Choose the best answer:
A large number of jellyfish are _________ stake due to overhunting.

 

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.

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A rat is a small animal. ………… lives in a hole.

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 economic expansion prompted by the Second World War triggered a spectacular population boom in the West. Of course, the region was no stranger to population booms. Throughout much of its history, western settlement had been characterized by spurts, rather than by a pattern of gradual and steady population growth, beginning with the gold and silver rushes of the 1850's and 1860's. The decade after the First World War - the 1920's - witnessed another major surge of people pouring into the West, particularly into urban areas. But the economic depression of the 1930's brought this expansion to a halt; some of the more sparsely settled parts of the region actually lost population as migrants sought work in more heavily industrialized areas. By 1941 when the United States entered the Second World War and began to mobilize, new job opportunities were created in the western part of the nation.

If the expansion of industries, such as shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing, was most striking on the pacific coast, it also affected interior cities like Denver, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. Equally dramatic were the effects of the establishment of aluminum plants in Oregon and Washington and the burgeoning steel industry in Utah and California. The flow of people into these areas provided an enormous impetus to the expansion of the service industries - banks, health care services and schools. Although strained to the limit by the influx of newcomers, western communities welcomed the vast reservoir of new job opportunities. At the same time, the unprecedented expansion of government installations in the West, such as military bases, created thousands of new civilian openings. As land had served as a magnet for western migrants in the late nineteenth century, so wartime mobilization set in motion another major expansion of population. Indeed, it could be said that the entire western United States became a giant boomtown during the Second World War. This was especially true of California. Of the more than eight million people who moved into the West in the decade after 1940, almost one-half went to the Pacific coast. In fact, between 1940 and 1950, California's population surged by more than three million people.

It can be inferred from the passage that the principal cause of California’s population surge between 1940 and 1950 was     .

There are plenty of industrial ________ established in the area, which also makes the government worried about pollution.

(502)______

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After we had chosen a destination for our holiday, we began preparing for the trip.

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.................. an island, there is a man living ..................... a cave with his cat.

Choose the item among A, B, C or D that the best answers the question about the passage:

"The nuclear family, consisting of a mother, father, and their children, may be more an American ideal than an American reality. Of course, the so-called traditional American family was always more varied than we had been led to believe, reflecting the very different racial, ethnic, class, and religious customs among American groups.
 The most recent government statistics reveal that only about one third of all current American families fit the traditional mold and another third consists of married couples who either have no children or have none still living at home. Of the final one, about 20 percent of the total number of American households are single people, usually women over sixty-five years old. A small percentage, about 3 percent of the total, consists of unmarried people who choose to live together, and the rest, about 7 percent, are single, usually divorced parents, with at least one child. Today, these varied family types are typical, and therefore, normal. Apparently, many Americans are achieving supportive relationships in family forms other than the traditional one."

4. According to the passage, married couples whose children have grown or who have no children represent______

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
A World without Wires
We are lucky to live in a world that is full of incredible technology. Our living rooms are packed with computers, LCD TVs, video game systems, and Blue-ray players that help us enjoy the latest entertainment. Although these items bring us joy and convenience, they also create a lot of clutter. Each device needs its own plug and adaptor to keep its batteries recharged, and over time these wires get _tangled_. Thankfully, something has come along to help get rid our homes of this mess while still supplying these devices with the power they need. It’s called wireless charging and this trend is just starting. Wireless charging, also known as inductive charging, has a lot of potential for smartphones and other electronic devices. Coils are used to create a magnetic field. Electronic devices can then absorb the electricity once they are placed on a special charging pad. There are several advantages that wireless charging offers over traditional methods. For starters, cords have a tendency to wear out with use. Wireless charging eliminates this hassle so users never have to worry about buying replacement cords. Wireless charging is also far more convenient for medical implants, as patients won’t need to recharge their devices through the skin using cords. In turn, this cuts down on the risks of infection. Wireless charging can also bring safety benefits, as wired charging devices that come in contact with water can increase the chances of getting an electric shock. Wireless charging eliminates that danger completely. Still, there are a few drawbacks to wireless charging. The first is speed. It takes a bit longer to charge devices wirelessly than it does if the device is plugged in. The process also requires more heat, so devices tend to get a bit hotter, which could create other safety issues. Also, since devices must be left on a special pad while charging, it is harder to operate them while they are powering up. This limitation may be eliminated in the future, as researchers are developing transmitters that can charge several different devices in a room without the need to connect to a charging pad. Although wireless-charging technology may be far from perfect, it seems like a step in the right direction as we move towards a less-tangled future.
8. All of the following are the improvements which should be made on wireless charging devices EXCEPT ________.

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 from 1 to 5.
Drone racing is an exciting new sport, that has become popular faster than (1).......... other sport before it. Pilots steer small and lightweight, but high-powered drones along courses with obstacles. They fly through gates and around flags at speeds of over a hundred miles an hour.
 They control the drones using VR-like headgear. Every drone has a camera (2)...........to it so that spectators can also view flights either on a big screen or with special headgear.
The races take place either outdoors - in big stadiums, or indoors in old warehouses and sports arenas. (3)................ are short because the battery time of drones is limited.
(4)..............drone racing started only a few years ago there are already international competitions that take place all over the world. In professional leagues, drone pilots compete for thousands of dollars. In March, the World Drone Prix was staged in Dubai. A 16-year old British teenager not only one the race but also received a prize money of 250 000 dollars.
Television and other media have become aware of drone racing. ESPN, an Amercian sports channel, will be broadcasting international drone races starting this August. Races are also recorded and uploaded to YouTube and other video platforms (5)............. they can be viewed over and over again.

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

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:
Glass is a remarkable substance made from the simplest raw materials. It can be colored or colorless, monochrome or polychrome, transparent, translucent, or opaque. It is lightweight impermeable to liquids, readily cleaned and reused, durable yet fragile, and often very beautiful. Glass can be decorated in multiple ways and its optical properties are exceptional. In all its myriad forms - as table ware, containers, in architecture and design - glass represents a major achievement in the history of technological developments.
Since the Bronze Age about 3,000 B.C., glass has been used for making various kinds of objects. It was first made from a mixture of silica, line and an alkali such as soda or potash, and these remained the basic ingredients of glass until the development of lead glass in the seventeenth century. When heated, the mixture becomes soft and malleable and can be formed by various techniques into a vast array of shapes and sizes. The homogeneous mass thus formed by melting then cools to create glass, but in contrast to most materials formed in this way (metals, for instance), glass lacks the crystalline structure normally associated with solids, and instead retains the random molecular structure of a liquid. In effect, as molten glass cools, it progressively stiffens until rigid, but does so without setting up a network of interlocking crystals customarily associated with that process. This is why glass shatters so easily when dealt a blow. Why glass deteriorates over time, especially when exposed to moisture, and why glassware must be slowly reheated and uniformly cooled after manufacture to release internal stresses induced by uneven cooling.
Another unusual feature of glass is the manner in which its viscosity changes as it turns from a cold substance into a hot, ductile liquid. Unlike metals that flow or "freeze" at specific temperatures glass progressively softens as the temperature rises, going through varying stages of malleability until it flows like a thick syrup. Each stage of malleability allows the glass to be manipulated into various forms, by different techniques, and if suddenly cooled the object retains the shape achieved at that point. Glass is thus amenable to a greater number of heat-forming techniques than most other materials.

The words "exposed to" in paragraph 2 most likely mean     .

Choose the best answer:
When I have free time, I usually ______.

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Lady Liberty
New York City is undoubtedly one of the most famous cities in the world. There are several landmarks such as the Empire State Building, Broadway, and Times Square which have come to symbolize the Big Apple. Although these landmarks are all impressive, nothing captures the true spirit of the city like a gigantic, greenish sculpture that stands proudly in New York Harbour: the famed Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty was created as a special gift to the US by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. It was designed to represent the friendship between the French and American people, two close allies that fought against the British during the American Revolutionary War. Initially, Bartholdi anticipated that he would be able to finish the statue by 1876. The project was conceived as a joint venture. The French would fund and create the statue and send it to the US, while Americans would provide a location and build a pedestal to display it on. The initial completion date would eventually be delayed, however, due to financial issues with both nations. Bartholdi had some technical issues to deal with as well. He had never designed an enormous copper structure of this size and he required some expert assistance. Therefore, Bartholdi recruited Alexandre Gustave Eiffel the designer of the Eiffel Tower to help him. After nine years of hard work, the 151-foot, 22-ton statue was eventually completed and presented to the American Ambassador in France. It then had to he taken apart and separated into crates before being delivered to the US. It took another two years before Americans were able to raise enough public funds to build the pedestal that she would stand on. But the task was finally completed and the Statue of Liberty was assembled and dedicated on October 28, 1886. Over the years, the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty continued to glow more and more important until it became a key symbol of the entire nation. During the late 19th and early 20th century, it was the first landmark that waves of immigrants saw as they sailed into Ellis island. The sight of this symbol of freedom gave them hope and inspiration that their life would be better in their new country. Even today, people from all around the world see it as a powerful symbol of the American democracy.
4. What could replace the word “initial” in paragraph 2?

Mapleshades Medical Center authorizes certain employees to purchase goods and services for company-related business. To purchase a ---135--- item or service, fill out the online request form. Use the form to ---136--- a description of the item needed. Also, briefly explain why the purchase is necessary. Note that your ---137--- may affect subsequent decisions. If the request entails replacing a device that is out of order, bring the matter to the attention of Mr. Rowen, head of the Maintenance Division, before submitting the request. ---138---. Please direct any questions you may have related to the purchase of office supplies and equipment to the Purchasing Department.

137..................

Choose the best answer:
Residents in my area are concerning _________ water safety.

Voluntary work is work that you do not get paid for and usually involves doing things to help other people, especially the elderly or the sick or working on (1)______ of a charity or similar organization. Most charitable organizations rely on unpaid volunteers, and thousands of Americans and British people give many hours of their time to doing some form of social work or organizing fund- raising events to support the work. Volunteering is especially popular in the US and the reasons this may be found in (2)______ American values such as the Protestant work ethic, the idea that work improves the person who does it, and the belief that people can change their condition if they try hard enough. In the US young people over 18 can take part in AmeriCorps, a government program that (3)______ them to work as volunteers for a period of time, with the promise of help in paying for their education later. Older Americans who do not work may spend much of their free time volunteering. In Britain a lot of voluntary work is directed towards supporting the country’s social services. The WRVS and other organizations run a meals on wheels service in many parts of Britain, provide hot meals for old people who are (4)______ to cook for themselves. The nationwide Citizens Advice Bureau, which offers free advice to the public on a wide range of issues, is run mainly by volunteers, and the Blood Transfusion Service relies on voluntary blood donors to give blood for use in hospitals. Political parties use volunteers at election time, and Churches depend on volunteers to (5) _______ building clean.

(46)_______

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A: “Excuse me. Is there a movie theater near here?” – B: “………….”

Choose the best answer:
We / should / balance / calories / we / get / from / food / with / calories / we / use / physical activity.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on you answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks .
             WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE
Some people think of 'traditional ' gender roles as being like a 1950s TV sitcom: Dad puts (1)..............his suit and goes to the office, while Mum, in her apron, stays at home and (2)............. the housework. But for most of human history, it has taken the efforts of both men and women, whether working in an office (3)..................... in the fields, to look after the family. And that's the situation to which we now seem to be returning.
By 2050, women will make up 47% of the workforce in the United States, up from 30% in 1950. But some experts are predicting that, at (4)................. in the short term, the number of women in the workforce may actually overtake the number of men. What's the reason? During the economic recession that began in 2008, many jobs disappeared from industries traditionally dominated by male workers, such as manufacturing. Unless many more manual manufacturing jobs (5)........... , it may be that women, who traditionally work in healthcare, education and other service industries, will take the lead in the labour market.

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

The museum is open to everybody. It ______ between 9am and 5pm.

(394)_______

Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase.

The Early Life of Bill Gates

While Bill Gates had to work (1)………..to become what he is today, his story isn’t exactly a rags-to-riches one as he was born into a fairly wealthy family. His father was a successful attorney while his mother was a school teacher who went onto a member of the Board of Directors of the First Interstate Bank. Gates was a bright student and (2) ……….well academically, especially in mathematics. And, this was exemplified by the 800 points that young Bill Gates scored in the mathematics part of an intelligence test.

Bill Gates developed a (3) ………..for computers and programming as early as 13. At the same age, Gates enrolled in the Lakeside School, a private preparatory school. While Gates was still at the school, the school administration decided to buy a computer from the General Electric Company. (4) ………his flare in programming, the school administration excused Gates from classes to allow him to (5) ………….his interest. On the GEC machine, Bill Gates built his first ever computer program.

At the school, Gates met Paul Allen and they worked (6)………..to find bugs in a system belonging to Computer Center Corporation. In exchange for computer time and royalties, Gates and Allen along with two other students wrote a payroll program for Information Sciences. This led to Gates’ school becoming fully aware (7)………..his talent and they had him build a program (8)………..scheduled students in classes.

Gates and Allen continue to build software and at just the age of 15, Bill Gates sold a software to optimize traffic for $$ 20,000. A few years later, he developed another software and earned $$ 30,000 from (9)...... And, this was the start of Bill Gates’ journey to a billion-dollar (10)…………..

(9)……….