TOEFL IELTS Reading Exercise 06

This exercise is helpful for both TOEFL and IELTS test takers.

Gases in the air

(Level - Easy)

We hardly ever notice the mixture of gases that surround us. We only realize it if there is a strong wind, or when fog or smog cuts off our view into the distance. Yet we depend on the air in many ways. It provides the oxygen that we breathe. Plants, on which all animals depend for food, could not live without the carbon dioxide in the air. And it is a barrier, hundreds of miles deep, protecting us from the burning ultra-violet rays of the sun. Fast-moving pieces of stone called meteoroids are burnt up when they enter the atmosphere from space, before they can reach the ground. And cosmic rays, which are made up of fragments of atoms traveling from distant parts of space, are slowed down before they can do damage.

1. It is obvious in the passage that we ----.

A) nearly are not aware of the combination of gases in nature
B) do not depend on the air due to its complexities
C) are unconscious that there is strong wind around us
D) have no inclinations to learn something more about air
E) notice the advantages of the mixture of gases


2. It is stated in the passage that air ----.

A) provides us with carbon dioxide
B) enables the plants to get enough oxygen to breathe
C) is vital both for human beings and plants
D) makes it difficult to protect us from ultra-violet rays of the sun
E) has the cosmic rays which are made up of fragments of atoms which damage the atmosphere


3. Meteoroids ----.

A) cannot reach the ground as theyare
B) are made of pieces of atoms
C) have great power to protect us from cosmic rays
D) damage the ground
E) travel from distant parts of space




1. A  2. C  3.A

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TOEFL IELTS Reading Exercise 05

This exercise is helpful for both TOEFL and IELTS test takers.

Rocks

(Level - Easy)

Mapping surface rocks is the first stage in modern oil exploration. By studying the rocks on the surface, geologists can guess at the structure of the rocks beneath the surface. Another method that helps them do this is to use an instrument called a gravimeter. This measures the slight differences in the gravitational force at different points on the surface of the Earth. The denser rocks have a greater gravitational attraction than the lighter rocks in the surface layers. By taking gravimeter readings at a number of places along the surface, it is possible to "map" the density of the rocks below, thus helping to find oil.

1. According to the passage, ----.

A) the rocks should be cracked first to drill oil
B) the rocks underneath the soil are spotted by the help of gravimeter
C) by examining the rocks, geologists find the coal
D) gravimeter is only used in the mountainous places to locate oil reservations
E) oil reserves are closely bound up with dead creatures

2. Rocks ----.

A) which have the denser gravitational force have more oil than the lighter ones
B) can be located by studying structure of the soil
C) can be found at different parts of the Earth
D) are first studied so as to locate the oil reservations
E) deal only with the structure of the gravimeter but not the gravitation

3. It could be drawn out of the passage that ----.

A) gravimeter readings are denser on the surface
B) oil exploration needs some steps to be taken before drilling
C) to be sure whether it's rocky, geologists use gravitational force
D) the bigger rocks absorb the gravitational force
E) if it's rocky, there are huge oil reservations underneath the surface

1.B 2. D 3. B
More Exercises:
TOEFL Reading Exercise 06

TOEFL IELTS Reading Exercise 04

This exercise is helpful for both TOEFL and IELTS test takers.

Edna Ferber
(Level - Hard)

1      Edna Ferber (1887-1968) was a popular American novelist in the first half of the twentieth century. She embarked on her career by working as a newspaper reporter in Wisconsin and soon began writing novels. Her first novel, Dawn O’Hara, the Girl Who Laughed, was published in 1911, when she was only twenty-four years old.

2     Her big break came with the novel So Big (1924), which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Literature. The main conflict in the novel is between a mother who places a high value on hard work and honor and a son who repudiates his mother’s values, instead preferring the easier path to fortune and celebrity. Like many of Ferber’s novels, this novel features a tenacious female protagonist with strong character who struggles to deal with ethical dilemmas about the importance of status and money.

3      Probably the best known of Ferber’s novels was Show Boat (1926), which tells the story of a Southern woman married to a charismatic but irresponsible man who leaves her with a daughter she must take great pains to support. In 1927, the novel was made into a musical that has endured to the present.

4     Other well-known novels by Ferber include Cimarron (1930) and Giant (1952), both of which were made into movies. These were epic novels about the settlement and growth of the West, centering on strong female lead characters who marry men lacking the same strength of character.

1. The phrase embarked on in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to:
a) took a trip to
b) started out on
c) improved upon
d) had an opinion about

2. The word break in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by:
a) rupture
b) revelation
c) opportunity

3. The word places in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by
a) locates
b) puts
c) recites
d) positions

4. The word repudiates in 2 is closest in meaning to
a) refuses to accept
b) lives up to
c) tries to understand
d) makes the best of

5. The word protagonist in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
a) arch enemy
b) voracious reader
c) skilled worker
d) lead character

6. The phrase take great pains in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to:
a) work diligently
b) recognize hurtfully
c) accept unequivocally
d) hurt agonizingly

7. The word endured in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
a) lasted
b) tested
c) waited
d) limited

8. The word epic in paragraph 4 could best be replaced by
a) lengthy narrative
b) detailed non-fictional
c) emotionally romantic
d) rousing Western

9. The phrase centering on in paragraph 4 could be replaced by
a) circling around
b) pointing to
c) focusing on
d) arranging for
d) rest

Answer key: 1.B 2.C 3.B 4.A 5.D 6.A 7.A 8.A 9.C


More Exercises:
TOEFL reading Exercise 05

TOEFL IELTS Reading Exercise 03

Parasitic Plants
(Level - Medium)

1      Parasitic plants are plants that survive by using food produced by host plants rather than by producing their own food from the Sun’s energy. Because they do not need sunlight to survive, parasitic plants are generally found in umbrageous areas rather than in areas exposed to direct sunlight. Parasitic plants attach themselves to host plants, often to the stems or roots, by means of haustoria, which the parasite uses to make its way into the food channels of the host plant and absorb the nutrients that it needs to survive from the host plant.

2     The world’s heaviest flower, a species of Rafflesia, is a parasite that flourishes among, and lives off of, the roots of jungle vines. Each of these ponderous blooms can weigh up to 15 pounds (7 kg) and can measure up to 3 feet (1 m) across.

1. The word "umbrageous" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to:
a) moist
b) well lit
c) shaded
d) buried

2. "Haustoria" in paragraph 1 are most likely:
a) offshoots from the parasite
b) seeds of the host plant
c) fruits from the host plant
d) food for the parasite


3. The phrase "make its way into" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
a) outline
b) eat
c) develops
d) penetrate

4. The word "ponderous" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
a) smelly
b) hidden
c) mature
d) heavy

5. The word "across" in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by
a) in diameter
b) on the other side
c) at a distance
d) inside and out

Answer key: 1.C 2.A 3.D 4.D 5.A

More Exercise:
TOEFL Reading Exercise 04

TOEFL IELTS Reading Exercise 01

Smog
(Level - Medium)

1    The oxidation of exhaust gases is one of the primary sources of the world’s pollution. The brown haze   that is poised over some of the world’s largest cities is properly called photochemical smog; it results from chemical reactions that take place in the air, using the energy of sunlight. The production of smog begins when gases are created in the cylinders of vehicle engines. It is there that oxygen and nitrogen gas combine as the fuel burns to form nitric oxide (NO), a colorless gas. The nitric oxide is forced out into the air through the vehicle tailpipe along with other gases.

2     When the gas reaches the air, it comes into contact with available oxygen from the atmosphere and combines with the oxygen to produce nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is a gas with a brownish hue. This nitrogen dioxide plays a role in the formation of acid rain in wetter or more humid climates and tends to decompose back into nitric oxide as it releases an oxygen atom from each molecule; the released oxygen atoms quickly combine with oxygen (O2) molecules to form ozone (O3). The brownish colored nitrogen dioxide is partially responsible for the brown color in smoggy air; the ozone is the toxic substance that causes irritation to eyes.

1. The word "poised" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to:
a) interacting
b) sitting
c) blowing
d) poisoning

2. The phrase "take place" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to:
a) position themselves
b) visit
c) are seated
d) occur


3. The word "forced" in paragraph 1 could best be replaced by
a) obliged
b) required
c) pushed
d) commanded

4. The word "hue" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
a) color
b) odor
c) thickness
d) smoke

5. The phrase "plays a role" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
a) makes fun of
b) serves a function in
c) acts the part of
d) moves about in

Answer key: 1.B 2.D 3.C 4.A 5.B

More Exercises: 
TOEFL Reading Exercise 02

TOEFL Listening - Speed writing exercise 01!

Following from my previous post "TOEFL Scratch paper and Speed writing tricks" I have prepared an exercise for the listening test. Here I have provided a conversation. During the conversation I have taken notes using my scratch paper template. So take a piece of paper and prepare a template like mine and start listening to the conversation.

{DO NOT LOOK AT MY SCRATCH PAPER NOW. ITS BETTER, YOU PREPARE YOUR OWN ONE AND LATER COMPARE IT WITH MINE. THEN YOU WILL KNOW YOUR MISTAKES.}

TOEFL Listening Test 01

Click the PLAY Button (The conversation starts after 10 seconds) and Listen to this conversation once. During the conversation try to take as many notes as possible using you scratch paper. Then answer to the questions below.

1. The students were studying for which subject?
2. What were the students discussing about?
3. Whom the female student wanted to meet?
4. When the female student wanted to leave?
5. How many ways does a bacteria acquire resistance gene?
6. What is the other name of transposone gene?
7. What does the female student meant by "jumping gene?"

 HERE IS MY SCRATCH PAPER

Between 2 students

Woman man on biology exam

-        Bacteria antibiotics resistance
-        Page left 7 o clock
-        Few left
-        Bacteria resist drags special gene protect
-        Genes weaken antibiotic stop entering bacteria
-        Genes are called resistance genes
-        How bacteria get it
-        Inherit it
-        From parent
-        Other way
-        From environments
-        Hopping genes not right  jumping genes other genes transposone also known
-        Lil bit of DNA jumping one to another
-        Transposon help one 2 another
-        Attach to transpojon &  jump to other cell get

See? I have managed to cover almost the whole conversation!

Now quickly answer to these questions and try to find if they are mentioned in my scratch paper.

Please post your answers here in the comment section and check if you are correct!