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Until the twentieth century cigarettes were not an important threat to public health. Men used tobacco mainly in the form of cigars. They chewed tobacco, piped tobacco, and snuffed. Most women did not use tobacco at all. The cigarette industry began in 1870s with the development of the cigarette manufacturing machine. This made it possible to produce great numbers of cigarettes very quickly, and it reduced the price. Today cigarette smoking is a widespread habit. About forty-three percent of the adult men and thirty-one percent of the adult women in the United States smoke cigarettes regularly. It is encouraging to note, however, that millions of people have quits smoking. Seventy-five percent of the male population and forty-six percent of the female population have smoked cigarettes for some time during their lives, but twenty-six percent of these men and eleven percent of women have stopped smoking. The number of persons who have given up smoking is increasing. Men as a group smoke more than women. Among both men and women the age group with the highest proportion of smokers is the age group 24-44. Income, education, and occupation all play a part in determining a person’s smoking habit. City people smoke more than people living on farms. Well-educated men with high incomes are less likely to smoke cigarettes than men with fewer years of schooling and lower incomes. On the other hand, if a well-educated man with a higher income smokes, he’s likely to smoke more packs of cigarettes per day. The situation is somewhat different for women. There are slightly more smokers among women with higher family incomes and higher education than among the lower income and lower educational groups. These more highly educated women tend to smoke more heavily. Among teenagers the picture is similar. There are fewer teenager smokers from upper-income, well-educated families, and also fewer from families living in farm areas. High school students who are preparing for college are less likely to smoke than those who don’t plan to continue their education after high school. Children are most likely to start smoking if one or both of their parents smoke  
3. The following factors will be likely to decide whether a person smokes EXCEPT ______

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Common methods of deforestation are burning trees and clear cutting. These tactics leave the land completely barren and are controversial practices. Clear cutting is when large swaths of land are cut (1) ______ all at once. A forestry expert quoted by the Natural Resources Defense Council describes clear cutting as “an ecological trauma that has no precedent in nature (2) _____ for a major volcanic eruption.” Burning can be done quickly, in vast swaths of land, or more slowly with the slash-andburn technique. Slash-and-burn agriculture entails cutting down a patch of trees, (3) __________ them and growing crops on the land. The ash from the (4) _____ trees provides some nourishment for the (5) ______ and the land is weed-free from the burning. When the soil becomes less nourishing and weeds begin to reappear over years of use, the farmers move on to a new patch of land and begin the process again

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During the past half-century, our species has embarked on a remarkable social  experiment. For the first time in human history, great numbers of people – at all ages, in all places, of every political persuasion – have begun settling down as singletons. Until the second half of the last century, most of us married young and parted only at death. If death came early, we remarried quickly; if late, we moved in with family, or they with us. Now we marry later. We divorce, and stay single for years or decades.  The rise of living alone has produced significant social benefits, too. Young and middle-aged solos have helped to revitalise cities, because they are more likely to spend money, socialise and participate in public life. Contemporary solo dwellers in the US are primarily women: about 18 million, compared with 14 million men. The majority, more than 16 million, are middle-aged adults between the ages of 35 and 64. The elderly account for about 11 million of the total. Young adults between 18 and 34 number increased more than 5 million, compared with 500,000 in 1950, making them the fastest-growing segment of the solo-dwelling population.  Despite fears that living alone may be environmentally unsustainable, solos tend to live in apartments rather than in big houses, and in relatively green cities rather than in cardependent suburbs. There’s good reason to believe that people who live alone in cities consume less energy than if they coupled up and decamped to pursue a single-family home.
1. The best title for this passage could be ___________

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I feel ............... I did yesterday.

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Parents usually decide on given names for their children before they are born. In some  families the oldest boy is given the same name as his father. In the US the word junior or senior, or a number, is added after the name and surname to make (1) ____ clear which persons is being referred to. For example, the son of William Jones Sr (Senior) (2) ____ be called William Jones Jr (Junior), and his son would be called William Jones III (“William Jones the third”).  Many popular names come from the Bible, e.g. Jacob, Joshua, Matthew, Mary, Rebecca and Sarah, (3) ____ this does not imply that the people who choose them are (4) ____. Other people give their children the name of somebody they admire, such as a famous sports personality, or a film or pop star. In Britain, the name William and Harry became common again after the sons of Prince Charles were given these names. In the US Chelsea was not a common name for a girl (5) _____President Bill Clinton’s daughter Chelsea came to public attention

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For hundreds of years, giving flowers have been a social means of communication. In the United States, flowers are often given during rites of passage, for commemorating special occasions or as a heartfelt gift between loved ones and friends. Flower gifting also occurs in most countries around the world. However, the meanings and traditions often vary. While students traditionally gave their favorite teacher an apple in past years, in China, teachers are given flowers. Peonies are by far the flower most often given in China. They are also quite popularly used for weddings. Strangely, potted plants are not considered a pleasant gift among Asian cultures. The people believe that like a plant confined by a pot, the gift symbolizes a binding or restriction. In Russia, in lieu of giving birthday presents, the guest of honor receives a single flower or an unwrapped bouquet. Floral arrangements or baskets are not given. Russians celebrate a holiday known as Woman’s Day. Traditional gifts include red roses, hyacinths or tulips. When there is a funeral or other occasion where someone wishes to express sympathy, carnations, lilies or roses are given in circular configurations, which signify the transition of birth, life and death to rebirth. In this instance, the color of choice is commonly yellow. For joyous occasions, arrangements and bouquets generally contain an odd number of flowers In the times of ancient Rome, brides carried flowers to scare away evil spirits and encourage fertility. The Dutch believed that flowers were food for the soul. When invited to someone’s home in Great Britain, it is tradition to bring a gift of flowers. All types are acceptable except white lilies, which are usually seen at funerals. Not unlike the United States, red roses are a symbol of love. Flowers are generally gifted in odd numbered increments regardless of the occasion. However, the Brits also have superstitions regarding the number 13, so the number is avoided. In the southern region of the continent, flowers are traditionally given during Christmas. Egyptians are much more conservative and restrict flower gifting to funerals and weddings. While certain flowers may have significant meanings for some, flowers in Las Vegas and across the United States flowers are an accepted gift for any reason desired.  
2. What does the word “They” in paragraph 2 refer to?

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Set aside time each day Most of us can find 15 minutes or half an hour each day for some specific regular activity. It may be a free period or a regular wait, stay in the queue for a bus or meal - even while eating breakfast. One famous surgeon always made it a rule to spend at least 15 minutes on general reading before he went to sleep each night. Whether he went to bed at 10:00 p.m or 2:30 a.m. made no difference. Even if you cannot keep to this kind of discipline, it is a good idea to make sure you always have a general interest book in your pocket. Don’t forget it should be a book which entertains you and the English must not be too difficult for you. Checking your progress through pacing Nearly all speed reading courses have a "pacing element - some timing device which lets the student know how many words a minute he is reading. You can do this simply by looking at your watch every 5 or 10 minutes and noting down the page number you have reached. How do you know when 5 minutes have passed on your watch if you are busy reading the book? Well, this is difficult at first. A friend can help by timing you over a set period. Pace yourself every three or four days, always with the same kind of easy, general interest book. You should soon notice your habitual w. p. m rate creeping up. Check comprehension Obviously there is little point in increasing your w. p. m rate if you do not understand what you are reading. When you are consciously trying to increase your reading speed, stop after every chapter (if you are reading a novel) or every section or group of ten or twelve pages (if it is a textbook) and ask yourself a few questions about what you have been reading. If you find you have lost the thread of the story, or you cannot remember clearly the details of what was said, re-read the section or chapter. “Lightening speed” exercise Take 4 or 5 pages in the general interest book you happen to be reading at the time. Read them as fast as you possibly can. Do not bother about whether you understand or not. Now go back and read them at what you feel to be your normal w. p. m rate, the rate at which you can comfortably understand. After a “lightening speed” read through (probably around 6 w. p. m) you will usually find that your normal speed has increased -  perhaps by as much as 50 -100 w. p. m.
7. When you are reading a novel the passage advises you to pause to check the content ____

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Both/ parents/ should/ take/ responsibility/ child raising.

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The gathering of thousands of individuals representing the myriad religions of the  world for the Parliament of World Religions in Melbourne this year is a testament to the power that religion has to bring people together, to unite them in a search for truth, and to inspire them to work towards the betterment of this world. And this year the Parliament is focusing on issues of the environment through some of its subthemes.  In our day we are struggling with a number of issues related to the environment such as climate change, the pollution of the air, oceans, seas, and waterways, and the challenges of feeding a growing global population. While many of these issues are relatively new so that our forebears did not address them explicitly, our religious traditions do offer us worldviews and principles that aid us in finding solutions to our contemporary problems. One of the basic guiding principles that forms an Islamic vision of humanity’s relationship with the environment is our role as God’s deputies on earth. Islam considers human beings to be vice gerents or deputies of God on earth. Our mission as God’s deputies means that we are charged with the responsibility to care for and maintain the world. On the other hand, the fact that God has placed the world at our disposal means that we may benefit from what it has to offer us. In both cases, we must collaborate with our brothers and sisters in humanity.  One of the key characteristics of humankind’s role as deputies in the world is balance. We must find a balance between benefiting from the blessings that the world has to offer us, and preserving the order that God has established. We must find a balance between securing our own needs while not depriving others of theirs, whether those others reside in different parts of the world, such as less powerful nations, or in different times, such as our children and grandchildren. If we take seriously our role as God’s deputies on earth, not just by benefiting from the environment, but by preserving it and ensuring that other communities and generations will have the same possibilities to drink clean water, breath fresh air, and live in a world that is in harmony with itself and with ourselves, we may hope to be among those who are beloved to God due to their care for His creation
7. The word “it” in paragraph 5 refers to _____

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Braille _________ a system of raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind.

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Families can function well if everyone is able to communicate their needs and wants to communicate with each other in a respectful way. This can be hard if you are feeling frustrated, angry, hurt or sad. Sometimes it can be better to wait until intense feelings have (1)_____ , so that you can more calmly communicate what is going on for you and what you need and want. You may not always get what you want straight away and you might have to be patient and/ or learn the (2)______of negotiation and compromise. Learning to negotiate is a great way to (3)_____things out so everyone come out winning. For example, you might agree to help with chores around the house so you can go to the movies. It’s important to stick to your side of the agreement - this builds trust and respect. Talking things (4)_______can be really helpful, particularly if you are worried about your family relationships. It’s important to identify someone in your family who you feel is understanding and supportive. This could be a parent, brother, sister, cousin, aunty, uncle, a grandparent or a (5) ______family friend.

Biofuels and the Environment

Leading investors have joined the growing chorus of concern about governments and companies rushing into producing biofuels as a solution for global warming, saying that many involved in the sector could be jeopardizing future profits if they do not consider the long-term impact of what they are doing carefully.

It is essential to build sustainability criteria into the supply chain of any green fuel project in order to ensure that there is no adverse effect on the surrounding environment and social structures. The report produced by the investors expresses concern that many companies may not be fully aware of the potential pitfalls in the biofuel sector.

Production of corn and soya beans has increased dramatically in the last years as an eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuels but environmental and human rights campaigners are worried that this will lead to destruction of rain forests. Food prices could also go up as there is increased competition for crops as both foodstuffs and sources of fuel. Last week, the UN warned that biofuels could have dangerous side effects and said that steps need to be taken to make sure that land converted to grow biofuels does not damage the environment or cause civil unrest. There is already great concern about palm oil, which is used in many foods in addition to being an important biofuel, as rain forests are being cleared in some countries and people driven from their homes to create palm oil plantations.

An analyst and author of the investors' report say that biofuels are not a cure for climate change but they can play their part as long as governments and companies manage the social and environmental impacts thoroughly. There should also be greater measures taken to increase efficiency and to reduce demand.

Biofuel producers ____ know about the possible problems.

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Globally we use more energy than ever before, and the demand is rapidly growing. Economic expansion of emerging market economies, population growth and our increasing use of energy-consuming devices are among the most important contributing factors. About one-third of the radiation hitting Earth’s atmosphere is reflected back out into space by clouds, ice, snow, sand and other reflective surfaces. The other two-thirds is absorbed by the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere. As the land, oceans and atmosphere heat up, they re-emit energy as infrared thermal radiation, which passes through the atmosphere. Heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) absorb this infrared radiation and prevent it from dissipating into space, giving rise to what we know as the greenhouse effect. The accumulation of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is the dominating driver of recent climate change. CO2 is estimated to be responsible for 64 % of man-made global warming. Other greenhouse gases are released in much smaller amounts but still contribute significantly to the overall warming effect, as they are much more potent heat-trapping gases than CO2. The EU is taking action on many levels. One example is on fluorinated gases that are contributing less than CO2 but still a particular point of concern in addressing climate change. They are used in several types of products, such as in refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump equipment. While fluorinated gases are released into the atmosphere in smaller quantities than other greenhouse gases, they are extremely potent – they produce a warming effect 23 000 times greater than CO2. For this reason the EU has decided to control their use. The EU’s regulation on fluorinated greenhouse gases aims at cutting the Union’s emissions by two-thirds compared to 2014 levels. Chemicals are not only part of the problem – they are also part of the solution. Sustainable energy sources like solar power rely on chemical innovation using, for example, nanomaterials. One of the main challenges with renewable energy is how to increase its viability with the help of energy storage solutions. For example, solar panels have the best conditions in the desert, but that is not where most people live. Windmills also produce power during the night, which is when our energy consumption is at its lowest. In other words, technologies to improve energy storage and transportation is one of the important areas of research where innovation is needed  
4. The word “potent” in paragraph 2 can be replaced by _______

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The Forbidden City is the former imperial palace in the center of Beijing, China. Construction began in 1406, and the emperor’s (1)_______ officially moved in by 1420. The Forbidden City got its name because most people were barred (2) _______ entering the 72- hectare site, surrounded by walls. Even government officials and the imperial family were permitted only limited access. Only the emperor could enter any section at (3)_______. The architecture of the Forbidden City conforms rigidly to traditional Chinese principles. All buildings within the walls follow a north-south line and the most important ones face south to honor the sun. The designers arranged the other buildings, and the ceremonial spaces between them, to impress all visitors with the great power of the Emperor, while reinforcing the (4)_____ of the individual. This architectural concept was carried out to the smallest detail. For example, the importance of a building was determined not only by its height or width but also by the style of its roof and the quantity of statuettes placed on the roof’s ridges. In (5)_____ of the importance of its unparalleled architecture, UNESCO added the palace to its World Heritage List in 1987. Today, visitors from all over the world do not wait for an imperial invitation to walk about this palace, now a museum of imperial art

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If you think you left the cliques behind in high school, think again. When it comes to  building friendships, men are more likely to return to their clique-y roots than women, according to a recent study published in the journal PLOS One. Researchers found that, in general, men seek to join all-male cliques, clubs or teams, while women prefer a more select, one-on-one relationship with a few close female friends. “Much of male friendship is about coalition building,” said Tamas David-Barett, lead author of the research paper, and member of the experimental psychology department at the University of Oxford.  After analyzing the profile pictures of nearly 112,000 Facebook users worldwide, David-Barett and his co-authors found that men were more likely to post a profile picture showing themselves with a large group of male friends. The study notes that such pictures are “arguably an essential element of the male-male coalition competition.” Conversely, women almost never posted a large group profile picture, but tended to display a photo with only one other female friend. As the paper explained, women “appear more often to focus their social capital on only one person at a time.”  So why are men and women different in the way they make friends? One hypothesis is the difference between the male and female brain. Typically, women tend to have a larger deep limbic system than their male counterparts. The limbic system is a network of nerves in the brain connected to instinct and mood. The limbic system controls basic emotions such as happiness and fear. Because this system tends to be larger in women, females are more in touch with their feelings and have an increased ability to connect individually with others.  According to the Wall Street Journal, other research indicates that females tend to build friendships off of emotional connections and are more apt to share intimate conversations. The male friendship, however, is established by doing things together, such as watching the game or hosting a barbecue. “Female friendships are characterized as more face-to-face. Women want to share and exchange,” said Irene Levine, a friendship expert. “They want to bond. Men, however, want to do things together. They want to go to spectator sports; they want to participate in sports together. They do things that are more side-by-side.” 
8. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

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Do you know the reason ……. humans are interested in Mars and other planets in thesolar system?

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At its narrowest point, Vietnam is only 30 miles (48 kilometers) wide. Two of Vietnam’s largest rivers, the Mekong in the south and the Red in the north, end at the South China Sea in huge swampy plains called (1)________ . These regions are home to most of the country’s people and provide (2)________ ground to grow rice and many other crops. Vietnam’s mountainous terrain, forests, wetlands, and long coastline contain many different habitats that support a great (3)________ of wildlife. Some 270 types of mammals, 180 reptiles, 80 amphibians, and 800 bird species reside in Vietnam Many rare and unusual animals live in Vietnam, (4)________ giant catfish, Indochinese tigers, Saola antelopes, and Sumatran rhinos. The government has set up 30 parks and reserves to protect its animals, but their survival is (5) ________doubt because much of their habitat has been cleared for lumber or to grow crops

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A Tidal Stream Generation system reduces some of the environmental effects of tidal barrages by using turbine generators beneath the surface of the water. Major tidal flows and ocean currents, like the Gulf Stream, can be exploited to extract its tidal energy using underwater rotors and turbines. Tidal stream generation is very similar in principle to wind power generation. Water currents flow across a turbines rotor blades which rotates the turbine, much like how wind currents turn the blades for wind power turbines. In fact, tidal stream generation areas on the sea bed can look just like underwater wind farms. Unlike off-shore wind power which can suffer from storms or heavy sea damage, tidal stream turbines operate just below the sea surface or are fixed to the sea bed. Tidal streams are formed by the horizontal fast flowing volumes of water caused by the ebb and flow of the tide as the profile of the sea bed causes the water to speed up as it approaches the shoreline. As water is much more denser than air and has a much slower flow rate, tidal stream turbines have much smaller diameters and higher tip speed rates compared to an equivalent wind turbine. Tidal stream turbines generate tidal power on both the ebb and flow of the tide. One of the disadvantages of Tidal Stream Generation is that as the turbines are submerged under the surface of the water they can create hazards to navigation and shipping. Other forms of tidal energy include tidal fences which use individual vertical-axis turbines that are mounted within a fence structure, known as the caisson, which completely blocks a channel and force water through them. Another alternative way of harnessing tidal power is by using an “oscillating tidal turbine”. This is basically a fixed wing called a Hydroplane positioned on the sea bed. The hydroplane uses the energy of the tidal stream flowing past it to oscillate its giant wing, similar to a whales flipper, up and down with the movement of the tidal currents. This motion is then used to generate electricity. The angle of the hydroplane to the flow of the tide can be varied to increase efficiency. Tidal energy is another form of low-head hydro power that is completely carbon neutral like wind and hydro energy. Tidal power has many advantages compared to other forms of renewable energy with its main advantage being that it is predictable. However, like many other forms of renewable energy, tidal energy also has its disadvantages such as its inflexible generation times dependant upon the tides and the fact that it operates in the hostile conditions of the oceans and seas
6. What can be inferred from paragraph 5?

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Julia said that she ............... there at noon.

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Alzheimer's disease impairs a person's ability to recall memories, both distant and as a few hours before. Although there is no yet a cure for the illness, there may be hope for a cure with a protein called nerve growth factor. The protein is produced by nerve cells in the same region of the brain where Alzheimer's occurs. Based on this relationship, scientists from the University of Lund in Sweden and the University of California at San Diego designed an experiment to test whether doses of nerve growth factor could reverse the effects of memory loss caused by Alzheimer's. Using a group of rats with impaired memory, the scientists gave half of the rats doses of nerve growth factor while giving the other half a blood protein as a placebo, thus creating a control group. At the end of the four-week test, the rats given the nerve growth factor performed equally to rats with normal memory abilities. While the experiment do not show that nerve growth factor can stop the general process of deterioration caused by Alzheimer's, they do show potential as a means to slowing the process significantly.
8. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word "deterioration"?

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For centuries, historians and archaeologists have puzzled over the many mysteries of  Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument that took Neolithic builders an estimated 1,500 years to erect. Its construction is so baffling because, scientists have traced the bluestones that make up its inner ring all the way to the Preseli Hills in Wales, some 200 miles from where Stonehenge sits on Salisbury Plain.  If the facts surrounding the architects and construction of Stonehenge remain shadowy at best, the purpose of the arresting monument is even more of a mystery. While historians agree that it was a place of great importance for over 1,000 years, we may never know what drew early Britons to Salisbury Plain and inspired them to continue developing it. There is strong archaeological evidence that Stonehenge was used as a burial site, at least for part of its long history, but most scholars believe it served other functions as well-either as a ceremonial site, a religious pilgrimage destination, a final resting place for royalty or a memorial erected to honor and perhaps spiritually connect with distant ancestors.  In the 1960s, the astronomer Gerald Hawkins suggested that the cluster of megalithic stones operated as an astronomical calendar, with different points corresponding to astrological phenomena such as solstices, equinoxes and eclipses. While his theory has received quite a bit of attention over the years, critics maintain that Stonehenge’s builders probably lacked the knowledge necessary to predict such events or that England’s dense cloud cover would have obscured their view of the skies. More recently, signs of illness and injury in the human remains unearthed at Stonehenge led a group of British archaeologists to speculate that it was considered a place of healing, perhaps because bluestones were thought to have curative powers.
5. According to paragraph 3, what is the speculation of Gerald Hawkins concerning the purpose of the heritage?