A. OUT B. IN C. UP D. OFF PART 2

15. A. out B. in C. up D. off

PART 2: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow by circling A,B,C or

D to indicate your answers.

A Japanese construction company plans to create a huge independent city-state, akin to the

legendary Atlantis, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The city, dubbed “Marinnation”, would

have about one million inhabitants, two airports, and possibly even a space port. Marinnation, if

built, would be a separate country but could serve as a home for international organisations such

as the United Nations and the World Bank.

Aside from the many political and social problems that would have to be solved, the engineering

task envisaged is monumental. The initial stage requires the building of a circular dam eighteen

miles in diameter attached to the sea bed in a relatively shallow place in international waters.

Then, several hundred powerful pumps, operating for more than a year, would suck out the sea

water from within the dam. When empty and dry, the area would have a city constructed on it.

The actual land would be about 300 feet below the sea level. According to designers, the hardest

task from an engineering point of view would be to ensure that the dam is leak proof and

earthquake proof.

If all goes well, it is hoped that Marinnation could be ready for habitation at the end of the

second decade of the twenty-first century. Whether anyone would want to live in such an isolated

and artificial community, however, will remain an open question until that time.