French is more difficult to learn than English.
(139)________

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Drawing a Line in the Sand
Artists are known to be a picky bunch. Over years of practice, they often develop a preference for certain materials. For instance, some sculptors will only work with marble, whereas some painters may insist on only using watercolour paints. Yet, only a select few have become masters working with a common material that you can find on any beach: sand. As children, we all made sand castles, but some skilled artists have taken this activity to the next level. They have created impressive, massive sand constructions in the shape of dragons, castles, and everything else you can imagine. A major benefit for many artists who build with sand is its simplicity. To get started, all you need is sand and water. However, mastering this medium takes years of practice and great attention to detail. For example, different tasks require different ratio of water to sand to get the job done. Deciding on the proper tools can also be complicated. Some artists prefer using buckets and shovels, while others are purists who refuse to use anything but their hands. Sand painting is another form of sand art. The practice dates back dozens of thousands of years and has been used by several different cultures. It involves spreading different coloured particles, which often come from crystals and rocks, onto a surface and then arranging them to make a picture. Interestingly enough, many sand paintings are designed to be temporary. Tibetan monks will spend days creating beautiful sand paintings which are blown away by winds shortly after they are finished. They view the natural destruction of their work as a symbol of impermanence in life. Meanwhile, Native Americans consider their temporary sand paintings as living creatures and they treat them with great respect while they exist. Recently, filmmakers have also discovered a way to work with sand by creating sand animation. Like other forms of animation, an artist will create one image and then capture it on camera. Then, they will make some subtle changes and then move on to the next frame and so on. After they have created and captured hundreds of images, the frames will be strung together. In the final product, it will appear as if the sand images are moving or changing shape. The next time you are at the beach, let your mind run free as you look at the shore. Who knows, you might get the urge to create some remarkable sand art of your own.
4. The word “them” in paragraph 3 refers to ___________.

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 ‌from‌ ‌31‌ ‌to‌ ‌35.‌ ‌
 ‌
The‌ ‌relationship‌ ‌between‌ ‌Britain‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌US‌ ‌has‌ ‌always‌ ‌been‌ ‌a‌ ‌close‌ ‌one.‌ ‌Like‌ ‌all‌ ‌close‌ ‌relationships‌ ‌it‌ ‌has‌ ‌had‌ ‌difficult‌ ‌times.‌ ‌The‌ ‌US‌ ‌was‌ ‌first‌ ‌a‌ ‌British‌ ‌colony,‌ ‌but‌ ‌between‌ ‌1775‌ ‌and‌ ‌1783‌ ‌the‌ ‌US‌ ‌fought‌ ‌a‌ ‌war‌ ‌to‌ ‌become‌ ‌independent.‌ ‌The‌ ‌US‌ ‌fought‌ ‌the‌ ‌British‌ ‌again‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌War‌ ‌of‌ ‌1812.‌ ‌
In‌ ‌general,‌ ‌however,‌ ‌the‌ ‌two‌ ‌countries‌ ‌have‌ ‌felt‌ ‌closer‌ ‌to‌ ‌each‌ ‌other‌ ‌than‌ ‌to‌ ‌any‌ ‌other‌ ‌country,‌ ‌and‌ ‌their‌ ‌foreign‌ ‌policies‌ ‌have‌ ‌shown‌ ‌this.‌ ‌During‌ ‌World‌ ‌War‌ ‌I‌ ‌and‌ ‌World‌ ‌War‌ ‌II,‌ ‌Britain‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌US‌ ‌supported‌ ‌
each‌ ‌other.‌ ‌When‌ ‌the‌ ‌US‌ ‌looks‌ ‌for‌ ‌foreign‌ ‌support,‌ ‌Britain‌ ‌is‌ ‌usually‌ ‌the‌ ‌first‌ ‌country‌ ‌to‌ ‌‌come‌ ‌forward‌‌ ‌and‌ ‌it‌ ‌is‌ ‌sometimes‌ ‌called‌ ‌“the‌ ‌51st‌ ‌state‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌union”.‌ ‌
But‌ ‌the‌ ‌special‌ ‌relationship‌ ‌that‌ ‌developed‌ ‌after‌ ‌1945‌ ‌is‌ ‌not‌ ‌explained‌ ‌only‌ ‌by‌ ‌shared‌ ‌political‌ ‌interests.‌ ‌An‌ ‌important‌ ‌reason‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌friendship‌ ‌is‌ ‌that‌ ‌the‌ ‌people‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌two‌ ‌countries‌ ‌are‌ ‌very‌ ‌similar.‌ ‌
They‌‌ ‌share‌ ‌the‌ ‌same‌ ‌language‌ ‌and‌ ‌enjoy‌ ‌each‌ ‌other's‌ ‌literature,‌ ‌films‌ ‌and‌ ‌television.‌ ‌Many‌ ‌Americans‌ ‌have‌ ‌British‌ ‌ancestors,‌ ‌or‌ ‌relatives‌ ‌still‌ ‌living‌ ‌in‌ ‌Britain.‌ ‌The‌ ‌US‌ ‌government‌ ‌and‌ ‌political‌ ‌system‌ ‌is‌ ‌based‌ ‌on‌ ‌Britain's,‌ ‌and‌ ‌there‌ ‌are‌ ‌many‌ ‌Anglo-American‌ ‌businesses‌ ‌operating‌ ‌on‌ ‌both‌ ‌sides‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌Atlantic.‌ ‌In‌ ‌Britain‌ ‌
some‌ ‌people‌ ‌are‌ ‌worried‌ ‌about‌ ‌the‌ ‌extent‌ ‌of‌ ‌US‌ ‌influence,‌ ‌and‌ ‌there‌ ‌is‌ ‌some‌ ‌jealousy‌ ‌of‌ ‌its‌ ‌current‌ ‌power.‌ ‌The‌ ‌special‌ ‌relationship‌ ‌was‌ ‌strong‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌early‌ ‌1980s‌ ‌when‌ ‌Margaret‌ ‌Thatcher‌ ‌was‌ ‌Prime‌ ‌Minister‌ ‌in‌ ‌Britain‌ ‌and‌ ‌Ronald‌ ‌Reagan‌ ‌was‌ ‌President‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌US.‌ ‌

What‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌passage‌ ‌mainly‌ ‌about?‌ ‌ ‌

Choose the best answer:
On this occasion, my class is making an __________ to visit some caves near our city.

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:
Niagara Falls, one of the most famous North American natural wonders, has long been a popular tourist destination. Tourists today flock to see the two falls that actually constitute Niagara Falls: the 173-foot-high Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of the Niagara River in the Canadian province of Ontario and 182-foot-high American Falls on the U.S. side of the river in the state of New York. Approximately 85 percent of the water that goes over the falls actually goes over Horseshoe Falls, with the rest going over American Falls.
Most visitors come between April and October, and it is quite a popular activity to take a steamer out onto the river and right up to the base of the falls for a close-up view. It is also possible to get a spectacular view of the falls from the strategic locations along the Niagara River, such as Prospect Point of Table Rock, or from one of the four observation towers which have heights up to 500 feet.
Tourists have been visiting Niagara Falls in large numbers since the 1800’s; annual visitation now averages above 10 million visitors per year. Because of concern that all these tourists would inadvertently destroy the natural beauty of this scenic wonder, the State of New York in 1885 created Niagara Falls Park in order to protect the land surrounding American Falls.
A year later Canda created Queen Victoria Park on the Canadian side of the Niagara, around Horseshoe Falls. With the area surrounding the falls under the jurisdiction of government agencies, appropriate steps could be taken to preserve the pristine beauty of the area.

The expression “right up” in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by     .

Choose the best answer
Dinner will be a cold ..........................., not a sit-down meal.

Choose the best answer:
They are going ____________ Halong Bay in this summer vacation.

Choose the sentence A, B, C or D which in closest in meaning to the printed sentence.:
The sculpture represents the biblical King David. It was carved in the early 1500s.

I _____ a terrible accident while I _____ on the beach. 

(182)_____

Choose the best answer:
People must be well-prepared ………….. they want to climb Mount Everest.

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
Beginning this year, Renaissance Strategy Inc. will provide financial aid to fulltime employees ith children in school. Financial aid is available to candidates from elementary school to college, but homeschooling is not included. There are also certain requirements that you must meet in order to be eligible for financial aid. Eligible candidates must be enrolled as full-time students and maintain passing grades. Candidates must also submit a copy of proof of enrollment along with application forms which you can find at the front of the administration division. How much aid your child receives will depend on your financial need and on the amount of other aid you receive. Aid will be paid directly to the school on a yearly basis. If you need more information or have any questions about the program, please call 123-5656.
2. What is NOT indicated about applying for financial aid?

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Harvard University, today recognized as part of the top echelon of the world's universities, came from very inauspicious and humble beginning. This oldest of American universities was founded in 1636, just sixteen years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. Included in the Puritan emigrants to the Massachusetts colony during this period were more than 100 graduates of England's prestigious Oxford and Cambridge universities, and these universities graduates in the New Word were determined that their sons would have the same educational opportunities that they themselves had had. Because of this support in the colony for an institution of higher learning, the General Court of Massachusetts appropriated 400 pounds for a college in October of 1636 and early the following year decided on a parcel of land for the school; this land was in an area called Newetowne, which was later renamed Cambridge after its English cousin and is the site of the present-day university. When a young minister named John Harvard, who came from the neighboring town of Charlestown, died from tuberculosis in 1638, he willed half of his estate of 1,700 pounds to the fledgling college. In spite of the fact that only half of the bequest was actually paid, the General Court named the college after the minister in appreciation for what he had done. The amount of the bequest may not have been large, particularly by today's standard, but it was more than the General Court had found it necessary to appropriate in order to open the college. Henry Dunster was appointed the first president of Harvard in 1640, and it should be noted that in addition to serving as president, he was also the entire faculty, with an entering freshmen class of four students. Although the staff did expand somewhat, for the first century of its existence the entire teaching staff consisted of the president and three or four tutors.
10. The word "somewhat" in paragraph 3 could best be replaced by: 

 Boy, stop reading. ______ the book down and go to bed.

(388)_______

Heis the man______ car was stolen last week.

(273)____

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 
Are Human Beings Getting Smarter?
Do you think you are smarter than your parents or grandparents? According to James Flynn, a professor at a New Zealand university, you might be. Over the course of the last century, IQ test scores of people in some countries have got increasingly better - on average, three points better for every decade that has passed. This trend of improving scores is known as “the Flynn effect,” and scientists want to know what is behind it. IQ tests and other similar tests are designed to measure general intelligence rather than knowledge. Flynn knew that intelligence is partly inherited from our parents and partly the result of our environment and experiences, but the improvement in test scores was happening too quickly to be explained by heredity. So what happened in the 20th century that led to higher test scores? Scientists have proposed several explanations for the Flynn effect. Some suggest that the improved test scores simply reflect an increased exposure to tests in general. Because we take so many tests, we learn test-taking techniques that help us perform better. Others have pointed to better nutrition, which results in babies being born larger, healthier, and with more brain development than in the past. Another possible explanation is a change in educational styles - children are encouraged to discover things for themselves rather than just memorizing information. This could prepare people to do the kind of problem-solving that intelligence tests require. Flynn himself suggested that learning new technologies may have improved people’s problem-solving skills. This may be true for the first decade of his tests, when IQ scores in many countries increased. However, in recent years, IQ test scores in some countries have begun to decline. Data from Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, and Great Britain have shown that as these countries become more and more modern, IQ scores have begun to drop. While scientists aren’t sure what is causing this decline, they think technology is dramatically changing the way that we learn and get information. For example, people are now able to access all kinds of information easily using online resources like Google or Wikipedia. The danger is when they start to rely too much on these sources of information, and not do any thinking for themselves. Lifestyle changes that come with modem technology may also have a negative effect on intelligence, such as video games and television making people less social.  So while the world may have got smarter over the 20th century, improving technology and changing lifestyles may soon reverse that trend.

The writer uses video games as an example of how ____

Before we had kids, I used to do more housework than my husband did, but he was working thirteen hour days at the office compared _____ my eight-hour ones.

(484)_____

 Choose the best answer:
We do not ……………. away anything useful.

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
The Film and the Novel: Twilight
When a popular book gets made into a movie, there will always be a debate about whether the novel or film is better. The filmmakers always have to consider certain things: do they want to follow the book closely to please dedicated readers, or do they want to change parts of the book if they don’t translate well on-screen? No matter what they do, there will always be people who feel the movie will never be as good as the book, people who will love the movie without ever reading the book, and people who enjoy both. The vampire series Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer, became so popular that movie companies wanted to produce it for the big screen. Most Twilight fans were excited about seeing characters such as Edward and Bella “come to life,” but there were other fans who did not trust the movie script. They assumed the scriptwriters would change parts of the story to make it seem more interesting as a movie. By the time the first Twilight movie was released, millions of people had read the series. Many of these people went on to watch the film, which made $35.7 million just on its opening day. While many fans and critics liked it and said the movie more or less followed the book’s storyline, some fans were not impressed. One change that angered them was that certain sound effects were added to the movie, such as a “whooshing” sound when the vampires jumped. This was not mentioned in the book, and many fans felt that it was too distracting. Those who liked the movie said that they enjoyed the light mood and excitement. This was very different from the book. The writing in Twilight is dark and gloomy, like many vampire novels. The movie, however, added more energy to the story and more personality to the characters. For example, many characters in the book are portrayed as being quiet, and they spend most of their time at school. But in the movie, the characters are cooler and funnier – one scene even shows them going surfing together. The director of the first movie, Catherine Hardwicke, thought it was important for the characters to be believable. She wanted them to have a wide variety of emotions, since the series is for, and about, teenagers. In the end, the films were considered a success, even if there were both happy and unhappy fans. It’s a great accomplishment to make films that are watched by millions of people, and you can’t expect to be able to please everyone all of the time.
8. What best describes this passage?

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
The Brain: Myths and Facts
There are a lot of myths about the human brain. We are going to tell you a little about these myths, and we are also going to give you the truth. One of the biggest myth is that we only use 10 percent of our brains. The next part of that myth is that if we can learn to use the rest of our brains, then we will be much smarter. People say this all the time, but it is absolutely not true. The truth is that although we don’t know everything about the human brain, we know that each part of it has an important function. Modern scientists call the “10 percent myth” ridiculous. The other most popular myth is about being “right brained” or “left brained”. According to this myth, people who use the right side of their brains tend to be more artistic and creative. People who use the left side of their brains tend to be better at maths and science. This myth is as popular as the 10 percent myth, and it is also wrong. In 2013, a study at an American university examined the right brain and left brain myth. According to the study, we use both sides of our brains equally. It is true that we use different parts of our brains for different things: We use our left side for language more, and our right side when we need to pay attention. But there is no evidence that creative people use the right side more, or that scientific people use the left side more. We have talked about myths, so let’s look at a few interesting facts about the brain. First of all, the brain feels no pain. Second, about 75 percent of the brain is made of water. It is also the fattest organ in your body. Another interesting fact about the brain is that around the time you turn 18 years old, it stops growing.
2. What can we say about the left brain – right brain myth?

CANADA - LAND OF MANY REGIONS

Today, Canada is made (1) _______ of ten provinces and three northern territories. As a big country, it has many different (2) _______. British Columbia is the westernmost Canadian province and the (3) _______ province on the Pacific Ocean. Mountains (4) _______ most of it. Vancouver, a major port city, is here. The Maritime Provinces lie along the Atlantic (5) _______.

(38)________

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
Carefully conducted studies that have followed the children of working mothers have not been able to show any long-­‐term problems, compared (1)_____children whose mothers stay at home. My personal (2) _____is that mothers should be allowed to work if they wish. Whether we like it or not, there are a number of mothers who just have to work. There are many who must work out of pure economic (3) _____. Many mothers are not born to be full-time parents. After a few months at home with a much loved infant, the feel trapped and isolated. There are a number of options when it refers to choosing childcare. These range from child minders and nannies through to Granny or the kind of lady across the street. In reality, (4) _____ many parents do no have any choice; they have to accept anything they can get. Be prepared! No (5)_____ how good the children may be, some children are going to protect wildly if they are left. This is a (6) _____ normal stage of child development. Babies separate well in the first six months, but soon after that they start to get a crush on Mum and close family (7)_____. Make sure that in the first week, you allow plenty of time to help your child (8)_____. All children are different. Some are independent,(9) _____ others are more attached to their mothers. Remember that if you want to do the best for your children, it’s not the quantity of time you spend with them, it’s the (10)_____ that matters.