I would like to extend my gratitude to all the staff for their ______ support, without which our company couldn't have overcome the crisis.
(151)__________

Choose the best answer:
"You ______ take more exercise," my doctor advised me.

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Billboards that Recognize You
Have you ever felt you were being watched? Some new technologies might make you feel that way. Digital billboards are being created that have the ability to recognize certain characteristics. These high-tech devices have cameras pointed at the people on the street, and software that tries to recognize people by age and gender. A computer inside the billboard then uses this information to display ads that are directed at the people who are looking at the billboard. For example, if a man passes a billboard featuring an ad for cosmetics, the computer can change the ad to something that is more likely to catch the man’s attention, such as a restaurant, or sporting goods. While advertisers see _this_ as a great opportunity to reach their target customers, some people feel that this kind of profiling is an invasion of their privacy. People are now much more aware of how information is exposed, shared, bought, and sold on the Internet. Now this debate will include technologies such as these “smart” billboards. But advertisers claim that they are sensitive to people’s concern about privacy – companies that have tested the billboards in Japan and the US assure consumers that the billboards can only guess your age and gender, but they will not be able to recognize your face or obtain any personal information about you. Until recently, this kind of “personal” advertising has been mostly limited to the Internet. Search engines like Google and Bing can follow what we search for because each computer that connects to those sites has a unique identity. Companies then pay search engines to use this information to display ads for products and services that you have searched for. So if you search for travel information, you are likely to see ads for airlines and hotels. This kind of advertising has proven to be much more effective and valuable than traditional advertising. In addition to taking steps to deliver more personalized messages, advertisers are using billboards to offer more useful information. Digital billboards can connect to the Internet to display information such as the time, weather, and news headlines. In the future, this technology could be used to reflect activity on social media sites or to broadcast ads that relate to local events. In today’s world, people ignore thousands of ads every day. Advertisers are trying to change that trend by personalizing the experience of seeing an ad. So pay attention the next time you see a billboard – it could be talking to you.
1. What is another possible title for the passage?

Choose the best answer:

 Her outgoing character contrasts ______ with that of her sister.

PGD Bank strives ---131--- the highest levels of client security and service. This applies not only to online- and telephone-based services but also to our brick-and-mortar locations. Our three branch offices have proudly been a part of the community ---132--- a combined total of 40 years.
To assist you even better in the future, our Smithville branch will be temporarily closed for renovations from July 8-22. ---133---. In the meantime, our other two regional branches in Pine Grove and Bradford will maintain normal business ---134---.

133..................

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 :
When people are looking for a great way to (1)_________ themselves of boredom, videos found on the Internet are often the perfect solution. Such websites as YouTube, Dailymotion, and Vimeo have become so popular that they are known to get millions of visits each day. YouTube is known for allowing people to create their own videos and share them with the world. It is (2)________ YouTube that enormous amounts of interest in certain videos can be created. So many people watch them that the interest (3)________ from person to person is almost exponential. Another site that is similar to YouTube is called Vimeo. Although it (4)_________ as a direct competitor to YouTube, Vimeo has more of a concentration on longer videos. However, the (5)_________ is the same in which the service allows users to share their videos with a very wide audience on the Internet.

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:
Glass is a remarkable substance made from the simplest raw materials. It can be colored or colorless, monochrome or polychrome, transparent, translucent, or opaque. It is lightweight impermeable to liquids, readily cleaned and reused, durable yet fragile, and often very beautiful. Glass can be decorated in multiple ways and its optical properties are exceptional. In all its myriad forms - as table ware, containers, in architecture and design - glass represents a major achievement in the history of technological developments.
Since the Bronze Age about 3,000 B.C., glass has been used for making various kinds of objects. It was first made from a mixture of silica, line and an alkali such as soda or potash, and these remained the basic ingredients of glass until the development of lead glass in the seventeenth century. When heated, the mixture becomes soft and malleable and can be formed by various techniques into a vast array of shapes and sizes. The homogeneous mass thus formed by melting then cools to create glass, but in contrast to most materials formed in this way (metals, for instance), glass lacks the crystalline structure normally associated with solids, and instead retains the random molecular structure of a liquid. In effect, as molten glass cools, it progressively stiffens until rigid, but does so without setting up a network of interlocking crystals customarily associated with that process. This is why glass shatters so easily when dealt a blow. Why glass deteriorates over time, especially when exposed to moisture, and why glassware must be slowly reheated and uniformly cooled after manufacture to release internal stresses induced by uneven cooling.
Another unusual feature of glass is the manner in which its viscosity changes as it turns from a cold substance into a hot, ductile liquid. Unlike metals that flow or "freeze" at specific temperatures glass progressively softens as the temperature rises, going through varying stages of malleability until it flows like a thick syrup. Each stage of malleability allows the glass to be manipulated into various forms, by different techniques, and if suddenly cooled the object retains the shape achieved at that point. Glass is thus amenable to a greater number of heat-forming techniques than most other materials.

What does the author imply about the raw materials used to make glass?

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Putting Cars on Autopilot
Automobile accidents are one of the leading causes of death each year. Accidents can occur due to drunk driving, mechanical problems, carelessness, or a whole assortment of other reasons. In the near future, these problems could be solved by eliminating the person behind the wheel. Driverless cars may soon be turning all vehicle owners into “backseat drivers”. Driverless cars are vehicles that use several technologies to operate without human input. Through GPS, they can find a location on a map and plan the best route to get there. They may also use radar to detect other vehicles and avoid them when necessary. One company involved with developing driverless cars is Google. It’s developing a software called Google Chauffer which powers the vehicles. The technology isn’t cheap though, as Google robotic cars contain about $150,000 worth of equipment. In 2012, Google began testing the cars on the road with a highly-skilled driver in the driver’s seat, and a Google engineer in the passenger seat. In case there are any malfunctions, the human driver can step on the brakes or turn the wheel to take control of the automobile. Other car manufacturers are also working on implementing automated options into their cars. For example, the 2014 Mercedes-S class offers advanced cruise control using radar, lane warnings, and even detects, and warns drivers when they appear tired. Many Americans seem open to the idea, as three states have already passed laws that make it legal for driverless cars to be on the road. Still there will be some stumbling blocks to overcome before the roads are controlled by digital decision-makers. Firstly, companies will need to provide proof that driverless cars were tested a lot and are truly safe. Automobile manufacturers will also have to find a way to bring down costs, as few people would be able to afford the equipment required. Driverless cars could also potentially become targets for computer hackers. If a hacker were somehow able to override the software system, they could cause accidents or malfunctions. There are also economic issues to consider. If driverless cars became successful, millions of truck, bus, and taxi drivers would likely lose their jobs. Despite these issues, all indications suggest that it should be just a matter of time before humans are no longer needed behind the wheel.

1. Which of the following is the advantage of driverless cars over ordinary ones?

Choose the best answer:
She's studying modern Japanese language and _______.

Choose the best answer:
Because of the drought, many people starved to ______.

Choose the best answer:
When I last saw him, he............in London.

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.

I was born to dance. I've been dancing all my life, ever since my mother, who gave up a dancing career on the stage when she married my father, picked me up and twirled me around as an infant. As much as I loved dancing with her, her greatest gift to me was her "unconditional love" during her lifetime.

My parents divorced after only 5 years of marriage, but my father remarried a lovely lady who also loved to dance. They used to take me to a dancing club where I would listen to the music and watch them dance-occasionally my stepmother, Mary, invited me to dance.

I also met my wife, Charlotte, in a dancing party. I danced with her for about 15 minutes, and during that brief span, I realized that I fell in love with her. We kept dancing throughout our marriage. My earliest memories of dancing with my daughters started when I came home from work to our small home in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and my daughter Laura was about 3 years old. It was very relaxing for me. to turn on the record player, pick up Laura in my arms, and dance her around the room!

Our family danced a lot. My daughters, Laura and Anne, and I continued to dance on every occasion. One favorite memory I have of dancing with Laura and Anne was when I took each of them when they were seniors in high school to the Daddy-Daughter dance. We won both dance competitions!

As their father, I have tried to provide my daughters with unconditional love, as my Mother provided to me, endless emotional and loving support, and good educations and life experiences which have helped prepare them for happy and successful adult lives. Being a father who is worthy of their love and respect, I consider fatherhood a privilege, not an entitlement.

In 1994, my oldest daughter Laura gave me a lovely book, which I still have, entitled "Fathers and Daughters." My Father's Day suggestion to every father is to dance with your daughters at every opportunity. It will not only bring you closer, it will give them memories of you “to hang onto" long after we are gone.

Of the characters mentioned in the passage, who did not like dancing?

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
As teenagers approach university level, a decision has to be made on what course to pursue. In this world of diversity, (1) ______ such a choice is not easy for both children and parents. In the old days, it was not much a problem to do the task because there were not so many diverse learning areas to choose from. Besides, there were only a few distinctive professional careers like doctor, engineer, accountant, nurse, teacher,etc.  to think about. Most higher learning usually led to a financially successful life. (2) ______, the cost of education was not so high. Today’s world is entirely different from the things (3) ______ have just been described.  The job market is constantly changing due to innovative technology and new (4) ______. Meanwhile, most teenagers have difficulty in identifying their own interests. There are a variety of well- organized career talks and student counseling workshop to guide and help teenagers (5) ______ what course to take. Furthermore, psychological tests are also used.  Certain instruments such as surveys, interviews and computer software can help to find out preferences, interests, or learning styles of the students

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
The Particle that Started the Big Bang
In 2013, the Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded to Francois Englert and Peter W. Higgs for their discovery of a particle that is vital to our understanding of the universe. Although its official name is the Higgs boson, many refer to it as the God particle, because it’s considered to be the building block of the universe. Many believe that the Higgs boson may be the cause for the Big Bang explosion which led to the creation of the universe. In the 1960s, Higgs came up with the concept that particles had no mass when the universe started. In a split-second, however, it came into contact with something that gave it mass. This, Higgs theorized, was the Higgs boson. Many scientists initially laughed at the idea, but in the upcoming years, Higgs along with Englert and several of their peers continued to work on these concepts. Their ideas would eventually help lead the way to the discovery of the Higgs boson decades later. The search for the Higgs boson certainly didn’t come up cheap, as it cost nearly $10 billion to build the machinery necessary to perform the tests to find it. Yet nearly every physicist would agree that it was worth it, as the Higgs boson has already been labeled as one of the most important discoveries in particle physics. The finding is also a huge boost for physics in general because it proves that the Standard Model of Physics which researchers have been using for years is correct. The Higgs was the last remaining question mark as all of the other particles and elements had been found. Still, many ordinary people may question how such a discovery affects their lives at all. Although quantum mechanics may seem weird, it has actually led to several important technological breakthroughs over the past century. These findings have led to laser and X-ray technologies that work in the real world. There is still much to be learned with further observation of the Higgs boson in action. Scientists hope to learn more about dark matter, a strange substance that constitutes 25 percent of the mass of the universe. The research could also lead to some other technologies as well.
6. All of the following are true about the Higgs boson EXCEPT that ________

The Southeast Asian Student Sport Festival is the biggest sport event ______ the youths in the region.

(439)_________-

Choose the best answer:
A class began seven years ___________ with a mix of children who are dumb, deaf and mentally retarded.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions:
The economic expansion prompted by the Second World War triggered a spectacular population boom in the West. Of course, the region was no stranger to population booms. Throughout much of its history, western settlement had been characterized by spurts, rather than by a pattern of gradual and steady population growth, beginning with the gold and silver rushes of the 1850's and 1860's. The decade after the First World War - the 1920's - witnessed another major surge of people pouring into the West, particularly into urban areas. But the economic depression of the 1930's brought this expansion to a halt; some of the more sparsely settled parts of the region actually lost population as migrants sought work in more heavily industrialized areas. By 1941 when the United States entered the Second World War and began to mobilize, new job opportunities were created in the western part of the nation.

If the expansion of industries, such as shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing, was most striking on the pacific coast, it also affected interior cities like Denver, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. Equally dramatic were the effects of the establishment of aluminum plants in Oregon and Washington and the burgeoning steel industry in Utah and California. The flow of people into these areas provided an enormous impetus to the expansion of the service industries - banks, health care services and schools. Although strained to the limit by the influx of newcomers, western communities welcomed the vast reservoir of new job opportunities. At the same time, the unprecedented expansion of government installations in the West, such as military bases, created thousands of new civilian openings. As land had served as a magnet for western migrants in the late nineteenth century, so wartime mobilization set in motion another major expansion of population. Indeed, it could be said that the entire western United States became a giant boomtown during the Second World War. This was especially true of California. Of the more than eight million people who moved into the West in the decade after 1940, almost one-half went to the Pacific coast. In fact, between 1940 and 1950, California's population surged by more than three million people.

The word “it” in paragraph 2 refers to     .

Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others.

Choose the best answer:
My father works late tomorrow, so he will …….. the first part of the film on VTV1.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions:
    Who talks more - men or women? Most people believe that women talk more. However, linguist Deborah Tannen, who has the studied the communication style of men and women, says that this is a stereotype. According to Tannen, women are more verbal - talk more - in private situations, where they use conversation as the “glue’ to hold relationships together. But, she says, men talk more in public situations, where they use conversation to exchange information and gain status. Tannen points out that we can see these difference even in children. Little girls often play with one ‘best friend’ and their play includes a lot of conversation. Little boys often play games in groups, their play usually involves more doing than talking. In school, girls are often better at verbal skills, while boys are often better at mathematics.
    A recent study at Emory University helps to shed light on the roots of this difference. Researchers studied conversation between children aged 3-6 and their parents. They found evidence that parents talk very differently to their sons than they do to their daughters. The startling conclusion was that parents use more language with their girls. Specifically, when parents talk with their daughters, they use more descriptive language and more details. There is also far more talk about emotions, especially with daughters than with sons.

Which of the following statement is TRUE about the passage?

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
What Is Heritage Protection?
Heritage is traditional beliefs, customs, and culture. We use the word “heritage” in many different ways. People talk about their family’s heritage, their city’s heritage, and their country’s heritage. Here are some examples of heritage. During Chinese New Year, people in China give red envelopes. That is part of Chinese heritage. Every year in the American city New Orleans, there is a huge party called Mardi Gras. That is a part of New Orleans’ heritage. Heritage can also be more private and personal. If your family has a big dinner every Sunday night, that’s part of your family’s heritage. Today, heritage is changing. The Internet connects people around the world. In many ways, this is a good thing, because we can learn about the heritage of other countries, and we can show our own heritage to the world. However, some people worry that traditional heritage is disappearing. Think about it. In many ways, countries are becoming more and more alike. In just about every country around the world, you can find McDonald’s, Nike shoes, Starbucks coffee, and American films. Some people think this is a good change, but others don’t like it. You can decide whether or not you think it is a good thing. However, almost everyone wants to protect their traditional heritage, and sometimes this is hard. For example, when a new McDonald’s opens in your town, a traditional restaurant might have to close. This is why heritage protection is so important. Heritage protection is a simple idea. It means keeping your country’s or your city’s heritage alive. People do this in many ways. The biggest part of heritage protection is probably preserving old buildings. A few other examples of heritage protection are making sure your children speak your traditional language, and teaching your heritage to children. The world is changing very fast. This change brings a lot of good things. But as the world is changing, it is important to remember the heritage of our parents and our grandparents.
2. What is the biggest part of heritage protection?