Advance C1 English Online Reading Test – 4

Online Free English Advanced Reading Test-4. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions!

In modern times, it was perhaps the “gentleman scientists” of the nineteenth century who came closest to a genuinely objective form of scientific research. These privileged amateurs enjoyed a financial independence which most scientists today cannot have, and which enabled them to satisfy their scientific curiosity without the need to please patrons. With the growth of scientific research after World War II, science has become an expensive occupation. Many scientists today look back upon the 1960s as a golden age of modern-day science, when research was mainly funded by the taxpayer, and scientific enquiry was seen by governments to be part of the public good, and worth paying for. Today, the situation is very different. “Academic freedom” is now often little more than an illusion for most scientists working at universities or in publicly-funded research institutes. Moreover, science is now largely dominated by the interests of the industrial world, and hence, hardly deserves the name “science”.

1. According to the passage, the major difference between the “gentleman scientists” and present-day ones …………………. .

 has frequently been ignored by governments and universities

 has become a highly controversial issue in university circles

 is that the former were free to research as they chose, while the latter are not

 is not nearly so obvious as some people believe it to be

2. The writer of the passage regards the “gentleman scientists” of the nineteenth century as privileged because ………………… .

 there were plenty of patrons willing to finance them

 they were unrestricted by financial pressures

 the choice of field was rapidly expanding

 they were always well-rewarded for their efforts

3. The writer points out that in the 1960s ………………………… .

 academic freedom was already a thing of the past

 scientists believed that they were entering upon a golden age

 research activities were largely carried out under the sponsorship of industry

 scientists carried out their research activities at the public expense

4. The writer of the passage argues that contemporary scientific research …………………….. .

 is far more concerned with theory than with any practical application

 offers one of the most exciting and stimulating of careers

 is, to a large extent, controlled by the interests of industry

 finds its best milieu within the universities

5. The phrase “part of the public good” in effect means ……………………. .

 ensuring a better future for society

 beneficial to society

 recognized by the general public as being good

 setting good standards for society

 Loading …

Question 1 of 5