READING PASSAGE 10
Questions 11-20 refer to the following passage.
Floods are second only to fire as the most common of all natural disasters. They occur
almost everywhere in the world, resulting in widespread damage and even death. Consequently,
scientists have long tried to perfect their ability to predict floods. So far, the best that scientists
can do is to recognize the potential for flooding in certain conditions. There are at least a
number of conditions, from deep snow on the ground to human error, that cause flooding.
The first cause of flooding is deep snow on the ground. When deep snow melts, it
creates a large amount of water. Although deep snow alone rarely causes floods, when it occurs
together with heavy rain and sudden warmer weather, it can lead to serious flooding. If there
is a fast snow melt on top of frozen or very wet ground, flooding is more likely to occur than
when the ground is not frozen. Frozen ground or ground that is very wet and already saturated
with water cannot absorb the additional water created by the melting snow. Melting snow also
contributes to high water levels in rivers and streams. Whenever rivers are already at their full
capacity of water, heavy rains will result in the rivers overflowing and flooding the surrounding
land.
Secondly, rivers that are covered in ice can also lead to flooding. When ice begins to melt,
the surface of the ice cracks and breaks into large pieces. These pieces of ice move and float down
the river. They can form a dam in the river, causing the water behind the dam to rise and flood the
land upstream. If the dam breaks suddenly, then the large amount of water held behind the dam can
flood the areas downstream too.
Broken ice dams are not the only dam problems that can cause flooding. Those carelessly
constructed by humans can also result in floods. When a large human-made dam breaks or fails
to hold the water collected behind it, the results can be devastating. Dams contain such huge
amounts of water behind them that when sudden breaks occur, the destructive force of the water
is like a great tidal wave. Unleashed dam waters can travel tens of kilometres, cover the ground
in metres of mud and debris, and drown and crush every thing and creature in their path.
Although scientists cannot always predict exactly when floods will occur, they do know
a great deal about when floods are likely, or probably, going to occur. Deep snow, ice-covered
rivers, and weak dams are all strong conditions for potential flooding. Hopefully, this
knowledge of why floods happen can help us reduce the damage they cause.
11. What is the most common natural disaster?
A. flood B. fire C. tidal wave D. rain
12. What does the word “they” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. floods B. disasters C. scientists D. conditions
13. Which of the following best describes how deep snow causes flooding?
1
A. melting snow that creates a large amount of water causes flooding.
B. freezing water causes flooding.
C. melting snow combining with considerable amount of rain and sudden increase in
temperature leads to flooding.
D. snow that melts in wet weather causes flooding.
14. Why does saturated ground contribute to flooding problems?
A. the ground cannot absorb more water
B. the ground is too hard, so the water runs off
C. the ground forms a kind of dam
D. it remains frozen
15. How can a frozen river cause a flood?
A. The ice in the river melts too quickly and causes a flood.
B. The ice in the river cracks causing the water to overflow.
C. The ice in the river cracks into pieces that eventually create a dam causing the water to
overflow.
D. The water behind the ice dam collects and when the dam breaks, it causes flooding
upstream.
16. Why does the writer mention “tidal wave” in paragraph 4?
A. to compare the force of a broken human – made dam
B. to introduce another natural disaster
C. to emphasize the effects of natural disasters
D. to criticize dam designers
17. How far can dam water travel when it is unleashed from a broken dam?
A. less than 10 kilometres
B. tens of kilometres
C. thousands of kilometres
D. tens of thousands of kilometres downstream
18. The word “devastating” in paragraph 4 has the closest meaning to
A. fabulous B. uncountable C. priceless D. disastrous
19. Which of the following is NOT MENTIONED as a cause for flood in the reading passages?
A. melting snow
B. ice covered rivers
C. broken dams
D. poorly built roads
20. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Scientists know very little about floods.
2
B. Potential flooding cannot be predicted.
C. Consequences of flooding can be reduced if its causes are identified.
D. There are only three conditions for potential flooding.