Toefl ST - Read.

26 TESTS
1. Armenian Culture
The Armenians became active in literature and many art forms at a very early point in their
civilization. Metalworking and architecture have been traced back to about 1000 B.C. The
beginning of truly national art is usually fixed at the onset of the Christian era. The three great
artistic periods coincided with times of independence or semi-independence: from the fifth to the
seventh century; the Bagratid golden age of the ninth and tenth centuries; and the era of the
kingdom of Lesser Armenia in the twelfth to fourteenth centuries.
Of especially high quality in the earlier periods were works in gold and bronze, as well as
temples, military fortifications, and aqueducts. In the early Christian era, classical church
architecture was adapted in a series of cathedrals. The circular domes typical of Armenian
churches were copied in Western Europe and in Ottoman Turkey. The best example of the
distinctive architectural sculpture used to adorn such churches is the early tenth-century Church
of the Holy Cross on an island in Lake Van. The architecture of contemporary Erevan is
distinguished by the use of pinkish tufa stone and a combination of traditional Armenian and
Russian styles.
Armenian painting is generally considered to have originated with the illumination of religious
manuscripts that thrived from the ninth to the seventeenth century. Armenian painters in Cilicia
and elsewhere enriched Byzantine and Western formulas with their unique use of color and their
inclusion of Oriental themes acquired from the Mongols. Many unique Armenian illuminated
manuscripts remain in museums in the West.
The nineteenth century saw a blooming of Armenian painting. Artists from that period, such as
the portrait painter Hacop Hovnatanian and the seascape artist Ivan Aivazovsky, continue to
enjoy international reputations. Notable figures of the twentieth century include the unorthodox
Alexander Bazhbeuk-Melikian, who lived a persecuted existence in Tbilisi, and the émigré
surrealist Arshile Gorky (pseudonym of Vosdanik Adoian), who greatly influenced a generation
of young American artists in New York. Other émigré painters in various countries have
continued the tradition as well.
The Armenian literary tradition began early in the fifth century A.D. with religious tracts and
histories of the Armenians. The most important of these were written by Agathangelos, Egishe,
Movses Khorenatsi, and Pavstos Buzand. A secular literature developed in the early modern
period, and in the eighteenth century Armenian Catholic monks of the Mekhitarist order began
publishing ancient texts, modern histories, grammars, and literature. In the nineteenth century,
Armenians developed their own journalism and public theater. Khachatur Abovian wrote the first
Armenian novel, Verk Haiastani (The Wounds of Armenia), in the early 1840s. Armenian
literature and drama often depict struggles against religious and ethnic oppression and the
aspirations of Armenians for security and self-expression.
1. What is the passage about?
religion and culture in Armenia
Christianty and church architecture in Armenia
the history of metal working, architecture, painting, and literature in Armenia
2. What does the passage imply?

Armenian art and literature were copied from Ottoman Turkey.
Armenian painting and literature originated with the adoption of Christianity.
Without Christianity, there would have been no art and literature in Armenia.
3. In the last paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "secular"?
sacred
not religious
civil
4. In the fourth paragraph, what do the words "that period" refer to?
the ninth century
the seventeenth century
the nineteenth century
5. In the third paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "illumination."?
illustration
decoration
copying
6. What did the three great artistic periods coincide with?

times of Armenian independence or semi-independence
the illumination of religious manuscripts
classical church architecture
7. Where does the sentence -- "Armenia accepted Christianity as its state religion
in A.D. 306." -- best belong?
at the end of the first paragraph
at the end of the second paragraph
in the first paragraph, after the third sentence
8. What is an example of the influence Armenian art?

Byzantine artists used Armenian paint colors.
Ottoman Turkey and Europe copied the circular domes typical of Armenian
churches.
Armenian artists had international reputations.
9. In the fourth paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "blooming"?
flourishing
withering
thriving
10. In the last paragraph, what is the meaining of the word "depict"?
describe
distort
suppress
2. The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini

Among the vast number of men who have thought fit to write down the history of their own
lives, three or four have achieved masterpieces which stand out preeminently: Saint Augustine in
his Confessions, Samuel Pepys in his Diary, Rousseau in his Confessions. It is among these
extraordinary documents, and unsurpassed by any of them, that the autobiography of Benvenuto
Cellini takes its place.
The life of himself which Cellini wrote was due to other motives than those which produced its
chief competitors for first place in its class. St. Augustines aim was religious and didactic, Pepys
noted down in his diary the daily events of his life for his sole satisfaction and with no intention
that any one should read the cipher in which they were recorded. But Cellini wrote that the world
might know, after he was dead, what a fellow he had been; what great things he had attempted,
and against what odds he had carried them through. All men, he held, whatever be their
condition, who have done anything of merit, or which verily has a semblance of merit, if so be
they are men of truth and good repute, should write the tale of their life with their own hand.
That he had done many things of merit, he had no manner of doubt. His repute was great in his
day, and perhaps good in the sense in which he meant goodness; as to whether he was a man of
truth, there is still dispute among scholars.
Of some misrepresentations, some suppressions of damaging facts, there seems to be evidence
only too good-a man with Cellini's passion for proving himself in the right could hardly have
avoided being guilty of such; but of the general trustworthiness of his record, of the kind of man
he was and the kind of life he led, there is no reasonable doubt.
The period covered by the autobiography is from Cellini's birth in 1500 to 1562; the scene is
mainly in Italy and France. Of the great events of the time, the time of the Reformation and the
Counter-Reformation, of the strife of Pope and Emperor and King, we get only glimpses. The
leaders in these events appear in the foreground of the picture only when they come into personal
relations with the hero; and then not mainly as statesmen or warriors, but as connoisseurs and
patrons of art. Such an event as the Sack of Rome is described because Benvenuto himself
fought in it.
Much more complete is the view he gives of the artistic life of the time. It was the age of
Michelangelo, and in the throng of great artists which then filled the Italian cities, Cellini was no
inconsiderable figure. Michelangelo himself he knew and adored. Nowhere can we gain a better
idea than in this book of the passionate enthusiasm for the creation of beauty which has
bestowed upon the Italy of the Renaissance its greatest glory.
Very vivid, too, is the impression we receive of the social life of the sixteenth century; of its
violence and licentiousness, of its zeal for fine craftsmanship, of its abounding vitality, its
versatility and its idealism. For Cellini himself is an epitome of that century. This man who tells
here the story of his life was a murderer and a braggart, insolent, sensual, inordinately proud and
passionate; but he was also a worker in gold and silver, rejoicing in delicate chasing and subtle
modelling of precious surfaces; a sculptor and a musician; and, as all who read his book must
testify, a great master of narrative. Keen as was Benvenutos interest in himself, and much as he
loved to dwell on the splendor of his exploits and achievements, he had little idea that centuries
after his death he would live again, less by his statue of Perseus and his goldsmiths work than by
the book which he dictated casually to a lad of fourteen, while he went about his work.
The autobiography was composed between 1558 and 1566, but it brings the record down only to
1562. The remainder of Cellinis life seems to have been somewhat more peaceful. He died at
Florence, May 13, 1571, and was buried in The Church of the Annunziata in that city.
1. What is the topic of this passage?

Cellini's life
Cellini's competitors
Cellini's autobiography
2. What can be inferred from this passage?

Cellini is a famous painter.
Cellini is a famous goldsmith, silversmith, and sculptor.
Cellini was friends with Saint Augustine.
3. What CANNOT be inferred from this passage?

Most of Cellini's life was peaceful.
Cellini's autobiography is not entirely truthful in all respects.
Cellini was well-known during his day.
4. As described by the author, what is NOT true about Cellini's autobiography?

It focuses on the political events of the time.
It is a masterpiece.
It gives the reader insight into the artistic and social life of the 16th century.
5. Why does the author mention St. Augustine and Pepys?

They were Cellini's competitors.
They lived at the same time as Cellini.
He compares their autobiographies to Cellini's.
6. In the first paragraph, what do the words "these extraordinary documents" refer
to?
three or four masterpieces
the autobiographies of St. Augustine, Pepys, and Rousseau
Saint Augustine in his Confessions
7. In the first paragraph, what is the meaning of the words "unsurpassed by"?
better than
cannot be compared to
equal to
8. In the fifth paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "epitome"?

sample
citizen
perfect example
9. What was Cellini's motive in writing his autobiography?

to let other know what great things he had accomplished
to teach his sculpture techniques
his own satisfaction
10. Where in the passage does the sentence -- "In 1565 he married Piera de
Salvadore Parigi, a servant who had nursed him when he was sick; and in the care
of his children, as earlier of his sister and nieces, he showed more tenderness than
might have been expected from a man of his boisterous nature." -- best belong?
at the end of the third paragraph
before the last sentence of the passage
at the end of the fourth paragraph
3. Social Bees
Most bees lead solitary lives. After mating, females dig or find suitable nests in soil or wood.
They begin visiting flowers, making dozens of trips for pollen and nectar. (Think of solitary bees
as single moms with families back home to feed). Sugar from nectar provides “flight fuel” for
their trips to and from the nest. The proteins and amino acids in pollen are vital nutrients needed
for the bees’ young (larvae).
Females lay eggs on masses of pollen mixed with nectar within urnshaped earthen nest cells. The
eggs hatch and the grub-like larvae devour the food placed for them. Over a period of weeks they
eat pollen, defecate, and pupate, often spinning a silk cocoon. The new adult generation may
emerge then or during the spring or summer of the coming year.
Solitary bees use diverse building materials for their nests: leaves, mud, sand, stones, plant
resins, downy plant fibers, even abandoned snail shells. Because of the materials they collect,
solitary bees are often called carpenter bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees, carder, or plasterer
bees.
About 20% of the world’s more than 20,000 species of bees are social. They live communally in
colonies of hundreds to tens of thousands of individuals. Each colony has one queen who is the
mother of sterile daughters (the worker bees) and a few males called drones.
The best-known social bee around the world is the honey bee (Apis mellifera). Originally native
to Europe, honey bees traveled with their human caretakers and now are found worldwide.
Another well-known group is the fuzzy and charismatic black-and-yellow bumblebee (Bombus
spp.). The sacred stingless bees (Melipona and Trigona) kept by both the ancient and modern
Maya also live as highly social colonies, producing a surplus of honey.
Social bees don’t specialize in a particular floral color or shape -- their forte is finding and
exploiting rich sources of nectar and pollen. In fact, their efficiency and numbers can cause
problems for the solitary bees that land on flowers that honey bees have depleted. Honey bees
communicate through a waggle dance in which scout bees return to the nest and inform other
bees about the distance and direction to a newly discovered flower patch.
usbg.gov
Read the passage and choose the best answer to each question.
1. What is this passage about?

honey
building materials used by bees
bees
2. What can be inferred from the passage?

Bees are social.
There are two types of bees.
Bees are solitary.
3. In the first paragraph, what does the word "They" refer to?
female social bees
male solitary bees
female solitary bees
4. In the second paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "diverse"?

similar
various
identical
5. In the last paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "forte"?
strength
speciality
weakness
6. What can be inferred about social bees?

They live by themselves and their larvae.
They do not live in colonies.
They have defined roles and must cooperate with each other.
7. What bee produces honey that people harvest?

carpenter bee
mason bee
Apis mellifera
8. How do social bees communicate?

by flying
by dancing
by building nests
9. What does the passage NOT imply?

Only social bees pollinate flowers.
There is competition between social and solitary bees for nectar and pollen.
There are more solitary bees than social bees.
10. Where does the sentence -- "Only the queen can lay eggs."-- best belong?
at the end of the fifth paragraph
4. The Culture of the 1950s

During the 1950s, a sense of uniformity pervaded American society. Conformity was common,
as young and old alike followed group norms rather than striking out on their own. Though men
and women had been forced into new employment patterns during World War II, once the war
was over, traditional roles were reaffirmed. Men expected to be the breadwinners; women, even
when they worked, assumed their proper place was at home. Sociologist David Riesman
observed the importance of peer-group expectations in his influential book, The Lonely Crowd.
He called this new society "other-directed," and maintained that such societies lead to stability as
well as conformity. Television contributed to the homogenizing trend by providing young and
old with a shared experience reflecting accepted social patterns.
But not all Americans conformed to such cultural norms. A number of writers, members of the
so-called "beat generation," rebelled against conventional values. Stressing spontaneity and
spirituality, they asserted intuition over reason and Eastern mysticism over Western
institutionalized religion. The "beats" went out of their way to challenge the patterns of
respectability and shock the rest of the culture.
Their literary work displayed their sense of freedom. Jack Kerouac typed his best-selling novel
"On the Road" on a 75-meter roll of paper. Lacking accepted punctuation and paragraph
structure, the book glorified the possibilities of the free life. Poet Allen Ginsberg gained similar
notoriety for his poem "Howl," a scathing critique of modern, mechanized civilization. When
police charged that it was obscene and seized the published version, Ginsberg won national
acclaim with a successful court challenge.
Tennessee singer Elvis Presley popularized black music in the form of rock and roll, and
shocked staid Americans with his ducktail haircut and undulating hips. In addition, Elvis and
other rock and roll singers demonstrated that there was a white audience for black music, thus
testifying to the increasing integration of American culture. Painters like Jackson Pollock
discarded easels and laid out gigantic canvases on the floor, and then applied paint, sand and
other materials in wild splashes of color. All of these artists and authors, whatever the medium,
provided models for the wider and more deeply felt social revolution of the 1960s.
cia.gov
1. In the first paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "pervaded"?
contaminated
spread through
permeated
2. In the first and second paragaphs, what is NOT the meaning of the word
"norms"?
exceptions to standards of behavior
expected standards of behavior
expected patterns of behavior
3. What was NOT an American cultural norm during the 1950s?

women as breadwinners
men as breadwinners
conformity
4. What can be inferred from the third paragraph?

People could buy Ginsburg's poem after the court's decision.
Ginsburg went to jail.
Ginsburg's poem could not be distributed.
5. What was one effect of television?

It helped solidify uniformity in American society.
It helped challenge cultural norms.
It helped the rebellious writers.
6. In the third paragraph, what does the word "their" refer to?
writers who were beats
writers who supported cultural norms
writers who were conformists
7. In the last sentence of the third paragraph, what does the word "it" refer to?
the poem, "Howl"
the novel, "On the Road"
a critique
8. Where does the sentence -- "Musicians and artists rebelled as well." -- best
belong?
at the beginning of the last paragraph
at the end of the last paragraph
9. In the last paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "staid"?

dignified
fun
rebellious

The beat generation of the 1950s made possible the social revolution, including
racial integration, of the 1960s.
The 1950s was a period of great turmoil and rebellion that set back social
progress.
As compared with the 1960s, the writers and artists of the 1950s produced little
of lasting value.
5. Earthquakes In Mexico
Situated atop three of the large tectonic plates that constitute the earth's surface, Mexico is one of
the most seismologically active regions on earth.
Most of the Mexican landmass rests on the westward moving North American plate. The Pacific
Ocean floor off southern Mexico, however, is being carried northeast by the underlying motion
of the Cocos plate. Ocean floor material is relatively dense; when it strikes the lighter granite of
the Mexican landmass, the ocean floor is forced under the landmass, creating the deep Middle
American trench that lies off Mexico's southern coast. The westward moving land atop the North
American plate is slowed and crumpled where it meets the Cocos plate, creating the mountain
ranges of southern Mexico. The subduction of the Cocos plate accounts for the frequency of
earthquakes near Mexico's southern coast. As the rocks constituting the ocean floor are forced
down, they melt, and the molten material is forced up through weaknesses in the surface rock,
creating the volcanoes in the Cordillera Neovolcánica across central Mexico.
Areas off Mexico's coastline on the Gulf of California, including the Baja California Peninsula,
are riding northwestward on the Pacific plate. Rather than one plate subducting, the Pacific and
North American plates grind past each other, creating a slip fault that is the southern extension of
the San Andreas fault in California. Motion along this fault in the past pulled Baja California
away from the coast, creating the Gulf of California. Continued motion along this fault is the
source of earthquakes in western Mexico.
Mexico has a long history of destructive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In September 1985,
an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale and centered in the subduction zone off
Acapulco killed more than 4,000 people in Mexico City, more than 300 kilometers away. Volcán
de Colima, south of Guadalajara, which erupted in 1994, is Mexico's most active volcano. El
Chichón, in southern Mexico, underwent a violent eruption in 1983. Paricutín in northwest
Mexico began as puffs of smoke in a cornfield in 1943; a decade later the volcano was 2,700
meters high. Although dormant for decades, Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl ("smoking warrior"
and "white lady," respectively, in Náhuatl) occasionally send out puffs of smoke clearly visible
in Mexico City, a reminder to the capital's inhabitants that volcanic activity is near. Popocatépetl
showed renewed activity in 1995 and 1996, forcing the evacuation of several nearby villages and
causing concern by seismologists and government officials about the effect that a large-scale
eruption might have on the heavily populated region nearby.
cia.gov
1. What is the topic of this passage?

earthquakes in Mexico
seismological activity in Mexico
the subduction of tectonic plates
2. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?

Mexico has more earthquakes and volcanic eruptions than most other countries.
Mexico has some earthquakes and few volcanic eruptions.
Mexico has fewer earthquakes than most other countries.
3. In the second paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "crumpled"?
flattened
smoothed
buckled
4. In the second paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "subduction"?

the rising of one plate
the lowering of one plate
one plate is forced to sink below and under another plate
5. In the second paragraph, what does the word "they" refer to?
molten material
rocks
tectonic plates
6. In the last paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "destructive"?
damaging
beneficial
harmful
7. What is the source of earthquakes in Western Mexico?

the subduction of the Pacific and North American plates
movement of the Cocos plate
an extension of the San Andreas fault
8. In the third paragraph, what do the words "this fault" refer to?
a slip fault that is an extension of the San Andreas fault
the Cocos plate fault
the Pacific plate fault
9. Why does the author provide the information in the last paragraph?
to support the statement that Mexico is seismologically active
to keep people from traveling to Mexico
to show how dangerous earthquakes and volanoes are
10. Where does the sentence -- "The motion of these three plates causes
earthquakes and volcanic activity." -- best belong?
at the beginning of the first paragraph
at the end of the first paragraph
6. Why Largest US Ethnic Group Vanished from American

Culture
People with German ancestry have long dominated the U.S. melting pot yet their stamp on
American culture seems to have all but disappeared.
There are more than 49 million Americans — 16 percent of the population — with German
ancestry, according to Ancestry and Ethnicity in America, which used data from the 2010
Census and the 2006-2010 American Community Survey.
At the turn of the century, just before the United States entered World War I, German Americans
accounted for about 10 percent of the population and their presence was keenly felt. “They were
very proud and they clung to their culture very strongly. They still spoke German everywhere,"
said Erik Kirschbaum, author of Burning Beethoven: The Eradication of German Culture in the
United States during World War I. “They wanted to preserve their culture and keep it intact as
long as they could." German immigrants flocked to New York and Chicago, and residents in
numerous small Midwestern towns spoke German almost exclusively. German-language
newspapers, theaters and churches flourished. In some of these areas, the German influence was
so pervasive that other non-German settlers ended up learning German so they could
communicate with fellow residents. Germans helped establish General Electric and designed
New York’s Brooklyn Bridge. They dominated the beer industry and that influence lingers in
name brands like
Busch, Miller and Pabst.
The situation took a dark turn for German Americans when the United States entered World War
I. Suddenly, as anti-German hysteria swept the country, America’s largest, most powerful
minority was considered suspect. “A lot of people thought the country was filled with spies and
saboteurs and actually 30 Germans were killed by mobs and lynch mobs," said Kirschbaum,
whose own grandfather grew up speaking German but refused to speak in the language in his
later years.
Shortly after declaring war on Germany, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson required about
250,000 German-born men — aged fourteen and older — to register their address and
employment at their local post office. Within a year, that order was expanded to include women.
About 6,000 of these people were arrested and 2,000 of them, who were deemed dangerous,
were sent to internment camps.
German language books were taken out of schools and libraries and burned by so-called patriotic
organizations that wanted to make sure German was eradicated from the American landscape.
Kirschbaum says German Americans, who saw Germany as their mother and America as their
wife, felt they had to make a choice. “They suddenly realized they can’t be both German and
American," he said. “And after the war, a lot of them felt they had to assimilate, there was no
choice and a lot of them did. A lot of them became thoroughly American. They stopped speaking
German. They stopped teaching their children German. They stopped reading German
newspapers and they became whole-hearted Americans." And in doing so, much of the German
culture they’d proudly held onto for so long, slowly vanished from the American landscape.
voanews.com

German culture was never prevalent in the U.S.
German-Americans were not a large ethnic group in pre-WWI United States.
If it had not been for WWI, German culture in the U.S. would not have
vanished.
2. In the first paragraph, what does the word "their" refer to?
the U.S. melting pot
people with German ancestry
Germans
3. In the third paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "pervasive"?
extensive
limited
common
4. In the fourth paragraph, what is the meaning of the phrase,"The situation took a
dark turn"?
the situation changed from good to bad
the situation became better
the situation turned in the right direction
5. In the third paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "flocked to"?
congregated in
gathered in
flew to
6. In the fifth paragraph, what is the meaning of the words "internment camps"?
a prison for the confinement of aliens or political prisoners, generally during
wartime
a place for those not fighting in WWI
a holding place for Germans before they were returned to Germany
7. In the sixth paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "assimilate"?
blend in to another culture
isolate oneself
adopt another culture
8. What is NOT the topic of this passage?
how WWI caused the disappearance of German culture in the US
the growth of German culture in the U.S.
why German Americans assimilated
9. Where does the sentence -- "And in doing so, much of the German culture
they’d proudly held onto for so long, slowly vanished from the American
landscape." -- best belong?
at the end of the last paragraph
10. When did the internment of German Americans take place?

shortly before World War I
during World War I
after World War I
7. Laser-Beaming the Internet of the Future

Several tech companies are looking at laser or a combination of radio and laser technologies to
take Internet connectivity the next level. Spearheading the effort are Google and Facebook.
Google, which is deploying helium balloons in the stratosphere to provide Internet connectivity
in remote areas as part of Project Loon, wants to use radio or laser to enable its balloons to
transfer data in areas that are far from ground relay stations. Facebook wants to launch drones
that use laser beams for high-speed Internet connectivity in remote regions. The idea is that the
drone closest to urban areas would use laser to connect to the Internet and then pass along the
connection to drones flying over rural areas.
“Both Google and Facebook think that if they can operate these aircraft in the stratosphere,
roughly 20 kilometers above the Earth, they could kind of function like aerial cell towers and
spread the connections more easily and without having to figure out the power and the cabling
and everything on the ground," said Tom Simonite – the San Francisco Bureau Chief of the MIT
Tech Review.
Facebook, in particular, is very interested in using laser to transfer data. “They claim to have set
a new record and made the fastest laser data transfer ever," said Simonite. “And I just think it
shows that they are taking it seriously and are trying to push the technology forward."
Other companies are coupling laser technology with radio redundancy to deliver uninterrupted
Internet connectivity in inclement weather. In that kind of situation, Simonite said both laser and
radio connections run in parallel, so that the laser can pick up any slack in case of radio
interference. “They’re extremely fast," he said, “but if anything gets in the path of the beam, the
signal is blocked." If the laser cannot travel in a straight line, the radio side would cover the
deficit. “So it’s like a redundancy thing so that they always have a connection that’s live," he
said. But the need to use both radio and laser simultaneously can be limiting, said Simonite. He
said “lasers can be used to fuller potential" with project like the ones Google and Facebook are
undertaking.
Light emitted by lasers can be modulated at very high speeds and can carry more than a petabit
of data per second. A petabit is 1,000 terabits. A terabit equals a mind-boggling one trillion bits.
The average U.S. Internet connection speed topped 11.7 megabits per second in the last quarter
of this year, according to Akamai’s State of the Internet Report.
The technology is promising for developing countries and in parts of the world where laying
cables is difficult, where cables are easily damaged, or in rural areas where labor and materials
tend to be expensive. Simonite said governments and cellular carriers now want to push their
coverage into new, unsaturated regions. “And it looks like this technology could help maybe
with that in places where the regular way of connecting up cell towers with cables and so on
doesn’t really work so well," added Simonite.
Laser technology is not new, however. Professor Siddharth Ramachandran of Boston

University’s Nanostructured Fibers & Nonlinear Optics Lab, said laser, a critical feature of
Internet connectivity, has been used for communications since the late 1970s. One company, in
particular – Washington-based TeraBeam – was interested in the idea of free-space laser
communications back in 2004 and produced free-space optical transceivers for Internet access.
Ramachandran speculated TeraBeam wanted to use 1550nm laser light, which is considered
“eye-safe." It is unclear, however, if it is hazardous when used at higher levels of power in free-
space communications. “The main reason I believe Terabeam planned to use 1550nm light is
because most of the terrestrial and undersea fiber-optic communications equipment operates at
this wavelength, which means it would be cheaper to piggy back on a lot of the technological
infrastructure that was already developed," he said. “And while modern communications
systems, [such as, for example Cable Television applications] transmit a lot of laser power
through the fibers or devices in the system, the laser beam seldom exits packaged devices so as
to be directly harmful to human beings," he said. Moreover, Ramachandran said laser beams
connecting consumers with fiber-to-the-home applications “that promise massive bandwidths to
each user, are low enough in power to not be a health concern generally." Propagating light in
free space to wirelessly transmit data has the same advantages as wireless or satellite links, but
will be more expensive. But Ramachandran said the costs could drop if the market is looking for
the kind of higher bandwidth that laser-based free-space communications will provide.
voanews.com
1. What is the topic of the passage?

efforts to expand internet connectivity
laser technology
operating aircraft in the stratosphere
2. In the first paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "Spearheading"?
leading
following
driving
3. In the fourth paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "coupling"?

separating
pairing
increasing
4. In the fifth paragraph, why does the author provide information about current
U.S. Internet speed?
to show that current internet speed is fast
to show that current internet speed needs to be faster
to contrast the faster laser internet speed
5. In the second paragraph, what does the word "aircraft" refer to?
helium ballons and drones
drones and airplanes
airplanes
6. In the fourth paragraph, what is the meaning of the words "radio redunancy"?
using radio only as a backup
using only radio
using radio at the same time
7. In the third paragraph, what does the word "They" refer to?
Google and Facebook
Facebook
Google
8. What is NOT a reason TeraBeam wanted to use 1550nm laser light?

Much of the infrastructure has already been developed.
The laser light should be safe.
The company has drones to use the new technology.
9. How high above earth do Facebook and Google want to operate their aircraft?
approximately 20 km
approximately 1550 meters
as high as possible
10. Where does the sentence -- "Lasers used in communications typically operate
at 850 and 1550 nanometer wavelengths or colors of light, which are invisible to
the human eye."-- best belong?
at the end of the seventh paragraph
at the beginning of the fifth paragraph
at the end of the third paragraph
8. Martian Science Fiction Film Hopes to Inspire New

Scientists
The Martian, a film about a marooned astronaut who uses science, wit and courage to survive in
a very hostile environment, is making hundreds of millions of dollars and has gotten good
reviews. Some scientists also say the film has the potential to inspire as well entertain.
In The Martian, Mark Watney is a U.S. astronaut who has to survive alone on Mars after his
crew leaves the planet without him, thinking he died in a storm that swept him away. Watney, a
botanist, is played by Matt Damon. Not your typical Hollywood here, Damon is one of several
role models in the film for aspiring scientists. Another is Mars mission commander Melissa
Lewis, played by Jessica Chastain.
It's a performance that excites Costa Rican space enthusiast and student Montserrat Cordero.
"Jessica Chastain's character is amazing. We also have the computer programmer who is also a
woman. This is not what we tend to see. So I'm really excited to see this kind of thing, hope to
see a lot more of it," said Cordero, a Stanford University student and
a graduate of an international summer school run by the Foundation for International Space
Education in Houston, Texas.
Justin Kugler, director of educational programs at the Foundation, said that The Martian's role
models will have a positive influence. "The more women we have involved in science,
technology, engineering and math, the better a society we have, and the better we’ll be able to
accomplish those missions and do things like go to Mars," Kugler said.
In the film, NASA, the U.S. government space agency, tries to overcome great obstacles to bring
Watney back to Earth. That's not just science fiction. The science and technology shown in the
movie is based on real-life work by NASA, which acted as an adviser to the filmmakers.
As part of that effort, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been operating rovers to collect
Martian soil samples. Robert Manning, the laboratory's Mars engineering manager, said his team
needs diversity to succeed. "People who see the world from different angles to come in and bring
their creative ideas with them, to come here and to help us out. So what we do here is really, in
many respects, an international effort," Manning said.
voanews.com
1. In the first paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "marooned"?
stranded
left behind
rescued
2. In the first paragraph, what is NOT a meaning of the word "hostile"?

adverse
hospitable
unfavorable
3. In the third paragraph, what is the meaning of the phrase "space enthusiast"?
an opponent of space
person interested in space
a critic of space
4. In the fifth sentence, what is NOT the meaning of the word "obstacles"?
benefits
difficulties
distances
5. In the fifth sentence, what does the word "which" refer to?
U.S.
adviser
NASA

There are not many women in the U.S. space program.
There are many women in the U.S. space program.
Women aren't interested in space.
7. In the second paragraph, who thinks that Watney has died?

Matt Damon
Montserrat Cordero
Watney's crew
8. Who are role models in the film?

Mark Watney, the Mars mission commander, and a woman computer
programmer
Montserrat Cordero and Mark Watney
Robert Manning and Melissa Lewis
9. Where does the sentence -- "And that work includes preparations for an actual
manned mission to Mars." -- best belong?
at the end of the sixth paragraph
9. Fossilized ‘Hedgehog-like’ Creature May Be Earliest

Mammal
A recently discovered fossil of a hedgehog-like creature may push back the date at which
scientists believe mammals began to appear on Earth by more than 60 million years. The 125-
million-year-old fossil, which was found in Spain, has what researchers say is the “earliest
record of preserved mammalian hair structures and inner organs." The creature, which has been
named Spinolestes xenarthrosus, is “remarkably intact" complete with guard hairs and hedgehog-
like spines. A team of researchers from the Autonomous University of Madrid, University of
Bonn and the University of Chicago said the hair and spines are the “earliest-known examples in
mammalian evolutionary history."
"Spinolestes is a spectacular find. It is stunning to see almost perfectly preserved skin and hair
structures fossilized in microscopic detail in such an old fossil," said study co-author Zhe-Xi
Luo, professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the University of Chicago, in a statement.
"This Cretaceous furball displays the entire structural diversity of modern mammalian skin and
hairs."
The fossil was found in 2011 in an area of central Spain that was a lush wetland 125 million
years ago. The site has been pored over by paleontologists for over 30 years, yielding hundreds
of fossils.
Researchers said the animal was about 24 cm in length and weighed between 50 to 70 grams,
making it roughly the size of a young rat. Its teeth and skeleton lead scientists to believe
Spinolestes was a “ground dweller" that survived on a diet of bugs. Spinolestes’ hair and skin
were similar to modern mammals, researchers said, noting that they saw multiple hairs formed
from the same skin pore. It also has tiny spines on its back. The specimen was so well preserved
that scientists were even able to see that it suffered from a fungal skin infection still suffered by
modern day mammals.
"Hairs and hair-related integumentary structures are fundamental to the livelihood of mammals,
and this fossil shows that an ancestral, long-extinct lineage had grown these structures in exactly
the same way that modern mammals do," Luo said. "Spinolestes gives us a spectacular revelation
about this central aspect of mammalian biology."
A study about Spinolestes appeared in the journal Nature.

voanews.com
1. What is the main topic of the passage?

How the Spinolestes fossil was found.
How Spinolestes' hair grew.
The importance of the Spinolestes fossil to the understanding of how mammals
developed.
2. Which of the following is NOT a reason that the Spinolestes fossil is important?
The hairs and spines are the earliest-known examples of mammalian evoluntary
history.
It was found in 2011.
The skin and hair structures are well preserved.
3. In the fourth paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "roughly"?

ragged
exactly
approximately
4. In the fourth paragraph, what does the word "specimen" refer to?
the fossil
the hair and skin
tiny spines
5. In the fifth paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "fundamental"?
crucial
important
inessential

Spinolestes is the first mammal.
There may be mammals that lived at the time of or before Spinolestes.
All mammals are descended from Spinolestes.
7. Where does the sentence -- "In addition, scientists were able to see an external
ear lobe as well as the tissue of internal organs, including the liver and lung." --
best belong?
at the beginning of the fourth paragraph
8. What is NOT a fact that supports the statement that the fossil is well preserved?
The fossil was found at a site where many fossils have been found.
Scientists can see that Spinolestes had a skin infection.
The hair and skin structures can be seen in detail.
9. Where did Spinolestes live?

in trees
in water
on the ground
10. How much do scientists believe that Spinolestes weighed?

50 to 70 grams
24 grams
30 grams
10. Obama Focuses on Criminal Justice Reform in Weekly

Address
The United States is the world's largest jailer.
U.S. President Barack Obama said in a weekly address that he is encouraged by congressional
efforts and other endeavors to change the fact that while the U.S. is home to five percent of the
world's population, it has 25 percent of the world's prisoners. The president said, "Every year, we
spend $80 billion to keep people locked up."
Obama said the "real reason" for the soaring prison population is over the last few decades, the
U.S. had "locked up more non-violent offenders than ever before, for longer than ever before."
He said "in too many cases, our criminal justice system is a pipeline from underfunded schools
to overcrowded jails."
The president said he has taken steps to reverse that trend by investing in schools that at-risk
youths attend, signing a bill reducing the 100 to 1 sentencing disparity between crack and
powder cocaine, and commuting the sentence of dozens of people "sentenced under old drug
laws we now recognize were unfair."
President Obama said he will travel around the country over the next few weeks "to highlight
some of the Americans who are doing their part to fix our criminal justice system." His itinerary
will include a visit to a community battling prescription drug and heroin abuse, and talks with
law enforcement leaders "determined to lower the crime rate and the incarceration rate." The
president is also scheduled to meet with former prisoners.
Earlier this year, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit a federal prison, as part of
his push for a fairer justice system and prison reform. He met with both law enforcement
officials and inmates at the El Reno prison in the central U.S. state of Oklahoma.
Obama said in his weekly address he was encouraged by the bipartisan effort in the Senate
earlier this month, resulting in an agreement on a criminal justice reform bill. The president said
the bill would reduce mandatory minimums for non-violent drug offenders and reward prisoners
with shorter sentences, if they complete programs that make them less likely to commit a repeat
offense.
The harsh sentences were handed down in an era when a "tough on crime" stance resulted in the
prison population surge. The mandatory minimums were joined by a law called "three strikes,
you're out" which mandated life sentences without parole for a third felony involving drugs.
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker said recently that the Senate bill is "a moment where, after
decades of our country moving in the wrong direction, after decades of seeing our federal prison
population explode 800 percent, we have gotten our criminal justice system — with this piece of
legislation — moving this country forward."
"From the halls of Congress to the classrooms in our schools, we pledge allegiance to one nation
under God with liberty and justice for all," President Obama said Saturday. "Justice means that
every child deserves a chance to grow up safe and secure, without the threat of violence. Justice
means that the punishment should fit the crime. And justice means allowing our fellow
Americans who have made mistakes to pay their debt to society, and re-join their community as
active, rehabilitated citizens."
Obama said "Justice has never been easy to achieve, but it's always been worth fighting for. And
it's something I'll keep fighting for as long as I serve as your president."
voanews.com
1. What facts support the statement that "The United States is the world's largest
jailer."?
The U.S. has five percent of the world's population but 25 percent of the world's
prisoners.
The U.S. spends 80 billion dollars a year to keep prisoners locked up.
The prison population has surged.
2. In the second paragraph, what does "we" refer to?

President Obama
the prisons
the United States
3. In the seventh paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "bipartisan"?

congressional
supported by both parties
presidential
4. In the seventh paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "mandatory"?
unmanned
voluntary
required
5. In the eight paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "harsh"?
light
long
severe
6. In the last paragraph, what does the word "it's" refer to?
achievement is
justice is
punishment is
7. Where does the sentence -- "The House of Representatives is also working on a

criminal justice reform bill." -- best belong?
after the last paragraph
between the eighth and ninth paragraphs
between the ninth and tenth paragraphs
8. What is NOT a reason given for the increase in prison population?

mandatory sentencing
increase in violent crimes
underfunded schools
9. What can be inferred from President Obama's actions and weekly address?
He is serious about criminal justice reform.
He has given up on accomplishing criminal justice reform.
He believes that criminal justice reform can be easily accomplished.
11. The Congress of Vienna

The Congress of Vienna (1814-15), convened after Napoleon's defeat, sought to restore order to
a Europe disrupted by revolutionary and imperial France. Its members' objective was a
constellation of states and a balance of power that would ensure peace and stability after a
quarter-century of revolution and war. In addition to the delegates of many small states, the
congress included representatives of five large European states: Austria, Prussia, Russia, Britain,
and France. After months of deliberations, the congress established an international political
order that was to endure for nearly 100 years and that brought Europe a measure of peace.
The congress made no effort to restore the Holy Roman Empire and its 300-odd states. Instead, it
accepted the disappearance of many small states that had occurred since 1789 and created the
German Confederation. The confederation consisted of thirty-eight sovereign states and four free
cities and included the five large kingdoms of Austria, Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria, and
Württemberg. The confederation met at a diet in Frankfurt, with an Austrian always serving as
president.
Prince Clemens von Metternich, who directed Austria's foreign policy from 1809 until 1848, was
the dominant political figure within the confederation. He waged a decades-long campaign to
prevent the spread of revolution in Europe by seeking to restore much of the political and social
order that had existed before the French Revolution. Metternich's Carlsbad Decrees of 1819
established a pervasive system of press censorship and regulation of the universities that
dampened German intellectual life and hindered the publication of writings advocating the
principles of liberalism. In the 1820s, he engineered the formation of the Holy Alliance of the
monarchs of Austria, Prussia, and Russia to quash political, social, and economic developments
within Central and Eastern Europe thought to threaten political stability.
1. When was the Congress of Vienna held?

1809-1848
1819
1814-1815
2. Where was the Congress of Vienna held?

Holy Roman Empire
Vienna
France
3. What was the purpose of the Congress of Vienna?

to spread revolution
to restore the Holy Roman Empire
to restore order in Europe
4. What large kingdoms were included in the German Confederation?

Austria, Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria, and Württemberg
Austria, Vienna, Prussia, Bavaria, and Württemberg
Austria, Prussia, France, Bavaria, and Württemberg
5. Who directed Austria's foreign policy?

Napoleon
Holy Roman Empire
Metternich
6. In the second paragraph, which of these is NOT the meaning of 'odd'?
strange
about
approximately
7. What year were the Carlsbad Decrees issued?

1809
1819
1814
8. Who always served as president of the German Confederation?

a Bavarian
a Prussian
an Austrian
9. In the last paragraph, what does the word "dominant" mean?

ineffective
controlling
elected
10. In the first paragraph, what does the word "convened" mean?
met
adjourned
called
12. Economic and Political Trends Toward Unification In

19th Century Germany
It was not possible for Metternich and his allies to suppress completely the desire for liberal
reforms, including the establishment of constitutional parliamentary government, economic
freedom, and civil liberties. Some of these reforms had already been under discussion during the
eighteenth-century Enlightenment, and awareness of their desirability had spread during the
Napoleonic era. In addition, the economic reforms introduced into the Rhineland by France had
taken hold. The business class that formed after 1815 pressed for abolition of restrictive trade
practices favored by traditional handicraft guilds. Businessmen also sought a common currency
and system of measurements for Germany.
Among those groups desiring reform, there was, ironically, little unity. Many businessmen were
interested only in reforms that would facilitate commerce, and they gave little thought to politics.
Political liberals were split into a number of camps. Some wished for a greater degree of political
representation, but, given a widespread fear of what the masses might do if they had access to
power, these liberals were content to have aristocrats as leaders. Others desired a democratic
constitution, but with a hereditary king as ruler. A minority of liberals were ardent democrats
who desired to establish a republic with parliamentary democracy and universal suffrage.
Many members of Germany's aristocratic ruling class were opposed to national unity because
they feared it would mean the disappearance of their small states into a large Germany.
Metternich opposed a united Germany because the Habsburg Empire did not embrace a single
people speaking one language, but many peoples speaking different languages. The empire
would not easily fit into a united Germany. He desired instead the continued existence of the
loosely organized German Confederation with its forty-odd members, none equal to Austria in
strength. Prussia's kings and its conservative elite sometimes objected to Austria's primacy in the
confederation, but they had little desire for German unification, which they regarded as a
potential threat to Prussia's existence.
1. What country introduced economic reforms into the Rhineland?

Metternich
Germany
France
2. Was Metternich able to stop completely the desire for liberal reforms?
yes
no
3. Did all political liberals want the same reforms?

yes
no
4. What did businessmen NOT want?

reduction of tolls
restrictive trade practices
common system of currency and measurements
5. Why was Prussia against German unification?

Unification was seen as a threat to Prussia's existence.
Too many languages were spoken.
Unification would mean the disappearance of small states.
6. In the first paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "reforms"?

revolutions
referendums
changes to improve the situation
7. In the second paragraph, what is the meaning of word "liberals"?

progressives
conservatives
aristocrats
8. In the second paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "camps"?

sites
factions
lodging
9. Where does the sentence -- "They also wanted a reduction of the numerous tolls
that made road and river travel expensive and slow." -- best belong?
start of second paragraph
end of first paragraph
end of second paragraph
13. Nile Valley and Delta, Egypt

The Nile Valley and Delta, the most extensive oasis on earth, was created by the world's second-
longest river and its seemingly inexhaustible sources. Without the topographic channel that
permits the Nile to flow across the Sahara, Egypt would be entirely desert; the Nile River
traverses about 1,600 kilometers through Egypt and flows northward from the Egyptian-
Sudanese border to the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is a combination of three long rivers whose
sources are in central Africa: the White Nile, the Blue Nile, and the Atbarah.
The White Nile, which begins at Lake Victoria in Uganda, supplies about 28 percent of the Nile's
waters in Egypt. In its course from Lake Victoria to Juba in southern Sudan, the elevation of the
White Nile's channel drops more than 600 meters. In its 1,600-kilometer course from Juba to
Khartoum, Sudan's capital, the river descends only 75 meters. In southern and central Sudan, the
White Nile passes through a wide, flat plain covered with swamp vegetation and slows almost to
stagnation.
The Blue Nile, which originates at Lake Tana in Ethiopia, provides an average of 58 percent of
the Nile's waters in Egypt. It has a steeper gradient and flows more swiftly than the White Nile,
which it joins at Khartoum. Unlike the White Nile, the Blue Nile carries a considerable amount
of sediment; for several kilometers north of Khartoum, water closer to the eastern bank of the
river is visibly muddy and comes from the Blue Nile, while the water closer to the western bank
is clearer and comes from the White Nile.
1. What does NOT describe the Nile River?

It flows from south to north.
It flows to the Mediterranean Sea.
It is the world's longest river.
2. What is another word of "supplies" in the second paragraph?
takes
flows
provides
3. Where does the Blue Nile join with the White Nile?
Khartoum
Ethiopia
Sudan
4. In what country does the White Nile begin?

Lake Victoria
Khartoum
Uganda
5. What created the Nile Valley and Delta?

the White Nile
the Nile
the Blue Nile
6. If it were not for the Nile River, what would Egypt be?
a delta
a desert
an oasis
7. What dos NOT describe the Blue Nile?

It begins at Lake Tana.
Its source is Lake Victoria.
It carries much sediment.
8. In the first paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "inexhaustible"?

endless
limited
finite
14. The Geography Of Germany

Roughly the size of Montana and situated even farther north, unified Germany has an area of
356,959 square kilometers. Extending 853 kilometers from its northern border with Denmark to
the Alps in the south, it is the sixth largest country in Europe. At its widest, Germany measures
approximately 650 kilometers from the Belgian-German border in the west to the Polish frontier
in the east.
Germany's portion of the Alps accounts for a very small part of the country's area and consists
only of a narrow fringe of mountains that runs along the country's border with Switzerland and
Austria from Lake Constance in the west to Salzburg, Austria, in the east. The western section of
the German Alps are the Algäuer AlpsAlgäuer Alps, located between Lake Constance and the
Lech River. The Bavarian Alps, the central section, lie between the Lech and Inn rivers and
contain Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze (2,963 meters). The Salzburg Alps, which begin
at the Inn River and encircle Berchtesgaden, make up the easternmost section of Germany's
Alps.
The Rhine, Germany's longest and most important river, originates in Switzerland, from where it
flows into Lake Constance (actually a river basin). At the lake's west end, it begins a long course
(800 kilometers) to the Netherlands, at first marking the boundary between Germany and
Switzerland and later that between Germany and France. Of the Rhine's three most important
tributaries, the Moselle River drains parts of the Rheinish Uplands, the Main drains areas
between the Central German Uplands and the Franconian Alb, and the Neckar River drains the
area between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb. Because these rivers keep the Rhine high
during the winter and because melting snow in the Alps keeps it high during the spring and
summer, the river generally has a high steady flow, which accounts for its being the busiest
waterway in Europe.
1. What is NOT correct about Germany's size?

It is roughly the size of Montana.
It has an area of 356,959 square kilometers.
It is the sixth largest country in the world.
2. What countries border Germany in the Alps?

Poland and Austria
Bavaria and Switzerland
Switzerland and Austria
3. What are the Alps?

mountains
rivers
lakes
4. What country borders Germany to the north?

Poland
Denmark
Belgium
5. What is Germany's most important river?

the Rhine
the Neckar
the Moselle
6. What is NOT a reason that the Rhine is the busiest waterway in Europe?
The Rhine's tributaries keep the flow high in winter.
Snow melting in the Alps during spring and summer keeps the flow high.
The Rhine originates in Switzerland.
7. In the last paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "originates"?

begins
ends
finishes
8. Where is Germany's highest mountain peak located?

in the Salzburg Alps
in the Bavarian Alps
in the Algäuer Alps
15. The Climate Of Georgia

Georgia's climate is affected by subtropical influences from the west and mediterranean
influences from the east. The Greater Caucasus range moderates local climate by serving as a
barrier against cold air from the north. Warm, moist air from the Black Sea moves easily into the
coastal lowlands from the west. Climatic zones are determined by distance from the Black Sea
and by altitude.
Along the Black Sea coast, from Abkhazia to the Turkish border, and in the region known as the
Kolkhida Lowlands inland from the coast, the dominant subtropical climate features high
humidity and heavy precipitation (1,000 to 2,000 millimeters per year; the Black Sea port of
Batumi receives 2,500 millimeters per year). Several varieties of palm trees grow in these
regions, where the midwinter average temperature is 5° C and the midsummer average is 22° C.
1. What are the two paragraphs about?

the Mediterranean climate
the Black Sea's climate
Georgia's climate
2. How are climatic zones in Georgia determined?

subtropical influences
distance from the Black Sea and altitude
the Greater Caucasus range
3. What are the climatic features along the Black Sea coast?
cold air and heavy precipitation
palm trees and high humidity
high humidity and heavy precipitation
4. In the first paragraph, what does the word "range" mean?

a desert
a plateau
a line of mountains
5. In the first paragraph, what does the word "barrier" mean?

a conduit
a block or obstacle
a road
6. Is the air from the Black Sea warm and dry?

yes
no
7. Do palm trees grow in Georgia?

yes
no
8. How much precipitation does Batumi receive each year?

1,000 millimeters
2,000 millimeters
2,500 millimeters
16. Music In Russia

In the nineteenth century, Russia began making an original contribution to world music nearly as
significant as its contribution in literature. In the first half of the nineteenth century, Mikhail
Glinka (1804-57) initiated the application of purely Russian folk and religious music to classical
compositions. His best operas, Ruslan and Lyudmila and A Life for the Tsar, are considered
pioneering works in the establishment of Russian national music, although they are based on
Italian models.
In 1859 the Russian Music Society was founded to foster the performance and appreciation of
classical music, especially German, from Western Europe; the most influential figures in the
society were the composer Anton Rubinstein and his brother Nikolay, who founded influential
conservatories in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Anton Rubinstein also was one of the best pianists
of the nineteenth century.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, a group of composers that came to be known as the
"Mighty Five"--Miliy Balakirev, Aleksandr Borodin, César Cui, Modest Musorgskiy, and
Nikolay Rimskiy-Korsakov--continued Glinka's movement away from imitation of European
classical music. The Mighty Five challenged the Russian Music Society's conservatism with a
large body of work thematically based on Russia's history and legends and musically based on its
folk and religious music. Among the group's most notable works are Rimskiy-Korsakov's
symphonic suite Scheherezade and the operas The Snow Maiden and Sadko, Musorgskiy's
operas Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina, and Borodin's opera Prince Igor. Balakirev, a protégé
of Glinka, was the founder and guiding spirit of the group.
1. What is NOT the meaning of "pioneering" in the first paragraph?

original
unconventional
revolutionary
2. Who were the most influential persons in the Russian Music Society?
Miliy Balakirev
Aleksandr Borodin
Anton and Nikolay Rubenstein
3. What was Anton Rubenstein?

a composer and pianist
a member of the Mighty Five
a pianist.
4. Was Glinka one of the Mighty Five group members?

yes
no
5. Who founded the Might Five group?

Anton Rubenstein
Borodin
Balakirev
6. In the third paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "foster"?

support
block
hinder
7. On what did the Mighty Five group members base their musical themes?
German classical music
Russian folk and religious music
Western European classical music
8. In the last sentence, what is the meaning of the word "composers"?

people who write music
people who play the piano
people who perform music
17. Home on the Range

Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.
How often at night when the heavens are bright,

With the light from the glittering stars,
Have I stood there amazed and asked as I gazed,
If their glory exceeds that of ours.
Then I would not exchange my home on the range,

Where the deer and the antelope play;
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.
Read the poem and choose the best answer to each question.
1. In the poem, what is the meaning of the word "range"?

enclosed area
wide-open space
mountains
2. What animals live on the range?

deer and antelope
buffalo, deer, and antelope
buffalo and deer
3. What is the weather like on the range?

mostly cloudy
mostly windy
mostly sunny
4. Where would the poet like to live?

in the city
on the range
in a large house
5. Why is the night sky bright?

Many stars are visible and shining.
It is cloudy.
The city lights are shining.
6. On the range, do people often argue and criticize others?

yes
no
7. In the poem, what is the meaning of the word "seldom"?

often
sometimes
not often
8. In the poem, what is the meaning of the word "exchange"?

trade
sell
buy
18. My Ántonia
I [Jim] first heard of Ántonia on what seemed to me an interminable journey across the great
midland plain of North America. I was ten years old then; I had lost both my father and mother
within a year, and my Virginia relatives were sending me out to my grandparents, who lived in
Nebraska. I traveled in the care of a mountain boy, Jake Marpole, one of the “hands" on my
father’s old farm under the Blue Ridge, who was now going West to work for my grandfather.
Jake’s experience of the world was not much wider than mine. He had never been in a railway
train until the morning when we set out together to try our fortunes in a new world.
We went all the way in day-coaches, becoming more sticky and grimy with each stage of the
journey. Jake bought everything the newsboys offered him: candy, oranges, brass collar buttons,
a watch-charm, and for me a “Life of Jesse James," which I remember as one of the most
satisfactory books I have ever read. Beyond Chicago we were under the protection of a friendly
passenger conductor, who knew all about the country to which we were going and gave us a
great deal of advice in exchange for our confidence. He seemed to us an experienced and worldly
man who had been almost everywhere; in his conversation he threw out lightly the names of
distant States and cities. He wore the rings and pins and badges of different fraternal orders to
which he belonged. Even his cuff-buttons were engraved with hieroglyphics, and he was more
inscribed than an Egyptian obelisk. Once when he sat down to chat, he told us that in the
immigrant car ahead there was a family from “across the water" whose destination was the same
as ours.
1. Which is NOT the meaning of 'in the care of' in the first paragraph?
accompanied by
frightened by
followed by
2. What happened to Jim's parents?

They died.
They sent Jim to his grandparents.
They went to Nebraska.
3. How many times had Jake traveled by train before this trip?
This was his first time.
This was his second time.
Many times, because he was an experienced train rider.
4. Where did Jim and Jake board the train?

Nebraska
Virginia
Chicago
5. Where were Jim and Jake traveling?

to Chicago
to the plains
to Nebraska
6. In the first paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "interminable"?

slow
endless
intermittent
7. What was Jake going to do when he reached his destination?

drop off Jim and go back to Virginia
go to school
work for Jim's grandparents
8. What item did Jake NOT buy?

a book
an orange
a newspaper
9. Where did Jim and Jake sleep?

in a sleeping car
in their seats
on a bed
10. What is closest to the meaning of "engraved" in the second paragraph?

scratched
painted
full
19. A Study in Scarlet

by A. Conan Doyle
In the year 1878 I [Dr. Watson] took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of
London, and proceeded to Netley to go through the course prescribed for surgeons in the army.
Having completed my studies there, I was duly attached to the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers as
Assistant Surgeon. The regiment was stationed in India at the time, and before I could join it, the
second Afghan war had broken out. On landing at Bombay, I learned that my corps had
advanced through the passes, and was already deep in the enemy's country. I followed, however,
with many other officers who were in the same situation as myself, and succeeded in reaching
Candahar in safety, where I found my regiment, and at once entered upon my new duties.
The campaign brought honours and promotion to many, but for me it had nothing but misfortune
and disaster. I was removed from my brigade and attached to the Berkshires, with whom I served
at the fatal battle of Maiwand. There I was struck on the shoulder by a Jezail bullet, which
shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery. I should have fallen into the hands of the
murderous Ghazis had it not been for the devotion and courage shown by Murray, my orderly,
who threw me across a pack-horse, and succeeded in bringing me safely to the British lines.
Worn with pain, and weak from the prolonged hardships which I had undergone, I was removed,
with a great train of wounded sufferers, to the base hospital at Peshawar. Here I rallied, and had
already improved so far as to be able to walk about the wards, and even to bask a little upon the
verandah, when I was struck down by enteric fever, that curse of our Indian possessions. For
months my life was despaired of, and when at last I came to myself and became convalescent, I
was so weak and emaciated that a medical board determined that not a day should be lost in
sending me back to England. I was dispatched, accordingly, in the troopship "Orontes," and
landed a month later on Portsmouth jetty, with my health irretrievably ruined, but with
permission from a paternal government to spend the next nine months in attempting to improve
it.
I had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore as free as air—or as free as an income of
eleven shillings and sixpence a day will permit a man to be. Under such circumstances, I
naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the
Empire are irresistibly drained. There I stayed for some time at a private hotel in the Strand,
leading a comfortless, meaningless existence, and spending such money as I had, considerably
more freely than I ought. So alarming did the state of my finances become, that I soon realized
that I must either leave the metropolis and rusticate somewhere in the country, or that I must
make a complete alteration in my style of living. Choosing the latter alternative, I began by
making up my mind to leave the hotel, and to take up my quarters in some less pretentious and
less expensive domicile.
1. What is closest in meaning to "prescribed" in the first paragraph?

recommended
discouraged
required
2. What was Dr. Watson's position in the army?

surgeon
major
captain
3. Where did Dr. Watson contract fever?

London
Peshawar
Bombay
4. What happened to Dr. Watson?

He was sent back to England.
He was promoted.
He moved in with relatives.
5. In the third paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "prolonged"?

painful
lasting a long time
difficult
6. In the last paragraph, what is the meaning of "neither kith or kin in England"?
Dr. Watson had no friends or relatives in England.
Dr. Watson had no children in England.
Dr. Watson had no work in England.
7. In the last paragraph, to what city does the word "metropolis" refer?
Bombay
Peshawar
London
8. How does Dr. Watson feel?

happy to be living in the Strand
happy to be out of the army
unhappy about his situation in London
20. The Canterville Ghost

by Oscar Wilde
When Mr. Hiram B. Otis, the American Minister, bought Canterville Chase, every one told him
he was doing a very foolish thing, as there was no doubt at all that the place was haunted.
Indeed, Lord Canterville himself, who was a man of the most punctilious honour, had felt it his
duty to mention the fact to Mr. Otis when they came to discuss terms.
"We have not cared to live in the place ourselves," said Lord Canterville, "since my grandaunt,
the Dowager Duchess of Bolton, was frightened into a fit, from which she never really
recovered, by two skeleton hands being placed on her shoulders as she was dressing for dinner,
and I feel bound to tell you, Mr. Otis, that the ghost has been seen by several living members of
my family, as well as by the rector of the parish, the Rev. Augustus Dampier, who is a Fellow of
King's College, Cambridge. After the unfortunate accident to the Duchess, none of our younger
servants would stay with us, and Lady Canterville often got very little sleep at night, in
consequence of the mysterious noises that came from the corridor and the library."
"My Lord," answered the Minister, "I will take the furniture and the ghost at a valuation. I have
come from a modern country, where we have everything that money can buy; and with all our
spry young fellows painting the Old World red, and carrying off your best actors and prima-
donnas, I reckon that if there were such a thing as a ghost in Europe, we'd have it at home in a
very short time in one of our public museums, or on the road as a show."
"I fear that the ghost exists," said Lord Canterville, smiling, "though it may have resisted the
overtures of your enterprising impresarios. It has been well known for three centuries, since 1584
in fact, and always makes its appearance before the death of any member of our family."
"Well, so does the family doctor for that matter, Lord Canterville. But there is no such thing, sir,
as a ghost, and I guess the laws of Nature are not going to be suspended for the British
aristocracy."
"You are certainly very natural in America," answered Lord Canterville, who did not quite
understand Mr. Otis's last observation, "and if you don't mind a ghost in the house, it is all right.
Only you must remember I warned you."
A few weeks after this, the purchase was concluded, and at the close of the season the Minister
and his family went down to Canterville Chase. Mrs. Otis, who, as Miss Lucretia R. Tappan, of
West 53d Street, had been a celebrated New York belle, was now a very handsome, middle-aged
woman, with fine eyes, and a superb profile. Many American ladies on leaving their native land
adopt an appearance of chronic ill-health, under the impression that it is a form of European
refinement, but Mrs. Otis had never fallen into this error. She had a magnificent constitution, and
a really wonderful amount of animal spirits. Indeed, in many respects, she was quite English, and
was an excellent example of the fact that we have really everything in common with America
nowadays, except, of course, language.
1. What is Canterville Chase?

a hunting lodge
a house
a business
2. What is NOT the meaning of "fit" in the second paragraph?

exercise
seizure
convulsion
3. Who bought Canterville Chase?

Lord Canterville
the Dowager Duchess of Bolton
Mr. Otis
4. What did everyone tell Mr. Otis?

He should have his furniture valued.
Canterville Chase is haunted.
Ghosts don't exist.
5. Who is Mr. Otis?

a minister of a church
a visiting businessman
an American official
6. When does the ghost make an appearance?

in 1584
before the death of a family member
when the doctor arrives
7. Did Mr. Otis believe in ghosts?

no
yes
8. How would you describe Mrs. Otis?

a sickly, middle-aged woman
a healthy, young belle
a healthy, middle-aged woman
9. What is closest to meaning of "chronic" in the final paragraph?

ongoing
severe
acute
21. Zeus
Zeus was the chief deity of the Greeks, the sovereign ruler of the world, the father of gods and
men, the mightiest of the gods, and to whose will as central, all must bow. He was the son of
Kronos and Rhea. With the help of his brothers and sisters, he dethroned his father, seized the
sovereign power, and appointed them certain provinces of the universe to administer in his name
—Hera to rule with him as queen above, Poseidon over the sea, Pluto over the nether world,
Demeter over the fruits of the earth, Hestia over social life of mankind. To his dynasty all the
powers in heaven and earth were more or less related, descended from it and dependent on it and
he himself was to the Greeks the symbol of the intelligence which was henceforth to be the life
and light of men, an idea which is reflected in the name Jupiter given him by the Romans, which
means "father of the day". He is represented as having his throne in heaven, and as wielding a
thunderbolt in his right hand, in symbol of the jealousy with which he guards the order of the
world established under him as chief.
1. The word deity in the passage is closest in meaning to

ruler
creator
god or goddess
sovereign
2. The word dethroned in the passage is closest in meaning to

thrown out
executed
imprisoned
removed from power
3. All of the following statements are completely accurate EXCEPT

His brothers alone helped him dethrone their father
Zeus was the son of Kronos and Rhea
Zeus had five brothers and sisters
Zeus appointed Poseidon to rule over the sea
4. The passage supports which one of the following statements?

Zeus was named Jupiter by the Romans, which means "father of the light"
Zeus was considered by his siblings to be intelligent
Zeus appointed Hestia to rule over the social life of mankind
Zeus was jealous of the world established under him as chief
5. The word wielding in the passage is closest in meaning to

throwing
using the power of
holding
threatening
22. The Chernobyl Disaster

The Chernobyl disaster (also referred to as Chernobyl or the Chernobyl accident) was a
catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power
Plant in Ukraine (then officially the Ukrainian SSR), which was under the direct jurisdiction of
the central authorities of the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire released large quantities of
radioactive particles into the atmosphere, which spread over much of the western USSR and
Europe.
The Chernobyl disaster was the worst nuclear power plant accident in history in terms of cost
and casualties. It is one of only two classified as a level 7 event (the maximum classification) on
the International Nuclear Event Scale, the other being the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in
2011. The battle to contain the contamination and avert a greater catastrophe ultimately involved
over 500,000 workers and cost an estimated 18 billion rubles. During the accident itself, 31
people died, and long-term effects such as cancers are still being investigated.
1. What type of disaster was the Chernobyl disaster?

an explosion
a fire
A nuclear accident
2. Where did the accident occur?

Russia
Fakushima
Chernobyl
3. What is closest in meaning to 'jurisdiction' in paragraph one?

occupation
control
courts
4. How were radioactive particles released into the atmosphere?
By an explosion and fire
by being exposed to air
in small quantities
5. How many people lost their lives during the accident itself?
1986
500000
31
6. How many nuclear power plant accidents have been classified at a level 7?
2
7
1
23. Elephants And Cancer

Despite their huge size and having many more cells than humans, cancer among elephants is
quite rare, and new research may explain why. It turns out that elephant cells "have 38 additional
modified copies (alleles) of a gene that encodes p53, a well-defined tumor suppressor, as
compared to humans, who have only two," researchers at the University of Utah said in a study
appearing in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
The report also says elephants also have a "more robust mechanism for killing damaged cells"
that could become cancerous. According to the researchers, among isolated elephant cells,
damaged and possibly precancerous cells are destroyed at twice the rate of healthy human cells
and five times the rate of people who have Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, with only one working copy
of p53. People with this syndrome have "more than a 90 percent lifetime cancer risk in children
and adults."
Because elephants have more than 100 times the number of cells as people, they would seem to
have 100 times more chance of a damaged cell becoming cancerous. But this is not the case.
"By all logical reasoning, elephants should be developing a tremendous amount of cancer, and in
fact, should be extinct by now due to such a high risk for cancer," said Joshua Schiffman,
paediatric oncologist at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah School of
Medicine, and Primary Children’s Hospital, in a statement. "We think that making more p53 is
nature’s way of keeping this species alive."In fact, his research indicates that elephants, who live
between 50 and 70 years, have a cancer mortality rate of just under five percent, compared to 11
to 25 percent among humans.
To try to figure out p53’s role, Schiffman’s team collaborated with Utah’s Hogle Zoo and the
Ringling Brothers Center for Elephant Conservation. They took blood from circus elephants that
had been retired to the Center and purposely damaged the cell DNA, a step that can lead to
cancer.The cells "committed suicide," researchers said. "It’s as if the elephants said, ‘It’s so
important that we don’t get cancer, we’re going to kill this cell and start over fresh,’" says
Schiffman. "If you kill the damaged cell, it’s gone, and it can’t turn into cancer. This may be
more effective of an approach to cancer prevention than trying to stop a mutated cell from
dividing and not being able to completely repair itself."
Additional studies will be needed to determine whether p53 directly protects elephants from
cancer. While the research may, one day, yield new drugs to fight cancer in humans, researchers
say it would not come immediately.
1. According to paragraph 1, all of the following statements are true EXCEPT

p53 suppresses tumors
cancer among elephants is common
elephants have more genes that encode p53 than humans do
2. The word 'rare' in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to

ordinary
unnoticed
uncommon
3. The phrase 'more robust' in paragraph 2 in closest in meaning to

stronger
weaker
harder
4. According to paragraph 2 why do people with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome have a

higher cancer risk
because they are born with a 90% cancer risk
because Li-Fraumeni Syndrome is known to cause cancer
because they only have one copy of p53
5. According to the passage for what reason does the author suggest that elephants
should be developing cancer at a higher rate than humans?
because of their huge size they have many more cells than humans and these
cells are all potentially at risk
because they have less copies of a gene that protects against cancer
because it has been predicted that elephants should now be extinct as a result of
cancer
6. Paragraph 4 supports most closely which of the following statements about how
elephant blood cells protect themselves from damage?
the blood cells replace themselves
the blood cells stop themselves dividing
the blood cells destroy themselves
7. The phrase 'logical reasoning' in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
to give sound and logical reasons for an idea
the process of using a rational, systematic thought process to arrive at a valid
conclusion
to predict what should be occurring based on evidence
8. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the
Paragraph 4 sentence in bold?
a damaged cell can keep dividing and result in cancer
a cell that has been destroyed cannot keep dividing
if a cancer cell 'commits suicide' it can replace itself afresh, not leaving behind a
damaged cell
9. The word 'yield' in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to

relinquish
produce
concede
24. On Women's Rights to Vote (1873)

"Fellow people in this here world": I stand before you tonight under indictment for the alleged
crime of having voted at the last presidential election, without having a lawful right to vote. It
shall be my work this evening to prove to you that me thus voting, I not only committed no
crime, but, instead, simply exercised my citizen's rights, guaranteed to me and all United States
citizens by the National Constitution, beyond the power of any state to deny.
The preamble of the Federal Constitution says: "We, the people of the United States, in order to
form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the
common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves
and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the
whole people, who formed the Union. And we formed it, not to give the blessings of liberty, but
to secure them; not to the half of ourselves and the half of our posterity, but to the whole people -
women as well as men. And it is a downright mockery to talk to women of their enjoyment of
the blessings of liberty while they are denied the use of the only means of securing them
provided by this democratic-republican government - the ballot.
For any state to make sex a qualification that must ever result in the disfranchisement of one
entire half of the people, is to pass a bill of attainder, or, an ex post facto law, and is therefore a
violation of the supreme law of the land. (SPACE A) By it the blessings of liberty are forever
withheld from women and their female posterity.
To them this government has no just powers derived from the consent of the governed. To them
this government is not a democracy. It is not a republic. It is an odious aristocracy; a hateful
oligarchy of sex; the most hateful aristocracy ever established on the face of the globe; an
oligarchy of wealth, where the rich govern the poor. An oligarchy of learning, where the
educated govern the ignorant, or even an oligarchy of race, where the Saxon rules the African,
might be endured; but this oligarchy of sex, which makes father, brothers, husband, sons, the
oligarchs over the mother and sisters, the wife and daughters, of every household - which ordains
all men sovereigns, all women subjects, carries dissension, discord, and rebellion into every
home of the nation.
Webster, Worcester, and Bouvier all define a citizen to be a person in the United States, entitled
to vote and hold office. (SPACE B)
The only question left to be settled now is: Are women persons? (SPACE C) And I hardly
believe any of our opponents will have the hardihood to say they are not. Being persons, then,
women are citizens; and no state has a right to make any law, or to enforce any old law, that shall
abridge their privileges or immunities. Hence, every discrimination against women in the
constitutions and laws of the several states is today null and void."
1. Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of what the
speaker is wanting to communicate in the first paragraph?
She is wanting to explain that she was under indictment for the alleged crime of
having voted in the election as she had no lawful right to vote as a women
She is wanting to prove that by voting she had simply exercised her citizen's
rights and had not committed a crime.
she wanted to outline the rights that she was entitled to as a citizen which were
guaranteed by the National Constitution.
2. The phrase "exercised my citizen's rights" in the first paragraph is closest in

meaning to:
to have done research to establish what her rights were as a citizen
to have brought attention to her citizen's rights
to put to use her personal rights which belonged to her by virtue of citizenship
3. The word 'preamble' in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to:

an introduction
an explanation
a preliminary or preparatory statement
4. All of the following are true about the speaker's interpretation of the Federal
Constitution EXCEPT:
the Constitution was formed to secure liberty to half of the citizens of the U.S.A
the Constitution was designed to protect the rights and liberty of all the citizens
of the U.S.A and not just men
It is unfair to suggest that women can enjoy their liberty when they don't even
have the right to vote.
5. In paragraph 5 the speaker is implying which of the following?

These women may have strong views about racism, sexism and the aristocratic
oligarchy that governs. They may also resent that men are treated as sovereigns
and women as subjects
The government has not been elected taking into account the viewpoints of the
female citizens of the U.S.A.
The population of the U.S.A has no trust in the government and the manner in
which it uses its powers.
6. The word 'oligarchy' in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to:

a superpower
a small group of people having control over a country or organisation
a group of aristocrats who abuse their power
7. The following sentence can be added to the passage: "Surely the answer to this
is yes." Where would it best fit in the passage?
Space B
Space A
Space C
8. In the last sentence of the passage what does the writer mean by 'null and void'?
having no validity or legal force; unenforceable
of no interest or importance; not relevant
not compatible with modern thinking or ideas
25. Madagascar
Madagascar is the largest island in the world but two. It is situated in the Indian Ocean, 300 m.
off the Mozambique coast, south-east of Africa and is nearly three times the size of Great
Britain. It has a plateau in the centre, with low, fertile, wooded ground around it and has many
extinct volcanoes and active hot springs. The highest peak is Ankàratra (9000 ft.) located in the
centre. The north-east coast has some good harbours. There are 300 m. of lagoons on the east
and the biggest lake is Alaotra. The rivers of Madagascar river flow mostly in a westerly
direction. The climate is hot, with heavy rains, except in the south. Rice, coffee, sugar, and
vanilla are cultivated. Many kinds of valuable timber grow in the forests, and these, with cattle,
hides, and india-rubber, constitute the exports. Gold, iron, copper, lead, and sulphur are found,
and the natives are skilled in working metals. They also possess civilised institutions. Slavery
was abolished in 1879, a quarter of the population is Christian, the heathen section, though
untruthful and immoral, are affectionate, courageous, and loyal. Antanànarìvo, the capital, is
situated in the interior, and has many fine buildings. Its chief ports are Tamatave on the east
coast and Majunga on the north-west coast. The island has been under French protection since
1890, and has been a French colony since 1896.
1. All of the following are correct EXCEPT:

Great Britain is nearly three smaller than Madagascar
Valuable timber grows in the forests of Madagascar
A quarter of the population is Christian
Madagascar is the largest island in the world
2. According to the passage which of the following are true:

There are 350m of lagoons
Slavery was abolished in 1829
Madagascar is situated in the Indian Ocean
One of its chief ports is Tamatave on the west coast.
3. Look at the underlined bolded word. Choose the word or phrase within the bold
text that the word refers to
colony
the island
protection
abandoned
4. The word "heathen" in the text is closest in meaning to:

a sect well known for lacking culture and being rebellious
an informal word for a criminals
people who do not belong to a widely held religion and are considered as
lacking moral principles
people who are not interested in learning or abiding by rules
26. Arthur Ashe, 1943-1993: Tennis Champion and Civil

Rights Activist
He was an athlete and a social activist who died before he was fifty. He was honored for his
bravery and honesty as well as his strong support of just causes.
In 1975, Arthur Ashe played against Ilie Nastase in the Masters tennis games in Stockholm,
Sweden. Nastase was out of control. He delayed the game. He called Ashe bad names. Finally,
Arthur Ashe put down his tennis racket and walked off the tennis court. He said, "I've had
enough. I'm at the point where I'm afraid I'll lose control." The officials were shocked; Ashe was
winning the game. One official told him he would lose if he walked out of the game. Ashe said,
"I don't care. I'd rather lose that than my self-respect. "
The next day, the Masters committee met. They knew that if they gave the game to Nastase, they
would be supporting his kind of actions. They felt it was how you played the game that really
counted. So, the officials decided it was Nastase who must lose the game.
Arthur Ashe was born in 1943 in the southern city of Richmond, Virginia. His parents were
Mattie Cunningham Ashe and Arthur Ashe, Senior. In those days, black people and white people
lived separately in the South. By law, African-Americans could not attend the same schools or
the same churches as white people.
Arthur learned to live with racial separation. He attended an all-black school. He played in the
areas kept separate for blacks. And when he traveled to his grandmother's house, he sat in the
back of the bus behind a white line. Only white people could sit in the front part of the bus.
Tennis was a sport traditionally played by white people. Arthur's experience was different from
most other tennis players. He grew up under poorer conditions. His father worked several jobs at
the same time. And his mother died when he was six. Mr. Ashe taught his son the importance of
leading an honorable life. He said a person does not get anywhere in life by making enemies. He
explained that a person gains by helping others. Arthur Ashe, Senior taught his son the
importance of his friends, his family and his history. he said that without his good name, he
would be nothing. By example Arthur's father taught the importance of hard work. His job was
to drive people where they wanted to go. and he did other kinds of jobs for several wealthy
families.
When Arthur was four, his father was given responsibility for a public play area called Brook
Field. It was the largest play area for black people in the city of Richmond. Mr. Ashe continued
to work at his other jobs as well. The family moved into a five-room house in the middle of the
park. Arthur could use the swimming pool, basketball courts, baseball fields and tennis courts in
the park. He liked sports. He was not very big, but he was fast.
Arthur began playing tennis when he was seven years old. He was very small. The racket he used
to hit the tennis ball seemed bigger than he was. But by the time he was 13 years old, he was
winning against players two times his size and age.Arthur had great energy and sense of purpose.
He would hit 500 tennis balls each summer day early in the morning. He would stop to eat his
morning meal. Then he would hit 500 more tennis balls.
When Arthur was ten years old, he met Robert Walter Johnson. Doctor Johnson established a
tennis camp for black children who were not permitted to play on tennis courts for whites.
Doctor Johnson helped Arthur learn to be calm while playing tennis. He taught him to use
restraint. He said that anger at an opponent was a waste of energy.
By 1960, Arthur had won the National Junior Indoor Championship. And, the University of
California at Los Angeles offered him a college education if he played for the UCLA tennis
team. In 1965, Arthur Ashe led the team to the National Collegiate Athletic Association
championship. He completed his education the next year with a degree in business
administration.
Arthur Ashe then became a professional tennis player. In 1968, he won the United States Open.
It was the first time an African-American man had won one of the four major competitions in
tennis. In 1970, he won the Australian Open. The next year, he won the French Open Doubles
Championship with Marty Riessen. And, in 1975, he won the Wimbledon Singles Championship
in England. Two times he was named the number one tennis player in the world.
Throughout his life, Arthur Ashe fought against social injustice. He supported racial equality and
tried to bring blacks and whites together.
In 1973, Ashe was the first black player to be invited to compete in the South African Open. At
the time, South African laws separated people by race. Ashe knew why he was invited. He knew
that the South African government was trying to change its image so it could take part in the
Olympic Games. He agreed to go, but on his own terms. He played before a racially mixed
group. And, he went wherever he pleased and said what he wanted.
Arthur Ashe went back to South Africa many times. He went not only to fight against the system
of racial separation. He went to show the oppressed children of the country that he was a
successful black man. Former South African President Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison.
After his release, the first person Mandela asked to see during his visit to the United States was
Arthur Ashe.
Ashe used his fame to help increase public knowledge of racism in America. He told reporters
how the color of his skin kept him out of tennis games as a boy in Richmond. He spoke against
black separatism. He wanted to unite the races, not separate them. During his travels with the
United States Davis Cup team, he said, "People in other countries read a lot about race troubles
in the United States. But when they see two guys from the South like Cliff Richey and me, one
white and one colored, both sharing a room and being close friends, it must do a little good."
In 1977, Arthur Ashe married Jeanne Moutoussamy. They shared a deep concern for others.
Ashe always urged people to do their best -- even his opponents. To help others, he started an
organization, the Safe Passage Foundation. It helped poor children develop the skills to learn.
And it taught them how to play tennis and golf.
In 1975, Ashe felt severe pain in his chest. He had suffered his first heart attack, even though he
seemed in excellent physical condition. His days of playing tennis were over. Doctors operated
on him later that year to try to improve the flow of blood from his heart. But his physical activity
was very limited. Four years later, he had to have another operation.
Now that he could not be active in sports, he took on new responsibilities. He helped the
American Heart Association educate the public about heart disease. He wrote books. And, in
1986, he became a father when his wife Jeanne gave birth to their daughter, Camera.
Two years later, Arthur Ashe faced his final struggle. He discovered he had the virus that causes
the disease AIDS. He and his doctors believed he had gotten it when he received infected blood
after his second heart operation. He kept the bad news a secret for more than three years. He did
not want his daughter to know. But reporters found out about his condition in 1992. He decided
to tell the public.
Ashe continued to work even though he was weak from the disease. During his last ten months
of life, he continued to help children. He also demonstrated to support Haitian refugees,
continued to fight racial injustice and battled AIDS. He said, ". . . Living with AIDS is not the
greatest burden I've had in my life. Being black is." He gave his last speech the week he died. He
said, "AIDS killed my body, but racism is harder to bear. It kills the soul."
Arthur Ashe died in 1993. He was 49 years old. He had told a friend, "You come to realize that
life is short, and you have to step up. Don't feel sorry for me. Much is expected of those who are
strong."
VOA News
1. Look at the bolded word in paragraph 1. Choose the word or phrase in the
phrase that the word refers to.
athlete
activist
Arthur Ashe
tennis
2. According to paragraph 2 all the following are correct EXCEPT.

Arthur Ashe was playing against Ilie Nastase
Arthur Ashe walked off the tennis court because he displeased
Nastase had insulted Ashe
Nastase was out of control and he cancelled the game
3. The words "self-respect" in paragraph 2 are closest in meaning to:

liking oneself
pride and confidence in oneself
being proud
knowing that others respect you
4. According to the passage all the following are true EXCEPT:

Ashe became a professional tennis player in 1968
Ashe won the French Open Doubles Championship in 1971
Ashe was the first black player to be invited to compete in the South African
Open
Ashe was the first person that President Nelson Mandela asked to see, during a
visit to the U.S after his release from prison.
5. According to the passage, what did Arthur Ashe and his wife have in common?
A love of tennis
A longing to have a family
An agreement to keep his illness a secret.
A deep concern for other people
6. According to the passage which of the following statements is correct?

Ashe became a father in 1985
Ashe was 50 years old when he died
Ashe discovered that he had the virus that causes AIDS in 1988
Ashe suffered a fatal heart attack in 1975
7. The word "they" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to:

A gathering of people for a formal meeting
a group of people organised for a joint purpose
A group of people with something in common.
A group of people playing the same sport
8. Choose the answer that is closest in meaning to the words "does not get
anywhere".
to achieve something and have personal success
to overcome struggles
to win competitions and achieve personal goals
to travel and make friends.
9. Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage?
Arthur Ashe was an active anti-racism campaigner. He won the respect of many
world leaders. His sporting achievements won him much admiration and helped
increase his profile as a Civil Rights Activist.
Arthur Ashe bravely fought a battle against ill health at a relatively young age.
He was also a successful sportsman in his field and was known for his courage and
honesty. However the biggest battle in his life was against racism which he had
encountered from a young age.

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26 TESTS

2. What does the passage imply?

6. What did the three great artistic periods coincide with?

8. What is an example of the influence Armenian art?

2. The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini

1. What is the topic of this passage?

2. What can be inferred from this passage?

3. What CANNOT be inferred from this passage?

4. As described by the author, what is NOT true about Cellini's autobiography?

5. Why does the author mention St. Augustine and Pepys?

8. In the fifth paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "epitome"?

9. What was Cellini's motive in writing his autobiography?

1. What is this passage about?

2. What can be inferred from the passage?

4. In the second paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "diverse"?

6. What can be inferred about social bees?

7. What bee produces honey that people harvest?

8. How do social bees communicate?

9. What does the passage NOT imply?

4. The Culture of the 1950s

3. What was NOT an American cultural norm during the 1950s?

4. What can be inferred from the third paragraph?

5. What was one effect of television?

9. In the last paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "staid"?

10. What does the passage imply?

1. What is the topic of this passage?

2. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?

4. In the second paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "subduction"?

7. What is the source of earthquakes in Western Mexico?

6. Why Largest US Ethnic Group Vanished from American

1. What does the passage imply?

10. When did the internment of German Americans take place?

7. Laser-Beaming the Internet of the Future

Laser technology is not new, however. Professor Siddharth Ramachandran of Boston

1. What is the topic of the passage?

3. In the fourth paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "coupling"?

8. What is NOT a reason TeraBeam wanted to use 1550nm laser light?

8. Martian Science Fiction Film Hopes to Inspire New

2. In the first paragraph, what is NOT a meaning of the word "hostile"?

6. What does the passage imply?

7. In the second paragraph, who thinks that Watney has died?

8. Who are role models in the film?

9. Fossilized ‘Hedgehog-like’ Creature May Be Earliest

A study about Spinolestes appeared in the journal Nature.

1. What is the main topic of the passage?

3. In the fourth paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "roughly"?

6. What does the passage imply?

9. Where did Spinolestes live?

10. How much do scientists believe that Spinolestes weighed?

10. Obama Focuses on Criminal Justice Reform in Weekly

2. In the second paragraph, what does "we" refer to?

3. In the seventh paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "bipartisan"?

7. Where does the sentence -- "The House of Representatives is also working on a

8. What is NOT a reason given for the increase in prison population?

11. The Congress of Vienna

1. When was the Congress of Vienna held?

2. Where was the Congress of Vienna held?

3. What was the purpose of the Congress of Vienna?

4. What large kingdoms were included in the German Confederation?

5. Who directed Austria's foreign policy?

7. What year were the Carlsbad Decrees issued?

8. Who always served as president of the German Confederation?