Reading Comprehension Test

Submitted by : Kanchanok Chaipitakroj (Sine)

Passage 1
Augustus rule restore morale in Rome after a century of discord and corruption and
ushered in the famous pax Romanatwo full centuries of peace and prosperity. He instituted
various social reforms, won numerous military victories and allowed Roman literature, art,
architecture and religion to flourish. Augustus ruled for 56 years, supported by his great army and
by a growing cult of devotion to the emperor. When he died, the Senate elevated Augustus to the
status of a god, beginning a long-running tradition of deification for popular emperors.
The reign of Nerva (96-98), who was selected by the Senate to succeed Domitian, began
another golden age in Roman history, during which four emperorsTrajan, Hadrian, Antoninus
Pius, and Marcus Aureliustook the throne peacefully, succeeding one another by adoption, as
opposed to hereditary succession. Trajan (98-117) expanded Romes borders to the greatest
extent in history with victories over the kingdoms of Dacia (now northwestern Romania) and
Parthia. His successor Hadrian (117-138) solidified the empires frontiers and continued his
predecessors work of establishing internal stability and instituting administrative reforms.
Under
Antoninus Pius (138-161), Rome continued in peace and prosperity, but the reign of Marcus
Aurelius (161180) was dominated by conflict, including war against Parthia and Armenia and
the invasion of Germanic tribes from the north. When Marcus fell ill and died near the battlefield
at Vindobona (Vienna), he broke with the tradition of non-hereditary succession and named his
19-year-old son Commodus as his successor.

http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/ancient-rom

1. The word restore in line 1 is closest in meaning to

A. repair
B. recycle
C. reduce
D. reverse

2. The word prosperity in line 16 is closest in meaning to

A. property
B. victory
C. silence
D. purpose

3. The word he in line 5 refers to

A. Nora
B. Marcus
C. Nerva
D. Augustus

4. How many years did Augustus rule the empire?

 A. 76 years
B. 45 years
C. 56 years
D. 63 years

5. According to the passage, what did Augustus do to help his empire?

A. He made a war with other empire to bring the land back.
B. He renovated his empire in order to made people live happily.
C. He gave a throne to his son because he thought he wasnt good enough.
D. He built a monument for his people to pray for a rain.

6. Which of the following reasons why Nerva become an emperor?

A. He was given the throne to begin a golden age.
B. He wanted the empire so he killed the old emperor.
C. He thought the old emperor was not good enough.
D. Citizens voted him to be an emperor.

7.According to the passage, what reign of the Roman empire was dominated by conflict?
A. Reign of Augustus
B. Reign of Dacia
C. Reign of Marcus
D. Reign of Nerva

8.Who had been elevated as a god?

A. Augustus
B. Senate
C. Nerva
D. Marcus

9. What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?

A. Reign of Augustus
B. Reign of Nerva
C. How Senate occupied Rome
D. Invention of Rome

10. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. Age of each emperor in Roman empire
B. The wars in Rome
C. Introduction of Rome
D. The reign of Augustus

Passage 2

Large quantities of water molecules constantly move across cell membranes by simple
diffusion, often facilitated by movement through membrane proteins, including aquaporin. In
general, net movement of water into or out of cells is negligible. For example, it has been
estimated that an amount of water equivalent to roughly 100 times the volume of the cell
(5)diffuses across the red blood cell membrane every second; it doesn't lose or gain water
because equal amounts go in and out.

There are, however, many cases in which net flow of water occurs across cell
membranes and sheets of cells. An example of great importance to you is the secretion of and
absorption of water in your small intestine. In such situations, water still moves across
(10) membranes by simple diffusion, but the process is important enough to warrant a distinct
name - osmosis.

Osmosis is the net movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane driven
by a difference in solute concentrations on the two sides of the membrane. A selectively
permeable membrane is one that allows unrestricted passage of water, but not (15)solute
molecules or ions.

Different concentrations of solute molecules leads to different concentrations of free

water molecules on either side of the membrane. On the side of the membrane with higher free
water concentration (i.e. a lower concentration of solute), more water molecules will strike the
pores in the membrane in agive interval of time. More strikes equates to more molecules
(20)passing through the pores, which in turn results in net diffusion of water from the
compartment with high concentration of free water to that with low concentration of free water.

http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/misc_topics/osmosis.html

1. The word diffusion in line 2 is closest in meaning to

a. disturb
b. transmission
c. movement
d. swell

2. The word permeable in line 12 is closest in meaning to

a. absorbent
b. perpendicular
c. distribution
d. shrink

3. The word it in line 5 refers to

a. Water molecules
b. White blood cell
c. Red blood cell
d. Cell membrane

4. According to the passage, what does permeable membrane do?

a. To protect the cell.
b. To communicate between the cell.
c. To transport the water in the body.
d. To allow specific substance to move in and out of the cell.

5. According to the last paragraph, how does the water move from which side to which side?
a. high concentration to low concentration
B. low concentration to high concentration
 C. high concentration to high concentration
D. low concentration to low concentration

6. What kind of substance that permeable membrane does not allow to get in?
a. small and have no charge
B. big and have no charge
C. small and ionic
D. big and Ionic

7. Osmosis can occur only in _____.

A. Water
B. Red blood cell
C. General cell
D. White blood cell

8. According to first paragraph, red blood cell loses and gains water depend on
a. water
B. permeable membrane
C. osmosis process
D. other cell

9. What does third paragraph mainly talk about?

a. How the water move from inside to outside cell.
B. What permeable membrane does.
C. Why water can move through the cell
D. Where is permeable membrane located in the cell.

10. What is not mentioned in the passage?

a. Osmosis
b. Transportation of water
c. Diffusion
d. Water cell