READING COMPREHENSIONStudent: ____________________________________________ Date: _______________Read the texts below carefully.Then choose the best answer for each of the four questions that follow.SCHOOL GRADES

1. Students should be allowed to study without worrying about grades. Fortunately, most educators are becoming aware of the fact that students have different interests and abilities. However, the regulation resulting from grades still exists. Grades often interrupt creativity. Competing for better grades causes many students to turn down opportunities to pursue music, dramatics and sports. Grades impose an arbitrary standard of success on everyone. I do not demand as some extremists do, that grades be abolished immediately. However, I do believe that less emphasis should be placed on grades. I hope that someday grades will become optional at Village High School. Elizabeth Smith, President. Drama Club2. Let's face the facts about grades. Grades perform three basic functions. First, grades motivate students to work at their highest level of competence. Second, they act as a reward for hardworking students and as a reprimand to students who do not work hard. Finally, grades are used as an effective standard by which to measure student achievement. Good grades help students to get jobs and to get into university. I've spoken with a number of students who have jobs, and most of them say that they were hired primarily on the basis of their grades. My grades helped me land a part-time job and will help me get into university next year. I think grades are extremely important at Village High School. Simon Harper, Member, Science Club

1. Simon Harper writes from the viewpoint of someone whoA. Wants business to hire more students B. believes in the benefits of good gradesC. is concerned about students' creativity D. supports students' interests and abilities

2. Elizabeth Smith thinks it is important forA. students to participate in music, dramatics, and sportsB. Students to compete more for gradesC. educators to have more control over gradesD. students to be reprimanded for not working hard3. Which of the following expresses a reality about grades at Village High School?A. They are not usefulB. They stifle creativityC. They should be optionalD. They are currently in use4. Which of the following is NOT an opinion expressed by Elizabeth Smith?A. Grades should be abolished.B. Regulation results from grades.C. Grades impose arbitrary standards of success.D. Students should be able to learn without worrying about grades.THE GLOBAL VILLAGE

Read the article. What does the term global village mean?More and more often, the term global village is used to describe the world and its people. In most villages, everyone knows everyone else and the people face the same kinds of problems. So how can the world be a village when it is home to more than six billion people? Political and technological changes in the past century have made the global village possible.

POLITICAL CHANGES.The years followingWorld War II seemed to promise peace. In fact, in 1945, the United Nations was founded to help countries resolve disputes peacefully. However, this promise was soon broken by the Cold War-Distrust and tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. These two superpowers engaged in an arms race, spending huge amounts of money on weapons. The other nations of the world were divided into two sides, and the world was frozen in a state of hostility.

The Cold War finally ended and the political climate changed between 1989 and 1991, when the governments of the Soviet Union and several Eastern European countries collapsed. The end of Cold War tension made the global village more politically possible by opening new channels of communication between nations.TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES. Technologically, the greatest contributor to the global village is the microchip an electronic circuit on a tiny chip. The evolution of the microchip has made modern satellites and supercomputers possible. These forms of high-tech communications allow news and ideas to travel quickly across the globe, making people more aware of their neighbors around the world in dramatic new ways. Through the Internet, we can get information from computers and carry on electronic conversation with people everywhere. Through television programs transmitted by satellite, we are exposed to many cultures.

The development of the global village will almost certainly continue into the future. Not only is this probable, but the challenges that the world faces- for example, conflicts among peoples, pollution, and population growth will make it necessary.

EXERCISEA.Read the article. Then complete the summary with information from the article.

The termglobal villageimplies that people around the world are connected and face ______________. The global village became possible because of __________and ______________ changes in the past half century. Politically the end of ______________ made the global villagepossible by __________________ between nations. Technologically, the evolution of the ____________________ has made ___________ and _____________ possible. These new forms of communication have made people more aware of ______________________B.Use information in the article to answer the following questions in your own Words.

1. What does the term global village mean?2. What is the United Nations?3. What was the Cold War?4. Who were the superpowers?5. What was the arms race?6. What is a microchip?7. What are high-tech communications?

Read the three short book reviews and answer the questions

BOOKWATCH

SHADOWS: Simon Cabot SHADOWS is Simon Cabot's fifth book. An American living in England, Cabot tells the story of his 30-year friendship with Shiva Patel, an Indian writer. They first met in Africa, but both went their separate ways, travelling across four continents, keeping their friendship going over the years by letter. An interesting look at an unusual friendship. Highly recommended.

LAURA CARY: Graham AdamsYou may not have heard of Laura Cary, but in the 1950s she was the most popular singer in Britain, with 5 number one hits. In this biography, Graham Adams writes about just 5 years of Laura's life and looks at the problems and fears she faced at the time as well as the rewards she gained from being famous. It successfully brings to life the sights, sounds and even smells of the time. This is only Adams' third book, but a very good read.

PUPPET MAN: James FisherSonny Turk is now 64 years old, and looks back at his strange career. He never wanted an ordinary life and left home at 14 to travel the world as a sailor. Returning to New York, he gives puppet shows on the streets before starting his own theatre. A colorful story of a life full of adventure. This is James Fisher's tenth book and his best so far.

1. Which book is about writers?A. Puppet ManB. ShadowsC. Laura Cary2. Who has written the most books?A. James FisherB. Simon CabotC. Graham Adams3. Which review does not mention travel?C. ShadowsB. Laura CaryC. Puppet Man4. Which books talks about what its like to be a pop star?A. ShadowsB. Laura Caryc) Puppet Man5. In which book did a character sail around the world?A. ShadowsB. Laura CaryC. Puppet Man6. Which writer has written only three books?A. James FisherB. Simon CabotC. Graham Adams7. In which book do people write to each other?A. ShadowsB. Laura CaryC. Puppet Man8 Which book is about a mans unusual life?A. ShadowsB. Laura CaryC. Puppet Man

LAS FLORES HIGH-SCHOOLENGLISH TESTNames: _______________________________________Date: October 30th -2014

Read the text and answer the questions.MY LOVE OF TRAVELING BY SAM HARRISI grew up in Australia and was introduced to traveling at an early age. We moved around a lot because of my fathers work. My favorite hobby was radios - I repaired old sets and listened to various programs from around the world. I had a map of the world on my bedroom wall with pins on it and I wrote postcards to foreign radio stations. I was an only child and I didnt have many friends; instead I tried to contact the outside world. We didnt have a television, so what I learned came from the radio and from encyclopedias. By the age of 13, I could draw maps of countries from memory and name all the capital cities.I didnt actually leave Australia until I was twenty-five, when I went on a long trip through Asia. I arrived in Thailand thinking I was well prepared, but in fact, I knew little about its rich culture. Then I went to India, where my taste for adventure and different experiences grew. Every city there was different; there were cows on the streets, old cars, interesting food, and people everywhere.I went from country to country without realizing how dangerous some of them were at that time. There was very little advice available. But now its different - you can learn so much from the internet and just about everywhere you go, youll find an internet caf. It has really changed the way people travel.The things I now like most about a trip are eating and shopping. I also love sitting on trains and talking to different people. Im sure Ill never get bored with traveling, even though Ive explored most countries in the world.1. What can you learn about the writer from this text?A. He had always wanted to work on the radio.B. Very little surprised him on his first visit to Asia.C. His early knowledge of the world came from the radio.D. He liked sharing his interest in geography with other people.2. What does the writer say about traveling abroad?A. There are many countries he would still like to visit.B. Information about other countries has become easier to find.C. The things he enjoys while traveling have not changed.D. Knowing something about maps is useful when traveling.3. What do we learn about the writers life as a child?A. He spent time fixing radios that were broken.B. His father was unemployed for long periods.C. His friends thought he was rather strange.D. He watched programs about people in other countries.4. What is the writer trying to do in the text?A. talk about the towns where he used to liveB. describe the people he met while traveling abroadC. compare the different countries he has been toD. explain how his interest in travel has developed5. . What does he like to do when he travels?A. reading books and magazinesB. enjoying a delicious meal.C. driving old cars and drawing mapsD. writing postcards and letters6. When he arrived in ThailandA. He was happy because his taste for adventure grew.B. He realized he didnt know anything about the country he was visiting.C. He already knew the culture of the country and visited many tourist places.D. He saw cows on the streets and people from different countries.7. Which of the following statements would the writer make?A. B.The world is a smaller place now because of the internet, and so travel has become less exciting.I find it hard to talk to people I meet on my travels because I hardly knew anyone when I was a child.

Learning about the world from books and the radio was nothing like the real experience.Areas with only a few people are the best places to visit since they are quiet and relaxing.

C. D.

Mr. Riveros copy.