Hesi A2 Reading comprehension

Food Food and drink are necessary and desirable, but their abuse can cause serious physical and metal problem. Many physicians believe that overeating is one of the country's main health problems, since it places a great strain on the heart, can lead to diabetes, and often shortens the individual's life span. To fill an emotional void. people often turn to food when they are bored or lonely. Another area of concern is alcohol consumption. The results of alcohol abuse are widely publicized. The social drinker who becomes alcoholic, the drunken driver's contribution to highway death, spousal and child abuse, are all concomitant problems associated with alcohol abuse.

Set 2

3. The information presented is

Slanted against people with piercing voices.

1. According to the passage, which of the following are types of phobias? (Check all that apply) (phobia)

Social phobias, panic disorder, specific phobia

2. How can you describe the Amazon rainforest? (Choose 2 answers)

(A)It rains all time there so the forest is always green.(C)The plants are shaped so that rainwater can pour off them.

Rainforest

1. Rain forests are essential to life on earth 2. Deforestation has long term consequences that we still do not know about 3. The Nile is the longest river

4. Look at the end of paragraph 2. What does the author refer to when he says "rich and diverse land" at the beginning of paragraph 3?

2,000 birds and mammals in the Amazon rainforest

5. One of the worst voice qualities is Harshness

5. One of the worst voice qualities is Harshness

3. In the passage, a trick is described as (gob)

A collection of one card played by each of four players.

1. As used in the last sentence of this paragraph, the term "concomitant" means? (food)

Accompanying

2. The information presented in this article is? (food)

Against drinking alcohol

4. The author seems to think that?

All cars should be properly inspected.

5. Which part of the bridge was built first?

Anchorage

2. Throughout this passage the word suit means (gob)

Any of the four sets into which a deck of cards is divided.

2. Where is Thailand?

Asia

3. The passage says that being afraid is normal and good, according to the passage why is having a phobia not normal and good?

Because phobias are extreme and unreasonable.

4. In the passage the word embark means to

Begin an undertaking, start

5. Insomnia affects intellectual abilities because it (gagns)

Causes a deficit in memory, concentration, and attention.

3. Which statement is not a detail from the passage?

Condensation fails to happen when water vapor cools and changes back into droplets of liquid.

1. The author wants the reader to feel (Gob)

Confident and excited about learning the game of bridge

7. What is the biggest problem related to the disappearance of the rainforest?

Cutting down trees

2. Which is a solution to Insomnia? (gagns)

Developing good sleep and taking herbs and spices.

2. What statement can be implied from the content of article. (eating)

Diversity is interesting to learn about

2. What is stated in this paragraph?

Each individuals driving behavior is the key to automobile safety.

4. What is the meaning of the word impoverished in the first paragraph?

Financially ruined

5. The author's motive for writing the paragraph seems to have been to?

Get people personally involved with traffic safety.

2. What body of water does The Golden Gate Bridge cross?

Golden Gate Strait

3. What is implied by this paragraph?

Government action will not help if individual drivers do not cooperate.

1. Which statement from the selection presents a fact rather than an opinion?

Harsh voice qualities usually come from too much tension in the throat and jaw.

3. Why was the roadway so dangerous to build?

If the road wasn't balanced, it would collapse.

1. The authors reason for writing this piece seems to be to

Inform the reader

5. The author seems to? (food)

Oppose drinking alcohol

3. What is implied by the article?

People enjoy giving/receiving gifts.

1. How did the people regard a white elephant?

People tried very hard not to offend the king so they would not receive a white elephant.

1. What is stated in the passage? (gagns)

Physical Illness can cause Insomnia.

5. The passage implies that (gob)

Playing bridge requires concentration.

4. The author seems to:

Prefer low pitched tones.

2. What does the author want the reader to know about phobia?

That phobias are debilitating.

4. The passage explicitly states (gob)

That the highest card within the "trump" suit always wins the trick.

6. Which rainforest plant has more than one use?

The Bruti plant

1. What conclusion can be drawn about the article? (eating)

The author explain differences in eating processes.

2. What is the main idea of this passage?

The different components of the water cycle are precipitation, evaporation, and condensation. The explanation of the different components of the water cycle

5. What can the reader conclude from this passage about ponds and lakes?

They are examples of groundwater reservoirs.

5. What does the sentence "people of Brazil farm in an environmentally friendly way" mean in paragraph 3?

They do not poison the soil when farming.

4. What are physical ailments that phobias cause?

Ulcers and hypertension

3. The author's motive for writing the paragraph seems to have have been to? (food)

Urge self-control

6. Knowing that the cooling of water vapor results in condensation, one could conclude that _______ is/are a factor in the evaporation process.

heat

5. The author wants to conclude that

people can gain control or deal with phobias

Getting a Good Night's Sleep

set 4

3. Sleep Apnea causes? (gagns)

Chronic illness

1. What is the best meaning of the word advocate as used in the forth sentence of this paragraph?

Supporter

6. What statement from the article is correct? (eating)

China developed chopsticks for eating utensils

3. What is the best definition of "efficient" as used in the third paragraph? (eating)

Productive without waste

5. What statement from the article draws a conclusion? (eating)

It is interesting to discover new ways to do things

3. Which of the following is true about the Amazon Basin?

It is more than one-fifth of all the other rainforests in the world.

5. Why is an unwanted gift called a white elephant?

It is rare thing to get an unwanted gift.

1. According to paragraph 1, which of the following is NOT mentioned about the AmazonRainforest?

Its precipitation

1. What is the meaning of the word "composed" in the first paragraph?

To consist of

4. Why did the author write this passage? (gagns)

To explain insomnia and purpose some solutions for the condition.

4. What was the author's primary purpose for writing this essay?

To inform the reader about the stages of the water cycle

4. What is implied by this paragraph? (food)

We should eat and drink in reasonable quantities.

2. What is stated in this paragraph? (voice)

Women make less appealing political candidates.

Eating Consumption of food is a universal necessity. Different cultures have developed different methods to accomplish the task. It is interesting to discover these differences and learn new ways to do things. European cultures developed cutlery (knives, forks, and spoons) to enable people to efficiently eat their food. Correct use of this tools changes with the times-what was polite in 1800 may not be considered proper manners today. China developed the chopstick as an efficient tool for eating. Mastery of the use of chopsticks can be difficult for the person not raised in the culture. The attempts of a novice to use chopsticks can be very amusing to the watcher, but frustrating for the hungry diner. Space travel has created new challenges for consuming food. Squeeze bottles and other unique packaging have enabled space travelers to get their needed nutrition. Chopsticks and forks do not work well in space.

set 1

Voice What effect does your voice have on others? Does it persuade or irritate, attract or repel? One of the worst qualities is harshness. If you ever get the feeling that people are uncomfortable when you speak, it may be that your harsh tones are jarring their eardrums. Your voice will sound unpleasant if it is shrill, grating, hard, piercing, brassy, to loud, or too nasal. Harsh voice qualities usually come from too much tension in the throat and jaw. Tension tightens muscles and blocks the relaxed voice tones essential to a pleasing impression. Because tension occurs in higher pitched voices, women tend to have shriller voices than men, which usually makes them less desirable public speakers, newscasters, or political candidates.

set 10

White Elephant Centuries ago, in the country of Siam, now known as Thailand, it was the custom of the rulers that displeased them by giving the offender a white elephant. Because the animal was could not be made to work as other elephants did, but still had to be fed hundreds of pounds of fruit and cared for in the most lavish style. The recipient could not give the elephant to anyone else, as it was the ruler, who would be greatly displeased should the recipient not receive the gift graciously or care for in a grand style. This monetary burden could be a major liability to the recipient and in many cases they became impoverished. This is the origin of the term"white elephant" as it is used today to denote an unwanted gift. The way of gift exchange played during the holiday season is an offshoot of this. In this game, everyone brings, and the gifts are exchanged by drawing numbers and picking a gift in turn. The second person can choose or steal the first one. It is all in good fun, and people enjoy giving silly gifts and "stealing" someone else.

set 12

Golden Gate Bridge Linking San Francisco to Marin County in California, the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most famous bridges in the world. The bridge crosses over a narrow strait which connects the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco Bay. Prior to the bridge, people traveled by ferry boat across the strait. Although most people thought a bridge was necessary to expedite travel, some residents of the bay area felt the risk of building the bridge was too great. Joseph Strauss believed that nothing was impossible, and dreams would never come to fruition if risks weren't taken. So, he decided to gather the best and brightest builders, architects, and workers to embark on the challenge of building a bridge across the Golden Gate Strait. With safety nets in place, the construction began in 1937. Building the anchorages first, the builders then move on to the towers on each end, and then to the three-foot thick cables to support the suspension bridge. Lastly, workers labored to complete the roadway which became the most dangerous and treacherous part of the entire task. The builders had to keep the bridge balance, so it wouldn't fall into the bay. Today, over sixty-five years later, the bridge remains a life-line for the people of the San Francisco Bay Area.

set 13

Game of Bridge The ebb and flow of laughter and silence fills the room as four old friends gather to engage in a round of Bridge playing. For the beginner, Bridge can be complicated, but with time, effort, and a good teacher, even the novice can become proficient. Composed of two main parts, bidding and playing, Bridge requires the player's undivided attention. The dealer deals the entire deck of playing cards evenly between the for players, with each person receiving thirteen cards. In the bidding portion of the game, the four suits of cards in the deck are ranked highest to lowest as follows: spades, hearts, diamonds, and finally clubs. However, during play all the suits of cards are considered equals, and they go from highest to lowest from the ace being high to the two card being low. The highest number of tricks wins. A trick is one card played by each player for a total of four. After the lead player lays down his/her card, the other players follow suit, if possible. The highest card within the four "same suit" cards played wins the trick and picks up all four cards. if a player cannot follow suit, he/she plays any card, but to make the game more interesting and challenging, one suit is named a trump suit which means that if a player plays a card from the trump suit, it always wins the trick. If two cards from the trump suit are played, the highest card within the trump suit wins the trick. obviously the team with the most tricks wins the hand.

set 3

Phobia

set 6

The Water Cycle Water is needed to sustain practically all life functions on planet Earth. A single drop of this compound is composed of an oxygen atom that shares its electrons with each of the two hydrogen atoms. The cycle starts when precipitation, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail, descends from the sky onto the ground. Water that is not absorbed immediately from the precipitation is known as runoff. The runoff flows across the land and collects in groundwater reservoirs, rivers, streams, and oceans. Evaporation takes place when liquid water changes into water vapor, which is a gas. Water vapor returns to the air from surface water and plants. Ultimately, condensation happens when this water vapor cools and changes back into droplets of liquid. In fact, the puffy, cotton clouds that we observe are formed by condensation. When the clouds become heavily laden with liquid droplets, precipitation ensues.

set 7

Amazon Rainforest About 6% of the earth is covered by rainforests. The largest rainforest in the world is theAmazon Basin, which stretches over 2.3 million square miles in nine different South American countries. This area is double the length of all the other remaining rainforests in the world. Brazil contains 60%of the Amazonian rainforest, since it lies at the mouth of the river Amazon. 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 a type of wet broadleaf forest. The weather there is very humid and warm as it rains quite a bit. Because of the high rainfall, the forest is very rich and green. The tree leaves are pointed and narrow so that the raindrops can easily drop off wet plants. This tropical rainforest has more living species than the entire European continent. There are over 400 types of insects living in one single rain forest tree for a total of 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, which comes to a total of 90,000 tons of greenery overall. The Amazon rainforest is home to 2,000 birds and mammals, with one in every five birds in the world living there. Local farmers have lived off this rich and diverse land for thousands of years. They have been able to find food and water here without destroying the land. The Kayapo people of Brazil farm in an environmentally-friendly way. Instead of chemicals, they use burned wood to enrich the soil, and plant banana trees, which attract wasps. These wasps then feed on leafcutter ants and get rid of these harmful insects. The rainforest also offers a lot of tropical fruits, such as bananas and coconuts, as food. Cinnamon is made from the bark of a rainforest tree. Amazonian Indians use the fruit and stem of the Buruti plant as a drink, to make bread and to build houses. Many other plants are used as medicine. But the Amazon rainforest is in very big danger of disappearing. 9,169 square miles of forest have been cut down in 2003 in Brazil alone. An area of the size of a football field is burned down basically every minute, which means that the rain forest may be gone by the year 2030.The dangers related to this type of activity are obvious. Trees take in poisonous carbon dioxide from the air and give off oxygen. There is more oxygen and less carbon dioxide around a rainforest. When trees are cut down, however, the amount of carbon dioxide increases, and the air gets warmer. 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 a year. Another danger connected with destroying the rainforest is the disappearance of plants and animals. When trees are cut down, plants and animals have no more food left and slowly die out. Killing wild animals is illegal in Brazil, but there is plenty of stealing going on. 38 million animals are stolen and sold illegally each year. The most hunted animals are birds, especially parrots, followed by snakes and the jaguar.

set 8

Safe Driving

set 9