Choose the best answer:
The ability to weep is a uniquely human form of emotional response. Some scientists have suggested that human tears are (1) _____ of an aquatic past, but this does not seem very likely. We cry from the moment we enter this world, for a number of reasons. Helpless babies cry to persuade their parents that they are ill, hungry or uncomfortable. As they (2) _____, they will also cry just to attract parental attention and will often stop when they get it. The idea that having a good cry do you (3) _____ is a very old one and now it has scientific validity since recent research into tears has shown that they (4) _____ a natural painkiller called enkaphalin. By fighting sorrow and pain, this chemical helps you feel better. Weeping can increase the quantities of enkaphalin you (5) _____.  Unfortunately, in our society, we impose restrictions upon this naturally (6) _____ activity. Because some people still regard it as a (7) _____ of weakness in men, boys in particular are admonished when they cry. This kind of repression can only increase stress, both emotionally and physically. Tears of emotion also help the body (8) _____ itself of toxic chemical waste, for there is more protein in them than in tears resulting from cold winds or other irritants. Crying comforts and calms can be very enjoyable - (9) _____ the popularity of highly emotional films which are commonly (10) _____ ―weepies‖. It seems that people enjoy crying together almost as much as laughing together

Choose the best answer:
Minor illnesses have a nasty habit of striking (1)______ the wrong time, don‘t they ? (2) ______ you have a pile of things to do at work and even more on your plate at home, the last thing you want is a (3) _______ throat or a tension headache to drag you down. (4) _______ this summer, when you‘re feeling (5)_______ the weather, remember that a visit to your (6) ______ pharmacy (7)_______ be a real bonus in helping you get the right remedy to ease your symptoms. But it‘s not (8) ______ the medication that assists the cure – only at a pharmacy will you find expert (9)________ from a highly trained health professional. Just try asking a supermarket shelf what it (10) _______ for family heath problems !

Choose the best answer:
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

Choose the best answer:
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

Choose the best answer:
Lifelong learning is now becoming a must for everyone in the modern world. Many people, however, find it overwhelming, as being lifelong learners means they will have to keep studying for their entire life. The following are several strategies to promote lifelong learning. First, start with a clear purpose. Study something that you will likely have many uses in the future. Design learning goals that should serve you in your career path, as well as in your personal interests. You will need to think of the learning experience as continuous investment rather than a one-off endeavor. Second, choose something that is really enjoyable for you. You will need to have fun all through the pursuit of knowledge and skills, which will be an endless journey. The ‘fun' part will always keep you motivated, even during the hard times. Third, lifelong learning is not just about keeping on studying; you will need to think through what you have learned, and find out how to apply it in your work and personal life. Don't read too much and use your brain too little. Think more often; meditate on the ideas that you feel might make your work and/or life better. Those are the key strategies to make sure your lifelong learning is studying smart rather than studying hard. Remember, the lifelong learning movement is unstoppable.
4. The word “motivated” in paragraph 3 is CLOSEST in meaning to ______

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:
As a result of pollution, Lake Erie, on the borders of the USA and Canada, is now without any living things. Pollutions in water are not simply a matter of “poisons” killing large numbers of fish overnight. Very often the effects of pollution are not noticed for many months or years because the first organisms to be affected are either plants or plankton. But these organisms are the food of fish and birds and other creatures. When this food disappears, the fish and birds die in this way a whole food chain can be wiped out, and it is not until dead fish and water birds are seen at the river’s edge or on the sea shore that people realize what is happening. Where do the substances which pollute the water come from? There are two main sources – sewage and industrial waste. As more detergent is used in the home, so more of it is finally put into our rivers, lakes and seas. Detergents harm water birds dissolving the natural substance which keep their feather waterproof. Sewage itself, if it is not properly treated, makes the water dirty and prevents all forms of life in rivers and the sea from receiving the oxygen they need. Industrial waste is even more harmful since there are many high poisonous things in it, such as copper and lead. So, if we want to stop this pollution, the answer is simple, sewage and industrial waste must be made clean before flowing into the water. It may already be too late to save some rivers and lakes, but others can still be saved if the correct action is taken at once.

Which of the following is harmful according to the passage?

Choose the best answer:
Higher Education in the UK Students who have successfully completed an A-level course may go to university to do (1)_____ three- or four-year course leading to a first degree such as Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc), etc. They apply to several universities which then (2)_____ an offer of a place specifying the minimum grades the student needs to obtain in the A level subjects studied. Higher education is not (3)_____. In principle, students have to pay a contribution to the cost of teaching (tuition fees) and have also to pay their living costs (maintenance). The government provides (4)_____ to help them pay for university education which have to be paid back from earnings once their income reaches a certain (5)_____. In recent years government policy has been to (6)_____ the percentage of 18-year olds (7)_____ go to university, which is now, at 40%, double the 1990 figure, but this growth has been at the (8)______ of the amount of financial support given to individual students. Universities receive money (9)_____ the state for each student and are responsible for employing staff and deciding which courses to offer. The head of a university, who is (10)_____ for its management, is called a vice-chancellor.

Choose the best answer:
There can be no (1)...........at all that the internet has made a huge difference to our lives. Parents are worried that children spend too much time playing on the internet, hardly (2).......... doing anything else in their spare time. Naturally, parents are curious to find out why the internet is so attractive, and they want to know if it can be harmful to their children. (3)........... parents worry if their children are spending that much time staring at their computer? Obviously, if children are bent over their computers for hours, (4)............in some game, instead of doing their homework, then something is wrong. Parents and children could decide how much use the child should (5). ..........of the internet, and the child should give his or her word that it won't interfere (6)............homework. If the child is not holding to this arrangement, the parents can take more drastic (7)............. Dealing with a child's use of the Internet is not much different from negotiating any other sort of bargain about behaviour. Any parent who is (8)..........alarmed about a child's behavior should make an appointment to (9)................the matter with a teacher. Spending time in front of the screen does not necessarily affect a child's at school. Even if a child is absolutely crazy about using the internet, he or she is probably (10) ............ through a phase, and in a few months there will be something else to worry

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."

10. A big part of the (10)…. of world travel is experiencing different customs.

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:
"Memorize these words". "Learn this spelling rule". "Don't forget about the quiz tomorrow".
You remember things every day, but how do you do it?
When you want to call a store or an office that you don't call often, you look in the telephone book for the number. You dial the number, and then you forget it! You use your short-term memory to remember the number. Your short-term memory lasts about 30 seconds, or half a minute. However, you don't need to look in the telephone book for your best friend’s number because you already know it. This information is in your long-term memory. Your long-term memory has everything that you remember through the years.
Why do you forget things sometimes? Is there a reason? Yes, there are several. The major reason for forgetting something is that you did not learn it well in the beginning. For example, you meet some new people, and right away, you forget their names. You hear the names but you do not learn them, so you forget them.
You can help yourself remember better. Here are some ideas:
Move information from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. You can do this if you practice the new information. Say it to yourself out loud. Think about it.
After you learn something, study it again and again. Learn it more than you need to. This process is called overlearning. For example, when you learn new words, practice using them in sentences. Don't try to memorize words from a list only.
Make sure that you understand new information. It is very difficult to remember something that you don't understand. Ask questions when you learn something new to be certain that you understand.
Do not listen to music or watch TV when you study. You will remember better if you concentrate on one thing at a time.
Try to connect new information with something that you already know. For example, when you learn the name of a new kind of food, think of a similar kind of food that you already know.
Divide new information into several parts (about five or six). Learn one part at time and stop for few minutes. Don't sit down and try to learn a very large amount of new information all at once.
Try to make a picture in your mind. For example, if you hear or see a new word, make a picture of how it looks to you in your mind. This “mental” picture will help you remember that word the next time you see or hear it.
Think of word clues to help you remember information. One very helpful kind of word clue is an acronym. An acronym is a word formed from the first letter of a group of words. For example, many American schoolchildren learn the names of the Great Lakes in the North America by remembering the word homes. Homes is an acronym that comes from the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior.
Relax when you study! Try to enjoy yourself. You are learning new things every minute. You will remember better if you are happy and relaxed.

The following things should help you remember things better when you study, EXCEPT     .

Choose the best answer:
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 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.
6. From the passage, it can be inferred that: 

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 is the benefit of attending social events?

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:
It takes a long time to raise a family of owlets, so the great horned owl begins early in the year. In January and February, or as late as March in the North, the male calls to the female with a resonant hoot. The female is larger than the male. She sometimes reaches a body length of twenty-two to twenty-four inches, with a wingspread up to fifty inches. To impress her, the male does a strange courtship dance. He bobs. He bows. He ruffles his feathers and hops around with an important air. He flutters from limb to limb and makes flying sorties into the air. Sometimes he returns with an offering of food. They share the repast, after which she joins the dance, hopping and bobbing about as though keeping time to the beat of an inner drum. Owls are poor home builders. They prefer to nest in a large hollow in a tree or even to occupy the deserted nest of a hawk or crow. These structures are large and rough, built of sticks and bark and lined with leaves and feathers. Sometimes owls nest on a rocky ledge, or even on the bare ground. even to occupy the deserted nest of a hawk or crow. These structures are large and rough, built of sticks and bark and lined with leaves and feathers. Sometimes owls nest on a rocky ledge, or even on the bare ground. The mother lays two or three round, dull white eggs. Then she stoically settles herself on the nest and spreads her feather skirts about her to protect her precious charges from snow and cold. It is five weeks before the first downy white owlet pecks its way out of the shell. As the young birds feather out, they look like wise old men with their wide eyes and quizzical expressions. They clamor for food and keep the parents busy supplying mice, squirrels, rabbits, crayfish, and beetles. Later in the season baby crows are taken. Migrating songsters, waterfowl, and game birds all fall prey to the hungry family. It is nearly ten weeks before fledglings leave the nest to search for their own food. The parent birds weary of family life by November and drive the young owls away to establish hunting ranges of their own.

According to the passage, which of the following is the mother owl's job?

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

Most Americans eat three meals (26) ______ the day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast begins between 7:00 and 8:00am, lunch between 11:00 am and noon, and dinner between 6:00 and 8:00 pm. On Sundays "brunch" is a (27) ______ of breakfast and lunch, typically beginning at 11:00 am. Students often enjoy a "study break" or evening snack around 10:00 or 11:00 pm. Breakfast and lunch tend to be light meals, with only one (28) ______. Dinner is the main meal. (29) ______ breakfast Americans will eat cereal with milk which are often mixed (30) ______ in a bowl, a glass of orange juice, and toasted bread or muffin with jam, butter, or margarine. Another common breakfast meal is scrambled eggs or (31) ______ omelet with potatoes and breakfast meat (bacon or sausage). People who are on (32) ______ eat just a cup of yogurt. Lunch and dinner are more (33) ______. When eating at a formal dinner, you may be overwhelmed by the number of utensils. How do you (34) ______ the difference between a salad fork, a butter fork, and a dessert fork? Most Americans do not know the answer (35) ______. But knowing which fork or spoon to use first is simple: use the outermost utensils first and the utensils closest to the plate last.

(34) ______

Choose the best answer:
British families started going on holiday to the seaside around the middle of the 19th century. The invention of the railways (45) ____ this possible. The first holidaymakers were quite rich and went for their health and education. The seaside was a place to be (46) ____ of illness, and doctors recommended bathing in the sea and drinking sea water. Also to (47) ____ their knowledge, families attended concerts and read books from the library. At that time, ordinary working people had very little time (48) ____ work. However, in 1871, the government introduced four ‗Banking Holiday‘ - national holiday days. This (49) ____ people to have a day or two out, which now and then gave them a taste for leisure and the seaside. At first, they went on day-trips, taking (50) ____ of special cheap tickets on the railways. By the 1880s, rising incomes (51) ____ that many ordinary workers and their families could have a week‘s holiday at the seaside. Rail fares were reduced and cheap hotels were built to (52) ____ them. Holidaymakers enjoyed being idle, sitting on the beach, bathing in the sea, and eating ice-cream. Cheap entertainment was (53) ____ offer and holidaymakers went to have fun. Today the English seaside (54) ____ popular, with more than 18 million holidays taken there each year.

Choose the best answer:
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

Choose the best answer:
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

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.

In the past, both men and women were expected to be married at quite young ages. Marriages were generally arranged by parents and family, with their children having little chance to say no in the matter. In the past it was not surprising to find that a bride and groom had only just met on the day of their engagement or marriage.

In modern Vietnam, this has changed completely as people choose their own marriage-partners based on love, and in consideration primarily to their own needs and wants. Moreover early marriage is quite illegal.

The traditional Vietnamese wedding is one of the most important of traditional Vietnamese occasions. Regardless of westernization, many of the age-old customs practiced in a traditional Vietnamese wedding continue to be celebrated by both Vietnamese in Vietnam and overseas, often combining both western and eastern elements. Besides the wedding ceremony, there is also an engagement ceremony which takes place usually half a year or so before the wedding. Due to the spiritual nature of the occasion, the date and time of the marriage ceremony are decided in advance by a fortune teller. The traditional Vietnamese wedding consists of an extensive array of ceremonies: the first is the ceremony to ask permission to receive the bride, the second is the procession to receive the bride (along with the ancestor ceremony at her house), the third is to bring the bride to the groom's house for another ancestor ceremony and to welcome her into the family, then the last is a wedding banquet. The number of guests in attendance at these banquets is huge, usually in the hundreds. Several special dishes are served. Guests are expected to bring gifts, often money, which the groom and bride at one point in the banquet will go from table to table collecting.

According to the passage, __________.

Choose the best answer:
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. 

Choose the best answer:
Feminism, collective term for systems of belief and theories that pay special (24) to women‘s rights and women‘s position in culture and society. The term tends to be used for the women‘s rights movement, which began in the late 18th century and continues to campaign for complete political, social, and economic equality between women and men. This article (25) specifically with the development of the ideas behind that movement and their (26) and impact. Feminists are united by the idea that women‘s position in society is unequal to (27) of men, and that society is structured in such a way as to benefit men to the political, social, economic (28) of women. However, feminists have used different theories to explain these (29) and have advocated different ways of redressing inequalities, and there are marked geographic and historical variations in the nature of feminism. Historically, feminist thought and activity can be divided into two waves. The first wave, which began in about 1800 and (30) until the 1930s, was largely concerned with gaining equal rights between women and men. The second wave, which began in the late 1960s, has continued to fight for (31) but has also developed a (32) _ of theories and approaches that stress the difference between women and men and that draw attention to the (33) needs of women