XÂY DỰNG BỘ ĐỀ LUYỆN KỸ NĂNG ĐỌC HIỂU TRONG BÀI THÌ TOEFL DÀNH CHO HỌC VIÊN CAO HỌC TẠI HỌC VIỆN CHÍNH TRỊ HÀNH CHÍNH QUỐC GIA HỒ CHÍ MINH

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HỌC VIỆN CT-HCQG HỒ CHÍ MINH

BÁO CÁO TỔNG KẾT ĐỀ TÀI
XÂY DỰNG BỘ ĐỀ LUYỆN KỸ NĂNG ĐỌC HIỂU
TRONG BÀI THÌ TOEFL DÀNH CHO HỌC VIÊN
CAO HỌC TẠI HỌC VIỆN CHÍNH TRỊ HÀNH CHÍNH
QUỐC GIA HỒ CHÍ MINH
CNĐT: TRẦN BÍCH THỦY

8272
HÀ NỘI – 2010

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Test 1
Passage 1: Questions 1 – 7
According to airline industry statistics, almost 90% of airline accidents are
survivable or partially survivable. But passengers can increase their chances of survival
by learning and following certain tips. Experts say that you should read and listen to
safety instructions before takeoff and ask questions if you have uncertainties. You
should fasten your seat belt low on your hips and as tightly as possible. OF course, you
should also know how the release mechanism of your belt operates. During takeoffs
and landings you are advised to keep your feet flat on the floor. Before takeoff you
should locate the nearest exit and an alternative exit and count the rows of seats
between you and the exits so that you can find them in the dark if necessary .
In the event that you are forewarned of a possible accident, you should put your

hands on your ankles and keep your head down until the plane complete stop. If smoke
is present in the cabin, you should keep your head low and cover your face with
napkins, towels, or clothing. If possible, wet these for added protection against smoke
inhalation. To evacuate as quickly as possible, follow crew commands and do not take
personal belongings with you. Do not jump on escape slides before they are fully
inflated, and when you jump, do so with your arms and legs extended in front of you.
When you get to the ground, you should move away from the plane as quickly as
possible, and never smoke near the wreckage.
1.

What is the main topic of the passage?

A.

Airline industry accident statistics

B.

Procedures for evacuating aircraft

C.

Guidelines for increasing aircraft passenger survival

D.

Safety instructions in air travel.

2.

If can be inferred from the passage that people are more likely to survive fires
in aircrafts if they

A. keep their heads low
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B. wear a safety belt
C. do not smoke in or near a plane
D. read airline safety statistics
3.

According to the passage, which exits should an airline passenger locate before
takeoff?

A. The ones that can be found in the dark
B. The two closest to the passenger is seat
C. The nearest exit
D The ones with counted rows of seats between them
4.

What is the main purpose of the passage?

A. To satisfy travelers
B. To sell airlines
C. To provide safety advice

D. To give statistical evidence
5.

According to the passage, airline travelers should keep their feet flat on the
floor

A. Throughout the flight
B. During takeoffs and landings
C. Especially during landings
D. Only if an accident is possible
6.

Travelers are urged by experts to read and listen to safely instructions

A. In an emergency
B. Before locating the exits
C. If smoke is in the cabin
D. Before take off
7.

Which of the following are airline passengers advised NOT to do?

A. Locate the nearest exit
B. Ask questions about safety
C. Fasten their seat belts before takeoff
D. Carry personal belongings in an emergency
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Passage 2: Questions 8 – 13
Water scarcity is fast becoming one of the major limiting factors in world crop
production. In many areas, poor agricultural practices have led to increasing
desertification and the loss of formerly arable lands. Consequently, those plant species
that are well adapted to survival in dry climates are being looked at for an answer in
developing more efficient crops to grow on marginally arable lands.
Plants use several mechanisms to ensure their survival in desert environments.
Some involve purely mechanical and physical adaptations, such as the shape of the
plant’s surface, smaller leaf size, and extensive root systems. Some of the adaptations
are related to chemical mechanisms. Many plant, such as cacti, have internal gums and
mucilages which give them water-retaining properties. Another chemical mechanism is
that of the epicuticular wax layer. This wax layer acts as an impervious cover to protect
the plant. It prevents excessive loss of internal moisture. It also protects the plant from
external aggression, which can come from inorganic agents such as gases, or organic
agents which include bacteria and plant pests.
Researchers have proposed that synthetic waxes which similar protective
abilities could be prepared based on knowledge of desert plants. If successfully
developed, such a compound could be used to greatly increase a plant’s ability to
maintain health in such adverse situations as inadequate water supply, limited fertilizer
availability, attack by pets, and poor storage after harvesting.

8.

This passage deals mainly with

A. desertification
B. decreasing water supplies

C. factors limiting crop production
D. developing efficient plants
9.

Which of the following is a mechanical or physical mechanism desert plants
use?

A. The plant’s shape
B. The small root system
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C. The vast leaf size
D. The high water consumption
10.

Which is one of the ways the epicuticular wax protects the plant?

A. If helps the plant to avoid excessive moisture intake.
B. If helps the plant to attack aggressors
C. If releases gases against plant pests
D If guards against bacteria
11.

If can be inferred that synthetic simulated waxes have

A. not been developed yet
B. not succeeded
C. been determined to be impervious to organic and inorganic agents
D. the quality of causing bacteria
12.

What is an example of an inorganic agent that may attack plants?

A. Bacteria
B. Insects
C. Gas
D. Pets
13

What is NOT an example of an adverse situation for crops?

A. Inadequate water
B. Insufficient fertilizer
C. Pest aggression
D. Proper storage

Passage 3: Questions 14 – 19
Every year about two million people visit Mount Rushmore, where the faces of
four U.S. presidents were caved in granite by sculptor Gutzon Borglum and his son, the
late Lincoln Borglum. The creation of the Mount Rushmore monument took 14 yearsfrom 1927 to 1941- and nearly a million dollars. These were times when money was
difficult to come by and many people were jobless. To move than 400,000tons of rock,
Borglum hired laid-off workers from the closed-down mines in the Black Hills area.
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He taught these men to dynamite, drill, carve, and finish the granite as they were
hanging in midair in his specially devised chairs, which had many safety features.
Borglum was proud of the fact that no workers were killed or severely injured during
the years of blasting and carving.
During the carving, many changes in the original had to be made to keep the
carved heads free of large fissures that were uncovered. However, not all the cracks
could be avoided, so Borglum concocted a mixture of granite dust, white lead, and
linseed oil to fill them.
Every winter, water from melting snows gets into the fissures and expands as it
freezes, making the fissures bigger. Consequently, every autumn maintenance work is
done to refill the cracks. The repairer swings out in space over a 500- foot drop and fix
the monument with the same mixture that Borglum used to preserve this national
monument for future generations.

14.

In line 16, the word “fissures” refers to

A. designs
B. cracks
C. heads
D. carvings
15.

According to the passage, Borglum’s son

A. is dead
B. was a president
C. did maintenance work
D. spent a million dollars
16.

The men who Borglum hired were

A. trained sculptors
B. laid- off stone masons
C. black Hills volunteers
D unemployed miners

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17.

It can be inferred from the passage that

A. the heads are not as originally planned
B. the workers made mistakes when blasting
C. the cracks caused serious injuries
D. the designs had large fissures in them
18.

Borglum’s mixture for filling cracks was

A. very expensive
B. bought at the black Hills mines
C. invented by the sculptor himself
D. uncovered during carving
19.

Today Mount Rushmore needs

A. to be protected from air pollution
B. to be polished for tourists
C. to be restored during the winter
D. to be repaired periodically

Passage 4: Questions 20 – 24
History books record that the first with sound The Jazz Singer in 1927. But
sound films, or “talkies,” did not suddenly appear after years of silent screenings. From
the earliest public performances in 1896, films were accompanied by music and sound
effects. These were produced by a single pianist, a small band, or a full-scale orchestra;
large movie theaters could buy sound-effects machines. Research into sound that was
reproduced at exactly the same time as the pictures- called “ synchronized sound” –
began soon after the very first films were shown. With synchronized sound, characters
on the movie screen could sing and speak. As early as 1896, the newly invented
gramophone, which played a large disc carrying music and dialogue, was used as a
sound system. The biggest disadvantage was that the sound and pictures could become
unsynchronized if, for example, the gramophone needle jumped or if the speed of the
projector changed. This system was only effective of a single
sequence.
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In the “sound –on –film” system, sounds were recorded as a series of marks
on celluloid which could be read by an optical sensor. These signals would be placed
on the film alongside the image, guaranteeing synchronization. Short feature films
were produced in this way as early as 1922. This system eventually brought us
“talking pictures” .

20.

The passages is mainly about

A. the history of silent movies
B. the disadvantages of synchronized sound
C. The development of sound with movies
D. The research into sound reproduction
21.

According to the passage, films using sound effects were screened

A. before 1896
B. as early as 1896
C. as early as 1922
D. in 1927

22.

If can be inferred

A. most movie theaters had a pianist
B. sound-effects machines were not common they were expensive
C. orchestras couldn’t synchronize sound with the pictures
D gramophones were developed about the same time as moving pictures
23.

Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a producer of sound to accompany
movies?

A. a jazz singer
B. a single pianist
C. a small band
D. a gramophone
24.

According to the passage, gramophones were ineffective because they

A. got out of synchronization with picture
B. were too large for most movie theaters
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C. were newly invented and still had imperfections
D. changed speeds when the needle jumped

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Test 2
Passage1 : Questions 1 – 10
Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, was from a
wealthy, well-known family. As a child, he attended private school, had private tutors,
and traveled with his parents to Europe. He attended Harvard University, and afterward
studied law. At age 5 Roosevelt suddenly developed polio, a disease that left him
without the full use of his legs for the rest of his life. Even through the worst of his
illness, however, he continued his life in politics. In 1924 he appeared at the
Democratic National Convention to nominate Al Smith for president, and eight years
after that he himself was nominated for the same office. Roosevelt was elected to the
presidency during the Great Depression of the 1930s, at a time when more than 5,000
banks had failed and thousands of people were out of work. Roosevelt took action.
First he declared a bank holiday that closed all the banks so no more could fail; then he
reopened the banks little by little with government support. Roosevelt believed in
using the full power of government to help what he called the "forgotten people." And
it was these workers, the wage earners, who felt the strongest affection toward
Roosevelt. There were others, however, who felt that Roosevelt's policies were
destroying the American system of government, and they opposed him in the same
intense way that others admired him.
In 1940 the Democrats nominated Roosevelt for an unprecedented third term.

No president in American history had ever served three terms, but Roosevelt felt an
obligation not to quit while the United States' entry into World War II was looming in
the future. He accepted the nomination and went on to an easy victory.
1.

What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. political aspects of Roosevelt's life
B. problems during the Great Depression
C. Roosevelt's upbringing
D. criticisms of Roosevelt's actions
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2.

Which one of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. Roosevelt was elected during the Great Depression.
B.

Roosevelt voted for Al Smith.

C.

Roosevelt had difficulty walking during his presidency.

D.

Roosevelt supported strong government powers.

3.

The phrase "took action" in lines 10 is used to illustrate the idea that Roosevelt

A. performed admirably
B. exerted himself physically
C. responded immediately
D got assistance
4.

As used in line 12, the phrase "little by little" means that Roosevelt

A. opened the smaller banks first
B. opened the banks for minimal services
C. opened the banks a few at a time
D. opened the bank for a short time
5.

The word "full" in line 13 could best be replaced by which of the following?

A. packed
B. loaded
C. overflowing
D. complete
6.

Where in the passage does the author discuss Roosevelt's response to the Great
Depression?

A. lines 1-6
B. lines 6-10
C. lines 10-16
D. lines 16-21
7.

The word "affection" as used in line 14 could best be replaced by which of the
following?

A. fascination
B. fondness
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C. lure
D. appeal
8. The word "unprecedented" in line 18 could best be replaced by
A. unimportant
B. unheard of
C. unjustified
D. unhampered
9. It can be inferred from the passage that the people who liked Roosevelt best

were
A. poor people
B. bankers
C. rich people
D. average workers
10.

In line 20, the author uses the word "looming" to indicate a feeling of

A. reservation
B. determination
C. regrets
D. threat

Passage 2: questions 11-22
Martin Luther King, Jr., is well known for his work in civil rights and for his
many famous speeches, among them is his moving "I Have A Dream" speech. But
fewer people know much about King's childhood. M.L., as he was called, was born in
1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, at 5 the home of his maternal grandfather. M.L.'s
grandfather, the Reverend A.D.Williams, purchased their home on Auburn Avenue in
1909, twenty years before M.L. was born. The Reverend Williams, an eloquent
speaker, played an important role in the community since so many people's lives
centered around the church. He allowed his church and his home to be used as a
meeting place for a number of organizations dedicated to the education and social

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advancement of blacks. M.L. grew up in this atmosphere, with his home being used as
a community gathering place, and was no doubt influenced by it.
M.L.'s childhood was not especially eventful. His father was a minister and his
mother was a musician. He was the second of three children, and he attended all- black
schools in a black neighborhood. The neighborhood was not poor, however. Auburn
Avenue was the main artery through a prosperous neighborhood that had come to
symbolize achievement for Atlanta's black people. It was an area of banks, insurance
companies, builders, jewelers, tailors, doctors, lawyers, and other black-owner blackoperated businesses and services. Even in the face of Atlanta's segregation, the district
thrived. Dr. King never forgot the community spirit he had known as a child, nor did
he forget the racial prejudice that was a seemingly insurmountable barrier that kept
black Atlantans from mingling with whites.

11.

What is this passage mainly about?

A. the prejudice that existed in Atlanta
B. Martin Luther King's childhood
C. M.L.'s grandfather
D. the neighborhood King grew up in
12.

The word "eloquent" in line 6 means most nearly

A. powerful
B. active
C. romantic
D. fascinating

13.

The word "gathering" in line 10 could best be replaced by

A. picking
B. learning
C. exciting
D meeting

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14.

As used, the word "eventful" in line 12 is closest in meaning to which of the
following?

A. valued
B. memorable
C. admirable
D. emotional
15.

In line 16, the word "it" refers to which of the following?

A. achievement

B. neighborhood
C. segregation
D. services
16.

According to the author, blacks in King's neighborhood were involved in all the
following businesses and services EXCEPT

A. dentistry
B. medicine
C. law
D. banking
17.

The word "tailors" in line 17 describes people who are associated with which of
the following trades?

A. flower arranging
B. shoe making
C. garment making
D. book binding
18. According to the author, King was influenced by
A. community spirit
B. black lawyers
C. his mother
D. his speeches
19. The word "thrived" in line 19 refers to which of the following?
A. achieved
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B. surrendered
C. flourished
D. held
20. As used in line 20, which of the following is closest in meaning to the word
"seemingly"?
A. Apparently
B. Inevitably
C. Inexplicably
D. Hastily
21.

The word "mingling" in line 21 could best be replaced by which of the
following?

A. Interfering
B. Gargling
C. consuming
D. associating
22.

According to the author, M.L.

A. had a difficult childhood
B. was a good musician as a child
C. loved to listen to his grandfather speak

D. grew up in a relatively rich area of Atlanta

Passage 3: Questions 23 – 28
Adam Smith thought up the principle of division of labor two centuries ago.
Well, to be honest, he couldn't be said to have invented it; the principle was used by the
ancient Egyptians to build the pyramids. He was however the person who put it down
in writing and it became the classic principle on which the Industrial Revolution was
based. Now, it's time for Adam to move over. Re-engineering has appeared and
appears to be taking over from the old principles.
If you want to make a good company a better one, you need re-engineering.
The book by Michael Hammer and his co-author, Re-engineering the Corporations,
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calls for radically changing the way most companies are run. No longer should work be
divided into different tasks, but instead the whole process of work has to be reconceptualized. That is if a company wants to achieve more than an acceptable
increase in productivity and profits.
Today business is no longer a series of functions, but a process of work that
requires a horizontal set-up. There should be team work. New procedures and new
strategies should be continually established. Information technology must be fully
utilized. Above all, production should be geared towards serving customers better and
taking full advantage of new technologies. Re-engineering involves a totally new
approach to business, one which if achieved will lead to steady, even sensational,
improvements in performance and consequently in market share.

23.

What is the main topic of the passage?

A. Adam Smith
B. The division of labor
C. Corporations
D. Re-engineering
24.

What does the author imply about Adam Smith?

A. That he was instrumental in helping start the Industrial Revolution.
B. That he wrote the principle of the division of labor.
C. That he created the principal on which the Industrial Revolution was based.
D. That he wrote about the ancient Egyptians.
25.

What doesn't re-engineering call for?

A. The process of work should be re-conceptualized.
B. Work should be divided into different tasks.
C. The way companies are run should be changed.
D Business should be managed in a different way.
26.

What is the most important factor in re-engineering?

A. Team work
B. New strategies
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C. Information technology
D. The customer
27.

Which of the following best describes the author's attitude to re-engineering.

A. It is too sensational.
B. It is too new.
C. It is extremely useful.
D. It is too steady.

Passage 4: Questions 28- 39
Langston Hughes was one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth
century. He was born in Joplin, Missouri, and moved to Cleveland at the age of
fourteen. Several years later he spent one year in Mexico before attending Columbia
University in New York. For a few years after that he roamed the world as a seaman,
visiting ports around the world and writing some poetry. He returned to the United
States and attended Lincoln University, where he won the Witter Bynner Prize for
undergraduate poetry. After graduating in 1928, he traveled to Spain and to Russia with
the help of a Guggenheim fellowship.
His novels include Not without Laughter (1930) and The Big Sea (1940). He
wrote an autobiography in 1956 and also published several collections of poetry. The
collections include The Weary Blues (1926), The Dream Keeper (1932), Shakespeare
in Harlem (1942), Fields of Wonder (1947), One Way 15 Ticket (1947), and Selected

Poems (1959). A man of many talents, Hughes was also a lyricist, librettist, and a
journalist. As an older man in the 1960s he spent much of his time collecting poems
from Africa and from African-Americans to popularize black writers. Hughes is one of
the most accomplished writers in American literary history, and he is seen as one of
the artistic leaders of the Harlem Renaissance, the period when a neighborhood that
was predominantly black produced a flood of great literature, music, and other art
forms depicting daily city life for African-Americans.

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28.

What is the main topic of this passage?

A. the life of Langston Hughes
B. the Harlem Renaissance
C. African-American writers
D. American twentieth-century writers
29.

Where was Langston Hughes born?

A. Spain
B. New York
C. Missouri

D. North Carolina
30.

The word "roamed" as used in line 4 is closest in meaning to which of the
following?

A. Traveled
B. Soared
C. Floated
D. Walked
31.

As used in line 5, which of the following words could best replace the word
"ports"?

A. Islands
B. Ships
C. Friends
D. Harbors
32.

To which of the following movements might "Shakespeare in Harlem" refer to?

A. the Civil War
B. the Harlem Riots
C. the Harlem Renaissance
D. the Civil Rights Movement
33.

What provided Hughes with assistance for his travel to Spain and Russia?

A. his job as a reporter
B. his career as a soldier
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C. a literary fellowship
D. a college study program
34.

The word "talents" in line 13 could be replaced by which of the following?

A. Desires
B. Abilities
C. Strategies
D. Careers
35.

According to the author, what did Hughes do during the later years of his life?

A. write short stories
B. popularize African-American writers
C. advocate racial equality
D. write about life in Harlem
36.

Which of the following could best replace the word "accomplished" as used in
line 16?

A. successful
B. prolific
C. brilliant
D. imaginative
37.

The author uses the word "flood" in line 18 to refer to

A. a drought
B. an outpouring
C. a cloudburst
D. a streak
38.

Which of the following can best substitute for the word "depicting" in line 19?

A. congratulating
B. blessing
C. screening
D. portraying
39.

According to the passage, Langston Hughes was all of the following EXCEPT

A. a novelist
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B. a poet
C. a historian
D. a journalist

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Test 3
Passage 1: Questions 1-9

In a primitive society, family and tribe provide all the education that the young
receive, and are the sole transmitters of culture. But when language characters develop
and an alphabet and number system have reached a certain stage, there comes a
demand for some formal teaching and so schools are established for a select few –
prospective rules and priests – to supplement the education given by family and tribe.
When society becomes modern and complex, school does not lose its supplementary
character; for however wide its scope and curriculum, it still remains true that the
family is the first educator and a life-long influence. But in our modern way of life, the
functions of the family tend to diminish, some to be assumed by school and still more
by other agencies.

1.

What is the main topic of the passage?

A. Education is not very far advanced in primitive societies.
B. The family and tribe control all aspects of life in the society.
C. Culture is passed to the children by the family and the tribe.
D. Schools transmit some aspects of culture to the young.
2.

According to the passage, as society develops linguistically:

A. learning language characters becomes more in demand.
B. alphabet and number systems are started.
C. the family leaves all education to the schools.
D. a different educational system is requested.
3.

According to the passage, in the early stages of development, formal teaching.

A. is only provided for rulers and religious people.
B. is demanded by many sectors of society.
C. is given only in a few select language schools.
D is dependent on the development of language characters

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4.

The word “prospective” in line 5 is closest in meaning to which of the following?

A. predictable
B. future
C. imminent
D. important
5.

As society becomes modern

A. school becomes of central importance.
B. education gets increasingly complex.
C. the role of the family becomes supplementary.
D. the school curriculum exerts a life-long influence
6.

In line 6 “its” refers to which of the following?

A. Curriculum
B. Society
C. School
D. Family
7.

The author says that in our way of life today:

A. education is less important than it was.
B. education depends on other agencies.
C. school tends to take over some of the family roles.
D. the family continues it educational function.
8.

The word “diminish” in line 9 is closest in meaning to which of the following?

A. lessen
B. decay
C. slump
D. fade
9. It can be inferred that the next sentence after the passage would look at:
A. the serious dangers affecting modern society.
B. the growth of formal teaching of the years.
C. the function of education both in primitive and modern society.
D. the effects of the diminishing of the functions of the family.
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Passage 2: Questions 10-18
The relationship of economics to history is rather different from that of the
other social sciences. Curious as it may sound, this relationship in many respects comes
close to that between history and literature. Economics, after all, is the science (in the
broad meaning of the term) of something which men actually do. Even if the science
did not exist, men would still make economic decisions, economic predictions, and

participate in the various forms of economic organization which, in part, it is the
economist’s function to describe. Similarly, the disciplined study of literature is
concerned with something which men would also do anyway even if the disciplined
study did not exist: compose poems, act out dramas, write novels, and read them.
Political science, or the discipline of politics, has, it is true, many similarities to
economics, particularly where it is concerned with generalization about political
structures.

10. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. The similarity between economics and politics.
B. History and literature’s curious relationship.
C. A definition of economics.
D. Economics interrelationship with other subjects.
11.

History is related to economics

A. in many different kinds of ways.
B. in a different way from its relationship to literature.
C. in the same way as it is related to literature.
D. just as political science is related to economics.
12.

The social science mentioned in the passage is.

A. economics.
B. history.
C. literature.
D. politics

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13.

The word “broad” in line 4 is the closest meaning to which of the following?

A. General
B. Typical
C. Popular
D Vague
14.

Economics looks at:

A. all kinds of decision making.
B. people’s real-life behavior.
C. broad aspects of organization over time.
D. the description of historical events.
15.

The word “that” in line 1 refers to

A. history.
B. economics.
C. the relationship.

D. the other social sciences.
16.

Studying literature involves

A. much hard work.
B. putting poems and plays to music.
C. looking at some normal activities of man.
D. reading and writing novels.
17.

Where in the passage does the author describe economics?

A. line 1-2
B. line 3-4
C. line 7-9
D. line 10-12
18. The next paragraph after the passage probably discusses
A. the way political science and sociology relate to history.
B. how literature is systematically studied at university.
C. in what way economics may be considered to be a science.
D. the differences between social sciences and natural sciences.
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Passage 3: Questions 19-27

Fish that live on the sea bottom benefit by being flat and hugging the contours.
There are two very different types of flatfish and they have evolved in very separate
ways. The skates and rays, relatives of sharks, have become flat in what might be
called the obvious way. Their bodies have grown out sideways to form great “wings”.
They look as though they have been flattened but have remained symmetrical and “the
right way up”. Conversely, fish such as plaice, sole, and halibut have become flat in a
different way. They are bony fish which have a marked tendency to be flattened in a
vertical direction; they are much “taller” than they are wide. They use their whole,
vertically flattened bodies as swimming surfaces, which undulate through the water as
they move. Therefore, when their ancestors migrated to the seabed, they lay on one
side rather than on their bellies. However, this raised the problem that one eye was
always looking down into the sand and was effectively useless. In evolution this
problem was solved by the lower eye “moving” around to the other side.
We see this process of moving around enacted in the development of every
young bony flatfish. It starts life swimming near the surface, and is symmetrical and
vertically flattened, but then the skull starts to grow in a strange asymmetrical twisted
fashion, so that one eye, for instance the left, moves over the top of the head to finish
on the other side. The young fish settles on the sea bottom, with both its eyes looking
upwards, an odd Picasso-like vision. Incidentally, some species of flatfish settle on the
right side, others on the left, and others on either side.

19. The passage mainly concerned with:
A. symmetrical flatfish.
B. bony flatfish.
C. evolution of flatfish.
D. different types of flatfish
20. The phrase “hugging the contours” in line 1 means
A. swimming close to the seabed.
B. hiding in the sand at the bottom of the sea.
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