READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISE

Text 1
People have wondered for a long time how their personalities and behaviors are formed. Two
distinct schools of thought on he matter have developed. The two approaches are very different
from one another, The controversy is often referred to as nature and nurture, Those who support
the nature side of the conflict believe that our personalities and behavior patterns are largely
determined by biological and genetic factors. That our environment has little to do with our
abilities, characteristics, and behavior is central to this theory. Proponents of the nurture theory
claim that our environment is more important than our biologically based instinct in determining
how we will act. They see humans as beings whose behavior is almost completely shaped by
their surroundings. Neither of these theories can yet fully explain human behavior. In fact, it is
quite likely that the key to our behavior lies somewhere between these two extremes. That the
controversy will continue for a long time is certain.
1. One point made by the writer in the passage is that ----.
A. heredity is more important than the environment in the development of human beings
B. the correct explanation of human behavior will probably take ideas from  both theories
C. environment is the most important factor in determining personality
D. the behaviorists' view correctly explains how we act
E. biologically based instincts have very little to do with behavior
2. It is stated in the passage that, according to the nurture theory, ----.
A. a trait is always shaped by both genetic dispositions and the environments in which people
develop
B. it is possible to measure the heritability of a trait within a population
C. we are almost completely governed by our instincts
D. human behavior can be predicted based on knowledge of genetics
E.a person's character is greatly influenced by his environment
Text 2
Panda is the name for two nocturnal Asian mammals: the red panda and the giant panda.
The red panda, also known as lesser panda and cat bear, is found at high elevations in the
Himalayas. It resembles a raccoon but has a longer body and tail and a more rounded head. Its
thick fur is rust colour to deep chestnut, with black on the under parts, limbs, and ears. The red
panda spends much of its time in trees but feeds on the ground, eating primarily bamboo leaves
but also fruit and roots. The giant panda superficially resembles a bear. The body is chiefly
white, and the limbs are brownish black, with the dark colour extending up over the shoulder.
The ears and eye patches are black. Giant pandas live in restricted areas of the high mountain
bamboo forests of central China; their diet consists entirely of bamboo shoots. Rare in the wild,
they produce young poorly when they are not in their natural environment. Giant pandas are
protected by law in China.
3. It can be understood from the passage that ----.
A) all the nocturnal mammals in China are called panda
B) the diets of the red panda and the giant panda are not totally the same
C) there are no pandas in China for the time being
D) the under parts, limbs, and ears of the giant panda are all white
E) bamboo shoots are an important part of the diets of the people living in China
4. It is clear from the passage that ----.
A) giant pandas do have breeding problems in captivity
B) the red panda is also called raccoon in the Himalayas
C) the giant panda never spends its time in trees
D) cat bear is a more dangerous animal than the red panda
E) bears and pandas can live together in their natural environment
5. It can be inferred from the passage that ----.
A) though they share a name, red and giant pandas are not alike in many ways
B) the number of the bamboo forests of China is decreasing
C) red pandas usually live on chestnuts just like giant pandas
 D) it is surprising that the giant pandas are not in danger of becoming extinct
E) all the mammals at high elevations in the Himalayas are nocturnal
Text 3
Our demand for electricity is climbing so fast that over the next decade our generating capacity
must increase by a third. Fossil fuels supply nearly three-quarters of this energy. But the smoke
expelling coal, gas, and oil-fired plants are also responsible for half of our air pollution. That
might be considered as a small price to pay for progress. But there's an alternative, .one that
produces no smoke and can actually create more fuel than it consumes. In many regions it's even
cheaper than coal-fired electricity: nuclear power. It may directly bring danger of radioactivity to
the mind, but if other types of power didn't present equal and even worse problems, it would
make no sense to consider nuclear power at all. But they do.
6. Although 3/4 of the electricity is generated from fossil fuels, ----.
A. we should consider the potential dangers of nuclear power
B. everything has got an expense; and nuclear power's is its radioactivity
C. it may contribute to global warming, the greenhouse effect
D. half of the air pollution is caused by the plants using them
E. coal also contains a surprising amount of radioactive material
7. It's claimed in the passage that nuclear power ----.
A. supplies three-quarters of the country's energy demand
B. is less dangerous and cheaper than other types of power
C. is a potential danger because it's radioactive
D. will present us a more polluted environment
E. is more expensive to generate, but not a pollutant
8. In the passage, the writer is worried that in the future ----.
A. fossil based plants might bring bigger problems than nuclear energy
B. there's not a better alternative than fossil fuels
C. nuclear waste might be more dangerous than air pollution
D. they will have to build nuclear power stations one day
E. there will always be possible dangers of nuclear power
Text 4
Albert Einstein was born in 1879 in the German city of Ulm. He had been no infant prodigy;
indeed, he was so late in learning to speak that his parents feared he was fool. In school, though
his teachers saw no special talent in him, the signs were already there. He taught himself
calculus, for example, and he told me that his teachers seemed a little afraid of him because he
asked questions they could not answer. At the age of 16, he asked himself whether a light wave
would seem stationary if one ran side by side of it. It seems an innocent question, but this shows
Einstein going to the heart of a problem. From it there would arise, ten years later, his theory of
relativity.
9. Albert Einstein ----.
A. is the most genius scientist of all
B. was born in the 18th century
C. was spoiled by his teachers in school
D. made his parents afraid due to his problem in speech in his childhood
E. seemed to have special ability
10. When he was in school, Einstein ----.
A. showed no signals about his genius
B. was afraid of his teachers due to their innocent questions
C. asked difficult questions to his teachers
D. was understood as genius by public when he was a teenager
E. couldn't teach himself even one science
11. It's obvious in the passage, Einstein's ----.
A. genius was a gift
B. character was perfect to most of his teachers
C. life encouraged most of the scientist in the world
D. theory of relativity couldn't be proved by himself
E).question is the origin of his theory of relativity
Text 5
Atoms of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are put together to make molecules of sugar -a
carbohydrate food substance. The carbon comes from carbon dioxide gas in the air. Air enters
through holes, called stomata, in the plant's leaves. The hydrogen and oxygen come from water.
The water is taken up from the soil by the plant's roots. The light energy is trapped by special
chemical called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is green and gives green plants their color. The gas
oxygen is left over at the end of photosynthesis and goes into the air.
12. It is clear in the passage that ----.
A. all the gases come from the air through the stomata
B. plants' seeming green is owing to a substance called chlorophyll
C. the water is split up by a chemical reaction in the plant's leaves
D. the carbon enters the plant by means of its roots
E. the only outcome of photosynthesis is oxygen
13. Water ----.
A. can be used in photosynthesis interchangeably
B. is the converted form of trapped light energy
C. is the product of both photosynthesis and gases
D. is crucial since it provides the plant with oxygen and hydrogen
E. can be turned into carbon dioxide during the photosynthesis
14. It could be concluded from the passage that ----.
A. gases, water and light are absorbed and turned into sugar and oxygen
B. water is absorbed through the holes of leaves
C. chlorophyll is not used in the photosynthesis as a chemical
D absorbed carbon is doubled in the reaction and emitted back
E. the roots of the plants are the canals where the reaction takes place
Text 6
An ultra light airplane is very different from a conventional airplane. It looks like a lawn chair
with wings, weighs no more than 254 pounds, flies up to 60 miles an hour, and carries about 5
gallons of fuel. Most ultra lights are sold as kits and take about 40 hours to assemble. Flying an
ultra light is so easy that a pilot with no experience can fly one. Accidents are rarely fatal or even
serious because the ultra light lands so slowly and gently and carries so little fuel. Some models
now have parachutes attached, while others have parachute packs which pilots can wear.
15. According to the passage, pilots ----.
A. prefer to fly with ultra lights rather than with regular aircraft
B. can weigh up to 250 pounds, depending on the model of the ultra light airplane
C. don't think that their ultra light airplanes are simple to use
D. are reluctant to put their ultra lights together
E. don't need a special training to fly an ultra light airplane
16. We learn from the passage that an ultra light airplane ----.
A. provides the only opportunity to fly affordably
B. doesn't fly very well if it weighs less than 254 pounds
C. is inexpensive but difficult to fly
D. can be put together in a short time
E. is only permitted to be used for private recreational flying
17. It is pointed out in the reading that ----.
A. there is more risk involved in flying ultra light aeroplanes than in flying general aviation aircraft
B. ultra light airplanes can remain airborne for more than an hour
C. the risk of injury to a passenger in an ultra light airplane is very low
D. the gear an ultra light airplane carries can be more fragile than traditional equipment
E. people who fly 'ultra lights don't need a license
Text 7
Scratchy throats, stuffy noses and body aches all spell misery, but being able to tell if the cause is
a cold or flu may make a difference in how long the flu lasts. That's because the prescription
drugs available for the flu need to be taken soon after the illness sets in although the symptoms
can be eased with over the counter medications. As for colds, the sooner a person starts taking
over-the-counter remedy, the sooner relief will come. Cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, runny
nose and scratchy throat typically develop gradually, and adults and teens often do not get a
fever. On the other hand, fever is one of the characteristic features of the flu for all ages. And in
general, flu symptoms including fever and chills, sore throat and body aches come on suddenly
and are more severe than cold symptoms.
18. According to the passage, knowing the cause of scratchy throats, stuffy noses and body aches
----
A. reduces the likelihood of catching cold
B. sometimes doesn't help patients lessen the severity of symptoms
C. encourages patients to buy over-the-counter medications
D. will shorten the duration of the flu
E. prevents people from getting infected
19. According to the passage, to combat the flu effectively, ----.
A. the virus which causes the disease has to be identified
B. patients should only use over-the-counter medications
C. one should take the necessary medications upon catching the disease
D. there is no reason to see a doctor
E. People should try some alternative remedy
20. It is pointed out in the reading that ----.
A. fever is the most important feature of a cold
B. flu symptoms are not as severe as cold symptoms
C. the flu can be prevented by the flu vaccine
D. one doesn't need to take any medicine if he has a cold or the flu
E. over-the-counter drugs can be taken to ease the misery caused by a cold or the flu
Text 8
A book has just been published to help parents to deal with their children's naughty behaviour at
home. The author, Dr James Bruno, says that the first positive discipline technique is for parents
to remain calm because nervous parents don't get good results. Parents who cannot often remain
calm find that their children stop taking any notice of them. The second challenge is to know
how to correct bad behaviour in an effective way. For instance, punishing children by preventing
them from watching their favourite TV program is not an ideal solution. Dr Bruno believes
parents should establish clear rules for children to follow. If children refuse to follow these, they
know they will be disciplined. Finally, the most effective way of encouraging good behaviour is
to give positive feedback as often as possible, to show that it is not only naughtiness that attracts
attention.
21. According to the article, when parents get angry too often, ----.
A. they yell at their children to make them obey an order
B. they tell them off in front of their friends
C. children often act as if they didn't hear them
D. they utter increasing number of verbal warnings
E. children get scared and obey their parents
22. The author of the book seems to suggest that in order to discipline children, parents first of all
should ....
A. find an effective way to correct their children's behaviour
B. treat them as harshly as possible
C. stop beating them
D. not lose their temper
E. teach them how they have to behave themselves
23. We learn from the reading that ----.
A. clear rules which are set by the parent must be followed by the children unconditionally
B. restricting the activities that children like doing is not useful when disciplining a child
 C. giving feedback all the time is not advised when correcting bad behaviour
D. the book by Dr James Bruno helped the parents a lot who try to discipline their naughty children
E. the best punishment for naughty children hasn't been suggested in Dr Bruno's book
Text 9
Homer is a Greek epic poet. Both the date and the place of his birth and death are not known
precisely, but recent research suggests a date between 1050 and 800 BC. It has even been
claimed that no such man as Homer existed and that the Iliad and the Odyssey are collections of
traditional ballads and not the work of one man. In any event they were known all over the
Greek-speaking world before the sixth century BC. The Iliad is an epic poem dealing with the
siege of Troy by the Greeks. The Odyssey describes the wandering of Odysseus, a Greek
seafarer, on his way back to Ithaca after the fall of Troy.
24. We can infer from the passage that ----.
A. it's not definite when and where Homer was born
B. Homer only deals with poetry
C. recent research shows the impossibility of finding Homer's birth date
D. some suggest that he was born in 800 BC
E. Homer's birth place is known but his date of birth is still unknown
25. The Odyssey ----.
A. belongs to another poet rather than Homer
B. explains the voyage of a sailor
C. has no connection with the Iliad
D. doesn't have a specific protagonist
E. is an anonymous work of the Greek nation
26. The works of Homer ----.
A. have no potential readers
B. deal with the siege of Troy by the Greeks
C. have been thought to have different writers
D. are collections of traditional ballads
E. have affected the 6th century people in terms of life style
Text 10
Diana, Princess of Wales, became famous when she decided to marry Prince Charles. She
became the most photographed person in the world. Everywhere she went, there were
photographers taking pictures of her and people were very interested in her clothes, where she
went on holiday and who she was with. They were also interested in the problems between her
and her husband. When they divorced she remained very popular. In addition to her image as a
'star', Princess Diana used her influence to attract attention to some charities. She was very
sympathetic to all people who were ill and unhappy and dedicated time to helping them and
drawing public attention to their problems. She used to visit homeless people regularly and did a
lot of work for the National AIDS Trust; she visited people suffering from AIDS.
26. It is implied in the passage that before her marriage to Prince Charles, Diana was ----.
A. widowed by another Prince of Wales
B. an unknown figure to public
C. one of the relatives to his family
D. followed by an army of photographers
E. was one of the victims of the epidemic AIDS
27. It can be understood from the passage that Diana and Charles ----.
A. got on well due to her sympathy with children
B. were expected to get divorced soon after the wedding
C. had children before their marriage
D. ended up in a marriage failure
E. visited the hospitals in poor regions
28.. It is easy to infer from the passage that ----.
A. Prince Charles married someone else after separation
B. the Royal Family never approved Diana's marriage to Prince Charles
C. the National AIDS Trust was one of the clubs which Diana was a member of
D. one photographer caused Diana to die in a car accident
E. Diana wasn't indifferent to suffering people
Text 11
The Brazil nut tree is one of the Amazon's longest living trees, of an age 1,000 years. Its flowers
depend on bees for pollination. Once pollinated, a coconut-sized seed containing some tiny 20
seeds, develops for over 15 months before falling to the forest floor. They are found exclusively
in Amazon forests since harvesting is exhausting, even for the strong. Apart from bees and the
Brazil nut harvesters, the life of many other plants and animals is intertwined with this tree. The
empty seeds fill with rainwater and provide breeding grounds for flies, frogs, all of which depend
on these small ponds on the forest floor. The major threat to the trees is forest clearing.
Sustainable harvesting of Brazil nuts is therefore vital way to provide protection of forests and
saving the Amazon.
29. We can clearly understand from the passage that the Brazil nut ----.
A) has been harvested throughout South American countries as it is beneficial for their economy
B) is only found in Amazon forests because harvesting it requires demanding work
C) is the only food bees show interest in
D) is the fruit of the longest living tree in Amazon region
E) must be harvested in 15 months after it has been planted
30. We can infer from the passage that when considered ecologically ----.
A) seeds of the Brazil nut spread through many countries of the world through pollination
B) the empty seeds provide breeding grounds for all the animals in the Amazon
C) bees depend mainly on the flowers of Brazil nut trees to survive
D) the Brazil nut is important not only for some animals but also the Amazon's survival
E) the Brazil nut can only grow in places where there are flies and frogs
31. It is clearly pointed out in the passage that ----.
A) since the Brazil nut tree only grows in the Amazon, it is the main attraction of this region
B) the process of pollination can be disturbed by the interference of bees
C) the reason why the Brazil nut is important for some animals is that its seeds serve like water ponds
for
them
D) it is necessary to restrict the growth of the Brazil nut to save the Amazon
E) the first cultivation of the Brazil nut in the Amazon dates back 1000 years ago
Text 12
Same species, most of them insects, benefit increasingly from man’s activities. Modern, large-
scale agriculture offers them a paradise. Crops are grown year after year in the same or nearby
fields, helping insect populations to build up. Many of the worst pests are insect invaders from
foreign countries that have left their natural enemies behind and so are as free as man himself
from the check of nature's balance. Agricultural scientists try hard to find ways to check insect
pests by tricks of cultivation. They import the ancient enemies of invading foreign insects and
foster the resident enemies of invading foreign insects.
32. Some species that benefit from man's activities ----.
A. have large populations because of modern agriculture
B. are killed by modern techniques
C. are generally killing all the living organisms
D. have been used as a check of nature
E. cause a lot of damage in the harvest of in summer
33. According to the passage, the ancient enemies of invading foreign insects ----.
A. were used as an alternative way to help farmer B. will lead to a lot of damage in large
fields
C. will cause wars between countrieS D. are used to stop them
E. are not living today due to same agricultural improvements
34. We can assume that in nature ----.
A. same species like reptiles don't interest farmers
B. agriculture offers a paradise to farmers
C. cultivation is done with the help of same scientists
D. same countries have natural enemies that are grown by same farmers
E. animal populations are balanced by their enemies
Text 13
Much of the blood on the street flows essentially from uncivil behavior of drivers who refuse to
respect the legal and moral rights of others. So the massacre on the road may be regarded as a
social problem. Safety standards for vehicle have been raised both at the point of manufacture
and through periodic road-worthiness inspections. In addition, speed limits have been lowered.
Due to these measures, the accident rate has decreased. But the accident experts still worry
because there has been little or no improvement in the way drivers behave.
35. According to the passage, traffic accidents may be regarded as a social problem since ----.
A. the motor vehicle is a very dangerous invention
B. the accidents have more to do with hazardous conditions than hazardous drivers
C. most of the accidents are caused by drivers who don't pay attention to the traffic rules
D. the irresponsibility that accounts for much of the problem is not confined to drivers
E. traffic accidents can cause serious economic damage
36. According to the passage, the number of accidents has fallen because ----.
A. significant advances have been made towards safer driving
B. many people now know that driving is a skilled task requiring constant care and
concentration
C. drivers are warned to take extra care on the roads
D. drivers have finally learned how to behave
E. there has been improvement in the way drivers behave
37. It is pointed out in the passage that those who violate traffic regulations ----.
A. are the most inexperienced drivers that we have on the roads
B. always blame the road conditions
C. don't have prior traffic violations or crashes on their records
D. are the biggest threat to those with whom they share the road
E. don't know most of the traffic rules and regulations
Text 14
Alcohol consumption may be linked to a women's risk of infertility, say researches supported by
the National Institute of Child Health. In a study of nearly 6000 women, researchers from the
Harvard School of Public Health looked at Data from those evaluated at seven infertility clinics.
After adjusting for other factors that could affect results, such as age and cigarette smoking,
researchers found a strong association between alcohol (more than the equivalent of seven cans
of beer a week) and infertility due to ovulation problems. The inability to conceive was about 30
percent more likely to occur in women who drank moderately and about 60 percent more likely
in women who drank heavily.
38. The researchers supported by the National Institute of Child Health ----.
A. took care of women who're suffering from alcohol
B. have spent a lot of money on fertility
C. have been victims of infertility
D. said alcohol may affect women's fertility
E. have also worked for Harvard University
39. According to the passage, one can assume that women who are infertile, ----.
A. possibly drink more than seven cans of beer a week
B. are students at Harvard university
C. smoked a lot of cigarettes when they were very young
D. used to go hospitals because of serious problems
E. really don't like babies and some of them hate babies
40. The passage tells us that ----.
A. smoking is not as harmful as alcohol
B. a lot of researches have been done on smoking
C. we are unaware of the side-effects of infertility
D. beer is also a kind of alcohol
E. women who drink heavily have the risk of infertility
Text 15
Can you imagine a deaf woman writing stories about a war? Well, Laura Redden Searing did
this. Moreover, she went to foreign countries to write stories. She was very ill when she was 11
years old. Because of this, she lost her hearing. She went to the Missouri School for the Deaf.
Laura was 19 years old when she went to work for a newspaper. She wrote about people, places,
and art. In 1859, most women were wives and mothers. They did not work outside the home;
otherwise, their husbands would be angry. Due to this feeling, Laura used a man's name when
she wrote her stories. She called herself Howard Glyndon. She thought that unless she used a
man's name, people would be hostile since they did not think that women should write for
newspapers. However, she would have no trouble provided that people did not know she was a
woman.
41. According to the passage, Laura Redden ----.
A. happened to be ill because of her parents
B. was quite sad when hearing she would be deaf
C. did something incredible despite her handicap
D. was a deep supporter of feminism during her lifetime
E. wrote mainly about the sufferings of women
42. It is implied in the passage that in the 19thcentury, women ----.
A. were sent to the Missouri School for the Deaf
B. didn't have as an active role in the society as men
C. regarded themselves higher than the males ones
D. didn't agree on what to do for gaining equal status
E. were employed outside their homes as well
43. It is easy to infer from the passage that ----.
A. Laura wasn't liked by her readers at all
B. writing wasn't an easy task for women
C. Howard Glyndon was Laura's close friend
D. being a female was an advantage for being an author
E. mothers and wives were treated in a humane way
Text 16
The novel develops, after the death of Defoe, with S.Richardson (1689-1761), a professional
printer who took to novel-writing when he was fifty. Richardson liked to help young women
with the composition of their love-letters, and was asked by a publisher to write a volume of
model letters for use on various occasions. He was inspired to write a novel in the form of a
series of letters, a novel which should implant a moral lesson in the minds of its readers (he
thought of these readers primarily as women). This novel was Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded,
which describes the defamation made on the honour of a virtuous housemaid by a young man.
44. It can be inferred from the passage that S. Richardson ----.
A. is more interested in printing
B. wrote mare than one novel
C. forced the young women to write love-letters
D. became only an expert printer in his life
E. has an important place in the history of literature
45. We learn that Samuel Richardson ----.
A. aimed at giving moral message to people
B. asked a publisher to write a novel
C. liked being helped by females
D. made chiefly the women read his novels
E. liked to compose his own letters with young women
46. It's implied that Richardson's "Pamela" ----.
A. is composed only of defamation made by a man
B. has more than one title
C. explains the causes of defamation
D. intends to give ethical message to men
E. narrates the life of a corrupt person
Text 17
In bringing up children, every parent, regardless of ethnicity, income, education, or geographic
location, watches eagerly the child's acquisition of each new skill. However, it is often tempting
to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, which can set up dangerous feelings of failure
and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a
toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning
of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any
learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new
things for himself. Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some
may be especially strict in money matters. Others are severed over times of coming home at
night or punctuality for meals. In general, the controls imposed represent the needs of the parents
and the values of the community as much as the child's own benefit.
47. According to the passage, in the process of children's learning new skills, parents ----.
A. must encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read
B. should achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own
C. never expect too much of their children
D. should create as many learning opportunities as possible for themselves
E. must exert strict control over the children
48. It is pointed out in the reading that ----.
A. parents should be strict with their children
B. parental controls reflect only the needs of the .parents and the values of the community
C. parents must maintain strict control over their children's pocket money
D. parents often enforce strict regulations on their children's eating habits
E. parental restrictions vary, and are not always enforced for the benefit of the children alone
49. As we understand from the passage, watching the child's acquisition of new skills ----.
A. sets up dangerous states of worry in the parents
B. is universal among parents
C. ensures the security of their children
D. will make him lose interest in learning new things
E. is what parenting is all about
Text 18
A tic is a repeated, impulsive action, reflexive in nature, which the actor feels powerless to
control or avoid. Only when the individual performs the tic, is tension and anxiety released
within the individual with a tic disorder. Tics can be triggered by an emotional state or sensation,
or can happen for no obvious reason. General types of tics include verbal tics, facial tics, and
other muscular tics. Physical and psychological therapy and medication can cause tics to go
away, often permanently. Muscular tics look something like twitches or quick grimaces, and
often affect the eyes and hands. Muscular tics can affect multiple muscles at once. Some forms
of stuttering are caused by muscular tics in the throat, tongue, or vocal cords when speaking or
preparing to speak.
50. According to the reading, tics ----.
A. are nothing to be fearful of
B. are not voluntary movements and they can't be consciously controlled
C. can be stopped voluntarily for brief periods
D. do not need particular treatment
E. can be triggered by the use of medicinal drugs