Rewrite the sentence:
You can see Velazquez in this painting. He is standing in the background.

 

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
The United States has had approximately a thousand lights as well as light towers,  range lights, and pier head lights. Michigan has the most lights of any state with over 150 past and present lights. Most of the lights in the United States have been built and maintained by the Coast Guard. As navigation has declined and as public interest in them has increased, the Coast Guard has been handing over ownership to other parties. The first navigational lights in the New World were probably lanterns hung at harbor entrances. The first lighthouse was put up by the Massachusetts Bay Colony In 1766 on Little Brewster Island at the entrance to Boston Harbor. Paid for and maintained by light dues levied on ships, the original beacon was blown up in 1776. By then there were only a dozen or so true lighthouses in the colonies. Little over a century later, there were 700 lighthouses.  The first eight erected on the West Coast in the 1850’s featured the same basic New England design: a Cape Cod dwelling with the tower rising from the center or standing close by. In New England and elsewhere, though, lighthouses reflected a variety of architectural styles. Since most stations in the Northeast were built on rocky eminences, enormous towers were not the rule. Some were made of stone and brick, others of wood or metal. Some stood on pilings or stilts: some were fastened to rock with iron rods. Farther south, from Maryland through the Florida Keys, the coast was low and sandy. It was often necessary to build tall towers there - massive structures like the majestic Cape Hatteras, North Carolina lighthouse, which was lit in 1870. At 190 feet, it is the tallest brick lighthouse in the country. Notwithstanding differences in appearance and construction, most American lighthouses shared several features: a light, living quarters, and sometimes a bell (or, later, a foghorn). They also had something else in common: a keeper and, usually, the keeper’s family. The keeper’s essential task was trimming the lantern Nick in order to maintain a steady bright flame. The earliest keepers came from every walk of life-they were seamen. Farmers, mechanics, rough mill hands-and appointments were often handed out by local customs commissioners as political plums. After the administration of lighthouses was taken over in 1852 by the United States Lighthouse 803rd, an agency of the Treasury Department, the keeper corps gradually became highly professional.  
3. It can be inferred from the passage that light-houses in the Northeast did not need high towers because _______

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Louis is virtually bilingual_________ Dutch and German.

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

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Next time your boss asks you to work late and miss your band rehearsal or board game night, point them to a new study in the Journal of Vocational Behavior. Researchers have found that spending more time on a hobby can boost people’s confidence in their ability to perform their job well. Ciara Kelly at Sheffield University and colleagues recruited 129 hobbyists — from amateur climbers to improv comedians — to look at how the time spent on their hobbies shaped their work life. To begin with, the team measured the seriousness of each participant’s hobby, asking them to rate their agreement with statements like “I regularly train for this activity”, and also assessed how similar the demands of their job and hobby were. Then, each month for seven months, participants recorded how many hours they had dedicated to their activity, and completed a scale measuring their belief in their ability to effectively do their job, or their “self-efficacy”, in which they rated themselves on statements like “At work I am able to successfully overcome many challenges”.  The researchers found that when participants spent longer than normal doing their leisure activity, their belief in their ability to perform their job increased. But this was only the case when they had a serious hobby that was dissimilar to their job, or when their hobby was similar to their work but they only did it casually. When their hobby was both serious and similar to their job, then spending more time on it actually had a detrimental effect, decreasing their self-efficacy. Why might that be? To maintain a serious hobby, people need to invest significant psychological resources, so if the activity has the same kinds of demands as their work, they may be left drained and unable to perform as well at their job. But if their hobby is quite different from their career, it may not interfere in the same way but instead help them develop other knowledge and skills that can boost their confidence at work. Of course, the data don’t provide conclusive evidence about the direction of the effect. Still, the results suggest that companies may want to encourage employees to pursue interests outside of work, as long as those activities differ from their day-to-day tasks. And they also may give pause to those who dream of packing it all in and turning their hobby into a career.  
3. According to paragraph 2, what is NOT mentioned about the project of Ciara Kelly?

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While light at night can be beneficial, neutral, or damaging for individual species, its presence invariably disturbs ecosystems. For example, some species of spiders avoid lit areas, while other species are happy to build their spider web directly on a lamp post. Since lamp posts attract many flying insects, the spiders that don’t mind light gain an advantage over the spiders that avoid it. Light pollution poses a serious threat in particular to nocturnal wildlife, having negative impacts on plant and animal physiology. It can confuse animal navigation, alter competitive interactions, change predator-prey relations, and cause physiological harm. The rhythm of life is orchestrated by the natural patterns of light and dark, so disruption to these patterns impacts the ecological dynamics. Studies suggest that light pollution around lakes prevents zooplankton, such as Daphnia, from eating surface algae, causing algal blooms that can kill off the lakes’ plants and lower water quality. Light pollution may also affect ecosystems in other ways. For example, scientists have documented that night time light may interfere with the ability of moths and other nocturnal insects to navigate. Night-blooming flowers that depend on moths for pollination may be affected by night lighting, as there is no replacement pollinator that would not be affected by the artificial light. This can lead to species decline of plants that are unable to reproduce, and change an area’s long term ecology. Reducing light pollution implies many things, such as reducing sky glow, reducing glare, reducing light trespass, and reducing clutter. The method for best reducing light pollution, therefore, depends on exactly what the problem is in any given instance. Adjusting the type of lights used, so that the light waves emitted are those that are likely to cause severe light pollution problems  
2. All of the following impact the ecological dynamics EXCEPT ______________

Find synonym:
We should consume healthy food and exercise regularly.

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In fact, two out of three working Americans are not (1)______ in their work,  according to a Gallup survey. People who send résumés and go to interviews think that they care only about salaries and (2)______. These are important, yes, but they are not enough. To identify a satisfying job, people should be thinking about office morale and doing work that is interesting and fun.  To demonstrate this point, my colleague Kaitlin Woolley and I asked a large group of employees what made them like their present jobs, along with what factors would (3)_____ them to like future jobs.  Unsurprisingly, we found that promotions and raises were important for people both in their current job and in applying for future jobs. What was interesting, (4)______, was that the majority cared a lot about present benefits (such as doing something interesting with people they like) in their current job, but they expected not to care very much about those things in their future jobs. When envisioning themselves in the future, they predicted that they would almost solely be driven by delayed benefits like salaries.  Why are people (5)______ aware that present benefits are important in their current job, and yet expect not to care about those benefits in the future? Why, for example, does a student who cannot sit through a boring two-hour lecture think she would be satisfied by a boring but well-paying job?

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 following questions:
It is many peoples dream to become a world-famous artist. Unfortunately, it can be extremely difficult to make a living solely from selling your paintings or sculptures. But don’t worry because there are other jobs in the world of art that you can pursue. One possible career option is to become an art dealer.
An art dealer works on behalf of artists to help them sell works to museums and galleries around the world. To be successful at this profession, it requires a well-rounded skill set. For starters, it helps a lot if you love art and are knowledgeable about art history. Having business skills will also be quite useful, as it will be necessary to negotiate with buyers, and help the artists you represent market their work. If becoming an art dealer sounds appealing, there are several steps which you can follow. Although you  may have a love for a wide range of styles, you should start by choosing one category to focus on. Buyers usually prefer to deal with a specialist in a particular area than someone who is a jack of all trades. When selecting your focus, choose an area that you are passionate about instead of something that seems lucrative. Art trends come and go, so there is no use trying to predict what is hot. These trends will certainly change over the course of your career.
Once you selected an area to focus on, start to contact some museums, galleries, and other companies in the art world and send them your resume. The majority of art dealers begin their careers working as interns for these kinds of companies. Although these interns may be paid little, or in some cases nothing at all, the experience of learning how art businesses work will certainly serve you down the road.
It pays to be flexible in the beginning, as the most important thing is to get your foot in the door. Museums and galleries may offer you several positions including a sales assistant or a junior art consultant. Whichever job you accept, be sure to learn it well and give it your best. In addition to your responsibilities, make sure your start to network with others in your industry. As your knowledge and contacts begin to grow, more opportunities will be open to you.

What is the passage mainly about?

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Once restricted to space stations and satellites, photovoltaics are now gaining popularity and becoming an increasingly viable option. Every day, the sun releases an enormous amount of energy, far more than the entire population consumes. Being that the sun is a sustainable, renewable, and inexhaustible source for generating electricity, not using it seems almost counter-intuitive, especially considering the social and environmental impacts of other forms of energy generation. But the technology to create electricity from the sun is by no means simple and still has some limitations, the most significant being price. The process of turning the sun’s rays into electrical energy all starts in the so-called photovoltaic cell. These cells are produced with two chemically altered silicon layers of which one is missing elections and the other is electron-overloaded. When the photons from the sunlight reach the surface, these electrons gain the ability to move, generating a flow that creates an electric current. Each cell generates a small amount of energy and a panel is usually made of between 36 and 72 photovoltaic cells. By connecting several panels together, a photovoltaic system is created. Eight to ten panels is enough to power a small house. Evidently, however, this statistic is influenced by some factors, such as the efficiency of the panels, the amount of sunshine in the region, and the energy demand of the residence itself.  Importantly, photovoltaic solar panels produce electricity in the form of direct current, meaning the electricity must pass through an inverter to transform it into alternating current - which is what is normally used in buildings, appliances, sockets, and light bulbs. Photovoltaic systems can facilitate energy generation in remote locations where infrastructural networks do not reach. In these cases, the system uses batteries to store electricity when less energy is used than is consumed, such as at night or on very cloudy days. However, it is also possible to use photovoltaics in systems connected to the power grid. In these cases, the excess energy goes to the electricity grid, creating energy “credits” for the building in question. In some countries, it is even possible to sell surplus energy, making the building a power plant for neighbors and method of paying off the investment more quickly.  
5. The word “it” in paragraph 3 refers to _____

Choose the best answer:
The artisan is delighted to ………. to you the craft of creating prints in an old-age style.

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Knowing what to expect from your destination will make all aspects of planning an adventure trip easier, as well as helping you to get the most out of the experience. Research will help you pick the best places to go but you’ll also learn what you need to pack. What health and safety (1) __________ to take, and what cultural (and sometimes political) issues you should be aware of. Climate and seasonal pricing are important factors in your decision about when to go. (2) ______ for adventure travel, bad weather or weather you’re not prepared for can ruin the trip. While you can’t predict the (3) __________ weather in advance, you can learn about climate trends ahead of time when doing your destination research. Seasonal popularity and pricing should also be considered if you intend to keep away from peak-season crowd and prices. While some research is absolutely essential, don’t plan every moment of your trip in advance. Over-planning tends to make us less (4) __________ to take part in the spontaneous events that are part of any sort of adventure travel. It’s really important to (5)_________ a big reserve of excitement and energy ready for the unexpected adventures

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:
Sunlight is solar energy. Sunlight is needed for growing plants that you eat to get energy. Sunlight is also used to make clean electricity. Burning fossil fuels to make electricity pollutes our atmosphere and rivers. Fossil fuels are expensive and limited sources of energy. Nuclear fission is used to create enormous amount of heat and electricity. However, nuclear fission forms dangerous radioactive waste.
Sunlight offers many ways to get energy. A window can allow warm sunlight into your room. Solar water-heating systems can use sunlight to warm the water for your home, swimming pool

and school. Sunlight also warms the Earth and causes wind. Electricity can be made by wind generators.
Photovoltaic, or PV system use a type of material that converts sunlight into electricity. PV systems can power your air conditioner or a satellite like the International Space Station. PV systems are also used to run a calculator, recharge cell phone, or even power lightweight cars.
Sunlight is also changed into electricity by concentrating solar power or CSP systems. CSP systems have mirrors that focus the sunlight. The concentrated sunlight turns water into steam which turns a turbine that is connected to an electric generator. A CSP system usually uses sunlight to make steam. CSP power plants can store large amount of heat. The stored heat is used to make electricity at night. During cloud days, many CSP plants can also burn natural gas to provide the heat that is used to turn water into steam.
Sunlight provides the energy needed to grow plants and make large amount of environmentally friendly heat and electricity. Solar energy can provide power today and for a long time in the future.

This article is mainly about      

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If you want to make your school green, think beyond your classrooms. Here are some  suggestions that are all easy and simple to follow, and can make a big difference in reducing your carbon footprint and creating a (1)__________ community.  One of the places where both teachers and students often spend some of their time is the library. An eco-friendly reading space is likely to create a favorable impression (2)________ library users, and bring some significant educational benefits. For example, you can install energy-saving products like fans instead of air-conditioners which consume a lot of energy. You can also use biodegradable dust cloths or old T-shirts to clean the environment. In addition, to (3)________ public awareness, allocate a clearly visible space on the noticeboard for everyday green tips like ‘Let others reuse your book’.  Sporty students may prefer to spend more time in the swimming pool than in the library.  Therefore, keeping this place safe and green will also help to raise their environmental awareness. Remember that (4)__________ pool water may cause red eyes and itchy skin to some people if they spend much time in the pool. An ideal alternative would be a salt-water pool, which can be naturally clean and economical. In case warm water is required, think of solar heating to save the environment as one pool with gas or electric heater may emit tons of carbon dioxide each year.  Finally, focus on the school gym, (5)_________ is perhaps the most interactive and exciting place for all school staff. Think of installing low-flow taps and showers to save gallons of water per minute and energy-saving lights to cut the cost of electricity. Moreover, make sure that the airflow pathways are clear and free of mould, mildew and other allergens

Find synonym:
She felt unsafe and insecure in love.

Choose the option A, B, c or D that best answers the question about the passage:

"Ever since humans have lived on the earth, they have made use of various forms of communication. Generally, this expression of thoughts and feelings has been in the form of oral speech. When there is a language barrier, communication is completed through sign language in which motions stand for letters, words, and ideas. Tourists, and the local people unable to make themselves understood by each other through speaking or writing have had to use this form of expression. Many of these symbols of whole words are very lively and exact and can be used internationally, spelling, however, cannot compare with them.
 Body language sends ideas or thoughts by certain actions, either intentionally or unintentionally. A wink can be a way of showing that the party is only joking. A nod means approval, while shaking the head indicates a negative reaction.
 Other forms of nonlinguistic language can be found in Braille (a System of raised dots read with the fingertips), signal flags, Morse code, and smoke signals. Road maps and picture signs also guide, warn, and instruct people.
 All in all, while words are the most common form of communication, other Systems and techniques nonlinguistic also play role of expressing human thoughts and feelings."

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

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 a result of the recent oil crisis, 9.9 million of California’s 15 million motorists were subjected to an odd – even plan of gas rationing. The governor signed a bill forcing motorists with license plates ending in odd numbers to buy gas only on odd – numbered days, and those ending in even numbers on even – numbered days. Those whose plates were all letters or specially printed had to follow the odd – numbered plan.
Exceptions were made only for emergencies and out – of – state – drivers. Those who could not get gas were forced to walk, bike, or skate to work.
This plan was expected to eliminate the long lines at many service stations. Those who tried to purchase more than twenty gallons of gas or tried to fill a more than half filled tank would be fined and possibly imprisoned.

Those who violated the rationing program     

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We live in a world of tired, sleep deprived people. In his book Counting Sheep, Paul Martin - a behavioral biologist - describes a society which is just too busy to sleep and which does not give sleeping the importance it deserves. Modern society has invented reasons not to sleep. We are now a 24/7 society where shops and services must be available all hours. We spend longer hours at work than we used to, and more time getting to work. Mobile phones and email allow us to stay in touch round the clock and late-night TV and the Internet tempt us away from our beds. When we need more time for work or pleasure, the easy solution is to sleep less. The average adult sleeps only 6.2 hours a night during the week, whereas research shows that most people need eight or even eight and a half hours’ sleep to feel at their best. Nowadays, many people have got used to sleeping less than they need and they live in an almost permanent state of “sleep debt”.  Until the invention of the electric light in 1879 our daily cycle of sleep used to depend on the hours of daylight. People would get up with the sun and go to bed at nightfall. But nowadays our hours of sleep are mainly determined by our working hours (or our social life) and most people are woken up artificially by an alarm clock. During the day caffeine, the world’s most popular drug, helps to keep us awake. 75% of the world’s population habitually consume caffeine, which up to a point masks the symptoms of sleep deprivation. What does a chronic lack of sleep do to us? As well as making us irritable and unhappy as humans, it also reduces our motivation and ability to work. This has serious implications for society in general. Doctors, for example, are often chronically sleep deprived, especially when they are on “night call”, and may get less than three hours’ sleep. Lack of sleep can seriously impair their mood, judgment, and ability to take decisions. Tired engineers, in the early hours of the morning, made a series of mistakes with catastrophic results. On our roads and motorways lack of sleep kills thousands of people every year. Tests show that a tired driver can be just as dangerous as a drunken driver. However, driving when drunk is against the law but driving when exhausted isn’t. As Paul Martin says, it is very ironic that we admire people who function on very little sleep instead of criticizing them for being irresponsible. Our world would be a much safer, happier place if everyone, whatever their job, slept eight hours a night  
5. Which of the following is TRUE, according to the last paragraph?

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Australia has a well-organized and well-structured education system. The education starts at the age of five or six, but it may differ by a narrow margin between states. It starts with the preschool education which is not compulsory and can be offered within a school or separately. The primary and secondary school encompasses the compulsory education for Australians. There are a large number of primary and high school across the country with most of them being public schools. It is estimated that public schools amount to 60% of scholars as opposed to 40% in private settings. All these education providers must be licensed by the government and must fulfill certain requirements including infrastructure and teaching. Universities, on the other hand, are mainly public institutions. The Australian education system has established a standard curriculum so all scholars will be given the same quality of education. Despite there may be some states at which this curriculum is modified a bit, but the change is not that significant. The actual curriculum set  out in Australia education system is based on important abilities one must have in his life: Literacy, Numeracy, Information and communication technology, Critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, ethical understanding, intercultural understanding. Vocational and Technical schools prepare students that want to skip the university and want to move directly to the job market. Actually, here it stands the difference between universities and colleges: the Vocational and Technical Schools are more oriented in teaching practical skills while university courses are mainly theory-based to lead students to different academic careers. There are hundreds of other schools out there that provide technical and further education (TAFE) and vocational education and training (VET). These schools offer short courses, certificates I through IV, diplomas, and advanced diplomas. They focus on training their students in a particular vocation or just to help their students get out into the workplace. These schools offer a wide variety of courses and qualifications attained by these courses can lead to different career pathways to follow afterward  Australian higher education modernity and reputation relies on a huge number of educational providers including universities and different training organizations. Currently, there are 43 universities across the country. The vast majority of universities are public except two private universities. The world-class teaching offered is surely undisputed. Seven Australian universities are traditionally found at the top 100 best universities in the world which is a sufficient indicator to highlight their quality. Besides universities, more than 5,000 training organizations are registered and accredited. Actual figures show that the number of enrolled students is around 3.8 million with international students sharing more than half a million. There are also 3 self-accrediting higher education institutions. Furthermore, dozens of smaller schools do not grant any degrees or have an accreditation – these are private schools that focus on theology, business, information technology, natural therapies, hospitality, health, law, and accounting.  
2. According to paragraph 1, which of the following is TRUE about the educationin Australia?

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D)
Scientist and inventor George Washington Carver was born into slavery during the American Civil War. After the war, he worked diligently to get an education. He managed to get an advanced degree in Botany, which is the study of plants. After he finished his college degree, he worked in the South. He taught people about botany and about how it could be used to improve farming. Carver learned that there was a problem with cotton farming in the South. Cotton takes nutrients from the soil. If cotton is planted year after year, the quality of the soil decreases. Carver knew that plants like peanuts and sweet potatoes are different from cotton. They add nutrients to the soil rather than take nutrients from the soil. Carver told farmers that it was a bad idea to grow only cotton and no other crops each year. He told them that they should also grow plants like peanuts and sweet potatoes, which improve the quality of the  soil. Many farmers followed the advice that Carver offered them. The result was that the production on their farms increased. This increased production of peanuts and sweet potatoes improved the quality of the soil. However, when production of peanuts and sweet potatoes increased, a new problem developed. The new problem was that there were too much peanuts and sweet potatoes. To solve this problem, Carver began working in a laboratory to find new uses for peanuts and sweet potatoes. He developed hundreds of products that could be made from peanuts and sweet potatoes. These hundreds of products included food products, medicines, plastics and fertilizer  
5. According to paragraph 3, what problem developed from the production of peanuts and sweet potatoes?

Find synonym:
If we have solar panels on our roofs, we'll be able to generate our own electricity.