TOEFL Reading practice test

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.   

Answer Key: Water in the Desert

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

Calculate Your TOEFL Reading Score

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.

TOEFL Vocabulary for TOEFL Reading

If you find that you scored 2 out of 4 (or less) vocabulary questions, it’s important to start studying vocabulary separately.

Remember To Master This Chapter Before Moving On

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.