TOEFL 3 : READING
Question 1 - 11
The time when humans crossed the
Arctic land bridge from Siberia to Alaska seems remote to us today, but
actually represents a late stage in the prehistory of humans, an era when
polished stone implements and bows and arrows were already being used and dogs
had already been domesticated.
When these early migrants
arrived in North America, they found the woods and plains dominated by three
types of American mammoths. These elephants were distinguished from today’s
elephants mainly by their thick, shaggy coats and their huge, up-ward-curving
tusks. They had arrived on the continent hundreds of thousands of years before
their human followers. The wooly mammoth South, together with their distant
cousins the mastodons, dominated the land. Here, as in the Old World, there is
evidence that humans hunted these elephants, as shown by the numerous spear
points found with mammoth remains.
Then, at the end of the Ice
Age, when the last glaciers had retreated, there was a relatively sudden and
widespread extinction of elephants. In the New World, both mammoths and
mastodons disappeared. In the Old World, only the Indian and African elephants
survived.
Why did the huge, seemingly
successful mammoths disappear? Were humans connected with their extinction?
Perhaps, but at that time, although they were cunning hunters, humans were
still widely scattered and not very numerous. It is difficult to see how they
could have prevailed over the mammoth to such an extent.
1. With
which of the following is the passage primarily concerned?
A. Migration from Siberia to Alaska
B. Techniques used to hunt mammoths
C. The prehistory of human
D. The relationship between man and mammoth in
the New World
2. The
word “implements” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
A. tools
B. ornaments
C. houses
D. carvings
3. The
phrase “these early migrants” in paragraph 2 refers to
A. mammoths
B. humans
C. dogs
D. mastodons
4. Where
were the imperial mammoths the dominant type of mammoth?
A. Alaska
B. The central portion of North
America
C. The southern part of North
America
D. South America
5. It
can be inferred that when humans crossed into the New World, they
A. had previously hunted mammoths in Siberia
B. had never seen mammoths before
C. brought mammoths with them from the Old
World
D. soon learned to use dogs to hunt mammoths
6. Which
of the following could best substitute for the word “remains” in paragraph 2?
A. bones
B. drawings
C. footprints
D. spear points
7. The
word “seemingly” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to
A. tremendously
B. apparently
C. formerly
D. obviously
8. The
passage supports which of the following conclusions about mammoths?
A. Humans hunted them to extinction
B. The freezing temperatures of the Ice Age
destroyed their food supply
C. The cause of their extinction is not
definitely known
D. Competition with mastodons caused them to
become extinct
9. The
word “cunning” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to
A. clever
B. determined
C. efficient
D. cautious
10. Which
of the following is NOT true about prehistoric humans at the time of the
mammoths’ extinction?
A. They were relatively few in number
B. They knew how to use bows and arrows
C. They were concentrated in a small area
D. They were skilled hunters
11. Which
of the following types of elephants does the author discuss in the most detail
in the passage?
A. the mastodon
B. the mammoth
C. the Indian elephant
D. the African elephant
Question 12 - 23
Just before and during World War
I, a number of white musicians came to Chicago from New Orleans playing in an
idiom they had learned from blacks in that city. Five of them formed what
eventually became known as the Original Dixieland Band. They moved to New York
in 1917 and won fame there. That year they recorded the first phonograph record
identified as jazz.
The first important recording
by black musicians was made in Chicago in 1923 by King Oliver’s Creole Jazz
Band, a group that featured some of the foremost jazz musicians of the time,
including trumpet player Louis Armstrong. Armstrong’s dynamic trumpet style
became famous worldwide. Other band members had played in Fate Marable’s band,
which traveled up and down the Mississippi River entertaining passengers on
riverboats.
The characteristics of this
early type of jazz, known as Dixieland jazz, included a complex interweaving of
melodic lines among the coronet or trumpet, clarinet, and trombone, and a
steady chomp-chomp beat provided by the rhythm section, which included the
piano, bass, and drums. Most bands used no written notations, preferring
arrangements agreed on verbally.
Improvisation was an
indispensable element. Even bandleaders such as Duke Ellington, who provided
his musicians with written arrangements, permitted them plenty to freedom to
improvise when playing solos.
In the late 1920s, the most
influential jazz artists in Chicago were members of small bands such as the
Wolverines. In the New York, the trend was toward larger groups. These groups
played in revues, large dance halls, and theaters. Bands would become larger
still during the next age of jazz, the Swing era.
12. What
is the main topic of this passage?
A. The early history jazz
B. The music of World War I
C. The relationship of melody and rhythm in
jazz
D. The New York recording industry in the
1920s
13. The
word “idiom” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
A. slang
B. tempo
C. tune
D. style
14. The
musicians who made the earliest jazz recordings were originally from
A. New Orleans
B. Chicago
C. New York
D. Mississippi
15. When
was the first important recording by black jazz musicians made?
A. 1917
B. 1923
C. The late 1920s
D. The early 1930s
16. According
to the passage, Louis Armstrong was a member of which of the following?
A. The Original Dixieland Band
B. Fate Marable’s riverboat band
C. King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band
D. The Wolverines
17. The
word “steady” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
A. constant
B. basic
C. urgent
D. happy
18. According
to the passage, which of the following instruments helped provide the beat for
Dixieland jazz?
A. The coronet
B. The piano
C. The trombone
D. The clarinet
19. Duke
Ellington is given as an example of bandleader who
A. could not read music
B. did not value improvisation
C. discouraged solo performances
D. used written arrangements
20. Which
of the following phrases would be LEAST likely to be applied to Dixieland jazz?
A. relatively complex
B. highly improvisational
C. rhythmic and melodic
D. rigidly planned
21. According
to the passage, who were the Wolverines?
A. a band that played in large dance halls
B. a New York group
C. a Swing band
D. a small group
22. The
author provides the most detailed description of early jazz music in the
A. first paragraph
B. second paragraph
C. third paragraph
D. fourth paragraph
23. The
paragraph following this one most likely deals with
A. the music of small bands
B. the Swing era
C. music that influenced Dixieland music
D. other forms of music popular in the1920s
Question 24 - 33
A pioneering study by Donald
Appleyard made the astounding discovery that a sudden increase in the volume of
traffic through an area affects people in the way that a sudden increase in
crime does. Appleyard observed this by finding three blocks of houses in San Francisco
that looked much alike and had the same kind of middle-class and working-class
residents, with approximately the same ethnic mix. The difference was that only
2,000 cars a day ran down Octavia Street (LIGHT street, in Appleyard’s
terminology) while Gough street (MEDIUM street) was used by 8,000 cars daily,
and Franklin Street (HEAVY street) had around 16,000 cars a day. Franklin
Street often had as many cars in an hour as Octavia Street had in a day.
Heavy traffic brought with it
danger, noises, fumes, and soot, directly and trash secondarily. That is, the
cars didn’t bring in much trash , but when trash accumulated, residents seldom
picked it up. The cars, Appleyard determined, reduced the amount of territory
residents felt responsible for. Noise was a constant intrusion into their
homes. Many Franklin Street residents covered their doors and windows and spent
most of their time in the rear of their houses. Most families with children had
already left.
Conditions on Octavia Street
were much different. Residents picked up trash. They sat on their front steps
and chatted with neighbors. They had three times as many friends and twice as
many acquaintances as the people on Franklin.
On Gough Street, residents said
that the old feeling of community was disappearing as traffic increased. People
were becoming more and more preoccupied with their own lives. A number of
families had recently moved and more were considering. Those who were staying
expressed deep regret at the destruction of their community.
24. The
word “astounding” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
A. starting
B. disappointing
C. dubious
D. alternative
25. The
three streets mentioned in this passage are different in that
A. they are in different cities
B. the residents are of different ethnic
backgrounds
C. they have varying amounts of traffic
D. the income levels of the residents vary
considerably
26. Approximately
how many cars use Franklin Street daily?
A. 2,000
B. 8,000
C. 16,000
D. 20,000
27. All
of the following are direct results of heavy traffic EXCEPT
A. increased amounts of trash
B. greater danger to residents
C. more pollution
D. more vibrations
28. The
author’s main purpose in the second paragraph is to
A. discuss the problems of trash disposal
B. point out the disadvantages of heavy
traffic
C. propose an alternate system of
transportation
D. suggest ways to cope with traffic problems
29. On
which street is there the most social interaction?
A. Octavia Street
B. Gough Street
C. Franklin Street
D. There is no significant social interaction
on any of the three streets
30. The
word “chatted” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
A. joked
B. talked
C. argued
D. walked
31. Which
of the following is NOT a statement you would expect from a resident of Gough
Street?
A. People on this street are unhappy because
the neighborhood is deteriorating
B. People on this street think mostly of
themselves
C. People on this street have more and more
space for which they feel responsible
D. A number of people are preparing to leave
this street
32. In
what order does the author present detailed discussions of the three streets?
A. LIGHT, MEDIUM, HEAVY
B. HEAVY, MEDIUM, LIGHT
C. HEAVY, LIGHT, MEDIUM
D. LIGHT, HEAVY, MEDIUM
33. The
passage mainly discusses Rachel Carson’s work
A. as a researcher
B. at college
C. at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
D. as a writer
Question 34 - 41
Rachel Carson was born in 1907 in
Springsdale, Pennsylvania. She studied biology at college and zoology at Johns Hopkins
University, where she received her master’s degree in 1933. In 1936, she was
hired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where she worked most of her life.
Carson’s first book, Under the
Sea Wind, was published in 1941. It received excellent reviews, but sales were
poor until it was reissued in 1952. In that year she published The Sea Around
Us, which provided a fascinating look beneath the ocean’s surface, emphasizing
human history as well as geology and marine biology. Her imaginary and language
had a poetic quality. Carson consulted no less than 1,000 printed sources. She
had voluminous correspondence and frequent discussions with experts in the
field. However, she always realized the limitations of her nontechnical
readers.
In 1962, Carson published
Silent Spring, a book that sparked considerable controversy. It proved how much
harm was done by the uncontrolled, reckless use of insecticides. She detailed
how they poison the food supply of animals, kill birds and fish, and
contaminate human food. At the time, spokesmen for the chemical industry
mounted personal attacks against Carson and issue propaganda to indicate that
her findings were flawed. However, her work was vindicated by a 1963 report of
the President’s Science Advisory Committee.
34. According
to the passage, what did Carson primarily study at Johns Hopkins University?
A. oceanography
B. history
C. literature
D. zoology
35. When
she published her first book, Carson was closest to the age of
A. 26
B. 20
C. 34
D. 45
36. It
can be inferred from the passage that in 1952, Carson’s book Under the Sea Wind
A. was outdated
B. became more popular than her other books
C. was praised by critics
D. sold many copies
37. Which
of the following was NOT mentioned in the passage as a source of information
for The Sea Around Us?
A. printed matter
B. talks with experts
C. a research expedition
D. letters from scientists
38. Which
of the following words or phrases is LEAST accurate in describing The Sea
Around Us?
A. highly technical
B. poetic
C. fascinating
D. well-researched
39. The
word “reckless” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
A. unnecessary
B. limited
C. continuous
D. irresponsible
40. According
to the passage, Silent Spring is primarily
A. an attack on the use of chemical
preservatives in food
B. a discussion of the hazards insects pose to
the food supply
C. a warning about the dangers of misusing
insecticides
D. an illustration of the benefits of the
chemical industry
41. The
word “flawed” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
A. faulty
B. deceptive
C. logical
D. offensive
Question 42 - 50
What is meant by the term
economic resource? In general, these are all the natural, man-made, and human
resources that go into the production of goods and services. This obviously
covers a lot of ground: factories and farms, tools and machines, transportation
and communication facilities, all types of natural resources and labor.
Economic resources can be broken down into two general categories: property
resources-land and capital- and human resources-labor and entrepreneurial
skills.
What do economists mean by
land? Much more than the noneconomist. Land refers to all natural resources
that are usable in the production process: arable land, forests, mineral and
oil deposits, and so on. What about capital? Capital goods are all the man made
aids to producing, storing, transporting, and distributing goods and services.
Capital goods differ from consumer goods in that the latter satisfy wants directly,
while the former do so indirectly by facilitating the production of consumer
goods. It should be noted that capital as defined here does not refer to money.
Money, as such, produces nothing.
The term labor refers to the
physical and mental talents of humans used to produce goods or services (with
the exception of a certain set of human talents, entrepreneurial skills, which
will be considered separately because of their special significance).
Thus, the services of a factory
worker or an office worker, a ballet dancer or an astronaut all fall under the
general heading of labor.
42. Why
does the author of the passage mention the report of the president’s Science
Advisory Committee (paragraph 3)?
A. To provide an example of government
propaganda
B. To support Carson’s ideas
C. To indicate a growing government concern
with the environment
D. To validate the chemical industry’s claims
43. What
is the author’s main purpose in writing this passage?
A. To explain the concept of labor
B. To criticize certain uses of capital
C. To contrast capital goods and consumer
goods
D. To define economic resources
44. In
paragraph 1, the author uses the expression “This obviously covers a lot of
ground…” to indicate that
A. the factories and farms discussed in the
passage are very large
B. economic resources will be discussed in
great depth
C. the topic of economic resources is a broad
one
D. land is an important concept in economics
45. When
noneconomists use the term “land”, its definition
A. is much more general than when economists
use it
B. is much more restrictive than when
economists use it
C. changes from place to place
D. includes all types of natural resources
46. The
word “arable” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A. dry
B. fertile
C. developed
D. open
47. The
phrase “the latter” in paragraph 2 refers to
A. economists
B. noneconomists
C. capital goods
D. consumer goods
48. Which
of the following could be considered a capital good as defined in the passage?
A. a railroad
B. money
C. a coal mine
D. human skills
49. The
word “heading” in last paragraph is closest in meaning to
A. direction
B. practice
C. category
D. utility
50. The
skills of all the following could be considered examples of labor, as defined
in the passage, EXCEPT
A. artists and scientists
B. workers who produce services, not goods
C. office workers
D. entrepreneurs
