I. Vocabulary: (25%) Part 1:
Daniel Boria says he was trying to get attention for his cleaning business when he tied more than 100 helium balloons to a lawn chair and soared through the sky over his city.
But soon after he opened a parachute and jumped back on the ground, police in Calgary, Canada, arrested him Sunday, charging him with one count of mischief causing danger to life.
A day later, the chair still hadn’t landed, Calgary Police Acting Inspector Kyle Grant said, according to Canadian broadcaster CTV “At this point, we have no reports of anybody finding anything or anybody being injured,” Grant said,
“but it’s a big concern for us, and I don’t think it’s something he took into account.”.
In the end, Boria said the stunt cost him more than $10,000. He bought a lawn chair for $19.99 and 110 helium balloons—the largest he could find—for about $13 each. Filling up the balloons cost around $80 each and took about two hours, he said.
Equipped with an oxygen tank and a parachute, he took off Sunday evening. “I’d estimate I was going up about 500 to 1,000 feet in a minute,” he said. “I was looking down on the city and watching 747s and planes approaching the local airport.”
It wasn’t the first time Boria had found himself floating far above his hometown; he’s skydived a few times in the past. But this, he said, was different. Boria flew over the stampede grounds, but turbulent weather led him past his destination. He deployed his parachute and landed by train tracks in a rocky are(A)
He had a few cuts on his body and was worried he’d broken his foot, but he was still hoping he could walk away unscathed. “A guy was driving by and was going to give me a ride,” he said. But instead, Boria got a ride in a different kind of vehicle.” A police officer arrived and put two and two together and put me in custody,” he said.
1. In line two, the word “helium” means…
(A) kind of plastic (B) A kind of rubber (C) A kind of gas (D) Expensive 2. Line two contains the words “lawn chair”. Where is the most likely place to find a lawn chair?
(A) In your kitchen (B) In the grass outside your house
(C) In your living room (D) In an airplane
3. The tenth line contains the word “stunt”. Which of the following is an example of a stunt?
(A) Riding in a helicopter (B) Jumping a motorcycle over a line of cars
(C) Building a campfire outside (D) Running a marathon
4. The thirteenth line contains the phrase “Equipped with an oxygen tank ….”. What was this oxygen tank used for?
(A) Breathing (B) Moving (C) Landing (D) Filling the balloons
5. The final line of the sentence contains the phrase “put me in custody”. What is the meaning of this phrase?
(A) Wrote me a ticket (B) Took me to the hospital (C) Placed me in his car (D) Arrested me Part 2:
Drought weary California will be extra careful in its celebrations this Fourth of July weekend, with some communities canceling their official fireworks displays and others that used to allow residents to shoot off a few of their own saying not this year.
“As we head into the fourth summer of a severe drought, it is more important than ever that everyone use an abundance of caution to avoid sparking a fire,” CalFire director Chief Ken Pimlott said in a release on June 30.
Officials statewide have warned of the danger fireworks can pose with more than 71 percent of the state in a condition of extreme drought or worse as of July 2, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, affecting more than 37 million people.
More than 300 fires were started by fireworks last year, according to the state fire marshal.
Cambria, California has canceled its fireworks because of the fire risk in a nearby pine forest. The chamber of
commerce in Bass Lake, about fifty miles northeast of Fresno, opted to replace their fireworks display with a more vegetation-friendly laser light show.
For at least one community, however, it was not the possibility of sparking a fire that put the kibosh on the annual display. It was the water. The city of Cupertino—home of Apple headquarters—made an early announcement at the end of May saying it would cancels its firework display, not so much out of fire concerns as because of the amount of water that would be required to pull the show off. It would have required more than 100,000 gallons of water to soak Cupertino High School’s artificial turf fields, and when the city couldn’t find an alternate venue, they scrubbed this year’s pyrotechnic display.
“People are very disappointed,” city spokesman Rick Kitson told NBC Bay Area “Who doesn’t love fireworks?
But overall, I think they get it.”
6. The first line of this article contains the phrase “drought weary California”. Which of the following words is the closest match to “weary”
(A) Tired (B) Worried (C) Ambitious (D) Afraid
7. The forth line of this article uses the phrase “severe drought”. Which of the following best explains the meaning of this phrase?
(A) Too hot (B) Too much snow (C) Too little rain (D) Too much wind
8. The fifth line of this article uses the phrase “abundance of caution”. What is the closest meaning to the word
“abundance”.
(A) Careful (B) Extra (C) Adequate (D) Nominal
9. Lines 15 and 16 contain the phrase “put the kibosh on the annual display”. What happened to the annual display?
(A) It received extra funding (B) It was made extra special
(C) It was canceled (D) It was postponed
10. Line 21 contains the phrase “pyrotechnic display”. What is this?
(A) Laser show (B) Art exhibit (C) Fireworks (D) Video display in HD II. Cloze Test: (50%)
Passage 1:
We are constantly surrounded by various sounds, natural and __(11)__. Some of them are pleasant to the ear like the singing of early birds. Some are __(12)__ like the roars of motorcycles. The interesting thing about sounds is that there are sounds which we cannot hear but which nevertheless have __(13)__ effects upon us.
Scientists discovered that, at some __(14)__ with huge stones, there were patterns of ultrasound that were strongest at dawn on any day, but __(15)__ to a high frequency in March and October. They also found that circles of stones, like the famous one at Stonehenge, create an ultrasonic __(16)__. There is always a background of ultrasound in the countryside produced by the __(17)__ of leaves and grass. Inside the rock circles, there is sometimes complete ultrasonic __(18)__. It is clear that these ancient __(19)__ are not placed __(20)__. Those who built them must have known what they were about.
11. (A) realistic (B) identical (C) artificial (D) initial
12. (A) humorous (B) ridiculous (C) amazing (D) annoying
13. (A) atomic (B) puzzling (C) defensible (D) worthy
14. (A) huts (B) apartments (C) flats (D) sites
15. (A) rose (B) raised (C) aroused (D) arose
16. (A) barber (B) barrel (C) barrier (D) bay
17. (A) beep (B) rustle (C) click (D) snap
18. (A) aquarium (B) silence (C) calculator (D) escalator
19. (A) feathers (B) globes (C) lightings (D) structures
20. (A) at random (B) at risk (C) at their leisure (D) at times Passage 2:
Stained glass windows are always an __(21)__ in any home, drawing the eye and setting the room aglow with color. The __(22)__ of a plain window panel into a focal point takes no efforts. With the right materials, you can __(23)__
stained glass with convincing results. You simply paint on the design using special glass paints, and then outline the painted __(24)__ with self-adhesive lead strip. It is easy to __(25)__ glass paints from art and craft shops in a wide __(26)___ of colors, which you can mix to create your own color. Once dry and they are washable with soapy water, but won’t __(27)__ scrubbing and harsh detergents. Similarly, lead strip is available from craft stores in a range of widths. To use it, you cut it to the desired length and smooth it in place on the glass. Remember to secure it firmly. And __(28)__ the peel-off backing as you go. Precise instructions vary for both the glass paints and the lead strip, so it’s important to follow the manufacturer’s __(29)__ closely. You can use any design you like for your window, but bear in mind the scale and shape. Simple and __(30)__ designs like a few straight lines are ideal for beginners.
21. (A) asset (B) acne (C) ego (D) ethnic
22. (A) transportation (B) transformation (C) transaction (D) transit
23. (A) brace (B) mimic (C) erect (D) deter
24. (A) segments (B) diameters (C) galaxies (D) altitudes
25. (A) dispose (B) initiate (C) exclaim (D) obtain
26. (A) clarity (B) integrity (C) diversity (D) stability
27. (A) harass (B) oblige (C) withstand (D) pierce
28. (A) access (B) remove (C) smuggle (D) exploit
29. (A) recommendations (B) recessions (C) rebellions (D) restoration
30. (A) cosmetic (B) trivial (C) theoretical (D) geometric
III. Reading Comprehension: (25%) Passage 1:
American sports fans love winners. And the U.S. team’s big victory over Japan in the Women’s World Cup Sunday delivered a record U.S. audience for any soccer game—men’s or women’s. The Sunday evening broadcast was watched by 25.4 million viewers on Fox, according to the network. It also drew 1.27 million viewers on Spanish language network Telemundo, for a combined audience of 26.7 million viewers. That topped the combined U.S. audience of 26.5 million who watched the final of the men’s World Cup between Germany and Argentina last year.
Many World Cup games are broadcast on both English and Spanish language networks simultaneously, since the sport is particularly popular among Latino fans.
Until now, the most-watched English-language soccer broadcast in the U.S. had been the 1999 women’s World Cup Final on ABC, with an audience of 18 million. The outcome of that match, unlike Sunday’s match, remained in doubt until the last moment, when the United States beat China on penalty kicks.
On Sunday the U.S. team jumped out to an early big lead which was never seriously challenged. But the lack of drama did not chase away viewers, as the highest viewership took place between 8:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time when the game ended and the U.S. team celebrated.
The viewership estimates do not take into account those who watch the game in public places, such as bars and restaurants, and do not include those who watched the game live online.
31. This article is about a soccer match between which two countries?
(A) The Unites States vs China (B) The United States vs Japan
(C) England vs Spain (D) Germany vs Argentina
32. Based on what is said in this article, which of the following sentences is true?
(A) The highest number viewers watched the beginning of the game.
(B) The highest number viewers watched the middle of the game.
(C) The highest number viewers watched the end of the game.
(D) About the same number of people watched the beginning and end of the game 33. Based on what is said in this article, which of the following sentences is true?
(A) The score of the game was not close (B) The score of the game was close (C) The score of the game was tied
(D) The article does not say anything about the score of the game 34. The total number of people who watched this game in their homes is…
(A) 18 million (B) 26.5 million (C) 25.4 million (D) 26.7 million 35. Which of the following statements is untrue?
(A) More people watched woman’s soccer than watched men’s soccer.
(B) More people watched men’s soccer than watched women’s soccer.
(C) Some people watched the game in English and some watched in Spanish (D) The total number of viewers does not include people who watched online.
Passage 2:
UFC featherweight title contender Conor McGregor is walking into the fight of his life at UFC 189. As mixed martial arts fans know, however, a big fight is almost certainly preceded by a big weight cut. He was recently interviewed by Chael Sonnen.
“He’s a very big guy. I was impressed with how big he is,” Sonnen said. “I was like, ‘Conor, what do you weigh?’
He said, ‘I’m around 172 pounds.’ He’s got to be 145 pounds in eight days.”
Extreme weight cutting is a common practice in most combat sports, with athletes often shedding dozens of pounds over the course of a few weeks in order to make rigid weight limits. Fighters requiring hospitalization or even dying is not unheard of, as they subsist on meager rations and spend hours each day in saunas or on stationary bicycles.
Absurd anecdotes and alarming statistics are the norm for mixed martial arts. Chael Sonnen lost 20 pounds in under 24 hours ahead of his UFC 148 rematch with Anderson Silva. Paul Redmond was tasked with losing 36 pounds in 3 days for a short-notice bout at UFC on Fox 14. Ian McCall once weighed in at 125 pounds in the afternoon and over 150 before going to bed.
For McGregor—and almost any other fighter—those weight cuts can translate into a huge size advantage in the fight, which allows the Irish southpaw to snipe opponents with rangy punches. Against Mendes, who competed at 125 pounds for part of his collegiate wrestling career, McGregor will own a whopping 8-inch reach advantage, which could be a difference-maker in the striking and grappling departments.
Dropping 27 pounds within a matter of days may seem like an impossibly tall order, but McGregor has dropped down to “championship weight” in the past, making the firm 145-pound weight limit that featherweight title fights require. He boasted about doing so at his most recent fight against Dennis Siver in January, saying “That’s 1-4-5, that’s championship weight.
36. Conor McGregor is a….
(A) Boxer (B) Wrestler
(C) Mixed martial arts fighter (D) Professional weight loss coach 37. This article says that Conor McGregor weighs 172 pounds. What must he do in 8 days?
(A) Weigh 145 pounds (B) Weigh 160 pounds (C) Act in a commercial (D) Weigh 200 pounds 38. Which of the following statements is untrue:
(A) Extreme weight loss is common in this sport (B) Extreme weight loss can be dangerous (C) It is impossible to lose 20 pounds in one day (D) This is Conor McGregor’s first fight
39. We can infer that which of the following is untrue of Ian McCall?
(A) He cannot control his weight (B) He once gained 25 pounds in less than twelve hours (C) He is some kind of professional fighter (D) His weight gain and weight loss is unusual in his sport 40. When they are weighed the day before a fight, a featherweight fighter must weigh….
(A) 170 pounds (B) 150 pounds (C) 145 pounds (D) 125 pounds
