PRACTICE TEST B (30-39) SECTION 3: READING COMPREHENSION TOEFL ITP PRACTICE TEST

 

TOEFL ITP PRACTICE TEST VOLUME 1 PRACTICE TEST B (30-39) SECTION 3: READING COMPREHENSION

 

Time: 55 minutes, including the reading of the directions Now set your clock for 55 minutes. Directions: In this section you will read several passages. Each passage is followed by several questions about it. For questions 1-50, you are to choose the one best answer, (A), (B), (C) or (D), to each question. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen. Answer all questions following a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage. Read the following sample passage: The railroad was not the first institution to impose regularity on society, or to draw attention to the importance of precise timekeeping. For as long as merchants have set out their wares at daybreak and communal festivities have been celebrated, people have been in rough agreement with their neighbors as to the time of day. The value of this tradition is today more apparent than ever. Were it not for public acceptance of a single yardstick of time, social life would be unbearably chaotic: the massive daily transfers of goods, services, and information would proceed in fits and starts; the very fabric of modern society would begin to unravel.   Example 1 What is the main idea of the passage? A In modern society, we must take more time for our neighbors. B The traditions of society are timeless. C An accepted way of measuring time is essential for the smooth functioning of society. D Society judges people by the times at which they conduct certain activities. The main idea of the passage is that societies need to agree about how time is to be measured in order to function smoothly. Therefore, you should choose (C). Sample Answer A B C D   Example II In line 5, the phrase “this tradition” refers to A the practice of starting the business day at dawn B friendly relations between neighbors C the railroad’s reliance on time schedules D people’s agreement on the measurement of time The phrase “this tradition” refers to the preceding clause, “people have been in rough agreement with their neighbors as to the time of day.”Therefore, you should choose (D). Sample Answer A B C D   Questions 20-29 The Comstock Lode in Nevada was the scene of one of the biggest silver mining booms in the history of the opening up of the North American West. It was discovered in 1859, but productivity did not reach its peak until the 1870’s when many large silver deposits were discovered. A large number of mines are scattered along the five-kilometer length of the lode, which is basically a mineralized fault zone, separating geologically young andesite and dacite lavas from older rocks. The lode forms a flattish sheet, inclined at about 40 degrees to the horizontal, and reaches a maximum thickness of 120 meters and a depth of 1,000 meters, although most of the richest ore was found well above this level. As in so many of the world’s mines, the mining operations on the Comstock Lode were severely hampered by water flooding into the workings. At Comstock, though, the problems were particularly acute, since the water was extremely hot, reaching 64 degrees Celsius in some places. Geologically, the presence of such large volumes of hot water was immensely significant, since it implied that beneath the Comstock Lode there was still a large mass of hot igneous rock that might be producing more mineralization. For a long while this near-scalding water made it impossible to mine much below the 1,000-meter level, and many miners were killed by it, either directly by falling into the water or indirectly through the effects of overexertion in the very high temperatures of the mine galleries. No fewer than 53 miners died in one period of 22 months ending in May 1877.To combat this it was decided to dig a six-kilometer-long tunnel to drain and ventilate the upper parts of the mine workings. This tunnel, which became known as the Sutro Tunnel, took many years of extremely hard work to complete, and the succession of physical obstacles and financial crises that were successfully overcome in its construction have become legendary, comparable in some ways with the heroic engineering involved in the laying of the first transcontinental railway across the United States.   30.       The word “It” in line 2 refers to (A)       Comstock Lode (B)       history (C)       productivity (D)       peak 31.       The word “scattered” in line 4 is closest in meaning to (A)       combined (B)       spread out (C)       easily identified (D)       preserved 32.       Where in the passage does the author describe a lode? (A)       Lines 4-6 (B)       Lines 10-11 (C)       Lines 13-16 (D)       Lines 21-22 33.       What is the main idea of the second paragraph? (A)       The Comstock Lode mines were the most successful in North American history. (B)       The Comstock Lode mines had severe problems affecting their operation. (C)       The transcontinental railroad made mines profitable. (D)       Thousands of workers were employed in the Comstock Lode mines. 34.       The word “hampered” in line 11 is closest in meaning to (A)       overwhelmed (B)       deepened (C)       prolonged (D)       disrupted 35.       The word “acute” in line 12 is closest in meaning to (A)       fiery (B)       unsolvable (C)       serious (D)       sensitive 36.       According to the passage, what can be signaled by the presence of hot igneous rock? (A)       Flooding (B)       Uneven deposits of ore (C)       Low water levels (D)       Continuing mineralization 37.       What was the purpose of the Sutro Tunnel? (A)       To relieve flooding and bring air into the mine (B)       To get miners to the Comstock Lode quickly (C)       To pump the hot water out of the mine and bring cold water in to cool it (D)       To transport ore to the surface 38.       The word “obstacles” in line 24 is closest in meaning to (A)       injuries (B)       objects (C)       qualifications (D)       difficulties 39.       The author compares the construction of the Sutro Tunnel to the first transcontinental railroad in North America because both projects (A)       were accomplished quickly (B)       employed young workers (C)       were challenging to complete (D)       lost money

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