READING COMPREHENSION 1

One of the most significant trends in Indonesian society in the 1970s and 1980s was urbanization. Although
cities in Indonesia were not a new phenomenon, from 1971 to 1990 the percentage of the population living
in urban areas rose from 17 percent to nearly 31 percent nationally. Surveys showed that the movement
toward urban areas, particularly to West Java, and to southeastern Sulawesi, Kalimantan, and other islands,
stemmed not from the innate lure of the cities but from the lack of employment in the countryside.
Migrants seemed to view the pollution, crime, anonymity, and grinding poverty of the city as short -term
discomforts that would eventually give way to a better life. For high-school and college graduates with no
prospects for employment in the rural areas, this may in fact have been a correct assumption. But for those
migrants without capital or qualifications, the main hope for employment was in the so-called "informal
sector": street vending, scavenging, and short-term day labor. Many migrants also cultivated tiny but
nutritionally important gardens.
Most urban growth was in cities of more than 1 million in size. Jakarta's population--11.5 million in 1990--
was projected to rise to 16.9 million by 2000, which would make it the eleventh largest city in the world.
Although the capital enjoyed a disproportionate amount of the nation's resources--with 30 percent of all
telephones in the country, 25 percent of all cars, and 30 percent of all physicians--anthropologist P.D.
Milone observed in the mid-1960s that "Jakarta has never been a true 'primate' city in terms of being the
only center for economic, political, administrative, higher education, and technical functions" in the way
that, for example, Bangkok has been for Thailand. Surabaya has always been a major import-export center
and a major naval station, and Bandung has been a center for transportation, higher education, and
industry. Nonetheless, in terms of population growth and as a symbol of the centralization of power in the
nation, Jakarta has steadily grown in importance.
READING COMPREHENSION 2
Auroras, often called Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) and Southern Lights (Aurora Australis), are
spectacular light displays most commonly viewed in the polar regions. Auroras occur because of
interactions between Earth’s magnetic field and solar winds. The solar wind is a stream of charged particles
emitted from the sun’s corona that travels far into space at speeds of up to 400 miles per second. Charged
particles within the solar winds collide with atmospheric atoms and molecules when they reach Earth’s
magnetic field. The collisions cause quantum leaps, which means the kinetic energy within the electrons of
the particles are converted to light. The collisions of different particles result in different colored lights.
Atomic oxygen produces red and green lights, nitrogen produces pink, blue, or violet light, helium
produces purple lights and neon produces rippled orange light. Auroras come in a vast array of shapes
and forms such as arcs, swirls, “curtains” and glowing shapes. They often appear to be moving.
Auroras often occur as a result of a geomagnetic storm. A geomagnetic storm is the temporary
disturbance of the Earth’s magnetic field as a result of an event in space such as a solar flare or coronal
mass ejection (the ejection of charged particles form the sun’s corona). In noteworthy geomagnetic storms,
Auroras can be seen well south (or north) of where they usually occur. The famous Great Geomagnetic
Storms of 1859 produced what witnesses call the most spectacular auroras ever seen. Such auroras were
seen throughout the United States, Japan, and Australia. The event lasted for almost a week.

1. Which of the following could be an EFFECT of a geomagnetic storm? (D. An aurora)

The solar wind is a stream of charged particles emitted from the sun’s corona that travels far into space at
speeds of up to 400 miles per second. (D.released)
7. Quantum Leaps are caused by ..... (C.the collision of solar winds with atoms and particles within Earth's
magnetic fields.)
8. Which of the following questions about auroras is NOT answered in the passage? (B.How many auroras
normally occur in a year?)
9. The collision of neon particles produces ________ light. (C.orange)
10. If you were to make a "recipe" for an aurora, which of the following "ingredients" would be
unnecessary? (C.people)
READING COMPREHENSION 3
In 1917, Alexander Graham Bell advocated ethanol from corn, wheat and other foods as an alternative to
coal and oil, stating that the world was in measurable distance of depleting these fuels. For Bell, the
problem requiring an alternative was lack of renewability of orthodox energy sources. Since the 1970s,
Brazil has had an ethanol fuel program which has allowed the country to become the world's second
largest producer of ethanol (after the United States) and the world's largest exporter. Brazil’s ethanol fuel
program uses modern equipment and cheap sugar cane as feedstock, and the residual cane-waste
(bagasse) is used to process heat and power. There are no longer light vehicles in Brazil running on pure
gasoline. By the end of 2008 there were 35,000 filling stations throughout Brazil with at least one ethanol
pump.
Cellulosic ethanol can be produced from a diverse array of feedstocks, and involves the use of the whole
crop. This new approach should increase yields and reduce the carbon footprint because the amount of
energy-intensive fertilizers and fungicides will remain the same, for a higher output of usable material. As
of 2008, there are nine commercial cellulosic ethanol plants which are either operating, or under
construction, in the United States.
Second-generation biofuels technologies are able to manufacture biofuels from inedible biomass and
could hence prevent conversion of food into fuel." As of July 2010, there is one commercial second-
generation (2G) ethanol plant Inbicon Biomass Refinery, which is operating in Denmark.
Coal gasification is an alternative to petroleum In the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter's administration
advocated coal gasification as an alternative to expensive imported oil. The program, including the
Synthetic Fuels Corporation was scrapped when petroleum prices plummeted in the 1980s. The carbon
footprint and environmental impact of coal gasification are both very high.
Common types of alternative energy
Solar energy is the use of sunlight. Light can be changed into thermal (heat) energy and electric energy.
Wind energy is the generation of electricity from the wind.
Geothermal energy is the use of the earth's internal heat to boil water for heating buildings or generating
electricity.
Biofuel and Ethanol are plant-derived gasoline substitutes for powering vehicles. Nuclear energy uses
nuclear fission to release energy.
Hydrogen can serve as a means of delivering energy produced by various technologies.
READING COMPREHENSION 4
Since water is the basis of life, composing the greater part of the tissues of all living things, the crucial
problem of desert animals is to survive in a world where sources of flowing water are rare. And since
man’s inexorable necessity is to absorb large quantities of water at frequent intervals, he can scarcely
comprehend that many creatures of the desert pass their entire lives without a single drop.
Uncompromising as it is, the desert has not eliminated life but only those forms unable to withstand its
desiccating effects. No moist- skinned, water-loving animals can exist there. Few large animals are found.
The giants of the North American desert are the deer, the coyote, and the bobcat. Since desert country is
open, it holds more swift-footed running and leaping creatures than the tangled forest. Its population is
largely nocturnal, silent, filled with reticence, and ruled by stealth. Yet they are not emaciated.
Having adapted to their austere environment, they are as healthy as animals anywhere else in the word.
The secret of their adjustment lies in the combination of behavior and physiology. None could survive if,
like mad dogs and Englishmen, they went out in the midday sun; many would die in a matter of minutes.
So most of them pass the burning hours asleep in cool, humid burrows underneath the ground, emerging
to hunt only by night. The surface of the sun-baked desert averages around 150 degrees, but 18
inches down the temperature is only 60 degrees.
Câu 19: The title for this passage could C. “Man’s Life in a Desert Environment”
be . D. “Life Underground”
A. “Animal Life in a Desert Environment” Câu 20: The word “tissues” in the passage mostly
B. “Desert Plants” means .
A. “the smallest units of living matter that can C. they are watchful and quiet
exist on their own” D. they are noisy and aggressive
B. “the simplest forms of life that exist in air, Câu 25: The word “emaciated” in the passage
water, living and dead creatures and plants” mostly means .
C. “collections of cells that form the different A. “living or growing in natural conditions, not
parts of humans, animals and plants” kept in a house or on a farm”
D. “very small living things that cause infectious B. “large and strong, difficult to control or deal
disease in people, animals and plants” with”
Câu 21: Man can hardly understand why many C. “thin and weak because of lack of food and
animals live their whole life in the desert, water”
as . D. “able to get what one wants in a clever way,
A. water is an essential part of his existence especially by tricking or cheating”
B. water composes the greater part of the tissues Câu 26: According to the passage, one
of living things characteristic of animals living in the desert is
C. very few lager animals are found in the desert that
D. sources of flowing water are rare in a desert A. they are smaller and fleeter than forest
Câu 22: The phrase “those forms” in the passage animals
refers to all of the following EXCEPT B. they can hunt in temperature of 150 degrees
A. many large animals C. they live in an accommodating environment
B. water-loving animals D. they are less healthy than animals living in
C. moist-skinned animals other places
D. the coyote and the bobcat Câu 27: The word “burrows” in the passage
Câu 23: According to the passage, creatures in mostly means .
the desert . A. “places where a particular type of animal or
A. are more active during the day than those in plant is normally found”
the tangled forest B. “holes or tunnels in the ground made by
B. are not as healthy as those anywhere else in animals for them to live in”
the world C. “places where insects or other small creatures
C. run and leap more slowly than those in the live and produce their young”
tangled forest D. “structures made of metal bars in which
D. run and leap faster than those in the tangled animals or birds are kept”
forest Câu 28: We can infer from the passage
Câu 24: The author mentions all the following as that .
examples of the behavior of desert animals A. desert life is colorful and diverse
EXCEPT . B. living things adjust to their environment
A. they dig home underground C. healthy animals live longer lives
B. they sleep during the day D. water is the basis of desert life
READING COMPREHENSION 5
Airlangga (also spelled Erlangga), regnal name Rakai Halu Sri Lokeswara Dharmawangsa Airlangga
Anantawikramottunggadewa (born 991 in Bali, Indonesia – died 1049 in Java), was the only raja of the
Kingdom of Kahuripan. The Kingdom was built from the territory of the Kingdom of Medang after Medang
was sacked by king Wurawari of Lwaram. He gradually gained support, won back the kingdom once ruled
by his uncle, and went on to become one of Java's most notable kings.[1] Airlangga literally means
"jumping water", thus his name means "he who crossed the water", described his life story; born in the
court of Bali and during his youth crossed the Bali Strait to stay in Java and later ruled the kingdom in East
Java. He belongs to both Isyana and Warmadewa lineages.
Airlangga was born from dynastic marriage between Isyana of Java and Warmadewa of Bali. His mother,
queen Mahendradatta, was a princess of the Isyana Dynasty, the sister of king Dharmawangsa of Medang,
while his father, king Udayana Warmadewa of Bali, was a king of the Balinese Warmadewa Dynasty.[2]:129–
130 Bali in 11th century probably was an ally or vassal of Java, the marriage of Airlangga's parents was
probably meant as political means to seal Bali as part of Medang's realm. Airlangga has two younger
brothers, Marakata (later become king of Bali after the death of their father) and Anak Wungçu (ascend to
Balinese throne after the death of Marakata). Later, in various inscriptions created by Airlangga, he claimed
to be the descendant of Mpu Sindok of Isyana dynasty.
However, there is a speculation suggesting that Airlangga was not the biological son of king Udayana,
Mahendradatta was probably conceived Airlangga from her previous union to an unknown man, that after
her separation (either because of death or divorce) Mahendradatta was bethroted to Balinese king, thus
she took the baby Airlangga to Bali. Historical sources seems to be silenced on Mahendradatta's suspected
earlier marriage, that it might be a scandal or not even took place. This suspicion was because although
Airlangga was the eldest son of Mahendradatta, curiously he is not chosen as the crown prince of Bali, his
younger brother Marakata and later Anak Wungçu rose to Balinese Airlangga was born and grew up in Bali,
groomed by his mother, queen Mahendradatta, to be a proper future ruler. In his teenage years his mother
sent him back to her parents home in Java to be educated further in Watugaluh court, Meda ng, East Java,
under the patronage of his uncle, king Dharmawangsa. Airlangga was bethroted to his cousin, one of
Dharmawangsa's daughter, thus arranged marriage was in place. At that time, Medang had become a
powerful kingdom, allied or probably subjugated Bali, and had established a colony in West Kalimantan.
Dharmawangsa aspired to ascend Medang as regional power by challenging Srivijaya Empire domination.
In 990 he launched naval invasion against Srivijaya and unsuccessfully tried to capture Palembang. Srivijaya
resiliently succeed on repelling Javanese Medang invaders.
The Calcutta Stone inscription (dated from 1041 CE), describes a terrible calamity which befell the East
Javanese kingdom of Isyana dynasty in the early years of the 11th century. In 1006, a rebellion incited by a
vassal king Wurawari from Lwaram resulted in the destruction of the capital of Watugaluh. The reigning
king, Dharmawangsa, successor to Sri Makutawangsawardhana, was murdered along with his entire family
and many of his subjects. Only the young Airlangga, who was aged about 16 at the time, managed to
escape unharmed.[3] According to tradition the calamity, dubbed as Pralaya (the death) of Medang, took
place during Airlangga's wedding ceremony in Dharmawangsa palace.

In 1019, after several years in self-imposed exile in a Mount Vanagiri hermitage, Airlangga rallied supports
from officials and regents that are loyal to the former Isyana dynasty and began to unite the areas that had
formerly been ruled by Medang kingdom, which had disintegrated after Dharmawangsa's death. He
consolidated his authority, established a new kingdom and made peace with Srivijaya. The new kingdom
was called the Kingdom of Kahuripan, the location of his capital,[2]:145–147 and stretched from Pasuruan in
the east to Madiun in the west. In 1025, Airlangga increased the power and influence of Kahuripan as the
Srivijaya Empire began to decline. Airlangga was known for his religious tolerance, and was a patron of
both the Hindu and Buddhist religions.
In 1035 Airlangga constructed a Buddhist monastery named Srivijayasrama dedicated for his queen consort
Dharmaprasadottungadewi. The monastery bearing the name of Srivijaya suggests that his queen consort
was probably a Srivijayan princess, a close relative, probably daughter, of the Srivijayan king
Sangramavijayattungavarman. She had taken refuge in East Java after her father was taken prisoner and
her kingdom was raided through series of Indian Chola raids. The king seems to be sympathetic to the
poor fate of the Srivijayan princess, having lost her family and her kingdom, and probably genuinely fell in
love and devoted to her, thus promoting her as prameswari (the queen consort). Airlangga went further,
naming his daughter from queen Dharmaprasadottungadewi as heiress, the future queen regnant of
Kahuripan. The decline of Srivijaya due to the Chola invasion gave Airlangga opportunity to consolidate his
kingdom without foreign interference. Later, he extended his kingdom to Central Java and Bali. The north
coast of Java, particularly Surabaya and Tuban, for the first time became important centres of trade.
Airlangga died in 1049, and his ashes were probably scattered in Belahan tirtha (sacred bathing pool), on
eastern slopes of Mount Penanggungan, where in one of waterspout statues he was portrayed as Vishnu
riding Garuda,[2]:146 flanked by statues of two goddesses; Shri and Lakshmi portrayed the two queen
consorts of Airlangga.
After the death of Airlangga, a civil war broke out between Janggala and Panjalu that continued until 1052.
In that year King Mapanji Alanjung Ahyes of Panjalu succeed on conquering Janggala. However, in 1059
another king named Samarotsaha ascended the throne of Janggala, he was the son-in-law of Airlangga.
READING COMPREHENSION 6
For its sudden destruction of crops, farmers call the hail the “white plague.” “It wipes you out in the passing
of a cloud,” complained a Colorado farm boy bitterly. “Half an hour ago you had a half-section of wheat -
320 acres - ready to harvest and haul to town. Now you haven’t got a penny.
Thousands of hailstorms occur each year, especially in the moist, temperate climates of the
middle latitudes. In the United States alone, crop damage from hail totals about one billion dollars a year,
with a further $75 million in losses attributable to livestock deaths and property damage.
The groundwork for such devastation is laid innocently enough, deep within a thunderstorm’s cumulus
cloud. There, at frigid altitudes above 15,000 feet, the air is at first so pure that water droplets can exist at
temperatures well below the freezing point without turning to ice.
As the storm’s convection currents become more powerful, however. They sweep tiny particles of dust and
ice upward into the cloud. Each of these foreign bodies – a potential hailstone nucleus – begins to
collide with supercooled water droplets, which freeze to it on impact. Buffeted about by a series of updrafts
and downdrafts, the hailstone gathers layer upon layer on ice. When it has grown so heavy that even the
strongest updraft cannot sustain it, the mature hailstone plummets to earth.
While weak storms produce small stones that melt before reaching the ground, severe thunderstorms are
capable of generating hail the size of eggs, baseballs, or even grapefruit. When a particularly violent storm
ravaged Coffeyville, Kansas, on September 3, 1970, residents collected scores of unusually large
hailstones, including one that measured nearly six inches in diameter and weighed 1T! pounds. When the
amazing specimen was sent to Colorado s National Center for Atmospheric Research,
meteorologists confirmed that it set a new record for size – and calculated that, in its final stages of growth,
the stone had required an updraft of 100 miles per hour to keep it in the air.
38. What does this passage mainly discuss? (C) An arctic climate
(A) Hailstorms (D) A moderate climate
(B) Heavy stones 42. According to the passage, water droplets are
(C) Severe storms able to exist as water when temperatures are
(D) An amazing specimen below freezing because of
39. In lines 1-2 the phrase “it wipes you out” is (A) the high altitude
closest in meaning to (B) the pure air
(A) hail has a cleansing effect (C) the cumulus cloud
(B) you feel tired after a hailstorm (D) the convection currents
(C) hailstorms can cause financial ruin 43. The word “frigid” in line 8 is closest in
(D) a hailstorm will make you feel depressed meaning to
40. The word “devastation” in line 7 is closest in (A) high
meaning to (B) cold
(A) destruction (C) cloudy
(B) speculation (D) remarkable
(C) creation 44. The formation of a hailstone can be best
(D) preparation described as
41. It can be inferred from the passage that (A) sudden
hailstorms would likely occur in which of the (B) cumulative
following climates? (C) severe
(A) A dry climate (D) sustaining
(B) A tropical climate
45. According to the passage, the hailstone falls (C) nucleus
to (D) immaturity
earth 48. the word “confirmed” in line 20 is closest in
(A) immediately meaning to
(B) when the downdraft is very strong (A) suggested
(C) when it is heavier than the updraft (B) predicted
(D) after the winds die down (C) established
46. The phrase “the amazing specimen” in line (D) guessed
19 49. The word “it” in line 21 refers to
refers to (A) the National Center for Atmospheric
(A) a storm Research
(B) a hailstone (B) the size
(C) a grapefruit (C) the specimen
(D) a baseball (D) the storm
47. It can be inferred from the passage that 50. Which of the following types of organization
some does the author use for this passage?
hailstones melt before reaching the ground (A) Argumentation
because of their (B) Comparison
(A) weight (C) Description
(B) size (D) Process
READING COMPREHENSION 7
Recent outbreaks of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (e-coli) in Germany and reports about the
emergence of “new superbug” Salmonella Kentucky have re-focused public attention on foodborne
diseases. However, both pathogens aren’t new and have been recognized as bio-threats for decades.
Salmonella, for instance, is a well-known bacterial cause of foodborne disease with a significant impact on
the population and health-care systems. But improvements in sanitation have drastically reduced the
frequency of people in the industrialized world getting ill from bacteria. It has essentially been reduced to a
condition travelers contract in countries where it occurs naturally.
In the last century, microbiologists have discovered hundreds of other types of Salmonella that can infect
humans and some warm-blooded animals. They are especially widespread in areas with sub-standard
farming practices and supplies of drinking water. These types of Salmonella have been responsible for
acute gastroenteritis following the ingestion of contaminated water and undercooked meat or other
animal products.
Salmonella enterica serotype Kentucky represents one of the non-typhoidal types of Salmonella that
microbiologists and public health professionals encounter from time to time. In Australia, more than 12,000
cases of Salmonella infection were reported in 2010, but only five of them were related to Salmonella
Kentucky. What makes Salmonella Kentucky stand out and explains its rather hyperbolic label of “new
superbug” is that this pathogen has managed to develop resistance to some antibiotics, making it more
difficult to treat. Of particular concern is the fact that many strains of this serotype circulating in countries
in the Middle East and Africa display high-level resistance to ciprofloxacin, which is one of the drugs used
for treatment of Salmonella disease.
The development and dissemination of its antimicrobial resistance is thought to be caused by the
antibiotics used in animals farmed for food. Multinational surveillance has noted a recent increase in the
frequency of the detection of drug-resistant
Salmonella enterica serotype Kentucky and its potential for global spread. A recently published report
suggested this drug-resistant type spread from Africa and the Middle East to Western Europe and Asia.
The global human health impact of non-typhoidal Salmonella infection could be as high as one hundred
million illnesses and 155,000 deaths each year. Many cases of salmonellosis would be prevented if common
outbreak sources could be rapidly identified to allow for earlier public health interventions. But changes in
foodborne disease epidemiology have complicated recognition and investigation of outbreaks.
The most important contributors to the evolution of disease epidemiology are many. Socioeconomic
changes because of booming Southeast Asian economies have affected food production, food supply, and
food consumption habits, resulting in an increase in the number of foodborne diseases like Salmonella.
Increased mobility of people and complex food production, processing, and distribution systems, as well as
the plethora of retail fast-food outlets, mean we need more efficient and effective
ways to identify sources of foodborne outbreaks.
Salmonella-related outbreaks are increasingly linked to a diverse range of food sources, but the
mechanisms of contamination often remain poorly understood. Health, food, and agriculture authorities
need to coordinate their efforts to monitor and limit the spread of the drug-resistant strains like Salmonella
Kentucky. Increasing the timeliness of case follow-up and linking laboratory results to public health actions
are critical for reducing delays in the investigation of outbreaks.