TOEFL iBT

Robert Capa

1. Robert Capa is a name that has for many years been synonymous with war photography.

2. Born in Hungary in 1913 as Friedmann Endre Erno, Capa was forced to leave his native country after his involvement in anti government protests. Capa had originally wanted to become a writer, but after his arrival in Berlin had first found work as a photographer. He later left Germany and moved to France due to the rise in Nazism. He tried to find work as a freelance journalist and it was here that he changed his name to Robert Capa, mainly because he thought it would sound more American.

3. In 1936 after the breakout of the Spanish Civil war Capa went to Spain and it was here over the next three years that he built his reputation as a war photographer. It was here too in 1936 that he took one of his most famous pictures, The Death of a Loyalist Soldier. One of Capa’s most famous quotes was ‘If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough’. And he took his attitude of getting close to the action to an extreme. His photograph, The Death of a Loyalist Soldier is a prime example of this as Capa captures the very moment the soldier falls. Though many have questioned the authenticity of this photograph, claiming that it was staged.

4. When World war II broke out, Capa was in New York, but he was soon back in Europe covering the war for Life magazine. Some of his most famous work was created on 6th June 1944 when he swam ashore with the first assault on Omaha Beach in the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Capa, armed only with two cameras, took more than one hundred photographs in the first hour of the landing, but a mistake in the darkroom during the drying of the film destroyed all but eight frames. It was the images from these frames however that inspired the visual style of Steven Spielberg’s Oscar winning movie ‘Saving Private Ryan’. When Life magazine published the photographs, they claimed that they were slightly out of focus, and Capa later used this as the title of his autobiographical account of the war.

5. Capa’s private life was no less dramatic. He was friend to many of Hollywood’s directors, actors and actresses. In 1943 he feel in love with the wife of actor John Austin. His affair with her lasted until the end of the war and became the subject of his war memoirs. He was at one time lover to actress Ingrid Bergman. Their relationship finally ended in 1946 when he refused to settle in Hollywood and went off to Turkey.

6. In 1947 Capa was among a group of photojournalists who founded Magnum Photos. This was a co-operative organization set up to support photographers and help them to retain ownership of the copyright to their work.

7. Capa went on to document many other wars. He never attempted to glamorize war though, but to record the horror. He once said,” The desire of any war photographer is to be put out of business.”

8. Capa died as he had lived. After promising not to photograph any more wars, he accepted an assignment to go to Indochina to cover the first Indochina war. On May 25th 1954 Capa was accompanying a French regiment, when he left his jeep to take some photographs of the advance and stepped on a land mine. He was taken to a nearby hospital, still clutching his camera, but was pronounced dead on arrival. He left behind him a testament to the horrors of war and a standard for photojournalism that few others have been able to reach.

9. Capa’s legacy has lived on though and in 1966 his brother Cornell founded International Fund for Concerned Photography in his honor. There is also a Robert Capa Gold Medal, which is given to the photographer who publishes the best photographic reporting from abroad which demands exceptional courage. But perhaps his greatest legacy of all are the haunting images of the human struggles that he captured.

Questions 1-11

1. Why did Capa change his name?A. To hide his identityB. Because he had been involved in protestsC. To sound more American.D. Because he had to leave Hungary.

2. Capa originally wanted to beA. A photojournalistB. A writerC. AmericanD. A protestor

3. Capa went Spain toA. fight in the civil warB. build his reputationC. have a holidayD. take photographs

4. Capa’s famous picture Death of a Loyalist SoldierA. was taken by someone elseB. was definitely genuineC. wasn’t even taken in SpainD. cannot be proven genuine or staged.

5. When world War II broke out CapaA. went to New YorkB. swam ashore on Omaha BeachC. went to EuropeD. went to Normandy

6. A mistake meant thatA. only one hundred of Capa’s photographs were publishedB. Capa lost both his two cameras.C. Capa’s images inspired an Oscar winning movie.D. Most of Capa’s images of the D-Day landing were destroyed.

7. Capa’s private life wasA. less dramatic than his professional life.B. Spent mostly in Hollywood.C. Very glamorousD. Spent in Turkey

8. Capa wanted his work toA. be very famousB. show how glamorous war can beC. show the true horror of war.D. Make lots of money

9. Which sentence best paraphrases paragraph 5?A. Capa had a tragic private life and was never able to settle down and find

happiness.B. Despite having many good friends and lovers, Capa always put his work first.C. Capa wanted to make friends with important people in Hollywood so that he

could move into the movie industryD. Capa’s private life was very complicated. He could not choose between the two

women he loved, so he went off to work in Turkey.

10. Which sentence best paraphrases paragraph 4?A. Capa never tried to avoid danger. He risked his life to take photographs of the D-

Day invasion, but then destroyed most of them.B. Capa took some of his most famous photographs during the D-Day invasion, but

most were tragically destroyed in an accident.C. Capa only kept the best eight D-Day photographs as the others were out of focus.

These inspired the visual style of a Hollywood film.D. Capa left Europe when the war broke out and went to take his most famous

photographs of the D-Day invasion.

11. Which THREE sentences in the box to your right best summarize the passage? sentence 1 sentence 2 sentence 3 sentence 4 sentence 5 sentence 6

Answers:

1.C 2.B 3.B 4.D 5.C 6.D 7.C 8.C 9.B 10.B 11. 2,3,5

Tornadoes

[1] Tornadoes are one of the most severe types of weather phenomena. While many people fear tornadoes and their destructive power, few people understand their real causes and effects, nor are they aware of how to protect themselves from their devastating force.

[2] Tornadoes, violently rotating columns of air, occur when a change in wind direction, coupled with an increase in wind speed, results in a spinning effect in the lower atmosphere. These whirling movements, which may not be visible to the naked eye, are exacerbated when the rotating air column shifts from a horizontal to a vertical position. As the revolving cloud draws in the warm air that surrounds it at ground level, its spinning motion begins to accelerate, thereby creating a funnel that extends from the cloud above it to the ground below. In this way, tornadoes become pendent from low pressure storm clouds.

[3] When a tornado comes into contact with the ground, it produces a strong upward draft known as a vortex, a spiraling column of wind that can reach speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour. Traveling across the landscape, the tornado wreaks a path of concentrated destruction. It is not uncommon for these twisters to lift heavy objects, like cars or large animals, and throw them several miles. Houses that succumb to the force of the tornado seem to explode as the low air pressure inside the vortex collides with the normal air pressure inside the buildings.

[4] Tornadoes can occur at any time of the year, but are typically most frequent during the summer months. Equally, tornadoes can happen at any time during the day, but usually occur between 3:00 in the afternoon and 9:00 in the evening. While these fierce funnels occur in many parts of the world, they are most common in the United States. { A * } On average, there are 1,200 tornadoes per year in this vast nation, causing 70 fatalities and 1,500 injuries.

[5] Although taking myriad shapes and sizes, tornadoes are generally categorized as weak, strong, or violent. The majority of all tornadoes are classified as weak, meaning that their duration is less than 10 minutes and they have a speed under 110 miles per hour. Comprising approximately 10 percent of all twisters, strong tornadoes may last for more than 20 minutes and reach speeds up to 205 miles per hour. Violent tornadoes are the rarest, occurring less than one percent of the time. While uncommon, tornadoes in this classification are the most devastating, lasting more than one hour and resulting in the greatest loss of life. { B * } Even though only violent tornadoes can completely destroy a well-built, solidly-constructed home, weaker ones can also cause great damage.

[6] Owing to the powerful and destructive nature of these winds, there are, perhaps not surprisingly, a number of myths and misconceptions surrounding them. For instance, many people mistakenly believe that tornadoes never occur over rivers, lakes, and oceans; yet,waterspouts, tornadoes that form over bodies of water, often move onshore and cause extensive damage to coastal areas. In addition, tornadoes can accompany hurricanes and tropical storms as they move to land. Another common myth about tornadoes is that damage to built structures, like houses and office buildings, can be avoided if windows are opened prior to the impact of the storm. Based on the misunderstanding that open windows might equalize the pressure inside the structure and minimize the damage to it, this action can instead result in fatal injury. { C * } 

[7] Because of the profound effects that tornadoes have on communities and their inhabitants, safety measures are of paramount importance during adverse weather conditions. Drivers often attempt to outrun tornadoes in their cars, but it is extremely unsafe to do so. Automobiles offer very little protection when twisters strike, so drivers should abandon their vehicles and seek safe shelter. Mobile homes afford little shelter, so residents of these homes should go to an underground floor of the sturdiest nearby building.{ D * } In the case of a building having no underground area, a person should go to the lowest floor of the building and place him or herself under a piece of heavy furniture. If no building is available, a person caught in a tornado should lie prostate in a nearby ditch or other depressed area of land and cover his or her head

Question 1: The word whirling in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. *  invisible

B. *  rotatingC. *  extendedD. *  worsening

Question 2: The word pendent in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. *  revolving

B. *  quickeningC. *  hangingD. *  parallel

Question 3: Which of the sentences below is the best paraphrase of the following sentence from paragraph 3?

Traveling across the landscape, the tornado wreaks a path of concentrated destruction.

A. *  The tornado causes great damage to landscaped areas, such as parks and gardens.

B. *  The tornado focuses its damage primarily upon localities that have been heavily landscaped.

C. *  The tornado only causes damage to open areas, but the damage is usually very severe.

D. *  As the tornado moves through the countryside, it causes extensive, geographically centralized damage.

Question 4: The phrase these twisters in paragraph 3 refers to

A. *  tornadoes

B. *  concentrated destructionC. *  landscapesD. *  explosions

Question 5: All of the following key facts about tornadoes are mentioned in paragraph 4 EXCEPT

A. *  the yearly number of deaths from tornadoes

B. *  the time of day when tornadoes usually take place

C. *  the time of year when tornadoes are most commonD. *  the average wind speed of most tornadoes

Question 6: The word myriad in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. *  limited

B. *  extremeC. *  manyD. *  average

Question 7: In paragraph 5, what is the author’s main purpose?

A. *  to explain how tornadoes are classified

B. *  to identify the most frequent type of tornadoesC. *  to emphasize the loss of life and damage to property caused by tornadoesD. *  to compare weak tornadoes to strong tornadoes

Question 8: Based on the information contained in paragraph 6, which of the following best explains the term waterspouts?

A. *  Tornadoes that move away from coastal areas

B. *  Tornadoes that occur over oceans, rivers, and lakesC. *  Tornadoes that occur onshoreD. *  Tornadoes that accompany tropical storms and hurricanes

Question 9: Look at the four stars { * } that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

Indeed, the highest number of deaths and injuries are not caused by the winds themselves, but by flying debris, such as broken glass from open windows.

A. *  { A * }

B. *  { B * }C. *  { C * }D. *  { D * }

Question 10: According to paragraph 6, what can be inferred about the public’s knowledge about tornadoes?

A. *  A large number of people know how to avoid tornado damage.

B. *  Most people appreciate the risk of death associated with tornadoes.C. *  Some members of the public know how to regulate the pressure inside buildings.D. *  A number of people are not fully aware of certain key information about tornadoes,

especially about tornado safety.

Question 11: What is the safest place to be when a tornado strikes?

A. *  an abandoned vehicle

B. *  mobile homesC. *  the basement of a buildingD. *  under a piece of sturdy furniture

Question 12: According to the passage, tornadoes are considered to be a severe weather phenomenon because

A. *  many people fear them.

B. *  they produce strong vortexes.C. *  they can be placed into three discrete categories.D. *  they can result in death and devastation.

Question 13: Select the answer below that represents the two most important ideas contained in the passage.

A. *  (i) Tornadoes can cause catastrophic loss in terms of life and property.(ii) Everyone should be educated about what to do in the event of a tornado.

B. *  (i) Most tornadoes occur in the afternoon.(ii) Few tornadoes are violent.

C. *  (i) Some members of the public are ill-informed about when and where tornadoes can occur.(ii) Sheltering in a ditch is a last resort if a tornado should strike.

D. *  (i) Most tornadoes occur in the afternoon.

Answers

1.B 2.C 3.D 4.A 5.D 6.C 7.A 8.B 9.C 10.D 11.C 12.D13.A