READING AND QUESTION

            Leonardo da Vinci was born on Apr il 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy.  He was the illegitimate son of Ser Piero, a Florentine notary and landlord, but lived o n the estate and was treated as a legitimate son.

In 1483, Leonardo da Vinci drew the first model of a helico pter. It did not look very much like our modern day “copter,” but the idea of what it could do was about the same.

            Leonardo was an artist and sculptor. He was very interested in motion and movement and tried to show it in his art. In order to show movement, he found it helpful to study the way things moved. One subject he liked to study was birds and how they flew. He spent many hours watching the birds and examining the structure of their wings. He noticed how they cupped air with their wings and how the feathers helped hold the air. Through these studies, Leonardo began to understand how birds were able to fly.

            Like many other men, Leonardo began to dream of the day when people would be able to fly. He designed a machine that used all the things he had learned about flight, and thus became the first model of a helicopter.Poor Leonardo had only one problem, however.  He had no way to give the necessary speed to his invention. You see, motors had not yet been invented and speed was an important part of the flying process. It would be another four hundred years before the engine was invented and another fifty years before it was put to the test in an airplane. Leonardo’s dream of a helicopter finally came to pass in 1936.

 

The Italian painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and scientist, Leonardo died on May 2, 1519, and was buried in the cloister of San Fio rentino in Amboise.

1.  The word problem in paragraph five could best be replaced by the word:
a. dilemma
b. mistake
c. danger
d. pain

 

2.  What is the author’s main point?
a. The invention of the helicopter.
b. Birds cup air with their wings and use feathers to help hold the air.
c. An overview of one of Leonardo da Vinci’s many skills.
d. Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 and died in 1519.

3. Which paragraph explains why Leonardo ’s helicopter was not successful in his lifetime:
a. paragraph 1
b. paragraph 2
c. paragraph 4
d. paragraph 5

 

4.  The word it in paragraph two refers to:
a. Leonardo da Vinci
b. The first model helicopter
c. 1483
d. motion and movement

5. The word illegitimate in paragraph one is closest in meaning to:
a. against the law or illegal
b. not in correct usage
c. incorrectly deduced; illogical
d.  born out of wedlock

6. The fo llowing sentence would best complete which paragraph? “Since then people have been living out Leonardo’s dream of flying.”
a. paragraph 3
b. paragraph 4
c. paragraph 5
d. paragraph 2

7. What was the main problem with Leonardo ’s invention?
a. motors were not yet invented
b. the birds lost their feathers
c. he was illegitimate
d. he couldn’t draw

8. The word they in the third paragraph refers to:
a. the feathers
b. the birds
c. the studies
d. the wings

9. In what year was the first helicopter flown
a. 1483
b. 1452
c. 1519
d. 1936

10. What two things did birds have that Leonardo da Vinci noticed helped them to
fly?
a. wings and beaks
b. feathers and talons
c. wings and feathers
d. cups and feathers

STRUCTURE TOEFL

STRUCTURE TOEFL
Directions
Questions 1-15 are incomplete sentences. Beneath each sentence you will see four words or phrases, marked (A), (B), (C), and (D). Choose the one word or phrase that best completes the sentence. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen. Fill in the space so that the letter inside the oval cannot be seen.

1. The cyclist …………………………………….he crossed the main street.
a. Looked with caution after
b. Had looked cautiously before
c. Was looked cautious when
d. Looks cautious when
Answer: B
Choice (A) is verbose, using with caution rather cautiously. Also, it would make no sense to look cautiously after crossing the street. Choice (A) also uses simple past when past perfect is required. Choice (C) is passive and the sentence does not call for a passive meaning. Also using the adjective cautious would indicate that look in the sentence is a stative verb meaning appear, and that is not the meaning of the sentence. (D) Uses an incorrect sequence of tenses. The verb crossed is in the past.
2. Here …………………………………….notebook and report that I promise you last week.
a. Is the
b. Are the
c. Was the
d. Has been a
Answer : B
The subject notebook and report is plural, and choices (A),(C),(D) all contain singular verbs.
3. Neither Jane nor her brothers …………………………………a consent form for tomorrow’s field trip.
a. Need
b. Needs
c. Is needing
d. Has need
Answer : A
The plural verb need is required here because if there is a plural noun after nor, the verb must be plural.
4. Cuba is …………………………………..sugar- growing areas in the world.
a. One of the larger
b. One of largest
c. One of the largest
d. Largest
Answer : C
Choice (A) is incorrect because the superlative, not the comparative, must be used when more than two are expressed. Choices (B) and (D) are incorrect because the definite article the must be used before superlative.
5. The skiers would rather ………………………..through the mountain than go by bus.
a. To travel on train
b. Traveled by train
c. Travel by train
d. Traveling by train
Answer : C
The correct form is would rather + [verb in simple form]
6. That magnificent …………………………………..temple was constructed by the Chinese.
a. Eight-centuries-old
b. Eight-century’s-old
c. Old-eight-centuries
d. Eight-century-old
Answers : D
Eight-century-old is functioning as an adjective and cannot be plural.
7. There were two small rooms in the beach house,……………………………...served as a kitchen.
a. The smaller of which
b. The smallest of which
c. The smaller of them
d. Smallest of that
Answer: A
Use the comparative when only two entities are involved. Choice (B) incorrectly uses the superlative. Choice (C) would be correct if the smaller of them began a new sentence, but it is not correct after the comma. (D) Incorrectly uses the relative pronoun that, which cannot be used with the preposition.
8. Pioneer men and woman endured terrible hardship, and……………………………………
a. So do their children
b. Neither did the children
c. Also the childs
d. So did their children
Answer: D
Choice (A) includes an incorrect sequence of tenses; do should be did to agree with endured. (B) uses negative agreement, and the sentence is positive. Choice (C) includes incorrect use of affirmative agreement. Also, the correct plural of child is children.
9. Last year, Matt earned …………………….his brother, who has a better position.
a. Twice as much as
b. Twice more than
c. Twice as many as
d. Twice as more as
Answer : A
This is a multiple number comparative. Choice (C) is also a multiple number comparative, but one earns money. Money is a non- count noun, and thus the sentence require much.
10. …………………………………, he would have been able to pass the exam.
a. If he studied more
b. If he were studying to a greater degree
c. Studying more
d. Had he studied more
Answer : D
This is a past condition. The correct sequence is had studied ………..would have been able. (B) is verbose.
11. Mr. Duncan does not know …………………………………the lawn mower after they had finished using it.
a. Where did they put
b. Where they did put
c. Where they put
d. Where to put
Answer : C
The correct structure for an embedded question is question word + subject + verb. Choice (A) and (B) incorrectly include did, and choice (D) incorrectly uses the infinitive to put.



12. The facilities of the older hospital…………………………..
a. Is as good or better than the new hospital
b. Are as good or better that the new hospital.
c. Are as good as or better than the new hospital
d. Are as good as or better than those of the new hospital
Answer : D
Choice (A) is incorrect because the subject facilities is plural and require a plural verb. Choice (B) uses an incorrect comparative. It should be better than. Choices (A),(B),(C) all use an illogical comparison. They seem to compare the facilities with the new hospital. Choice (D) is correct; those of = the facilities of.
13. Our fight from Amsterdam to London was delayed……………………………the heavy fog.
a. Because of
b. Because
c. On account
d. As result
Answer : A
Choice (B),(C),(D) are all missing necessary prepositions, because of, on account of, as a result of (notice that a necessary article was left out here as well).
14. The teacher suggested that her students …………………………..experiences with ESP.
a. Write a composition on their
b. To write a composition about the
c. Wrote some compositions of his or her
d. Had written any composition for his
Answer: A
In this subjunctive construction use suggest that + [verb in simple form].
15. Of the two new teachers, one is experienced and………………………….
a. The others are not
b. Another is unexperienced
c. The other is not
d. Other lacks experience
Answer : C
Choice (A) incorrectly uses others, which implies that there are more than one other. The sentence says there are two teachers. Choice (B) incorrectly uses another, which indicates the indefinite. A specific is required here. (D) is incorrect because in this sentence other requires the article the.

11 TOEFL Listening Tips

11 TOEFL Listening Tips
Today we are going to wrap up the TOEFL Listening section with 11 TOEFL listening tips.
1. Take notes, write down keywords, dates, numbers and other things you think is important
2. Be sure to know the characters in your conversation or lecture
3. Understand if you are listening to a lecture or conversation, a lecture is when mostly one person is speaking while a conversation involves multiple people
4. What is the lecture or conversation about? What is the main theme?
5. Ask yourself, who, when, why, where, how many and how much.
6. What is the tone of the conversation or lecture? Is the speaker upset, happy or maybe sad
7. Paraphrase your answer, meaning you can use the material you heard but have to change the words
8. Work on your vocabulary, try to learn new words
9. Watch movies in English, this will help your vocabulary and comprehension
10. Be aware of material that are there to distract you from the main theme
11. If you don’t know, guess
These are some of our TOEFL listening tips, and remember if you have any questions regarding the TOEFL listening section do not hesitate to join TOEFL Book and share your questions with our community.

Sakit Kepala 'Menetap' Picu Kanker Otak

Kanker otak memang tak 'sebeken' penyakit kanker lain, seperti kanker serviks atau kanker payudara. Namun, seperti kebanyakan penyakit kanker pada umumnya, kanker otak merupakan penyakit bersifat diam (silent killer) yang berbahaya.

Karena sifatnya itu, seringkali penyakit kanker otak baru terdeteksi setelah memasuki stadium lanjut. Jika rasa sakit di bagian kepala telah memuncak, ada kemungkinan, kanker itu telah menyebar ke bagian tubuh lain (metastasis). Kalau sudah begitu, penanganan kanker menjadi lebih rumit dan berisiko.

"Oleh karena itu, masyarakat perlu melakukan deteksi sejak dini penyakit kanker otak," saran Fielda Djuita, spesialis radiologi Rumah Sakit Mochtar Riady Comprehensive Cancer Centre Siloam Hospitals Semanggi, Jakarta.

Seperti kebanyakan penyakit kanker, diagnosis dini dan pengobatan adalah kunci untuk pemulihan. Pengobatan yang terlambat akan mengkibatkan sel kanker tersebut menyebar dan masuk ke semua jaringan otak dan pada akhirnya bisa menyebabkan kematian.

Gejala dan faktor risiko

Kanker otak tidak memiliki beberapa gejala. Tanda-tanda kanker otak tergantung pada lokasi bagian yang terkena serangan kanker. Kejang, kehilangan keseimbangan, penglihatan kabur, kesulitan bicara, pusing, kehilangan penglihatan dan pendengaran bisa menjadi tanda-tanda dari gejala kanker otak.

Walaupun tidak semua tanda-tanda itu merupakan ciri khas dan gejala kanker otak, tetapi Anda harus waspada jika sering mengalami salah satu atau beberapa gangguan seperti yang disebutkan di atas.

Sementara itu, Ada beberapa faktor penyebab risiko terkena kanker otak. Bila dalam riwayat keluarga ada yang pernah terkena penyakit ini, maka Anda memiliki risiko tersebut.

Selain itu, paparan terus-menerus dari bahan kimia tertentu dapat meningkatkan risiko kanker. Seorang perokok juga berisiko lebih tinggi terkena penyakit ini daripada orang yang tidak merokok. Faktor risiko lainnya adalah ras. Kanker otak lebih sering terjadi pada ras kulit putih.

Pengobatan kanker otak

Dengan melakukan deteksi sejak dini, perkembangan tumor ke arah sel kanker ganas dapat dicegah. Meskipun, pasien kanker stadium lanjut pun masih berpeluang sembuh.

Kini, dengan peralatan medis mutakhir yang dimiliki sejumlah rumahsakit di Tanah Air, Anda tak perlu lagi berobat ke luar negeri, seperti Singapura atau China, dua negara yang selama ini menjadi destinasi favorit para pasien penyakit kanker asal Indonesia.

Fielda Djuita menjelaskan Beberapa rumahsakit di Indonesia sudah punya fasilitas dan infrastruktur canggih untuk penyakit kanker.

Beberapa peralatan, seperti Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography (PET-CT) serta peralatan terapi radiasi Linear Accelerator, kini telah dapat dinikmati pasien di rumahsakit nasional. Dua alat ini sangat menunjang penanganan penyakit kanker.

Mesin PET-CT berguna meningkatkan akurasi penilaian dokter dalam menilai kondisi suatu tumor jinak atau ganas. Pada praktiknya, pasien akan diinjeksi dengan cairan gula (glukosa) yang mengandung radiasi dalam tingkatan normal.
Selanjutnya, tubuh pasien dipindai dengan PET-CT tersebut. Hasilnya, situs atau lokasi tumor ganas akan berpijar terang. Sebab, sel tumor ganas memerlukan sumber energi seperti glukosa untuk bermutasi.

Setelah diketahui lokasi dan sifat dari tumor pada tubuh pasien, para ahli medis yang menangani penyakit kanker tersebut akan melakukan diskusi. Tujuannya tak lain untuk mencari strategi yang tepat bagi pasien apakah masih diperlukan tes kembali atau diperlukan tindakan ekstra karena kanker telah menyebar ke bagian tubuh yang lain.

Bahkan, lanjut Hendra, setelah melewati proses pengangkatan kanker pun, pasien masih harus melakukan pengecekan lewat mesin PET-CT. Tujuannya untuk mengetahui apakah sel kanker atau keloid telah hilang dari tubuh pasien setelah operasi.

Setelah alat PET-CT, dokter dapat mengambil tindakan menggunakan Linear Accelator. Alat ini berfungsi untuk menyinari bagian tubuh yang menjadi situs kanker. Penyinaran dilakukan selama tiga menit. Selama penyinaran itu, pasien tidak dibius.

Biasanya, kata Fielda, pasien anak-anak penderita kanker bakal mendapatkan sekitar 25 kali penyinaran. Sedangkan penyinaran pasien kanker otak dewasa dilakukan sebanyak lebih dari 30 kali. "Dokter dapat mengombinasi antara operasi dengan penyinaran bila situs kanker adalah organ lunak dan penting seperti otak," ujar dia.

Alat Linear Accelator ini cukup penting bagi pengobatan kanker. Sebab, akurasi penyinaran alat ini cukup tinggi, sehingga bisa meminimalisir kematian sel otak yang masih sehat.
"Ada sistem yang disebut On Board Imaging (OBI). Sistem ini dapat meningkatkan akurasi karena dapat menyinari situs dalam posisi 360 derajat," ujar Fielda.

Ukuran tumor atau kanker yang dapat disinari dengan alat ini, biasanya, di atas 3 centimeter (cm). Bila di bawah 3 cm, proses pengangkatan dapat dilakukan dengan alat yang disebut Gamma Knife. Tujuannya adalah mengangkat kanker sebanyak-banyaknya dan meminimkan risiko kehilangan fungsi otak.

Orang Pertama Kali Sembuh Dari Penyakit "AIDS"

Inilah Orang Pertama Kali Sembuh Dari Penyakit "AIDS"

pasien aisd
San Fransisco – Dokter mengatakan, pria 45 tahun di California ini mungkin menjadi orang pertama yang sembuh dari AIDS. Ini diketahui dari gen kebal HIV miliknya. Seperti apa?
Timothy Ray Brown diketahui positif HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) pada 1995. Kini, ia masuk jurnal ilmiah sebagai orang pertama yang berhasil ‘menghapus’ virus HIV dari tubuhnya secara sepenuhnya. Dokter menyebut kondisi ini ‘penyembuhan fungsional’.
Pada 2008, Brown tinggal di Berlin dan mengidap HIV dan leukemia. Di sana, ilmuwan melakukan cangkok tulang sumsum untuk mengobati leukemianya. Ilmuwan mengatakan, Brown mendapat sumsum dari donor yang termasuk dalam 1% Caucasia kebal HIV.
“Saya berhenti berobat HIV di hari saya mendapat transplan itu,” papar pria yang dijuluki ‘Pasien Berlin’ itu.
Peneliti AIDS Dr Jay Levy dari University of California, San Fransisco (UCSF) mengatakan, kasus Brown membuka pintu ‘riset penyembuhan’.
Namun, dokter menekankan, prosedur radikal Brown mungkin tak cocok dengan penderita HIV lain karena sulitnya cangkok sumsum dan menemukan donor yang sesuai.
“Tentunya Anda tak mau melakukan cangkok ini karena risiko kematiannya,” ungkap Paul Volberding dari UCSF.
Banyak pertanyaan mengenai pengobatan Brown tak terjawab, lanjutnya. “Satu elemen pengobatannya nampaknya memungkinkan virus keluar dari tubuhnya,” lanjutnya lagi.
Hal ini akan menjadi studi yang menarik, tutupnya.

Antibiotik berlebih merusak keseimbangan bakteri di usus.

Sejak 70 tahun terakhir, antibiotik lazim digunakan dalam pengobatan berbagai penyakit. Akan tetapi, tahukah Anda penggunaan antibiotik yang berlebihan dan terlalu sering dapat menyebabkan kelebihan berat badan atau bahkan obesitas?

Sebuah penelitian yang dilakukan oleh New York University Langone Medical Center menemukan bahwa penggunaan antibiotik berlebihan dapat kerusakan permanen pada keseimbangan bakteri baik di dalam usus. Hal ini dapat mengganggu tingkat hormon yang berfungsi mengelabui rasa lapar.

Seperti dilansir dari Daily Mail, Dr Martin Blaser dari New York University Langone Medical Center, mengatakan bahwa ia mencoba memberikan antibiotik pada tikus percobaan. Hasilnya, pertambahan berat badan tikus yang diberi antibiotik lebih besar dibandingkan tikus yang tidak diberikan antibiotik.

Dia percaya hal ini juga berlaku pada manusia, terutama dalam kaitannya dengan infeksi yang disebabkan oleh bakteri Helicobacter pylori yang berada di usus.

Menurutnya, mengonsumsi antibiotik setiap terjadi infeksi dapat mengubah kerja sistem pencernaan. "Kami telah melihat bukti yang menunjukkan bahwa antibiotik secara permanen dapat mengubah kerja bakteri baik yang ada di dalam usus kita."

Ia pun menambahkan bahwa masyarakat ilmiah telah menciptakan lebih banyak formula antibiotik untuk membunuh organisme tertentu, bukan semua bakteri. "Tapi hingga saat ini, kita belum memilikinya."

Stop Aborsi

Sungguh memprihatinkan, fakta bahwa 1 hingga 2 juta perempuan Indonesia melakukan aborsi setiap tahun. Sebagai negara yang mayoritas penduduknya umat taat beragama melihat fakta ini sungguh sangat miris. Padahal aborsi adalah salah satu tindakan yang bisa menimbulkan banyak dampak buruk bagi kesehatan. Aborsi bukanlah suatu prosedur medis yang sederhana. Jika dilakukan secara sembarangan dapat menimbulkan risiko kesehatan yang serius. Bahkan bagi beberapa perempuan hal ini dapat mempengaruhi fisik, emosional dan spiritualnya. Komplikasi serius yang bisa timbul akibat aborsi adalah:

1. Pendarahan hebat.Jika leher rahim robek atau terbuka lebar akan menimbukan pendarahan yang dapat berbahaya bagi keselamatan ibu. Terkadang dibutuhkan pembedahan untuk menghentikan pendarahan tersebut.



https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlO35L20v3BeDb2s9LC8YoM0TyMomad7NPKhML1Iu8WGOSQ8XibIr8mGzdmGvOoojEYg93GWO9CzcPvo-4IKIhNpYsXRqjxMqRxCfGejCd1TKTKVeXJOmtCX3kb9MDcEVYuhUOot1ySXw/s1600/aborsi.jpg


2. Infeksi.
Infeksi dapat disebabkan oleh alat medis tidak steril yang dimasukkan ke dalam rahim atau sisa janin yang
tidak dibersihkan dengan benar.
3. Aborsi tidak sempurna.
Adanya bagian dari janin yang tersisa di dalam rahim sehingga dapat menimbulkan perdarahan atau infeksi.

4. Sepsis (keracunan darah)Biasanya terjadi jika aborsi menyebabkan infeksi tubuh secara total yang kemungkinan terburuknya menyebabkan kematian.

http://creasoft.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/abortion2.jpg?w=425&h=325


5. Kerusakan leher rahim.
Kerusakan ini terjadi akibat leher rahim yang terpotong, robek atau rusak akibat alat-alat aborsi yang digunakan.

6. Kerusakan organ lain.
Saat alat dimasukkan ke dalam rahim, maka ada kemungkinan alat tersebut menyebabkan kerusakan pada organ terdekat seperti usus atau kandung kemih.

7. Kematian.
Meskipun komplikasi ini jarang terjadi, tapi kematian bisa terjadi jika aborsi menyebabkan perdarahan yang berlebihan, infeksi, kerusakan organ serta reaksi dari anestesi yang dapat menyebabkan kematian.

8. Gangguan kesehatan mental
Aborsi dapat mempengaruhi emosional dan spiritual pelakunya. Gangguan mental kadang muncul seperti kecemasan, depresi atau mungkin mencoba melakukan bunuh diri.