PRACTICE TEST 30

October 1997

Question 1-7

Hotels were among the earliest facilities that bound the United States together. They

were both creatures and creators of communities, as well as symptoms of the frenetic

quest for community. Even in the first part of the nineteenth century, Americans were

Line already forming the habit of gathering from all corners of the nation for both public and

(5) private, business and pleasure purposes. Conventions were the new occasions, and

hotels were distinctively American facilities making conventions possible. The first

national convention of a major party to choose a candidate for President (that of the

National Republican party, which met on December 12, 1831, and nominated Henry

Clay for President) was held in Baltimore, at a hotel that was then reputed to be the

(10) best in the country. The presence in Baltimore of Barnum's City Hotel, a six-story

building with two hundred apartments, helps explain why many other early national

political conventions were held there.

In the longer run, too. American hotels made other national conventions not only

possible but pleasant and convivial. The growing custom of regularly assembling from

(15) afar the representatives of all kinds of groups - not only for political conventions, but

also for commercial, professional, learned, and avocational ones - in turn supported

the multiplying hotels. By mid-twentieth century, conventions accounted for over a

third of the yearly room occupancy of all hotels in the nation, about eighteen thousand

different conventions were held annually with a total attendance of about ten million

(20) persons.

Nineteenth-century American hotelkeepers, who were no longer the genial,

deferential "hosts" of the eighteenth-century European inn, became leading citizens.

Holding a large stake in the community, they exercised power to make it prosper. As

owners or managers of the local "palace of the public", they were makers and shapers

(25) of a principal community attraction. Travelers from abroad were mildly shocked by

this high social position.

1. The word "bound" in line 1 is closest in meaning to

(A) led (B) protected (C) tied (D) strengthened

2. The National Republican party is mentioned in line 8 as an example of a group

(A) from Baltimore (B) of learned people

3. The word "assembling" in line 14 is closest in meaning to

(A) announcing (B) motivating (C) gathering (D) contracting

4. The word "ones" in line 16 refers to

(A) hotels (B) conventions (C) kinds (D) representatives

5. The word "it" in line 23 refers to

(A) European inn (B) host (C) community (D) public

6. It can be inferred from the passage that early hotelkeepers in the United States were

(A) active politicians (B) European immigrants

7. Which of the following statements about early American hotels is NOT mentioned in the passage?

(A) Travelers from abroad did not enjoy staying in them.

(B) Conventions were held in them

(D) They were important to the community.

Question 8-17

Beads were probably the first durable ornaments humans possessed, and the

intimate relationship they had with their owners is reflected in the fact that beads are

among the most common items found in ancient archaeological sites. In the past, as

Line today, men, women, and children adorned themselves with beads. In some cultures

(5) still, certain beads are often worn from birth until death, and then are buried with their

owners for the afterlife. Abrasion due to daily wear alters the surface features of beads,

and if they are buried for long, the effects of corrosion can further change their

appearance. Thus, interest is imparted to the bead both by use and the effects of time.

Besides their wearability, either as jewelry or incorporated into articles of attire,

(10) beads possess the desirable characteristics of every collectible, they are durable,

portable, available in infinite variety, and often valuable in their original cultural

context as well as in today's market. Pleasing to look at and touch, beads come in

shapes, colors, and materials that almost compel one to handle them and to sort them.

Beads are miniature bundles of secrets waiting to be revealed: their history,

(15) manufacture, cultural context, economic role, and ornamental use are all points of

information one hopes to unravel. Even the most mundane beads may have traveled

great distances and been exposed to many human experiences. The bead researcher

must gather information from many diverse fields. In addition to having to be a

generalist while specializing in what may seem to be a narrow field, the researcher is

(20) faced with the problem of primary materials that have little or no documentation. Many

ancient beads that are of ethnographic interest have often been separated from their

original cultural context.

The special attractions of beads contribute to the uniqueness of bead research. While

often regarded as the "small change of civilizations", beads are a part of every culture,

(25) and they can often be used to date archaeological sites and to designate the degree of

mercantile, technological, and cultural sophistication.

8. What is the main subject of the passage?

(A) Materials used in making beads (B) How beads are made

9. The word "adorned" in line 4 is closest in meaning to

(A) protected (B) decorated (C) purchased (D) enjoyed

10. The word "attire" in line 9 is closest in meaning to

(A) ritual (B) importance (C) clothing (D) history

11. All of the following are given as characteristics of collectible objects EXCEPT

(A) durability (B) portability (C) value (D) scarcity.

12. According to the passage, all of the following are factors that make people want to touch beads
EXCEPT the

(A) shape (B) color (C) material (D) odor

13. The word "unravel" in line 16 is closest in meaning to

(A) communicate (B) transport (C) improve (D) discover

14. The word "mundane" in line 16 is closest in meaning to

(A) carved (B) beautiful (C) ordinary (D) heavy

15. It is difficult to trace the history of certain ancient beads because they

(A) are small in size

(B) have been buried underground

(D) are frequently lost

16. Knowledge of the history of some beads may be useful in the studies done by which of the following?

(A) Anthropologists (B) Agricultural experts

17. Where in the passage does the author describe why the appearance of beads may change?

(A) Lines 3-4 (B) Lines 6-8 (C) Lines 12-13 (D) Lines 20-22

Question 18-31

In the world of birds, bill design is a prime example of evolutionary fine-tuning.

Shorebirds such as oystercatchers use their bills to pry open the tightly sealed shells of

their prey; hummingbirds have stiletto-like bills to probe the deepest nectar-bearing

Line flowers; and kiwis smell out earthworms thanks to nostrils located at the tip of their

(5) beaks. But few birds are more intimately tied to their source of sustenance than are

crossbills. Two species of these finches, named for the way the upper and lower parts

of their bills cross, rather than meet in the middle, reside in the evergreen forests of

North America and feed on the seeds held within the cones of coniferous trees.

The efficiency of the bill is evident when a crossbill locates a cone. Using a lateral

(10) motion of its lower mandible, the bird separates two overlapping scales on the cone and

exposes the seed. The crossed mandibles enable the bird to exert a powerful biting

force at the bill tips, which is critical for maneuvering them between the scales and

spreading the scales apart. Next, the crossbill snakes its long tongue into the gap and

draws out the seed. Using the combined action of the bill and tongue, the bird cracks

(15) open and discards the woody seed covering action and swallows the nutritious inner kernel.

This whole process takes but a few seconds and is repeated hundreds of times a day.

The bills of different crossbill species and subspecies vary - some are stout and

deep, others more slender and shallow. As a rule, large-billed crossbills are better at

seeming seeds from large cones, while small-billed crossbills are more deft at

(20) removing the seeds from small, thin-scaled cones. Moreover, the degree to which cones

are naturally slightly open or tightly closed helps determine which bill design is the best.

One anomaly is the subspecies of red crossbill known as the Newfoundland

crossbill. This bird has a large, robust bill, yet most of Newfoundland's conifers

have small cones, the same kind of cones that the slender-billed white-wings rely on.

18. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The importance of conifers in evergreen forests

(B) The efficiency of the bill of the crossbill

(D) The different techniques birds use to obtain food

19. Which of the following statements best represents the type of "evolutionary fine-turning" mentioned in line 1?

(A) Different shapes of bills have evolved depending on the available food supply

(B) White - wing crossbills have evolved from red crossbills

(D) Several subspecies of crossbills have evolved from two species

20. Why does the author mention oystercatchers, hummingbirds, and kiwis in lines 2-4?

(A) They are examples of birds that live in the forest

(B) Their beaks are similar to the beak of the crossbill

(D) They are closely related to the crossbill

21. Crossbills are a type of

(A) shorebird (B) hummingbird (C) kiwi (D) finch

22. Which of the following most closely resembles the bird described in lines 6-8?

Unable to find options for this question

23. The word "which" in line 12 refers to

(A) seed (B) bird (C) force (D) bill

24. The word "gap" in line 13 is closest in meaning to

(A) opening (B) flower (C) mouth (D) tree

25. The word "discards" in line 15 is closest in meaning to

(A) eats (B) breaks (C) finds out (D) gets rid of

26. The word "others" in line 18 refers to

(A) bills (B) species (C) seeds (D) cones

27. The word "deft" in line 19 is closest in meaning to

(A) hungry (B) skilled (C) tired (D) pleasant

28. The word "robust" in line 24 is closest in meaning to

(A) strong (B) colorful (C) unusual (D) sharp

29. In what way is the Newfoundland crossbill an anomaly?

(A) It is larger than the other crossbill species

(B) It uses a different technique to obtain food

(D) It does not live in evergreen forests.

30. The final paragraph of the passage will probably continue with a discussion of

(A) other species of forest birds

(B) the fragile ecosystem of Newfoundland

(D) how the Newfoundland crossbill survives with a large bill

31. Where in the passage does the author describe how a crossbill removes a seed from its cone?

(A) The first paragraph (B) The second paragraph

Question 32-38

If you look closely at some of the early copies of the Declaration of Independence,

beyond the flourished signature of John Hancock and the other 55 men who signed it,

you will also find the name of one woman, Mary Katherine Goddard. It was she, a

Line Baltimore printer, who published the first official copies of the Declaration, the first

(5) copies that included the names of its signers and therefore heralded the support of all

thirteen colonies.

Mary Goddard first got into printing at the age of twenty-four when her brother

opened a printing shop in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1762. When he proceeded to

get into trouble with his partners and creditors, it was Mary Goddard and her mother

(10) who were left to run the shop. In 1765 they began publishing the Providence Gazette, a

weekly newspaper. Similar problems seemed to follow her brother as he opened

businesses in Philadelphia and again in Baltimore. Each time Ms. Goddard was

brought in to run the newspapers. After starting Baltimore's first newspaper, The

Maryland Journal, in 1773, her brother went broke trying to organize a colonial postal

(15) service. While he was in debtor's prison. Mary Katherine Goddard's name appeared on

the newspaper's masthead for the first time.

When the Continental Congress fled there from Philadelphia in 1776, it

commissioned Ms. Goddard to print the first official version of the Declaration of

Independence in January 1777. After printing the documents, she herself paid the post

(20) riders to deliver the Declaration throughout the colonies.

During the American Revolution, Mary Goddard continued to publish Baltimore's

only newspaper, which one historian claimed was "second to none among the

colonies". She was also the city's postmaster from 1775 to 1789 - appointed by

Benjamin Franklin - and is considered to be the first woman to hold a federal position.

32. With which of the following subjects is the passage mainly concerned?

(A) The accomplishments of a female publisher

(B) The weakness of the newspaper industry

(D) The publishing system in colonial America

33. Mary Goddard's name appears on the Declaration of Independence because

(A) she helped write the original document (B) she published the document

34. The word "heralded" in line 5 is closest in meaning to

(A) influenced (B) announced (C) rejected (D) ignored

35. According to the passage, Mary Goddard first became involved in publishing when she

(A) was appointed by Benjamin Franklin (B) signed the Declaration of Independence.

36. The word "there" in line 17 refers to

(A) the colonies (B) the print shop (C) Baltimore (D) Providence

37. It can be inferred from the passage that Mary Goddard was

(A) an accomplished businesswoman (B) extremely wealthy

38. The word "position" in line 24 is closest in meaning to

(A) job (B) election (C) document (D) location

Question 39-50

Galaxies are the major building blocks of the universe. A galaxy is giant family of

many millions of stars, and it is held together by its own gravitational field. Most of the

material universe is organized into galaxies of stars together with gas and dust.

Line There are three main types of galaxy: spiral, elliptical, and irregular. The Milky

(5) Way is a spiral galaxy, a flattish disc of stars with two spiral arms emerging from its

central nucleus. About one-quarter of all galaxies have this shape. Spiral galaxies are

well supplied with the interstellar gas in which new stars form: as the rotating spiral

pattern sweeps around the galaxy it compresses gas and dust, triggering the formation

of bright young stars and in its arms. The elliptical galaxies have a symmetrical elliptical or

(10) spheroidal shape with no obvious structure. Most of their member stars are very old

and since ellipticals are devoid of interstellar gas, no new stars are forming in them.

The biggest and brightest galaxies in the universe are ellipticals with masses of about

1013 times that of the Sun, these giants may frequently be sources of strong radio

emission, in which case they are called radio galaxies. About two-thirds of all galaxies

(15) are elliptical. Irregular galaxies comprise about one-tenth of all galaxies and they come

in many subclasses.

Measurement in space is quite different from measurement on Earth. Some

terrestrial distances can be expressed as intervals of time, the time to fly from one

continent to another or the time it takes to drive to work, for example. By comparison

(25) with these familiar yardsticks, the distances to the galaxies are incomprehensibly large,

but they too are made more manageable by using a time calibration, in this case the

distance that light travels in one year. On such a scale the nearest giant spiral galaxy,

the Andromeda galaxy, is two million light years away. The most distant luminous

objects seen by telescopes are probably ten thousand million light years away. Their

(30) light was already halfway here before the Earth even formed. The light from the nearby

Virgo galaxy set out when reptiles still dominated the animal world.

39. The word "major" in line 1 is closest in meaning to

(A) intense (B) principal (C) huge (D) unique

40. What does the second paragraph mainly discuss?

(A) The Milky Way

(B) Major categories of galaxies

(D) Differences between irregular and spiral galaxies

41. The word "which" in line 7 refers to

(A) dust (B) gas (C) pattern (D) galaxy

42. According to the passage, new stars are formed in spiral galaxies due to

(A) an explosion of gas (B) the compression of gas and dust

43. The word "symmetrical" in line 9 is closest in meaning to

(A) proportionally balanced (B) commonly seen

44. The word "obvious" in line 10 is closest in meaning to

(A) discovered (B) apparent (C) understood (D) simplistic

45. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true of elliptical galaxies?

(A) They are the largest galaxies.

(B) They mostly contain old stars.

(D) They have a spherical shape.

46. Which of the following characteristics of radio galaxies is mentioned in the passage?

(A) They are a type of elliptical galaxy.

(B) They are usually too small to be seen with a telescope.

(D) They are not as bright as spiral galaxies.

47. What percentage of galaxies are irregular?

(A) 10% (B) 25% (C) 50% (D) 75%

48. The word "they" in line 21 refers to

(A) intervals (B) yardsticks (C) distances (D) galaxies

49. Why does the author mention the Virgo galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy in the third paragraph?

(A) To describe the effect that distance has no visibility.

(B) To compare the ages of two relatively young galaxies.

(D) To explain why certain galaxies cannot be seen by a telescope.

50. The word "dominated" in line 26 is closest in meaning to

(A) threatened (B) replaced

PRACTICE TEST 31

December 1997

Questions 1-10

Before the mid-1860's, the impact of the railroads in the United States was limited,

in the sense that the tracks ended at the Missouri River, approximately the centers of the

country. At that point the trains turned their freight, mail, and passengers over to

Line steamboats, wagons, and stagecoaches. This meant that wagon freighting, stagecoaching

(5) and steamboating did not come to an end when the first train appeared; rather they

became supplements or feeders. Each new "end-of-track" became a center for animaldrawn

or waterborne transportation. The major effect of the railroad was to shorten the

distance that had to be covered by the older, slower, and more costly means. Wagon

freighters continued operating throughout the 1870's and 1880's and into the 1890's,

(10) although over constantly shrinking routes, and coaches and wagons continued to

crisscross the West wherever the rails had not yet been laid.

The beginning of a major change was foreshadowed in the later 1860's, when the

Union Pacific Railroad at last began to build westward from the Central Plaints city of

Omaha to meet the Central Pacific Railroad advancing eastward form California through

(15) the formidable barriers of the Sierra Nevada. Although President Abraham Lincoln

signed the original Pacific Railroad bill in 1862 and a revised, financially much more

generous version in 1864, little construction was completed until 1865 on the Central

Pacific and 1866 on the Union Pacific. The primary reason was skepticism that a

railroad built through so challenging and thinly settled a stretch of desert, mountain,

(20) and semiarid plain could pay a profit. In the words of an economist, this was a case of

"premature enterprise", where not only the cost of construction but also the very high

risk deterred private investment. In discussing the Pacific Railroad bill, the chair of the

congressional committee bluntly stated that without government subsidy no one would

undertake so unpromising a venture; yet it was a national necessity to link East and

(25) West together.

1. The author refers to the impact of railroads before the late 1860's as "limited" because

(A) the tracks did not take the direct route from one city to the next

(B) passenger and freight had to transfer to other modes of transportation to reach western destinations

(D) railroad travel was quite expensive

2. The word "they" in line 5 refers to

(A) tracks (B) trains

3. The word "supplements" in line 6 is closest in meaning to

(A) extensions (B) reformers (C) dependents (D) influences

4. What can be inferred about coaches and wagon freighters as the railroads expanded?

(A) They developed competing routes.

(B) Their drivers refused to work for the railroads.

(D) They were not used as much as before.

5. The word "crisscross" in line 11 is closest in meaning to

(A) lead the way (B) separate

6. Why does the author mention the Sierra Nevada in line 15?

(A) To argue that a more direct route to the West could have been taken

(B) To identify a historically significant mountain range in the West

(D) To give an example of an obstacle face by the Central Pacific

7. The word "skepticism" in line 18 is closest in meaning to

(A) doubt (B) amazement (C) urgency (D) determination

8. The Pacific railroads were considered a "premature enterprise" (line 21) because

(A) the technology of railroad cars was not fully developed

(B) there was not enough wood and steel for the tracks

(D) there were insufficient numbers of trained people to operate them

9. The word "subsidy" in line 23 is closest in meaning to

(A) persuasion (B) financing (C) explanation (D) penalty

10. Where in the passage does the author give example of geographical challenges to railroad construction?

(A) Lines 4-6 (B) Lines 8-11 (C) Lines 18-20 (D) Lines 22-25

Questions 11-22

Humanity's primal efforts to systematize the concepts of size, shapes, and number

are usually regarded as the earliest mathematics. However, the concept of number and

the counting process developed so long before the time of recorded history (there is

Line archaeological evidence that counting was employed by humans as far back as 50,000

(5) years ago) that the manner of this development is largely conjectural. Imaging how it

probably came about is not difficult. The argument that humans, even in prehistoric

times, had some number sense, at least to the extent of recognizing the concepts of

more and less when some objects were added to or taken away from a small group,

seems fair, for studies have shown that some animal possess such a sense.

(10) With the gradual evolution of society, simple counting became imperative. A tribe

had to know how many members it had and how many enemies, and shepherd needed

to know if the flock of sheep was decreasing in size. Probably the earliest way of keeping

a count was by some simple tally method, employing the principle of one-to-one

correspondence. In keeping a count of sheep, for example, one finger per sheep could

(15) be turned under. Counts could also be maintained by making scratches in the dirt or on

a stone, by cutting notches in a piece of wood, or by tying knots in a string.

Then, perhaps later, an assortment of vocal sounds was developed as a word tally

against the number of objects in a small group. And still later, with the refinement of

writing, a set of signs was devised to stand for these numbers. Such an imagined

(20) development is supported by reports of anthropologists in their studies of present-day

societies that are thought to be similar to those of early humans.

11. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The efforts of early humans to care for herds of animals

(B) The development of writing

(D) Similarities in number sense between humans and animals

12. The word "conjectural" in line 5 is closest in meaning to

(A) complex (B) based on guessing

13. Why does the author mention animals in line 9?

(A) To support a theory about the behavior of early humans

(B) To identify activities that are distinctly human

(D) To establish that early human kept domesticated animals

14. The word "it" in line 11 refers to

(A) evolution (B) counting (C) tribe (D) shepherd

15. What is the basic principle of the tally method described in the second paragraph?

(A) The count is recorded permanently.

(B) Calculations provide the total count.

(D) Each marker represents a singly object.

16. The word "employing" in line 13 is closest in meaning to

(A) using (B) paying (C) focusing (D) hiring

17. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an early methods of counting?

(A) Cutting notches (B) Bending fingers

18. The word "maintained" in line 15 is closest in meaning to

(A) justified (B) asserted (C) located (D) kept

19. The word "assortment" in line 17 is closest in meaning to

(A) instrument (B) variety (C) surplus (D) symbol

20. It can be inferred that research in other academic fields relates to research in the author's field in which of the following ways?

(A) It contributes relevant information

(B) It is carried out on a simpler level.

(D) It causes misunderstandings if applied to the author's field.

21. Which of the following conclusions is supported by the passage?

(A) Counting processes did not develop until after writing became widespread.

(B) Early counting methods required herds of animals.

(D) Early humans first counted because of necessity.

22. Where in the passage does the author mention the ability of animals to recognized small and large groups?

(A) Lines 1-2 (B) Lines 6-9 (C) Lines 10-12 (D) Lines 17-18

Questions 23-31

As the merchant class expanded in the eighteenth-century North American colonies,

the silversmith and the coppersmith businesses rose to serve it. Only a few silversmiths

were available in New York or Boston in the late seventeenth century, but in the

Line eighteenth century they could be found in all major colonial cities. No other colonial

(5) artisans rivaled the silversmiths' prestige. They handled the most expensive materials

and possessed direct connections to prosperous colonies merchants. Their products,

primarily silver plates and bowls, reflected their exalted status and testified to their

customers' prominence.

Silver stood as one of the surest ways to store wealth at a time before neighborhood

(10) banks existed. Unlike the silver coins from which they were made, silver articles were

readily identifiable. Often formed to individual specifications, they always carried the

silversmith's distinctive markings and consequently could be traced and retrieved.

Customers generally secured the silver for the silver objects they ordered. They

saved coins, took them to smiths, and discussed the type of pieces they desired.

(15) Silversmiths complied with these requests by melting the money in a small furnace,

adding a bit of copper to form a stronger alloy, and casting the alloy in rectangular

blocks. They hammered these ingots to the appropriate thickness by hand, shaped

them, and pressed designs into them for adornment. Engraving was also done by hand.

In addition to plates and bowls, some customers sought more intricate products, such as

(20) silver teapots. These were made by shaping or casting parts separately and then

soldering them together.

Colonial coppersmithing also came of age in the early eighteenth century and

prospered in northern cities. Copper's ability to conduct heat efficiently and to resist

corrosion contributed to its attractiveness. But because it was expensive in colonial

(25) America, coppersmiths were never very numerous. Virtually all copper worked by

smiths was imported as sheets or obtained by recycling old copper goods. Copper was

used for practical items, but it was not admired for its beauty. Coppersmiths employed

it to fashion pots and kettles for the home. They shaped it in much the same manner as

silver or melted it in a foundry with lead or tin. They also mixed it with zinc to make

(30) brass for maritime and scientific instruments.

23. According to the passage, which of the following eighteenth-century developments had a strong impact on silversmiths?

(A) a decrease in the cost of silver

(B) the invention of heat-efficient furnaces

(D) the development of new tools used to shape silver

24. The word "They" in line 5 refers to

(A) silversmiths (B) major colonial cities

25. The word "exalted" in line 7 is closest in meaning to

(A) unusual (B) uncertain (C) surprising (D) superior

26. In colonial America, where did silversmiths usually obtain the material to make silver articles?

(A) From their own mines (B) From importers

27. The word "ingots" in line 17 refers to

(A) coins that people saved (B) blocks of silver mixed with copper

28. The phrase "came of age" in line 22 is closest in meaning to

(A) established itself (B) declined

29. The passage mentions all of the following as uses for copper in colonial America EXCEPT

(A) cooking pots (B) scientific instruments

30. According to the passage, silversmiths and coppersmiths in colonial America were similar in which of the following ways?

(A) The amount of social prestige they had

(B) The way they shaped the metal they worked with

(D) The practicality of goods they made

31. Based on the information in paragraph 4, which of the following was probably true about copper in the colonies?

(A) The copper used by colonists was not effective in conducting heat.

(B) The copper items created by colonial coppersmiths were not skillfully made.

(D) The price of copper suddenly decreased.

Questions 32-40

Fossils are the remains and traces (such as footprints or other marks) of ancient

plant and animal life that are more than 10,000 years old. They range in size from

microscopic structures to dinosaur skeletons and complete bodies of enormous animals.

Line Skeletons of extinct species of human are also considered fossils.

(5) An environment favorable to the growth and later preservation of organisms is

required for the occurrence of fossils. Two conditions are almost always present:

(1) The possession of hard parts, either internal or external, such as bones, teeth,

scales, shells, and wood; these parts remain after the rest of the organism has decayed.

Organisms that lack hard parts, such as worms and jelly fish, have left a meager

(10) geologic record. (2) Quick burial of the dead organism, so that protection is afforded

against weathering, bacterial action, and scavengers.

Nature provides many situations in which the remains of animals and plants are

protected against destruction. Of these, marine sediment is by far the most important

environment for the preservation of fossils, owing to the incredible richness of marine

(15) life. The beds of former lakes are also prolific sources of fossils. The rapidly

accumulating sediments in the channels, floodplains, and deltas of streams bury

fresh-water organisms, along with land plants and animals that fall into the water. The

beautifully preserved fossil fish from the Green River soil shale of Wyoming in the

western United States lived in a vast shallow lake.

(20) The frigid ground in the far north acts as a remarkable preservative for animal

fossils. The woolly mammoth, along-haired rhinoceros, and other mammals have been

periodically exposed in the tundra of Siberia, the hair and red flesh still frozen in cold

storage.

Volcanoes often provide environments favorable to fossil preservation. Extensive

(25) falls of volcanic ash and coarser particles overwhelm and bury all forms of life, from

flying insects to great trees.

Caves have preserved the bones of many animals that died in them and were

subsequently buried under a blanket of clay or a cover of dripstone. Predatory animals

and early humans alike sought shelter in caves and brought food to them to the eater,

(30) leaving bones that paleontologists have discovered.

32. The passage primarily discusses which of the following?

(A) Types of fossils found in different climates

(B) What is learned from studying fossils

(D) How fossils are discovered

33. The word "traces" in line 1 is closest in meaning to

(A) structures (B) importance (C) skeletons (D) imprints

34. All of the following facts about fossils are refereed to by the author (paragraph 1) EXCEPT the fact that they can be

(A) microscopically small (B) skeletons of human ancestors

35. The fossil fish from the Green River (paragraph 3) were probably preserved because they were

(A) in a deep lake (B) covered by sediment

36. The word "exposed" in line 22 is closest in meaning to

(A) photographed (B) uncovered (C) located (D) preserved

37. Which of the following is LEAST likely to be found as a fossil, assuming that all are buried rapidly?

(A) a dinosaur (B) a woolly mammoth

38. It can be inferred that a condition that favors fossilization when volcanic ash falls to Earth is

(A) quick burial (B) cold storage (C) high temperature (D) lack of water

39. The word "them" in line 29 refers to

(A) predatory animals (B) early humans (C) caves (D) bones

40. Which of the following is true of the environments in which fossil are found?

(A) Very different environments can favor fossilization.

(B) There are few environments in which fossils are protected.

(D) Environments that favor fossilization support large populations of animals.

Questions 41-50

A useful definition of an air pollutant is a compound added directly or indirectly

by humans to the atmosphere in such quantities as to affect humans, animals

vegetations, or materials adversely. Air pollution requires a very flexible definition

Line that permits continuous change. When the first air pollution laws were established in

(5) England in the fourteenth century, air pollutants were limited to compounds that could

be seen or smelled-a far cry from the extensive list of harmful substances known

today. As technology has developed and knowledge of the health aspects of various

chemicals has increased, the list of air pollutants has lengthened. In the future,

even water vapor might be considered an air pollutant under certain conditions.

(10) Many of the more important air pollutants, such as sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide,

and nitrogen oxides, are found in nature. As the Earth developed, the concentrations

of these pollutants were altered by various chemical reactions; they became components

in biogeochemical cycle. These serve as an air purification scheme by allowing the

compounds to move from the air to the water or soil on a global basis, nature's

(15) output of these compounds dwarfs that resulting form human activities. However, human

production usually occurs in a localized area, such as a city.

In this localized regions, human output may be dominant and may temporarily overload

the natural purification scheme of the cycle. The result is an increased concentration

of noxious chemicals in the air. The concentrations at which the adverse effects

(20) appear will be greater than the concentrations that the pollutants would have

in the absence of human activities. The actual concentration need not be large for a

substance to be a pollutant; in fact the numerical value tells us little until we know

how much of an increase this represents over the concentration that would occur

naturally in the area. For example, sulfur dioxide has detectable health effects at

(25) 0.08 parts per million (ppm), which is about 400 times its natural level. Carbon

monoxide, however, ahs a natural level of 0.1 ppm and is not usually a pollutant

until its level reaches about 15 ppm.

41. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The economic impact of air pollution

(B) What constitutes an air pollutant

(D) The effects of compounds added to the atmosphere

42. The word "adversely" in line 3 is closest in meaning to

(A) negatively (B) quickly (C) admittedly (D) considerably

43. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that

(A) water vapor is an air pollutant in localized areas

(B) most air pollutants today can be seen or smelled

(D) a substance becomes an air pollutant only in cities

44. The word "altered" in line 12 is closest in meaning to

(A) eliminated (B) caused (C) slowed (D) changed

45. Natural pollutants can play an important role in controlling air pollution for which of the following reasons?

(A) They function as part of a purification process.

(B) They occur in greater quantities than other pollutants.

(D) They have existed since the Earth developed.

46. According to the passage, which of the following is true about human-generated air pollution in localized regions?

(A) It can be dwarfed by nature's output of pollutants in the localized region.

(B) It can overwhelm the natural system that removes pollutants.

(D) It will react harmfully with naturally occurring pollutants.

47. The word "noxious' in line 19 is closest in meaning to

(A) harmful (B) noticeable (C) extensive (D) weak

48. According to the passage, the numerical valued of the concentration level of a substance is only useful if

(A) the other substances in the area are known

(B) it is in a localized area

(D) it can be calculated quickly

49. The word "detectable" in line 24 is closest in meaning to

(A) beneficial (B) special (C) measurable (D) separable

50. Which of the following is best supported by the passage?

(A) To effectively control pollution local government should regularly review their air pollution laws.

(B) One of the most important steps in preserving natural lands is to better enforce air pollution laws.

(D) Human activities have been effective in reducing air pollution.

GHÉT TRUNG QUỐC

Wednesday, 20 August 2014

Reading Coprehention 1

PRACTICE TEST 30

October 1997

PRACTICE TEST 31

December 1997