Reading Section Exercise

Passage 1 (Questions 1-5)

The English names of the last four months of the Gregorian calendar (September, October, November, December) have rather interesting histories. The Gregorian calendar is a twelve-month calendar, so these months are the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth months respectively. However, their names do not reflect their positioning in the calendar.

The name September comes from the Latin word septum, which means seven. This month was originally the name of the seventh rather than the ninth month. Similarly, the name October comes from the Latin word octo (eight); the name November comes from the Latin word  novem (nine); and the name December comes from the Latin word decem (ten).

1. The main topic of this passage is ...

• a. the origin of certain month names

• b. the Gregorian calendar

• c. the numbers in Latin

• d. ten- and twelve-month calendars

Passage 1 (Questions 1-5)

The English names of the last four months of the Gregorian calendar (September, October, November, December) have rather interesting histories. The Gregorian calendar is a twelve-month calendar, so these months are the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth months respectively. However, their names do not reflect their positioning in the calendar.

The name September comes from the Latin word septum, which means seven. This month was originally the name of the seventh rather than the ninth month. Similarly, the name October comes from the Latin word octo (eight); the name November comes from the Latin word  novem (nine); and the name December comes from the Latin word decem (ten).

2. The first month on the Gregorian calendar is probably ...

• a. March

• b. May

• c. January

• d. December

Passage 1 (Questions 1-5)

The English names of the last four months of the Gregorian calendar (September, October, November, December) have rather interesting histories. The Gregorian calendar is a twelve-month calendar, so these months are the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth months respectively. However, their names do not reflect their positioning in the calendar.

The name September comes from the Latin word septum, which means seven. This month was originally the name of the seventh rather than the ninth month. Similarly, the name October comes from the Latin word octo (eight); the name November comes from the Latin word  novem (nine); and the name December comes from the Latin word decem (ten).

3. The passage states that in the original version of the calendar, September was the name of ...

• a. the sixth month

• b. the seventh month

• c. the eighth month

• d. the ninth month

Passage 1 (Questions 1-5)

The English names of the last four months of the Gregorian calendar (September, October, November, December) have rather interesting histories. The Gregorian calendar is a twelve-month calendar, so these months are the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth months respectively. However, their names do not reflect their positioning in the calendar.

The name September comes from the Latin word septum, which means seven. This month was originally the name of the seventh rather than the ninth month. Similarly, the name October comes from the Latin word octo (eight); the name November comes from the Latin word  novem (nine); and the name December comes from the Latin word decem (ten).

4. It can be inferred from the passage that November ...

• a. used to be the ninth month of the year

• b. is no longer part of the Gregorian calendar

• c. has always been the eleventh month

• d. was not part of the original Gregorian calendar

Passage 1 (Questions 21-25)

The English names of the last four months of the Gregorian calendar (September, October, November, December) have rather interesting histories. The Gregorian calendar is a twelve-month calendar, so these months are the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth months respectively. However, their names do not reflect their positioning in the calendar.

The name September comes from the Latin word septum, which means seven. This month was originally the name of the seventh rather than the ninth month. Similarly, the name October comes from the Latin word octo (eight); the name November comes from the Latin word  novem (nine); and the name December comes from the Latin word decem (ten).

5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage about December?

• a. It is the twelfth month on the Gregorian calendar.

• b. Its name is derived from a Latin word.

• c. Its meaning comes from the number ten.

• d. It has thirty-one days.

Text for number 6-8

Until 1996, the Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world, with more than a hundred stories. It is located in Chicago, whose nickname is the Windy City. The combination of a very tall building in a city with such weather conditions leads to a lot of swaying in the breeze.
On a windy day, the top of the building can move back and forth as much as three feet every few seconds. The inside doors at the top of the building open and close, and water in sinks sloshes back and forth.

6. 6. Based on the text, the Sears Tower is probably ___

• a. as tall as the Empire State building

• b. no longer the tallest building in the world

• c. taller than any other building

• d. still the highest building in the world

Text for number 6-8

Until 1996, the Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world, with more than a hundred stories. It is located in Chicago, whose nickname is the Windy City. The combination of a very tall building in a city with such weather conditions leads to a lot of swaying in the breeze.
On a windy day, the top of the building can move back and forth as much as three feet every few seconds. The inside doors at the top of the building open and close, and water in sinks sloshes back and forth.

7. It can be inferred from the passage that Chicago ___

• a. has moderate weather

• b. is generally warm

• c. has humid weather

• d. usually has a lot of wind

Text for number 6-8

Until 1996, the Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world, with more than a hundred stories. It is located in Chicago, whose nickname is the Windy City. The combination of a very tall building in a city with such weather conditions leads to a lot of swaying in the breeze.
On a windy day, the top of the building can move back and forth as much as three feet every few seconds. The inside doors at the top of the building open and close, and water in sinks sloshes back and forth.

8. 8. It is implied in the passage that the upper-level doors in the Sears Tower open and close because ___

• a. the building was poorly constructed

• b. people go in and out so often

• c. the building moves in the wind

• d. there is water in the sinks

Passage for number 9-11

The most common last name in the English-speaking world is Smith, which was taken from the job of working with metals. A silversmith, for example, is someone who works with the metal silver. Historical records indicate that the use of this last name is at least 700 years old. Today, there are more than 3.3 million Smith living in the United States and perhaps another million Smiths living in other English-speaking countries worldwide.

9. It can be inferred from the text that family names ___

• a. were always taken from the area where a family lived

• b. were short names

• c. had little or no meaning

• d. could be taken from jobs

Passage for number 9-11

The most common last name in the English-speaking world is Smith, which was taken from the job of working with metals. A silversmith, for example, is someone who works with the metal silver. Historical records indicate that the use of this last name is at least 700 years old. Today, there are more than 3.3 million Smith living in the United States and perhaps another million Smiths living in other English-speaking countries worldwide.

10. Which of the following is implied about the Smith family name?

• a. It is definitely not more than 700 years old.

• b. It existed 600 years ago.

• c. It did not exist 500 years ago.

• d. It definitely was not in use 1000 years ago.