TOEFL READING COMPREHENSION TEST 41
Questions 1-13
Atmospheric pressure can support a column of water up to 10 meters
high. But
plants can move water much higher, the sequoia tree can pump water to its very
top,
more than 100 meters above the ground. Until the end of the nineteenth
century, the
Line movement of water's in trees and other tall plants was a mystery. Some
botanists
(5) hypothesized that the living cells of plants acted as pumps, but many
experiments
demonstrated that the stems of plants in which all the cells are killed can
still move
water to appreciable heights. Other explanations for the movement of water in
plants
have been based on root pressure, a push on the water from the roots at the
bottom of
the plant. But root pressure is not nearly great enough to push water to the
tops of tall
(10) trees, Furthermore, the conifers, which are among the tallest trees have
unusually low
root pressures.
If water is not pumped to the top of a tall tree, and if it is not
pushed, to the top of
a
tall tree, then we may ask. How does it get there? According to the
currently accepted
cohesion-tension theory, water is pulled there. The pull on a rising column
of water in a
(15) plant results from the evaporation of water at the top of the plant. As
water is lost from
the surface of the leaves, a negative pressure or tension is created. The
evaporated
water is replaced by water moving from inside the plant in unbroken columns
that
extend from the top of a plant to its roots. The same forces that create
surface tension
in any sample of water are responsible for the maintenance of these unbroken
columns
(20) of water. When water is confined in tubes of very small bore, the forces of
cohesion
(the attraction between water molecules) are so great that the strength of a
column of
water compares with the strength of a steel wire of the same diameter. This
cohesive
strength permits columns of water to be pulled to great heights without
being broken.
1. How many theories does the author mention?
(A) One B) Two (C) Three
(D) Four
2. The passage answers which of the following questions ?
(A) What is the effect of atmospheric pressure on foliage?
(B) When do dead cells harm plant growth?
(C) How does water get to the tops of trees?
(D) Why is root pressure weak?
3. The word "demonstrated" in line 6 is closest in meaning to
(A) ignored (B) showed (C) disguised
(D)
distinguished
4. What do the experiments mentioned in lines 5-7 prove?
(A) Plant stems die when deprived of water.
(B) Cells in plant sterns do not pump water.
(C) Plants cannot move water to high altitudes.
(D) Plant cells regulate pressure within stems.
5. How do botanists know that root pressure is not the only force that moves water
in plants?
(A) Some very tall trees have weak root pressure.
(B) Root pressures decrease in winter.
(C) Plants can live after their roots die.
(D) Water in a plant's roots is not connected to water in its stem.
6. Which of the following statements does the passage support?
(A) Water is pushed to the tops of trees.
(B) Botanists have proven that living cells act as pumps.
(C) Atmospheric pressure draws water to the tops of tall trees.
(D) Botanists have changed their theories of how water moves in plants.
7. The word "it" in line 12 refers to
(A) top (B) tree
(C) water (D) cohesion-tension
theory
8. The word "there" in line 14 refers to
(A) treetops (B) roots (C) water columns
(D) tubes
9. What causes the tension that draws water up a plant?
(A) Humidity (B) Plant growth (C) Root pressure
(D)
Evaporation
10. The word "extend" in line 18 is closest in meaning to
(A) stretch (B) branch (C) increase
(D) rotate
11. According to the passage, why does water travel through plants in unbroken
columns?
(A) Root pressure moves the water very rapidly.
(B) The attraction between water molecules is strong.
(C) The living cell of plants push the water molecules together.
(D) Atmospheric pressure supports the columns.
12. Why does the author mention steel wire in line 24?
(A) To illustrate another means of pulling water
(B) To demonstrate why wood is a good building material
(C) To indicate the size of a column of winter
(D) To emphasize the strength of cohesive forces in water
13. Where in the passage does the author give an example of a plant with low root
pressure?
(A) Lines 3-5 (B) Lines 6-8 (C) Lines 11-12
(D) Lines
13-14
Questions 14-22
Mass transportation revised the social and economic fabric of the
American city
in three fundamental ways. It catalyzed physical expansion, it sorted out
people and
land
uses, and it accelerated the inherent instability of urban life. By opening
vast areas of
Line unoccupied land for residential expansion, the omnibuses, horse railways,
commuter
(5) trains, and electric trolleys pulled settled regions outward two to four times
more
distant from city centers than they were in the premodern era. In 1850, for
example, the
borders of Boston lay scarcely two miles from the old business district by the
turn of
the century the radius extended ten miles. Now those who could afford it could
live far
removed from the old city center and still commute there for work, shopping,
and
(10) entertainment. The new accessibility of land around the periphery of almost
every
major city sparked an explosion of real estate development and fulled what we
now
know as urban sprawl. Between 1890 and 1920, for example, some 250,000 new
residential lots were recorded within the borders of Chicago, most of them
located in
outlying areas. Over the same period, another 550,000 were plotted outside
the city
(15) limits but within the metropolitan area. Anxious to take advantage of the
possibilities
of commuting, real estate developers added 800,000 potential building sites
to the
Chicago region in just thirty years lots that could have housed five to six
million
people.
Of course, many were never occupied; there was always a huge surplus
of
(20) subdivided, but vacant, land around Chicago and other cities. There excesses
underscore a feature of residential expansion related to the growth of mass
transportation urban sprawl was essentially unplanned. It was carried out by
thousands of small investors who paid little heed to coordinated land use or
to future
land users. Those who purchased and prepared land for residential purposes,
(25) particularly and near or outside city borders where transit lines and
middle-class
inhabitants were anticipated, did so to create demand as much as to respond
to it.
Chicago is a prime example of this process. Real estate subdivision there
proceeded
much faster than population growth.
14. With which of the following subjects is the passage mainly concerned?
(A) Types of mass transportation
(B) Instability of urban life
(C) How supply and demand determine land use
(D) The effects of mass trans-city portation on urban expansion
15. The author mentions all of the following as effects of mass transportation on
cities
EXCEPT
(A) growth in city area
(B) separation of commercial and residential districts
(C) changes in life in the inner city
(D) increasing standards of living.
16. The word "vast" in line 3 is closest in meaning to
(A) large (B) basic (C) new
(D) urban
17. The word "sparked" in line 11 is closest in meaning to
(A) brought about (B) surrounded (C) sent out
(D)
followed
18. Why does the author mention both Boston and Chicago?
(A) To demonstrate positive and negative effects of growth
(B) To show that mass transit changed many cities
(C) To exemplify cities with and without mass transportation
(D) To contrast their rates of growth
19. The word "potential" in line 16 is closest in meaning to
(A) certain (B) popular (C) improved
(D)
possible
20. The word "many" in line 19 refers to
(A) people (B) lots (C) years
(D)
developers
21. According to the passage, what was one disadvantage of residential expansion?
(A) It was expensive. (B) It happened too slowly.
(C) It was unplanned. (D) It created a demand for
public
transportation.
22. The author mentions Chicago in the second paragraph as an example of a city
(A) that is large
(B) that is used as a model for land development
(C) where land development exceeded population growth
(D) with an excellent mass transportation system
Questions 23-33
The preservation of embryos and juveniles is a rare occurrence in the
fossil
record.
The tiny, delicate skeletons are usually scattered by scavengers or destroyed
by
weathering before they can be fossilized. Ichthyosaurs had a higher chance of
being
Line preserved than did terrestrial creatures because, as marine animals, they
tended to
live
(5) in environments less subject to erosion. Still, their fossilization required a
suite
of factors: a slow rate of decay of soft tissues, little scavenging by other
animals, a lack
of swift currents and waves to jumble and carry away small bones, and fairly
rapid
burial. Given these factors, some areas have become a treasury of well-
preserved
ichthyosaur fossils.
(10) The deposits at Holzmaden, Germany, present an interesting case for
analysis.
The
ichthyosaur remains are found in black, bituminous marine shales deposited
about
190 million years ago. Over the years, thousands of specimens of marine
reptiles, fish,
and invertebrates have been recovered from these rocks. The quality of
preservation is
outstanding, but what is even more impressive is the number of ichthyosaur
fossils
(15) containing preserved embryos. Ichthyosaurs with embryos have been reported
from 6
different levels of the shale in a small area around Holzmaden, suggesting
that a
specific site was used by large numbers of ichthyosaurs repeatedly over
time. The
embryos are quite advanced in their physical development; their paddles, for
example,
are already well formed. One specimen is even preserved in the birth canal.
In addition,
(20) the shale contains the remains of many newborns that are between 20 and 30
inches
long.
Why are there so many pregnant females and young at Holzmaden when
they
are so
rare elsewhere? The quality of preservation is almost unmatched and quarry
operations
have been carried out carefully with an awareness of the value of the
fossils. But these
(25) factors do not account for the interesting question of how there came to be
such a
concentration of pregnant ichthyosaurs in a particular place very close to
their time of
giving birth.
23. The passage supports which of the following conclusions?
(A) Some species of ichthyosaurs decayed more rapidly than other species.
(B) Ichthyosaur newborns are smaller than other new born marine reptiles.
(C) Ichthyosaurs were more advanced than terrestrial creatures.
(D) Ichthyosaurs may have gathered at Holzmaden lo give birth.
24. The word "they" in line 3 refers to
(A) skeletons (B) scavengers (C) creatures
(D)
environments
25. All of the following are mentioned as factors that encourage fossilization
EXCEPT the
(A) speed of buring (B) conditions of the
water
(C) rate at which soft tissues decay (D) cause of death of
the animal
26. Which of the following is true of the fossil deposits discussed in the
passage ?
(A) They include examples of newly discovered species.
(B) They contain large numbers of well-preserved specimens.
(C) They are older than fossils found in other places.
(D) They have been analyzed more carefully than other fossils.
27. The word "outstanding" in line 14 is closest in meaning to
(A) extensive (B) surprising (C) vertical
(D)
excellent
28. The word "site" in line 17 is closest in meaning to
(A) example (B) location (C) development
(D)
characteristic
29. Why does the author mention the specimens preserved in the birth canal (line
21-22)?
(A) To illustrate that the embryo fossils are quite advanced in their
development
(B) To explain why the fossils are well preserved
(C) To indicate how the ichthyosaurs died
(D) To prove that ichthyosaurs are marine animals
30. The word "they" in line 22 refers to
(A) pregnant females and young (B) quarry operations
(C) the value of the fossils (D) these factors
31. The phrase "account for" in line 25 is closest in meaning to
(A) record (B) describe (C) equal
(D)
explain
32. Which of the following best expresses the relationship between the first and
second
paragraphs?
(A) The first paragraph describes a place which the second paragraph
describes a field
of study.
(B) The first paragraph defines the terms that are used in the second
paragraph
(C) The second paragraph describes a specific instance of the general topic
discussed
in the first paragraph
(D) The second paragraph presents information that contrasts with the
information
given in the first paragraph
33. Where in the passage does the author mention the variety of fossils found at
Holzmaden?
(A) Line 1 (B) Lines 3-5 (C) Lines 12-13
(D) Lines
19-21
Questions 34-41
The Lewis and Clark expedition, sponsored by President Jefferson, was
the most
important official examination of the high plains and the Northwest before the
War of
1812. The President's secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, had been instructed
to
Line "explore the Missouri River, and such principal streams of it as, by its
course and
(5) communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean. . . may offer the most
direct and
practicable water communication across the continent, for the purposes of
commerce."
Captain William Clark, the younger brother of famed George Rogers Clark, was
invited to share the command of the exploring party.
Amid rumors that there were prehistoric mammoths wandering around the
unknown
(10) region and that somewhere in its wilds was a mountain of rock salt 80 by 45
miles in
extent, the two captains set out. The date was May 14,1801. Their point of
departure
was the mouth of the Wood River, just across the Mississippi from the
entrance of the
Missouri River. After toiling up the Missouri all summer, the group wintered
near the
Mandan villages in the center of what is now North Dakota. Resuming their
journey in
(15) the spring of 1805. The men worked their way along the Missouri to its
source and then
crossed the mountains of western Montana and Idabo. Picking up a tributary
of the
Columbia River, they continued westward until they reached the Pacific
Ocean, where
they stayed until the following spring.
Lewis and Clark brought back much new information, including the
knowledge
that
(20) he continent was wider than originally supposed. More specifically, they
learned a
good deal about river drainages and mountain barriers. They ended
speculation that an
easy coast-to-coast route existed via the Missouri-Columbia River systems,
and their
reports of the climate, the animals and birds, the trees and plants, and the
Indians of
the
West – though not immediately published – were made available to scientists.
34. With what topic is the passage primarily concerned?
(A) The river systems of portions of North America
(B) Certain geological features of the North America
(C) An exploratory trip sponsored by the United States government
(D) The discovery of natural resources in the United States
35. According to the passage, the primary purpose of finding a water route across
the
continent was to
(A) gain easy access to the gold and other riches of the Northwest
(B) become acquainted with the inhabitants of the West
(C) investigate the possibility of improved farmland in the West
(D) facilitate the movement of commerce across the continent
36. The river Meriwether Lewis was instructed to explore was the
(A) Wood (B) Missouri (C) Columbia
(D)
Mississippi
37. According to the passage ,the explorers spent their first winter in what would
become
(A) North Dakota (B) Missouri (C) Montana
(D) Idaho
38. The author states that Lewis and Clark studied all of the following
characteristics of the
explored territories EXCEPT
(A) mineral deposits (B) the weather
(C) animal life (D) native vegetation
39. The phrase "Picking up" in line 16 could best be replaced by which of the
following?
(A) Searching for (B) Following
(C) Learning about (D) Lifting
40. It can be Inferred from the passage that prior to the Lewis and Clark
expedition the size of
the continent had been
(A) of little interest (B) understimated
(C) known to native inhabitants of the West (D) unpublished but
known to most
scientists
41. Where in the passage does the author refer to the explorers' failure to find an
easy
passageway to the western part of the continent?
(A) Lines 1-3 (B) Lines 7-8 (C) Lines 16-18
(D) Lines
21-24
Question 42-50
For a century and a half the piano has been one of the most popular
solo
instruments
for Western music. Unlike string and wind instruments, the piano is completely
self-
sufficient,
as it is able to play both the melody and its accompanying harmony at the
Line same time. For this reason, it became the favorite household instrument of the
(5) nineteenth century.
The ancestry of the piano can be traced to the early keyboard
instruments of the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries-the spinet, the dulcimer, and the virginal.
In the
seventeenth century the organ, the clavichord, and the harpsichord became the
chief
instruments of the keyboard group, a supremacy they maintained until the piano
(10) supplanted them at the end of the eighteenth century. The clavichord's tone
was
metallic and never powerful, nevertheless, because of the variety of tone
possible to it,
many composers found the clavichord a sympathetic instrument for intimate
chamber
music. The harpsichord with its bright, vigorous tone was the favorite
instrument for
supporting the bass of the small orchestra of the period and for concert use
but the
(15) character of the tone could not be varied save by mechanical or structural
devices .
The piano was perfected in the early eighteenth century by a
harpsichord maker
in
Italy (though musicologists point out several previous instances of the
instrument).
This instrument was called a piano e forte (soft Mid loud), to indicate its
dynamic
versatility; its strings were struck by a recoiling hammer with a felt-
padded head. The
(20) wires were much heavier in the earlier instruments. A series of mechanical
improvements continuing well into the nineteenth century, including the
introduction
of pedals to sustain tone or to soften it, the perfection of a metal frame,
and steel wire
of the finest quality, finally produced an instrument capable of myriad
tonal effects
from the most delicate harmonies to an almost orchestral fullness of sound,
from a
liquid, singing tone to sharp, percussive brilliance.
42. What does the passage mainly discuss ?
(A) The historical development of the piano
(B) The quality of tone produced by various keyboard instrument
(C) The uses of keyboard instruments in various types of compositions
(D) The popularity of the piano with composers
43. Which of the following instruments was widely used before the seventeenth
century?
(A) The harpsichord (B) The spinet
(C) The clavichord (D) The organ
44. The words "a supremacy" in line 9 are closest in meaning to
(A) a suggestion (B) an improvement
(C) a dominance (D) a development
45. The word "supplanted" in line 10 is closest in meaning to
(A) supported (B) promoted (C) replaced
(D)
dominated
46. The word "it" in line 11 refers to the
(A) variety (B) music (C) harpsichord
(D)
clavichord
47. According to the passage, what deficiency did the harpsichord have?
(A) It was fragile. (B) It lacked variety in
tone.
(C) It sounded metallic. (D) It could not produce a
strong
sound.
48. Where in the passage does the author provide a translation?
(A) Lines 4-5 (B) Lines 13-15 (C) Lines 18-19
(D) Lines
20-25
49. According to the information in the third paragraph , which of the following
improvements
made it possible to lengthen the tone produced by the piano?
(A) The introduction of pedals (B) The use of heavy
wires
(C) The use of felt-padded hammerhead's (D) The metal frame
construction
50. The word "myriad" in line 23 is closest in meaning to
(A) noticeable (B) many (C) loud
(D)
unusual
