When we were in England last year, I went fishing with my friend, Peter. Early in the morning we were sitting quietly by the side of the lake when we had an unpleasant surprise. We saw a duck come along with three ducklings padding cheerfully behind her. As we watched them,  there was a sudden swirl in the water. We caught a glimpse of the vicious jaws of a pike – a fish  which is rather like a freshwater shark – and one of the ducklings was dragged below the surface. 
This incident made Peter furious. He vowed to catch the pike. On three successive  mornings we returned to the vicinity and used several different kinds of bait. On the third day Peter was lucky. Using an artificial frog as bait, he managed to hook the monster. There was a  desperate fight but Peter was determined to capture the pike and succeeded. When he had got it  ashore and killed it, he wieghed the fish and found that it scaled nearly thirty pounds – a record for that district. 

To what does surprise in line 2 probably refer? 

Read the following passage and mark A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each  of the blanks from 36 to 40.
From a very early age, it was apparent that Magnus Carlen was a brilliant chess player. By the age of 13, Magnus was (36)    to be one of the best chess players in the world, and his parents wanted him to reach his full potential as a professional chess player.
This meant their son had to develop a lifestyle of strict (37) which included many  hours of practice. Only this way could he become a world champion. (38) Magnus's parents supported him, they did not want him to devote his whole life to chess. They felt that if he focused only on chess, he would suffer both physically and emotionally. They made it clear to him that thay had no intention of letting their son drop out of school. He was also encouraged to follow his interest in sports. As a result of his (39)      , when Magnus graduated from high school in 2009, he was not only the best chess player in the world, but he was also awarded the title of "sport-student of the year" for his achievements  in snowboarding and golf.
Today, Magnus gives credit to his parents for the way they raised him. They set rules, but they never (40)    with his ambitions. Instead they gave him the support and encouragement he needed to achieve his goals and still be a happy young man.
(39)................

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.
Students and jobseekers are keen to get onto the course or into the workplace of their choice hope that voluntary work will help them stand out from the crowd. This chance to (1)........ experience-personally and professionally-is high on the wish list of young people. A survey carried out last year revealed that young and old alike said volunteering had improved their lives, particularly those (2)........in conservation or heritage work. Businesses recognize its importance and get to raise their profile in the community, while staff get a break from their daily routine to develop “soft skill”, (3)......initiative and decision-making. One volunteering organization is conduct another survey to find out if volunteering does make a difference in the workplace, or if it is something businesses do simply to improve their (4)....... Not only are business-sponsored placements becoming more common, the government is also investing money and aiming to (5)..... volunteers. The push is clear to make volunteering as attractive as possible to everyone. And the more people who participate, the more act fulfils its direction of making the world a better place.
(5).............................

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.
In 1830, there were under 100 miles of public railway in Britain. Yet within 20 years, this figure had grown to more than 5000 miles. By the end of the century, almost enough rail track to encircle the world covered this small island, (81)..... the nature of travel forever and contributing to the industrial revolution that changed the course of history in many parts of the world.
Wherever railways were introduced, economic and social progress quickly (82)........In a single day, rail passengers could travel hundreds of miles, cutting previous journey times by huge margins and bringing rapid travel within the (83)....... of ordinary people. Previously, many people had never ventured beyond the outskirts of their town and villages. The railway brought them greater freedom and enlightenment.
In the 19th century, the railway in Britain represented something more than just the business of carrying goods and passengers. Trains were associated with romance, adventure and, frequently,(84).......luxury. But the railways did more than revolutionize travel; they also left a distinctive and permanent mark on the British landscape. Whole towns and industrial centers (85)........up around major rail junctions, monumental bridges and viaducts crossed rivers and valleys and the railway stations themselves became desirable places to spend time between journeys.
(84).....................
 

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

Most people need some preparation before they are (1) ____ for the workforce, and planning should begin long before it is time to start a career. 

Many high school students don't yet know what they want to do. High school is a great time to start thinking about careers. Setting on just one (2) ____ in high school isn't necessary, but they should know how to explore careers and put time into investigating them and learning about their skills and interests.

Understanding what you enjoy and what you are good at is the first step in (3) ____ careers. It is important to think about what you like to do because work will eventually be a big part of the life. Once you have thought about the subjects and activities you like best, the next step is to look for careers that put those interests to use. If you love sports, for example, you might (4) ____ a career as a gym teacher, or a coach.

Another approach to identifying potential career interests is to consider local employers and the types of jobs they have. There are many jobs in manufacturing and healthcare near the high school. Talking directly to workers can help you get (5) ____ about what they do. If you don't know workers in occupations (6) ____ interest you, ask people such as parents, friends, or teachers for their (7) ____.

If job (8) ____ gives you a taste of what an occupation is like, imagine how helpful getting experience could be. Students can begin getting career-related experiences in high school through internships, employment, and other activities. Completing an internship is an excellent (9) ____ get experience. Internships are temporary, supervised (10) ____ designed to give students practical job training.

(3) ______

Read the following passage and choose among A, B, C or D the correct answer to each of the questions.

Telecommuting is some form of computer communication between employees' homes and offices. For employees whose job involves sitting at a terminal or word processor entering data or typing reports, the location of the computer is of no consequence. If the machine can communicate over telephone lines, when the work is completed, employees can dial the office computer and transmit the material to their employers. A recent survey in USA Today estimates that there are approximately 8.7 million telecommuters. But although the numbers are rising annually, the trend does not appear to be as significant as predicted when Business Week published "The Portable Executive" as its cover story a few years ago. Why hasn't telecommuting become more popular?

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

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

The phase “of no consequence” means ____.

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

Most people need some preparation before they are (1) ____ for the workforce, and planning should begin long before it is time to start a career. 

Many high school students don't yet know what they want to do. High school is a great time to start thinking about careers. Setting on just one (2) ____ in high school isn't necessary, but they should know how to explore careers and put time into investigating them and learning about their skills and interests.

Understanding what you enjoy and what you are good at is the first step in (3) ____ careers. It is important to think about what you like to do because work will eventually be a big part of the life. Once you have thought about the subjects and activities you like best, the next step is to look for careers that put those interests to use. If you love sports, for example, you might (4) ____ a career as a gym teacher, or a coach.

Another approach to identifying potential career interests is to consider local employers and the types of jobs they have. There are many jobs in manufacturing and healthcare near the high school. Talking directly to workers can help you get (5) ____ about what they do. If you don't know workers in occupations (6) ____ interest you, ask people such as parents, friends, or teachers for their (7) ____.

If job (8) ____ gives you a taste of what an occupation is like, imagine how helpful getting experience could be. Students can begin getting career-related experiences in high school through internships, employment, and other activities. Completing an internship is an excellent (9) ____ get experience. Internships are temporary, supervised (10) ____ designed to give students practical job training.

(9) ______

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.
Everyone, old or young, should think about joining a sports club. There are many benefits of being a (1).........of a club. First of all, you have the opportunity not just to play your favorite sport on a regular basis, but also to improve. Most clubs have training sessions or even professionals who (2)..... lessons. Secondly, it’s a chance to meet people who enjoying doing the same things as you so you will probably get (3)....... with them and end up with a good network of friends. Also these clubs usually have an excellent social life as they arrange parties and special occasions at the club where you can meet to talk and eat together and generally have a good time. Many people (4)..........up sports in their early teens but it is good idea to continue as doing sport is a way of relieving stress and giving you more energy as well as being a good break from your studies. Best of all, a lot of clubs can arrange to get tickets for top sporting events that are hard to (5)................This means you can often get front row seats for matches and competitions in your favorite sport, or you may even be able to see your favorite team. Well worth joining!
(4).............................

Choose the best answer: 
He bought a _____ suit for his grandpa on his birthday.

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.

Ever since it was first possible to make a real robot, people have been hoping for the invention of a machine that would do all the necessary jobs around the house. If boring and repetitive factory work could be (1)_____ by robots, why not boring and repetitive household chores too?

For a long time the only people who really gave the problem their attention were amateur inventors And they came up against a major difficulty. That is, housework is actually very complex It has never been one job it has always been many. A factor robot (2)_____ one task endlessly until it is reprogrammed to do something else. It doesn’t run the whole factory. A housework robot on the other hand, has to do several different (3)_____ of cleaning and carrying jobs and also has to cope (4)______ all the different shapes and positions of rooms, furniture, ornaments, cats and dogs. (5)______ , there have been some developments recently. Sensors are available to help the robot locate objects and avoid obstacles. We have the technology to produce the hardware. All that is missing the softwarethe programs that will operate the machine.

(4)..........................

When we were in England last year, I went fishing with my friend, Peter. Early in the morning we were sitting quietly by the side of the lake when we had an unpleasant surprise. We saw a duck come along with three ducklings padding cheerfully behind her. As we watched them,  there was a sudden swirl in the water. We caught a glimpse of the vicious jaws of a pike – a fish  which is rather like a freshwater shark – and one of the ducklings was dragged below the surface. 
This incident made Peter furious. He vowed to catch the pike. On three successive  mornings we returned to the vicinity and used several different kinds of bait. On the third day Peter was lucky. Using an artificial frog as bait, he managed to hook the monster. There was a  desperate fight but Peter was determined to capture the pike and succeeded. When he had got it  ashore and killed it, he wieghed the fish and found that it scaled nearly thirty pounds – a record for that district. 

How much was the pike worth? 

Basic to any understanding of Canada in the 20 years after the Second World War is the country’s impressive population growth. For every three Canadians in 1945, there were over five in 1966. In September 1966 Canada’s population passed the 20 million mark. Most of this surging growth came from natural increase.  The depression of the 1930s and the war had held back marriages, and the catching-up process  began after 1945. The baby boom continued through the decade of the 1950s, producing a population increase of nearly fifteen percent in the five years from 1951 to 1956. This rate of increase had been exceeded only once before in Canada’s history, in the decade before 1911, when  the prairies were being settled. Undoubtedly, the good economic conditions of the 1950s  supported a growth in the population, but the expansion also derived from a trend toward earlier marriages and an increase in the average size of families. In 1957 the Canadian birth rate stood at  28 per thousand, one of the highest in theworld. 
After the peak year of 1957, the birth rate in Canada began to decline. It continued falling  until in 1966 it stood at the lowest level in 25 years. Partly this decline reflected the low level of births during the depression and the war, but it was also caused by changes in Canadian society. Young people were staying at school longer, more women were working; young married couples  
were buying automobiles or houses before starting families; rising living standards were cutting down the size of families. It appeared that Canada was once more falling in step with the trend  toward smaller families that had occurred all through the Western world since the time of the  IndustrialRevolution. 
Although the growth in Canada’s population had slowed down by 1966 (the increase in the  first half of the 1960s was only nine percent), another large population wave was coming over the horizon. It would be composed of the children who were born during the period of the high birth  rate prior to 1957.

The phrase “prior to” in bold is closest in meaning to .......................

Choose the best answer: 
In the western customs (1) _____ hands is the customary form of greeting, but in China a nod of the head or slight bow is sufficient. Hugging and kissing when greeting are uncommon. Business cards are often (2) _____ and yours should be printed in your own language and in Chinese. Also, it is more respectful to present your card or a gift or -any other article using (3) _____ hands. The Chinese are enthusiastic applauders. You may be greeted with group clapping, even by small children. When a person is applauded in this practice it is the custom for that person to return the applause or a "thank you." (4)­­_______walking in public places, direct eye contact and staring is uncommon in the larger cities, especially in those areas accustomed to foreign visitors. (5) _____, in smaller communities, visitors may be the subject of much curiosity and therefore you may notice some stares.

1. 

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.
Sugar was for a long time a luxury and in the opinion of the medical profession it still should be. During the nineteenth century, however, manufactures discovered (6)........... of producing it in vast quantities and it has since become one of the staple articles of diet, particularly for the lower social classes. It has the advantages of being comparatively cheap, easily digested, rich in energy and useful for flavoring. Its major drawbacks are that it lacks every nourishing quality except that of giving energy, and because of its attractive flavor it (7).......... to displace other much more valuable foods from the diet. Most serious of all is its adverse (8).........   on  health, since excessive consumption can cause heart trouble, obesity and dental decay. The latter is widespread among the inhabitants of western countries. From the very young to the very old, (9).............anyone  escapes.  Yet  if  parents  would  drastically  reduce  the  (10).............. of confectionery they allow their children to eat, the extend of dental decay would soon be made
(8).....................................
 

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.

In the future, genetic engineering will allow us to create the perfect human. It will be hard to get used to. Parents will order a baby who will grow up to become a genius or to have a Miss World appearance. Also, genetic engineering will allow us to mix plants and animals. As computers have advanced, they have helped us remember, calculate, organize, and clarify. So it will become easier to deal with things, and much quicker.

At a point in a future time, some may claim that computers become about as smart as Newton or Einstein. More advanced computers will be able to be creative, respond to feelings in a feeling way, develop intuition, recognize patterns, and suggest innovative alternatives. There is a hope if we choose to take action. We can select Internet information wisely, choose healthy computer games, limit our exposure to television commercials, and select television programs carefully. People will be aware of the importance of keeping active, getting outside to do more physical activities. We will also plan to make a major sacrifice the next time we buy a car, take the bus. Everybody will be more concerned about making environmentally friendly choices, eating healthy, and helping build a healthier society by shopping at better stores that sell better food.

Most people will be aware that a happy, loving family is a joy to be part of, and that it is a necessary foundation for building a strong society. But it is extremely important for our future that we maintain a healthy perspective. We need to value and appreciate the importance of what can be achieved by loving and committed parents. People need a strong foundation, so it is vital for our society that we encourage parents to work at creating love, joy, and happiness for their children in a decent, stable, and productive atmosphere.

Which aspect is not referred in the text?

Choose the best answer: 
Today’s cars are smaller, safer, cleaner and more economical than their predecessors, but the car of the future will be far more pollution-free than those on the road today. Several new types of automobile engines have already been developed that run on alternative sources of power, such as electricity, compressed natural gas, methanol, steam, hydrogen, propane.

   Electricity, however, is the only zero-emission option presently available. Although electric vehicles will not be truly practical until a powerful, compact battery or another dependable source of current is available, transportation expects foresee a new assortment of electric vehicles entering everyday life: shorter-range commuter electric cars, three-wheeled neighbourhood cars, electric deliver vans, bikes, and trolleys.

   As automakers work to develop practical electric vehicles, urban planners and utility engineers are focusing on infrastructure systems to support and make the best use of the new cars. Public charging facilities will need to be as common as today’s gas stations. Public parking spots on the street or in commercial lots will need to be equipped with devices that allow drivers to charge their batteries while they stop, dine, or attend a concert. To encourage the use of electric vehicles, the most convenient parking in transportation centres might be reserved for electric cars.

   Planners foresee electric shuttle buses, trains and neighbourhood vehicles all meeting at transit centres that would have facilities for charging and renting. Commuters will be able to rent a variety of electric cars to suit their needs: light trucks, one-person three wheelers, small cars, or electric/gasoline hybrid cars for longer trips, which is no doubt take place on automated freeways capable of handling five times number of vehicles that can be carried by a freeway today.

3: The author’s purpose in the passage is to........

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

"Oxford engineer, David Heston, is planning an interesting cycle ride this summer - (1)….. the Sahara Desert. During his five-week journey, temperatures (2)…..  a sizzling 45°. David, 19, of Church Road, Dorchester, hopes to complete the first summer (3)…… of the desert on a tandem (bicycle for two people). “It does sound a bit (4)….. he said. (5)…. there are good reasons. It’s part of a research expedition about finding ways of (6)…. the spread of the desert. The Sahara is getting bigger and bigger and that’s bad (7)…… .
David is taking five Cambridge University friends with him. One will join him on the tandem and the others will drive two Land Rovers in support, travelling from (8)….. of Algeria to Agadez in the South. The journey is not without its problems, and (9)….. a 600-mile section (10)…..has no roads and no water."

5. (5)…. there are good reasons.

Read the passage below and choose the best answer (A, B, C or D ) to each question.

Different cultures follow their own special customs when a child's baby teeth fall out. In Korea, for example, they have the custom of throwing lost teeth up on the roof of a house. According to tradition, a magpie will come and take the tooth. Later, the magpie will return with a new tooth for the child. In other Asian countries, such as Japan and Vietnam, children follow a similar tradition of throwing their lost teeth onto the roofs of houses.

Birds aren't the only animals thought to take lost teeth. In Mexico and Spain, tradition says a mouse takes a lost tooth and leaves some money. However, in Mongolia, dogs are responsible for taking teeth away. Dogs are highly respected in Mongolian culture and are considered guardian angels of the people.

Tradition says that the new tooth will grow good and strong if the baby tooth is fed to a guardian angel. Accordingly, parents in Mongolia will put their child's lost tooth in a piece of meat and feed it to a dog. The idea of giving lost teeth to an angel or fairy is also a tradition in the West. Many children in Western countries count on the Tooth Fairy to leave money or presents in exchange for a tooth. The exact origins of the Tooth Fairy are a mystery, although the story probably began in England or Ireland centuries ago. According to tradition, a child puts a lost tooth under his or her pillow before going to bed. In the wee hours, while the child is sleeping, the Tooth Fairy takes the tooth and leaves something else under the pillow. In France, the Tooth Fairy leaves a small gift. In the United States, however, the Tooth Fairy usually leaves money. These days, the rate is 1 to 5 per tooth, adding up to a lot of money from the Tooth Fairy!

The word "their" in paragraph 1 refers to____.

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.
You can usually tell when your friends are happy or angry by the looks on their faces or by their actions. This is useful because reading their emotional expressions helps you to know how to respond to them. Emotions have evolved to help us respond to important situations and to convey our intentions to others. But does raising the eyebrows and rounding the mouth say the same thing in Minneapolis as it does in Madagascar? Much research on emotional expressions has centered on such questions.
According to Paul Ekman, the leading researcher in this area, people speak and understand substantially the same "facial language". Studies by Ekman's group have demonstrated that humans share a set of universal emotional expressions that testify to the common biological heritage of the human species. Smiles, for example, signal happiness and frowns indicate sadness on the faces of people in such far- flung places as Argentina, Japan, Spain, Hungary, Poland , Sumatra ,the United States, Vietnam, the jungles of New Guinea , and the Eskimo villages north of Artic Circle. Ekman and his colleagues claim that people everywhere can recognize at least seven basic emotions: sadness, fear, anger, disgust, contempt, happiness, and surprise. There are, however, huge differences across cultures in both the context and intensity of emotional displays - the so called display rules. In many Asian cultures, for example, children are taught to control emotional responses - especially negative ones- while many American children are encouraged to express their feelings more openly. Regardless of culture, however, emotions usually show themselves, to some degree, in people's behavior. From their first days of life, babies produce facial expressions that communicate their feelings.
The ability to read facial expressions develops early, too. Very young children pay close attention to facial expressions, and by age five, they nearly equal adults in their skill at reading emotions on people's faces. This evidence all points to a biological underpinning for our abilities to express and interpret a basic set of human emotions. Moreover, as Charles Darwin pointed out over a century ago, some emotional expressions seem to appear across species boundaries. Cross - cultural psychologists tell us that certain emotional responses carry different meanings in different cultures. For example, what emotion do you suppose might be conveyed by sticking out your tongue? For Americans, this might indicate disgust, while in China it can signify surprise. Likewise, a grin on an American face may indicate joy, while on a Japanese face it may just as easily mean embarrassment. Clearly, culture influences emotional expressions.

Young children  ...........

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

Robots are already a part of our lives. Industrial robots widely used in manufacturing. Military and police organizations use robots to (26) _____ in dangerous situations. Robots can (27) _____ be found from vacuuming the floors in your home to exploring the surface of Mars.

Within a few more years a whole host of robotic adaptations will be running many aspects' of our lives. "I think in (28) _____ next thirty years, we are going to see a transformation between the industrial sorts of robots to personal robots," says Brooks from Brooks' company, IRobot, markets floor cleaning robots for homes.

"The advances in robotics make it clear that many household (29) ____ will be easily handled by a robot in the near future," says Bob Christopher, who works for a robotic technology company that is marketing a toy robot (30) _____ Pleo. "We have only one child but I could easily (31) _____ five or six robots in the home as well."

Within the next 10 years one will be able to (32) _____, to lease or purchase a domestic robot that not only does the household cleaning and prepare and serve his meals, (33) _____ also can carry him to the bathtub if he cannot walk.

Demographic changes, such as a rapidly aging population and a shrinking workforce, will drive forward the application of new (34) ___. There is going to be a real pull for increasing the productivity of working age people. So there is going to be a real push for robotics to help people. (35) _____ addition, it is likely that in the near future we will see robots- taking on some of the care functions elderly, or long-term ill people.

(32) _____

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.

   On March 15, Dunes View Middle School held a contest for school bands. Student bands tried out for the opportunity to perform at the school picnic, which will be held at the end of June. The winner of the contest was the band called Four Square. “We’re very proud that we won the contest and are excited to perform at the picnic,” says Peter Zandt, who plays the guitar in the band. “And since we hope to perform someday at other local places, like restaurants and parks, this will be a great first step.”

   The contest was the creation of music teacher Mr. Lopez and drama teacher Ms. Cho. The two thought of the idea while discussing recent years’ school picnics. “The picnic is one of the biggest events of the year, but it has become a bit formulaic ,” said Ms. Cho. “The activities are the same every year. We thought that a performance by a student band would make the school picnic more interesting and fun.” Mr. Lopez, Ms. Cho, and three other teachers judged the contest, which took place in the gym. Eight student bands signed up to audition. The bands varied in their musical forms: there were several rock bands, a folk band, and even a jazz band. “I’m disappointed that my band didn’t win, but I think the judges made the right choice,” says student Marisol Varga, a member of the folk trio called The Bell Girls. “Four Square is really good.” To see if the bands could present a wide range of musical skills, the teachers asked them each to prepare two songs: one song with original words, and another in which students played instrumental music only. The judges finally chose the band Four Square as the winner of the contest. Four Square is a rock band with an unusual twist: it includes a violin player! The members of Four Square write their own songs and practice three times a week after school. Students and teachers agreed that the band competition was a big success. All are looking forward to the school picnic in June.

According to the article, what is unusual about the band Four Square?