Reading Comprehension Test

Submitted by Nataphan Soontornworasate 1001

Impact of Climate Change on Coral Reef

source: http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/explore/climate-change-coral-reefs/

Anthropogenic climate change poses a serious threat to coral reefs around the world.
The impacts of global warming can be isolated by studying long-lived corals growing on
remote, uninhabited islands of the central tropical Pacific, where human impact is
nonexistentthis is what NGS/Waitt grantee Dr. Kim Cobb and her team plan to do. By
analyzing the chemistry of large coral skeletons collected from reefs in this area, they can
reconstruct the monthly history of temperature and rainfall patterns for the last 50 to 100
years.

Tropical Pacific climate oscillations and trends profoundly affect temperature and
rainfall patterns around the world, impacting Atlantic hurricane activity, Indian monsoon
strength, and drought in the western U.S. An accurate history of tropical Pacific
temperatures and rainfall may help to both explain regional climate trends over the last
decades and to improve regional climate forecasts for the coming decades.

They propose to survey coral reef health, install environmental monitoring devices,
and collect long coral cores from three equatorial islandsMalden, Starbuck, and Filippo.
The team chose to target these three islands because they are heavily impacted by the
powerful climate systems that they would like to reconstruct; their location is poorly sampled
line by available instrumental climate data; and very little scientific research has been conducted
there, so much can be gained from this expedition's data. Moreover, there is some urgency
to the proposed work, as climate change continues to degrade coral reef health, such that
the large, healthy coral colonies we need for our studies may disappear in coming years.

1) The word reconstruct in line 6 refers to

(a) rebuild
(b) rebound
(c) recant
(d) recite

2) The word drought in line 10 is closest in meaning to

(a) humidity
(b) rainstorm
(c) scarcity
(d) hotness

3) The word they in line 16 refers to

(a) coral reef
(b) Island

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(c) fish
(d) NGS

4) Which of the following is affected by Tropical Pacific oscillate? confusing

(a) human population
(b) coral reef bleaching
(c) rainfall
(d) hurricane

5) According to the passage, which of the following the researcher did not propose to?
(a) survey coral reef health
(b) install environmental monitoring devices
(c) explore the three islands
(d) collect long coral cores

6) What is the reason that the researcher need to hurry to the work?
(a) Their time were limit.
(b) The coral may disappear.
(c) They need to do the other project.
(d) The earthquake can occur during the observation on those three islands.

7) According to the passage, they chose those three islands because

(a) they are impacted by the climate system
(b) they are the most popular islands
(c) they have the perfect ecosystem
(d) they are safe from the natural disaster

8) From this passage, what can be isolated by studying long-lived corals growing on
remote island?
(a) Tropical Pacific climate
(b) The impact of global warming
(c) The advantage of global warming
(d) Anthropogenic climate change

9) What is the second paragraph mainly talks about?

(a) The effect of Tropical Pacific climate and how they forecast the climate
(b) The effect of global warming
(c) Climate change affect every countries around the world
(d) How they will forecast about the global warming for coming decades

10) Which of the following is NOT true?

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 (a) They collected the corals from Melden Island, Starbuck Island, and Flippo Island.
(b) Tropical Pacific climate caused a drought in western U.S.
(c) They chose those three islands because all the healthy coral live there.
(d) An accurate data can help both explain and forecast the climate in future.

Unicorn
source: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/u/unicorn.html

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 The unicorn is a legendary animal. It is usually portrayed as a slender,
white horse with a spiraling horn on its forehead, although its appearance and
behavior differs, depending on the location. In the west it was usually considered
wild and untamable, while in the Orient it was peaceful, meek and thought to be
the bringer of good luck. There it is usually depicted as a goat-like creature, with
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cloven hooves and a beard. In Japan it is called Kirin, and in China Ki-lin.

The word "unicorn" is based on the Hebrew word re'em ("horn"), in early
versions of the Old Testament translated as "monokeros", meaning "one horn",
which became "unicorn" in English. The creature is possibly based on the
rhinoceros or the narwhal, a marine creature with one horn.

In the west it was first mentioned by the Greek historian Ctesias in 398
BCE. According to him they lived in India and he described them as 'wild asses
which are as big as a horse, even bigger. Their bodies are white, their heads
dark red and their eyes are deep blue. They have a single horn on their forehead
which is approximately half-a-meter long.' This description was based on the
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tales of travelers, and is a mixture of an Indian rhinoceros, the Himalayan
antelope, and the wild ass.

1) What does the word slender in line 2 mean?

(a) slim
(b) little
(c) graceful
(d) fairness

2) The word depict in line 6 is closest in meaning to

(a) compare
(b) portray
(c) believe
(d) picture

3) The word it in line 12 refers to

(a) hellenes
(b) horse
(c) unicorn
(d) rhinoceros

4) According to the passage, what does unicorns behavior and appearance depend
on?
(a) food
(b) location
(c) weather
(d) water

5) From the passage, What was the first thing that mentioned the unicorn?
(a) Greek historian

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(b) Japanese tales
(c) Chinese tales
(d) Indian historian

6) How was the unicorn described in the Orient?

(a) wild
(b) untamable
(c) savage
(d) peaceful

7) According to the passage, what does the word unicorn based on?
(a) white body
(b) hair
(c) horn
(d) tail

8) What was the Japanese called the unicorn?

(a) reem
(b) kirin
(c) kirrin
(d) kilin

9) Which of the following is NOT true?

(a) unicorn were found for a long time ago
(b) unicorn are not look all the same
(c) almost of the description are not based on tales
(d)

10) What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

(a) the meaning of the word unicorn
(b) the appearance of unicorn
(c) the origin of unicorn
(d) the characterisic of unicorn

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