In the United States in the early 1800's, individual state governments had more effect on the economy than did the federal government. States chartered manufacturing, banking, mining, and transportation firms and participated in the construction of various internal improvements such as canals, turnpikes, and railroads.(5)The states encouraged internal improvements in two distinct ways ; first, by actually establishing state companies to build such improvement ; second, by providing part of the capital for mixed public-private companies setting out to make a profit.
In the early nineteenth century, state governments also engaged in a surprisingly large amount of direct regulatory activity, including extensive licensing and inspection (10) programs. Licensing targets reflected both similarities in and differences between the
economy of the nineteenth century and that of today : in the nineteenth century, state regulation through licensing fell especially on peddlers, innkeepers, and retail merchants of various kinds. The perishable commodities of trade generally came under
state inspection, and such important frontier staples as lumber and gunpowder were (15) also subject to state control. Finally, state governments experimented with direct labor and business regulation designed to help the individual laborer or consumer, including setting maximum limits on hours of work and restrictions on price-fixing by businesses.
Although the states dominated economic activity during this period, the federal government was not inactive. Its goals were the facilitation of western settlement and (20)the development of native industries. Toward these ends the federal government pursued several courses of action. It established a national bank to stabilize banking
activities in the country and, in part, to provide a supply of relatively easy money to the frontier, where it was greatly needed for settlement. It permitted access to public
western lands on increasingly easy terms, culminating in the Homestead Act of 1862,(25) by which title to land could be claimed on the basis of residence alone. Finally, it set up a system of tariffs that was basically protectionist in effect, although maneuvering for position by various regional interests produced frequent changes in tariff ratesthroughout the nineteenth century.
18. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) States's rights versus federal rights
(B) The participation of state governments in railroad, canal, and
turnpike construction
(C) The roles of state and federal governments in the economy
of the nineteenth century
(D) Regulatory activity by state governments
19. The word “effect” in line 2 is closest in meaning to
(A) value
(B) argument
(C) influence
(D) restraint
20. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as areas that involved state governments in the nineteenth century EXCEPT
(A) mining (B) banking
(C) manufacturing (D) higher education
21. The word “distinct” in line 5 is closest in meaning to
(A) separate
(B) innovative
(C) alarming
(D) provocative
22. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that in the nineteenth century canals
and railroads were
(A) built with money that came from the federal government
(B) much more expensive to build than they had been previously
(C) built predominantly in the western part of the country
(D) sometimes built in part by state companies
23. The regulatory activities of state governments included all of the following EXCEPT
(A) licensing of retail merchants
(B) inspecting materials used in turnpike maintenance
(C) imposing limits on price-fixing
(D) control of lumber
24. The word “setting” in line 17 is closest in meaning to
(A) discussing
(B) analyzing
(C) establishing
(D) avoiding
25. The word “ends” in line 20 is closest in meaning to
(A) benefits
(B) decisions
(C) services
(D) goals
26. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the Homestead
Act of 1862 ?
(A) It made it increasingly possible for settlers to obtain land in the West.
(B) It was a law first passed by state governments in the West.
(C) It increased the money supply in the West.
(D) It established tariffs in a number of regions.
27. Which of the following activities was the responsibility of the federal government
in the nineteenth century?
(A) Control of the manufacture of gunpowder
(B) Determining the conditions under which individuals worked
(C) Regulation of the supply of money
(D) Inspection of new homes built on western lands
Read more
Custom Search
TOEFL Readings 7
The hard, rigid plates that form the outermost portion of the Earth are about 100 kilometers thick. These plates include both the Earth's crust and the upper mantle. The rocks of the crust are composed mostly of minerals with light elements, like aluminum and sodium, while the mantle contains some heavier elements, like iron and (5) magnesium. Together, the crust and upper mantle that form the surface plates are called the lithosphere. This rigid layer floats on the denser material of the lower mantle the way a wooden raft floats on a pond. The plates are supported by a weak, plastic layer of the lower mantle called the asthenosphere.
Also like a raft on a pond, the lithospheric plates are carried along by slow currents in this more fluid layer beneath (10)them. With an understanding of plate tectonics, geologists have put together a new history for the Earth's surface. About 200 million years ago, the plates at the Earth's surface formed a “supercontinent” called Pangaea. When this supercontinent started to tear apart because of plate movement, Pangaea first broke into two large continental masses (15)with a newly formed sea that grew between the land areas as the depression filled with water. The southern one ― which included the modern continents of South America, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica ― is called Gondwanaland. The northern one ― with North America, Europe, and Asia ― is called Laurasia. North America tore away from Europe about 180 million years ago, forming the northern Atlantic Ocean.
(20)Some of the lithospheric plates carry ocean floor and others carry land masses or a combination of the two types. The movement of the lithospheric plates is responsible
for earthquakes, volcanoes, and the Earth's largest mountain ranges. Current understanding of the interaction between different plates explains why these occur
where they do. For example, the edge of the Pacific Ocean has been called the “Ring
(25)of Fire” because so many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes happen there. Before the 1960's, geologists could not explain why active volcanoes and strong earthquakes were concentrated in that region. The theory of plate tectonics gave them an answer.
9. With which of the following topics is the passage mainly concerned?
(A) The contributions of the theory of plate tectonics to geological knowledge
(B) The mineral composition of the Earth's crust
(C) The location of the Earth's major plates
(D) The methods used by scientists to measure plate movement
10. According to the passage, the lithospheric plates are given support by the
(A) upper mantle
(B) ocean floor
(C) crust
(D) asthenosphere
11. The author compares the relationship between the lithosphere and the
asthenosphere to which of the following?
(A) Lava flowing from a volcano
(B) A boat floating on the water
(C) A fish swimming in a pond
(D) The erosion of rocks by running water
12. The word“one”in line 16 refers to
(A) movements
(B) masses
(C) sea
(D) depression
13. According to the passage, the northern Atlantic Ocean was formed when
(A) Pangaea was created
(B) plate movement ceased
(C) Gondwanaland collided with Pangaea
(D) parts of Laurasia separated from each other
14. The word “carry” in line 20 could best be replaced by
(A) damage
(B) squeeze
(C) connect
(D) support
15. In line 27, the word “concentrated” is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Allowed
(B) Clustered
(C) Exploded
(D) Strengthened
16. Which of the following can be inferred about the theory of plate tectonics?
(A) It is no longer of great interest to geologists.
(B) It was first proposed in the 1960's.
(C) It fails to explain why earthquakes occur.
(D) It refutes the theory of the existence of a supercontinent.
17. The paragraph following the passage most probably discusses
(A) why certain geological events happen where they do
(B) how geological occurrences have changed over the years
(C) the most unusual geological developments in the Earth's history
(D) the latest innovations in geological measurement
Read more
Also like a raft on a pond, the lithospheric plates are carried along by slow currents in this more fluid layer beneath (10)them. With an understanding of plate tectonics, geologists have put together a new history for the Earth's surface. About 200 million years ago, the plates at the Earth's surface formed a “supercontinent” called Pangaea. When this supercontinent started to tear apart because of plate movement, Pangaea first broke into two large continental masses (15)with a newly formed sea that grew between the land areas as the depression filled with water. The southern one ― which included the modern continents of South America, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica ― is called Gondwanaland. The northern one ― with North America, Europe, and Asia ― is called Laurasia. North America tore away from Europe about 180 million years ago, forming the northern Atlantic Ocean.
(20)Some of the lithospheric plates carry ocean floor and others carry land masses or a combination of the two types. The movement of the lithospheric plates is responsible
for earthquakes, volcanoes, and the Earth's largest mountain ranges. Current understanding of the interaction between different plates explains why these occur
where they do. For example, the edge of the Pacific Ocean has been called the “Ring
(25)of Fire” because so many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes happen there. Before the 1960's, geologists could not explain why active volcanoes and strong earthquakes were concentrated in that region. The theory of plate tectonics gave them an answer.
9. With which of the following topics is the passage mainly concerned?
(A) The contributions of the theory of plate tectonics to geological knowledge
(B) The mineral composition of the Earth's crust
(C) The location of the Earth's major plates
(D) The methods used by scientists to measure plate movement
10. According to the passage, the lithospheric plates are given support by the
(A) upper mantle
(B) ocean floor
(C) crust
(D) asthenosphere
11. The author compares the relationship between the lithosphere and the
asthenosphere to which of the following?
(A) Lava flowing from a volcano
(B) A boat floating on the water
(C) A fish swimming in a pond
(D) The erosion of rocks by running water
12. The word“one”in line 16 refers to
(A) movements
(B) masses
(C) sea
(D) depression
13. According to the passage, the northern Atlantic Ocean was formed when
(A) Pangaea was created
(B) plate movement ceased
(C) Gondwanaland collided with Pangaea
(D) parts of Laurasia separated from each other
14. The word “carry” in line 20 could best be replaced by
(A) damage
(B) squeeze
(C) connect
(D) support
15. In line 27, the word “concentrated” is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Allowed
(B) Clustered
(C) Exploded
(D) Strengthened
16. Which of the following can be inferred about the theory of plate tectonics?
(A) It is no longer of great interest to geologists.
(B) It was first proposed in the 1960's.
(C) It fails to explain why earthquakes occur.
(D) It refutes the theory of the existence of a supercontinent.
17. The paragraph following the passage most probably discusses
(A) why certain geological events happen where they do
(B) how geological occurrences have changed over the years
(C) the most unusual geological developments in the Earth's history
(D) the latest innovations in geological measurement
Read more
TOEFL Readings 6
It is commonly believed in the United States that school is where people go to get an education. Nevertheless, it has been said that today children interrupt their education to go to school. The distinction between schooling and education implied by this remark is important.
(5) Education is much more open-ended and all-inclusive than schooling. Education knows no bounds. It can take place anywhere, whether in the shower or on the job, whether in a kitchen or on a tractor. It includes both the formal learning that takes place in schools and the whole universe of informal learning. The agents of education can range from a revered grandparent to the people debating politics on the radio, from a (10)child to a distinguished scientist. Whereas schooling has a certain predictability, education quite often produces surprises.
A chance conversation with a stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known of other religions. People are engaged in education from infancy on. Education, then, is a very broad, inclusive term. It is a lifelong process, a process that starts long before the start of school, and one that(15)should be an integral part of one's entire life.
Schooling, on the other hand, is a specific, formalized process, whose general pattern varies little from one setting to the next. Throughout a country, children arrive at school at approximately the same time, take assigned seats, are taught by an adult, use similar textbooks, do homework, take exams, and so on. The slices of reality that (20) are to be learned, whether they are the alphabet or an understanding of the workings of government, have usually been limited by the boundaries of the subject being taught.
For example, high school students know that they are not likely to find out in their classes the truth about political problems in their communities or what the newest filmmakers are experimenting with. There are definite conditions surrounding the (25) formalized process of schooling.
1. What does the author probably mean by using the expression “children interrupt
their education to go to school” (lines 2-3) ?
(A) Going to several different schools is educationally beneficial.
(B) School vacations interrupt the continuity of the school year.
(C) Summer school makes the school year too long.
(D) All of life is an education.
2. The word “bounds”in line 6 is closest in meaning to
(A) rules
(B) experience
(C) limits
(D) exceptions
3. The word “chance” in line 11 is closest in meaning to
(A) unplanned
(B) unusual
(C) lengthy
(D) lively
4. The word “an integral” in line 15 is closest in meaning to
(A) an equitable
(B) a profitable
(C) a pleasant
(D) an essential
5. The word “they” in line 20 refers to
(A) slices of reality
(B) similar textbooks
(C) boundaries
(D) seats
6. The phrase “For example,” line 22, introduces a sentence that gives
examples of
(A) similar textbooks
(B) the results of schooling
(C) the workings of a government
(D) the boundaries of classroom subjects
7. The passage supports which of the followng conclusions?
(A) Without formal education, people would remain ignorant.
(B) Education systems need to be radically reformed.
(C) Going to school is only part of how people become educated.
(D) Education involves many years of professional training.
8. The passage is organized by
(A) listing and discussing several educational problems
(B) contrasting the meanings of two related words
(C) narrating a story about excellent teachers
(D) giving examples of different kinds of schools
Read more
(5) Education is much more open-ended and all-inclusive than schooling. Education knows no bounds. It can take place anywhere, whether in the shower or on the job, whether in a kitchen or on a tractor. It includes both the formal learning that takes place in schools and the whole universe of informal learning. The agents of education can range from a revered grandparent to the people debating politics on the radio, from a (10)child to a distinguished scientist. Whereas schooling has a certain predictability, education quite often produces surprises.
A chance conversation with a stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known of other religions. People are engaged in education from infancy on. Education, then, is a very broad, inclusive term. It is a lifelong process, a process that starts long before the start of school, and one that(15)should be an integral part of one's entire life.
Schooling, on the other hand, is a specific, formalized process, whose general pattern varies little from one setting to the next. Throughout a country, children arrive at school at approximately the same time, take assigned seats, are taught by an adult, use similar textbooks, do homework, take exams, and so on. The slices of reality that (20) are to be learned, whether they are the alphabet or an understanding of the workings of government, have usually been limited by the boundaries of the subject being taught.
For example, high school students know that they are not likely to find out in their classes the truth about political problems in their communities or what the newest filmmakers are experimenting with. There are definite conditions surrounding the (25) formalized process of schooling.
1. What does the author probably mean by using the expression “children interrupt
their education to go to school” (lines 2-3) ?
(A) Going to several different schools is educationally beneficial.
(B) School vacations interrupt the continuity of the school year.
(C) Summer school makes the school year too long.
(D) All of life is an education.
2. The word “bounds”in line 6 is closest in meaning to
(A) rules
(B) experience
(C) limits
(D) exceptions
3. The word “chance” in line 11 is closest in meaning to
(A) unplanned
(B) unusual
(C) lengthy
(D) lively
4. The word “an integral” in line 15 is closest in meaning to
(A) an equitable
(B) a profitable
(C) a pleasant
(D) an essential
5. The word “they” in line 20 refers to
(A) slices of reality
(B) similar textbooks
(C) boundaries
(D) seats
6. The phrase “For example,” line 22, introduces a sentence that gives
examples of
(A) similar textbooks
(B) the results of schooling
(C) the workings of a government
(D) the boundaries of classroom subjects
7. The passage supports which of the followng conclusions?
(A) Without formal education, people would remain ignorant.
(B) Education systems need to be radically reformed.
(C) Going to school is only part of how people become educated.
(D) Education involves many years of professional training.
8. The passage is organized by
(A) listing and discussing several educational problems
(B) contrasting the meanings of two related words
(C) narrating a story about excellent teachers
(D) giving examples of different kinds of schools
Read more
TOEFL Readings 5
The changing profile of a city in the United States is apparent in the shifting definitions used by the United States Bureau of the Census. In 1870 the census officially distinguished the nation's “urban” from its “rural” population for the first time. “Urban population” was defined as persons living in towns of 8,000 inhabitants (5) or more. But after 1900 it meant persons living in incorporated places having 2,500 or more inhabitants.
Then, in 1950 the Census Bureau radically changed its definition of “urban” to take ccount of the new vagueness of city boundaries. In addition to persons living in incorporated units of 2,500 or more, the census now included those who lived in (10) unincorporated units of that size, and also all persons living in the densely settled urban fringe, including both incorporated and unincorporated areas located around cities of 50,000 inhabitants or more. Each such unit, conceived as an integrated economic and social unit with a large population nucleus, was named a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA).
(15)Each SMSA would contain at least (a) one central city with 50,000 inhabitants or
more or (b) two cities having shared boundaries and constituting, for general economic and social purposes, a single community with a combined population of at least 50,000,
the smaller of which must have a population of at least 15,000. Such an area included
the county in which the central city is located, and adjacent counties that are found to (20) be metropolitan in character and economically and socially integrated with the county of the central city. By 1970, about two-thirds of the population of the United States was living in these urbanized areas, and of that figure more than half were living outside the central cities.
While the Census Bureau and the United States government used the term SMSA (25)(by 1969 there were 233 of them), social scientists were also using new terms to describe the elusive, vaguely defined areas reaching out from what used to be simple “towns” and “cities”. A host of terms came into use : “metropolitan regions,” “polynucleated population groups,” “conurbations,” “metropolitan clusters,” “megalopolises,” and so on.
39. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) How cities in the United States began and developed
(B) Solutions to overcrowding in cities
(C) The changing definition of an urban area
(D) How the United States Census Bureau conducts a census
40. According to the passage, the population of the United States was
first classified as rural or urban in
(A) 1870
(B) 1900
(C) 1950
(D) 1970
41. The word “distinguished”in line 3 is closest in meaning to
(A) differentiated (B) removed
(C) honored (D) protected
42. Prior to 1900, how many inhabitants would a town have to have before being defined as urban?
(A) 2,500
(B) 8,000
(C) 15,000
(D) 50,000
43. According to the passage, why did the Census Bureau revise the definition
of urban in 1950?
(A) City borders had become less distinct.
(B) Cities had undergone radical social change.
(C) Elected officials could not agree on an acceptable definition.
(D) New businesses had relocated to larger cities.
44. The word “those”in line 9 refers to
(A) boundaries
(B) persons
(C) units
(D) areas
45. The word “constituting” in line 16 is closest in meaning to
(A) located near
(B) determined by
(C) calling for
(D) making up
46. The word “which ” in line 18 refers to a smaller
(A) population (B) city
(C) character (D) figure
47. Which of the following is NOT true of an SMSA?
(A) It has a population of at least 50,000
(B) It can include a city's outlying regions.
(C) It can include unincorporated regions.
(D) It consists of at least two cities.
48. By 1970, what proportion of the population in the United States did NOT live in
an SMSA?
(A) 3/4 (B) 2/3 (C) 1/2 (D) 1/3
49. The Census Bureau first used the term “SMSA” in
(A) 1900 (B) 1950 (C) 1969 (D) 1970
50. Where in the passage does the author mention names used by social scientists for
an urban area?
(A) Lines 4-5 (B) Line 7-8 (C) Line 21-23 (D) Line 27-29
Read more
Then, in 1950 the Census Bureau radically changed its definition of “urban” to take ccount of the new vagueness of city boundaries. In addition to persons living in incorporated units of 2,500 or more, the census now included those who lived in (10) unincorporated units of that size, and also all persons living in the densely settled urban fringe, including both incorporated and unincorporated areas located around cities of 50,000 inhabitants or more. Each such unit, conceived as an integrated economic and social unit with a large population nucleus, was named a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA).
(15)Each SMSA would contain at least (a) one central city with 50,000 inhabitants or
more or (b) two cities having shared boundaries and constituting, for general economic and social purposes, a single community with a combined population of at least 50,000,
the smaller of which must have a population of at least 15,000. Such an area included
the county in which the central city is located, and adjacent counties that are found to (20) be metropolitan in character and economically and socially integrated with the county of the central city. By 1970, about two-thirds of the population of the United States was living in these urbanized areas, and of that figure more than half were living outside the central cities.
While the Census Bureau and the United States government used the term SMSA (25)(by 1969 there were 233 of them), social scientists were also using new terms to describe the elusive, vaguely defined areas reaching out from what used to be simple “towns” and “cities”. A host of terms came into use : “metropolitan regions,” “polynucleated population groups,” “conurbations,” “metropolitan clusters,” “megalopolises,” and so on.
39. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) How cities in the United States began and developed
(B) Solutions to overcrowding in cities
(C) The changing definition of an urban area
(D) How the United States Census Bureau conducts a census
40. According to the passage, the population of the United States was
first classified as rural or urban in
(A) 1870
(B) 1900
(C) 1950
(D) 1970
41. The word “distinguished”in line 3 is closest in meaning to
(A) differentiated (B) removed
(C) honored (D) protected
42. Prior to 1900, how many inhabitants would a town have to have before being defined as urban?
(A) 2,500
(B) 8,000
(C) 15,000
(D) 50,000
43. According to the passage, why did the Census Bureau revise the definition
of urban in 1950?
(A) City borders had become less distinct.
(B) Cities had undergone radical social change.
(C) Elected officials could not agree on an acceptable definition.
(D) New businesses had relocated to larger cities.
44. The word “those”in line 9 refers to
(A) boundaries
(B) persons
(C) units
(D) areas
45. The word “constituting” in line 16 is closest in meaning to
(A) located near
(B) determined by
(C) calling for
(D) making up
46. The word “which ” in line 18 refers to a smaller
(A) population (B) city
(C) character (D) figure
47. Which of the following is NOT true of an SMSA?
(A) It has a population of at least 50,000
(B) It can include a city's outlying regions.
(C) It can include unincorporated regions.
(D) It consists of at least two cities.
48. By 1970, what proportion of the population in the United States did NOT live in
an SMSA?
(A) 3/4 (B) 2/3 (C) 1/2 (D) 1/3
49. The Census Bureau first used the term “SMSA” in
(A) 1900 (B) 1950 (C) 1969 (D) 1970
50. Where in the passage does the author mention names used by social scientists for
an urban area?
(A) Lines 4-5 (B) Line 7-8 (C) Line 21-23 (D) Line 27-29
Read more
TOEFL Readings 4
The ability of falling cats to right themselves in midair and land on their feet has been a source of wonder for ages. Biologists long regarded it as an example of adaptation by natural selection, but for physicists it bordered on the miraculous.
Line Newton's laws of motion assume that the total amount of spin of a body cannot change (5) unless an external torque speeds it up or slows it down. If a cat has no spin when it is released and experiences no external torque, it ought not to be able to twist around as it falls.
In the speed of its execution, the righting of a tumbling cat resembles a magician's trick. The gyrations of the cat in midair are too fast for the human eye to follow, so the (10) process is obscured. Either the eye must be speeded up, or the cat's fall slowed down for the phenomenon to be observed. A century ago the former was accomplished by means of high-speed photography using equipment now available in any pharmacy. But in the nineteenth century the capture on film of a falling cat constituted a scientific experiment.
(15)The experiment was described in a paper presented to the Paris Academy in 1894.
Two sequences of twenty photographs each, one from the side and one from behind,
show a white cat in the act of righting itself. Grainy and quaint though they are, the
photos show that the cat was dropped upside down, with no initial spin, and still landed on its feet. Careful analysis of the photos reveals the secret ; As the cat rotates the front(20) of its body clockwise, the rear and tail twist counterclockwise, so that the total spin remains zero, in perfect accord with Newton's laws. Halfway down, the cat pulls in its legs before reversing its twist and then extends them again, with the desired end result.
The explanation was that while no body can acquire spin without torque, a flexible one can readily change its orientation, or phase. Cats know this instinctively, but scientists(25) could not be sure how it happened until they increased the speed of their perceptions a thousandfold.
31. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) The explanation of an interesting phenomenon
(B) Miracles in modern science
(C) Procedures in scientific investigation
(D) The differences between biology and physics
32. The word “process”in line 10 refers to
(A) the righting of a tumbling cat
(B) the cat's fall slowed down
(C) high-speed photography
(D) a scientific experiment
33. Why are the photographs mentioned in line 16 referred to as an “experiment”?
(A) The photographs were not very clear.
(B) The purpose of the photographs was to explain the process.
(C) The photographer used inferior equipment.
(D) The photographer thought the cat might be injured.
34. Which of the following can be inferred about high-speed photography in
the late 1800's ?
(A) It was a relatively new technology.
(B) The necessary equipment was easy to obtain.
(C) The resulting photographs are difficult to interpret.
(D) It was not fast enough to provide new information.
35. The word “rotates” in line 19 is closest in meaning to
(A) drops
(B) turns
(C) controls
(D) touches
36. According to the passage, a cat is able to right itself in midair because it is
(A) frightened
(B) small
(C) intelligent
(D) flexible
37. The word “readily”in line 24 is closest in meaning to
(A) only
(B) easily
(C) slowly
(D) certainly
38. How did scientists increase “the speed of their perceptions a
thousandfold”(lines 25-26)?
(A) By analyzing photographs
(B) By observing a white cat in a dark room
(C) By dropping a cat from a greater height
(D) By studying Newton's laws of motion
Read more
Line Newton's laws of motion assume that the total amount of spin of a body cannot change (5) unless an external torque speeds it up or slows it down. If a cat has no spin when it is released and experiences no external torque, it ought not to be able to twist around as it falls.
In the speed of its execution, the righting of a tumbling cat resembles a magician's trick. The gyrations of the cat in midair are too fast for the human eye to follow, so the (10) process is obscured. Either the eye must be speeded up, or the cat's fall slowed down for the phenomenon to be observed. A century ago the former was accomplished by means of high-speed photography using equipment now available in any pharmacy. But in the nineteenth century the capture on film of a falling cat constituted a scientific experiment.
(15)The experiment was described in a paper presented to the Paris Academy in 1894.
Two sequences of twenty photographs each, one from the side and one from behind,
show a white cat in the act of righting itself. Grainy and quaint though they are, the
photos show that the cat was dropped upside down, with no initial spin, and still landed on its feet. Careful analysis of the photos reveals the secret ; As the cat rotates the front(20) of its body clockwise, the rear and tail twist counterclockwise, so that the total spin remains zero, in perfect accord with Newton's laws. Halfway down, the cat pulls in its legs before reversing its twist and then extends them again, with the desired end result.
The explanation was that while no body can acquire spin without torque, a flexible one can readily change its orientation, or phase. Cats know this instinctively, but scientists(25) could not be sure how it happened until they increased the speed of their perceptions a thousandfold.
31. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) The explanation of an interesting phenomenon
(B) Miracles in modern science
(C) Procedures in scientific investigation
(D) The differences between biology and physics
32. The word “process”in line 10 refers to
(A) the righting of a tumbling cat
(B) the cat's fall slowed down
(C) high-speed photography
(D) a scientific experiment
33. Why are the photographs mentioned in line 16 referred to as an “experiment”?
(A) The photographs were not very clear.
(B) The purpose of the photographs was to explain the process.
(C) The photographer used inferior equipment.
(D) The photographer thought the cat might be injured.
34. Which of the following can be inferred about high-speed photography in
the late 1800's ?
(A) It was a relatively new technology.
(B) The necessary equipment was easy to obtain.
(C) The resulting photographs are difficult to interpret.
(D) It was not fast enough to provide new information.
35. The word “rotates” in line 19 is closest in meaning to
(A) drops
(B) turns
(C) controls
(D) touches
36. According to the passage, a cat is able to right itself in midair because it is
(A) frightened
(B) small
(C) intelligent
(D) flexible
37. The word “readily”in line 24 is closest in meaning to
(A) only
(B) easily
(C) slowly
(D) certainly
38. How did scientists increase “the speed of their perceptions a
thousandfold”(lines 25-26)?
(A) By analyzing photographs
(B) By observing a white cat in a dark room
(C) By dropping a cat from a greater height
(D) By studying Newton's laws of motion
Read more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Custom Search
