Lectura Prueba de La Práctica: Aprenda Rápido Lectura en Inglés

Mira a la Lectura Prueba de La Práctica Avanzada: Aprenda Rápido Lectura en Inglés.

Esta prueba se compone de 50 preguntas cortas. Escriba en otra hoja los números del 1 al 50 y escriba en ella sus respuestas. Pase el tiempo que sea necesario con esta prueba. Una vez que termine, revise sus respuestas.

Esta prueba consiste en una serie de lecturas cortas seguidas por preguntas para evaluar su capacidad de comprensión.

Mt. Kindred Adds Psychology Courses

Mount Kindred College hopes to draw more students from the community with two new early childhood course offerings this fall. Department Chair Jane Fairbanks announced Tuesday that the course titles will be The Myth of the Difficult Child and Three R's or Two T's?: Real Learning or Tantrums in Tandem? The latter course will be an observational lab held at The Learning Academy, the preschool on campus.

New faculty member Dr. Allison Landers will instruct both courses. Landers received her Ph.D. in 1995 from Northwestern University, where she wrote a dissertation on the pedagogical effectiveness of preschools. According to Fairbanks, Dr. Landers concluded that academic results are questionable, but that preschools have extensive side benefits.

The courses are part of Mount Kindred's Project Outreach, which aims to draw more nontraditional students to the college. The project was initiated in 1993, according to Dr. Fairbanks, in order to better serve the five-county area. Mount Kindred is the only college in the region, and the governor-appointed Board of Trustees mandated that more efforts be made to involve the community in college programs. Dr. Fairbanks also disclosed that the college's enrollment has fallen 10% over the past five years, while the state university in Unionville has seen an increase in enrollment.

The observational course meets one of the Psychology bachelor program lab requirements. It may also be of special interest to parents who wish a greater understanding of childhood learning behaviors. The Myth of the Difficult Child is scheduled on weekday evenings in order to make it easier for working parents to attend. Contact the Psychology Department at 777-4531 for more information, or drop by the office in Powell Hall. Other college departments will be announcing Project Outreach courses in the coming weeks. For a complete listing, refer to the fall course catalogue, available at the Crabtree, the campus bookstore, beginning August 1.

1. The Myth of the Difficult Child course will be held
   1. in Unionville, in order to attract students attending the university there.
   2. at the campus preschool, to allow direct observation of learning environments.
   3. at night, for the convenience of people who work during the daytime.
   4. in the early morning, so working parents can trade off childcare responsibilities.
2. Which of the following statements is correct?
   1. Professor Landers will teach both courses.
   2. People wanting course catalogues should call the Psychology Department.
   3. The new courses begin August 1.
   4. The campus preschool is called the Crabtree.
3. According to Jane Fairbanks, what was the direct cause of Project Outreach?
   1. The Psychology faculty believed that members of the community should develop a greater understanding of their children's education.
   2. Professor Landers's talents and interests were particularly suited to community involvement.
   3. The Board of Trustees was appointed by the governor in 1993 and needed to find ways to spend its budget.
   4. The Board of Trustees directed Mount Kindred College to strengthen its community involvement efforts.
4. Which of the following factors is implied as another reason for Project Outreach?
   1. Enrollment has been going down, and the college wishes to attract more students.
   2. The college has discriminated against lower-income community members in the past.
   3. Many parents who have previously studied psychology live in the five-county area.
   4. The Board of Trustees wants a more academically vigorous curriculum.
5. From the context of the passage, it can be determined that the word pedagogical in Professor Landers's dissertation is related to
   1. unfair attitudes.
   2. teaching.
   3. psychological disorders.
   4. behavior.
6. The "Myth of the Difficult Child" course title implies that Professor Landers
   1. believes that telling stories about children will help us understand them better.
   2. wants to convince her students of the need for strong behavior controls.
   3. questions the validity of the label "difficult" when applied to children.
   4. thinks poorly behaved children tell stories in order to justify their behavior.
7. Which of the following correctly states the primary subject of this news article?
   1. the politics guiding the decision of the Board of Trustees that led to the establishment of Project Outreach
   2. Professor Landers's appointment to Mount Kindred College's Psychology Department
   3. two new early childhood psychology course offerings at Mount Kindred College
   4. the needs of the community in relation to Mount Kindred College
8. This article is organized in which of the following ways?
   1. in chronological order, from the past to the future
   2. most important information first, followed by background and details
   3. background first, followed by the most important information and details
   4. as sensational news, with the most controversial topic first

(Selección del prólogo de un ensayo sin título)

John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939, was followed ten years later by A. B. Guthrie's The Way West. Both books chronicle a migration, though that of Guthrie's pioneers is considerably less bleak in origin. What strikes one at first glance, however, are the commonalities. Both Steinbeck's and Guthrie's characters are primarily farmers. They look to their destinations with nearly religious enthusiasm, imagining their "promised" land the way the Biblical Israelites envisioned Canaan. Both undergo great hardship to make the trek. But the two sagas differ distinctly in origin. Steinbeck's Oklahomans are forced off their land by the banks that own their mortgages, and they follow a false promise—that jobs await them as seasonal laborers in California. Guthrie's farmers willingly remove themselves, selling their land and trading their old dreams for their new hope in Oregon. The pioneers' decision to leave their farms in Missouri and the East is frivolous and ill-founded in comparison with the Oklahomans' unwilling response to displacement. Yet it is they, the pioneers, whom our history books declare the heroes.

9. From the context of the passage, it can be determined that the word frivolous most nearly means
   1. silly.
   2. high-minded.
   3. difficult.
   4. calculated.
10. Suppose that the author is considering following this sentence with supportive detail: "Both undergo great hardship to make the trek." Which of the following sentences would be in keeping with the comparison and contrast structure of the paragraph?
    1. The migrants in The Way West cross the Missouri, then the Kaw, and make their way overland to the Platte.
    2. The Oklahomans' jalopies break down repeatedly, while the pioneers' wagons need frequent repairs.
    3. Today's travelers would consider it a hardship to spend several days, let alone several months, getting anywhere.
    4. The Joad family, in The Grapes of Wrath, loses both grandmother and grandfather before the journey is complete.
11. Which of the following excerpts from the essay is an opinion, rather than a fact?
    1. "Both Steinbeck's and Guthrie's characters are primarily farmers."
    2. "Steinbeck's Oklahomans are forced off their land by the banks that own their mortgages…"
    3. "John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939, was followed ten years later by A. B. Guthrie's The Way West."
    4. "The pioneers' decision to leave their farms in Missouri and the East is frivolous and ill-founded in comparison with the Oklahomans'…"
12. The language in the paragraph implies that which of the following will happen to the Oklahomans when they arrive in California?
    1. They will find a means to practice their religion freely.
    2. They will be declared national heroes.
    3. They will not find the jobs they hoped for.
    4. They will make their livings as mechanics rather than as farm laborers.

Bill Clinton's Inaugural Address

(Selección de la apertura)

When George Washington first took the oath I have just sworn to uphold, news traveled slowly across the land by horseback, and across the ocean by boat. Now the sights and sounds of this ceremony are broadcast instantaneously to billions around the world. Communications and commerce are global. Investment is mobile. Technology is almost magical, and ambition for a better life is now universal.

We earn our livelihood in America today in peaceful competition with people all across the earth. Profound and powerful forces are shaking and remaking our world, and the urgent question of our time is whether we can make change our friend and not our enemy. This new world has already enriched the lives of millions of Americans who are able to compete and win in it. But when most people are working harder for less; when others cannot work at all; when the cost of health care devastates families and threatens to bankrupt our enterprises, great and small; when the fear of crime robs law-abiding citizens of their freedom; and when millions of poor children cannot even imagine the lives we are calling them to lead, we have not made change our friend.

13. What is the central topic of the speech so far?
    1. how Americans can keep up with global competition
    2. ways in which technology has undermined our economy
    3. ways in which technology has improved our lives
    4. how change has affected America and our need to adapt
14. By comparing our times with those of George Washington, Bill Clinton demonstrates
    1. how apparently different, but actually similar, the two eras are.
    2. how drastically technology has speeded up communications.
    3. that presidential inaugurations receive huge media attention.
    4. that television is a much more convincing communications tool than print.
15. When President Clinton says that "most people are working harder for less," he is
    1. reaching a reasonable conclusion based on evidence he has provided.
    2. reaching an unreasonable conclusion based on evidence he has provided.
    3. making a generalization that would require evidence before it could be confirmed.
    4. making a generalization that is so obvious that evidence is not needed.
16. Assuming that Clinton wants to add something about crime being a more serious threat in our time than in George Washington's, which of the following sentences would be most consistent with the tone of the presidential speech?
    1. If I'd been alive in George's day, I would have enjoyed knowing that my wife and child could walk city streets without being mugged.
    2. In George Washington's time, Americans may not have enjoyed as many luxuries, but they could rest in the awareness that their neighborhoods were safe.
    3. George could at least count on one thing. He knew that his family was safe from crime.
    4. A statistical analysis of the overall growth in crime rates since 1789 would reveal that a significant increase has taken place.

The Crossing

Chapter I: The Blue Wall

(Selección del comienzo de la novela de Winston Churchill)

I was born under the Blue Ridge, and under that side which is blue in the evening light, in a wild land of game and forest and rushing waters. There, on the borders of a creek that runs into the Yadkin River, in a cabin that was chinked with red mud, I came into the world a subject of King George the Third, in that part of his realm known as the province of North Carolina.

The cabin reeked of corn-pone and bacon, and the odor of pelts. It had two shakedowns, on one of which I slept under a bearskin. A rough stone chimney was reared outside, and the fireplace was as long as my father was tall. There was a crane in it, and a bake kettle; and over it great buckhorns held my father's rifle when it was not in use. On other horns hung jerked bear's meat and venison hams, and gourds for drinking cups, and bags of seed, and my father's best hunting shirt; also, in a neglected corner, several articles of woman's attire from pegs. These once belonged to my mother. Among them was a gown of silk, of a fine, faded pattern, over which I was wont to speculate. The women at the Cross-Roads, twelve miles away, were dressed in coarse butternut wool and huge sunbonnets. But when I questioned my father on these matters he would give me no answers.

My father was—how shall I say what he was? To this day I can only surmise many things of him. He was a Scotchman born, and I know now that he had a slight Scotch accent. At the time of which I write, my early childhood, he was a frontiersman and hunter. I can see him now, with his hunting shirt and leggins and moccasins; his powder horn, engraved with wondrous scenes; his bullet pouch and tomahawk and hunting knife. He was a tall, lean man with a strange, sad face. And he talked little save when he drank too many "horns," as they were called in that country. These lapses of my father's were a perpetual source of wonder to me—and, I must say, of delight. They occurred only when a passing traveler who hit his fancy chanced that way, or, what was almost as rare, a neighbor. Many a winter night I have lain awake under the skins, listening to a flow of language that held me spellbound, though I understood scarce a word of it.

"Virtuous and vicious every man must be, Few in the extreme, but all in a degree."

The chance neighbor or traveler was no less struck with wonder. And many the time have I heard the query, at the Cross-Roads and elsewhere, "Whar Alec Trimble got his larnin'?"

17. Why did the narrator enjoy it when his father drank too many "horns," or drafts of liquor?
    1. The father spoke brilliantly at those times.
    2. The boy was then allowed to do as he pleased.
    3. These were the only times when the father was not abusive.
    4. The boy was allowed to sample the drink himself.
18. Judging by the sentences surrounding it, the word surmise in the third paragraph most nearly means
    1. to form a negative opinion.
    2. to praise.
    3. to desire.
    4. to guess.
19. The mention of the dress in the second paragraph is most likely meant to
    1. show the similarity between its owner and other members of the community.
    2. show how warm the climate was.
    3. show the dissimilarity between its owner and other members of the community.
    4. give us insight into the way most of the women of the region dressed.
20. It can be inferred from the passage that Alec Trimble is
    1. a traveler.
    2. a neighbor.
    3. the narrator's father.
    4. a poet.
21. What is the meaning of the lines of verse quoted in the passage?
    1. Men who pretend to be virtuous are actually vicious.
    2. Moderate amounts of virtuousness and viciousness are present in all men.
    3. Virtuous men cannot also be vicious.
    4. Whether men are virtuous or vicious depends on the difficulty of their circumstances.
22. Which of the following adjectives best describes the region in which the cabin is located?
    1. remote
    2. urban
    3. agricultural
    4. flat
23. The author most likely uses dialect when quoting the question "Whar Alec Trimble got his larnin'?" in order to
    1. show disapproval of the father's drinking.
    2. show how people talked down to the narrator.
    3. show the speaker's lack of education.
    4. mimic the way the father talked.

(Selección de una carta para una cuidadora de animales)

Dear Lee,

As I told you, I'll be gone until Wednesday morning. Thank you so much for taking on my "children" while I'm away. Like real children, they can be kind of irritating sometimes, but I'm going to enjoy myself so much more knowing they're getting some kind human attention. Remember that Regina (the "queen" in Latin, and she acts like one) is teething. If you don't watch her, she'll chew anything, including her sister, the cat. There are plenty of chew toys around the house. Whenever she starts gnawing on anything illegal, just divert her with one of those. She generally settles right down to a good hour-long chew. Then you'll see her wandering around whimpering with the remains of the toy in her mouth. She gets really frustrated because what she wants is to bury the thing. She'll try to dig a hole between the cushions of the couch. Finding that unsatisfactory, she'll wander some more, discontent, until you solve her problem for her. I usually show her the laundry basket, moving a few clothes so she can bury her toy beneath them. I do sound like a parent, don't I? You have to understand, my own son is practically grown up.

Regina's food is the Puppy Chow in the utility room, where the other pet food is kept. Give her a bowl once in the morning and once in the evening. No more than that, no matter how much she begs. Beagles are notorious overeaters, according to her breeder, and I don't want her to lose her girlish figure. She can share Rex (the King's) water, but be sure it's changed daily. She needs to go out several times a day, especially last thing at night and first thing in the morning. Let her stay out for about ten minutes each time, so she can do all her business. She also needs a walk in the afternoon, after which it's important to romp with her for a while in the yard. The game she loves most is fetch, but be sure to make her drop the ball. She'd rather play tug-of-war with it. Tell her, "Sit!" Then when she does, say, "Drop it!" Be sure to tell her "good girl," and then throw the ball for her. I hope you'll enjoy these sessions as much as I do.

Now, for the other two, Rex and Paws … (letter continues)

24. The tone of this letter is best described as
    1. chatty and humorous.
    2. logical and precise.
    3. confident and trusting.
    4. condescending and preachy.
25. If the pet sitter is a businesslike professional who watches people's pets for a living, she or he would likely prefer
    1. more first-person revelations about the owner.
    2. fewer first-person revelations about the owner.
    3. more praise for agreeing to watch the animals.
    4. greater detail on the animals' cute behavior.
26. According to the author, his or her attachment to the pets derives at least partially from
    1. their regal pedigrees and royal bearing.
    2. having few friends to pass the time with.
    3. these particular animals' exceptional needs.
    4. a desire to continue parenting.
27. The information in the note is sufficient to determine that there are three animals. They are
    1. two cats and a dog.
    2. three dogs.
    3. a dog, a cat, and an unspecified animal.
    4. a cat, a dog, and a parrot.
28. Given that there are three animals to feed, which of the following arrangements of the feeding instructions would be most efficient and easiest to follow?
    1. all given in one list, chronologically from morning to night
    2. provided separately as they are for Regina, within separate passages on each animal
    3. given in the order of quantities needed, the most to the least
    4. placed in the middle of the letter, where they would be least likely to be overlooked
29. From the context of the note, it is most likely that the name "Rex" comes from the
    1. Spanish language.
    2. English language.
    3. French language.
    4. Latin language.
30. If the sitter is to follow the owner's directions in playing fetch with Regina, at what point will he or she tell Regina "good girl"?
    1. every time Regina goes after the ball
    2. after Regina finds the ball
    3. when Regina brings the ball back
    4. after Regina drops the ball

(Selección de un ensayo en contra de la cazería)

The practice of hunting is barbaric and shouldn't be allowed within the national forests of the United States. These forests should be sanctuaries for wildlife, not shooting galleries where macho types go to vent their urban frustrations. Just like humans, animals have the right to freedom and the pursuit of happiness in their own homeland. Of all the forms of hunting, trophy hunting is the most unforgivable. Imagine if it were the other way around and animals were hunting humans. Would it be fair for your grandfather to be killed because of his age and stature? That's how hunters choose their game, based on their age and dignity. The elk with the largest rack is chosen to die so its head can hang in the den of some rich hunter. Half the time the hunters don't even take the meat from the game they shoot. They just leave it to rot.

31. This argument relies primarily on which of the following techniques to make its points?
    1. researched facts in support of an assertion
    2. emotional assertions
    3. fair and reasoned appeals to nonhunters
    4. fair and reasoned appeals to hunters
32. The author is most opposed to which of the following types of hunting?
    1. small game
    2. large game
    3. trophy
    4. elk
33. By choosing the term shooting galleries, the author implies that
    1. the national forests have become dangerous for nonhunters.
    2. hunters should satisfy themselves by taking pictures of animals.
    3. hunters have an unfair advantage over prey in national forests.
    4. hunting licenses cost little more than the pittance paid at carnival games.

Improving Streamside Wildlife Habitats

(selección de Habitat Extension Bulletin del Wyoming Game and Fish Department)

Riparian vegetation [the green band of vegetation along a watercourse] can help stabilize stream banks; filter sediment from surface runoff; and provide wildlife habitat, livestock forage, and scenic value. Well-developed vegetation also allows bank soils to absorb extra water during spring runoff, releasing it later during drier months, thus improving late-summer stream flows.

In many parts of the arid West, trees and shrubs are found only in riparian areas. Woody plants are very important as winter cover for many wildlife species, including upland game birds such as pheasants and turkeys. Often, this winter cover is the greatest single factor limiting game bird populations. Woody vegetation also provides hiding cover and browse for many other species of birds and mammals, both game and nongame.

Dead trees ("snags") are an integral part of streamside habitats and should be left standing whenever possible. Woodpeckers, nuthatches, brown creepers, and other birds eat the insects that decompose the wood. These insects usually pose no threat to nearby living trees. Occasionally a disease organism or misuse of pesticides will weaken or kill a stand of trees. If several trees in a small area begin to die, contact your local extension agent immediately.

34. What is the effect of the word choice "riparian"?
    1. It gives the article an authoritative, scientific tone.
    2. It causes confusion, since both streams and rivers could be viewed as riparian.
    3. It seems condescending, as if the author were stooping to teach readers.
    4. It misleads readers into thinking they are getting scientific information when they are not.
35. By listing the specific birds that live in riparian areas, the author conveys a sense of
    1. urgency on behalf of endangered species.
    2. the rich and varied life in such areas.
    3. his or her own importance as a scientific expert.
    4. poetic wonder over the variety found in nature.
36. Assume that the author has done some other writing on this topic for a different audience. The other piece begins: "Remember the last time you walked along a stream? No doubt thick vegetation prevented easy progress." What is the likely effect on the reader of this opening?
    1. an aroused interest, due to the reference to the reader's personal experience
    2. resentment, due to being addressed so personally
    3. loss of interest, because the opening line makes no attempt to draw the reader in
    4. confusion, because not every reader has walked along a stream
37. The main subject of the second paragraph of this passage is
    1. the types of birds that live in riparian areas.
    2. the effect of winter cover on water purity.
    3. the role of trees and shrubs in riparian areas.
    4. how game bird populations are affected by winter cover.
38. Overall, the assertions of this passage seem to be based on
    1. rash opinion with little observation behind it.
    2. deeply held emotional convictions.
    3. fact derived from scientific literature.
    4. inconclusive evidence gathered in field studies.
39. What does the word arid accomplish in the first sentence of the second paragraph?
    1. It provides a sense of the generally high altitude of the West.
    2. It signifies a change in subject from the Eastern United States to the West.
    3. It clarifies the author's purpose to discuss nonurban areas.
    4. It clarifies the reason that trees and shrubs are found only in riparian areas.

(Selección del cuento "First")

First, you ought to know that I'm "only" 14. My mother points this out frequently. I can make decisions for myself when I'm old enough to vote, she says. Second, I should tell you that she's right—I'm not always responsible. I sometimes take the prize for a grade-A dork. Last weekend, for instance, when I was staying at Dad's, I decided it was time I learned to drive. It was Sunday morning, 7 A.M. to be exact, and I hadn't slept well thinking about this argument I'll be telling you about in a minute. Nobody was up yet in the neighborhood, and I thought there would be no harm in backing the car out of the garage and cruising around the block. But Dad has a clutch car, and the "R" on the shift handle was up on the left side, awful close to first gear, and I guess you can guess the rest.

Dad's always been understanding. He didn't say, like Mom would, "Okay, little Miss Know-It-All, you can just spend the rest of the year paying this off." He worried about what might have happened to me—to me, you see, and that made me feel more guilty than anything. Overall, I just think he'd be a better number-one caregiver, if you get my drift. Of course I can't say things like that to Mom.

To her, I have to say, "But Mom, Dad's place is closer to school. I could ride my bike."

She replies, "Jennifer Lynn, you don't own a bike, because you left it in the yard and it was stolen and you haven't got the perseverance it takes to do a little work and earn the money to replace it."

40. Which description best explains the structure of the story so far?
    1. chronological, according to what happens first, second, and so on
    2. reverse chronological order, with the most recent events recorded first
    3. intentionally confused order, incorporating flashbacks to previous events
    4. according to importance, with the most significant details related first
41. What device does the author use to illustrate the narrator's feelings about her mother and father?
    1. vivid and specific visual detail
    2. rhetorical questions, which make a point but don't invite a direct answer
    3. metaphors and other figurative language
    4. contrast between the parents' typicalreactions
42. The narrator attributes her inability to sleep when staying at her father's house to
    1. thinking about a disagreement with someone.
    2. the uncomfortable quiet of an early Sunday morning.
    3. the sore throat she had from shouting so much.
    4. her accident with the car.
43. The first-person point of view in this story
    1. obscures how the narrator's mind works.
    2. illustrates the thoughts and personality of the narrator.
    3. makes the narrator seem distant and rigid.
    4. gives us direct access to the minds of all the characters.
44. When the narrator says, "I sometimes take the prize for a grade-A dork," the word choice is intended to indicate
    1. that she doesn't know proper English.
    2. her age and culture.
    3. that she is unable to judge her own actions.
    4. that she thinks she's better than most others who might be termed "dorks."
45. From the context in the last sentence of the passage, it can be determined that the word perseverance most nearly means
    1. attractiveness.
    2. thinking ability.
    3. ability to persist.
    4. love of danger.
46. Overall, this narrator's tone is best described as
    1. emotional and familiar.
    2. stuck up and superior.
    3. argumentative and tactless.
    4. pleasant and reassuring.
47. In choosing to use the bike argument with her mother, the narrator is trying to appeal to her mother's
    1. compassion over her lost bike.
    2. disregard for material objects.
    3. laziness.
    4. reason.
48. The main argument the narrator has been having with her mother is over whether she should
    1. be allowed to date.
    2. live with her mother or father.
    3. be allowed to drive a car.
    4. pay for things she breaks.
49. It appears that the mother has alienated her daughter by
    1. being too busy to give her the attention she needs.
    2. having divorced her father.
    3. insisting too much on reasonableness.
    4. valuing material things over her daughter's feelings.
50. What most likely happened with the car?
    1. The narrator mistook first gear for reverse and ran into the garage wall.
    2. The narrator stole it from her father and drove it over to her mother's.
    3. The father left it in gear, and when the narrator started it, it leapt forward into the wall.
    4. The narrator attempted suicide through carbon monoxide poisoning.

Respuestas

Si no respondió correctamente a alguna pregunta, puede encontrar la ayuda necesaria en la lección escrita al lado de cada respuesta correcta.

1. c.  
2. a.  
3. d.  
4. a. 
5. b.  
6. c.  
7. c. 
8. b.  
9. a.  
10. b.  
11. d.  
12. c.  
13. d.  
14. b.  
15. c.  
16. b.  
17. a.  
18. d.  
19. c. 
20. c.  
21. b. 
22. a.  
23. c.  
24. a.  
25. b.  
26. d.  
27. c.  
28. a.  
29. d. 
30. d. 
31. b.  
32. c.  
33. c.  
34. a. 
35. b.  
36. a.  
37. c.  
38. c.  
39. d.  
40. c.  
41. d.  
42. a.  
43. b.  
44. b. 
45. c.
46. a.  
47. d. 
48. b.  
49. d. 
50. a.