Choose the best answer:
Earth is the only place we know of in the universe that can support human life (1) ______ human activities are making the planet less fit to live on. As the western world carries on consuming two-thirds of the world's resources while half of the world's population do so (2)______ to stay alive we are rapidly destroying the (3)______ resource we have by which all people can survive and prosper. Everywhere fertile soil is (4)______ built on or washed into the sea. Renewable resources are exploited so much that they will never be able to recover (5)______ We discharge pollutants into the atmosphere without any thought of the consequences. As a (6)______ the planet's ability to support people is being reduced at the very time when rising human numbers and consumption are (7)______ increasingly heavy demands on it. The Earth's (8)______ resources are there for us to use. We need food, water, air, energy, medicines, warmth, shelter and minerals to (9)______ us fed, comfortable, healthy and active. If we are sensible in how we use the resources they will (10)______ indefinitely. But if we use them wastefully and excessively they will soon run out and everyone will suffer

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The first question we might ask is: What can you learn in college that will help you in being an employee? The school teach a (1) ____ many things of value to the future accountant, doctor or electrician. Do they also teach anything of value to the future employee? Yes, they teach the one thing that it is perhaps most valuable for the future employee to know. But very few students bother (2) _____ it. This basic is the skill ability to organize and express ideas in writing and in speaking. This means that your success as an employee will depend on your ability to communicate with people and to (3) _____ your own thoughts and ideas to them so they will (4) _____ understand what you are driving at and be persuaded. Of course, skill in expression is not enough (5) _____ itself. You must have something to say in the first place. The effectiveness of your job depends (6) ____ your ability to make other people understand your work as they do on the quality of the work itself. Expressing one's thoughts is one skill that the school can (7) _____ teach. The foundations for skill in expression have to be (8) ____ early: an interest in and an ear (9) ___ language; experience in organizing ideas and data, in brushing aside the irrelevant, and above all the habit of verbal expression. If you do not lay these foundations (10) ___ your school years, you may never have an opportunity again

Advantages of Living in a Big City

Do you live in a big city? It is said that living in big cities is expensive because of the high living cost. There are also pollution and traffic problems that make living in big cities unpleasant. However, many people enjoy living in big cities because they offer convenience and countless options for entertainment.

Many big cities already have good public transportation systems, which make it easy for the citizens to go anywhere around the city. This also reduces and helps overcome the problem of traffic jams that often occur at peak times. With the convenience of public transportation, the citizens do not have to drive everywhere and can save money as they do not have to pay for parking charges.

Staying healthy is everybody’s concern and in big cities you can find the best possible medical care for any diseases, especially the severe ones. Moreover, compared to rural areas, access to medical treatment is easier because there are always clinics or medical centers that open 24 hours in many parts of the city so you can get medical help anytime, as soon as you need it. Reaching hospitals is also easier as public transport is usually available 24 hours a day.

There is a saying that big cities never sleep. This is true for some cities in which the nightlife begins just when people in other cities are ready to go to bed. Big cities like New York, Madrid, London and Paris have vibrant nightlife. People can still find entertainment, dine out or go shopping into the early hours. 

City dwellers are usually more diverse and there are many communities that hold social events or parties, which provide interesting opportunities for social interactions and social networking. The social interactions allow you to learn about other cultures and share interests with people from different backgrounds, which makes you more open minded and able to understand individuals. On the other hand, the social networking helps you to broaden not only personal but also professional relationships.

All in all, living in big cities is more convenient because of the complete facilities provided. The advanced transportation system enables the citizens to access public facilities easier, cheaper and faster. Big cities also provide better education and health service. In addition, city life is more fun and exciting because there is a wide range of entertainment to enjoy and a lot of social events to attend. 

What can people in big cities do in the early hours but people in rural areas cannot?

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The first traffic signal was invented by a railway signaling engineer. It was installed (33) ___ the Houses of Parliament in 1868. It (34)_____ like any railway signal of the time, and was operated by gas. (35) ____, it exploded and killed a policeman, and the accident discouraged further development until cars became common. (36) ____ traffic lights are an American invention. Red – green systems were installed in Cleveland in 1914. Three - color signals, operated (37) _____ hanz d from a tower in the (38) _____ of the street, were installed in New York in 1918. The first lights of this type to (39) ____ in Britain were in London, on the junction between St. James‘s Street and Piccadilly, in 1925. Automatic signals were installed (40) ____ year later. In the past, traffic lights were special. In New York, some lights had a statue on top. In Los Angeles the lights did not just change silently, but would ring bells to (41) _____ the sleeping motorists of the 1930s. These are gone and have been (42) ____ by standard models which are universally adopted

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Always arrive early. If you do not know (35) ______ the organization is located, call for exact directions (36) ______ advance. Leave some extra time for any traffic, parking, or (37) ______ events. If you are running late, call right away and let someone know. The best time to arrive is approximately 5 - 10 minutes early. Give (38) ______ the time to read your resume one more time, to catch your breath, and to be ready for the interview. Once you are at the office, treat everyone you encounter with respect. Be (39) ______ to everyone as soon as you walk in the door. Wear a professional business suit. This point should be emphasized enough. First (40) ______ are extremely important in the interview process. Women should (41) ______ wearing too much jewelry or make up. Men should avoid flashy suits or wearing too much perfume. It is (42) ______ important that you feel comfortable. While a suit is the standard interview attire in a business environment, if you think it is (43) ______ informal environment, call before and ask. Regardless, you can never be overdressed (44) ______ you are wearing a tailored suit.

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When you read something in a foreign language, you frequently come across words you do not (45)______ understand. Sometimes you (46)______ the meaning in a dictionary and sometimes you guess. The strategy you adopt depends very much upon the (47)______of accuracy you require and the time at your disposal. If you are the sort of person who tends to turn to the dictionary frequently, it is (48)_______remembering that every dictionary has its limitations. Each definition is only an approximation and one builds up an accurate picture of the meaning of a word only after meeting it in a (49)__________of contexts. It is also important to recognize the special dangers of dictionaries that translate from English into your native language and vice versa. If you must use a dictionary, it is usually far safer to (50)________an English- English dictionary. When you read something in a foreign language, you frequently come across words you do not (45)______ understand. Sometimes you (46)______ the meaning in a dictionary and sometimes you guess. The strategy you adopt depends very much upon the (47)______of accuracy you require and the time at your disposal. If you are the sort of person who tends to turn to the dictionary frequently, it is (48)_______remembering that every dictionary has its limitations. Each definition is only an approximation and one builds up an accurate picture of the meaning of a word only after meeting it in a (49)__________of contexts. It is also important to recognize the special dangers of dictionaries that translate from English into your native language and vice versa. If you must use a dictionary, it is usually far safer to (50)________an English- English dictionary

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the undelined part that needs correction in each of the following questions:
For the last few years, my children have been going to a summer camp in northern Greece called Skouras Camp. They always seem to have a good time, so if you’ re wondering what to do with the kids for three weeks this summer, you could do worse than send them to this beautiful camp on the shores of the Aegean Sea. If your children, like mine, are keen on adventure, sports and good company, the Skouras Camp will keep them busy all day doing the things they most enjoy. Skouras is an international camp with children from all over the world. My children have made friends with children of their own age from Poland, China, Demark and the United States. Naturally, they get lots of opportunities to practise their English as this is the only language spoken. The camp is located in one of the most beautiful parts of Chalkidiki. It is huge (120.000 square meters) and is just a stone’s throw away from clear, blue Aegean Sea. It takes the children just five minutes to walk to the golden sandy beach on foot. The programme is packed with exciting activities such as horse riding and table tennis. Other sports in clude baseball, volleyball and athletics. The Camp ends with a sports contest in the last week which all parents are invited to attend.

The word contest in the last sentence could be replaced by_     .

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Televisions has changed the lifestyle of people in every industrialized country in the world. In the United States , where sociologists have studied the effects , some interesting observations have been made. TV, although not essential , has become a(n) (1)____part of most people‘s lives. It has become a baby-sitter , an initiator of (2)____of program does not elevate people into greater (3)____, but rather maintains and encourages the status quo. The (4)____reason for the lack of quality in American TV is related to both the history of TV development and the economics of TV. TV in American began with the radio. Radio companies and their sponsors first experimented with TV. Therefore , the close relationship , (5)____the advertisers had with radio programs , but many actually produced the programs .Thus , (6)____from the capitalistic , profit – oriented sector of American society, TV is primarily (7)_____with reflecting and attracting society (8)____than innovating and experimenting with new ideas . Advertisers want to attract the largest viewing audience possible ; to do so TV in America today remains , to a large (9)______ , with the same organization and standards as it had thirty years ago. The hope for some evolution and true achievement toward improving society will require a change in the (10)____ system.

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.

      Centuries ago, man discovered that removing moisture from food helped to preserve it, and that the easiest way to do this was to expose the food to sun and wind. In this way the North American Indians produced pemmican (dried meat ground into powder and made into cakes), the Scandinavians made stockfish and the Arabs dried dates and apricots.

      All foods contain water - cabbage and other leaf vegetables contain as much as 93% water, potatoes and other root vegetables 80%, lean meat 75% and fish anything from 80% to 60% depending on how fatty it is. If this water is removed, the activity of the bacteria which cause food to go bad is checked.

      Fruit is sun-dried in Asia Minor, Greece, Spain and other Mediterranean countries, and also in California, South Africa and Australia. The methods used vary, but in general the fruit is spread out on trays in drying yards in the hot sun. In order to prevent darkening, pears, peaches and apricots are exposed to the fumes of burning sulphur before drying. Plums for making prunes, and certain varieties of grapes for making raisins and currants, are dipped in an alkaline solution in order to crack the skins of the fruit slightly and remove their wax coating, so increasing the rate of drying.

      Nowadays most foods are dried mechanically; the conventional method of such dehydration is to put food in chambers through which hot air is blown at temperatures of about 110oC at entry to about 45oC at exit. This is the usual method for drying such things as vegetables, minced meat, and fish.

      Liquids such as milk, coffee, tea, soups and eggs may be dried by pouring them over a heated horizontal steel cylinder or by spraying them into a chamber through which a current of hot air passes. In the first case, the dried material is scraped off the roller as a thin film which is then broken up into small, though still relatively coarse flakes. In the second process it falls to the bottom of the chamber as a fine powder. Where recognizable pieces of meat and vegetables are required, as in soup, the ingredients are dried separately and then mixed.

      Dried foods take up less room and weigh less than the same food packed in cans or frozen, and they do not need to be stored in special conditions. For these reasons they are invaluable to climbers, explorers and soldiers in battle, who have little storage space. They are also popular with housewives because it takes so little time to cook them.

The word “checked” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
The Forbidden City is the former imperial palace in the center of Beijing, China. Construction began in 1406, and the emperor’s court officially moved in by 1420. The Forbidden City got its name because most people were barred from entering the 72-hectare site, surrounded by walls. Even government officials and the imperial family were permitted only limited access. Only the emperor could enter any section at will. The architecture of the Forbidden City conforms rigidly to traditional Chinese principles. All buildings within the walls follow a north-south line and the most important ones face south to honor the sun. The designers arranged the other buildings, and the ceremonial spaces between them, to impress all visitors with the great power of the Emperor, while reinforcing the insignificance of the individual. This architectural concept was carried out to the smallest detail. For example, the importance of a building was determined not only by its height or width but also by the style of its roof and the quantity of statuettes placed on the roof’s ridges. In recognition of the importance of its unparalleled architecture, UNESCO added the palace to its World Heritage List in 1987. Today, visitors from all over the world do not wait for an imperial invitation to walk about this palace, now a museum of imperial art. One of the most impressive landmarks of the Forbidden City is the Meridian Gate, the formal entrance to the southern side of the Forbidden City. The gate, with its auxiliary wings on either side of the entryway, is 38 meters high at its roof ridge. When you stand in front of this majestic structure, you understand how awed people felt when they stood there listening to imperial proclamations. As you walk through the gate, you come into a large courtyard, 140 meters long and 210 meters wide. Running through the courtyard is the Golden River, which is crossed by five parallel white marble bridges. These bridges lead to the Gate of Supreme Harmony, which, in turn, leads to the heart of the Forbidden City. At the northernmost end of the Forbidden City is the Imperial Garden, which is totally different from the rest of the compound. Instead of rigid formality, you see a seemingly spontaneous arrangement of trees, fishponds, flowerbeds, and sculpture. Here is the place of relaxation for the emperor.
8. Which sentence in the first paragraph explains who could go anywhere in the Forbidden City at any time?

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People in the United States often shop from catalogs. There are special catalogs for (1)____ every need, including clothing, furniture, health, (2)____ products and things for the kitchen. People also order (3)_____ 40% of their music from music club catalogs. Customers say that music stores are too noisy. Television shopping began in 1986. About 5% to 8% of the American public now shops by television. Some (4)_____shopping channels are the Home Shopping Network and QVC. Customers say that television shopping is (5)____.than shopping in a store. How do they buy things? They (6)______a phone call and charge the item to their credit card. And TV shopping channels are on late at night (7)______people can go shopping anytime. Is computer shopping the way of the future? About 37% of American (8)____now have personal computers. And shopping by computer (or shopping on-line) is (9)______to more people every day. Already, shoppers can use their computers to order many different products, such as computer products, flowers, foods, T-shirts, and posters. And new on- line shopping services (10)________every day. Soon people may be able to shop for anything, anytime, anywhere in the world

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the undelined part that needs correction in each of the following questions:
Langston Hughes was one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century. He was born in Joplin, Missouri, and moved to Cleveland at the age of fourteen. Four years later he went to Mexico and spent one year there before attending Columbia University in New York. For a few years after that he roamed the world as a seaman, visiting ports around the world and writing some poetry. He returned to the United States and attended Lincoln University, where he won the Writer Bynner Prize for undergraduate poetry. After graduating in 1928, he traveled to Spain and to Russia. His best novels include “Not Without Laughter” and “The Big Sea”. He wrote an autobiography in 1956 and also published his collections of poetry then. A man of many talents, Hughes is one of the most accomplished writers in American literature history.

Where did he win the Writer Bynner Prize for undergraduate poetry?

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School exams are, generally speaking, the first kind of test we take. They find out how much knowledge we have gained. But do they really show how intelligent we are? After all, isn‘t it a (1) ________ that some people who are very academically successful don‘t have any common sense. Intelligence is the speed (2) ________ which we can understand and react to new situations and it is usually tested by logic puzzles. Although scientist are now preparing (3)________ computer technology that will be able to ―read‖ our brains, (4)________ tests are still the most popular ways of measuring intelligence. A person‘s IQ is their intelligence (5) ________ it is measured by a special test. The most common IT tests are (6)________ by Mensa, an organization that was found in England in 1946. By 1976, it had 1,300 members in Britain. Today there are 44,000 in Britain and 100,000 (7)___________, largely in the US. People taking the tests are judged in (8)________ to an average score of 100, and those who score over 148 are entitled to join Mensa. This works out at 2 percent of the population. Anyone from the age of six can take tests. All the questions are straightforward and most people can answer them if (9)________ enough time. But that‘s the problem; the whole (10)________ of the test is that they‘re against the clock

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The County Council has decided to give a higher (1)______ to cycling and agreed a new strategy to guide the way ahead in East Sussex. Cycling is a (2) ______, healthy and environmentally friendly form of transport. It is (3) ______ to make it safer, more convenient, and to increase the (4) ______ of journeys made by bicycle. Cycling is being encouraged both for utility purposes (such as journeys to work, school and the shops) and for (5) ______ trips for exercise and enjoyment, including longer trips by tour. Recent cycle schemes carried out in conjunction with District Councils and other bodies (6) ______ the Brighton and Hove seafront route and the Cross Levels Way cycle route, in Eastbourne. (7) ______ people will be consulted as the strategy is implemented. The County council will work with local cycling and other groups, and a countrywide Cycling Forum will be formed to (8) ______ that all bodies concerned with cycling are in regular (9) ______ . The (10) ______ of the Cycling strategy are given in a leaflet, and a copy of the full strategy document can be seen in County Council Public Libraries

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Do you ever wish you were more optimistic, someone who always (45)____ to be successful? Having someone around who always fears the worst isn't really a lot of (46)____ - we all know someone who sees a single cloud on a sunny day and says, 'It looks like rain.' But if you catch yourself thinking such things, it's important to do something about it. You can change your view of life, according to psychologist. It only takes a little (47)___, and you'll find life more rewarding as a (48)____. Optimism, they say, is partly about self-respect and confidence but it's also a more positive way of looking at life and all it has to (49)____. Optimists are more (50)_____ to start new projects and are generally more prepared to take risks. Upbringing is obviously very important in forming your (51)___ to the world. Some people are brought up to depend too much on others and grow up forever blaming other people when anything (52)____ wrong. Most optimists, on the (53)____ hand, have been brought up not to (54)____ failure as the end of the world - they just get on with their lives

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word for each of the blanks.
Alligators have always been the most dangerous predators of the Florida Everglades, (1) ..................their long-held position is now being challenged by a growing population of Burmese pythons.
The Burmese python, a giant snake measuring up to 20 feet long and weighing up to 200 pounds, is very popular among exotic pet owners. However, as the (2)..............snakes grow, they become more difficult to cafe and handle. To avoid dealing with the snakes, the owners irresponsibly release them into the wild. (3).............the Everglades is quite similar to the python’s native environment of Southeast Asia, they survive and prosper without difficulty.
The issue with the Burmese pythons is their choice of meals. They eat alligators and endangered birds, which creates a strain on an  already (4)...........ecosystem. Recently a 13-foot long Burmese  python was found with a 5-foot alligator bursting from its stomach. They python died trying to eat the alligator but a larger one would have easily won the struggle. With over 30,000 Burmese pythons now living in the Everglades,  a  solution  to  stop  this  invasive  species  is  necessary.  If  the  pythons  are  (5)..................unchecked, there is a strong possibility they will wipe out a variety of species necessary for the functioning of the Everglades ecosystem.
(5)......................................

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Market research has become more and more important in recent years. In some organizations, in fact, managers will not initiate any activity without market research to back them up. The first thing to be said about market research is that it is not an (1)___ to management decision making. No form of market research, no matter how deep, complicated and detailed, can ever be seen as a substitute (2)_____ creative decisionmaking by professional managers. At its very best, all it can do is (3) _____ some doubt and clarify the nature of the problem. It may even be seen as a tool which can improve the (4)_____ of decisions but it is not in itself a decision-making mechanism. Market research, in (5)_____ with a number of other approaches in marketing, suffers from the frequent (6)_____ that it is not really accurate. Market research results can never be completely accurate because they (7)____ with a dynamic, ever-changing marketplace. It is vital that this is understood by everyone with an imagination when considering market research results and when making any (8)____ to apply them in the marketplace. Lastly, it should always be remembered that market research is not an end in itself but simply a (9) _____ by which some degrees of risk can be removed from marketplace activity. If no activity results from the research, then the entire exercise has been completely (10)_____

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How many times in the last hundred years or so have people talked of the imminent death of the book? Films were an early threat because they were so effective at telling stories in a visual way. Next there was radio, (26)...... stepped into the mid-twentieth century and provided such an alternative to books as drama, documentaries and discussions. When television arrived, many people believed that it would finish the book off. Nowadays, (27)............ the threat by TV, the book is thought to be endangered by computers and the Internet, and by other technological attractions (28).........  theCD and the video game, too Surely there are now reasons why (29).............  book ought to be dead, or at least very badly injured. If so, why does it not show proper respect for these reportedly less literate times (30)......... die out? There is clearly more than a single answer to this question. Firstly, we have more leisure time than we(31)..........  to, and people are generally living longer, which means there is more time to do more (including reading books). As (32)............ as this, there is the strength of the book as a tradition. We are all too dismissive of traditions in our modern world, but they can have very strong pull (33)....... us. Added to this, the book is such a practical tool: it doesn't cost too (34).......... , it is usually small enough to carry around, and it can easily be (35)......... . We will never go without books, because they have served us so well for so long

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Ostriches are the largest and heaviest birds on earth. They can grow to be as tall as 9 feet and can weigh as much as 250 pounds. Even though they have wings, they cannot fly. Instead, ostriches have long, powerful legs that help them to run very fast when they feel threatened. Ostriches use their wings to move themselves forward and to help them change direction. Ostriches are native to Africa, where they still live in desert areas and dry, open grasslands called savannah. Ostriches can also be found in zoos all over the world. Humans have domesticated ostriches, so now ostriches live on farms in over a dozen countries, including the United States, China, India, Japan, Brazil and Costa Rica. They are raised for their meat, skin, and feathers. Ostriches like to live in small groups called herds. The male ostrich is called a rooster; the female, a hen. Baby ostriches are called chicks. The female ostrich lays the eggs, but both the male and the female take turns sitting on the eggs to keep them warm.
3. The word them in paragraph 3 refers to ______

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When you read something in a foreign language, you frequently come across words you do not (45)______ understand. Sometimes you (46)______ the meaning in a dictionary and sometimes you guess. The strategy you adopt depends very much upon the (47)______of accuracy you require and the time at your disposal. If you are the sort of person who tends to turn to the dictionary frequently, it is (48)_______ remembering that every dictionary has its limitations. Each definition is only an approximation and one builds up an accurate picture of the meaning of a word only after meeting it in a (49)__________of contexts. It is also important to recognize the special dangers of dictionaries that translate from English into your native language and vice versa. If you must use a dictionary, it is usually far safer to (50)________an English- English dictionary. When you read something in a foreign language, you frequently come across words you do not (45)______ understand. Sometimes you (46)______ the meaning in a dictionary and sometimes you guess. The strategy you adopt depends very much upon the (47)______of accuracy you require and the time at your disposal. If you are the sort of person who tends to turn to the dictionary frequently, it is (48)_______remembering that every dictionary has its limitations. Each definition is only an approximation and one builds up an accurate picture of the meaning of a word only after meeting it in a (49)__________of contexts. It is also important to recognize the special dangers of dictionaries that translate from English into your native language and vice versa. If you must use a dictionary, it is usually far safer to (50)________an English- English dictionary

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.
In many countries of Northern Europe, including Scandinavia, Finland, Northern Russia, and the Baltic states, ice swimming is closely connected with the tradition of sauna, (1)......... has led to the creation of a new activity where stays in the sauna are (2)......... with quick 'pauses' in ice water. In Russia, ice swimmers are called what can be literally translated as 'walruses '. The north of Europe, (3)............, is not the only place where winter swimming is practised regularly. A large ice swimming movement exists in the UK, based in a famous location: the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park in London. In Harbin, Northern China, about 200,000 people ice-swim in the Songhua River every winter. The oldest ice swimming club in the United States, the Coney Island Polar Bear Club of New York, organises an annual (4)....... on New Year's Day. In Canada, 'Polar Bear Swims; 'Plunges' or 'Dips' are a New Year's Day tradition in (5)........ communities as well, the biggest one taking place in Vancouver since 1920.

(3)...........................