Reading Comprehensive Exercise 1

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Part 1

Choose the correct answers to complete the following short passage.

My name is Hans. I (1)—- a mechanic. I (2)—- in London, I (3)—- a brother and a sister. My sister is a
university student. She (4)—- medicine. She is going to be a doctor. My brother doesn’t want (5)—- to
university. (6)—-he wants to be a mechanic like me. He comes and (7)—- me in my shop on Sundays. He
hasn’t finished his education yet. (8)—- his education, he is thinking of (9)—- with me. We will (10)—-
the business together.

1. A. is B. are C. am D. do

2. A. believe B. think C. arrive D. live

3. A. owns B. learn C. have D. study

4. A. teach B. to play C. studies D. uses

5. A. go B. goes C. went D. to go

6. A. Because B. Although C. Behind D. During

7. A. works B. helps C. is angry with D. shouts at

8. A. For B. Because C. After D. So

9. A. works D. worked C. to work D. working


10. A. run B. depart C. put D. wear

Part 2

Choose the correct answers to complete the following short passage.

We believe the Earth is about 4.6 billion years old. At percent, we are forced to look to other bodies in
the solar system for hints as to what the early history of the Earth was like. Studies of our moon,
Mercury, Mars, and the large satellites of Jupiter and Saturn have provided ample evidence that all
these large celestial bodies had formed. This same bombardment must have affected Earth as well. The
lunar record indicates that the rate of impacts decreased to its present low level about 4 billion years
ago. On Earth, subsequent erosion and crustal motions have obliterated the craters that must have
formed during this epoch.

Scientists estimate the Earth’s age by measuring the ratios of various radioactive elements in rocks. The
oldest Earth’s rocks tested thus far are about 3 1/3 billion years old. But no one knows whether these
are oldest rocks on Earth. Tests on rocks from the moon and on meteorites show that these are about
4.6 billion years old. Scientists believe that this is the true age of the solar system and probably the true
age of the Earth.

1. Inline 8, the word “obliterated” means.

A. created

B. destroyed

C. changed

D. erosion

2. According to this passage, how do scientists estimate the age of the Earth?

A. By measuring the ratios of radioactive elements in rocks.

B. By examining fossils

C. By studying sunspots
D. By examining volcanic activity

3. Scientists estimate the age of the Earth as …

A. 4 billion years old.

B. 3 1/3 billion years old.

C. 4.6 billion years old.

D. 6 billion years old.

4. Which of the following processes led to the obliteration of the craters formed by the bombardment of
the Earth by the celestial bodies?

A. Volcanic activity

B. Solar radiation

C. Gravity activity

D. Crustal motions

5. According to the passage, why are scientists forced to look at other bodies in the solar system to
determine the early history of the Earth?

A. Human alteration of the Earth.

B. Erosion and crustal motions.

C. Solar flares.

D. Deforestation and global warming.

Part 3

Read the passages and choose the correct options according to the readings.

Last summer, we decided to spend our vacation at the beach because the weather was very hot in the
mountains. The travel agent said that traveling by bus was the cheapest way, but we went by plane
because it was faster. We wanted to have more time to spend at the beach. The weather was beautiful
and we had a great time.

1. We decided to go to the beach because —-.

A. it was cheaper than going to the mountains

B. the travel agent said that it was the cheapest

C. of the hot weather in the mountains

D. we wanted to spend time at the beach

2. The bus was the —- way to travel.

A. best

B. easiest

C. cheapest

D. slowest

3. Travelling by plane was —- than by bus.

A. more fun

B. cheaper

C. expensive

D. faster

4. We —- our vacation.

A. hated

B. didn’t like

C. enjoyed

D. regretted
5. We had very —- weather during our vacation.

A. good

B. freezing

C. terrible

D. cold

Part 4

Read the passages and answer the follow-up questions according to the readings.

Section 1

Dear Melissa,

I hope you are well. Guess what! I am having a big party next week at my house and I am inviting all my
close friends. The theme of the party is going to be Harry Potter, so all must dress accordingly. You
would make a great witch! I need to let everyone know by Wednesday since I am throwing the party
next Saturday. Sam is going to decorate the house and my mother is going bake a cake and make lots of
food. There is going to be music and dancing as well. John is going to be the DJ. You can stay over at my
house. It’s going to be great! I hope to see you then.

Love,

Sarah

1. What kind of an organization is it?

A) It is a slumber party

B) It is a costume party
C) It is about making a cake

D) It is a dance party

2. When is the party?

A) It is a fancy dress party

B) On Wednesday

C) It is next Saturday

D) There is going to be music and dancing

3. Whose party is it?

A) It is Sarah’s party

B) It is Judy’s party

C) It is Sarah’s mother’s party

D) It is Harry Potter’s party

Section 2

Ryu : Hi Ken. Are you free tonight?

Ken: I think so. Why?

Ryu: Because there’s a new science-fiction movie at the theater. Would you like to see it?

Ken: No, thanks. I don’t like science-fictions.

Ryu: Oh… What about a comedy then? There’s one starring Adam Sandler.

Ken: I don’t know. I don’t really like his movies.

Ryu: What about a pop concert then?

Ken: Well, I am not into pop music.


Ryu: Oh, I understand now, it’s Thursday today and your favorite sitcom is on TV!

Ken: You know me very well Ryu… You are welcome to watch it with me.

Ryu: That’s a great idea! Let’s meet at your place at 7:30 then!

4. Ken doesn’t want to go to the movie theatre with Ryu, because —-.

A) he wants to be alone

B) he wants to go to a soccer match

C) he doesn’t like thrillers

D) he doesn’t want to miss his favourite TV show

5. Ken’s initial excuse not to go to the pop concert is that —-.

A) his favourite sitcom is on tonight

B) he is very busy tonight

C) he is fond of classical music

D) he is not interested in pop music

Part 5

Read the passages and answer the follow-up questions according to the readings.

Section 1

Dear Marcos,

Hi, my name is Rebecca and I am your new pen pal. I’m ten years old, and I live in Barcelona, Spain. I go
to the 4th grade in Saint Michael Elementary School. On weekdays, I get up at 6 o’clock. The school
starts at 7:30 in the morning. I have my lunch at the school cafeteria and I usually leave around 3:30 in
the afternoon. I am good at math, I also like history and geography but I my favorite subject is science. I
like playing basketball and soccer. I also play tennis, and I like swimming. On the weekends, I go to the
movie theater with my friends. We like action movies. I usually go to church with my parents on
Sundays.

Please write and tell me about you and your life. What’s your family like? What do you like doing in your
spare time?

I hope to hear from you soon.

Best wishes,

Rebecca

1. Which statement is correct?

A) Rebecca usually practices the drums on weekdays.

B) Rebecca is interested in Science.

C) Rebecca has got a music group at school.

D) Rebecca and his friends like watching thrillers.

2. Which one of the following questions you cannot answer?

A) What time does Rebecca get up on weekdays?

B) Which school subjects does Rebecca like?

C) What music types does Rebecca like?

D) Where does Rebecca eat her lunch?

3. Which of the following statements is incorrect?

A) Rebecca likes playing badminton.

B) Rebecca usually goes to the movie theatre on the weekends.

C) Rebecca is interested in History and Geography.


D) Rebecca wants to be in contact with Marcos.

Section 2

Hi, my name’s Aldo. I love football, I am a great fan of AC Milan. I have also been interested in cars since
I was a child. I’m crazy about driving and I also enjoy fixing cars. When I was ten, I had many toy cars. I
would play with them, repair the ones my friends broke. I also used to help my dad fix his car. So,
eventually I decided to become a mechanic and open up my own shop. My parents are happy with my
choice, too. They think it’s important that I pursue a carrier that I like. I have a bright career now and I
really enjoy it. I’m planning to get married soon. My girlfriend is also interested in cars. Who knows,
maybe we can run the car shop together with our kids in the future.

4. Aldo has been interested in cars since —-.

A) 2007

B) he was born

C) his started driving

D) very young age

5. What would be the best “title” for this paragraph?

A) Aldo’s career choice

B) Cars in our life

C) Aldo and AC Milan

D) Aldo and his friends

Part 6

Read the passages and answer the follow up questions according to the readings.

Section 1
Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content is conveyed
to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the lyrics. By
contrast, in musical theater an actor’s dramatic performance is primary, and the music plays a lesser
role. The drama in opera is presented using the primary elements of theater such as scenery, costumes,
and acting. However, the words of the opera, or libretto, are sung rather than spoken. The singers are
accompanied by a musical ensemble ranging from a small instrumental ensemble to a full symphonic
orchestra.

1. It is pointed out in the reading that opera —-.

A) has developed under the influence of musical theatre

B) is a drama sung with the accompaniment of an orchestra

C) is not a high-budget production

D) is often performed in Europe

E) is the most complex of all the performing arts

2. We can understand from the reading that —-.

A) people are captivated more by opera than musical theatre

B) drama in opera is more important than the music

C) orchestras in operas can vary considerably in size

D) musical theatre relies above all on music

E) there is an argument over whether the music is important or the words in opera

3. It is stated in the reading that —-.

A) acting and costumes are secondary to music in musical theatre

B) many people find musical theatre more captivating than opera

C) music in musical theatre is not as important as it is in opera

D) an opera requires a huge orchestra as well as a large choir

E) opera doesn’t have any properties in common with musical theatre


Section 2

Dolphins are regarded as the friendliest creatures in the sea and stories of them helping drowning
sailors have been common since Roman times. The more we learn about dolphins, the more we realize
that their society is more complex than people previously imagined. They look after other dolphins
when they are ill, care for pregnant mothers and protect the weakest in the community, as we do. Some
scientists have suggested that dolphins have a language but it is much more probable that they
communicate with each other without needing words. Could any of these mammals be more intelligent
than man? Certainly the most common argument in favor of man’s superiority over them that we can
kill them more easily than they can kill us is the least satisfactory. On the contrary, the more we discover
about these remarkable creatures, the less we appear superior when we destroy them.

4. It is clear from the passage that dolphins —-.

A) don’t want to be with us as much as we want to be with them

B) are proven to be less intelligent than once thought

C) have a reputation for being friendly to humans

D) are the most powerful creatures that live in the oceans

E) are capable of learning a language and communicating with humans

5. The fact that the writer of the passage thinks that we can kill dolphins more easily than they can kill us
—-.

A) means that they are better adapted to their environment than we are

B) shows that dolphins have a very sophisticated form of communication

C) proves that dolphins are not the most intelligent species at sea

D) does not mean that we are superior to them

E) proves that Dolphins have linguistic skills far beyond what we previously thought

6. One can infer from the reading that —-.


A) dolphins are quite abundant in some areas of the world

B) communication is the most fascinating aspect of the dolphins

C) dolphins have skills that no other living creatures have such as the ability to think

D) it is not usual for dolphins to communicate with each other

E) dolphins have some social traits that are similar to those of humans

Section 3

Naval architects never claim that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry
Estonia in the Baltic surely should have never have happened. It was well designed and carefully
maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It had been thoroughly inspected the day of its
fatal voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so
quickly that most of those on board, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, had no chance to save
themselves: Of those who managed to scramble overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of
hypothermia before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea. The final death toll amounted to
912 souls. However, there were an unpleasant number of questions about why the Estonia sank and
why so many survivors were men in the prime of life, while most of the dead were women, children and
the elderly.

7. One can understand from the reading that —-.

A) the lifesaving equipment did not work well and lifeboats could not be lowered

B) design faults and incompetent crew contributed to the sinking of the Estonia ferry

C) 139 people managed to leave the vessel but died in freezing water

D) naval architects claimed that Estonia was unsinkable

E) most victims were trapped inside the boat as they were in their cabins

8. It is clear from the passage that the survivors of the accident —-.

A) helped one another to overcome the tragedy that had affected them all

B) were mostly young men but women, children and the elderly stood little chance
C) helped save hundreds of lives

D) are still suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder

E) told the investigators nothing about the accident

9. According to the passage, when Estonia sank, —-.

A) there were only 139 passengers on board

B) few of the passengers were asleep

C) there were enough lifeboats for the number of people on board

D) faster reaction by the crew could have increased Estonia’s chances of survival

E) all the passengers had already moved out into the open decks

Section 4

Erosion of America’s farmland by wind and water has been a problem since settlers first put the prairies
and grasslands under the plow in the nineteenth century. By the 1930s, more than 282 million acres of
farmland were damaged by erosion. After 40 years of conservation efforts, soil erosion has accelerated
due to new demands placed on the land by heavy crop production. In the years ahead, soil erosion and
the pollution problems it causes are likely to replace petroleum scarcity as the nation’s most critical
natural resource problem.

10. As we understand from the reading, today, soil erosion in America —-.

A) causes humans to place new demands on the land

B) is worse than it was in the nineteenth century

C) happens so slowly that it is hardly noticed

D) is the most critical problem that the nation faces

E) is worse in areas which have a lot of petroleum production


11. The author points out in the passage that erosion in America —-.

A) has damaged 282 million acres ever since settlers first put the prairies and grasslands under the
plough

B) has been so severe that it has forced people to abandon their settlements

C) occurs only in areas with no vegetation

D) can become a more serious problem in the future

E) was on the decline before the 1930s

12. It is pointed out in the reading that in America —-.

A) petroleum is causing heavy soil erosion and pollution problems

B) heavy crop production is necessary to meet the demands and to prevent a disaster

C) soil erosion has been hastened due to the overuse of farming lands

D) water is undoubtedly the largest cause of erosion

E) there are many ways to reduce erosion

Section 5

Many consider World War I to have been the first modern war, a total war where the civilian
populations were deliberately endangered as a direct tactic of war, which has continued in all
subsequent wars. While civilians have always died in wars, World War I made civilian casualties
accepted and commonplace, from, for example, aerial bombardment. All aspects of the societies
fighting were affected by the conflict, often causing profound social change, even if the countries were
not in the war zone.

13. It is stated in the reading that World War I —-.

A) caused a major depression in countries that were against killing civilians

B) introduced the killing of civilians as a method of warfare

C) is the bloodiest war in history


D) marked the end of the most peaceful period in modern history

E) was not the first war to be fought on a worldly scale

14. It is pointed out in the passage that —-.

A) the war’s economic impact was felt sharply in countries that were

close to the war zone

B) the aftermath of World War I brought more attempts to protect civilians in war

C) unlike all subsequent wars, World War I was worldwide

D) more civilians than soldiers were killed in World War I

E) the impact of World War I was felt even by the countries which were not close to the war fronts

15. We can understand from the passage that —-.

A) very few countries had designed or built aircraft specifically for war functions before World War I

B) World War I was not the first war in which civilians died

C) many consider World War I the defining moment of modern life

D) the aerial bombardment of civilians was, widely criticized

E) deaths in World War I usually resulted from mistake, accident, or being too close to a military target

Section 6

In the 1920s, new technology allowed filmmakers to attach to each film a soundtrack of speech, music
and sound effects synchronized with the action on the screen. These sound films were initially
distinguished by calling them talking pictures, or talkies. The next major step in the development of
cinema was the introduction of color. While the addition of sound to film revolutionized the medium,
quickly driving out silent movies, color was adopted more gradually. The public was relatively indifferent
to color photography as opposed to black-and-white. But as color processes improved and became as
affordable as black-and-white film, more and more movies were filmed in color after the end of World
War II, as the industry in America came to view color an essential to attracting audiences in its
competition with television, which remained a black-and-white medium until the mid-60s. By the end of
the 1960s, color had become the norm for filmmakers.

16. We can understand from the passage that the introduction of sound films —-.

A) occurred at the time of the introduction of colour films

B) was not easy because it was not affordable

C) made colour movies a possibility on a commercial basis

D) was an important milestone in the film industry

E) was delayed until after the end of World War II

17. It is stated in the reading that —-.

A) the 1920s marked the end to the era of sound films

B) the transition to colour films was not as rapid as the transition to sound films

C) colour movies did not appear until the mid- 60s

D) television didn’t become popular until the mid-60s

E) colour TVs were expensive initially

18. One can understand from the passage that —-.

A) black-and-white films are still a wonderful source of entertainment

B) the film industry fell into a serious crisis after the end of World War II

C) the’ arrival of sound films ended the popularity of silent movies

D) the introduction of colour to movies didn’t help the movie industry in its competition with television

E) the public was indifferent to sound films

Section 7
Although there is a great deal of variation within each gender, on the average, men and women discuss
a surprisingly different range of topics. According to some studies, women and men ranging in age from
seventeen to eighty described the range of topics each discussed with friends of the same sex. Certain
topics were common to both men and women; work, movies, and television proved to be frequent
topics for both groups. The differences between men and women were more striking than the
similarities. Female friends spent much more time discussing personal and domestic subjects,
relationship problems, family, health and reproductive matters, weight, food and clothing. Men, on the
other hand, were more likely to discuss music, current events, sports and business. Women were more
likely to gossip about close friends and family. By contrast, men spent more time gossiping about sports
figures and media personalities. These differences can lead to frustration when men and women try to
converse with one another.

19. It is stated in the passage that women —-.

A) are unwilling to discuss personal subjects

B) are more interested in discussing relationship problems than are men

C) never talk about other men and women

D) don’t like gossiping about anything

E) discuss more important issues than men

20. According to the passage, men —-.

A) need to learn to communicate better

B) like talking about movies and television as much as women do

C) are not likely to gossip on anything

D) have no common topics with women

E) get frustrated more whenever they try to converse with women

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