Toefl ibt internet based test 2006 - 2007 part 60 pps

MODEL TEST 6IREAOING SECTION 4 07 MODEL TEST 6: TEST READING SECTION The Reading section lesls your ability to understand readi ng passages like lhose in college textbookS. Th e passages are about 700 words in length. This Is the long format for l he Reading section. On the iong format, you will respond 10 five passages. After each passage, you will answer 12- 14 questioos about it. Only three passages will be graded. The other passages are part of an exerimen ta l section for future tests. Because you will nol know which passages will be graded, you must try to do your besl on all of them. MoSI questions are worth 1 point. but the last queslion in each passage is worth more than 1 point. You will have 100 minutes to read all of Ihe passages and answer the questions. You may take notes while you read. but notes are not graded. You may use your notes to answer the ques· tions. Some passages may il'lClude a word or phrase that is underlined In blue. Click on t he word or phrase to see a glossary definition or explanation. Choose the best answer fo r multiple-choice questions. Follow the directions on the page or on the screen fo r computer-assisted question s. Click on Next to go to the next question. Click on Back 10 return to the previous question. You may rettlm 10 previous questions lor all of I he passages in the same reading part, but after you go to th e next part, you will not be able to return to passages In a previous part. Be sure th at you have answer ed all 01 the questions lor the passages In each part before you ctick on Next at the end of the passage to move to the next part. Yo u can click on Re view to see a chart of the questions you have answered and the questions you have nol answered In each part. From this screen, you can return to the question you want to answer in the pa rt Ihat is open. A clock on the screen will show yoo how much time yoo have to complete the Reading section. )pynghl mater I 408 MORE MODEL TESTS PART I Rudin, t "fI,tlc 1M E ",. ".,., -+ When you hear someone bubbling enthusiastlcally about an exotic apeelea , you Can safely betlhe speaker isn't an ecologist. This is a name for a resident 01 an established . community that was deliberately or accidentally moved lrom its home range and became established elsewhere. Unlike most Imports, which can't take hold outside their home range, an exotic species per- manently insinuates " into a new community. Sometimes the additions are hannless and even have beneficial effects. More olten, they make native species endangered apeeles, which by defini- tion are extremely vulnerable to extinction. 01 all species on the rare or endan- gered lists or that recently became extinct , close to 70 percent owe the ir precarious ex istenes or daml58 to displacement by exotic species. Two exam- ples are included here to illustrate the problem. During the 18OOs, BritiSh settlers in Australia just couldn't with the koalas and kangaroos, so they started to import familiar animals from their homeland. In 1859, in what would be the start of a wholesale disaster, a north- ern Australian landowner Imported and then released two dozen wild European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Good lood and good sport hunting-that was the Idea. An ideal rabbit habitat with no naMal predators was the reality. Six years tater, the landowner had killed 20,000 rabbits and was besieged by 20,000 rn04"e . The rabbits displaced livestock, even kangaroos. Now Aus- tralia has 200 to 300 million hippilyhopping through the southern half of the country. They overgraze perennial gras58s in good times and strip bark from shrubs and trees during droughts. You know where they've been; they trans- fonn grasslands and shrublands Into eroded deserts. They have been Shot and poisoned. Their warrens have been plOWed under, fumigated, and dynamited. Even when all-out assaults reduced their population size by 70 percent, the rapidly reproducing Imports made a comeback In less than a year. Old the con· struction of a 2,QOO.mile-long fence protect western Australia? No. Rabbits made it to the other side before workers finished the fence. -+ In 1951 , government workers Introduced a myxoma virus by way of mildly infected South American rabbits, its nonnal hosts. This virus causes myxo- matosis. The disease has mild effects on South American rabbits that ooevolved with the virus but nearly always had lethal effects on O. cuniculus. Biting Insects, mainly mosquitoes and fleas, quickly transmit the virus from host to host. Having no ooevolved defenses against the novel virus, the European rabbits died In droves. But. as you might expect, natural selection has since favored rapk:lgrowth of populations of O. cuniculus resistant to the virus. )pynghtoo maier I MOOEl TEST 6lAEAOING SECTION .011 -+ In 1 991 . on an unint'labited island in Spencer Gull. Australian researchers released a population of rabbits that they had injected with a calcivirus. The rabbits died quickly and relatively painlessly from blood clots In their lungs, hearts, and kidneys. In 1995, the test virus escaped from the Island, possibly on insect vectors. It has been killing 80 to 95 percent of the adutl rabbits In Aus- tralian regions. At this writing. researchers are now questioning whether the calcivirus should be used on a widespread scale, whether it can jump bound- aries and infect animals other than rabbits (such as humans), and what the tong-term will be. A vine called kudzu (Pueraria /obata) was deliberately imported Irom Japan to the United States, where it faces no serious threats Irom herbivores, pathogens, or competitor plants. In lemperate parts of Asia. it is a well-behaved legume with a well-developed root system. It seemed like a good idea to use it to control erosion on hills and highway embankments in the southeastern Unit ed State s.1AI With nothi ng to stop it, though, kudzu's shoots grew a third 01 a meter per day. Vines now blanket streambanks, trees, tetephone poles, houses, and almost everything else in their path. Attempts to dig up or bum kudzu are hIIile. Grazing goats and herbicides help, but goats eat other plants, t oo , and herbicides contaminate water supplies. IBl Kudzu could reach the Great Lakes by t he year 2040. -+ On the bright side, a Japanese firm is constructing a kudzu farm and pro- cesslng plant In Alabama. The idea is to export the starch to Asia, where the demand currently the supply. 1CI Also, kudzu may eventually help reduce logging opera tions. !OJ At the Georgia Institute of Technology, researchers report thal kudZu might become an alternatIVe source lor pape r. 1. Based on the information in paragraph I , which of Ihe following besl explains t he term -exotic species"? CD An imals or plants on the rare species list (D A permanent reSident in an established communi ty <D A species that has been moved to a different communi ty ~ An Import that fails 10 thrive outside of its home range Paragraph 1 is marked with an arrow [-+). 2. The wOfd i1seIf In the passage refers to CD mosl lmports <D new community <D home range ~ exotic species 412 MORE MOOEL TE STS 13. Direct io ns : An Introduction lor a short summary of the passage appears below. Complete the summary by selectir'lg the THREE answer choices that mention the most important points In the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express Ideas that are not Included In the passage or are minor points fr om the passage. Th is question Is worth 2 points. exotic species often require containment becIIUH they displace other species when they become established In a new environment. • • • AnswerCholc.a !al Rabbits were able 10 cross a lence 2,000 miles long that was constructed to keep them out of western Australia. 101 Researchers may be able to develop material from the kudzu vine that will be an alternative to wood pulp paper. ml Methods to control exotic species Include fences, viruses, bum ir'lg, herbicides, nat· ural predators, and harvesting. ICl Rabbits that were introduced in Australia and kudzu which was introduced In the United States, are examples 01 species that caused problems. PART II Rndl., 2 " hl.,lthlc Art" lEI The problem Is that exotic species make native species vulnerable to extinction. lEI A virus that Is deadly to rabbits may have serious effects for other animals. ~ The several millennia following 30,000 B.C. saw a powerful outburst 01 artis' tic c re ativity. The artworks produced range from simple shell necklaces to human and animal forms in ivory. clay. and stone to monumental palntir'lgs, engravings. and relief sculptures covering the huge Wall surlaces of caves. From the moment in 1879 th at cave palntir'lgS were discovered al Ahamlra. scholars have wondered why the hunter·artlsts of the Old Stone Age decided to cover the walls 01 dark caverns with animal Images. Various answers have been given, including that they were mere decoration. but this theory cannot explain the narrow range of subjects or the Imtccesslbltity of many of the paint· Ings. In fact, the remoteness and difficulty 0'_ of many of the cave palnt- ings and the fact they appear to have been used for centuries are precisely what have led many scholars to suggest that the prehlstOfic hunters attributed )pynqh ma r I MODEL TEST6IREAOINGSECTION 413 magical properties to the images they painted. Accordi ng to this argument, by confining animals to the surfaces of their cave walls. the artists beli eved they were bringi ng the beasts under their control. Some have even hypothesized that rituals or dances were performed in front of the images and that these rites selVed to improve the hunters' lucie Still others have stated that the painted animals may have served as teaching tools 10 Instruct new hunters about the character of the various species they would encounter or even to serve as tar- gets for spearsl By contrast, some scholars have argued that the magical purpose 01 the paintings was not to Mlti t iJ the destruct ion 01 bison and olher species . Instead, they betie ve prehistoric painters created animal images to assure the survive/of the herds. Paleolithic peop l es depended on lor their food supply and for their clothing. L!l A central problem for both the hunting-magic and food- creation theories is that lhe animals thaI seem 10 have been diet staples of Old Stone Age peoples are not ~ most freque nUy portrayed. [SJ Other scholars have sought to reconstruct an elaborate mythology based on the cave paintings, suggesting that Paleolithic humans believed they had animal ancestors. Still others ha ve equated certain species with men and oth- ers with women and also fOlJnd sexual symbolism in the abstract signs that sometimes accompany the images. !tl Almost all of Ihese theories have been r. over time, and art historians must adm it that no one knows the intent of these paintings. IDI In fact, a sing le explanation for alt Pa leolithic murals, even paintings similar in subject, style, and compos ition (hOw the motifs are arranged on the surface), is un likely to apply universal ly . For oow , the paint- ings remain an enigma. -t miiOJti !ti _ 9utid h.ii.1 n oojSjJQ j bi fifiOliiljiC~I •.• wbo j iiiClil iiil1J vecftlWb C81rilC"hOlAIIs eI'; be dO!itiliCI l In l act , signs consisting of checks, dots , squares, or other arrangements of lines olten accompany the pic- tures of ani mals . Several observers have seen a primitive writing f orm in these representations of nonliving things, but the signs, too , may have had some other Significance. Some look like traps and arrows and , acoordlng to the hunt- ing-magic theory, may have been drawn to insure success in capturing or killi ng animals with these devices. AI Pech·Merie in France, the ·spotted horses" painted on the cave wall may nol have spots. Some scholars have argued that the ·spots ," which appear both within and wit hout the horses' outli nes , are painted rocl<s thrown at the animals. -t Representations of human hands also are common . Those around Ihe Pech ·Mene horses, and the majority of painted hands al o ther sites, are "nega- tive," that is, the artist placed one hand against the wall and then painted or blew pigment around it. Occasionally, the artist dipped a hand in paint and then pressed it against the wall, leaving a "positive" imprint These handprints, too, must have had a purpose. Some scholars have considered them "signatures' 01 cull or community members or , less likely, 01 Individual artists. r.; n9ht~ 414 MORE M ODEL TESTS 14. According to paragraph 1, the cave art was diffICUlt to find because lhe artists CD were probably trying to keep Iheir work a sacret from their tribe CD could have begun their painting while they were confined in the caves <D may have chosen a location deep in the caves to hold ceremonies CD> had to practice before they made Images that more people could see Paragraph 1 is marked with an arrow [ -+]. 15. According to paragraph 1, Paleoli1hic people may have used cave art for all of the follow- ing purposes EXCEPT lEI People ma y have danced In lront 01 the Images. <D Hunlers could have used Ihe figures for target practice. CD Shamans might have performed magical rituals in the caves. CD> Animals may have been kept in the caves near the drawings. Paragraph 1 is marked with an arrow [-+) . 16. The word access in the passage is closest In meaning to CD admission <D meaning CD si te aD research 17. The word faciljtate in the passage is closest In meaning to CD specify CD permil CD assist CD> discover 18. Tho word ~ in the passage refers to CD peoples CD staples CD animals CD> theories 19. The word djscredjted in the passage is closest in meaning to (!) not attentive <D not believed <:0 not hope fu t CD> not organized 418 MORE MODEL TESTS expecled panems 01 behavior. Especially when they are dealing with important and t1liJI66x .n: issues, interacting groups may be prone to a phenomenon called groupthink. ~ Groupthink is an agreement·at-any-cost mentality that results in ineffective group decision making. It occurs when groups are highly cohesive, have highly directive leaders, are insulated so they have no clear ways to get objeCtive Infor· mallon, and-because they lack outside Information-have little hope that a bet- ter solution might be found than proposed by the leader or other influential group members. These conditions loster the illusion that the group is invulnerable. right. and more moral than outsiders. They also encouraoe the development of self·appointed -mInd guards· who bring pressure on dissenters. In such sihlations, decisions-often Important decisions-are made without con· sideratlon of alternative frames or alternative options. It is difficult to imagi ne COnditions more conducive 10 poor decision making and wrong decisions. Recent research indicates that groupthink may also result when group members have preconceived Ideas about how a problem should be solved. Under these conditions, the team may not examine a full range 01 decision alternatives, or it may discount or avoid information thai threatens its precon· ceived choice. 27. In paragraph 1, the author states that groups Irequently <iP generate more options than individuals CD agree on the way thallhe problem should be approached <D make recommendations Instead of decisions (1) are chosen to participate because 01 their experience Paragraph 1 is marked with an arrow I ~)' 28. According to paragraph 2, why do group decisions tend to be more soccessful? Q;) When more people are involved, there are more ideas from which to choose. CD People are more accepting of decisions when they have been Involved In them. eD Implementing Ideas is easier with a large number 01 people to help. <lD People like to be participants In decisions that are successful. Paragraph 2 is marked wilh an arrow I~)' . MODEL TEST 6IREAOING SECTION 4 07 MODEL TEST 6: TEST READING SECTION The Reading section lesls your ability to understand. each passage, you will answer 1 2- 14 questioos about it. Only three passages will be graded. The other passages are part of an exerimen ta l section for future tests. Because you will nol. all of I he passages in the same reading part, but after you go to th e next part, you will not be able to return to passages In a previous part. Be sure th at you have answer ed all