Selasa, 13 Maret 2018

25 TOEFL QUESTION (READING COMPREHENSION) Part 2


Questions 1-10
Tools and hand bones excavated from the Swartkrans cave complex in South Africa suggest that a close relative of early humans known as Australopithecus robustus may have made and used primitive tools long before the species became extinct I million  Line years ago. It may even have made and used primitive tools long before humanity’s direct ancestor, Homo habilis, or “handy man,” began doing so. Homo habilis and its successor, Homo erectus, coexisted with Australopithecus robustus on the plains of South Africa for more than a million years.
The Swartkrans cave in South Africa has been under excavation since the 1940’s. The earliest fossil-containing layers of sedimentary rock in the cave date from about 1.9 million years ago and contain extensive remains of animals, primitive tools, and two or more species of apelike hominids. The key recent discovery involved bones from the hand of Australopithecus robustus, the first time such bones have been found.
The most important feature of the Australopithecus robustus hand was the pollical distal thumb tip, the last bone in the thumb. The bone had an attachment point for a “uniquely human” muscle, the flexor pollicis longus, that had previously been found only in more recent ancestors. That muscle gave Australopithecus robustutJ an opposable thumb, a feature that would allow them to grip objects, including tools. The researchers also found primitive bone and stone implements, especially digging tools, in the same layers of sediments.
Australopithecus robustus were more heavily built- more “robust” in anthropological terms-than their successors. They had broad faces, heavy jaws, and massive crushing and grinding teeth that were used for eating hard fruits, seeds, and fibrous underground plant parts. They walked upright, which would have allowed them to carry and use tools. Most experts had previously believed that Homo habilis were able to supplant Australopithecus robustus because the former’s ability to use tools gave them an innate superiority. The discovery that Australopithecus robustus also used tools means that researchers will have to seek other explanations for their extinction. Perhaps their reliance on naturally occurring plants led to their downfall as the climate became drier and cooler, or perhaps Homo habilis, with their bigger brains, were simply able tomake more sophisticated tools.

1.      It can be inferred from the first paragraph that all of the following may have made and used tools EXCEPT.
(A)           Australopithecus robustus
(B)           Homo erectus
(C)    Homo habilis
(D)          Australopithecus robustus’ ancestors (answer)
Paragraf di atas menjelaskan bahwa alat-alat primitif itu mulai digunakan oleh Australophitecus robustus bersama-sama dengan Homo Habilis dan penerusnya, Homo erectus. Berarti yang bukan adalah nenek moyang Australophitecus robustus.

2.     The word “extensive” in line 9 is closest in meaning to
(A)           Numerous (answer)
(B)           Exposed
(C)    Ancient
(D)          Valuable
Extensive memiliki arti luas atau dalam jumlah besar sehingga kata yang paling dekat artinya dengan kata tersebut adalah numerous.

3.     Which of the following does the author mention as the most important recent discovery made in the Swartkrans cave?
(A)           Tools
(B)           Teeth
(C)    Plant fossils
(D)          Hand bones (answer)
Jawaban tersebut bisa dilihat pada paragraf 2 kalimat The key recent discovery involved bones from the hand of Australopithecus robustus, the first time such bones have been found yang menyatakan bahwa penemuan yang paling penting adalah hand bones.

4.    What does the third paragraph ‘mainly discuss?
(A)           Features of Australopithecus robustus’ hand (answer)
(B)           Purposes for which hominids used tools
(C)    Methods used to determine the age of fossils
(D)          Significant plant fossils found in layers of sediment
Jawaban sangat jelas ditemukan pada kalimat pertama paragraf tersebut yaitu membahas tentang ciri (feature) dari Australopithecus robustus.

5.     It can be inferred from the description in the last paragraph that Australopithecus robustus was so named because of the species’
(A)           ancestors
(B)           thumb
(C)           build (answer)
(D)          diet
Paragraf 4 kalimat pertama, Australopithecus robustus were more heavily built-more “robust” in anthropological terms-than their successors menjelaskan bahwa kata robustus berasal dari robust, istilah antropologi yang merujuk pada perawakan atau bentuk fisik (build) dengan ciri-ciri yang dijelaskan pada kalimat selanjutnya.

6.    The word “supplant” in line 22 is closest in meaning to
(A)           exploit
(B)           displace (answer)
(C)    understand
(D)          imitate
Kata supplant memiliki arti “menggantikan” sehingga kata yang paling dekat artinya dengan kata tersebut pada pilihan yang tersedia adalah displace (menggantikan).

7.     The word “them” in line 23 refers to
(A)           tools
(B)           Homo habilis (answer)
(C)    Australopithecus robustus
(D)          Experts
Them pada kalimat tersebut merujuk pada subjek yang disebutkan sebelumnya yaitu Homo habilis.

8.    What does the author suggest is unclear about Australopithecus robustus?
(A)           Whether they used tools
(B)           What they most likely ate
(C)    Whether they are closely related to humans
(D)          Why they became extinct (answer)
Jawaban tersebut bisa ditemukan pada paragraf terakhir kalimat The discovery that Australopithecus robustus also used tools means that researchers will have to seek other explanations for their extinction yang menyarankan kepada para peneliti untuk mencari sebab-sebab lain kepunahan jenis manusia primitif tersebut.

9.    The phrase “reliance on” in line 24 is closest in meaning to
(A)           impact on
(B)           dependence on (answer)
(C)    tolerance of
(D)          discovery of
Reliance on memiliki arti kebergantungan yang bersesuaian dengan kata dependence on (ketergantungan).

10.                        Where in the passage does the author mention the materials from which tools were made?
(A)           Lines 7-9
(B)           Lines 12-13
(C)    Lines 15-17 (answer)
(D)          Lines 21-23
Penulis menyebutkan beberapa alat serta asal bahannya pada baris 15-17: “…an opposable thumb, a feature that would allow them to grip objects, including tools. The researchers also found primitive bone and stone implements, especially digging tools, in the same layers of sediments.” Yaitu bentuk tulang yang memungkinkan mereka mencengkeram alat dan alat dari batu untuk peralatan menggali.

Questions 11-20 
The first two decades of this century were dominated by the microbe hunters. These hunters had tracked down one after another of the microbes responsible for the most dreaded scourges of many centuries: tuberculosis, cholera, diphtheria. But there, remained some terrible diseases for which no microbe could be incriminated: scurvy, pellagra, rickets, beriberi. Then it was discovered that these diseases were caused by the lack of vitamins, a trace substance in the diet. The diseases could be prevented or cured by consuming foods that contained the vitamins. And so in the decades of the 1920’s and 1930’s, nutrition became a science and the vitamin hunters replaced the microbe hunters.
In the 1940’s and 1950’s, biochemists strived to learn why each of the vitamins was essential for health. They discovered that key enzymes in metabolism depend on one or another of the vitamins as coenzymes to perform the chemistry that provides cells with energy for growth and function. Now, these enzyme hunters occupied center stage.
You are aware that the enzyme hunters have been replaced by a new breed of hunters who are tracking genes-the blueprints for each of the enzymes-and are discovering the defective genes that cause inherited diseases-diabetes, cystic fibrosis. These gene hunters, or genetic engineers, use recombinant DNA technology to identify and clone genes and introduce them into bacterial cells and plants to create factories for the massive production of hormones and vaccines for medicine and for better crops for agriculture. Biotechnology has become a multibillion-dollar industry.
In view of the inexorable progress in science, we can expect that the gene hunters will be replaced in the spotlight. When and by whom? Which kind of hunter will dominate the scene in the last decade of our waning century and in the early decades of the next? I wonder whether the hunters who will occupy the spotlight will be neurobiologists who apply the techniques of the enzyme and gene hunters to the functions of the brain: What to call them? The head hunters. I will return to them later.


11.  What is the main topic of the passage?
(A)           The microbe hunters
(B)           The potential of genetic engineering
(C)    The progress of modem medical research (answer)
(D)          The discovery of enzymes
Ide pokok bacaan di atas adalah perkembangan penelitian medis modern, mulai dari microbe hunters, enzyme hunters hingga gene hunters yang masing-masing selanjutnya dijelaskan dengan lebih detil.

12. The word “which” in line 4 refers to 
(A)           Diseases (answer)
(B)           microbe
(C)    cholera
(D)          diphtheria
Which pada kalimat tersebut merujuk pada penyakit-penyakit serius (terrible diseases) yang tidak bisa dilawan oleh mikroba.

13. The word “incriminated” in line 4 is closest in meaning to
(A)           investigated
(B)           blamed (answer)
(C)    eliminated
(D)          produced
Incriminate memiliki arti “menyalahkan” sehingga yang paling tepat di antara pilihan tersebut adalah blamed yang memiliki makna yang sama.

14.Which of the following can be cured by a change in diet?
(A)           Tuberculosis
(B)           Cholera
(C)    Cystic fibrosis
(D)          Pellagra (answer)
Berdasarkan paragraf pertama baris 4, beberapa penyakit yang dapat disembuhkan melalui perubahan pola makan yang lebih sehat, yaitu makanan yang banyak mengandung vitamin seperti scurvy, pellagra, rickets dan beriberi.

15. The word “strived” in line 9 is closest in meaning to
(A)           failed
(B)           tried (answer)
(C)    experimented
(D)          studied
Strived memiliki kesamaan arti dengan attempt, try, dan make effort yang semuanya berarti berusaha atau berjuang.

16.How do vitamins influence health?
(A)           They are necessary for some enzymes to function. (answer)
(B)           They protect the body from microbes.
(C)    They keep food from spoiling.
(D)          They are broken down by cells to produce energy.
Fungsi vitamin terhadap kesehatan tubuh adalah untuk membantu enzim (sebagai coenzyme) untuk menghasilkan kimia yang meyediakan sel dengan energi untuk pertumbuhan dan fungsinya. Penjelasan ini dapat dilihat pada baris ke 9-11.

17. In the third paragraph, the author compares cells that have been genetically altered by biotechnicians to
(A)           gardens
(B)           factories (answer)
(C)    hunters
(D)          spotlights
Jawaban bisa ditemukan pada baris 14-17 yang membandingkan sel-sel yang dihasilkan oleh ahli biologi melalui recombinant DNA dengan sel-sel bakteri dan tanaman yang menciptakan pabrik-pabrik untuk memproduksi hormon dan vaksin.

18.                        The word “them” in line 16 refers to
(A)           cells and plants
(B)           hormones
(C)    genes (answer)
(D)          gene hunters or genetic engineers
Them pada kalimat tersebut mengacu pada gen yang diidentifikasi dan dikloning melalui rekombinan DNA.   

19.The phrase “occupy the spotlight” in line 22 is closest in meaning to
(A)           receive the most attention (answer)
(B)           go the furthest
(C)    conquer territory
(D)          lighten the load
Occupy the spotlight memiliki arti “mendapatkan tempat yang dapat menarik perhatian banyak orang” sehingga ungkapan yang paling dekat untuk menggantikan frasa tersebut adalah receive the most attention.

20.                       The author implies that the most important medical research topic of the future will be
(A)           the functions of the brain (answer)
(B)           inherited diseases
(C)    the operation of vitamins
(D)          the structure of genes
Jawaban dapat ditemukan pada paragraf terkahir yang menyatakan bahwa penulis berasumsi pada masa yang akan datang, yang menjadi sorotan utama adalah mereka yang menerapkan teknik pemburu-pemburu sebelumnya dengan fungsi otak sehingga fungsi otak diramalkan mejadi isu utama nantinya.

Questions 21-25
In the mid-nineteenth century, the United States had tremendous natural resources that could be exploited in order to develop heavy industry. Most of the raw materials that are valuable in the manufacture of machinery, transportation facilities, and consumer goods lay ready to be worked into wealth. Iron, coal, and oil-the basic ingredients of industrial growth-were plentiful and needed only the application of technical expertise, organizational skill, and labor.
One crucial development in this movement toward industrialization was the growth of the railroads. The railway network expanded rapidly until the railroad map of the United States looked like a spider’s web, with the steel filaments connecting all important sources of raw materials, their places of manufacture, and their centers of distribution. The railroads contributed to the industrial growth not only by connecting these major centers, but also by themselves consuming enormous amounts of fuel, iron, and coal.
Many factors influenced emerging modes of production. For example, machine tools, the tools used to make goods, were steadily improved in the latter part of the nineteenth century-always with an eye to speedier production and lower unit costs. The products of the factories were rapidly absorbed by the growing cities that sheltered the workers and the distributors. The increased urban population was nourished by the increased farm production that, in turn, was made more productive by the use of the new farm machinery. American agricultural production kept up with the urban demand and still had surpluses for sale to the industrial centers of Europe.

21. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A)           The history of railroads in the United States
(B)           The major United States industrial centers
(C)    Factors that affected industrialization in the United States (answer)
(D)          The role of agriculture in the nineteenth century
Bacaan tersebut terutama membahas faktor-faktor yang memengaruhi industrialisasi di AS yang antara lain mencakup perkemabangan rel kereta api, peralatan mesin dan tenaga kerja.

22.                       The word “ingredients” in line 4 is closest in meaning to
(A)           minerals
(B)           products
(C)    methods
(D)          components (answer)
Kata ingredients mempunyai arti bahan, unsur, komponen, atau elemen yang membentuk sesuatu. Maka jawaban yang paling tepat adalah components.

23.                       Why does the author mention “a spider’s web” in line 8?
(A)           To emphasize the railroad’s consumption of oil and coal
(B)           To describe the complex structure of the railway system (answer)
(C)    To explain the problems brought on by railway expansion
(D)          To describe the difficulties involved in the distribution of raw materials
 Istilah spider’s web menggambarkan rumitnya susunan sistem rel kereta api pada waktu itu seperti jaring laba-laba.

24.                       The word “themselves” in line 10 refers to
(A)           sources
(B)           centers
(C)    railroads (answer)
(D)          places
Them pada kalimat tersebut mengacu pada jalan kereta api itu sendiri yang berkontribusi tidak hanya dalam menghubungkan kota-kota penting tetapi juga karena kereta itu sendiri mengonsumsi bahan bakar.

25.                        According to the passage, all of the following were true of railroads in the United States in the nineteenth century EXCEPT that
(A)           they connected important industrial cities
(B)           they were necessary to the industrialization process
(C)    they were expanded in a short time
(D)          they used relatively small quantities of natural resources (answer)
Berdasarkan informasi pada paragraf 2, jalur kereta api berkembang sangat cepat hingga menyerupai jaring laba-laba, menghubungkan pusat-pusat kota industri di negara itu serta berkontribusi besar dalam pertumbuhan industri.  Oleh karena itu jawaban yang tidak benar adalah pilihan D karena berlawanan dengan fakta yang ada.

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