TOEFL IBT Reading Practice Test 42 from The Official Guide to the TOEFL Test fourth edition
Reading Directions: This section measures your ability to understand academic passages in English.
The Reading section is divided into separately timed parts.
Most questions are worth 1 point, but the last question for each passage is worth more than 1 point. The directions for the last question indicate how many points you may receive. You will now begin the Reading section. There are three passages in the section. You should allow 20 minutes to read each passage and answer the questions about it. You should allow 60 minutes to complete the entire section.
At the end of this Practice Test, you will find an answer key, information to help you determine your score, and explanations of the answers.
Passage 1: The Veneration of Trees
P1: In The Golden Bough, his classic catalog of mythologies, Sir James George Frazer extensively documents the significance of trees in world religion. His chapters on tree spirits roam from Northern Europe to the Eastern Seaboard of what is now the United States to the islands of the Pacific. Despite the lack of contact among these regions, the veneration of trees united them. The woods that covered large areas of Europe and North America, in particular, were difficult to penetrate and dangerous to cross. It was not a great mental leap for people to see the trees that populated them as embodiments of the natural forces that governed their lives.
P2: On the basis of Frazer’s classification, one can derive three loose stages of tree worship. In the first, a society sees the tree as the physical body of the spirit that inhabits it, much as the human body can be seen as housing the mind. It is known that both the Celtic and the Germanic tribes that inhabited ancient Northern Europe regarded certain trees as sacred, setting them apart by species (as the Druids worshipped oaks) or by location (the way certain natural groves were regarded as natural temples or sacred spaces In what is now Germany). Early on, each of these trees was regarded as an animate being with both spirit and body. It had a distinct identity, like an individual person. This suggests that it was believed to have the same impulses and reactions as the people who venerated It.
P3: Accordingly, ancient peoples had elaborate taboos designed to avoid causing offense to trees. These taboos were taken very seriously. In some places, one could be punished severely for injuring the bark of a tree or stealing its fruit. Before a tree was felled for human use, woodcutters In many world cultures would offer It both apologies and thanks for the resources it was about to provide them. This was necessary to avoid insulting the tree and inviting bad fortune. It was also the case, however, that injuries were said to cause suffering to trees as they did to people. In some societies, it was claimed that trees cry out In pain when struck or cut into. A tree’s spirit and body are considered inseparable in this first stage.
P4: A society makes a leap in sophistication and reaches Frazer’s second stage when It begins to regard them as separate. That is, the spirit exists independently of the physical tree, even If it chooses to dwell there most of the time. The same spirit may thus take up residence in any tree of a forest; it is not killed when an individual tree is cut down. It is not bound to a single tree but rather stands for a group. The distinction may seem small, but it is a significant first step toward symbolic thinking. A forest, after all, Is more than the sum of its parts. It encompasses not only its trees but also the animals and brush that flourish among them. The dangers of the forest are hidden; a traveler may of may not encounter them on a given journey. To think about a tree spirit identified with the forest as a whole, therefore, people had to think about phenomena that were removed from them in time and space ideas rather than things. Such a tree spirit represented the potential and abstract rather than the concrete and immediate.
P5: That transition is completed in the third stage. Liberated from each other, trees and their spirits can begin to be seen as symbols and embodiments of other natural processes of significance to primitive life: the power of weather and seasons to produce good or bad harvests, the mysteries of childbirth and disease. At that point, the veneration of trees reaches its stage of greatest complexity. Societies in both Eastern Europe and the South Pacific presented ceremonial offerings to trees in the hopes that they would furnish rain and sunshine. Women who hoped to bear children might be Instructed to embrace special trees thought to give fertility. The appearance of these beliefs in which the fruitfulness of trees suggests the fruitfulness of harvests and family-building, indicates that a society has made its first steps toward symbolic and abstract thinking.
Directions: Mark your answer by filling in the oval next to your choice.
1. It can be inferred from paragraph 1 of the passage that the peoples of Europe and North America associated trees with
(A) travel to distant places
(B) the religions of older tribes
(C) dangerous forces of nature
(D) the common culture of humanity
2. The word penetrate in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) enter
(B) locate
(C) survive
(D) consider
3. The author mentions the Druids in paragraph 2 as an example of a people that
(A) exhibited all three stages of tree worship
(B) punished people for stealing fruit
(C) worshipped a particular species of tree
(D) cut down many trees as its civilization expanded
4. The word severely is closest in meaning
(A) occasionally
(B) harshly
(C) repeatedly
(D) secretly
5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as evidence that ancient peoples believed trees had individual spirits?(A) They apologized to a tree before cutting it down.
(B) They had rules against injuring tree bark.
(C) They thought trees could express pain.
(D) They gave each tree a personal name.
6. The second stage of tree worship discussed in the passage involves a distinction between
(A) sacred trees and ordinary trees
(B) the spirit and the body of a tree
(C) trees with and without spirits
(D) single trees and trees in forests
7. The phrase bound to in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) limited to
(B) hidden within
(C) regarded as
(D) venerated as
8. The author of the passage uses the phrase ideas rather than things to indicate that
(A) the forest was actually much less dangerous than people thought it to be
(B) people stopped fearing the forest at the second stage of tree worship
(C) some aspects of the forest can be imagined but not seen
(D) many travelers were seriously hurt in the forest
9. The author implies that the most complex phase of tree worship involves
(A) the belief that all trees are sacred
(B) distinguishing between male and female tree spirits
(C) different ceremonies for different seasons
(D) the use of trees as symbols
10. The word furnish in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) explain
(B) provide
(C) avoid
(D) refuse
11. According to paragraph 5 of the passage, ancient peoples saw special meaning in
(A) the ability of trees to bear fruit
(B) the three stages in the life of a tree
(C) trees that required little rain and sun
(D) the raising of trees by women
12. 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.
Three basic levels of tree worship can be observed in The Golden Bough.
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Answer Choices
(A) It was forbidden to cut down certain trees because they would be seriously offended by an injury.
(B) Certain peoples came to believe that tree spirits were independent of individual trees and instead represented a whole forest.
(C) More is known about the ceremonies of Europe than about the ceremonies of North America and the South Pacific.
(D) Ancient Germans believed certain groves were sacred and used them as temples, but Druids venerated the oak tree in particular.
(E) Some societies believed each tree had an individual spirit, the way a human being has a distinct mind.
(F) A basis for abstract thinking was achieved when tree spirits were believed to control natural forces such as crops and human fertility.
Passage 2: The Transportation Revolution
P1: When most people think or talk about dangers to our environment, they focus on general terms like “pollution, “smog,” and “acid-rain.” Also, they .often focus on the impact of supposedly man-made chemicals and compounds. But to truly understand the risks to our environment, it’s helpful to focus on the danger of specific chemicals, which are often otherwise naturally-occurring elements that have been spread harmfully by man. One of the largest threats to our environment is mercury: Hg on the periodic table of elements.
P2: At room temperature, mercury, a metal, exists as a silvery-white liquid. However, it vaporizes readily when heat is applied, and can stay suspended in the air for more than a year. The largest sources of mercury pollution in the United States are coal-fired power plants. Emissions from these plants account for 70 percent of the mercury that enters our oceans, lakes, and streams. Air currents carry these particles far from the source and are capable of polluting bodies of water thousands of miles away.
P3: Mercury particles released into the air fall into these waterways and quickly enter aquatic food chains. First, mercury attaches to sediments (fragments of organic and inorganic material that settle to the bottom of the body ofwater). Second, bacteria change the mercury into methyl mercury, a highly toxic substance. Third, phytoplankton feed on the organic matter in sediments and absorb the methyl mercury. Fourth, fish then eat the mercury-contaminated phytoplankton; the larger the fish and the longer it lives, the more concentrated the methyl mercury in its system becomes. The mercury can then move higher up the food chain when humans eat fish that have absorbed high amounts of mercury.
P4: Studies indicate that mercury levels in U.S. waterways have increased anywhere from 100 to 400 percent over the course of the last century, and no river, lake, or ocean seems immune. It Is important to note that, thanks to the U.S. Clean Air Act and efforts by industry to curb unnecessary discharges as well as better sewage treatment methods, the levels have been in slow decline since the 1970s. However, this minor decline is relatively miniscule in comparison to the major increase in the years prior.
P5: If you’ve ever experienced that “rotten egg” smell during low tide at a coastal area, you’ve seen (or smelled) méthylation in action. Méthylation is the conversion of mercury in sediments to methyl mercury by sulfate-reducing bacteria. While this méthylation is a natural process, the industrial discharge of mercury has greatly accelerated the process beyond what the ecosystem is able to absorb safely. This méthylation not only Impacts aquatic species, but also harms humans and other land-based wildlife.
p6: Most of the fish and selfish that humans eat live solely in coastal areas or frequent coastal areas and feed on the fish that live there. At the same time, most méthylation takes place in coastal areas. Therefore, methyl mercury moves up the food chain from plankton to lobster, bluefish, winter ffounder, tuna, and many other species eaten extensively by man. The methyl mercury binds to the protein in fish, residing in the muscle of the fish. This muscle is exactly what we eat: the fillet.
p7: The short-term impact of digestion of toxic methyl mercury is obviously a concern. A More troubling, however, is its long-term impact on species up and down the food chain, B In Wisconsin, scientists have studied the decline of chick production in loons (aquatic birds), C They have made a positive link to mercury concentration in eggs which exceeds the concentration found to be toxic in laboratory studies, D Through that example, the lasting impact of methyl mercury far from the source of the pollution can be seen.
p8: One of the great wonders of the Earth is the interconnectivity of all the world’s ecosystems. This Interconnectivity gives us the range and diversity of wildlife that we all enjoy and it also allowed life on the planet to endure through cataclysmic events, such as asteroid impacts and the ice ages. However, it is this very interconnectivity that makes our ecosystems so vulnerable. Mercury pollution is unfortunately one of many examples of an environmental impact far removed from the source of the pollution; understanding the process by which the pollution spreads up the food chain is one of many steps to ameliorate the impact of such pollution.
Directions: Mark your answer by filling in the oval next to your choice.
13. The word applied in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) improved
(B) created
(C) used
(D) reduced
14. According to paragraph 2, what accounts for 70% of toxic mercury pollution?
(A) Air currents
(B) Vaporization
(C) Coal-fired power plants
(D) A silvery-white liquid
15. In paragraph 3, what does the author say about the role of phytoplankton in the spread on mercury throughout the food chain?
(A) It transforms mercury to methyl mercury.
(B) It provides the link between the methyl mercury in sediments and fish.
(C) It reduces the impact of methyl mercury on the coastal ecosystem.
(D) It concentrates the mercury making it less toxic.
16. The word concentrated in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) clustered
(B) thought
(C) separated
(D) reduced
17. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 4 about the U.S. Clean Air Act?
(A) It was aimed to increase air pollution
(B) It existed prior to the effects of pollution on the environment were known.
(C) It was part of the reason industries reduced harmful emissions into the air.
(D) It has been unsuccessful in slowing air pollution.
18. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as reasons why mercury levels in the environment have been in slow decline since the 1970s EXCEPT
(A) the Clean Air Act
(B) reduction in sulfate-producing bacteria
(C) better sewage treatment
(D) changes in industrial practice
19. According to paragraph 6, coastal areas are the locations for most
(A) tuna
(B) méthylation
(C) mercury pollution sources
(D) ecosystems
20. The word its in the passage refers to
(A) long term impact
(B) methyl mercury
(C) food chain
(D) digestion
21. Which of the following is mentioned in i paragraph 7 as one of the long-term impacts of methyl mercury pollution?
(A) Increase in sulfate-reducing bacteria in sediment
(B) Reduction in the number of fish in coastal areas
(C) Danger to the reproductive cycle of birds
(D) Concentrated mercury in lobsters
22. According to paragraph 8, the inter-connectivity of the Earth’s ecosystems is also
(A) the reason the ecosystems are so susceptible to pollution
(B) the cause of mercury pollution
(C) the reason methyl mercury is such a harmful substance
(D) the cure for pollution from coal-fired power plants
23. The word ameliorate in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) enlarged
(B) impact
(C) summarize
(D) lessen
24. Look at the four squares cc that show where the following sentence could be inserted in the paragraph below.
“Thus, the harmful effects of methyl mercury are passed from adult to young and will impact the health of the species for years to come.“
The short-term impact of digestion of toxic methyl mercury is obviously a concern. A More troubling, however, is its long-term impact on species up and down the food chain, B In Wisconsin, scientists have studied the decline of chick production in loons (aquatic birds), C They have made a positive link to mercury concentration in eggs which exceeds the concentration found to be toxic in laboratory studies, D Through that example, the lasting impact of methyl mercury far from the source of the pollution can be seen.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
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.
Mercury pollution is one example of a type of pollution that has shor term and long-term effects far from the source of the pollution.
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0
0
Answer Choices
(A) Air currents carry Mercury particles far from the source and are capabJe of polluting bodies of water thousands of miles away.
(B) Mercury is transformed into the toxic methyl mercury and moves up the food chain to cause harm for organisms at every level all the way up to humans.
(C) Sulfate-reducing bacteria cause the “rotten egg” smell that exists at coastal areas during low tide.
(D) Mercury pollution is increasing in the United States despite the U.S. Clean Air Act and efforts of industry.
(E) The methyl mercury binds to the protein in fish, residing in the muscle.
(F) The harmful effects of methyl mercury are passed from adult to young and will impact the health of many species for years to come.
Passage 3: Hormones in the Body
P1: Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the nervous system was thought to control all communication within the body and the resulting integration of behavior. Scientists had determined that nerves ran, essentially, on electrical impulses. These impulses were thought to be the engine for thought, emotion, movement, and internal processes such as digestion. However, experiments by William Bayliss and Ernest Starling on the chemical secretin, which is produced in the small intestine when food enters the stomach, eventually challenged that view. From the small Intestine, secretin travels through the bloodstream to the pancreas. There, it stimulates the release of digestive chemicals. In this fashion, the intestinal cells that produce secretin ultimately regulate the production of different chemicals in a different organ, the pancreas.
P2: Such a coordination of processes had been thought to require control by the nervous system; Bayliss and Starling showed that it could occur through chemicals alone. This discovery spurred Starling to coin the term hormone to refer to secretin, taking it from the Greek word hormone, meaning “to excite” or “to set in motion.”A hormone is a chemical produced by one tissue to make things happen elsewhere.
P3: As more hormones were discovered, they were categorized, primarily according to the process by which they operated on the body. Some glands (which make up the endocrine system) secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream. Such glands include the thyroid and the pituitary. The exocrine system consists of organs and glands that produce substances that are used outside the bloodstream, primarily for digestion. The pancreas is one such organ, although it secretes some chemicals into the blood and thus is also part of the endocrine system.
P4: Much has been learned about hormones since their discovery. Some play such key roles In regulating bodily processes or behavior that their absence would cause immediate death. The most abundant hormones have: effects that arc loss obviously urgent but can be more far-reaching and difficult to track: i hey modify moods and’.affect human behavior, even some behavior we normally think of as voluntary. Hormonal systems are very intricate. Even minute amounts of the right chemicals can suppress appetite, calm aggression, and change the attitude of a parent toward a child. Certain hormones accelerate the development of the body, regulating growth and form; others may even define an individual’s personality characteristics. The quantities and proportions of hormones produced change with age, so scientists have given a great deal of study to shifts in the endocrine system over time in the hopes of alleviating ailments associated with aging.
P5: In fact, some hormone therapies are already very common, A A combination of estrogen and progesterone has been prescribed for decades to women who want to reduce mood swings, sudden changes in body temperature, and other discomforts caused by lower natural levels of those hormones as they enter middle age. B Known as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), the treatment was also believed to prevent weakening of the bones. C At least one study has linked HRT with a heightened risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. HRT may also increase the likelihood that blood clots—dangerous because they could travel through the bloodstream and block major blood vessels;—will form. Some proponents of HRT have tempered their enthusiasm in the face of this new evidence, recommending it only to patients whose symptoms interfere with their abilities to live normal lives. D
P6: Human growth hormone may also be given to patients who are secreting abnormally low amounts on their own. Because of the complicated effects growth hormone has on the body, such treatments are generally restricted to children who would be pathologically small in stature without it. Growth hormone affects not just physical size but also the digestion of food and the aging process. Researchers and family physicians tend to agree that it is foolhardy to dispense it in cases in which the risks are not clearly outweighed by the benefits.
Directions: Mark your answer by filling in the oval next to your choice.
26. The word engine in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) desire
(B) origin
(C) science
(D) chemical
27. The word it in the passage refers to
(A) secretin
(B) small intestine
(C) bloodstream
(D) pancreas
28.The word spurred in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) remembered
(B) surprised
(C) invented
(D) motivated
29. To be considered a hormone, a chemical produced in the body must
(A) be part of the digestive process
(B) influence the operations of the nervous system
(C) affect processes in a different part of the body
(D) regulate attitudes and behavior
30. The glands and organs mentioned in paragraph 3 are categorized according to
(A) whether scientists understand their function
(B) how frequently they release hormones into the body
(C) whether the hormones they secrete influence the aging process
(D) whether they secrete chemicals into the blood
31. The word key in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) misunderstood
(B) precise
(C) significant
(D) simple
32. The word minute in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) sudden
(B) small
(C) seconds
(D) noticeable
33. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
(A) Most moods and actions are lot voluntary because they are actually produced by the production of hormones in the body. .
(B) Because the effects of hormones are difficult to measure, scientists remain unsure how far-reaching their effects on moods and actions are.
(C) When the body is not producing enough hormones, urgent treatment may be necessary to avoid psychological damage. ,
(D) The influence of many hormones is not easy to measure, but they can affect both people’s psychology and actions extensively.
34. The word tempered in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) decreased
(B) advertised
(C) prescribed
(D) researched
35. Which patients are usually treated with growth hormone?
(A) Adults of smaller stature than normal
(B) Adults with strong digestive systems
(C) Children who are not at risk from the treatment
(D) Children who may remain abnormally small
37. Where in the passage where that author explains the primary goal of hormone replacement therapy. .
(A) The quantities and proportions of hormones produced change with age, so scientists have given a great deal of study to shifts in the endocrine system over time in the hopes of alleviating ailments associated with aging.
(B) A combination of estrogen and progesterone has been prescribed for decades
to women who want to reduce mood swings, sudden changes in body temperature, and other discomforts caused by lower natural levels of those hormones as they enter middle age.
(C) HRT may also increase the likelihood that blood clots—dangerous because they could travel through the bloodstream and block major blood vessels—will form.
(D) Because of the complicated effects growth hormone has on the body, such treatments are generally restricted to children who would be pathologically small in stature without it.
38. Look at the four squares C and which indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?
“The body is a complex machine, however, and recent studies have called into question the wisdom of essentially trying to fool its systems into believing they aren’t aging.”
In fact, some hormone therapies are already very common, A A combination of estrogen and progesterone has been prescribed for decades to women who want to reduce mood swings, sudden changes in body temperature, and other discomforts caused by lower natural levels of those hormones as they enter middle age. B Known as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), the treatment was also believed to prevent weakening of the bones. C At least one study has linked HRT with a heightened risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. HRT may also increase the likelihood that blood clots—dangerous because they could travel through the bloodstream and block major blood vessels;—will form. Some proponents of HRT have tempered their enthusiasm in the face of this new evidence, recommending it only to patients whose symptoms interfere with their abilities to live normal lives. D
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
39. 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.
The class of chemicals called hormones was discovered by two researchers studying a substance produced in the small intestine.
(A) The term hormone is based on a Greek word that means “to excite” or “to set in motion.”
(B)Hormones can be given artificially, but such treatments have risks and must be used carefully.
(C) Scientists have discovered that not only the nervous system but also certain chemicals can affect bodily processes far from their points of origin.
(D) Researchers are looking for ways to decrease the dangers of treatments with growth hormone so that more patients can benefit from it.
(E) Hormones can affect not only life processes such as growth but also behavior and emotion.
(F) Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may increase the risk of blood clots and heart disease in middle-age women.