Banco+de+preguntas+icfes.2 8
- 1. Banco de Preguntas de Idioma Extranjero Inglés COMPRENSIÓN DE TEXTOS 1-3 Many major cities in the world today have large populations of people who have recently arrived; they have emigrated from other countries. Perhaps you, too, have left a familiar place to come to a new city or a new country. Or you may live in a city where there are large numbers of newcomers. Adapting to a new place forces people to seek out new friends, face new problems, and often learn a new language. 1. The underlined word who is related to A. B. C. D. cities. people. major. countries. 2. The underlined words seek out can be replaced by A. B. C. D. give up. look for. take care. find out. 3. According to the text, A. B. C. D. people are forced to leave their native countries. major cities of the world have received many visitors. people have immigrated to other countries due to overpopulation. living in a new place implies many changes for immigrants. 4-6 People are living longer in the United States. As a result, more and more middle aged adults are becoming caretakers of their aging parents. When their parents can no longer care for themselves, these adults stay at home to care for them in much the same way they cared for their own children. Playing the role of "parent sitter" is quite difficult and frustrating. For example, an aging parent may become blind. No longer able to see, the old person needs his or her children to perform many every day jobs. Another example is the parent who becomes brain damaged during the aging process. Natural roles are then reversed, as children are forced to care for their parents as if their parents were children. 4. The underlined words middle aged can be replaced by A. B. C. D. very young people. ancient people. very old people. people in their 50's. 5. According to the text, the underlined words "parent sitter" refer to a person who A. B. C. D. takes care of his/her father or mother. loves and works for his/her family. looks after his/her children. likes helping his/her relatives. 6. The main idea of this text is: A. B. C. D. Sons and daughters take care of their parents because of longevity. Children do not like to take care of their parents. The natural roles of parents and children have changed throughout history. Parents stay at home to take care of their children. 7-9
- 2. The United States is now becoming a non-smoking society. Across the country, hundreds of towns and cities, and even entire states, are passing strict laws to control the sale and use of cigarettes. In New York, for example, smoking is illegal in public buildings, hospitals, schools, banks, stores, movie theaters, taxi-cabs, and restrooms, to name a few places. In addition, smoking is prohibited anywhere in the U.S. on airline flights that last two hours or less. And now many private companies have also made rules prohibiting cigarette smoking. At least 40% of American companies restrict smoking by their employees. Company policies are mostly of three kinds: they prohibit smoking by employees when they are working, they hire only non-smokers, or they force workers who smoke to quit smoking. 7. The underlined sentence they force workers who smoke to quit smoking means that A. B. C. D. workers are hired because they smoke. workers have to give up smoking if they want to continue working. workers are required to smoke if they want to continue working. workers are fired because they smoke. 8. According to the text, we can infer that A. none of the company policies ban smoking. B. all of the company policies ban smokers. C. the first policy bans smoking, and the other two, ban smokers. D. the first and second policies ban smokers, and the last one bans smoking. 9. According to the text, the author's intention is to A. describe how the U.S. is regulating smoking. B. promote discrimination against smokers in the U.S. C. protest against people who smoke in the U.S. D. show how smokers can quit smoking in the U.S. 10 - 12 We owe our nation's state park system to one of the world's most recognizable landmarks -Niagara Falls. By 1880, a ring of industrial sites and man-made attractions had so completely choked off public access to the falls that the only views from American soil were on private land. News of Niagara's plight spread when a group of artists and politicians spearheaded a campaign to buy back the land, creating a preserve. Finally in 1885, after six years of legislative wrangling, New York Governor David B. Hill dedicated the famous landmark "free to mankind", and our state park system was born. America's parks really took off in the 1930's when the country was booming with public works projects. The Civilian Conservation Corps built camps and trails that gave Americans access to the outdoors. Now, there are more than 5.000 state parks, nearly ninety-five times the number of national parks. That means at least a few per state, or a short drive for most families. 10. The underlined expression choked off can be replaced by A. suspended. B. increased. C. promoted. D. eliminated. 11. The underlined sentence America's parks really took off in the 1930's, when the country was booming with public works projects means that A. America's parks were destroyed in the 1930's because of the increase of public works projects. B. America's parks began to emerge in the 1930's due to the decrease of public works projects. C. public works projects increased because of the beginning of America's parks in the 1930's. D. public works projects encouraged the beginning of America's parks in the 1930's. 12. The title of the text could be A. The history of America's state parks B. How were America's national parks born? C. Why visit America's state parks? D. A guide to America's national parks 13 - 15 Folk Music The drum music of Western Africa played an important role in communicating over long distances. Drummers used tone and rhythm to send messages from village to village. Therefore, it was easy for people to get in contact with each other. In Japan, a special type of music called Koto music had a different use. Musicians played the Koto to accompany classical plays. One kind of music that was typical in Arabian countries was the Huda. It had a special rhythm, which imitated the rhythm of a camel’s walk. Experts believe that Arabs thought this music would keep them safe from spirits in the desert.
- 3. 13. The underlined word Therefore can be replaced by A. In the same way. B. On the other hand. C. As a result. D. That is. 14. The underlined expression, a different use, establishes a relationship of contrast with A. the use of rhythm in Arabian music. B. Koto music to accompany plays. C. folk music for telling stories and poetry. D. the role of drum music for Africans. 15. The conclusion of this text could be: A. Music had more purposes than just entertainment in the past. B. Folk music was very important in Africa and India. C. Folk music started with drums as its main instrument during the last decade. D. Music has evolved differently in different cultures. 16 - 18 Meteorologists are scientists who study the weather and make weather predictions. In order to make a successful reading, meteorologists must take a lot of things into consideration. In fact, the data required are collected several times a day from different sources all over the world. To gather this information, special types of instruments are used. These data are of course valuable to everybody since the reports and warnings that meteorologists give are usually reliable. Failing to take their advice could, in some cases, be a matter of life or death. 16. The underlined word valuable can be replaced with A. expensive. B. useless. C. necessary. D. useful. 17. The underlined expression usually reliable supports one of the following ideas: A. Weather information is generally accurate. B. Meteorologists read very successfully. C. Meteorologists work really hard. D. Weather information is rarely precise. 18. The underlined sentence, Failing to take their advice could, in some cases, be a matter of life or death, communicates the idea that A. meteorologists. observations are sometimes right. B. it is necessary to ignore scientists. recommendations. C. it is prudent to pay attention to meteorologists. suggestions. D. scientists. directions are usually inefficient. 19 – 21 Zoos Zoos are basically designed for human entertainment. People can learn little or nothing from seeing poor undignified animals forced to go round and round in cages. Tests have shown that penned-up animals suffer high levels of stress and boredom not to mention physical harm. Those who claim that zoos prevent the extinction of endangered species should ask themselves whether it is really preferable for them to live in such a demeaning and artificial environment than not to live at all. 19. From the underlined sentence people can learn little or nothing from seeing poor undignified animals forced to go round and round in cages, we can conclude that A. animals cannot teach us anything about themselves. B. people are wasting their time, if they visit zoos in order to learn about animals. C. visiting zoos can be a really enriching experience. D. people who do not know anything about animals can visit zoos to learn about them. 20. Based on the text, the author uses the underlined word demeaning to communicate that animals A. live in comfortable conditions. B. deserve respect. C. have a life of pleasure. D. prefer to live in zoos.
- 4. 21. The intention of the author in this article is to A. describe the life of animals in zoos. B. advise animals about their poor conditions. C. invite people to visit as many zoos as possible. D. make people reflect on the life of animals in a zoo. 22 - 24 A few years ago, scientists videotaped mothers. reactions to young babies. They needed a baby for their research. Although it was a boy, they dressed it in pink. They then gave it to several mothers to hold. Because the baby was dressed in pink, everyone praised its appearance and said things like, "There’s a pretty girl". When the baby made a noise, or moved, they tried to calm it down by saying, "Stop crying, darling". The scientists then dressed the same baby in blue. In spite of the fact that it was the same baby, the mothers. reactions were completely different. This time they said things like, "What a big strong boy!" When the baby moved or made a loud noise, they laughed and encouraged it, saying, "Listen to that shout! What strong lungs!" Although the baby’s size hadn’t changed and the cries were identical, mothers reacted differently to the baby in blue. 22. The underlined sentence, everyone praised its appearance, means the same as A. people criticized the boy’s looks. B. people expressed positive feelings about the baby’s physical aspect. C. people censured the boy’s clothes. D. people demonstrated negative attitudes towards the baby’s actions. 23. According to the two types of reactions that the mothers showed, we can state that A. if the mothers thought the baby was a boy, they talked to him softly. B. if the baby boy cried, the mothers were very rude. C. if the mothers thought the baby was a girl, they talked to her energetically. D. if the baby girl cried, the mothers were very gentle. 24. Based on the context, we can say that A. people’s behavior towards babies is influenced by colors. B. there is a strong natural relationship between color and a child’s sex. C. babies. behavior depends on the color they are wearing. D. there’s a poor association between a baby's actions and the mother’s reactions. 25 - 27 The story of Santa Claus began with a kind bishop named Saint Nicholas. He lived during the fourth century in what is now Turkey. He often gave presents to children and poor people in secret. One day he heard about three young sisters. They were poor, lived alone, and had nothing to eat. So he climbed up on their roof, and dropped three bags of gold down their chimney. The legend of this good saint and his generosity grew. Now, children believe that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole with his wife and his reindeer. This friendly old man wears a red coat and black boots, and has a long white beard. Over the centuries he has come to be considered magical and a symbol of Christmas time. 25. A proper title for this reading would be: A. Santa Claus and Christmas beliefs. B. Christmas traditions and Santa Claus stories. C. Traditional stories at Christmas time. D. History of, and beliefs about Santa Claus. 26. An important idea that could be taken from the reading is: A. For many years Santa Claus has helped people, and he became important around the world in this era. B. For a few years Santa Claus has been considered a magician because he flies over the roofs. C. For a few years Santa Claus has given presents to poor people, so that they will consider him a generous man. D. For many years people have thought Santa Claus is a kind man for his generosity at Christmas. 27. According to the reading, this is A. an account about stories of people at Christmas time. B. a summary of events about Santa Claus’ life. C. a tale about anecdotes of people at Christmas time. D. an abstract of Santa Claus and his friends’ lives. 28 – 30 WRITE LETTERS
- 5. The pen is mightier than the sword, they say; so why not use it? Write to packaging manufacturers and ask them to forgo CFCs and excess packaging on items you buy regularly. Write to manufacturers of canned goods and ask them to remove the sugar. Write to paper suppliers and ask them to produce unbleached and recycled paper. 28. In the text, the underlined word it refers to: A. The pen B. Letters C. The sword D. Items 29. In the text, the underlined word regularly means A. Only B. Rarely C. Frequently D. Lately 30. In the text, the words canned goods mean: A. Plastic goods B. Dog food C. Metal goods D. Tinned food 31 - 33 It is time to get away! Let yourself be enchanted by landscapes where clear, blue waters catch the light of green hills and red rocks. Take in the clean, fresh air; enjoy the unusual; walk through boutiques, museums, galleries and amusement parks, or simply relax as time passes peaceful by... The province’s resorts offer all this, and more. 31. According to the text: A. You usually visit provincial resorts. B. You are going to hate our province’s resorts. C. You are marvellous for province’s resorts. D. You can be marvelled by province’s resorts. 32. The underlined expression Let yourself be enchanted by landscapes means: A. Let yourself be motivated by amusement buildings. B. Let yourself be attracted by splendid views. C. Let yourself be unhappy to see a paradise. D. Let yourself be anxious to take photographs. 33. The most appropriate title for this text is: A. Summer Vacation B. A Natural Park C. Western Places D. A Luxurious City 34 - 36 In the early 1950.s rock and roll radically changed the way people thought about music. Before that time, songs were generally popular because they appealed to a broad spectrum of people, and the music and lyrics were more important than the individuals who perfomed them. Rock and roll merged the music and the performer and aimed itself at a young audience teenagers. In writing and performing songs that spoke specifically to teenagers, Chuck Berry, a black rhythm and blues musician from St. Louis, helped invent rock and roll. 34. The underlined word they refers to: A. people B. 1950.s C. lyrics D. songs 35. The underlined word spectrum can be replaced by: A. community B. troop C. group D. quality 36. The underlined word merged means the same as:
- 6. A. marked B. joined C. emerged D. divided 37 - 39 S.A.F.E. (Stop All- Fur Wearing Everywhere) is an American organization whose intent is to make people conscious of the cruelty of wearing fur. Around the country, thousands of people have turned in their fur hats, jackets, stoles and coats to S.A.F.E. offices. Locally, we have received twelve fur items so far. On August 28, there will be nationwide fur-burying ceremonies by S.A.F.E. members. Ours will be at the Nordstrom Farm at 11 AM. After we have buried the furs, we will plant trees on the site as a memorial for the animals that died for vanity and fashion. We urge you to hand over your fur clothes before August 28 and to join us for the ceremony that day. 37. An adequate definition for the underlined word fur would be A. the hard, outer covering of some animals. B. the flexible, outer covering of a human or animal body. C. the thick, hairy outer layer of some animals. D. the natural, outer layer which covers a person or an animal. 38. The underlined sentence thousands of people have turned in their fur hats, jackets, stoles and coats to S.A.F.E. offices, suggests that A. people rejected S.A.F.E.’s claim. B. people didn’t care about S.A.F.E.’s invitation. C. people didn’t answer S.A.F.E.’s demand. D. people responded to S.A.F.E.’s request. 39. According to the context, this text can be found in A. an encyclopedia entry. B. a newspaper article. C. an ecology bulletin. D. a fashion magazine. 40 - 42 No matter what you may think and contrary to popular belief, pasta is not an Italian invention, but a Chinese one. It is said that Marco Polo, the explorer, learned the recipe for pasta from the Chinese and brought it to Italy. Nowadays, pasta is the most important food in Italy. It is served as a starter to every meal. It is not only popular in Italy but also in other countries where it is served with different sauces. There are so many that even the most demanding eaters are sure to find something they like. 40. According to the context, the underlined word starter means A. someone who begins something. B. sweet food eaten at the end of a meal. C. something that begins an activity. D. food served as the first part of a meal. 41. The intention of the first paragraph of the text is A. to correct the idea people have about the origin of pasta. B. to explain how people all over the world eat pasta. C. to compare different types of sauces used with pasta. D. to support the traditional concept we have about pasta. 42. The text suggests that thanks to A. Marco Polo, the Chinese know how to sell pasta. B. China, people know how to cook pasta. C. Marco Polo, the Italians know how to make pasta. D. Italy, the world knows how to eat pasta. 43 - 45 Once, long ago, the sky was very close to the earth, and people walked on their hands and knees. They could not stand up. At that time, there were some birds called magpies. They were intelligent birds that thought they could raise the sky. They got sticks and pushed. They raised the sky a little bit, and then they got big stones and rested the sky on them. People stood up. The birds raised the sky again. Suddenly it split open and people saw the first beautiful sunrise. The magpies started singing. Since then, birds have always sung at sunrise. (A legend from Australia)
- 7. 43. According to the text, A. birds raised the sky because they wanted to see a sunrise and sing. B. people could not stand up because there wasn’t enough space between the land and the sky. C. birds started singing because people could stand up and walk. D. people could not see the sun because they walked on their hands and knees. 44. The underlined word them refers to A. magpies. B. sticks. C. birds. D. stones. 45. From the legend, we can now understand A. why people can stand up and walk. B. how people lived a long time ago. C. why birds sing in the morning. D. how birds raised the sky. 46 - 48 When you get up in the morning, you probably don’t think much about all the dangers you face even before you leave the house. When people think of getting hurt, the first thing that comes to mind is a car or plane accident. The truth is, however, that millions of people suffer serious injuries, and even death, in their own homes. Falls on stairs account for 30% of all accidental deaths at home. And be careful as you plug in the toaster: many people die from electrocution due to bad electrical wiring. In fact, you should think twice before biting into that piece of toast, because statistics indicate that thousands of people die each year as a result of choking on food. With all these hidden dangers, you might think that it would be safer just to stay in bed. Well, think again. A surprising number of people are injured while in, or around a bed. And that is precisely where most people die. 46. The underlined expression due to can be replaced by A. in addition. B. because of. C. besides that. D. in contrast. 47. The underlined sentence you should think twice before biting into that piece of toast suggests that A. you shouldn’t eat toast for breakfast. B. you will get hurt if you eat toast at home. C. you need to be careful while you are eating. D. you mustn’t worry about what you have for breakfast. 48. According to the text, A. most of the accidental deaths at home are related to falling down stairs, choking on food and making the bed. B. many people are not worried about the dangers they face when they are outside the house traveling by car or plane. C. people have to be aware of the dangers around them not only when they are out but even at home. D. in order to avoid accidents, people have to leave home and not travel by car or by plane. 49 - 51 THE TRAMP A tramp was sleeping on a park bench late at night. A man and woman went past. One of them tapped him on the shoulder and asked, "Excuse me! What's the time?". The tramp was very annoyed at being woken up. "I don't know!", he said angrily. "I don't have a watch". And he went back to sleep. Some time later another man who was passing by, woke the tramp up and said, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wonder if you could tell me what time it is". Again the tramp said that he didn't know. By now he was very irritated so he got a pen and a piece of paper and wrote "I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE TIME IS" on it, and went back to sleep. Half an hour later, a policeman went by. He read the sign, woke the tramp up and said: "It's 2:30, sir". 49. Based on the text, we can conclude that A. it was an unlucky night for the man. B. the man should have had a watch. C. the man was finally able to sleep well.