Advanced comprehension quiz 2 for BU

1. Ever since Nobel prize-winner Dr Morris first advocated vitamin C as a common-cold war weapon more than 30 years ago, researchers have been busy trying to verify that claim. But so far, they've found little evidence that vitamin C prevents colds-in fact,there are more studies that say it doesn't. But there is evidence that it can keep coughing and sneezing to a minimum, and that low levels of vitamin C in the body may be related to bronchitis. In the passage,we learn that Dr Morris’s view as regards vitamin c

• A) has greatly improved the treatment of bronchitis

• B) has caused a revolution in medical studies

• C) aroused very little interest among medical exports

• has not been verified scientifically

Ever since Nobel prize-winner Dr Morris first advocated vitamin C as a common-cold war weapon more than 30 years ago, researchers have been busy trying to verify that claim. But so far, they've found little evidence that vitamin C prevents colds-in fact,there are more studies that say it doesn't. But there is evidence that it can keep coughing and sneezing to a minimum, and that low levels of vitamin C in the body may be related to bronchitis. As said in the passage, coughing and sneezing ............

• should be taken seriously and treated accordingly

• B) are the early symptoms of bronchitis

• C) are now being effectively treated without vitamin C

• D) can be reduced with the help of vitamin C

Ever since Nobel prize-winner Dr Morris first advocated vitamin C as a common-cold war weapon more than 30 years ago, researchers have been busy trying to verify that claim. But so far, they've found little evidence that vitamin C prevents colds-in fact,there are more studies that say it doesn't. But there is evidence that it can keep coughing and sneezing to a minimum, and that low levels of vitamin C in the body may be related to bronchitis. During the last three decades, there has been a great deal of scientific effort made to .....

• A) convince the public of the dangers of vitamin C

• B) prove that the common cold can be prevented by vitamin C

• C) establish a connection between coughing and bronchitis

• D)study the adverse effects of vitamin C

Since early times, it has been thought that the actions of animals are unconscious. Behaviour, in this view, stems almost exclusively from instinct. If animals behave in ways that seem pretty clever, they do so without thinking about it. Animals can know things, the argument goes, but they don't know that they know. Or do they know? Recent research reports suggest an astonishing depth of intelligence among animals. Although no one can yet prove the existence of animal consciousness, the data offered make a compelling case for at least considering it. It can be understood from the passage that traditionally, animals are believed to

• A) behave not instinctively but logically

• B) have intelligence comparable with man's

• C) imitate man in many ways

• D) act on instinct

5. Since early times, it has been thought that the actions of animals are unconscious. Behaviour, in this view, stems almost exclusively from instinct. If animals behave in ways that seem pretty clever, they do so without thinking about it. Animals can know things, the argument goes, but they don't know that they know. Or do they know? Recent research reports suggest an astonishing depth of intelligence among animals. Although no one can yet prove the existence of animal consciousness, the data offered make a compelling case for at least considering it. It is told in the passage that modern research forces one to consider ...........

• A) why animals behave differently under different circumstances

• B) the possibility of intelligence in animals

• C) the means by which animal behaviour can beimproved

• D) how animals can be made to acquire new skills

Since early times, it has been thought that the actions of animals are unconscious. Behaviour, in this view, stems almost exclusively from instinct. If animals behave in ways that seem pretty clever, they do so without thinking about it. Animals can know things, the argument goes, but they don't know that they know. Or do they know? Recent research reports suggest an astonishing depth of intelligence among animals. Although no one can yet prove the existence of animal consciousness, the data offered make a compelling case for at least considering it. The passage says that in the light of modern research, our traditional assumptions about animal behavior

• have been totally disproved

• B) have been confirmed

• C) have to be reconsidered

• D) were indeed based on scientific fact

The first universities developed in Europe in the second half of the 12th century. By 1550, Europe boasted 115 institutions of higher learning, many of which had gained special privileges from existing regimes because of their close association with the Church. In most European countries, universities were designed mainly for the sons of nobility and gentry. Scholarly standards were low, and scholarship was irrelevant for most professions. Education for earning a livelihood in, say, medicine or law could be acquired after college by serving as an apprentice. In the passage, we learn that in the early years of the universities, ..............

• A) most students wanted to train for a profession

• B ) the Church disapproved of much of their teaching

• C) Western European governments were not at all interested in education

• D) medicine was the most popular subject for study

• E) the majority of students came from upper-class families

The first universities developed in Europe in the second half of the 12th century. By 1550, Europe boasted 115 institutions of higher learning, many of which had gained special privileges from existing regimes because of their close association with the Church. In most European countries, universities were designed mainly for the sons of nobility and gentry. Scholarly standards were low, and scholarship was irrelevant for most professions. Education for earning a livelihood in, say, medicine or law could be acquired after college by serving as an apprentice. According to the passage, since most of the early universities enjoyed the support of the Church ............

• ) state authorities granted them various rights

• B) the number of students they admitted increased rapidly

• C) the academic level of the education they offered was extremely

• D) law naturally became one of the major subjectsoffered

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The first universities developed in Europe in the second half of the 12th century. By 1550, Europe boasted 115 institutions of higher learning, many of which had gained special privileges from existing regimes because of their close association with the Church. In most European countries, universities were designed mainly for the sons of nobility and gentry. Scholarly standards were low, and scholarship was irrelevant for most professions. Education for earning a livelihood in, say, medicine or law could be acquired after college by serving as an apprentice. According to the passage, since most of the early universities enjoyed the support of the Church ............

• ) were taught during the university years

• B) were normally acquired through a period of apprenticeship

• C) gained importance in the universities only after1600

• D) were acquired by nearly all university students

The effects of sleep loss are subject to a great many popular misconceptions. The belief that everyone must sleep 8 hours a night is a myth. According to the results of a recent survey on the subject, adults average about 7 to 7.5 hours of sleep per night, and many individuals function effectively with 5 to 6hours of sleep. In fact, 30 per cent of the population(slightly more in men) sleep less than 5 hours per night. Another significant fact is that sleep time decreases with age. According to the passage, the popular assumption that eight hours of sleep per night is essential ...........

• A) is only true for the elderly

• B) has been supported by scientific evidence

• C) is actually a fallacy

• D) is only true for 20 per cent of the population