mishum2000 Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Reading 3 Nineteenth-century writers in the United States, whether they wrote novels, short stories, poems, or plays, were powerfully drawn to the railroad in its golden year. In fact, writers responded to the railroads as soon as the first were built in the 1830's. By the 1850's, the railroad was a major presence in the life of the nation. Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau saw the railroad both as a boon to democracy and as an object of suspicion. The railroad could be and was a despoiler of nature; furthermore, in its manifestation of speed and noise, it might be a despoiler of human nature as well. By the 1850's and 1860's, there was a great distrust among writer and intellectuals of the rapid industrialization of which the railroad was a leading force. Deeply philosophical historians such as Henry Adams lamented the role that the new frenzy for business was playing in eroding traditional values. A distrust of industry and business continued among writers throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth. For the most part, the literature in which the railroad plays an important role belong to popular culture rather than to the realm of serious art. One thinks of melodramas, boys' books, thrillers, romances, and the like rather than novels of the first rank. In the railroads' prime years, between 1890 and 1920, there were a few individuals in the United States, most of them with solid railroading experience behind them, who made a profession of writing about railroading-works offering the ambience of stations, yards, and locomotive cabs. These writers, who can genuinely be said to have created a genre, the "railroad novel." are now mostly forgotten, their names having faded from memory. But anyone who takes the time to consult their fertile writings will still find a treasure trove of information about the place of the railroad in the lift of the United States. 30 The author mentions all of the following as being true about the literature of railroads EXCEPT that (A) many of its writers had experience working on railroads (B) many of the books were set in railroad stations and yards © the books were well known during the railroads' prime years. (D) quite a few of the books are still popular today. My answer was B, (i was oscillating between B and C), but the key answer was D !?!?! I think D is wrong because the passage clearly states that "These writers, who can genuinely be said to have created a genre, the "railroad novel." are now mostly forgotten, their names having faded from memory.But anyone who takes the time to consult their fertile writings will still find a treasure trove of information about the place of the railroad in the lift of the United States." What do you say ? Reading 5 Volcanic fire and glacial ice are natural enemies. Eruptions at glaciated volcanoes typically destroy ice fields, as they did in 1980 when 70 percent of Mount Saint Helens ice cover was demolished. During long dormant intervals, glaciers gain the upper hand cutting deeply into volcanic cones and eventually reducing them to rubble. Only rarely do these competing forces of heat and cold operate in perfect balance to create a phenomenon such as the steam caves at Mount Rainier National Park. Located inside Rainier's two ice-filled summit craters, these caves form a labyrinth of tunnels and vaulted chambers about one and one-half miles in total length. Their creation depends on an unusual combination of factors that nature almost never brings together in one place. The cave-making recipe calls for a steady emission of volcanic gas and heat, a heavy annual snowfall at an elevation high enough to keep it from melting during the summer, and a bowl-shaped crater to hold the snow. Snow accumulating yearly in Rainier's summit craters is compacted and compressed into a dense form of ice called firn, a substance midway between ordinary ice and the denser crystalline ice that makes up glaciers. Heat rising from numerous openings (called fumaroles) along the inner crater walls melts out chambers between the rocky walls and the overlying ice pack. Circulating currents of warm air then melt additional opening in the firm ice, eventually connecting the individual chambers and, in the larger of Rainier's two craters, forming a continuous passageway that extends two- thirds of the way around the crater's interior. To maintain the cave system, the elements of fire under ice must remain in equilibrium.Enough snow must fill the crater each year to replace that melted from below. If too much volcanic heat is discharged, the crater's ice pack will melt away entirely and the caves will vanish along with the snow of yesteryear. If too little heat is produced, the ice, replenished annually by winter snowstorms, will expand, pushing against the enclosing crater walls and smothering the present caverns in solid firm ice. 45 With what topic is the passage primarily concerned? (A) The importance of snowfall for Mount Rainier. (B) The steam caves of Mount Rainier. © how ice covers are destroyed . (D) The eruption of Mount Saint Helens in 1980. I answered A here but the correct answer was B. What do you think ? 50 In line 26 "smothering" the caverns means that they would be (A) eliminated (B) enlarged © prevented (D) hollowed I answered D here but the key says that the correct answer was A ... I looked up in the dictionary for the word and i didn't find any reference to any of the four choices....hm...something strange here. What do you think ? Thanks :). All the best, Michael. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Reading 3 For the most part, the literature in which the railroad plays an important role belong to popular culture rather than to the realm of serious art. One thinks of melodramas, boys' books, thrillers, romances, and the like rather than novels of the first rank. In the railroads' prime years, between 1890 and 1920, there were a few individuals in the United States, most of them with solid railroading experience behind them, who made a profession of writing about railroading-works offering the ambience of stations, yards, and locomotive cabs. These writers, who can genuinely be said to have created a genre, the "railroad novel." are now mostly forgotten, their names having faded from memory. But anyone who takes the time to consult their fertile writings will still find a treasure trove of information about the place of the railroad in the lift of the United States. 30 The author mentions all of the following as being true about the literature of railroads EXCEPT that (A) many of its writers had experience working on railroads (B) many of the books were set in railroad stations and yards © the books were well known during the railroads' prime years. (D) quite a few of the books are still popular today. My answer was B, (i was oscillating between B and C), but the key answer was D !?!?! I think D is wrong because the passage clearly states that "These writers, who can genuinely be said to have created a genre, the "railroad novel." are now mostly forgotten, their names having faded from memory.But anyone who takes the time to consult their fertile writings will still find a treasure trove of information about the place of the railroad in the lift of the United States." The answer is D. Look at the bolded sentence: now mostly forgotten, their names having faded from memory. Implies no one remembers them now! They are not popular. If they were indeed popular, people would atleast remember them, don't you think? As an example, "The Harry Potter Series" is popular now. Why? Because you remember the name. B is true. There is a sentence about: railroading-works offering the ambience of stations, yards, and locomotive cabs. C is true: In the railroads' prime years, between 1890 and 1920, Reading 5 Volcanic fire and glacial ice are natural enemies. Eruptions at glaciated volcanoes typically destroy ice fields, as they did in 1980 when 70 percent of Mount Saint Helens ice cover was demolished. During long dormant intervals, glaciers gain the upper hand cutting deeply into volcanic cones and eventually reducing them to rubble. Only rarely do these competing forces of heat and cold operate in perfect balance to create a phenomenon such as the steam caves at Mount Rainier National Park. Located inside Rainier's two ice-filled summit craters, these caves form a labyrinth of tunnels and vaulted chambers about one and one-half miles in total length. Their creation depends on an unusual combination of factors that nature almost never brings together in one place. The cave-making recipe calls for a steady emission of volcanic gas and heat, a heavy annual snowfall at an elevation high enough to keep it from melting during the summer, and a bowl-shaped crater to hold the snow. Snow accumulating yearly in Rainier's summit craters is compacted and compressed into a dense form of ice called firn, a substance midway between ordinary ice and the denser crystalline ice that makes up glaciers. Heat rising from numerous openings (called fumaroles) along the inner crater walls melts out chambers between the rocky walls and the overlying ice pack. Circulating currents of warm air then melt additional opening in the firm ice, eventually connecting the individual chambers and, in the larger of Rainier's two craters, forming a continuous passageway that extends two- thirds of the way around the crater's interior. To maintain the cave system,the elements of fire under ice must remain in equilibrium.Enough snow must fill the crater each year to replace that melted from below. If too much volcanic heat is discharged, the crater's ice pack will melt away entirely and the caves will vanish along with the snow of yesteryear. If too little heat is produced, the ice, replenished annually by winter snowstorms, will expand, pushing against the enclosing crater walls and smothering the present caverns in solid firm ice. 45 With what topic is the passage primarily concerned? (A) The importance of snowfall for Mount Rainier. (B) The steam caves of Mount Rainier. © how ice covers are destroyed . (D) The eruption of Mount Saint Helens in 1980. I answered A here but the correct answer was B. What do you think ? B is the answer. The two paras talk of the "cave making recipes". The components of this recipe are equal and opposite: - a heavy annual snowfall - a bowl-shaped crater to hold the snow. - Heat rising from numerous openings (called fumaroles) - Circulating currents of warm air These are then summarised as : "the elements of fire under ice". So each element is given an equal importance, not just the snowfall. They are part of the cave system. 50 In line 26 "smothering" the caverns means that they would be (A) eliminated (B) enlarged © prevented (D) hollowed I answered D here but the key says that the correct answer was A ... I looked up in the dictionary for the word and i didn't find any reference to any of the four choices....hm...something strange here. What do you think ? A. Smother means to crush, choke by cutting off the air. So to smother something is an graphic way of saying killing or eliminating it by use of force. For eg: He smothered my ideas by his cruel behaviour. --> He forcibly eliminated my ideas. The caves were smothered. --> The caves were forcibly eliminated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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