Reading Comprehension Skills_Basic Level

Passage 1

1. The railroad was not the first institution to impose

2. regularity on society, or to draw attention to the

3. importance of precise timekeeping. For as long as

4. merchants have set out their wares at daybreak and

5. communal festivities have been celebrated, people have

6. been in rough agreement with their neighbors as to the

7. time of day. The value of this tradition is today more

8. apparent than ever. Were it not for public acceptance of

9. a single yardstick of time, social life would be unbearably

10. chaotic: the massive daily transfers of goods, services,

11. and information would proceed in fits and starts; the

12. very fabric of modern society would begin to unravel.

What is the main idea of the passage?

• In modern society we must make more time for our neighbors.

• The traditions of society are timeless.

• An accepted way of measuring time is essential for the smooth functioning of society.

• Society judges people by the times at which they conduct certain activities.

Passage 1

1. The railroad was not the first institution to impose

2. regularity on society, or to draw attention to the

3. importance of precise timekeeping. For as long as

4. merchants have set out their wares at daybreak and

5. communal festivities have been celebrated, people have

6. been in rough agreement with their neighbors as to the

7. time of day. The value of this tradition is today more

8. apparent than ever. Were it not for public acceptance of

9. a single yardstick of time, social life would be unbearably

10. chaotic: the massive daily transfers of goods, services,

11. and information would proceed in fits and starts; the

12. very fabric of modern society would begin to unravel.

In line 7, the phrase "this tradition" refers to________

• the practice of starting the business day at dawn

• friendly relations between neighbors

• the railroad's reliance on time schedules

• people's agreement on the measurement of time

Passage 2

1. The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the

2. Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest

3. and northernmost state in the United States, ending at

4. a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from

5. where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely

6. complicated to operate.

7. The steel pipe crosses windswept

8. plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops

9. the frozen ground. It weaves through crooked canyons,

10. climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags,

11. makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or

12. under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in

13. diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million

14. gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily.

15. Resting on H-shaped steel racks called "bents," long

16. sections of the pipeline follow a zigzag course high

17. above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of

18. sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the

19. surface later on. The pattern of the pipeline's up-and-

20. down route is determined by the often harsh demands

21. of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of

22. the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or

23. permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more

24. than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground.

25. The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet,

26. depending largely upon the type of terrain and the

27. properties of the soil.

28. One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost

29. approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest

30. and most expensive construction project ever

31. undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single

32. business could raise that much money, so eight major oil

33. companies formed a consortium in order to share

34. the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to

35. particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid

36. into the pipeline-construction fund according to the

37. size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous

38. problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment

39. breakdowns, labor disagreements, treacherous

40. terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and

41. even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed

42. and is operating.

The passage primarily discusses the pipeline's________

• operating costs

• employees

• consumers

• construction

Passage 2

1. The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the

2. Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest

3. and northernmost state in the United States, ending at

4. a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from

5. where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely

6. complicated to operate.

7. The steel pipe crosses windswept

8. plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops

9. the frozen ground. It weaves through crooked canyons,

10. climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags,

11. makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or

12. under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in

13. diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million

14. gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily.

15. Resting on H-shaped steel racks called "bents," long

16. sections of the pipeline follow a zigzag course high

17. above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of

18. sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the

19. surface later on. The pattern of the pipeline's up-and-

20. down route is determined by the often harsh demands

21. of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of

22. the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or

23. permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more

24. than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground.

25. The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet,

26. depending largely upon the type of terrain and the

27. properties of the soil.

28. One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost

29. approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest

30. and most expensive construction project ever

31. undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single

32. business could raise that much money, so eight major oil

33. companies formed a consortium in order to share

34. the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to

35. particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid

36. into the pipeline-construction fund according to the

37. size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous

38. problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment

39. breakdowns, labor disagreements, treacherous

40. terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and

41. even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed

42. and is operating.

The word "it" in line 5 refers to the _________

• pipeline

• ocean

• state

• constructionvillage

Passage 2

1. The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the

2. Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest

3. and northernmost state in the United States, ending at

4. a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from

5. where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely

6. complicated to operate.

7. The steel pipe crosses windswept

8. plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops

9. the frozen ground. It weaves through crooked canyons,

10. climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags,

11. makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or

12. under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in

13. diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million

14. gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily.

15. Resting on H-shaped steel racks called "bents," long

16. sections of the pipeline follow a zigzag course high

17. above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of

18. sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the

19. surface later on. The pattern of the pipeline's up-and-

20. down route is determined by the often harsh demands

21. of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of

22. the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or

23. permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more

24. than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground.

25. The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet,

26. depending largely upon the type of terrain and the

27. properties of the soil.

28. One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost

29. approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest

30. and most expensive construction project ever

31. undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single

32. business could raise that much money, so eight major oil

33. companies formed a consortium in order to share

34. the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to

35. particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid

36. into the pipeline-construction fund according to the

37. size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous

38. problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment

39. breakdowns, labor disagreements, treacherous

40. terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and

41. even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed

42. and is operating.

According to the second paragraph, 84 million gallons of oil can travel through the pipeline each ________

• day

• week

• month

• year

Passage 2

1. The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the

2. Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest

3. and northernmost state in the United States, ending at

4. a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from

5. where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely

6. complicated to operate.

7. The steel pipe crosses windswept

8. plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops

9. the frozen ground. It weaves through crooked canyons,

10. climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags,

11. makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or

12. under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in

13. diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million

14. gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily.

15. Resting on H-shaped steel racks called "bents," long

16. sections of the pipeline follow a zigzag course high

17. above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of

18. sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the

19. surface later on. The pattern of the pipeline's up-and-

20. down route is determined by the often harsh demands

21. of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of

22. the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or

23. permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more

24. than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground.

25. The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet,

26. depending largely upon the type of terrain and the

27. properties of the soil.

28. One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost

29. approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest

30. and most expensive construction project ever

31. undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single

32. business could raise that much money, so eight major oil

33. companies formed a consortium in order to share

34. the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to

35. particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid

36. into the pipeline-construction fund according to the

37. size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous

38. problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment

39. breakdowns, labor disagreements, treacherous

40. terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and

41. even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed

42. and is operating.

The phrase "Resting on" in line 15 is closest in meaning to ________

• Consisting of

• Supported by

• Passing under

• Protected with

Passage 2

1. The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the

2. Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest

3. and northernmost state in the United States, ending at

4. a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from

5. where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely

6. complicated to operate.

7. The steel pipe crosses windswept

8. plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops

9. the frozen ground. It weaves through crooked canyons,

10. climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags,

11. makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or

12. under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in

13. diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million

14. gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily.

15. Resting on H-shaped steel racks called "bents," long

16. sections of the pipeline follow a zigzag course high

17. above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of

18. sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the

19. surface later on. The pattern of the pipeline's up-and-

20. down route is determined by the often harsh demands

21. of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of

22. the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or

23. permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more

24. than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground.

25. The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet,

26. depending largely upon the type of terrain and the

27. properties of the soil.

28. One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost

29. approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest

30. and most expensive construction project ever

31. undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single

32. business could raise that much money, so eight major oil

33. companies formed a consortium in order to share

34. the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to

35. particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid

36. into the pipeline-construction fund according to the

37. size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous

38. problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment

39. breakdowns, labor disagreements, treacherous

40. terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and

41. even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed

42. and is operating.

The author mentions all of the following in the third paragraph as important in determining the pipeline's route EXCEPT the __________

• climate

• lay of the land itself

• local vegetation

• kind of soil and rock

Passage 2

1. The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the

2. Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest

3. and northernmost state in the United States, ending at

4. a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from

5. where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely

6. complicated to operate.

7. The steel pipe crosses windswept

8. plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops

9. the frozen ground. It weaves through crooked canyons,

10. climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags,

11. makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or

12. under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in

13. diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million

14. gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily.

15. Resting on H-shaped steel racks called "bents," long

16. sections of the pipeline follow a zigzag course high

17. above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of

18. sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the

19. surface later on. The pattern of the pipeline's up-and-

20. down route is determined by the often harsh demands

21. of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of

22. the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or

23. permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more

24. than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground.

25. The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet,

26. depending largely upon the type of terrain and the

27. properties of the soil.

28. One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost

29. approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest

30. and most expensive construction project ever

31. undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single

32. business could raise that much money, so eight major oil

33. companies formed a consortium in order to share

34. the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to

35. particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid

36. into the pipeline-construction fund according to the

37. size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous

38. problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment

39. breakdowns, labor disagreements, treacherous

40. terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and

41. even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed

42. and is operating.

The word "undertaken" in line 31 is closest in meaning to_______

• removed

• selected

• transported

• attempted

Passage 2

1. The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the

2. Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest

3. and northernmost state in the United States, ending at

4. a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from

5. where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely

6. complicated to operate.

7. The steel pipe crosses windswept

8. plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops

9. the frozen ground. It weaves through crooked canyons,

10. climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags,

11. makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or

12. under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in

13. diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million

14. gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily.

15. Resting on H-shaped steel racks called "bents," long

16. sections of the pipeline follow a zigzag course high

17. above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of

18. sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the

19. surface later on. The pattern of the pipeline's up-and-

20. down route is determined by the often harsh demands

21. of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of

22. the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or

23. permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more

24. than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground.

25. The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet,

26. depending largely upon the type of terrain and the

27. properties of the soil.

28. One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost

29. approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest

30. and most expensive construction project ever

31. undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single

32. business could raise that much money, so eight major oil

33. companies formed a consortium in order to share

34. the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to

35. particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid

36. into the pipeline-construction fund according to the

37. size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous

38. problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment

39. breakdowns, labor disagreements, treacherous

40. terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and

41. even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed

42. and is operating.

According to the last paragraph, how many companies shared the costs of constructing the pipeline?

• three

• four

• eight

• twelve

Passage 2

1. The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the

2. Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest

3. and northernmost state in the United States, ending at

4. a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from

5. where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely

6. complicated to operate.

7. The steel pipe crosses windswept

8. plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops

9. the frozen ground. It weaves through crooked canyons,

10. climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags,

11. makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or

12. under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in

13. diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million

14. gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily.

15. Resting on H-shaped steel racks called "bents," long

16. sections of the pipeline follow a zigzag course high

17. above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of

18. sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the

19. surface later on. The pattern of the pipeline's up-and-

20. down route is determined by the often harsh demands

21. of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of

22. the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or

23. permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more

24. than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground.

25. The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet,

26. depending largely upon the type of terrain and the

27. properties of the soil.

28. One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost

29. approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest

30. and most expensive construction project ever

31. undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single

32. business could raise that much money, so eight major oil

33. companies formed a consortium in order to share

34. the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to

35. particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid

36. into the pipeline-construction fund according to the

37. size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous

38. problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment

39. breakdowns, labor disagreements, treacherous

40. terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and

41. even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed

42. and is operating.

The word "particular" in line 35 is closest in meaning to __________

• peculiar

• specific

• exceptional

• equal