Reading Comprehension - Read the text below and answer the questions about it.
Text 1
TRAPPED IN THE
MOUNTAINS
By Deborah Morris
(adapted)
Doug, Theresa and
her sister Ruth drove to Colorado in order to have a six-day hike through the
Rocky Mountains.
The walk began on Monday morning, June 14. By
mid-afternoon, however, deep snow on the trail left them wet and freezing.
After dinner and a good night's sleep, the hikers' enthusiasm was restored.
They made good time at first, but at the end of the day the rocky trail became
increasingly obscured by snow and they lost the trail completely. Just
before dark they reached the top of the hills.
Before going down to the lake below, Ruth said
"Let's slide. it'll be easier than walking." As soon as Theresa
pushed off, she started going fast. Suddenly, she cried in terror as she slid
toward a precipice. Ruth heard her sister's cry and thought in despair:
"What have we done?" Then she spotted Theresa, who had managed
somehow to stop her descent. Seconds later, Ruth and Doug were also able
to stop themselves.
They spent a sleepless night behind a large
rock. On the next day they realized that they were trapped. Doug tried several
times to climb down and get some help but didn't succeed. "l"ve
failed, " he thought bitterly. "Unless somebody comes for us, we don't have a chance.”
On June 22, Esther Goldbas, Ruth's friend,
discovered that she hadn't returned to work. Esther phoned Doug's office but he
hadn't shown up either. Then she called up the Forest Service office."My
friends are missing." she said. "We think they might be in
your region."
High on the mountains, Ruth, Doug and Theresa were fighting despair.
Over the
past eight days, the three had grown progressively weaker as food had been
rationed for each day.
Thirty miles south, Channel 4 News helicopter
pilot Mike Silva and photographer David Gregg were informed by radio that Rocky
Mountain Rescue needed an aerial search for three people reported missing.
By eight p.m. they were over the trail,
searching for any sign of the hikers. "We'll need to go back soon,"
said Silva. "it's getting dark." Still watching the trail, Gregg
nodded. As trees momentarily obscured his view, he looked out the opposite
window and spotted the three wildly gesturing figures on the mountain side. 'We
got them!” Gregg said. He waved to the group to let them know they had been
seen..
After being evacuated by Rocky Mountain Rescue
volunteers and Mike Silva the next day, the three hikers took some of the men
and women who had saved them to dinner. Only then did they learn that
Esther Goldbas had been responsible for their rescue. (UFMG - 94)
Choose the
alternative that best completes the following statements, according to the
text.
QUESTION 1
Doug, Theresa and Ruth expected to spend six days
A) driving Theresa's car.
B) looking
for a trail.
C) skiing
on the Rockies.
D) traveling to Colorado.
E) walking in the mountains.
QUESTION 2
Before evening on Monday, the group
A) felt cold from the snow.
B) got sick from the food.
C) looked tired from the walk.
D) seemed
hot from the sun.
E) was wet
from the rain.
QUESTION 3
The hikers got lost due to
A) a damaged compass.
B) a misused map.
C) the old guidebook.
D) the bad weather.
E) wrong instructions.
QUESTION 4
They arrived at the top of the mountains
A) after a few hours.
B) after a three-day ride.
C) a week
after setting off.
D) before dark on Monday.
E) by Tuesday evening.
QUESTION 5
When they
reached the hill top,
A) the day
was breaking.
B) the ice was cracking.
C) the rain was falling.
D) the snow was melting.
E) the sun was
setting.
QUESTION 6
Ruth suggested that they should slide because
A) it was difficult to walk on the snow.
B) it was too boring going down on foot
C) the snow had frozen their feet and hands.
D) they
could go down much faster and safer.
E) they might have great fun along the way.
QUESTION 7
Theresa was terrified because she
A) heard loud and strange noises.
B) lost both her skis and sticks.
C) realized Doug was sliding fast
D) was anxious to get closer to Ruth.
E) was heading toward the abyss.
QUESTION 8
On their first night on the mountains, the three people
A) couldn't sleep at all.
B) had to sleep in a cabin.
C) must have slept very well.
D) should sleep by the lake.
E) ought not to sleep together.
QUESTION 9
Doug's attempt to get some help was a
A) complete failure.
B) doubtful decision.
C) good experiment.
D) pleasant solution.
E) sudden success.
QUESTION 10
They could
be saved only if
A) Doug managed to call Esther.
B) Ruth slid to the lake below.
C) Theresa screamed for help.
D) they found the right map.
E) they had help from outside.
QUESTION 11
Doug felt bitter
because he
A) didn't have a chance to slide.
B) felt like eating something.
C) had passed a sleepless night.
D) was afraid of the precipice.
E) was unable to get any help.
QUESTION 12
Esther Goldbas realized there was something wrong
because
A) Doug's
office had been closed for a week.
B) her
friends asked her to call the police.
C) neither Ruth nor Doug had returned to work.
D) she was called up by the Forest Service.
E) the two sisters did not answer the telephone.
QUESTION 13
Doug, Theresa and Ruth got weaker because they
A) couldn't find any water to drink.
B) had not eaten for eight days.
C) had very little food to share.
D) stayed
awake for a long time.
E) tried eating poisoned food.
QUESTION 14
After eight days on the mountains, the three hikers felt
A) extremely cheerful.
B) nearly desperate.
C) quite hopeful.
D) rather unconcerned.
E) somewhat foolish.
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Text 2
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Text 2
INSTRUCTIONS:
Read the texts carefully and then choose the alternative which best completes
the following statements.
ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS
JOYCE BROTHERS, PH.D.
ATTRACTED TO A YOUNGER
MAN
I am a 42-year-old mother of three, and I've been
divorced for five years. The few men I've dated have been older than I, as my
ex-husband is. Lately, though, I find myself very attracted to younger men -
including one who is just 27. Is this normal?
I don't think this new attraction is
unusual, and it certainly isn't abnormal. But I would advise you to think
carefully before you act on it. Consider how others - particularly your
children - might view your involvement with a younger man. Also think about
what you can bring to such a relationship, and what you want out of it. Are the
rewards realistic and long-term? Do you think you can communicate with a much
younger man and share common interests? If the answers to these questions are
no, you probably should put this out of your mind. On the other hand if the mix
is right, a relationship with a much younger person can reignite spiritual,
intellectual, and physical fires. By following your feelings, you may find an
exciting and rewarding experience. (UFMG - 95)
QUESTION 1
The woman
is worried because she
A) has been
divorced for 5 years.
B) has
found an attractive fiancé.
C) has
never dated an older man.
D) is older
than the men she likes.
E) is
younger than her ex-husband.
QUESTION 2
When the
letter was written the woman's ex-husband was
A) 27 B) 42 C) is this 30s D)
over 42 E)
under 42
QUESTION 3
All the
statements below are true, EXCEPT:
A) The
woman has got three children altogether.
B) The
woman got married to a 27-year-old man.
C) The
woman has dated some other older men.
D) The
woman's ex-husband is still alive.
E) The
woman is younger than her ex-husband
QUESTION 4
The advice
given to the woman is to think carefully about the situation
A) although
the doctor does not consider it abnormal.
B) because
normal people would not do such a thing.
C) if the
woman wants to get married in the future.
D) in spite
of the support of the woman's children.
E) so that
the woman could avoid getting married.
QUESTION 5
In Dr.
Joyce's view, the woman
A) could
hide the problem from the children.
B) may keep
her three children out of it all.
C) might
avoid involving her three children.
D) must ask
for her children's permission.
E) should
think about her children's opinion.
QUESTION 6
According
to Dr. Joyce, the woman should worry about all the following points, EXCEPT:
A) Her
children's reaction to the relationship.
B) How long
the positive aspects would last.
C) The
things she could offer her partner.
D) The
subjects they are both interested in.
E) What the
younger man expects from her.
QUESTION 7
Dr. Joyce's
answer could be summarized as
A) Avoid
young boy-friends.
B) Find an
older husband.
C) Listen
to your heart.
D) Mix up
your feelings.
E) Think
about your past.
Text 3 LOVE AMONG THE LAUNDRY
When Sally
found a man's striped sock curled among her clothes at the launderette she
returned it to the tall dark young man with a shy smile. They met there every
week for several months, then were seen no more. One of their wedding presents
had been a washing machine.
(Molly Burnett)
QUESTION 8
Love among
the laundry is the story of
A) a couple
who met for the first time at a launderette.
B) a man
and a woman who had lost their dirty socks.
C) a woman
and her husband trying to wash their clothes.
D) people
who go to launderettes only to make a date.
E) two
people who wanted to buy a new washing machine.
QUESTION 9
Sally met
the tall dark young man when she was
A) buying a
present.
B) doing
her ironing.
C) drying
her socks.
D) getting
married.
E) washing
her clothes.
QUESTION 10
The word
"it" in ...she returned it to
the tall dark young man... (line 2) refers to
A) a smile.
B) a sock.
C) the
launderette.
D) the
laundry.
E) the
machine.
QUESTION 11
If they had
not got married they probably have
A) changed
their dirty clothes.
B) lost
their socks forever.
C) rented a
washing machine.
D) returned
to the launderette.
E) sold
their striped socks.
Text 4 FUTURE OPTIONS
(by Rod Suskin)
Aries
Work and
home are closely related astrologically, and you've been so focused on work-related
matters these past few months that you may have created an imbalance. Domestic
matters will demand attention during October, and trying to meet both domestic
and professional demands could be stressful. Establish your priorities.
QUESTION 12
According
to the horoscope, people who were born under Aries may have been
A) devoting
no attention to their priorities.
B)
overworking and neglecting their homes.
C) paying
attention to domestic matters.
D) trying
to solve their home problems.
E) working
on closely-related subjects.
QUESTION 13
In October,
A) Arians
will be highly stressed.
B) home
will need more attention.
C) house
and office will be okay.
D) the job
will need more balance.
E) work and
home will be related.
QUESTION 14
The
horoscope advises people to "establish priorities" in order to
A) avoid
stress.
B) be
professional.
C) get
money.
D) lose
balance.
E) work
hard.
(TEXT 4)
ANYTIME you
see a young man open a car door for his girlfriend, either the car is new or the girlfriend is.
(Robert E. Limbaugh)
QUESTION 15
..., either
the car is new or the girlfriend is, means:
A) the car
and the girlfriend are both new.
B) the car
is new and so is the girlfriend.
C) the car
is new but the girlfriend isn't.
D) the car
is old but the girlfriend is new.
E) the car
is new or the girlfriend is new.
QUESTION 16
This joke
suggests that when a young man has a new
girlfriend, he
A) behaves
in a polite way.
B) gives
the girl a ride.
C) invites
people for a drive.
D) pretends
his car is new.
E) takes
care of his car.
QUESTION 17
The joke
also suggests that young car-owners are careful with
A) any car
they drive.
B) their
driving.
C) their
girl-friends.
D) their
male friends.
E) their
new cars.
Text 5 POLES APART
"You
shouldn't throw stones at the police," a tourist from Western Europe told
a Polish demonstrator." In our country, if we want to protest against
someone, we throw tomatoes and
eggs." "If we had tomatoes and eggs," said the Pole, "we
wouldn't be protesting."
(Times Weekly)
QUESTION 18
We can see
from the tourist's comments that
A)
demonstrating about food is very dangerous.
B) people
are not so violent in his country.
C) Polish
people want to demonstrate too much.
D) stealing
tomatoes and eggs is acceptable.
E) to
protest about tomatoes and eggs is wrong.
QUESTION 19
People are
protesting because they
A) are
against the police.
B) are
throwing tomatoes.
C) don't
have enough food.
D) don't like Westerners.
E) want to
go to West Europe.
QUESTION 20
You
shouldn't throw stones at the police is
A) a formal
request.
B) a piece
of advice.
C) a polite
apology.
D) a strict
order.
E) a strong
warning.
