____ players are not allowed to interfere with the opponent’s movements unless the player is holding the ball. 

(407)_______

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William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), who wrote under the pseudonym of O. Henry, was born in North Carolina. His only formal education was to attend his Aunt Lina’s school until the age of fifteen, where he developed his lifelong love of books. By 1881 he was a licensed pharmacist. However, within a year, on the recommendation of a medical colleague of his Father’s, Porter moved to La Salle County in Texas for two years herding sheep. During this time, Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary was his constant companion, and Porter gained a knowledge of ranch life that he later incorporated into many of his short stories. He then moved to Austin for three years, and during this time the first recorded use of his pseudonym appeared, allegedly derived from his habit of calling “Oh, Henry” to a family cat. In 1887, Porter married Athol Estes. He worked as a draftsman, then as a bank teller for the First National Bank.

In 1894 Porter founded his own humor weekly, the “Rolling Stone”, a venture that failed within a year, and later wrote a column for the Houston Daily Post. In the meantime, the First National Bank was examined, and the subsequent indictment of 1886 stated that Porter had embezzled funds. Porter then fled to New Orleans, and later to Honduras, leaving his wife and child in Austin. He returned in 1897 because of his wife’s continued ill-health, however she died six months later. Then, in 1898 Porter was found guilty and sentenced to five years imprisonment in Ohio. At the age of thirty five, he entered prison as a defeated man; he had lost his job, his home, his wife, and finally his freedom. He emerged from prison three years later, reborn as O. Henry, the pseudonym he now used to hide his true identity. He wrote at least twelve stories in jail, and after re-gaining his freedom, went to New York City, where he published more than 300 stories and gained fame as America’s favorite short Story writer. Porter married again in 1907, but after months of poor health, he died in New York City at the age of forty-eight in 1910. O. Henry’s stories have been translated all over the world.

Why did the author write the passage?

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Janice and Mike are getting married soon. They plan to have a small ______with just a few family members.

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In/ first half/ the match/ our team/ score/ goal.

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We managed to ...... over $4,000 through donations and other events.

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There are three valid arguments to support the preservation of endangered species. Aesthetic justification contends that biodiversity contributes to the quality of life because many of the endangered plants and animals are particularly appreciated for their unique physical beauty. The aesthetic role of nature in all its diverse forms is reflected in the art and literature of every culture attaining symbolic status in the spiritual life of many groups. According to the proponents of the aesthetic argument, people need nature in all its diverse and beautiful forms as part of the experience of the world.
Another argument that has been put forward, especially by groups in the medical and pharmacological fields, is that of ecological self-interest. By preserving all species, we retain a balance of nature that is ultimately beneficial to humankind. Recent research on global ecosystems has been cited as evidence that every species contributes important or even essential functions that may be necessary to the survival of our own species. Some advocates of the ecological argument contend that important chemical compounds derived from rare plants may contain the key to a cure for one of the diseases currently threatening human beings. If we do not protect other species, then they cannot protect us.
Apart from human advantage in both the aesthetic and ecological arguments, the proponents of a moral justification contend that all species have the right to exist, a viewpoint stated in the United Nations World Charter for Nature, created in 1982. Furthermore, if humankind views itself as the stewards of all the creatures on Earth, then it is incumbent upon human beings to protect them, and to ensure the continued existence of all species. Moral justification has been extended by a movement called “deep ecology,” the members of which rank the biosphere higher than people because the continuation of life depends on this larger perspective. To carry their argument to its logical conclusion, all choices must be made for the biosphere, not for people.

The author mentioned all of the following as justifications for the protection of endangered species EXCEPT     .

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Susan and Mike came to work______ bus yesterday.

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I can’t find the letter I received from my boss some days ago. I might throw it into the waste paper bin yesterday.

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Which …………. is Britain in? – Europe.

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Prehistoric mammoths have been preserved in the famous tar pits of Rancho La Brea (Brea is the Spanish word for tar) in what is now the heart of Los Angeles, California. These tar pits have been known for centuries and were formerly mine for their natural asphalt, a black or brown petroleum-like substance. Thousands of tons were extracted before 1875, when it was first noticed that the tar contained fossil remains. Major excavations were undertaken that established the significance of this remarkable site. The tar pits were found to contain the remains of scores of species of animals from the last 30,000 years of the Ice Age. Since then, over 100 tons of fossils, 1.5 million from vertebrates, 2.5 million from invertebrates, have been recovered, often in densely concentrated tangled masses. The creatures found range from insects and birds to giant ground sloths, but a total of 17 proboscideans (animals with a proboscis or long nose) - including mastodons and Columbian mammoths - have been recovered, most of them from Pit 9, the deepest bone-bearing deposit, which was excavated in 1914. Most of the fossils date to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago. The asphalt at La Brea seeps to the surface, especially in the summer, and forms shallow puddles that would often have been concealed by leaves and dust. Unwary animals would become trapped on these thin sheets of liquid asphalt, which are extremely sticky in warm weather. Stuck, the unfortunate beasts would die of exhaustion and hunger or fall prey to predators that often also became stuck. As the animals decayed, more scavengers would be attracted and caught in their turn. Carnivores greatly outnumber herbivores in the collection: for every large herbivore, there is one saber-tooth cat, a coyote, and four wolves. The fact that some bones are heavily weathered shows that some bodies remained above the surface for weeks or months. Bacteria in the asphalt itself would have consumed some of the tissues of other than bones, and the asphalt itself would dissolve what was left, at the same time impregnating and beautifully preserving the saturated bones, rendering them dark brown and shiny.
1. What aspect of the La Brea pits does the passage mainly discuss?

Find the word which has a different sound in the part underlined.

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No More Polar Bears?
We all know that the Earth is getting warmer and warmer. This problem is called “global warming”. We also know that global warming is causing a lot of problems. Ocean levels are getting higher and higher. Because ocean levels are getting higher, storms are getting stronger and stronger. This list of problems goes on and on. Animals are suffering a lot because of global warming. Polar bears are suffering more than most animals. This is because polar bears live in the North Pole. In the North Pole, global warming is making ice melt. Polar bears hunt from large pieces of floating ice. They jump off the ice and hunt for food. Polar bears have to swim and find these floating pieces of ice. These days, they have to swim farther to find the floating ice. Many of them don’t have enough energy. They get too tired, and they die in the water. Polar bears are suffering because of other problems, too. Pollution makes their water dirty. Many countries go to the North Pole to look for oil and gas, and they damage the environment of the bears. In addition, when ships sail through the North Pole, they cause a lot of damage. Finally, people hunt and kill too many polar bears. However, melting ice is definitely the biggest problem. Right now, there are about 25,000 polar bears in the world. If global warming continues, there may be only about 12,000 in the year 2050. By the year 2080, that number might be much smaller. It is important to study polar bears. When we learn about polar bears, we also learn about the health of the North Pole. If polar bears are doing well, then the environment in the North Pole is probably healthy. If polar bears are suffering then there are probably serious problems in the North Pole. Right now, governments around the world are working to help polar bears. There are new laws that protect polar bears. However, if global warming continues to get worse, polar bears may disappear forever.
1. Which of the following has the same meaning as the last sentence of the first paragraph?

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Most journeys in Britain and the US are made by road. Some of these are made on public transport but most are by private car.
In Britain many people rely on their cars for daily local activities, e.g. getting to work, doing the shopping, and visiting friends. People living in urban areas may use buses, trains or, in London, the Underground, to get to city centres, mainly because traffic is often heavy and it is difficult to find anywhere to park a car. Some places in the country may have a bus only two or three times a week so people living there have no choice but to rely on their cars.
In the US large cities have good public transportation systems. The El railroad in Chicago and the underground systems of New York, Boston, San Francisco and Washington, DC are heavily used. Elsewhere, most Americans prefer to use their cars. Families often have two cars and, outside major cities, have to drive fairly long distances to schools, offices, shops, banks, etc. Many college and even high-school students have their own cars.
Long-distance travel in Britain is also mainly by road, though railways link most towns and cities. Most places are linked by motorways or other fast roads and many people prefer to drive at their own convenience rather than use a train, even though they may get stuck in a traffic jam. Long-distance coach/bus services are usually a cheaper alternative to trains, but they take longer and may be less comfortable. Some long-distance travel, especially that undertaken for business reasons, may be by air. There are regular flights between regional airports, as well as to and from London. A lot of freight is also distributed by road, though heavier items and raw materials often go by rail.
In the US much long-distance travel is by air. America has two main long-distance bus companies, Greyhound and Trailways. Amtrak, the national network, provides rail services for passengers. Private railway companies such as Union Pacific now carry only freight, though in fact over 70% of freight goes by road.
The main problems associated with road transport in both Britain and the US are traffic congestion and pollution. It is predicted that the number of cars on British roads will increase by a third within a few years, making both these problems worse. The British government would like more people to use public transport, but so far they have had little success in persuading people to give up their cars or to share rides with neighbours. Most people say that public transport is simply not good enough. Americans too have resisted government requests to share cars because it is less convenient and restricts their freedom. Petrol/gasoline is relatively cheap in the US and outside the major cities public transport is bad, so they see no reason to use their cars less.

It is stated in the passage that the major problems of road transport in Britain and the US are     .

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Getting Curious about Curiosity’s Mission to Mars
The topic of space exploration reached a high point during the 1960s, as Soviets and Americans competed for dominance. Yet after the Soviets put the first man in space and Americans landed the first men on the moon, many people lost interest as nothing else could compare to these groundbreaking accomplishments. Recently, a robotic rover on a mission to Mars has generated massive interest the public. Curiosity is a robotic car-sized rover that is part of NASA’s long-term plan to learn more about the terrain and conditions on the Red Planet. One of its main goals was to determine whether or not it was possible for life to develop on Mars. Using mechanical arms, Curiosity can gather soil and rock samples from the ground and analyze them to determine their chemical composition. Since transporting around Mars was vital to the success of the mission, a lot of effort was put into Curiosity’s transportation abilities. Mars’ terrain is not smooth, so designers enabled Curiosity to roll over bumpy areas. Once Curiosity left the Earth, there would be no opportunities to repair it, so engineers also had to be spot on about Curiosity’s power solution. Therefore, they devised a system that can generate power internally from a radioisotope generator. Finally, to capture stunning pictures of Mars, Curiosity was equipped with several state-of-the-art cameras. The cameras also help the rover avoid hazards, navigate, and detect information about the atmosphere. After a 350-million-mile journey, Curiosity landed on Mars in 2012, an impressive 1.5 miles away from its initial target. Upon arrival, NASA’s website crashed due to an overload of visitors. People just couldn’t seem to get enough information on the mission. But the real thrills came in the weeks and months that followed, as people got their first real glimpse about what life was really like on Mars. The mission was originally supposed to last for two years, but scientists are now optimistic that it could continue for up to 15 years, depending on Curiosity’s condition. No matter what happens at this point, it is safe to say that Curiosity’s mission to Mars has been a smashing success.
2. Why did _Curiosity_ have arms?

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For many American university students, the weeklong spring break holiday means an endless party on a sunny beach in Florida or Mexico. In Panama City Beach, Florida, a city with a permanent population of around 36,000, more than half a million university students arrive during the month of March to play and party, making it the number one spring break destination in the United States. A weeklong drinking binge is not for anyone, however, and a growing number of American university students have found a way to make spring break matter. For them, joining or leading a group of volunteers to travel locally or internationally and work to show problems such as poverty, homelessness, or environmental damage makes spring break a unique learning experience that university students can feel good about. Students who participate in alternative spring break projects find them very rewarding. While most university students have to get their degrees before they can start helping people, student volunteers are able to help people now. On the other hand, the accommodations are far from glamorous. Students often sleep on the floor of a school or spend the week camping in tents. But students only pay around $250 for meals and transportation, which is much less than some of their peers spend to travel to more traditional spring break hotspots. Alternative spring break trips appear to be growing in popularity at universities across the United States. Students cite a number of reason for participating. Some appreciate the opportunity to socialize and meet new friends. Others want to exercise their beliefs about people’s obligation to serve humanity and make the world a better place. Whatever their reason, these students have discovered something that gives them rich rewards along with a break from school work.
2. The article is mainly about______

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Have you ever noticed that our machines are getting smaller? Cell phones, cameras, computers and everything else look smaller every year. One kind of new science involves machines that are smaller than we can imagine. The name of this science is nanotechnology. Nanotechnology means doing science, engineering, and technology at a very very small level. In other words, nanotechnology is the science of tiny things. But how tiny is the science of nanotechnology? In nanotechnology, scientists work with things that are the size of a nanometer. One meter has one billion nanometers. Here is another way to describe nanotechnology: it is the science of observing and controlling individual atoms and molecules. Nanotechnology is a new word, but the idea of studying atoms and molecules has existed for a long time. In 1959, an American scientist Richard Phillips Feynman gave a speech in which he claimed that we can see and control molecules and atoms. About ten years later, a Japanese professor came up with the term “nanotechnology”. Because nanotechnology is so new, we are only starting to understand how we can use it. Nanotechnology could be very useful in medicine. In the future, doctors may use nanotechnology to help with organ transplants. An organ transplant is the act of putting an organ into another person’s body. Scientists think that with nanotechnology, they might be able to make a person’s body accept a foreign organ. Nanotechnology might also help doctors fight infections, find diseases in patients, and deliver medicine to the right spot in patients’ bodies. Nanotechnology might also be useful in protecting the environment. It might be able to help us save energy, reduce waste, and keep water clean. For example, nanotechnology might be able to make some materials such as steel stronger. If we have stronger steel, we will be able to use it longer. That way, we can produce less steel and save our resources. Nanotechnology might be useful in so many ways. This science of studying tiny things could change the world.
3. What does the word “_foreign_” in paragraph 4 mean?

Be (1) _______ to visit Westminster Abbey, one of Britain’s famous (2) _______. The nation’s kings and queens are crowned here. Many rulers and famous citizens are (3) _______ here. There are also monuments to political figures and poets. The (4) _______ of Parliament are along the Thames River, near Westminster Abbey. This is where the government meets. Look (5) _______ to see the clock tower with Big Ben, London’s famous (6) _______ that rings every hour. You can get on a boat (7) _______ for a ride on the Thames.

(43)___________

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Steve thought his ........................... with Helen was changing.

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Each fiber in the bundle ___________ only a tiny fraction of the total image.

I was brought ______ in the countryside by my aunt after my parents had pass______ .

(316)_____

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The comedy was so interesting that all ____________ clapped their hands.