Comprehension , Upper Intermediate & Advanced [ 16 ]

Comprehension 

16 - ] 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 .

                      The formation of the Hawaiian Islands was very different from the formation of the continents . Geologists ( scientists who study the earth ) believe that the islands appeared separately and more recently . According to the geological evidence , they were formed by volcanoes only about 30 million years ago .

                        These volcanoes began when some cracks appeared on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean . Deep under the earth’s surface , the rocks are very hot , so hot that they are in a liquid form called lava . This lava can sometimes come up through openings on the surface of the earth . The piles of lava slowly build up and become mountains . When the openings are on the ocean floor , the mountains are at first underwater . They may eventually become tall enough to rise above the water and form islands . This is how the Hawaiian Archipelago was created . This archipelago , or collection of islands , consists of 132 points of land . The larger points of land of the archipelago are the Hawaiian Islands .

                          According to geologists , the islands in the Hawaiian Archipelago are still changing like living things . The oldest islands , such as the Kure Atoll , are slowly disappearing under the sea . Over thousands of years , they have gradually been worn down by storms and the ocean waves . Now nothing is left but a semi-circle of coral reef ( rock-like forms made by tiny sea animals ) .

                            Other , younger islands , however , are still growing . The Big Island of Hawaii has two active volcanoes which are still adding new lava to the island . There are also new islands in the archipelago in the process of formation . Geologists have found an underwater volcano about 30 miles south of the island of Hawaii . Now about 3,000 feet below the surface of the ocean , it will probably rise above the water . Someday , this volcano could become another Hawaiian island .

                             The islands at first were bare rock and empty of all life . They remained this way for millions of years . The first kinds of plant life were probably carried there as seeds by the wind or by the ocean . Plants grew well in the rich , volcanic dirt and birds were attracted to the islands . Birds may then have brought more seeds from faraway places , and so introduced other new plants .

                             All this took a very long time . Scientists believe that at the most , one new plant arrived very 20,000 years ! But slowly the plants and the birds on the islands became more numerous and more varied . They also gradually evolved , changing to adapt themselves to their conditions . That is why the islands are home to so many plants and birds that can be found nowhere else .

                                The plants on the islands also attracted insects , which may have been blown there by storms . With just a few exceptions , plants , birds , and insects were the only forms of life . Then , about 1,500 years ago , the first humans arrived , bringing other animals with them . It was the beginning of an era of change for the Hawaiian Islands .

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

1 . This passage is about

( A ) geologists at work .

( B ) underwater volcanic eruptions in the Pacific Ocean .

( C ) the age of the Hawaiian Archipelago .

( D ) the formation of the Hawaiian Islands .

2 .  The Hawaiian Islands

( A ) are older than the continents .

( B ) are younger than the continents .

( C ) have more birds than the continents .

( D ) have more volcanoes than the contents .

3 . Lava is very hot melted rock found

( A ) under the sea .

( B ) deep under the surface of the earth .

( C ) on coral reefs .

( D ) only on the top of volcanic mountains .

4 . When lava comes through cracks in the earth’s surface   

( A ) islands are formed .

( B ) the ocean becomes warmer .

( C ) mountains of lava are formed .

( D ) coral reefs are formed .

5 . The Hawaiian Islands are like living things because  

( A ) plants grow there so easily .

( B ) they grow , change , and disappear .

( C ) many coral reefs are forming there .

( D ) the islands are made of hot lava .

6 . You can infer from this passage that

( A ) some day all the islands could disappear .

( B ) there will always be new islands .

( C ) the Big Island of Hawaii may get a new volcano .

( D ) the first trees were planted by geologists .

7 .  Thje Big Island of Hawaii will probably

( A ) become an archipelago .

( B ) get more volcanoes .

( C ) become larger .

( D ) be the next island to disappear .

8 .  The first plants in Hawaii

( A ) were brought there by the geologists .

( B ) were carried to the islands by the wind and the sea .

( C ) grew out of the hot lava .

( D ) came from another archipelago .

Answer Key

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