Reading 08 - 05

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5 10 15 20	What geologists call the Basin and Range Province in the United States roughly coincides in its northern portions with the geographic province known as the Great Basin. The Great Basin is hemmed in on the west by the Sierra Nevada and on the east  Line by the Rocky Mountains; it has no outlet to the sea. The prevailing winds in the Great Basin are from the west. Warm, moist air from the Pacific Ocean is forced upward as it crosses the Sierra Nevada. At the higher altitudes it cools and the moisture it carries is precipitated as rain or snow on the western slopes of the mountains. That which reaches the Basin is air wrung dry of moisture. What little water falls there as rain or snow, mostly in the winter months, evaporates on the broad, flat desert floors. It is, therefore, an environment in which organisms battle for survival. Along the rare watercourses, cottonwoods and willows eke out a sparse existence. In the upland ranges, piñon pines and junipers struggle to hold their own.      But the Great Basin has not always been so arid. Many of its dry, closed depressions were once filled with water. Owens Valley, Panamint Valley, and Death Valley were once a string of interconnected lakes. The two largest of the ancient lakes of the Great Basin were Lake Lahontan and Lake Bonneville. The Great Salt Lake is all that remains of the latter, and Pyramid Lake is one of the last briny remnants of the former.      There seem to have been several periods within the last tens of thousands of years when water accumulated in these basins. The rise and fall of the lakes were undoubtedly linked to the advances and retreats of the great ice sheets that covered much of the northern part of the North American continent during those times. Climatic changes during the Ice Ages sometimes brought cooler, wetter weather to midlatitude deserts worldwide, including those of the Great Basin. The broken valleys of the Great Basin provided ready receptacles for this moisture.
40. What is the geographical relationship between the Basin and Range Province and the Great Basin? (A) The Great Basin is west of the Basin and Range Province. (B) The Great Basin is larger than the Basin and Range Province (C) The Great Basin is in the northern part of the Basin and Range Province. (D) The Great Basin is mountainous ; the Basin and Range Province is flat desert. 41. According to the passage, what does the Great Basin lack? (A) Snow (B) Dry air (C) Winds from the west (D) Access to the ocean 42. The word "prevailing" in line 4 is closest in meaning to (A) most frequent (B) occasional (C) gentle (D) most dangerous 43. It can be inferred that the climate in the Great Basin is dry because (A) the weather patterns are so turbulent (B) the altitude prevents precipitation (C) the winds are not strong enough to carry moisture (D) precipitation falls in the nearby mountains 44. The word "it" in line 5 refers to (A) Pacific Ocean (B) air (C) west (D) the Great Basin 45. Why does the author mention cottonwoods and willows in line 11? (A) To demonstrate that certain trees require a lit of water (B) To give examples of trees that are able to survive in a difficult environment (C) To show the beauty of the landscape of the Great Basin (D) To assert that there are more living organisms in the Great Basin than there used to be 46. Why does the author mention Owens Valley, Panamint Valley, and Death Valley in the second paragraph? (A) To explain their geographical formation (B) To give examples of depressions that once contained water (C) To compare the characteristics of the valleys with the characteristics of the lakes (D) To explain what the Great Basin is like today 47. The words "the former" in line 17 refer to (A) Lake Bonneville (B) Lake Lahontan (C) the Great Salt Lake (D) Pyramid Lake 48. The word "accumulated" in line 19 is closest in meaning to (A) dried (B) flooded (C) collected (D) evaporated 49. According to the passage, the Ice Ages often brought about (A) desert formation (B) warmer climates (C) broken valleys (D) wetter weather 50. Where in the passage does the author explain how lakes probably formed in the Great Basin? (A) Lines 6-7 (B) Lines 10-11 (C) Lines 13-14 (D) Lines 21-24
40. C 41. D 42. A 43. D 44. B 45. B 46. B 47. B 48. C 49. D 50. D