Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word or phrase that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions: 

Laws on military service since 1960 still hold good. 

Every country has its own traditions, some of which have existed for centuries. In my opinion, we should do everything possible to preserve them. Some people think that in today’s high-tech world, traditional celebrations are too old-fashioned and (i) _______ to our lives. However, events such as Carnival, are important, as they bring communities together and make US think about other people and not just computers. (ii) _______ argument against traditional festivals is that they are expensive to organise. To some extent this is true, particularly when there are firework (iii) _______ or parades. On the other hand, it is a small price to pay for brightening up our lives with entertainment and colour. Moreover, celebrations like the ‘Fallas’ in my home town of Valencia attract many tourists and their money. Finally, although 1 agree that some traditional customs (iv) _______ their original significance, they can provide an opportunity for US to learn about our past. For example, Bonfire Night teaches British children about a particular period of their country’s history. To conclude, traditional celebrations are a source of great pleasure and interest, and they are certainly (v) _______ keeping

(v)_____

Musicals are a wonderful (i) _______ of entertainment. While plays are theatrical productions which tell a story through written words of a script and are presented by (ii) _______, musicals are stories told with lyrics and music. In New York, many of the theatres where the famous and well-known musicals are performed are on or near Broadway and (iii) _______ that reason, the musicals are often referred to as “Broadway Musicals”. Some of the lesser known productions, whether theatrical or musical, (iv) _______________ also performed in New York, but these are usually performed in other areas of the city and are referred to as “Off-Broadway” productions. Some of the same musicals being performed in New York are also being performed throughout the world in major cities. And not all musicals are first performed in New York. Sometimes, shows open in London’s West End which is home to numerous theatres (v) _______ musicals, as well as plays, are performed with great frequency and regularity to full-house audiences.

(iii)_____-

Emily Can- had a very strong (i) _______ . She was very independent and creative, (ii) _______ she was also moody and unfriendly with people she didn’t like. In the studio (iii) _______ painted, the chairs were hanging from the ceiling with ropes so there was no place for visitors to sit down. Maybe if she liked the visitor, she would use a rope to (iv) _______ a chair to sit on! She had a soft spot for (v)_______ and kept dogs, cats, rabbits and even a pct monkey named “Woo”!

(ii)____

In Poland, there are many customs at Easter: for example, the ‘blessing basket’, (i) _______ (amongother things) coloured eggs, bread, salt and white sausages. (ii) _______ in the basket has a meaning: the eggs represent Christ; the bread, salt and sausages, good health and enough money in the coming year. The family Easter breakfast on Sunday morning is (iii) _______ important as Christmas dinner for Poles.

And there is one more Polish tradition connected with Easter Monday: ‘watering’. People throw water (iv) _______ each other, and this is a (v) _______ for good health, too. Even strangers on the street are not safe from a bath of cold -water on Easter Monday!

(i)_____

An American pharmaceutical company has focused on designing a vaccine (i) _______ of a viral strain or variety that infects primarily humans. This vaccine has the advantage of protecting against most types of rotavirus infection, but because it is derived (ii) _______ a human strain, it can have serious side effects and even cause the disease itself. Another Europe company developed a different vaccine type by combining human strains with ones taken from cows. In this case, the vaccine is too weak to cause disease in people, however, it only offers protection against major types of rotavirus infection. Regardless of their initial structure, (iii) _______ vaccines work in similar ways by attaching themselves to the VP4 spikes and triggering an immune response before viral cells have a chance to spread (iv) _______ contaminate healthy cells. The two rotavirus vaccines are now undergoing clinical trials and are awaiting (v) _______ to be released on the market. So far, they have proven to have a 90% rale of success

without registering any major side effects.

(iv)_____

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word or phrase that is OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions: 

His replies were inconsistent with his previous testimony. 

The town of Bunol in Spain is famous for La Tomatina, the world’s largest vegetable fight. The event takes place during a week-long celebration (i) _______ festivities and with even greater anticipation for the battle ahead. La Tomatina started during the 1940s, when (ii) _______ of friends started a tomato fight and passers-by got dragged into it. From that day forward, the fiesta has been celebrated annually and is expected to draw record numbers this time around. The reason for the fight has never been established and it hardly matters since the point is fun. La Tomatina has blossomed into a huge fiesta that coincides with the festival for the town’s patron saint. This is partly in an effort to draw more tourism into Bunol, and at the same time many more targets. The night before La Tomatina, the narrow’ streets are filled with tomatoes, and in a much (iii) _______ form than the next day. No one can do battle on an empty stomach so huge pans filled with delicious paella are on offer. Then, early Wednesday morning, shopkeepers set about covering windows and doors in preparation for the mess. Large trucks rumble up the streets to arrive in the square and be cheered by the 20,000 strong crows. Men on top of the tracks then begin the attack (iv) _______ soft tomatoes from the four comers of Spain. The victims retaliate against the trackers, each other, and anyone else that strays within their range. When all the tomatoes have been demolished, (v) _______ heads to the river to clean it all off.

(i)____

Over the years, not all of the American boats have been the fastest but their maneuverability, good sails and construction have been the keys to success because in the America’s Cup not always (i) _______ the waves splash gently nor docs the summer sun shine down romantically upon the huge yachts racing through rugged ocean waters navigating buoys to determine the winner. The winner of the previous America’s Cup race and the challenger selected to race the previous winner need to navigate the deep, and sometimes rough and unpredictable salt waters of the ocean (ii)      tranquil and flatter waters of inland lakes. And it is the ease of maneuvering and the exacting ratios of weight, balance, and sail volume which can determine the winner. Throughout the years, the types of boats raced in the America’s Cup have changed but the challenge and possibility of fame for winning the competition is still alluring and has not changed. In 1983, the Australians took away the Cup from the Americans and the races left the American waters for the Australian waters. After that, the American waters have again been host to racers as well as European waters (iii) _______ the coast of Spain.

Regardless of (iv)________ the race is held or who the competitors or the winners are, the America’s Cup continues to be the oldest continual racing competition – and (v)  _______  prestigious

(ii)______

The battle was on, and the Canadians delivered. After (i) ________ minor step errors by Sikharulidze, Sale and Pelletier gave a mesmerizing performance and people were expecting them to win. The shock came when 4 (ii) ________ 5 judges placed the Canadians in second place. The public booed as the gracious, yet the confused pair accepted their silver medal. An official protest was launched and, following the results of a formal investigation, it was determined that the French judge had been pressured into giving the highest mark to the Russian skaters in return for a win of the French couple Marina Anissina and Gwcndal Pcizcrat in the ice dancing competition. The judge at (iii) ________ was promptly suspended, and a second gold medal was awarded to the Canadian team. A new marking system was (iv) ________  place in order to (v) ________ any future possibilities for misconduct.

(i)_____

An American pharmaceutical company has focused on designing a vaccine (i) _______ of a viral strain or variety that infects primarily humans. This vaccine has the advantage of protecting against most types of rotavirus infection, but because it is derived (ii) _______ a human strain, it can have serious side effects and even cause the disease itself. Another Europe company developed a different vaccine type by combining human strains with ones taken from cows. In this case, the vaccine is too weak to cause disease in people, however, it only offers protection against major types of rotavirus infection. Regardless of their initial structure, (iii) _______ vaccines work in similar ways by attaching themselves to the VP4 spikes and triggering an immune response before viral cells have a chance to spread (iv) _______ contaminate healthy cells. The two rotavirus vaccines are now undergoing clinical trials and are awaiting (v) _______ to be released on the market. So far, they have proven to have a 90% rale of success

without registering any major side effects.

(v)_____

“Being in space is an exhilarating experience,” recalls astronaut Buzz Aldrin, member of the three-man crew which made history nearly 50 years ago when they (i) _______ in being the first melt ever to set foot on the Moon. ‘Just being able to float around is amazing. Unfortunately, the space suits were quite restrictive so we weren’t able to move about very easily. They made the job of collecting moon rock and soil to bring back to Earth much more difficult. The surface of the Melon is covered in a (ii) _______ and because there isn’t any wind or weather on the Moon, Neil’s famous first footprint should still be there until it is disturbed by other visitors. “On our (iii) _______ to Earth, we were put in quarantine. It was still not known whether life existed on the Moon and it was feared that organisms from the Moon could infect animals and plants on Earth. Hopefully, in the next 25 years man will be setting up (iv) _______ bases on the Moon or even on Mars. I don’t sec much point in just sending astronauts there. Instead of short trips, which are not a very efficient allocation of resources, we should be sending people there to stay. “In time, although possibly not in my lifetime, people will be born on Mars. They will be our “Martians”, (v)_____________ _______ the green creatures that science fiction writers write about.”

(i)______

In Poland, there are many customs at Easter: for example, the ‘blessing basket’, (i) _______ (amongother things) coloured eggs, bread, salt and white sausages. (ii) _______ in the basket has a meaning: the eggs represent Christ; the bread, salt and sausages, good health and enough money in the coming year. The family Easter breakfast on Sunday morning is (iii) _______ important as Christmas dinner for Poles.

And there is one more Polish tradition connected with Easter Monday: ‘watering’. People throw water (iv) _______ each other, and this is a (v) _______ for good health, too. Even strangers on the street are not safe from a bath of cold -water on Easter Monday!

(iv)_____

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word or phrase that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions: 

Mountain people of adjoining nations have great deal in common because terrain and climatemould their lives similarly. 

Israel and Palestine have been at war with each other (i) _______ many years now. The reason behind the conflict is religion. Palestine is a very old country lying in the Middle East. It is an Arabic nation where most of its population is Muslim. Israel (ii) _______ at the border with Palestine. It is a much younger country formed by Jews (iii) _______ religion is radically and completely different from the Muslim religion. Israel grew stronger after the Second World War, when it became a friend and ally of the United States. It started to occupy land from surrounding countries (iv) _______ on the fact that Jews used to live on that land (v) _______  years ago.

(iv)_____

The Christian Church split up at the (i) _______ of the 12th century because some technical differences. It got divided after important churchmen could not agree on which calendar to use when calculating religious holidays. The head of the Western Christian Church was the Pope in Rome. He is (ii) _______ the leader of this Church (iii) _______  is now called the Roman Church or the Catholic Church.

Catholics use the more modem Gregorian calendar to calculate religious holidays. Pope Gregory XIII devised the Gregorian calendar in order to simplify the ancient Julian calendar invented by the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar. According to the Gregorian calendar, Easter (iv) _______ anytime from Mareh 22nd to April 25lh. Therefore, in some years, Catholic and Orthodox Easter are a month apart while in (v) _______ years, they fall right on the same date.

(ii)______

What is your ……… in the family? 

The professor (i) _______ the ancient symbol in the course of researeh for a visual history of the 20th century, to be published by the Trecca in Encyclopedia. The first (ii) _______ instance of its use, he says, occurred in a letter written by a Florentine merchant on May 4th, 1536. He says the sign made its (iii) ________  along trade routes to northern Europe, where it came to represent “at the price of” – its contemporary accountancy (iv) _______  . Professor Stabile believes that Italian banks may possess even earlier documents (v) _______ the symbol lying forgotten in their arehives. The oldest example could be of great value. The race is on between the mercantile world and the banking world to sec who has the oldest documentation of @.

(iii)_____

 Her words impressed themselves ____ my memory. 

Over the last few years, the use of the Internet has increased dramatically in French schools, offices and homes and this trend continues to grow. Who could have imagined, even in the last decade, that we would be able to (i) _______ our friends, colleagues and clients around the world simply through the click of a

mouse and a modem? There is no doubt, like any invention, that the Internet can be used for the good or bad but it is here to stay and (ii) _______  the way we communicate. In the world of business, no corporation can be competitive unless it has access to the Internet. It has become essential to advertise your product and service in this way and an increasing number of companies are using this opportunity to reach a greater number of (iii) _______ consumers. Indeed, the bigger the web site, the more professional the company seems to be. Similarly in education, the opportunities that the Internet can provide are vast.More and more students (iv) _______  on the Internet for their researeh; for instance, a physics undergraduate in Paris can download information from a university library in the States in minutes. From the latest researeh in scientific and linguistic fields to new theories in psychology and history, all these may be published on the world-wide web. What will be the future for the Internet in France? It has been estimated that 60% of homes and 50% of businesses will have access to the Internet within five years. Children, students and professionals will be able to (v) _______ and explore the world as they have never done before

(iv)_____

The Amazon rainforest is in very big danger of disappearing. 9,169 square miles of forest (i) _______ down in 2003 in Brazil (ii) _______. An area of the size of a football field is burned down basically every minute, which means that the rain forest may be gone by the year 2030. The dangers related to this type of activity are very obvious. Trees (iii) _______ poisonous carbon dioxide from the air and give off oxygen. There is more oxygen and (iv) _______ carbon dioxide around a rainforest. When trees are cut down, however, the amount of carbon dioxide increases and the air gets wanner. This leads to global wanning, which is extremely harmful to the environment. (v) _______ is estimated that the burning of Brazilian rainforests alone produces 200 million metric tones of carbon dioxide a year.

(i)_____