reading toefl

READING COMPREHENSION

Text 1 (Questions 1-10)

The food we eat seems to have profound effects on our health. Although science has made enormous steps in making food more fit to eat, it has, at the same time, made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shown that perhaps eighty percent of all human illnesses are related to diet and forty percent of cancer is related to the diet as well, especially cancer of the colon. People of different cultures are more prone to contract certain illnesses because of the characteristic foods they consume.
That food is related to illness is not a new discovery. In 1945, government researches realized that nitrates and nitrites (commonly used to preserve color in meats) as well as other food additives caused cancer. Yet, these carcinogenic additives remain in our food, and it becomes more difficult all the time to know which ingredients on the packaging labels of processed food are helpful or harmful.
The additives that we eat are not all so direct. Farmers often give penicillin to cattle and poultry, and because of this, penicillin has been found in the milk of treated cows. Sometimes similar drugs are administered to animals not for medicinal purposes, but for financial reasons. The farmers are simply trying to fatten the animals in order to obtain a higher price on the market. Although the Food and Drug Administration has tried repeatedly to control these procedures, the practices continue.
A healthy diet is directly related to good health. Often we are unaware of detrimental substances we ingest. Sometimes well-meaning farmers or others who do not realized the consequences add these substances to food without our knowledge.


1. How has science done a disservice to people?
a) Because of science, disease cause by contaminated food has been virtually eradicated.
b) It has caused a lack of information concerning the value of food.
c) As a result of scientific intervention, some potentially harmful substances have been added to our foot.
d) The scientist have preserved the color of meats, but not of vegetables


2. The word “prone” in the first paragraph is nearest in meaning to
a) Supine
b) Unlikely
c) Healthy
d) Predisposed

3. What are nitrates used for?
a) They preserved flavor in packaged foods.
b) They preserved the color of meats.
c) They are the objects of research.
d) They cause the animals to become fatter.

4. FDA means
a) Food Direct Additives
b) Final Difficult Analysis
c) Food and Drug Administration
d) Federal Dairy Additives

5. The word “these” in the second paragraph refers to
a) Meats
b) Colors
c) Researches
d) Nitrates and nitrites

6. In the second paragraph, the word “carcinogenic” is closest in meaning to
a) Trouble-making
b) Color-retaining
c) Money-making
d) Cancer-causing

7. All of the following statements are true EXCEPT
a) Drugs are always given to animals for medical reasons
b) Some of the additives in our food are added to the food itself and some are given to the living animals
c) Researchers have known about the potential hazards of food additives for more than forty-five years
d) Food may cause forty percent of the cancer in the world

8. The word “additives” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to
a) Added substances
b) Dangerous substances
c) Natural substances
d) Benign substances

9. What is the best title for this passage?
a) Harmful and Harmless Substances in Food
b) Improving Health Through a Natural Diet
c) The Food You Eat Can Affect Your Health
d) Avoiding Injurious Substances in Food

10. In the first paragraph, the word “fit” is closest in meaning to
a) athletic
b) suitable
c) tasty
d) adaptable



Text 2 (Questions 11-20)

Interest is the sum charged for borrowing money for a fixed period of time. Principal is the term used for the money that is borrowed, and the rate of interest is the percent per year of the principal charged for its use. Most of the profits for a bank are derived from the interest that they charge for the use of their own or their depositors’ money.
All problems in interest may be solved by using one general equation that may be stated as follows:
Interest = Principal x Rate x Time
Any one of the four quantities-that is, interest, principal, rate or time-may be found when the other three are known. The time is expressed in years. The rate is expressed as a decimal fraction. Thus, 6 percent interest means six cents charged for the use of $1 of principal borrowed for one year. Although the time may be less than, equal to, or greater than one year, most applications for loans are for periods of less than one year. For purposes of computing interest for short periods, the commercial year or 360 days is commonly used, but when large sums of money are involved, exact interest is computed on the basis of 365 days.

11. With what topic is this passage primarily concerned?
a) Profits
b) Rate
c) Interest
d) Principal

12. The word “sum” in the first paragraph could best be replaced by
a) Amount
b) Institution
c) Customer
d) Formula

13. The word “fixed” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to
a) Definite
b) Short
c) Repeated
d) Trial

14. The word “its” in the first paragraph refers to
a) Principal
b) Percent
c) Rate
d) Interest

15. At 4 percent interest for the use of $1 principal, how much would one pay?
a) Six cents per year
b) Twenty-five cents per year
c) Four cents per year
d) One cents per year

16. Which of the following would be a correct expression of an interest rate as stated in the equation for computing interest?
a) Four
b) .04
c) 4
d) 4/100

17. Most applications for loans are for
a) one year
b) less than one year
c) more than one year
d) 360 days

18. The word “periods” in the last paragraph refers to
a) time
b) loans
c) applications
d) interest

19. A commercial year is used to compute
a) Exact interest
b) Interest on large sums of money
c) Interest on a large principal
d) Interest for short periods of time

20. Which of the following is the best definition of interest?
a) Money borrowed
b) Rate x Time
c) A fee paid for the use of money
d) The number of years a bank allows a borrower in order to repay a loan

Text 3 (Questions 21-30)

Although most universities in the United States are on a semester system, which offers classes in the fall and spring, some schools observe a quarter system comprised of fall, winter, spring, and summer quarters. The academic year, September to June, is divided into three quarters of eleven weeks each beginning in September, January, and March; the summer quarter, June to August, is composed of shorter sessions of varying length.
There are several advantages and disadvantages to the quarter system. On the plus side, students who wish to complete their degrees in less than the customary four years may take advantage of the opportunity to study year round by enrolling in all four quarters. In addition, although most students begin their programs in the fall quarter, they may enter at the beginning of any of the other quarters. Finally, since the physical facilities are kept in operation year round, the resources are used efficiently to serve the greatest number of students. But there are several disadvantages as well. Many faculties complain that the eleven-week term is simply not long enough for them to cover the material required by most college courses. Students also find it difficult to complete the assignments in such a short period of time.
In order to combine the advantages of the quarter system with those of the semester system, some colleges and universities have instituted a three-term trimester system. In fourteen weeks, faculty and students have more time to cover material and finish course requirements, but the additional term provides more options for admissions during the year and accelerates with degree programs for those students who wish to graduate early.


21. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
a) Universities in the United States
b) The Academic Year
c) The Quarter System
d) The Semester System

22. A semester system
a) Has eleven-week sessions
b) Is not very popular in the United States
c) Gives students the opportunity to study year round
d) Has two major sessions a year

23. How many terms are there in quarter system?
a) Four regular terms and one summer term
b) Three regular terms and one summer term
c) Two regular terms and two summer terms
d) One regular term and four summer terms

24. When is academic year?
a) September to August
b) June to August
c) August to June
d) September to June

25. The word “customary” in the second paragraph could best be replaced by
a) Agreeable
b) Traditional
c) Lengthy
d) Limited

26. When may students begin studying in a school that uses a quarter system?
a) September
b) Summer semester only
c) At the beginning of any quarter
d) At the beginning of the academic year

27. The word “them” in the second paragraph refers to
a) Faculty
b) Weeks
c) Courses
d) Material

28. The word “instituted” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to
a) Established
b) Considered
c) Recommended
d) Attempted

29. Which of the following characteristics does NOT apply to trimesters?
a) They allow students to graduate early
b) They provide more options for admission
c) They are long enough to cover the course material
d) They last eleven weeks.

30. Where would this passage most probably be found?
a) In a college catalog for a university in the United States
b) In a general guide to colleges and universities in the United States
c) In an American newspaper
d) In a dictionary published in the United States

Text 4 (Questions 31-40)

Charles Ives, now acclaimed as the first great American composer of the twentieth century, had to wait many years for the recognition he deserved. The son of a bandmaster, Ives entered Yale at twenty to study composition with Horatio Parker, but after graduation, he did not choose to pursue a career in music. He suspected correctly that the public would not accept the music he wrote. Even the few conductors and performers he tried to interest in his compositions felt that they were unplayable. Instead, he became a successful insurance executive, building his company into the largest agency in the country in only two decades. Even during that busy time, he still dedicated himself to composing music in the evenings, on weekends, and during vacations. Although he occasionally hired musicians to play one of his works privately for him, he usually heard his music only in his imagination.
After he recovered from a serious heart attack, he became reconciled to the fact that his ideas, especially the use of dissonance and special effects, were just too different for the musical mainstream. Determined to share his music with the few people who might appreciate it, he published his work privately and distributed it free.
In 1939, when Ives was sixty-five, American pianist John Kirkpatrick played Concord Sonata in Town Hall. The reviews were laudatory. One reviewer proclaimed it “the greatest music composed by an American.” By 1947, Ives was famous. His Second Symphony was presented to the public in a performance by the New York Philharmonic, fifty years after it had been written. The same year, Ives received the Pulitzer prize. He was seventy-three.

31. How was the performance of Concord Sonata received?
a) It established Ives as an important composer.
b) There were no reviews.
c) The public would not accept it.
d) The musicians felt it was unplayable.

32. The word “they” in the first paragraph refers to
a) Interest
b) Conductors
c) Compositions
d) Performers

33. What does the passage mainly discuss?
a) Career choices
b) Modern musical compositions
c) Charles Ives’ life
d) The Pulitzer prize

34. In what year did Ives receive the Pulitzer prize?
a) 1947
b) 1973
c) 1965
d) 1939

35. The phrase “became reconciled to” in the second paragraph is closest meaning to
a) Disputed
b) Neglected
c) Repeated
d) Accepted

36. The word “suspected” in the first paragraph could best be replaced by
a) Guessed
b) Recalled
c) Desired
d) Worried

37. Where was Ives’ work first publicly performed?
a) Yale University
b) Town Hall
c) Europe
d) New York

38. How did Ives make a living for most of his life?
a) He owned a insurance company
b) He conducted a band
c) He published music
d) He taught musical compositions

39. Why didn’t the public appreciate Ives’ music?
a) He did not write it down
b) It was not performed for a long time
c) It was very different from the music of the time.
d) The performers did not play it well

40. How did Ives first share his music?
a) By playing it himself
b) By teaching at Yale
c) By hiring musicians to perform
d) By publishing free copies

Text 5 (Questions 41-50)

Bats are not dirty, bloodthirsty monsters that they are portrayed to be in vampire films. These animals groom themselves carefully like cats and only rarely carry rabies. Of the hundreds of species of bats, only three rely on blood meals. In fact, the majority eat fruit, insects, spiders, or small animals. They consume an enormous number of pests, pollinate many varieties of plant life, and help reforest barren land by excreting millions of undigested seeds.
Almost all bats use echolocation to navigate, especially at night. As they fly, they emit a series of high-pitched squeaks at the rate of about fifty per minute. As these signals bounce off objects in their path, an echo is detected by the bats’ sensitive ears which informs them of the direction and distance of obstacles so that they can undertake corrective or evasive action. But bats are not blind as widely assumed. In fact, all species of bats can see, probably about as well as human beings.
It is also a little-known fact that bats are highly social creatures. Thousands or even millions of individual bats may belong to a colony, hanging upside down in caves or in trees. Within their social systems, bats assume specialized roles. Some may guard the entrance to their caves, others may scout for food, and still others may warn the colony of approaching danger. A nursery colony may be part of a larger colony to provide mother bats with a safe, supportive environment in which to rear their young.

41. The word ”emit” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to
a) Stop
b) Send
c) Continue
d) Find

42. According to the passage, how are bats like cats?
a) Cats groom themselves, and so do bats
b) Bats use echolocation, and cats do, too
c) They both carry rabies
d) Both cats and bats are pests.

43. The word “some” in the third paragraph refers to
a) Colonies
b) Bats
c) Social systems
d) Specialized roles

44. What is the author’s opinion of bats?
a) They are like the monsters in vampire films
b) They are not very important in the animal world
c) They are dirty and they carry rabies
d) They are clean, helpful members of the animal world

45. Where in the passage does the author refer to the visual range of bats?
a) Lines 10-11
b) Lines 4-5
c) Lines 6-7
d) Lines 7-9

46. The word “enormous” in the first paragraph could best be replaced by
a) Very necessary
b) Very large
c) Very heavy
d) Very regular

47. How do bats help reforest the land?
a) By taking evasive action
b) By excreting seeds
c) By eating pests
d) By hanging upside down in trees at night

48. What do most bats eat?
a) Fruits and insects
b) Large animals
c) Blood meals
d) Leaves and trees

49. According to the passage, how do bats navigate?
a) By beating their wings fifty times per minute
b) By using their sensitive ears to hear the noises in their environment
c) By warning the colony of approaching danger with high squeaks
d) By responding to the echoes of their signals bouncing off objects

50. Which of the following are NOT the characteristic of most bats?
a) They have specialized roles in their colony
b) They use echolocation
c) They eat blood
d) They pollinate plants