Task 1: Reading Comprehension part 1

Reading for No. 1-10

The Stone Age was a period of history which began in approximately 2 million B.C. and lasted until 3000 B.C. Its the stone tools and weapons that modern scientists found. This period was divided into the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic Ages. During the first period (2 million to 8000 B.C.), the first hatchet and use of fire for heating and cooking were developed. As a result of the Ice Age, which evolved about 1 million years into the Paleolithic Age, people were forced to seek shelter in caves name was derived from wear clothing, and develop new tools. During the Mesolithic Age (8000 to 6000 B.C.), people made crude pottery and the first fish hooks, took dog hunting, and developed the bow and arrow, which were used until the fourteenth century A.D. The Neolithic Age (6000 to 3000 B.c) saw humankind domesticating sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle, nomadic than in previous eras, settlements, and creating governments.

1.      Into how many periods was the Stone Age divided?

a.      2

b.     3

c.      4

d.      5

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

a.      Originated

b.      Destroyed

c.      Hallucinated

d.      Discussed

3.      Which of the following was developed earliest?

a.      Fish hook

b.     Hatchet

c.      Bow and arrow

d.      Pottery

4.       Which of the following developments is NOT related to the conditions of the Ice Age?

a.      Farming

b.      Clothing

c.      Living indoors

d.      Using fire

5.      The word "crude" in line 12 is closest in meaning to

a.      Extravagant

b.      Complex

c.      Vulgar

d.     Primitive

6.      The author states that the Stone Age was so named because

a.      it was very durable like stone

b.     the tools and weapons were made of stone

c.      there was little vegetation

d.      the people lived in stone caves

7.      In line 17, “nomadic" is closest in meaning to

a.      Sedentary

b.     Wandering

c.      Primitive

d.      Inquisitive

8.      With what subject is the passage mainly concerned?

a.      The Neolithic Age

b.      The Paleolithic Age

c.      The Stone Age

d.      The Ice Age

9.      Which of the following best describes the Mesolithic Age?

a.      People were inventive.

b.      People stayed indoors all the time.

c.      People were warriors.

d.      People were crude.

10.   In line 17, the word "eras" is closest in meaning to

a.      Periods

b.     Families

c.      Herds

d.      Tools

Reading for No. 11-23

Hot boning is an energy-saving technique processing industry. It has received si recent years when increased pressure for energi conservation has accentuated the need for more efficient for methods of processing the bovine carcass. Cooling an entire carcass requires a considerable amount of refrigerated space, Since bone and trimmable fat are cooled along with the muscle. It is also necessary to space the carcasses adequately in refrigerated room for better air movement and prevention. of microbial contamination, thus adding to the volume requirements for carcass chillers. Conventional handling of meat involves holding the beef sides in the cooler for 24 to 36 hours before boning. Chiling in the traditional fashion is also associated with a loss of carcass weight ranging from 2 percent to 4 percent due to evaporation of moisture from the meat tissue. Early excision, or hot bonning, of muscle prerigor followed by vacuum packaging has several potential advantages. By removing only the edible muscle and fat prerigor, refrigeration space and costs are minimized, boning labor is decresed and storage yields increased. Because hot boning often results in the toughening of meat, a more recent approach, hot boning following electrical stimulation,has been used to reduce the necessary time of rigor mortis. Some researchers have found this method beneficial in maintaining tender meat, while others have found that the meat also becomes tough after electrical stimulation.

11.   The word "accentuated" in line 4 is closest in meaning to

a.      de-emphasized

b.      speeded up

c.      caused

d.      highlighted

12.   All of the following are mentioned as drawbacks of the conventional method of boning EXCEPT

a.      Storage space requirements

b.      Energy waste

c.      Loss of carcass weight

d.     Toughness of meat

13.   In line 3, the word "pressure" is nearest in meaning to

a.      Urgency

b.      Weight

c.      Flavor

d.      cooking texture

14.   Hot boning is becoming very popular because

a.      it causes meat to be very tender

b.     it helps conserve energy and is less expensive than conventional methods

c.      meat tastes better when the bone is adequately seared along with the meat

d.      it reduces the weight of the carcass

15.   In line 11, "carcass chiller" is nearest in meaning to

a.      a refrigerator for the animal body

b.      a method of boning meat

c.      electrical stimulation of beef

d.      early excision

16.   In line 17, “early excision" is closest in meaning to

a.      vacuum packaging

b.     hot boning

c.      carcass chilling

d.      electrical stimulation

17.   The toughening of meat during hot boning has been commited by

a.      following hot boning with electrical stimulatio

b.      tenderizing the meat

c.      using electrical stimulation before hot boning

d.      removing only the edible muscle and fat prerigor

18.   The word "bovine" in line 5 is nearest in meaning to

a.      Cold

b.      electrically stimulated

c.      beef

d.      pork

19.   The word "this" in line 25 refers to

a.      hot boning

b.     hot boning following electrical stimulation

c.      rigor mortis

d.      removing edible muscle and fat prerigor

20.   In line 5, the word "carcass" is closest in meaning to

a.      Refrigerator

b.     Body

c.      deboned meat

d.      fat

21.   The word "considerable" in line 6 is closest in meaning to

a.      frigid

b.      kind

c.      lesser

d.     substantial

22.   One reason it is recommended to remove bones before refrigerating is that

a.      it makes the meat more tender

b.      the bones are able to be used for other purposes

c.      it increases chilling time

d.     it saves cooling space by not refrigerating parts that will be discarded

23.   The word "trimmable" in line 7 is nearest in meaning to

a.      Unsaturated

b.     Removable

c.      Unhealthy

d.      Chillable

Reading for No. 24-25

In 1920, after some thirty-nine years of problems withdisease, high costs, and politics, the Panama Canal was offiially opened, finally linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by allowing ships to pass through the fifty-mile canal. Zone instead of traveling some seven thousand miles around Cape Horn. It takes a ship approximately eight hours to complete the trip through the canal and costs an average of fifteen thousand dollars, one tenth of what it would cost an average ship to round the Horn. More than fifteen thousand. Ships pass through its locks each year. The French initiated the project but sold their rights to the United States, which actually began the construction of the project. The latter will control it until the end of the twentieth century when Panama takes over its duties.

24.   Who currently controls the Panama Canal?

a.      France

b.     United States

c.      Panama

d.      Canal Zone

25.   The word "locks" in line 10 is closest in meaning to

a.      Securities

b.      Latches

c.      Lakes

d.     canal gates

Source:

Micheal A. Pyle, M.A. dan Mary Ellen Munoz Page, M.A. 2005. CLIFFS TOELF PREPARATION GUIDE( TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE). Editor: Jerry Bobrow, Ph.D WILEY Dreamtech India pvt. Ltd.