Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each blank.

AUDIOBOOKS - BOOKS ON CASSETTE

In the modern world, there is a wealth of leisure activities to choose from. Entertainment industries (26)________ for your leisure time. You can watch TV, listen to music, go to an art gallery or concert or, of course, read a book. Sometimes it seems that reading is (27)________because, even if you're a fast reader, it can take a (28)________amount of time to finish a novel, for example. But in the (29)________world, time is something that can be in short supply. Book publishers haven't been (30)________to realise this and are now selling a product which needn't (31)________as much of your time but still tells you an excellent story. The new product is the audiobook -cassette recordings of shortened novels, often read by well-known personalities or the authors themselves. Audiobooks are (32)________new but people are becoming more aware of them and sales are increasing all the time. One of the attractions of audiobooks is that they're (33)________listening to the radio. You can listen to what you want when you want, and you won't ever (34)________anything. Much of their appeal lies in their flexibility. They (35)________you to do other things while you're listening, such as driving or doing the housework. For some people, audiobooks can be a much more enjoyable way of gaining knowledge than reading.

(27)________

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word for each of the blanks from 36 to 40.
Vietnamese generally shake hands when greeting and parting. Using both hands shows respect as does a (36)_________ bow of the head. In rural areas, elderly people who do not extend their hand are greeted with a slight bow. Women are more likely to bow the head than to shake hands. Vietnamese names begin with the family name andare (37)_________ by a given name. People address one another by their given names,    but add a title that indicates their perceived relationship to the other person. These titles are family related rather than professional. Among colleagues, for example, the younger of the two might combine the given name with the title of - Anh(OlderBrother). A/n (38)_________ greeting combined with the given name and titleis “Xin chao” (Hello). Classifiers for gender and familiarity are also combined with the greeting. In formal meetings, business cards are sometimes exchanged on greeting.
Vietnamese have astrong (39)_________ of hospitality and feel embarrassed if they cannot show their guests  full respect by preparing for their arrival. Therefore, it is (40)_________ to visit someone without having been invited. Gifts are not required, but are appreciated. Flowers, incense, or tea may be appropriate gifts for the hosts. Hosts also appreciate a small gift for their children or elderly parents.
(37).................

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 from 31 to 35.
On April 3, 1972, a man came out of the Hilton hotel in Manhattan and started walking down the street. He stopped, (31) his hand with a strange object in it, put it to his ear and started to talk into it. This was the beginning of mobile phone (32) , more than 30 years ago. That man was Motorola's project manager, Martin Cooper, who was (33) his 34th birthday that day. The strange object was the first mobile phone, which was nicknamed “the shoe” because of its  unusual (34)  .Mr. Cooper had gone to New York to introduce the new phone. The first call he made was to his rival, Joe Engel at AT&T's research centre. Engel was responsible for the development of the radiophones for cars. "I called him and said that I was talking on a real mobile phone (35)         I was holding in my hand," said Cooper. "I don't remember what he said in reply, but I'm sure he wasn't happy." The quality of the call was very good, because although New York had only one base station at that time, it was being used by only one user - Martin Cooper.
(35).....................

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.

Since the invention of the Internet, the world has become a different place. People are sending messages, apparently up to 60 billion a day, and it usually takes only seconds to deliver them. (1) _________are we now forgetting how to communicate face-to-face?

Without a doubt there are (2) _________ challenges, but there are also examples of when the Internet has changed someone's life for the better. Look at Tara Taylor's case, a mother (3) ___________ lives in the USA: when she uploaded a photo of her daughter to Facebook, a facefriend (4) ______a problem with one of the child's eyes, so Tara took her to the doctor. It turned out that the girl had a rare disease, but her sight was saved! The story of communication is, in many (5) _______, the story of the human race: we have always shared knowledge and built relationships, whatever means of communication we use.

(Adapted from High Note)

(5) ________

Read the passage below and choose one correct answer for each question.

Books which give instructions on how to do things are very popular in the United States today. Thousands of these How-to books are useful: in fact, there are about four thousand books with titles that begin with the words 'How-to". One book may tell you how to earn more money, another may tell you how to save or spend it and another may explain how to give your money away. Many How-to books give advice on careers. They tell you how to choose a career and how to succeed in it. If you fail, however, you can buy the book “How to Turn Failure into Success”. If you would like to become very rich, you can buy the book “How to Make a Millionaire”. If you never make any money at all. you may need abook called “How to Live on Nothing”. One of the most popular types of books is one that helps you with personal problems. If you want to have a better love of life, you can read “How to Succeed in Love Every Minute of Your Life”. If you are tired of books on happiness,  you may prefer books which give step-by-step instructions on how to redecorate or enlarge a house. Why have How-to books become so popular? Probably because life has become so complex. Today people have far more time to use, more choices to make, and more problems to solve. How-to books help people deal with modern life.

From the first paragraph, we know How-to books are________.

Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage: 

"Books are written to provide knowledge and good books enrich the mind. By putting (1)…. under the influence of superior mind, we (2) ….. our mental powers. (3)…. good books, we learn that people everywhere are the (4) ......., in ali ages, and in all (5)…. . This knowledge improves our love (6)…. others and helps us to live in peace with them.
 We also (7)…. that the world was made not only for man (8)…. but for every creature that can feel hunger and thirst, warmth and cold. Though it may be possible for us to travel (9)…. the world and see the things happening today, it is not possible for us to see the things that happened in the past. But good books (10) …..us to see not only into the most remote regions of the world today, but also into the world in which our ancestors lived."

7.  We also (7)…. that the world was made not only for man

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
Statesmen define a family as ―a group of indivi duals having a commo n  dwelling andrelated by blood, adoption or marriage, (1) includes common law relationships.‖ Most people are born into one of these groups and (2) live their lives as a family in such a group.Although the definition of a  family may not change, (3).relationship of people to each other within the family  group changes as society changes. More and more wives are (4) paying jobs,  and, as a result, the roles of husband, wife and children are changing. Today,  men expect to(5) . for pay for about 40 years of their lives, and, in today‘s  marriages(6) . which both spouses have paying jobs, women can expect to  work for about 30 to 35 years of their lives. This mean that man must learn to do  their share of family tasks such as caring for the children and daily (7) chores.  Children, too, especially adolescents, have to (8) with the members od their  family in sharing household tasks. The widespread acceptance of contraception  has meant that having (9) is as matter of choice, not an automatic result of  marriage. Marriage itself has become a choice. As alternatives (10)  common-law relationships and single-parent families have become socially  acceptable, women will become more independent. 

7)...........................

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.

GLOBAL WARMING

Few people now question the reality of global warming and its effects on the world's climate. Many scientists (1) _____________the blame for recent natural disasters on the increase in the world's temperatures and are convinced that, more than ever before, the Earth is at risk from the forces of the wind, rain and sun. According to them, global warming is making extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and droughts, even more (2) _____________and causing sea levels all around the world to rise.

     Environmental groups are putting pressure on governments to take action to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide which is given (3) _____________by factories and power plants, thus attacking the problem at its source. They are in favor of more money being spent on research into solar, wind and wave energy devices, (4) _____________ could then replace existing power station.

Some scientists, (5) _____________, believe that even if we stopped releasing carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere tomorrow, we would have to wait several hundred years to notice the results. Global warming, it seems, is to stay.

(4) _________

Read the passage below and decide whether the statements are TRUE or FALSE?

When a child learns to read and write, he must access the schema developed in his brain. As he reads, the child creates pictures in his mind and uses imagination and points of reference to put the story together. Television images do not go through a complex symbolic transformation. The mind does not have to decode and manipulate during the television experience. Watching television and playing video games do not develop a child's skills in word recognition, decoding, vocabulary, spelling or high-level thinking. The connection between television's effects on children's reading abilities and the decline in their writing skills is clear: there is no question in the minds of educators that a student who cannot read with the true comprehension will never learn to write well. Writing, after all, is book talk, and you only learn book talk by reading. It has been shown that reading stimulates brain activity. While reading, we imagine settings, characters and we become part of the world of the story. Conversely, it has been shown that watching television prevents brain activity. Children who watch too much television are less socially developed and have problems maintaining concentration. Reading, instead of watching television, enriches our lives, develops the imagination, and intellect, and is less brain deadening. Reading is good for us, it makes one a better person.

The skills in a child including word recognition, decoding, vocabulary, spelling and high-level thinking are developed through watching TV and playing video games.

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 from 26 to 30.
The position of sport in today‟s society has changed out of all regconition. People no longer seem to think of sport as “just a game” – to be watched or played for the (21)_________ of enjoyment. Instead, it has become big business worldwide. It has become accepted practice for loading companies to provide sponsorship. TV companies pay large sums of money to screen important matches or competitions. The result has been huge financial rewards for athletes, some of (22)_________ are now very wealthy, particularly top footballers, golfers and tennis players. (23)_________ , it is not unusual for some athletes to receive large fees on top of their salary, for advertising products or making personal appearances.
A trend towards shorter working hours means that people generally tend to have more free time, both to watch and to take part in sporting activity; sport has become a significant part of the recreation industry that we now rely (24)_________ to fill our leisure hours. Professional sport is a vital part of that industry, providing pleasure for millions of (25)_________ people all over the world.
(21).................

Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage: 

"Books are written to provide knowledge and good books enrich the mind. By putting (1)…. under the influence of superior mind, we (2) ….. our mental powers. (3)…. good books, we learn that people everywhere are the (4) ......., in ali ages, and in all (5)…. . This knowledge improves our love (6)…. others and helps us to live in peace with them.
 We also (7)…. that the world was made not only for man (8)…. but for every creature that can feel hunger and thirst, warmth and cold. Though it may be possible for us to travel (9)…. the world and see the things happening today, it is not possible for us to see the things that happened in the past. But good books (10) …..us to see not only into the most remote regions of the world today, but also into the world in which our ancestors lived."

6. This knowledge improves our love (6)…. others and helps us to live in peace with them.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the answer to each of the question. 
The world’s oldest post office, which has been operating in Sanquhar, Scotland, for more than 300 years, faces an uncertain future. Current owner and stamp collector, Manzoor Alam, and his wife, Nazra, have been forced to put the business and its accompanying cottage on the market due to ill health.
The Alams are “heartbroken” to leave the post office, and are concerned that if a buyer cannot be found its rich history could be lost. “It was my husband who was always the one most interested in stamps and the postal service but over the last few years of working here it has grown on me too,” said Mrs Alam. The couple are the post office’s 16th postmasters, and if they become the last, the title will fall to a Stockholm branch, which opened in 1720.
Dumfries and Galloway councillor, Andrew Wood, said lots of rural areas were struggling to keep their post offices open. He said it would be a “sad day” if the business folded. “I was wondering if the community could arrange a buyout but it shouldn’t come down to that,” he said. “We’re a wealthy country and should be able to have them in good-sized towns.”
The property is on the market for £275,000, and includes a three-bed cottage with two bathrooms, a large living room, and garden with outbuildings. Agent Humberstones suggests the outbuilding could be a holiday let, tea room or postal museum, as Mr Alam had planned. “My ambition is to promote the rich heritage of the past by establishing a postal museum — the only one in Scotland — and combining it with a modern business, securing this wonderful post office for future generations,’” he had said when he took on the business.

According to paragraph 4, what is NOT included in the premises?

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
Postsecondary institutions and private schools are corporations under U.S. law.  They are approved to operate as non-profit, for-profit, or public corporations (1)  _______ education and training. Increasingly, state authorities are requiring  approved educational providers to apply (2) _______ and receive accreditation  as a condition of final and continued approval. 
As corporate entities, U.S. institutions are internally self-governing and are (3)  _______ to make property, facilities, equipment, and utilities transactions; make  their own personnel decisions; decide whom to admit to study and to graduate;  (4) _______ their own funds from outside sources; enter into contracts and  compete for grants; and do most of the other things that corporations do.  Institutions compete (5) _______ one another for students, research funding,  faculty, and other benefits. Public institutions may compete within the same  state or territory for budget appropriations. It is the corporate nature of  institutions and the competition within the system that (6) _______ Americans  to refer to the concept of the educational or academic marketplace - an important distinctive element of the way U.S. education is organized. 
Some institutions are governed (7) _______ under multi-campus arrangements.  These include most local public schools (governed by school districts) and many  state community college and university systems. Whether single- or multi campus, institutional corporations (8) _______ by boards of citizens, both  alumni and non- alumni, who are ultimately responsible for all operations. They  appoint senior (9) _______, such as principals, headmasters, presidents, and  deans; and approve the actions taken (10) ______ their name. 

9.........................

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.

All living things require energy to do the work necessary for survival and reproduction. But what is energy? Energy is simply the ability to do work, (1) ......... work is done when a force moves an object. Let's consider your own needs for a moment. You need energy to turn on and turn off your computer. You need energy to (2).......... of bed in the morning. And, yes, you need energy to reproduce. So where does energy come from and how do we use it? On Earth, energy ultimately comes from the sun. Plants use the sun's energy to make sugar. Organisms, in turn, use sugar as a (3) ........... of energy to do work.

Plants use energy from sunlight to make sugar and oxygen from carbon dioxide and water. The process by which carbon dioxide and water are (4) .......... to sugar and oxygen using sunlight is referred to as photosynthesis. This is an endergonic reaction, meaning energy is required by the reaction. Specifically, energy is required to put the carbon dioxide and the water molecules together to form sugar. Sun (5).........the energy needed to drive photosynthesis, and some of the energy used to make the sugar is stored in the sugar molecule.

(study.com/energy-and-life-the–transformation-of-energy-in-living)

(1) __________

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. 
     The next time you are watching a film and you see one of the characters jumping out of a plane, falling off a horse, or being blown through a window - spare a (23) ______ for the stunt artist. Lots of people think that stunt artists are just "extras" who play small, unimportant parts in films and television. Nothing could be further from the truth. 
     A stunt artist must combine the skills of an actor with the physical abilities of a first- (24) _____________ athlete. He or she must be extremely fit, and highly trained in a number of activities like scuba-diving, horse riding, martial arts or parachuting. 
It is not easy to get started in a career as a stunt performer. Film and television producers look for experience and proven ability, as it is unlikely that they will take on a complete newcomer. However, because of the (25) ____________ of their profession, stunt artists tend to retire early. This means that new performers must be employed, or there will be no one to take (26) ______________ when the present generation quits. 
      Even when a stunt artist becomes well-known, the work is not regular. It may sometimes be necessary to travel to the other side of the world for a job which involves long hours and great physical danger. It is not a glamorous occupation either. Unlike the famous actors for (27) ____________ they sometimes risk their lives, few stunt artists are recognized in the street by adoring fans.

Unlike the famous actors for (27) ____________ they sometimes risk their lives, few stunt artists are recognized in the street by adoring fans. 

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

The concept of traffic-free shopping areas goes back a long time. During the Middle Ages, traffic-tree shopping areas were built in Middle Eastern countries to allow people to shop in comfort and, more importantly, safety. As far back as 2000 years ago, road traffic was banned from central Rome during the day to allow for the free movement of pedestrians.

The modern, traffic-free shopping street was born in Europe in the 1960s, when both city population and car ownership increased rapidly. Dirty exhaust from cars and the risks involved in crossing the road were beginning to make shopping an unpleasant and dangerous experience. Many believed the time was right experimenting with car-free streets, and shopping areas seemed the best place to start.

At first, there was resistance from shopkeepers. They argued that people would avoid streets if they unable to get to them in their cars. When the first streets in Europe were closed to traffic, there were noisy demonstrations, as many shopkeepers predicted they would lose customers.

With the arrival of the traffic-free shopping street, many shops, especially those selling things clothes, food and smaller luxury items, prospered. Unfortunately, shops selling furniture and larger electrical appliances actually saw their sales drop. Many of these were forced to move elsewhere, away from centre.

(Adapted from Complete IELTS)

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word that best fits each of the blanks from 6 to 10.
HOLIDAYS
We've just come back exhausted after a two-week holiday in France. We were really stupid. On the last day we drove non-stop from Marseille to Calais- we should have (6)           our journey in Lyon or Paris.   As if that wasn't enough, the sea was so rough in the English Channel that the (7)         took three hours instead of one and a half. Next year we've decided we're going on a cheap (8)           holiday to Italy. It sounds marvellous- the cost of the flight, the hotel and all our meals are (9)             in the price. While we're in Rome we'll be going on a guided tour of the Coliseum. The last time I was in Italy, I was on a business trip - I can't say I saw many of the famous tourist (10)                 on that occasion.
(9)..............................

 Choose the item among A, B, C or D that best answers the question about the passage:

"Books which give instructions on how to do things are very popular in the United States today. Thousands of these How-to books are useful: in fact, there are about four thousand books with titles that begin with the words “How to”. One book, may tell you how to earn more money, another may tell you how to save or spend it, and another may explain how to give your money away.
 Many How-to books give advice on careers. They tell you how to choose a career and how to succeed in it. If you fail, however, you can buy the book “How to Turn Failure into Success”. If you would like to become very rich, you can buy the book “How to Make a Millionaire”. If you never make any money at all, you may need a book called “How to Live on Nothing”.
 One of the most popular types of books is one that helps you with personal problems. If you want to have a better love of life, you can read “How to Succeed in Love every Minute of Your Life”. If you tired of books on happiness, you may prefer books which give step-by-step instructions on how to redecorate or enlarge a house.
 Why have How-to books become so popular? Probably because life has become so complex. Today people have far more free time to use, more choices to make, and more problems to solve. How-to books help people deal with modern life."

2. The passage tells us that How-to books sell well on how ………

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.

Machines already perform a lot of tasks that were usually done by humans, such as building cars, doing complex calculations, and even marking exam papers. But now it seems that ever more intelligent machines are straying into areas where we never envisaged they would go. We have always taken pride in having a unique kind of intelligence that machines could never match, one which allows us to think of new ideas and produce creative and artistic works. But it seems that even here, computers are lining up to compete with us.

Machines can easily be trained to do the physical work of producing art. About ten years ago, a painting robot known as e-David was created at a university in Germany. And recently in New York, the painting ‘Portrait of Edmond de Belamy' has been auctioned for nearly half a million dollars. What made it a bit unusual was that the idea, and the image itself, was produced entirely by a computer. A group of young French artists gave instructions to the computer, aiming simply to show that computers can be creative.

Some artists are now working with computers to produce a new kind of art. Computer-generated works of art are certainly interesting, and make us think about the limits of what machines can and cannot do. But not everyone would accept that they qualify as art. Some enthusiasts would argue they do, and the collectors willing to pay high prices for these works would suggest there is definitely a market for computer art. Others, however, would disagree.

Many 'real' artists would claim that art is an expression of human intelligence and human emotions. More importantly, it is about a desire to communicate with other people. These things, they argue, are part of being human and can never be produced by a machine.

(Adapted from Formula-Exam Trainer)

Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

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.

   Telecommuting is a form of computer communication between employees’ homes and offices. For employees whose jobs involve sitting at a terminal or word processor entering data or typing reports, the location of the computer is of no consequence. If the machine can communicate over telephone lines, when the work is completed, employees can dial the office computer and transmit the material to their employers. A recent survey in USA Today estimates that there are approximately 8,7 million telecommuters. But although the numbers are rising annually, the trend does not appear to be as significant as predicted when Business Week published “The Portable

   Executive” as its cover story a few years ago. Why hasn’t telecommuting become more popular ?

   Clearly, change simply takes time. But in addition, there has been active resistance on the part of many managers. These executives claim that supervising the telecommuters in a large work force scattered across the country would be too difficult, or, at least, systems for managing them are not yet developed, thereby complicating the manager’s responsibilities.

   It is also true that employees who are given the option of telecommuting are reluctant to accept the opportunity. Most people feel that they need regular interaction with a group, and many are concerned that they will not have the same consideration for advancement if they are not more visible in the office setting. Some people feel that even when a space in their homes is set aside as a work area, they never really get away from the office.

The reason why telecommuting has not become popular is that the employees ___________.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrases that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 46 to 50.
ABROAD WITH US
The company study abroad was originally founded in 1991 for students who wished to study French in France. Its success led to the establishment of other schools around the world.
Learning the language in the country in which it is spoken is, of course,a (46)_________ more effective and faster process than studying in your own country. It is also an opportunities to mix with local habitants and (47) _________ a greater and deeper (48) _________ of the people whose language you are studying. This makes the whole experience much more enjoyable.
You may wish to attend an Italian language and a cooking course in Italy or combine a Portuguese course with a sport. You should look at all the possibilities and (49) _________ the best choice.
In order to choose  the (50)_________ course and location for you, we suggest you contact us to discuss your particular requirements. From the information you give us, we can make some recommendation.
(46).......................