VSTEP READING PRACTICE 1

PASSAGE 1
Boxing is a sport in which two opponents wearing special gloves try to strike each other. Each boxer tries to
get more scores than his opponent by the intelligent use of skills. The skills are gained through hard training.
Sometimes, skill is even more important than strength.
Boxers wear gloves made of soft leather and rubber. Gloves usually weigh from 6 to 16 ounces according to
different players. A boxer's hands are wrapped in soft cotton for protection from the impact of his own blows.
Less professional boxers wear headgear to protect their heads and ears from injuries. All boxers use a rubber
mouthpiece that helps prevent injuries to the lips and teeth.
The space in which a boxing match takes place is called a ring. It’s generally 16 to 20 feet square. It is closed
in by ropes. The ropes are 2,3 and 4 feet above the floor of the ring.
The length of a round of boxing in college and most other amateur boxing contests is 2 minutes or less. In
professional and some international amateur contests, 3-minute rounds are used. There is a 1-minute rest
period between rounds. During the rest period, the fighters go to their comers of the ring opposite one another
and prepare for the next round. Most amateur matches have three rounds, while a professional
championship goes as many as 15 rounds. A timekeeper marks the beginning and end of each round by
sounding a bell, gong, or buzzer.
The referee is a very important third man in the ring during a contest. He watches whether the rules are obeyed
and will separate the boxer if they clinch each other. Blows below the waist, on the kidneys, or on the back of
the neck are fouls. So too are pushing or butting, or hitting the opponent when he is down.
1. What is the passage mostly about?
A. Boxers B. Gloves C. Boxing D. Rules
2. The word strike in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ...
A. talk B. hit C. jump D. cover
3. What can be inferred about the gloves used by boxers?
A. They are made of soft rubber. B. They weigh at least 16 ounces.
C. They don't have much difference. D. They're used to protect boxers.
4. What protect a boxer's lips?
A. Clothes B. Gloves C. Soft cotton D. A mouthpiece
5. What can NOT protect a boxer from injury?
A. Headgear B. Gloves C. Mouthpiece D. Clothes
6. According to the passage, what can be inferred about a ring?
A. It is the place where a referee rests. B. It is the space where a boxer prepares.
C. It is generally no more than 20 feet square. D. It is an open space with no surrounding ropes.
7. The ropes can be ...... above the floor of the ring.
A. I feet B. 3 feet C. 5 feet D. 6 feet
8. How long does a round in a professional contest last?
A. Less than 2 minutes B. 2 minutes C. 3 minutes D. 4 minutes
9. A professional round has at most .......
A. 3 rounds B. 4 rounds C. 5 rounds D. 15 rounds
10. According to the passage, what is NOT considered as a foul by the referee in a boxing contest?
A. Blows below the waist B. Hitting the opponent right on the face
C. Blows on the kidney or on the back of the neck D. Hitting an opponent when he is down

PASSAGE 2
Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world. All five are located on the border between
Canada and the United States. The names of the Great Lakes are Erie, Ontario, Michigan, Huran, and Superior.

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The smallest of the group is Lake Ontario while Lake Superior is the largest. Lakes Ontario, Michigan,
however, lies entirely within the borders of the United States.
Geologically speaking, the Great Lakes are relatively young. They were formed about 10,000 years ago due to
the action of receding glaciers. At the time of their creation, massive glaciers - some several kilometers thick
- were retreating as they melted and the last ice age came to an end. The great weight of the ice sheets gouged
out enormous holes in parts of the land. Then, the melting ice turned into water and filled in the holes with
water. In this way were the Great Lakes formed. The Great Lakes have a combined surface area of more than
240.000 square kilometers. There are also around 35,000 islands in the lakes but most of them are quite small.
Lake Superior is the deepest at more than 400 meters in places. But most of the Great Lakes average less than
100 meters in depth. Due to their immense size, the Great lakes comprise around 21% of the entire planet's
supply of fresh water.
All five of the lakes are connected by both rivers and channels that run between them. The entire system flows
to the Atlantic Ocean by way of the St. Lawrence River in Canada. Together with the St. Lawrence River. the
Great Lakes form the largest inland waterway in the world. As a result, millions of people live near the Great
lakes. Among the major cities that lie alongside them are Chicago, Toronto, Detroit, Milwaukee, Cleveland,
and Buffalo. Each year, thousands of ships transport billions of dollars worth of goods through the numerous
ports along the Great Lakes. This has transformed many port cities into major transportation centers in Canada
and the United States.
11 What is this passage mostly about?
A. The formation of the Great Lakes B. The cities around the Great Lakes
C. The geography of the Great Lakes D. The sizes of the Great Lakes
12. Which of the Great Lakes is the biggest?
A. Lake Huron B. Lake Superior C. Lake Erie O. Lake Ontario
13. The word receding in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ...........
A. Retreating B. Removing C. Revitalizing D. Resulting
14. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of the formation of the Great Lakes?
A. The end of the ice age B. The movement of glaciers
C. The melting of ice D. The falling of rain and snow
15. The word them in paragraph 2 refers to ........
A. Glaciers B. Lakes C. Islands D. Great Lakes
16. Which of the following is true regarding the islands in the Great Lakes?
A. More than 240,000 have been identified. B. Some are more than 400 meters long.
C. There are tens of thousands of them. D. Most of them are extremely large
17. The word immense in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A. variable B. huge C. considerate D. relative
18. Why does the author talk about the St. Lawrence River?
A. To point out that it flows entirely through Canada
B. To state that there are many channels connecting it to the Great Lakes
C. To mention that it connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean
D. To claim that it is too narrow for some ships to sail on
19. According to the passage, which is true about the port cities that are beside the Great Lakes?
A. All of them have increasing populations
B. The same kinds of good are transportation centers
C. They serve as important transportation centers
D. Some of them are also manufacturing centers
20. Which of the following cities does not lie alongside the Great Lakes?
A. Toronto B. Detroit C. Buffalo D. Calgary

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PASSAGE 3
There are more than 14 million businesses in the United States. They are divided into three categories:
proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations.
A proprietorship is a business owned by one person. This person pays all the money needed to run the
business. He or she earns money if the business has a profit. However, the person loses money if the business
has a deficit. A proprietorship is usually a small business, like a store or restaurant. It does not have to pay the
government any extra money for tax.
A partnership is a business owned by more than one person. All partners give money to the business. Those
who give more money own more of it. Those who give less money own less. The people who give more
money get a larger share of the profits. Each partner only pays tax on his or her profits.
A corporation is a business owned by many people. Each owner buys small units of the corporation. Two
examples are Coca-Cola and Microsoft. In a corporation, the people divide the ownership into shares of stock.
[A] Stock prices increase if the business does well. They decrease if the business does poorly. The
stockholders vote for directors to run the business. Anyone can buy a corporation’s stocks. [B] Almost 30
million Americans own stock. Most of these people own a small number of stocks in large corporations.
[C] People buy stocks and hope to sell them when the price rises. [D] People with stocks can also make money
by receiving dividends. A dividend is the stockholder’s part of the company profits. It is usually paid four
times a year.
Corporations are treated differently than proprietorships or partnerships. A corporation can buy land, save
money, and make contracts. The state government watches corporations. The government also taxes its profits
at a higher rate than other businesses. Corporations can get new money quickly by selling more stock. In
general, corporations are not as personal as proprietorships or partnerships. However, they are more secure
and can make greater profits.
21. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “categories” as used in paragraph 1?
A. areas B. boxes C. types D. ideas
22. In paragraph 4, the word “They” refers to
A. businesses B. people C. shareholders D. share prices
23. Which is true of corporations?
A. They are owned by one person.
B. They pay higher taxes than proprietorships and partnerships.
C. They cannot get new money very quickly.
D. They are usually small businesses.
24. The word “company” as used in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to
A. stocks B. corporation C. dividend D. tax
25. Based on the information in paragraph 4, what can be inferred about buying stocks?
A. You will make a lot of money. C. Stocks are easy to buy.
B. You could lose money. D. Corporations always pay dividends.
26. How is corporation different from a partnership
A. Corporations are owned by more than one person
B. Corporations can make money or lose money
C. Corporations can be big or small
D. A corporation’s owners do not run the business.
27. All of the following are mentioned in the passage EXCEPT
A. the number of businesses in the US
B. the number of stock owners in the US
C. the number of business categories in the US
D. the number of corporations in the US
28. The purpose of this passage is to
A. explain different kinds of US businesses
B. explain the US system of stocks
C. explain why there are more than 14 million US businesses
D. explain why corporations are better than proprietorships and partnerships
29. It can be inferred from the passage that a profit means

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 A. a business earns more money than it spends.
B. a business spends more money than it earns.
C. a business spends the same amount of money that it earns.
D. a business sells shares of stocks.
30. In which space (marked A, B, C and D in the passage) will the following sentence fit?
The sale value of stock depends on the health of the business.
A. [A] B. [B] C. [C] D. [D]

PASSAGE 4

The United Nations

When the United nations was first formed in 1945, only 51 countries were members. Now, however, the
United Nation is truly a world organization. In fact, today almost every nation in the world is a member of the
UN. The main goal of the United Nations is to bring different nations together to promote peace and justice in
the world. The UN also works to make the world a safe and secure place.
It is important to remember that the UN is not a “world government”. This means that the UN does not make
laws for different countries to follow. It also does not enforce laws made by governments. However, the UN
does hold regular votes on global policies and issues. Also, like a government, the UN is divided into different
branches, or sections. Considering that the UN is such a large organization, it makes sense that it needs to be
separated into different pieces to be effective. There are six branches in the United Nations. Below, the first
three branches of the UN are discussed. In a later chapter, the other three divisions will be explained.
The main branch is called the “General Assembly”. In this branch, all members of the United Nations are
represented. Each member country has one vote. These votes are counted when the UN has meetings about
world issues. For example, if there is a problem in a certain area of the world or a particular country, the UN
will vote on how to best solve the problem. At least two-thirds of all member countries, that is 67 percent, must
agree on how to resolve the problem in order for the UN to take action. If less than two-thirds of the voting
countries agree, no immediate action is taken.
Another branch of the UN is the Security Council. [A] The main purpose of this department is to maintain
international peace and keep the world secure. [B] In this branch, there are only fifteen members. Five of these
members are permanent. The permanent members are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom (Britain),
and the United States . [C] The other ten members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.
[D]
The third important branch of the UN is the Economic and Social Council. This branch works to help monitor
the world economy. It also works to resolve social issues around the world. For example, issues of concern for
the Economic and Social Council are violations of human rights, the fight against international crime such as
selling illegal drugs, and destruction of the environment. There are 54 government representatives serving on
this council. These members are elected by the General Assembly to serve for three year terms. Council
members are elected to represent certain areas of the world, so the council has fourteen members from Africa,
eleven from Asia, ten from South American, and nineteen from Europe and North America.
31. The world “branches” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A. growing parts
B. locations
C. divisions
D. places of separation
32. The world “maintain” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to
A. hold on to
B. preserve
C. develop
D. argue

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33. The pronoun “it” in paragraph 5 refers to
A. the world economy
B. the general assembly of the UN
C. the monitors
D. the Economic and Social Council
34. In paragraph 2, why does the writer mention the highlighted sentence?
A. to defend the reasoning behind separating the UN into different sections
B. to argue for the UN as a world government
C. to say that there are a total of six branches in the UN
D. to explain how the voting works in the UN
35. According to the passage, where does the largest percentage of representatives on the Economic and Social
Council come from?
A. South America
B. Asia
C. Europe and North America
D. Africa
36. According to the passage, how many members of the Security Council are elected on a rotating basis?
A. 15
B. 5
C. 20
D. 10
37. Which of the following best describe the tone of the author in the passage
A. indifferent
B. optimistic
C. argumentative
D. impersonal
38. All of the following statement are true EXCEPT
A. The Economic and Social Council has fewer members than Security council
B. There are six branches of the UN
C. China is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council
D. The UN tries to promote world justice and peace
39. What does the author imply when he explains that the UN is not a world government?
A. The UN would probably work better if it did function as a government.
B. Some larger countries would like the UN to be a government.
C. Many people mistakenly think that the UN is really a type of government.
D. Countries do not like governments.
40. In which space (marked A, B, C and D in the passage) will the following sentence fit?
If the Council feels that international peace is being threatened, the fifteen members will try to
outline a way to resolve the situation in a peaceful manner.
A. [A]
B. [B]
C. [C]
D. [D]