Read the passage below carefully and choose the correct answer a, b, c, or d.

The invention of the phonograph happened quite a by accident. Thomas Edison moved to Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1876, where he established an industrial research laboratory. There, Edison was working on a carbon telephone transmitter to improve the existing Bell telephone system.

In that laboratory a year later, Edison invented the phonograph while he was trying to improve a telegraph repeater. He attached a telephone diaphragm to the needle in the telegraph repeater; in this way, he was able to produce a recording that could be played back. After he made some improvements to the machine, he tested it. He recited ‘Marry Had a Little Lamb’ into the machine and played his voice back to a very surprised audience.

In what year did the invention of the phonograph occur?

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the following questions:
Smog is a combination of smoke and fog. It occurs when gases from burnt fuel mix with fog on the ground. When heat and sunlight get together with these gases, they form fine, dangerous particles in the air.

Smog occurs in big cities with a lot of traffic. Particularly, in the summertime, when it is very hot, smog stays near the ground. It is dangerous to our breathing, and in smoggy areas, we cannot see very well.

Smog was first discovered in Great Britain in the 19th century, during the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. At that time, people used coal for heating and cooking. Factories also used coal to produce iron and steel. Smoke mixed with wet, foggy air and turned yellow. The smog often hung over cities for many days. It caused lung diseases and breathing problem. Thousands of people died in London every year.

Today, cities that have a large population and are located in hot, subtropical areas have the biggest smog problems - for example, Los Angeles, Mexico City and Cairo. 

Where can smog possibly be found?

The reading is followed by several questions about it. There are four possible answers (A, B, C, or D) for each question. Choose the best answer. 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Few people can embody the spirit of early America as much as Benjamin Franklin. He lived through almost the whole of the eighteenth century, being born six years after, and dying ten years before it ended. In this time he saw the American colonies grow from tiny settlements into a nation, and he also contributed much to the development of the new state.

At the age of 17, Franklin ran away to Philadelphia. He had already received some training as a printer’s apprentice, and this helped him seven years later, with his first publication, the Pennsylvania Gazette. He also received a contract to do government printing work, which helped him to rise from his poor background to become a successful entrepreneur. Some of his experience in business was shared in his famous Poor Richard’s Almanak. which established his reputation throughout the American colonies. In another of his works, the Autobiography, which was written toward the end of his life, he shows the same quiet common sense.

He was deeply interested in science and natural history, and his experiments with electricity and lightning led directly to the invention of the lightning rod. He was also interested in improving the conditions of his fellow men. He was involved in a number of projects in his native Philadelphia, including the setting up of a library, a university, a philosophical society, and because he was a pragmatic man-a fire prevention service. In 1753 he became Postmaster-General of the colonies. Through this experience, he began to develop the idea that the colonies of North America should be a single nation. Later, he went to London to try to persuade the British government to change the conditions, especially the taxes, that later led the American colonists into rebellion.

Whatever Benjamin Franklin’s personal feelings about the rebellion of the American states, he worked hard to make it succeed. As ambassador to France, he encouraged the French to help George Washington. After the war, he attended the American constitutional congress. This was his last contribution, for he died later that year. He is still fondly remembered by Americans as one of the creators of the United States.

When was Benjamin Franklin born?

Choose the word or phrase that best fits each space in the following passage.

     In child development, there is an important phenomenon that shows very clearly the process of preparation for the future: play. (1)____________ to popular belief, its importance should never be underestimated. Games are not the haphazard creations of parents or educators. They should be seen as educational (2)___________and as stimuli for the child’s (3)___________ , imagination and life skills. Every game is a preparation for the future. The manner in which children (4)____________ a game, their choice of game and the importance they (5) ___________ upon it, show their attitude and relationship to their environment and how they relate to their (6)_______ human beings. Whether they are hostile or whether they are friendly, and particularly whether they show qualities as leaders, are clearly (7)____________ in their play. In observing children at play we can see their whole attitude towards life; play is of the (8) _______importance to every child. 

But play is more than preparation for life. Games are (9)__________ communal exercises that enable children to develop their social feeling. Children who avoid games and play are always (10)__________ to the suspicion that they have not (11)______ satisfactorily to life. These children gladly withdraw from all games, or when they are sent to the playground with other children usually (12)____________ the pleasure of others. Pride, lack of (13)__________ and the consequent fear of ‘getting it wrong’ are the main reasons for this behavior. In general, by watching children at play, we can determine (14)__________ great certainty the (15)__________ and quality of their social feeling.

15__________

Choose the word or phrase (a, b, c or d) that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

About twenty percent of the world’s present (31)_______ already comes from the sun in one form or another. Special devices have already been made available to put on the roof of houses and flats to (32)______ the sun’s rays and thus heat water. Thousands of these devices are now being used to provide (33)________ in homes throughout the United States while more than a million solar water-heating units have already been (34)____ in homes in Japan. Other purposes for (35)_____ solar energy is at present being used include the separation of salt (36)___________ seawater, irrigation, and sewage disposal. For most people in developing countries, the (37)___________ is not for air conditioners or central heating (38)________ for cheap ways of cooking food, drying crops and lighting homes.

37___________

Choose the word or phrase (a, b, c or d) that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

People use energy each day for transportation, cooking, heating and cooling rooms, manufacturing, lighting, (31)______, and many other uses. The choices people make about how they use energy – (32)______ machines off when they’re not using them or choosing to buy (33)______  vehicles and energy-efficient appliances – affects the environment and everyone’s lives. What is the difference between energy conservation and energy efficiency? Energy efficiency is using (34)______ that requires less energy to perform the same function. Using a compact (35) ________ light bulb that requires less energy instead of using an incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light is an (36)____ of energy efficiency. Energy conservation is any behavior that results in the use of (37)_____ energy. Turning the lights off when leaving the room and (38)______ aluminum cans are both ways of conserving energy.

36____________

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions

Finding Innovative Applications of Technology

While technology, in and of itself, does not always spur innovation in the classroom, there are countless innovative ways to use technology to better teach and engage students. Here are some examples:

Robots in the Classroom – South Korean schools have experimented with robot teachers. This makes lessons more interesting and entertaining for kids and enables teachers from anywhere in the world to be “present” in the classroom.

Mobile Technology – Smartphones and other mobile devices are increasingly used in education. Mobile apps let teachers conduct digital polls, enhance verbal and presentation skills, and incorporate technological skills with core competency lessons.

3D Learning – Kids enjoy 3D games and movies, so why not use this technology to help them learn? GEMS Modern Academy in Dubai does just this, providing students with a 3D lab that offers interactive multimedia presentations.

Assisting Special Needs Students – Assistive technology is especially useful for students with learning disabilities. For example, phonetic spelling software helps dyslexic students and others with reading problems to convert words to the correct spelling.

What are the advantages of robot instructors

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions

Finding Innovative Applications of Technology

While technology, in and of itself, does not always spur innovation in the classroom, there are countless innovative ways to use technology to better teach and engage students. Here are some examples:

Robots in the Classroom – South Korean schools have experimented with robot teachers. This makes lessons more interesting and entertaining for kids and enables teachers from anywhere in the world to be “present” in the classroom.

Mobile Technology – Smartphones and other mobile devices are increasingly used in education. Mobile apps let teachers conduct digital polls, enhance verbal and presentation skills, and incorporate technological skills with core competency lessons.

3D Learning – Kids enjoy 3D games and movies, so why not use this technology to help them learn? GEMS Modern Academy in Dubai does just this, providing students with a 3D lab that offers interactive multimedia presentations.

Assisting Special Needs Students – Assistive technology is especially useful for students with learning disabilities. For example, phonetic spelling software helps dyslexic students and others with reading problems to convert words to the correct spelling.

Which country provide students with a 3D lab that offers interactive multimedia presentations?

Read the passage and choose the best answer

We have cut down so many trees that there are now vast areas of waste land all over the world. As a result, farmers in parts of Africa can’t grow enough to eat. In certain countries in Asia there is too little rice. Moreover, we do not take enough care of the countryside. Wild animals are quickly disappearing. For instance, tigers are rare in India now because we have killed too many for them to survive. However, it isn’t simply enough to talk about the problem. We must act now before it is too late to do anything about it. Join us now to save the earth. This is too important to ignore.

Since so many trees are cut down, __________.

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer

Every year, 100 million sharks are killed by people in commercial and recreational fishing. In the past they were killed simply for the sport of landing a good fighting fish (make sharks for instance). Sharkskin was used for making sandpaper. Other sharks are hunted for food, and some species for other products.

Sharks are a common seafood in many places around the world, including Japan and Australia. In Australia shark is the most commonly used fish. Sharks are often killed for shark fin soup, in which many sharks are hunted for their fins, which are cut off with a hot metal blade before the live animal is tossed back into the water. There have been cases where hundreds of de-finned animals were swept up on local beaches without any way to convey themselves back into the sea. Conservationists have campaigned for changes in the law to make finning illegal in the U.S.

Sharks generally reach sexual maturity slowly and produce very few offspring in comparison to other fishes that are harvested. This has caused concern among biologists regarding the increase in effort applied to catching sharks over time, and many species are considered to be threatened. Some organizations, such as the Shark Trust, campaign to limit shark fishing.

Cutting off shark fins is ____ in America.

Choose the most suitable word from the list by circling A, B, C, or D.

Laura has worked in the fashion industry as a stylist …(1)…… ten years, choosing the clothing …(2)……. models and movie stars wear for on-camera…(3)…… “I’m the one who decides …(4)…….. the actors look,” she says. “I love it. Every day is different.” Although Laura routinely meets famous movie stars, ..(5)…… a disadvantage to her job: she often works 18-hour days, and she has to accommodate everyone’s schedule. “It’s a bit …(6)….. ” she says. “But I wouldn’t change careers for anything.”

3__________

 Read the passage below carefully and choose the correct answer a, b, c, or d.

The invention of the phonograph happened quite a by accident. Thomas Edison moved to Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1876, where he established an industrial research laboratory. There, Edison was working on a carbon telephone transmitter to improve the existing Bell telephone system.

In that laboratory a year later, Edison invented the phonograph while he was trying to improve a telegraph repeater. He attached a telephone diaphragm to the needle in the telegraph repeater; in this way, he was able to produce a recording that could be played back. After he made some improvements to the machine, he tested it. He recited ‘Marry Had a Little Lamb’ into the machine and played his voice back to a very surprised audience.

According to the passage, how was the phonograph made?

Read the passage below carefully and choose the best option A, B, C or D.

The La Tomatina is a festival held on a Wednesday towards the end of August in the town of Bunol in the Valenela region in Spain. The weeklong festival includes music, parades, dancing, and fireworks.

About 30,000 people come to the tomato fight, while Bunol's population is only 9,000. There are not many accommodations for people who come to La Tomatina, so many participans stay in Valencia and travel by bus or train to Bunol, about 38km outside the city.

Many trucks transport tomatoes into the center of the town, Plaza del Pueblo. The tomatoes come from Extremadura, where they are less expensive. The signal for the beginning of the fight is firing of the cannon, and the chaos begins. Once it begins, the battle is generally every man for himself. People who partake in this event are strongly encouranged to wear protective safety goggles and gloves. In addition, they must squash the tomatoes before throwing for safety precautions. Another rule is that no one is allowed to bring into this fight anything that may lead to a more serious fight, such as a glass bottle. People must also stay away from trucks and must not tear someone else's clothing. Somewhere between an hour and two hours, the fighting ends and the cannon is fired once more to signal the end. At this point nomore tomatoes can be thrown. The cleaning process involves the use of fire trucks to spray down the streets, with water provided from a Roman waterway. People find water to wash themselves, most likely at the Bunol River.

What does the word "transport" in the third paragraph mean?

Read the following passage carefully, and then select the best option A, B, C or D to complete it:

"Approximately one-third of the Arctic (1) _______ is underlain by continental shelf, (2) _______ includes a broad shelf north of Eurasia and the narrower shelves of North America and Greenland. Seaward of the continental shelves (3) _______ the Arctic Basin proper, which is subdivided (4) _______ a set of three parallel ridges and four basins (also (5) _______ as deeps). These features were discovered and explored (6) _______ in the late 1940s. The Lomonosov Ridge, the major ridge, cuts the Arctic Basin (7) _______ in half, extending as a submarine bridge 1,800 km (1,100 mi) (8) _______ Siberia to the northwestern tip of Greenland. Parallel (9) _______ it are two shorter ridges: the Alpha Ridge on the North American (10) _______, defining the Canada and Makarov basins, (11) _______ the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge on the Eurasian side, (12) _______ the Nansen and Amundsen basins. The average (13) _______ of the Arctic Ocean is only 1,300 m (4,300 ft) (14) _______ the vast shallow expanses on the continental shelves. The deepest (15) _______ in the Arctic Ocean is 5,450 m (17,880 ft)."

4. which is subdivided (4) _______ a set of three parallel ridges and four basins

Choose the word or phrase (a, b, c or d) that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

Online gaming site Roiworld (31)________ 600 teens ages 13 to 17 in late April and found that teens spend two hours per day online on average, 80% of which is spent using a (32)________ network. These same teens are, however, showing signs of “Facebook Fatigue.” Nearly one in five (19%) who have an account (33)_____ visit Facebook or are using it less. Of the group that are saying goodbye to Facebook, 45% have (34)______________ interest, 16% are leaving because their parents are there, 14% say there are “too many adults/older people” and 13% are concerned about the (35)____________ of their personal information. While interest in Facebook may be waning, it’s still the most popular social network (36)_____ teens – 78% have created a profile and 69% still use it. YouTube (37)____   second; 64% of teens claim to have a YouTube profile and continue to use the site. MySpace comes in a distant third (41%) and Twitter takes the fourth (38)___________(20%).

32_____________

Choose the word or phrase (a, b, c or d) that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

About twenty percent of the world’s present (31)_______ already comes from the sun in one form or another. Special devices have already been made available to put on the roof of houses and flats to (32)______ the sun’s rays and thus heat water. Thousands of these devices are now being used to provide (33)________ in homes throughout the United States while more than a million solar water-heating units have already been (34)____ in homes in Japan. Other purposes for (35)_____ solar energy is at present being used include the separation of salt (36)___________ seawater, irrigation, and sewage disposal. For most people in developing countries, the (37)___________ is not for air conditioners or central heating (38)________ for cheap ways of cooking food, drying crops and lighting homes.

34__________

Read the passage and choose the correct answer to each question.

Between 1977 and 1981, three groups of American women, numbering 27 in all, between the ages of 35 and 65, were given month-long tests to determine how they would respond to conditions resembling those abroad the space shuttle.

Though carefully selected from among many applicants, the women were volunteers and pay was barely above the minimum wage. They were not allowed to smoke or drink alcohol during the tests, and they were expected to tolerate each others’ company at close quarters for the entire period. Among other things, they had to stand pressure three times the force of gravity and carry out both physical and mental tasks while exhausted from strenuous physical exercise. At the end of ten days, they had to spend a further twenty days absolutely confined to bed, during which time they suffered backaches and other discomforts, and when they were finally allowed up, the more physically active women were especially subject to pains due to a slight calcium loss.

Results of tests suggest that women will have significant advantages over men in space. They need less food and less oxygen and they stand up to radiation better. Men’s advantages in terms of strength and stamina, meanwhile, are virtually wiped out by the zero-gravity condition in space.

Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

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

Where will you go on your next vacation? Disneyland? Sea World? Outer space?

That’s right; tourists are now paying big bucks to travel into space with astronauts! The first space tourist was Dennis Tito, an American businessman. In 2001, he paid about $20 million to ride on a Russian rocket to the International Space Station. The Space Station circles 220 miles above Earth. Tito stayed on the station for a week, hanging out with astronauts and eating space food.

The latest space tourist was Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian-born woman from the United States who went to the Space Station in mid-September 2006.

How safe is space travel? Apart from the risk of crashing, space tourists have some special things to worry about. Earth’s atmosphere protects us from dangerous radiation from the sun. Space travellers are exposed to more of the sun’s rays. But for tourists spending only a few days or weeks in space, the radiation probably isn’t harmful.

A bigger problem might be space sickness. Without Earth’s gravity to hold them down, visitors to the Space Station float around inside the craft. It may look like fun on TV, but it can make first-time space travellers dizzy and sick. Luckily, the sickness usually wears off quickly. Then space tourists can enjoy their trip and the amazing view of Earth.

Why are space travelers exposed to more radiation?

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to complete the passage below

Approximately one-third of the Arctic Ocean is underlain by continental shelf, (6) _______ includes a broad shelf north of Eurasia and the narrower shelves of North America and Greenland. Seaward of the continental shelves lies the Arctic Basin proper, which is subdivided (7) _______ a set of three parallel ridges and four basins (also known as deeps). These features were discovered and explored in the late 1940s. The Lomonosov Ridge, the major ridge, cuts the Arctic Basin almost (8) _______ half, extending as a submarine bridge 1,800 km (1,100 mi) by Siberia to the northwestern tip of Greenland. Parallel with it (9) _______ two shorter ridges: the Alpha Ridge on the North American side, defining the Canada and Makarov basins, and the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge on the Eurasian side, forming the Nansen and Amundsen basins. The average (10) _______ of the Arctic Ocean is only 1,300 m (4,300 ft) because of the vast shallow expanses on the continental shelves. The deepest point in the Arctic Ocean is 5,450 m (17,880 ft).

The reading is followed by several questions about it. There are four possible answers (A, B, C, or D) for each question. Choose the best answer. 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Few people can embody the spirit of early America as much as Benjamin Franklin. He lived through almost the whole of the eighteenth century, being born six years after, and dying ten years before it ended. In this time he saw the American colonies grow from tiny settlements into a nation, and he also contributed much to the development of the new state.

At the age of 17, Franklin ran away to Philadelphia. He had already received some training as a printer’s apprentice, and this helped him seven years later, with his first publication, the Pennsylvania Gazette. He also received a contract to do government printing work, which helped him to rise from his poor background to become a successful entrepreneur. Some of his experience in business was shared in his famous Poor Richard’s Almanak. which established his reputation throughout the American colonies. In another of his works, the Autobiography, which was written toward the end of his life, he shows the same quiet common sense.

He was deeply interested in science and natural history, and his experiments with electricity and lightning led directly to the invention of the lightning rod. He was also interested in improving the conditions of his fellow men. He was involved in a number of projects in his native Philadelphia, including the setting up of a library, a university, a philosophical society, and because he was a pragmatic man-a fire prevention service. In 1753 he became Postmaster-General of the colonies. Through this experience, he began to develop the idea that the colonies of North America should be a single nation. Later, he went to London to try to persuade the British government to change the conditions, especially the taxes, that later led the American colonists into rebellion.

Whatever Benjamin Franklin’s personal feelings about the rebellion of the American states, he worked hard to make it succeed. As ambassador to France, he encouraged the French to help George Washington. After the war, he attended the American constitutional congress. This was his last contribution, for he died later that year. He is still fondly remembered by Americans as one of the creators of the United States.

What was Poor Richard’s Almanak about?

Read the passage and choose the best answer

We have cut down so many trees that there are now vast areas of waste land all over the world. As a result, farmers in parts of Africa can’t grow enough to eat. In certain countries in Asia there is too little rice. Moreover, we do not take enough care of the countryside. Wild animals are quickly disappearing. For instance, tigers are rare in India now because we have killed too many for them to survive. However, it isn’t simply enough to talk about the problem. We must act now before it is too late to do anything about it. Join us now to save the earth. This is too important to ignore.

Tigers are classified as _________.