TOEFL Reading Test 1,   TOEFL Reading Test 2,  GMAT Sentence Completion Test

 

Reading Passage

 

1 In 1877, to celebrate the centennial anniversary of America’s independence from England, the French government presented the United States with a colossal statue that has come to be one of the most beloved symbols of America. The gift was presented in honor of the alliance between France and America during the Revolutionary War. The formal name of the figure is Liberty Enlightening the World, but it is almost universally known as the Statue of Liberty.

 

2 Since the French government donated the money for the project, French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi and engineer Gustav Eiffel were put in charge of the design. The massive structure was assembled in Paris, where it was put on exhibition before being dismantled, then shipped to New York and finally reassembled on Bedloe Island, which was later renamed Liberty Island.

 

3 The statue is made of thin copper sheets, each just a tenth of an inch thick. They are riveted to an iron framework, which forms the shape of the statue. The statue itself is 151 feet tall, but it stands on top of a large pedestal made of concrete and granite, which was designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt. The total height of the statue and the pedestal is 305 feet, making it a spectacular sight on the New York City skyline, visible from miles away. The statue holds a torch in one hand, which is meant to symbolize liberty. In the other hand, the figure clutches a book, upon which the date of America’s declaration of independence, July 4, 1776, is marked.

 

4 Due to the difficulty and expense of working on an isolated island, construction took nearly a decade. After the statue was completed in 1886, President Grover Cleveland came to New York to preside over the dedication ceremony. After the unveiling, the Statue of Liberty became a beacon of freedom for both newly arriving immigrants and longtime city dwellers. But after decades of exposure to pollution and harsh ocean air, time had taken its toll on Lady Liberty, as the statue is sometimes called. A full century after the dedication, a restoration effort was launched to repair damage from age and the elements. Funded by both the French and American governments, the renovation of the statue required enclosing it in a scaffold while workers renovated the copper sheeting and replaced the glass torch with a gold one. The newly restored monument was unveiled a few years later, as vibrant and inspiring as ever.

 

Reading Comprehension - Time: 14 minutes

 

1. Which two countries formed an alliance during the Revolutionary War?

A) France and Britain
B) Britain and the United States
C) France and the United States
D) Britain and New York

 

2. Why were French artists responsible for designing the monument?

A) because the French are the best artists
B) because the French were funding the project
C) because America did not want the monument
D) because France owed money to the American government

 

3. Look at the word they in paragraph 3. What word does they refer to?

The statue is made of thin copper sheets, each just a tenth of an inch thick. They are riveted to an iron framework, which forms the shape of the statue. The statue itself is 151 feet tall, but it stands on top of a large pedestal made of concrete and granite, which was designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt. The total height of the statue and the pedestal is 305 feet, making it a spectacular sight on the New York City skyline, visible from miles away.

 

4. Look at the word it in paragraph 3. What word does it refer to?

The statue is made of thin copper sheets, each just a tenth of an inch thick. They are riveted to an iron framework, which forms the shape of the statue. The statue itself is 151 feet tall, but it stands on top of a large pedestal made of concrete and granite, which was designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt. The total height of the statue and the pedestal is 305 feet, making it a spectacular sight on the New York City skyline, visible from miles away. The statue holds a torch in one hand, which is meant to symbolize liberty. In the other hand, the figure clutches a book, upon which the date of America’s declaration of independence, July 4, 1776, is marked.

 

5. Look at the word clutches in paragraph 3. What word is closest in meaning to clutches in paragraph 3?

The statue is made of thin copper sheets, each just a tenth of an inch thick. They are riveted to an iron framework, which forms the shape of the statue. The statue itself is 151 feet tall, but it stands on top of a large pedestal made of concrete and granite, which was designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt. The total height of the statue and the pedestal is 305 feet, making it a spectacular sight on the New York City skyline, visible for miles around. The statue holds a torch in one hand, which is meant to symbolize liberty. In the other hand, the figure clutches a book, upon which the date of America’s independence, July 4, 1776, is marked.

 

6. Look at the word one in paragraph 4. What does one refer to?

After the unveiling, the Statue of Liberty became a beacon of freedom for both newly arriving immigrants and longtime city dwellers. But after decades of exposure to pollution and harsh ocean air, time had taken its toll on Lady Liberty, as the statue is sometimes called. A full century after the dedication, a restoration effort was launched to repair damage from age and the elements. Funded by both the French and American governments the renovation of the statue required enclosing it in a scaffold while workers renovated the copper sheeting and replaced the glass torch with a gold one.

 

7. Look at the word approximately in paragraph 4. What word or phrase is closest in meaning to approximately?

Due to the difficulty and expense of working on an isolated island, construction took nearly a decade. After it was completed in 1886, President Grover Cleveland came to New York to preside over the dedication ceremony. Several years later, Bedloe Island and nearby Ellis Island became part of a processing center for European Immigrants coming to New York. During the sixty years that the Ellis Island complex was open, it welcomed approximately sixteen million people entering America. The site is now the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, and it hosts roughly a million visitors every year.

 

8. Where was the statue first assembled?

A) Bedloe Island
B) Liberty Island
C) New York
D) Paris

 

9. Click on the paragraph that explains how the Statue of Liberty suffered damage.

A) Paragraph 1
B) Paragraph 2
C) Paragraph 3
D) Paragraph 4

 

10. It can be inferred that the restoration process began in

A) 1776
B) 1876
C) 1886
D) 1986

 

11. The following sentence can be inserted into paragraph 4. Click on the square to insert the sentence.

The copper sheeting of the statue is highly reactive with carbon dioxide from car exhaust and with salty air from the New York Bay.

1 Due to the difficulty and expense of working on an isolated island, construction took nearly a decade.  2 After the statue was completed in 1886, President Grover Cleveland came to New York to preside over the dedication ceremony. 3 After the unveiling, the Statue of Liberty became a beacon of freedom for both newly arriving immigrants and longtime city dwellers. 4 But after decades of exposure to pollution and harsh ocean air, time had taken its toll on Lady Liberty, as the statue is sometimes called. 5 A full century after the dedication, a restoration effort was launched to repair damage from age and the elements. 6 Funded by both the French and American governments, the renovation of the statue required enclosing it in a scaffold while workers renovated the copper sheeting and replaced the glass torch with a gold one. 7

 

12. The following sentence can be inserted into paragraph 4. Click on the square to insert the sentence.

All of the building materials surrounding the monument detracted greatly from its beauty, but they were necessary to preserve the statue.

1 After the unveiling, the Statue of Liberty became a beacon of freedom for both newly arriving immigrants and longtime city dwellers. 2 But after decades of exposure to pollution and harsh ocean air, time had taken its toll on Lady Liberty, as the statue is sometimes called. 3 A full century after the dedication, a restoration effort was launched to repair damage from age and the elements. 4 Funded by both the French and American governments, the renovation of the statue required enclosing it in a scaffold while workers renovated the copper sheeting and replaced the glass torch with a gold one. 5 The newly restored monument was unveiled a few years later, as vibrant and inspiring as ever. 6

 

13. Which of the following is NOT a name by which the monument is called?

A) Lady Liberty
B) Statue of Liberty
C) Liberty Island
D) Liberty Enlightening the World

 

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