READING TOEFL EXERCISES (8-11) LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL

LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL

READING

TOEFL EXERCISES (8-11)

TOEFL EXERCISE (Skills 8-11): Study each of the passages and choose the best answers to the questions that follow.

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-5)

Cardamom is not as widely used as a spice in the United States as it is in other parts of the world. The fruit of the ginger plant provides an oil that basically has been used solely as a stimulant in American and English medicines. Other cultures have recognized the multipurpose benefits of this aromatic fruit. In Asia it is used to season sauces such as curry; in Middle Eastern countries it is steeped to prepare a flavorful, golden-colored tea; in parts of Northern Europe it is used as a spice in various types of pastry.

1	Click on the word in the passage that could best be replaced by “only”		4	Look at the word curry in the passage. Curry is
				A	the fruit of the ginger plant
				B	a spicy type of sauce
				C	a culture in the area of the Middle East
				D	a type of golden-colored tea
2	The word “multipurpose” in line 3 is closest in meaning to		5	Click on the word in the passage that could best be replaced by “steamed.”
	A	health
	B	singular
	C	recognized
	D	varied
3	Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “season” in line 4?
	A	Divide
	B	Forecast
	C	Spice
	D	Put a time limit

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 6-13)

The life span of an elephant that dies from natural causes is about sixty-five years. Of course, an elephant can perish from a number of “unnatural causes”; e.g., it can be killed by hunters, most probably for the valuable ivory in its tusks; it can die from diseases that spread throughout an elephant herd; or it can die from drought or from the lack of food that almost certainly accompanies the inadequate supply of water. If, however, an elephant survives these disasters, it falls prey to old age in its mid-sixties. Around this age, the cause of death is attributed to the loss of the final set of molars. When this last set of teeth is gone, the elephant dies from malnutrition because it is unable to obtain adequate nourishment. In old age, elephants tend to search out a final home where there is shade for comfort from the sun and soft vegetation for cushioning; the bones of many old elephants have been found in such places.

6	Look at the word perish in paragraph 1. Click on another word in paragraph 1 that is close in meaning to perish.		10	Look at the word molars in paragraph 2. Click on the word in paragraph 2 that is close in meaning to molars.
7	The word “unnatural” in line 2 is closest in meaning to		11	In line 8, “malnutrition” is used to describe a condition related to
	A	wild		A	good health
	B	violent		B	illness
	C	domesticated		C	poor eating
	D	abnormal		D	dental problems
8	Look at the word drought in paragraph 1. A drought means		12	Look at the expression a final home in paragraph 2. This expression is closest in meaning to
	A	a drowning		A	a place to die
	B	a lack of food		B	a comfortable house
	C	an inadequate supply of water		C	a place for sale
	D	an overabundance of animals		D	the only remaining place to live
9	Which of the following could be used to replace the word “survives” in line 6?		13	The word “shade” in line 10 is closest in meaning to
	A	Rises to		A	color
	B	Succumbs		B	heat
	C	Denies		C	diminished light
	D	Lives through		D	a front porch

PASSAGE THREE (Questions 14-21)

The American flag is the end product of a long evolution. Each of its component parts has its own history. The very first American flag hoisted in the skies over Boston on January 1, 1776 by the American forces there. This first flag consisted of thirteen red and white stripes representing the number of American colonies. It also included the British Cross of St. George and Cross of St. Andrew. It could also be considered rather ironic that these symbols of British rule were included on the American flag in that the American colonists were fighting for independence from the British. The origin of the stars on the current flag is obscure; that is, the stars could possibly have been taken from the flag of Rhode Island, or they could have been taken from the coat of arms of the Washington family. According to legend, this first flag with stars was sewn by Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress who was famous for her clever needlework. This version of the flag contained thirteen starts and thirteen stripes, one for each of the thirteen colonies battling for independence. The original idea was to add one star and one stripe for each state that joined the new, young country. However, by 1818, the number of states had grown to twenty, and it did not work well to keep adding stripes to the flag. As a result, Congress made the decision to revert to the original thirteen stripes representing the thirteen original colonies and adding a star each time a new state was admitted. This had been the policy ever since.

14	The word “product” in line 1 is closest in meaning to		18	In line 12, the word “seamstress” is used to describe someone who
	A	goods		A	works at home
	B	merchandise		B	sews
	C	banner		C	is a part of high society
	D	result		D	practices medicine
15	Look at the word hoisted bin paragraph 2. Something that is hoisted is		19	Click on the word in paragraph 4 that could best be replaced by “function.”
	A	created
	B	found
	C	raised
	D	made
16	The word “ironic” in line 6 could most easily be replaced by		20	Click on the word in paragraph 4 that could best be replaced by “continue.”
	A	steellike
	B	normal
	C	unexpected
	D	nationalistic
17	Look at the word obscure in paragraph 3. Click on another word in paragraph 3 that is opposite in meaning to obscure		21	The expression “revert to” in line 17 means
				A	return to
				B	add to
				C	rejoice over
				D

ANSWER KEY

1	solely	11	C	21	A
2	D	12	A
3	C	13	C
4	B	14	D
5	seeped	15	C
6	die	16	C
7	D	17	clear
8	C	18	B
9	D	19	work
10	teeth	20	keep