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In California, three paint manufacturers recently settled a 19-year lawsuit for $305 million. Their crime (to which they did not admit) was marketing lead paint while knowing its toxicity. It was a surprising ending for many who believed that because the companies sold the paint prior to the government ban on its use, they could not be held liable for its harmful effects years afterward. The money will be used by municipalities to mitigate lead hazards in older homes, inspecting, evaluating, and removing paint where warranted. The funds are expected to be quickly depleted; there are thousands of such houses, and each could cost over $1,000 to remediate.
Even small amounts of lead in the body can result in serious health problems, but the symptoms are often difficult to associate with lead. In young children, lead exposure can cause brain damage leading to developmental delays, seizures, fatigue, or irritability. Adults may experience high blood pressure, muscle pain, or memory loss. Pregnant women exposed to lead over time are prone to miscarriages and stillbirths.
Although lead paint has been banned in the United States since 1978, and U.S. manufacturers stopped using lead-soldered cans in 1991, older buildings still have lead pipes, and lead may appear in bullets or batteries as well as in some pottery and toys made overseas. A major lead disaster occurred in 2015 when tests indicated dangerous lead levels in residents’ water in Flint, Michigan. In that case, lead leached from the water pipes when the state failed to treat the water with an anticorrosive agent. It took months for the city to declare a state of emergency, during which time thousands of children and adults had been poisoned.
What is the meaning of the word leached as used in the last paragraph?
- A. Sucked
- B. Compressed
- C. Seeped
- D. Materialized
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: "Leached" refers to the process by which substances, such as lead, seep or dissolve out of materials, in this case, water pipes.
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EART VS SPACE:
Mark Kelly and his identical twin, Scott, were professional astronauts. They served as space shuttle pilots, with each logging multiple flights. In 2015, Scott began a year’s service aboard the International Space Station. NASA cleverly recognized this as an opportunity to do a longitudinal study on the effects of space flight and weightlessness on the human body. By comparing Scott in space to Mark on the ground, researchers could draw some important and valuable conclusions that could be used to plan for extended space travel in the future.
Ten teams of researchers developed a plan to test both men preflight, inflight, and postflight over 25 months. For the most part, the results showed the resilience of the human body even when under such unusual stress as a year in space. Among some of the findings were these: Scott’s cognitive performance was similar to Mark’s on the ground. Scott’s body mass decreased substantially, probably due to his diet of prepackaged food and his increased exercise, but it stabilized and returned to normal postflight. His gut bacteria were significantly different from Mark’s inflight, but they, too, returned to normal afterward.
A potentially troubling finding had to do with inflammation and arterial wall thickening, which appeared in Scott during and post flight but did not appear in Mark. Astronauts have often suffered from vision problems, and a study of fluid shifts determined that a certain protein was elevated in Scott’s system during flight. Some slight DNA damage, possibly due to radiation exposure, also appeared in Scott but not in Mark. Perhaps the most fascinating finding had to do with telomeres, the caps on chromosomes that shorten with age. Unexpectedly, Scott’s telomeres lengthened over his year in space, decreased after landing, and then shortened even more or vanished in the months that followed. Because telomere shortening and loss is connected to age-related diseases, this is an aspect of space travel that researchers want to understand better.
A reader might infer from this passage that NASA ___________.
- A. Plans new twin studies as it aims for Mars
- B. Allows other agencies to study its astronauts
- C. Will use these data in planning future trips
- D. Cares more about physiology than psychology
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The passage suggests that NASA will use the findings from the twin study to plan future extended space missions.
ZUMBA:
In 1998, Colombian choreographer and aerobics instructor Beto Pérez introduced the world to a new exercise craze. It was a bit of serendipity that led him to invent Zumba. He left his usual music for class at home and had to improvise around a series of hip-hop cassettes he happened to have. The resulting dance moves were a hit with the class. By 2001, Pérez, who had moved to Miami, released some videos featuring his new Rumbacize, or Zumba, routines. The rest is history; Zumba remains wildly popular, and classes are now found all over the world.
Zumba features four Caribbean and South American rhythms: merengue from the Dominican Republic, salsa from Cuba, reggaeton from Puerto Rico, and cumbia from Colombia. Instructors often include other styles such as flamenco, mambo, samba, and tango. The goal is to get people moving for an hour of aerobic dance. A study at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse determined that Zumba is a highly effective, full-body workout. It allows heart rates to alternate, similar to more typical interval workouts, thus burning more calories than many other exercise programs, including kickboxing and power yoga. The dance movements also aid with flexibility and core strength.
Importantly, Zumba classes provide good workouts for both very fit and less-fit participants. Even better, because the movements are fun and the music is lively, participants tend to come back.
What is the meaning of the word serendipity as it is used in the first paragraph?
- A. Chance
- B. Persistence
- C. Foreboding
- D. Expertise
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The word "serendipity" refers to a fortunate coincidence or chance, describing how Beto P©rez invented Zumba accidentally.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tickborne diseases doubled in the United States between the years 2004 and 2016. Lyme disease, in particular, is difficult to diagnose due to its disparate symptoms that mimic other diseases, making it greatly underreported. As a result, the prevalence of Lyme disease is thought to be even higher than the CDC suggests.
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is spread through a relationship involving three animals. This relationship starts with the white-footed mouse (or in California, the Western gray squirrel), which is prone to infection by the bacterium. Ticks in their larval form feed on the blood of these mice. If the mouse is infected, the tick becomes infected as well. After passing through a dormant phase, the tick nymph, usually the size of a poppy seed, seeks another blood meal. This meal might come from another mouse, a human, or a dog or cat.
The nymphs then molt into active adults, whose primary food source is the whitetail deer. They mate on the deer, drop off, and lay their eggs, thus starting the cycle over again. Humans can be bitten by either an infected nymph or a full-grown adult tick. For Lyme disease transmission, the tick needs to attach for about 36 hours. Unfortunately, tick bites are easy to overlook; they do not itch like mosquito bites or sting like deerfly bites. Many people go without treatment for months until a test clarifies their seemingly unrelated symptoms, which may include joint pain, a rash, fatigue, swollen glands, chills or fever, headache, or even paralysis.
If you know you have been bitten by a tick, time is of the essence. It is important to see a doctor, get tested, and receive treatment promptly.
What is the meaning of the word disparate as used in the first paragraph?
- A. Unusual
- B. Diverse
- C. Trivial
- D. Damaging
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: "Disparate" means diverse or different. The passage discusses how Lyme disease has various symptoms that mimic other diseases, making it difficult to diagnose.
Microsurgery as we know it today was developed in Sweden in the 1920s for use on animals. The first microsurgery used a monocular microscope, but soon a Swedish doctor developed a surgical binocular microscope, which became widely used in delicate ear operations. It was not until the 1960s that microscopy was first used to augment neurovascular surgery. Surgeons found that with the help of the microscope, they could repair the tiniest of blood vessels and even reconstruct vessels in partially amputated limbs.
In that same decade, a German surgeon developed the diploscope, which consisted of two independent binocular microscopes. This innovation allowed a surgeon to use high magnification while a surgical assistant followed along at a lower magnification, thereby observing a larger area of operation and addressing potential issues more effectively. This improvement in microscopy led to advances in plastic surgery, an area of medicine that regularly requires work on the tiniest of blood vessels and nerves.
Technological advances have continued to expand the possibilities of microsurgery. Surgeons can now perform procedures on cerebral aneurysms, reverse vasectomies, and improve breast reconstruction after cancer surgery. New tools such as telerobotic arms connected to microsurgical forceps and video microscopy, where the operative field is displayed in high definition on a TV monitor, have made even the most complex surgeries routine.
The passage mentions all of these uses for microscopy EXCEPT ___________.
- A. Ear surgery
- B. Amputations
- C. Vasectomies
- D. Reconstructions
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C. The passage discusses various uses of microscopy in surgery, including ear surgery, amputations, and reconstructions. However, vasectomies are not mentioned as an application of microscopy in the text. Therefore, vasectomies are the exception among the listed uses. Choices A, B, and D are supported by details in the extract, making them incorrect answers. The passage highlights the uses of microscopy in delicate ear operations, repairing blood vessels in partially amputated limbs, and improving breast reconstructions. While vasectomies are mentioned briefly in the extract, they are not connected to the application of microscopy in the context of surgeries.
Microsurgery as we know it today was developed in Sweden in the 1920s for use on animals. The first microsurgery used a monocular microscope, but soon a Swedish doctor developed a surgical binocular microscope, which became widely used in delicate ear operations. It was not until the 1960s that microscopy was first used to augment neurovascular surgery. Surgeons found that with the help of the microscope, they could repair the tiniest of blood vessels and even reconstruct vessels in partially amputated limbs.
In that same decade, a German surgeon developed the diploscope, which consisted of two independent binocular microscopes. This innovation allowed a surgeon to use high magnification while a surgical assistant followed along at a lower magnification, thereby observing a larger area of operation and addressing potential issues more effectively. This improvement in microscopy led to advances in plastic surgery, an area of medicine that regularly requires work on the tiniest of blood vessels and nerves.
Technological advances have continued to expand the possibilities of microsurgery. Surgeons can now perform procedures on cerebral aneurysms, reverse vasectomies, and improve breast reconstruction after cancer surgery. New tools such as telerobotic arms connected to microsurgical forceps and video microscopy, where the operative field is displayed in high definition on a TV monitor, have made even the most complex surgeries routine.
What is the meaning of the word delicate as used in the first paragraph?
- A. Subtle
- B. Fragile
- C. Refined
- D. Intricate
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: In the context of microsurgery, the word 'delicate' refers to the intricate, precise, and fine nature of surgeries performed using microscopy. These surgeries require intricate attention to detail and precision due to the small and delicate structures involved, making 'intricate' the most appropriate synonym. 'Subtle' implies understated or not obvious, 'fragile' suggests easily broken or damaged, and 'refined' refers to something developed or improved over time, none of which fully capture the detailed and precise nature of microsurgery. Therefore, 'intricate' is the correct answer.