Reading Comprehension Related

About 6% of the Earth is covered by rainforests. The largest rainforest in the world is the Amazon Basin, which stretches over 2.3 million square miles across nine different South American countries. This area is double the size of all the other remaining rainforests in the world. Brazil contains 60% of the Amazonian rainforest, as it lies at the mouth of the Amazon River. This river is the second largest in the world and contains more than one-fifth of the world’s fresh water. The Amazon rainforest is classified as a type of wet broadleaf forest. The weather there is very humid and warm, with substantial rainfall contributing to the forest's rich greenery. The tree leaves are pointed and narrow, allowing raindrops to easily slide off wet plants. This tropical rainforest is home to more living species than the entire European continent, with over 400 types of insects living in a single rainforest tree, totaling around 2.5 million species. One square kilometer of rainforest may contain over 75,000 types of trees and approximately 438,000 different kinds of plants, resulting in a total of 90,000 tons of greenery overall. The Amazon rainforest is home to 2,000 species of birds and mammals, with one in every five birds in the world residing there. Local farmers have lived off this rich and diverse land for thousands of years, finding food and water without destroying the environment. The Kayapo people of Brazil farm in an environmentally friendly manner. Instead of using chemicals, they burn wood to enrich the soil and plant banana trees, which attract wasps. These wasps feed on leafcutter ants, helping to control these harmful insects. The rainforest also provides a variety of tropical fruits, such as bananas and coconuts, as food sources. Cinnamon is made from the bark of a rainforest tree, and Amazonian Indians use the fruit and stem of the Buruti plant for drinks, bread, and construction. Many other plants are used for medicinal purposes. However, the Amazon rainforest is in significant danger of disappearing. In 2003 alone, 9,169 square miles of forest were cut down in Brazil. An area the size of a football field is burned every minute, suggesting that the rainforest may be gone by the year 2030. The dangers associated with this activity are clear. Trees absorb poisonous carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen. Rainforests have more oxygen and less carbon dioxide in their vicinity. When trees are cut down, the amount of carbon dioxide increases, resulting in a warmer atmosphere. This leads to global warming, which is extremely harmful to the environment. It is estimated that the burning of Brazilian rainforests alone produces 200 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. Another significant danger associated with the destruction of the rainforest is the disappearance of plants and animals. When trees are cut down, plants and animals lose their food sources and gradually die out. While killing wild animals is illegal in Brazil, poaching remains a problem. An estimated 38 million animals are stolen and sold illegally each year. The most hunted animals are birds, especially parrots, followed by snakes and jaguars

According to the information given, which of the following is NOT mentioned about the Amazon Rainforest?

• A. Its total area
• B. Its bodies of water
• C. Its rainfall
• D. Its extinct animals

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.

Nurseries
If you thought nurseries were just for babies, well, think again! Being special kinds of farms, nurseries are used to raise plants in mass quantities. Plants, trees, and shrubs are typically grown in nurseries and then sold to farmers and gardeners to plant in homes, businesses and farms. Most nurseries are found in the more rural parts the country because much land is required to have a viable nursery. If a nursery sells plants to others, it must obtain a special permit from the local city or county, which keeps the competition fair and does not saturate the market with a large number of nurseries selling similar products.
Also on the grounds of nurseries are greenhouses which are made of glass or plastic panes that protect the plants from weather elements that may harm them and cause them not to grow and develop. The glass panels in greenhouses allow for sunlight to enter and moisture to be trapped inside. This creates a tropical environment which allows orchids and poinsettias to grow. It ensures that vegetables and fruits will grow large, which makes them valuable to farmers.

The author implied that:

• A. Nurseries are helpful for farmers.
• B. Nurseries are a waste of resources.
• C. Nurseries are only useful for large-scale commercial operations.
• D. Nurseries are unnecessary and rarely used.

People of Hispanic origin were on the North American continent centuries before settlers arrived
from Europe in the early 1600s and the thirteen colonies joined together to form the United
States in the late 1700s. The first census of the new nation was conducted in 1790, and counted about four million people, most of whom were white. Of the white citizens, more than 80%
traced their ancestry back to England. There were close to 700,000 slaves and about 60,000 "free Negroes". Only a few Native American Indians who paid taxes were included in the census count, but the total Native American population was probably about one million. By 1815, the population of the United States was 8.4 million. Over the next 100 years, the
country took in about 35 million immigrants, with the greatest numbers coming in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In 1882, 40,000 Chinese arrived, and between 1900 and 1907, there were more
than 30,000 Japanese immigrants. But by far, the largest numbers of the new immigrants were
from central, eastern, and southern Europe. An enormous amount of racial and ethnic assimilation has taken place in the United States. In 1908, play-write Israel Zangwill first used the term "melting pot" to describe the concept of a place where many races melted in a crucible and re-formed to populate a new land. Some years during the first two decades of the 20th century, there were as many as one million new
immigrants per year, an astonishing 1 percent of the total population of the United States.
In 1921, however, the country began to limit immigration, and the Immigration Act of 1924
virtually closed the door. The total number of immigrants admitted per year dropped from as many as a million to only 150,000. A quota system was established that specified the number of
immigrants that could come from each country. It heavily favored immigrants from northern and western Europe and severely limited everyone else. This system remained in effect until 1965, although after World War II, several exceptions were made to the quota system to allow in
groups of refugees.

In line 21, the term 'virtually' is closest in meaning to which of the following?

• A. effectively
• B. occasionally
• C. thoroughly
• D. undeservedly

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