ICFES TEST
COMPRENSIÓN DE TEXTOS
1 - 3
Many major cities in the world today have large populations of people who have recently arrived; they have emigrated
from other countries. Perhaps you, too, have left a familiar place to come to a new city or a new country. Or you may
live in a city where there are large numbers of newcomers. Adapting to a new place forces people to seek out new
friends, face new problems, and often learn a new language.
1. The underlined word who is related to
A. cities.
B. people.
C. major.
D. countries.
2. The underlined words seek out can be replaced by
A. give up.
B. look for.
C. take care.
D. find out.
3. According to the text,
A. people are forced to leave their native countries.
B. major cities of the world have received many visitors.
C. people have immigrated to other countries due to overpopulation.
D. living in a new place implies many changes for immigrants.
4 - 6
People are living longer in the United States. As a result, more and more middle aged adults are becoming caretakers
of their aging parents. When their parents can no longer care for themselves, these adults stay at home to care for
them in much the same way they cared for their own children.
Playing the role of "parent sitter" is quite difficult and frustrating. For example, an aging parent may become blind. No
longer able to see, the old person needs his or her children to perform many every day jobs. Another example is the
parent who becomes brain damaged during the aging process. Natural roles are then reversed, as children are forced
to care for their parents as if their parents were children.
4. The underlined words middle aged can be replaced by
A. very young people.
B. ancient people.
C. very old people.
D. people in their 50's.
5. According to the text, the underlined words "parent sitter" refer to a person who
A. takes care of his/her father or mother.
B. loves and works for his/her family.
C. looks after his/her children.
D. likes helping his/her relatives.
6. The main idea of this text is:
A. Sons and daughters take care of their parents because of longevity.
B. Children do not like to take care of their parents.
C. The natural roles of parents and children have changed throughout history.
D. Parents stay at home to take care of their children.
7 - 9
The United States is now becoming a non-smoking society. Across the country, hundreds of towns and cities, and even
entire states, are passing strict laws to control the sale and use of cigarettes. In New York, for example, smoking is
illegal in public buildings, hospitals, schools, banks, stores, movie theaters, taxi-cabs, and restrooms, to name a few
places. In addition, smoking is prohibited anywhere in the U.S. on airline flights that last two hours or less. And now
many private companies have also made rules prohibiting cigarette smoking. At least 40% of American companies
restrict smoking by their employees. Company policies are mostly of three kinds: they prohibit smoking by employees
when they are working, they hire only non-smokers, or they force workers who smoke to quit smoking.
7. The underlined sentence they force workers who smoke to quit smoking means that
A. workers are hired because they smoke.
B. workers have to give up smoking if they want to continue working.
C. workers are required to smoke if they want to continue working.
D. workers are fired because they smoke.
8. According to the text, we can infer that
A. none of the company policies ban smoking.
B. all of the company policies ban smokers.
C. the first policy bans smoking, and the other two, ban smokers.
D. the first and second policies ban smokers, and the last one bans smoking.
9. According to the text, the author's intention is to
A. describe how the U.S. is regulating smoking.
B. promote discrimination against smokers in the U.S.
C. protest against people who smoke in the U.S.
D. show how smokers can quit smoking in the U.S.
10 - 12
We owe our nation's state park system to one of the world's most recognizable landmarks -Niagara Falls. By 1880, a
ring of industrial sites and man-made attractions had so completely choked off public access to the falls that the only
views from American soil were on private land. News of Niagara's plight spread when a group of artists and politicians
spearheaded a campaign to buy back the land, creating a preserve. Finally in 1885, after six years of legislative
wrangling, New York Governor David B. Hill dedicated the famous landmark "free to mankind", and our state park
system was born.
America's parks really took off in the 1930's when the country was booming with public works projects. The Civilian
Conservation Corps built camps and trails that gave Americans access to the outdoors. Now, there are more than
5.000 state parks, nearly ninety-five times the number of national parks. That means at least a few per state, or a short
drive for most families.
10. The underlined expression choked off can be replaced by
A. suspended.
B. increased.
C. promoted.
D. eliminated.
11. The underlined sentence America's parks really took off in the 1930's, when the country was booming with public
works projects means that
A. America's parks were destroyed in the 1930's because of the increase of public works projects.
B. America's parks began to emerge in the 1930's due to the decrease of public works projects.
C. public works projects increased because of the beginning of America's parks in the 1930's.
D. public works projects encouraged the beginning of America's parks in the 1930's.
12. The title of the text could be
A. The history of America's state parks
B. How were America's national parks born?
C. Why visit America's state parks?
D. A guide to America's national parks
