Title VSTEP-Reading test 10.docx ✅

Code 10 - Page 1 of 13 READING PAPER 10 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 BODY LANGUAGE According to surveys, people consider speaking in public more stressful than any other task.Communications experts have studied public speakers and their audiences to learn what makes aspeech effective. They have discovered that while choosing the words of a speech carefully isimportant, the body language used during the speech is also vital to its success. Researchers estimatethat at least seventy-five percent of communication occurs through non-verbal body language.This means that the actions of a speaker's body during a speech will determine how the audienceresponds to the words spoken. Research indicates that the first things noticed by the audience are the speaker’s eyes and facialexpressions. People will think that a speaker who always looks at the floor and never smiles isunfriendly. An effective speaker will look directly at the people in the audience and will use facialexpressions that match the tone of the speech. An experienced speaker knows when to smile atthe audience and when to display a more serious expression. The speaker's posture is the second-most noticed aspect of body language. (A)Speakers may deliver their speech either standing or sitting. If a speaker sits, research shows it is important to sit up straight. (B) Similarly, when a speaker stands, it is important that he or she stand up
Code 10 - Page 2 of 13 straight while looking relaxed. (C) A strong speaker will stand up straight with both feet on the floor and lean slightly toward the audience. A speaker who slouches signals that he or she is not interested in the subject and does not respect the audience. (D) Finally, a speaker's gestures can impact the effectiveness of a speech. Gestures are the way in which hands and arms are used to communicate. The best advice for the inexperienced speaker is to do nothing with the hands. Either rest them on the podium or clasp them behind the back. Studies show that speakers should avoid folding their arms across their chests because the audience interprets this gesture as a challenge. Studies in communication show that body language used during a speech is as important as the words spoken. In summary, how something is spoken is just as important as what is spoken. Communications experts suggest that inexperienced speakers practice and rehearse their body language in the same way they would write and practice the words. They recommend practicing in front of a mirror first and then with a small group of friends. 1. The word "stressful" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to______. A. complicated B. worrisome C. relaxing D. serious 2. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the underlined sentence in the passage? A. Most of what we communicate is verbal. B. We communicate with both words and body language. C. Words and body language are equally important. D. Most of what we communicate is non-verbal. 3. Why does the author mention the importance of facial expressions? A. Facial expressions can make people pretty or ugly. B. Facial expressions are noticed by the audience. C. Audiences dislike facial expressions. D. Effective speakers ignore their facial expressions.
Code 10 - Page 3 of 13 4. According to the information in paragraph 2, what does an experienced speaker know? A. When to laugh B. When to stop talking C. When to smile D. When to use his or her feet 5. The word "display" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to______. A. show B. match C. frown D. videotape 6. According to the passage, how should a speaker stand? A. With arms folded across the chest B. On one foot C. Leaning on the podium D. Straight up, on two feet 7. What is the main purpose of paragraph 3? A. To explain a speaker's posture B. To explain a speaker's facial expressions C. To explain a speaker's hand gestures D. To explain a speaker's smile 8. Look at the space mark (A), (B), (C), (D) in the passage. Wherecould the following sentence be added? If a speaker stands too stiffly, the audience will focus on his or her posture instead of what is being said. A. (A) B. (B) C. (C) D. (D) 9. The word "gesture" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to______. A. feeling
Code 10 - Page 4 of 13 B. action C. idea D. signal 10. What is not advisable for speakers to do during their speeches? A. Fold their arms across their chests B. Rest their hands on the podium C. Clasp their hands behind the back D. Use body language PASSAGE 2 - Questions 11 – 20 In the past oysters were raised in much the same way as dirt farmers raised tomatoes – by transplanting them. First, farmers selected the oyster bed, cleared the bottom of old shells and other debris, then scattered clean shells about. Next, they"planted" fertilized oyster eggs, which within two or three weeks hatched into larvae. The larvae drifted until they attached themselves to the clean shells on the bottom. There they remained and in time grew into baby oysters called seed or spat. The spat grew larger by drawing in seawater from which they derived microscopic particles of food. Before long farmers gathered the baby oysters transplanted them in other waters to speed up their growth, then transplanted them once more into another body of water to fatten them up. Until recently, the supply of wild oysters and those crudely farmed were more than enough to satisfy people's needs. But today the delectable seafood is no longer available in abundance. The problem has become so serious that some oyster beds have vanished entirely. Fortunately, as far back as the early 1900's marine biologists realized that if new measures were not taken, oysters would become extinct or at best a luxury food. So they set up well equipped hatcheries and went to work. But they did not have the proper equipment or the skill to handle the eggs. They did not know when, what, and how to feed the larvae. And they knew little about the predators that attack and eat baby oysters by the millions. They