APTIS READING PRACTICE 1
1. Pregunta Fill in the gaps in the text.
Hi George, Thanks for your (0) reply. You are always so (1) ! I (2) an-
mail to Mr. Smith from Technic yesterday, and I just got a phone call from him.
They want us to send the (3) and also a "Project Plan." It seems that they
have some (4) to fill in to describe the (5) in Spanish, so I will write
something which will appeal to the publisher. That's all for now. Let's hope it
will come out!
a) question b) reply c) reservation
a) quick b) slow c) sweet
a) received b) sent c) borrowed
a) inform b) recipe c) report
a) forms b) signs c) diary
a) landscape b) bargain c) project
2. Pregunta Order the sentences to form a text.
He was warded for three months and nearly died from it.
We had to rush him to the hospital as he cried in pain.
Two years later while inside a car driven by my father, I encountered that
animal again.
The first experience was when I was sixteen years old, my friend was bitten by
a snake right in front of me.
My two traumatic experiences when I was young made me become
ophidiophobia, the fear of snakes.
Finally, my father managed to chase that legless animal out from the car.
We stopped the car and hurriedly went into the bushes besides the road.
3. Pregunta Choose the correct words to fill in the gaps.
The Great Wall of China is one of the most amazing projects in world history.
Extending some 3,900 miles (1) northern China, work on this
gigantic (2) continued for nearly 2,000 years. The first part of the wall
was (3) to be built by Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The wall was built for the
purposes of uniting the warring states into a single nation to (4) invaders
such as the Mongols from (5) into China. The Great Wall never
proved (6) in defense and is also called "The Longest Cemetery on
Earth" (7) so many people died during its construction.
a. infiltrating b. because c. outdoor d. across
e. buiding f. effective g. prevent h. ordered i.
construction j. so
1. across 2. Construction 3. Ordered 4. Prevent 5. Infiltrating 6. Effective 7.
Because
4. Pregunta Read the passage quickly. Choose a heading for each numbered
paragraph (1 – 7) from the drop-down box. There is one more heading than you
need.
Hurricanes and tornadoes
1. The ‘eye’ of the storm. 5. Dangerous storms in America
2. Storm in the Great Plains 6. Tornadoes
3. The uncontrolled power of nature 7. The fury of tornado
4. Financial damage caused by the storms8. Hurricanes
A. Two of the most dangerous storms which afflict America are hurricanes and
tornadoes. They are very much feared by anyone who may live in the path of their
destruction and cause millions of dollars worth of damage to life and property
every year.
B. The storm that usually develop between July and October are called the
hurricanes. They are similar to cyclones and originate over the waters in the
Caribbean Sea. They move upwards hitting the mainland of America somewhere
in the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean. Once they hit land they carry
tremendous power with driving rain and wind. These winds can attain speeds of
over 75 mph. And coveran area of over 500 miles in diameter. Every year homes
are destroyed by their fury and often lives are lost.
C. At the center of the storm there is an "eye" with relatively fair weather and
warm, dry air aloft. The diameter of the eye is usually about 32 kilometers. When
the eye passes the relief is only temporary but soon the wind and rain will
suddenly reappear from the opposite direction.
D. Hurricanes brings both the heavy rains and a storm tides which causes floods
along the coasts areas. The high winds and torrential rains associated with this
storm are the main causes of the severe flood. The flooding causes enormous
damage and most people who live near the coast are forced to evacuate their
homes and to move to safer areas until the storm passes. People living in the
wake of a storm are given ample warning to protect their homes. Flashlights or
candles are kept prepared in case of electric-power failures and plenty of fresh
water should be saved as precautions against the pollution of water supplies by
flooding.
E. There is another kind of storm in the Midwest of America which is equally
feared. It is called a tornado. This type of storm is experienced if one should travel
inland across the Great Plains and the prairie states of America. In these regions,
one will most likely not encounter a hurricane but a tornado. Tornadoes are
violent low-pressured storms with an intense updraft near their center which is
capable of lifting quite heavy objects from the ground. A tornado, therefore, is a
dark, funnel-shaped cloud containing violently rotating air.
F. It can pick up trees and cars right into the air and even uplift heavier objects
such as homes and railway cars. Like a vacuum cleaner across a rug, it sucks up
into the air anything which may lie in its path. These storms occur most often
during the summer months and are noticeable by their strong wind and lack of
rain. The sky turns black as dust is sucked up into the air.
G. Tornadoes travel normally at around 60 kilometers per hour and the winds can
reach 800 kilometers per hours in the most violent storms. Tornadoes are most
frequent in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains and especially in the
central plains area of the Mississippi basin where about 150 occur each year.
Tornadoes may also strike the southern states in winter and have even been
known to develop in the northeast. Both hurricanes and tornadoes cause millions
of dollars worth of damage each year. Today they can be predicted more easily
than in the past, but they cannot be stopped or ignored. When they come they
must be endured with the hope that one survives their fury and wrath.
A5 B8 C1 D4 E6 F7 G2
