Task 1: Reading Comprehension part 1

Reading comprehension No. 1-10

While the bald eagle is one national symbol of the United States, it is not the only one. Uncle Sam, the bearded gentleman costumed in the red, white, and blue stars and stripes of the nation's flag, is another well-known national symbol. According to legend, this character is based on Samuel Wilson, the owner of a meat packing business in Troy, New York. During the War of 1812, Sam Wilson's company was granted a government contract to supply meat to the nation's soldiers; this meat was supplied to the army in barrels stamped with the initials U.S., which stood for United States. However, the country was at that time relatively young, and the initials U.S. were not commonly used. Many people questioned what the nitials represented, and the standard reply became "Uncle Sam", for the owner of the barrels. It is now generally accepted that the figure of Uncle Sam is based on Samuel Wilson, and the U.S. Congress has made it official by adopting a resolution naming Samuel Wilson as the inspiration for Uncle Sam.

1. Uncle Sam-Symbols of the Nation. The paragraph preceding this passage most probably discusses...

a. the war of 1812.

b. the bal eagle, which symbolizes mthe United States.

c. Sam Wilson's meat-packing company.

d. the costume worn by Uncle Sam.

2. Which of the following is the most appropriate title for this passage?

a. The Bald Eagle.

b. The symbols of the United States.

c. Samuel Wilson

d. Uncle Sam-Symbols of the Nation.                       

3. Which of the following is not mentioned about Uncle Sam's appearance?

a. He wears facial hair

b. The is some blue in his clothing

c.  He is bald.

d. His clothes have stripes in them.

4. The word "costumed" in line 2 could most easily be replaced by

a. dressed

b. nationalized

c. hidden

d. seen

5. Sam Wilson was the propriator of what type of business?

a. A costume company

b. A meat-packing company.

c. A military clothier.

d. A barrel-making company.

6. The word “granted', in line 5 means...

a. Refused.

b. Underbid for.

c. Told about

d. Given

7. According to the passage, what was in the barrels stamped U.S.?

a. Sam Wilson.

b. Food for the army.

c. Weapons to be used in the war.

d. Company contracts

8. The word "initials" in line 7 means...

a. Nicknames

b. Family names.

c. First letter of the words.

d. Company names.

9. The word "official" in line 11 is closest in meaning to...

a. Authorized.

b. Professional.

C. Dutiful.

d. Accidental.

10. In 1812, people most probably answered that the letters “U.S." " written on the barrels stood for "Uncle Sam" because...

a. congress required it.

b. Samuel Wilson was their favorite uncle.

c. Sam Wilson preffered it.

d. they were nat exactly sure what the letters meant.

Reading compherension No. 11-20

The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest and northernmost state in the United States, ending at a remote ice-free seaport village nearly complicated to operate. The steel pipe crosses windswept plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops the frozen ground. It weaves through crooked canyons, climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily.

Resting on H-shaped steel racks called "bents," long sections of the pipeline. Follow a zigzag course high above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the surface later on. The of the pipeline's up-and-down route is determined by the often harsh demands of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or permafrost (permanently frozen ground), Atle more than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground. The remainder is burried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet, depending largely upon the type of terrain and the properties of the soil.

One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost approximately $8 billions and is by far the biggest and most expensive construction project ever undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single companies formed a consortium in order to share the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid into the pipeline-construction fund according to the size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment breakdowns, labor disagreements treacherous terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed and is operating.

11. passage primarily discusses the pipeline's...

a. operating costs.

b. employees.

c. consumers.

d. construction.

12. The word "it" in line 4 refers to...

a. Pipeline.

b. Ocean.

c. State.

d. Village.

13. According to the passage, 84 million gallons of oil can travel through the pipeline

each...

a. day.

b. week.

c. month.

d. year.

14. The phrase "resting on" in line 9 is closest in meaning to...

a. Consisting of.

b. Supported by

c. Passing under

d. Protected with.

15. The author mentions all of the following as important in determine pipeline's route EXCEPT the...

a. climate.

b. lay of the land itself.

c. local vegetation.

d. kind of soil and rock.

16. The word "undertaken" in line 18 is closest in meaning to...

a. Removed.

b. Selected.

c. Transported.

d. Attempted.

17. How many companies shared the costs of constructing the pipeline?

a. 3

b. 4

c. 8

d. 12.

18. The word "particular" in line 20 is closest in meaning to...

a. Peculiar.

b. Specific.

c. Exceptional.

d. Equal.

19. Which of the following determined what percentage of the construction cost each member of the consortium would pay?

a. How much oil field land each company owned.

b. How long each company had owned land in the oil fields.

C.How many people worked for each company

D.How many oil wells were located on the company's land.

20. where in the passage does the author provide a term for an earth covering at always remains frozen?

a. Line 3

b. Line 10.

c. Line 15.

d. Line 22.

Reading compherension No. 21-25

The food we eat seems to have profound effect on our health. Although science has made enormous steps in making food more fit to eat, it has, the same time, made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shouwn that perhaps eighty percents of human illnesses are related to diet and forty percent of cancer is related to the diet as well, especially cancer of the colon. People of different cultures are more prone to contract certain illnesses because of the characteristic foods they consume.

That food is related to illness is not a new discovery. In 1945, government researchers realized that nitrates and nitrites (commonly used to preserve color in meats) as well as other food additives caused cancer. Yet, these carcinogenic additives remain in our food, and it becomes more difficult all the time to know which ingredients on the packaging labels of processed food are helpful or harmfull.

The additives that we eat are not all so direct. Farmers often give peni- dillin to cattle and poultry, and because of this, penicillin has been found in the milk of treated cows. Sometimes similar drugs are administered to animals not or medicinal purposes, but for financial reasons. The farmers are simply trying to fatten the animals in order to obtain a higher price on the market. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has tried repeatedly to control these procedures, the practices continue.

A healthy diet is directly related to good health. Often we are un detrimental substances we ingest. Sometimes well-meaning farmer who do not realize the consequences add these substances to food with knowledge.

21. How has science done a disservice to people?

a. Because of science, disease caused by contaminated food has been virtually eradicated.

b. It has caused a lack of information concerning the value

c. As a result of scientific intervention, some potentilly harmful substances have been added to our food.

d. The scientists have preserved the color of meats, but not of vegetables.

22. The word "prone" in line 5 is nearest in meaning to...

a. Supine.

b. Unlikely.

c. Healthy.

d. Predisposed.

23. What are nitrates used for?

a. They preserve flavor in packaged food.

b. They preserve the color of meats

c. They are the objects of research.

d. They cause the animals to become fatter.

24. FDA means...

a. Food Direct Additives.

b. Final Difficult Analisys.

c. Food and Drug Administration.

d. Federal Dairy Additives.

25. The word "these" in line 9 refers to ...

a. Meats.

b. Colors.

c. Researchers.

d. Nitrates and nitrites.

Source:

Yeni Yuniawati S.S. dan Nur Fajriyah S.S. 2013. Mastering TOEFL (TOEFL Preparation). Yogyakarta : Quantum Ilmu.