Contents / Page
I. Reading comprehension
  1. Main idea
  2. Word meaning
  3. Part of speech
II. Reading comprehension
  1. Definitions
  2. Multiplechoice
  3. Part of speech
  4. Short answer
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Identification
  1. Subjectpronouns
  2. Parts of speech
  3. Subjectobjectpronouns
  4. Possessivepronouns
  5. Topics in paragraphs
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Short answer
  1. Exercise 1
  2. Exercise 2
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Passage #1
  1. Word meaning
  2. Parts of speech
  3. Answer questions
Passage #2
  1. Multiple choice
  2. Subject & pronoun
Passage #3
  1. Words & meaning
  2. Correct answer
  3. Complete sentences
  4. Part of speech
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Table Analysis
  1. Canada: Top non-official languages
  2. Top occupations among women in Canada
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* Check the correct answers at the bottom of every page.

  1. Read the following passage carefully. Then answer the given exercises.

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STRING INSTRUMENTS / WOODWIND INSTRUMENTS

A. Write the number of each paragraph next to its main idea.

_____ / a. / This paragraph describes music that can change your mood.
_____ / b. / This paragraph describes music that affects people´s energy level.
_____ / c. / This paragraph describes why music is important in people´s lives.
_____ / d. / This paragraph describes music that can help people with stress.

B.Find the underlined words in the reading. Circle the meaning by choosing one of the words in boldfaced.

1. / When you beat a bad mood, your bad mood starts /stops. / Paragraph 1
2. / When you feel rejuvenated, you feel more tired / energetic. / Paragraphs 1 and 4
3. / When you boost energy, you have more/less energy. / Paragraph 2
4. / When you tackle something, you deal with something easy/difficult. / Paragraph 3
5. / If you screen music out, you listen /do not pay attention to it. / Paragraph 3
6. / Serene music is loud and fast/ peaceful and calm. / Paragraph 4
7. / A ballad is a slow love song /fast dance song. / Paragraph 4

C.Check  the part of speech for the underlined words in the following sentences.

Sentence / Noun / Verb / Adjective
  1. Music can have a strong effect on your emotions.

  1. Take advantage of this power of music.

  1. Music can change your mood.

  1. Start with something serene and relaxing.

  1. To cheer up, listen to Latin music or anything with accented beats.


  1. Read the following passage carefully. Then answer the given exercises.

1 / What’s so good about the information age?
Shop for new shoes. Buy groceries. Stop by library and look up N.Y. Times article for work. Pick up this week´s People magazine at newsstand. Go to video store and rent movie for tonight. See travel agent about plane tickets to Denver. Stop by box office and pick up tickets for baseball game. Call Mom.
2 / If your daily “List of Things to Do” makes your head spin, then you´ll be happy to know that relief is in sight. In the near future, time will be on your side when the “information highway” runs directly through your home and makes running errands almost obsolete.
3 / How is this possible? By combining the technologies of computers, telephones and television and then finding new methods of storing and transmitting data, an “electronic superhighway” will transport an infinite amount of information to every home. Videophones will allow users to see the person they are calling and to receive information such as a train schedule, a list of local shoe stores, or even an article from yesterday´s newspaper.
4 / Home computers plugged into phone lines will become powerful tools of knowledge because they will be connected to libraries, universities, and major research facilities. A doctor will have easy access to information about a rare disease. An engineer will be able to locate the latest facts on how to make a building earthquake safe. Parents will have the opportunity to learn about child care. A home gardener will find out how plant a new rose bush. From the vitally important to the most common, the “superhighway” will carry it all.
5 / Computerized, or “smart”, TVs and new satellite systems will change the face of television as we know it. Instead of a handful of programs, as many as 550 channels will be available. Home shopping programs will allow viewers to shop for everything from a boat to a loaf of bread. Travel services, weather reports, video games, financial services, art courses, and French lessons will all be available at the touch of a button.
6 / An astonishing variety of programming will be offered –more news, documentaries, and educational programs, as well as sports, old and new television shows, and movies. The TV guide will be the size of a telephone book! Well, not really, because that will be on television too. People will look at the list and make their selections, from an old movie like Casablanca to a new released action film, or they might choose a service such as shopping, vacation planning, banking, or bill paying. The possibilities are almost endless.
7 / This new technology will be the greatest invention since the printing press. Just as the printing press made books available to the masses, the “superhighway” will open up a whole new world of knowledge to the public. If someone wants to know how to fix a leaky pipe, cook a chicken, invest money, or paint a watercolor picture, the answers to those questions, as well as information on an infinite variety of other subjects, will be available to viewers right in their homes.
8 / Meanwhile, the time saved for not having to travel from one place to another for information, goods, and services will be available for rest, recreation, and education. When the “superhighway” is running, it will greatly improve the quality of life. The world will certainly become a more interesting, if not, a much better, place to live.
Taken from: Broukal, Milada (1994). “Weaving It Together” (Book 3). Heinle and Heinle Publishers: USA.
  1. Complete the definitions with a word or phrase from the box. Options cannot be repeated.

running errands / transmitting / plugged into / access / printing press
obsolete / infinite / facilities / vitally / masses
1 / The machine that puts words on paper for newspaper and books is the ______.
2 / When you have a list of things to do downtown San Jose (or elsewhere) and you go there to take care of them, you are______.
3 / Crowds composed of big groups of people constitute the ______.
4 / Something that is not longer useful is ______.
5 / Sending a signal by TV cable or electricity, from a place to another is ______.
6 / Something ______is so great or numerous it seems to be without end.
7 / Something ______important is of the greatest necessity.
8 / When you have the opportunity to enter to a place, it means you have ______.
9 / ______are built and established for a particular purpose, such as training and education.
10 / When an electrical piece of equipment is connected to an electrical power point, it is
______.
  1. Based on the reading What´s so good about the information age?, put an “x” on the letter with the correct answer.

1)The “electronic superhighway” will ______

a)not affect the general population

b)carry an infinite variety of information

c)be useful only to libraries and universities

2)The most important advantage of the “electronic superhighway” is that people will ______

a)get more news programs

b)learn how to invest money

c)have the greatest access to information

3)“Smart” TVs will ______

a)require a TV guide the size of a telephone book

b)educate instead of entertain

c)offer an amazing choice of programs

  1. Check  the part of speech for the underlined words in the following sentences.

Sentence / Noun / Verb / Adjec- tive / Adverb / Prepo- sition
  1. Video phones will allow users to see the person they are calling.

  1. All will be available at the touch of a button.

  1. An astonishing variety of programming will be offered.

  1. From an old movie to a newly released action film.

  1. Go to video store and rent movie for tonight.

  1. Based on the reading “What´s So Good about the Information Age?”, answer the following questions using short answers. (7 pts total)

1)Which technologies are combined to make the “superhighway” run through homes? (3 pts/ 1 pt each technology)

a) ______

b) ______

c) ______

2)Why will home computers become powerful tools of knowledge? (1 point)

______

______

3)Name three types of services people can get from the “superhighway”?

(3 pts/ 1 pt per service)

a) ______

b) ______

c) ______


  1. Write the subject that the pronoun refers to in the given space. The pronouns are underlined.

1. / Music is strange stuff. It is clearly different from language. ______
2. / Colors are not only a mirror of ourselves, but theyhave an effect on us as well. ______
3. / Gordon Parks, who was a famous photographer, honored author, composer, and painter, was born in Kansas in 1912. He was the youngest of fifteen children. ______
4. / Several store owners were so impressed by his photographs that theyagreed to display them in their store windows. ______
5. / My mother and I took a course together last quarter. We spent a really great time. ______
6. / Because shopping is so enjoyable and convenient, itcan be addictive. ______
7. / The British also like to be formal and dignified when theyserve tea. ______
8. / The Shakers were a peaceful sect that welcomed people of all races. They were against war and lived in their own villages. ______
9. / Many people consider bicycles better than cars because they do not cause pollution. ______
10. / Color is used symbolically in all cultures and itplays an important role in ceremonies and festivities. ______

B. Classify the underlined words into: noun// article// adjective// conjunction// in the given space. Options can be repeated. (5 points, 1 pt/ each)

1. / A pessimistic person feels worse than an optimistic one. / ______
2. / Chocolate has a relaxing effect. / ______
3. / Survival activities of our ancestors such as fishing, hunting, and gardening are now considered recreational. / ______
4. / Luis and his sister are eating oranges. / ______
5. / The pleasure of eating healthy food may make you feel better. / ______

C. Write the subject that the object pronounrefers to in the given space. The object pronouns are underlined.

1 / We couldn´t cancel the order because they had already sent it. / ______
2 / The engineer wasn´t in his office because somebody had called himbefore. / ______
3 / Pedicabs are small cabs pulled by a bicycle, and a local businessman from Denver bought four of them. / ______
4 / Communication is also possible among bees through their sense of smell. If an outsider tries to enter to a hive (the bee colony´s home), the bees of that colony will smell itand attack it. / ______
5 / The body also needs fat and a person can find itin foods such as butter, nuts and fat meat. / ______
6 / Basketball teams in the United States are owned by people who view themas big business. / ______
7 / A wild female panda bear never left her baby for 25 days and she licked the baby constantly to keep itclean. / ______
8 / Minerals and vitamins are necessary for the body to work and people can get themfrom nuts, milk and vegetables. / ______
9 / The students and I were there all day long. It was exhausting for all of us. / ______
10 / Many years ago, Alicia Machado became Miss Universe. It was an honor for her to become a model for other women. / ______

D. Write down the appropriate possessive pronoun from the box, in the space provided. One option is repeated. (8 points, 1 pteach correct answer)

her / my / its / your / our / his / their
  1. I can´t find ______diary. I left it at home.
  1. Miss Willis wants to speak to you. ______phone number is 220 8766.
  1. Customer: I´d like to speak to the Marketing Manager, please?

Receptionist: May I have ______name, please?

  1. Arthur Hill is the new Production Manager. ______extension number is 8768.
  1. The printer is not working properly. I think ______cord is damaged.
  1. Tom is leaving for Paris tomorrow morning. ______flight number is 915.
  1. The Japanese executives will arrive on Tuesday. ______office is not ready yet.
  1. Mrs. Allen and I are in Vienna on business. ______hotel is on Moss Street.
  1. Read each paragraph. Decide which topic is the best, by placing an “x” on the correct letter.

1 / Elephants are the largest land animals in the world. Whales are the largest sea animals. These two huge animals may, in fact, be related. Biologists now believe that the ancestors of elephants once lived in the sea. There is plenty of evidence to support this idea. For example, the shape of an elephant´s head is similar to a whale´s. Also, elephants are excellent swimmers. Some have chosen to swim for food to islands up to 300 miles from shore. Like the whale, the elephant, too, uses sounds to show anger or for other kinds of communication. Finally, in certain ways, female elephants behave much like female whales. When an elephant or a whale baby is born, a female friend stays nearby to help the mother.

The best topic for the previous paragraph is:

a)How elephants are good swimmers

b)The largest animals in the world

c)How elephants and whales are alike

2 / People usually build their houses out of the materials that are easy available to them. In some areas, most people build their homes out of wood. This is true in parts of North America and in Scandinavia. These areas have large forests, so wood is easy to get and inexpensive. In many other areas of Europe, there are few forests left. Stone and brick are cheaper, so most people build their houses of these materials. In tropical regions, houses are sometimes made from plants that grow there. For example, in parts of Africa or Asia, houses may be made out of bamboo. Finally, in the very coldest areas near the Arctic, people make their homes out of blocks of ice.

The best topic for the previous paragraph is:

a)Materials used for houses

b)The wooden houses of Scandinavia

c)Houses around the world

3 / Houses in hot countries have many features that are different from houses in cold countries. Houses in hot countries usually have thick walls and small windows to keep out the heat. In colder climates and darker regions, however, people do not have to worry about too much sun and heat. The houses therefore have larger windows to let in the sunlight. Another difference is that houses in hot climates usually have an outdoor living area –a terrace, courtyard, or porch. In colder climates, of course, people spend less time outdoors, so houses often do not have such areas.

The best topic for the previous paragraph is:

a)The architecture of houses

b)Houses in hot and cold countries

c)Houses with small windows

Look at the following pie charts (Exercise 1) and table (Exercise 2) carefully. Then complete the exercises.

Changes in the Average US Diet, 1990 and 2005.

A. Based on the previous pie charts, answer in short form the following questions in the space provided.

1. / Which was the most consumed nutritious element in the US in 1990? / ______
2. / Which was the least consumed nutritious element in the US in 1990? / ______
3. / Which was the most common nutritious element in the US diet in 2005? / ______
4. / Which is the name of the element that did not change in both years? / ______
5. / Name the two nutritious elements that decreased in terms of consumption in 2005. / ______
______
Sport / Number of sports injuries / % of sports injuries / % admitted to Hospital / % of injuries during competition or practice
Australian football / 10,122 / 24.5 / 7.5 / 83
Soccer / 3777 / 9.2 / 7.1 / 84
Rugby / 3636 / 8.8 / 10.9 / 95
Cricket / 3408 / 8.3 / 5.4 / 83
Basketball / 3228 / 7.8 / 4.1 / 83
Netball / 3098 / 7.5 / 2.5 / 95
Hockey / 1219 / 3.0 / 3.2 / 95
Martial Arts / 882 / 2.1 / 5.6 / 71
Squash / 787 / 1.9 / 6.4 / 91
Volleyball / 776 / 1.9 / 2.2 / 79

Taken from:

C.Based on the previous table, answer in short form the following questions.

1)How many sports are considered in the table? ______

2)Which is the sport where injuries are more common? ______

3)What is the name of the sport where injuries are less common? ______

4)Name the sport where a higher percentage is admitted to the hospital for injuries. ______

5)Name of the sport where injuries have a low percentage during competition or practice ______

6)Name the two sports where the percentage of sport injuries is very low.

______and ______

7)Which is the most dangerous sport (according to the table)? ______

Passage #1

Part I.

A. What is the meaning of the underlined word? Circle the letter with the correct answer.

1)There is more than one approach to healing and many ways to practice medicine.

a)idea / b)way of doing / c)discussion

2)Modern medicine treats the body as if it were a machine made up of many parts that can break down independently.

a)slowly / b)separately / c)together

3)A headache may be treated with massage to relieve the tension causing the headache.

a)stop / b)replace / c)decrease

4)A massage relaxes the body and relieves the tension that is causing the headaches.

a)tightness / b)anger / c)problem

5)Medical practices that do not depend on surgery and pharmaceutical drugs are called alternative forms of medicine.

a)manners / b)habits / c)methods

6)Some forms of alternative medicine are more highly respectedthan others.

a)admired / b)controlled / c)required

7)Acupuncture has been proved to be a very effective remedy for chronicpain.

a)serious / b)changing / c)continual

8)Treatments that are unconventional have gained much prestige and attention.

a)use / b)importance / c)profit

9)Some turn to alternative medicine out of curiosity, others out of desperation.

a)hopelessness / b)careful thought / c)lack of ability

10)One medical technique can complement another.

a)add to / b)stay with / c)take from

B.Check  the part of the speech for the boldfaced words. (10 pts, 1/pt each correct answer)

Noun / Verb / Adjective
1)Treatment usually consists of trying to repair…
2)Doctors believe the parts of the body are interconnected…
3)Modern scientists laughed at herbal healers…
4)Homeopathy treats disease by giving a patient tiny amounts of a remedy…
5)Amazing results have come from the use of biofeedback…
6)A patient can learn to control muscle tension…
7)Researchers study alternative forms of medicine.
8)People with back and muscle pains have gone to chiropractors for years.
9)Investigators have been unable to find cures on several diseases.
10)Some people turn to alternative medicine because of curiosity.

C. Scan the passage quickly to answer to these questions. Writecompleteanswers.