NEC Foundation

GAPPED TEXT READING PRACTICE

Exercise 1.

Source: Đề Đề Xuất DHBB - Chuyên Lê Hồng Phong Nam Định L11 2022

IRIDOLOGY

Iridologists claim that there is a ‘map’ of the whole body in the iris of each eye and that it
provides a guide to various disorders and their treatments. The eye has long been regarded as
the ‘mirror of the soul’. From earliest antiquity, it has been believed that it is one of the best
indicators of spiritual condition, personality, temperament and romantic feelings.

1.

For this reason, its condition is significant in assessing the general health of a patient. However,
long before examination of the retina was recognised as important, iridology existed. That is, the
science of diagnosing bodily conditions through study of the iris, the coloured part of the eye. The
history and origins of iridology have often been disputed. It is difficult to substantiate its roots in
ancient Asia and Africa since almost the entire population is brown-eyed. It stands, however, as a
European phenomenon, dating back to the mid-nineteenth century.

2.

Iridology was born in von Peczely's garden in Budapest when he was just eleven. During a fight
with a wild owl, the bird's leg was broken. While glaring at its captor, the bird developed a black
line in its iris. The boy was able to notice developments in the bird's eye as its leg healed. Slowly,
the black line shrank, and when the leg had completely healed, there was the merest trace of a
mark left in the eye.

3.

As a medical student in Vienna, he was imprisoned, but found an outlet at this time by studying
the eyes. of fellow prisoners. Time and again, he noticed a correlation between markings of the
iris and known medical problems. He then firmly decided to devote himself to serious study of the
eye, once free.

4.

Meanwhile, a Lutheran minister, Pastor Nils Liljequist, was also examining irises in Sweden. While
suffering from a fever, he was treated with quinine, which led to a change in the colour of his iris
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from blue to yellowish-green. It was this that led to his study of the relationship between eye
colour and the use of medical drugs, particularly the heavy metals which were so widely used
then.

5.

It is the first decades of the twentieth century that are particularly interesting. American Henry
Lindlahr, working before iris photography was perfected, used his own eyes as a basis for his
drawings. He experimented with diet, fasting and various medicines. He used the iris as a means
of diagnosis before anyone else, cataloguing inflammations and organic dysfunctions both in
himself and in his patients.

6.

Iridological research has emphasized the fact that the human being is a whole interrelated
organism, which must be viewed as such when undergoing treatment. The iridologist has the
entire medical state and a great deal of the patient's medical history in front of him when looking
at the patient's iris, so he cannot view the patient in terms of a single condition.

7.

Nevertheless, iris diagnosis remains a scientifically based tool despite the indifference shown by
orthodox practitioners. Through increased funding into research or even greater public
awareness, it could well be used as an inexpensive, yet accurate form of diagnosis that could
save time, money and perhaps lives.

THE MISSING PARAGRAPHS

A. Upon release, von Peczely quickly became convinced that he would be able to demonstrate a
relationship between the organs and limbs of the body and several parts of the iris. The iris chart
used by iridologists today is essentially the same as the one on which he painstakingly mapped
his findings.

B. One man at this time was outstanding in his work in this field. Hungarian physician, Dr Ignatz
von Peczely. deserves credit as the father of iridology. He was a man with remarkable powers of
observation, original thought and bravery. Throughout his life, he faced opposition, dying in
comparative obscurity. It is only now that he is beginning to be appreciated.

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C. This led him to the realization that the iris could reveal the internal workings of the body and so
there would be no need for painful, dangerous exploratory operations. In his conclusions, he
noted that beneficial changes in the body were brought about by homeopathic preparations
which were not trapped in the body's tissues. Unlike conventional drugs, colour traces were not
left in the iris after use.

D. The youth later took up the controversial study of homeopathy and was so successful at
treating neighbours that there was great hostility from the medical profession. He was forbidden
to continue practicing and only did so under the guise of orthodox medicine after he had
qualified as a doctor.

E. Iridology was practically forgotten at this time until revived by homeopaths and naturopaths,
who managed to re-establish the science. The cold shoulder that von Peczely was given when he
first started practicing homeopathy was no less demeaning than the one it received from
orthodox medicine in the twentieth century.

F. He published and circulated a book on his findings. Most of Europe ignored this and iridology in
general. This may well have been because of its background and von Peczely's interest in
homeopathy. However, this was not the case everywhere and towards the end of the century
naturopathic workers in Germany and the USA incorporated the findings of von Peczely with
Liljequist's observations.

G. There has been scientific study of the eye as a guide to physical well-being quite apart from
this interest in a as an indicator of spiritual state. The ophthalmologist examines the back of the
eye, the retina, through the pupil, the black hole at the front of the eye. The only place where
nerve endings and blood vessels can be viewed directly is through the retina.

H. It is for this reason that iridology is growing in popularity, and practitioners of alternative
therapies find this holistic attitude particularly encouraging. However, it could be that this
emphasis is the reason why iris diagnosis has yet to be taken more seriously by the orthodox
doctor.

Exercise 2.

Source: Đề Đề Xuất DHBB - Chuyên Lam Sơn Thanh Hoá L11 2022

The Hammond Organ

It’s September 1995 and I’m on my way home to Austin, Texas from Bangkok. Breaking the
journey in Los Angeles, I spot an ad for an organ in the classifieds. It’s a 1954 Hammond B2. I

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can’t resist this little gem, so I buy it-sight unseen- and arrange to have it collected, crated and
trucked to Texas.

1.

Ever since I heard Green Onions by Booker T and the MG’s on the radio, the sound of a Hammond
organ has moved me. Although at the time I didn’t know exactly what Booker T. was playing, I
knew I wanted to make that noise. I didn’t even know how to play an organ, but the way it
swirled and swam and bite your ears off, I knew somehow I had to have one. So I did my
research in the music shops, and found out that the coolest-sounding organs were all Hammonds,
but that the L100, while it still had that special sound, was lighter and cheaper than the other
models. Not that any of them were cheap, which didn’t mch matter, because I had no money.

2.

But when I called them up, they were very helpful. There was no drawback. The only thing I could
not do was move it, once they’d set it up. That wasn’t going to be a problem. The problem would
be explaining the arrival of this beautiful monster to Mum and Dad. But I wasn’t thinking that far
ahead. I wasn’t really thinking at all, apart from wondering-when could it be delivered?
“Tomorrow”, “Okey”. And that was it. The next morning at about 10am there was a knock at the
door and two men in white coats were standing on the doorstep. After I’d signed papers and
promised not to move it, we pushed the dining table and chairs back against the wall.

3.

It was all polished and shiny and made our dining room suite look quite tatty. They showed me
how to start it up and we shook hands. It couldn’t have been simpler. “ See you in two weeks
then.” “Yes, Okey, bye” slammed. “Aarrgh!” I screamed and ran upstairs to get the record player
from the bedroom, set it up on top of the bookcase, plonked Green Onions on the turntable and
cranked it up! Yes, yes, yes, nothing could stop me now. I had lost my mind and I’d never find it
again.

4.

The next thing to master was the Leslie cabinet. This was where the sound came out. The Leslie is
a combined amplifier and speaker cabinet, but it has two speakers which point up and down. The
sound travels through revolving rotors, which throws the music out in waves. It’s what makes the
sound of every Hammond bit and swim in your ears. You can regulate the speed it rotates and it’s
very powerful.

5.

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When Dad came whistling his way up the path after work, I went to the door to head him off.
“Hello Dad”. “ What’s up?” “ Nothing much . Well, I’ve got something to tell you’. “yes” “Er, Dad,
you’ll never guess what I’ve got” “ What have you got?” “ A Hammond organ”.

6.

He was down the hall and peering round the door suspiciously before I could stop him. “Blimey”
he said. “Well, I am blowed. Where’s the dining room table gone?” he was in the doorway, trying
to squeeze past the monster organ and the Leslie. “It’s great, isn’t it?” “ Well, it is big... how are
we going to eat with this thing in here, and why didn’t you ask me or your mum?” “Sorry, but it’ll
only be here for a couple of weeks, listen to this,” I played the first part of Green Onions on it.
“Not bad, eh?” “I dunno, '' he was thinking. “ Here, don’t day a word, let me break it to your
mum.”

7.

I bought it on the “never, never”. Dad co-signed the hire purchase forms for me because I was
under age.

THE MISSING PARAGRAPHS

A. This meant that there was now enough room. Very carefully, they wheeled in a brand new
Hammond organ and matching bench with the Playing Guide and connecting cables tucked
inside the lid, and a band new Leslie 147 speaker cabinet, which filled up the entire room. My face
must have been a picture. This was great!

B. I found all that out by fiddling around with it for hours that day until I got some results.
Basically, I just taught myself. The wonderful thing about the Hammond is it sounds good without
too much effort. It’s not like the bagpipes or the violin, where even after a lot of work it can still
sound bad.

C. However, I never had any ambition as a kid to play the piano, let alone the organ. It was all my
mum’s fault. She’d had a dream of playing the piano since she was a kid, but growing up in the
little town of Montrath in the centre of Ireland, as one of 11 kids, there was hardly money for
shoes let alone piano lessons. And as she hadn’t been able to afford them when she was young, I
was going to get them whether I wanted them or not.

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D. “What’s a Hammond organ?” “It’s free. I’ve got it for two weeks, then they’ll come and take it
away and no charge whatsoever”. “Where is it then?” “ It’s in the back room, it’s fantastic and it’s
not costing a penny.”

E. Then, thumbing through the back pages of the Melody Maker, I noticed an ad for Boosey and
Hawkes, in Regent Street, who were offering to let me: “Try a Hammond Organ in your own home
on two weeks’ free approval”. “Yeah, right,” I thought. “Pull the other one” I tried to figure out
what the catch could be, because I couldn’t believe they’d let me get my sweaty hands on a
genuine Hammond without money changing hands or at least making a promise to buy.

F. Somehow I knew that meant it was going to be all right. The men in white coats came to take it
away two weeks later and my new mahogany Hammond organ and matching Leslie cabinet
arrived the following week.

G. Sometimes, a smell can trigger a memory so strong and true it unravels years in an instant, like
the smell of oil paint, which takes me straight back to my art school days. So, as they unbolt the
container, even before I get to see how beautiful the instrument is, the combination of furniture
polish and Hammond oil wafts up my nose and I get a flashback to 1964, when I caught that odd
mixture for the first time.

H. Now I had to figure out how to play the beast and get the same as that. Carefully listening to
sustained notes on the record, I pushed and pulled the drawer bars in and out until I got the
same sound. Then if I played the part right, the sound would change- just like the record.

Exercise 3.

Source: Đề Đề Xuất DHBB - Chuyên Tuyên Quang L11 2022

THE SOCIAL MEDIA PRODUCT PLACEMENT JUGGERNAUT

Social media is the air that celebrities breathe. No other platform can keep them so relevant in
the cut-throat business of fame. But beyond satisfying their need to connect with the public,
social media is also helping to fill bank accounts. To maintain their fabulous lifestyles, celebrities
can turn to social media where the world of Instagram and Influencer marketing awaits. And
what lucrative world it is.

1. _____________

So what do we know about specific rates for social media posts? Mid-level reality TV stars can
earn anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000 for a brand sponsored Instagram post. This can go as high
as $50,000 for a TV sitcom star. That’s a lot of money, but relatively low compared to the current

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crop of It-girl models who can command up to $300,000 for a single Instagram post, or an A-list
actor who can receive up to $500,000.

2. ______________

Although celebrity endorsements have been around for as long as advertising itself, their foray
into social media is new territory. Traditional print and TV advertising is replete with famous
faces pushing products we doubt they use or consume, but there is an understanding that we
accept the falsehood because we know the game, we know they've been paid. The pseudo-ads
posted as selfies on Instagram or Twitter, however, usually contain no clear indication that
money has changed hands, despite the fact that, in many cases, it’s legally required to do so.

3. _____________

Beginning enthusiastically with ‘OMG’, the original post was liked online by hundreds of
thousands of followers. There was no doubt that she had actually used the medication, as it had
been prescribed by her doctor. But had she included the mandatory information, it would have
given the very distinct, and true; impression that it was a promotion. Ever mindful of her public
image, she was aware this may not go down well with her followers. For her sins, she was forced
to remove her gushing reviews from Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and repost with a huge
risk disclaimer.

4. _____________

Celebrities love social media because it helps them to build some semblance of authenticity and
social intimacy with fans. First they create an image of openness and honesty with their online
followers and then they exploit it in their sponsored posts. One star, for example, recently
confided that her ‘secret’ to staying trim was a certain weight loss tea. A photo of her looking slim
and healthy, holding a cup of the miraculous fat-melting infusion was there for all to see. No
mention was made of frequent, grueling sessions with a well-paid personal trainer. A clearly
sponsored post- though honest – would have dismantled her credibility.

5. _____________

As advertising professionals will tell you, that is exactly the goal of any ad – to sell an idea or a
desirable lifestyle, and it doesn’t even have to be true or attainable. The personality vouching for
the product isn’t even required to actually use it. All that needs to happen is for consumers to
want some glamour and coolness to rub off on them. That is how advertising works. But this

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sneaky new form of celebrity endorsement, with its camouflaged product promotions, requires
consumers to completely suspend belief in order to place their trust in someone with an agenda.

6._____________

As such, the language has to be just right, peppered with the kinds of casual terms friends use
with each other. Celebrities ‘swear by’ a new skincare product, are ‘in love with’ a new coconut
water, ‘can’t live without’ a new protein shake. The more cynical among us might question the
true author of these snappy captions – is it the paid influencer or has the brand’s marketing
department come up with the text and tailored it to the target audience? Because the audience is
what it’s all about. Keeping it is important, but first it has to be found.

7._____________

So far, it’s been a very successful strategy, and as long as a supply of famous faces are willing to
accept cash for comments, the use of social media as a unique advertising tool won’t be going
away any time soon.

THE MISSING PARAGRAPHS

A. For that kind of money, celebrities are happy to plug a product hard. Juice cleanses, meal
replacement regimes, weight-loss teas, waist shapers, teeth whitening kits – they comprise a
range of categories that are perfectly suited to the highly narcissistic nature of the medium that
is social media, requiring nothing more than a love of selfies and a complete lack of shame. The
questionable efficacy of the products is no deterrent to the blatant money-grab.

B. Advertising is powerful and its manipulation runs deep when consumers are gullible to such
marketing ploys. The endorsements – casually slipped in between a candid photo with a beloved
pet and a carefree snap with a close friend, for example – make unwitting followers feel that this
product is simply a part of the celebrity’s daily life, and that they should make it a part of theirs
too. They want it, and at that point, they’re hooked.

C. Advertisers have a major responsibility to inform celebrities, bloggers and anyone else they’re
paying to push a product that appropriate disclosures need to be made. Advertising should be
identifiable as advertising so that consumers know when they’re hearing a marketing pitch versus
an independent viewpoint.

D. Disclosure with regards to medication is one of these instances. An American celebrity got into
hot water with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for promoting a medication without
providing information about possible side effects. The FDA, which is responsible for protecting

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public health through the regulation and supervision of a range of products including dietary
supplements, prescription and over-the-counter medications, took a very dim view of this.

E. The beauty of influencer marketing for brands is that they don’t have to build their target
audience from scratch – something which is costly and time-consuming as it involves extensive
market research. Social media influencers already have a devoted fan following, so half the job
has already been done. Once the influencer has been chosen, it is just a matter of getting the
followers to support the brand, talk about it themselves to others, and buy the products.

F. Make no mistake – they are raking it in. Even those who are no longer as famous as they once
were can be offered tantalizing amounts by companies to promote products on the main
personal social media platforms – Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. The uber-famous with the
largest followings are making money hand over fist, and the amounts are staggering.

G. But what makes people susceptible to such influence? When asked, consumers said they
trusted celebrities over brands. The problem with branded marketing content is that it is biased;
influencer marketing, on the other hand, does not come across as an overt marketing attempt.
Instead, it looks like a recommendation from a trusted friend.

H. Besides failing to list the fact that she was paid to make the payment to promote a product on
their pdes railing to list the downsides of the product, the celebrity fell foul of the law by not
being explicit about that she was paid to make the post. There are rules about this sort of thing,
too. Celebrities receiving to promote a product on their platforms are required to tag the post
#ad or #sponsored – something a monetary transaction has taken place in return for their
endorsement. So what’s preventing them from adding those few letters?

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