READING COMPREHENSION 2

6.
Ecotourism
The word ecotourism is a combination of ecology (the study of systems of living things) and tourism. The
International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the
environment and improves the well-being of the local people." This means that walking through a rain forest isn't
really ecotourism unless it benefits the area, perhaps by providing jobs to the local residents or by conserving the
wildlife. Countries are slowly recognizing that it is possible to make money while preserving their natural resources.
Costa Rica has been leading the ecotourism movement for some time, and was voted the most popular
ecotourism destination by TripAdvisor.com in April 2012. It developed the Certification for sustainable Tourism (CST)
program in 1999, which was then used by the United Nations World Tourism Organization as the model for the rest of
Latin America. Thanks to its conservation efforts, over 25 percent of Costa Rica's land is covered in lush national
parks. Its tourism industry generates over a billion dollars annually and provides jobs to thousands of people.
Unfortunately, people in the industry sometimes exploit the "ecotourism" label in their drive for profit. This
brand of ecotourism isn't always conducted in the most responsible way, and may damage the very environment it
seeks to protect. One concern is that the overwhelming number of visitors to these natural places (especially in the high
season) has a negative effect on the ecosystem. Ecotourists tend to seek out places with the rarest animals and plants;
even if they take care not to disturb the environment, their presence could put pressure on the most frail of living
things. Another problem is the interaction between animals and humans. At one national park in Costa Rica, wild
monkeys feed on garbage left by the visitors and even aggressively steal food from tourists.
Controlling abuses isn't easy, either. In developing countries where salaries aren't high, corruption can lead
officials to tolerate ecological damage. For example, a large resort facility, normally not allowed near a sanctuary,
might be allowed if the company bribes (gives money to) certain people in the government. Limited resources are
another issue-areas of forests and beaches that would require an army to protect are often watched by just a few
employees.
While tourists can have a negative impact on ecosystems, the same areas might have been totally destroyed by
industries such as farming, logging, or mining if the ecotourism industry did not exist. Tour guides can also be
educators who train people to love and care for the environment. By visiting these beautiful rain forests and seeing rare
animals, visitors get a sense of their value and will hopefully take these lessons back with them to their home countries.
It is easy to be critical of the ecotourism industry, but it is important to be positive as well. Ecotourism can
never be "pure"-we can't expect zero negative effects on the ecosystem. It is also unrealistic to think that humans won't
go anywhere accessible to them. If protection efforts are maintained and intensified, those remaining places of
undisturbed nature may be stressed, but at least they won't be destroyed.
1. Which statement best summarizes the author's point of view?
A. Ecotourism is a damaging trend that should be discouraged.
B. Ecotourism is the best way for countries to earn tourist dollars.
C. Ecotourism generally benefits ecosystems even if it causes some damage.
D. Ecotourism will most likely become less popular in the future.
2. Which change has NOT occurred in Costa Rica since the introduction of ecotourism?
A. Thousands of ecotourism-related jobs have been created.
B. New national parks have been established.
C. Monkeys have started relying on garbage for food.
D. The number of corruption cases has decreased.
3. What does the word "their" in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. ecotourists B. places
C. animals and plants D. living things
4. According to paragraph 4, why is it difficult to control abuses of ecotourism?
A. Too many sanctuaries are being created near large resort facilities.
B. There aren't enough resources and officials may overlook abuses if bribed.
C. Not many people are interested in jobs controlling ecotourism abuses.
D. Companies have a lot of power and money to build resorts.
5. The word "corruption" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. illegal activity B. lack of resources
C. government control D. management
6. "In this way, the children of future generations can learn respect for nature". This sentence is best inserted at the end
of ________.
A. Paragraph 3 B. Paragraph 4 C. Paragraph 5 D. Paragraph 6
7. What does the writer mean by this sentence: "It is easy to be critical of the ecotourism industry"?
A. Protecting wildlife is not a very daunting task.
B. Businesses will always want to exploit nature.
C. People's expectations for ecotourism are too high.
D. Ecotourism can't create enough jobs for local people.
8. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. It took a long time for countries to realize the possibility of earning profits while protecting nature.
B. Ecotourism industry is considered the biggest contributor to the economy of Costa Rica.
C. Ecotourism can put the environment under threat if carried out in an irresponsible way.
D. Ecotourists have such bad impacts on ecosystems that the visited areas can be destroyed completely.

7.
Social media marketing has increased due to the growing active user rates on social media sites. For example,
Facebook currently has 2.2 billion users, Twitter has 330 million active users and Instagram has 800 million users.
One of the main uses is to interact with audiences to create awareness of the brand or service, with the main
idea of creating a two-way communication system where the audience and/or customers can interact back; providing
feedback as just one example. Social media can be used to advertise; placing an advert on Facebook's Newsfeed, for
example, can allow a vast number of people to see it or targeting specific audiences from their usage to encourage
awareness of the product or brand. Users of social media are then able to like, share and comment on the advert,
becoming message senders as they can keep passing the advert's message on to their friends and onwards. The use of
new media put consumers on the position of spreading opinions, sharing experience, and has shift power from
organization to consumers for it allows transparency and different opinions to be heard.
Media marketing has to keep up with all the different platforms. They also have to keep up with the ongoing
trends that are set by big influencers and draw many people's attention. The type of audience a business is going for
will determine the social media site they use.
1. Which best serves as the title for the passage?
A. Advertisements on social media B. New types of marketing
C. Let listen to our customers D. Two-way communication
2. The word “vast” in the second paragraph is CLOSEST in meaning to___________
A. enormous B. definite C. small D. certain
3. According to the second paragraph, users can do the followings with the adverts on social media
EXCEPT___________
A. like B. share C. pass D. adjust
4. What is the benefit of creating a two-way communication system?
A. It allows customers to interact back B. It provides examples for users
C. Users can create their own adverts D. More and more people visit the sites
5. According to the third paragraph, what do media marketing have to keep up with?
A. The type of audience B. The new trends set by every normal user
C. All the various platforms D. Other types of media

Right now, the biggest source of energy in the world is fossil fuel. Fossil fuels are oil, gas, and coal. More than
80 percent of the world's energy comes from fossil fuel. There are many problems with fossil fuel. One problem is that
when fossil fuel is burned, it pollutes the air. Also, when we take fossil fuel from the Earth, we often cause a lot of
damage. Another problem is that we are running out of it. That is why we need new sources of energy. A big source of
energy for many countries is nuclear power. Thirty-one countries use nuclear power. Many ships also use it.
Nuclear power has some advantages. First of all, we can't run out of nuclear power. Nuclear power does not
make the air dirty. Also, if a country has nuclear power, it doesn't need to buy as much as oil from other countries.
However, there are also a lot of problems that come with nuclear power. For example, nuclear accidents are
very serious. In 1986, there was a nuclear accident in Ukraine. In the next 20 years, about 4,000 people got sick and
died. In 2011, there was another very serious nuclear accident in Japan. Japan is still trying to clean up the nuclear
waste from the accident.
 Many people don't want nuclear power in their countries. They say that it is not safe. A lot of people want their
countries to use safer and cleaner ways to get electricity. There have been protests against nuclear energy in the United
States, Russia, France, Taiwan, Japan, India, and many other countries. Although many people hate nuclear energy,
more and more countries are using it. One reason for this is that the world is using more and more energy. We just don't
have enough fossil fuel. However, if we use nuclear power, then we may have more serious problems in the future.
1. Which of the following is NOT true about fossil fuel?
A. It can pollute the air. B. We don't use much of it.
C. Its sources are limited. D. Exploiting fossil fuel damages the environment.
2. What does the word "it" in paragraph 1 refer to?
A. damage B. fossil fuel C. air pollution D. nuclear power
3. All of the following are true about nuclear accidents EXCEPT that ______________.
A. they have been very serious
B. their effects can last many years
C. it takes short time to clean up the nuclear waste from the accident
D. there were serious nuclear accidents in Ukraine in 1986 and in Japan in 2011
4. The phrase "clean up" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________________.
A. block B. trap C. disappear D. remove
5. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?
A. Some governments are wrong when they are using nuclear energy.
B. We can continue using nuclear energy until there is an accident.
C. Nuclear power has both advantages and disadvantages.
D. Many countries stop using nuclear energy because many people hate it.

8.
Population ecology is the science that measures changes in population size and composition and identifies the
causes of these fluctuations. Population ecology is not concerned solely with the human population. In ecological
terms, a population consists of the individuals of one species that simultaneously occupy the same general area, rely on
the same resources, and are affected by similar environmental factors. The characteristics of a population are shaped by
its size and by the interactions among individuals and between individuals and their environment.
Population size is a balance between factors that increase numbers and factors that decrease numbers. Some
factors that increase populations are favourable light and temperature, adequate food supply, suitable habitat, ability to
compete for resource, and ability to adapt to environmental change. Factors that decrease populations are insufficient
or excessive light and temperature, inadequate food supply, unsuitable or destroyed habitat, too many competitors for
resources, and inability to adapt to environmental change.
Another important characteristic of any population is its density. Population density is the number of
individuals per units, such as the number of maple trees per square kilometer in a county. Ecologists can rarely
determine population size by actually counting all individuals within geographical boundaries. Instead, they often use
a variety of sampling techniques to estimate densities and total population sizes. For example, they might estimate the
number of black bears in a national park by counting individuals in a few sample plots representative of the whole
park. In some cases, they estimate population size through indirect indicators, such as the number of nests or burrows,
or signs such as tracks or droppings.
Another important population characteristic, dispersion, is the pattern of spacious among individuals within the
population's geographical boundaries. Various species are distributed in their habitats in different ways to take better
advantage of food supplies and shelter, and to avoid predators or find prey. Within a population's range, densities may
vary greatly because not all areas provide equally suitable habitat, and also because individuals space themselves in
relation to other members of the population.
Three possible patterns of dispersion are clumped, uniform, and random. A clumped dispersion pattern means
that individuals are gathered in patches throughout their habitat. Clumping often results from the irregular distribution
of resources needed for survival and reproduction. For example, fallen trees keep the forest floor moist, and many
forest insects are clumped under logs where the humidity is to their liking. Clumping may also be associated with
mating, safety, or other social behavior. Crane flies, for example, swarm in great numbers, a behavior that increases
mating chances, and some fish swim in large schools so they are less likely to be eaten by predators.
A uniform or evenly spaced distribution results from direct interactions among individuals in the population.
For example, regular spacing of plants may result from shading and competitions for water. In animal populations,
uniform distribution is usually caused by competition for some resources or by social interactions that set up individual
territories for feeding, breeding, or testing.
Random spacing occurs in the absence of strong attraction or repulsion among individuals in a population.
Overall, random patterns are rare in nature, with most populations showing a tendency toward either clumped or
uniform distribution.
Populations change in size, structure, and distribution as they respond to changes in environmental conditions.
Four main variables - births, deaths, immigration and emigration-determine the rate of change in the size of the
population over time. A change in the birth rate or death is the major way that most populations respond to changes in
resource availability. Members of some animal species can avoid or reduce the effects of another with more favorable
environmental conditions, thus altering the population's dispersion.
* For questions 1-6, select the best option to answer each of the following questions.
1. The passage mainly discusses the _________.
A. Population ecology versus human population
B. The distribution of populations
C. The characteristics of population ecology
D. The density and dispersion of populations
2. Which of the following is an indirect indicator of a population's density?
A. The distribution of food in a given area.
B. The number of nests in a given area.
C. The number of births in a given period of time.
D. The number of individuals counted in a given area.
3. According to the passage, all of the following factors cause the population of a species to increase in size EXCEPT
A. A favorable amount of light and temperature
B. A sufficient food supply
C. A large number of other species competing for food
D. An ability of adjust to environmental change
4. The word "they" in paragraph 3 refers to _________.
A. ecologists B. trees C. individuals D. boundaries
5. Which of the following situations would be most likely to result in a uniform dispersion pattern?
A. Whales develop strong bonds among relatives.
B. Birds compete for a place to build their nests.
C. Elephants form a circle to protect their young.
D. Fish swim in large schools to avoid predators.
6. The word "patches" in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. dark places B. family groups C. warm spots D. small areas
* For questions 7-10, write (T) if the statement is true according to the passage; (F) if the statement is not true and
(NG) if the information is not mentioned.
7. ________ Counting how many individuals within geographical boundaries is a common way to help ecologists
determine population size.
8. ________ Population dispersion is the distribution pattern of individuals within a population's geographical
boundaries.
9. ________ The author mentions immigration and emigration in the last paragraph to identify factors affecting
population dispersion.
10. _______ Densities will remain unchanged within a population's territory due to the balance of birth and death rate.

9.
The Mystery of the Fortune Cookie
To many people, particularly in America, every good Chinese meal should end with a fortune cookie. So would
you believe that one place you won't see a fortune cookie is China?
These cookies have a long and mysterious history-one that doesn't begin in China. According to researcher
Yasuko Nakamachi, fortune cookies actually originated in Japan! Ms. Nakamachi first saw Japanese fortune cookies at
a bakery while visiting a popular temple outside Kyoto in the 1990s. However, the baker was folding a paper fortune
into a fold on the outside of the cookie, not the inside, like the fortune cookies we are used to.
 Ms. Nakamachi was very curious about this, and decided to do her own research. After spending SIX years
going through thousands of old documents and drawings, and interviewing bakers around the country, she realized that
fortune cookies used to be very popular in Japan. The reason that Takeshi Matsuhisa, the baker, puts the fortune on the
outside of the cookie is to make sure that people don't accidentally eat the paper!
Ms. Nakamachi found a drawing that went as far back as 1878, showing a Japanese man making the same kind
of cookies as Matsuhisa's bakery. This is interesting because a number of people claimed to have invented fortune
cookies in California in the 1920s.
If these cookies are a Japanese invention, then why are they served in American Chinese restaurants? After
interviewing many Japanese and Chinese American families, Ms. Nakamachi suggested that it's likely that Japanese
people first started serving fortune cookies in their restaurants when they moved to the United States. Then Chinese
restaurant owners borrowed the idea and began making their own fortune cookies, beginning the now-traditional
practice of serving fortune cookies at the end of each meal.
Today, about three billion of these cookies are made annually in the U.S., and are served in restaurants all over
the world. Although fortune cookies might not be a traditional snack in China, they have become one for people in
many other countries.
1. This passage is mainly about _______.
A. how fortune cookies became popular
B. how and where fortune cookies began
C. why Chinese people make fortune cookies
D. how fortune cookies can predict the future
2. What is important about Ms. Nakamichi's discovery of the 1878 drawing?
A. It shows that fortune cookies were popular in Japan and California.
B. It proves that Matsuhisa's bakery was the first to make fortune cookies.
C. It shows that people wanted to draw and write about fortune cookies.
D. It proves that fortune cookies were first made in Japan, not California.
3. The word their in the passage refers to _______.
A. American Chinese restaurants
B. Chinese American families
C. Japanese people
D. fortune cookies
4. The fortune cookie in the passage is best described as ________.
A. a biscuit with the frosting on it
B. a biscuit made from many kinds of ingredients
C. a biscuit containing a message, usually about someone’s future
D. the most popular kind of biscuit all over the world
5. Which of these statements is NOT true?
A. Fortune cookies are popular in the U.S.
B. In Japan, the fortunes are put on the outside of the cookie.
C. Fortune cookies were brought to the U.S. by the Chinese.
D. American cookie makers made the fortune cookie popular

10.
Twenty-three million years ago, a giant carnivore larger than any modern-day lion or polar bear stalked sub-
Saharan Africa, according to the fossils of a previously undiscovered species that spent decades in a museum drawer at
the National Museum of Kenya. The fossils were originally found in Kenya decades ago, but at that time researchers
were searching for ancient apes, so the gs, fossils were put aside.
The skull of the fossil is comparable to that of a rhinoceros, and given its size and giant sharp teeth, the
carnivore was at the head of its food chain. Researchers estimate that it weighed 1.6 tons and could prey on large
herbivores akin to today's elephant and hippopotamus. Its canine teeth and molars would have been able to tear flesh
and crack bones easily.
The researchers dubbed the newly discovered species Simbakubwa kutokaafrika, which is Swahili for "big lion
coming from Africa." But it's not a close relative of lions, other big cats or even mammalian carnivores that roam the
Earth today. Instead, Simbakubwa was part of the hyaenodonts, an extinct group of mammalian carnivores that lived in
Africa.
 After the extinction of dinosaurs, they enjoyed a 45 million-year reign as the key predators. Additionally,
tectonic plates shifted, allowing Simbakubwa to cross a landbridge into Eurasia and flourish on other continents as
well. And even though they lived for millions of years, they went extinct between 15 million and 18 million years ago.
"We don't know exactly what drove hyaenodonts to extinction, but ecosystems were changing quickly as the
global climate became drier. The gigantic relatives of Simbakubwa were among the last hyaenodonts on the planet,"
said Matthew Borths, study author and curator of the Division of Fossil Primates at Duke University. Nancy Stevens,
study co-author and professor in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University, noted in a statement
that "This is a pivotal fossil, demonstrating the significance of museum collections for understanding evolutionary
history. Simbakubwa is a window into a bygone era. As ecosystems shifted, a key predator disappeared, heralding
Cenozoic faunal transitions that eventually led to the evolution of the modern African fauna."
(Adapted from https://edition.cnn.com)
1. Which of the following does the passage primarily concern?
A. The characteristics of an ancient species called hyaenodonts.
B. The study of fossils and ancient dinosaurs in Kenya.
C. The discovery of an ancient carnivore's fossils in Africa.
D. The largest and oldest living carnivore.
2. What does the word "akin" in the second paragraph most likely mean?
A. hostile B. similar C. dangerous D. independent
3. What does the word "it" in the second paragraph refer to?
A. a rhinoceros B. the skull C. the food chain D. the carnivore
4. Which of the following is TRUE about Simbakubwa?
A. They bear little relation to modern-day big cats or mammalian carnivores.
B. They reigned over many species including dinosaurs for 45 million years.
C. They originated in areas outside the continent of Africa.
D. They suffered from negative effects caused by the movement of tectonic plates.
5. What can be inferred from Matthew Borths' view in the last paragraph?
A. Drier global climate had almost no effect on ecosystems.
B. Shifting ecosystems probably contributed to the extinction of hyaenodonts.
C. Researchers have determined the exact reason why hyaenodonts went extinct.
D. The gigantic relatives of Simbakubwa were last seen in Africa.