Read the passage carefully, then choose the best answer for each question.
SEA MONSTERS
Monsters of the Deep
Sea monsters are not just imaginary creatures. Millions of years ago, real monsters did actually live on Earth.
Today, scientists use fossils to help them figure out what these monsters were like. The fossils can help us understand some of the animals' unusual characteristics. After studying the fossils, the scientists can make very detailed pictures of these animals. So now, we can all see what they looked like.
Eyes in the Dark
Temnodontosaurus was definitely an unusual animal. Its name means "cutting-tooth lizard," and with good reason—it had very big teeth. It also had some of the largest eyes in nature. They were over 25 centimeters (10 inches) across! With such big eyes, Temnodontosaurus could easily find its food in the dark water.
Terror of the Deep
Kronosaurus—the "Kronos lizard"—lived in the seas that covered Australia. But it probably used its fins to climb out of the water and lay its eggs on land. Its head was two meters (seven feet) long. Its teeth were as big as bananas! The main function of strong jaws and teeth like these was to catch smaller animals. In fact, Kronosaurus was one of the most dangerous predators of all time.
The Stalker
Known as the "lord of the seas," Thalassomedon was a large sea monster with a very long neck. It also had a special means of catching fish: It carried stones in its stomach! These helped keep the largest part of its body and tail down in the dark water. Meanwhile, its long neck slowly rose up toward the fish. The fish didn't have a chance to get away from Thalassomedon. They didn't see the sea monster until it was too late!
What is unusual about Thalassomedon?
A.It laid its eggs on land.
B.It had very large eyes.
C.It had a very long neck.
D.Its head was very long.

Read the passage carefully, then choose the best answer for each question.
SEA MONSTERS
Monsters of the Deep
Sea monsters are not just imaginary creatures. Millions of years ago, real monsters did actually live on Earth.
Today, scientists use fossils to help them figure out what these monsters were like. The fossils can help us understand some of the animals' unusual characteristics. After studying the fossils, the scientists can make very detailed pictures of these animals. So now, we can all see what they looked like.
Eyes in the Dark
Temnodontosaurus was definitely an unusual animal. Its name means "cutting-tooth lizard," and with good reason—it had very big teeth. It also had some of the largest eyes in nature. They were over 25 centimeters (10 inches) across! With such big eyes, Temnodontosaurus could easily find its food in the dark water.
Terror of the Deep
Kronosaurus—the "Kronos lizard"—lived in the seas that covered Australia. But it probably used its fins to climb out of the water and lay its eggs on land. Its head was two meters (seven feet) long. Its teeth were as big as bananas! The main function of strong jaws and teeth like these was to catch smaller animals. In fact, Kronosaurus was one of the most dangerous predators of all time.
The Stalker
Known as the "lord of the seas," Thalassomedon was a large sea monster with a very long neck. It also had a special means of catching fish: It carried stones in its stomach! These helped keep the largest part of its body and tail down in the dark water. Meanwhile, its long neck slowly rose up toward the fish. The fish didn't have a chance to get away from Thalassomedon. They didn't see the sea monster until it was too late!
The phrase “with good reason” could be replaced with_____ .
A.and it was smart
B.as will be explained
C.this was useful because
D.the reason is good

Read the passage carefully, then choose the best answer for each question.
SEA MONSTERS
Monsters of the Deep
Sea monsters are not just imaginary creatures. Millions of years ago, real monsters did actually live on Earth.
Today, scientists use fossils to help them figure out what these monsters were like. The fossils can help us understand some of the animals' unusual characteristics. After studying the fossils, the scientists can make very detailed pictures of these animals. So now, we can all see what they looked like.
Eyes in the Dark
Temnodontosaurus was definitely an unusual animal. Its name means "cutting-tooth lizard," and with good reason—it had very big teeth. It also had some of the largest eyes in nature. They were over 25 centimeters (10 inches) across! With such big eyes, Temnodontosaurus could easily find its food in the dark water.
Terror of the Deep
Kronosaurus—the "Kronos lizard"—lived in the seas that covered Australia. But it probably used its fins to climb out of the water and lay its eggs on land. Its head was two meters (seven feet) long. Its teeth were as big as bananas! The main function of strong jaws and teeth like these was to catch smaller animals. In fact, Kronosaurus was one of the most dangerous predators of all time.
The Stalker
Known as the "lord of the seas," Thalassomedon was a large sea monster with a very long neck. It also had a special means of catching fish: It carried stones in its stomach! These helped keep the largest part of its body and tail down in the dark water. Meanwhile, its long neck slowly rose up toward the fish. The fish didn't have a chance to get away from Thalassomedon. They didn't see the sea monster until it was too late!
Which of these sentences about Kronosaurus is NOT true?
A.Its teeth were very large.
B.Its head was very long.
C.It was a very dangerous predator.
D.It stayed in the water all the time.

Read the passage carefully, then choose the best answer for each question.
THE MAMMOTH’S TALE
Imagine finding a body that had been lost for 40,000 years . . .
The strange animal in the ice looked like it was sleeping. Ten-year-old Kostia Khudi and his brother had never seen anything like it before. But they had heard stories of the mamont. It was an imaginary animal that lived in the ice-filled blackness of the Siberian underworld. Their father, a reindeer herder named Yuri Khudi, went to ask a friend for advice. But when he returned, the body had vanished.
Yuri soon found the animal's body leaning against a store in a nearby town. While he was away, his cousin had sold it to the store owner. Dogs had eaten part of the tail and ear, but it was still in "as close to perfect condition as you can imagine," says scientist Daniel Fisher. The police came to help. The body was taken by helicopter to a museum. The animal was a baby mammoth from the Ice Age. It was female, so the scientists named it after Yuri's wife.
From Siberia, the mammoth was sent to the Netherlands and Japan. Scientists there studied it more closely. Detailed studies of her teeth and tusks showed she was just one month old when she died. Ongoing research has also shown us the sequence of events that led to her death. Lyuba fell and died near a muddy river. The mud helped keep her body frozen until she was found, 40,000 years later. Scientists hope that further studies will help explain how mammoths, like Lyuba lived. They also want to know why mammoths became extinct.
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A.Yuri’s wife’s name was Lyuba.
B.The mammoth died when the Ice Age ended.
C.Yuri’s cousin didn’t know what the mammoth was when he sold it.
D.Lyuba was one year old when she died.

Read the passage carefully, then choose the best answer for each question.
THE MAMMOTH’S TALE
Imagine finding a body that had been lost for 40,000 years . . .
The strange animal in the ice looked like it was sleeping. Ten-year-old Kostia Khudi and his brother had never seen anything like it before. But they had heard stories of the mamont. It was an imaginary animal that lived in the ice-filled blackness of the Siberian underworld. Their father, a reindeer herder named Yuri Khudi, went to ask a friend for advice. But when he returned, the body had vanished.
Yuri soon found the animal's body leaning against a store in a nearby town. While he was away, his cousin had sold it to the store owner. Dogs had eaten part of the tail and ear, but it was still in "as close to perfect condition as you can imagine," says scientist Daniel Fisher. The police came to help. The body was taken by helicopter to a museum. The animal was a baby mammoth from the Ice Age. It was female, so the scientists named it after Yuri's wife.
From Siberia, the mammoth was sent to the Netherlands and Japan. Scientists there studied it more closely. Detailed studies of her teeth and tusks showed she was just one month old when she died. Ongoing research has also shown us the sequence of events that led to her death. Lyuba fell and died near a muddy river. The mud helped keep her body frozen until she was found, 40,000 years later. Scientists hope that further studies will help explain how mammoths, like Lyuba lived. They also want to know why mammoths became extinct.
What is the purpose of the second paragraph?
A.to describe the condition of Lyuba when she was found
B.to describe the difficulties of studying a mammoth’s body
C.to describe how Lyuba was found again and taken to a safe place
D.to describe the condition Lyuba was in

Read the passage carefully, then choose the best answer for each question.
THE MAMMOTH’S TALE
Imagine finding a body that had been lost for 40,000 years . . .
The strange animal in the ice looked like it was sleeping. Ten-year-old Kostia Khudi and his brother had never seen anything like it before. But they had heard stories of the mamont. It was an imaginary animal that lived in the ice-filled blackness of the Siberian underworld. Their father, a reindeer herder named Yuri Khudi, went to ask a friend for advice. But when he returned, the body had vanished.
Yuri soon found the animal's body leaning against a store in a nearby town. While he was away, his cousin had sold it to the store owner. Dogs had eaten part of the tail and ear, but it was still in "as close to perfect condition as you can imagine," says scientist Daniel Fisher. The police came to help. The body was taken by helicopter to a museum. The animal was a baby mammoth from the Ice Age. It was female, so the scientists named it after Yuri's wife.
From Siberia, the mammoth was sent to the Netherlands and Japan. Scientists there studied it more closely. Detailed studies of her teeth and tusks showed she was just one month old when she died. Ongoing research has also shown us the sequence of events that led to her death. Lyuba fell and died near a muddy river. The mud helped keep her body frozen until she was found, 40,000 years later. Scientists hope that further studies will help explain how mammoths, like Lyuba lived. They also want to know why mammoths became extinct.
Which of the following happened first?
A.Scientists in the Netherlands and Japan studied it more closely.
B.Lyuba’s body was taken to a museum.
C.The police arrived to take Lyuba’s body away.
D.Yuri’s cousin sold the mammoth to a store owner.

Read the passage carefully, then choose the best answer for each question.
FREAKY FORCES OF NATURE
When Weird Weather Strikes
Most of us know about fires, hurricanes, droughts, and floods. But from time to time, Mother Nature surprises us, and delivers a weather event that is really weird. Here are some examples of truly weird weather.
One day in 2005, residents of a small town in Serbia looked out their windows and saw an unusual sight. It was raining frogs! Without any warning, they found their streets filling with the little jumping creatures. “There were thousands of them," one resident told a local newspaper. "I thought perhaps a plane carrying frogs had exploded," said another. Scientists think a tornado passed over a lake. It sucked up animals that lived there. The frogs were carried into the air. Then they were dropped in the Serbian town, far away.
As if tornadoes aren't dangerous enough, some of them can actually be made of fire. When a wildfire reaches very high temperatures, it causes the air to become hot and to rise. Cooler air rushes in to replace the hot air. This creates strong winds. These winds suck up burning plants and even the fire itself. When this happens, like it did on March 14, 2014, in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., a tornado of fire is produced. This tornado can become 15 meters (50 feet) wide and grow as tall as a 40-story building.
In 1942, hundreds of thousand-year-old skeletons were found under the ice of Lake Roopkund in the Himalayas. Many had holes in their skulls. But they weren't hurt in any other way. Scientists thought the people must have been hit from above. But for years, the cause of their deaths was a mystery. Today, scientists think these people were killed by giant hailstones—balls of ice. Hailstones form when raindrops high in the sky turn into pieces of ice. The ice pieces increase in size until the wind cannot hold them up. This results in hailstones falling to the ground, often at speeds of over 160 kilometers (100 miles) an hour. For the unlucky people at Lake Roopkund, there was nowhere to run. They were all killed by the hailstones.
The following sentence would best be placed at the end of which paragraph? This makes them very dangerous.
A.paragraph 1
B.paragraph 2
C.paragraph 3
D.paragraph 4

Read the passage carefully, then choose the best answer for each question.
FREAKY FORCES OF NATURE
When Weird Weather Strikes
Most of us know about fires, hurricanes, droughts, and floods. But from time to time, Mother Nature surprises us, and delivers a weather event that is really weird. Here are some examples of truly weird weather.
One day in 2005, residents of a small town in Serbia looked out their windows and saw an unusual sight. It was raining frogs! Without any warning, they found their streets filling with the little jumping creatures. “There were thousands of them," one resident told a local newspaper. "I thought perhaps a plane carrying frogs had exploded," said another. Scientists think a tornado passed over a lake. It sucked up animals that lived there. The frogs were carried into the air. Then they were dropped in the Serbian town, far away.
As if tornadoes aren't dangerous enough, some of them can actually be made of fire. When a wildfire reaches very high temperatures, it causes the air to become hot and to rise. Cooler air rushes in to replace the hot air. This creates strong winds. These winds suck up burning plants and even the fire itself. When this happens, like it did on March 14, 2014, in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., a tornado of fire is produced. This tornado can become 15 meters (50 feet) wide and grow as tall as a 40-story building.
In 1942, hundreds of thousand-year-old skeletons were found under the ice of Lake Roopkund in the Himalayas. Many had holes in their skulls. But they weren't hurt in any other way. Scientists thought the people must have been hit from above. But for years, the cause of their deaths was a mystery. Today, scientists think these people were killed by giant hailstones—balls of ice. Hailstones form when raindrops high in the sky turn into pieces of ice. The ice pieces increase in size until the wind cannot hold them up. This results in hailstones falling to the ground, often at speeds of over 160 kilometers (100 miles) an hour. For the unlucky people at Lake Roopkund, there was nowhere to run. They were all killed by the hailstones.
What is probably true about the frogs that rained down in Serbia?
A.They fell out of an airplane that exploded.
B.There were hundreds of them.
C.They were carried away as babies, grew in the clouds, and then fell down to Earth.
D.A tornado took them from a lake and dropped them over the town.

Read the passage carefully, then choose the best answer for each question.
FREAKY FORCES OF NATURE
When Weird Weather Strikes
Most of us know about fires, hurricanes, droughts, and floods. But from time to time, Mother Nature surprises us, and delivers a weather event that is really weird. Here are some examples of truly weird weather.
One day in 2005, residents of a small town in Serbia looked out their windows and saw an unusual sight. It was raining frogs! Without any warning, they found their streets filling with the little jumping creatures. “There were thousands of them," one resident told a local newspaper. "I thought perhaps a plane carrying frogs had exploded," said another. Scientists think a tornado passed over a lake. It sucked up animals that lived there. The frogs were carried into the air. Then they were dropped in the Serbian town, far away.
As if tornadoes aren't dangerous enough, some of them can actually be made of fire. When a wildfire reaches very high temperatures, it causes the air to become hot and to rise. Cooler air rushes in to replace the hot air. This creates strong winds. These winds suck up burning plants and even the fire itself. When this happens, like it did on March 14, 2014, in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., a tornado of fire is produced. This tornado can become 15 meters (50 feet) wide and grow as tall as a 40-story building.
In 1942, hundreds of thousand-year-old skeletons were found under the ice of Lake Roopkund in the Himalayas. Many had holes in their skulls. But they weren't hurt in any other way. Scientists thought the people must have been hit from above. But for years, the cause of their deaths was a mystery. Today, scientists think these people were killed by giant hailstones—balls of ice. Hailstones form when raindrops high in the sky turn into pieces of ice. The ice pieces increase in size until the wind cannot hold them up. This results in hailstones falling to the ground, often at speeds of over 160 kilometers (100 miles) an hour. For the unlucky people at Lake Roopkund, there was nowhere to run. They were all killed by the hailstones.
The words “sucked up” could be replaced with_____.
A.lifted
B.used
C.blew
D.grew

Read the passage carefully, then choose the best answer for each question.
A WARMING WORLD
One weekend in May 2010, the weather forecast for Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A., predicted 10 centimeters (4 inches) of rain. By Sunday, over 33 centimeters (13 inches) had fallen. Soon the city was flooded. On the roads, cars were covered by the rising water. "We've got buildings running into cars,” the news reported as a small building floated by. There were 11 deaths that weekend.
Changing Weather
The weather is changing. Over the last few years, heavy rains have caused floods in Brazil, Pakistan, and Thailand. Droughts have struck Russia and Australia. Heat waves have killed thousands in Europe, and all over the world, hurricanes and tornadoes strike more frequently and with greater force than ever before. In 2011 alone, losses caused by the weather cost the world 150 billion dollars.
Warmer and Wetter
As more wild weather events happen, a worried world is beginning to ask questions like: What is going on with the weather? And why? Many also want to know: Is this natural, or are we to blame?
The answer seems to be: a little of both. Wild weather is natural. But most scientists agree human activity has made the Earth warmer. This global warming makes heat waves more likely to occur. The higher temperatures also cause more water to enter the air. This causes heavier and more frequent rain. Some scientists also believe global warming makes hurricanes and other storms stronger.
This means we're likely to see more wild weather. "[But] we don't have to just stand there and take it," says scientist Michael Oppenheimer. He and other experts say we need to stop the Earth from getting warmer. We also need to be prepared, to do things that will help save lives.
What is the purpose of the second paragraph?
A.to give examples of recent wild weather events
B.to describe the weather events that occurred in 2011
C.to predict how the weather will change in a few years
D.to explain why wild weather events happened