1. (I) My own knowledge of Jane Austens life, character and opinions depends mainly on her letters. (II) Some 150 of these survive. (Ill) Most are to her sister Cassandra and are really family letters intended for the whole family. (IV) Her nephew was to write a Memoir of his aunt, but he was old when he did so. (V) There are only a few written to friends, and these are the ones that reveal most about her.
2. (I) The earliest really high buildings belong to Chicago. (II) They have a steel-frame construction. (Ill) Louis Sullivan was the outstanding architect of this Chicago school of architecture. (IV) More important, however, is the fact that they are truly splendid buildings, with a vigour and sureness and character, that is all their own. (V) It is no wonder that similar buildings began to appear not only in other cities in the US but in other cities throughout the world.
3. (I) The book furnishes us with some really fascinating information about hummingbirds. (II) For instance, they can hover for as long as 50 minutes at a time. (Ill) Their lovely colouring is even then apparent. (IV) They dont simply use their wings in order to do this, but also their tails which they spread like a fan to give extra lift. (V) Hovering allows access to nectar but requires so much nectar that they have to consume one and a half times their body weight in nectar every day.
4. (I) The majority of existing robots do not look even remotely human. (II) Industrial robots are now in demand. (Ill) At least 750,000 robots work in global industry, according to the World Robotics 2001 survey. (IV) Japan is in the lead, producing twice as many industrial robots as the rest of the world combined. (V) Next comes the European Union, where Germany is the leader.
5. (I) Forests come under increasing pressure as the population increases as so many people use firewood for cooking. (II) On the average, one person burns about a metric ton of firewood a year. (Ill) Another result of deforestation is accelerated soil erosion. (IV) Because of this fuel need, forests surrounding communities have been slowly cut down. (V) As nearby trees are used up for firewood, people travel farther to obtain wood and the size of the deforested area expands.
6. (I) In Egypt, with its proximity to the elephants of the Sudan, the craft of ivory carving was carried to a high state of perfection in late predynastic times. (II) Remarkably realistic figures of lions and baboons stil survive from this period. (Ill) Even more remarkable are the statuettes of the 4th-dynasty. (IV) Even quite a small collection of ivory figures can be quite valuable. (V) At a later date, the use of ivory continued in a rather different form; to provide inlaid ornamentation for furniture.
7. (I) All the main problems today are interconnected. (II) These include, among other things, poverty, environmental devastation, the arms race and disease. (Ill) The reversal of one will nourish the reversal of the others. (IV) Indeed, poverty is only one of the reasons for these environmental problems. (V) Conversely, if there is an improvement in one, this will be reflected in the others.
8. (I) The big divide among economists is no longer over whether there will be a recession in America. (II) A steeper drop in demand will now make overcapacity worse. (III) The debate is now over how deep it will be. (IV) Optimists say there will be a swift recovery. (V) If this does happen, it will be due to lower interest rates and a looser fiscal policy.
9. (I) Everyone knows that software is in and hardware is out, at least as far as start-up companies are concerned. (II) A software company has low manufacturing costs and can make good profits. (Ill) Mistakes in both hardware and software are easy to correct. (IV) For hardware companies the reverse is true. (V) They have extremely high manufacturing costs and thin profit margins.
10. (I) Norway remains aloof from the EU. (II) In contrast to Norway, the Swedish economy relies on multinational giants, not on oil reserves. (Ill) She sees it far more as a threat to her wealth than as a potential partner. (IV) The other Scandinavian countries, however, are all EU members. (V) They are trying to persuade Norway to join too, but she remains stubbornly resistant.
11. (I) In 1912 some of the top mathematicians in the world received letters full of incredibly complex formulas. (II) They came from Madras, India, from a 23-year-old accounts clerk named Srinivasa Ramanujan. (Ill) He claimed to have worked them out in his spare time after leaving school. (IV) It is an ambition one shares with lots of people, of all ages and backgrounds. (V) One of the letters reached Professor G.H. Hardy of Trinity College, Cambridge, who soon realized that the formulas were the work of one of the greatest mathematical geniuses of all time.
12. (I) In this book on management, the author makes the point that most people are deeply and rightly resistant to being managed. (II) He then goes on to give an attractive solution. (Ill) The worlds business leaders are too often motivated by self-interest, not by a companys performance. (IV) It is that the best way to manage people is to let them manage themselves. (V) This becomes truly meaningful when we are reminded that the best performers are those who both know enough and care enough to manage themselves.
13. (I) Global inequality is not just about income. (II) It is also about education for children, access to world markets, control of technology and so on. (Ill) Nevertheless, the extremes of global inequality are exemplified in a striking fashion in income distribution. (IV) Cheap labour has undoubtedly aided economic development in many of the developing countries. (V) The richest 5% of the worlds people have incomes 114 times those of the poorest 5%.
14. (I) Global warming is bringing new arrivals to British shores. (II) Since 1980, 18 new fish species have been caught off the coast of Cornwall. (Ill) As the water warms up, they feel the need to move northward. (IV) Since they are cold-blooded creatures, they have to find suitable surroundings in which to regulate their temperature. (V) Indeed, between 1960 and 1980 no new species were reported any where in the area.
15. (I) A true partnership between developed and developing countries could have achieved a breakthrough. (II) Over the past half-century the dream of a world free from poverty, disease and despair has grown no nearer to fulfillment. (Ill) In the 1960s, some 60 countries actually grow poorer. (IV) Over the years, 30,000 children have been dying daily of preventable diseases. (V) Further, the spread of AIDS has become the most deadly epidemic in human history.
16. (I) The worlds population continues to increase. (II) And despite the rise in high-tech agriculture, 800 million people dont get enough to eat. (III) Admittedly, thats often due to a lack of money - the world actually produces enough for everyone, at least for now. (IV) In many African countries, famine has been a major concern for the United Nations. (V) But by 2050 we will have 9 billion mouths to feed, 3 billion more than today.
17. (I) It will be a bad year for football clubs across Europe. (II) Having met spiralling wage demands and transfer fees in the belief that increasing television revenues would cover the costs, the realization that they will not, will lead to urgent reform. (Ill) Clubs across Europe have been given lucrative television contracts. (IV) Middle-sized clubs in England, Italy and Germany will be worst affected. (V) At least ten well-known clubs are at risk of bankruptcy.
18. (I) The Colosseum in Rome, which was the largest and most famous of the Roman amphitheatres, was opened for use in 80 A.D. (II) Even so, there are others that are in beter condition. (Ill) Elliptical in shape, it consisted of three storeys and an upper gallery. (IV) It was principally used for gladiatorial combat. (V) As for its capacity, it could seat up to 50,000 spectators.