Tài liệu The complete guide to the toefl IBT reading part 6 docx

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76 Section 1 Guide to Reading 2A 25 26 27 28 29 30

In paragraph 1, the author suggests that Standiford Field and Love Field © have been in operation for many years

From the information in paragraph 2, it can be inferred that in the early days of air travel, passengers

©) were not as safe as landplanes © were used only for domestic flights © could fly farther than landplanes © were not as convenient as boats

It can be inferred from the passage that both La Bourget and the LaGuardia landplane terminals

It can be inferred from the passage that scale would not be a problem in airport design if

The linear plan of airport design would probably be best at © a busy airport

Information in paragraph 5 suggests that the Tempelhof Airport near Berlin was

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Lesson 3: Inference Questions 77 31 The passage implies that the term satellite plan is used to describe some air-

ports because

people to satellite terminals mainly from H4 xa Se ea = a la © airplanes

33 It can be inferred from the information in paragraph 8 that mobile lounges would be preferable to buses when

©) passengers are in a hurry ©) flights have been delayed © the weather is bad

©) passengers need to save money

34 The author suggests that making airports more attractive will © make airports more efficient

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78 Section 1 Guide to Reading

In 1877, an unfamiliar type of weed appeared in Bon Homme County, South Dakota, and began spreading across the northern Great Plains The plant, called tumbleweed, has green stems, intricate branches, a nearly round shape, and long leaves with sharp points on the end Mice, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn antelope feed on it The branches are soft and green when young but woody and gray when mature Unlike other plants, the tumbleweed does not spend its entire life rooted to the soil In the fall, a layer of cells in the stem weakens and the plant breaks off from its roots and rolls across the fields in the wind The tumbleweed doesn‘t depend on wind, birds, or mammals to disperse its seeds As this woody sphere rolls along, it drops its numerous seeds (up to 250,000 per plant) The seeds are unusual in that they lack any kind of a stored food reserve Instead, each seed is a coiled, embryonic plant wrapped in a thin membrane

Within ten years, tumbleweeds had invaded twelve western states and four western Canadian provinces, thriving in regions too dry for other plants The sharp tips of the leaves penetrated heavy leather gloves as well as the legs of horses It obstructed irrigation canals It built up in great numbers against fences in such dense masses that it formed wind breaks and eventually the fences were destroyed Farmers and ranchers viewed the weed with alarm One legislator in North Dakota even proposed building a fence around the entire state to keep tumbleweeds out

To present-day Americans, the tumbleweed symbolizes the Old West Tumbleweeds are mentioned in the books of Zane Grey Western musicians sing sad ballads about tumbleweeds They share scenes with cowboys and covered wagons in old western movies such as those made by director John Ford The image of tumbleweeds blowing down the main street of a deserted western town evokes ideas of desolation and loneliness Yet the tumbleweed is actually a comparatively recent newcomer

Aithough most settlers found the appearance of this weed unusual, one group of immigrants did not find it at all unfamiliar The tumbleweed, it turns out, was a native of southern Russia, where it was known as the Tartar thistle It was probably unintentionally brought into the United States by these immigrants in bags of flax seeds

It was agriculture that enabled the tumbleweed to spread so quickly In the U.S Midwest, the tall prairie grasses would have made it impossible for tumbleweeds to roll any great distance Tumbleweeds thrive in ploughed fields, especially if it is sandy Archaeologists have found tumbleweed seeds in the oldest agricultural sites in the world Without agriculture, tumbleweed can live only in areas that are naturally open and bare

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Lesson 3: Inference Questions 79

Since 1945, pesticides have been able to keep tumbleweeds under control for the most part, but they still cause problems sometimes, especially during dry, windy years And one interesting use for tumbleweeds has been discovered: young tumbleweeds are able to remove radioactive materials from the soil faster than any other plants Glossary herbaria: scientific collections of dried plants mơ s > S a (5

35 Which of the following can be inferred about tumbleweeds? © They have strong stems and roots

36 Information in paragraph 1 implies that most of the world’s plants © have more than 250,000 seeds

37 In paragraph 3 the passage suggests that most present-day Americans © consider the tumbleweed beneficial

38 It can be inferred from the information in paragraph 3 that the books of Zane Grey

40 It can be inferred from paragraph 5 that tumbleweeds spread best in © cold, wet climates

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Al

42

It can be inferred from the information in paragraph 6 that the botanists at the U.S Department of Agriculture

Paragraph 7 suggests that tumbleweeds would be most useful after a large prairie fire

an oil spill

an accident at a nuclear energy plant an earthquake

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LESSON 4

PURPOSE, METHOD, AND OPINION QUESTIONS

Some questions in the Reading Section ask why an author does something in a passage (a purpose question), how an author does something in a passage (a method question), or what an author thinks about something in the passage (an opinion question)

(A) Purpose Questions

Purpose questions ask why the author of a passage (or someone that the author quotes) uses a certain piece of information in the passage ETS calls this kind of question a “rhetorical purpose” question This kind of question really asks you about the development of the passage In other words, it asks you why an author makes a point or why the author supports and strengthens a point in a certain way The question may ask you why the author

* mentions a specific piece of information s® uses a certain example

e refers to a study

* uses a certain sequence or order of events se makes a comparison

¢ quotes a person or a document ¢ uses a particular word or phrase

Purpose questions may also ask you the importance of a sentence or paragraph to the passage

Here are some examples of purpose questions:

Why does the author mention in paragraph ? Why does the author give an example of ?

in paragraph is given as an example of The author refers to _ to indicate that The author quotes _ to show that

The phrase in paragraph is used to illustrate the effect of Why do the scientists mentioned in paragraph say that

Why does the author provide details about in paragraph —? The author gives statistics about in paragraph — because

vvvvvvvvvyv Why does the author first discuss and then discuss

2

The author’s main purpose in paragraph is to

Vv

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Sample

For animals, some barriers are behavioral The blue spotted salamander lives only on mountain slopes in the southern Appalachian Highlands Although these creatures could survive in the river valleys, they never venture there Birds that fly long distances often remain in very limited areas Kirkland’s warblers are found only in a few places in Michigan in the summer and fly to the Bahamas in winter No physical barriers restrict the warblers to these two locations, yet they never spread beyond these boundaries Brazil’s Amazon River serves as a northern or southern boundary for many species of birds They could freely fly over

the river, but they seldom do

Why does the author mention the Amazon River in paragraph 4? ©) To give an example of an important physical barrier

©) To point out that many migrating birds fly across it ©) To provide an example of a behavioral barrier © To describe a barrier that affects aquatic animals

The topic of this section of the passage is behavioral borders The author first gives two examples of animals that are affected by behavioral barriers The author then provides an example of a behavioral boundary, so the third choice is the best The Amazon is clearly a behavioral boundary, not a physical one, because the author says, “They (the birds) could freely fly over the river, but they seldom do.”

To answer purpose questions correctly, you must think like the author Imagine that you have written the passage Why would you use this example, word, statistic, etc.?

Probably there will be three or four of these questions in each Reading Section

(B) Method Questions

Method questions ask how the author of a passage (or someone that the author quotes) explains something or accomplishes something in the passage Again, these questions are really about the development of the passage How does the author strengthen or clarify a point that he or she has made?

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Lesson 4: Purpose, Method, and Opinion Questions 83

Here are some examples of method questions:

> In paragraph _, the author explains the concept of by > How does the author explain the idea of in paragraph > How do some scientists explain ?

> The author illustrates the idea of by > The author shows the significance of by

Following is a section of one of the passages in the Reading Preview Test and an example of a method question about it

Sample

Virtually all living things have some way of getting from here to there Animals may walk, swim, or fly Plants and their seeds drift on wind or water or are car- ried by animals Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that, in time, all species might spread to every place on Earth where favorable conditions occur Indeed, there are some cosmopolitan species A good example is the housefly, found almost everywhere on Earth However, such broad distribution is the rare

exception Just as barbed wire fences prevent cattle from leaving their aa biological barriers prevent the dispersal of many species

How does the author explain the concept of biological barriers in paragraph 1? © By providing several examples of biological barriers

© By comparing biological barriers with familiar manmade barriers © By explaining how houseflies have been affected by biological barriers The author explains the concept of biological barriers by giving an analogy In other words, the author compares two things or ideas in order to clarify one of them The author of this passage wants to clarify the idea of biological barriers He compares a familiar type of barrier—farmers’ barbed wire fences that prevent cattle from leaving their fields—to the less familiar concept of biological barriers that block the dispersal of species The author does not give any examples of biological species (although he does give an example of an organism that is not blocked by barriers: the housefly) He does not describe how barriers are formed, and he does not explain how houseflies have been affected by biological barriers (In fact, the housefly has not been greatly affected by barriers at all.)

There will probably be one or two method questions in each Reading Section

(C) Opinion Questions

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Here are some examples of opinion questions:

> Which of the following statements best expresses the author's opinion of 2

> In paragraph _, the author expresses the opinion that > The author of this passage probably believes that ` Whatistheauthorsopinonof_ —— — ?

Here is a section of one of the passages in the Reading Preview Test and an example of an opinion question about it

Any commentary about Easter Island would be incomplete without mentioning the theories of the Norwegian explorer and scientist Thor Heyerdahl, who came to the island in the 1950s Heyerdahl learned that there had been two groups of islanders: the Hanau Momoko and Hanau Eepe—names once mistranslated as “Short Ears” and “Long Ears.” The Hanau Mamoko were dark-haired, the Hanau Eepe mostly red-haired The Hanau Eepe used heavy earrings to extend the length of their ears Heyerdahl theorized that the Hanau Momoko were Polynesians from other Pacific islands, but that the Hanau Eepe came later in rafts from South America He believed that the Hanau Momoko became the ser- vants of the Hanau Eepe, who forced them to build the statues Because the Hanau Eepe were the masters, the statues resembled them Heyerdahl said that the red “hats” of the statues actually represented the red hair of the Hanau Eepe He also pointed out that the ears of the statues resembled those of the Hanau Eepe According to Heyerdahl’s theory, the Hanau Momoko eventually rose up in revolt, overturning most of the statues and killing off all but a few Hanau Eepe

Heyerdahl gave other evidence for the South American origin of the Hanau Eepe The stonework of the stone platforms called ahu was incredibly intricate, unlike any made by other Pacific Islanders However, the Inca people of South America were famous for intricate stonework Another piece of evidence

Heyerdahl presented was the fact that the staple food of the Easter Islanders, the sweet potato, is not found in Polynesia He believed that it came with the Hanau Eepe from South America

DNA testing has proven that all Easter Islanders were in fact descended from Polynesians The current theory is that the Hanau Momoko and Hanau Eepe were two of perhaps twelve clans of islanders, all of whom built statues The “statue toppling wars” broke out among the clans as the island became over- populated When one group won a victory over another, they toppled their ene- mies’ statues Archaeologists say that the resemblance between the stonework of the Easter Islanders and that of the Inca is coincidental As for the sweet potato, most scientists now believe that sweet potato seeds came to the island in the stomachs of sea birds

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Which of these statements best reflects the author's opinion of the theories of Thor Heyerdahl?

Only the first answer choice summarizes the author's opinion of Thor Heyerdahl’s theories In paragraph 4, the author says, “Any commentary about Easter Island would be incomplete without mentioning the theories of the

Norwegian explorer and scientist Thor Heyerdahl .” Clearly, the author believes that Heyerdahl is an important expert on Easter Island because anything written about Easter Island is incomplete if it does not examine these ideas He also says that an important part of Heyerdahl’s theory is that one group of Easter Islanders— the Hanau Eepe—came from South America However, in paragraph 6, the author says that DNA testing has shown that all Easter Islanders come from Polynesia So, while the theory is important, it is incorrect In the second answer choice, the word

true tells us that this choice is incorrect, and in the third choice, the word valid does the same While Heyerdahl’s theories may be outdated (last answer choice) there is no reason to think that they are useful Again, you need to think like the author to answer opinion questions

You will probably see one or two opinion questions per Reading Section EXERCISE 4.1 Focus: Recognizing correct and incorrect answer choices for purpose, method, and opinion questions Directions: Read the passages Then mark the statements about the passage True (T) or False (F) Passage 1

Optics is a branch of physics that describes the behavior and properties of light Among many other things, optics deals with microscopes, telescopes, eye- glasses, mirrors, prisms, cameras, rainbows, and sunsets Optics explains reflections, refraction, diffraction, dispersion, and polarization Optics usually describes the behavior of visible light, infrared light, and ultraviolet light Since light is an electromagnetic wave, optical scientists sometimes study phenomena such as X rays, microwaves, and radio waves that share some of the properties of light

However, as a field, optics is usually regarded as largely separate from physics It has its own journals, societies, and conferences The purely scientific aspects of the field are called optical physics The applied technology aspects are called optical engineering Applications of optical engineering related to lighting

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3 Because of the wide application of the science of light, optics tends to be very cross-disciplinary Optical scientists may work with other physicists, but they may also work with electrical engineers, medical researchers, astronomers, biologists, and others

T/F 1 In paragraph 1, the author explains the idea of optics in part by explaining what optical scientists work on and study

T/F 2 The author mentions X rays, microwaves, and radio waves as examples of phenomena that are NOT studied by optical scientists,

T/F 3 In the author's opinion, optical scientists should be considered part of the community of physicists, not separate from it

T/F 4 The author mentions optical engineering as an example of a purely scientific application of optics

Passage 2

cd The British historian Arnold Toynbee developed the “challenge and response” theory of history In his monumental ten-volume work, A Study of History (pub- lished between 1919 and 1925), Toynbee compares the rise and fall of 26 major civilizations and examines why some civilizations fail and others succeed He says that all civilizations start out as a small village or tribe, or, in the case of the Mongol empire, as just three individuals who had survived the destruction of their community Toynbee concludes that, to be successful, civilizations must face challenges, such as a harsh climate, divisive groups, or foreign invasion If the challenge is too great, the civilization will fail However, if the civilization reorganizes and responds in a creative way, it will not only survive but prosper The challenge is like the irritating grain of sand that forms the pearl inside the oyster An example is China at the end of the glorious Tang dynasty in the eighth century The Chinese of that time were plagued by foreign invasions, misrule, economic problems, and rebellions The empire was fragmented into smaller kingdoms However, in the tenth century, during the Song dynasty, the Chinese went on to overcome their problems, reunite their country, and re- establish a civilization ruled over by a dynasty of powerful emperors and their palace officials, the mandarins

2 Toynbee’s theory had an influence on Oswald Spengler’s monumental book The Decline of the West Toynbee’s theory is also sometimes applied by some psy- chologists to individual people and by some business writers and consultants to businesses However, as a theory of history, it is no longer considered current In the late 1950's, Toynbee’s reputation was popped like a soap bubble by Hugh Trevor-Roper’s devastating article titled “Toynbee’s Philosophy of Mish-Mash.”

Glossary

mish-mash: a confusing combination of things or ideas

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T/F 5 The author mentions the three individuals in paragraph 1 as an example of a small group that eventually creates a civilization

T/F 6 In paragraph 1, the author compares a hardship that a civilization faces to a grain of sand that causes an oyster to produce a pearl

T/F 7 The author explains the “challenge and response” theory by comparing the civilization of China and another civilization

T/F 8 The author mentions foreign invasions, misrule, economic problems, and rebellions as examples of challenges

T/F 9 The book The Decline of the West is given as an example of a book that influenced Arnold Toynbee

T/F 10 The author says that “Toynbee’s reputation was popped like a soap bubble” to indicate that Toynbee’s reputation was completely destroyed by the article T/F 11 Inthe author’s opinion, Toynbee's idea is still as important to an under- 1 standing of history now as it was when it was first introduced Passage 3

Isadora Duncan was a daring, dynamic innovator in dance While she was not very successful in teaching her highly personal style of dance, she taught a whole generation of dancers to trust their own forms of expression Inspired by the art of Greece, she usually danced barefoot in a loose, flowing Greek tunic She found further inspiration in nature, using dance movements to mirror the

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z Isadora Duncan was born in San Francisco in 1877 She gave her first per- formance in 1899 Early failures gave way to triumphant performances in Budapest, London, and Berlin She lived most of her life in Europe, establishing dancing schools for children She died in a freak accident in 1927, her long scarf being caught in the wheel of an open sports car in which she was riding Glossary tunic: a /oose-fitting garment worn by both men and women

T/F 12 The author thinks Duncan was more successful at teaching her personal style of dance than she was as at dancing

T/F 13 The author mentions the waves of the sea and passing clouds because these provided inspiration for Duncan's dance

T/F 14, Budapest, London, and Berlin are given as cities where Duncan experi- enced early failures

T/F 15 In paragraph 1, the author discusses Duncan’s style of dance, and in paragraph 2 gives her life history

Passage 4

In the western third of North America, the convoluted folds of the earth’s surface and its fractured geologic structure tend to absorb the seismic energy of an earthquake An earthquake measuring 8.25 on the Richter scale struck San Francisco in 1906 It caused severe damage to the city, but by the time the seismic energy had traveled some 400 miles down the West Coast to Los Angeles, its force had faded to nothing But in the eastern two-thirds of the continent, the same energy travels much more easily The earthquake that struck New Madrid, Missouri in 1811, estimated at 8.0 on the Richter scale, did minor damage in Washington, D.C., about 800 miles away, and was even felt as far away as Boston and Toronto Glossary Richter scale: a scale that measures the strength of an earthquake

T/F 16 The author mentions the San Francisco earthquake first because it occurred before the New Madrid earthquake

T/E L7 The author probably uses San Francisco and Los Angeles as examples because they are the same distance apart as New Madrid and

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T/E 18 The author probably uses the New Madrid earthquake as an example because it was stronger than the San Francisco earthquake

T/E 19 The author probably uses the New Madrid earthquake as an example because it occurred in the eastern two-thirds of North America

T/F 20 Boston and Toronto are mentioned in the passage because they are even farther from New Madrid than Washington, D.C

Passage 5

1 What is a business leader? Is it the same as a manager? There is certainly an overlap between these two roles, but as the business author Bernard Bass wrote, “Some managers do not lead, and some leaders do not manage.” There are some personality traits and behaviors that are characteristic of a leader, and some that are characteristic of a manager For example, leaders are committed to innovation and tend to look to the future for threats and opportunities Managers try to maintain the status quo and concern themselves with solving problems in the present

2 Leadership and management are both important to a business organization Once an organization is established, managers go about maintaining the system, assuming that the organization will always be the same Management keeps the organization going However, the environment in which an , organization operates is always in flux There are changes in consumer tastes, technology, cultural trends, and historic events If the organization is entirely in the management mode, it may not spot these trends because managers tend to look inward However, if the organization is in the leadership mode, it will track these changes and shape the organization to face new challenges and keep the organization relevant

3 Here’s a classic example: In the 1950’s and 60’s, North American auto makers built large, heavy, powerful cars with gas-guzzling engines because that was what consumers wanted The oil crisis of the early 1970's, however, shifted consumer attitudes towards lighter, smaller cars with more fuel-efficient engines Being in management mode, the “Big Three”—the three major North American auto makers—were very slow to recognize this trend and continued to manufac- ture the kind of cars that they had made for years Meanwhile, European and especially Japanese automakers had been making economical cars for years During this period, the Big Three lost a great deal of market share to interna- tional automakers

Glossary

status quo: a Latin phrase that means “the current situation”

in flux: changing, fluid

gas-guzzling: using a great deal of gasoline

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T/F 21 The author clarifies the concept of leadership by contrasting it with that of management

T/F 22 Itis the opinion of Bernard Bass that all managers can become leaders T/F 23 The author uses the term management mode to mean that an organization

is not looking outward

T/F 24 In paragraph 3, the author gives the example of a failure of leadership among the Big Three

Passage 6

| The scale on a thermometer is continuous—it is not divided into a part called “cold” and another part called “warm”—yet the nerves in our skin are divided this way Nerves experience sensations of warmth, cold, and, at one temperature, neither warmth nor cold This point, called the level of adaptation, is rather like the number zero in the number system Anything above this point feels warm, anything below cool

2 That this level of adaptation varies according to what temperature our skin is used to can be demonstrated with a simple activity Fill one bowl or bucket with ice water, one with hot water (not too hot!), and one with water at room temperature Then place your right hand in the hot water and your left hand in the ice water and leave them there for a few moments Now plunge both hands into the water at room temperature To the left hand, the water feels warm; to the right hand, it feels cold This is because the level of adaptation has become different for either hand

T/F 25 The author discusses the scale on a thermometer and the nerves of our skin to show how similar they really are

T/F 26 The author explains the concept of the level of adaptation in part by comparing it to a familiar mathematical concept

T/F 27 The author clarifies the idea that the level of adaptation varies by suggesting that the reader perform a simple experiment

Passage 7

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