Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
The Great Debate over GM Foods
One of the hottest topic in agriculture today is genetically modified (GM) foods. GM foods are foods that come from plants that have had their DNA altered using biotechnology. GM foods have been on the market since 1994, when a company called Calgene started selling GM tomatoes. Since then, other GM foods including papaya, corn, and plums to name a few have been developed. The main benefit of GM foods is that they can be a more economical solution than non GM foods. Scientists found a way to modify many plants to make them more resistant to weeds, diseases, and pests. This allows the plants to grow in tougher climates and conditions, which should lead to lower food prices and increase the overall food supply. However, many consumers still have their doubts about GM foods. For one they feel that by eating GM foods people are messing with nature. Until now humans have survived on food that was produced without any interference from science. Even though many lab studies show that GM foods are safe in the short term, opponents feel that not enough long-term testing has been done yet. Another major issue in the GM foods debate is its labelling. Current US laws do not require producers to label their foods as GM. This has upset many consumers who feel they have the right to clearly know how the food they are buying is produced. On the other hand, producers are afraid to label their foods as GM because they feel it will result in less product sales, as people may assume that there is something wrong with GM foods. This controversy is not just on the level of consumers and producers. The issue of non GM foods has also become a block to a major free trade agreement between the US and Europe. GM foods are banned throughout most of Europe, while they are quite common throughout the US. Since many American GM food producers would like to sell their foods overseas in Europe, the US is requesting that European nations eliminate laws banning GM foods. However, many European nations are not fully convinced that these products are safe.
8. All of the following are the reason why European people don’t like GM foods EXCEPT that __________.

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
With the expansion of the Wellness Recreation Center, projected to open Fall 2011, the Recreational Sports Department will be able to build on our current tradition of offering students a wide ….(1)…..of healthy activities at all ability levels. ……(2)…,of the many activities we currently offer, the City of Laredo and TAMIU community are planning to participate in an array of youth activities beginning Summer 2010. These 2-to 3-week-long activities promote health and wellness while providing fun and safe activities to the youth of Laredo and TAMIU. Activities would include softball, soccer, basketball, and other recreational events. If you are interested in …(3)…your son/daughter or our youth camp, please contact us at 326-3015 for more information

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
A small side door led into the whitewashed corridor from which the three bedrooms opened. We (1) __________ at once to the one in which Miss Stoner was now sleeping, and in which her sister (2)____________ her fate. It was a cosy little room, with a low ceiling and a gaping fireplace, the style of old country houses. A brown chest of drawers stood in one corner, a narrow bed in (3)___________, and a dressing table on the left-hand side of the window. These articles, with two small wickerwork chairs, (4)__________ all the furniture in the room, save for a square of Wilton carpet in the centre. Holmes drew one of the chairs into a corner and sat in (5) _________, while his eyes travelled round and round and up and down, taking in every detail of the apartment.

To build on the field of political and security cooperation, _______ ASEAN Leaders have agreed to establish the ASEAN Security Community (ASC).

(495)____

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Are Vitamins Beneficial?
If you happen to flip through TV channels, you are likely to come across a commercial for a new vitamin or supplement designed to improve your health. These pills often promise the world, claiming to cure baldness, or kick-start fat loss. But in the medical community, there is some debate as to whether these products provide any tangible benefits at all. Millions of people worldwide begin their day by popping a multi-vitamin. These pills are supposed to effortlessly provide our bodies with vitamins in case we have missed them in our meals. It seemed to be a no-brainer that everyone should take one. Scientific studies, however, have painted another picture. In 2006, a study conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which used the strictest possible standards, concluded that multi-vitamins have zero effect on reducing a person’s chances of getting cancer or heart disease. The only people multi-vitamins benefitted were those in poverty-stricken nations who suffered from nutritional deficiencies. In 2009, a related study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center came to a similar conclusion after monitoring 160,000 women for a period of 10 years. Antioxidants are another supplement that is promoted to improve health and prevent aging. Antioxidants are found in vitamins A, C, and E, and are supposed to greatly reduce cellular damage. However, in a study that involved over 180,000 adults, those who took a combined dosage of these vitamins actually increased their risks of dying by 16 percent. One likely cause for these negative results is that people who eat healthy diets and take vitamins are probably getting too many nutrients, which can be toxic. Then why are these supplements being promoted? Many experts blame the health industry in the US and other nations because supplements are not highly regulated as they should be. What is worse, vitamin makers are not required to list negative side effects like medicines do. In many cases, it can even be difficult for the US’s Federal Drug Agency (FDA) to ban risky ingredients due to lengthy and expensive legal battles. On the other hand, after these studies were made public, people continued buying more vitamins than ever. It seems that no matter what evidence is presented, the majority of people are not ready to give up on a magic pill just yet.
4. According to the research, who does vitamins usually help?

The replacement of shops such as groceries’ and chemist’s by cafes _______ the housewives with insufficient facilities for shopping.

(96)______

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Carbohydrates, which are sugars, are an essential part of a healthy diet. They provide the main source of energy for the body, and they also function to flavor and sweeten foods. Carbohydrates range from simple sugars like glucose to complex sugars such as amylose and amylopectin. Nutritionists estimate that carbohydrates should make up about one-fourth to one-fifth of a person's diet. This translates to about 75- 100 grams of carbohydrates per day. A diet that is deficient in carbohydrates can have an adverse effect on a person's health. When the body lacks a sufficient amount of carbohydrates it must then use its protein supplies for energy, a process called gluconeogenesis. This, however, results in a lack of necessary protein, and further health difficulties may occur. A lack of carbohydrates can also lead to ketosis, a buildup of ketones in the body that causes fatigue, lethargy, and bad breath.
8. According to the passage, which of the following does NOT describe carbohydrates?

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Culture and Nature
If you ever get the chance to visit Japan in the spring, be sure to attend a cherry blossom festival. This is an annual event that happens all over the country. Cherry blossoms are a very important part of traditional Japanese culture. One old Japanese custom is something called “hanami”. This means having picnics under cherry blossom trees. People started doing this about 1,200 years ago. At first, only powerful members of the Japanese government had the picnics. Later on samurai joined the custom, and finally common people started to do it as well. Cherry blossoms are an important symbol in Japan. People see the blossoms being similar to life. The blossoms bloom in the spring and they are very beautiful, but only for a short time. After that, the blossoms die. This is similar to the lives of people. Today there are still cherry blossom festivals all over Japan. Some people prefer to just walk through the parks and look at the trees, but the most popular activity is still having picnics under the trees. There is one problem that comes with attending a cherry blossom festival: the crowds. Because this is such a popular event, huge numbers of people come to the spots that have cherry blossoms. However, the trees are so beautiful that when you are there, the crowds might not seem so bad. When most people think of cherry blossoms, they think of Japan. However Japan is not the only country that has these beautiful trees. Brazil has many Japanese immigrants. Years ago, many of those immigrants planted cherry trees there. Those trees are still there today. Korea also has many cherry trees because when Japan ruled Korea, Japanese people planted the trees there. Other countries have cherry trees, usually because Japan gave them as presents. Cherry blossoms are a traditional part of Japanese culture, but people still love them today. Everyone should try to see them at least once. It is a chance to learn about traditional Japanese culture and enjoy some beautiful scenery at the same time.
1. What does the word “hanami” in paragraph 2 mean?

Choose the best answer:
Charlie said, '"I work 14 hours a day".

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Durable Ceramic Beauty
Inside an art and craft workshop, a young woman sits in front of a pottery wheel. The machine contains a large lump of clay which she molds into the shape of an elaborate bowl. Later, when she is satisfied with its appearance, it will be baked in an oven until it solidifies. Then she adds decorative paints to add some style. In the end, this ceramic pot will be both a handy utility for eating as well as a work of art. Humans have been working with ceramics for about 30,000 years, making it one of the oldest industries on the planet. In ancient times, ceramics enabled humans to make containers to store food and drinks, as well as bricks for buildings, but as time went on, people found other uses for this prehistoric technology. Techniques were added to give these products more eye-catching designs. Objects were often coated with glaze, so they would be smoother and more pleasant to touch. This helped to transform these practical items into works of art. People would pay large amounts of money for pieces of ceramic art and use them to decorate their homes. In modern times, architects and inventors discovered that ceramic offered the perfect balance between beauty and durability, and started using it in their products as well. Ceramics have found a home in the world of automobiles as they are used to produce several products. They are often used to make brake discs, engines, and other parts because ceramics are able to withstand extremely hot temperatures. Ceramics also play a part in the world of medicine, as their flexibility and strength are perfect for creating sturdy dental implants. Other doctors are using them to replace damaged bones because they are able to bond with tissues in the body without causing adverse reactions. In many kitchens today, you will also find ceramic knives. Once they are produced, the hard edges of these blades rarely need to be sharpened. Unlike metal knives, they won’t rust when exposed to difficult conditions. Ceramics also help to make it possible for humans to travel into space. Space shuttles are designed with ceramic tiles because they are one of the few materials that can stand the extreme heat when reentering the Earth’s atmosphere, plus they don’t wear out easily. With so many useful applications, it is hard to deny that ceramic technology is out of this world.
6. What is a benefit of using a ceramic knife?

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:
Composers today use a wider variety of sounds than ever before, including many that were once considered undesirable noises. Composer Edgard Varese (1883-1965) called thus the “liberation of sound…the right to make music with any and all sounds.” Electronic music, for example – made with the aid of computers, synthesizers, and electronic instruments – may include sounds that in the past would not have been considered musical.
Enviromental sounds, such as thunder, and electronically generated hisses and blips can be recorded, manipulated, and then incorporated into a musical composition. But composers also draw novel sounds from voices and non-electronic instruments. Singers may be asked to scream, laugh, groan, sneeze, or to sing phonetic sounds rather than words. Wind and string players may lap or scrape their instruments. A brass or woodwind player may hum while playing, to produce two pitches at once; a pianist may reach inside the piano to pluck a string and then run a metal blade along it. In the music of the Western world, the greatest expansion and experimentation have involved percussion instruments, which outnumber strings and winds in many recent compositions. Traditional persussion instruments are struck with new types of beaters; and instruments that used to be couriered unconventional in Western music – tom-toms, bongos, slapsticks, maracas – are widely used.
In the search for novel sounds, increased use has been made in Western music of Microtones. Non-Western music typically divides and intervals between two pitches more finely than Western music does, thereby producing a greater number of distinct tones or micro tones, within the same interval. Composers such as Krzysztof Penderecki create sound that borders on electronic noise through tone clusters – closely spaced tones played together and heard as a mass, block, or band of sound. The directional aspect of sound has taken on new importance as well Loudspeakers or groups of instruments may be placed at opposite ends of the stage, in the balcony, or at the back and sides of the auditorium. Because standard music notation makes no provision for many of these innovations, recent music scores may contain graph like diagrams, new note shapes and symbols, and novel ways of arranging notation on the page.

The word “wider” in line 1 is closet in meaning to     _.

 I wish I _____ his name.

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:
The cause of tooth decay is acid, which is produced by bacteria in the mouth. The acid removes minerals from tooth enamel, allowing tooth decay to begin; the saliva in your mouth encourages remineralization and neutralizes the acid. The rate at which bacteria in the mouth produce acid depends on the amount of plaque on the teeth, the composition of the microbial flora, and whether the bacteria of the plaque have been "primed" by frequent exposure to sugar. To keep your teeth healthy, a regular dental hygiene program should be followed.
Removing plaque with a toothbrush and dental floss temporarily reduces the numbers of bacteria in the mouth and thus reduces tooth decay. It also makes the surfaces of the teeth more accessible, enabling saliva to neutralize acid and remineralize lesions. If fluoride is present in drinking water when teeth are forming, some fluoride is incorporated into the enamel of the teeth, making them more resistant to attack by acid. Fluoride toothpaste seems to act in another way, by promoting the remineralization of early carious lesions.
In addition to a regular dental hygiene program, a good way to keep your teeth healthy is to reduce your intake of sweet food. The least cavity-causing way to eat sweets is to have them with meals and not between. The number of times you eat sweets rather than the total amount determines how much harmful acid the bacteria in your saliva produce. But the amount of sweets influences the quality of your saliva. Avoid, if you can, sticky sweets that stay in your mouth a long time. Also try to brush and floss your teeth after eating sugary foods. Even rinsing your mouth with water is effective. Whenever possible, eat foods with fiber, such as raw carrot sticks, apples, celery sticks, etc., that scrape off plaque, acting as a toothbrush. Cavities can be greatly reduced if these rules are followed when eating sweets.

The word “it” refers to     .

Choose the best answer:
Minh used to _____ his homework late in the evening.

Community Colleges, institutions of higher (1) _______ offering two-year programs of general study or technical or vocational training. Many (2) _______ receive the first two years (freshman and sophomore years) of postsecondary education at community colleges (3) _______ pursuing a bachelor's degree at a four-year institution. Community colleges (4) _______ a variety of programs and degrees, (5) _______ certificate programs that require less than two years of work in a specific area of study; terminal associate degrees in professional and technical programs; and associate degrees that may be transferred toward the completion of a bachelor’s degree.

(25)_______

Up to now, ______ space exploring still remains _____ very risky, complex, and expensive endeavor.

(324)______

Choose the best answer:
Most children like …………. because they make them laugh a lot.

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
A World without Wires
We are lucky to live in a world that is full of incredible technology. Our living rooms are packed with computers, LCD TVs, video game systems, and Blue-ray players that help us enjoy the latest entertainment. Although these items bring us joy and convenience, they also create a lot of clutter. Each device needs its own plug and adaptor to keep its batteries recharged, and over time these wires get _tangled_. Thankfully, something has come along to help get rid our homes of this mess while still supplying these devices with the power they need. It’s called wireless charging and this trend is just starting. Wireless charging, also known as inductive charging, has a lot of potential for smartphones and other electronic devices. Coils are used to create a magnetic field. Electronic devices can then absorb the electricity once they are placed on a special charging pad. There are several advantages that wireless charging offers over traditional methods. For starters, cords have a tendency to wear out with use. Wireless charging eliminates this hassle so users never have to worry about buying replacement cords. Wireless charging is also far more convenient for medical implants, as patients won’t need to recharge their devices through the skin using cords. In turn, this cuts down on the risks of infection. Wireless charging can also bring safety benefits, as wired charging devices that come in contact with water can increase the chances of getting an electric shock. Wireless charging eliminates that danger completely. Still, there are a few drawbacks to wireless charging. The first is speed. It takes a bit longer to charge devices wirelessly than it does if the device is plugged in. The process also requires more heat, so devices tend to get a bit hotter, which could create other safety issues. Also, since devices must be left on a special pad while charging, it is harder to operate them while they are powering up. This limitation may be eliminated in the future, as researchers are developing transmitters that can charge several different devices in a room without the need to connect to a charging pad. Although wireless-charging technology may be far from perfect, it seems like a step in the right direction as we move towards a less-tangled future.
5. Who would probably enjoy wireless charging the most?

Choose the best answer:
How long does it take your mother … all this big house?

Choose the best answer:
When/ mother/ come in/ I/ reading/ brochure.

Choose the best answer:
held/ is/ festival/ attend/ mountainous/ Although/ it/ people/ in/ many/ a/ the.