Reading Comprehension - Test - 10

Passage # 1:

Decades before the American Revolution of 1776, Jesse Fish, a native New Yorker, retreated to an island off St. Augustine, Florida, to escape an unpleasant family situation. In time he became Florida's first orange producer. His oranges were in great demand in London throughout the 1770's. The English found them juicy and sweet and preferred• them to other varieties, even though they had thin skins and were hard to peel.

There would probably have been other successful commercial growers before Fish if Florida had not been under Spanish rule for around two hundred years. Columbus first brought seeds for citrus trees to the New World and planted them in the Antilles. But it was most likely Ponce de Leon who introduced oranges to the North American continent when he discovered Florida in 1513. For a time, each Spanish sailor on a ship bound for America was required by law to carry one hundred seeds with him. Later, because seeds tended to dry out, all Spanish ships were required to carry young orange trees. The Spaniards planted citrus trees only for medicinal purposes, however. They saw no need to start commercial groves because oranges were so abundant in Spain.

1. What is the main topic of the passage?

    A. The role of Florida in the American Revolution

    B. The discovery of Florida by Ponce de Leon in 1513

    C. The history of the cultivation of oranges in Florida

    D. The popularity of Florida oranges in London in the 1770's

2. Jesse Fish went to Florida to

    A. grow oranges commercially

    B. buy an island off St. Augustine

    C. get away from his family

    D. New York

3. Oranges were most probably introduced to Florida by

    A. Jesse Fish

    B. Ponce de Leon

    C. Columbus

    D. British sailors

4. According to the passage, Florida oranges were valued by the Spanish primarily

    A. as a medium of exchange.

    B. for their unusual seeds.

    C. for their medical use.

    D. as a source of food for sailors.

5. The Spaniards did not grow oranges commercially in the New World because

    A. oranges tended to dry out during shipping.

    B. Florida was very small.

    C. there was no great demand for oranges in Europe.

    D. oranges were plentiful in their home country.

Passage # 2:

The success of communications satellite systems has raised widespread concern about future. Some countries are already using satellites for domestic communications in place of conventional telephone lines on land. Although this technique is extremely useful for linking widely scattered villages in remote or mountainous regions, in heavily built up areas where extensive telephone and telegraph systems already exist, domestic satellites (or "domsats") are seen by the land-line networks as unfair competition. Despite such opposition, domsats are gaining support from many businesses and public interest groups in the United States and seem likely to be more widely utilized in the future.

6. The passage mentions which of the following as a major advantage of domstas?

    A. They are inexpensive to operate.

    B. They easily connect distant points.

    C. They can be directed by remote control.

    D. They can be built to be very light.

7. According to the passage, the use of domsats is especially valuable for which of the following?

    A. Mountain areas

    B. Busy cities

    C. Small countries

    D. Private business

8. Who objects to the use of domsats?

    A. Managers of international business groups

    B. People in small villages.

    C. Operators of conventional communications systems

    D. Large public interest groups

Passage # 3:

Allelomimetic behavior may be defined as behavior in which two or more individual animals do the same thing, with some degree of mutual stimulation and coordination.

In birds, allelomimetic behavior is the rule rather than the exception, though it may occasionally be limited to particular seasons of the year as it is in the redwing black bird. Its principal function is that of providing safety from predators, partly because the flock can rely on many pairs of eyes to watch for enemies, and partly because if one bird reacts to danger, the whole flock is warned.

Among mammals, allelomimetic behavior is very rare in rodents, which almost never move in flocks or herds. Even when they are artificially crowded together, they do not conform in their movements. On the other hand, such behavior is a major system among large hoofed mammals such as sheep.

9. According to the passage, the primary function of allelomimetic behavior in birds is to

    A. defends nests against predators.

    B. look at each other

    C. locates prey.

    D. warn others of predators

10. According to the passage, what happens to the behavior of rodents when they are artificially crowded together?

    A. Their allelomimetic behavior increases.

    B. Continuous cooperation between them is maintained.

    C. They become aggressive and attack each other.

    D. They show little allelomimetic behavior.

ANSWERS
Question	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Answer	C	C	B	C	D	B	A	C	D	D

Reading Comprehension - Test - 9

Passage # 1:

During the Colonial period in American history, communication and trade were mostly conducted by ocean-going vessels sailing along the eastern seaboard. As farms and great estates developed inland, the rivers of the East became the main transportation routes for people and goods. The settlement of the West brought the Mississippi River system into the national transportation network, and eventually the steamboat made the Mississippi the foremost inland carrier of all. With the introduction of the steamboat to Mississippi waters by Robert Fulton in1811, transportation time and costs were greatly reduced. As technological improvements increased the speed at which boats could travel, particularly upstream, from one river port to another, operators were able to make a profit and greatly reduce rates at the same time. The steamboat also raised the volume of goods exchanged between the South and the rapidly-growing West Produce grown in the western states was transported quickly down to the levees of new Orleans for shipment overseas or for distribution by coastal vessels to the rest of the South and South west and even to the East. Most of the commodities from abroad were funneled into this booming port for shipment inland.

1. What is the main subject of the passage?

    A. The steamboat's contribution to American trade

    B. The commercial development of the port of New Orleans

    C. The growth of communication in early America

    D. he expansion of western trade routes

2. According to the passage, steamboat operators were able to make a profit as well as to reduce shipping rates because of the.

    A. low cost of fuel.

    B. speed of their steamboats.

    C. size of their steamboats .

    D. intense competition.

3. According to the passage, what was transported down the Mississippi River to New Orleans?

    A. Manufactured goods

    B. Agricultural products

    C. International commodities

    D. Shipbuilding supplies

4. It can be inferred from the passage that all of the following made a strong contribution to the growth of New Orleans as an important trading center EXCEPT

    A. the growth of population in the west

    B. the success of the steamboat

    C. nearby manufacturing facilities

    D. its location at the mouth of the Mississippi

5. The passage would most likely be assigned reading for courses in which of the following subjects?

    A. Management

    B. Agriculture

    C. Oceanography

    D. History

Passage # 2:

What makes it rain? Rain falls from clouds for the same reason anything falls to Earth. The Earth's gravity pulls it. But every cloud IS made of water droplets or ice crystals. Why doesn’t rain or snow fall constantly from all clouds? The droplets or Ice crystals in clouds are exceedingly small. The effect of gravity on them is minute. Air currents move and lift droplets so that the net downward displacement is zero, even though the droplets are in constantly moving.

6. What is the main topic of the passage?

    A. The mechanics of rain

    B. The climate of North America

    C. How gravity affects agriculture

    D. Type of clouds

7. Why don't all ice crystals in clouds immediately fall to earth?

    A. They are balanced by the pressure of rain droplets.

    B. The effect of gravity at high altitude is random.

    C. They are kept aloft by air currents.

    D. The heat from the sun's raves melts them.

Passage # 3:

A fully grown koala weighs about9 kilograms and its body is at most about 62 centimeters long. Its fur is thick and woolly, its limbs are long, and its toes are strongly clawed. On each front foot the two innermost digits can be opposed to the others like two thumbs, as can t-he innermost digits on each rear foot. It is this articulation, or moveable joint, that makes the koala a good climber. On the ground, to which it normally descends only to move from one tree to another, the koala goes on all four limbs. Most of the time it is in a tree intermittently sleeping and foraging among the leaves by day and at night.

8. The author of the passage indicates that a topic that will be discussed later in the article is the koala's

    A. migratory habits

    B. tendency to live in trees

    C. reproductive system

    D. ability to eat eucalyptus leaves

9. According to the passage, koalas are able to climb well because of

    A. the structure of their feet

    B. the sharpness of their claws

    C. the length of their bodies

    D. their weight relative to their size

10. The author compares the innermost digits on each of the koala's front feet to human

    A. toes

    B. Thumbs

    C. limbs

    D. fingernails

ANSWERS
Question	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Answer	A	B	B	C	D	A	C	D	A	B

Reading Comprehension - Test - 8

Passage # 1:

An alternative to the market system is administration control by some agency over all transaction. This agency will issue edicts or commands as to how much of each good and service should be produced, exchanged and consumed by each economic unit. Central planning may be one way of administering such an economy. The central planning drew up by the government shows the amounts of each commodity produced. by the various firms and allocated to different households for consumption. This is an example of a complete plan of production consumption and exchange for the whole economy.

In a traditional society production and consumption patterns are governed by tradition. Every person and place within the economic system is fixed by parentage, religion and custom.

1. According to the passage who has the greatest degree of control in an administered system?

    A. Individual households

    B. Small businesses

    C. Major corporations

    D. The government

2. Which of the following is not mentioned by the author as a criterion for determining a person's place In a traditional society.

    A. Family background

    B. Age

    C. Religious beliefs

    D. Custom

Passage # 2:

Fishing enthusiasts in the Midwest and New England are complaining about beaver dams that spoil streams for trout and, in the Southeast lumber companies object whenever the animals flood out valuable stands of commercial timber. But some beaver experts champion a more charitable view. Historically, they say, this creature's impact on the environment has been tremendously significant, and its potential as a practical conservation resource is receiving more and more attention.

When it comes to modifying the landscape in a major way, the beaver ranks second only to humans among all living creatures. "Some people think of the beaver the same way they think of the gypsy moth," said one scientist. "They think it just comes through and eats and destroys. What they don't understand is the fact that for centuries this animal has controlled the character of the forests and streams that it occupies."

3. From the passage, which of the following can be inferred about gypsy moths?

    A. They conserve resources.

    B. They build small dams. 

    C. They have a bad reputation.

    D. They eat fish.

4. According to the passage, lumber companies complain because beavers

    A. attract other large rodents

    B. ruin trout streams

    C. destroy too many buildings

    D. create floods in forests

5. According to the passage, which of the following cause the greatest changes in the environment?

    A. Humans

    B. Trout

    C. Gypsy moths

    D. Beavers

Passage # 3:

With the show• "Rodeo," Agnes de Mille had been an innovator in the world of ballet. But with the show "Oklahoma," she revolutionized the Broadway stage – brought to an end the dance line routine of high kicks and mechanized movement, and gave in its place dance and plot smoothly integrated where choreography would therefore actions. (Twenty-five years later, in March, 1968, a New Tunes article by theater critic Walter Kerr, headed, “in the beginning "Oklahoma" had a plot). It had to do with whether a boy would succeed in taking a girl to a picnic lunch. At the end of the first half this great issue was still unresolved, so unresolved that its emotional implications had to be danced out at great length in what remains the most exhilarating of dance ever devised for the United States musical comedy stage.”

The impact of Oklahoma was instantaneous. The song "Beautiful Morning" sounded out via radios, in restaurants, from cars passing on the highways and in shoeshine parlors. Full skirts of gingham patterns, street shoes made to look like ballet slippers, the ponytail hairdo, were the rage. The play ran for five years and nine weeks in New York City. A traveling road company played it for nine and a half years. It also toured abroad for several years. In 1955 it became a movie. A newly assembled all – star company was sent abroad by the State Department as representative of a part of United States culture.

As for Agnes de Mille, her days of giving recitals and losing 5300 to 51000 each time were over. She became the most sought–after choreographer on Broadway.

6. What is the author's main purpose in the passage?

    A. To explain the background of the song "Beautiful Morning"

    B. To compare Rodeo and Oklahoma!

    C. To describe Agnes de Mile’s success with Oklahoma!

    D. To discuss the fashions made popular by Oklahoma!

7. The author cites Walter Kerr because he was

    A. The composer of the music for Oklahoma!

    B. a dancer who performed with Agnes de Mille

    C. a critic who praised Agnes de Mile’s choreography

    D. The owner of The New York Times.

8. The expression "were the rage" could best be replaced by

    A. created chaos 

    B. made people crazed

    C. made people angry

    D. were very popular

9. According to the passage, Oklahoma was selected by the State Department to be performed abroad because it was

    A. considered rather revolutionary

    B. representative of an aspect of American life

    C. poorly received in New York City

    D. an inspiring love story

10. The passage implies that prior to Oklahoma! Agnes de Mille had given recitals that were

    A. popular comedy routines

    B. financially unsuccessful

    C. performed at picnics

    D. broadcast over the radio

ANSWERS
Question	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Answer	D	B	C	D	A	C	C	D	B	B

Reading Comprehension - Test - 7

Passage # 1:

From Boston to Los Angeles, from New York City to Chicago or to Dallas, museums are either planning building, or wrapping up wholesale expansion programs. These programs already have radically altered facades and floor plans or are expected to do so in the not-too-distant future.

In New York City alone, six major institutions have spread up and out into the air space and neighborhoods around them or are preparing to do so.

The reasons for this confluence of activity are complex, but one factor is a consideration everywhere –space. With collections expanding, with the needs and functions or museums changing, empty space has become a precious commodity.

Probably nowhere in the country is this truer than at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which has needed additional space for decades and which received its last significant facelift -ten years ago. Because of the space crunch, the Art Museum has become increasingly cautious in considering acquisitions and donations of art, in some cases passing up opportunities to strengthen its collections.

Deceasing – or selling off – works of art has taken on new importance because of the museum's space problems. And increasingly, curators have been forced to juggle gallery space, rotating one masterpiece into public view while another is sent to storage.

Despite the clear need for additional gallery and storage space, however, "the museum has no plan, no plan to break out of its envelope in the next fifteen years, according to Philadelphia Museum of Art's president.

1. This passage is mainly about the need for additional space in which of the following?

    A. A neighborhood museum

    B. The Boston Museum of Art

    C. Museums in the United States

    D. An aerospace museum

2. Which of the following is NOT cited in the passage as a reason why most museums need more space?

    A. Changing needs

    B. More curators

    C. Changing functions

    D. Enlarged collections

3. The author uses the word "facelift" to imply that the Philadelphia Museum of Art

    A. added portraits to its collection

    B. reduced its staff

    C. raised money for poor artists

    D. was remodeled

4. It can be inferred from the passage that the Philadelphia Museum of Art only shows

    A. its largest paintings

    B. a portion of its paintings

    C. paintings by American artist

    D. paintings it wants to sell

5. What has the Philadelphia Museum of art been obliged to do because of insufficient space?

    A. Hire fifteen curators to plan gallery displays

    B. Strengthen its collection through donations

    C. Be cautious in allowing the public to view its artwork

    D. Be selective in accepting additional artwork

Passage # 2:

Even stranger than the lianas are the epiphytes or the air plants. This large group includes orchids, cacti, aroids, bromeliads. They grow high in the trees without benefiting from soil. There are also non flowering lichens and mosses.

6. The paragraph preceding the passage most probably discussed,

    A. Hens

    B. Lianas

    C. Desert plants

    D. Tiny invertebrates

7. Which of the following is a type of epiphyte

    A. Aroid

    B. Ant

    C. Mosquito

    D. Liana

Passage # 3:

The first oil well was drilled by E. L Drake, a retired railroad conductor. In 1859 he began drilling in Titusville, Pennsylvania. The whole venture seemed so impractical and foolish that onlookers called it "Drake's Folly.” But when he had drilled down about 70 feet (21 meters), Drake struck oil. His well began to yield 20 barrels of crude oil a day.

News of Drake's success brought oil prospector to the scene. By the early 1860's these wildcatters were drilling for "black gold" all over western Pennsylvania. The boom rivaled the California gold rush of 1848 in its excitement and Wild West atmosphere. And it brought far more wealth to the prospectors than any gold rush.

Crude oil could be refined into many products and for some years kerosene continued to be the principal one. It was sold in grocery stores and door-to door. In the 1880's and 1890's refiners learned how to make other petroleum products such as waxes and lubricating oils. Back then, petroleum was not used to make gasoline or heating oil.

8. According to the passage, many people initially thought that E. L. Drake had made a mistake by

    A. going on a whaling expedition

    B. moving to Pennsylvania

    C. searching for oil

    D. retiring from his job

9. According to the passage, what is "black gold"?

    A. Whale oil

    B. Gold ore

    C. Stolen money

    D. Crude oil

10. Why does the author mention the California gold rush?

    A. To explain the need for an increased supply of gold

    B. To indicate the extent of United States mineral wealth

    C. To describe the mood when oil was first discovered

    D. To argue that gold was more valuable than oil

ANSWERS
Question	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Answer	C	B	D	B	D	B	A	C	D	C