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
Parents and teachers are always making (1)......... between the time when they were children and the present generation . They say everything was better than it is today, especially in education. (2)........ , they say they used to work much harder in school, and that nowadays, we aren’t very interested. I disagree, because we spend hours every day doing homework after our lessons or (3)........... for exammination. I wonder (4)..........our parents really had to study so much after school every day. In my opinion, it is no exaggeration to say we have forgotten how to play. I think one reason why kids (5)........... in class is because they need to get rid of stress.
(5).............................

I am delighted to inform you that Voyacon has been selected as one of this year’s Code Touch Magazine’s Top 25 Emerging Technology Firms. We will be ---139--- your company in our September issue. This is considered a great honor by our readers, as our list includes only ---140--- that advance the industry in significant ways.

As Voyacon’s founder, could you e-mail us a digital photograph of yourself to use in the article?---141---. We could need to receive it ---142--- August 5. Otherwise, we will use a public-domain photo. Thanks for your help, and congratulations.

141...................

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.
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. 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.

In which country should not people bring white lilies to other houses?

Choose the correct answer  A, B, C or D to the blank space in the following passage:

"If you want to (1)…… your best in an exam, you should be relaxed and so one of the best things to do is to take regular (2)….. even if they are only for a few minutes. During revision time, you (3)….. take some time off to go for a walk or play your (4)…..  sport. It is a mistake to (5)….. up all physical activity. Exercise can (6)…. you to relax. You should (7)….  at least twenty minutes doing something different every day. Parents don’t like it when their teenage children spend (8)…..  on the phone, but, in fact, (9)…. to a friend is very good for you; parents think that children are (10)…. time and money; but research says talking to friends gives you a chance to relax, and this will make the time you spend studying more effective."

2. you should be relaxed and so one of the best things to do is to take regular (2)….. even if they are only for a few minutes.

Welcome to Arolis Chemicals!   Thank you for---139--- the full-time, permanent position of laboratory assistant. We look forward to your arrival on 1 August in the Harris Building. Please report to the front desk and ask for Jack McNolan. He ---140--- you to the Human Resources office. There, you will obtain your employee badge---141--- all documents necessary to start work. Note that because of its large size, the Leicester campus of Arolis can be difficult to navigate. Studying a campus map will help orient you to the location of the different buildings.---142---.

140....................

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:
Why are there so many grandmothers and so few grandfathers? In other words, why do men die younger than women? Is this because men are afraid of getting old and helpless and so they prefer to die before that happens? Perhaps they fear to be left alone by their women and so decide to do the leaving first.
Many explanations are given for the fact that men die earlier than women. Men are stronger physically, yet women can hang on longer to life. Both men and women are emotional creatures but women are not afraid or ashamed to cry while men refuse to do so. They are afraid of being thought "soft". Some men, when they are upset, play loud music or dig in the garden to relieve their feelings. Many men like an orderly life so that they bury themselves in their work or want a wife with some children or long to take part in wars where there is a definite chain of command. There is a leader to give orders and a known enemy to fight against and defeat. All these make men feel they live in a rational world.
So the majority of men like a rational world. Rationality is fine but it does not include everything that makes life joyful and fun or even messy and frustrating. When a man refuses to cry he is refusing to accept that his emotions are part of him. Of course some men do not follow this pattern. Bob Hawke is capable of crying in public whereas Margaret Thatcher is probably incapable of crying at any time.
We need to cry because that shows our ability to suffer. If we do not suffer we are not really alive at all. Suffering can be creative or destructive. If we can all learn to cry and laugh and shout and dance openly, we are living creatively and adding something to the human race. We often say men suffer more from stress and therefore they die earlier. Are we not saying in another way that they do not know how to suffer in the right way – with tears and laughter instead of silence – and so they are miserable and just give up? That is just my theory of course. Have you a better one?

What is found the same for both men and women?

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:
Less than a year ago marketing director, David Smith, 33 was behaving like a secet agent. He used to secretly taped all his conversations, he refused to sign his name and he would ask his secretary to check all his emails. Anything he wrote was photocopied and kept as “evidence”. But David isn’t mad, or even mildly eccertric. He suffers from ‘resposibility OCD’, one of more common form of obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD, as it is usually known.
OCD is now recognized as the second most prevalent mental-health problem, after depression – and the number of reported cases is soaring. Experts estimate that 2% - 3% of the population suffer from the full-blown syndrome, with as many as one in five suffering from a milder form.
OCD sufferers are tortured by obsessional thoughts, such as worrying that their hands are contaminated by germs. The terrible anxiety is only relieved by performing a particular set of behaviours. Unfortunately, any sense of relief is short-lived, which is why the behaviour must be repeated again and again. OCD sufferers know their behavior is irrational, yet feel powerless to stop.
Common treatments are either antidepressants or behavioral therapy with a psychologist, but only 60% of patients show some improvement. However, a new treatment from America is bringing fresh hope to sufferers.
One of the OCD gurus and neuropsychiatrists, Jeffrey Schwartz, has designed the Four Steps program which employs meditation teachniques with the aim of teaching sufferers to manage their symptoms by themselves. “The goal is to learn to override false brain messages”, explains Schwartz.
There are different theories about what causes the disorder. Most experts recognize a genetic element that can be triggered by a stressful event. Schwartz believes that the OCD ‘worry circuit’ is a
direct result of faulty brain chemistry. ‘When someone experiences an OCD thought, one part of the brain knows quite clearly that the hand are not dirty’, explains Schwartz ‘Some part of the brain is standing apart from the symptoms, reflecting on the sheer bizarreness of it all. The objective is to harness this impartial spectator so that patients can use this healthy part of their brain to resist the compulsions.’
David Smith is delighted with the results of Schwartz’s treatment. ‘Now I can sign cheques without a problem’, he says brightly. ‘And I don’t photocopy them either. OCD used to feel like a huge stigma, but I don’t feel handicapped by it any more. You just deal with it.’

Jeffrey Schwartz believes that OCD is caused by .

A.     B. 

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:
In 1900 the United States had only three cities with more than a million residents-New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. By 1930, it had ten giant metropolises. The newer ones experienced remarkable growth, which reflected basic changes in the economy. The population of Los Angeles (114,000 in 1900) rose spectacularly in the early decades of the twentieth century, increasing a dramatic 1,400 percent from 1900 to 1930.
A number of circumstances contributed to the meteoric rise of Los Angeles. The agricultural potential of the area was enormous if water for irrigation could be found, and the city founders had the vision and dating to obtain it by constructing a 225-mile aqueduct, completed in 1913, to tap the water of the Owens River. The city had a superb natural harbor, as well as excellent rail connections. The climate made it possible to shoot motion pictures year-round; hence Hollywood not only supplied jobs but also disseminated an image of the good life in Southern California on screens all across the nation. The most important single industry powering the growth of Los Angeles, however, was directly linked to the automobile. The demand for petroleum to fuel gasoline engines led to the opening of the Southern California oil fields, and made Los Angeles North America’s greatest refining center.
Los Angeles was a product of the auto age in another sense as well: its distinctive spatial organization depended on widespread private ownership of automobiles. Los Angeles was a decentralized metropolis, sprawling across the desert landscape over an area of400 square miles.
It was a city without a real center. The downtown business district did not grow apace with the city as a whole, and the rapid transit system designed to link the center with outlying areas withered away from disuse. Approximately 800,000 cars were registered in Los Angeles County in 1930, one per 2.7 residents. Some visitors from the east coast were dismayed at the endless urban sprawl and dismissed Los Angeles as a mere collection of suburbs in search of a city. But the freedom and mobility of a city built on wheels attracted floods of migrants to the city.

According to the passage, the most important factor in the development of agriculture around Los Angeles was the     .

I am delighted to inform you that Voyacon has been selected as one of this year’s Code Touch Magazine’s Top 25 Emerging Technology Firms. We will be ---139--- your company in our September issue. This is considered a great honor by our readers, as our list includes only ---140--- that advance the industry in significant ways.

As Voyacon’s founder, could you e-mail us a digital photograph of yourself to use in the article?---141---. We could need to receive it ---142--- August 5. Otherwise, we will use a public-domain photo. Thanks for your help, and congratulations.

139....................

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.

   Martin Luther King, Jf., is well- known for his work in civil rights and for his many famous speeches, among which is his moving “I have a dream” speech. But fewer people know much about King’s childhood.

   M.L, as he was called, was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, at the home of his maternal grandfather. M.L.’s grandfather purchased their home on Auburn Avenue in 1909, twenty years before M.L was born. His grandfather allowed the house to be used as a meeting place for a number of organizations dedicated to the education and social advancement of blacks. M.L. grew up in the atmosphere, with his home being used as a community gathering place, and was no doubt influenced by it.

   M.L.’s childhood was not especially eventfully. His father was a minister and his mother was a musician. He was the second of three children, and he attended all black schools in a black neighborhood. The neighborhood was not poor, however. Auburn Avenue was an area of banks, insurance companies, builders, jewelers, tailors, doctors, lawyers, and other businesses and services. Even in the face of Atlanta’s segregation, the district thrived. Dr. King never forgot the community spirit he had known as a child, nor did he forget the racial prejudice that was a huge barrier keeping black Atlantans from mingling with whites.

According to the author, M.L. _______.

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:
Although management principles have been implemented since ancient times, most management scholars trace the beginning of modern management thought back to the early 19005, beginning with the pioneering work of Frederick Taylor (1856-1915) Taylor was the first person to study work scientifically. He is most famous for introducing techniques of time and motion study, differential piece rate systems, and for systemtically specializing the work of operating employees and managers. Along with other pioneers such as Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, Taylor set the stage, labeling his philosophy and methods “scientific management’. At that time, his philosophy, which was concerned with productivity, but which was often misinterpreted as promoting worker interests at the expense of management, was in marked contrast to the prevailing industrial norms of worker exploitation.
The time and motion study concepts were popularized by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth. The Gilbreths had 12 children. By analyzing his children’s dishwashing and bed making chores, this pioneer efficiency expert, Frank Gilbreth, hit on principles whereby workers could eliminate waste motion. He was memorialized by two of his children in their 1949 book called “Cheaper by the Dozen”.
The Gilbreth methods included using stop watches to time worker movements and special tools (cameras and special clocks) to monitor and study worker performance, and also involved
identification of “therbligs” (Gilbreth spelled backwards) - basic motions used in production jobs. Many of these motions and accompanying times have been used to determine how long it should take a skilled worker to perform a given job. In this way an industrial engineer can get a handle on the approximate time it should take to produce a product or provide a service. However, use of work analysis in this way is unlikely to lead to useful results unless all five work dimensions are considered. physical, psychological, social, cultural, and power.

It can be inferred from the first paragraph that     .

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.
Do you feel like your teenager is spending most of the day glued to a phone screen? You're not too far off. A new survey from the Pew  Research Center reveals the  surprising  ways that technology intersects with teen friendships —  and the results show that 57  percent  of teens have made at least one new friend online. Even more surprisingly, only 20 percent of those digital friends ever meet in person.
While teens do connect with their friends face-to-face outside of school, they spend 55 percent of their day texting with friends, and only 25 percent of teens are spending actual time with their friends on a daily basis (outside of school hallways). These new forms of communication are key in maintaining friendships day-to-day — 27 percent of teens instant message their friends every day, 23 percent connect through social media every day, and 7 percent even video chat daily. Text messaging remains the main form of communication — almost half of survey respondents say it's their chosen method of communication with their closest friend.
While girls are more likely to text with their close friends, boys are meeting new friends (and maintaining friendships) in the gaming world-89 percent play with friends they know, and  54 percent play with online-only friends. Whether they're close with their teammates or not, online garners say that playing makes them feel "more connected" to friends they know, or garners they've never met.
When making new friends, social media has also become a major part of the teenage identity-62 percent of teens are quick to share their social media usernames when connecting with a new friend (although 80 percent still consider their phone number the best method of contact). Despite the negative consequences-21 percent of teenage users feel worse about their  lives because of posts they see on social media — teens also have found  support  and  connection through various platforms. In fact, 68  percent of  teens received support during a challenging time  in their lives via social media platforms.
Just as technology has become a gateway for new friendships, or a channel to  stay  connected with current friends, it can also make a friendship breakup more public. The study reveals that girls are more likely to block or unfriend former allies, and 68 percent of all teenage  users report experiencing "drama among their friends on social media."

The word "digital" in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to     .

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.
These days, most people in Britain and the US do not (1)........ very formal clothes. But sometimes it is important to wear the right thing.
Many British people don't think (2)........... clothes very much. They just like to be comfortable. When they go out to enjoy themselves, they can wear almost anything. At theatres, cinemas and concerts you can put on (3).............. you like from elegant suits and dresses to jeans and sweaters. Anything goes, as long as you (4)......... clean and tidy.
But in Britain, as well as in the US, men in offices usually wear suits and ties, and women wear dresses or skirts (not trousers). Doctors, lawyers and business people wear quite formal clothes. And in (5)............hotels and restaurants men have to wear ties and women wear smart dresses.

(2)...........................................
 

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.

The American education system requires that students complete 12 years of  primary and secondary education prior to attending university or college. This may be accomplished either at public or government-operated schools, or at private schools. These 12 years of schooling or their equivalent may also be completed outside the USA, thus giving foreign students the opportunity to pursue the benefits of the American education system and obtain a quality American education. Perhaps one of the most impressive facts is that a large number of presidents, prime ministers and leaders from other countries have experienced the American education system and graduated from a university or school in the USA. In many fields and industries, the American education system offers the most cutting-edge, sought-after programs at the world's best schools. That is why graduating from an accredited American school and being exposed to the rigors of the American education system is an investment in your future. Whether you want to study at a top USA university, a top USA college, a vocational or high school, a thorough understanding of how the American education system works is essential. Without a clear grasp of the American education system, an international student will find it difficult to make the right academic choices. It is no surprise that the American education system and the American school system host more international students than any other country in the world!

The expression government-operated could best be replaced by _____.

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

Children in (1) _____ Netherlands must be at least four years old to (2) _____ primary education. Almost all 4-year-olds (99. 3%) in the country indeed attend primary school, (3) _____ this is not compulsory until children reach the age (4) _____5 . Primary school is free of charge. In most schools, children are grouped by (5) _____ in mixed ability classes, with one teacher for all subjects. Primary school (6) _____ of 8 groups, thus schooling (7) _____ for 8 years. During the first two years, which (8) _____ kindergarten, children receive an average of 22 hours of (9) _____, during the last 6 years children receive an average of 25 hours per week. Schools are open 5 days a week, but children are free on Wednesday afternoon. At the end of primary school, or in group 8, schools advice on secondary school choice. Most schools use a national test to support this advice, for instance the 'Citotoets', a test (10) ____ by the Central Institute for Test development.

(10) _____

TAYLORSVILLE (October 4) – Mayor Bo Crandell of the town of Taylorsville announced plans for a bicycle-share program this week. Past efforts to encourage the use of bicycles for transportation failed because there were no convenient areas to park bicycles downtown. Additionally, cyclists ---139--- to share narrow streets with cars and trucks, raising safety concerns.

With the new bicycle-share initiative, bicycle stations will be placed ---140--- at eight locations around Taylorsville. One important purpose of the initiative is to ease the limited vehicle parking in the downtown area. “---141---, I want to encourage local residents to spend more time outdoors and enjoy our beautiful town,” added the mayor at the end of his remarks. ---142---.

140.......................

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 Gerneral Cerificate of Secondary Education or the GCSE excaminations for short are the standard school-leaver qualifications taken by virually all UK students in the May and June following their 16th birthday. If you come to a UK (25)...... school before you (26)....... the age of 16, you will study towards GCSE excaminationin up to 12 subjects. Some subjects are compulory, including English and matchematics, and you can select (27)......._ , such as music,  drama, geography and history from a series of options. GCSEs provide a good all-round education (28)......... you can build (29)............. at colleage and eventually at university
(27).................................

Welcome to Arolis Chemicals!   Thank you for---139--- the full-time, permanent position of laboratory assistant. We look forward to your arrival on 1 August in the Harris Building. Please report to the front desk and ask for Jack McNolan. He ---140--- you to the Human Resources office. There, you will obtain your employee badge---141--- all documents necessary to start work. Note that because of its large size, the Leicester campus of Arolis can be difficult to navigate. Studying a campus map will help orient you to the location of the different buildings.---142---.

141....................

We appreciate your feedback regarding Medusa Airways’ flight 859, which was scheduled to depart at 9:35 A.M. on 19 February. We are sorry that this flight ---139---. We have decided to compensate you for the---140---. We have refunded the unused portion of your ticket, valued at $410. Also, we will reimburse the $200 you paid in hotel charges resulting  ---141---  the disruption.---142---. 

141...................

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

The General Certificate of Secondary Education or the GCSE examinations for (26) _____ are the standard school-leaver qualifications taken by (27) _____ all UK students in the May and June following their 16th birthday. If you come to a UK (28) _____ school before you (29) _____ the age of 16, you will study towards GCSE examinations in up to 12 subjects. Some subjects are compulsory, including English arid mathematics, and you can select (30) _____, such as music, drama, geography and history from a series of options. GCSEs provide a good all-round education (31) _____ you can build on at college and eventually at university. AS- and A-levels are taken after GCSEs. They are the UK qualifications most (32) _____ accepted for entry to university and are available in subjects from the humanities, arts, sciences and social sciences as well as in (33) _____ subjects such as engineering, and leisure and tourism. You can study up to four subjects at (34) _____ same time for two years, (35) _____ AS-level examinations at the end of your first year (called the lower-sixth) and A-level qualifications at the end of your second year (called the upper-sixth).

(28) _____

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

The General Certificate of Secondary Education or the GCSE examinations for (26) _____ are the standard school-leaver qualifications taken by (27) _____ all UK students in the May and June following their 16th birthday. If you come to a UK (28) _____ school before you (29) _____ the age of 16, you will study towards GCSE examinations in up to 12 subjects. Some subjects are compulsory, including English arid mathematics, and you can select (30) _____, such as music, drama, geography and history from a series of options. GCSEs provide a good all-round education (31) _____ you can build on at college and eventually at university. AS- and A-levels are taken after GCSEs. They are the UK qualifications most (32) _____ accepted for entry to university and are available in subjects from the humanities, arts, sciences and social sciences as well as in (33) _____ subjects such as engineering, and leisure and tourism. You can study up to four subjects at (34) _____ same time for two years, (35) _____ AS-level examinations at the end of your first year (called the lower-sixth) and A-level qualifications at the end of your second year (called the upper-sixth).

(34) _____