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by:
lovelycat
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ID 13780
Date: 09/29/2006
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Thử tài tí chơi: TOEFL Reading Questions
All books, including reserve books, may be renewed when due (except Murphy books) unless they are needed by another borrower. Books to be renewed should be brought to the desk from which they were borrowed. Renewals may not be made by telephone at any time. Periodicals may be renewed once. Murphy books may not be renewed.
1. How can books be renewed?
(A) By telephone.
(B) By mail.
(C) In person.
(D) With special permission.
2. How often can magazines be renewed
(A) Never.
(B) One time.
(C) Two times.
(D) As often as needed.
3. According to the passage, a book CANNOT be renewed if
(A) the borrower returns it late.
(B) it has been placed on reserve.
(C) no one else wants to take it out.
(D) it is part of the Murphy collection.
4. Where would this paragraph most probably appear?
(A) On a bookstore sign.
(B) In a publisher’s brochure.
(C) In a newspaper article.
(D) In a library pamphlet.
Questions 5-9
The early history of the human race is most clearly and readily studied by observing the stages of human technological progress. That is why it was a long-standing convention to divide early history into broad periods according to the hard materials — stone, copper, bronze, and iron, in that order -— from which cutting tools and weapons were made. Then, as knowledge of the past increased, the broad periods were further subdivided. The Stone Age was divided into the Old (Paleolithic) period and the New (Neolithic) period when it was noticed that the technique of sharpening flint and other stones changed from flaking to grinding.
5. Historians have divided early human history into broad periods according to terms that refer to
(A) how long the materials used lasted.
(B) how living quarters were built.
(C) the kind of shaping method used.
(D) materials used for making utensils and weapons.
6. Which of the following is said of the system used for dividing early history into periods?
(A) It has been recently devised.
(B) It is not based on cultural developments.
(C) It is intended to indicate technological progress.
(D) It refers to materials that have lasted to the present.
7. During the period called the Stone Age, what happened to the technique of sharpening stone?
(A) It remained the same as in the preceding period.
(B) It could be used only when sharpening flint.
(C) It required the use of iron wheels.
(D) It changed from flaking to grinding.
8. According to the passage, which of the following periods of history occurred latest in time?
(A) Bronze Age.
(B) Stone Age.
(C) Iron Age.
(D) Copper Age.
9. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following was probably made from the hard materials that gave their names to historical periods?
(A) Statues
(B) Axes
(C) Wheels
(D) Pots
Questions 10-14
An electronic funds transfer system —- called E. F. T. in banking circles — is replacing the paperwork in banking processes. With its use of computers to carry out financial transactions, E. F. T. is changing the way people pay bills and may eliminate the necessity for carrying cash. But there is a snag in this technological revolution, and that is the reluctance of consumers to change their habits. Regardless of whether or not consumers like it, bankers are determined to fully implement the new system. The full use of E. F. T. nevertheless may be a quarter century away.
10. According to the passage, what is the problem with the electronic funds transfer system?
(A) The machinery breaks down.
(B) The field of electronics is not advanced enough.
(C) People do not like to adopt new ideas.
(D) It takes too long to pay bills.
11. According to the passage, what is the immediate benefit of the electronic funds transfer system?
(A) It pays a higher interest rate than other systems.
(B) It eliminates the need for traditional record keeping.
(C) It eliminates the need for banks.
(D) It changes people’s habits.
12. One possible result of fully implementing the electronic funds transfer system would be that
(A) people might not have to handle money.
(B) people might find the money to pay their bills more easily.
(C) bank charges might be eliminated.
(D) paperwork might be increased.
13. According to the passage, bankers want to
(A) wait a quarter of a century before starting the E. F. T. system.
(B) begin immediate use of the E. F. T. system.
(C) have more research done to improve the E. F. T. system.
(D) implement the E. F. T. system in a limited number of banks.
14. According to the passage, what is the future of the electronic funds transfer system?
(A) It may be widely accepted very soon.
(B) It may take at least twenty-five years before it is commonly used.
(C) It may never be widely used because there are not enough people able to operate the machinery.
(D)It may only be a nuisance, creating more paperwork and bother.
Questions 15-21
The Grand Canyon, a long, narrow gorge in Arizona, is rich in geological history. Its record of past plant and animal life also makes it an exciting and invaluable object of study for biologists. Using samples from the two hundred and seventeen miles of the canyon’s walls, scientists analyze the building materials that form the earth’ s surface and study the natural processes which have affected the canyon over Its four-billion-year history. These processes include the eruption of volcanoes, which were active as recently as one thousand years ago, and gradual decomposition by erosion. Scientists also study a great variety of fossils that can be found in the canyon. These imprints of past forms of life are preserved in rock. The lower levels of canyon rock contain fossils of seashells and primitive algae, while the upper levels contain fossils of such creatures as dinosaurs and other prehistoric land animals. All of these discoveries provide scientists with information both on the earth’s history in general and on the area around the Grand Canyon in particular.
15. What is the main topic of this passage?
(A) The fascination of geological history.
(B) The effect of volcanoes on the Grand Canyon.
(C) Prehistoric plants and animals.
(D) A canyon’s record of natural history.
16. Why is the Grand Canyon of particular interest?
(A) It contains a wealth of information in its walls.
(B) Modern plant and animal life there is varied and exciting.
(C) There is great potential mineral wealth in the canyon.
(D) Published history of the area is already detailed and complete.
17. According to the passage, why is the Grand Canyon of special importance to the geologist?
(A) It reveals much of the earth’s past.
(B) It is longer and deeper than any other canyon.
(C) It has suffered little destruction over the years.
(D) It is completely dry all year long.
18. The oldest parts of the canyon date back how many years?
(A) 217
(B) 1,000
(C) 4,000,000
(D) 4,000,000,000
19. What is one natural phenomenon that is now taking place in the canyon?
(A) Fossilization
(B) Preservation of rock
(C) Erosion
(D) Volcanic eruption
20. Scientists can learn about previous life in the area by studying
(A) current animal life.
(B) impressions in rocks.
(C) feeding habits of dinosaurs.
(D) construction materials.
21. Which of the following statements about the Grand Canyon can be concluded from the passage?
(A) It is much older than other parts of the United States.
(B) It contains more levels than other canyons.
(C) Its history is more varied and accessible than that of other areas.
(D) Its former habitation by dinosaurs was an unexpected discovery.
Questions 22-26
The theory of probability was born into a hostile world — a world of superstitions, of charms and curses, where success was believed to be the reward of the “lucky” and failure the result of “outrageous fortune. “Its birthplace, the gambling room, was hardly reputable, however fashionable it might have been. Yet, despite these handicaps, the theory of probability has had a profound impact on our ability to cope with many of the things that we observe in nature. In many respects, its contribution to scientific thought has been as significant as Newton’s calculus or Euclid’s geometry.
While the practical contributions of probability theory are undisputed, few theories have created such a philosophical controversy. We shall not belabor the issues here except to note that the basic point of difference lies in the view regarding the meaning — and, therefore, the use one is willing to make — of probability measures. But these matters are primarily philosophical rather than mathematical. The mathematical foundations of the theory are not really at issue. Here our task is to construct a practical definition of the word “probability.”
22. According to the passage, the theory of probability began
(A) with many failures.
(B) at the same time as Euclid’s geometry.
(C) as a superstition.
(D) under unfavorable conditions.
23. The theory of probability was originated to
(A) reinforce the effectiveness of dares or curses.
(B) increase the predictability of winning in games of chance.
(C) overcome the hostility of the environment.
(D) find out why some people are lucky and others unlucky.
24. According to the passage, what important effect has probability theory had?
(A) It has enabled people to understand and adapt to their experiences better.
(B) It has led to increased technological development.
(C) It has profoundly influenced the course of natural events.
(D) It has resolved philosophical questions about the meaning of probability measures.
25. One of the points made in the passage about the theory of probability is that
(A) its applications have gone far beyond its original use.
(B) it has gone specifically beyond the thought of Euclid and Newton.
(C) it has made gambling both more fashionable and more reputable.
(D) its practical applications are more significant than its philosophical or mathematical foundations.
26. Which aspect of probability theory does the author prefer not to discuss?
(A) The questions of origins
(B) The practical contributions
(C) The controversial issues
(D) The future uses
Questions 27-31
With the inauguration of the Erie Canal in 1825, the Hudson River became one of the busiest waterways in the United States. For over fifty years, the Hudson was crowded end to end with cargo schooners, luxury paddly-wheelers, and a vast armada of tugboats and barges carrying freight and passengers. But as the turn of the century approached, river traffic began to decline. First the cargo-carrying ships disappeared. Then railroads began to replace the steamboats. Finally, by 1900, tugboats and barges were almost the watercraft left.
27. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
(A) Rivers in the United States
(B) Steamboats and Paddle-Wheelers
(C) The Opening of the Erie Canal
(D) The Hudson River in the Nineteenth Century
28. The Hudson River was used mainly to transport
(A) goods and people
(B) weapons and animals
(C) water and oil
(D) gold and silver
29. It can be inferred from the passage that river traffic began to decline around
(A) 1825
(B) 1850
(C) 1880
(D) 1910
30. According to the passage, river traffic declined because of an increase in travel by
(A) by wagon
(B) plane
(C) train
(D) car
31. According to the passage, which of the following watercraft could be found on the river in the twentieth century?
(A) Steamboats
(B) Sailing ships
(C) Cargo schooners
(D) Barges
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