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Practice Reading H

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Question 1- 10

	The word laser was coined as an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated
	Emission of Radiation. Ordinary light, from the Sun or a light bulb, is emitted
	spontaneously, when atoms or molecules get rid of excess energy by themselves, without
	any outside intervention. Stimulated emission is different because it occurs when an atom
	or molecule holding onto excess energy has been stimulated to emit it as light.
	Albert Einstein was the first to suggest the existence of stimulated emission in a paper
	published in 1917. However, for many years physicists thought that atoms and molecules
	always were much more likely to emit light spontaneously and that stimulated emission
	thus always would be much weaker. It was not until after the Second World War that
	physicists began trying to make stimulated emission dominate. They sought ways by which
	one atom or molecule could stimulate many others to emit light, amplifying it to much
	higher powers.
	The first to succeed was Charles H. Townes, then at Columbia University in New York.
	Instead of working with light, however, he worked with microwaves, which have a much
	longer wavelength, and built a device he called a “maser,” for Microwave Amplification by
	the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Although he thought of the key idea in 1951, the first
	maser was not completed until a couple of years later. Before long, many other physicists
	were building masers and trying to discover how to produce stimulated emission at even
	shorter wavelengths.
	The key concepts emerged about 1957. Townes and Arthur Schawlow, then at Bell
	Telephone Laboratories, wrote a long paper outlining the conditions needed to amplify
	stimulated emission of visible light waves. At about the same time, similar ideas
	crystallized in the mind of Gordon Gould, then a 37-year-old graduate student at Columbia,
	who wrote them down in a series of notebooks. Townes and Schawlow published their
	ideas in a scientific journal, physical Review Letters, but Gould filed a patent application.
	Three decades later, people still argue about who deserves the credit for the concept of
	the laser.

1. The word “coined” in line 1 could best be replaced by

(A) created
(B) mentioned
(C) understood
(D) discovered

Correct Answer: A

2. The word “intervention” in line 4 can best be replaced by

(A) need
(B) device
(C) influence
(D) source

Correct Answer: C

3. The word “it” in line 5 refers to

(A) light bulb
(B) energy
(C) molecule
(D) atom

Correct Answer: B

4. Which of the following statements best describes a laser?

(A) A device for stimulating atoms and molecules to emit light
(B) An atom in a high-energy state
(C) A technique for destroying atoms or molecules
(D) An instrument for measuring light waves

Correct Answer: A

5. Why was Towne's early work with stimulated emission done with microwaves?

(A) He was not concerned with light amplification.
(B) It was easier to work with longer wavelengths.
(C) His partner Schawlow had already begun work on the laser.
(D) The laser had already been developed.

Correct Answer: B

6. In his research at Columbia University, Charles Townes worked with all of the following EXCEPT

(A) stimulated emission
(B) microwaves
(C) light amplification
(D) a maser

Correct Answer: C

7. In approximately what year was the first maser built?

(A) 1917
(B) 1951
(C) 1953
(D) 1957

Correct Answer: C

8. The word “emerged” in line 20 is closest in meaning to

(A) increased
(B) concluded
(C) succeeded
(D) appeared

Correct Answer: D

9. The word “outlining” in line 21 is closest in meaning to

(A) assigning
(B) studying
(C) checking
(D) summarizing

Correct Answer: D

10. Why do people still argue about who deserves the credit for the concept of the laser?

(A) The researchers' notebooks were lost.
(B) Several people were developing the idea at the same time.
(C) No one claimed credit for the development until recently.
(D) The work is still incomplete.

Correct Answer: B

Questions 11 – 21

	Panel painting, common in thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Europe, involved a
	painstaking, laborious process. Wooden planks were joined, covered with gesso to prepare
	the surface for painting, and then polished smooth with special tools. On this perfect
	surface, the artist would sketch a composition with chalk, refine it with inks, and then begin
	the deliberate process of applying thin layers of egg tempera paint (egg yolk in which
	pigments are suspended) with small brushes. The successive layering of these
	meticulously applied paints produced the final, translucent colors.
	Backgrounds of gold were made by carefully applying sheets of gold leaf, and then
	embellishing or decorating the gold leaf by punching it with a metal rod on which a pattern
	had been embossed. Every step in the process was slow and deliberate. The quick-drying
	tempera demanded that the artist know exactly where each stroke be placed before the
	brush met the panel, and it required the use of fine brushes. It was, therefore, an ideal
	technique for emphasizing the hard linear edges and pure, fine areas of color that were so
	much a part of the overall aesthetic of the time. The notion that an artist could or would
	dash off an idea in a fit of spontaneous inspiration was completed alien to these
	deliberately produced works.
	Furthermore, making these paintings was so time-consuming that it demanded
	assistance. All such work was done by collective enterprise in the workshops. The painter
	or master who is credited with having created the painting may have designed the work
	and overseen its production, but it is highly unlikely that the artist's hand applied every
	stroke of the brush. More likely, numerous assistants, who had been trained to imitate the
	artist's style, applied the paint. The carpenter's shop probably provided the frame and
	perhaps supplied the panel, and yet another shop supplied the gold. Thus, not only many
	hands, but also many shops were involved in the final product.
	In spite of problems with their condition, restoration, and preservation many panel
	paintings have survived, and today many of them are housed in museum collections.

11. What aspect of panel paintings does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) Famous examples
(B) Different styles
(C) Restoration
(D) Production

Correct Answer: D

12. According to the passage, what was the first step in making a panel painting?

(A) Mixing the paint
(B) Preparing the panel
(C) Buying the gold leaf
(D) Making ink drawings

Correct Answer: B

13. The word “it” in line 4 refers to

(A) chalk
(B) composition
(C) artist
(D) surface

Correct Answer: B

14. The word “deliberate” in line 5 is closest in meaning to

(A) decisive
(B) careful
(C) natural
(D) unusual

Correct Answer: B

15. Which of the following processes produced the translucent colors found on panel paintings?

(A) Joining wooden planks to form large sheets
(B) Polishing the gesso
(C) Applying many layers of paint
(D) Covering the background with gold leaf

Correct Answer: C

16. What characteristic of tempera paint is mentioned in the passage?

(A) It dries quickly.
(B) It is difficult to make.
(C) It dissolves easily.
(D) It has to be applied directly to wood.

Correct Answer: A

17. The word “demanded” in line 17 is closest in meaning to

(A) ordered
(B) reported
(C) required
(D) questioned

Correct Answer: C

18. The “collective enterprise” mentioned in line 18 includes all of the following EXCEPT

(A) supplying the gold leaf
(B) building the panels
(C) applying the paint
(D) selling the painting

Correct Answer: D

19. The word “imitate” in line 22 is closest in meaning to

(A) copy
(B) illustrate
(C) promote
(D) believe in

Correct Answer: A

20. The author mentions all of the following as problems with the survival of panel paintings EXCEPT

(A) condition
(B) theft
(C) preservation
(D) restoration

Correct Answer: B

21. The word “them” in line 27 refers to

(A) problems
(B) condition, restoration, preservation
(C) panel paintings
(D) museum collections

Correct Answer: C

Questions 22 - 32

	Crows are probably the most frequently met and easily identifiable members of the
	native fauna of the United States. The great number of tales, legends, and myths about
	these birds indicates that people have been exceptionally interested in them for a long time.
	On the other hand, when it comes to substantive — particularly behavioral — information,
	crows are less well known than many comparably common species and, for that matter,
	not a few quite uncommon ones: the endangered California condor, to cite one obvious
	example. There are practical reasons for this.
	Crows are notoriously poor and aggravating subjects for field research. Keen observers
	and quick learners, they are astute about the intentions of other creatures, including
	researchers, and adept at avoiding them. Because they are so numerous, active, and
	monochromatic, it is difficult to distinguish one crow from another. Bands, radio
	transmitters, or other identifying devices can be attached to them, but this of course
	requires catching live crows, who are among the wariest and most untrappable of birds.
	Technical difficulties aside, crow research is daunting because the ways of these birds
	are so complex and various. As preeminent generalists, members of this species
	ingeniously exploit a great range of habitats and resources, and they can quickly adjust to
	changes in their circumstances. Being so educable, individual birds have markedly
	different interests and inclinations, strategies and scams. For example, one pet crow
	learned how to let a dog out of its kennel by pulling the pin on the door. When the dog
	escaped, the bird went into the kennel and ate its food.

22. What is the main topic of the passage?

(A) The ways in which crows differ from other common birds
(B) The myths and legends about crows
(C) The characteristics that make crows difficult to study
(D) The existing methods for investigating crow behavior

Correct Answer: C

23. According to the first paragraph, what evidence is there that crows have interested people for a long time?

(A) The large number of stories about crows
(B) The frequency with which crows are sighted
(C) The amount of research that has been conducted on crows
(D) The ease with which crows are identified

Correct Answer: A

24. The word “comparably” in line 5 is closest in meaning to

(A) interestingly
(B) similarly
(C) otherwise
(D) sometimes

Correct Answer: B

25. In line 6, the author mentions the endangered California condor as an example of a species that is

(A) smaller than the crow
(B) easily identifiable
(C) featured in legends
(D) very rare

Correct Answer: D

26. The word “them” in line 10 refers to

(A) crows
(B) subjects
(C) intentions
(D) researchers

Correct Answer: D

27. According to the second paragraph crows are poor subjects for field research for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

(A) They can successfully avoid observers.
(B) They are hard to distinguish from one another.
(C) They can be quite aggressive.
(D) They are difficult to catch.

Correct Answer: C

28. In the second paragraph, the author implies that using radio transmitters would allow a researcher who studies crows to

(A) identify individual crows
(B) follow flocks of crows over long distances
(C) record the times when crows are most active
(D) help crows that become sick or injured

Correct Answer: A

29. According to the third paragraph, which of the following is true about crows?

(A) They seldom live in anyone place for very long.
(B) They thrive in a wide variety of environments.
(C) They have marked preferences for certain kinds of foods.
(D) They use up the resources in one area before moving to another.

Correct Answer: B

30. In line 19, the word “inclinations” is closest in meaning to

(A) tricks
(B) opportunities
(C) preferences
(D) experiences

Correct Answer: C

31. In lines 19-21, the author mentions a pet crow to illustrate which of the following?

(A) The clever ways that crows solve problems
(B) The differences between pet crows and wild crows
(C) The ease with which crows can be tamed
(D) The affection that crows show to other creatures

Correct Answer: A

32. Which of the following statements is supported by the passage?

(A) Crows have relatively long lives.
(B) Crows have keen vision.
(C) Crows are usually solitary.
(D) Crows are very intelligent.

Correct Answer: D

Questions 33 – 41

	In the early days of the United States, postal charges were paid by the recipient, and
	charges varied with the distance carried. In 1825, the United States Congress permitted
	local postmasters to give letters to mail carriers for home deli very, but these carriers
	received no government salary and their entire compensation depended on what they were
	paid by the recipients of individual letters.
	In 1847 the United States Post Office Department adopted the idea of a postage
	stamp, which of course simplified the payment for postal service but caused grumbling by
	those who did not like to prepay. Besides, the stamp covered only delivery to the post
	office and did not include carrying it to a private address. In Philadelphia, for example, with
	a population of 150,000, people still had to go to the post office to get their mail. The
	confusion and congestion of individual citizens looking for their letters was itself enough to
	discourage use of the mail. It is no wonder that, during the years of these cumbersome
	arrangements, private letter-carrying and express businesses developed. Although their
	activities were only semilegal, they thrived, and actually advertised that between Boston
	and Philadelphia they were a half-day speedier than the government mail. The government
	postal service lost volume to private competition and was not able to handle efficiently
	even the business it had.
	Finally, in 1863, Congress provided that the mail carriers who delivered the mail from
	the post offices to private addresses should receive a government salary, and that there
	should be no extra charge for that delivery. But this delivery service was at first confined to
	cities, and free home deli very became a mark of urbanism. As late as 1887, a town had to
	have 10,000 people to be eligible for free home delivery. In 1890, of the 75 million people
	in the United States, fewer than 20 million had mail delivered free to their doors. The rest,
	nearly three-quarters of the population, still received no mail unless they went to their post
	office.

33. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The increased use of private mail services
(B) The development of a government postal system
(C) A comparison of urban and rural postal services
(D) The history of postage stamps

Correct Answer: B

34. The word “varied” in line 2 could best be replaced by

(A) increased
(B) differed
(C) returned
(D) started

Correct Answer: B

35. Which of the following was seen as a disadvantage of the postage stamp?

(A) It had to be purchased by the sender in advance.
(B) It increased the cost of mail delivery .
(C) It was difficult to affix to letters.
(D) It was easy to counterfeit.

Correct Answer: A

36. Why does the author mention the city of Philadelphia in line 9?

(A) It was the site of the first post office in the United States.
(B) Its postal service was inadequate for its population.
(C) It was the largest city in the United States in 1847.
(D) It was commemorated by the first United States postage stamp.

Correct Answer: B

37. The word “cumbersome” in line 13 is closest in meaning to

(A) burdensome
(B) handsome
(C) loathsome
(D) quarrelsome

Correct Answer: A

38. The word “they” in line 15 refers to

(A) Boston and Philadelphia
(B) businesses
(C) arrangements
(D) letters

Correct Answer: B

39. The private postal services of the nineteenth century claimed that they could do which of the following better than the government?

(A) Deliver a higher volume of mail.
(B) Deliver mail more cheaply.
(C) Deliver mail faster.
(D) Deliver mail to rural areas.

Correct Answer: C

40. In 1863 the United States government began providing which of the following to mail carriers?

(A) A salary
(B) Housing
(C) Transportation
(D) Free postage stamps

Correct Answer: A

41. The word “confined” in line 21 is closest in meaning to

(A) granted
(B) scheduled
(C) limited
(D) recommended

Correct Answer: C

Questions 42 – 50

	Archaeology has long been an accepted tool for studying prehistoric cultures.
	Relatively recently the same techniques have been systematically applied to studies of the
	more immediate past. This has been called “historical archaeology,” a term that is used in
	the United States to refer to any archaeological investigation into North American sites that
	postdate the arrival of Europeans.
	Back in the 1930's and 1940's, when building restoration was popular, historical
	archaeology was primarily a tool of architectural reconstruction. The role of archaeologist
	was to find the foundations of historic buildings and then take a back seat to architects.
	The mania for reconstruction had largely subsided by the 1950' sand 1960' s. Most
	people entering historical archaeology during this period came out of university
	anthropology departments, where they had studied prehistoric cultures. They were, by
	training, social scientists, not historians, and their work tended to reflect this bias. The
	questions they framed and the techniques they used were designed to help them
	understand, as scientists, how people behaved. But because they were treading on
	historical ground for which there was often extensive written documentation, and because
	their own knowledge of these periods was usually limited, their contributions to American
	history remained circumscribed. Their reports, highly technical and sometimes poorly
	written, went unread.
	More recently, professional archaeologists have taken over. These researchers have
	sought to demonstrate that their work can be a valuable tool not only of science but also of
	history, providing fresh insights into the daily lives of ordinary people whose existences
	might not otherwise be so well documented. This newer emphasis on archaeology as
	social history has shown great promise, and indeed work done in this area has lead to a
	reinterpretation of the United States past.
	In Kingston, New York, for example, evidence has been uncovered that indicates that
	English goods were being smuggled into that city at a time when the Dutch supposedly
	controlled trading in the area. And in Sacramento an excavation at the site of a fashionable
	nineteenth-century hotel revealed that garbage had been stashed in the building's
	basement despite sanitation laws to the contrary.

42. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) Why historical archaeology was first developed
(B) How the methods and purpose of historical archaeology have changed
(C) The contributions architects make to historical archaeology
(D) The attitude of professional archaeologists toward historical archaeology

Correct Answer: B

43. According to the first paragraph, what is a relatively new focus in archaeology?

(A) Investigating the recent past
(B) Studying prehistoric cultures
(C) Excavating ancient sites in what is now the United States
(D) Comparing findings made in North America and in Europe

Correct Answer: A

44. According to the passage, when had historical archaeologists been trained as anthropologists?

(A) Prior to the 1930's
(B) During the 1930's and 1940's
(C) During the 1950' sand 1960's
(D) After the 1960's

Correct Answer: C

45. The word “framed” in line 13 is closest in meaning to

(A) understood
(B) read
(C) avoided
(D) posed

Correct Answer: D

46. In the third paragraph, the author implies that the techniques of history and the techniques of social science are

(A) quite different from each other
(B) equally useful in studying prehistoric cultures
(C) usually taught to students of archaeology
(D) both based on similar principles

Correct Answer: A

47. The phrase “their contributions” in line 16 refers to the contributions of

(A) social scientists
(B) prehistoric cultures
(C) historians
(D) documentation and knowledge

Correct Answer: A

48. The author mentions an excavation at the site of a hotel in Sacramento in order to give an example of

(A) a building reconstruction project
(B) the work of the earliest historical archaeologists
(C) a finding that conflicts with written records
(D) the kind of information that historians routinely examine

Correct Answer: C

49. The word “supposedly” in line 26 is closest in meaning to

(A) ruthlessly
(B) tightly
(C) barely
(D) seemingly

Correct Answer: D

50. The word “sanitation” in line 29 is closest in meaning to

(A) city
(B) housing
(C) health
(D) trade

Correct Answer: C