METU / SFL
DBE
RHO8
Fall 2025
301 GROUP
(Student’s Copy)
Text1. Read the text below, and answer the questions that follow.
CITIES IN THE SEA
1 As the earth's human population grows rapidly, satisfying basic human needs becomes
more difficult. Living space is among our primary requirements. Some parts of the world are
simply running out of room for their increasing populations, and people are beginning to
look to the sea for additional space. Other basic requirements of human life are food and
natural resources. It is no longer enough to farm and mine the lands of the earth for
foodstuffs and minerals. Consequently, we have begun to obtain some of the vast mineral
and agricultural wealth of the oceans. In recent years, mining and drilling in the sea have
added to our stores of oil and gas. In addition, deep sea exploration and mining will soon
give access to the rare minerals on the ocean floor. There are, therefore, two reasons why it
may become necessary to learn to live in the sea. First, we might need some of its immense
area for living space. Second, we might need to make use of the resources that lie in its
depths. There are already a number of proposals and experiments that may help to achieve
these goals.
2 Aquapolis is one such proposal. In the early 1970s, the Japanese began the construction of
Aquapolis on the main Japanese island of Honshu. It is a prototype of futuristic floating
cities that are designed to run on wind and tidal energy. It uses a biological waste-water
system which disposes of sewage by means of a species of green algae known as chlorella,
rather than by chemical means.
3 The time may come when floating cities, such as Aquapolis, exist not only as permanent
extensions of land-based habitats but also as free-floating platforms. These would drift from
continent to continent across the deep oceans. Such cities would permit deep sea miners
and their families to live near their workplaces on the ocean floor, but at the same time,
miners working on the ocean bottom would face a set of problems. One such problem
would be the enormous pressure that is exerted by the ocean at great depths. Another
would be the lack of easy access to air.
4 To study these difficulties, and to test human adaptability to life beneath the sea, scientists
have been carrying out several experiments within the last century. The first of these was
the building of Conshelf I. In 1962, a team, directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, remained in
this habitat at a depth of ten meters in the Mediterranean Sea for seven days. The results of
this experiment led to the building of Conshelf II, where five oceanauts lived successfully at
11 meters. Data from these experiments made possible the construction of Conshelf III in
1964, when two men lived at a depth of 132 meters for 48 hours. In the same year The
United States Navy tested Sealab I, in which four men lived at a depth of nearly 60 meters
for nine days. They found the environment comfortable at a temperature of 29 degrees
Celsius and a relative humidity of 72 percent. From these experiments, scientists learned
that daily swimming at these depths caused oceanauts to show symptoms of stress.
5 In spite of minor drawbacks, those experiments have proved the possibility of living in the
sea. Their success has encouraged the architect Warren Chalk to design an entire
underwater city, which would make maximum use of space, and would enable entire
human populations to live safely and comfortably far beneath the sea for long periods.
6 Obviously, deep-sea living has its physical dangers and psychological drawbacks, like being
in isolation. Nevertheless, due to the necessity of meeting our primary requirements, we
may have to build underwater cities that may even be connected by advanced systems of
communication and transportation. Perhaps our children will live in what futurist Alvin
Toffler calls "the New Atlantis."
1. What are our two primary requirements that may have to make us build underwater cities
according to para. 1?
a)____________________________________________________________________________
b)____________________________________________________________________________
2. What type of a city did the Japanese construct in the early 1970s?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. What does Aquapolis’ waste-water system use for the disposal of sewage?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. According to para. 3, what would make life difficult for people that live on the ocean floor?
a)____________________________________________________________________________
b)____________________________________________________________________________
5. What was Conshelf II according to para. 4?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. What is the effect of daily swimming at great depths according to para. 4?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
7. What leads oceanauts to suffer from stress according to para. 4?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
8. What made Warren Chalk decide to design an underwater city?
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
9. How can humans be affected psychologically if they live deep under the sea according to
para. 6?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Text2. Read the text below, and answer the questions that follow.
Have you ever heard the term “to walk in somebody else’s shoes”? When you walk in
someone’s shoes, you can feel how s/he feels. This is what we call empathy, and it is
something we all need to learn.
1 Empathy is the ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of others. Those with high
levels of empathy are good at understanding a situation from another person’s perspective.
It is important to remember the difference between sympathy and empathy, as the two are
often confused. The former means feeling sorry for another person, without really
understanding what it is like to be in their situation, and the latter means the capacity or
ability to imagine oneself in the situation of another, experiencing the feelings, ideas, or
opinions of that person.
What are some of the more scientific explanations for empathy?
2 One explanation of the mechanisms of empathy is related to the Mirror Neuron System.
Recently, researchers have discovered a group of brain cells (neurons) that are responsible
for feeling empathy. These cells, known as mirror neurons, make it possible to share one
another’s feelings. Some people have more active mirror neurons, so they are affected more
by others’ feelings. How does all this happen? Events that we see make our mirror neurons
active. For example, when a family member gets hurt, we feel hurt, too. When our child is
crying, we feel sad as well, and when our friend is happy, we also feel happy. The mirror
neuron theory helps to explain empathy, but not completely. For instance, it does not
explain how someone would feel the feelings of their loved ones who are far away.
3 Another explanation is related to the fact that both the brain and the heart produce
electromagnetic fields. These fields carry information about people’s thoughts and feelings.
Empathetic people may be more open to the effect of these fields. Noticing negative feelings
may cause them to feel bad, particularly when there is nothing they can do to help. The
experience of empathy can also be a happy experience because just like the negative, the
positive can be picked up as well. When empathetic people feel other people’s love,
happiness, care, and other such feelings, they have a very strong positive experience.
Empathy in the workplace
4 The ability to connect with others is very important to our
lives, both personally and professionally. Showing
empathy in the workplace improves communication in
general and can lead to more effective communication and
positive results, both at home and at work.
5 It is very important for companies to find effective managers and leaders who can move
their organization forward during both good and challenging times. The ability to carry the
company further requires improving the most important skills for success. One of those skills
is empathy. Displaying empathetic leadership can take many shapes and forms. The Center
for Creative Leadership’s researchers recommend leaders take the following four steps to
show greater empathy in the workplace.
Four Ways to Show More Empathetic Leadership
I. ______________________________
6 Empathetic managers must be good listeners, and they must use active listening techniques.
They must let others know that they are being heard, and show understanding of worries
and problems. When a manager is a good listener, people feel respected, and a feeling of
trust in the team can grow. To show the highest levels of empathy in the workplace,
managers should focus on listening to hear the meaning behind what others are saying. They
should pay attention to not only the words, but also other signs, such as tone of voice,
mimics, and gestures.
II. ______________________________
7 Work burnout is a real problem today, and it comes at greater risk during times of too much
stress and pressure. Many people are stressed because they put in more work hours than
ever before and find it difficult to separate their work and home life. Managers who are
skilled at empathetic leadership are able to perceive signs of overwork in others before
burnout becomes a problem. This might mean taking a few extra minutes each week to
check in with team members and see how they’re handling their workload and helping them
to recover from overwork.
III. ______________________________
8 Part of managing with empathy involves working to understand the unique needs and goals
of each team member. Team members who see that their manager recognizes them in this
way are more engaged and willing to put in extra effort. Then, the manager can match
specific pieces of work to the employees’ goals. This would definitely increase employees’
happiness at work.
IV. ______________________________
9 Lines between work and personal life are disappearing. Empathetic leaders understand that
their team members are dynamic individuals who may have personal problems at home at
times. Good managers recognize that it is part of their role to lead and support those team
members when they need it most. Keeping open lines of communication is a good way
to improve psychological health and help team members feel comfortable sharing when it is
necessary.
A. Skim the article, and match the article’s missing subheadings to the sections. There are two
extra subheadings.
a. Watch for signs that show whether the staff are exhausted or not
b.Try to discover what each staff member needs and aims to do
c. Try to find out how satisfied the staff members are
d.Show that you are ready to listen to the personal issues of the employees
e. Learn how to listen actively by using all kinds of signs from the speaker
f. Train the employees about the importance of the work-life balance
B. Choose the best option.
1. According to para. 2, the mirror neuron theory ____.
a) helps us understand how we feel what distant people feel
b) can explain why some people feel more empathy than others
c) has been around for a long time to explain why people feel empathy
2. According to para. 3, empathetic people ____.
a) can protect themselves from electromagnetic fields better than others
b) do not notice negative signs when there is nothing that they can change
c) may feel positive from the effect of the electromagnetic fields that people produce
3. The writer clearly states that ____.
a) improving empathy at home will produce positive results at work
b) the ability to connect with others means more to our personal life than business life
c) empathy is necessary for the progress of a company
4. According to para. 6, managers ____.
a) should not focus on words as they may not get their meaning right
b) feel that they are respected when they are listened to by their employees
c) should look for hidden meanings of the words that they hear
5. “perceive” in para. 7 probably means ____.
a) to fix
b) to recognize
c) to send
6. Which of the following is not among the suggestions or advice in this article?
a) Managers should encourage employees to get psychological help when they need it.
b) Managers can give certain pieces of work to certain employees according to their goals.
c) Managers may find it helpful to check how the staff feel about their workload.