Reading Smart I: Test 11

 Part I. Grammar＆Vocabulary (40％)

(   ) 1. Bill felt _____ pressure to find a backer because the future of his company was at stake.

(A) unsightly             (B) fantastic              (C) tremendous  (D) magnificent

(   ) 2. Tracy _____ at the amazing view out of the airplane's window.

(A) invested               (B) marveled             (C) behaved        (D) assigned

(   ) 3. My credit card is about to _____, so I hope my bank sends me a new one soon.

(A) expand                (B) explore                (C) expose          (D) expire

(   ) 4. An old _____ tells of how kids were seen going into those woods but never coming out.

(A) legend                 (B) gossip                 (C) miracle         (D) frame

(   ) 5. Not everyone in the world has _____ to safe, clean drinking water.

(A) impulse               (B) access                  (C) thrill             (D) motive

(   ) 6. All of the tenants _____ war on the landlord after he wouldn’t fix anything in the apartment building despite repeated requests.

(A) declared              (B) squeezed             (C) flattered        (D) registered

(   ) 7. Frozen food accounts _____ most of what I bought at the supermarket this morning.

(A) to                        (B) by                       (C) of                 (D) for

(   ) 8. _____ feeling sick, Jeff went to work as usual because he had a deadline to meet.

(A) Besides                (B) Despite                (C) Whether       (D) Since

(   ) 9. Carl _____ an enormous amount of money to send his kids to that prestigious private school.

(A) shells out             (B) abides by            (C) merges into  (D) dwells on

(C) 10. Rather than as a lowly employee, Scott has gone into business for himself.

(A) ringing a bell       (B) taking his breath (C) making a living (D) hitting the sack

 

Part II. Fill-in-the-Blank (40%)

(A) departure      (B) nightmare     (C) championship     (D) televised       (E) purchase

(F) criticism        (G) global           (H) spotlight              (I) popularity      (J) globalization

(   ) 11. The polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate due to _____ warming.

(   ) 12. After much comparison, Grace decided to _____ a computer online rather than from a store.

(   ) 13. Upon the plane's _____, the man onboard was told to turn off his cell phone.

(   ) 14. Wally listened to his teacher's _____ and thought about how he could improve.

(   ) 15. Do you know which basketball team won the _____?

(   ) 16. A mother's worst _____ is when her child acts up in a crowded place.

(   ) 17. The _____ followed the actress as she walked across the stage.

(   ) 18. The _____ of Western culture means that many local traditions are being forgotten are dying out.

(   ) 19. The debate between the two politicians will be _____ this evening.

(   ) 20. Such is the _____ of Eastern medicine that a growing number of Westerners are embracing it.

 

Part III. Reading Comprehension (20%)

The concept of fair trade got its start in the 1940s thanks to the help of Christian groups. The one that got the ball rolling was Self Help Crafts, an organization whose policy was to buy Puerto Rican handicrafts at fair prices before turning around and selling them in the US. Fair trade has grown immensely since then, with about US$1 billion in sales reported in Europe in 2005.

The premise of fair trade is to cut the middleman’s sharel of the profits and give it instead to the small farmers and producers in developing nations. In this way, a bigger portion of the slightly higher prices consumers pay for goods with the fair trade label goes to improving their quality of life and getting them out of poverty. For example, they can invest in a better water supply for their crops and create better living conditions for themselves and their families and communities.

Before fair trade was established, large buyers would squeeze out the people growing the tea and making the bags to boost their sales figures. In a 2009 report, it was revealed that for every dollar people spent on coffee, only 11 percent went back to the coffee harvesters. However, after fair trade, that figure shot up to 28 percent. It's pretty clear that people do care about the little guy.

(   ) 21. Who does "them" in the second paragraph refer to?

(A) Fair trade labels                           (B) Consumers in developing nations

(C) The middlemen                            (D) Small producers and food growers

(   ) 22. How much did coffee harvesters bring in prior to fair trade?

(A) Twenty-eight cents to the dollar  (B) A quarter of the total sales

(C) Eleven cents out of every dollar  (D) Half the price of one cup of coffee

(   ) 23. Which of the following is a benefit of fair trade?

(A) The quality of the goods improves.

(B) People in need can escape poverty.

(C) Communities are left undeveloped.

(D) Small farmers become large ones overnight.

(   ) 24. Which piece of information about fair trade is correct?

(A) The system is based on Christian principles.

(B) The little guy is left out in the cold with fair trade.

(C) Self Help Crafts is credited with setting up fair trade.

(D) Consumers are charged exactly the same for fair trade and non-fair trade goods.