Choose the item among A, B, C or D that best answers the question about the passage:

"The 22nd SEA Games were launched by an impressive opening ceremony at Hanoi’s My Dinh National Stadium on December 5th 2003, in front of over 40,000 awed spectators. On behalf of the host country, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai declared the 22nd SEA Games open.
 Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem, Chairman of the National Steering Board for the 22nd SEA Games, Minister-Chairman Nguyen Danh Thai, and Hanoi Mayor Hoang Van Nghien presented flowers and banners to the 11 participating sports delegations.
 On behalf of the referees and athletes, referee Hoang Quoc Vinh and shooter Nguyên Manh Tuong swore to an oath of “Solidarity, Honesty and Fair Play”.After the “ritual” part of the ceremony, a laser light show kicked off the “festival” segment. More than one thousand artists, dressed in green and sea blue representing the forest and the sea, then presented the first chapter of the performance, named “The Land of the Dragon and Fairy”.
 The scene depicted the legend of Vietnam’s origins, featuring the father-Dragon and mother-Fairy, and ended with young men and women lining up in an S-shaped pattern, a Symbol of Vietnam as a country.
 The second part of the programme, named “Cooperation for Peace” featured children holding five pointed-stars and entering from the stadium's four gates, representing Hanoi, the Capital City with one thousand years of history.
 Dancing men and women in traditional costumes of ASEAN members and East Timor concluded the third segment, named “United ASEAN Looks To The Future”, which comprised four performances: “Lands by the Pacific Ocean,” “Essential Convergence,” “New Tune,” and “ASEAN Towards The Future.”
 The Games mascot, the Golden Buffalo, and 22 singers (standing for the 22nd Games) then took centre stage, singing the Games official song “For a World of Tomorrow”. The whole show ended as thousands of flying balls were released and fireworks were fired from four places in Hanoi."

1. How many nations took part in the 22nd SEA Games in Vietnam?

Large animals that inhabit the desert have evolved a number of adaptations for reducing the effects of extreme heat. One adaptation is to be light in color,  and to reflect rather than absorb the Sun's rays. Desert mammals also depart from the normal mammalian practice of maintaining a constant body temperature. Instead of trying to keep down the body temperature deep inside the body, which would involve the expenditure of water and energy,  desert mammals allow their temperatures to rise to what would normally be fever height, and temperatures as high as 46 degrees Celsius have been measured in Grant's gazelles. The overheated body then cools down during the cold desert night, and indeed the temperature may fall unusually low by dawn,  as low as 34 degrees Celsius in the camel. This is an advantage since the heat of the first few hours of daylight is absorbed in warming up the body, and an excessive buildup of heat does not begin until well into the day.

Another strategy of large desert animals is to tolerate the loss of body water to a point that would be fatal for non-adapted animals. The camel can lose up to 30 percent of its body weight as water without harm to itself, whereas human beings die after losing only 12 to 13 percent of their body weight. An equally important adaptation is the ability to replenish this water loss at one drink. Desert animals can drink prodigious volumes in a short time, and camels have been known to imbibe over 100 liters in a few minutes. A very dehydrated person, on the other hand, cannot drink enough water to rehydrate at one session, because the human stomach is not sufficiently big and because a too rapid dilution of the body fluids causes death from water intoxication. The tolerance of water loss is of obvious advantage in the desert, as animals do not have to remain near a water hole but can obtain food from grazing sparse and far-flung pastures. Desert-adapted mammals have the further ability to feed normally when extremely dehydrated, it is a common experience in people that appetite is lost even under conditions of moderate thirst.

When is the internal temperature of a large desert mammal   lower?

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to complete the passage below

HÀ NỘI — The Government has approved the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism’s proposal to hold the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) and the 11th ASEAN Para Games (Para Games 11) in Việt Nam in 2021.

At a meeting in the capital on Tuesday, the Cabinet assigned Hà Nội __________ (1) the host city, after successfully holding the SEA Games 22 in 2003, the Asian Indoor Games in 2009 and several other international sporting __________ (2). The ministry’s proposal was made after the SEA Games Federation (SEAGF) informed Việt Nam it would have the right to host the SEA Games 31. The federation said Cambodia, scheduled to host SEA Games 31, proposed __________ (3) hosting until the next Games in 2023 as it is not ready.

Concluding the meeting, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc lauded the determination of the culture, sports and tourism sector, as well as of Hà Nội and relevant ministries and agencies. Hosting the events is both the responsibility __________ (4) honour of Việt Nam as a constructive member of ASEAN, he said, adding it is also a chance to promote the Vietnamese land and people. The leader asked Hà Nội __________ (5) infrastructure, set forth a detailed plan on the organisation of the events and mobilise the participation of different economic sectors in these efforts. The sports sector should make preparations to reach the highest results at the tournament, he said.

(2)...................

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

   In developing countries, where three fourths of the world's population live, sixty percent of the people who can’t read and write are women. Being illiterate doesn’t mean they are not intelligent. It does mean it is difficult for them to change their lives. They produce more than half of the food. In Africa eighty percent of all agricultural work is done by women. There are many programs to help poor countries develop their agriculture. However, for years, these programs provided money and training for men.

   In parts of Africa, this is a typical day for a village woman. At 4:45 a.m, she gets up, washes and eats. It takes her a half hour to walk to the fields, and she works there until 3:00 p.m. She collects firewood and gets home at 4:00. She spends the next hour and a half preparing food to cook. Then she collects water for another hour. From 6:30 to 8:30 she cooks. After dinner, she spends an hour washing the dishes and her children. She goes to bed at 9:30 p.m.

   International organizations and programs run by developed nations are starting to help women, as well as men, improve their agricultural production. Governments have already passed some laws affecting women because of the UN Decade for Women. The UN report will affect the changes now happening in the family and society.

Why do people say women produce more than half of the food in Africa?

Read the passage and choose the best answer:

 History of SEA Games

The Southeast Asian Games owes its origins to the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games or SEAP Games. On 22 May, 1958, delegates from the countries in Southeast Asian Peninsula attending the 3rd Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan had a meeting and agreed to establish a sport organization. The SEAP Games was conceptualized by Laung Sukhumnaipradit, then Vice-President of the Thailand Olympic Committee. The proposed rationale was that a regional sports event will help promote cooperation, understanding and relations among countries in the Southeast Asian Peninsula region. Thailand, Burma (now Myanmar), Malaya (now Malaysia), Laos, South Vietnam (now Vietnam) and Cambodia were the founding members. These countries agreed to hold the Games biannually. The SEAP Games Federation Committee was formed.

The first SEAP Games were held in Bangkok from 12-17 December, 1959 comprising more than 527 athletes and officials from Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Cambodia, South Vietnam and Laos participating in 12 sports. At the 8th SEAP Games in 1975, the SEAP Federation considered the inclusion of Indonesia and the Philippines. The two countries were formally admitted in 1977, the same year when SEAP Federation changed their name to Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF), and the games were known as the Southeast Asian Games. Brunei was admitted at the 9th SEA Games in Kualalumper, Malaysia, and East Timor at the 22nd SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. The 23rd SEA Games held in the Philippines, which started from 27 November and ended on 5 December 2005, hosting the biennial event for the third time.

The third Asian Games was held in Korea in 1958.

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space. 
BICYCLES
Why don’t the British cycles? Only a quarter of the estimated twenty million bicycles in the country are thought to be in (58) …….. use. In Denmark, which is flatter but no darker  or  rainier  than  Britain,  twenty  percent  of  all  journeys  are  made  by  bicycles, while in Britain the (59) …….. is only 5%. The government are trying to (60) …….. this. It is hoped that a grant of millions of pounds from the National Lottery will (61)…….. more people to use their bikes. The money will be used to (62) …….. for a 6,500 mile national network of cycle tracks. Britain needs to (63) …….. environmentally friendly scheme such as this. The southern third of the country is one of the most (64)…….. areas of the world. Environmentalists make it (65) …….. to build new roads, and (66)  ……..  roads  are  overcrowded.  One  official  committee  described  the  growth  of motor transport as “possibly the (67) ……. environmental threat to the UK”. The (68)…….. of building the cycles tracks is to motivate people to use their bicycles instead of their cars. However, the new tracks are being built (69) …….. cities and not through them. This (70) …….. that only long distance journeys may be easier and safer. Those cyclists who want to (71) …….. inside cities will still be in danger of (72) …….. their lives on busy roads every time they use their bicycles.

68...............

Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each blank.

Yesterday, Eleanor Preston won an international swimming competition for girls (26) _________ under sixteen. She swam faster (27) _________ girls from ten other countries. This (28) ______even better when you learn that Elenor is only thirteen. She had to have special (29) _________to enter, because normally competitors are fourteen or older. Eleanor has been (30) ______on swimming for a long time – (31) ______she was three in fact. I wonder whether she found it hard to (32) _______several hours a day training. She (33) _________. me that sometimes she has problems finding time for homework, but that’s all. “My parents have given up so (34) _______time driving me to local competitions, I think it’s been harder for them, actually.” Her aim is to swim at the Olympic Games. After yesterday’s performance, I think she may (35)_________. there.

(33) _________

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space. 
BICYCLES
Why don’t the British cycles? Only a quarter of the estimated twenty million bicycles in the country are thought to be in (58) …….. use. In Denmark, which is flatter but no darker  or  rainier  than  Britain,  twenty  percent  of  all  journeys  are  made  by  bicycles, while in Britain the (59) …….. is only 5%. The government are trying to (60) …….. this. It is hoped that a grant of millions of pounds from the National Lottery will (61)…….. more people to use their bikes. The money will be used to (62) …….. for a 6,500 mile national network of cycle tracks. Britain needs to (63) …….. environmentally friendly scheme such as this. The southern third of the country is one of the most (64)…….. areas of the world. Environmentalists make it (65) …….. to build new roads, and (66)  ……..  roads  are  overcrowded.  One  official  committee  described  the  growth  of motor transport as “possibly the (67) ……. environmental threat to the UK”. The (68)…….. of building the cycles tracks is to motivate people to use their bicycles instead of their cars. However, the new tracks are being built (69) …….. cities and not through them. This (70) …….. that only long distance journeys may be easier and safer. Those cyclists who want to (71) …….. inside cities will still be in danger of (72) …….. their lives on busy roads every time they use their bicycles.

59...............

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions. 
The best explainer videos are realized by great background score. When was the last time you watched a silent movie? Never? Not for a while? A long while? Even if you remember watching one, it would still have had a background score, or you’ve accidentally pressed the mute button!
The importance of background music and sound effects for your explainer video, therefore, cannot be overstated. You may not need a full blown orchestra or classy jazz tones to create the mood, but whether going for a subtle effect, a professional demonstration or simply trying to attract customers, music is a must. Explainer videos have the emotional quotient working for them and music is just going to add more to make the viewers relate to the pain points you are highlighting in your video. Imagine if your favorite video game has no background music or sound effects to back the amazing graphics? Would you play it with the same feel and excitement? Nah! Same is the case with your explainer videos. They need to and should have apt sound effects to make them worth your viewer’s time.
While the focus of explainer videos production is more on passing the desired information and explaining technical and complex procedures easily, it doesn’t mean you’ll be distracting your viewers with the background music. The sound effects and music is not going to take the message away from your explainer, it’s just going to enhance it and turn it more watchable and share-able. Even if your video doesn’t require a background score, it must include some sound effects or else it would be not so good an experience for those who choose to watch it

According to paragraph 2, what is the main purpose for using background music?

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space. 
BICYCLES
Why don’t the British cycles? Only a quarter of the estimated twenty million bicycles in the country are thought to be in (58) …….. use. In Denmark, which is flatter but no darker  or  rainier  than  Britain,  twenty  percent  of  all  journeys  are  made  by  bicycles, while in Britain the (59) …….. is only 5%. The government are trying to (60) …….. this. It is hoped that a grant of millions of pounds from the National Lottery will (61)…….. more people to use their bikes. The money will be used to (62) …….. for a 6,500 mile national network of cycle tracks. Britain needs to (63) …….. environmentally friendly scheme such as this. The southern third of the country is one of the most (64)…….. areas of the world. Environmentalists make it (65) …….. to build new roads, and (66)  ……..  roads  are  overcrowded.  One  official  committee  described  the  growth  of motor transport as “possibly the (67) ……. environmental threat to the UK”. The (68)…….. of building the cycles tracks is to motivate people to use their bicycles instead of their cars. However, the new tracks are being built (69) …….. cities and not through them. This (70) …….. that only long distance journeys may be easier and safer. Those cyclists who want to (71) …….. inside cities will still be in danger of (72) …….. their lives on busy roads every time they use their bicycles.

58..................

Large animals that inhabit the desert have evolved a number of adaptations for reducing the effects of extreme heat. One adaptation is to be light in color,  and to reflect rather than absorb the Sun's rays. Desert mammals also depart from the normal mammalian practice of maintaining a constant body temperature. Instead of trying to keep down the body temperature deep inside the body, which would involve the expenditure of water and energy,  desert mammals allow their temperatures to rise to what would normally be fever height, and temperatures as high as 46 degrees Celsius have been measured in Grant's gazelles. The overheated body then cools down during the cold desert night, and indeed the temperature may fall unusually low by dawn,  as low as 34 degrees Celsius in the camel. This is an advantage since the heat of the first few hours of daylight is absorbed in warming up the body, and an excessive buildup of heat does not begin until well into the day.

Another strategy of large desert animals is to tolerate the loss of body water to a point that would be fatal for non-adapted animals. The camel can lose up to 30 percent of its body weight as water without harm to itself, whereas human beings die after losing only 12 to 13 percent of their body weight. An equally important adaptation is the ability to replenish this water loss at one drink. Desert animals can drink prodigious volumes in a short time, and camels have been known to imbibe over 100 liters in a few minutes. A very dehydrated person, on the other hand, cannot drink enough water to rehydrate at one session, because the human stomach is not sufficiently big and because a too rapid dilution of the body fluids causes death from water intoxication. The tolerance of water loss is of obvious advantage in the desert, as animals do not have to remain near a water hole but can obtain food from grazing sparse and far-flung pastures. Desert-adapted mammals have the further ability to feed normally when extremely dehydrated, it is a common experience in people that appetite is lost even under conditions of moderate thirst.

What is the main topic of the  passage?

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions

Games and sports are an important and essential part of a person's life. Along with the study, games, and sports are also important. Hence, most schools conducts various games competitions and sports. Along with the mental development of every person, physical development is also which needs to be taken into consideration. Sports is an important part of a student’s life as well. So, what is the importance of sports and games?

Sports gives us a good exercise which makes us physically strong and increases our stamina and strength. Regular sports activities make us active and lead to good health. Playing Games makes us aware of our environment i.e. Makes us mentally awake and increases our concentration power. Various Games needs good strategies for better performance and teamwork, so it increases our thinking ability and teaches us the power of teamwork and to find a way out of difficult situations. Games and sports also need a lot of energy. It makes us energetic. Games and Sports needs a lot of cooperation between the players. Hence it increases cooperation with each other.

And at last, all of the games have their own rules and regulations which if not followed, leads to negative points. Hence, we can say that it teaches us the importance of following rules in life.

What is the passage mainly about?

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions

People say that Vietnamese students are not well-prepared for their future jobs.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions. 
The best explainer videos are realized by great background score. When was the last time you watched a silent movie? Never? Not for a while? A long while? Even if you remember watching one, it would still have had a background score, or you’ve accidentally pressed the mute button!
The importance of background music and sound effects for your explainer video, therefore, cannot be overstated. You may not need a full blown orchestra or classy jazz tones to create the mood, but whether going for a subtle effect, a professional demonstration or simply trying to attract customers, music is a must. Explainer videos have the emotional quotient working for them and music is just going to add more to make the viewers relate to the pain points you are highlighting in your video. Imagine if your favorite video game has no background music or sound effects to back the amazing graphics? Would you play it with the same feel and excitement? Nah! Same is the case with your explainer videos. They need to and should have apt sound effects to make them worth your viewer’s time.
While the focus of explainer videos production is more on passing the desired information and explaining technical and complex procedures easily, it doesn’t mean you’ll be distracting your viewers with the background music. The sound effects and music is not going to take the message away from your explainer, it’s just going to enhance it and turn it more watchable and share-able. Even if your video doesn’t require a background score, it must include some sound effects or else it would be not so good an experience for those who choose to watch it

According to paragraph 3, what is the fundamental and typical use of explainer videos?

Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase.

That is a program of Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union to (1) _____ individuals, domestic and foreign organizations buy and use bicycles during the time (2) _____ they enjoy the SEA Games 22 in Ho Chi Minh City then donate the bicycles to poor children. Preparing (3) _____ this program, the Organizing Committee has signed a (4) _____ with Martin- a bicycle-making firm - to purchase 1,000 bicycles, at prices from 850,000 to 1,000,000 VND per bicycle -10% (5) _____ than market prices, with nearly 20 different models. In the mid of November, The Organizing Committee will announce, promote, and (6) _____ the program "SEA Games Iron Horses - For Poor Children" through (7) _____ at airport, on buses, taxis, at information desks, posters, banners, newspapers, and websites of city Youth Union. Besides 1,200 volunteers (8) _____ the SEA Games 22, the Organizing Committee also recruits 100 active volunteers for this program to handle the handover and receiving bikes, instructing participating tourists, giving (9) _____ to questions through hot lines. This program both conveys practical significance and helps international friends to understand further the nation and people of Viet, Nam as well as strengthen the friendship and (10) _____ among nations.

(4) _____

Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage:

"The 22nd Southeast Asian Games (22nd SEA Games) successfully closed in Ha Noi. Prominent among 40,000 spectators at the closing (1)…. at My Dinh National Stadium were Party Secretary General Nong Duc Manh, Vice President Truong My Hoa and leaders of the Asian Sport Federation.
 A spectacular art (2)…… programme with the participation of 300 musicians and 500 artists was (3)…….  to welcome the success of the Games. Singaporean swimmer Yeojoscelin who won six gold medals and Vietnamese marksman Nguyen Manh Tuong who owned five gold medals during the Games were awarded the most (4)…… athlete title.
 Nguyen Danh Thai, Minister-Chairman of the State Committee for Physical Training and Sports, President of the 22nd SEA Games Council and Head of the 22nd SEA Games Organising Committee, (5)……. that the Games have successfully concluded after boisterous competition days. All activities took place(6)……  scheduled in an (7)…..  of solidarity and friendship among Southeast Asian people.
With the Vietnamese Government and people's efforts and international support, the 22nd SEA Games have become a festival that impressed people  (8)…. the spirit of “solidarity. cooperation for peace and development”.
 The 22nd SEA Games are not only a song of honesty and nobility in competition and organising competition but (9)….. a sign of a bright future for the development of regional sports. After Vietnamese singer My Linh and a Philippine singer sang the song “For the World of Tomorrow”, Minister Nguven Danh Thai and Chairman of the Ha Noi People's Committee Hoang Van Nghiên handed over the SEA Games Flag to the Chairman of the Olympic Committee and the Head of the Philippine sport team, (10)…… the host country of the 23rd SEA Games - the Philippines 2005."

7. scheduled in an (7)…..  of solidarity and friendship among Southeast Asian people.

Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage:

"The 22nd Southeast Asian Games (22nd SEA Games) successfully closed in Ha Noi. Prominent among 40,000 spectators at the closing (1)…. at My Dinh National Stadium were Party Secretary General Nong Duc Manh, Vice President Truong My Hoa and leaders of the Asian Sport Federation.
 A spectacular art (2)…… programme with the participation of 300 musicians and 500 artists was (3)…….  to welcome the success of the Games. Singaporean swimmer Yeojoscelin who won six gold medals and Vietnamese marksman Nguyen Manh Tuong who owned five gold medals during the Games were awarded the most (4)…… athlete title.
 Nguyen Danh Thai, Minister-Chairman of the State Committee for Physical Training and Sports, President of the 22nd SEA Games Council and Head of the 22nd SEA Games Organising Committee, (5)……. that the Games have successfully concluded after boisterous competition days. All activities took place(6)……  scheduled in an (7)…..  of solidarity and friendship among Southeast Asian people.
With the Vietnamese Government and people's efforts and international support, the 22nd SEA Games have become a festival that impressed people  (8)…. the spirit of “solidarity. cooperation for peace and development”.
 The 22nd SEA Games are not only a song of honesty and nobility in competition and organising competition but (9)….. a sign of a bright future for the development of regional sports. After Vietnamese singer My Linh and a Philippine singer sang the song “For the World of Tomorrow”, Minister Nguven Danh Thai and Chairman of the Ha Noi People's Committee Hoang Van Nghiên handed over the SEA Games Flag to the Chairman of the Olympic Committee and the Head of the Philippine sport team, (10)…… the host country of the 23rd SEA Games - the Philippines 2005."

8. the 22nd SEA Games have become a festival that impressed people  (8)…. the spirit of “solidarity. 

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.

The 22nd SEA Games, hosted this year by Vietnam, has joined the international movement to rid sports of tobacco. For the first time, the regional sporting event will be tobacco-free under a landmark cooperative agreement signed in April 2003 between the World Health Organization (WHO), the 22nd SEA Games Organizing Committee and the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. Hanoi Health Department has organized a press seminar to celebrate and raise awareness about the tobacco-free SEA Games.

The 22nd SEA Games is the first games hosted by Vietnam and 10 countries from the Southeast Asian region with nearly 8,000 athletes and coaches will participate. It will be the first tobacco-free international sporting event in Vietnam, joining other international tobacco-free sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup 2002, and the Winter Olympic Games 2002.

The 22nd SEA Games will ban all sales, advertising and other promotion of tobacco products, and restricts smoking in all Games venues. The aim is to protect spectators, athletes, event staff, media and other visitors from the serious health hazards of second-hand tobacco smoke, as well as to change public attitudes about the social acceptability of smoking. Madame Pascale Brudon, WHO Representative in Vietnam, stated, "Vietnam has established 3 years ago a comprehensive, ambitious national tobacco control policy and a national tobacco control program. The tobacco-free 22nd SEA Games will be yet another area where Vietnam is leading the way for other countries in the region and the world in protecting its citizens from the debilitating and disastrous consequences of tobacco use."

WHO has provided funding and technical assistance to the SEA Games Organizing Committee and Vietnamese Ministry of Health to train of over 4,000 SEA Games organizers and volunteers on the implementation of the tobacco-free policy. An international team of trainers from the Ministry of Health, International Organization for Good Temper (lOGT), WHO and International Development Enterprises (IDE) began a series of national training workshops for volunteers in April, 2003. The tobacco-free SEA Games are an inspiration and a model for other sport events, big and small, not only in Vietnam but also in the Southeast Asian and Western Pacific Region.

One of the aims of the tobacco-free SEA Games is_________.

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions:
Games and sports are an important and essential part of a person's life. Along with the study, games, and sports are also important. Hence, most schools conducts various games competitions and sports. Along with the mental development of every person, physical development is also which needs to be taken into consideration. Sports is an important part of a student’s life as well. So, what is the importance of sports and games? 
Sports gives us a good exercise which makes us physically strong and increases our stamina and strength. Regular sports activities make us active and lead to good health. Playing Games makes us aware of our environment i.e. Makes us mentally awake and increases our concentration power. Various Games needs good strategies for better performance and teamwork, so it increases our thinking ability and teaches us the power of teamwork and to find a way out of difficult situations. Games and sports also need a lot of energy. It makes us energetic. Games and Sports needs a lot of cooperation between the players. Hence it increases cooperation with each other.
And at last, all of the games have their own rules and regulations which if not followed, leads to negative points. Hence, we can say that it teaches us the importance of following rules in life.

What is the word “increase” in line 6 closest in meaning to?

An idea came to me, and I turned off the lights in the studio. In the dark ness, I put the  cello's spike into a loose spot on the carpet, tightened the bow and drew it across the open strings.  I took off my shirt and tried it again; it was the first time in my life I'd felt the instrument against  my bare chest. I could fell the vibration of the strings travel through the body of the instrument to  my own body. I'd never thought about that; music scholars always talk about the resonating properties of various instruments, but surely the performer's own body must have some effect on the sound. As I dug into the notes I imagined that my own chest and lung were extensions of the sound box; I seemed to be able to alter the sound by the way I sat, and by varying the muscular tension in my upper body. 
After improvising for a while, I started playing the D minor Bach suite, still in the  darkness. Strangely freed of the task of finding the right phrasing, the right intonation, the right bowing, I heard the music through my skin. For the first time I didn't think about how it would sound to anyone else, and slowly, joyfully, gratefully, I started to hear again. The note sang out,  first like a trickle, then like a fountain of cool water bubbling up from a hole in the middle of the desert. After an hour or so I looked up, and in the darkness saw the outline of the cat sitting on the floor in front of me, cleaning her paws and purring loudly. I had an audience again, humble as it was. 
So that's what I do now with the cello. At least once a day I find time to tune it, close my eyes, and listen. It’s probably not going to lead to the kind of come back I'd fantasized about for so long – years of playing badly have left scars on my technique, and, practically speaking, classical  musicians returning from obscurity are almost impossible to promote – but might eventually try giving a recital if I feel up to it. Or better yet, I may pay for Dr. Polk if our date at the concert goes well. Occasionally I fell a stab of longing, and I wish I could give just one more concert on the  great stage before my lights blink off, but that longing passes more quickly now. I take solace on the fact that, unlike the way I felt before, I can enjoy playing for myself now. I fell relaxed and expansive when I play, as if I could stretch out my arms and reach from one end of the apartment to the other. A feeling of the completeness and dignity surrounds me and lifts me up.

How long did it take the author to play music with his shirt off in the darkness for  the first time? 

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space. 
BICYCLES
Why don’t the British cycles? Only a quarter of the estimated twenty million bicycles in the country are thought to be in (58) …….. use. In Denmark, which is flatter but no darker  or  rainier  than  Britain,  twenty  percent  of  all  journeys  are  made  by  bicycles, while in Britain the (59) …….. is only 5%. The government are trying to (60) …….. this. It is hoped that a grant of millions of pounds from the National Lottery will (61)…….. more people to use their bikes. The money will be used to (62) …….. for a 6,500 mile national network of cycle tracks. Britain needs to (63) …….. environmentally friendly scheme such as this. The southern third of the country is one of the most (64)…….. areas of the world. Environmentalists make it (65) …….. to build new roads, and (66)  ……..  roads  are  overcrowded.  One  official  committee  described  the  growth  of motor transport as “possibly the (67) ……. environmental threat to the UK”. The (68)…….. of building the cycles tracks is to motivate people to use their bicycles instead of their cars. However, the new tracks are being built (69) …….. cities and not through them. This (70) …….. that only long distance journeys may be easier and safer. Those cyclists who want to (71) …….. inside cities will still be in danger of (72) …….. their lives on busy roads every time they use their bicycles.

66................