READING

COMPREHENSION
PASSAGE 1: Questions 1-10 Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, c, or D on your answer sheet to
indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 1 to 10.
Ecotourism is a combination of ecology (the study of systems of living things) and tourism. The International
Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and
improves the well-being of the local people”. Actually, ecotourism can mean travel to far-off places of great natural
beauty, but not always in a responsible way. It is a big business, and the allure of money can cause people to think
about profits first. While ecotourism offers benefits for people and ecosystem, it leaves ecosystems open to
negative effects, too.
Costa Rica, once a Spanish colony, and independent since 1821, has an ecotourism industry worth over one
billion dollars yearly, and thousands of jobs have been created. Nearly 21 percent of the land is now protected
national parks, largely thanks to ecotourism. Nonetheless, due to the number of people visiting the country’s
natural places, some damage to the ecosystem has occurred.
While tourists can have a negative impact on ecosystems, the same areas might have been totally destroyed by
industries such as farming, logging, or mining. Instead, sanctuaries have been created, keeping the ecosystem
protected. And, by visiting beautiful rainforests and seeing rare animals, visitors get a sense of their value, and of
gratitude for them. Tour guides can also be educators who train people to love and care for the environment.
Visitors can take these lessons with them to their home countries.
Unfortunately, while their effects may not be noticeable in the off-season, the constant procession of visitors in
the high seasons can be damaging. At one national park in Costa Rica, wild monkeys now feed on garbage left by
the tourists. Furthermore, ecotourists tend to seek out places with the rarest animals and plants, pressuring the
most delicate of living things.
Controlling abuses isn’t easy. Corruption can lead officials to tolerate ecological damage. For example, a large
resort facility, normally not allowed near a sanctuary, might be allowed if the company pays enough money to
certain people in the government. Limited resources are another issue. Areas of forests and beaches that would
require an army to protect are often watched by several employees.
It is easy to be critical of the ecotourism industry, but it is important to be positive as well. Ecotourism can never
be “pure”. We can’t expect zero negative effects on the ecosystem. It is also unrealistic to think that humans won’t
go anywhere accessible to them. If protection efforts are maintained and intensified, those remaining places of
undisturbed nature may be stressed, but they won't be destroyed.
1. Which statement best summarizes the author’s point of view?
A. Ecotourism is a damaging trend that must be stopped.
B. Ecotourism is a way of protecting natural places.
C. Ecotourism causes some damage, but on the whole it benefits ecosystems.
D. Ecotourism will most likely become less popular in the future.
2. Which change has NOT occurred in Costa Rica since the introduction of ecotourism?
A. Thousands of ecotourism-related jobs have been created.
B. National parks have been created.
C. Some monkeys have started feeding on garbage.
D. Costa Rica became independent from Spain.
3. The word “allure” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to__________.

4. What is the main idea of paragraph 3?

A. Ecotourism threatens to destroy rainforests as well as farming, logging, and mining.
B. While ecotourism damages them somewhat, it also protects natural places from destruction.
C. Tour guides need to educate tourists on the dangers of farming, logging, and mining.
D. Rare animals need to be protected from visitors taking them home to their countries.
5. The word “off-season” in paragraph 4 refers to__________.
A. a period of the year that is suitable for holidays
B. a period of the year when the plants do not grow much

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 C. a period of the year when there is less activity
D. a period of the year when the resorts are crowded
6.
According to paragraph 5, why is it difficult to control abuses of ecotourism?
A. Too many sanctuaries are being created.
B. Officials are so few and can be too tolerant.
C. Not many people are interested in jobs controlling ecotourism abuses.
D. There is a lot of money available to build resorts.
7. Into which paragraph could the following sentence best be inserted? “In this way, the children of future
generations can learn respect for nature..”
A. Paragraph 3 B. Paragraph 4 C. Paragraph 5 D. Paragraph 6
8. The word “corruption” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to ______________ __________.
A. illegal activity B. tolerance C. government control D. management
9. The phrase “an army” in paragraph 5 could best be replaced by__________.
A. the military B. a group of officials C. tourists D. a large group of people
10. Why does the author probably think it is easy to be critical of the ecotourism industry?
A. Because wildlife is very easy to protect. C. Because it takes advantage of nature for profit.
B. Because it doesn’t make very much money. D. Because it can’t create enough jobs for local people.
PASSAGE 2: Questions 11-20 Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to
indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 11 to 20.
The late 1990s was a volatile time for the Internet entrepreneur. There were a large number of new high-tech
and Internet-based businesses being started up, some based on little more than dreams. And, nearly any
entrepreneur with a high-tech or Internet-based business plan could receive a large amount of money form
investors to develop the business. These businesses were called “dot-coms” after the last part of their Internet
addresses, and that time in business history has became known as the dot-com era. Most dot-com ventures failed
as the inconsistencies between high-tech dreams and realities clarified, but a handful of entrepreneurs from that
time remain successful today.
Many people look back at the dot-com era with a certain amount of cynicism. Some charge that there were
entrepreneurs who deliberately mislead investors about the potential of their business plans; that they had the
ulterior motive of getting their hands on large amounts of cash before anything else - a ploy that some say was
common in the dot-com era. By 2001, most of the dot-coms had disappeared and were sarcastically referred to as
“dot-bombs”. By the time the hype died down, incredible amounts of money had been lost. This is an unfortunate
legacy of the dot-com era.
Why did companies like Microsoft, Apple, and Google find success, while so many others disappeared? There
is no concise answer, but one interesting coincidence is that many of them were started by two or more
entrepreneurs working in conjunction with each other. At Microsoft, Bill Gates and Paul Allen complemented each
other; Apple had Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak; and we owe Google to the rapport between founders Larry Page
and Sergey Brin.
Besides collaborating with others, today’s entrepreneurs need to be able to think on their feet because the
business situation changes so quickly. Entrepreneurs need to do constant research to keep track of changing trends.
Today’s entrepreneurs need to be hardworking and tenacious - the easy money of the dot-com era is history.
Experimentation and innovation are critical in a rapidly changing and highly competitive marketplace. .
It seems that the mistakes of the dot-com era have shown the world what the hightech economy truly is, and
what it isn’t. It isn’t a place where anyone with a dream can get rich. It is, however, a powerful and flexible business
environment where people with sound business ideas and effective business models can work together to produce
successful business innovations, sometimes very successful ones indeed. But as it has always been true in the
business world, there is no substitute for thorough planning and hard work.
11. What is the author’s main purpose in writing this passage?
A. To expose the negative side of the dot-com era.
B. To explain the history and qualities of a type of entrepreneur.
C. To convince the reader to become an entrepreneur.
D. To show how being an entrepreneur is easier today than ever before.
12. What is most likely the reason that it was easy to get money from investors in the dot-com era?
A. Investors were mainly Internet entrepreneurs.
B. Investors didn’t expect to get their money back in those days.
C. Investors were confused about the potential of high-tech business ideas.
D. Investors knew that any idea would succeed.
13. Why do many people look back on the dot-com era with cynicism?

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 A. Because many companies misled their investors.
B Because they are jealous of the success of dot-coms.
C. Because the level of technology was so much lower than them.
D. Because there were no true entrepreneurs in that era.
14. Why did some people probably refer to dot-coms as “dot-bombs” by 2001?
A. Because most dot-com companies were short-lived failures.
B. Because dot-com companies started up extremely quickly.
C. Because some dot-com companies became extremely successful.
D. Because many people wished to eliminate dot-com businesses.
15. According to the passage, what do Microsoft, Apple, and Google all have in common?
A. They all produce high-quality computers.
B. They are all cynical about dot-coms.
C. They all have a good rapport with each other.
D. They were all developed by more than one person.
16. Which quality of today’s entrepreneurs is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. They need to be able to think on their feet.
B. They need to work more than one company at a time.
C. They need to collaborate with each other.
D. They need to do constant research.
17. According to the passage, what have we learned from the dot-com era?
A. That most high-tech and Internet-based businesses will succeed.
B. That anyone with a dream can get rich in today’s environment.
C. That sound business ideas and effective plans are needed for success.
D. That investors should give money freely to new companies.
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18. What does the word “their” in the 4 sentence of paragraph 1 refer to?
A. Entrepreneurs B. Businesses C. Investors D. Ventures
19. The word “history” in paragraph 4 refers to__________.
A. something that was very important in the past
B. something that is not important now
C. something that becomes important now
D. something in the past that attracts a lot of attention now
20. The word “sound” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to__________.
A. good B. acoustic C. voice D. unexpected
PASSAGE 3: Questions 21-25 Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, c, or D on your answer sheet to
indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 21 to 25.
In conversation, media, and the news, it's common to hear talk of "the market," short for the stock market. And
while most everyone knows about the stock market, once again, few actually know what it is, how it functions, and
what purposes it serves.
The stock market is the platform through which shares — or pieces of ownership of a company — are bought and
sold by investors; investors who own shares of a company are referred to as shareholders. Thus, the stock exchange
allows investors to potentially improve their worth (provided the stock price of their investments increases, or
provided they receive dividends, or small, pre-planned payments from a company paid to shareholders), and
companies to have the benefit of being publically operated, and also, for company founders to cash-in on stock (by
selling their shares of the company once it goes public).
Trading shares is a relatively straightforward process. Through a licensed stockbroker, brokerage firm, or trading
website, one simply places an order for the desired number of stock in a designated company; a small fee is usually
paid to the party responsible for performing the trade (be it a person, firm, or website). There is always another
individual looking to sell or buy a particular stock, given the magnitude of the exchange, and there are therefore
almost never delays in the process. There are also a number of other, more complex stock purchase and sale types
for buyers and sellers to choose from.
Anyone who owns stock in a company owns a piece of its assets relative to their share count. For example, a
company with a stock limit (which is determined during an IPO, or initial public offering, wherein a company's initial
price and stock count are set before it debuts on the exchange),of 100 (hypothetically speaking, of course) would be
25% owned by an individual who possessed 25 shares.
21. What's traded on the stock market?
a) Money, from investor to investor b) Shares, or pieces of publically traded companies

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c) Property and other physical assets d) Privately owned companies
22. How can stock be purchased
by an investor? a) Through a
licensed stock-trading website
b) Through a licensed stockbroker
c) Through a licensed stock brokerage firm (as opposed to an
individual broker) d) All of the Above
23. How can each stock be bought and sold at any time; how are there so many
different customers? a) Stocks that nobody wants are sold into thin air
b) Certain stocks cannot be bought and sold at one's convenience
c) The stock exchange is a massive international platform that bases its stocks' prices on
demand, and there are therefore always buyers and sellers available
d) Some companies buy their own stock back
24. What is an IPO (initial public offering)?
a) Any company's scheduled, fixed-amount payout to investors
b) The trading price of a company that's makings its stock exchange debut
c) The amount a publicly held company pays to become privately traded
d) A company's value
25. How is the value of a company's
stock determined? a) By company
executives
b) By the company's CEO
c) By the company's customers

d) By stock market investors, who respond to a company's outlook by buying or selling, and in
turn, enhancing or minimizing demand
PASSAGE 4: Questions 26-30 Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, c, or D on your
answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 26 to 30.
Nobody - including business professionals and those who want to be employed - enjoys talking
about unemployment, or the state of being out of work for those who are fit to hold a job, but it's an
important consideration of the financial industry. The unemployment rate, or the official percentage
of work-eligible persons who aren't currently hired, is often used to gauge the health of an area's
economy generally; broadly speaking, a high unemployment rate indicates a poorly performing
economy, while a low unemployment rate indicates a solid economy.
With that said, an unemployment rate of zero percent, meaning that every single eligible individual
in an area is employed, is entirely unrealistic, and will never be seen. Full employment refers to an
unemployment rate wherein almost every eligible employee is working, and a rate wherein few
additional individuals can be expected to work. The common reasons for these persons not working
could include their coming into an abundance of wealth but temporarily deciding against retirement,
and their choosing for personal reasons (such as caring for a family member) not to seek
employment. Generally, an unemployment rate of just five percent or so is indicative of full
employment. Accordingly, when the national or statewide unemployment rate is somewhere in the
ballpark of five percent, it means that few individuals are unable to find work.
26. What is unemployment?
a) The act of being fired from a job
b) The time employees spend away from the office
c) The state of being out of work for those who are fit to hold a job
d) The process of a company downsizing its employee count
27. What is the unemployment rate?
a) The official percentage of work-eligible persons who aren't currently hired
 b) A figure that's used to gauge the overall health of an economy
c) The number of individuals who've been hired in the past month
d) 1 and 2
28. What is full employment?
a) The status of a company that has too many staff members
b) The condition of employees who're satisfied with their work
c) An unemployment rate wherein almost every eligible employee is working
d) None of the above
29. What unemployment
rate is generally indicative
of full employment?
a) 10% b) 50% c) 5% d) rate has to be zero to call it full employment
30. Low unemployment ratestypically indicate which of the following:
a) A blooming economy
b) A poorly performing economy
c) No economic shift
d) Much lower-than-normal wages