Make the right choice
1.Geysers have sometimes been compared to volcanoes __________ they both emit hot liquids from below Earth’s surface.
- despite
- because
- in regard to
- as a result of
2.During the early period of ocean navigation, __________ any need for sophisticated instruments and techniques.
A. so that hardly
B. when there hardly was
C. hardly was
D. there was hardly
3. Refrigerating meats ________ the spread of bacteria.
- slows
- slowing
- to slow
- is slowed
4. The fact ________ credit cards are widely available has made them a popular form of payment.
A. of
B. that
C. is that
D. which is
5. The Constitution gave the legislative branch of government ________ to pass laws.
- A. the power
- B. has the power
- C. the power is
- D. of the power
Reading comprehension
Read the text and choose the right answer (տողերը համարակալված են, որովհետև որոշ հարցեր ըստ տողերիհամարների են տրված)
- The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the
- Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest
- and northernmost state in the United States, ending at
- a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from
- where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely
- complicated to operate.
- The steel pipe crosses windswept
- plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops
- the frozen ground. It weaves through crooked canyons,
- climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags,
- makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or
- under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in
- diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million
- gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily.
- Resting on H-shaped steel racks called “bents,” long
- sections of the pipeline follow a zigzag course high
- above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of
- sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the
- surface later on. The pattern of the pipeline’s up-and-
- down route is determined by the often harsh demands
- of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of
- the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or
- permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more
- than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground.
- The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet,
- depending largely upon the type of terrain and the
- properties of the soil.
- One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost
- approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest
- and most expensive construction project ever
- undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single
- business could raise that much money, so eight major oil
- companies formed a consortium in order to share
- the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to
- particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid
- into the pipeline-construction fund according to the
- size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous
- problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment
- breakdowns, labor disagreements, treacherous
- terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and
- even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed
- and is operating.
- The passage primarily discusses the pipeline’s
- A. operating costs
- B. employees
- C. consumers
- D. construction
- The word “it” in line 5 refers to the
- A. pipeline
- B. ocean
- C. state
- D. village
- According to the second paragraph, 84 million gallons of oil can travel through the pipeline each
- A. day
- B. week
- C. month
- D. year
- The phrase “Resting on” in line 15 is closest in meaning to
- A. Consisting of
- B. Supported by
- C. Passing under
- D. Protected with
- The author mentions all of the following in the third paragraph as important in determining the pipeline’s route EXCEPT the
- A. climate
- B. lay of the land itself
- C. local vegetation
- D. kind of soil and rock
- The word “undertaken” in line 31 is closest in meaning to
- A. removed
- B. selected
- C. transported
- D. attempted
- According to the last paragraph, how many companies shared the costs of constructing the pipeline?
- A. three
- B. four
- C. eight
- D. twelve
- The word “particular” in line 35 is closest in meaning to
- A. peculiar
- B. specific
- C. exceptional
- D. equal
- According to the last paragraph, which of the following determined what percentage of the construction costs each member of the consortium would pay?
- A. How much oil field land each company owned
- B. How long each company had owned land in the oil fields
- C. How many people worked for each company
- D. How many oil wells were located on the company’s land
- Where in the passage does the author provide a term for a layer of soil that always remains frozen?
- A. Line 4
- B. Line 15
- C. Line 23
- D. Line 37