English Reading

To help teachers to have reading lessons

READING

Part 1

   Read the text and choose the answer:

Another critical factor that plays a part in susceptibility to colds is age. A study done by the University of Michigan School of Public Health revealed particulars that seem to hold true for the general population. Infants are the most cold-ridden group, averaging more than six colds in their first year. Boys have more colds than girls up to age three. After the age of three, girls are more susceptible than boys, and teenage girls average three colds a year to boys’ two.

The general incidence of colds continues to decline into maturity. Elderly people who are in good health have as few as one or two colds annually. One exception is found among people in their twenties, especially women. The rate, at which they are infected with colds rises because people in this age group are most likely to have young children. Adults who delay having children until their thirties and forties experience the same sudden increase in cold infections.

The study also found that economics plays an important role. As income increases the frequency at which colds are reported in the family decreases. Families with the lowest income suffer a third more colds than families at the highest end. Lower income generally forces people to live in more cramped quarters than those typically occupied by wealthier people, and crowded conditions increase the opportunities for the cold virus to travel from person to person. The degree to which deficient nutrition affects susceptibility to colds is not yet clearly established. However, an inadequate diet is suspected of lowering resistance generally.                                                        

1. The paragraph that precedes this one most likely deals with

1. minor diseases other than colds.
2. the recommended treatment of cold.
3. another factor that affects susceptibility to colds.
4. methods of preventing colds among elderly people.

1. What does the author claim about the study discussed in the text?
   1. It contains many inconsistencies.
   2. It specializes in children and women.
   3. It contradicts the results of earlier studies in the field.
   4. Its results apparently are relevant to the population as a whole.

1. Which of the following conclusions can be supported by the Information in paragraph 2?
   1. Men are more susceptible to colds than women.
   2. Children infect their parents with colds.
   3. People who live in cold climates have more colds than those in warm ones.
   4. People who don’t have children are more susceptible to colds than those who do.

1. The author’s main purpose in writing the last paragraph was to
   1. present one way in which cold viruses are transmitted.
   2. prove that a poor diet causes colds.
   3. discuss the relationship between income and frequency of colds.
   4. explain the distribution of income among the people in the study.

Part 2.

 Read the text and choose one of the following words to fill in the gaps. You will not need one of these words:

Canadian researchers have discovered a set of genes that determine the 5  _______________of the common nematode, a type of worm. This finding sheds new light on the aging process that may allow them to delay the inexorable process of aging and death. By manipulating the newly discovered genes, the team at McGill University in Montreal was able to increase the lifespan of the nematode fivefold. Altering the genes apparently slowed the 6___________________of the worms to a more leisurely pace. This caused the DNA effects thought to bring about aging to accumulate more slowly. The 7 ___________ of aging in humans are undoubtedly more involved than those in nematodes. However, researchers are confident that these discoveries will provide invaluable clues about this hitherto mysterious process.

Part 3.

8.  Read the text and answer the question: What is the main topic of this passage?

There are two main types of cell division. Most cells are produced by a process called mitosis.In mitosis, a cell divides and forms two identical daughter cells each with the same number of chromosomes. Most one-celled creatures reproduce by this method, as do most of the cells in multicelled plants and animals. Sex cells, however, are formed in a special type of cell division called meiosis. This process reduces the number of chromosomes in a sex cell to half the number found in other kinds of cells. Then, when sex cells unite, they produce a single cell with the original number of chromosomes.

1. The method by which one-celled organisms reproduce
2. A comparison between mitosis and meiosis.
3. Meiosis, the process by which identical cells are produced.

The keys: