IV. Reading comprehension. Read the following passage and choose the best answer.

A. THE PANAMA CANAL

A canal is like a short river that is made by people. Boats use canals to travel between places.
The Panama Canal is in the country of Panama. Panama is a small country in the southern part of
Central America. The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is a convenient
way for boats to travel from east to west. France began to build the canal in 1881. The work was
very hard and dangerous. Many people died while building the Panama Canal. In fact, about
20,000 people died. Many deaths were due to disease. However, many workers also died because
of the difficult work. The workers had to dig a huge path for boats, and they had to build giant
walls to hold the water in the canal. These big jobs included lots of dangerous things that the
workers had to do. France decided not to complete the canal. It was too difficult, dangerous, and
expensive. France stopped working on the canal in 1891. In 1904, the United States decided to
try and finish the job that France started. It took ten years of work, but the workers finished the
canal this time. The first boat passed through the Panama Canal in 1914. It was a great success!
21. The reading is about _______________________ .
A. crossing the Atlantic ocean B. the building of the Panama Canal
C. the first boat to cross the Panama Canal D. the place where the Panama Canal was
built
22. Where was the Panama Canal built?
A. It was between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. B. It was built in the Atlantic Ocean.
C. It was built in the Pacific Ocean. D. It was built in France.
23. The French stopped working on the canal ____________________ .
A. in 1904 B. in 1891 C. in 1881 D. in 1914
24. Which one of the following is NOT a reason the French stopped building the canal?
A. Around 2,000 people died building the canal.
B. Americans started working on the canal in 1904.
C. It takes one day to cross the Panama Canal.
D. It took five years to finish the canal building.
25. What does the word ‘convenient’ in the sentence mean?
It is a convenient way for boats to travel from east to west.
A. cheap B. useful C. different D. difficult