Reading Comprehension Related

"Phobias — 'Don’t be afraid.' Sounds simple, but for some people it's not. Having the normal
reaction of being scared or frightened helps you to survive threats of all kinds, both physical
and verbal. Most mild fears are outgrown during childhood; however, severe fears, called
phobias, are extreme and unreasonable. Phobias cause out-of-control feelings such as
sickness, headaches, ulcers, and high blood pressure. Specific phobias center around things,
activities, or situations while people with social phobias feel anxiety over social settings
where they fear embarrassing situations. Another type of phobia called panic disorder causes
people to sweat, tremble, or even faint due to overwhelming panic which may occur at any
time. By talking, breathing deeply, and visualizing, a person can gain control over
debilitating phobias

The passage says that having fears is normal and good. According to the passage, why is having a phobia not normal and good? Because phobias

• A. always require medication.
• B. cause harm to other people.
• C. are terminal, meaning they never go away.
• D. are extreme and unreasonable.

Health Care's Numbers Game: The game of health care is a risky one. Today emergency rooms are acting as primary care physicians for thousands of patients. This trend produces a vicious cycle of hospitals raising emergency room costs and passing that increase along to paying patients, who in turn pass it along to insurance companies, who in turn raise rates so even more people cannot afford the premium or the co-payment.
For years, indigent people have used emergency rooms for very minor illnesses rather than seeing an outside doctor, but now emergency rooms are seeing people with insurance, but who cannot afford the co-payment or the deductible for the office visit.
If we don't change the way the healthcare game is played, we're all going to lose.

According to the passage, why are more and more people using emergency rooms for minor illnesses?

• A. Patients want to continue the cycle of healthcare already established.
• B. The insurance companies require hospital visits for all illnesses.
• C. The doctors in emergency rooms are more skilled.
• D. They cannot afford the co-payment or deductible required by insurance.

Blood Pressure.The heart produces a characteristic "lub-dub" sound, which results from the rapid contraction and relaxation of its chambers. Each contraction, known as ventricular contraction, ejects approximately 70 mL of blood into the vascular system, which varies in volume and pressure. Blood pressure specifically refers to the pressure within the arterial system, commonly measured at the brachial artery in the arm, as pressure levels can differ at various points along the circulatory pathway. Essentially, blood pressure is the force exerted by blood in all directions within a specific area, driving the flow of blood from the heart, throughout the body, and back again. It is typically expressed as a ratio of systolic pressure over diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure, or the "high peak" pressure, occurs when the ventricles contract and push blood into the arteries, while diastolic pressure, or the "low peak" pressure, is the pressure in the arteries just before the next contraction. An increase in blood pressure may arise if arterial walls lose some elasticity due to aging or disease.

Which of the following statements is not supported by the passage?

• A. Ventricular contracting injects roughly 70 mL of blood into the vascular system.
• B. Blood pressure is typically measured in the brachial artery of the arm.
• C. Blood pressure is usually represented as a ratio of systolic pressure to diastolic pressure.
• D. Loss of arterial wall elasticity is always caused by disease.

One of the best ways to understand a group of people is to know what makes them laugh. Laughter encompasses the limits of the soul and serves social, psychological, and physiological functions. In humor, life is redefined and accepted. Irony and satire provide much keener insights into a group's collective psyche and values than do years of research. It has always been a great disappointment to Native Americans that the humorous side of their life has not been mentioned by experts on native American affairs. Rather, the image of the stern-faced redskin has been presented by the American Westerns.

What was the author's reason for writing?

• A. Inform readers about Native American history
• B. Entertain with stories of Native American humor
• C. Persuade people to take a broader view on Native Americans
• D. Criticize misconceptions about Native American culture

Doppler Effect
Have you ever wondered why the whistle of a traveling, distant locomotive predicts its approach several yards before anyone actually sees it? Or why an oncoming ambulance's screaming siren is heard momentarily several feet before the ambulance comes into full view, before it passes you, and why its siren is still heard faintly well after the ambulance is out of sight?
What you are witnessing is a scientific phenomenon known as the Doppler Effect. What takes place is truly remarkable. In both of these instances, when the train or ambulance moves toward the sound waves in front of it, the sound waves are pulled closer together and have a higher frequency. In either instance, the listener positioned in front of the moving object hears a higher pitch. The ambulance and locomotive are progressively moving away from the sound waves behind them, causing the waves to be farther apart and to have a lower frequency. These fast-approaching modes of transportation distance themselves past the listener, who hears a lower pitch.

Which sound waves have a higher pitch?

• A. Those waves that are closer together
• B. Those waves that are farther apart
• C. Those waves that travel a long distance
• D. Those waves that travel a short distance