Read the text below and answer questions 33-39.
Ponce de Leon and the Fountain of Youth
People everywhere are interested in finding ways to avoid the effects of aging. Special di-
ets, exercise programs, and beauty treatments that promise to help people look and feel
young attract thousands of followers. And this interest is nothing new. Legends of youth-
giving waters have been around for centuries. The ancient Greeks wrote about a fountain
of youth. Alexander the Great supposedly went in search of one. And there are many
more examples. So it is no wonder that the adventures of the Spanish explorer, Ponce de
Leon, and his quest for the Fountain of Youth have long captured the public's imagina-
tion. It turns out, however, that the story of Ponce de Leon's search may be as imaginary
as the fountain itself.
Ponce de Leon was a Spanish explorer who traveled to the Americas with Christopher Co-
lumbus. He was also the first European to explore what is now the state of Florida, in 1513.
School children learn in history class that his travels through that area were motivated by
his search for the Fountain of Youth. According to legend, this was a magical spring that
bestowed eternal youth on anyone who bathed i or drank its ters. As nce .eon
explored the Florida Keys and journeyed up the west coast of Florida, he hoped at every
turn to stumble upon the source of these magical youth-giving waters. Or so the story
goes.
Although many people take the story of Ponce de Leon's quest for the Fountain of Youth
as historical fact, historians have long debated its truth. What is fact is that Ponce de
Leon was the first governor of the island of Puerto Rico, from 1509 to 1511. After he was
forced to give up this position in favor of Columbus' son, Diego, the Spanish king offered
him the governorship of the island of Bimini in compensation. Ponce de Leon set off in
search of Bimini but ended up landing on the coast of Florida instead. He spent some
time exploring the area before returning to Puerto Rico. Eight years later, he returned to
Florida and attempted to establish a colony. There he met his fate. Instead of finding the
waters that would give him eternal youth, he was shot and killed by a native.
In the years following the explorer's death, the story of his expeditions to Florida in
search of the Fountain of Youth was recorded by several writers and historians. Despite
this, there is no real evidence to back up the idea that Ponce de Leon was really looking
for the legendary waters. There is no record of it in any documents from Ponce de Leon's
lifetime, and he himself never mentioned it in his correspondence with the king about his
journeys. What seems more likely is that at least one of the writers, who was a political
friend of Ponce de Leon's rival, Diego Columbus, invented the story in order to make the
explorer look foolish. From there, the legend grew.
Public interest in the story did not take off until the early nineteenth century, when Ponce
de Leon became the subject of paintings and short stories. Then, the city of St. Augus-
tine, Florida claimed to be the site of the actual Fountain of Youth that Ponce de Leon
sought, and tourists began visiting the city to see the famous spring. Even though there
is no evidence that Ponce de Leon ever visited this part of Florida, visitors continue to
flock to St. Augustine, where they can see statues of the explorer and drink water from
the spring. They can also buy specially labeled bottles to fill with the spring water and
take home with them. And St. Augustine isn't the only city that says it has a "Fountain of
Youth." Several other Florida cities also make the claim. Despite the thousands of tour-
ists that visit these places annually, it appears that no one yet has succeeded in attaining
eternal youth.
TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
Questions 33-37
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?
In the spaces provided for questions 33-37, write
TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN
READING MODULE 105
if the statement agrees with the information
if the statement contradicts the information
if there is no information on this
33 Ponce de Leon was the first person in recorded history to seek a fountain of
youth.
34 Ponce de Leon first went to Florida after Columbus had explored
it.
35 Ponce de Leon was succeeded by Diego Columbus as governor of
Puerto Rico.
36 Ponce de Leon never found the island of Bimini.
37 Ponce de Leon died in Florida.
READING SKILLS-GENERAL TRAINING
This reaction is called displacement reaction in which the reactive element Iron, Fe has displaced less reactive Copper from its solution, The chemical equation can be written as: Fe+CuSO4→Cu+FeSO4.