Page 6 - Preparing for Trinity ISE II - B2
P. 6
est 1
Succeed in TRINITY ISE II - B2 - Practice Tests 1-6-p65-101-TB_CAE-PR-TEST-1.qxd 16-Mar-16 12:39 AM Page 66
Test 1
rinity ISE II - Practice T
Task 1 – Long Reading
As part of your studies you are going to read about the Congo Pygmies, an African tribal group. Read the following text
and answer the 15 questions on the next page.
Little people with big problems
Paragraph 1
No one knows exactly how many of them there are, but estimates suggest that between one quarter
and half a million pygmies live in central Africa, in and around the Congo rainforest. Together the
various groups of Congo Pygmies make up the largest population of traditional hunter-gatherers left
on Earth. They survive off the wild products, the animals and plants, as nature puts in the environ-
ment around them. Or, at least, they used to before we interfered. Now the pygmy people are being
forced out of the rainforest by both the Bantu and the men from the West.
Paragraph 2
The term ‘pygmy’ was originally used by the Ancient Greeks to describe a group of small people they
believed lived in Ethiopia. Many hundreds of years later, when European explorers arrived in Central
Africa, they used this same term to label the small forest people they found living there. These jun-
gle people were not only very short in height (typically under five feet tall) but also very small in
build. In contrast, the other native Africans, the Bantu, were similar in both build and height to the
Europeans themselves.
Paragraph 3
T It is not known exactly why the pygmies developed such small body frames. One theory suggests it
was due to the lack of natural light in the rainforests. This meant the forest people did not get
enough calcium for proper bone growth so they developed smaller skeletons. Another theory claims
the pygmies are small because they have naturally adapted to forest life over hundreds of years. It is,
after all, easier to travel through thick jungle if you are short and thin. One thing that’s not small,
however, is the pygmy love of music. In fact, this is enormous. Music is a huge part of daily life and
not just for entertainment purposes; there are songs for specific events and for activities, such as
hunting, too.
Paragraph 4
The Baka Pygmies of Cameroon, one of the largest pygmy groups, have little to sing about these
days, though. They, like most of their people, are under attack. Deforestation is one big issue. For
this, both the Bantu and the Europeans are to blame. Thousands of pygmies have been forced from
their homes, only to see the forests and their way of life destroyed. And then there is war. The pyg-
mies are often caught in the middle of fights between rival Bantu groups.
Paragraph 5
Struggling pygmies are forced to move into built-up areas. Here, in the larger villages and towns of
Cameroon, they can only find the lowest-paid jobs. They live in poverty and are often the victims of
unfair treatment by the locals. To make matters worse, the pygmies have been exposed to new dis-
eases here too, causing the population further harm. And they have little access to medical assis-
tance, which makes the situation even more serious. It is not just the Baka Pygmies that are in crisis
either. Pygmies across Africa are facing these same issues. Their jungle home is being destroyed at
an alarming rate and so is their culture and way of life.
66
Succeed in TRINITY ISE II - B2 - Practice Tests 1-6-p65-101-TB_CAE-PR-TEST-1.qxd 16-Mar-16 12:39 AM Page 66
Test 1
rinity ISE II - Practice T
Task 1 – Long Reading
As part of your studies you are going to read about the Congo Pygmies, an African tribal group. Read the following text
and answer the 15 questions on the next page.
Little people with big problems
Paragraph 1
No one knows exactly how many of them there are, but estimates suggest that between one quarter
and half a million pygmies live in central Africa, in and around the Congo rainforest. Together the
various groups of Congo Pygmies make up the largest population of traditional hunter-gatherers left
on Earth. They survive off the wild products, the animals and plants, as nature puts in the environ-
ment around them. Or, at least, they used to before we interfered. Now the pygmy people are being
forced out of the rainforest by both the Bantu and the men from the West.
Paragraph 2
The term ‘pygmy’ was originally used by the Ancient Greeks to describe a group of small people they
believed lived in Ethiopia. Many hundreds of years later, when European explorers arrived in Central
Africa, they used this same term to label the small forest people they found living there. These jun-
gle people were not only very short in height (typically under five feet tall) but also very small in
build. In contrast, the other native Africans, the Bantu, were similar in both build and height to the
Europeans themselves.
Paragraph 3
T It is not known exactly why the pygmies developed such small body frames. One theory suggests it
was due to the lack of natural light in the rainforests. This meant the forest people did not get
enough calcium for proper bone growth so they developed smaller skeletons. Another theory claims
the pygmies are small because they have naturally adapted to forest life over hundreds of years. It is,
after all, easier to travel through thick jungle if you are short and thin. One thing that’s not small,
however, is the pygmy love of music. In fact, this is enormous. Music is a huge part of daily life and
not just for entertainment purposes; there are songs for specific events and for activities, such as
hunting, too.
Paragraph 4
The Baka Pygmies of Cameroon, one of the largest pygmy groups, have little to sing about these
days, though. They, like most of their people, are under attack. Deforestation is one big issue. For
this, both the Bantu and the Europeans are to blame. Thousands of pygmies have been forced from
their homes, only to see the forests and their way of life destroyed. And then there is war. The pyg-
mies are often caught in the middle of fights between rival Bantu groups.
Paragraph 5
Struggling pygmies are forced to move into built-up areas. Here, in the larger villages and towns of
Cameroon, they can only find the lowest-paid jobs. They live in poverty and are often the victims of
unfair treatment by the locals. To make matters worse, the pygmies have been exposed to new dis-
eases here too, causing the population further harm. And they have little access to medical assis-
tance, which makes the situation even more serious. It is not just the Baka Pygmies that are in crisis
either. Pygmies across Africa are facing these same issues. Their jungle home is being destroyed at
an alarming rate and so is their culture and way of life.
66
