ACT在线阅读练习题1

Sample Reading Passages: Passage 1

Click on the letter choices to determine if you have the correct answer and for question

explanations. An actual ACT Reading Test contains 40 questions to be answered in 35 minutes.

DIRECTIONS: The passage in this test is followed by veral questions. After reading the passage,

choo the best answer to each question and fill in the corresponding oval on your answer

document. You may refer to the passage as often as necessary.

Passage I

PROSE FICTION: This passage is adapted from the novel by

The Men of Brewster Place

Gloria Naylor (©1998 by Gloria Naylor).

Clifford Jackson, or Abshu, as he preferred to be

known in the streets, had committed himlf veral

years ago to u his talents as a playwright to broaden

the horizons for the young, gifted, and black—which

5was how he saw every child milling around that dark

street. As head of the community center he went after

every existing grant on the city and state level to bring

them puppet shows with the message to avoid drugs

and stay in school; and plays in the park such as actors

10rapping their way through Shakespeare's

A Midsummer

Night's Dream

. Abshu believed there was something in

Shakespeare for everyone, even the young of Brewster

Place, and if he broadened their horizons just a little

bit, there might be enough room for some of them to

15slip through and e what the world had waiting. No, it

would not be a perfect world, but definitely one with

more room than they had now.

The kids who hung around the community center

liked Abshu, becau he never preached and it was

20clear that when they spoke he listened; so he could zero

in on the kid who had a real problem. It might be an

offhand remark while shooting a game of pool or a one-

on-one out on the basketball court, but he had a way of

making them feel special with just a word or two.

25 Abshu wished that his own family could have

stayed together. There were four of them who ended up

in foster care: him, two younger sisters, and a baby

brother. He understood why his mother did what she

did, but he couldn't help wondering if there might have

30been a better way

Abshu was put into a home that already had two

other boys from foster care. The Masons lived in a

small wooden bungalow right on the edge of Linden

Hills. And Mother Mason insisted that they tell any-

35body who asked that they actually lived Linden

in

Hills, a more prestigious address than Summit Place. It

was a home that was kept immaculate.

But what he remembered most about the Masons

was that it emed there was never quite enough to eat.

40She nt them to school with a lunch of exactly one and

a half sandwiches—white bread spread with margarine

and sprinkled with sugar—and half an apple.

50support himlf through school by working in a dough-

nut shop. By this time his mother was ready to take her

children back home, but he decided that since he was

already out on his own he would stay there. One less

mouth for her to worry about feeding. And after he

55graduated with his degree in social work, he might even

be able to give her a little money to help her along.

One thing he did thank the Masons for was keep-

ing him out of gangs. There was a strict curfew in their

home that was rigidly obrved. And church was

60mandatory. “When you're out on your own,” Father

Mason always said, “you can do whatever you want,

but in my home you do as I say.” No, they weren't

mean people, but they were stingy—stingy with their

food and with their affection. Existing that way all the

65time, on the edge of hunger, on the edge of kindness,

gave Abshu an appreciation for a life fully lived. Do

whatever job makes you happy, regardless of the cost;

and fill your home with love. Well, his home became

the community center right around the corner from

showed up at the center. He made it real clear to them

that this was his territory—his rules—and if they

needed to flex their muscles, they were welcome to try.

And he showed many that just becau he was kind, it

85didn't mean he was weak. There had to be rules some-

place in their world, some kind of discipline. And if

they understood that, then he worked with them, long

and hard, to let them e that they could make a differ-

ence in their own lives.

 The point of view from which the passage is told can best be described as that of:

A. a man looking back on the best years of his life as director of a community

center in a strife-ridden neighborhood.

B. a narrator describing his experiences as they happen, starting with childhood

and continuing through his adult years as an advocate for troubled children.

C. an unidentified narrator describing a man who devoted his life to neighborhood

children years after his own difficult childhood.

D. an admiring relative of a man who generosity with children was widely

respected in the neighborhood where he turned around a declining community

center.

 It can reasonably be inferred from the passage that which of the following is a

cherished dream that Abshu expects to make a reality in his lifetime?

F. Establishing himlf financially so as to be able to bring his original family back

under one roof

G. Seeing the children at the community center shift their interest from sports to

the dramatic arts

H. Building on the success of the community center by opening other centers like

it throughout the state

J. Expanding for some, if not all, of the children the vision they have of

themlves and their futures

 It can reasonably be inferred from the passage that Abshu and the Masons would

agree with which of the following statements about the best way to rai a child?

A. For a child to be happy, he or she must develop a firm basis in religion at an

early age.

B. For a child to be fulfilled, he or she must be expod to great works of art and

literature that contain universal themes.

C. For a child to thrive and be a responsible member of society, he or she must

develop a n of discipline.

D. For a child to achieve greatness, he or she must attach importance to the

community and not to the lf.

 The fourth paragraph (lines 31-37) establishes all of the following EXCEPT:

F. that Abshu had foster brothers.

G. that the Masons maintained a clean hou.

H. how Mother Mason felt about the location of their hou.

J. what Abshu remembered most about his years with the Masons.

 It can reasonably be inferred that which of the following characters from the

passage lives according to Abshu's definition of a life fully lived?

A. Mother Mason

B. Father Mason

C. Abshu as a child

D. Abshu as an adult

 Which of the following statements about the children entering the community

center is supported by the passage?

F. They had unrealistic expectations that Abshu toned down in the cour of

informal conversations.

G. In Abshu's eyes, they were all gifted.

H. In Abshu's eyes, the children who were likely to succeed were the ones who

gave him the most trouble at the outt.

J. They were prepared to believe in each other more than in themlves.

 It can reasonably be inferred from the first paragraph that in obtaining outside

funding for the community center, Abshu could be characterized as:

A. thorough in eking out potential sources for financial backing.

B. reluctant to spoil the children with charity.

C. excited about having the children write grant applications.

D. determined to let the children decide how the money would be spent.

 Which of the following statements about Abshu's attitude toward his mother's

choices early in his life is supported by the passage?

F. Abshu wishes he could get over the bitterness he feels toward her for allowing

him and his siblings to be placed in foster care.

G. Abshu is worried that his mother is troubled by her decision to place her

children in foster care and wants to comfort and support her now that he is a

grown man.

H. Abshu wonders if she might have made a better decision about letting him and

his siblings go into foster care, even though he understands why she did it.

J. Abshu wants to apologize for having been ungrateful as a child to his mother,

who was only doing what she felt was best for her family.

 As it is ud in line 65, the term refers to a place where Abshu felt:

the edge

A. most alive.

B. unfulfilled.

C. defeated.

D. most competitive.

 According to the passage, which of the following most cloly identifies Abshu's

definition of a life fully lived?

F. Happiness in your work and love in your hou

G. The pursuit of your goals and the realization of your dreams

H. Togetherness with your family and the sharing of laughter

J. Working in the community and striving for equality