Example one:

Certainly no creature in the sea is odder than the common sea cucumber. All living

creature, especially human beings, have their peculiarities, but everything about the

little sea cucumber seems unusual. What else can be said about a bizarre animal that,

Line among other eccentricities, eats mud, feeds almost continuously day and night but can

(5) live without eating for long periods, and can be poisonous but is considered supremely

edible by gourmets?

For some fifty million years, despite all its eccentricities, the sea cucumber has

subsisted on its diet of mud. It is adaptable enough to live attached to rocks by its tube

feet, under rocks in shallow water, or on the surface of mud flats. Common in cool

(10) water on both Atlantic and Pacific shores, it has the ability to suck up mud or sand and

digest whatever nutrients are present.

Sea cucumbers come in a variety of colors, ranging from black to reddish-brown to

sand-color and nearly white. One form even has vivid purple tentacles. Usually the

creatures are cucumber-shaped-hence their name-and because they are typically

(15) rock inhabitants, this shape, combined with flexibility, enables them to squeeze

into crevices where they are safe from predators and ocean currents.

Although they have voracious appetites, eating day and night, sea cucumbers have

the capacity to become quiescent and live at a low metabolic rate-feeding sparingly

or not at all for long periods, so that the marine organisms that provide their food have

(20) a chance to multiply. If it were not for this faculty, they would devour all the food

available in a short time and would probably starve themselves out of existence.

But the most spectacular thing about the sea cucumber is the way it defends itself.

Its major enemies are fish and crabs, when attacked, it squirts all its internal organs

into the water. It also casts off attached structures such as tentacles. The sea cucumber

(25) will eviscerate and regenerate itself if it is attacked or even touched; it will do the same

if the surrounding water temperature is too high or if the water becomes too polluted.

8. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The reason for the sea cucumber's name

(B) What makes the sea cucumber unusual

(C) How to identify the sea cucumber

(D) Places where the sea cucumber can be found

9. In line 3, the word "bizarre" is closest in meaning

to

(A) odd

(B) marine

(C) simple

(D) rare

10. According to the Passage, why is the shape of

sea cucumbers important?

(A) It helps them to digest their food.

(B) It helps them to protect themselves from

danger.

(C) It makes it easier for them to move through

the mud.

(D) It makes them attractive to fish.

11. The words "this faculty" in line 20 refer to the

sea cucumber's ability to

(A) squeeze into crevices

(B) devour all available food in a short time

(C) suck up mud or sand

(D) live at a low metabolic rate

12. The fourth paragraph of the passage primarily

discusses

(A) the reproduction of sea cucumbers

(B) the food sources of sea cucumbers

(C) the eating habits of sea cucumbers

(D) threats to sea cucumbers' existence

13. The phrase "casts off" in line 24 is closest in

meaning to

(A) grows again

(B) grabs

(C) gets rid of

(D) uses as a weapon

14. Of all the characteristics of the sea cucumber,

which of the following seems to fascinate the

author most?

(A) What it does when threatened

(B) Where it lives

(C) How it hides from predators

(D) What it eats

15. Compared with other sea creatures the sea

cucumber is very

(A) dangerous

(B) intelligent

(C) strange

(D) fat

16. What can be inferred about the defense

mechanisms of the sea cucumber?

(A) They are very sensitive to surrounding

stimuli.

(B) They are almost useless.

(C) They require group cooperation.

(D) They are similar to those of most sea

creatures.

17. Which of the following would NOT cause a sea

cucumber to release its internal organs into the

water?

(A) A touch

(B) Food

(C) Unusually warm water

(D) Pollution

18. Which of the following is an example of

behavior comparable with the sea cucumber

living at a low metabolic rate?

(A) An octopus defending itself with its tentacles

(B) A bear hibernating in the winter

(C) A pig eating constantly

(D) A parasite living on its host's blood

Example two: (没讲)

Elizabeth Hazen and Rachel Brown copatented one of the most widely acclaimed

wonder drugs of the post-Second World War years. Hazen and Brown's work was

stimulated by the wartime need to find a cure for the fungus infections that afflicted

many military personnel. Scientists had been feverishly searching for an antibiotic

5) toxic enough to kill the fungi but safe enough for human use, since, unfortunately, the

new "wonder drugs" such as penicillin and streptomycin killed the very bacteria in the

body that controlled the fungi. It was to discover a fungicide without that double effect

that Brown, of New York State's Department of Health in New York, began their

Hazen, senior microbiologist at the Department of Health in Laboratories at Albany, and

10) long-distance collaboration. Based upon Hazen's previous research at Columbia

University, where she had built an impressive collection of fungus cultures, both were

convinced that an antifungal organism already existed in certain soils.

They divided the work. Hazen methodically screened and cultured scores of soil

samples, which she then sent to her partner, who prepared extracts, isolated and

15) purified active agents, and shipped them back to New York, where Hazen could study

their biological properties. On a 1948 vacation. Hazen fortuitously collected a clump of

soil from the edge of W. B. Nourse's cow pasture in Fauquier County. Virginia, that,

when tested, revealed the presence of the microorganisms, In farm owner Nourse's

honor, Hazen named it Streptomyces noursei, and within a year the two scientists knew

20) that the properties of their substance distinguished it from previously described

antibiotics. After further research they eventually reduced their substance to a fine,

yellow powder, which they first named "fungiciden," then renamed "nystatin"

(to honor the New York State laboratory) when they learned the previous name was

already in use. Of their major discovery, Brown said lightly that it simply illustrated

"how unpredictable consequences can come from rather modest beginnings."

45. What is the main topic of the passage?

(A) The lives of Hazen and Brown.

(B) The development of a safe fungicide.

(C) The New York State Department of Health.

(D) The development of penicillin.

46. What can be inferred from the passage about

penicillin?

(A) It effectively treats fungus infections.

(B) It was developed before nystatin.

(C) It was developed the Second World War.

(D) One of the by-products is nystatin.

47. Why does the author mention Columbia

University in lines 10 and 11?

(A) Hazen and Brown developed nystatin there.

(B) Brown was educated there.

(C) Hazen did research there.

(D) It awarded a prize to Hazen and Brown.

48. The word "both" in line 11 refers to

(A) Hazen and Brown

(B) Penicillin and streptomycin

(C) the Department of Health laboratories at

Albany and New York

(D) double effect

49. What substance did Brown and Hazen

analyze?

(A) Dirt

(B) Streptomycin

(C) Penicillin

(D) Bacteria

50. Who was W. B. Bourse?

(A) A microbiologist

(B) A teacher of Hazen's

(C) A collector of fungi

(D) A farmer

Example three: (没讲)

Fungi, of which there are over 100,000 species, including yeasts and other

single-celled organisms as well as the common molds and mushrooms, were

formerly classified as members of the plant kingdom. However, in reality they are

Line very different from plants and today they are placed in a separate group altogether.

(5) The principal reason for this is that none of them possesses chlorophyll, and since

they cannot synthesize their own carbohydrates, they obtain their supplies either

from the breakdown of dead organic matter or from other living organisms.

Furthermore the walls of fungal cells are not made of cellulose, as those of plants

are, but of another complex sugarlike polymer called chitin, the material from which

(10) the hard outer skeletons of shrimps, spiders, and insects are made. The difference

between the chemical composition of the cell walls of fungi and those of plants

is of enormous importance because it enables the tips of the growing hyphae, the

threadlike cells of the fungus, to secrete enzymes that break down the walls of plant

cells without having any effect on those of the fungus itself. It is these cellulose-

(15) destroying enzymes that enable fungi to attack anything made from wood, wood

pulp, cotton, flax, or other plant material.

The destructive power of fungi is impressive. They are a major cause of structural

damage to building timbers, a cause of disease in animals and humans, and one of

the greatest causes of agricultural losses. Entire crops can be wiped out by fungal

(20) attacks both before and after harvesting. Some fungi can grow at +50°C, while

others can grow at -5°C, so even food in cold storage may not be completely safe

from them. On the other hand, fungi bring about the decomposition of dead organic

matter, thus enriching the soil and returning carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. They

also enter into a number of mutually beneficial relationships with plants and other

(25) organisms. In addition, fungi are the source of many of the most potent antibiotics

used in clinical medicine, including penicillin.

11. What does paragraph 1 mainly discuss?

(A) Differences between simply and complex

fungi

(B) Functions of chlorophyll in plants

(C) Functions of sugar in the walls of fungal

cells

(D) Differences between fungi and plants

12. Which of the following is mentioned as a major

change in how scientists approach the study of

fungi?

(A) Fungi are no longer classified as plants.

(B) Some single-cell organisms are no longer

classified as fungi.

(C) New methods of species identification have

been introduced.

(D) Theories about the chemical composition of

fungi have been revised.

13. The word "principal" in line 5 is closest in

meaning to

(A) true

(B) main

(C) logical

(D) obvious

14. According to the passage, how do fungi obtain

carbohydrates?

(A) They absorb carbohydrates from their own

cell walls.

(B) They synthesize chlorophyll to produce

carbohydrates.

(C) They produce carbohydrates by breaking

down chitin.

(D) They acquire carbohydrates from other

organic matter, both living and dead.

15. The passage mentions shrimps, spiders, and

insects in line 10 because their skeletons

(A) can be destroyed by fungi

(B) have unusual chemical compositions

(C) contain a material found in the walls of

fungal cells

(D) secrete the same enzymes as the walls of

fungal cells do

16. Which of the following terms is defined in the

passage?

(A) "chlorophyll" (line5)

(B) "polymer" (line9)

(C) "hyphae" (line12)

(D) "enzymes" (line13)

17. The word "those" in line 14 refers to

(A) tips

(B) hyphae

(C) enzymes

(D) walls

18. Fungi have all of the following characteristics

EXCEPT:

(A) They grow hyphae.

(B) They secrete enzymes.

(C) They synthesize cellulose.

(D) They destroy crops.

19. The word "Entire" in line 19 is closest in

meaning to

(A) certain

(B) whole

(C) mature

(D) diseased

20. The passage describes the negative effects of

fungi on all of the following EXCEPT

(A) buildings

(B) animals

(C) food

(D) soil

21. The phrase "bring about" in line 22 is closest in

meaning to

(A) cause

(B) join

(C) take

(D) include

22. The passage mentions "penicillin" in line 26 as

an example of

(A) a medicine derived from plants

(B) a beneficial use of fungi

(C) a product of the relationship between plants

and fungi

(D) a type of fungi that grows at extreme

temperatures.

Passage 1:

When Jules Verne wrote Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1864, there were

many conflicting theories about the nature of the Earth's interior. Some geologists

thought that it contained a highly compressed ball of incandescent gas, while others

Line suspected that it consisted of separate shells, each made of a different material. Today,

(5) well over a century later, there is still little direct evidence of what lies beneath our

feet. Most of our knowledge of the Earth's interior comes not from mines or boreholes,

but from the study of seismic waves-powerful pulses of energy released by

earthquakes.

The way that seismic waves travel shows that the Earth's interior is far from

(10)uniform. The continents and the seabed are formed by the crust-a thin sphere of

relatively light, solid rock. Beneath the crust lies the mantle, a very different layer that

extends approximately halfway to the Earth's center. There the rock is the subject of a

battle between increasing heat and growing pressure.

In its high levels, the mantle is relatively cool; at greater depths, high temperatures

(15)make the rock behave more like a liquid than a solid. Deeper still, the pressure is even

more intense, preventing the rock from melting in spite of a higher temperature.

Beyond a depth of around 2,900 kilometers, a great change takes place and the

mantle gives way to the core. Some seismic waves cannot pass through the core and

others are bent by it. From this and other evidence, geologists conclude that the outer

(20)core is probably liquid, with a solid center. It is almost certainly made of iron, mixed

with smaller amounts of other elements such as nickel.

The conditions in the Earth's core make it a far more alien world than space. Its

solid iron heart is subjected to unimaginable pressure and has a temperature of about

9.000°F. Although scientists can speculate about its nature, neither humans nor

machines will ever be able to visit it.

1.The word "conflicting" in line 2 is closest in meaning to

(A) controlling

(B) outdated

(C) opposing

(D) important

2.What is today's richest source of informa- tion about the Earth's interior for geologis- ts?

(A) Boreholes

(B) Shells

(C) Seismic waves

(D) Mines

3.The word "There" in line 12 refers to the

(A) mantle

(B) crust

(C) seabed

(D) Earth's center

4.Which of the following is a primary characteristic of the Earth's mantle?

(A) Light, solid rock

(B) Uniformity of composition

(C) Dramatically increasing pressure

(D) Compressed, incandescent gas

5.The phrase "gives way to" in line 18 is closest in meaning to

(A) runs along

(B) rubs against

(C) turns into

(D) floats on

6.The word "it" in line 19 refers to

(A) mantle

(B) core

(C) change

(D) depth

7.Why does the author state in line 22 that the Earth's core is "more alien" than space?

(A) Government funds are not available to study the Earth's core.

(B) Scientists aren't interested in the characteristics of the Earth's core.

(C) It is impossible to go to the Earth's core to do research.

(D) The Earth's core is made of elements that are

8.The word "speculate" in line 24 is closest in meaning to

(A) report

(B) learn

(C) worry

(D) hypothesize

Passage 2

The ocean bottom ---- a region nearly 2.5 times greater than the total land area of the

Earth ---- is a vast frontier that even today is largely unexplored and uncharted. Until

about a century ago, the deep-ocean floor was completely inaccessible, hidden beneath

waters averaging over 3,600 meters deep. Totally without light and subjected to intense

(5) pressures hundreds of times greater than at the Earth's surface, the deep-ocean bottom

is a hostile environment to humans, in some ways as forbidding and remote as the void

of outer space.

Although researchers have taken samples of deep-ocean rocks and sediments for

over a century, the first detailed global investigation of the ocean bottom did not

(10)actually start until 1968, with the beginning of the National Science Foundation's Deep

Sea Drilling Project (DSDP). Using techniques first developed for the offshore oil and

gas industry. the DSDP's drill ship, the Glomar Challenger, was able to maintain a

steady position on the ocean's surface and drill in very deep waters, extracting samples

of sediments and rock from the ocean floor.

(15) The Glomar Challenger completed 96 voyages in a 15-year research program that

ended in November 1983. During this time, the vessel logged 600,000 kilometers and

took almost 20,000 core samples of seabed sediments and rocks at 624 drilling sites

around the world. The Glomar Challenger's core samples have allowed geologists

to reconstruct what the planet looked like hundreds of millions of years ago and to

(20)calculate what it will probably look like millions of years in the future. Today, largely

on the strength of evidence gathered during the Glomar Challenger's voyages, nearly

all earth scientists agree on the theories of plate tectonics and continental drift that

explain many of the geological processes that shape the Earth.

The cores of sediment drilled by the Glomar Challenger have also yielded

(25)information critical to understanding the world's past climates. Deep-ocean sediments

provide a climatic record stretching back hundreds of millions of years, because they

are largely isolated from the mechanical erosion and the intense chemical and biological

activity that rapidly destroy much land-based evidence of past climates. This record has

already provided insights into the patterns and causes of past climatic change---

information that may be used to predict future climates.

1.The author mentions outer space in line 7 because

(A) the Earth's climate millions of years ago was similar to conditions in outer space

(B) it is similar to the ocean floor in being alien to the human environment

(C) rock formations in outer space are similar to those found on the ocean floor

(D) techniques used by scientists to explore outer space were similar to those used in ocean exploration

Passage 3

Despite the road improvements of the turnpike era (1790-1830), Americans

continued as in colonial times to depend wherever possible on water routes for travel

and transportation. The larger rivers, especially the Mississippi and the Ohio, became

Line increasingly useful as steamboats grew in number and improved in design.

(5) River boats carried to New Orleans the corn and other crops of northwestern

farmers, the cotton and tobacco of southwestern planters. From New Orleans, ships

took the cargoes on to eastern seaports. Neither the farmers of the west nor the

merchants of the east were completely satisfied with this pattern of trade. Farmers

could get better prices for their crops if the alternative existed of sending them directly

(10)eastward to market, and merchants could sell larger quantities of their manufactured

goods if these could be transported more directly and more economically to the west.

New waterways were needed. Sectional jealousies and constitutional scruples stood

in the way of action by the federal government, and necessary expenditures were too

great for private enterprise. If extensive canals were to be dug, the job would be up to

(15)the various states.

New York was the first to act. It had the natural advantage of a comparatively level

route between the Hudson River and Lake Erie, through the only break in the entire

Appalachian Mountain chain. Yet the engineering tasks were imposing. The distance

was more than 350 miles, and there were ridges to cross and a wilderness of woods and

(20)swamps to penetrate. The Erie Canal, begun in 1817 and completed in 1825, was by far

the greatest construction job that Americans had ever undertaken. It quickly proved a

financial success as well. The prosperity of the Erie encouraged the state to enlarge its

canal system by building several branches.

(20) The range of the New York canal system was still further extended when the states

of Ohio and Indiana, inspired by the success of the Erie Canal, provided water

connections between Lake Erie and the Ohio River.

9.What does the passage suggest was the principal route for transporting crops to the east prior to 1825?

(A) River to road

(B) Canal to river

(C) River to ocean

(D) Road to canal

10.It can be inferred from the passage that shipping cargo east by way of New Orleans was

(A) advantageous for manufacturers

(B) inexpensive for merchants

(C) not economical for farmers

(D) considered economical by the government

11.The word "alternative" in line 9 is closest in meaning to

(A) option

(B) transition

(C) intention

(D) authorization

12.The word "them" in line 9 refers to

(A) crops

(B) farmers

(C) prices

(D) merchants

13.Which of the following products would a northwestern farmer in the early nineteenth century be most likely to purchase from the east?

(A) Grain

(B) Vegetables

(C) Textiles

(D) Fruit

14.According to the passage, where was the Erie Canal located?

(A) Between Ohio and Indiana

(B) Along the Appalachian Mountains

(C) Between Lake Erie and the Ohio River

(D) Across New York State

15.The word "imposing" in line 18 could best be replaced by

(A) impractical

(B) successful

(C) demanding

(D) misleading

16.The word "penetrate" in line 20 is closest in meaning to

(A) cut down

(B) go through

(C) fill up

(D) take over

17.The word "its" in line 22 refers to

(A) prosperity

(B) Erie

(C) system

(D) state

18.The word "extended" in line 24 is closest in meaning to

(A) increased

(B) constructed

(C) deepened

(D) measured

19.According to the passage, Indiana and Ohio supported the development of the New York canal system by

(A) helping to build the Erie Canal

(B) building branches to connect it with the Ohio River

(C) providing much of the water for the Erie Canal

(D) contributing financially to the construction costs

20.What does the paragraph following the passage probably discuss?

(A) Industry on Lake Erie

(B) Canals in Ohio and Indiana

(C) Sectional jealousies in Indiana and Ohio

(D) Travel on the Erie Canal4.

Passage 4

Legend has it that sometime toward the end of the Civil War (1861-1865) a

government train carrying oxen traveling through the northern plains of eastern

Wyoming was caught in a snowstorm and had to be abandoned. The driver returned the

Line next spring to see what had become of his cargo. Instead of the skeletons he had

(5) expected to find, he saw his oxen, living, fat, and healthy. How had they survived?

The answer lay in a resource that unknowing Americans had trampled underfoot in

their haste to cross the "Great American Desert" to reach lands that sometimes proved

barren. In the eastern parts of the United States, the preferred grass for forage was a

cultivated plant. It grew well with enough rain, then when cut and stored it would cure

(10)and become nourishing hay for winter feed. But in the dry grazing lands of the West,

that familiar blue joint grass was often killed by drought. To raise cattle out there

seemed risky or even hopeless.

Who could imagine a fairy-tale grass that required no rain and somehow made it

possible for cattle to feed themselves all winter? But the surprising western wild

(15)grasses did just that. They had wonderfully convenient features that made them

superior to the cultivated eastern grasses. Variously known as buffalo grass, grama

grass, or mesquite grass, not only were they immune to drought; but they were actually

preserved by the lack of summer and autumn rains. They were not juicy like the

cultivated eastern grasses, but had short, hard stems. And they did not need to be cured

(20)in a barn, but dried right where they grew on the ground. When they dried in this way,

they remained naturally sweet and nourishing through the winter. Cattle left outdoors

to fend for themselves thrived on this hay. And the cattle themselves helped plant the

fresh grass year after year, for they trampled the natural seeds firmly into the soil to be

watered by the melting snows of winter and the occasional rains of spring. The dry

(25)summer air cured them, much as storing in a barn cured the cultivated grasses.

21.What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) Western migration after the Civil War

(B) The climate of the western United States

(C) The raising of cattle

(D) A type of wild vegetation

22.What can be inferred by the phrase "Legend has it" in line 1?

(A) The story of the train may not be completely factual.

(B) Most history books include the story of the train.

(C) The driver of the train invented the story.

(D) The story of the train is similar to other ones from that time period.

23.The word "they" in line 5 refers to

(A) plains

(B) skeletons

(C) oxen

(D) Americans

24.What can be inferred about the "Great American Desert" mentioned in line 7?

(A) It was not originally assumed to be a fertile area.

(B) Many had settled there by the 1860's.

(C) It was a popular place to raise cattle before the Civil War.

(D) It was not discovered until the late 1800's.

25.The word "barren" in line 8 is closest in meaning to

(A) lonely

(B) dangerous

(C) uncomfortable

(D) infertile

26.The word "preferred" in line 8 is closest in meaning to

(A) ordinary

(B) available

(C) required

(D) favored

27.Which of the following can be inferred about the cultivated grass mentioned in the second paragraph?

(A) Cattle raised in the western United States refused to eat it.

(B) It would probably not grow in the western United States.

(C) It had to be imported into the United States.

(D) It was difficult for cattle to digest.

28.Which of the following was NOT one of the names given to the Western grasses?

(A) Grama grass

(B) Bluejoint grass

(C) Buffalo grass

(D) Mesquite grass

29.Which of the following was NOT mentioned as a characteristic of western grasses?

(A) They have tough stems

(B) They are not affected by dry weather

(C) They can be grown indoors.

(D) They contain little moisture.

30.The word "hard" in line 19 is closest in meaning to

(A) firm

(B) severe

(C) difficult

(D) bitter

31.According to the passage, the cattle helped promote the growth of the wild grasses by

(A) stepping on and pressing the seeds into the ground

(B) naturally fertilizing the soil

(C) continually moving from one grazing area to another

(D) eating only small quantities of grass

Passage 5(没讲)

Certainly no creature in the sea is odder than the common sea cucumber. All living creature, especially human beings, have their peculiarities, but everything about the little sea cucumber seems unusual. What else can be said about a bizarre animal that, Line among other eccentricities, eats mud, feeds almost continuously day and night but can live without eating for long periods, and can be poisonous but is considered supremely edible by gourmets?

For some fifty million years, despite all its eccentricities, the sea cucumber has subsisted on its diet of mud. It is adaptable enough to live attached to rocks by its tube feet, under rocks in shallow water, or on the surface of mud flats. Common in cool water on both Atlantic and Pacific shores, it has the ability to suck up mud or sand and digest whatever nutrients are present.

Sea cucumbers come in a variety of colors, ranging from black to reddish-brown to sand-color and nearly white. One form even has vivid purple tentacles. Usually the creatures are cucumber-shaped-hence their name-and because they are typically rock inhabitants, this shape, combined with flexibility, enables them to squeeze into crevices where they are safe from predators and ocean currents.

Although they have voracious appetites, eating day and night, sea cucumbers have the capacity to become quiescent and live at a low metabolic rate--feeding sparingly or not at all for long periods, so that the marine organisms that provide their food have a chance to multiply. If it were not for this faculty, they would devour all the food available in a short time and would probably starve themselves out of existence.

But the most spectacular thing about the sea cucumber is the way it defends itself. Its major enemies are fish and crabs, when attacked, it squirts all its internal organs into the water. It also casts off attached structures such as tentacles. The sea cucumber

will eviscerate and regenerate itself if it is attacked or even touched; it will do the same if the surrounding water temperature is too high or if the water becomes too polluted.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The reason for the sea cucumber's name

(B) What makes the sea cucumber unusual

(C) How to identify the sea cucumber

(D) Places where the sea cucumber can be found

2. In line 3, the word "bizarre" is closest in meaning to

(A) odd

(B) marine

(C) simple

(D) rare

3. According to the Passage, why is the shape of sea cucumbers important?

(A) It helps them to digest their food.

(B) It helps them to protect themselves from danger.

(C) It makes it easier for them to move through the mud.

(D) It makes them attractive to fish.

4. The words "this faculty" in line 20 refer to the sea cucumber's ability to

(A) squeeze into crevices

(B) devour all available food in a short time

(C) suck up mud or sand

(D) live at a low metabolic rate

5. The fourth paragraph of the passage primarily discusses

(A) the reproduction of sea cucumbers

(B) the food sources of sea cucumbers

(C) the eating habits of sea cucumbers

(D) threats to sea cucumbers' existence

6. The phrase "casts off" in line 24 is closest in meaning to

(A) grows again

(B) grabs

(C) gets rid of

(D) uses as a weapon

7. Of all the characteristics of the sea cucumber, which of the following seems to fascinate the author most?

(A) What it does when threatened

(B) Where it lives

(C) How it hides from predators

(D) What it eats

8. Compared with other sea creatures the sea cucumber is very

(A) dangerous

(B) intelligent

(C) strange

(D) fat

9. What can be inferred about the defense mechanisms of the sea cucumber?

(A) They are very sensitive to surrounding stimuli.

(B) They are almost useless.

(C) They require group cooperation.

(D) They are similar to those of most sea creatures.

10. Which of the following would NOT cause a sea cucumber to release its internal organs into the water?

(A) A touch

(B) Food

(C) Unusually warm water

(D) Pollution

11. Which of the following is an example of behavior comparable with the sea cucumber living at a low metabolic rate?

(A) An octopus defending itself with its tentacles

(B) A bear hibernating in the winter

(C) A pig eating constantly

(D) A parasite living on its host's blood

KEYS:

Example one: BABDC CACAB B

Example two:

Example three:

Passage 1: CCACC BCD

Passage 2: B

Passage 3: CCAAC DCBDA BB

Passage 4: DACAD DBBCA A

Passage 5: BABDC CACAB B