MD student’s reading passages for proficiency exam

Reading 1 Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the letter of each
correct answer.

For any business, the cost of transportation is normally the largest single item in
the overall cost of physical distribution. It doesn’t necessarily follow, though, that a
manufacturer should simply pick the cheapest available form of transportation. Many
companies today use the total physical distribution concept, an approach that
involves maximizing the efficiency of physical distribution activities while minimizing
their cost. Often, this means that the company will make cost tradeoffs between the
various physical distribution activities. For instance, air freight may be much more
expensive than rail transport, but a national manufacturer might use air freight to
ship everything from a single warehouse and thus avoid the greater expense of
maintaining several warehouses.
When a firm chooses a type of transportation, it has to bear in mind its other
marketing concerns – storage, financing, sales, inventory size, and the like.
Transportation , in fact, can be an especially important sales tool. If the firm can
supply its customers’ needs more quickly and reliably than its competitors do, it will
have a vital advantage : so it may be more profitable in the long run to pay higher
transportation costs, rather than risk the loss of future sales. In addition, speedy
delivery is crucial in some industries. A mail-order distributor sending fruit from
Oregon to Pennsylvania needs the promptness of air freight. On the other hand, a
manufacturer shipping lingerie from New York to Massachusetts may be perfectly
satisfied with slower (and cheaper) truck or rail transport.
1. The passage supports which of the following statements?
a. Businesses should use the least expensive form of transportation.
b. Transportation is an important aspect of business.
c. Rail transportation is usually better for companies because it is cheaper than air
transport.
d. Most manufacturers choose the fastest form of delivery.
2. According to the passage, all of the following would influence the type of
transportation that a company might choose EXCEPT
a. the type of goods to be shipped
b. the expense of the shipping
c. the time it takes for delivery
d. the size of its warehouses
3. The author states in the passage that the total physical distribution concept
a. is based on the capability and cost-effectiveness of a transportation system
b. advocates the use of air freight because of its efficiency
c. suggests trading goods for transportation services
d. relies on using warehouses for storing goods
4. The phrase “cost tradeoffs” in bold means that companies
a. sometimes engage in bartering goods
b. may choose an expensive form of transportation if costs can be cut in another area
c. prefer warehouses to air transportation.
d. rarely use rail transport
5. It can be inferred from the passage that transportation is
a. important to continued successful sales
b. independent of other business concerns
c. not used effectively by businesses
d. too expensive for most mail-order industries to use
6. We can conclude from the passage that a business that deals in perishable goods
would probably choose to ship by
a. rail
b. truck
c. air freight
d. any type of cheap transport
7. The word ‘its’ in bold refers to which of the following?
a. competitors
b. firm
c. customers
d. sales tool
8. This passage would probably be assigned reading in which of the following
academic courses?
a. Marketing
b. Statistics
c. Mechanical engineering
d. History
Reading 2 Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the letter of each
correct answer.
Spiders produce three basic types of webs. The sheet web is a two-dimensional
layer of threads seemingly laid out at random. The space web is a three-dimensional,
wispy structure. The orb web, by far the most familiar, is the two-dimensional cartwheel
pattern.
Of the 30,000 spider species, some 6,000are orb spinners. For three decades Dr.
peter N. Witt has studied orb spinners, especially a species called Areneus diadematus,
and their webs. Witt is a German-born medical doctor and self-taught arachnologist,
whose passion is to understand the ways of spiders. Witt has delved deeply into the
behavior of spiders and vastly expanded our knowledge about orb spinners and their
webs. Some of his findings have even amazed other arachnologists.
‘We have actually compared human building activities to spider building, and we find
an enormous amount of parallel between the two”, Witt says. For one thing, just like
their human counterparts in the building trades, orb spinners erect a form of removable
scaffolding as they weave their webs.
 Orb spinners are solitary creatures who dwell one to a web. The web is home, food
source , and mating ground, and it is guarded aggressively. When a male arrives at
mating time , the courtship ritual is an intricate set of advances and retreats until the
female is finally won over and no longer tries to kill her would-be-lover.
Orb spinners each weave every day, working in the predawn darkness and
executing the distinctive pattern of concentric circles and radial lines in a half hour or
less. “ There is nothing as important as web building, because without the web there is
no food,’ Witt says.
1. The topic of this passage is
a. spiders
b. different types of webs spiders make
c. Dr. Peter N. Witt
d orb spinners and their webs
2. According to the passage, the difference between the sheet web and the orb web is
a. the pattern
b. the size
c. the texture
d. the length of threads spun by the spiders
3. We can infer from the passage that an arachnologist is
a. a photographer
b. a medical doctor
c. a person who studies spiders
d. a person who intensely dislikes spiders
4 The word “their” in bold refers to
a. humans who build
b. other arachnologists
c. Witt and his associates
d. orb spinners
5. According to the passage, web-making by spiders and human building activities are
a. both dependent on removable scaffolding
b. hard to compare
c. simple to analyze
d. lengthy procedures
6. The word “it” in bold refers to
a. the web
b. the food source
c. the female spider
d. the mating ground
7. We can infer that the female orb spinner is NOT
a. hardworking
b. cautious
c. solitary
d. easily wooed
8. We can conclude from the passage that the purpose of webs is
 a. to initiate courtship of spiders
b. to engage spiders in useful activity
c. to provide a way for spiders to entrap food
d. to display artistic talents of spiders

Reading 3 Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the letter of each
correct answer.
Noise is a given in our everyday lives. From the moment the alarm clock buzzes or
the garbage trucks rouse us, to the time we fall asleep despite the neighbor’s stereo, we
accommodate noisy instructions.
Studies suggest that we pay a price for adapting to noise: higher blood pressure,
heart rate, and adrenaline secretion – even after the noise stops; heightened
aggression; impaired resistance to disease; sense of helplessness. In terms of stress,
unpredictability is an important factor. Studies suggest that when we can control noise,
its effects are much less damaging.
Although there are no studies on the effects of quiet in repairing the stress of noise,
those who have studied the physiological effects of noise believe that the quiet provides
an escape. Most people who work in a busy and fairly noisy environment love quiet and
need it desperately.
We are so acclimated to noise that complete quiet is sometimes unsettling. You
might have trouble sleeping on vacation in the mountains, for example, without the
background sounds of traffic. But making the effort to find quiet gives us a chance to
hear ourselves think, to become attuned to the world around us, to find peacefulness
and calm. It provides a serene antidote to the intrusively loud world we live in the rest of
the day.
1 This passage mainly discusses
a. life in the city
b. the effect of noise on our lives
c. diseases related to stress
d. why quiet is hard to find
2 We can infer from the passage that the author is writing for which group of people?
a. People who live in the country
b. Vacationers
c. City-dwellers
d Doctors
3 What is the author’s attitude towards noise in the passage?
a. Humorous
b. Critical
c. Emotional
d. Indifferent
4 According to the passage, noise causes all of the following EXCEPT
a. oversleeping
b. stress
c. higher blood pressure
 d. heightened aggression
5 The author indicates in the passage that the stress from noise occurs mainly
a. in the morning
b. when we can’t control it
c. in the mountains
d. from traffic
6 The phrase ‘pay a price for’ in bold could best be replaced by which of the following?
a. suffer from
b. lose money because of
c. work hard
d. indulge in
7 The word ‘unsettling’ in bold could best be replaced by which of the following?
a. rewarding
b. necessary
c. unavoidable
d. disturbing
8 The word ‘it’ in bold refers to
a. peacefulness and calm
b. the world around us
c. quiet
d. thinking

Reading 4 Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the letter of each
correct answer.
Economists have received the unfair reputation of being unable to agree on anything.
The image of economists in disagreement is part of our folklore. An English
commentator wrote: “ If parliament were to ask six economists for an opinion, seven
answers could come back – two no doubt from the volatile Mr. Keynes.” The London
Times laments the “rise in skepticism about “ the intellectual bankruptcy of the
economics profession.”
The image of widespread disagreement among economists is overrated. The results
of survey of 100 professional economists confirm that there is considerable agreement
among economists about what can be done (positive economics) ,especially in a
microeconomics context. However , there is more disagreement over what ought to be
done. Questions of what ought to be done (Should we equalize the distribution of
income? Should we increase defense spending?) require moral and political value
judgments on which individuals naturally differ. Finally, disagreement among
professional economists receives more publicity than other scientific professions, which
contributes to the false image of economists in disaccord.
While disagreements in other sciences are as strong or even stronger than in
economics, these disagreements are less visible to the public eye. Theoretical
physicists have disagreed about the physical nature of the universe since the
foundations of physics, but this scientific controversy is understood by only a few
theoretical physicists.
 It does not require much disagreement to bring economic disputes to the public’s
attention. Everyone is interested in economic questions: Will inflation accelerate? Will I
lose my job? Why is the price of gasoline rising so fast? Why are home mortgages so
hard to come by? Economists do disagree, particularly on some big microeconomic
issues. But often what the public perceives as disagreements over positive economics
are really disagreements over what ought to be. In general there is more agreement
than disagreement among economists.
1. According to the passage, the commentator mentions Mr. Keynes as noted for his
a. good sense
b. inconsistency of opinions
c. predictability
d. greediness
2. According to the passage, positive economics is
a. an attempt to convince disgruntled economists
b. statements in microeconomics about what is possible
c. financial statements showing gain
d. results of economic surveys
3. The author believes that disagreement between economists is all of the following
EXCEPT
a. natural
b. exaggerated
c. publicized
d. nonexistent
4. According to the passage, which of the following statements describes
disagreements between theoretical physicists?
a. They are fairly recent situations.
b. They are not easily understood by non-physicists.
c. The public follows them intently.
d. They are not worthy of publication.
5. The phrase “hard to come by” in bold is closest in meaning to
a. badly advertised
b. difficult to obtain
c. far away
d. plentiful
6. It can be inferred from the passage that economists find macroeconomic issues
a. more controversial than microeconomic issues
b. easier to understand than positive economics
c. similar to issues in theoretical physics
d. not concerned with reality
7. The purpose of the author in this passage is to
a. point out a misconception
b. support a generalization
c. elaborate on a myth
d. compare two views
 8. The author’s attitude towards economists in this passage is
a. sympathetic
b. critical
c. derisive
d. skeptical

Reading 5 Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the letter of each
correct answer.
In 1814 Francis Cabot Lowell built the country’s first water-powered cotton mill on
farmland near Pawtucket Falls in northeastern Massachusetts. Because water from falls
was readily available, more and more mills were built, and within two decades the area
had become one of the foremost industrial centers in America. For over a century and a
half, tens of thousands of immigrant workers have worked diligently in the mills of
Lowell, Massachusetts. Many of them settled in one-acre neighborhood, today called
‘the Acre’, which became a gateway for generations of immigrants searching
optimistically for work and a better way of life. Although chronically plagued by crime
and violence, the gateway still beckons. Family by family, block by block, each ethnic
group steadily adds its own restaurants, markets, and schools to the Acre’s evolving
mosaic. Gradually, each ethnic group has found that hard work pays. Many of
Massachusetts’ most esteemed educators, government officials, and politicians have
become from Lowell’s Little Acre.

1 The word ”readily” in bold is closest in meaning to

A somewhat
B easily
C occasionally
D marginally
2 The word “diligently” in bold is closest in meaning to
A industriously
B quickly
C laconically
D merely
3 All the following fact about Massachusetts is true EXCEPT
A They are from different ethnic groups
B Many of them started their business in Lowell’s Little Acre.
C Their working field is only agriculture.
D Some of them are successful scientists.
4 According to the author the place called “the Acre” is
A always safe and favorable for business
B a place for immigrants for more than two centuries
C not popular now
D still attractive for immigrants
5 The word “Gradually” in bold is closest in meaning to
A Luckily
B Suddenly
C Concisely
D Over time
Reading 6 Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the letter of each
correct answer.
In order to produce commercial records, an original record must first be made. It is a flat
disc, usually made of aluminum coated with a soft layer of lacquer. As the disc is
rotated, a sapphire or ruby stylus cuts a continuous groove in the lacquer coating. The
stylus travels around the disc, making an impression that corresponds to the amplitude
and frequency of the sound being recorded. When completed, the original may be
played back to re-create the original recorded sound.
If the sound produced by the original record is satisfactory, the original is coated with
silver to conduct electricity, and then electroplated with nickel. When the original is
striped away, a negative of the original remains, with a raised spiral pattern
corresponding to the grooves in the original. The negative is called a master matrix.
Next, the master matrix is electroplated with nickel to produce a positive of the original.
The positive is called a mother matrix. By electroplating the mother matrix with nickel
and stripping it away, stampers are produced. Stampers are negative of the original
record from which the final records may be pressed.
One stamper for each side of the record is placed on either side of a hydraulic press. A
perform of shellac compound or plastic is placed between the stampers. The press is
heated and closed. When an impression of the stampers has been made in the
material, the press is quickly cooled and opened. The grooves in the finished record
correspond to those in the original lacquer disc.
1 What is the purpose of silver in making commercial records?
A It strips away the original record.
B It cuts a groove in the original record.
C It aids in electroplating the original record.
D It makes an impression on the stamper.
2 The mother matrix is a(n)
A negative of the original record.
B stamper
C original record
D record made from a master matrix
3 Why is lacquer used to coat the aluminum disc?
A because it conducts electricity
B because it can be cut by a stylus
C because it cools quickly
D because it protects the impression in the aluminum
4 Preforms are made of
A nickel or silver
B sapphire or ruby
C shellac or plastic
D aluminum or lacquer
5 Commercial records are made directly from a (n)
A original record
B master matrix
C mother matrix
D stamper

Reading 7 Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the letter of each
correct answer.
Much communication of ideas, information, and attitudes among American people is
carried on through magazines. Thousands of periodicals fall within this category. They
range from the slick-paper, four-color monthly with circulation in the millions down to the
small, special interest quarterly that, though virtually unknown to the general public, may
have very strong influence within its field.
The magazine exists to inform, entertain, and influence its readers editorially and put
before them advertising messages of national or regional scope. Magazines never
appear more frequently than once a week; thus their writers and editors have more time
to dig into issues and situations than do those on daily newspapers, and consequently
they have a better opportunity to bring events into focus and interpret their meaning.
1 What is the main idea of this passage ?
A Magazines are more expensive than newspapers.
B Magazines have a special role in communication.
C Magazines carry advertisements.
D Magazines give us information.

2 According to the passage, a small, special interest quarterly

A is usually well known to many people
B can’t compete with larger well-circulated magazines
C may exert great influence on those who read it
D is produced in color

3 The word “periodicals” in bold means

A communication
B magazines
C information
D newspapers

4 The passage lists all of the following as functions of magazines EXCEPT

A shape our attitudes
B interpret events and issues
C bring us information
D provide daily news
5 The author states in the passage that magazines are published
A at the most once a week
B every month
C every four months
D whenever writers have enough information

6 We can infer all of the following from the passage about newspapers EXCEPT that
A newspapers are published more often than magazines
B newspaper writers don’t have time to do in-depth stories
C newspaper articles and magazine stories would be different
D newspapers don’t usually carry advertisement

Reading 8 Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the letter of each
correct answer.
The northern lights, or the aurora borealis, is one of nature’s most dazzling
spectacles. When it appears, there is often a crackling sound coming from the sky. A
huge, luminous arc lights up the night, and this arc is constantly in motion. Sometimes,
the brilliant rays of light spread upward in the shape of a fan. At the other times, they
flash here and there like giant searchlights, or move up and down so suddenly that they
have been called “merry dancers”. Farther north the aurora frequently looks like fiery
draperies which hang from the sky and sway to and fro while flames of red, orange,
green, and blue play up and down the moving folds.
According to scientific measurements, this discharge of light takes place from 50 to
100 miles above the earth. But it doesn’t reach its greatest brilliance at the North Pole. It
is seen at its best around the Hudson Bay region in Canada, in northern Scotland, and
in southern Norway and Sweden. It may sometimes be seen in the United States as it
flashes across the northern sky.
Science is still not certain regarding exactly what these lights are and what causes
them. But it is believed that the rays are due to discharges of electricity in the rare upper
atmosphere. The displays seem to center about the earth’s magnetic poles, and
electrical and magnetic disturbances often occur when the lights are especially brilliant.
1 This passage is about
A a scientific phenomenon
B a natural disaster
C an architectural monument
D a natural landform

2 This passage discusses the findings of

A teachers
B scientists
C northerners
D artists
3 In which part of the passage does the author discuss what the aurora borealis looks
like ?
A Paragraph 1
B Paragraph 2
C Paragraph 3
D Whole passage

4 Paragraph 2 mainly discusses northern lights in relation to their

A size
B colors
C location
D cause

5 From Paragraph 3 we learn that the cause of northern lights is

A uncertain
B beyond belief
C uninvestigated
D well established

Reading 9 Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the letter of each
correct answer.
Only humans have a spoken, symbolic language; scientists have long thought that
nonhuman primates had much less sophisticated communication systems. True, but
chimpanzees use gestures and many voice sounds in the wild, while other apes use
sounds to communicate territorial information. Chimpanzees seem to have a natural
talent for leaning symbolic language under controlled conditions. A famous chimpanzee
named Washoe was trained to communicate with humans, using no less than 175 sign
language gestures similar to those of the American Sign Language. After more than a
year Washoe could associate particular signs with activities, such as eating and
drinking. Another chimpanzee named Sarah was taught to read and write with plastic
symbols and acquired a vocabulary of 130 different words, to the extent that she
obeyed sequences of written instructions given with symbols. But such experiments in
communication with primates are a far cry from the versatility and grace of human
speech.
1 According to the passage, all of the following are true of chimpanzee communication
EXCEPT
A it is less sophisticated than human language
B it is observable in the wild
C it uses gestures
D it is as versatile as human communication

2 The passage states that the ability of chimpanzees to learn symbolic language in
certain situations is due to
A their territoriality
B their use of gestures and voice sounds in the wild
C their natural talent
D their use of the American Sign Language

3 According to the passage, the chimpanzee Washoe

A was able to associate some signs with activities after a year
B used fewer than 175 signs to communicate
C was fluent in the American Sign Language
D could read and write

4 The passage states that Sarah’s ability to read and write was judged by
A the size of vocabulary
B her dexterity in using the plastic symbols
C her obedience to instructions given in the symbol language
D the number of symbol sequences that she could manipulate

5 According to the author, spoken, symbolic language is

A not a sophisticated communication system
B only available to humans
C shared by both humans and chimpanzees
D similar to the language used by chimpanzees

Reading 10 Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the letter of each
correct answer.
Elements may be the basic building blocks of matter, but what – if anything – makes up the
elements? In other words, what would be the result of taking an element, a piece of gold, for
example, and cutting it in half, and in half again, ad infinitum. We would soon reach the point of
having such a small piece of gold that it would be beyond our ability to cut it. It is at times like
these when scientists must use their knowledge about how elements react to continue the
experiment in their minds. Scientists have done just that and have agreed that if they continue
to cut a piece of gold in half, they would eventually reach a particle called the atom (in this case,
an atom of gold). The atom is the smallest part of an element that retains the chemical
properties of the element. One gold atom is so small that billions of them are required to make a
tiny speck of gold that can be seen with a microscope. The atom, therefore, is the basic particle
which constitutes the elements. Gold is composed of gold atoms, iron of iron atoms, and oxygen
of oxygen atoms.
1 What did the paragraph preceding this one most probably discuss?
a. Elements as they are essential to matter.
b. Minerals other than gold
c. The scientific method of inquiry.
d. Scientific experiments.

2 All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

a. matter is made up of atoms
b. each element is composed of its own type of atoms
c. the gold atom is the smallest particle known to science
d. one atom of gold cannot be seen with a regular microscope
3 The author implies in the passage that scientists
a. apply their knowledge through abstract thinking
b. are more concerned with atoms than with elements
c. had difficulty cutting the gold in half
d. don’t often agree with each other

4 This passage would most likely appear in which of the following course books?

a. A history book
b. A biography of a scientist
c. An introductory chemistry book
d. A book on mineralogy