Practice TOEFL Reading
1. Set your online stopwatch to 20 min.
(click here to open an online stopwatch)
2. Start the stopwatch and start the reading.
3. When the timer stops, stop your work
4. Mark your notes at the point where you stopped.
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.
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.
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 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. 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
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.
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.
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Answer Key: Water in the Desert
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1. Detail-A
2. Vocabulary-D
3. Paraphrase-C
4. Vocabulary-B
5. Negative detail-D
6. Detail-B
7. Vocabulary-B
8. Detail-B
9. Purpose-C
10. Vocabulary-A
11. Detail-C
12. Inference-A
13. Plug-in-B
14. Summary-B, C, and E
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Calculate Your TOEFL Reading Score
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The
way that we will understand the score that we are going to receive on
the TOEFL exam is by doing a little bit of math. First, remember that
the TOEFL reading section is scored out of 30 points. Each reading has
approximately 14 questions. In order for us to know the score that
you're likely to receive on the exam from the reading that you just did
is by following a few steps.
1. Count the total number of answers that you got correct.
2. Question 14 is worth 2 points.
If you chose 3 out of 3 correctly, you earn 2 points.
If you chose 2 out of 3 correctly, you earn one point.
If you chose one out of 3 correctly, you earn no points.
3. Divide the number of correct answers by 14.
4. Multiply the number in step 3 by 30.
This number is your TOEFL reading score.
5. Record the dates, the name of the reading, and your score in your notebook.
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TOEFL Vocabulary for TOEFL Reading
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If you find
that you scored 2 out of 4 (or less) vocabulary questions, it’s
important to start studying vocabulary separately.
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Remember To Master This Chapter Before Moving On
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Memorize
the strategy, vocabulary, and reading content in this page. It will
help you tremendously. It's the only way to improve your TOEFL score in a
big way. After doing so, let's move to the next chapter.
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