English reading passages (for dtm test takers)

Read the text and answer the questions according to it.

A long time ago, ships were the only way for people to journey across the sea. So ships traveled

both day and night. They sailed in all kinds of weather, too. It was easy to see when the sun lit the way. However, being in the sea at night or during a storm was dangerous. If the sailors were not careful, the ship could easily crash. So sailors depended on lighthouses. They were built in all places that could cause problems for a ship. Lighthouses were made of materials that could stand up to terrible storms. Every night and during storms, the keepers climbed up hundreds o f stairs to the lantern room. They put whale oil into a large tube. They lit a rope-like cloth that stood up in the middle. The light burned in a tube just like fire on a candle. Later, lighthouse keepers burned different kinds of oils to make the light. Nowadays, electricity and light bulbs replaced the burning oil to make the actual light.


77. According to the passage, when did the keepers burn the lights in lighthouses?
A) During night and day.
B) Only during terrible storms.
C) During nights and storms.
D) During the darkest nights.
78. All of the following statements are TRUE, EXCEPT...
A) The sailors depended on lighthouses.
B) Today lighthouse keepers use whale oil.
C) The ships traveled both day and night.
D) Lighthouses could stand up to terrible storms.
79. According to passage, the light which the early keepers made was SIMILAR to a candle because ....
A) it made electricity
B) it used light bulbs
C) it was made of glass
D) it was in a tube
80. According to the passage, what makes the light in lighthouses today?
A) mirrors and glasses
B) electricity and light bulbs
C) whale oil and kinds of oils
D) rope-like cloth and woods


Read the text and answer the questions according to it.

A woodpecker is a kind of bird. Woodpeckers are found all over the world except in the North and South poles, Australia, and New Zealand. There are over 200 different kinds of woodpeckers. The two largest woodpeckers, the Imperial Woodpecker and the Ivory-billed Woodpecker are most likely extinct. Animals that become extinct are no longer found on Earth. Woodpeckers have sharp bills for drilling into wood, and short tails which help to balance them on tree trunks and branches. Woodpeckers also have very long tongues, which help them get insects deep within trees. Woodpeckers are often heard knocking loudly on trees before they are seen. Woodpeckers can even become trouble if they learn to knock on sides of a house. Woodpeckers can easily be attracted to backyard bird feeders with sunflower seeds or suet. Suet is a kind of animal fat that is very tasty to woodpeckers and other birds.