People Nowadays

It is a common knowledge that in our modernized world, material possessions dominate over moral values. Moral values are no longer as appreciated as they were before. People’s relationships aim at getting some benefit from the other person and not communicate with them just to have good friends. It seems like there are no real friendships anymore and thus, I agree with the statement that suggests that the so called old fashioned values no longer seem important.

 Firstly, in today's world the two - old fashions values and the social status are very boldly linked with one another. Those, who have the most possessions and are rich, have higher social status, and enjoy the respect of others. The main reason for this is that today it is hard to gain money and to become financially self dependent. As a result, people look for others’ sympathy and support in finding ways to gain positions and means to get money. Hence, people find it more beneficial to keep those who have relatively more material possessions to be able to satisfy their own needs as well.

Secondly, when people see that their kindness and trust are no more important, they also stop acting kindly and behave the way that others do. The feeling of being unappreciated obliges people realize that no matter how hard they try, no one is going to value their effort of being helpful and kind. Thus, all their efforts would turn into some wasted time. This proves that the unreciprocated relationships stop from existing and people start to look for benefits from others such as material possessions and as high as possible social positions.

 As a conclusion, I would regret to say, but as a matter of fact in today's reality, the values that were highly appreciated several decades ago, have no more value among the members of the modern communities. For the reasons discussed above, we see that people look for some kind of a moral or material benefit from those, whom they communicate and build relationships with. Therefore, I agree with the idea that trust, honesty, honor are not appreciated anymore, but rather material possessions and social positions became much more important for people.

Questions 1–7

 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1–7 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE                            if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE                          if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN                if there is no information on this

1 Chronobiology is the study of how living things have evolved over time. True

2 The rise and fall of sea levels affects how sea creatures behave. Not given

3 Most animals are active during the daytime. False

4 Circadian rhythms identify how we do different things on different days. True

5 A ‘night person’ can still have a healthy circadian rhythm. True

6 New therapies can permanently change circadian rhythms without causing harm. False

7 Naturally-produced vegetables have more nutritional value. True

Questions 8–13

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 8–13 on your answer sheet.

8 What did researchers identify as the ideal time to wake up in the morning?  D 7.30

9 In order to lose weight, we should       D exercise after breakfast

10 Which is NOT mentioned as a way to improve supplement absorption? A avoiding drinks containing caffeine while taking supplements

11 The best time to stop drinking coffee is            A mid-afternoon

12 In the evening, we should A stay away from carbohydrates

13 Which of the following phrases best describes the main aim of Reading Passage 1? A to suggest healthier ways of eating, sleeping and exercising