Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Teaching English as a foreign language can be a great way to travel the world and earn money at the same time. However, some graduates actually like idea of (1) _______  a career in teaching English, and there are numerous courses at various levels, from the basic certificate to the Diploma or even the master’s. To find the right course, a good place to start is TEFL.com – an internet site with lots of relevant information and helpful (2)_______  including a full list of places in the UK offering courses. The site also offers assistance to qualified graduates (3)_______  finding work. When deciding a full list of places, what to do is to look at what your needs are. If you want a career in leaching English, then definitely find one designed for that (4) _______  , such as an MA or diploma; but if you want to travel around the world, then do a shorter course that will supply you with teaching skills. Some countries will employ people without a teaching qualification as long as the teacher is a (5) _______ speaker of English. However, most countries now expect a qualification. It is advisable to make sure that the course that you want to do is recognized and that it includes a period of teaching practice. This is important in preparing people to be English language teachers

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
A Microchip in Your Body
In 1998, a British scientist named Kevin Warwick did an experiment. He inserted a small microchip into his left arm. He used the microchip to turn on lights, work with his computer, and even start the water for his hath. After only nine days, Warwick removed the microchip from his arm. Nine days is not a long time, but it was enough to give the world a very important message. It is possible to have a microchip in your body. Many people think that someday, we all will have microchips. There are all kinds of things that a microchip could do. It could be useful for simple, everyday things. You might not have to carry keys, because you could use your microchip to open the front door of your house. You might not need cash, because you could use your microchip to buy things. A microchip might be able to do more important things. For example, a microchip could contain all of your important health information. If you had an emergency and wert to hospital, doctors could read your microchip and learn all of your health history. Some scientists even believe that someday a microchip could help cure diseases. Many people dislike the idea of a microchip in their body. They have a lot of concerns. Is it safe? Could a microchip make you sick? Besides, would other people be able to read your microchip and steal your personal information? People are especially worried about personal freedom. This is probably the biggest reason why so many people are against these microchips. What if your government could use your microchip to watch you? What if your government could use your microchip to find your location? Do you want the government to have that information about you? Again, for most people the answer is “no". Nobody has microchips in their body yet. We don't know if this will ever happen. If we ever do have microchips, we don't know what they would look like or what they would do. What do you think? Would you like to have a microchip inserted into your body?
6. Which statement is true?

Choose the best answer:
We/ promote/ strategies/ prevent/ violence/ discrimination/ against/ girls, boys and women.

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D): The term "dyslexia” is used to describe a number of problems associated with reading, writing or spelling. Short-term memory, mathematics, concentration, personal organization and sequencing may also be affected. We do not know exactly what causes dyslexia, but we do know that it tends to run in the family. We also know that more boys suffer from dyslexia than girls and that dyslexia is more common in urban areas than in rural. One of the most common signs of dyslexia is “reversals”. People with this kind of problem often confuse letters like “b” and "a" when reading and writing or they sometimes read and write words like "tip" and "won" as “pit” and “now”. Other common characteristics are lack of punctuation, misspelling, mixed-up sentence structure and poor grammatical construction. People are born with dyslexia, but it is only when they begin to learn to write that it becomes a noticeable problem. For children with dyslexia, going to school can be a traumatic experience. Poor achievement can make them feel frustrated and insecure. They are reluctant to go to school and sometimes even skip school together, Cheating, stealing and experimenting with drugs can also occur when children regard themselves as failures. It is a common misconception that dyslexic people are of inferior intelligence. Yet Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison and Hans Christian Andersen were apparently all dyslexic. There is no total cure for dyslexia; however, the effects of dyslexia can be lessened with the guidance of skilled specialists and a lot of determination.
2. According to the passage, dyslexic children

Choose the best answer

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s was the only surviving son of Leopold and Maria Pertl Mozart. Leopold was a successful composer, violinist, and assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg court. Wolfgang's mother, a constantly ill housewife, was born to a middle-class family of local community leaders. His only sister was Maria Anna. With their father’s encouragement and guidance, they both were introduced to music at an early age. Leopold started Anna on the keyboard when she was seven, as three-year-old Wolfgang looked on. Mimicking her playing, Wolfgang quickly began to show a strong understanding of chords, tonality, and tempo. Soon, he too was being tutored by his father.

Leopold was a devoted and task-oriented teacher to both his children. He made the lessons fun, but also insisted on a strong work ethic and perfection. Fortunately, both children excelled well in these areas. Recognizing their special talents, Leopold contributed much of his time to their education in music as well as other subjects. Wolfgang soon showed signs of excelling beyond his father's teachings with an early composition at age five and demonstrating outstanding ability on harpsichord and the violin. He would soon go onto play the piano, organ and viola.

The word “they” 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 ‌43‌ ‌to‌ ‌50.‌ ‌
There‌ ‌are‌ ‌two‌ ‌basic‌ ‌types‌ ‌of‌ ‌glaciers,‌ ‌those‌ ‌that‌ ‌flow‌ ‌outward‌ ‌in‌ ‌all‌ 
directions‌ ‌with‌ ‌little‌ ‌regard‌ ‌for‌ ‌any‌ ‌underlying‌ ‌‌terrain‌ ‌‌and‌ ‌those‌ ‌that‌ ‌are‌ ‌confined‌ ‌by‌ ‌terrain‌ ‌to‌ ‌a‌ ‌particular‌ ‌path.‌ ‌The‌ ‌first‌ ‌category‌ ‌of‌ ‌glaciers‌ ‌includes‌ ‌those‌ ‌massive‌ ‌blankets‌ ‌that‌ ‌cover‌ ‌whole‌ ‌continents,‌ ‌appropriately‌ ‌called‌ ‌ice‌ ‌sheets.‌ ‌There‌ ‌must‌ ‌be‌ ‌over‌ ‌50,000‌ ‌square‌ ‌kilometers‌ ‌of‌ ‌land‌ ‌covered‌ ‌with‌ ‌ice‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌glacier‌ ‌to‌ ‌
qualify‌ ‌as‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌sheet,‌ ‌when‌ ‌portions‌ ‌of‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌sheet‌ ‌spread‌ ‌out‌ ‌over‌ ‌the‌ ‌ocean,‌ ‌they‌ ‌form‌ ‌ice‌ ‌shelves.‌ ‌
About‌ ‌20,000‌ ‌years‌ ‌ago‌ ‌the‌ ‌Cordilleran‌ ‌Ice‌ ‌sheet‌ ‌covered‌ ‌nearly‌ ‌all‌ ‌the‌ ‌mountains‌ ‌in‌ ‌southern‌ ‌Alaska,‌ ‌western‌ ‌Canada,‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌western‌ ‌United‌ ‌States.‌ ‌It‌ ‌was‌ ‌about‌ ‌3‌ ‌kilometers‌ ‌deep‌ ‌at‌ ‌its‌ ‌thickest‌ ‌point‌ ‌in‌ ‌
northern‌ ‌Alberta.‌ ‌Now‌ ‌there‌ ‌are‌ ‌only‌ ‌two‌ ‌sheets‌ ‌left‌ ‌on‌ ‌Earth,‌ ‌those‌ ‌covering‌ ‌Greenland‌ ‌and‌ ‌Antarctica.‌ ‌Any‌ ‌domelike‌ ‌body‌ ‌of‌ ‌ice‌ ‌that‌ ‌also‌ ‌flows‌ ‌out‌ ‌in‌ ‌all‌ ‌directions‌ ‌but‌ ‌covers‌ ‌less‌ ‌than‌ ‌50,000‌ ‌square‌ ‌kilometers‌ ‌is‌ ‌called‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌cap.‌ ‌Although‌ ‌ice‌ ‌caps‌ ‌are‌ ‌rare‌ ‌nowadays,‌ ‌there‌ ‌are‌ ‌a‌ ‌number‌ ‌in‌ ‌northeastern‌ ‌Canada,‌ ‌on‌ ‌
Baffin‌ ‌Island,‌ ‌and‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌Queen‌ ‌Elizabeth‌ ‌Islands.‌ ‌The‌ ‌second‌ ‌category‌ ‌of‌ ‌glaciers‌ ‌includes‌ ‌those‌ ‌of‌ ‌a‌ ‌variety‌ ‌of‌ ‌shapes‌ ‌and‌ ‌sizes‌ ‌generally‌ ‌called‌ ‌mountain‌ ‌or‌ ‌alpine‌ ‌glaciers.‌ ‌Mountain‌ ‌glaciers‌ ‌are‌ ‌typically‌ ‌identified‌ ‌by‌ ‌the‌ ‌landform‌ ‌that‌ ‌controls‌ ‌their‌ ‌flow.‌ ‌One‌ ‌form‌ ‌of‌ ‌mountain‌ ‌glacier‌ ‌that‌ ‌resembles‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌cap‌ ‌in‌ ‌that‌ ‌it‌ ‌flows‌ ‌outward‌ ‌in‌ ‌several‌ ‌directions‌ ‌is‌ ‌called‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌field.‌ ‌The‌ ‌difference‌ ‌between‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌field‌ ‌and‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌cap‌ ‌is‌ ‌‌subtle‌.‌ ‌Essentially,‌ ‌the‌ ‌flow‌ ‌of‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌field‌ ‌is‌ ‌somewhat‌ ‌controlled‌ ‌by‌ ‌surrounding‌ ‌terrain‌ ‌and‌ ‌thus‌ ‌does‌ ‌not‌ ‌have‌ ‌the‌ ‌domelike‌ ‌shape‌ ‌of‌ ‌a‌ ‌cap.‌ ‌
There‌ ‌are‌ ‌several‌ ‌ice‌ ‌fields‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌Wrangell.‌ ‌St.‌ ‌Elias,‌ ‌and‌ ‌Chugach‌ ‌mountains‌ ‌of‌ ‌Alaska‌ ‌and‌ ‌northern‌ ‌British‌ ‌Columbia.‌ ‌Less‌ ‌spectacular‌ ‌than‌ ‌large‌ ‌ice‌ ‌fields‌ ‌are‌ ‌the‌ ‌most‌ ‌common‌ ‌types‌ ‌of‌ ‌mountain‌ ‌glaciers:‌ ‌the‌ ‌cirque‌ ‌and‌ ‌valley‌ ‌glaciers.‌ ‌Cirque‌ ‌glaciers‌ ‌are‌ ‌found‌ ‌in‌ ‌depressions‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌surface‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌land‌ ‌and‌ ‌have‌ ‌a‌ ‌characteristic‌ ‌circular‌ ‌shape.‌ ‌The‌ ‌ice‌ ‌of‌ ‌valley‌ ‌glaciers,‌ ‌bound‌ ‌by‌ ‌terrain,‌ ‌flows‌ ‌down‌ ‌valleys,‌ ‌curves‌ ‌around‌ ‌‌their‌ ‌‌corners,‌ ‌
and‌ ‌falls‌ ‌over‌ ‌cliffs.‌ ‌

According‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌passage,‌ ‌where‌ ‌was‌ ‌the‌ ‌Cordilleran‌ ‌Ice‌ ‌Sheet‌ ‌thickest?‌ ‌

Choose the best answer:
My friend and I _______ your sister tomorrow afternoon after she _______ her work.

Rewrite sentences without changing the meaning:
It is earth's gravity that gives people their weight.

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:
In most discussions of cultural diversity, attention has focused on visible, explicit aspects of culture, such as language, dress, food, religion, music, and social rituals. Although they are important, these visible expressions of culture, which are taught deliberately and learned consciously, are only the tip of the iceberg of culture. Much of culture is taught and learned implicitly, or outside awareness. Thus, neither cultural insiders nor cultural outsiders are aware that certain “invisible” aspects of their culture exist.
Invisible elements of culture are important to us. For example, how long we can be late before being impolite, what topics we should avoid in a conversation, how we show interest or attention through listening behaviour, what we consider beautiful or ugly- these are all aspects of culture that we learn and use without being aware of it. When we meet other people whose invisible cultural assumptions differ from those we have learned implicitly, we usually do not recognize their behaviour as cultural in origin.
Differences in invisible culture can cause problems in cross-cultural relations. Conflicts may arise when we are unable to recognize others’ behavioural differences as cultural rather than personal. We tend to misinterpret other people’s behaviour, blame them, or judge their intentions or competence without realizing that we are experiencing cultural rather than individual differences.

Formal organizations and institutions, such as schools, hospitals, workplaces, governments, and the legal system are collection sites for invisible cultural differences. If the differences were more visible, we might have less misunderstanding. For example, if we met a man in a courthouse who was wearing exotic clothes, speaking a language other than ours, and carrying food that looked strange, we would not assume that we understood his thoughts and feelings or that he understood ours. Yet when such a man is dressed similarly to us, speaks our language, and does not differ from us in other obvious ways, we may fail to recognize the invisible cultural differences between us. As a result, mutual misunderstanding may arise.

The author implies that institutions such as schools and workplaces     .

People should eat _____ and do ________ to reduce the risk of heart disease.

(447)_____

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:
Scientists have developed a new bionic computer chip that can be mated with human cells to combat disease. The tiny device, smaller and thinner than a strand of hair, combines a healthy human cell with an electronic circuitry chip. Doctors can control the activity of the cell by controlling the chip with a computer.
It has long been established that cell members become permeable when exposed to electrical impulses. Researchers have conducted genetic research for years with a trial-and-error process of bombarding cells with electricity in an attempt to introduce foreign substances such as new drug treatments or genetic material. They were unable to apply a particular level of voltage for a particular purpose. With the new invention, the computer sends electrical impulses to the chip, which triggers the physicians to open a cell‘s pores with control.
Researchers hope that eventually they will be able to develop more advanced chips whereby they can choose a particular voltage to activate particular tissues, whether they be muscle, bone, brain, or others. They believe that they will be able to implant multiple chips into a person to deal with one problem or more than one problem.

The author implies that up to now. the point of applying electric impulse to cells was to     .

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Movies for the Blind
When you think of the cinema, the phrase ‘watching a movie’ probably comes to mind, and, indeed, moviemakers work very hard to make their films interesting visually. They may use elaborate costumes, beautiful locations, or amazing special effects to tell a story. An actor’s expression or movements can also sometimes say more than words. But what about people who are blind or have trouble seeing? Movies also I contain dialogue, music, and sound effects – things that people don’t need to see in order to enjoy. Movie reviewer Marty Klein, who is blind, created a website called Blindspots to help people choose movies that they can follow without the help of someone explaining what is happening on the screen. He gave a rating, from 1 to 10, based on several things. A movie received a high rating if it has only a few main characters whose voices are easy to recognize. Klein also liked interesting stories without many changes in time and place. A large amount of dialogue between the characters was better than long silences or noisy action scenes. His reviews are still online, but the site is no longer updated. Another blind movie reviewer, Jay Forry, maintains the website Blindsite Reviews. He also writes for newspapers and is a guest on radio shows. Forry gives movies one of five ratings, including, “So good, blind people like it” and “I’m glad I couldn’t see it.” Forry became a writer after going blind at the age of 28, and his writing skills and sense of humour are what keep people reading his reviews or listening to him on the radio. After “watching” the animated movie Up, Forry commented that he wished he, too, could have a talking dog to tell him to watch out for cars and not to “go into the ladies’ restroom again.” Sometimes, though, it’s nice to go to the movie without reading reviews and knowing what to expect. Some movie theaters have begun to offer recorded audio descriptions of the movements, scenery, and special effects so that blind moviegoers can follow what other audience members see on the screen. They usually receive a wireless headset to wear during the movie. This allows them to listen to the narration while still hearing the hearing’s music and other sounds that surround them in the theater. Jay Forry also notes that modern theaters now have excellent sound systems, something he appreciates more than the average moviegoer. In the end, going to the movies should be a fun and exciting experience – for both the sighted and the blind.
6. To help blind people, some theaters __________

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.
                          VIRTUAL DOCTORS
 Clare Harrison rarely falls ill and hates going to the doctor’s when she does. So when she recently(1)........... out in a painful rash down one side of her body she emailed her symptoms, (2)..................  also  included a (3)...................... fever, to e–doc, the internet medical service. Two hours later she was diagnosed as having shingles (Herpes Zoster) by her online doctor, who prescribed a special cleansing solution for the rash and analgesics to help relieve the pain.
Health advice is now the second most popular topic that people search for on the internet, and online medical consultation is big business. Sites vary enormously in what they offer, with services ranging from the equivalent of a medical agony aunt to a live chat with a doctor via email. They are clearly (4)....................... a demand from people who are too busy or, in some cases, too embarrassed to discuss their medical (5)..................... with their GP.

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

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.
7. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about John Harvard?

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Prehistoric mammoths have been preserved in the famous tar pits of Rancho La Brea (Brea is the Spanish word for tar) in what is now the heart of Los Angeles, California. These tar pits have been known for centuries and were formerly mine for their natural asphalt, a black or brown petroleum-like substance. Thousands of tons were extracted before 1875, when it was first noticed that the tar contained fossil remains. Major excavations were undertaken that established the significance of this remarkable site. The tar pits were found to contain the remains of scores of species of animals from the last 30,000 years of the Ice Age. Since then, over 100 tons of fossils, 1.5 million from vertebrates, 2.5 million from invertebrates, have been recovered, often in densely concentrated tangled masses. The creatures found range from insects and birds to giant ground sloths, but a total of 17 proboscideans (animals with a proboscis or long nose) - including mastodons and Columbian mammoths - have been recovered, most of them from Pit 9, the deepest bone-bearing deposit, which was excavated in 1914. Most of the fossils date to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago. The asphalt at La Brea seeps to the surface, especially in the summer, and forms shallow puddles that would often have been concealed by leaves and dust. Unwary animals would become trapped on these thin sheets of liquid asphalt, which are extremely sticky in warm weather. Stuck, the unfortunate beasts would die of exhaustion and hunger or fall prey to predators that often also became stuck. As the animals decayed, more scavengers would be attracted and caught in their turn. Carnivores greatly outnumber herbivores in the collection: for every large herbivore, there is one saber-tooth cat, a coyote, and four wolves. The fact that some bones are heavily weathered shows that some bodies remained above the surface for weeks or months. Bacteria in the asphalt itself would have consumed some of the tissues of other than bones, and the asphalt itself would dissolve what was left, at the same time impregnating and beautifully preserving the saturated bones, rendering them dark brown and shiny.
1. What aspect of the La Brea pits does the passage mainly discuss?

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on you answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks .
             WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE
Some people think of 'traditional ' gender roles as being like a 1950s TV sitcom: Dad puts (1)..............his suit and goes to the office, while Mum, in her apron, stays at home and (2)............. the housework. But for most of human history, it has taken the efforts of both men and women, whether working in an office (3)..................... in the fields, to look after the family. And that's the situation to which we now seem to be returning.
By 2050, women will make up 47% of the workforce in the United States, up from 30% in 1950. But some experts are predicting that, at (4)................. in the short term, the number of women in the workforce may actually overtake the number of men. What's the reason? During the economic recession that began in 2008, many jobs disappeared from industries traditionally dominated by male workers, such as manufacturing. Unless many more manual manufacturing jobs (5)........... , it may be that women, who traditionally work in healthcare, education and other service industries, will take the lead in the labour market.

(1)..........................

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
Synchronised swimming or (1) _______ swimming used to be known as 'water ballet'. This is because the routines are essentially a series of athletic movements choreographed to a piece of chosen music, so synchronised swimming is like a staged ballet (2) _______ is in the water. Synchronised swimming is highly challenging, requiring ease of movements and the ability to stay upside down in water. (3) _______ , it is said to be as hard to practice as it is beautiful to watch. A test even for strong swimmers, the sport requires advanced water skills, strength, flexibility, endurance, grace, precise timing, artistry and exceptional breath control. There are a (4) _______ of competitive categories in synchronised swimming: solo, duet, trio, team, combination and figures. There are two categories available to compete in the SEA Games. The first one is duet and (5) _______ is team

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:
Overpopulation, the situation of having large numbers of people with too few resources and too little space, is closely associated with poverty. It can result from high population density, or from low amounts of resources, or from both. Excessively high population densities put stress on available resources. Only a certain number of people can be supported on a given area of land, and that number depends on how much food and other resources the land can provide. In countries where people live primarily by means of simple farming, gardening, herding, hunting, and gathering, even large areas of land can support only small numbers of people because these labor-intensive subsistence activities produce only small amounts of food.
In developed countries such as the United States, Japan, and the countries of Western Europe, overpopulation generally is not considered a major caus of poverty. These countries produce large quantities of food through mechanized farming, which depends on commercial fertilizers, large-scale irrigation, and agricultural machinery. This form of production provides enough food to support the high densities of people in metropolitan areas.
A country’s level of poverty can depend greatly on its mix of population density and agricultural productivity. Bangladesh, for example, has one of the world’s highest population densities, with 1, 147 persons per sq km. A large majority of the people of Bangladesh engage in low – productivity manual farming, which contributes to the country’s extremely high level of poverty. Some of the smalleer countries in Western Europe, such as the Netherlands and Belgium, have high population densities as well. These countries practice mechanized farming and are involved in high-tech industries, however, and there fore have high standards of living.
At the other end of the spectrum, many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have population densities of less than 30 persons per sq km. Many people in these countries practice manual subsistence farming; these countries also have infertile land, and lack the economic resources and technology to boost productivity. As a consequence, these nations are very poor. The United States has both relatively low population density and high agricultural productivity; it is one of the world’s wealthiest nations.
High birth rates contribute to overpopulation in many developing countries. Children are assets to many poor families because they provide labor, usually for farming. Cultural norms in traditionally rural societies commonly sanction the value of large families. Also, the governments of developing countries often provide little or no support, financial or political, for family planning; even people who wish to keep their families small have difficulty doing so. For all these reasons, developing countries tend to have high rates of population growth.
(From “Poverty” by Thomas J. Corbett)

In certain countries, large areas of land can only yield small amounts of food because     .

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
The Most Convenient Way to Shop
Do you do a lot of online shopping? For millions of people, it is a wonderful way to purchase the things they want without having to leave their homes. Online shopping is not very old. The first online shopping company was created in 1991. However, the idea of shopping from home has existed for a very long time. Many years ago, people shopped with mail-order catalogues. A catalogue is a very thin magazine that is full of advertisements, and then they mailed their order back to the company. A few weeks later, their product arrived. Because people ordered their products through the mail, they were called “mail-order” catalogues. After that, shopping television shows became popular. These TV shows introduced products to people watching at home. People who wanted to buy something called the company and placed the order. This is called home shopping. Now we have online shopping. Online shoppers go online and look at web sites. When they find something they want, they place an order with the web site. They usually pay with a credit card or with virtual currency. Online shopping is changing shopping. Millions of people buy things online every day. The biggest effect of online shopping is on stores. As more people buy things online, more stores are shutting down. After all, why should you go to a store if you can buy things from home? The main advantage of online shopping is convenience. You can buy almost anything from anywhere in the world, and a week later the product will be in your house. Also, other customers write reviews of products. You can read these reviews and decide whether or not you want to buy the product. The big disadvantages are the loss of jobs from store closing, and the fact that you can’t examine an item closely before you buy it. After online shopping, what do you think will come next?
4. The word “_they_” in paragraph 2 refers to _________.

Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase.

The Early Life of Bill Gates

While Bill Gates had to work (1)………..to become what he is today, his story isn’t exactly a rags-to-riches one as he was born into a fairly wealthy family. His father was a successful attorney while his mother was a school teacher who went onto a member of the Board of Directors of the First Interstate Bank. Gates was a bright student and (2) ……….well academically, especially in mathematics. And, this was exemplified by the 800 points that young Bill Gates scored in the mathematics part of an intelligence test.

Bill Gates developed a (3) ………..for computers and programming as early as 13. At the same age, Gates enrolled in the Lakeside School, a private preparatory school. While Gates was still at the school, the school administration decided to buy a computer from the General Electric Company. (4) ………his flare in programming, the school administration excused Gates from classes to allow him to (5) ………….his interest. On the GEC machine, Bill Gates built his first ever computer program.

At the school, Gates met Paul Allen and they worked (6)………..to find bugs in a system belonging to Computer Center Corporation. In exchange for computer time and royalties, Gates and Allen along with two other students wrote a payroll program for Information Sciences. This led to Gates’ school becoming fully aware (7)………..his talent and they had him build a program (8)………..scheduled students in classes.

Gates and Allen continue to build software and at just the age of 15, Bill Gates sold a software to optimize traffic for $$ 20,000. A few years later, he developed another software and earned $$ 30,000 from (9)...... And, this was the start of Bill Gates’ journey to a billion-dollar (10)…………..

(5)……….

Choose the best answer:
The red rose is a _________ of beauty and romantic love.