Title VSTEP-Reading test 6.docx ✅

Code 6 - Page 1 of 14 READING PAPER 6 Time permitted: 60 minutes Number of questions: 40 _______________________________________________________________________ Directions:In this section you will read FOUR different passages. Each one is followed by 10 questions about it. For questions 1-40, you are to choose the best answer A, B, C or D, to each question. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen. Answer all questions following a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage. You have 60 minutes to answer all the questions, including the time to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. PASSAGE 1 - Questions 1-10 Education of Gifted Students Education of Gifted Students is area in the field of special education concerned with the instruction of students who have exceptionally high abilities. The United States Department of Education describes“giftedness” as exceptionally advanced performance or the potential for outstanding performance in intellectual, creative, leadership, artistic, or specific academic fields. Children who demonstrate outstanding talents come from all social, cultural, and economic groups. Educators believe that gifted students require special education services because their learning needs differ significantly from those of the general population. They learn more rapidly and are able to understand more abstract and complex ideas. They are also able to transform existing knowledge into new and useful forms, and to create new knowledge recognized for its originality, complexity, and elegance. Special education services and facilities for gifted children may enhance these abilities. In addition, some gifted learners may require special counseling services to address social or emotional adjustment issues that are complicated by their exceptional abilities.
Code 6 - Page 2 of 14 Many regular elementary and secondary schools in the United States offer special programs designed specifically to meet the needs of gifted students. Some schools provide specialized education programs to gifted children exclusively. These schools offer advanced education in mathematics, science, technology, the arts, or other academic disciplines. Many school districts rely on intelligence tests to identify gifted students. However, most guidelines for determining giftedness recommend the use of a combination of standardized test scores, rating systems developed by individual schools, classroom observational records, and performance assessments. Gifted children may study a specially modified curriculum or may progress through academic subjects at an accelerated pace. Acceleration involves adapting education programs so that students may progress through particular subject material quicker than usual. These modifications may take place within the regular classroom setting or they may involve changing the child’s placement in school. Some gifted children gain early entrance to kindergarten, skip grades, enter college earlier than usual, or take specific courses with older children. Ideal programs for gifted students consider the individual needs of children and offer multiple options for services. These programs generally involve both advanced course materials and acceleration. 1. Gifted children come from _____. A. homogenous race B. different backgrounds C. specific economic groups D. different careers 2. Among the various qualities, gifted children are believed to be able to learn fast and_____ A. apply knowledge creatively B. create new learning methods C. find out new knowledge D. behave themselves well 3. The word ‘existing’in paragraph 2 is can be replaced by _____. A. up-to-date
Code 6 - Page 3 of 14 B. fashionable C. permanent D. present 4. The word ‘enhance’ in paragraph 2closest in meaning to _____. A. appear B. improve C. encourage D. emerge 5. Some gifted learners’ exceptional abilities may _____. A. deprive them of certain opportunities B. bring them great success C. help them solve difficult problems D. cause certain trouble for them 6. In order to help gifted children, some schools _____. A. provide them with coaching B. give them exclusive programs C. isolate them from the rest D. provide them with international programs 7. Special services are provided to some problematic gifted children to _____. A. help them cope with social and emotional difficulties B. make them forget about social and emotional problems C. concentrate on their studies and their school D. help them accomplish their academic objectives 8. The word ‘disciplines’in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _____. A. violations B. penalties C. rules D. subjects 9. Giftedness can be measured by means of _____. A. class observations B. specialized assessments
Code 6 - Page 4 of 14 C. psychology specialists D. recorded observations 10. Giftedness is described to include exceptionally advanced performance in _____. A. academic area B. leadership ability C. various fields D. intellectual fields PASSAGE 2 - Questions 11 –20 Becoming an Adult is Never Easy. For David, as growing up on Pentecost Island in the South Pacific, he had to become a land diver to prove his maturity. Land diving is a tradition on Pentecost Island which inspired the better known sports of bungee jumping. Land diving, however, is much more dangerous. Every year at a ceremony called Naghol, the men of the island jump off towers thirty metres tall, with long vines, not elastic, tied to their feet.A perfect jump is one in which the shoulders land gently on the ground. People believe that this will help the crops on the island to grow. As David climbed the tower, his mother watched from below. She was holding a toy car that he used to play with when he was younger. After a boys first land dive, his favourite toy is thrown away to show that he is no longer a child. ‘Before my jump, I felt very nervous,’ remembers fourteen-year- old David. ‘Every year someone would get an injury. For a second, I panicked. I thought about changing my mind ... but you can’t become a proper man without being a land diver.’ David jumped. He fell head-first to the ground. Luckily, he landed safely and walked away with just a few bruises. And does he feel like a man now? ‘Well, I certainly feel more mature,’ he smiles. ‘And the girls in my village are much more interested in me than they were before.’