Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word or phrase that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions.
There has been a significant increase in the number of crimes reported this year

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We think that Mother's Day should be celebrated_______

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mountain/ amazed/ Are/ seeing/ at/ the/ you?

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants ________degrees at all levels in a variety of subjects.

(237)_______

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We will go ____ a picnic next week.

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 step-mother, 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.

Which sentence is not true?

 _______are the formal rules of correct or polite behavior among people using the Internet.

(106)_______

Many countries’ cultural _________is a result of talking in immigrants from all over the world.
(133)_______

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.
                                MENTORING
Many adults in America and increasing numbers elsewhere take part in mentoring schemes. A mentor is an adult who provides support and friendship to a young person. There are numerous different (1).........   of mentoring: passing on skills, sharing experiences, offering guidance. Sometimes the most    helpful thing to do is just listen. Mentoring is open to anybody - no particular (2)................... experience is  required, just a desire to make a difference to the life of a young person who needs help. This may seem a difficult thing at first, but many people find they have a real talent for it.
The support of a mentor can play an important part in a child's development and can often make up(3)............a lack of guidance in a young person's life. It can also improve young people's attitudes towards society and build up their confidence in dealing with life's challenges. For the mentor, it can be incredibly rewarding to know that they have had a significant influence on a child and helped to give the best possible (4)..........in life. Indeed, it is not only adults who are capable of taking on this role. There is now an increasing (5)..........for teenagers to mentor young children, for example by helping them with reading or other school work.

(5)...........................

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:
Early peoples had no need of engineering works to supply their water. Hunters and nomads camped near natural sources of fresh water, and populations were so sparse that pollution of the water supply was not a serious problem. After community life developed and agricultural villages became urban centres, the problem of supplying water became important for inhabitants of a city, as well as for irrigation of the farms surrounding the city. Irrigation works were known in prehistoric times, and before 2000 BC the rulers of Babylonia and Egypt constructed systems of dams and canals to impound the flood waters of the Euphrates and Nile rivers, controlling floods and providing irrigation water throughout the dry season. Such irrigation canals also supplied water for domestic purposes. The first people to consider the sanitation of their water supply were the ancient Romans, who constructed a vast system of aqueducts to bring the clean waters of the Apennine Mountains into the city and built basins and filters along these mains to ensure the
clarity of the water. The construction of such extensive water-supply systems declined when the Roman Empire disintegrated, and for several centuries local springs and wells formed the main source of domestic and industrial water. The invention of the force pump in England in the middle of the 16th century greatly extended the possibilities of development of water-supply systems. In London, the first pumping waterworks was completed in 1562; it pumped river water to a reservoir about 37 m above the level of the River Thames and from the reservoir the water was distributed by gravity, through lead pipes, to buildings in the vicinity. Increased per-capita demand has coincided with water shortages in many countries. Southeast England, for example, receives only 14 per cent of Britain's rainfall, has 30 per cent of its population, and has experienced declining winter rainfall since the 1980s.
In recent years a great deal of interest has been shown in the conversion of seawater to fresh water to provide drinking water for very dry areas, such as the Middle East. Several different processes, including distillation, electrodialysis, reverse osmosis, and direct-freeze evaporation, have been developed for this purpose. Some of these processes have been used in large facilities in the United States. Although these processes are successful, the cost of treating seawater is much higher than that for treating fresh water.

The word “ vicinity” in paragraph 2 refers to “     ”

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I’ll be in trouble if I _________my passport.

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__________ Robert lately?

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The local government suggested ……. a road through the Nam Cat Tien National Park.

Choose the underlined words or phrases that are not correct in standard written English.
The Chinese build the Great Wall over two thousand years ago.

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
How men first learnt to invent words is unknown; in other words, the origin of language is a (1)………. . All we really know is that men, unlike animals, somehow invented certain sounds to express thoughts and feelings, actions and things so that they could communicate with each other; and that later they agreed (2)…….. certain signs, called letters, which could be combined to represent those sounds, and which could be written down. These sounds, (3)……… spoken or written in letters, are called words. Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words that appeal powerfully to our minds and emotions. This charming and telling use of words is what we call literacy type. Above all, the real poet is a master of words. He can (4) ……..his meanings in words which sing like music, and which by their position and association can move men to tears. We should, therefore, learn to choose our words carefully, (5)……… they will make our speech silly and vulgar

FAMILY HISTORY

In an age when technology is developing faster than ever before, many people are being (21).........  to the idea of looking back into the past. One way they can do this is by investigating their own family history. They can try to (22) ............ out more about where their family came from and what they did. This is now a fast-growing hobby, especial in countries with a (23).............  short history, like Australia and the United States.

It is (24).................  thing to spend some time (25) ................... through a book on family history and to take the (26) .............. to investigate your own family’s past. It is (27) ............. another to carry out the research work successfully. It is easy to set about it in a disorganised way and (28) ................ yourself many problems which could have been (29)............ with a little forward planning.

If your own family stories tell you that you are (30) ........... with a famous character, whether hero or criminal, do not let this idea take over your research. Just treat it as an interesting possibility. A simple system for collecting and storing your path. The most important thing, though, is to get started. Who knows what you might find?

(28).........

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 36-42
From smartphones and tablets to apps and social media, society is ambushed from all sides with technology. Naturally, all generations embrace it differently, with younger “digital natives” generally being more connected, more switched-on and more tech literate than older age groups.
According to Pew Research, 92% of Millennials (born 1981–1996) own smartphones, compared with 85% of Gen Xers (born 1965–1980) and 67% of Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964). In terms of tech behavior, older generations tend to use their phones mostly for making calls, whereas for younger generations, a phone is their digital window to the world. Phones are used for social media, going online, texting, emailing, playing games, listening to music, and recording and watching videos.
The daily media consumption of different generations also vastly differs. Gen Z and Millennials favor streaming and online services, with 46% of teens saying they use Netflix compared to 31% of those aged over 16. Furthermore, 16-24s spend 30% of their downtime watching TV or video, compared to 40% of time spent on these activities by the average UK adult. Boomers spend a whopping 344 minutes a day watching regular TV, significantly more than any other age group.
Size also matters more depending on your decade of birth. Younger generations prefer smaller screens sizes, opting for a smartphone as their go-to tech, while Generation X and technology newbies - the Boomers, are going bigger, owning more desktops and tablets. Always in the front of the queue for the hottest tech, younger generations see technology as an integral part of their existence, and since few Millennials and Gen Z can remember a time without social media, they’re more fearless and carefree when it comes to technology. So much so, that a LivePerson report revealed 65% of Millennials and Gen Z interact more with each other online than they do in the real world.
Fundamentally, these behaviors and preferred technologies combine to create a technological generation gap, where employees, shaped by their personal experiences, demonstrate different levels of ability and willingness to adopt new tech. Constantly chasing the next update or device, switched on Millennials and Gen Z are quick to lap up the latest apps, games, and platforms, while Gen X and Boomers are generally slower to embrace technology - both at home and in the workplace.

The word “downtime” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _______.

Choose the best answer:
The children seem to be totally capable ________ working by themselves.

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.
5. The term “impermanence” considered by Tibetan monks is based on the idea that ___________

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
The Rise of E-books
Over the past decade, e-books have revolutionized the way people consume written formation. It will probably come as no surprise the total global sales number continues to rise each year. There are several reasons why readers are buying more e-books. For starters, reading a lengths e-book in front of your computer isn't the most comfortable thing to do. But since tablet sales have exploded, readers can now relax and read their favourite e-books in bed from the beach. Many e-books are often sold at lower prices than traditional books. Since there is almost zero cost for producing e-books, some authors are offering their novels at lower prices. Another factor is convenience. In the past, keeping a large book collection meant setting aside a lot of extra space in one's home. With e-books, it is now possible for readers to carry a portable library, which contains thousands of books. To really understand e-book market though, it is important to keep up with national trends. Recent data suggests that the e-book market in the US and the UK have matured. In both of these countries, e-book sales account for roughly 20 percent of overall book sales. Although that percentage continues to increase, it is going up at a slower rate than in the past. The popularity of e-books has exploded in Russia. In one poll, 70 percent of Russians claim to have read at least one e-book. However, publishers are not too pleased with this new because approximately 92 percent of e-books in Russia are acquired illegally. In France, consumers don't appear to be loo keen on e-books at this time. Although in 2012, e-book sales comprised about 3 percent of the market, it is predicted that this number will increase at a very slow pace. Some French people believe that reading e-books on small screens is uncomfortable. Others say that the French are a cultural exception, as they like the feeling of holding a dusty old physical book. This demonstrates that no matter how popular e- books get, it is unlikely that traditional books will disappear any time soon.
4. Why are publishers unhappy about the popularity of e-books in Russia?