Reading comprehension -TOEFL- Lesson 13
Situated in the central mountains of Alaska, a peak named Denali rises 20,320 feet above sea level. It is the highest peak in North America and the center of Denali National Park. One of America`s greatest wilderness areas, the park has had limited access to visitors, but in spite of this tourism rose from under 6,000 visitors in 1950 to over 546,000 visitors in 1990. The increasing popularity of this park is prompting serious discussions about the future use of Denali as well as how to preserve wilderness areas in general.
One important issue of land use arises when parts of National Parks are owned by individuals. In Denali, though most of the land in this vast tract of more than a million acres is owned by the National Park Service, several thousand acres are still privately owned as mining tracts. These mining tracts in Denali were once abundant sources of gold, but they were sources of heavy metals such as arsenic and lead that polluted rivers and streams.
Environmentalists were successful in getting the government to require mining companies to submit statements showing the potential impact of a mining project before they are allowed to begin mining. Because of this requirement, many individuals closed their mines and some sold their land to the National Park Service. Some land owners, however, are wondering if it is better to sell their land to the government or keep it for possible future use. Tourism in this previously remote area is bound to rise, as more roads are built to provide easier access to the park. This increase in the number of visitors creates a demand for hotels and other real estate development. The economic implications of this are of interest to the land owners, but are dismaying to those interested in preserving the wilderness.

1. What is the primary focus of this passage?
(A) controversies over land use in Denali
(B) miners selling their property in Denali
(C) Alaska building more roads to Denali
(D) limiting tourist access to Denali
2. The word "wilderness" in line 3 could be best replaced by the word
(A) dangerous
(B) natural
(C) rural
(D) pastoral
3. The word "prompting" in line 5 could best be replaced by which of the following?
(A) promising
(B) sanctioning
(C) initiating
(D) trapping
4. As used in line 6, which of the following is most similar to the word "preserve"?
(A) protect
(B) enclose
(C) investigate
(D) foster
5. The word "arises" in line 8 could be best replaced by
(A) surrenders
(B) occurs
(C) volunteers
(D) prospers
6. The word "tract" as used in line 9 refers to which of the following?
(A) trail
(B) resort
(C) frontier
(D) expanse
7. Which of the following is most similar to the word "abundant" in line 11?
(A) plentiful
(B) sparse
(C) hopeful
(D) absolute
8. According to the passage, which of the following are pollutants in the Denali area?
(A) gold
(B) pesticides
(C) human waste
(D) arsenic
9. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the phrase "potential impact" in line 15?
(A) approximate cost
(B) expected value
(C) proposed size
(D) possible effects
10. The author infers that some mine owners might hesitate to sell their land to the Park Service for which of the following reasons?
(A) There may be increasing demand for the ore in the mines.
(B) They might want to move to the towns.
(C) They might receive more money selling their land to developers.
(D) They might want to build a house on their property.
11. What is the author`s purpose in writing this passage?
(A) to demonstrate the changes in Denali National Park
(B) to use Denali as an example of common park issues
(C) to introduce the wonders of the wilderness area of Denali
(D) to explain the problems occurring in Denali Park
12. Which of the following would most likely be the topic of the next paragraph in this passage?
(A) conflict between land owners and environmentalists
(B) the role of the National Park Service in development
(C) tourist needs in Denali Park
(D) wildlife in the park