Reading Practice Step - 3

Every wedding takes a lot of planning. But Marcel and Karina had to do more than the usual preparation. Why should this be so?

Read the passage and answer the question that follows.
On Saturday I will be a groomsman at what can only be described as a very L.A. wedding: It will feature English and Spanish, rap and marimba, Rick James and Celia Cruz. The story of Marcel Hall and Karina Vasquez is typical of many young, engaged couples: They met in college, attended the same church and fell in love. What makes it so L.A., besides the fact that they both grew up in Los Angeles, is that Marcel is African American and Karina is a first-generation Guatemalan. Their union reflects the transformation of many urban Los Angeles communities, where an influx of Latinos into traditionally black neighborhoods has resulted in panaderias next to storefront churches, and restaurants that serve both Latin and soul food. Cities such as Inglewood, Hawthorne and Compton are now more than 40%  Latino.
             
This trend has also created its share of tension, as when Latino and black students skirmished last spring at Jefferson High School in South Los Angeles.     Still, most of these communities survive such changes, and even prosper, by recognizing the values of both Latino and black culture. On a much smaller scale — there will be only about 150 people there — Marcel and Karina's wedding shows one way to strike the delicate balancing act between the two cultures. The future Mr. and Mrs. Hall say it has taken creativity to incorporate both cultures into their festivities. For the father-daughter dance, Karina will dance a traditional Guatemalan marimba. The groom has requested that his groomsmen move down the aisle to one of his favorite rap songs, while the bridesmaids will enter to a ballad by the Spanish-speaking Italian pop star Laura Pausini.

The wedding will have two emcees, one who will speak Spanish and the other English. The couple also requested that I say grace in both languages. (I have reluctantly accepted. But fair warning: My prayer may be more eloquent in English.).

Yet the couple also has sought out neutral territory — literally, in that they will be married in Altadena, where neither grew up. The neutrality is evident in other ways as well. On a tight budget, the main entrée will be pasta and chicken wings. For their first dance they have chosen "You Make Me Feel Brand New" by the Stylistics, a song they feel both cultures will appreciate. The wedding party, not to mention the guest list, includes people of various races and ethnicities from throughout the segmented city that is Los Angeles.
 
Every wedding takes a lot of planning. But Marcel and Karina had to do more than the usual preparation. Although they dated for two years, they confess their families took a while to warm up to their relationship. Karina jokingly tells how once-disapproving family members now speak of Marcel as "one of the good ones." Marcel confides that his mother was not always keen on the relationship, wondering why her son did not choose a suitable black woman. Yet both have seen their families come around. And they have faith that they will be able to count on the acceptance and support of their families for the rest of their lives.

Which of the following statements best describes Los Angles?

Read the passage and answer the question that follows.
On Saturday I will be a groomsman at what can only be described as a very L.A. wedding: It will feature English and Spanish, rap and marimba, Rick James and Celia Cruz. The story of Marcel Hall and Karina Vasquez is typical of many young, engaged couples: They met in college, attended the same church and fell in love. What makes it so L.A., besides the fact that they both grew up in Los Angeles, is that Marcel is African American and Karina is a first-generation Guatemalan. Their union reflects the transformation of many urban Los Angeles communities, where an influx of Latinos into traditionally black neighborhoods has resulted in panaderias next to storefront churches, and restaurants that serve both Latin and soul food. Cities such as Inglewood, Hawthorne and Compton are now more than 40%  Latino.
             
This trend has also created its share of tension, as when Latino and black students skirmished last spring at Jefferson High School in South Los Angeles.     Still, most of these communities survive such changes, and even prosper, by recognizing the values of both Latino and black culture. On a much smaller scale — there will be only about 150 people there — Marcel and Karina's wedding shows one way to strike the delicate balancing act between the two cultures. The future Mr. and Mrs. Hall say it has taken creativity to incorporate both cultures into their festivities. For the father-daughter dance, Karina will dance a traditional Guatemalan marimba. The groom has requested that his groomsmen move down the aisle to one of his favorite rap songs, while the bridesmaids will enter to a ballad by the Spanish-speaking Italian pop star Laura Pausini.

The wedding will have two emcees, one who will speak Spanish and the other English. The couple also requested that I say grace in both languages. (I have reluctantly accepted. But fair warning: My prayer may be more eloquent in English.).

Yet the couple also has sought out neutral territory — literally, in that they will be married in Altadena, where neither grew up. The neutrality is evident in other ways as well. On a tight budget, the main entrée will be pasta and chicken wings. For their first dance they have chosen "You Make Me Feel Brand New" by the Stylistics, a song they feel both cultures will appreciate. The wedding party, not to mention the guest list, includes people of various races and ethnicities from throughout the segmented city that is Los Angeles.
 
Every wedding takes a lot of planning. But Marcel and Karina had to do more than the usual preparation. Although they dated for two years, they confess their families took a while to warm up to their relationship. Karina jokingly tells how once-disapproving family members now speak of Marcel as "one of the good ones." Marcel confides that his mother was not always keen on the relationship, wondering why her son did not choose a suitable black woman. Yet both have seen their families come around. And they have faith that they will be able to count on the acceptance and support of their families for the rest of their lives.

“A very L.A. Wedding” could mean

Read the passage and answer the question that follows.
On Saturday I will be a groomsman at what can only be described as a very L.A. wedding: It will feature English and Spanish, rap and marimba, Rick James and Celia Cruz. The story of Marcel Hall and Karina Vasquez is typical of many young, engaged couples: They met in college, attended the same church and fell in love. What makes it so L.A., besides the fact that they both grew up in Los Angeles, is that Marcel is African American and Karina is a first-generation Guatemalan. Their union reflects the transformation of many urban Los Angeles communities, where an influx of Latinos into traditionally black neighborhoods has resulted in panaderias next to storefront churches, and restaurants that serve both Latin and soul food. Cities such as Inglewood, Hawthorne and Compton are now more than 40%  Latino.
             
This trend has also created its share of tension, as when Latino and black students skirmished last spring at Jefferson High School in South Los Angeles.     Still, most of these communities survive such changes, and even prosper, by recognizing the values of both Latino and black culture. On a much smaller scale — there will be only about 150 people there — Marcel and Karina's wedding shows one way to strike the delicate balancing act between the two cultures. The future Mr. and Mrs. Hall say it has taken creativity to incorporate both cultures into their festivities. For the father-daughter dance, Karina will dance a traditional Guatemalan marimba. The groom has requested that his groomsmen move down the aisle to one of his favorite rap songs, while the bridesmaids will enter to a ballad by the Spanish-speaking Italian pop star Laura Pausini.

The wedding will have two emcees, one who will speak Spanish and the other English. The couple also requested that I say grace in both languages. (I have reluctantly accepted. But fair warning: My prayer may be more eloquent in English.).

Yet the couple also has sought out neutral territory — literally, in that they will be married in Altadena, where neither grew up. The neutrality is evident in other ways as well. On a tight budget, the main entrée will be pasta and chicken wings. For their first dance they have chosen "You Make Me Feel Brand New" by the Stylistics, a song they feel both cultures will appreciate. The wedding party, not to mention the guest list, includes people of various races and ethnicities from throughout the segmented city that is Los Angeles.
 
Every wedding takes a lot of planning. But Marcel and Karina had to do more than the usual preparation. Although they dated for two years, they confess their families took a while to warm up to their relationship. Karina jokingly tells how once-disapproving family members now speak of Marcel as "one of the good ones." Marcel confides that his mother was not always keen on the relationship, wondering why her son did not choose a suitable black woman. Yet both have seen their families come around. And they have faith that they will be able to count on the acceptance and support of their families for the rest of their lives.

The passage could be found in

Read the passage and answer the question that follows.
On Saturday I will be a groomsman at what can only be described as a very L.A. wedding: It will feature English and Spanish, rap and marimba, Rick James and Celia Cruz. The story of Marcel Hall and Karina Vasquez is typical of many young, engaged couples: They met in college, attended the same church and fell in love. What makes it so L.A., besides the fact that they both grew up in Los Angeles, is that Marcel is African American and Karina is a first-generation Guatemalan. Their union reflects the transformation of many urban Los Angeles communities, where an influx of Latinos into traditionally black neighborhoods has resulted in panaderias next to storefront churches, and restaurants that serve both Latin and soul food. Cities such as Inglewood, Hawthorne and Compton are now more than 40%  Latino.
             
This trend has also created its share of tension, as when Latino and black students skirmished last spring at Jefferson High School in South Los Angeles.     Still, most of these communities survive such changes, and even prosper, by recognizing the values of both Latino and black culture. On a much smaller scale — there will be only about 150 people there — Marcel and Karina's wedding shows one way to strike the delicate balancing act between the two cultures. The future Mr. and Mrs. Hall say it has taken creativity to incorporate both cultures into their festivities. For the father-daughter dance, Karina will dance a traditional Guatemalan marimba. The groom has requested that his groomsmen move down the aisle to one of his favorite rap songs, while the bridesmaids will enter to a ballad by the Spanish-speaking Italian pop star Laura Pausini.

The wedding will have two emcees, one who will speak Spanish and the other English. The couple also requested that I say grace in both languages. (I have reluctantly accepted. But fair warning: My prayer may be more eloquent in English.).

Yet the couple also has sought out neutral territory — literally, in that they will be married in Altadena, where neither grew up. The neutrality is evident in other ways as well. On a tight budget, the main entrée will be pasta and chicken wings. For their first dance they have chosen "You Make Me Feel Brand New" by the Stylistics, a song they feel both cultures will appreciate. The wedding party, not to mention the guest list, includes people of various races and ethnicities from throughout the segmented city that is Los Angeles.
 
Every wedding takes a lot of planning. But Marcel and Karina had to do more than the usual preparation. Although they dated for two years, they confess their families took a while to warm up to their relationship. Karina jokingly tells how once-disapproving family members now speak of Marcel as "one of the good ones." Marcel confides that his mother was not always keen on the relationship, wondering why her son did not choose a suitable black woman. Yet both have seen their families come around. And they have faith that they will be able to count on the acceptance and support of their families for the rest of their lives.

The only gain from Hurricane Katrina could be

Read the passage and answer the question that follows.
Television News Programs have conveyed the havoc and the heartbreak caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and surrounding areas. Thousands are missing or dead, millions have been forced from their homes and billions of dollars worth of property has been destroyed. And a city with a rich history now finds most of its neighborhoods awash in contaminated water. The devastation is so great, the problems spilling into states outside Katrina's path seem trivial. But over the next several months, they are sure to take a toll as well. Among the most notable impacts is the reduced supply of gasoline, fuel oil and natural gas, which in turn increase the pressure for a more sensible national energy policy.
                      
The United States is heavily dependent on the Gulf for energy — it accounts for more than 25% of the oil and about 20% of the natural gas produced here, and its offshore facilities handle about 10% of the oil imports. The hurricane not only cut off nearly all the oil and gas production and the imports, it shut down eight major refineries and many important pipelines. One of those pipelines reopened Wednesday, but it remained unclear how long the rest of the Gulf's energy infrastructure would remain sidelined.

Gas stations reacted immediately, boosting prices in some areas well above $3 per gallon. Although wholesale prices dropped back a bit Wednesday, some analysts predicted that most drivers would be paying $3.50 per gallon within weeks. An extended run of record-high gasoline prices could be devastating to the economy, as higher energy bills force cutbacks in other spending. We may be able to dodge that bullet, though, if the administration and foreign suppliers can fill the gap in crude oil supplies and the Gulf refineries can be brought quickly back to life. The Bush administration has offered to loan oil companies crude from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and it tried to increase the supply of refined fuel by easing the air-quality requirements for gasoline sold outside California.

More insidious is the impact on natural gas, which fuels about 40% of the electricity generated in California. Wholesale prices have already jumped 16% in Southern California, and those increases are sure to be felt by anyone paying for air conditioning. The disruption of the Gulf drilling platforms and pipelines could mean that less natural gas will be stocked away for the winter, when the need is greatest. The country amassed a healthy surplus early this year, but most of that cushion has been consumed by power plants during the unusually hot summer months.

There's no quick fix for the looming problems with the supply of natural gas. Because there are so few places to stockpile liquid natural gas — only five in the United States — we cannot simply import the stuff from a foreign producer to replace what we're losing from the Gulf. Liquid natural gas storage facilities are controversial; a proposal to put one in Long Beach Harbor has drawn fierce resistance.

The nearest meaning of the word ”footloose” is

Read the passage and answer the question that follows.
From the remote northern province of Britannia, around the year 390, came Pelagius: a fat, self–possessed cleric who called himself a monk (though he had never been ordained). He landed footloose in Rome, preaching about the human capacity for redemption. God did not choose who was saved, he said.  Salvation was the result of human effort. If we could reach within ourselves and draw forth the core of natural purity that God had put there – for why would He create us without it? - we could remake the world during our lifetimes. The role of the church, Pelagius said, was to help its members fruitfully exercise the will to be good. Followers gathered around the British monk.  He often stood quietly on summer evenings as small groups of passionate would–be reformers of the church, including several of the younger bishops, talked excited about doing away with baptism or encouraging good works. He attacked the nonsensical idea, as he called it, that Adam’s sin had been transmitted to the rest of humanity. He argued that people were perfectible; that human actions and human will, guided by God, could create a kind of echo of heaven on earth. The prayer groups that gathered to hear Pelagius were like reflecting pools, in which the members could see their faith and aspiration echoed in the shape of the conversation.  
 
Far away, in his cell outside Carthage, the solemn bishop Augustine of Hippo turned his attention to the Pelagian gatherings. He had spent his life branding and fighting heretics; Pelagius would be his last great opponent. He was a supreme logician, and he rested his argument against Pelagius on the innate corruption twined within the animal core of human nature. We are all fundamentally flawed – all tagged with our own limited view of the world. Every time we think that we have turned the corner and mastered our fate, our pride contains the seeds of its own collapse. How can we presume to declare that we will create heaven, when we can’t even predict the effects of the everyday exercise of our will?    
Saint Augustine won the ear of the emperor, of the Pope, and of the church leaders. Some say they found his doctrine more palatable because it legitimized their authority; if humans were innately damned, then they needed the church to intervene. Others say Augustine’s strictures fit the spirit of the times. And still others say simply that Augustine was right. Fearing for this life, Pelagius fled to Jerusalem. Twenty years later, he was finally tried for heresy there. Despite Augustine’s objections, he was acquitted, but he died shortly thereafter. His death inspired riots in Rome. All followers of Pelagianism were banished from Christian lands.

That was fifteen centuries ago. Ever since, Augustinians and Pelagians have battled for the soul of Western human beings. How arrogant, say the Augustinians, to presume that we can draw forth our full potential without God’s direction. How hopeless, say the Pelagians, to deny our inner beauty and our capacity to help ourselves. (“There are no bad children, only bad parents,” is a Pelagian sentiment.) The arguments echo in every sidelong glance that one human being gives another. Can our neighbors be trusted? Will they rise to meet our trust, or betray it? How much can we have faith in our–selves?

What could the statement: “There are no bad children, only bad parents” mean in the context of the passage?

Read the passage and answer the question that follows.
From the remote northern province of Britannia, around the year 390, came Pelagius: a fat, self–possessed cleric who called himself a monk (though he had never been ordained). He landed footloose in Rome, preaching about the human capacity for redemption. God did not choose who was saved, he said.  Salvation was the result of human effort. If we could reach within ourselves and draw forth the core of natural purity that God had put there – for why would He create us without it? - we could remake the world during our lifetimes. The role of the church, Pelagius said, was to help its members fruitfully exercise the will to be good. Followers gathered around the British monk.  He often stood quietly on summer evenings as small groups of passionate would–be reformers of the church, including several of the younger bishops, talked excited about doing away with baptism or encouraging good works. He attacked the nonsensical idea, as he called it, that Adam’s sin had been transmitted to the rest of humanity. He argued that people were perfectible; that human actions and human will, guided by God, could create a kind of echo of heaven on earth. The prayer groups that gathered to hear Pelagius were like reflecting pools, in which the members could see their faith and aspiration echoed in the shape of the conversation.  
 
Far away, in his cell outside Carthage, the solemn bishop Augustine of Hippo turned his attention to the Pelagian gatherings. He had spent his life branding and fighting heretics; Pelagius would be his last great opponent. He was a supreme logician, and he rested his argument against Pelagius on the innate corruption twined within the animal core of human nature. We are all fundamentally flawed – all tagged with our own limited view of the world. Every time we think that we have turned the corner and mastered our fate, our pride contains the seeds of its own collapse. How can we presume to declare that we will create heaven, when we can’t even predict the effects of the everyday exercise of our will?    
Saint Augustine won the ear of the emperor, of the Pope, and of the church leaders. Some say they found his doctrine more palatable because it legitimized their authority; if humans were innately damned, then they needed the church to intervene. Others say Augustine’s strictures fit the spirit of the times. And still others say simply that Augustine was right. Fearing for this life, Pelagius fled to Jerusalem. Twenty years later, he was finally tried for heresy there. Despite Augustine’s objections, he was acquitted, but he died shortly thereafter. His death inspired riots in Rome. All followers of Pelagianism were banished from Christian lands.

That was fifteen centuries ago. Ever since, Augustinians and Pelagians have battled for the soul of Western human beings. How arrogant, say the Augustinians, to presume that we can draw forth our full potential without God’s direction. How hopeless, say the Pelagians, to deny our inner beauty and our capacity to help ourselves. (“There are no bad children, only bad parents,” is a Pelagian sentiment.) The arguments echo in every sidelong glance that one human being gives another. Can our neighbors be trusted? Will they rise to meet our trust, or betray it? How much can we have faith in our–selves?