Choose the best answer:
Looking for an unforgettable way to celebrate that special occasion? Well, the (1)__ of options open today‘s youngster – or even ― oldster‖ for that matter, is a far cry from the traditional party or restaurant visit. No longer is it (2)__ sufficient to invite your friends round, buy some food and get a barker to produce a cake. No, today‘s birthday boy or girl is looking for something out of the ordinary, ranging from the (3)__ expensive to the downright dangerous. Anything goes, as long as it is unusual and impressive. Top of this year ‗s popular (4)__are as follows: taking some friends rally driving, helicopter lessons, plane trip and parachuting, and hot air ballooning . Then there is always group bungee jumping or taking your buddies on a stomach – churning, while water rafting (5)__ down rapids. The desire of adventurous celebration is not restricted to the (6)__. I recently met an octogenarian who celebrated (7)__ the milestone of eighty by having a fly lesson. Of course, if you have money the world is your oyster. A very rich relation of mine flew fifty of his friends to a Caribbean islandto mark the passing of his half century. Unfortunately I was only a (8)__ relation. Undoubtedly, the more traditional forms of celebration do continue to (9)__the less extravagant or less adventurous among us. However, with my own half century looming on the horizon I would not say no to a weekend in Paris and a meal at the Eiffel Tower. I can (10)__dream. Perhaps by the time I‘m eighty I‘ll be able to afford it.

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Why is it that many teenagers have the energy to play computer games until late at night but can‘t find the energy to get out of bed (35) ________ for school? According to a new report, today‘s generation of children are in danger of getting so (36)_______ sleep that they are putting their mental and physical health at (37)_______. Adults can easily survive on seven to eight hours‘ sleep a night, (38)_______ teenagers require nine or ten hours. According to medical experts, one in five youngsters (39)________ anything between two and five hours‘ sleep a night less than their parents did at their age. This (40) _____ serious questions about whether lack of sleep is affecting children‘s ability to concentrate at school. The connection between sleep deprivation and lapses in memory, impaired reaction time and poor concentration is well (41) _______. Research has shown that losing as little as half an hour‘s sleep a night can have profound effects (42) ______ how children perform the next day. A good night‘s sleep is also crucial for teenagers because it is while they are asleep (43)______ they release a hormone that is essential for their ‗growth spurt‘ (the period during teenage years when the body grows at a rapid rate). It‘s true that they can, to some (44) ______, catch up on sleep at weekends, but that won‘t help them when they are dropping off to sleep in class on a Friday afternoon

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Sugar tastes sweet because of thousands of receptors on the tongue which connect the substance with the brain. The taste of sweetness is (1) ____ accepted as the most pleasurable known although it is a fructose Abundant is the most common occurring sugar, (2) ____of which include fruit and honey. Sucrose which supplies glucose to the body, is (3) ____ from the sugar cane plant, and white sugar (pure sucrose) is used by food technologists to (4) ____ sweetness in other substances. Approximately a dozen artificial (5) ____ have been discovered; one of the earliest was Sorbitol from France. Manufacturers (6) ____ large amounts of sugar to foodstuffs but never more than the (7) ____ required to produce the optimum pleasurable taste. Surprisingly, this (8) ____ is similar for different people and in different cultures. No one has (9) ____ discovered a way to predict whether a substance will taste sweet, and it was by (10) ____ alone that all the man-made chemical sweeteners were found to be sweet

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Earth is the only place we know of in the universe that can support human life. (33) ______ human activities are making the planet less fit to live on. As the western world carries on consuming (34)_______ of the world's resources while half of the world's population do so just to stay (35)_______ we are rapidly destroying the only resource we have (36)________ which all people can survive and prosper. Everywhere fertile soil is (37)______ built on or washed into the sea. Renewable resources are exploited so much that they will never be able to recover (38)______. We discharge pollutants into the atmosphere without any thought of the consequences. As a (39)______, the planet's ability to support people is being reduced at the very time when rising human numbers and consumption are making increasingly heavy demands on it. The Earth's (40)______ resources are there for us to use. We need food, water, air, energy, medicines, warmth, shelter and minerals to (41)______ us fed, comfortable, healthy and active. If we are sensible in how we use the resources they will last indefinitely. But if we use them wastefully and excessively they will soon (42)_______ and everyone will suffer

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.

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

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Hypatia was born in Alexandria, in Egypt, in 370 A.D. For many centuries, she was (16) only woman scientist to have a place in the history books. Hypatia's father was director of Alexandria University, and he (17) sure his daughter had the best education available. This was unusual, as most women then had few (18) to study. After studying in Athens and Rome, Hypatia returned to Alexandria (19) she began teaching mathematics. She soon became famous (20) her knowledge of new ideas. We have no copies of her book, (21) we know that she wrote several important mathematical works. Hypatia was also interested in technology and (22) several scientific tools to help with her work. At the (23) , many rulers were afraid of science, and (24) connected with it was in danger. One day in March 415, Hypatia (25) attacked in the street and killed

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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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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. In most exams you are not permitted to use a dictionary. (51)__________ you are allowed to use one, it is very time- consuming to look up words, and time in exams is usually limited. You are, (52)______, forced to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words. When you come across unknown words in an exam text, it is very easy to panic. However, if you develop efficient techniques for guessing the meaning, you will(53)__________a number of possible problems and help yourself to understand far more of the text than you at first likely. Two strategies which may help you guess the meaning of a word are: using contextual clues, both within the sentence and outside, and making uses (54)_____ clues derived from the formation of the word

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In recent years there have (1) _______ many articles on air pollution in newspapers and magazines. Scientists all over the word have warned that our atmosphere is (2) ______ more and more contaminated, and that Man, through his carelessness, may run (3) _____ of pure air to breathe. Automobiles and industries mainly account (4)____air pollution in most cities. They pour into the air such gases as carbon monoxide, sulphur and nitrogen oxides, (5) _______ are very harmful (6) ____ humans. (7) _____ still, these gases, a series of chemical changes, turn into toxic acids. They fall down in ―acid rains‖, (8) _______ the acidity in the air, soil and water to dangerous levels and affecting not only tress but also fish and other wildlife. Many industrial countries in Europe and North America have suffered bad effects (9) ______ those ―rains‖. Surely, Man faces no more urgent problem than that of saving his own survival. Scientists, social organizations and governments should sit down together to solve the air (10) __________ problem

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Women are expert at gossiping, and they always talk about trivial things, or at least that‘s what men have always thought. However, some new research (1) _____ that when women talk to women, their (2) ______ are far from frivolous, and cover many more (3) _____ (up to 6 subjects) than men talk to other men. Women‘s conversations (4)_____ from health to their houses, from politics to fashion, from movies to family, from education to relationship problems. Sports are notably (5)_____. Men tend to have a more limited range of subjects, the most popular being work, sports, jokes, cars, and women. According to Professor Petra Boynton, a psychologist who interviewed over 1000 women, women also tend to move quickly from one subject to another in (6)_____, while men usually stick to one subject for longer periods of time. At work, this (7) _____ can be an advantage for men, as they can put other matters aside and concentrate matter aside and concentrate (8) ______ on the topic being discussed. On the other hand, it also means that they sometimes find it hard to concentrate when several things have to be discussed at the same (9) _____ in a meeting. Professor Boynton also says that men and women talk for different reasons. In social (10) _____ women use conversation to solve problems and reduce stress while men talk with each other to laugh or to compare opinions

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Culture has a strong influence on non-verbal communication. Even the simple act of looking someone in the eye is not at all that simple. In the USA, Americans are (23)______ to look directly at people when speaking to them. It shows interest in what they are saying and is thought to carry a (24)______ of honesty. Meanwhile, in Japan and Korea, people avoid long periods of eye contact. It is considered more polite to look to the side during a conversation. The Lebanese, (25)______, stand close together and look intensely into each other's eyes. The action shows sincerity and gives people a better sense of what their counterparts want. Given such differences with even the most common expressions, people (26)______ travel or work abroad have a real need to learn the other culture's body language. People tend to be unaware of the messages they are sending to others. So, it is (27)______ to consider your own body language before dealing with people from other cultures. Knowing about the body language of friends, clients, and colleagues can be very helpful in improving understanding and avoiding miscommunication

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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)_____

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

"Throughout the world there are different (1) …. for people to greet each other. In much of the world, a handshake is the (2)….  form of welcoming and greeting someone. In many countries around the Mediterranean Sea a (3) … kiss on the cheek is the appropriate way to welcome friends and family. It can be a very (4)… surprise if you expect to shake hands and get a kiss or a hug instead.
 At times, it is difficult to tell what sort of greeting (5)… is followed. People may bow, (6)….. another’s arm or even slap the other person on the back. In some places people just smile, look at (7)….. face and say nothing.
 Most people in the world are (8) ….of visitors and don’t mind what travelers do that seems wrong as long as the visitors are (9)… . A big part of the (10)…. of world travel is experiencing different customs."

5. At times, it is difficult to tell what sort of greeting (5)… is followed.

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Leading scientists have (52)_________ that tomatoes can be of great benefit to our health. A lot of research has been (53)________ out in recent years. It‘s the whole tomato (54)_________ may lower cancer risks, not individual compounds, (55)___________ to  new research. Experts have discovered that taking the antioxidant lycopene – (56)________ is found in tomatoes, but is increasingly popular (57)_________ a health food suppplement because of its link to a reduced risk of cancer – did not work as (58)_________ as eating whole tomatoes. Scientists believe people (59)________ eat them in pastas, salads, tomato juice and pizza. Recent finding suggests that the risks (60)_________ poor eating habits cannot be reserved with a pill. We shouldn‘t (61)________ easy solutions to a complex problem

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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

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Bodies are made to move! They are not (19) _________for sitting around in front of the television or reading magazines. Keeping fit doesn‘t (20) _________you have to be a super-athlete, and even (21) ______exercise can give you a lot of fun. When you are fit and healthy, you will find you look better and feel better. You will develop more energy and self-confidence. Every time you move, you are exercising. The human body is designed to bend, stretch, run, jump and climb. (22) _________ it does, the stronger and fitter it will become. Best of all, exercise is fun. It‘s what your body likes doing most-keeping on the (23) _________. Physical exercise is not only good for your body. People who take regular exercise are usually happier, more relaxed and more alert (24) _________people who sit around all day. Try an experiment-next time you are (25) _________a bad mood, go for a walk or play a ball game in the park. See how much better you feel after an hour. A good (26) _________of achievement is yet another benefit of exercise. People feel good about themselves when they know they have (27) _________their fitness. People who exercise regularly will tell you that they find they have more energy to enjoy life. So have (28) _________-you‘ll soon see and feel the benefits

Choose the option (A, B, C or D) that best completes each of the following sentences.

My aunt is one of those people who can talk to anyone about anything. If she goes to a party where she doesn't know any of the people, she just walks up to the first person that she sees and introduces herself. And yet she doesn't seem to talk about deeply important things like politics or religion. She always starts off on something very obvious like the other person's job. Very soon she's talking as if she's known the other person for years. I asked her once what her secret was. She said that the most important thing in a conversation was listening. People love to talk about themselves, so if you allow them to do so, it's very easy to keep a conversation going. You have to listen very carefully and ask questions. And you have to look interested, too. So don't keep looking at other things in the room while you're talking to someone.

Another thing that I've noticed is that she only pays people compliments. She says: “I like your hair. Which hairdresser do you go to?” or “You look very well. Have you been on holiday?” Friendly messages like this seem to provide an easy way into a conversation.

According to my aunt, the most important thing in a conversation was …….

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All over the world, people are changing the face of the earth. Wild areas are cleared for farming and to build roads and expand cities. Our factories, cars, and power stations poison the ….(1) with polluting gases and chemical waste. As well as transforming the environment, we are destroying habitats, the home of ……(2) plants and animals. Living things have evolved over millions of years. Many animals and plants can only …….(3) in certain environments. When such areas destroyed, wildlife cannot always ……..(4) to the new conditions and some species may …….(5) out. Thousands of species of plants and animals face extinction because of human activities. People can also …….(6) from habitat destruction. When forests are cut down, earth is washed away, this causes crop failures and starvation. There is the future to consider, too; plants provide essential foods and can also be used in medicines. If species……..(7) extinct, their potential value will never be known. The scale of destruction is enormous. Swamps, forests, grasslands and jungles are being cleared at an increasing extend. Half of the world‘s tropical rainforests have……..(8) been destroyed. Coral reefs, called the forests of the ocean because they are so rich in life, are……..(9) around the world. We must limit the damage to habitats now………(10) they remain a valuable resource for the future

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Television 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. Television, although not essential, has become a(n) (1) _____ part of most people‘s lives. It has become a baby-sitter, an initiator of conversations, a major transmitter of culture, and a keeper of traditions. Yet when what can be seen on TV in one day is critically analyzed, it becomes evident that television is not a teacher but a sustainer. The poor (2) ______ of programs does not elevate people into greater (3) ______. The (4) _______ reason for the lack of quality in American television is related to both the history of TV development and the economics of TV. Television in America began with the radio. Radio companies and their sponsors first experimented with television. Therefore, the close relationship, (5) _______ the advertisers had with radio programs, became the system for American TV. Sponsors not only paid money for time within programs, but many actually produced the programs. Thus, (6) _______ from the capitalistic, profit-oriented sector of American society, television 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 requires that the programs be entertaining rather than challenging. Television 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

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:
Vietnam officially became a full member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on July 28, 1995. Since then, Vietnam has worked together with other ASEAN member countries to reinforce regional cooperation and made great contributions to maintaining peace, stability and reconciliation in the region.
In the past years in the ASEAN, Vietnam has reaped (obtained) many successes in all social and economic fields. The country has gradually restructured its administrative apparatus to suit a market economy and to integrate into the international community. Vietnam has made a good impression on ASEAN countries with its achievements in economic development especially in hunger eradication and poverty alleviation. ASEAN countries' investment into Vietnam has also increased sharply. With a high economic growth rate averaging seven percent each year, Vietnam has been able to decrease economic gap slightly with Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei.
In addition, Vietnam actively works to integrate culturally and socially with the Southeast Asian region while preserving its own cultural features. Thirteen is not a long period for such an important political event but what has been achieved in relations between Vietnam and the association is creating splendid prospect for the future.

Which word means “an end to a disagreement and the start of a good relationship again”?.

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Everyone wants to reduce pollution. But the pollution problem is (33)______ complicated as it is serious. It is complicated (34)______ much pollution is caused by things that benefit people. (35)______, exhaust from automobiles causes a large percentage of air pollution. But the automobile (36)______ transportation for millions of people. Factories discharge much (37)______ the material that pollutes the air and water, but factories give employment to a large number of people Thus, to end (38)_______ greatly reduce pollution immediately, people would have to (39)______ using many things that benefit them. Most of the people do not want to do that, of course. But pollution can be (40)______ reduced in several ways. Scientists and engineers can work to find ways to lessen the (41)______ of pollution that such things as automobiles and factories cause. Governments can pass and enforce laws that (42)______ businesses and traffic to stop, or to cut down on certain polluting activities