Reading passages

78-According to the passage, the books read in the reading room of the British Museum -- .
A) were published over a period of 140 years
B) attracted scholars from all over London and as far away as Yorkshire
C) were not always stored there
D) were so boring that readers preferred to look at the dome
E) included the best examples of the national literature

The piranha, in spite of its tiny size, is one of the most feared fish in the world. Piranhas live in the Amazon River, have very sharp teeth, and are capable of eating four times their body weight daily. This would not be so bad, if it were not for the way they attack in numbers. Even the smallest movement, like splashing your hand in the water, is enough to attract 300 piranhas in an instant A piranha attack can transform a live cow into a skeleton in a matter of minutes. When there is nothing else to eat, they will even eat each other.

79 -According to the passage, the piranha ---- .
A) is the world's smallest fish
B) would not be so bad if it was better understood
C) has sharp teeth and a large appetite
D) lives largely on a diet of its own species
E) is a salt water fish, similar to the shark


80 -The passage tells us that ----- .
A) piranhas are dangerous because so many of them gather to attack their prey
B) a single piranha can eat a cow in a matter of minutes
C) the average piranha eats four other piranhas every day
D) piranhas are useless because they are not edible
E) the Amazon River is full of cow skeletons


81 -It is stated in the passage that in the absence of food, piranhas ----- .
A) feed on each other
B) migrate to other rivers
C) get smaller in size
D) face a decline in their numbers
E) attack anything moving in the water

On August 11, 1911, the Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. The thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, a Louvre employee, stored the painting in the false bottom of a trunk in his flat for two years and then tried to sell it to his native Italy for $95,000. Italian officials promptly arrested him and returned the 300 -year old masterpiece to France without a scratch. At his trial in Florence, Peruggia convinced the jury that his act was one of patriotism-that his sole motive was to return the famous painting to the land of its creator. Because of this declaration, he received a relatively light sentence of 1 year and 15 days.