TOEFL Junior Test #16 - Reading Comprehension

Read the following announcement.

Reading Festival  

    On Friday, March 6, Sullivan School will have a Reading Festival. Grade 6, 7, and 8 students will all participate in special activities. 

*The special lunch will be held in the cafeteria.

*Activity leaders will travel from homeroom to homeroom.

*All activities will happen in students' regular homeroom classrooms. 

Read the following e-mail.

    Dear Anthony, 

    I watched the video you sent me last week. You look like a great soccer player and I would love to have you on my team. However, there are some questions I have for you. It is important that we know enough about you before you get here so that we can find the perfect place for you. First of all, how long have you been playing soccer? Second, what is your favorite position?

    Also, I am going to need a copy of your middle school grades. Academics are very important at Gramling Soccer Academy. We are only interested in athletes who are serious about school. We believe that if you work hard in school, then you will work hard on the soccer field too. I'd like you to know that we assist all of our players when applying to high school. We also know a lot of soccer coaches all over the country.

   Thanks again for sending me your video. I look forward to meeting you. I hope you enjoy the rest of your soccer season, and I will let you know when I get the rest of the information I need. 

   Sincerely,

   Coach McMahon 

 Read the following article.

    Last week, one teacher from Newark Middle School, Miss Helen DeBow, was given a Teacher of the Year award. The awards are given out by the State Department of Education to excellent teachers. Teachers win because of their students who write into the contest. The award was given to Ms. DeBow on Saturday, June 6, in Wilmington, Delaware.

    Ms. DeBow is a history teacher at Newark Middle School. She teaches history to seventh-graders and loves teaching about the history of the United States. "I like teaching American history best because it helps students understand their own lives." Ms. DeBow enjoys teaching other histories too. "Studying ancient history is also very interesting. I always have my students study Mesopotamia," she said.

    It was Carla Ross and Michael Hubbard who wrote to the department for Ms. Debow. "She's a wonderful teacher and I really wanted her to win this award," said Carla. Michael agreed and added, "Ms. DeBow is one of the best teachers at this school. I'm happy that they chose her." 

Read the following passage.

The stars are beautiful in the night sky. They are far away, farther away than most people can imagine. Even though they are light-years away, they can still light up the sky. For thousands of years, people have been interested in stars. They have been used as fortunetellers, calendars, and maps. Travelers often used the stars to help them find their way.

Before there was electricity, the stars and moon were the brightest things in the night sky. People spent hours staring up and wondering what the little, twinkling lights were. Back then, the stars were easier to see because there weren't any other lights at night.

Not many ancient people realized that the sun was a star. The sun and moon were thought of as father and mother of Earth in some ancient cultures. The stars were thought of as lesser gods or the souls of people who had died.

Greek philosophers 2,300 years ago started to try to unravel the mystery. A man named Anaxagoras thought that the sun was a giant ball of metal burning in the center of our universe. He was thrown in jail and sentenced to death because this idea conflicted with people's religious beliefs.

Even so, people did not stop trying to understand the sun. Scientists still study it today. Large telescopes take pictures of the sun almost every day as we try to learn more about it.

Read the following passage.

    In the late 1840s, a potato famine struck Europe. In 1845, 50 percent of the potato crop in Europe was lost to blight. In 1846, the number went up to 75 percent. The famine came to all of Europe, but it was the worst in Ireland.

    The Irish people were dependent on potatoes for food, which is why the potato famine was so serious in Ireland. Potatoes grow well in cold climates and do not need too much space while they grow, which made them an ideal crop in Ireland. Living under British landlords, Irish peasants could grow potatoes for their families cheaply and conveniently. So, when the disease called “potato blight” came to Ireland, many starved.

    During this time, one million Irish people left Ireland to live in other countries. Many of them went to America where there was work. That’s why America has many people with Irish family roots today. Another one million people died of hunger.

    Ireland lost about 25 percent of its population because of this potato famine. It is sometimes believed that the British government could have done something to help the Irish, but it didn’t. Ireland was never the same after the famine. With this great loss came big changes.