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Complete TOEFL Success
Introduction
Review
Reading
Step 1 Reading
How to Review back to top
Practice
Review
The videos are each about 15 to 20 minutes long, so there is a lot of powerful material here for
Improve you to master. Make sure to watch the video with energy from beginning to end and take notes
Strategy because it is in this way that you will learn quickly and ensure that you learn the most
Step 2 Reading important information. From my experience, most students shoot up their scores 2 to 5 points
Step 3 Reading
with mastery of the topics that you're going to learn here and with more practice and
vocabulary, the improvement is limitless.
Bonus Reading
Listening
Speaking
1:00 Minute Reading Review back to top
Writing
Vocabulary
Water in the Desert
Desert areas of the world are not completely void of precipitation, but rainfall in these regions
is known to vary greatly. Typically, scientists use an annual rainfall amount of four inches as
the dividing line between desert and non-desert areas. While these arid regions may receive a
similar amount of rainfall each year, how that rainfall affects surface water and groundwater
resources is largely dependent upon the area’s topographical characteristics. For example,
landforms such as flats and depressions common to deserts are known to collect water, but
these features constitute only a small percentage of the desert landscape.
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It is interesting to note that these arid lands in fact contain some of the earth’s largest systems
of rivers. In the cases of these river systems, the sources of the rivers lie outside the arid region
itself, and hence they are known as “exogenous” rivers and systems. These exogenous systems
play a critical role in nourishing life in the world’s most parched regions. For example, annual
flooding of the Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates rivers has long supplied residents with water and
brought in fertile silt to help agriculture. With the advent of modern technology, however, this
flooding is largely managed by human hands, which has required more governmental
cooperation among nations in crafting treaties and agreements regulating the use of these river
basins.
In addition to human intervention, the flow of exogenous rivers is impacted by the season.
Ironically, it sometimes takes a number of months for the effect of a rainy season outside a
desert area to be felt within it, so by the time the peak flow finally arrives, it may in fact be the
driest time of the year. While this additional water does aid the irrigation for agriculture,
weather changes during the dry season like higher temperatures and lower humidity may make
the cultivation of some crops even more challenging than it is during the normal growing
season.
In contrast to exogenous rivers, those identified as “endogenous” systems begin and end within
the arid region. Water in these systems generally comes from groundwater springs, but many of
these rivers are fed by water coming from limestone massifs, such as the Atlas Mountains in
Morocco. Rivers of this variety tend not to reach the sea, but instead end up draining into
inland basins, where most of it is simply lost to evaporation or disappears into the ground.
Though rivers and lakes are present in desert areas, groundwater makes up a much larger
percentage of the total water in these regions. However, only a small portion of these
underground deposits ever reach the hydrologic cycle; i.e., it never enters the constant
movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the earth that characterizes most of the
planet’s other water resources. ❒ The groundwater that does enter into this cycle usually does
so by feeding the flow of streams or by maintaining water levels in lakes. Water taken in this
way from groundwater stores is then refilled by surface flows and rainwater. ❒ International
organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank have both funded efforts to
survey existing groundwater in arid lands and to create effective methods to draw usable water
from these sources. ❒ These efforts are particularly necessary due to the lack of clear
understanding in these regions about just how much groundwater exists. ❒ What is known,
however, is that these groundwater deposits are very unevenly distributed, and that much of
this water can be found deep beneath the earth’s surface.
These groundwater deposits are found underground in open spaces between, inside, and
among rocks and sediment. These water-laden layers of earth are known as “aquifers.” In
general, limestone and sandstone aquifers tend to be deep and large, which contributes to their
relatively high concentration of minerals. They are usually not replenished because they
became saturated more than 10,000 years ago and do not need to be. These deep aquifers are
sometimes called “fossil waters” to denote the fact that this water has been present for so long.
On the other hand, shallow aquifers found in sand or gravel are much less extensive, but they
can quickly be replenished.
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6:20 Reading Questions 1 through 5 Review back to top
Before you watch this video, I must emphasize how important it is to ensure that you're on the
path to success by being fairly strict with your timing. Fairly is used because sometimes we do
need extra time for some questions, but if timing is a problem, it just means that we're not
allowing ourselves to guess: get comfortable with it and your score will improve.
1. According to paragraph 1, what do scientists use to determine whether or not an area is
labeled a desert?
a. The amount of annual rainfall
b. The lack of groundwater resources
c. Topographical characteristics
d. The absence of flats and depressions in the landscape
2. The word “depressions” in the passage is closest in meaning to
a. rifts
b. dunes
c. ranges
d. basins
With the advent of modern technology, however, this flooding is largely managed by human
hands, which has required more governmental cooperation among nations in crafting treaties
and agreements regulating the use of these river basins.
3. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted
sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out
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essential information.
a. Government involvement in the creation of treaties and agreements enhances flood-
controlling modern technology of river basins.
b. Technology has allowed for better human management of floods, making river basin
regulation agreements largely unnecessary.
c. Humans have been able to use technology to control flooding, which has made
international cooperation on the use of river basins more necessary.
d. More modern technology will lead to better flood management because intergovernmental
treaties regarding river basins allow for cooperation.
4. The word “arid” in the passage is closest in meaning to
a. moist
b. dry
c. deserted
d. airy
5. In paragraph 3, the author mentions all of the following about the flow of exogenous rivers
EXCEPT:
a. The impact of the flow is often felt in the driest seasons.
b. The flow can be an aid in the cultivation of crops.
c. The effects of the flow are not felt immediately.
d. The flow is unaffected by the season of the year.
6:20 Reading Questions 6 through 10 Review back to top
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6. According to paragraph 4, what distinguishes an endogenous river from an exogenous
river?
a. An endogenous river flows into a limestone massif.
b. The source of an endogenous river is within the desert region.
c. The endogenous river does not reach the sea.
d. Endogenous rivers have a higher saline content than exogenous rivers.
7. The word “stores” in the passage is closest in meaning to
a. locations
b. accumulations
c. caves
d. discoveries
8. According to paragraph 5, what are some international organizations now doing in desert
areas?
a. They are creating new methods for drawing these resources to river basins.
b. They are paying for efforts to survey existing groundwater resources.
c. They are giving monetary grants to individual inhabitants of arid lands.
d. They are trying to equalize the uneven distribution of groundwater.
9. Why does the passage mention in paragraph 5 the fact that the exact extent of groundwater
resources is still unknown?
a. To highlight the lack of scientific research being done in desert areas.
b. To illustrate the importance of freshwater to the inhabitants of deserts.
c. To explain why the recent actions of the United Nations and others are needed.
d. To show how groundwater can affect the flow of exogenous rivers.
10. The word “replenished” in the passage is closest in meaning to
a. Refilled
b. Rejuvenated
c. Reinvigorated
d. Rescinded
6:20 Reading Questions 11 through 14 Review back to top
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11. According to paragraph 6, why are limestone and sandstone aquifers not being refilled?
a. Because the water within them has been present for so long
b. Because of disputes among intergovernmental agencies
c. Because they were filled to capacity in the distant past
d. Because they are deeper and larger than other aquifers
12. What can be inferred in paragraph 7 about shallow aquifers?
a. They tend to have less mineral content than deeper ones.
b. They can quickly be replenished because they were saturated as limestone aquifers once
were.
c. The water from shallow aquifers is unusable because of its proximity to gravel.
d. They are more extensive than limestone aquifers.
13. Look at the four squares (❒) that indicate where the following sentence could be added to
the passage.
In fact, these water deposits have recently become the focus of increased
attention as a source of freshwater for the inhabitants of desert areas.
Where would the sentence best fit?
14. Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided
below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most
important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they
express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage.
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Water resources in desert areas can be found in a number of different places.
a. In general, a desert area’s rainfall is below the threshold of four inches of annual
precipitation.
b. Exogenous rivers that flow through arid lands are among the largest river systems in the
world and are vital to the inhabitants of these regions.
c. Endogenous rivers begin and end within a desert region, but a large amount of this water is
lost to evaporation or disappears into the ground.
d. The water resources of endogenous rivers never make it to the sea because much of it is
used in the cultivation of crops.
e. Groundwater resources such as aquifers contain a large percentage of water in desert areas
and are becoming the focus of increased attention as a source of freshwater for the residents of
these areas.
f. Fossil waters are aquifers that are no longer being replenished because they were filled to
capacity centuries ago.
Final Words back to top
As you prepare and study for the reading section of the exam, it's important to come back to
this page often. I cannot emphasize enough how it is the repetition of something that you've
already done that allows you to build the skill and mastery necessary to shoot up your score.
Take your time with it and review, practice, review, practice, and review some more. It's not
uncommon for me to hear from a student who shot up his or her score how at first they didn't
like the idea of reviewing the same material and felt bored with it, but after succeeding on the
exam realized that that was the reason for success. It's going to be the difference in how long it
takes to get your score.
Our focus is on helping you improve as quickly and efficiently as possible. If you have any
questions or trouble with the content or technical side of this page, let us know; we're here to
help the best that we can. Good luck with your studies!
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6 entries
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Mehran Abolghasemi wrote on Monday May 28, 2012 3:51am
The only prbolem was the text in the video was not clear.
Rate : 4 of 5 Stars
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Jagjit Mand wrote on Monday May 7, 2012 6:04pm
Great! very good instructions given in this review section. Thanks.
Rate : 5 of 5 Stars
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wrote on Tuesday April 17, 2012 10:45am
When I was studying using I-Pad,I was unable to view the text on your video.
Rate : 4 of 5 Stars
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Lizbet Aquino wrote on Tuesday March 27, 2012 12:56pm
Good to keep in mind and refresh concepts.
Rate : 5 of 5 Stars
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HIRAL PATEL wrote on Thursday March 22, 2012 8:54pm
awesome explanation.
Rate : 5 of 5 Stars
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Hong Xiao wrote on Friday February 17, 2012 12:37pm
The review section is excellent!
Rate : 5 of 5 Stars
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