Reading for Specific Purposes

Fort Knox, Kentucky, is the site of a U.S. army post, but it is even more renowned for the Fort Knox Bullion Depository, the massive vault than contains the bulk of the US goverment’s gold deposits complited in 1936, the vault is housed in a two story building constructed of granite, steel, and concrete; the vault itself is made of steel nad concrete and has a door that weighs more than twenty tons. Naturally, the most up-to-date security devices available are in place at Fort Knox, and the army post nearby provides further protection.

Which of the following best describes the topic of the passage?

• The city of Fort Knox, Kentucky

• The federal gold depository

• The U.S. army post at Fort Knox

• Gold bullion

Fort Knox, Kentucky, is the site of a U.S. army post, but it is even more renowned for the Fort Knox Bullion Depository, the massive vault than contains the bulk of the US goverment’s gold deposits complited in 1936, the vault is housed in a two story building constructed of granite, steel, and concrete; the vault itself is made of steel nad concrete and has a door that weighs more than twenty tons. Naturally, the most up-to-date security devices available are in place at Fort Knox, and the army post nearby provides further protection.

Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

• The massive Concrete Vault

• Fort Knox Security

• Where the U.S. Keeps Its Gold

• A Visit to Kentucky

One identifying characteristic of minerals is their relative hardness, which can be determined by scratching one mineral with another. In this type of test, a harder mineral can scratch a softer one, but a softer mineral is unable to scratch the harder one. The Mohs’ hardness scale is used to rank minerals according to hardness. Ten minerals are listed in this scale, ranging form talc with a hardness of 1 to diamond with a hardness of 10. On this scale, quartz (number 7) is harder than feldspar (number 6) and is therefore able to scratch it; however, feldspar is unable to make a mark on quartz.

Which of the following best states the subject of this passage?

• The hardness of diamond

• Identifying minerals by means of a scratch test

• Feldspar on the Mohs’ scale

• Recognizing minerals in their natural state

One identifying characteristic of minerals is their relative hardness, which can be determined by scratching one mineral with another. In this type of test, a harder mineral can scratch a softer one, but a softer mineral is unable to scratch the harder one. The Mohs’ hardness scale is used to rank minerals according to hardness. Ten minerals are listed in this scale, ranging form talc with a hardness of 1 to diamond with a hardness of 10. On this scale, quartz (number 7) is harder than feldspar (number 6) and is therefore able to scratch it; however, feldspar is unable to make a mark on quartz.

The main idea of this passage is that

• The hardness of a mineral can be determined by its ability to make a mark on other minerals

• Diamonds, with a hardness of 10 on the Mohs’ scale, can scratch all other minerals

• A softer mineral cannot be scratched by a harder mineral

• Talc is the first mineral listed on the Mohs’ scale

Hurricanes generally occur in the North Atlantic from May through November,with the peak of the hurricane season in September; only rarely will they occur from Desember through April in that part of the ocean. The main reason for the occurance of hurricanes during this period is that the temperature on the water’s surface is at its warmest and the humidity of the air is at its highest

Of the tropical storms that occur each year in the North Atlantic, only about five, on the average, are powerful enough to be called hurricanes. To be classified as a hurricane, a tropical storm must have winds reaching speeds of at least 117 kilometers per hour, but the winds are often much stronger than that; the winds of intense hurricanes can easily surpass 240 kilometers per hour.

The passage mainly discusses ....

• How many hurricanes occur each year

• The strength of hurricanes

• The weather in the North Atlantic

• Hurricanes in one part of the world

Hurricanes generally occur in the North Atlantic from May through November,with the peak of the hurricane season in September; only rarely will they occur from December through April in that part of the ocean. The main reason for the occurrence of hurricanes during this period is that the temperature on the water’s surface is at its warmest and the humidity of the air is at its highest

Of the tropical storms that occur each year in the North Atlantic, only about five, on the average, are powerful enough to be called hurricanes. To be classified as a hurricane, a tropical storm must have winds reaching speeds of at least 117 kilometers per hour, but the winds are often much stronger than that; the winds of intense hurricanes can easily surpass 240 kilometers per hour.

The best title for this passage would be .....

• The North Atlantic Ocean

• Storms of the Northen Atlantic

• Hurricanes: the Damage and Destruction

• What Happens from May through November

Common types of calendars can be based on the Sun or on the Moon. The solar calendar is based on the solar year. Since the solar year is 365.2422 days long, solar calendars consist of regular years of 365 days and have an extra day every fourth year, or leap year, to make up for additional fractional amount. In a solar calendar, the waxing and waning of the moon can take pleace at various stages of each month.

The lunar calendar is synchronized to the lunar month rather than the solar year. Since the lunar month is twenty-nine and a half days long, most lunar calendars have alternating months of twenty-nine and thirty days. A twelve-month lunar year thus has 354 days, 11 days shorter than a solar year.

What is the main idea of the passage?

• All calendars are the same

• The solar calendar is based on the Sun

• Different calendars have dissimilar bases

• The lunar month is twenty-nine and a half days long

Common types of calendars can be based on the Sun or on the Moon. The solar calendar is based on the solar year. Since the solar year is 365.2422 days long, solar calendars consist of regular years of 365 days and have an extra day every fourth year, or leap year, to make up for additional fractional amount. In a solar calendar, the waxing and waning of the moon can take pleace at various stages of each month.

The lunar calendar is synchronized to the lunar month rather than the solar year. Since the lunar month is twenty-nine and a half days long, most lunar calendars have alternating months of twenty-nine and thirty days. A twelve-month lunar year thus has 354 days, 11 days shorter than a solar year.

How is the information in the passage organized?

• Characteristics of the solar calender are outlined

• Two types of calendars are described

• The strengths and weakness of the lunar calendar are described

• The length of each exiting calender is contrasted

The issues of where human life first arose has always been an intriguing question for science. Many guesses, or hypotheses, have been advanced, ranging from Asia to Europe. However, the oldest known human bones, or fossils, were discovered in East Africa in 1972. They are nearly 2 million years old. Their age was determined by measuring the age of the rocks surrounding them and comparing them to other fossils.

In stating that the origin of human life is an intriguing question , the author means that it

• Interest a lot of scientists

• Can never be answered

• Receives too much attention

• Will always be a mystery

Choose the synonym!

Work out

• Finalyze

• Compesate

• Solve

• Oppose