The oldest living things on Earth are trees. Some of California's sequoias have for four thousand years looked down on the changes in the landscape and the comings and goings of humans. They sprouted from tiny seeds about the time the Egyptian pyramids were being built. Today these giant patriarchs seem as remote and inaccessible as the rocks and mountain cliffs on which they grow, like cathedral columns holding up the sky. It is hard to imagine them playing any part in the lives of mere humans or being in any way affected by the creatures that pass at their feet.
Lesser trees, however, have played an intimate role in the lives of people since they first appeared on Earth. Trees fed the fires that warmed humans: they provided shelter, food and medicine and even clothing. They also shaped people's spiritual horizons. Trees expressed the grandeur and mystery of life, as they moved through the cycle of seasons, from life to death and back to life again. Trees were the largest living things around humans and they knew that some trees had been standing on the same spot in their parent's and grandparents' time, and would continue to stand long after they were gone. No wonder these trees became symbols of strength, fruitfulness, and everlasting life.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
(A) Trees grow to great heights.
(B) Trees have been important to people throughout history.
(C) Trees make humans seem superior
(D) Trees that grow in California are very old.
2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a way in which people have used trees?
(A) For furniture (B) For fuel (C) For housing (D) For nourishment
3. In line 4, the phrase "giant patriarchs" could best be replaced by which of the following?
(A) tiny seeds (B) important leaders
(C) towering trees (D) Egyptian pyramids
4. In line 11, the word "they" refers to which of the following?
(A) Trees (B) Grandeur and mystery
(C) Seasons (D) People's spiritual horizons
5. The author implies that, compared with sequoias, other trees have
(A) been in existence longer (B) adapted more readily to their environments
(C) been affected more by animals (D) had a closer relationship with people
6. Where in the passage does the author make a comparison between trees and parts of a building?
(A) Line 1 (B) Lines 4-5 (C) Lines 9-11 (D) Lines 12-14
Jambi, 31 October 2015
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