CliffsTestPrep TOEFL CBT PRACTICE TEST 3 READING SECTION (1)

CliffsTestPrep TOEFL CBT

PRACTICE TEST 3

READING SECTION (1)

Directions: This section measures your ability to read and understand written English similar to that which one may expect in a college or university setting. Read each passage and answer the questions based on what is stated or implied in the passage. Circle or mark the correct answer in the book or write it on a separate piece of paper.

Passage 1

Sometimes people worry about the germs that they come into contact with daily. In fact, most people would be surprised to learn just how many microbes actually inhabit a human’s body at any given time, in addition to the larger visitors that come around occasionally. Such natural species that regularly come into contact with our bodies include mites, lice, yeast, and fungus, just to name a few. We are, in fact, an ecosystem much like a rain forest is to the natural flora and fauna that call it home. Lice, or nits, are particularly horrible to even think about. To learn that one’s child has been found in school with head lice can cause trauma and shame. People think that having lice is a symptom of being unclean, although one can be infected by contact with somebody else who has them. Although lice are not that common in general circles, children can easily acquire them just because of their close contact with other children at school or play. Some large cities host highpriced nit pickers who make a living removing head lice from children. Mites on the human body are much more common, and cleanliness does not eliminate the chance of having them. They are also microscopic, so they are invisible to the naked eye. There are a number of different species of mites, two of which have the human face as their natural habitat, particularly the skin of the forehead. Others are very content among human hair, living among the follicles of the eyelashes, eyebrows, and scalp hair. Not all such inhabitants are harmful. In fact, even the annoying mite lives on dead skin cells, actually doing us a favor by removing them. The dreaded dust mite, for example, blamed for causing allergies, removes dead skin from bed coverings. And harmless bacteria often keep potentially harmful bacteria from being able to survive. So people should not try to eliminate mites from their bodies, although some have tried. Some sufferers of obsessive/compulsive disorder have scrubbed themselves raw trying to eliminate all scavengers from their bodies, only to damage their skin, and all to no avail. Certain types of yeast also regularly live on the human body, sometimes causing annoyances. One common type lives on the oil produced in the skin of the face or scalp, causing a condition known as pityriasis versicolor, which is a scaling and discoloration of the skin. Ailments such as athlete’s foot are caused by a fungus that grows in warm, moist conditions. To avoid them or avoid a recurrence, patients are encouraged keep their feet dry and cool, which of course may not be easy, depending on one’s work or personal habits. Ringworm is also a fungus acquired by contact with keratin-rich soil in many parts of the world. Besides the tiny inhabitants, we are also regularly harassed by insects that feed off of our bodies, like mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas, which sometimes deposit harmful illnesses at the same time they probe the skin for the blood on which they live. Mosquitoes have been known to cause malaria and yellow fever as well as encephalitis. Fleas have transmitted bubonic plague, and ticks have caused lime disease. Just like a river, an ocean, a rain forest, or any other ecological wonder in which numerous species survive, feeding upon other inhabitants, our bodies are natural providers of nutrition and life for various small and microscopic species.

1	The word inhabit in the second sentence is closest in meaning to A.    escape. B.    live in. C.    feed on. D.    abuse.	7	The word others in the third paragraph refers to A.     foreheads. B.     follicles. C.     habitats. D.     mite species.
2	The author’s main point is A.       to describe the dangerous ailments that can result from insects and microbes. B.       to describe how the human body is host to a number of different harmful and harmless inhabitants and visitors. C.       to warn people about the dangers of being attacked by small life forms. D.       to describe how to rid oneself of bacteria and insects.	8	The author indicates that lice are also known as A.       nits. B.       microbes. C.       yeast. D.       ticks.
3	The author infers that lice and mites are different in that A.       mites are totally unavoidable, while lice may be avoidable. B.       lice are not harmful, but mites are. C.       mites live only on the skin, and lice live only in the hair. D.       mites are treatable, and lice are not.	9	The author indicates that a nit picker is A.       somebody who is afraid of mites. B.       somebody who removes lice professionally. C.       a doctor who treats patients for infection. D.       somebody who has been bitten by a tick.
4	The word shame in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to A.       embarrassment. B.       anger. C.       disbelief. D.       contentment.	10	The author infers that A.        being host to insects and microbes is unwise. B.        being host to insects and microbes is inevitable. C.        one can avoid infestation by microbes. D.        insects are the cause of microbial infestation.
5	The word their in the second paragraph refers to A.        lice’s. B.        children’s. C.        circles’. D.        schools’	11	What does the author mean by the statement Not all such inhabitants are harmful at the beginning of the fourth paragraph? A.     Mites are the same as yeast. B.     Mites actually are beneficial because they remove dead skin particles from the body and habitat. C.     Some mites eat other harmful mites. D.    The diseases mites carry do not pass to humans.
6	Where, in the third paragraph, could the following sentence be inserted logically? In fact, one mite is generally about one-fourth the size of a period on a page of text. Mites on the human body are much more common, and cleanliness does not eliminate the chance of having them. (A) They are also microscopic, so they are invisible to the naked eye. (B) There are a number of different species of mites, two of which have the human face as their natural habitat, particularly the skin of the forehead. (C) Others are very content among human hair, living among the follicles of the eyelashes, eyebrows, and scalp hair. (D)

ANSWER KEY

1	B	live in.
2	B	to describe how the human body is host to a number of different harmful and harmless inhabitants and visitors. This is the one answer that is general and does not misstate the author’s purpose.
3	A	mites are totally unavoidable, while lice may be avoidable. In the second and third paragraphs, the passage indicates that one can avoid lice but not mites.
4	A	embarrassment.
5	B	children’s. Substitute children’s for the word their, and the sentence will make sense.
6	B	After the sentence They are also microscopic, so they are invisible to the naked eye. This sentence and the one that follows discuss the size of the mite, so it is logical that it would fit in this place.
7	D	mite species. The previous sentence discusses species of mites, and this sentence is a continuation. Substitute other species of mites, and it will make sense.
8	A	nits. The author states lice, or nits, which indicates that they are the same thing.
9	B	somebody who removes lice professionally
10	B	being host to insects and microbes is inevitable. The entire passage indicates that one cannot avoid being host to certain visitors.
11	B	Mites actually are beneficial because they remove dead skin particles from the body and habitat. This is explained in the fourth paragraph.