Reading passages

102 -One generalisation we can make from the passage is that-.
A) Martians have the power to take control of New Jersey and New York in just 15 minutes
B) New York and New Jersey often suffer from traffic jams
C) H.G. Wells wrote stories credible enough to take in everyone
D) radio stations often broadcast fictional stories deliberately to cause a panic
E) sometimes people will believe things no matter how improbable they are

The worst hurricane in memory to hit the south- eastern part of the North Carolina coast was Hurricane Hazel in 1954. This storm destroyed every building on three islands. Apparently, the disaster didn't occupy people's minds for long, as in the decades that followed, beach houses sprang up everywhere, most of which were built by people who had never experienced a major storm. By the time Hurricane Fran struck in 1996, so dense was the development that a storm weaker than Hazel inflicted much greater damage. A man who had his newly renovated beach front home commented that he had had no idea that a storm could simply sweep his house away.

103 -After Hurricane Hazel hit the North Carolina coast in 1954, ---- .
A) strict building codes made it impossible to build in coastal areas
B) every building in North Carolina was destroyed
C) people seemed to forget how bad the destruction had been
D) the president declared a National Disaster
E) Hurricane Fran followed soon after


104 -It can be inferred from the passage that the beach houses built after 1954 were ---- . A) constructed by the native inhabitants of the area
B) mostly built by newcomers to the area
C) better built than the earlier ones
D) mostly destroyed by Hurricane Hazel
E) able to withstand more powerful storms due to new building technology


105-It is stated in the passage that compared to Hurricane Hazel, Hurricane Fran ---- .
A) inflicted greater damage because it was a much stronger storm
B) was responsible for more deaths because the area was more densely populated
C) was a weaker storm and so caused less damage
D) led to about the same amount of destruction
E) caused greater destruction even though it was a weaker storm

The prospectors who braved the Canadian winters to find gold in the Yukon and Klondike Rivers experienced the most difficult conditions imaginable. Every man who entered the area had to carry a years supply of food and mining equipment over the steep and frozen mountain passes. In order to do this, each man had to carry 25 kilos of stores about 10 kilometres, leave it there, and return for another load. Therefore to remove all of his stores less than 80 kilometres, each man had to walk nearly 1500 kilometres. It is estimated that of the 100,000 men who set out for the Klondike, fewer than 40,000 actually arrived. Only 4000 ever found gold, and very few of these became rich.