Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension for Practice:

I) Read the following passage and answer the questions 1 through 5:
The eyes of a human being are not sensitive to all light, but only that between wavelengths of
380-760 millimicrons. This fact prevents us from being aware that our bodies emit electromagnetic waves. These waves are mostly longer than that we are sensitive to, but thermographic techniques
can translate them into extraordinary colored pictures.

Atoms generate infrared rays since they are constantly in motion. The warmer the atoms are, the
more active they become. This results in thermographic pictures revealing different parts of the body
in different colours : black and blue for the cold parts, green yellow for the cool or slightly warm
ones, and orange and red for those which are hot.

All this has health applications, for such problems as tumors, arthritis, and cancer, which show up as
isolated red areas on the thermographic portraits.

01. According to the article

(A) the eyes of human beings are not all sensitive to light.
(B) light wavelengths vary between 380 and 760 mill microns
(C) some light cannot be seen by the human eye
(D) some people’s bodies emit electro magnetic waves
(E) some eyes emit electromagnetic waves

02. Atoms generate rays of light:

A) because they are infrared
B) if they are active
C) due to constant motion
D) when they become warm
E) when they become dry

03. The majority of electromagnetic waves emitted by the human body:

(A) are above 760 millimicrons in length
(B) vary between 380 and 760 millimicrons in length
(C) translate into thermographic techniques
(D) are below 380 millimicrons in length
(E) are colorless at high temperatures

04. Thermographic portraits show the body in different colours:

(A) only if the patient is suffering from tumors or cancer
(B) according to the activity of atoms in the different parts.
(C) because some parts are black and blue and others orange and red
(D) when the atoms are active
(E) whenever there is health application

05. The atoms in tumors or cancerous areas are

A) problems             B) isolated         C) red
D) very active         E) blue

II) Read the following passage and answer the questions 1 through 5:
Colonel Tibbets, captain of the B29, Enola Gay, was flying at 31,600 feet over the centre of the town
of Hiroshima. In the hold, the bombardier, Major Ferebee, was busy with the mechanism that was to
release The bomb. Now Ferebee took aim at his objective The bomb dropped. With a diabolical
whistling scream, the monster hurtled downwards.

The crew of the Enola Gay pulled dark glasses over the eyepieces in their oxygen masks, as they had
been told to do. None of the flyers knew the point of wearing these dark glasses. None of them knew
what would happen in the next few minutes. They were merely carrying out strict instructions.

And all of them waited, all of them numb And they listened, and thought they could hear the whine
of the falling bomb. But it was not the whining they could hear, it was the rush of blood which their
wildly beating hearts sent pounding through their veins. And all of them, with stony faces, stared
blankly into space, motionless, paralyzed by the faint inkling of a disaster such as the world had
never known.

On the bomb, an ingenious device released a parachute. The bomb drifted downwards on its
parachute, and when it was 1,500 feet above the ground, a scientific device lit a fuse inside the
bomb. Neutrons split the atomic nucleus of the heavy metal, uranium 235, and this splitting continued
in a series of unbelievable rapid chain reactions.

In the millionth part of a second, a new sun flamed in the sky, a glaring white light. A hundred times
brighter than the heavenly sun. And this ball of fire radiated several million degrees of heat on to the
city of Hiroshima. At that moment 86,100 people were burned to death, 72,000 people were severely
injured, 6,820 houses were blown to pieces, 3,750 buildings collapsed, and the ruins began to burn.
At that one moment deadly neutrons and gamma-rays bombarded the site of the explosion over an
area of three-quarters of a mile. At that moment man had used his powers of scientific invention to
make his first attempt to destroy himself. The attempt succeeded.

01. Which of the following statements pertaining to the moment surrounding the detonation of the
bomb is correct?

A) The bomb exploded when it was 1,500 feet above the ground.
B) The fuse was lit when the bomb was 1,500 feet above the ground, but the explosion took
place when the bomb hit the ground.
C) The detonation was followed by a glaring yellow light which was many times brighter than the sun.
D) Although the explosion devastated the city of Hiroshima, it had no effect on the plane and its crew.
E) At the time of detonation, the bomb was falling freely and rapidly towards the ground under the force of gravity.

02. The flyers had been instructed 1. to wear dark glasses

A) because it was standard regulation equipment for bomber crews during World War 2.
B) since their aircraft would be flying directly into the path of the midday sun.
C) to shield their eyes from the bright light following the bomb’s detonation.
D) as they had been trained to do so after dropping bombs.
E) for some unknown reason about which no inking is provided in the passage.

03. By giving statistics about the bomb’s devastating effect, 1. the writer aimed to show

A) that the Japanese Government exaggerated the fatalities that took place in Hiroshima.
B) that this was simply a bigger bomb than those dropped earlier by the flyers.
C) the catastrophic consequences of using atom bombs.
D) that his writing has accurately recorded the facts for posterity.
E) he has a competent grasp on the use of statistical data in written pieces.

04. Which of the following is the opinion that the author would most likely have held about the
dropping of the first atom bomb?

A) The flyers should have been told of the reason why they had to wear dark glasses.
B) The flyers should have been fully briefed about the likely effects of the bomb’s detonation.
C) He disapproved of the use of a parachute to drop the bomb to its wrecked.
D) He was excited at the sheer devastation that the bomb had wrecked.
E) He disapproved of the dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

05. Following the dropping of the bomb, the flyers sat motionless, with stony faces, staring blankly
into space because

A) they were very tired following a particularly strenuous bombing mission.
B) they were suffering from the effects of extreme oxygen deprivation.
C) they were anxious that the bomb might not detonate properly.
D) they were apprehending an impending disaster.
E) they were worried that the bomb might miss its target.