Passage 9

The term ‘fixed star’ refers to stars whose positions do not seem to change relative to other stars. As stars are constantly moving, their patterns alter gradually, but the difference may not appear significant over a period of 50 or 70 years, because, unlike planets, stars are located at a great distance from the earth. Barnad’s star, which is considered to move the fastest among the fixed stars, requires 200 years to noticeably alter its position by a distance equal to the moon’s diameter. Compared to planets, which seem to be continuously shifting, stars appear stationary in their positions and relative distances from other bodies in a constellation. Astronomers employ spectrographs and photometers to keep track of shifting constellation. By using the spectrographs and photographs obtained over decades, scientists are able to detect changes in the proper motions of stars. By computing the differences in the spectra length, color, and shade of color, they can predict the direction of a star’s movement in the near and distant future. The classical example is the cup of the Big Dipper, which is open quite a bit more widely now than it was 40 000 years ago. According to the spectrograph-based projections, 50 000 years from now the opening will be so expansive that the constellation will no longer resemble a dipper.

1- This passage is probably taken from an article discussing

2- The author of the passage implies that stars _________ .

3- The author mentions Barnard’s star as _________ .

4- In paragraph 2, the word “stationary” is closest in meaning to _________ .

5- It can be inferred from the passage that _________ .

6- In paragraph 2, the word “detect” is closest in meaning to _________ .

7- The author of the passage implies that astronomers detect the movement of stars by _________ .

8- The author of the passage conveys which of the following about fixed stars?

Passage 10

The development of advanced radio telescopes has allowed astronomers to attempt to answer a question that has long intrigued scientists, philosophers, and laypersons alike: Do other forms of intelligent life exist elsewhere in the universe?
Although the legends of many ancient cultures hold that divine beings created the heavens and controlled such cosmic events as eclipses, the idea that other planets harbor life similar in development and intelligence to our own did not become popular until the nineteenth century, when a few scientists considered ways in which earthlings might contact other beings. One plan envisioned the building of huge canals in the desert in the shape of easily recognizable geometric symbols; when filled with gasoline and ignited, the canals would signal the presence of life on Earth to neighboring worlds. Since then, many astronomers have become seriously interested in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI. They assume that alien beings elsewhere in the galaxy will probably try to contact earthlings, using flashes of light to carry their messages. In 1960 one astronomer performed one of the first serious searches for extraterrestrial life, called Project Ozma. The astronomer turned a sensitive radio telescope in the direction of nearby stars Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani but found no transmissions that might be beacons from extraterrestrial civilizations.
Since Project Ozma, about four dozen other searches have been conducted. No one has yet received an unambiguous signal from an extraterrestrial civilization, and numerous false alarms have been caused by interference from radio-wave sources here on Earth.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, has also been involved in SETI and sought funding from the United States Congress to build a complete receiver and to undertake a ten-year search program. One half of this search plan calls for using radio telescopes in its Deep-Space Network to repeatedly scan the entire sky. The other half involves using its 1,000-foot telescope to listen to nearby stars similar to the Sun that may have Earthlike planets  orbiting around them. Although scientists realize their survey will be far from complete, they believe the search must begin with small efforts. Said one scientist: “We’re new at this business, and when you walk into a dark, unfamiliar forest, you should probably listen before you shout.”

1- What does the passage mainly discuss?

2- The word “envisioned” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _________ .

3- According to the passage, which of the following ideas first became popular in the nineteenth century?

4- According to the passage, astronomers have assumed that intelligent life-forms will try to contact earthlings by _________ .

5- The word “orbiting” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _________ .

6- The word “them” in paragraph 2 refers to _________ .

7- According to the passage, NASA plans to direct its 1,000-foot telescope toward _________ .

Passage 11

Consumers are frequently unaware that about 30 percent of nationwide department stores are franchised with numerous outlets. Chain stores are a group of retail stores that are supervised or coordinated by centralized management. From a business perspective, chain stores have numerous advantages over independent stores, one of which is that the parent company almost always has the credit to purchase large quantities of goods to supply to its outlets and to receive a discount for placing such an order. Through the centralized system of distribution, chain stores can absorb the cost and price differential and attract consumers with various physical and psychological needs. They can also distribute their operating costs for accounting, advertising, marketing, merchandising, and transportation.

In general, approximately 50 percent of gross product cost results from the associated marketing research and distribution. While research focuses on the probable market segments, it strongly considers consumer behavior and cognitive motives rather than the actual prices of goods. Similarly, the cost increase in the multiple channels of distribution accounts for about 23 percent of the unit price. By combining their marketing resources and distribution and networks, franchise outlets can avoid performing whole stages of marketing studies and layers of distribution networks to reduce unit prices. It is the central company that conducts marketing and communicates with manufacturers, thus controlling production decisions and the pricing policy. Franchises operate according to their contracts with the parent company and pay it a fraction of their net gains. They symbolize a brand name and identify their goods with a particular range of quality that sets it apart from other similar products. Essentially, chain stores convert consumer brand name loyalty into profit; this factor determines franchise proliferation and results in a relatively low degree of failure.

1- With what topic is the passage mainly concerned?

2- In paragraph 1, the word “outlets” is closest in meaning to _________ .

3- It can be inferred from the passage that chain stores _________ .

4- According to the passage, what does marketing research include?

5- Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a means through which chain stores control their prices?

6- Why does the author mention legally binding agreements between businesses?

7- According to the passage, how do chain stores profit by being associated with the parent company?

8- In paragraph 2, the word “convert” is closest in meaning to _________ .

Passage 12

The organization of hymenopteran societies, whose members often associate in large colonies with complex social organization, can be illustrated by the society of the most familiar social insect, the honeybee, Apis mellifera. The honeybee society is made up of three types of individuals. The majority of members are workers, sterile females who, as the name implicates, do most of the work around the hive or dwelling place. They gather nectar and pollen, they secrete beeswax, they build combs (hexagonal cells of wax), they feed the larvae, and in general keep the hive operational. Worker bees demonstrate polytheism, the division of labor by age. As a honeybee matures, it assumes different tasks, depending on its age and physiological state.

During the first two or three days after emergence, worker bees are assigned to cleaning work, where their responsibilities include preparing the combs to receive eggs; later on, they may concentrate on removing dead or dying bees from the hive. They then progress to the nurse contingent, the group that feeds and otherwise cares for the larvae.

They assume this position as the nurse glands in their heads become active and secrete various nutritive substances for growing bees. After a week or two, the wax glands in their abdomens develop rapidly and begin to secrete beeswax. The worker bees then participate in comb building and capping. Finally, two or three weeks after emerging from their hive cells, worker bees are ready to leave the hive and forage for nectar and pollen, which they take back to the hive to be processed into honey. They also guard the hive entrance from intruders. Guard bees take stations near hive entrances with antennae poised to touch entering bees in order to ensure that they are colony members rather than outsiders intending to rob honey. At this age, worker bees also act as soldier bees aggressively defending the colony against intruders.

1-The passage mainly discusses _________ .

2-All of the following are true of worker bees in honeybee societies EXCEPT _________ .

3- Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a factor related to the jobs a bee does in the hive?

4- The first task of a young worker bee is to _________ .

5- What specific responsibility is mentioned for guard bees?

6- For which of the following purposes do guard bees use their antennae?

7- The passage mentions two-to three-week-old worker bees as doing all of the following EXCEPT _______ .