Passage 1

Saving energy means saving money. Homeowners and renters know this basic fact, but they often don’t know what kinds of adjustments they can make in their homes and apartments that will result in savings.
For those willing to spend some time and money to reap long- term energy savings, an energy audit is the way to go. An energy auditor will come into your home and assess its energy efficiency. The auditor will pinpoint areas of your home that use the most energy and offer solutions to lower your energy use and costs. Trained energy auditors know what to look for and can locate a variety of flaws that may be resulting in energy inefficiency including inadequate insulation, construction flaws and uneven heat distribution.
There are quicker and less costly measures that can be taken as well. One way to save money is to replace old appliances, it’s wise to spend a bit more for an energy – efficient model, and be sure that you are taking advantage of energy –saving settings already on your current refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine, or dryer.
Windows provide another opportunity to cut your energy costs. The old windows that might be leaky to prevent drafts, and choose double –paned windows if you are building an addition or replacing old windows.Most areas of your home or apartment offer opportunities to save energy and money. The results are significant and are well worth the effort.

1. Which one of the organizational schemes can be identified in this passage?

2. Which of the following ideas is not included in this passage?

3. Which of the following best expressed the main idea of this passage?

4. According to the passage, which of the following would an energy auditor NOT do?

5. According the passage, double –paned windows…….

Passage 2

No one knew what caused the often-deadly yellow fever, but it occurred in epidemic proportions, with one person after another in a given area becoming sick. People feared the mysterious disease, until U.S. Army physician James Carroll endangered his own health in the name of science. On August 27, 1900, Carroll allowed an infected mosquito to feed on him. He developed a severe case of yellow fever but helped his colleague, Walter Reed,  prove that mosquitoes transmitted the feared disease.

Prior to this experiment, epidemics of yellow fever were common in the American South. Not knowing how the disease was transmitted, many people would leave the South for the summer, when epidemics were most common. In an 1888 yellow fever epidemic in Jacksonville, Florida, terrified citizens packed themselves onto trains leaving town. Some were so panicked, they left fires burning and the doors of their houses wide open. The Mayflower Hotel, where the epidemic started, was condemned and ordered burned to the ground.

With doctors at a loss as to how to stop the spread of yellow fever, people tried all sorts of strange remedies. They burned barrels of tar in the street to disinfect the air. They sprayed sulfur and lime mixtures into homes of the infected. Assuming the disease was contagious, they isolated the sick. After Doctors Reed and Carroll’s discovery, effective ways were found to combat mosquitoes and the disease they transmitted.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

2. The expression “in the name of” in line 3 is closest in meaning to ……….. .

3. The word “his” in line 5 refers to ………. .

4. It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that the yellow fever epidemics were
most common …………. .

5. The author’s purpose in giving the example of the 1888 epidemic is to … .

6. The word ‘‘their” in line 11 refers to ……….. .

7. The expression “at a loss” in line 14 is closest in meaning to ………….. .

8. The word ‘‘remedies” in line 15 is closest in meaning to …………… .

9. Before Carroll’s discovery, people tried to control the disease using all of the following methods EXCEPT …………….. .

10. The word “they” in line 18 refers to …………….. .

Passage 3

A climax community is one that has reached the stable stage. When extensive and well defined, the climax community is called a biome. Examples are tundra, grassland, desert, and the deciduous, coniferous, and tropical rain forests. Stability is attained through a process known as succession, whereby relatively simple communities are replaced by those more complex. Thus, on a lakefront, grass may invade a build-up of sand. Humus formed by the grass then gives root to oaks and pines and lesser vegetation, which displaces the grass and forms further altered humus. That soil eventually nourishes maple and beech trees, which gradually crowd out the pines and oaks and form a climax community. In addition to trees, each successive community harbors many other life forms, with the greatest diversity populating the climax community.

The early 20th-century belief that the climax community could endure indefinitely is now rejected because climatic stability cannot be assumed over long periods of time. In addition non climatic factors, such as soil limitation, can influence the rate of development. It is clear that stable climax communities in most areas can coexist with human pressures on the ecosystem, such as deforestation, grazing, and urbanization. Polyclimax theories stress that plant development does not follow predictable outlines and that the evolution of ecosystems is subject to many variables.

1. Paragraph 1 mainly discusses how …………… .

2. The word “whereby” in line 4 refers to ………………. .

3. The word “harbors” in line 10 is closest in meaning to …………… .

4. It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that nonclimatic factors ……………. .

5. The phrase ‘‘subject to” in line 18 is closest in meaning to ……………. .

Passage 4

For thousands of years, agriculture was practiced without utilizing any artificial chemicals, such as artificial fertilizers and pesticides. The first generation of artificial fertilizers was developed during the mid-19th century. Being cheap, powerful and easy to transport in bulk, these fertilizers soon became popular amongst the farmers all around the world. In addition, similar advances in chemical pesticides in the 1940s, turned farming into a very fruitful business.
However, after nearly a few decades, the studies revealed that both artificial fertilizers and pesticides had serious long term side effects including soil compaction, erosion, and reduction in soil fertility. Furthermore, scientists were concerned about toxic chemicals entering the food supply and endangering human health.
Due to the above-mentioned problems, organic farming, as an alternative to current methods, gained a lot of attention in academic circles and soon became a widely used farming approach. For one thing, organic farming of synthetic pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, genetically modified seeds and animal breeds, as well as irrigation. Instead of artificial materials, organic farming relies on ecosystem management; meaning that even pesticides and fertilizers are derived from plants, animal wastes, and minerals. The primary aim of this method is to increase soil fertility, balance insect population, and reduce air, soil, and water pollution. Also from consumers’ perspective, this method is absolutely fruitful in terms of health related issues.

1. Which statement is NOT correct according to the passage?

2. The use of chemical materials in farming became so widespread because
they were ………….. .

3. What long term effects of artificial materials in farming were mentioned
in the passage?

4. The scientists were concerned about the chemical pesticides with respect
to human health because they could …………………..

5. The main difference between organic farming and other forms is thatorganic farming ……… .