,
whereas a foreign country could provide them
with better career opportunities or at least a
better life style. Many people in China became
rich in the last decade and unlike during
previous decades, many can afford to go abroad
now. Studying and working abroad is no longer
just about fortune hunting, its about life style.

I came back to China in 2005 after 17 years

studying and lecturing abroad. My major field is
international studies.
I decided to come back after all these years I
am an old dog who needs a home to settle down.
But more importantly, I wanted to pass on the
knowledge I gained abroad.
My teaching is far better than colleagues who
never left China. I use modern methods and I am
open to new ideas. My students at Nankai
University read the same books as American and
British students.
Young people are leaving, but I dont think its a
problem for China in the short term. Those who
stay abroad will be Chinas windows: to draw
more investment, know-how and new ideas that
will help China in the years to come.

They were lecturers at a small university. They

had worked very hard so that they could leave
their farming homes. They felt pressure to work
tirelessly so that they can get into university and
find a job. They wanted me to have a better
future. The original plan was that they would
stay in Canada until I get into a decade
university, after which they would return to
China. I am now an engineering student at the
University of Waterloo in Toronto.
But now they have changed their mind. They
made a few friends here and decided that life in
Canada is much more interesting. In 2004 we
went back for a brief visit, but I do not have
plans to go back soon. However, the growth of
China cannot be ignored.

READING PASSAGE 3
You are going to read an article about genetic tests. Seven sentences have been removed from the
article. Choose from the sentences AH the one that fits each gap 2126. There is one extra
sentence that you do not need to use.
Write the letters AH in boxes 2126 on the answer sheet.
There is an example (0).

Should we all be testing our DNA?

More and more people in the UK are following America's lead in spending hundreds
of pounds on private genetic tests. Such personalised DNA analysis, which calculates susceptibility
to common illnesses, such as cardio-vascular disease, Alzheimer's, cancer and osteoporosis, claims
to help people live longer, feel better and avoid disease. 0 A The laboratory in turn sends back a
report giving an individual their genetic profile with personalised advice on improving diet and
lifestyle. But is it worth the money?
Ben Hudson, a 44-year-old house husband from Sussex whose mother is a heavy
smoker and whose father died from cancer, ordered a DNA test which analysed more than 40 gene
variations. "It's reassuring," he said. "If someone said you've got a risk of this and that and you've
got to change your diet and lifestyle, surely it's got to be easier than ending up in the doctors with a
whole list of problems." 21 It cost nearly 1,000, but he said it meant peace of mind.
But genetics is a science in its infancy. In an investigation for the BBC's 5Live Report,
the bio-ethicist Tom Shakespeare, from Newcastle University, talked to experts concerned about the
lack of regulation of such tests. The tests analyse just a fraction of the 25,000 or more genes which
make up human DNA, and predict risk of susceptibility to a range of common complex diseases.
22 They are complex because they are affected by dozens of genes, but also by environment and
lifestyle.
Dr Sian Astley, communications manager for the European Nutrigenomics
Organisation, said the science is sound but added that we do not yet know enough and there are
more important things that influence our health. 23 Dr Astley said you could get equally useful
advice from your GP or a dietician without paying for a genetic test. 5Live Report found six British
companies selling different types of tests. 24 The prices ranged from 100 to 1,000.
But what if someone gets bad results? Dr Paul Martin, from the University of
Nottingham's Institute for Science and Society, is worried about testing for illnesses like
Alzheimer's, for which there is no available treatment. "There's no way of using that information
usefully," he said.
"All it does it tell you you're at greater risk of getting the condition, and I think the
international consensus is that this isn't useful. 25
But Dr Jenkins defended selling such tests to the public. "These are not diagnostic
tests and that is a point I make very firmly to all the patients. 26 "However, I think individuals
have a right to know whether they are at increased risk genetically, in the same way that knowing
you have high blood risk puts you at increased risk of heart disease."

Kits are ordered online or over the phone and users send a swab of saliva to a laboratory

for analysis.
B
C

We are not guaranteeing either they will or they will not develop a disease.
He was told he was at low risk of illnesses like cardio-vascular disease, Alzheimers, and

cancer.
D

Not smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation, maintaining an appropriate weight for your

height, regular exercisejust keeping those four things in place is far more likely to have an
impact on your risk of age-related diseases than your genetic background.
E

They are common because they are the things most of us die from.

Dr Ron Zimmern, director of the Foundation for Genomics and population Health in

Cambridge, is one of those with concerns that long-term studies of the tests involving large
numbers of people have not been completed.
G

For example, one clinic offered a skin cancer test and another tested for chances of getting

breast cancer.
H

What is more, it would cause a certain amount of harmthe anxiety and stresswhen people

could do nothing about it.

READING PASSAGE 4
Read the following text about environmental issues, then do two tasks which follow it.
The logic of green giving
What can UK charities do about climate change when China is building two new
power stations every week? How can conservation charities make a difference when fish are being
hauled from the oceans so rapidly that 70% of species are in danger of collapse by 2048? And when
an area of Amazon rainforest the size of Belgium has been hacked down in one year, is the problem
simply too big for charities to tackle? Climate change and the destruction of the environment are
unprecedented global problems. In the face of the sheer scale of these challenges, charities may
look impotent. But they are not. By influencing governments and businesses - which ultimately
have most power to stem environmental damage - charities are bringing about big changes in the
way we treat our planet. Green Philanthropy, a recent report by New Philanthropy Capital, showed
some charities using this approach to produce remarkable results. On one level, all that is needed
from charities is information. Many governments and corporations are looking for ways to turn
themselves a more flattering shade of green in the public eye. But without sound research, they risk
opting for "solutions" that do more harm than good.
The Dutch government, for example, thought it was being environmentally friendly by
subsidising imports of palm oil to be used as a biofuel. A 2006 report by the global conservation
charity Wetlands International (WI) proved otherwise. The findings of WI's research are startling.
The drainage and burning of peat lands in Indonesia to make way for palm oil crops causes vast
amounts of CO2 to be released. As a result of the degradation of these carbon-storing habitats,
Indonesia has become the third largest carbon emitter in the world - only the US and China are
worse. In response to these findings, the government of the Netherlands, where WI has its
headquarters, stopped subsidising palm oil early in 2007. The main Dutch utility generating energy
from palm oil has also stopped using it. WI continues to work with governments and the private
sector around the world to make biofuel production sustainable and to preserve peat lands, as well
as carrying out direct conservation work.
In the case of biofuels, providing information was enough; the involved parties were
already keen to be green. But charities can also influence less enthusiastic institutions by applying
more pressure. Global Witness (GW), for example, pushes governments to close their borders to the
illegal log trade. It does this by gathering detailed, first-hand evidence of illegal logging, writing
meticulous reports naming and shaming those involved, and lobbying policy-makers for long-term
solutions. The charity's work is well respected by organisations such as the EU, UN and the World
Bank. Most recently, the charity's research and lobbying led the EU to pressure China into closing
the Chinese/Burmese border to illegal timber trading. This has protected more than five million
hectares of Burmese forests, preventing the release of further carbon dioxide. For every 5 ($10)
invested in GW, two trees have been saved from destruction every year for the foreseeable future.
Carbon offset companies, in comparison, will get you only one tree for your fiver.
With dedication and innovation, relatively small charities can influence massive
corporations, or even whole markets. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), for example, is
trying to tackle plummeting fish numbers by influencing the global fish market. It has devised a
certification scheme for sustainably run fisheries, and is creating a market for sustainably caught
fish by persuading retailers to stock them. In 2006, MSC convinced Walmart, the world's largest
retailer, to stock only wild-caught fish that it has certified as sustainable.
Other retailers such as Carrefour and Aeon, Japan's largest supermarket, have also
agreed to stock a range of certified fish. There is evidence that, now large retailers are on board,
some unsustainable fisheries are cleaning up their acts in order to meet MSC standards. A solution
8

to overfishing, such as the one MSC is devising, is desperately needed. If things continue as they
are, collapsing fish stocks will deprive up to a billion people of their primary source of protein
within 50 years. By working with governments and businesses, environmental charities can punch
above their weight. Relatively small organisations can make an impact on environmental problems
on a national or even global scale.
But the work of these charities is only just beginning, and funding is woefully
inadequate. Less than 2% of UK charitable grants are directed to environmental causes, and less
than 5% of private donations in the UK go to environment charities. The next 50 years will be
critical in deciding the fate of our planet. Now is the time to give environmental charities your
support.
Task 1 For questions 2734, choose the correct letter A, B, C or D. Write your answers on the
answer sheet.
27 At first sight UK environmental charities seem to be
A important.
B influential.
C impressive.
D powerless.

28 By researching facts and bringing them to public environmental charities are

A risking to do more harm than good.
B trying to gain popularity in the public eye.
C doing a hugely important job.
D bringing about environmental damage.

29 The report by the WI proved that the production of biofuel from palm oil
A helped to preserve peat lands.
B enlarged carbon-storing habitats.
C caused serious environmental problems.
D proved to be environmentally friendly.
30 In the 3rd paragraph the author states that the charities can influence governments and
organizations by
A disregarding policy-makers.
B putting pressure on institutions.
C setting long-term objectives.
D encouraging all institutions.
31 In the 4th paragraph the author suggests that the worlds largest business companies
A attempt to close sustainably run fisheries.
B cooperate in sustainability of the production.
C intend to devise a new fishing method.
D cooperate in suspending fish certification.

32 In the 5th paragraph the author indicates that the solution to environmental problems is
A urgent.
B unsustainable.
C collapsing.
D desperate.

33 At the end of the article the author states that

A UK governments grants 2% of the budget to environment.
B UK citizens donate 5% of their savings to environment.
C money given to environmental charities is sufficient.
D money given to environmental charities is not enough.

34 According to the article charities working on the environmental issues

A are too optimistic.
B have flaws in their work.
C can make a real difference.
D are obviously losing ground.

Task 2 For questions 3540 find the words in the text to complete the sentences. Do not change the
words taken from the text. You may use only ONE WORD in each gap. Write your answers on the
answer sheet. There is an example (0).

0 Nowadays fish are being __________ from the oceans so rapidly that the majority of species
are in danger of sudden decrease.
hauled
35 The writer asks whether the problem of cutting down huge areas of forests is too complicated
for charities to __________.
36 The data discovered as the result of certain studies into environmental issues are __________.
37 As the result of the charitys research findings the main ___________ providing electricity
supply for the public in the Netherlands has stopped using palm oil.
38 Protection of vast amounts of woodlands stops the __________ of toxic gases into atmosphere.
39 There is __________ that now large outlets work together in order to find a solution to
overfishing.
40 If people do not stop the destruction of the environment, decreasing natural resources will
_________ them of the possibility of gaining natural substances which are essential for their health.

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NATO STANAG 6001 READING SAMPLE TEST ANSWER KEY

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

E
B
C
A
F
D
20, 000 troops and 6, 000 police
by air / helicopter
mediator, diplomat, military commander
about a dozen./ 12
D
A
B
C
D
A
C
A
D
C

21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40

C
E
D
G
H
B
D
C
C
B
A
B
D
C
tackle
startling
utility
release
evidence
deprive

CUT OFF SCORES

Level 2

18 34

Level 3

35 40

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