Notes

READING 1
READING TEST 1
I. CLOZE TEST ( QUESTION 1-10)
GREENPEACE
Greenpeace is an independent organization that campaigns to protect the environment. It has approximately 4.5 million members worldwide in 158 countries, 300.000 of these in the United Kingdom. (1) ______ in North America in 1971, it has since opened offices round the world. As (2) ______ as its campaigning (3) ______, it also has a charitable trust which (4) ______ scientific research and (5) ______ educational projects on environmental issues. Greenpeace (6) ______ in non-violent direct action. Activists (7) _______ public attention to serious threats to the environment. (8) ______ issues on which the organization is campaigning include the atmosphere (globe warming), the (9) ______ of the rainforests and toxic (10) ______ being emitted from factories.

1. A. Built B. Produced C. Invented D. Formed
2. A. long B. well C. good D. far
3. A. Work B. job C. occupation D. position
4. A. pays B. funds C. rewards D. earns
5. A. undertakes B. engages C. commits D. enters
6. A. accepts B. believes C. holds D. depends
7. A. get B. pay C. draw D. take
8. A. Current B. Recent C. Immediate D. Next
9. A. ruin B. extinction C. destruction D. downfall
10. A. leftovers B. litter C. rubbish D. waste
II. READING COMPREHENSION (QUESTION 11-20)
PASSAGE 1
It is estimated that over 99 percent of all species that ever existed have become extinct. What causes extinction? When a species is no longer adapted to a changed environment, it may perish. The exact causes of a species’ death vary from situation to situation. Rapid ecological change may render an environment hostile to a species. For example, temperatures may change and a species may not be able to adapt. Food Resources may be affected by environmental changes, which will then cause problems for a species requiring these resources. Other species may become better adapted to an environment, resulting in competition and, ultimately, in the death of a species.
The fossil record reveals that extinction has occurred throughout the history of Earth. Recent analyses have also revealed that on some occasions many species became extinct at the same time – a mass extinction. One of the best-known examples of mass extinction occurred 65 million years ago with the demise of dinosaurs and many other forms of life. Perhaps the largest mass extinction was the one that occurred 225 million years ago. When approximately 95 percent of all species died, mass extinctions can be caused by a relatively rapid change in the environment and can be worsened by the close interrelationship of many species. If, for example, something were to happen to destroy much of the plankton in the oceans, then the oxygen content of Earth would drop, affection even organisms not living in the oceans. Such a change would probably lead to a mass extinction.

11. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Wildlife B. Extinctions C. Dinosaurs D. Environment changes
12. The word “it” in the first paragraph refers to__________.
A. environment B. species C. extinction D. 99 percent
13. The word “ultimately” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to__________.
A. exceptionally B. dramatically C. eventually D. unfortunately
14. What does the author say in paragraph 1 regarding most species in Earth’s history?
A. They have remained basically unchanged from their original forms.
B. They have been able to adapt to ecological changes.
C. They have caused rapid change in the environment.
D. They are no longer in existence .
15. The word “demise” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to__________.
A. change B. recovery C. help D. death

PASSAGE 2
A gold rush is the rapid relocation of large numbers of people to an area where gold has been discovered. Gold rushes capture the imagination and participation of many people because of the magical lure of gold and the potential for overnight affluence. The greatest gold rush in United States history was the California Gold Rush in 1849.
The rush first began in 1848 when a carpenter named James Marshall discovered gold on the property of John A. Sutter in the Sacramento Valley. Hired to build a sawmill on the banks of the American River. Marshall had hardly begun work when he started finding nugget after nugget of gold. News of the discovery at Sutter’s mill spread quickly, and soon thousands of persons were laying claims in the area. These people, called “forty-niners”,rushed in from all over the world.
In just two years, the population of California increased from about 26,000 to 380,000.Cons-equently, California was officially admitted to the union as state in September of 1850. The free-spending style of the successful miners helped to turn communities such as Sacramento and San Francisco into prosperous towns. Those who were not so lucky became farmers and ranchers in the Central Valley of California.
16. What is the best title for this passage?
A. Famous Gold Rush
B. The Forty-Niners
C. The Lure of Gold
D. The California Gold Rush of 1849
17. According to the passage, people joined gold rushes because:
A. they were guaranteed over- night wealth.
B. gold held a magical power for everyone.
C. they believed they had a chance of becoming affluent.
D. they had very active imaginations.
18. It can be inferred from the passage that the California gold rush:
A. provided most “forty-niners” with long term mining work.
B. attracted people from every country in the world.
C. spread through out the central Valley.
D. greatly speeded up the development of California .
19. According to the passage, where was gold first discovered?
A. At Sutter’s mill.
B. On James Marshall’s property near Sacramento.
C. In the streambed of the American River.
D. In the Central Valley of California.
20. According to the passage,what qualified California to be admitted to union?
A. The status of statehood
B. The great increase in population
C. The political efforts of successful miners
D. The prosperity of California communities