(C) avoid thinking about

　　(D) find a solution for

　　009. Thousands of tons were extracted before 1875, when it was first noticed that the tar contained fossil remains. Major excavations were undertaken that established the significance of this remarkable site.

　　The word "noticed" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) predicted

　　(B) announced

　　(C) corrected

　　(D) observed

　　010. Since then, over 100 tons of fossils, 1.5 million from vertebrates, 2.5 million from invertebrates, have been recovered, often in densely concentrated tangled masses.

　　The word "tangled" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) buried beneath

　　(B) twisted together

　　(C) quickly formed

　　(D) easily dated

　　011. The asphalt at La Brea seeps to the surface, especially in the summer, and forms shallow puddles that would often have been concealed by leaves and dust.

　　The word "concealed" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) highlighted

　　(B) covered

　　(C) transformed

　　(D) contaminated

　　012. The ocean bottom --- a region nearly 2. 5 times greater than the total land area of the Earth --- is a vast frontier that even today is largely unexplored and uncharted, until about a century ago, the deep-ocean floor was completely inaccessible, hidden beneath waters averaging over 3,600 meters deep.

　　The word "inaccessible" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) unrecognizable

　　(B) unreachable

　　(C) unusable

　　(D) unsafe

　　013. The DSDP's drill ship, the Glomar Challenger, was able to maintain a steady position on the ocean's surface and drill in very deep waters, extracting samples of sediments and rock from the ocean floor.

　　The word "extracting" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) breaking

　　(B) locating

　　(C) removing

　　(D) analyzing

　　014. Today, largely on the strength of evidence gathered during the Glomar Challenger's voyages, nearly all earth scientists agree on the theories of plate tectonics and continental drift that explain many of the geological processes that shape the Earth.

　　The word "strength" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) basis

　　(B) purpose

　　(C) discovery

　　(D) endurance

　　015. For every three Canadians in 1945, there were over five in 1966. In September 1966 Canada's population passed the 20 million mark. Most of this surging growth came from natural increase.

　　The word "surging" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) new

　　(B) extra

　　(C) accelerating

　　(D) surprising

　　016. When the prairies were being settled, undoubtedly, the good economic conditions of the 1950's supported a growth in the population, but the expansion also derived from a trend toward earlier marriages and an increase in the average size of families.

　　The word "trend" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) tendency

　　(B) aim

　　(C) growth