Knowing your skills and strengths is ______ important part of the job search process.

(267)______

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:
We tend to assume that people like Shakespeare or Darwin owe their success (1)__________ their genius. In his new book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell suggests that the truth may be more complex. Of course, all successful people are bound to have some natural (2)__________. But the true (3)__________ of success are most probably hard work, opportunity, and the environment you grow up in. You need about 10,000 hours of practice before you get really good at something. Mozart’s early work was certainly not great or (4)___________. By the time he composed his first true masterpieces, he must have spent about ten years imposing concertos. But hard work is not enough, you have to get your chance. Most Silicon Valley tycoons, like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, were born around 1955. When the personal computer revolution came twenty years later, they were at a(n) (5)__________ age to lead it

Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase

There are many reasons (1) _____ taking regular time with our family is important:

It (2) _____ a place to listen, teach, learn, and (3) _____ ourselves freely and safely. It provides (4) _____ to discuss family joys, issues, and problems. Family members can practice skills in a non-threatening (5) _____. Families are a (6) _____ part of our society and the fabric of our communities - we spend (7) _____ time together to get our feelings (8) _____ belonging, our values, support and understanding. It helps (9) _____ family members together and feel safe in today's world where (10) _____ can lead to family disintegration.

(10) ________

Choose the best answer:
Take the food _________ on the table.

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.
                                          Culture Clash
In Africa a famous food company tried to sell its baby food by advertising it with the picture of a baby on the label. They did not know that this particular country used labels only to (1)............. a picture of the food inside. When Pepsico used the slogan "Come alive with Pepsi' in Taiwan, they had no idea that it would be translated into Chinese as 'Pepsi (2)............. your ancestors back from the dead’.
Misunderstandings such as these about language or about culture are sometimes comical but can also cause genuine hurt or anger. Business styles (3).............. widely in different countries and what is normal in one culture can be completely unacceptable in another.
Socialising in different countries can be tricky. In Arabic countries, for example, people do not discuss business (4)...............meals. Giving gifts is another potential problem: in the UK most people take presents to a dinner party, but in many countries this is not polite because it (5)............ you think the host is poor.

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

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Strengthening Your Core
If there is one indication that someone is fit, it is a tight and lean stomach. Men and women alike hope that eating right and putting in hard work at the gym will earn them a perfect six-patch. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. The rising popularity of fast food has led to an increase of obesity rates and waistlines around the globe. If someone is out of shape, you will notice the extra weight around their midsection. In both cases, a person’s core muscles seem to tell a lot about their fitness and eating habits. Many people associate the core with just the stomach area, but science actually defines it as our body without arms and legs. Although many people want a solid core to look good, the development of these muscles affects many areas of our lives. In athletics and general life for that matter, we all rely on our core muscles heavily to get things done. Studies have shown that athletes who build a powerful core foundation aren’t injured as much. Meanwhile, the benefits of your average Joe may be even greater. Ordinary people use their core muscles for nearly every task they do. This includes picking things up, sitting in a chair, or tying your shoes. Our core muscles provide stability, so we can keep our balance and easily move in any direction. If we neglect them, life can become much more difficult. As a result, we should always consider our core muscles when designing our workouts. However, if you have been sedentary for years, performing thousands of repetitions will probably get you injured. Instead, start off slowly and gradually build up your numbers. An excellent exercise for both beginners and advanced exercisers is the plank. You simply get in an extended pushup position as if you have just finished a rep. Maintain this position, but place the weight on your forearms instead of your hands. Then, hold the position as long as you can. You should feel your core muscles working hard to help your hands and support the weight of your body. In the beginning, you may only be able to hold it for a few seconds, but keep at it. The Guinness World Record for abdominal planking is three hours and seven minutes.
2. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

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The Rise of E-books
Over the past decade, e-books have revolutionized the way people consume written formation. It will probably come as no surprise the total global sales number continues to rise each year. There are several reasons why readers are buying more e-books. For starters, reading a lengths e-book in front of your computer isn't the most comfortable thing to do. But since tablet sales have exploded, readers can now relax and read their favourite e-books in bed from the beach. Many e-books are often sold at lower prices than traditional books. Since there is almost zero cost for producing e-books, some authors are offering their novels at lower prices. Another factor is convenience. In the past, keeping a large book collection meant setting aside a lot of extra space in one's home. With e-books, it is now possible for readers to carry a portable library, which contains thousands of books. To really understand e-book market though, it is important to keep up with national trends. Recent data suggests that the e-book market in the US and the UK have matured. In both of these countries, e-book sales account for roughly 20 percent of overall book sales. Although that percentage continues to increase, it is going up at a slower rate than in the past. The popularity of e-books has exploded in Russia. In one poll, 70 percent of Russians claim to have read at least one e-book. However, publishers are not too pleased with this new because approximately 92 percent of e-books in Russia are acquired illegally. In France, consumers don't appear to be loo keen on e-books at this time. Although in 2012, e-book sales comprised about 3 percent of the market, it is predicted that this number will increase at a very slow pace. Some French people believe that reading e-books on small screens is uncomfortable. Others say that the French are a cultural exception, as they like the feeling of holding a dusty old physical book. This demonstrates that no matter how popular e- books get, it is unlikely that traditional books will disappear any time soon.
3. The phrase “account for" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ___

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
On the morning of April 12, 1912, the luxury liner the Titanic left England on a voyage to New York. Four days later she lay at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. On Wednesday July 18, 1956, the ocean liner the Andrea Doria left Italy. The Andrea Doria was also (1) _______ to New York. Eight days later this great ship also (2)_______ at the bottom of the Atlantic. Reports of these two disasters (3) _______ the newspapers for days. When the Andrea Doria went down, people compared her sinking with the sinking of the Titanic. There were similarities between the two accidents. First of all, both ships were passenger ocean liners. In addition, they were also both luxury liners. They carried many of (4) _______ world’s famous and rich people. Today millions of dollars worth of gold, silver, and cash may still remain locked inside these two sunken ships. Another similarity was that as each ship was sinking, there were acts of heroism and acts of villainy. Some people acted very bravely, even heroically. Some people even (5)_____ their lives so that others could live.

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
These features were discovered and explored (1) _______ in the late 1940s. The Lomonosov Ridge, the major ridge, cuts the Arctic Basin (2) _______ in half, extending as a submarine bridge 1,800 km (1,100 mi) (3) _______ Siberia to the northwestern tip of Greenland. Parallel (4) _______ it are two shorter ridges: the Alpha Ridge on the North American (5) _______, defining the Canada and Makarov basins, (6) _______ the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge on the Eurasian side, (7) _______ the Nansen and Amundsen basins. The average (8) _______ of the Arctic Ocean is only 1,300 m (4,300 ft) (9) _______ the vast shallow expanses on the continental shelves. The deepest (10) _______ in the Arctic Ocean is 5,450 m (17,880 ft).

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Fighting Back against Bullying
It is often said that childhood is the most joyful period in a person’s life. This is supposed to be a time when children can focus on their studies and enjoy their free time with friends. However, these days more and more children are experiencing a stressful and miserable adolescence due to bullying. Bullying occurs when one student, or a group of students, uses aggression to harm another child and try to make them feel bad. This abuse can either be physical, such as pushing or beating another student, or it could take the form of mental abuse, such as taunting and teasing the student. Although it may seem harmless to some, studies show that bullying can greatly impact a child’s life and have long-lasting negative effects. People who have been bullied may experience self-esteem issues and start to lack confidence in almost everything they do. These traits can make it difficult to manage relationships and even cause them to have trouble holding down a steady job. One of the most harmful types of bullying that is on the rise is cyberbullying. The bullied student is targeted in cruel or threatening e-mails, instant messages, or hateful public posts about them. In many cases, bullies will post embarrassing pictures of the victim or spread nasty rumors about them through social media. In some tragic cases, children have even turned to suicide, feeling that they can’t deal with the humiliation. If you are being bullied by another student, you don’t have to accept it or suffer. There are some steps you can take to deal with the problem. At first, you may try to ignore the bully, as they will often lose interest in bothering you if you don’t react. If the bullying persists, however, you should tell a trusted adult as soon as possible. This could be a parent, a family friend, a teacher, a school guidance counselor, or even the school principal. Until recently, many teachers and school officials turned a blind eye to bullying, believing that the students would eventually sort it out by themselves. But this mindset has changed in recent years in light of some of the tragedies that have occurred. If for any reason you feel that your complaints are not being taken seriously, there are other groups available online who will help you deal with bullying. By dealing with bullying at an early stage, you can stop it before it gets much worse.
7. Nowadays, the community has ________

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 :
The beautiful white bears found in the Arctic are in grave danger, and human beings are very (1) _______ the cause of this danger. As we bum fossil fuels to generate electricity or get us around town in our cars and trucks. We create a massive amount of carbon dioxide. This gas has increased in (2) _______. so much over the past few centuries that it is causing global warming. Polar bears need sea ice in order to live because this ice is their hunting (3) _______, The bears’ main source of food is the meat and blubber of seals. These animals come to the surface holes in the ice to breathe. It is there that the polar bears have (4) _______to ambush the seals. Without any ice, there is nowhere for the bears to stalk their prey. The seals rarely venture onto land and spend their time out on the sea ice. In recent years, the sea ice has disappeared in the Arctic during the late summer. This is dangerous for the polar bears, as they rely almost exclusively on seals for food. (5) _______ brown and black bears, polar bears do not hibernate during the winter.

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 ancient times, some of the first celebrities were Roman gladiators. Rather like today’s TV talent-show contestants, these men fought each other for the audience’s entertainment. Fast forward to the 18th century, it was politicians and preachers who were able to become celebrities through public (1)__________. George Whitefield, for example, a preacher from England, (2)___________ a crowd of 30,000 when he visited the US city of Boston. It’s no wonder he was called ‘Anglo-America’s first modern celebrity’. In the 19th century, the arrival of cheap newspapers created a sudden (3)___________ for exciting stories. All kinds of people began to get their 15 minutes of fame, including the legendary American outlaw and bank robber, Jesse James, and one of the world’s first media celebrities, Sam Patch. Patch became famous for jumping into rivers from high places, and he became a (4)___________ name by leaping into Niagara Falls. He survived every jump, except the last one into the Genesee River in New York. In the same way that the media is held (5)___________ for celebrity problems today, people blamed the pressure of the media for Patch’s sudden end.

Choose the best answer:
They recycle car tires to make pipes and floor coverings.

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 quickly pull up any piece of information you need by looking (1)___________ on the Internet? If you do, you might be unfortunately making yourself less intelligent. Instead of having to understand basic bits of information, you have come to (2)___________ on the Internet for all of the things that you want to know. While this may be an easy solution and great convenience to some problems in everyday life, it can never be a solution when a person finds himself or herself in a situation where there is no (3)__________ to the Internet. In the past, one thing that was considered a very important part of (4)__________ either in a car or on foot was the ability to read a map. Today, people instead pull up maps on their smartphones and, using the GPS technology that the phones offer, instantly know where they are on the map. Then, they can simply (5)__________ where they want to go, and they will be instructed how to get there. They can do this in a city, and they can also often do this when they go off onto trails in forests.

Choose the best answer:
Astronauts ............... in their spaceship, but they frequently work outside now.

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Movies for the Blind
When you think of the cinema, the phrase ‘watching a movie’ probably comes to mind, and, indeed, moviemakers work very hard to make their films interesting visually. They may use elaborate costumes, beautiful locations, or amazing special effects to tell a story. An actor’s expression or movements can also sometimes say more than words. But what about people who are blind or have trouble seeing? Movies also I contain dialogue, music, and sound effects – things that people don’t need to see in order to enjoy. Movie reviewer Marty Klein, who is blind, created a website called Blindspots to help people choose movies that they can follow without the help of someone explaining what is happening on the screen. He gave a rating, from 1 to 10, based on several things. A movie received a high rating if it has only a few main characters whose voices are easy to recognize. Klein also liked interesting stories without many changes in time and place. A large amount of dialogue between the characters was better than long silences or noisy action scenes. His reviews are still online, but the site is no longer updated. Another blind movie reviewer, Jay Forry, maintains the website Blindsite Reviews. He also writes for newspapers and is a guest on radio shows. Forry gives movies one of five ratings, including, “So good, blind people like it” and “I’m glad I couldn’t see it.” Forry became a writer after going blind at the age of 28, and his writing skills and sense of humour are what keep people reading his reviews or listening to him on the radio. After “watching” the animated movie Up, Forry commented that he wished he, too, could have a talking dog to tell him to watch out for cars and not to “go into the ladies’ restroom again.” Sometimes, though, it’s nice to go to the movie without reading reviews and knowing what to expect. Some movie theaters have begun to offer recorded audio descriptions of the movements, scenery, and special effects so that blind moviegoers can follow what other audience members see on the screen. They usually receive a wireless headset to wear during the movie. This allows them to listen to the narration while still hearing the hearing’s music and other sounds that surround them in the theater. Jay Forry also notes that modern theaters now have excellent sound systems, something he appreciates more than the average moviegoer. In the end, going to the movies should be a fun and exciting experience – for both the sighted and the blind.

1. What is the main idea of the article?

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.
Many people today would like the traditional two-parent family back, that is to say, they want a man and a  woman to (1)...................for life; they also think the man should support the family, and the woman should stay home with the children. However, few families now (2)................. in the this category. In fact, if more women decide to have children on their own, the single-parent household may become more typical than the traditional family in many countries. Also, couples may decide to have more children, or they might take in foster children or (3).............. . And because people are staying single and living longer, there may be more one-person households. (4).......... the otherhand, some people believe that similar events happen again and again in history. if this is true, people may go back to the traditional (5).................. or nuclear family of the past. Others think that the only certainty in history is change. in other words, the structure of the future family could begin to change faster and faster and in more and more ways.

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

Choose the best answer:
In Vietnam, children from 6 to 11 go to ___________ school.

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:
Students working for their first degree at university are called undergraduates. Then they take their degree we say they graduate, and then they are called graduates. If they continue studying at university after they have graduated, they are called post-graduates. Full-time university students spend all their free time studying. They have no other employment. Their course usually lasts for three or four years. Medical students have to follow a course lasting for six or seven years. Then they graduate as doctors. In Britain, full-time university students have three terms of about ten weeks in each year. During these terms they go to lectures or they study by themselves. Many students become members of academic societies and sports clubs and take part in their activities. Between the university terms they have vacations (or holiday periods). Their vacations are long, but of course they can use them to study at home.

Medical students have to follow a course lasting for     .

Choose the best answer:
______ was built of wood on a single stone post.

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:
Niagara Falls, one of the most famous North American natural wonders, has long been a popular tourist destination. Tourists today flock to see the two falls that actually constitute Niagara Falls: the 173-foot-high Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of the Niagara River in the Canadian province of Ontario and 182-foot-high American Falls on the U.S. side of the river in the state of New York. Approximately 85 percent of the water that goes over the falls actually goes over Horseshoe Falls, with the rest going over American Falls.
Most visitors come between April and October, and it is quite a popular activity to take a steamer out onto the river and right up to the base of the falls for a close-up view. It is also possible to get a spectacular view of the falls from the strategic locations along the Niagara River, such as Prospect Point of Table Rock, or from one of the four observation towers which have heights up to 500 feet.
Tourists have been visiting Niagara Falls in large numbers since the 1800’s; annual visitation now averages above 10 million visitors per year. Because of concern that all these tourists would inadvertently destroy the natural beauty of this scenic wonder, the State of New York in 1885 created Niagara Falls Park in order to protect the land surrounding American Falls.
A year later Canda created Queen Victoria Park on the Canadian side of the Niagara, around Horseshoe Falls. With the area surrounding the falls under the jurisdiction of government agencies, appropriate steps could be taken to preserve the pristine beauty of the area.

A “steamer” in paragraph 2 is probably     .