TOEFL IBT Reading Practice Test 04

TOEFL iBT Reading Practice Test 04

( From TOEFL iBT IVY’s Reading 15 Actual Tests)

This section measures your ability to understand academic passages in English.

The Reading section is divided into 2 separately timed parts.

Most questions are worth 1 point but the last question in each set is worth more than 1 point. The directions indicate how many points you may receive.

There are three passages on the short format and five passages on the long for- mat. After each passage, you will answer 12-14 questions about it.

You may now begin the Reading section.

You can find Solution & Explanation Here: Solution & Explanation for Reading Practice Test 04

Passage 1 | Cell Biology

Discovering the Cell

Since the earliest days of scientific study, people have been trying to understand how life forms and functions. Over hundreds of years, the collective work of researchers revealed that all living organisms are composed of units called cells. Though they may carry out different functions and be different sizes, the fundamental structure and purpose of all cells are essentially the same. They regulate the growth and physical characteristics of every type of organism, from single-celled bacteria to humans, whose bodies contain trillions of cells. The knowledge of cells that scientists enjoy today is the result of an accumulation of many individual discoveries and achievements.

Cells went undetected for centuries for one very simple reason: they are so small that they cannot be perceived by the naked eye. Some early philosophers did suggest the existence of some kind of basic “building block” common to all living things, but none of them had the means to scientifically prove their theories. Thus, one very important occurrence in the history of the understanding of the cell took place in 1595 with the invention of the first compound microscope—that is, the first microscope to make use of more than one lens in its magnification process. Early models were of course very limited, but they offered a more detailed inspection of specimens than had previously been possible.

It was such a device that allowed English scientist Robert Hook in 1663 to become the first known human to observe a cell. He cut some thin slivers of cork, which is a tissue made of dead plant matter, and viewed them under the microscope. [A] What he saw was a network of millions of tiny chambers packed tightly together. [B] These were in fact the walls of dead cells, since cork comes from dead plant material. [C] Hooke decided to call these chambers “cells” because they reminded him of the small monastery cells that monks lived in. [D]

For more than a century after Hooke’s discovery, a lack of advancement in microscope designs made it impossible for more in-depth research on the cell to be conducted. In the 1800s, however, it began again at a remarkable pace. During the early part of the century, many thinkers started to propose that cells were the most fundamental part of all living organisms. Living plant cells, as opposed to those of Hooke’s cork samples, were found to contain a variety of smaller elements surrounded by a liquid mixture termed “cytoplasm.” In 1833, the naturalist Robert Brown discovered the nucleus, or central structure, of plant cells. Then, in 1839, through a combination of collaboration and independent research, German scientists Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann conclusively determined that cells are the basic unit of organization in both plant and animal life. Schwann subsequently formulated what became known as the Cell Theory.

Essentially, this theory stated that, in addition to being the most fundamental unit of life, cells were themselves alive. They took in energy, regulated their own growth, and performed repairs on themselves. These ideas have been proven and are part of the modem version of the Cell Theory, but when it came ft to cell reproduction, Schwann’s explanation was incorrect. He proposed that cells were generated spontaneously, and that they could arise anywhere—even from nonliving matter. In 1855, the German researcher Rudolf Virchow corrected this misunderstanding, asserting that cells reproduce by dividing and that they can only be created by other cells. He also elaborated on the other characteristics of cells in greater detail, formalizing the version of the Cell Theory that has remained mostly unchanged to this day.

In modem times, the study of cells focuses on DNA, a substance that is usually found in a cell’s nucleus and directs the growth a of that cell. Scientists have thus discovered ways to map the genetic makeup of plants and animals, gaining new insights into the mysteries of life. As time goes on, there will surely be further exciting innovations in science and medicine made possible by the study of the cell. In this way, the work begun so long ago by early philosophers and scientists will continue.

1. In paragraph 1, the author describes the study of the cell as

(A) a combination of contributions from separate scientists

(B) a direct result of the discovery of bacteria
(C) the most important scientific field in modern times
(D) an attempt to cure diseases caused by bacteria

2 The word undetected in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) unable
(B) untouched
(C) unseen
(D) unlocked

3. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

(A) 1595 was the first time that a microscope had been used to try to understand cells.
(B) The creation of the first multiple-lens microscope was a major event in the history of cellular research.
(C) Compound microscopes are those that contain more than one lens in order to obtain greater magnification abilities.
(D) Scientists in 1595 were able to make use of a very important new tool—the compound microscope.

4. The word slivers in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) slices
(B) slots
(C) branches
(D) slides

5. The word it in the passage refers to

(A) discovery
(B) advancement
(C) microscope
(D) research

6. In paragraph 4, the author introduces the Ceil Theory by

(A) comparing the careers of two different scientists
(B) describing the evolution of the microscope in the 1800s
(C) identifying the differences between it and earlier theories
{D) discussing the discoveries that immediately preceded it

7. The word formulated in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) copied
(B) developed
(C) denied
(D) believed

8. According to the passage, the person who first determined what lies at the center of a plant’s cell was

{A) Matthias Schleiden
(B) Robert Hooke
(C) Robert Brown
(D) Theodor Schwann

9 According to paragraph 5, how did Rudolf Virchow change the original Cell Theory?

(A) He emphasized the importance of nonliving matter.
(B) He discovered that cells are not capable of repairing themselves.
(C) He translated the original theory into other languages.
(D) He provided the correct explanation of how new cells are created.

10. The word asserting in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) admitting
(B) wondering
(C) declaring
(D) returning

11. Why does the author mention science and medicine in paragraph 6?

(A) To show how cellular research is expected to change in the future
(B) To acknowledge the role of early philosophers and scientists
(C) To give examples of fields that benefit from cellular research
(D) To suggest that more information about DNA is needed

12. Look at the four squares HI that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

Now, with concrete evidence of its existence, the study of the cell had begun.

Where would the sentence best fit?
Click on a square H to add the sentence to the passage.

13. Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

It took centuries of scientific thought and research to achieve the understanding of the cell that is shared by scientists today.

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Answer Choices

(A) Without an effective microscope design, philosophers had no way of determining whether their theories about cells were correct.
(C) In the early 1800s, cytoplasm and nuclei were both discovered to be important components of plant cells, and the first Cell Theory was introduced.
(E) The Cell Theory was soon revised to include new information about cellular reproduction and became the foundation of modern cellular study.
(B) Using a newly introduced microscope to look at cork samples, Robert Hooke was able for the first time to observe the presence of cells.
(D) The original Cell Theory was revolutionary, but was incorrect in its depiction of how cells acquired and used energy.
(F) Studies involving the genetic structure of plants and animals seek to understand the ways in which DNA directs the growth of cells.

Reading Passage 2 Reading Passage 3    Answer Keys & Explanation

Passage 2 |  Agriculture

Pollination Methods

Plants reproduce when genetic material from the male reproductive organ, the anther, is transferred to the female reproductive organ, the carpel. This process is called pollination, a reference to the pollen (the male sex cell) that is carried to the carpel. Some plants are self-pollinators and do not require any outside help to transfer pollen grains from the male anther to the female carpel. Many plants, however, rely on external pollinating agents like water, wind, animals, and, most often, insects to assist with pollination.

In human agricultural activities, successful external pollination is essential because plants produce fruits and vegetables only when pollination occurs. There are three methods for accomplishing such agricultural pollination. The first method is “natural pollination,” carried out most commonly by birds and wild insects that happen to move pollen between flowers as they visit different blossoms to feed. The process is quite accidental, but it nevertheless successfully spreads genetic material among the plant population.

As the term implies, natural pollination has been going on for a long time without human interference. However, in modem U.S. food production, this method alone is no longer sufficient to fertilize all the plants involved. This is because current agricultural practices often encourage the seeding of large fields with a single crop, thus reducing the diversity of the land. Since there is only one kind of food and one kind of habitat, the amount of species that find the land suitable is severely limited, and many natural pollinators are forced to vacate the area. Furthermore, because all the plants in a single-crop field bloom at the same time, dense concentrations of pollinators are needed, but only for a short amount of time, while, during the rest of the year, the field does not offer enough food to support these natural pollinators. Other factors contributing to the failure of natural pollination include modern human activities such as logging, pesticide use, and urban growth, as well as natural factors like insect diseases, all of which are causing natural pollinators to disappear.

In order to ensure the continued productivity of their crops, growers have had to find other ways of pollinating their fields. Managed pollinators and artificial pollination offer two solutions to the problem of disappearing natural pollinators. “Managed 5 pollinators” is a term ascribed to bees that are cultivated for the specific purpose of agricultural pollination. Although many kinds of bees are used as managed pollinators, the most common variety is the honeybee. Honeybees collect pollen and store it using “pollen baskets,” which are located on their back legs. This means that they can gather more pollen at each blossom, and that more will be accidentally distributed as they travel from flower to flower.

Fruit and vegetable growers all over the United States contract with beekeepers, hiring the services of honeybees to pollinate their fields.[A] In the United States agricultural i industry, ninety different crops rely on honeybees for pollination, but the crop requiring the most bees is the California almond. [B] In total, this industry uses one million hives—almost half the U.S. population rs of managed honeybees. [C] Managed pollinators like honeybees are an important alternative to natural pollination, but the main drawback is that managed honeybee populations are susceptible to the same factors—such as harmful pesticides and insect diseases—that have reduced natural pollinator populations. [D] The worst threat to the survival of honeybees is the Varroa mite, a parasite that has destroyed 95 to 98 percent of the wild honeybee population. Although cultivated honeybees are somewhat protected because humans provide them with sheltered environments and use chemicals to ward off mites, they are still at risk.

“Artificial pollination” is another alternative to natural pollination. This method accomplishes pollination through artificial techniques, eliminating the need for natural or managed pollinators like honeybees. One such technique currently in use is called electrostatic pollination. Past studies have revealed that pollinating insects like bees have an electrostatic charge that causes pollen to cling to their bodies. Scientists applied this information to test and develop this artificial pollination method. They introduced an electrostatic charge to test plants and then dusted charged pollen grains over them. They found that the pollen was electrostatically :: attracted to the plants, which increased the rate of pollination and led to larger crop yields. The downside is that the quality of electrostatically pollinated crops is slightly reduced. Vet, it is nonetheless an important s option for agricultural growers, considering the lack of natural pollinators and the risks facing the populations of managed pollinators.

14. The word external in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) natural
(B) independent
(C) permanent
(D) simple

15. According to paragraph 1, what is pollination?

(A) The ability to reproduce without any assistance
(B) The transfer of pollen from plants to insects
(C) The use of pollinating agents in the reproductive process
(D) The movement of sex cells from the anther to the carpel

16. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

(A) Many pollinators are needed to pollinate single-crop fields, which contain plants that come into bloom all at once.
(B) In a single-crop field, sometimes there are more blossoms than can be used, and other times pollinators are without food.
(C) A single-crop field cannot rely on natural pollinators alone, so other methods of pollination must be used to help the field produce a harvest.
(D) After a single-crop field blooms, natural pollinators are unable to find enough food to survive.

17. According to paragraph 4, “managed pollinators” are

(A) domesticated bees that are raised to pollinate commercial crops
(B) not capable of meeting the needs of agricultural pollination
(C) primarily used in research to develop artificial pollination methods
(D) not as useful to farmers for pollination as honeybees are

18. In paragraph 5, why does the author mention California almond?

(A) To support the claim that honeybees are the most important pollinator
(B) To suggest that managed pollinators are ineffective in U.S. agriculture
(C) To introduce artificial pollination as a method of agricultural pollination
(D) To give an example of a large crop that honeybees help pollinate

19. The word susceptible in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) related
(B) vulnerable
(C) opposed
(D) committed

20. The passage identifies all of the following as threats to populations of natural pollinators EXCEPT

(A) human activities related to industrialization, construction, and urban development
(B) temperature changes caused by shifts in climate and season
(C) natural infestations of honeybee hives by harmful bee parasites
(D) the use of pesticides on plants and fields cultivated for agricultural purposes

21. The word cling in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) react
(B) move
(C) stick
(D) jump

22. The word them in the passage refers to

(A) Scientists
(B) plants
(C) grains
(D) yields

23. According to paragraph 6, what is the function of a honeybee’s electrostatic charge?

(A) It helps the honeybee locate the flowers with the most pollen.
(B) It is a form of navigation used by many varieties of bees.
(C) It causes plants to become electrostatically charged.
(D) It attracts pollen from the flower to the honeybee’s body.

24. Look at the four squares m that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

Another crop that requires large amounts of honeybees is the Maine blueberry, which uses 50,000 hives yearly for the purpose of pollination.

Where would the sentence best fit?

25. Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

Pollination takes place when pollen is carried from one part of a plant to another, and this process has occurred naturally for thousands of years.

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Answer Choices

(A) The amount of fruits and vegetables that are produced by agricultural crops depends on the amount of pollination that takes place.
(B) Modern human practices, such as creating single-crop fields, have led to the failure of natural pollination in many cases.
(C) Farmers throughout the United States employ large concentrations of honeybees to pollinate their fields, a process known as managed pollination.
(E) Scientists use artificial pollination techniques to control the levels of electrostatic charge present in plants and pollen.
(D) Managed pollination has become impractical because a sizable portion of the honeybee population has been destroyed by parasites.
(F) Artificial pollination methods such as electrostatic pollination offer an alternative to the use of insects that are vulnerable to diseases and environmental changes.

Reading Passage 1 Reading Passage 3    Answer Keys & Explanation

Passage 3 | Performing Art

Stage and Screen Acting

There has always been a place for the actor in society. Since the earliest civilizations, people have been putting on dramatic performances to entertain, enlighten, and move their audiences. For nearly all of this time, plays acted out live onstage were the dominant format. Over the centuries, actors developed certain methods and conventions in order to give the best stage performances. Then, with the recent invention of the video camera, came a completely new type of dramatic storytelling—film—and the need for a new style of acting. Though both can trace the history of their professions back to the earliest ¡5 playwrights and performers, stage and screen actors rely on very different techniques.

[A] The most fundamental element of any performance is the audience. [B] For instance, the audience of a play is made up of people who are physically present in the vicinity of the stage. [C] For the play to be successful, each of its actors must be able to convey the actions, emotions, and motivations of his or her character to this live audience. [D]

This requirement has led to certain established guidelines for stage acting. In order to ensure that the entire audience—some members of which, especially in large theaters or open areas, may be quite far removed from the stage—can follow the intricacies of the story, the actors must exaggerate their performances. Their physical gestures and facial expressions should be more pronounced than in real life. Also, stage actors have to learn to project their voices so that even the spectators sitting in the back rows can hear them clearly. Voice control is another skill necessary for acting on the stage. Since not every audience member will be able to discern o the subtle expressions of an actor’s face or body language, that actor should be able to transmit those normally visible features of a character through his or her voice. It is this style of exaggeration and vocal adeptness that ; defines a great stage actor.

Furthermore, the very nature of a live performance necessitates certain skills. During a show, actors must deliver their lines correctly on the first attempt. This puts particular emphasis on memorization and, in some cases, a talent for improvisation. In addition, because the audience for each performance is a new, different set of people, the ideal stage actor should be able to perform his or her part night after night as if it were the first time, with the same precision and excitement. This demand for consistency can be trying, especially considering that some plays run for over a year.

Acting for the screen, on the other hand, calls for a completely different approach. As opposed to a theater filled with hundreds of people, the camera occupies the role of audience. Immediately, the performance becomes much more intimate. The camera’s ability to focus closely on the actor eliminates the need for exaggerated gestures. Instead, screen actors are judged on how natural their movements and words appear. Small details in facial expression or tone of voice are captured by the camera and microphone and can be made to convey very complicated emotions. This allows characters in films to possess more nuanced personalities than i their counterparts on the stage. Overall, the result is that screen actors can more closely approximate the feelings and situations of real life through their performances, creating new possibilities for dramatic storytelling genres.

With the substitution of a recording device for a live audience, screen actors enjoy the luxury of being able to perform a scene over and over again until they get it exactly right. Of course, this means that, just 5 as in stage acting, they must deliver their performances with great effort and enthusiasm time after time. Despite this similarity, the two formats clearly demand quite distinct talents from their actors. In fact, there is such a gap o between the requirements of the stage and those of the screen that artists who try to cross over frequently find they cannot excel at both. This diversity suggests that the two will continue to coexist for some time to come.

26. The word move in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) shift
(B) transfer
(C) touch
(D) replace

27. According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true about the history of acting?

(A) The majority of it has been carried out on the stage.
(B) Many early actors performed both onscreen and onstage.
(C) Stage acting methods have always been the same.
(D) Screen actors have abandoned all previous acting conventions.

28. The word both in the passage refers to

(A) performances
(B) playwrights and performers
(C) stage and screen actors
(D) techniques

29. According to paragraph 2, what should a play do in order to achieve success?

(A) Present a storyline that includes a lot of action
(B) Establish an emotional connection between the actors and the audience
(C) Feature actors who have received awards for their performances
(D) Show in front of small audiences sitting close to the stage

30. The word pronounced in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) complex
(B) special
(C) planned
(D) obvious

31. Based on the information in paragraph 3, it can be inferred that the amount of exaggeration a stage actor employs might vary depending on

(A) the length of the play
(B) the skills of the other actors
(C) the subject matter of the play
(D) the size of the performance space
Paragraph 3 is marked with an arrow

32. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

(A) Since they are always facing new audiences, good stage actors must always deliver fresh performances.
(B) The audience of each performance of a play contains different people, and they expect a good show every night.
(C) Stage actors need to play their roles with a certain enthusiasm in order to entertain people.
(D) An actor who cannot perform well for many nights in a row will not become popular.

33. The word intimate in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) constant
(B) serious
(C) intelligent
(D) personal

34. According to paragraph 5, what can be inferred about talented screen actors?

(A) They frequently write their own lines.
(B) They do not appear as though they are acting.
(O They know how to operate cameras and microphones.
(D) They are not as talented as the best stage actors.
Paragraph 5 is marked with an arrow [■♦].

35. The word excel in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) be quick
(B) be good
(C) be open
(D) be large

36. From paragraph 4 and paragraph 6, what can be inferred to be the similarity between stage and screen actors?

(A) They both should be able to perform well in either format.
(B) They both must tolerate repetition without becoming bored.
(C) They both are paid well for their work in a performance.
(D) They both have only one chance to deliver their lines correctly.

37. Look at the four squares ■ that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

The onlookers are the ones for whom the story is told and therefore are the ones who determine how the story is told.

Where would the sentence best fit?
Click on a square HQ to add the sentence to the passage.

38. Directions: Complete the table by matching the phrases below. Select the appropriate phrases from the answer choices and match them to the type of acting to which they relate. TWO of the answer choices will NOT be used. This question is worth 4 points.

Drag your answer choices to the spaces where they belong. To remove an answer it To review the passage, click View Text

Answer Choices (A) Attempts to capture lifelike moments (B) Relies largely on actors’ voices to convey important details (C) Requires that actors consistently recall their lines correctly (D) Reflects most closely the performance styles of long ago (E) Is only suited for certain genres of storytelling (F) Demands that actors more explicitly display their characters’ emotions (G) Uses cameras to emphasize actors’ exaggerations (H) Offers actors the chance to redo scenes (I) Relies on technology to transmit subtleties	Stage Acting
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Reading Passage 1 Reading Passage 2   Answer Keys & Explanation