Reading comprehension -TOEFL- Lesson 22
Our eyes and ears might be called transformers since they sense the light and sound around us and turn them into electrical impulses that the brain can interpret. These electrical impulses that have been transformed by the eye and ear reach the brain and are turned into messages that we can interpret. For the eye, the process begins as the eye admits light waves, bends them at the cornea and lens, and then focuses them on the retina. At the back of each eye, nerve fibers bundle together to form optic nerves, which join and then split into two optic tracts. Some of the fibers cross, so that part of the input from the right visual field goes into the left side of the brain, and vice versa. The process in the ear is carried out through sensory cells that are carried in fluid-filled canals and that are extremely sensitive to vibration. Sound that is transformed into electricity travels along nerve fibers in the auditory nerve. These fibers form a synopsis with neurons that carry the messages to the auditory cortex on each side of the brain.

1. According to the author, we might call our eyes and ears "transformers" because
(A) they sense light and sound
(B) they create electrical impulses
(C) the brain can interpret the input
(D) the messages travel in the brain
2. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word "admits" in line 5?
(A) selects
(B) interprets
(C) lets in
(D) focuses on
3. In line 5, what does the word "them" refer to?
(A) light waves
(B) processes
(C) eyes
(D) messages
4. The word "bundle" in line 6 could best be replaced by which of the following?
(A) group
(B) grow
(C) branch
(D) settle
5. The word "split" as used in line 7 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) tear
(B) fracture
(C) separate
(D) crack
6. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word "cross" as used in line 7?
(A) intersect
(B) cancel
(C) assemble
(D) match
7. According to the passage, when input from the right visual field goes into the left side of the brain, what happens?
(A) The nerve fibers bundle together.
(B) The optic nerves split.
(C) The retina receives light waves.
(D) Input from the left field goes to the right side.
8. The phrase "carried out" in line 9 could best be replaced by which of the following?
(A) brought over
(B) taken away
(C) accomplished
(D) maintained
9. Which of the following is most similar to the word "vibration" as used in line 10?
(A) sound
(B) movement
(C) light
(D) heat
10. According to the passage, optic nerves eventually
(A) bend
(B) split
(C) admit light waves
(D) become messages