Comprehension [ 14 ] Upper Intermediate & Advanced

Comprehension 

14 - ] Upper Intermediate & Advanced 

Read the following passage , then answer the questions below . Do not look back at the passage . Compare your answers to the Answer Key . Check any incorrect answers by reading the passage .

             Of the eight Hawaiian Islands , Niihau and Kahoolawe are the smallest . These islands are quite unlike the others - they do not have hotels or resorts for tourists . Both islands , for different reasons , have had no tourists at all for many years .

                Niihau is located just 17 miles off the west coast of the island of Kauai . It is very small - 18 miles long and six miles wide . Niihau is owned by one family , the Robinsons , who bought the island in the 1860s from King

Kamehameha IV of Hawaii . They started a large cattle and sheep ranch on the island that still operates today . The Robinsons do not allow any uninvited visitors on the island and so it is often called ‘The Forbidden Island .’

                 About 230 people lived on Niihau - 95 percent of them Hawaiian and 5 percent Japanese . Most of the people live and work on the ranch , where there are no telephones , electricity , or television . The people use two-way radios to communicate and they use horses for transportation . There is an elementary school , but the children must go to Kauai to high school . The official language of the island is Hawaiian .

                   Among this small population , Hawaiian traditions are still strong , stronger than anywhere else .While , on the other islands , Hawaiians have adopted a different , modern lifestyle , life on Niihau has changed little . For this reason , some people want to keep the island the same . But others feel that this is not right . Life is difficult on Niihau , and the people there have few choices about their lives . Many Hawaiians feel that it is not right for one family to own and rule over a whole island .

                     Kahoolawe , the other “mystery island” , does not have anyone on it today . The smallest of the Hawaiian Islands , it is just 11 miles long and six miles wide . It is located seven miles south of the island of Maui .

                     Kahoolawe has not always been so empty . In past centuries , Hawaiians lived there and used the island for religious ceremonies . Then , in 1918 , a Scotsman rented the island to start a cattle and sheep ranch . Before long , however , he and everyone else had to leave . The United States Navy took over the island as a practice ground for bombing and explosives . Navy planes bombed the island regularly .

                     Hawaiians were not happy about this situation . They wanted to return to Kahoolawe , to use it for their religious ceremonies . An organization called “Ohana” worked with the government to make this happen . Now , the island has been returned to the Hawaiian people . It will not be bombed anymore , and all of the old bombs will be removed . It will be , again , a place for special Hawaiian religious and cultural activities .

                    Foe Hawaiians , both Niihau and Kahoolawe raise important questions . Is it right for others to use their islands , giving them no choices at all ? Who should decide about how to use these islands ? And to whom should they really belong .

Circle the best answers to the questions . Do not look back at the passage .

1 . This passage is about

( A ) the people living on Niihau and Kahoolawe .

( B ) the location of Niihau and Kahoolawe .

( C ) how the islands of Niihau and Kahoolawe are used .

( D ) what the Hawaiians believe .

2 . Niihau and Kahoolawe are

( A ) very close together .

( B ) very similar to the other islands .

( C ) overcrowded .

( D ) not visited by tourists .

3 . On the island of Niihau there

( A ) are lots of children .

( B ) is a cattle ranch .

( C ) is a United States Navy base .

( D ) is an organization called Ohana .

4 . Niihau’s people are mostly

( A ) Japanese .

( B ) Scottish .

( C ) Hawaiian .

( D ) Robinsons .

5 . You can infer from this passage that

( A ) on the other islands , life has changed a lot for Hawaiians .

( B ) Hawaiian life is just the same as always .

( C ) Hawaiians like to live with no electricity .

( D ) all the islands are owned by one family .

6 . until recently , the island of Kahoolawe was used mostly for

( A ) cattle ranching .

( B ) religious ceremonies .

( C ) testing bombs and explosives .

( D ) a vacation home .

7 .  You can infer from this passage that

( A ) native Hawaiians made the decisions about Kahoolawe .

( B ) a Scottish farmer made the decisions about Kahoolawe .

( C ) an organization called Ohana made the decisions about Kahoolawe .

( D ) the U.S Navy made the decisions about Kahoolawe .

8 . Hawaiians started an organization called Ohana to

( A ) get electricity on all the islands .

( B ) be able to return to Kahoolawe .

( C ) stop the Robinsons’ cattle and sheep ranch .

( D ) welcome tourists to Niihau and Kahoolawe .

Answer Key

1 . C 2 . D 3 . B 4 . C 5 . A 6 . C 7 . D 8 . B