TOEFL Junior Practice Test 15 - Reading Comprehension (có giải thích đáp án chi tiết)

Wetherton's Weekend Sports Camp!

The Wetherton School is announcing its 5th annual Weekend Sports Camp, which will take place this weekend on the school's athletic grounds. Students can choose from a variety of sports to participate in. 
Below is a list of the sports available and the times at which the games will start. Please arrive at the school 30 minutes before the start time. 

You can sign up for the sport you want in the library between noon and 1 P.M. on Friday. Remember, you can choose only one sport to play, so don't be late! 

In line 2, the words "take place" are closest in meaning to

"Yes, a right triangle has a 90-degree angle. Great job!" Samantha smiled across the table at her brother Abe. "Now, let's try another one," she continued. "What do you get when you add up the angles of a rectangle?"

"Let's see," Abe said slowly. "Each angle in a rectangle is 90 degrees." 

"That's right," Samantha encouraged him.

"And there are four angles. So the answer is... 360."

"Right! See, math's not so hard," said Samantha.

"Well, it's a lot harder in the classroom during a test," Abe said.

Samantha didn't say anything. She knew Abe was smart, so she didn't understand why he kept getting bad grades on his math tests.

"If you know all the answers here, why don't you know them in class?" she asked finally.

"I guess because this isn't a test," he said. "I don't feel nervous about choosing the correct answers."

Samantha thought for a minute. "Okay," she said. "Let's stop for the day. But tomorrow, I want you to be ready to study hard."

The next day after school, Samantha was busy before Abe arrived. She walked around the house gathering things and taking them to her room. She found a small desk and chair. She took the wall clock from the living room and put it on her wall. She even found an old chalkboard and set it up.

When Abe opened the door, he couldn't believe his eyes. Samantha's room had been transformed into a classroom! She was standing in front of the chalkboard writing math problems, and on the little desk was a "test" she had prepared for Abe.

"What's all this?" Abe asked, surprised.

"I know you understand math," said Samantha, "so I think you need to start studying how to take a test. If you can learn to do it here, you'll be ready the next time there's a real one in class!" 

How did Abe probably feel when he said: "Well, it's a lot harder in the classroom during a test."?

The word "them" refers to

The word "transformed" is closest in meaning to

For the past three weeks, students in Mr. Wallace's geography class have been raising money for a very important reason. They want to donate $1,000 to One World, a charity that helps poor people in Africa.

It all started during one of Mr. Wallace's classes. Students were learning about the problems of poverty and hunger that many Africans face. They were so moved by what they learned that they decided to do something about it themselves.

Mr. Wallace supported the idea, and he asked all his students to do some special homework that night. They were to research charity organizations and choose one that the class would donate to. The next day, the students agreed on One World.

Since then, they have been raising money at school and around the community. They have started information meetings to teach people about the issue and encourage them to help. So far, they have collected $650.

This Saturday, Mr. Wallace's class will be holding a bake sale. They hope the money earned during the sale will give them enough to meet their goal. It will be held in the school auditorium from 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Please try to show up, buy a treat, and do your part! 

In the first paragraph, the word "face" is closest in meaning to 

Read the passage and choose the best answer for each question.

One of the biggest challenges any runner can take on is the marathon, a footrace that is just over 26 miles (42 kilometers) long. It requires both strength and strategy. Runners shouldn't start out going too quickly, or else they will become exhausted before the end. The world record for completing a marathon currently stands at two hours, four minutes.

The history of the marathon goes back to 490 BC and a battle between the ancient Greeks and Persians. The battle happened at a place called Marathon, and after several days of hard fighting, the Greeks were victorious. According to legend, a Greek messenger named Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens to report the good news. He covered the entire distance 26 miles without stopping.

The marathon became one of the first modern Olympic sports in 1896, and it continues to be held during the Olympics today. However, many people also participate in marathons for fun. Every year, over 500 of these races occur is around the world. Some of them are so popular that tens of thousands of runners race in them together. The largest and most famous include those held in Boston, London, and New York City. 

What is the best title for this passage?

In the first paragraph, the word "strategy" is closest in meaning to

In the first paragraph, the word "they" refers to _____.

What is the marathon named after?

According to the passage, why did Pheidippides run to Athens?

Why does the author mention Boston, London, and New York City?

Our bodies change as we age, and our eyes are no exception. We tend to experience more vision problems as we enter middle age, even those of us who enjoyed perfect vision in early adulthood. One such condition is called presbyopia, which affects the eye's lens. The lens is a thin, transparent structure in the eye that changes shape as we focus on different objects. Presbyopia is the loss of lens flexibility, making it difficult to focus on objects close at hand.

People with presbyopia have trouble when they read. This is because we hold books and newspapers close to us in order to see the print. The same is true of e-books and notebook computers. The nearness of the text, combined with its small size, means presbyopic eyes are unable to focus sufficiently to allow normal reading. As people try to focus their eyes and see the words in front of them, they may become tired or nauseous and develop headaches.

Some people try to avoid presbyopia by "exercising" their eyes. They practice reading small print in newspapers or magazines, thinking they can "train" is their eyes to keep their focus sharp. However, experts say this has no effect on lens flexibility. The truth is that we have no control over when or how presbyopia occurs. The only solution is to wear glasses when we need to focus on nearby objects. 

In the first paragraph, the word "transparent" is closest in meaning to

In the second paragraph, the word "its" refers to

In the second paragraph, the word "sufficiently" is closest in meaning to

What do people do to prevent presbyopia?

What does the author imply about the eye's lens?

In the year 1540, Spanish explorers traveled to what today is northern Arizona. There, they found something that amazed them. A wide canyon with steep walls ran for miles through the earth. The explorers tried to climb down to the bottom of the canyon, but it was too far. Later, they reported seeing rocks in the canyon that were bigger than any church tower back in Spain. Today, we are still amazed by this massive geologic formation. We call it the Grand Canyon.

The canyon was created by the Colorado River. The water wears down and carries off the rocks and dirt that it flows over. This action is called erosion. Over millions of years, the river has made a deep path in the earth, and this path is the canyon. Currently, the canyon is more than a mile deep, and the Colorado River still runs along the bottom of it.

People have traveled from all over the world to see the Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon National Park is one of the oldest national parks in America, and more than five million tourists visit it each year. They like thinking about how long it took the Colorado River to carve the canyon. They also enjoy hiking and camping in the canyon. And, of course, they love to stand at the top of the canyon and admire the beautiful views. 

In the first paragraph, the word "massive" is closest in meaning to

In the second paragraph, the word "it" refers to

In the third paragraph, the word "carve" is closest in meaning to

All of the following are mentioned as attractions for tourists at the canyon EXCEPT