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TOEFL MODEL TEST --> TOEFL ITP --> Section test
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Question 1 of 100 |
Time: 01:00 |
Total time: 60:00 |
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VI. Reading comprehension
The ability of falling cats to right themselves in midair and land on their feet has been a source of wonder for ages. Biologists long regarded it as an example of adaptation by natural selection, but for physicists it bordered on the miraculous.
Newton's laws of motion assume that the total amount of spin of a body cannot change unless an external torque speeds it up or slows it down. If a cat has no spin when it is released and experiences no external torque, it ought not to be able to twist around as it falls.
In the speed of its execution, the righting of a tumbling cat resembles a magician's trick. The gyrations of the cat in midair are too fast for the human eye to follow, so the process is obscured. Either the eye must be speeded up, or the cat's fall slowed down for the phenomenon to be observed. A century ago the former was accomplished by means of high-speed photography using equipment now available in any pharmacy. But in the nineteenth century the capture on film of a falling cat constituted a scientific experiment.
The experiment was described in a paper presented to the Paris Academy in 1894. Two sequences of twenty photographs each, one from the side and one from behind, show a white cat in the act of righting itself. Grainy and quaint though they are, the photos show that the cat was dropped upside down, with no initial spin, and still landed on its feet. Careful analysis of the photos reveals the secret. As the cat rotates the front of its body clockwise, the rear and tail twist counterclockwise, so that the total spin remains zero, in perfect accord with Newton's laws. Halfway down, the cat pulls in its legs before reversing its twist and then extends them again, with the desired end result. The explanation was that while no body can acquire spin without torque, a flexible one can readily change its orientation, or phase. Cats know this instinctively, but scientists could not be sure how it happened until they increased the speed of their perceptions a thousandfold.
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
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A. |
Miracles in modern science |
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B. |
The explanation of an interesting phenomenon |
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C. |
Procedures in scientific investigation |
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D. |
The differences between biology and physics |
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Explain: |
2. The word “process” in paragraph 2 refers to ................
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A. |
a scientific experiment |
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B. |
high-speed photography |
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C. |
the cat's fall slowed down |
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D. |
the righting of a tumbling cat |
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Explain: |
3. The word “rotates” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ................
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Explain: |
4. Which of the following can be inferred about high-speed photography in the late 1800′s?
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A. |
The resulting photographs are difficult to interpret. |
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B. |
It was not fast enough to provide new information. |
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C. |
The necessary equipment was easy to obtain. |
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D. |
It was a relatively new technology. |
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Explain: |
5. How did scientists increase “the speed of their perceptions a thousandfold” (paragraph 3)?
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A. |
By dropping a cat from a greater height |
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B. |
By observing a white cat in a dark room |
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C. |
By studying Newton's laws of motion |
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D. |
By analyzing photographs |
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Explain: |
6. Why are the photographs mentioned in paragraph 3 referred to as an “experiment”?
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A. |
The photographer used inferior equipment. |
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B. |
The purpose of the photographs was to explain the process. |
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C. |
The photographs were not very clear. |
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D. |
The photographer thought the cat might be injured. |
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Explain: |
7. The word “readily” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
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8. According to the passage, a cat is able to right itself in midair because it is
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The organization that today is known as the Bank of America did start out in America, but under quite a different name. Italian American A.P. Giannini established this bank on October 17, 1904, in a renovated saloon in San Francisco’s Italian community of North Beach under the name Bank of Italy, with immigrants and first-time bank customers comprising the majority of his first customers. During its development, Giannini’s bank survived major crises in the form of a natural disaster and a major economic upheaval that not all other banks were able to overcome.
One major test for Giannini’s bank occurred on April 18, 1906, when a massive earthquake struck San Francisco, followed by a raging fire that destroyed much of the city. Giannini obtained two wagons and teams of horses, filled the wagons with the bank’s reserves, mostly in the form of gold, covered the reserves with crates of oranges, and escaped from the chaos of the city with his clients’ funds protected. In the aftermath of the disaster, Giannini’s bank was the first to resume operations. Unable to install the bank in a proper office setting, Giannini opened up shop on the Washington Street Wharf on a makeshift desk created from boards and barrels.
In the period following the 1906 fire, the Bank of Italy continued to prosper and expand. By 1918 there were twenty-four branches of the Bank of Italy, and by 1928 Giannini had acquired numerous other banks, including a Bank of America located in New York City. In 1930 he consolidated all the branches of the Bank of Italy, the Bank of America in New York City, and another Bank of America that he had formed in California into the Bank of America National Trust and Savings Association.
A second major crisis for the bank occurred during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Although Giannini had already retired prior to the darkest days of the Depression, he became incensed when his successor began selling off banks during the bad economic times. Giannini resumed leadership of the bank at the age of sixty-two. Under Giannini’s leadership, the bank weathered the storm of the Depression and subsequently moved into a phase of overseas development.
9. According to the passage, Giannini ................
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later changed the name of the Bank of Italy |
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B. |
opened the Bank of America in 1904 |
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C. |
set up the Bank of America prior to setting up the Bank of Italy |
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D. |
worked in a bank in Italy |
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Explain: |
10. Where did Giannini open his first bank?
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C. |
In what used to be a bar |
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D. |
On Washington Street Wharf |
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Explain: |
11. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about the San Francisco earthquake?
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A. |
It caused problems for Giannini's bank. |
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B. |
It was a tremendous earthquake. |
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C. |
It occurred in the aftermath of a fire. |
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Explain: |
12. The word "raging” could best be replaced by ................
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Explain: |
13. It can be inferred from the passage that Giannini used crates of oranges after the earthquake ................
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A. |
to provide nourishment for his customers |
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D. |
to protect the gold from the fire |
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Explain: |
14. The word "chaos” is closest in meaning to
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Explain: |
15. The word "consolidated” is closest in meaning to
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Explain: |
16. The passage states that after his retirement, Giannini ................
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caused economic misfortune to occur |
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supported the bank's new management |
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began selling off banks |
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Explain: |
17. The expression "weathered the storm of" could best be replaced by ................
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rained on the parade of |
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C. |
survived the ordeal of |
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Explain: |
18. The paragraph following the passage most likely discusses ................
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a third major crisis of the Bank of America |
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B. |
bank failures during the Great Depression |
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how Giannini spent his retirement |
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D. |
the international development of the Bank of America |
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Explain: |
Life originated in the early seas less than a billion years after Earth was formed. Yet another three billion years were to pass before the first plants and animals appeared on the continents. Life's transition from the sea to the land was perhaps as much of an evolutionary challenge as was the genesis of life.
What forms of life were able to make such a drastic change in lifestyle ? The traditional view of the first terrestrial organisms is based on megafossils — relatively large specimens of essentially whole plants and animals. Vascular plants, related to modern seed plants and ferns, left the first comprehensive megafossil record. Because of this, it has been commonly assumed that the sequence of terrestrialization reflected the evolution of modern terrestrial ecosystems. In this view, primitive vascular plants first colonized the margins of continental waters, followed by animals that fed on the plants, and lastly by animals that preyed on the plant-eaters. Moreover, the megafossils suggest that terrestrial life appeared and diversified explosively near the boundary between the Silurian and the Devonian periods, a little more than 400 million years ago.
Recently, however, paleontologists have been taking a closer look at the sediments below this Silurian-Devonian geological boundary. It turns out that some fossils can be extracted from these sediments by putting the rocks in an acid bath. The technique has uncovered new evidence from sediments that were deposited near the shores of the ancient oceans — plant microfossils and microscopic pieces of small animals. In many instances the specimens are less than one-tenth of a millimeter in diameter. Although they were entombed in the rocks for hundreds of millions of years, many of the fossils consist of the organic remains of the organism.
These newly discovered fossils have not only revealed the existence of previously unknown organisms, but have also pushed back these dates for the invasion of land by multicellular organisms. Our views about the nature of the early plant and animal communities are now being revised. And with those revisions come new speculations about the first terrestrial life-forms.
19. The word “drastic” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ................
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Explain: |
20. According to the passage, what happened about 400 million years ago?
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A. |
The megafossils were destroyed by floods. |
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B. |
Life began to develop in the ancient seas. |
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C. |
Many terrestrial life-forms died out. |
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D. |
New life-forms on land developed at a rapid rate. |
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Explain: |
21. What can be inferred from the passage about the fossils mentioned in paragraph 3?
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A. |
They are older than the megafossils. |
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B. |
They consist of modern life-forms. |
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They were found in approximately the same numbers as vascular plant fossils. |
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D. |
They have not been helpful in understanding the evolution of terrestrial life. |
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Explain: |
22. The word “instances” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ................
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Explain: |
23. Which of the following resulted from the discovery of microscopic fossils?
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The origins of primitive sea life were explained. |
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B. |
Assumptions about the locations of ancient seas were changed. |
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The time estimate for the first appearance of terrestrial life-forms was revised. |
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D. |
Old techniques for analyzing fossils were found to have new uses. |
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Explain: |
24. With which of the following conclusions would the author probably agree?
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A. |
New species have appeared at the same rate over the course of the last 400 million years. |
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The evolution of terrestrial life was as complicated as the origin of life itself. |
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The technology used by paleontologists is too primitive to make accurate determinations about ages of fossils. |
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D. |
The discovery of microfossils supports the traditional view of how terrestrial life evolved. |
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Explain: |
25. According to the theory that the author calls “the traditional view,” what was the first form of life to appear on land?
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Explain: |
26. The word “they” in paragraph 3 refers to ................
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Explain: |
27. The word “extracted” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ................
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Explain: |
28. The word “entombed” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ................
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Explain: |
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 Earth, they often come up with guesses in the neighborhood 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.
29. The word "estimate” is closest in meaning to ................
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Explain: |
30. The best title for this passage would be ................
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The Size of the Bristlecone Pine |
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The Wonders of the Ancient World |
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An Amazingly Enduring Tree |
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D. |
Three-Hundred-Year-Old Forests |
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Explain: |
31. The expression “in the neighborhood of" could best be replaced by ................
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with the friendliness of |
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Explain: |
32. It can be inferred from the passage that most people ................
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have two to three hundred trees in their neighborhoods |
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do not really have any idea how old the oldest trees on Earth are |
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C. |
can name some three-hundred-year-old trees |
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D. |
are quite accurate in their estimates of the ages of trees |
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Explain: |
33. According to the passage, approximately how old are the oldest trees on Earth?
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B. |
Three hundred years old |
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C. |
Five hundred years old |
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D. |
Five thousand years old |
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Explain: |
34. The word "venerable” is closest in meaning to which of the following? ................
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Explain: |
35. The author mentions the Egyptian pyramids as an example of something that is ................
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36. Which of the following is true about the bristlecone pine?
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It is never more than five meters in height. |
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B. |
It is as tall as the great pyramids. |
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It is short in comparison to many other trees. |
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D. |
It can be two to three hundred feet tall. |
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Explain: |
37. The word “inclement" could best be replaced by ................
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Explain: |
38. The passage states that resin ................
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A. |
helps stop rot from starting |
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B. |
is found only in the bristlecone pine |
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C. |
flows from the branches to the tree trunk |
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D. |
assists the tree trunks to develop |
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Explain: |
The hippopotamus is the third largest land animal, smaller only than the elephant and the rhinoceros. Its name comes from two Greek words which mean "river horse." The long name of this animal is often shortened to the easier to handle term "hippo."
The hippo has a natural affinity for the water. It does not float on top of the water; instead, it can easily walk along the bottom of a body of water. The hippo commonly remains underwater for three to five minutes and has been known to stay under for up to half an hour before coming up for air.
In spite of its name, the hippo has relatively little in common with the horse and instead has a number of interesting similarities in common with the whale. When a hippo comes up after a stay at the bottom of a lake or river, it releases air through a blowhole, just like a whale. In addition, the hippo resembles the whale in that they both have thick layers of blubber for protection and they are almost completely hairless.
39. The passage states that one way in which a hippo is similar to a whale is that ................
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they both have blowholes |
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they both live on the bottoms of rivers |
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they both breathe underwater |
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they are both named after horses |
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Explain: |
40. The passage states that the hippo does not ................
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B. |
have a protective coating |
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Explain: |
41. The word "blubber" is closest in meaning to ................
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Explain: |
42. The expression "has relatively little in common" could best be replaced by ................
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B. |
shares few similarities |
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D. |
has minimal experience |
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Explain: |
43. According to the passage, what is the maximum time that hippos have been known to stay underwater?
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Explain: |
44. The word "float" is closest in meaning to ................
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Explain: |
45. It can be inferred from the passage that the rhinoceros is ................
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A. |
a hybrid of the hippo and the elephant |
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equal in size to the elephant |
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one of the two largest types of land animals |
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D. |
smaller than the hippo |
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Explain: |
46. The topic of this passage is ................
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A. |
the relation between the hippo and the whale |
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B. |
the derivations of animal names |
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C. |
the largest land animals |
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D. |
the characteristics of the hippo |
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Explain: |
47. It can be inferred from the passage that the hippopotamus is commonly called a hippo because the word "hippo" is ................
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C. |
easier for the animal to recognize |
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D. |
scientifically more accurate |
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Explain: |
48. The possessive "Its" refers to ................
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Explain: |
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No. | Date | Right Score | Total Score |
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NEWS |
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