Comprehension , Upper Intermediate & Advanced ( 11 )

Comprehension 

11 - ] Upper Intermediate & Advanced

Kauai 

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 all the Hawaiian Islands , Kauai may be the best example of a tropical paradise . In fact , when some film directions were looking for a place to film the movie “South Pacific” , they chose Kauai . Since then , millions of people around the world have seen that Hollywood classic . So now Kauai , with its beautiful landscapes , is their idea of the perfect tropical island .

                   All the islands ,including Kauai , have been affected by development in recent years . The tourist industry , agriculture , and spreading cities have destroyed much of the natural beauty . But on Kauai , there are also large areas that have remained untouched by development - so far , at least .

                      Thick green rain forests cover many square miles of Kauai . In other areas , there are great swamps - wet places of rain , mist , water plants , and mud . Near the beaches that circle the island , there are palm trees and flowering bushes . Everywhere , the air is warm and mist , with a hint of perfume from all the flowers . This air makes your skin feel soft and smooth . In fact , after some time on Kauai , you will feel healthier all over . There is little pollution here , and no stress .

                      The beaches of Kauai are a large part of its beauty . They all have lovely , clean white sand . At some beaches , the waves can be large and dangerous . At others , the water is so calm that even small children can play in it safely . Many kinds of brightly colored fish usually swim close to the shore . If you put on a mask and air tube ( snorkel ) , you can swim among them .

                       But Kauai’s scenery also offers some dramatic contrasts . Along one shore of the island , in an area called Napali , there are steep cliffs . No roads can be built in this area , so the only way to visit is by foot . Hiking here is a real adventure , since the trails are narrow and steep . Along these trails , you can get a close look at rare and beautiful plants and birds . Each turn in the trail brings a breathtaking view . For the visitor , the scene may seem unreal : the green vegetation , the white beaches below , and the wide blue ocean may seem too colorful to be real .

                     Kauai has its mountains , too . The tallest of these , Mount Waialeale , catches clouds and collects rain . This mountainside is called the “wettest spot on earth” . About 460 inches of rain fall on it every year . Streams and rivers rush down the mountain to the sea . It is not surprising that Kauai is full of wonderful gardens that bloom all year round .  

                    A few miles from Mount Waialeale , a very different landscape can be seen : the Waimea Canyon . This canyon is often called “Grand Canyon of the Pacific .” That is because its tall cliffs resemble those of the Grand Canyon in the western United States . The rocks and earth in the Waimea Canyon are reddish brown . All around is the rich green of the treed and bushes . It is an unforgettable scene .

Circle the best answer . Do not look at the passage .

1. This passage is about

( A ) the features of the Waimea Canyon .

( B ) what makes Kauai a tropical paradise .

( C ) hiking on the Napali cliffs .

( D ) the beaches of Kauai .

2 . Kauai is like a paradise because

( A ) “South Pacific” was filmed there .

( B ) it has a warm climate and beautiful scenery .

( C ) it has tall cliffs .

( D ) it rains a lot there .

3 . Unlike some of the other islands , Kauai  has

( A ) large undeveloped area .

( B ) many gardens .

( C ) many birds .

( D ) trees near the beaches .

4 . You can infer from this passage that  

( A ) all of the beaches in Kauai are dangerous .

( B ) the beaches cannot be reached by car .

( C ) children do not like to go swimming because of all the fish .

( D ) snorkeling is probably a popular spot on Kauai .

5 . Kauai is a good place for hiking because

( A ) there are many scenic trails .

( B ) you can drive to every interesting place .

( C ) it is very cool all year round .

( D ) the swamps are so full of med .

6 . Mount Waialeale is called the wettest spot on earth because it

( A ) is very tall .

( B ) has many gardens .

( C ) collects lots of rain .

( D ) has many rivers and streams .

7 . You can infer from this passage that Kauai’s climate is

( A ) uncomfortable for tourists .

( B ) very dry .

( C ) cooler than the other islands .

( D ) good for growing flowers .

8 . The Waimea Canyon is called the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific” because it 

( A ) is the only canyon in the Pacific .

( B ) has reddish-brown rocks .

( C ) looks like the Grand Canyon in the western United States .

( D ) is so large .

Answer Key

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

Comprehension , Upper Intermediate & Advanced ( 10 )

Comprehension .

10 - ] 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 .

                     If you would like to go to a beautiful , faraway place , you should go to the Hawaiian Islands . Located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean , these islands are far from any other land . They are , in fact , the farthest from land of any islands on earth - about 2,400 miles from San Francisco , 3,830 miles from Tokyo , and 5,540 miles from Hong Kong .

                   There are eight Hawaiian Islands . In order of size , they are Hawaii ( the “Big Island” ) , Maui , Oahu , Kauai , Molokai , Lanai , and Kahoolawe . In 1959 , the islands together became Hawaii , the 50^th state of the United States .

                     While they differ from one another in some ways , the islands share many of the same features . They all have a tropical climate , first of all . The average daytime temperature is about 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer . However , it is never uncomfortably hot . The nighttime temperature is always cooler and there is generally a little wind . Rain falls often , but usually not for long . People in Hawaii say that it rains every day somewhere on the islands .

                     The islands also are similar in their natural beauty . They all have volcanic mountains and waterfalls , rain forests and beautiful beaches . The warm , clear water around the islands is filled with many kinds of sea creatures . There are giant sea turtles , whales , and dolphins as well as lots of tropical fish . The forests are full of beautiful birds and flowers . Many of them cannot be found anywhere else in the world .

                      The Hawaiian Islands , in fact , have an interesting natural history . Until modern times , birds and insects were the only kinds of animals living on the islands , with just a few exceptions . The exceptions were the monk seal ( a sea mammal ) and a kind of bat ( a flying mammal ) . There were no other mammals until people arrived in about 500 A.D . They brought some animals , such as pigs , for food . Other animals , such as mice , probably traveled to the islands hidden in their boats .

                      Each of the islands also has features that are special . For example , the Big Island , Hawaii , is the only island with active volcanoes . Both Mauna Loa and Kilauea on Hawaii occasionally erupt , pouring out hot lava and smoke . The island of Oahu is the site of the modern capital of Hawaii , Honolulu . This island also has one of the world’s most famous beaches , Waikiki Beach , especially popular with surfers .

                     And finally the island of Maul is important to Hawaiians for its role in the history of the islands . In 1800 , Kamehameha the Great became the king of the islands . He established his capital on Maul , where it remained until early in the 20^th century .

                      Today , with its tropical climate and natural beauty , Hawaii is a major tourist attraction . People come from all over the world to view the volcanoes , the seacoast and the rain forests . They come to sunbathe or surf at the beaches , or they come just to relax in the warm , sweet air .

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Do not look at the passage . Circle the best answer .

1 . This passage is about

( A ) some of the main features of the Hawaiian Islands .

( B ) the climate of the Hawaiian Islands

( C ) the remoteness of the Hawaiian Islands .

( D ) volcanoes in Hawaii .

2 . The Hawaiian Islands are called remote because they are     

( A ) always warm

( B ) very beautiful

( C ) in the middle of the Pacific Ocean .

( D )  far away from any land .

3 . The Hawaiian Islands are closest to    

( A ) Hong Kong

( B ) Japan

( C ) Oahu

( D ) San Francisco .

4 . The temperature in the islands is   

( A ) warm all year round .

( B ) cold in the winter .

( C ) warmer at night .

( D )  very cold at night .

5 . The features that you can find on all or the Hawaiian Islands are    

( A ) active volcanoes .

( B ) good restaurants .

( C ) beautiful scenery and a warm climate .

( D ) good hotels and restaurants .

6 . Many kinds of birds and flowers on the islands      

( A ) can be found all over the Pacific .

( B ) are like birds and flowers in the United States .

( C ) cannot be found anywhere else .

( D ) came to the islands with the first people .

7 . You can infer from this passage that , apart from Hawaii , the other islands   

( A ) do not have volcanoes .

( B ) have volcanoes , but they are inactive .

( C ) do not have beaches .

( D ) have no mammals .

8 . The island of Maui is especially known for its     

( A ) beaches .

( B ) active volcanoes .

( C ) history .

( D ) tropical fish .

Answer Key

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

Comprehension , Upper Intermediate & Advanced ( 9 )

Comprehension 

9 - ] 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 .

            On a September day in 1991 , two Germans were climbing the mountains between Austria and Italy . High up on a mountain pass , they found the body of a man lying on the ice . At that height ( 3,200 meters ) , the ice is usually permanent . But 1991 had been an especially warm year . The mountain ice had melted ore than usual and so the body had come to the surface .

                 It was lying face downward . The skeleton was in perfect condition , except for a large wound in the head . There was still skin on the bones and the remains of some clothes . The hands were still holding the wooden handle of an axe  . On the feet there were very simple leather and cloth boots . Nearby was a pair of gloves made of tree bark and a holder for arrows .

                 Who was this man ? How and when had he died ? Everybody had a different answer to these questions . The mountain climbers who had found the body said it seemed thousands of years old . But others thought that it might be from this century .Perhaps it was the body of a soldier who died in World War I . In fact , several World War I soldiers had already been found in that area of the mountains . On the other hand , a Swiss woman believed it might be her father . He had died in those mountains 20 years before and his body had never been found .

                   When Italian and Austrian scientists heard about the discovery they rushed to the mountaintop . The body couldn’t possibly be the Swiss woman’s father , they said . The boots , the gloves , and the axe were clearly from further back in the past . For the same reason , they said it couldn’t be a World War I soldier . It had to be at least several centuries old , they said , maybe even five centuries . It could have been one of the soldiers in the army of Frederick , Duke of Austria .

                     Before they could be sure about this guess , however , the scientists needed more data . They needed to bring the body down the mountain so they could study it in their laboratories  . The question was , whom did it belong to ? It was lying almost exactly on the border between Italy and Austria . Naturally , both countries wanted the frozen man for their laboratories and their museums . For two days , the body lay there in the mountains while diplomats argued . Finally , they decided that it lay on Austrian ground . By that time the body was partly unfrozen and somewhat damaged .

                      When the Austrian scientists examined the body more closely , they changed their minds . They did not know yet how he had died , but they did know when : in about 2,700 B.C . This was a very important discovery , they said . It would teach them a great deal about this very distant period of European history . From the clothes and tools they could learn about how men lived in those times .

Do not look at the passage  . Circle the best answer .

1 . This passage is about

( A ) a soldier who died in World War I .

( B ) mountaintop discoveries .

( C ) how men lived in the distant past .

( D ) a frozen body found in the mountains .

2 . The body was found by

( A ) some Austrian scientists .

( B ) a Swiss woman .

( C ) two German mountain climbers .

( D ) soldiers in the army of Frederick of Austria .

3 . The body was in good condition because

( A ) it had always been frozen .

( B ) the scientists took good care of it .

( C ) the air was very dry .

( D ) it had just fallen there .

4 . When the body was first found

( A ) everyone thought it must be 20 years old .

( B ) everyone had a different theory about it .

( C ) no one had any idea about where it came from .

( D ) scientists were sure it was thousands of years old .

5 . When the scientists saw the body , they said it

( A ) might be five centuries old .

( B ) must be from this century .

( C ) was probably the Swiss woman’s father .

( D ) probably was a soldier from World War I .

6 . The body lay on the mountain for two days because  

( A ) the Swiss woman didn’t want anyone to touch it .

( B ) no one could find it .

( C ) the Austrian and Italian governments were fighting over it .

( D ) neither the Austrians not the Italians wanted it .

7 . After examining the body , the scientists said

( A ) the frozen man had died in war .

( B ) it was partly unfrozen .

( C ) the frozen man was almost 5,000 years old .

( D ) they did not know the cause of his death .

8 . We can learn about how people lived in the distant past from

( A ) their feet.

( B ) their clothes and tools .

( C ) their museums .

( D ) the mountains .

Answer Key

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

Comprehension , Upper Intermediate , Advanced ( 8 )

Comprehension

8 - ] Upper Intermediate & Advanced

Read the following newspaper article , then answer the questions below :

                 ‘This is the real star of the collection, ’ says Cynthia Lole , wide eyes shining , holding up a 12 cm-high pink plastic doll to my face . It looks much the same as the hundred or so other pink plastic dolls arranged round the walls of her tiny west London flat . But not to Cynthia . ‘Look ! It’s a boy ! ‘ she cries . ‘I was so excited when I found it .’ All Cynthia’s other dolls are girls . Not girls in pretty dresses with blinking eyes and lots of hair , though . She collects kewpie dolls - rubber dolls with pointed heads and round faces , that have been manufactured in various countries throughout the world for nearly a century .

                 Over the past five years or so she has gathered together big ones and little ones , sitting-up ones and lying-down ones , crying kewpies , crawling kewpies , kewpies sucking their thumbs . There’s a large 1930s kewpie , a rare black kewpie with no eyes , key-ring kewpies from Kapan , a kewpie box whose head lifts off as the lid . ‘They’ve all got slightly different expressions because they are of different ages and come from different countries , ‘she explains . ‘This one’s sweet , isn’t she ? She’s Italian ,’ she says picking up a particularly attractive example with a cute smile and a round stomach .

                 In every shade of pink from strawberry ice-cream to flesh , the dolls form a six-deep guard on wall shelves in Cynthia Lole’s spare bedroom . Ninety pairs of painted eyes seem to turn on you as you pass the door - they’re not exactly threatening , but Cynthia says she’s had business visitors drop their briefcases open-mouthed at the sight of them . The rarest examples are behind glass in the bathroom - tiny kewpies no more than four centimeters high from the 1920s . The very earliest ones were made from porcelain , but Cynthia’s collection doesn’t go back that far : ‘It’s a fun thing , so I don’t want to spend big money . Most of these cost very little , although I did pay rather more for the boy .’

                As with most collections , Cynthia’s started with just one : a very ordinary example she bought in a local London market . ‘Then I found a few more , and before I knew it , the dealers were saving them for me and people were buying me them as presents.’ She had about 25 or so before she became a serious collector . ‘I brought home this bright pinklight from a film I’d been working on , and when I put it on in the bedroom , all the kewpies’ eyes lit up and their heads started glowing . I thought -yeah ! - I’m going to have a whole shelf of them with a light behind .’

                 Now  Cynthia hunts down kewpies wherever she goes , from local street markets and specialist doll dealers to work trips abroad , fro Philadelphia to Portugal , with her job making pop videos . Quick as a flash , she can remember the origin or each : ‘That one I found in New York just as I was leaving to catch a plane . There it was for only a dollar . And that dear little one in the red suit a friend found in San Francisco .’

                 Kewpie dolls are the most recent of Cynthia’s addictions , but the flat is a monument to a lifetime of collecting . She began in her childhood , probably as a reaction against her parents , who hated having lots of unnecessary things around and would say things like : ‘Why do you need another vase if you’ve already got 

one ?’

                    In the early days it was just cardboard boxes , but she started collecting seriously when she moved to London to work and discovered the street markets . One of her interests is old advertising signs and she also collects things from the videos she has worked on - a model 1950s plane hangs from the ceiling and there is a rubber octopus on the television . 1960s pop music plays on a 1954 jukebox machine that had to be brought in through the window when Cynthia moved here six years ago -she’d got the measurements of the hall wrong and they even had to remove the window frame . ‘Being such an enthusiastic collector does have its drawbacks ,’ she sighs .’It’s not only moving house - I’ve been warned I could never have a cleaner because it would take them hours just to dust and as for the dolls , they’d probably take one look and resign on the spot .’

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Answer the following questions

1. What is the writer’s first impression of Cynthia’s dolls ?

( A ) They are mostly girls

( B ) They all look very similar .

( C ) They have a lot of hair .

( D ) They are very old .

2 . What does the writer learn from Cynthia about kewpie dolls ?

( A ) They were originally children’s toys .

( B ) Their faces differ in detail .

( C ) The best ones come from Italy .

( D ) Older examples are often damaged .

3 . How does Cynthia display most of her dolls ?

( A ) She protects them from visitors .

( B ) She keeps frightening ones by the door .

( C ) She has a glass case in her bedroom .

( D ) She displays them all around her flat .

4 . How did Cynthia begin collecting dolls ?

( A ) She bought a boy doll in London .

( B ) She started with porcelain dolls .

( C ) She found a doll in a market .

( D ) She was given a doll as a present .

5 . When did Cynthia become a serious doll collector ?

( A ) when she saw how the dolls looked lit up

( B ) when she started working op pop videos

( C ) when she begin traveling on business

( D ) when she found a specialist doll dealer

 6 . How did Cynthia’s background influence her choice of hobby ?

( A ) her parents gave her dolls .

( B ) She started collecting vases .

( C ) Her family discouraged collecting .

( D ) She was surrounded by unnecessary objects .

7 . What problems do Cynthia’s collections cause ?

( A ) Moving around her flat is difficult .

( B ) The cleaner has threatened to resign .

( C ) There is not room to display everything .

( D ) She has problems when she moves house .

Answer Key

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

Comprehension , Upper Intermediate & Advanced ( 7 )

Comprehension 

7 - ] Upper Intermediate & Advanced 

Comprehension

Read the following article , then answer the questions below :

                 There are 25 of us on the course for radio program presenters , to hear the tips from the expert , Paul Fairburn , program director at the Heart FM . I have been doing the job for nearly 20 years but it is the closest I have ever come to anything like training . Two of us old hands are clearly there for the chance to make fun of radio presenter school ( Lesson Five : The time Check . ‘Class , repeat after me : It’s 21 minutes before the hour of three o’clock .’ ) .

                 About half of us are presenters from small local stations and the rest are the type of young man - they are always male - who is always , and a little unfairly , laughed at in the radio business : single-minded enthusiasts who in any other branch of entertainment would probably be welcomed .

                  Fairburn passes on a vital hint for potential phone-in hosts : ‘Don’t worry if someone phones up and says they’re going to thump you . They won’t. The people who are really going to hit you don’t tell you first .’ This is not altogether encouraging , but interesting to know , and we dutifully make a note of it .We also note Fairburn’s tip number one :‘Get a Life outside radio .’

‘If you are an interesting person , you will be a more interesting presenter ,’ says Fairburn . ‘So don’t spend all your time in radio stations .’ This is a bit ironic , because if we had a life we probably wouldn’t be sitting in that room on a Wednesday afternoon taking notes . For those of us who went into radio back in the 1970s , it may be a little late for all this . But times have changed , says Fairburn and now you need to learn the profession .

                 To this end , today’s presenters will almost certainly be invited to spend time at lectures , learning from the masters . Dan O’Day , an American breakfast-show presenter generally regarded as one of the best of that kind , hosts weekend schools , at which topics such as ‘Establishing Good Relations On The Telephone’ are discussed deeply . The Metro Radio Group in Britain even makes its presenters sign an agreement not to give away confidential ideas picked up on the group’s training schemes .

                 However , courtesy of Fairburn , who picked it up from a former Metro trainee , I am now able to reveal exclusively one of those secrets . ‘You are ten minutes from the end of a four-hour program ,’ Fairburn tells the class . ‘You are naturally winding down , sounding tired ; so , a second or two before opening the microphone , shout “Wow!” very loudly into the closed microphone . Then , when you open it , you will sound wide awake , despite yourself ,’ It does work . I have tried it since , although “Wow!” doesn’t seem like the right word for the station I work on , so I tend to shout “Heck !”

                    Another example of presenter cleverness , which never occurred to us older ones , is the phone-in trick . This gets you on good terms with the local audience if you find yourself working in a strange town . When someone phones in , you find out in some detail - before putting them on the air - where they come from , what the local landmarks are and so on . Then , when they appear on the radio and say where they are calling from , you can say authoritatively , ‘Oh yes , just around the corner from the railway station .’

                     Brilliant , and much more practical than any advice I was given in the dark days when I started . With the benefit of an afternoon’s training . I can see the old-fashioned attitudes that were passed on to me then have no place in today’s highly competitive radio market .  

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1 . What do we learn about the writer in the first paragraph ?

( A ) He had heard that this particular course wasn’t very good .

( B ) He was attending the course so that he could write about it .

( C ) He wasn’t given training as a radio presenter when he started .

( D ) He had always avoided courses for radio presenters before .

2 . What does the writer say about some of the others taking the course ?

( A ) People who work in radio have a low opinion of them .

( B ) They are never likely to find work as presenters .

( C ) They couldn’t follow even simple instructions .

( D ) People who know them enjoy their program .

3 . What does the writer say about the advice to phone-in hosts ?

( A ) It was worth writing down .

( B ) It was not true of his own experience .

( C ) It was not intended for older presenters .

( D ) It was difficult to understand .

4 . What do we learn about Metro Radio ?

( A ) Paul Fairburn used to work there .

( B ) It runs courses for radio presenters .

( C ) It has copied American methods .

( D ) Excellent presenters work for it .

5 . What do ‘those secrets’ in paragraph five originally come from ?

( A ) confidential documents

( B ) radio programs

( C ) telephone conversations

( D ) training schemes

6 . What does the writer say about shouting into a closed microphone ?

( A ) He has adapted the original idea .

( B ) He initially thought it wouldn’t work .

( C ) It doesn’t help him overcome problems .

( D ) He had tried a similar thing before .

7 . What does the writer think of the ‘phone-in trick’ ?

( A ) It works better in some places than in others .

( B ) It is wrong to deceive the listeners in that way .

( C ) It is a very good idea he hadn’t thought of .

( D ) It requires too much research before the show .

8 . What is the writer’s conclusion after taking the course ?

( A ) Such courses can be useful even for presenters with the experience .

( B ) He is glad that he started presenting radio programs a long time ago .

( C ) Courses for radio presenters are unlikely to make them better at the job .

( D ) It has made him worried about his future career as a radio presenter .

Answer Key

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