TOEFL Reading Test 1 Section: 1. Groundwater

 Groundwater

1. Groundwater is the word used to describe water that saturates the ground, filling all the available spaces. By far the most abundant type of groundwater is meteoric water, this is the groundwater that circulates as part of the water cycle. Ordinary meteoric water is water that has soaked into the ground from surface, from precipitation (rain and snow) and from lakes and streams. There it remains, sometimes for long periods, before emerging at the surface again. At first thought it seems incredible that there can be enough space in the "solid" ground underfoot to hold all this water. 

2. The necessary space is there, however, in many forms. The commonest spaces are those among the particles-- sand grains and tiny pebbles--of loose, unconsolidated sand and gravel. Beds of this material, out of sight beneath the soil, are common. They are found wherever fast rivers carrying loads of coarse sediment once flowed. For covered North American during the last ice age steadily melted away, huge volumes of water flowed from them. The water was always laden with pebbles, gravel, and sand, known as glacial outwash, that was deposited as the flow slowed down. 

3. The same thing happens to this day, though on a smaller scale, wherever a sediment-laden river or stream emerges from a mountain valley onto relatively flat land, dropping its load as the current slows; the water usually spreads out fanwise, depositing the sediment in the form of a smooth, fan shaped slope. Sediments are also dropped where a river slows on entering a lake or the sea, the deposited sediments are on a lake floor or the seafloor at first, but will be located inland at some future date, when the sea level falls or the land rises; such beds are sometimes thousands of meters thick. 

4. In lowland country almost any spot on the ground may overlie what was once the bed of a river that has since become buried by soil; if they a re now below the water's upper surface (the water table), the gravels and sands of the former riverbed, and its sandbars, will be saturated with groundwater. 

5. So much for unconsolidated sediments. Consolidated (or cemented) sediments, too, contain millions of minute water-holding pores. This is because the gaps among the original grains are often not totally plugged with cementing chemicals; also, parts of the original grains may become dissolved by percolating groundwater, either while consolidation is taking place or at any time afterwards. The result is that sandstone, for example, can be as porous as the loose sand from which it was formed. 

6. Thus a proportion of the total volume of any sediment, loose or cemented, consists of empty space. Most crystalline rocks are much more solid; a common exception is basalt, a form of solidified volcanic lava, which is sometimes full of tiny bubbles that make it very porous. 

7. The proportion of empty space in a rock is known as its porosity. But note that porosity is not the same as permeability, which measures the ease with which water can flow through a material; this depends on the sizes of the individual cavities and the crevices linking them. 

8. Much of the water in a sample of drain from it if the sample is put in a suitable dry place. But some will remain, clinging to all solid surfaces. It is held there by the force of surfaces. It is held there by the force of surface tension without which water would drain instantly from any wet surface, leaving it totally dry. The total volume of water in the saturated sample must therefore be thought of as consisting of water that can, and water that cannot, drain away. 

9. The relative amount of these two kinds of water varies greatly from one kind of rock or sediment to another, even though their porosities may be the same. What happens depends on pore size. If the pores are large, the water in them will exist as drops too heavy for surface tension to hold, and it will drain away; but if the pores are small enough, the water in them will exist as thin films, too light to overcome the force of surface tension holding them in place; then the eater will be firmly held. 

Questions

1. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about the ground that we walk on? 

        A. It cannot hold rainwater for long periods of time. 

        B. It prevents most groundwater from circulating.

        C. It has the capacity to store large amount of water. 

        D. It absorbs most of the water it contains from rivers.

Answer: C. 

2. The word "incredible" in the passage is closest in the meaning to

        A. Confusing

        B. Comforting

        C. Unbelievable

        D. Interesting

Answer: C. 

3. The word "out of sight" in the passage is closest in meaning to-

        A. Far away

        B. Hidden

        C. Partly visible

        D. Discovered

Answer: B.  

4. According to paragraph 2, where is groundwater usually found?

        A. Inside pieces of sand and gravel

        B. On top of beds of rock

        C. In fast rivers that are flowing beneath the soil

        D. In spaces between pieces of sediment

Answer: D. 

5. The phrase "glacial outwash" in the passage refers to

        A. Fast rivers

        B. Glaciers

        C. the huge volumes of water created by glacial melting

        D. the particles carried in water from 

Answer: D.

6. All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 3 as places that sediment-laden rivers can deposit their sediments EXCEPT

        A. A mountain valley

        B. Flat land

        C. A lake floor

        D. The seafloor

Answer: C.

7. The word "overlie" in the passage is closest in meaning to 

        A. Cover

        B. Change

        C. Separate

        D. Surround

Answer: A.

8. The phrase "So much for" on the passage is closest in meaning to 

        A. that is enough to about

        B. now let us turn to 

       C. of greater concern are

        D. this is related to 

Answer: A.

9. The word "plugged" in the passage is closest in meaning to 

        A. washed

        B. dragged

        C. filled up

        D. soaked through

Answer: C. 

10. According to paragraphs 6 and 7, why is basalt unlike most crystalline forms of rock?

        A. It is unusually solid.

        B. It often has high porosity.

        C. It has a low proportion of empty space

        D. It is highly permeable

Answer: C.

11. What is the main purpose of paragraph 7?

        A. to explain why water can flow through rock

        B. To emphasize the large amount of empty space in all rock

        C. To point out that a rock cannot be both porous and permeable

        D. To distinguish between two related properties of rock

Answer: C. 

12. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage?

Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information. 

        A. Surface tension is not strong enough to retain drops of water in rocks with large pores but it strong enough to hold on to thin films of water in rocks with small pores.

        B. Water in rocks is held in place by large pores and drains away from small size pores through surface tension.

        C. Small pores and large pores both interact with surface tension to determine whether a rock will hold water as heavy drops or as a thin film.

        D. If the force of surface tension is too weak to hold water in place as heavy drops, the water will continue to be held firmly in place as a thin film when large pores exist. 

Answer: A. 

13. Look at the four squares that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?

What, then, determines what proportion of the water stays and what proportion drains away?

    A. 

    B.

    C.

    D.

Answer: A.

14. Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points. Much of the ground is actually saturated with water. 

        A. Sediments that hold water were spread by glaciers and are still spread by rivers and streams.

        B. Water is stored underground in beds of loose sand and gravel or in cemented sediment.

      C. The size of a saturated rock's pores determines how much water it will retain when the rock is put in a dry place.

Answer choices:

     D. Groundwater often remains underground for a long time before it emerges again.

     E. Like sandstone, basalt is a crystalline rock that is very porous

     F. Beds of unconsolidated sediments are typically located at inland sites that were once underwater. 

TOEFL Speaking Section

  Task 1: Independent

You will be asked a general question about your life or opinions.

Preparation Time: 15 Seconds

Response Time: 45 Seconds

Topic: Some people believe that television has had a positive influence on society. Others believe it has had a negative influence on society. Others believe it has had a negative influence on society. Which do you agree with and why? Use details and examples to explain your opinion. 

Sample Answer 1: 

In my view, television has a positive effect for the modern society. Firstly, it offers us an efficient and convenient way to get the latest news and deep analysis on big event. You can directly see what has happened around the entire world just in your home. Moreover, television also has brought us a visual enjoyment and broadened our knowledge by different types of programs. I can learn English skill from CCTV10. focusing on education, or enjoy the movie from CCTV 6, film program. Finally, television can release job seeking pressure at some extent, by providing a job chance for people who are willing to be engaged in related career. 

TOEFL - Speaking Section

 Task 1: Independent

You will be asked a general question about your life or opinions.

Preparation Time: 15 Seconds

Response Time: 45 Seconds

Topic: Talk about a book you have read that was important to you for some reason. Explain why the book was important to you. Give specific details and examples to explain your answer. 

Sample Answer 1:

The most helpful book for me is the famous English novel "Jane Eyre" written by Charlotte Bronete. The heroine called Jane Eyre is outwardly of poor appearance but plucky, she poses great courage and indomitable spirit to battle against unfair fortune as the governess to the daughter of attractive Mr. Rochester. That story happened on Jane does encourage people to challenge fate and take a positive and independent attitude to fight for freedom and equality, thus allowing access to our own happiness. That is also why I think this book, Jane Eyre, is so important to me. 

Sample Answer 2

The book that was important to me was an instruction manual on how to pronounce English. When I was a middle school student, I did not speak English very well. I always confused the Chinese pronunciation with the English pronunciation, and I was frustrated with that. So I used this book to practice a lot. And there was also a video with this book, so I watched the video, I practiced and imitated the pronunciation. Now I have improve my English and also gained some confidence because of the book. 

Sample Answer 3

Recently, I read a book named keep the aspidistra flying written by George Orwell. The book influences me a lot because the story has something that touches my heart. .The story talks about a man who wants to be a poet and who abandons many well-paying jobs to pursue his dream of being a poet. I have a similar experience of quitting a very good job in order to be a writer. Also, the man in the story is lack of money to because he works as a bookstore assistant and thus has very low salary. He lives in a shabby apartment and sometimes have no money to buy food. Again, I've got similar experience. I once lived in a cramped apartment alone and had no money. The book is important to me because it touches me and gives me encouragement to persist. 

TOEFL New Format

 The Four Sections

• Reading Section

        - 54 or 72 minutes

• Listening 

        - 41 or 57 minute

• 10 - minute break
• Speaking

        -17 minutes

• Writing

        -60 minutes

Total 3.00 hours or 3.30 hours will need to finish the test.       

Reading Section

• 3 or 4 passage

            - ~700 words

            -18 minute per passage

            -Not separated 

            -10 question per passage

• Similar to University text books

        -Science, History, Humanities etc. 

Listening Section

• 5 or 7 recordings

        -3 or 4 lectures

            *~ 5 minutes each with 6 question
            * Similar topics to those in the reading section
        - 2 or 3 conversation
            *~3 minutes each with 5 questions 
            *about living on campus    

Break 

• exactly 10 minutes
• can't go back to test early

Speaking Section

• 4 tasks
• Always the same order
• Task-1: Independent -Just Speak
• Task-2: Integrated- read, listen and speak. 
• Task-3: Integrated - read, listen and speak. 
• Task-4: Integrated-listen and speak

Writing Section:

• 2 essays

        -Integrated: read, listen and write

• 3 minutes to read, ~3 minutes lecture

        - Write for 20 minutes

• Compare and contrast lecture with reading            

TOEFL Writing: 1. Why go to University?

Sample  Answer 1. 

I strongly believe that everyone should attend university. Entering university is at the same time a so much promising step into a world of opportunities as long as it is accompanied by a strong will and desire for distinction. The quality and diversity of opportunities and the spread spectrum of choices higher education can provide us is the core motive for everyone intending to attend university. I will try to examine below the specific reasons for entering university according to which I think are the most common viewpoints nowadays.

First let us look at what a person can typically gain from a successfully study at a university. It is a diploma and/ or a degree. This is by default leading to a more distinct, respected, well paid profession. Nowadays unemployment crisis is troubling not only the poor countries but the developed western countries as well, so that the ease of finding a job may play an important role in the decisions people are making. 

Another important reason is that people want to get more education. University provides a higher level of education and has all these resources and facilities for people who crave knowledge. Learning is the key to everything that we want to improve. So, higher education helps us widen our understanding and increase our intellectual ability. 

Apart from the points I made above there is also a well known fashion all over the world that is called career preparation. Many people attend university in order to seek either a career in business. It is believed that the ideas, opportunities, qualifications, in-depth knowledge and expertise in science areas often make attending university may only be the beginning of a sequence of moves someone can make in order to accomplish what he thinks best for his career. 

Finally, I cannot oversee the fact that many times studying at a university also means living in a city far from home. New responsibilities always appear but they do not become serious drawbacks. In contrast, the new sense of freedom and independence a young man can experience or thinks he will is thought of a something of great importance. One thing is for sure though, there is chance for everyone in the community of a university to meet people, make new friends and know individuals of great importance. 

Last but not least I wish to say that the purpose of university is to harvest knowledge and to  being educated, so it is obvious that everyone can find a reason for attending university. 

Sample Answer-2

University is no longer a fresh word to people nowadays. Since the beginning of this century, more and more youngsters choose to enter university after they have completed the study in high schools rather than to join the army or become an apprentice. Therefore, it is kind of interesting to find out the reason behind. 

First of all, students can only learn fundamental knowledge during high school while they are able to focus on their own interested majors in universities. This period is the key to knowledge accumulation, which  will contribute a lot to the future of an individual. Moreover, university is no doubt the symbol of high education. It offers more than pure knowledge. A degree from a university gives people certain identity that makes them stand out among their competitors. It can be seen from the fact that most international companies t will only hire those who have at least a Bachelor's degree in China. 

But, as far as I know, sincere dreams might also be the reason for university or college. For instance, in the 60s and 70s, people in China experienced hard times. Many of them had to give up advanced education and take up the burdens of life at their early age. Now, as they became parents or even grandparents, their dream for university education had no doubt realized by their younger family members. Those young people, as reported, often study vary hard to fulfill the expectations of two generations . 

Question-5: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? In my country, young people have a better life today than their parents enjoyed when they were young. Use reasons and examples to support your answer.

The world has changed in many since my parents were young. In my opinion, my lifestyle is superior to the one they enjoyed at that time. I feel this way for two reasons, which I will explore in the following essays. 

First of all, my generation enjoys a lot more leisure time, which makes our lives more fulfilling and enables us to follow our passions. People today take longer vacations and have more paid time off from their jobs than either of my parents did while they were still employed. Similarly, we have much shorter working days than they did. For example, nowadays I receive five weeks off from my job each year. I can schedule these holidays as I wish, and even use all of my vacation days at the same time. As a result, I have been able pursue my love of travel. Unlike earlier generations, I have been able to maintain steady professional employment for my whole life so far, and have also been able to visit every continent on earth. My parents, in contrast, were only able to travel following their retirement. At that time, however, their age and physical conditions limited their range of experiences. 

Secondly, society provides many more opportunities for women and minorities these days . In the past, disadvantaged groups had a tough time achieving personal and professional success. While this is still something of a concern, it is now much easier for members of such groups to follow their dreams. My own experience, is a compelling example of this. When I was a young woman I was encouraged to attend university and later enter the workforce. On the other hand, my mother was expected to raise children and be a homemaker. She dreamed of being a business executive and making a lot of money, but her parents and teachers discouraged her from doing that. Unlike me, she was pressured to give up all of her professional aspirations. Her example demonstrates why my life is preferable to the life which she lived when she was young. 

In conclusion, I strongly believe that I have an easier and better life than my parents had jus a few decades ago. This is because I enjoy much more leisure time than they did, and because women today have many more opportunities than they did in the past. (392 words).