ROUND II. Reading Comprehension Test.

Directions:

In this Test you will read three texts. You should do the tasks following the text on the basis of what is stated or implied in that text. For each task you will choose the best possible answer from four possible answers (a, b, c or d) or two symbols (+ or -) as specified prior to each task. Choose the best answer and write down the letter or symbol of your choice on the Answer Sheet.

Statements 1 through 5 refer to Text 1.

Text 1

The largest lake in the western United States is the Great Salt Lake, an inland saltwater lake in northwestern Utah, just outside the state capital of Salt Lake City. Rivers and streams feed into the Great Salt Lake, but none drain out of it; this has a major influence on both the salt content and the size of the lake.

Although the Great Salt Lake is fed by freshwater streams, it is actually saltier than the oceans of the world. The salt comes from the more than two million tons of minerals that flow into the lake each year from the rivers and creeks that feed it. Sodium and chloride — the components of salt — comprise the large majority of the lake's mineral content.

The Great Salt Lake can vary tremendously from its normal size of 1,700 square miles, depending on long-term weather conditions. During periods of heavy rains, the size of the lake can swell tremendously from the huge amounts of water flowing into the Salt Lake from its feeder rivers and streams; in 1980 the lake even reached a size of 2,400 square miles. During periods of dry weather, the size of the lake decreases, sometimes drastically, due to evaporation.

Task 1: Questions (choose the correct letter a, b, c or d):

1. The passage is NOT telling about...

a) the location of the lake;

b) the formation of the lake;

c) the reasons for saltiness;

d) the size of the lake.

2. The word "drain" means:

a) walk;

b) stop;

c) flow;

d) cross.

3. According to the passage, the size of the lake depends on...

a) one reason;

b) two reasons;

c) three reasons;

d) four reasons.

4. It may be inferred from the passage that...

a) the water leaves the lake through some underground passages;

b) the water evaporates intensively from the surface;

c) the water only feeds the lake without leaving it;

d) there is no water at all but a saline and mineral solution.

5. The lake is salty because...

a) salty rivers flow into it;

b) its bottom is made of salt;

c) salt is not carried out of the lake;

d) it is a part of an ocean.

Читання, 11 клас. Reading Comprehension Test.

Questions 6 through 10 refer to Text 2.

Text 2

People are often surprised to learn just how long some varieties of trees can live. If asked to estimate the age of the oldest living trees on the Earth, they often come up with guesses in the neighbourhood of two or perhaps three hundred years. The real answer is considerably larger than that, more than five thousand years.

The tree that wins the prize for its considerable maturity is the bristlecone pine of California. This venerable pine predates wonders of the ancient world such as the pyramids of Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Colossus of Rhodes. It is not nearly as tall as the giant redwood that is also found in California, and in fact it is actually not very tall compared with many other trees often little more than five meters in height. This relatively short height may be one of the factors that aid the bristlecone pine in living to a ripe old age—high winds and inclement weather cannot easily reach the shorter trees and cause damage. An additional factor that contributes to the long life of the bristlecone pine is that this type of tree has a high percentage of resin, which prevents rot from developing in the tree trunk and branches.

Task 2: Questions (choose the correct letter a, b, c or d):

6. The best title for this passage would be.

a) The Size of the Bristlecone Pine.

b) Three-Hundred-Year-Old-Forests.

c) The Wonders of the Ancient World.

d) An Amazingly Enduring Tree.

7. The expression "in the neighborhood of" could best be replaced by:

a) of approximately;

b) on the same block as;

c) with the friendliness of;

d) located close to.

8. It can be inferred from the passage that most people:

a) are quite accurate in their estimates of the ages of trees;

b) have two to three hundred trees in their neighborhoods;

c) do not really have any idea how old the oldest trees on the Earth are;

d) can name some three-hundred-year-old trees.

9. According to the passage, approximately how old are the oldest trees on the Earth?

a) Two hundred years old;

b) three hundred years old;

c) five hundred years old;

d) five thousand years old.

10. The word "venerable" is closest in meaning to which of the following?

a) ancient;

b) incredible;

c) towering;

d) unrecognizable.

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