TOEFL Reading 7
TOEFL Reading 7
NBK102324
86. One thing the writer used to dislike about travel programmes on TV was _________.
A. the repetitive nature of many of them
B. the dull images that they frequently contained
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C. their lack of respect for the intelligence of the viewers
D. their tendency to copy the style of famous written accounts
87. What reason is given for the writer becoming involved in making TV travel programmes?
A. Other people's belief that he might be suited to appearing on them.
B. His own desire to discover whether it was possible to make good ones.
C. His own belief that it was natural for him to move from journalism to TV.
D. A shortage of writers and adventurers willing to take part in them.
88. Shortly after arriving in Costa Rica, the writer became aware that _________.
A. the director had a reputation that was undeserved
B. he would probably dislike working as part of a team rather than alone
C. he would probably get on well with the director personally
D. his role in the filming would be likely to involve real danger
89. Which of the following can be best replaced the word “reminiscences”?
A. memories B. experiences C. collections D. imaginations
90. The writer uses the sequence filmed in the National Park as an example of _________.
A. something he had been worried about before any filming started
B. the sort of challenge that presenters were intended to face in the series
C. something he was expected to be unable to deal with
D. the technical difficulties involved in making films in certain places
91. What does the writer say about the last part of the sequence in the National Park?
A. It taught him a lot about the technical aspects of film-making.
B. He was encouraged to complete it when he looked up at the camera.
C. It changed his whole attitude towards doing dangerous things.
D. He was unable to say anything that made sense at this time.
92. According to the passage, the word "swooped" in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. flew downward quickly B. jumped over quickly
C. moved forward slowly D. drew back slowly
93. In paragraph 6, the writer says that he found it particularly difficult to _________.
A. understand what was required of him for a 'link'
B. change things he was going to do at very short notice
C. accept certain advice given to him about presenting a film
D. meet certain demands the director made on him
94. Which of the following is NOT true, according to the passage?
A. The writer had only one qualification for a journalist.
B. Peter Macpherson was the adventure film-maker and the director.
C. Their trip coincided with a usual event, the solar eclipse.
D. The programme in Costa Rica was not similar to his usual expeditions.
95. What does the writer use the experience in Santa Elena as an example of?
A. Something they filmed although they had not planned to.
B. The friendly way in which they were treated by the local people.
C. Something they did purely for their own enjoyment.
D. The kind of thing that viewers like to see in travel films.
TPHP102324
There's a bump, bump, bump coming from the greenhouse as a little brown shuttlecock bounces against
the glass. It turns out to be a wren: an ominous bird, a bird of portent, augury and divination. Is it spelling out
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some sort of message from a world at the very edges of my imagination? Or is it just a poor bird stuck in a
greenhouse?
Depending on your point of view, both could be true. Wrens have been flitting through the undergrowth
of British culture ever since it began. In medieval times, a complicated system of observing the directions in
which wrens flew determined the sort of luck the observer would experience. In modern times, the image of the
wren remains in pictures and ceramics in many British households. Even though the early beliefs may have
been watered down or even forgotten, the wren still has a perch in our consciousness and a nest in our
affections. A wood without wrens is a sad, impoverished place.
This is almost certainly because there is a rich vein of folklore running through our relationships with
many birds which reaches back to a time when people read the world around them differently. Where people
are, necessarily, hitched more directly to natural processes for their very survival, they develop an ecological
and cultural language through which the significance of other creatures is communicated. This significance is,
of course, prone to cultural shifts that cause major image changes for the creatures involved. A good example of
this is the red kite. During the early sixteenth century, foreign visitors to London were amazed to see red kites
swooping down to take bread from the hands of children. These birds were protected and valued urban
scavengers. But it was not long before they began to be seen as vermin, and as a result were soon wiped out in
most areas apart from Wales. Gradually red kites began to assume a romantic personality linked to this Celtic
stronghold and they have now become totemic birds of British conservation, protected again and reintroduced
with a view to helping them regain their original distribution.
Our relationship with other creatures is more than cultural and goes way back to the evolution of human
nature. Though the first human birdwatchers may have been acutely observant of bird behaviour because it
announced approaching predators, bad weather, and the availability of food, and also offered a supernatural link
to the world of their dreams, there is more to it. When we ask why birds are so important to us, we are also
asking what it is to be us. Flight, song, freedom - our fascination, envy and emulation of the avian world is
surely a measure of our own identity against that of the wildness of nature. Some might dismiss these feelings
as vestigial attachments, useful to us in an earlier phase of our evolution, irrelevant now. But, like the appendix
and wisdom teeth, they're still very much part of us and losing them is traumatic.
That is probably why, in recent years, birds have become the barometers of environmental change,
indicators of ecological quality: the warning bells of environmentalism. Conservationists in Britain cite the
endangering of 30 species, a figure that is depressing not only because it spells out the loss of feathered
curiosities, but because it is a massive cultural loss too. These birds carry a huge amount of cultural baggage.
For example, the skylark, turtle dove and lapwing signify spiritual love, romantic love and magic. Anyone who
has read Shelley's poems, Shakespeare's sonnets and Robert Graves's The White Goddess will feel more than a
tug of remorse at the loss of these once commonplace birds.
Yet while the loss of these birds is lamented, the loss of others which don't figure in either literature or
folklore is virtually ignored. Folklore is so important. The stories, legends and rhymes which persist through
time, with their obscure origins, constant revisions and reinventions, somehow have a greater living bond with
their subjects than cold, scientific terms - a bond that is strengthened by the everyday language in which they
are understood and communicated. This gives them a power to summon up feelings and attitudes from a
consciousness buried under all the stuff of modern life.
Whether we watch wildlife films on TV or birdtables in the backyard, what we're doing and the
excitement we get from what we see cannot adequately be captured by scientific reason. Birds are engaging in
ways we still find hard to fathom, let alone articulate, and so the stories we tell about them seem like ways of
interpreting what birds are telling us.
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The wren in the greenhouse weaves an intricate knot, tying an imaginary thread between the here and
now and a deep, distant history, holding the free end in its song and escaping into the future - a riddle that keeps
me guessing.
86. In paragraph 2, the writer affirms that the wren
A. has been given exaggerated importance.
B. was once used as an aid to navigation.
C. has lost its significance as society has become less superstitious.
D. is still firmly established in collective memory.
87. The word 'impoverished' in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to
A. enlarged B. profound C. joyful D. barren
88. What point is the writer illustrating with the example of the red kite?
A. Most birds have symbolic and poetic associations.
B. Human and avian life are inseparably linked.
C. A society's attitude to wildlife is not fixed.
D. Wildlife can threaten human society with disease.
89. The word 'stronghold' in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to
A. deviation B. separation C. slowness D. fastness
90. The writer uses the words ‘there is more to it’ (paragraph 4) to introduce the idea that
A. birds enable us to analyse the nature of human existence.
B. birds extend our knowledge of evolution.
C. bird behaviour accurately predicts danger.
D. bird behaviour is surprisingly similar to human behaviour.
91. With the reference to ‘the appendix and wisdom teeth’ (paragraph 4), the writer is drawing attention to the
fact that
A. humans and birds have some common anatomical details.
B. being separated from deep-rooted emotions can be a painful experience.
C. humans cannot explain their biological inheritance:
D. bonding with the natural world is as vital as maintaining physical health.
92. The word 'emulation' in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to
A. harmony B. competition C. support D. exchange
93. In what sense do some birds carry ‘a huge amount of cultural baggage’? (paragraph 5)
A. They are weighed down with people's false assumptions.
B. They are believed to symbolise environmental destruction.
C. They figure prominently in literature through the ages.
D. Their disappearance will herald the loss of cultural identity.
94. In paragraph 6, the writer draws a comparison between 'cold, scientific terms' and
A. obscure origins.
B. everyday language.
C. feelings and attitudes.
D. stories, legends and rhymes.
95. The writer feels that the appeal of birds is
A. difficult to express or explain.
B. heightened by detailed study.
C. understandable in a psychological context.
D. enhanced by media presentation.
LSTH2425
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What causes cancer? Tobacco smoke, most people would say. Probably too much alcohol, sunshine or
grilled meat; infection with cervical papillomaviruses; asbestos. All have strong links to cancer, certainly. But
they cannot be root causes. Much of the population is exposed to these carcinogens, yet only a tiny minority
suffers dangerous tumors as a consequence.
A cause, by definition, leads invariably to its effect. The immediate cause of cancer must be some
combination of insults and accidents that induces normal cells in a healthy human body to turn malignant,
growing like weeds and sprouting in unnatural places.
At this level, the cause of cancer is not entirely a mystery. In fact, a decade ago many geneticists were
confident that science was homing in on a final answer: cancer is the result of cumulative mutations that alter
specific locations in a cell's DNA and thus change the particular proteins encoded by cancer-related genes at
those spots. The mutations affect two kinds of cancer genes. The first is called tumor suppressors. They
normally restrain cells' ability to divide, and mutations permanently disable the genes. The second variety,
known as oncogenes, stimulates growth – in other words, cell division. Mutations lock oncogenes into an active
state. Some researchers still consider that such significant growth-promoting changes to a small number of
cancer genes are the initial event and root cause of every human cancer.
For the past few years, however, prominent oncologists have increasingly challenged that theory. No
one questions that cancer is ultimately a disease of the DNA. But as biologists trace tumors to their roots, they
have discovered pieces of chromosomes are frequently scrambled, truncated or fused together. Chemical
addition to the DNA, or to the histone protein around which it coils, somehow silences important genes,
but in a reversible process quite different from mutation.
The accumulating evidence has spawned at least three hypotheses that compete with the standard dogma
to explain what changes come first and which aberrations matter most in the decade-long transformation of a
cell and its descendants from well-behaved tissue to invasive tumor. The challengers dispute the dominant view
of the disease as the product of a defined genetic state. [A] They argue that it is more useful to think of cancer
as the consequence of a chaotic process, a combination of Murphy’s Law and Darwin’s Law: anything can go
wrong, and in a competitive environment, the best adapted survive and prosper.
[B] Despite that shared underlying principle, the new theories make different predictions about what
kind of treatments will work best. [C] Some suggest that many cancers could be prevented altogether by better
screening, changes in diet and new drugs – or even by old drugs, such as aspirin. [D].
(Adapted from https://www.scientificamerican.com/)
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90. Which of the following sentences would be the best restatement for the sentence “Chemical addition to the
DNA, or to the histone protein around which it coils, somehow silences important genes, but in a
reversible process quite different from mutation” in paragraph 4?
A. Chemical addition coils around DNA and deactivates important genes in a reversed process.
B. Important genes are deactivated due to chemical addition in a reversed process compared to mutation.
C. Important genes are deactivated in a reversed chemical process compared to mutation. D. DNA is
silenced because of chemical addition to important genes, a process different from mutation.
91. The word “aberrations” in paragraph 5 is CLOSEST in meaning to _____.
A. defects B. principles C. beliefs D. phenomena
92. The word “dispute” in paragraph 5 could be best replaced by _____.
A. question B. analyze C. puzzle D. canvass
93. Why does the author mention Murphy’s Law and Darwin’s Law in paragraph 5?
A. To argue the shared view of the challengers on both sides
B. To illustrate the view of cancer as the consequence of a disordered process
C. To support the view of cancer as the product of a defined genetic state
D. To introduce the logical combination of the two laws
94. Which would be the best place in the passage to insert the sentence “Other theories cast doubt on that
hope”?
A. [A] B. [B] C. [C] D. [D]
95. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. Untangling The Roots of Cancer
B. New Understanding of A Dreaded Disease
C. New Hypotheses of Cancer
D. Controlling The Roots of Cancer
HMD102324
Vincent Van Gogh was born in Groot Zundert, in The Netherlands on March 30th 1853, to parents Theodorus
Van Gogh, a preacher, and Ana Cornelia Carbentus. In 1869 at the age of 16, Van Gogh began a career, not as a
painter, but as an art dealer with the firm Goupil & Cie. He spent 7 years at Goupil & Cie where daily contacts
with works of art kindled his appreciation of paintings and drawings. Gradually Vincent lost interest in his work
and decided to try his hand teaching at a Catholic School for boys. His growing interest religion and his desire
to help the poor eventually drove him to become a clergyman. In 1878, he became a lay preacher in one of the
most impoverished regions in Western Europe: the coal-mining district of the Borinage in Belgium. Vincent
sympathized with the poverty-stricken miners and gave away most of his food and clothing to ease their
burdened lives. His extreme commitment to the miners drew disfavor from the church, which dismissed him of
his post. Vincent, however, decided to remain with the miners and began to paint them and their families,
chronicling their harsh conditions.
Soon after, thanks to his brother’s financial help, Vincent decided to go to Brussels in 1880 to begin
studies in art. During the next 10 years, Vincent painted around 872 painting. In 1882, Vincent began living
with Clasina Maria Hoornik, also known as Sien, and her children, in the Hague. Their volatile personalities and
the strain of living in complete poverty created stormy relationship. Vincent was devoted to Sien and her
children, but art always came first. As his drawing and painting skills advanced, his relationship with Sien
deteriorated and they parted ways in September 1883.
In 1886, Vincent moved in with his brother-Theo in Paris where he met Paul Gauguin and various other
artists, who had a tremendous impact on his ongoing evolution as an artist. Never truly happy in large cities,
Vincent decided to move to Aries Province in the south of France, where he rented a studio and invited Paul
Gauguin to live with him. In December 1888, Vincent experienced a psychotic episode in which he cut off a
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piece of his left ear. After his episode, he was in and out of asylums for the next year. It was thought that Van
Gogh was actually epileptic and that is why people thought he had fits of insanity throughout his life. He
painted one of his best-known painting, Starry Night, during one of his stays in the asylum. In mid-1890,
Vincent left the asylum and spent the last few months of his life in Auvers, France. On July 27th 1890, Vincent
Van Gogh shot himself in the chest. Two days later he died with his younger brother-Theo by his side. He left
behind a wonderful array of paintings that make him one of the most influential painters of our time.
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10 to at least 1.4 million years ago. One important line of evidence comes from flaking patterns of
stone cores used in tool making: implements flaked with a clockwise motion (indicating a
right-handed toolmaker) can be distinguished from those flaked with a counter-clockwise
rotation (indicating a left-handed toolmaker).
Even scratches found on fossil human teeth offer clues. Ancient humans are thought to
15 have cut meat into strips by holding it between their teeth and slicing it with stone knives, as do
the present-day Inuit. Occasionally the knives slip and leave scratches on the users' teeth.
Scratches made with a left-to-right stroke direction (by right-handers) are more common than
scratches in the opposite direction (made by left-handers).
Still other evidence comes from cranial morphology: scientists think that physical
20 differences between the right and left sides of the interior of the skull indicate subtle physical
differences between the two sides of the brain. The variation between the hemispheres
corresponds to which side of the body is used to perform specific activities. Such studies, as
well as studies of tool use, indicate that right- or left-sided dominance is not exclusive to
modern Homo sapiens. Population of Neanderthals, such as Homo erectus and Homo habilis,
25 seem to have been predominantly right-handed, as we are.
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C. studies of tool use D. fossilized hand bones
10. Which of the following conclusions is suggested by the evidence from cranial morphology (line 20)?
A. Differences in the hemispheres of the brain probably came about relatively recently.
B. There may be a link between handedness and differences in the brain's hemispheres
C. Left-handedness was somewhat more common among Neanderthals
D. Variation between the brain hemispheres was not evident in the skill of Home erectus and Home Habilis
TQ102324
The craft of perfumery has an ancient and global heritage. The art flourished in Ancient Rome, where
the emperors were said to bathe in scent. After the fall of Rome, much of the knowledge was lost, but survived
in Islamic civilizations in the Middle Ages. Arab and Persian pharmacists developed essential oils from the
aromatic plants of the Indian peninsula. They developed the processes of distillation and suspension in alcohol,
which allowed for smaller amounts of raw materials to be used than in the ancient process, by which flower
petals were soaked in warm oil. This knowledge was carried back to European monasteries during the Crusades.
At first, the use of fragrances was primarily associated with healing. Aromatic alcoholic waters were
ingested as well as used externally. Fragrances were used to purify the air, both for spiritual and health
purposes. During the Black Death, the bubonic plague was thought to have resulted from a bad odour
which could be averted by inhaling pleasant fragrances such as cinnamon. The Black Death led to an
aversion to using water for washing, and so perfume was commonly used as a cleaning agent.
Later on, the craft of perfume re-entered Europe, and was centred in Venice, chiefly because it was an
important trade route and a centre for glass-making. Having such materials at hand was essential for the
distillation process. In the late seventeenth century, trade soared in France, when Louis XIV brought in policies
of protectionism and patronage which stimulated the purchase of luxury goods. Here, perfumery was the
preserve of glove-makers. The link arose since the tanning of leather required putrid substances. Consequently,
the gloves were scented before they were sold and worn. A glove and perfume makers’ guild had existed here
since 1190. Entering it required 7 years of formal training under a master perfumer.
The trade in perfume flourished during the reign of Louis XV, as the master glove-and-perfume makers,
particularly those trading in Paris, received patronage from the royal court, where it is said that a different
perfume was used each week. The perfumers diversified into other cosmetics including soaps, powders, white
face paints and hair dyes. They were not the sole sellers of beauty products. Mercers, spicers, vinegar-makers
and wig-makers were all cashing in on the popularity of perfumed products. Even simple shopkeepers were
coming up with their own concoctions to sell.
During the eighteenth century, more modern, capitalist perfume industry began to emerge, particularly
in Britain where there was a flourishing consumer society. In France, the revolution initially disrupted the
perfume trade due to its association with aristocracy, however, it regained momentum later as a wider range of
markets were sought both in the domestic and overseas markets. The guild system was abolished in 1791,
allowing new high-end perfumery shops to open in Paris.
Perfume became less associated with health in 1810 with a Napoleonic ordinance which required
perfumers to declare the ingredients of all products for internal consumption. Unwilling to divulge their secrets,
traders concentrated on products for external use. Napoleon affected the industry in other ways too. With
French ports blockaded by the British during the Napoleonic wars, the London perfumers were able to dominate
the markets for some time.
One of the significant changes in the nineteenth century was the idea of branding. Until then,
trademarks had had little significance in the perfumery where goods were consumed locally, although they had
a long history in other industries. One of the pioneers in this field was Rimmel who was nationalized as a
British citizen in 1857. He took advantage of the spread of railroads to reach customers in wider markets. To do
this, he built a brand which conveyed prestige and quality, and were worth paying a premium for. He
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recognised the role of design in enhancing the value of his products, hiring a French lithographer to create the
labels for his perfume bottles.
Luxury fragrances were strongly associated with the affluent and prestigious cities of London and Paris.
Perfumers elsewhere tended to supply cheaper products and knock-offs of the London and Paris brands. The
United States perfume industry, which developed around the docks in New York where French oils were being
imported, began in this way. Many American firms were founded by immigrants, such as William Colgate, who
arrived in 1806. At this time, Colgate was chiefly known as a perfumery. Its Cashmere Bouquet brand had 625
perfume varieties in the early 20th century.
87. Which of the following is NOT true about perfume making in Islamic countries?
A. They created perfume by soaking flower petals in oil.
B. They dominated perfume making after the fall of the Roman Empire.
C. They took raw materials for their perfumes from India.
D. They created a technique which required fewer plant materials.
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C. The industry was greatly boosted.
D. The industry lost most of its overseas customers.
94. London came to lead the perfume industry because______
A. the French Revolution meant that there were fewer customers in France.
B. Napoleon’s new laws affected the profitability of perfume-making.
C. the production of perfume ceased during the Napoleonic wars.
D. the French were unable to export perfumes for a period of time.
95. What is implied about the New York perfume industry?
A. It was the fastest-growing perfume industry in the world at that time.
B. It was primarily developed by immigrants arriving from France.
C. It copied luxury fragrances and sold them cheaply.
D. There was a wider range of fragrances available here than elsewhere.
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