Reading Comprehension - Intermediate

EXERCISE
01
READING COMPREHENSION
TEXT
I like to go out for a walk every day if possible, but I dont always have the time. Its not that Im busy,
sometimes Im simply lazy. When I do go out, though, there is usually one route that I take that takes
me about two hours to complete. While I walk I listen to music, or sometimes to an audio book in a
foreign language. Its a great way to learn and to pass the time! Sometimes I go to the park and do
some people watching, and I suppose some of them watch me too as I walk by listening to music and
maybe even singing out loud. I wonder if they think Im crazy? Other times, I head toward the city and
lose myself in the streets. Since I dont have a car, this is a good way to get to know the city, though
I must admit I still dont know a lot of street names because the signs with the names on them are
on the sides of buildings. Ive always thought that wasnt really the best place to put the sign with the
streets name on it because its not a very convenient place to look, especially if youre driving. They
really should look into a way to make those signs more visible.
EXCERCISE
1. The author goes out for a walk every day.
1.
True
False
2. When the author doesnt go for a walk, its

because hes too busy.
2.
True
False
3. The author has one route that he usually

takes.
3.
True
False
4. How long does the authors normal route take

him to complete?
4. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
5. What does the author do while he walks?
5. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
6. Why does the author wonder if people think

hes crazy?
6. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
7. The author always knows where he is when

hes walking.
7.
8. Why doesnt the author know the names of the

streets he walks on?
8. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
..............................................................................
9. Why doesnt the author think its a good idea

to put the signs there?
9. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
..............................................................................
10. The they in the last sentence probably refers

to drivers.
10.
11. Who do you think the they in the last

sentence refers to?
11. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
1 COMPRENSIN ESCRITA NIVEL INTERMEDIO
True
True
False
False
EXERCISE
02
TEXT
In human beings, a rise in the amount of heat generated results in the dilation of blood vessels close
to the skin, which causes blushing, that characteristic red color of skin, and facilitates cooling. Another
cooling mechanism available to the body is perspiration, which cools the body through the effect of
transpiration as the liquid sweat on the skin evaporates. You can get an idea of how this works by
putting some alcohol on your skin and letting it evaporate. The energy required for the liquid to turn to
vapor is provided by your bodys heat, and thus helps to cool you down. When your body is cold, on the
other hand, it wants to preserve heat. It does this by contracting blood vessels, shivering, which makes
your body shake to generate heat, and by the raising of body hairs, which increases the insulation
provided to the body by the hair.
EXCERCISE
1. This article discusses three main methods the

body has for cooling down.
1.
2. What color does blushing cause skin to turn?
2. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
3. When you sweat, where does the energy for

the sweat to evaporate come from?
3. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
4. Sweat uses alcohol to aid in the evaporation

process.
4.
True
False
5. Blood vessels can expand or contract to help

regulate body temperature.
5.
True
False
6. Shaking helps regulate the loss of heat by

raising body hairs, which insulates the body.
6.
True
False
7. How many methods does the article mention

for raising body temperature?
7. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
True
False
EXERCISE
03
TEXT
The more scientists learn about the world of subatomic particles, the stranger that unseen world
becomes. Because the particles being studied are so tiny, scientists have to rely on indirect observations,
and a lot of ingenuity and mathematical ability, to try to gain some insight into the world of the impossibly
small. And the word impossibly is not there by accident. In fact, some research seems to suggest that
electrons, one of the smallest of subatomic particles, may not even exist as matter, that they may just
be energy fluctuations in the fabric of space and time. And the particles that reside inside the atomic
nucleus may be even stranger still. These infinitesimal bits of matter, called quarks, are supported more
by theory than anything else, since they are too small to be seen by even the most powerful detectors.
And there are particles, called neutrinos, that are so elusive, that the vast majority of neutrinos that have
been created since the Big Bang, the explosion that resulted in the birth of the universe some 13.7 billion
years ago, have never interacted with any other type of matter. But thats not all. Incredibly enough, the
properties of subatomic particles can have an effect on some of the strangest bodies in the universe,
the so-called neutron stars, which are created after the massive supernova explosions that signal the
end of certain types of stars. It is believed that if not for an effect called neutron degeneracy, that every
supernova would result in the creation of a black hole.
EXCERCISE
1. Which of the following is NOT true?
2. The article raises the possibility that electrons

may not even be matter.
3. The next paragraph in this article will probably
4. Quarks have been directly observed in the

laboratory.
5. The article provides one possible explanation
for the birth of the universe.
6. It may be deduced from the article that
7. Neutrons
8. Every supernova explosion produces a black

hole.
1. a) scientists arent really sure what an electron is,

b) at least some subatomic particles are not
directly observable,
c) scientists rely exclusively on indirect
observations to learn about subatomic
particles,
d) there is a connection between particle
physics and astrophysics.
2.
True
False
3. a) explain Einsteins famous E=mc2 equation,
b) discuss further connections between
subatomic particles and astronomy,
c) explain how the sun was created,
d) describe the mathematics behind the theory
of quarks.
4.
True
False
5.
6. a)
b)
c)
d)
7. a)
True
False
neutrinos are smaller than electrons,

neutrinos are not matter,
neutrinos were only created in the Big Bang,
some neutrinos are 13.7 billion years old.
cause the supernova explosions that result
in neutron stars,
b) have a property that keeps neutron stars
from collapsing into black holes,
c) do not interact with matter,
d) result in the creation of black holes.
8.
True
False
EXERCISE
04
TEXT
The potato is still one of the most important crops in the United States, both in terms of its economy and
in terms of land devoted to farming it. Although the potato was first farmed in the mountainous regions
of South America there are records of Incas cultivating the potato in Peru as far back as 200 A.D. in the
United States it is referred to as the Irish potato. This is probably because of the widespread cultivation
of the potato in Ireland in the 1600s, where it supplied practically all of the population with the food they
needed for survival. Naturally, the large inflow of Irish immigrants to the United States meant that the
potato, too, made the journey back across the Atlantic Ocean, this time to North America. But while
the potato was traveling from east to west, the blight disease was going in the other direction, affecting
nearly 100% of the potato crop in Ireland in the mid 19th century. The destruction of the crop resulted in
the starvation of thousands in Ireland and in the increased prominence of potato farming in the United
States.
EXCERCISE
1. This paragraph is mainly about
2. The potato
3. The potato was the primary source of food for

the Irish prior to the famine.
4. The paragraph implies that the potato was
introduced to the United States after the great
potato famine in Ireland.
5. Why is the word back (underlined) used?
6. The blight disease
7. Concerns about the blight disease caused

potato farming to decrease in the United
States.
1. a) the origins of the potato,

b) the introduction of potatoes to Ireland,
c) the connection between the Irish and the
potato,
d) the Irish potato famine.
2. a) is native to Ireland,
b) provided most of the calories Americans
needed for survival,
c) was introduced to the United States by the
Incas,
d) was first cultivated in the second century
after Christ.
3.
True
False
4.
True
False
5. a) because the potato had been exported from

the United States into Ireland,
b) because the potato had originated in the
Americas,
c) because thousands of Irish immigrants
sailed across the Atlantic many times,
d) because the famine in Ireland caused
potatoes to be re-introduced into the United
States.
6. a) affected nearly all of the potato crop in the
United States,
b) was introduced to Ireland from America,
c) infected and killed thousands of Irish,
d) forever eliminated potato farming in Ireland.
7.
True
False
EXERCISE
05
TEXT
As is the case with many inventions, the first codes were developed for military use, specifically as a
way of sending secure messages to generals in the field. But these codes, which relied on a simple
substitution of letters, were easy to break. So other schemes were soon developed involving increasingly
harder ciphers (cdigos). The mathematical properties of numbers were investigated to give code
makers and code breakers alike more sophisticated tools in their efforts to conceal, or to reveal,
secrets. It wasnt long before mathematicians became as important to winning wars as generals in the
field. In fact, you could argue that without the pioneering work of Englands code breakers, that England
would have eventually fallen to Nazi Germany. You could also argue that it was exactly these same
efforts that led to the development of the modern computer. So it is no surprise, then, that the internet,
which is no more than a vast network of interconnected computers, relies on ciphers to keep our most
vulnerable transactions private. These ciphers, which today are based on prime numbers (numbers that
are divisible only by themselves and by one), are absolutely essential to the vast number of electronic
transactions that take place every day. But code writers know the history of ciphers very well, and they
know that its only a matter of time before even todays ultra-secure communications are compromised.
Thats why they are already working on the next generation of codes, which will rely on the properties of
subatomic particles to keep our secrets hidden from unwelcome eyes.
EXCERCISE
1. In the first sentence the author implies that
2. The first codes took advantage of the

mathematical properties of numbers.
3. The first codes were easy to break.
4. The author probably believes that
5. The mathematical properties of numbers

were useful to
6. The author probably believes that the
first code breakers would have been good
computer scientists.
7. Without encryption codes,
8. Todays encryption methods
9. Todays codes rely on the properties of

subatomic particles.
1. a) many inventions are developed by generals

in the field,
b) the first combatant to develop an
unbreakable code often won the war,
c) many inventions arose from military necessity,
d) without wars there wouldnt be inventions.
2.
True
False
3.
True
False
4. a) a good code is as important as a good battle
strategy,
b) mathematicians should lead troops into battle,
c) ciphers and computers are unrelated,
d) code breakers are smarter than code writers.
5. a) creating codes only,
b) creating and breaking codes,
c) designing computers,
d) generals in the field.
6.
True
False
7. a)
b)
c)
d)
8. a)
b)
we wouldnt have computers,

there wouldnt be an internet,
online banking would be impossible,
prime numbers would be useless.
will always be secure,
are no longer being developed by
mathematicians,
c) are essential to the proper operation of the
internet as we know it,
d) were developed during World War II.
9.
True
False
EXERCISE
06
TEXT
Some inventions are more glamorous than others. There is no denying the convenience of the cellular
telephone or portable GPS unit, and while both have certainly made life more comfortable, it can hardly
be said that either is absolutely essential to the average person. This is not the case, however, for the
common, and definitely unglamorous, toilet. Yes, that unassuming (humilde) little bathroom fixture is
a marvel of technology, one that people in the first world would truly be hard pressed to live without.
Consider, for a moment, what life must have been like in a large city before the invention of this porcelain
wonder. You dont have to go back too far. Although the Romans, Egyptians and Persians are known to
have had public toilets, which looked much like they do today, their use, especially in private homes, did
not become widespread until the mid-19th century. So, if you were walking down a sidewalk in, say, London
in 1750, you might have heard someone cry out leau (from which the modern word loo is derived), an
abbreviated form gardez leau, from the French for watch out for the water. This would have been your
signal that someone was tossing the contents of their chamber pot (orinal) out the window. Needless to say,
local residents were not aiming the water and the other contents at the sewer (alcantarilla), since there
wasnt any. Instead, wherever the refuse ended up, there it stayed until rain came along to wash it away,
usually into a local river. And whatever didnt get washed away was stepped on by the equine, canine and,
not surprisingly, human residents of the city. So the next time youre walking down a relatively clean street
talking on your phone about nothing in particular and wondering how you ever lived without it, think about
the lowly toilet and how truly essential this invention is to our daily lives.
EXCERCISE
1. A good title for this paragraph might be
2. The author probably believes that neither

a cell phone nor a GPS unit has ever saved
anyones life.
3. What do you think the expression to be hard
pressed means?
4. Toilets from ancient times would be
unrecognizable to us today.
5. People yelled leau
6. Why do you think the author chose London

for his example of life before indoor plumbing
(fontanera)?
7. The author probably thinks 18th-century

London was
8. Which of the following should NOT be implied
from the last sentence?
1. a) How the word loo originated,

b) The cell phone versus the toilet: a study in
convenience,
c) The birth of modern sewage systems,
d) The toilet: A truly indispensable invention.
2.
True
False
3. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
4.
True
False
5. a) so that others in the house would know they
were using the bathroom,
b) when throwing their waste out the window,
c) when someone was about to step in fecal matter,
d) only in French cities.
6. a) because London was the most important city
in the world in 1750,
b) because indoor toilets were first used in London,
c) to explain the origins of the word loo,
d) because people in other large cities didnt
empty their chamber pots out the window.
7. a) dirty,
b) pleasant,
c) clean,
d) crowded.
8. a) the toilet is more essential than the cell
phone,
b) without cell phones, streets would be cleaner,
c) without toilets, streets would be filthy,
d) the importance of the toilet is often taken for
granted (tomar por entendido).
EXERCISE
07
TEXT
I cant even remember how many times Ive been to San Jose. The first time was when I was in my
early 20s. I went there to interview for a job, and even though I didnt get the job, I ended up renting an
apartment and staying in the area for about six months. Ive gone back many times since to visit the
friends I made during that stay. Of course, these days with the internet its easy to keep in touch, but I
prefer to go there in person. My best friends in the area are a married couple, Tom and Cindy. It turns out
that they both work at the company I interviewed for, though thats not where I met them. They lived in
the same apartment building as me, one on the floor above mine and the other on the floor below. Now
they have a beautiful house on the bay, a little girl and another on the way. They dont know whether itll
be a boy or a girl, but theyve asked me to be the godfather (padrino), so it looks like Ill be going back to
San Jose in a few months.
EXCERCISE
1. In the first sentence, you can substitute

recall for remember.
1.
True
False

remind for remember.
2.
True
False
3. in my early 20s probably refers to the time

period between 1920 and 1923.
3.
True
False
4. The narrator first went to San Jose to visit his

friends, Tom and Cindy.
4.
True
False
5. The narrators first visit to San Jose lasted

about six months.
5.
True
False
6. Why was the purpose of the narrators first

visit to San Jose?
6. ................................................................................
................................................................................
7. Where do Tom and Cindy work now?
7. .................................................................................
.................................................................................
8. Tom, Cindy and the narrator all used to live in

the same apartment building.
8.
9. What does the it (underlined, last sentence)

refer to?
9. .................................................................................
.................................................................................
10. Why will the narrator be going back to San

Jose soon?
10. .................................................................................
.................................................................................
True
False
EXERCISE
08
TEXT
Like most other hobbies, stamp collecting can be exhilarating, time-consuming and, for the uninitiated,
overwhelming. Consider this - it is estimated that in the last 100 years alone, close to one billion different
stamps have been issued by governments all around the world. Not only that, but some of these stamps
are as rare, and as expensive, as Renaissance paintings. The most famous is probably the upside-down
airplane stamp, valued at almost 1 million dollars. Also the result of a printing mistake is the worlds
most expensive stamp, the Treskilling Yellow, so called because it was originally worth three shillings
when issued in Sweden in 1855, and because it was supposed to be printed in green, this being the
only known sample in yellow. This stamp was recently sold at auction for 1.7 million pounds, making it
the single most expensive item by weight in the world. Of course, amateur philatelists would do well to
concentrate on a sub-section of the wonderful world that is philately, such as collecting every stamp
issued by a certain government in a year, or collecting every stamp of a particular design, etc. Any other
approach to this hobby is a surefire recipe for frustration and perhaps for ruin.
EXCERCISE
1. This article mainly
2. The most famous stamp is also the most

expensive.
3. Which of the following adjectives is/are NOT
used to describe stamp collecting?
4. The author uses the figure of one billion to
prove that stamp collecting can be
5. Both of the stamps mentioned have printing
mistakes.
6. How many pieces of advice does the article
give to focus the efforts of a new philatelist?
7. The article implies that
8. The sale of the worlds most expensive stamp

was arranged through a private dealer.
9. The worlds most expensive stamp was
originally supposed to be green.
1. a) tells hobbyists how to get into stamp

collecting,
b) warns of the expenses involved,
c) describes the history of stamps,
d) describes the sale of the most expensive
stamp in the world.
2.
True
False
3. a)
b)
c)
d)
4. a)
b)
c)
d)
5.
stressful,
time-consuming,
wonderful,
uninitiated..
exciting,
boring,
time-consuming,
overwhelming.
True
False
6. a)
b)
c)
d)
7. a)
1,
2,
3,
4.
only stamps with printing mistakes are
valuable,
b) stamp collecting is an expensive hobby,
c) if you buy a cheap stamp now it could be
worth millions in the 22nd century,
d) a disorganized approach to stamp collecting
will result in disappointment.
8.
True
False
9.
True
False
EXERCISE
09
TEXT
While the average European knows more about American history than the average American does about
European history, there is one document that every American school child has heard of that not many
Europeans know about: the Gettysburg Address (en este contexto, discurso). The address, delivered by
Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of a civil war cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is considered
to be one of the greatest speeches in American oratory, both for its duration -it lasted a little over two
minutes-, and for the legend that surrounds the writing of the brief speech. Contrary to popular belief,
Lincoln did not write the address on the back of an envelope, nor did he write it while on the train ride to
Gettysburg. There are five copies of the Address in Lincolns writing known to exist, though the wording
and punctuation differ in all of them, with the official text of the speech generally considered to be that
found on a version written well after the Gettysburg event on the only copy of the text that Lincoln signed
(known as the Bliss copy). Even the texts of the speech published in newspapers at the time all differed
somewhat. The first few words of the speech, Four score and seven years ago, are synonymous with the
Gettysburg Address, and it is thanks to this speech that Americans know the meaning of the now disused
term score, which Lincoln thought would be more poetic than simply saying eighty-seven years ago.
Of the five copies written by Lincoln, the Bliss copy is in the Lincoln Room of the White House, and two
are in the Library of Congress. It is not known which of the five, if any, was the copy from which Lincoln
actually read the address.
EXCERCISE
1. The writer probably thinks that Europeans

have a better knowledge of American history
than Americans.
2. The Gettysburg Address
3. The average American probably thinks that

Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address on a
train.
4. How many copies of the Gettysburg Address
were signed by Lincoln?
5. Why is the word official in quotes?
6. What does the word score in the opening
line of the Gettysburg Address mean?
7. People today still use the word score to
mean the same thing that Lincoln expressed
in his speech.
8. The only copy of the Gettysburg Address
signed by Lincoln is in the Library of Congress.
9. Which of the following would be an
appropriate title for this passage?
1.
True
False
2. a) refers to a physical location in Gettysburg,

b) is as famous as the Declaration of
Independence,
c) lasted just over two minutes,
d) was written by Lincoln on the back of an
envelope.
True
False
3.
4. a) 0,
b) 1,
c) 4,
d) 5.
5. .................................................................................
.................................................................................
.................................................................................
6. a) eighty,
b) twenty,
c) decade,
d) year.
7.
True
False
8.
True
False
9. a)
b)
c)
d)
Lincoln and Americas Civil War,

The Gettysburg Address: Fact or fiction?
How Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address,
Lincolns most famous speech.
EXERCISE
10
TEXT
It may seem hard for us to believe in this, the age of heart attacks and cancer, but one of the most
common causes of death in prehistoric man was tooth decay. At first this may seem highly improbable;
after all, youve likely never heard of anyone dying in the dentists chair. But many thousand years ago,
when dental hygiene was non-existent, the same bacteria that cause tooth decay and cavities (caries)
today would multiply unchecked (desenfrenado) and spread to the tissues (tejidos) surrounding the
mouth, one of those being, of course, the brain. Once there, the bacteria quickly affected brain functions
until the victim died of what today is easily preventable by a simple routine of tooth brushing or a visit
to the dentist. Contributing to this situation was the generally bad health of our early ancestors, who
rarely ate enough high quality food to meet all their nutritional needs. This left their immune systems
weakened and less able to fend off the bacteria that ravaged (devastar) their bodies. These bacteria, in
a more evolved form, continue to attack us today, though for the most part they go unnoticed, killed by
our immune systems or by the many medicines that we have at our disposal. We should not, however,
take dental hygiene for granted (dar por sentado). Although the odds (probabilidad) of dying from tooth
decay are exceedingly low in first world countries, failing to take care of our teeth can still have some
undesirable, and very painful, consequences.
EXCERCISE
1. The first sentence implies that
2. Which of the following does NOT explain why

early man died from tooth decay?
3. The passage implies that if we stopped

brushing our teeth, we too would probably die
from tooth decay just like prehistoric man did.
4. What do you think the phrasal verb fend off
(underlined) means?
5. How many reasons does the author give
for why the bacteria that attack us today go
unnoticed?
6. Better nutrition and the availability of
antibiotics means we can ignore dental health.
7. A good title for this passage would be:
1. a) heart disease was a problem in prehistoric

man,
b) most deaths in modern man are from heart
attacks and cancer,
c) people still die from tooth decay,
d) prehistoric man died from heart attacks,
cancer and tooth decay.
man,
attacks and cancer,
3.
True
False
4. a)
b)
c)
d)
5. a)
b)
c)
d)
6.
prevent,
avoid,
fight,
detect.
1,
2,
3,
0.
True
7. a)
b)
c)
d)
Tooth decay: still a killer,

A history of dentistry,
Good nutrition: key to dental health,
Tooth decay and prehistoric man.
False
EXERCISE
01
TEXT
I like to go out for a walk every day if possible, but I dont always have the time. Its not that Im busy,
sometimes Im simply lazy. When I do go out, though, there is usually one route that I take that takes
me about two hours to complete. While I walk I listen to music, or sometimes to an audio book in a
foreign language. Its a great way to learn and to pass the time! Sometimes I go to the park and do
some people watching, and I suppose some of them watch me too as I walk by listening to music and
maybe even singing out loud. I wonder if they think Im crazy? Other times, I head toward the city and
lose myself in the streets. Since I dont have a car, this is a good way to get to know the city, though
I must admit I still dont know a lot of street names because the signs with the names on them are
on the sides of buildings. Ive always thought that wasnt really the best place to put the sign with the
streets name on it because its not a very convenient place to look, especially if youre driving. They
really should look into a way to make those signs more visible.
EXCERCISE
1. The author goes out for a walk every day.
1.
True
X False
2. When the author doesnt go for a walk, its

because hes too busy.
2.
True
X False
3. X True
False
3. The author has one route that he usually

takes.
4. How long does the authors normal route take
him to complete?
It takes him two hours.

4. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
5. What does the author do while he walks?
He listens to music and sometimes to

5. ..............................................................................
audio books.
..............................................................................
6. Why does the author wonder if people think

hes crazy?
Because he sings out loud.

6. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
7. The author always knows where he is when

hes walking.
7.
True
X False
8. Why doesnt the author know the names of the

streets he walks on?
Because the signs with the names

8. ..............................................................................
of
the streets are on the sides of
..............................................................................
buildings.
..............................................................................
9. Why doesnt the author think its a good idea

to put the signs there?
Because its not a very convenient

9. ..............................................................................
place
to look, especially if youre
..............................................................................
driving.
..............................................................................
10. The they in the last sentence probably refers

to drivers.
11. Who do you think the they in the last
sentence refers to?
10.
True
X False
City authorities or officials.

11. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
EXERCISE
02
TEXT
In human beings, a rise in the amount of heat generated results in the dilation of blood vessels close
to the skin, which causes blushing, that characteristic red color of skin, and facilitates cooling. Another
cooling mechanism available to the body is perspiration, which cools the body through the effect of
transpiration as the liquid sweat on the skin evaporates. You can get an idea of how this works by
putting some alcohol on your skin and letting it evaporate. The energy required for the liquid to turn to
vapor is provided by your bodys heat, and thus helps to cool you down. When your body is cold, on the
other hand, it wants to preserve heat. It does this by contracting blood vessels, shivering, which makes
your body shake to generate heat, and by the raising of body hairs, which increases the insulation
provided to the body by the hair.
EXCERCISE
1. This article discusses three main methods the

body has for cooling down.
1.
True
X False
2. What color does blushing cause skin to turn?
Red.
2. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
3. When you sweat, where does the energy for

the sweat to evaporate come from?
Your own body.

3. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
4. Sweat uses alcohol to aid in the evaporation

process.
5. Blood vessels can expand or contract to help
regulate body temperature.
6. Shaking helps regulate the loss of heat by
raising body hairs, which insulates the body.
7. How many methods does the article mention
for raising body temperature?
True
X False
5. X True
False
4.
6.
True
X False
3
7. ..............................................................................
..............................................................................
EXERCISE
03
TEXT
The more scientists learn about the world of subatomic particles, the stranger that unseen world
becomes. Because the particles being studied are so tiny, scientists have to rely on indirect observations,
and a lot of ingenuity and mathematical ability, to try to gain some insight into the world of the impossibly
small. And the word impossibly is not there by accident. In fact, some research seems to suggest that
electrons, one of the smallest of subatomic particles, may not even exist as matter, that they may just
be energy fluctuations in the fabric of space and time. And the particles that reside inside the atomic
nucleus may be even stranger still. These infinitesimal bits of matter, called quarks, are supported more
by theory than anything else, since they are too small to be seen by even the most powerful detectors.
And there are particles, called neutrinos, that are so elusive, that the vast majority of neutrinos that have
been created since the Big Bang, the explosion that resulted in the birth of the universe some 13.7 billion
years ago, have never interacted with any other type of matter. But thats not all. Incredibly enough, the
properties of subatomic particles can have an effect on some of the strangest bodies in the universe,
the so-called neutron stars, which are created after the massive supernova explosions that signal the
end of certain types of stars. It is believed that if not for an effect called neutron degeneracy, that every
supernova would result in the creation of a black hole.
EXCERCISE
1. Which of the following is NOT true?
2. The article raises the possibility that electrons

may not even be matter.
3. The next paragraph in this article will probably
4. Quarks have been directly observed in the

laboratory.
5. The article provides one possible explanation
for the birth of the universe.
6. It may be deduced from the article that
7. Neutrons
8. Every supernova explosion produces a black

hole.
1. a) scientists arent really sure what an electron is,

b) at least some subatomic particles are not
directly observable,
c) scientists rely exclusively on indirect
observations to learn about subatomic
particles,
d) there is a connection between particle
physics and astrophysics.
2. ; True
False
3. a) explain Einsteins famous E=mc2 equation,
b) discuss further connections between
subatomic particles and astronomy,
c) explain how the sun was created,
d) describe the mathematics behind the theory
of quarks.
4.
; False
True
5.
6. a)
b)
c)
d)
7. a)
True
; False
neutrinos are smaller than electrons,

neutrinos are not matter,
neutrinos were only created in the Big Bang,
some neutrinos are 13.7 billion years old.
cause the supernova explosions that result
in neutron stars,
b) have a property that keeps neutron stars
from collapsing into black holes,
c) do not interact with matter,
d) result in the creation of black holes.
8.
; False
True
EXERCISE
04
TEXT
The potato is still one of the most important crops in the United States, both in terms of its economy and
in terms of land devoted to farming it. Although the potato was first farmed in the mountainous regions
of South America there are records of Incas cultivating the potato in Peru as far back as 200 A.D. in the
United States it is referred to as the Irish potato. This is probably because of the widespread cultivation
of the potato in Ireland in the 1600s, where it supplied practically all of the population with the food they
needed for survival. Naturally, the large inflow of Irish immigrants to the United States meant that the
potato, too, made the journey back across the Atlantic Ocean, this time to North America. But while
the potato was traveling from east to west, the blight disease was going in the other direction, affecting
nearly 100% of the potato crop in Ireland in the mid 19th century. The destruction of the crop resulted in
the starvation of thousands in Ireland and in the increased prominence of potato farming in the United
States.
EXCERCISE
1. This paragraph is mainly about
2. The potato
3. The potato was the primary source of food for

the Irish prior to the famine.
4. The paragraph implies that the potato was
introduced to the United States after the great
potato famine in Ireland.
5. Why is the word back (underlined) used?
6. The blight disease
7. Concerns about the blight disease caused

potato farming to decrease in the United
States.
1. a) the origins of the potato,

b) the introduction of potatoes to Ireland,
c) the connection between the Irish and the
potato,
d) the Irish potato famine.
2. a) is native to Ireland,
b) provided most of the calories Americans
needed for survival,
c) was introduced to the United States by the
Incas,
d) was first cultivated in the second century
after Christ.
3. ; True
False
4.
True
; False
5. a) because the potato had been exported from

the United States into Ireland,
b) because the potato had originated in the
Americas,
c) because thousands of Irish immigrants
sailed across the Atlantic many times,
d) because the famine in Ireland caused
potatoes to be re-introduced into the United
States.
6. a) affected nearly all of the potato crop in the
United States,
b) was introduced to Ireland from America,
c) infected and killed thousands of Irish,
d) forever eliminated potato farming in Ireland.
7.
; False
True
EXERCISE
05
TEXT
As is the case with many inventions, the first codes were developed for military use, specifically as a
way of sending secure messages to generals in the field. But these codes, which relied on a simple
substitution of letters, were easy to break. So other schemes were soon developed involving increasingly
harder ciphers (cdigos). The mathematical properties of numbers were investigated to give code
makers and code breakers alike more sophisticated tools in their efforts to conceal, or to reveal,
secrets. It wasnt long before mathematicians became as important to winning wars as generals in the
field. In fact, you could argue that without the pioneering work of Englands code breakers, that England
would have eventually fallen to Nazi Germany. You could also argue that it was exactly these same
efforts that led to the development of the modern computer. So it is no surprise, then, that the internet,
which is no more than a vast network of interconnected computers, relies on ciphers to keep our most
vulnerable transactions private. These ciphers, which today are based on prime numbers (numbers that
are divisible only by themselves and by one), are absolutely essential to the vast number of electronic
transactions that take place every day. But code writers know the history of ciphers very well, and they
know that its only a matter of time before even todays ultra-secure communications are compromised.
Thats why they are already working on the next generation of codes, which will rely on the properties of
subatomic particles to keep our secrets hidden from unwelcome eyes.
EXCERCISE
1. In the first sentence the author implies that
2. The first codes took advantage of the

mathematical properties of numbers.
3. The first codes were easy to break.
4. The author probably believes that
5. The mathematical properties of numbers

were useful to
6. The author probably believes that the
first code breakers would have been good
computer scientists.
7. Without encryption codes,
8. Todays encryption methods
9. Todays codes rely on the properties of

subatomic particles.
1. a) many inventions are developed by generals

in the field,
b) the first combatant to develop an
unbreakable code often won the war,
c) many inventions arose from military necessity,
d) without wars there wouldnt be inventions.
2.
X False
True
3. X True
False
4. a) a good code is as important as a good battle
strategy,
b) mathematicians should lead troops into battle,
c) ciphers and computers are unrelated,
d) code breakers are smarter than code writers.
5. a) creating codes only,
b) creating and breaking codes,
c) designing computers,
d) generals in the field.
6. X True
False
7. a)
b)
c)
d)
8. a)
b)
we wouldnt have computers,

there wouldnt be an internet,
online banking would be impossible,
prime numbers would be useless.
will always be secure,
are no longer being developed by
mathematicians,
c) are essential to the proper operation of the
internet as we know it,
d) were developed during World War II.
X False
9.
True
EXERCISE
06
TEXT
Some inventions are more glamorous than others. There is no denying the convenience of the cellular
telephone or portable GPS unit, and while both have certainly made life more comfortable, it can hardly
be said that either is absolutely essential to the average person. This is not the case, however, for the
common, and definitely unglamorous, toilet. Yes, that unassuming (humilde) little bathroom fixture is
a marvel of technology, one that people in the first world would truly be hard pressed to live without.
Consider, for a moment, what life must have been like in a large city before the invention of this porcelain
wonder. You dont have to go back too far. Although the Romans, Egyptians and Persians are known to
have had public toilets, which looked much like they do today, their use, especially in private homes, did
not become widespread until the mid-19th century. So, if you were walking down a sidewalk in, say, London
in 1750, you might have heard someone cry out leau (from which the modern word loo is derived), an
abbreviated form gardez leau, from the French for watch out for the water. This would have been your
signal that someone was tossing the contents of their chamber pot (orinal) out the window. Needless to say,
local residents were not aiming the water and the other contents at the sewer (alcantarilla), since there
wasnt any. Instead, wherever the refuse ended up, there it stayed until rain came along to wash it away,
usually into a local river. And whatever didnt get washed away was stepped on by the equine, canine and,
not surprisingly, human residents of the city. So the next time youre walking down a relatively clean street
talking on your phone about nothing in particular and wondering how you ever lived without it, think about
the lowly toilet and how truly essential this invention is to our daily lives.
EXCERCISE
1. A good title for this paragraph might be
2. The author probably believes that neither

a cell phone nor a GPS unit has ever saved
anyones life.
3. What do you think the expression to be hard
pressed means?
4. Toilets from ancient times would be
unrecognizable to us today.
5. People yelled leau
6. Why do you think the author chose London

for his example of life before indoor plumbing
(fontanera)?
7. The author probably thinks 18th-century

London was
8. Which of the following should NOT be implied
from the last sentence?
1. a) How the word loo originated,

b) The cell phone versus the toilet: a study in
convenience,
c) The birth of modern sewage systems,
d) The toilet: A truly indispensable invention.
2.
X False
True
To have difficulties or trouble: to

3. ..............................................................................
have ones back against the wall.
..............................................................................
4.
X False
True
5. a) so that others in the house would know they
were using the bathroom,
b) when throwing their waste out the window,
c) when someone was about to step in fecal matter,
d) only in French cities.
6. a) because London was the most important city
in the world in 1750,
b) because indoor toilets were first used in London,
c) to explain the origins of the word loo,
d) because people in other large cities didnt
empty their chamber pots out the window.
7. a) dirty,
b) pleasant,
c) clean,
d) crowded.
8. a) the toilet is more essential than the cell
phone,
b) without cell phones, streets would be cleaner,
c) without toilets, streets would be filthy,
d) the importance of the toilet is often taken for
granted (tomar por entendido).
EXERCISE
07
TEXT
I cant even remember how many times Ive been to San Jose. The first time was when I was in my
early 20s. I went there to interview for a job, and even though I didnt get the job, I ended up renting an
apartment and staying in the area for about six months. Ive gone back many times since to visit the
friends I made during that stay. Of course, these days with the internet its easy to keep in touch, but I
prefer to go there in person. My best friends in the area are a married couple, Tom and Cindy. It turns out
that they both work at the company I interviewed for, though thats not where I met them. They lived in
the same apartment building as me, one on the floor above mine and the other on the floor below. Now
they have a beautiful house on the bay, a little girl and another on the way. They dont know whether itll
be a boy or a girl, but theyve asked me to be the godfather (padrino), so it looks like Ill be going back to
San Jose in a few months.
EXCERCISE

recall for remember.
1. ; True

remind for remember.
2.
True
; False
3. in my early 20s probably refers to the time

period between 1920 and 1923.
3.
True
; False
4. The narrator first went to San Jose to visit his

friends, Tom and Cindy.
4.
True
; False
5. ; True
False
5. The narrators first visit to San Jose lasted

about six months.
False
6. Why was the purpose of the narrators first

visit to San Jose?
7RLQWHUYLHZIRUDMRE
6. ................................................................................
................................................................................
7. Where do Tom and Cindy work now?
$WWKHFRPSDQ\ZKHUHWKHDXWKRUKDG
7. .................................................................................
WKHMRELQWHUYLHZ
.................................................................................
8. Tom, Cindy and the narrator all used to live in

the same apartment building.
8. ; True
False
9. What does the it (underlined, last sentence)

refer to?
7RPDQG&LQG\VQH[WFKLOG
9. .................................................................................
.................................................................................
10. Why will the narrator be going back to San

Jose soon?
7REHWKHJRGIDWKHUWR7RPDQG&LQG\V
10. .................................................................................
QHZFKLOG
.................................................................................
EXERCISE
08
TEXT
Like most other hobbies, stamp collecting can be exhilarating, time-consuming and, for the uninitiated,
overwhelming. Consider this - it is estimated that in the last 100 years alone, close to one billion different
stamps have been issued by governments all around the world. Not only that, but some of these stamps
are as rare, and as expensive, as Renaissance paintings. The most famous is probably the upside-down
airplane stamp, valued at almost 1 million dollars. Also the result of a printing mistake is the worlds
most expensive stamp, the Treskilling Yellow, so called because it was originally worth three shillings
when issued in Sweden in 1855, and because it was supposed to be printed in green, this being the
only known sample in yellow. This stamp was recently sold at auction for 1.7 million pounds, making it
the single most expensive item by weight in the world. Of course, amateur philatelists would do well to
concentrate on a sub-section of the wonderful world that is philately, such as collecting every stamp
issued by a certain government in a year, or collecting every stamp of a particular design, etc. Any other
approach to this hobby is a surefire recipe for frustration and perhaps for ruin.
EXCERCISE
1. This article mainly
2. The most famous stamp is also the most

expensive.
3. Which of the following adjectives is/are NOT
used to describe stamp collecting?
4. The author uses the figure of one billion to
prove that stamp collecting can be
5. Both of the stamps mentioned have printing
mistakes.
6. How many pieces of advice does the article
give to focus the efforts of a new philatelist?
7. The article implies that
8. The sale of the worlds most expensive stamp

was arranged through a private dealer.
9. The worlds most expensive stamp was
originally supposed to be green.
1. a) tells hobbyists how to get into stamp

collecting,
b) warns of the expenses involved,
c) describes the history of stamps,
d) describes the sale of the most expensive
stamp in the world.
2.
; False
True
3. a) stressful,
b) time-consuming,
c) wonderful,
d) uninitiated..
4. a) exciting,
b) boring,
c) time-consuming,
d) overwhelming.
5. ; True
False
6. a)
b)
c)
d)
7. a)
1,
2,
3,
4.
only stamps with printing mistakes are
valuable,
b) stamp collecting is an expensive hobby,
c) if you buy a cheap stamp now it could be
worth millions in the 22nd century,
d) a disorganized approach to stamp collecting
will result in disappointment.
; False
8.
True
9. ; True
False
EXERCISE
09
TEXT
While the average European knows more about American history than the average American does about
European history, there is one document that every American school child has heard of that not many
Europeans know about: the Gettysburg Address (en este contexto, discurso). The address, delivered by
Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of a civil war cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is considered
to be one of the greatest speeches in American oratory, both for its duration -it lasted a little over two
minutes-, and for the legend that surrounds the writing of the brief speech. Contrary to popular belief,
Lincoln did not write the address on the back of an envelope, nor did he write it while on the train ride to
Gettysburg. There are five copies of the Address in Lincolns writing known to exist, though the wording
and punctuation differ in all of them, with the official text of the speech generally considered to be that
found on a version written well after the Gettysburg event on the only copy of the text that Lincoln signed
(known as the Bliss copy). Even the texts of the speech published in newspapers at the time all differed
somewhat. The first few words of the speech, Four score and seven years ago, are synonymous with the
Gettysburg Address, and it is thanks to this speech that Americans know the meaning of the now disused
term score, which Lincoln thought would be more poetic than simply saying eighty-seven years ago.
Of the five copies written by Lincoln, the Bliss copy is in the Lincoln Room of the White House, and two
are in the Library of Congress. It is not known which of the five, if any, was the copy from which Lincoln
actually read the address.
EXCERCISE
1. The writer probably thinks that Europeans

have a better knowledge of American history
than Americans.
2. The Gettysburg Address
3. The average American probably thinks that

Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address on a
train.
4. How many copies of the Gettysburg Address
were signed by Lincoln?
5. Why is the word official in quotes?
6. What does the word score in the opening
line of the Gettysburg Address mean?
7. People today still use the word score to
mean the same thing that Lincoln expressed
in his speech.
8. The only copy of the Gettysburg Address
signed by Lincoln is in the Library of Congress.
9. Which of the following would be an
appropriate title for this passage?
1.
True
; False
2. a) refers to a physical location in Gettysburg,

b) is as famous as the Declaration of
Independence,
c) lasted just over two minutes,
d) was written by Lincoln on the back of an
envelope.
False
3. ; True
4. a) 0,
b) 1,
c) 4,
d) 5.
EHFDXVHHYHU\YHUVLRQRIWKHVSHHFK
5. .................................................................................
WKDWZHKDYHLVGLIIHUHQWVRWKHUH
.................................................................................
LVQRRIILFLDOYHUVLRQ
.................................................................................
6. a) eighty,
b) twenty,
c) decade,
d) year.
; False
7.
True
; False
8.
True
9. a)
b)
c)
d)
Lincoln and Americas Civil War,

The Gettysburg Address: Fact or fiction?
How Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address,
Lincolns most famous speech.
EXERCISE
10
TEXT
It may seem hard for us to believe in this, the age of heart attacks and cancer, but one of the most
common causes of death in prehistoric man was tooth decay. At first this may seem highly improbable;
after all, youve likely never heard of anyone dying in the dentists chair. But many thousand years ago,
when dental hygiene was non-existent, the same bacteria that cause tooth decay and cavities (caries)
today would multiply unchecked (desenfrenado) and spread to the tissues (tejidos) surrounding the
mouth, one of those being, of course, the brain. Once there, the bacteria quickly affected brain functions
until the victim died of what today is easily preventable by a simple routine of tooth brushing or a visit
to the dentist. Contributing to this situation was the generally bad health of our early ancestors, who
rarely ate enough high quality food to meet all their nutritional needs. This left their immune systems
weakened and less able to fend off the bacteria that ravaged (devastar) their bodies. These bacteria, in
a more evolved form, continue to attack us today, though for the most part they go unnoticed, killed by
our immune systems or by the many medicines that we have at our disposal. We should not, however,
take dental hygiene for granted (dar por sentado). Although the odds (probabilidad) of dying from tooth
decay are exceedingly low in first world countries, failing to take care of our teeth can still have some
undesirable, and very painful, consequences.
EXCERCISE
1. The first sentence implies that
2. Which of the following does NOT explain why

early man died from tooth decay?
3. The passage implies that if we stopped

brushing our teeth, we too would probably die
from tooth decay just like prehistoric man did.
4. What do you think the phrasal verb fend off
(underlined) means?
5. How many reasons does the author give
for why the bacteria that attack us today go
unnoticed?
6. Better nutrition and the availability of
antibiotics means we can ignore dental health.
7. A good title for this passage would be:

man,
attacks and cancer,
man,
attacks and cancer,
3.
; False
True
4. a)
b)
c)
d)
5. a)
b)
c)
d)
6.
prevent,
avoid,
fight,
detect.
1,
2,
3,
0.
; False
True
7. a)
b)
c)
d)
Tooth decay: still a killer,

A history of dentistry,
Good nutrition: key to dental health,
Tooth decay and prehistoric man.

Reading Comprehension - Intermediate

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Reading Comprehension - Intermediate

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EXERCISE

1. The author goes out for a walk every day.

2. When the author doesnt go for a walk, its

3. The author has one route that he usually

4. How long does the authors normal route take

5. What does the author do while he walks?

6. Why does the author wonder if people think

7. The author always knows where he is when

8. Why doesnt the author know the names of the

9. Why doesnt the author think its a good idea

10. The they in the last sentence probably refers

11. Who do you think the they in the last

1 COMPRENSIN ESCRITA NIVEL INTERMEDIO

1. This article discusses three main methods the

2. What color does blushing cause skin to turn?

3. When you sweat, where does the energy for

4. Sweat uses alcohol to aid in the evaporation

5. Blood vessels can expand or contract to help

6. Shaking helps regulate the loss of heat by

7. How many methods does the article mention

2 COMPRENSIN ESCRITA NIVEL INTERMEDIO

1. Which of the following is NOT true?

2. The article raises the possibility that electrons

4. Quarks have been directly observed in the

8. Every supernova explosion produces a black

3 COMPRENSIN ESCRITA NIVEL INTERMEDIO

1. a) scientists arent really sure what an electron is,

neutrinos are smaller than electrons,

1. This paragraph is mainly about

3. The potato was the primary source of food for

6. The blight disease

7. Concerns about the blight disease caused

4 COMPRENSIN ESCRITA NIVEL INTERMEDIO

1. a) the origins of the potato,

5. a) because the potato had been exported from

1. In the first sentence the author implies that

2. The first codes took advantage of the

5. The mathematical properties of numbers

8. Todays encryption methods

9. Todays codes rely on the properties of

5 COMPRENSIN ESCRITA NIVEL INTERMEDIO

1. a) many inventions are developed by generals

we wouldnt have computers,

1. A good title for this paragraph might be

2. The author probably believes that neither

6. Why do you think the author chose London

7. The author probably thinks 18th-century

6 COMPRENSIN ESCRITA NIVEL INTERMEDIO

1. a) How the word loo originated,

1. In the first sentence, you can substitute

2. In the first sentence, you can substitute

3. in my early 20s probably refers to the time

4. The narrator first went to San Jose to visit his

5. The narrators first visit to San Jose lasted

6. Why was the purpose of the narrators first

7. Where do Tom and Cindy work now?

8. Tom, Cindy and the narrator all used to live in

9. What does the it (underlined, last sentence)

10. Why will the narrator be going back to San

7 COMPRENSIN ESCRITA NIVEL INTERMEDIO

1. This article mainly

2. The most famous stamp is also the most

8. The sale of the worlds most expensive stamp

8 COMPRENSIN ESCRITA NIVEL INTERMEDIO