READING HANDOUT 2

READING TEST PRACTICE

Time allowance: 50 minutes
30 questions

Directions: In this section of the test, you will read THREE different passages, each followed
by 10 questions about it. For questions 1-30, you are to choose the best answer A, B, C or D,
to each question. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the
space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen. Answer all questions
following a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage.
You have 50 minutes to answer all the questions, including the time to transfer your answers
to the answer sheet.
Example
Read the following passage:
FALL WEATHER
One of the first things we look for in fall is the first frost and freeze of the season,
killing or sending into dormancy the beautiful vegetation you admired all summer long.
For some locations along the Canadian border, and in the higher terrain of the West, the
first freeze typically arrives by the middle part of September. Cities in the South may
5 not see the first freeze until November, though a frost is very possible before then. A
few cities in the Lower 48, including International Falls, Minnesota and Grand Forks,
North Dakota, have recorded a freeze in every month of the year.
0. When does the first freeze often arrive in the South?
A. Early September C. November
B. Mid September D. Before November
You will read in the passage that “Cities in the South may not see the first freeze until
November”, so the correct answer is option C. November.

PASSAGE 1: QUESTIONS 1-10

Some people believe that soon schools will no longer be necessary. These people say that
because of the Internet and other new technology, there is no longer any need for school
buildings, formal classes, or teachers. Perhaps this will be true one day, but it is hard for me
to imagine a world without schools. In fact, we need to look at how we can use new
technology to make schools better, not to eliminate them. We should invent a new kind of
school that is linked to libraries, museums, science centers, laboratories, and even
corporations.
Corporations ought to create learning programs for schools in their area of expertise.
Independent experts could give talks on video or over the Internet. TV networks and local
stations could develop programming about things students are actually studying in schools.
Laboratories could set up websites to demonstrate new technology so students could view it
on the Internet.
Is this just a dream? No. Already there are several towns where this is beginning to happen.
Blacksburg, Virginia, is one of them. Here the entire city is linked to the Internet, and
learning can take place at home, at school, and in the office. Businesses provide programs for
the schools and the community. The schools provide computer labs for people at home.
Because everyone has Internet access, older people participate as much as younger ones, and
everyone can visit distant libraries and museums as easily as nearby ones.
How will this new kind of school change learning? It is too early to be sure, but it is very
exciting to think about. Technology will change the way we learn; schools will change as
well and we will all learn something in the process.
1. According to the author, the statements below are possible about schools EXCEPT
A. Corporations should get involved.
B. Everyone can visit distant libraries as easily as nearby ones.
C. New technology will replace teachers completely.
D. New technology will change the way we learn.
2. What can be true about the future schools?
A. Future schools should be linked to all the capital cities.
B. Future schools should be linked to libraries, museums, science centers, laboratories, and
even corporations.
C. Future schools should be for all young international people.
D. Future schools should be for old people only.
3. What is the word “eliminate” in paragraph 1 closest in meaning to?
A. stop
B. create
C. change
D. provide
4. What is the antonym of the phrase “no longer” in paragraph 1?
A. shorter
B. still
C. have
D. not
5. What does the bold word “their” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. schools
B. corporations
C. programs
D. experts
6. What is the bold word “distant” in paragraph 3 closest in meaning to?
A. far
B. necessary
C. nearby
D. online
7. What does the bold word “ones” in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. people
B. computer labs
C. libraries and museums
D. programs
8. Which of the following statements is true about Blacksburg?
A. It’s a city where learning can take place at home.
B. It’s a place where getting access to the Internet is not easy.
C. It’s a city where there are no teachers.
D. It’s a school with new technology
9. How does the author feel about the change of schools in the future?
A. negative C. sad
B. positive D. indifferent
10. It can be inferred from the passage that __________
A. Schools are not necessary.
B. Schools will be eliminated.
C. Schools will be replaced by new technology.
D. Schools are still necessary.

PASSAGE 2: QUESTIONS 11-20

There are more than 14 million businesses in the United States. They are divided into three
categories: proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations.
A proprietorship is a business owned by one person. This person pays all the money needed
to run the business. He or she earns money if the business has a profit. However, the person
loses money if the business has a deficit. A proprietorship is usually a small business, like a
store or restaurant. It does not have to pay the government any extra money for tax.
A partnership is a business owned by more than one person. All partners give money to the
business. Those who give more money own more of it. Those who give less money own less.
The people who give more money get a larger share of the profits. Each partner only pays tax
on his or her profits.
A corporation is a business owned by many people. Each owner buys small units of the
corporation. Two examples are Coca-Cola and Microsoft. In a corporation, the people divide
the ownership into shares of stock. [A] Stock prices increase if the business does well. They
decrease if the business does poorly. The stockholders vote for directors to run the business.
Anyone can buy a corporation’s stocks. [B] Almost 30 million Americans own stock. Most of
these people own a small number of stocks in large corporations.
[C] People buy stocks and hope to sell them when the price rises. [D] People with stocks can
also make money by receiving dividends. A dividend is the stockholder’s part of the
company profits. It is usually paid four times a year.
Corporations are treated differently than proprietorships or partnerships. A corporation can
buy land, save money, and make contracts. The state government watches corporations. The
government also taxes its profits at a higher rate than other businesses. Corporations can get
new money quickly by selling more stock. In general, corporations are not as personal as
proprietorships or partnerships. However, they are more secure and can make greater profits.

11. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “categories” as used in
paragraph 1?
A. areas
B. boxes
C. types
D. ideas
12. In paragraph 4, the word “They” refers to
A. businesses
B. people
C. shareholders
D. share prices
13. Which is true of corporations?
A. They are owned by one person.
B. They pay higher taxes than proprietorships and partnerships.
C. They cannot get new money very quickly.
D. They are usually small businesses.
14. The word “company” as used in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to
A. stocks
B. corporation
C. dividend
D. tax
15. Based on the information in paragraph 4, what can be inferred about buying stocks?
A. You will make a lot of money.
B. Stocks are easy to buy.
C. You could lose money.
D. Corporations always pay dividends.
16. How is corporation different from a partnership
A. Corporations are owned by more than one person
B. Corporations can make money or lose money
C. Corporations can be big or small
D. A corporation’s owners do not run the business.
17. All of the following are mentioned in the passage EXCEPT
A. the number of businesses in the US
B. the number of stock owners in the US
C. the number of business categories in the US
D. the number of corporations in the US
18. The purpose of this passage is to
A. explain different kinds of US businesses
B. explain the US system of stocks
C. explain why there are more than 14 million US businesses
D. explain why corporations are better than proprietorships and partnerships
19. It can be inferred from the passage that a profit means
A. a business earns more money than it spends.
B. a business spends more money than it earns.
C. a business spends the same amount of money that it earns.
D. a business sells shares of stocks.
20. In which space (marked A, B, C and D in the passage) will the following sentence fit?
The sale value of stock depends on the health of the business.
A. [A]
B. [B]
C. [C]
D. [D]

PASSAGE 3: QUESTIONS 21-30

Line Many of the most flexible examples of tool use in animals come from primates (the
order that includes humans, apes, and monkeys). For example, many wild primates
use objects to threaten outsiders. But there are many examples of tool use by other
mammals, as well as by birds and other types of animals.
5 Tools are used by many species in the capture or preparation of food. Chimpanzees
use sticks and poles to bring out ants and termites from their hiding places. Among
the most complex tool use observed in the wild is the use of stones by Ivory Coast
chimpanzees to crack nuts open. They select a large flat stone as an anvil (a heavy
block on which to place the nuts) and a smaller stone as a hammer. Stones suitable
10 for use as anvils are not easy to find, and often a chimpanzee may carry a haul of
nuts more than 40 meters to find a suitable anvil. The use of tools in chimpanzees is
especially interesting because these animals sometimes modify tools to make them
better suited for their intended purpose. To make a twig more effective for digging
out termites, for example, a chimp may first strip it of its leaves.
15 Surprisingly, there is also a species of bird that uses sticks to probe holes in the
 search for insects. One of the species of Galapagos finch, the woodpecker finch,
picks up or breaks off a twig, cactus spine, or leaf stem. This primitive tool is then
held in the beak and used to probe for insects in holes in trees that the bird cannot
probe directly with its beak. Birds have been seen to carry twigs from tree to tree
20 searching for prey.
Tools may also be used for defense. Hermit crabs grab sea anemones with their
claws and use them as weapons to repel their enemies. Studies have demonstrated
that these crabs significantly improve their chances against predators such as
octopus by means of this tactic. Also, many species of forest-dwelling primates
25 defend themselves by throwing objects, including stones, at intruders.

21. What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. Primates are superior to other animals in using tools.
B. The use of stones as tools is similar across different animal species.
C. Birds and primates use tools that are different from those of sea animals.
D. Many animals have developed effective ways of using tools.

22. Why does the author mention ants and termites in line 6?
A. To give an example of food that chimpanzees collect by using tools
B. To emphasize that ants and termites often hide together in the same place
C. To identify an important part of the chimpanzee diet
D. To point out a difference between two closely related species

23. According to the passage, Ivory Coast chimpanzees are among the most remarkable of
animal tool users because they _________.
A. use tools to gather food
B. use more than one tool to accomplish a task
C. transport tools from one place to another
D. hide their tools from other animals

24. The word "haul" in line 11 is closest in meaning to ____.

A. diet
B. type
C. load
D. branch
25. The word "them" in line 13 refers to ____.
A. chimpanzees
B. animals
C. tools
D. termites

26. The word "strip" in line 14 is closest in meaning to ____.

A. search
B. eat
C. carry
D. remove

27. According to the passage, what is characteristic of the way in which woodpecker finches
hunt insects?
A. The finches use different plant parts as tools to capture insects.
B. The finches make narrow holes in trees to trap insects.
C. The finches pick up insects that they find on leaves.
D. The finches catch insects in the air as they fly from tree to tree.

28. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about the behavior of the
woodpecker finch?

A. It uses its beak as a weapon against its enemies.

B. It uses the same twig to look for food in different trees.
C. It uses twigs and leaves to build its nest.
D. It avoids areas with cactus.

29. According to the passage, studies have shown that hermit crabs manage to turn octopus
away by ____.
A. attacking the octopus with their claws
B. using stones as weapons
C. defending themselves with sea anemones
D. hiding under sea plants

30. Forest primates and certain sea animals are mentioned in the passage as examples of
animals that use tools for ____.
A. self-protection
B. food preparation
C. hunting prey
D. building nests or home plants grow