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.
Before the 1960’s, Singapore was essentially a trading nation. Since (1)...... , it has developed a more (2) .............. economy and has become an important financial, trade, and transportation center. Singapore has many banks, (3).................firms, and finance companies, as (4)................. as a stock exchange. Tourism is also important to the economy of Singapore.
There is little unemployment in Singapore. The country’s annual income per capita (per person) is one of the highest in Asia.
The government of Singapore plays a major role in the country’s economy. For example, it decides what benefits, such as vacation time and sick leave, must be provided for workers by employers. It also operates  an  employment  agency  to  help  people  find  jobs,  and  it   provides  (5)..... for retired workers.
(5)...........................

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

"Throughout the world there are different (1) …. for people to greet each other. In much of the world, a handshake is the (2)….  form of welcoming and greeting someone. In many countries around the Mediterranean Sea a (3) … kiss on the cheek is the appropriate way to welcome friends and family. It can be a very (4)… surprise if you expect to shake hands and get a kiss or a hug instead.
 At times, it is difficult to tell what sort of greeting (5)… is followed. People may bow, (6)….. another’s arm or even slap the other person on the back. In some places people just smile, look at (7)….. face and say nothing.
 Most people in the world are (8) ….of visitors and don’t mind what travelers do that seems wrong as long as the visitors are (9)… . A big part of the (10)…. of world travel is experiencing different customs."

6. People may bow, (6)….. another’s arm or even slap the other person on the back. 

Choose the best answer:
The popular image of student life is of young people with few responsibilities enjoying themselves and (1)_____ very little work. This is often not true. Many older people now study at college or university, sometimes (2)_____ a part-time basis while having a job and looking after a family. These students are often (3)_____ motivated and work very hard . Younger students are often thought to be lazy and careless about money but this (4)_____ is changing. In Britain reduced government support for higher education means that students can no longer rely on having their expenses (5)_____ for them. Formerly, students received a grant towards their living expenses. Now most can only get a loan (6)_____ has to be paid back. Since 1999 they have paid over $1 000 towards tuition (7)_____ and this amount will increase up to a maximum of $ 3 000. In the US students already (8)_____ pay for tuition and room and board . Many get a financial aid package which may (9)_____ grants, scholarships and loans. The fear of having large debts places (10)_____ pressure on students and many take part-time jobs during the term and work full-time in the vacations

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:
As kids, our grandparents frequently scared us by talking about how difficult life was when they were growing up. They mentioned walking miles to school in the snow, or doing hours of manual labour for little pay. Life has changed greatly since then, and it seems to get easier year by year. In fact, with the help of robots we soon might have to do much at all. But is this a good thing?
By 2030, it’s estimated that robotics will be a $10 billion business worldwide. Companies are already starting to integrate them into the workforce. The electronics manufacturer Foxconn is drawing up plans to launch a factory within the next 10 years that’s completely staffed by robot workers. Meanwhile, an American company Briggo has invented a robot that serves gourmet- quality coffee to customers. With the push of a button it will crush coffee beans, measure exact quantities of water, and even wave a steam wand to ensure customers get the perfect cream on top. Unlike human baristas, it can serve multiple drinks at once and work all day and night without a break.
Robots are also invading our homes. The Rooma is a mini-robot that vacuums rooms automatically according to a schedule. The Robomow is a device that will cut the grass for you while you sit in the shade. Then there’s the Nanda clocky, an alarm clock that makes sure that even the deepest sleepers get up on time. The clock is attached to a pair of wheels, and it will randomly move around the room. Once you finally catch it, you’re probably too awake to hit the snooze button. Although these early home robots are somewhat basic, they will likely become more capable as times goes on.
Although robots certainly help us to eliminate tedious tasks, many people are concerned about a future filled with robots. Some fear that humanity will start to decline if machines do everything for us. Others have even warned about the robot rebellion, in which robots become so smart that they may decide to turn on their masters. These ideas may seem a bit far-fetched, but there are certainly lots of questions that need to be answered before everyone opens up to the idea of a robotic future.

How is Briggo’s invention superior to human workers?

Choose the best answer:
The Thames is the longest and best-known river in Britain. It is 210 miles/338 kilometres ___(1)___ and flows from the Cotswolds in central England to the North Sea after through London. Other famous towns on the river ___(2)___ Oxford, Windsor 1, Henley and Greenwich. ___(3)___ bridges across the Thames in London are London Bridge, Tower Bridge and Westminster Bridge. Large ships can sail ___(4)___ the Thames ___(5)___ London and smaller ones a further 86 miles/138 kilometres. A large area in the east of London was formerly a major port on the river, but in recent times this Docklands area has been ___(6)___. The Thames Barrier is a large barrier ___(7)___ across the River Thames at Woolwich, east of London, to prevent London from being flooded. It was completed in 1982 and ___(8) ___ opened in 1984. It consists of ten gates, which ___(9)___ on the bottom of the river when the barrier is not required. If there is a danger of flooding, the gates rise to form a solid ___(10)___ 50 feet/15 metres high

Choose the best answer:
We are using up the world‘s petroleum. We use (1)_________ in our cars and to heat our building in winter.Farmers use petrochemicals to (2) _________ the soil rich. They use them to kill insects (3) _________ eat plants. These chemicals go (4) _________ rivers and lakes and kill the fish there. Thousands of pollutants also go into the air and pollute it. Winds carry this (5) _________ air to other countries and other continents. Poor farmers use the same land over and (6) _________ . The land needs a rest so it will be better next year. However, the farmers must have food this year. Poor people cut down forests (7) _________ firewood. In some areas when the trees are gone, the land (8) _________ desert. Poor people can‘t save the environment for the (9) _________ . This is not a problem for one country or one area of the world. It is a problem for allhumans. The people and the nations of the world must work together to (10) _________ the world‘s resources

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:
It’s a sound you will probably never hear, a sickened tree sending out a distress signal. But a group of scientists has heard the cries, and they think some insects also hear the trees and are drawn to them like vulture to a dying animal. Researchers with the US Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service fastened sensors to the bark of drought-stricken trees clearly heard distress calls. According to one of the scientists, most parched trees transmit their plight in the 50-hertz to 50-kilohertz range. (The unaided human ear can detect no more than 20 kilohertz). Red oak, maple, white pine, and birch all make slightly different sounds in the form of vibrations at the surface of the wood.
The scientists think that the vibrations are created when the water columns inside tubes that run along the length of the tree break, a result of too little water following through them. These fractured columns send out distinctive vibration pattems. Because some insects communicate at ultrasonic frequencies, they may pick up the trees' vibration and attack the weakened trees. Researchers are now running tests with potted trees that have been deprived of water to see if the sound is what attracts the insects. “Water-stressed trees also smell differently from other trees, and they experience thermal changes, so insects could be responding to something other than sound”, one scientist said.

It can be inferred from the passage that the sounds produced by the trees      

Choose the best answer:
Cultural diversity can be such a cool thing. I grew up in a predominantly white private school, (1)_______ teaching in a place that is extremely diverse has been a joy. I can stand in the hall and (2)_______ Spanish, Russian, Polish, Korean, Mandarin, Hindu, etc. the list can go on and on. What we need to be careful of is not to make (3) _______ a big deal out of cultural diversity. I think that when we place too much (4) _______ on the diversity it can become a polarizing act. Many students are very aware (5) _______ their differences, and most just don‘t care. I think that cultural diversity is something that needs (6) _______ addressed be teachers in the schools as something that is positive. Often in rural areas there is not a lot of cultural diversity. (7)_______ a result, when a student is from a different culture there is a question of what do I do to (8)_______ their learning needs. It is important before a teacher can teach diverse population they need to (9) _______ that they are also multicultural. In addition, how much of a role will these beliefs (10)_______ within the education on the child

Choose the best answer:
According to the Sleep Council, 20 million people in the UK aren‘t (1)____ enough sleep 3 and some experts now believe that ―sleep debt‖ can impair your metabolism and disrupt hormone levels. To (2) ____ out how (3)_____ you need, says sleep expert Professor Chris Idzikowski, director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service, (4)_____ your alarm for when you (5)______ to get up, then count back six to eight hours, (6) ______ on how much shut-eye you feel you need. Try to go to bed at this time every night, and get up at the same time - even at weekends. If you (7)______ feel tired during the day, go to bed earlier by 15 minutes a week until you wake up refreshed. So if you (8)_____ go to bed at 11 pm, say, go at 10.45 pm for a week. If you‘re still tired, try going at 10.30 the (9)_____ week, and so on. Remember, too: a weekend afternoon nap can help (10)_____ up for any missed hours in the week

Choose the best answer:
Nearly 200 of the 1500 native plant species in Hawaii are at risk of going extinct in the near future because they have been (1) ____ to such low numbers. Approximately 90 percent of Hawaii's plants are found nowhere else in the world but they are (2) ____ by alien invasive species such as feral goats, pigs, rodents and (3) ____ plants. The Hawaii Rare Plant Restoration Group is striving to (4) ____ the extinction of the 182 rare Hawaiian plants with fewer than 50 individuals remaining in the (5) ____ . Since 1990, (6) ____ a result of their "Plant Extinction Prevention Program", sixteen species have been brought into (7) ____ and three species have been reintroduced. Invasive weeds have been removed in key areas and fencing put up in order to (8) ____ plants in the wild. In the future the Hawaii Rare Plant Restoration Program aims (9) ____ collecting genetic material from the remaining plants in the wild for storage as a safety net for the future. They also aim to manage wild populations and where possible reintroduce species into (10) _____.

Choose the best answer:
Women are expert at gossiping, and they always talk about trivial things, or at least that‘s what men have always thought. However, some new research (1) _____ that when women talk to women, their (2) ______ are far from frivolous, and cover many more (3) _____ (up to 6 subjects) than men talk to other men. Women‘s conversations (4)_____ from health to their houses, from politics to fashion, from movies to family, from education to relationship problems. Sports are notably (5)_____. Men tend to have a more limited range of subjects, the most popular being work, sports, jokes, cars, and women. According to Professor Petra Boynton, a psychologist who interviewed over 1000 women, women also tend to move quickly from one subject to another in (6)_____, while men usually stick to one subject for longer periods of time. At work, this (7) _____ can be an advantage for men, as they can put other matters aside and concentrate matter aside and concentrate (8) ______ on the topic being discussed. On the other hand, it also means that they sometimes find it hard to concentrate when several things have to be discussed at the same (9) _____ in a meeting. Professor Boynton also says that men and women talk for different reasons. In social (10) _____ women use conversation to solve problems and reduce stress while men talk with each other to laugh or to compare opinions

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:
Langston Hughes was one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century. He was born in Joplin, Missouri, and moved to Cleveland at the age of fourteen. Four years later he went to Mexico and spent one year there before attending Columbia University in New York. For a few years after that he roamed the world as a seaman, visiting ports around the world and writing some poetry. He returned to the United States and attended Lincoln University, where he won the Writer Bynner Prize for undergraduate poetry. After graduating in 1928, he traveled to Spain and to Russia. His best novels include “Not Without Laughter” and “The Big Sea”. He wrote an autobiography in 1956 and also published his collections of poetry then. A man of many talents, Hughes is one of the most accomplished writers in American literature history.

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

Choose the best answer:
Television has changed the lifestyle of people in every industrialized country in the world. In the United States, where sociologists have studied the effects, some interesting observations have been made. Television, although not essential, has become a(n) (1) _____ part of most people‘s lives. It has become a baby-sitter, an initiator of conversations, a major transmitter of culture, and a keeper of traditions. Yet when what can be seen on TV in one day is critically analyzed, it becomes evident that television is not a teacher but a sustainer. The poor (2) ______ of programs does not elevate people into greater (3) ______. The (4) _______ reason for the lack of quality in American television is related to both the history of TV development and the economics of TV. Television in America began with the radio. Radio companies and their sponsors first experimented with television. Therefore, the close relationship, (5) _______ the advertisers had with radio programs, became the system for American TV. Sponsors not only paid money for time within programs, but many actually produced the programs. Thus, (6) _______ from the capitalistic, profit-oriented sector of American society, television is primarily (7) _______ with reflecting and attracting society (8) _______ than innovating and experimenting with new ideas. Advertisers want to attract the largest viewing audience possible; to do so requires that the programs be entertaining rather than challenging. Television in America today remains, to a large (9) _______, with the same organization and standards as it had thirty years ago. The hope for some evolution and true achievement toward improving society will require a change in the (10) _______ system.

Choose the best answer:
In Britain, the average young person now spends more money on games each year than on going to the cinema or renting videos. But is this ……..26…… a bad thing? For years, newspaper reports have been ………27…..that children who spend too much time playing computer games become unsociable, bad- tempered, even violent as a ……..28…… But new research, ………29…… out in both Europe and the USA, suggests that the opposite may be true Indeed, playing some of the more complicated games may help people of all ages to improve certain skills. Researchers claim that this is because the games ………30……the brain work harder in certain ways, like ……..31…… sounds and movements quickly and identifying what they are. The fact that people play the games repeatedly ……..32…….. that they get a lot of practice in these skills which are therefore likely to become highly developed. Social skills may benefit, too. Researchers in Chicago think that fans of first- person shooter games ……33…… ―Counterstrike” are better than non-players when it comes to building trust and co-operation, and that this……..34……them to make good friendships and become strong members of their communities. So rather than……..35…….up computer games, perhaps young people need to spend more time on them?

Choose the best answer:
Can you imagine what life would be like if there were no telephone? You could not call (1) _____ your friends on the phone and talk to them. If fire (2) ____out in your house you could not call the fire department. If somebody was sick, you could not call a doctor. In our daily life we need to (3) ____ with one another. We need do this mostly by speaking to other people and listening to (4) ___ they have to say to us, and when you are close (5) _______ them you can do this very easily. However, our voices will not travel very far even when we shout. The man who (6) _______ this possible was Alexander Graham Bell, a Scotsman, born in Edinburgh in 1847. Bell, a teacher of visible speech who later moved to Canada, (7) _____all his spare time experimenting. (8) _____ enthusiastic was he in his research for a means of sending speech (9) ____ electricity that he left much time for his day-to-day work and at one time was (10)_____ penniless

Choose the best answer:
One of the hottest topics on the international development agenda is how to harness the power of International Monetary Fund for the benefit of developing countries. What is sometimes called ―the death of distance‖, brought about by the (55) , allow (56) education and training to be provided easily and quickly to (57) areas. Some of the gains can be seen in countries as diverse as India and Morocco, where innovations range from (58) government announcements to local craftsmen selling their wares to a (59) market. But already a huge and expanding (60) divide is opening up between developed and developing nations. The major tasks facing world leaders at present is to (61) everybody on the planet with clean water, basic education and the drugs needed to fight preventable diseases. Installing a (62) in every classroom and liking us to (63) must be a lesser (64) , for the time being at least

Choose the best answer:
The Ruropean Union (EU) is an organization that brings European countries together to cooperate on economic and political matters. To help member countries make (1) _______ and settle disputes, the EU has its own governing bodies. These (2) _______ a legislature and courts. A major goal of the EU is topromote (3) ______ trade between member countries. In the past, trade barriers prevented European countries from trading freely. These barriers included tariffs, a tax paid (4) _______ goods are moved from one country to another. Removing tariffs, made trading easier and less costly. The EU also (5) ______ it easier for people to move from one country to another to find work or go to school. Today, all EU member countries grant their citizens European citizenship. That means a citizen of France or Germany has the (6) ______ to live and work in every other country that belongs (7) ______ the EU. In addition to economic cooperation, the EU works to promote (8) ______ cooperation among its members. The EU believes member countries (9) ______ decide together how to respond to international problems or threats. But many Europeans don‘t want to (10) ______ the right to defend their countries as they see fit. Often, this makes political cooperation difficult.

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:
Most Americans look forward to their vacation. Most American employees receive an annual vacation with pay, and it is traditional to use this time off for travel.
Travelling within the United States is very popular because foreign travel generally takes more time and money. Every year about thirteen million people travel abroad. The most popular periods are during the summer and the two-week school break on Christmas and New Year holidays. These periods are also the most crowded and the most expensive time to travel, so people who can adjust their schedules sometimes choose to travel in the autumn.
American tourists often travel by car. Most families own a car, and those who do not have a car can rent one. Cars are usually the most economical way to travel, especially for families. It is also fairly fast and convenient. Exellent highway with motels and restaurants nearby connect the nation’s major cities. They enable tourists to travel at a speed of 55 to 66 miles an hour. Tourists that want to travel faster often fly to their destination and then rent a car when they get there.

Which of the following is not mentioned in the text?

Choose the best answer:
School exams are, generally speaking, the first kind of test we take. They find out how much knowledge we have gained. But do they really show how intelligent we are? After all, isn‘t it a (1) ________ that some people who are very academically successful don‘t have any common sense. Intelligence is the speed (2) ________ which we can understand and react to new situations and it is usually tested by logic puzzles. Although scientist are now preparing (3)________ computer technology that will be able to ―read‖ our brains, (4)________ tests are still the most popular ways of measuring intelligence. A person‘s IQ is their intelligence (5) ________ it is measured by a special test. The most common IT tests are (6)________ by Mensa, an organization that was found in England in 1946. By 1976, it had 1,300 members in Britain. Today there are 44,000 in Britain and 100,000 (7)___________, largely in the US. People taking the tests are judged in (8)________ to an average score of 100, and those who score over 148 are entitled to join Mensa. This works out at 2 percent of the population. Anyone from the age of six can take tests. All the questions are straightforward and most people can answer them if (9)________ enough time. But that‘s the problem; the whole (10)________ of the test is that they‘re against the clock. 

Choose the best answer:
According to a magazine article I read recently, we (1) _____live in an age of increasing leisure. Not only are more and more people reaching (2) _____ age with their taste for enjoyment and even adventure relatively (3) _____ but the working week is becoming shorter and the opportunities for (4) _____ are becoming greater and greater all the time. Not to mention the fact that people tend to spend less time traveling to work or may even be working from home. What I can‘t understand, however, is who these people are. As far as I can (5) _____ the whole thing is another one of those journalistic fictions. I admit that there are a lot of retired people (6) _____but I am not sure that all of them are dashing about learning hang-gliding or sailing single-handed (7) _____ the world. My own parents seem to spend most of their time gazing at the television. And as for the shorter working week, I wish someone would remind my company about it. I seem to be working longer hours (8) _____the time. The little leisure time I have is eaten into by sitting in traffic jams or waiting for trains to (9) _____up at rain-swept platforms. I haven‘t noticed any dramatic improvements in my (10) _____either, but perhaps I just have to wait until I get my pension

Choose the best answer:
One of the hottest topics on the international development agenda is how to harness the power of International Monetary Fund for the benefit of developing countries. What is sometimes called ―the death of distance‖, brought about by the (55) , allow (56) education and training to be provided easily and quickly to (57) areas. Some of the gains can be seen in countries as diverse as India and Morocco, where innovations range from (58) government announcements to local craftsmen selling their wares to a (59) market. But already a huge and expanding (60) divide is opening up between developed and developing nations. The major tasks facing world leaders at present is to (61) everybody on the planet with clean water, basic education and the drugs needed to fight preventable diseases. Installing a (62) in every classroom and liking us to (63) must be a lesser (64) , for the time being at least