Choose the best answer:
A typical day now involves a couple of hours practice in the morning before going into college and attending classes. I spend a lot of time in the library, listening to music, trying to learn and become familiar with new pieces of music. One downside to choosing to study and (34) ______ a career in music is that you end up spending hours and hours by yourself. However, I also try to spend time at college meeting other people and networking. The more musicians I know, the more likely I am to be asked to play for others. The more I play, the better known I become and in the music business it's all about recognition and getting your name out there. (35) ______, it's important to get involved in as many performances as possible and take part in competitions so that as many people as possible see you perform and know who you are. It’s a very (36) ______ industry. Ultimately, if I am asked to play and get given a job it means that someone else loses work and sometimes it feels like a constant battle. You can't help being drawn into an artificial world (37) ______ you are constantly comparing yourself to others and are always worried about what (38) ______ think of your performances. In the real world outside of college your audience is much wider.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the undelined part that needs correction in each of the following questions:
It's called 42 - the name taken from the answer to the meaning of life, from the science fiction series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. 42 was founded by French technology billionaire Xavier Niel, whose backing means there are no tuition fees and accommodation is free. Mr Niel and his co-founders come from the world of technology and start-ups, and they are trying to do to education what Facebook did to communication and Airbnb to accommodation.
Students at 42 are given a choice of projects that they might be set in a job as a software engineer - perhaps to design a website or a computer game. They complete a project using resources freely available on the Internet and by seeking help from their fellow students, who work alongside them in a large open- plan room full of computers. Another student will then be randomly assigned to mark their work.
The founders claim this method of learning makes up for shortcomings in the traditional education system, which they say encourages students to be passive recipients of knowledge. "Peer-to-peer learning develops students with the confidence to search for solutions by themselves, often in quite creative and ingenious ways."
Like in computer games, the students are asked to design and they go up a level by completing a project. They graduate when they reach level 21, which usually takes three to five years. And at the end, there is a certificate but no formal degree. Recent graduates are now working at companies including IBM, Amazon, and Tesla, as well as starting their own firms.
"The feedback we have had from employers is that our graduates are more apt to go off and find out information for themselves, rather than asking their supervisors what to do next," says Brittany Bir, chief operating officer of 42 in California and a graduate of its sister school in Paris. Ms Bir says 42's graduates will be better able to work with others and discuss and defend their ideas - an important skill in the "real world" of work. "This is particularly important in computer programming, where individuals are notorious for lacking certain human skills," she says.
But could 42's model of teacherless learning work in mainstream universities? Brittany Bir admits 42's methods do not suit all students. "It suits individuals who are very disciplined and self- motivated, and who are not scared by having the freedom to work at their own pace," she says.

What do 42’s graduates receive on completion of their course?

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.

      Centuries ago, man discovered that removing moisture from food helped to preserve it, and that the easiest way to do this was to expose the food to sun and wind. In this way the North American Indians produced pemmican (dried meat ground into powder and made into cakes), the Scandinavians made stockfish and the Arabs dried dates and apricots.

      All foods contain water - cabbage and other leaf vegetables contain as much as 93% water, potatoes and other root vegetables 80%, lean meat 75% and fish anything from 80% to 60% depending on how fatty it is. If this water is removed, the activity of the bacteria which cause food to go bad is checked.

      Fruit is sun-dried in Asia Minor, Greece, Spain and other Mediterranean countries, and also in California, South Africa and Australia. The methods used vary, but in general the fruit is spread out on trays in drying yards in the hot sun. In order to prevent darkening, pears, peaches and apricots are exposed to the fumes of burning sulphur before drying. Plums for making prunes, and certain varieties of grapes for making raisins and currants, are dipped in an alkaline solution in order to crack the skins of the fruit slightly and remove their wax coating, so increasing the rate of drying.

      Nowadays most foods are dried mechanically; the conventional method of such dehydration is to put food in chambers through which hot air is blown at temperatures of about 110oC at entry to about 45oC at exit. This is the usual method for drying such things as vegetables, minced meat, and fish.

      Liquids such as milk, coffee, tea, soups and eggs may be dried by pouring them over a heated horizontal steel cylinder or by spraying them into a chamber through which a current of hot air passes. In the first case, the dried material is scraped off the roller as a thin film which is then broken up into small, though still relatively coarse flakes. In the second process it falls to the bottom of the chamber as a fine powder. Where recognizable pieces of meat and vegetables are required, as in soup, the ingredients are dried separately and then mixed.

      Dried foods take up less room and weigh less than the same food packed in cans or frozen, and they do not need to be stored in special conditions. For these reasons they are invaluable to climbers, explorers and soldiers in battle, who have little storage space. They are also popular with housewives because it takes so little time to cook them.

Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

Choose the best answer:
Our family has got many books. All the …(33)……… of our family buy books and read them. My mother says that books help us in self-education. In ancient times, books ……(34)…… written by hand. It was difficult to write a book …(35)……… a pen. Then printing came into our life. Printing played an important ……(36)…. in the development of literature and culture. Now there are a lot of books in the shops, there are many books in our flats. But it is difficult to buy all books …(37)……… we want to read. That‘s why we get books in public libraries. There are some problems in our life and sometimes it is difficult to ……(38)… them. I think that books can help us. Last year I read a very interesting book ― An American Tragedy‖ by Theodore Dreiser. This novel was …(39)…… at the beginning of the 20th century. The novel ……(40)……. The tragic fate of a boy and a girl, Clyde and Roberta ……(41)…… name. It is a sad story. This novel was written many years ago, but it is …(42)……… nowadays. Books must be our friends during our life

Choose the best answer:
How many times in the last hundred years or so have people talked of the imminent death of the book? Films were an early threat because they were so effective at telling stories in a visual way. Next there was radio, (26)...... stepped into the mid-twentieth century and provided such an alternative to books as drama, documentaries and discussions. When television arrived, many people believed that it would finish the book off. Nowadays, (27)............ the threat by TV, the book is thought to be endangered by computers and the Internet, and by other technological attractions (28).........  theCD and the video game, too Surely there are now reasons why (29).............  book ought to be dead, or at least very badly injured. If so, why does it not show proper respect for these reportedly less literate times (30)......... die out? There is clearly more than a single answer to this question. Firstly, we have more leisure time than we (31)..........  to, and people are generally living longer, which means there is more time to do more (including reading books). As (32)............ as this, there is the strength of the book as a tradition. We are all too dismissive of traditions in our modern world, but they can have very strong pull (33)....... us. Added to this, the book is such a practical tool: it doesn't cost too (34).......... , it is usually small enough to carry around, and it can easily be (35)......... . We will never go without books, because they have served us so well for so long

Choose the best answer:
According to the Sleep Council, 20 million people in the UK aren‘t (1)____ enough sleep 3 and some experts now believe that ―sleep debt‖ can impair your metabolism and disrupt hormone levels. To (2) ____ out how (3)_____ you need, says sleep expert Professor Chris Idzikowski, director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service, (4)_____ your alarm for when you (5)______ to get up, then count back six to eight hours, (6) ______ on how much shut-eye you feel you need. Try to go to bed at this time every night, and get up at the same time - even at weekends. If you (7)______ feel tired during the day, go to bed earlier by 15 minutes a week until you wake up refreshed. So if you (8)_____ go to bed at 11 pm, say, go at 10.45 pm for a week. If you‘re still tired, try going at 10.30 the (9)_____ week, and so on. Remember, too: a weekend afternoon nap can help (10)_____ up for any missed hours in the week.

Millions of people are using cell phones today. In many places, it is actually considered unusual not to use one. In many countries, cell phones are very popular with young people. They find that the phones are more than a means of communication - having a mobile phone shows that they are cool and connected.

The explosion in mobile phone use around the world has made some health professionals worried. Some doctors are concerned that in the future many people may suffer health problems from the use of mobile phones. In England, there has been a serious debate about this issue. Mobile phone companies are worried about the negative publicity of such ideas. They say that there is no proof that mobile phones are bad for your health.

On the other hand, medical studies have shown changes in the brain cells of some people who use mobile phones. Signs of change in the tissues of the brain and head can be detected with modern scanning equipment. In one case, a travelling salesman had to retire at young age because of serious memory loss. He couldn't remember even simple tasks. He would often forget the name of his own son. This man used to talk on his mobile phone for about six hours a day every day of his working week, for a couple of years. His family doctor blamed his mobile phone use, but his employer's doctor didn't agree.

What is it that makes mobile phones potentially harmful? The answer is radiation. High-tech machines can detect very small amounts of radiation from mobile phones. Mobile phone companies agree that there is some radiation, but they say the amount is too small to worry about.

As the discussion about their safety continues, it appears that it’s best to use mobile phones less often. Use your regular phone if you want to talk for a long time. Use your mobile phone only when you really need it. Mobile phones can be very useful and convenient, especially in emergencies. In the future, mobile phones may have a warning label that says they are bad for your health. So for now, it's wise not to use your mobile phone too often

According to the passage, what makes mobile phones potentially harmful is  ________ .

Choose the best answer:
A solid object that has the power to attract iron and some metals is called a magnet. It does this through its magnetic field, a region of force surrounding it. The (33) _____ the magnet, the more intense is the field. Objects that are attracted to the magnet feel a force (34) _____ as ―magnetism‖ when they are inside the magnetic field. This magnetic force can pass (35) _____ some materials. Even a weak magnet will attract a pin to the other side of a (36) ______ of paper, for example. Magnets come in (37) ______ shapes. A familiar one is the curved horseshoes magnet. There are also bar magnets in the form (38) _____ disc or a stubby cylinder. Every magnet has (39) ______ poles, called north and south, at opposite ends of it: at the two ends of a horseshoes magnet, for example, or on the two sides of a disc. Powerful magnets can be (40) _______ by passing an electric current through wire coiled around a piece of iron. The (41) _____ is called and electromagnet. Magnets are (42) ______ in many household and everyday devices. They are also commonly used in industrial machinery, usually in the form of electromagnets

Choose the best answer:
How many times in the last hundred years or so have people talked of the imminent death of the book? Films were an early threat because they were so effective at telling stories in a visual way. Next there was radio, (26)...... stepped into the mid-twentieth century and provided such an alternative to books as drama, documentaries and discussions. When television arrived, many people believed that it would finish the book off. Nowadays, (27)............ the threat by TV, the book is thought to be endangered by computers and the Internet, and by other technological attractions (28).........  theCD and the video game, too Surely there are now reasons why (29).............  book ought to be dead, or at least very badly injured. If so, why does it not show proper respect for these reportedly less literate times (30)......... die out? There is clearly more than a single answer to this question. Firstly, we have more leisure time than we(31)..........  to, and people are generally living longer, which means there is more time to do more (including reading books). As (32)............ as this, there is the strength of the book as a tradition. We are all too dismissive of traditions in our modern world, but they can have very strong pull (33)....... us. Added to this, the book is such a practical tool: it doesn't cost too (34).......... , it is usually small enough to carry around, and it can easily be (35)......... . We will never go without books, because they have served us so well for so long

Choose the best answer:
Any change in one part of an ecosystem can cause changes in other parts. Droughts, storms and fires can change ecosystems. Some changes (1)______ ecosystems. If there is too (2) ______ rainfall, plants will not have enough water to live. If a kind of plant dies off, the animals that (3) ______ it may also die or move away. Some changes are good for ecosystems. Some pine forests need (4) ______ for the pine trees to reproduce. The seeds are sealed inside pinecones. Heat from a forest fire melts the seal and lets the seeds (5)______. Polluting the air, soil, and water can harm ecosystems. Building (6) ______ on rivers for electric power and irrigation can harm ecosystems (7) ______ the rivers. Bulldozing wetlands and cutting down (8) ______ destroy ecosystems. Ecologists are working with companies and governments to find better ways of (9) ______ fish, cutting down trees, and building dams. They are looking for ways to get food, lumber, and other products for people (10)______ causing harm to ecosystems

Choose the best answer:
Why did you decide to read, and will you keep reading to the end? Do you expect to understand every single part of it and will you remember anything about it in a fortnight‘s ..35….? Common sense ..36… that the answers to these questions depend on ―readability‖- whether the ..37… matter is interesting, and the argument clear and the layout attractive. But psychologists are trying to …39… why people read – and often don‘t read certain things, for example technical information. They also have examined so much the writing as the readers Even the most technically confident people often 40… instructions for the video or home computer in favor of hands- on experience. And people frequently take little notice of consumer information, whether on nutritional labels or in the small print of contracts. Psychologists researching reading …41…. to assume that both beginners and competent readers read everything put in front of them from start to finish. There are ….42….among them about the role of eyes, memory and brain during the process. Some people believe that fluent readers take in very letter or word they see; others …43….that reader rely on memory or context to carry them from one phrase to another. But they have always assumed that the reading process is the same: reading starts, comprehension ….44……, then reading stops.

Choose the best answer:
The future of the daily newspaper is in danger. With changes in people‘s reading habits and financial concerns, it seems that more and more of us are turning (1)…………from the traditional daily newspaper as a means of getting our information and going online or to TV news for the headlines and main stories instead. Does this mean that newspaper will (2)…………become a thing of the past? Many experts believe that newspapers will survive in some form in the future (3)…………the convenience of the internet, their main rival. The main reason for thinking this is that a large percentage of the population is (4)…………35 and has a strong newspaper reading habit. For many of these people, reading newspapers is not simply a way of getting the information about (5)…………events but part of a traditional routine. For them, catching up with the main stories electronically from news websites or TV news broadcast will never be a real substitute for turning the pages of a paper on the train or at the table. However the main competition for newspapers (6)…………from their own online version. Access to these is currently free of charge but for how much longer? Many newspaper corporations are (7)…………that the only way forward for all newspapers is to charge customers to read the online versions. Apparently, surveys (8)…………that as many as 48%of British and American consumers are prepared to pay for this service, although they are not prepared to pay very (9)…………! Would you be willing to pay for online access to news websites or should it continue to be free for everyone? Can you (10)…………a world without newspapers? 

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the undelined part that needs correction in each of the following questions:
Successful students often do the followings while studying. First they have an overview before reading. Next, they look for important information and pay greater attention to it (which often needs jumping forward or backward to process information). They also relate important points to one another. Also, they activate and use their prior knowledge. When they realize that their understanding is not good, they do not wait to change strategies. Last, they can monitor understanding and take action to correct or “ fix-up” mistakes in comprehension.
Conversely, students with low academic achievement often demonstrate ineffective study skills. They tend to assume a passive role in learning and rely on others(e.g, teachers, parents) to monitor their studying. For example, low-achieving students often do not monitor their understanding of content, they may not be aware of the purpose of studying, and their show little evidence of looking back, or employing “fix-up” strategies to fix understanding problems. Students who struggle with learning new information seem to be unaware that they must extent beyond simply reading the content to understand and remember it. Children with learning disabilities do not plan and judge the quality off their studying. Their studying may be disorganized. Students with learning problems face challenges with personal organization as well. They often have difficulty keeping track of materials and assignments, following directions, and completing work on time. Unlike good student who employ a variety of study skills in a flexible yet purposeful manner, low-achieving students use a restricted range of skills. They can not explain why good study strategies are important for learning, and they tend to use the same, often ineffective, study approach for all learning tasks, ignoring task content, structure of difficulty.

 Which of the followings is NOT an evidence of monitoring studying?

Choose the best answer:
Around 200 million people are employed in tourism worldwide, making it the largest industry in the modern global economy. It is estimated that three-quarters of a billion people (35)___________ on holiday each year, and industry planners expect this figure to double by 2020. Some of the biggest beneficiaries are less developed countries, (36)___________it is often their main source of income. (37)_________________, along with the economic benefits, this mass movement of people has resulted in threats (38)_____________ the environment. People often forget the damage caused by carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft, which (39) ______________ directly to global warming. Deforestation has cleared land in order to build hotels, airport and roads, and this has destroyed wildlife. In some areas, water shortages are now common (40)_____________of the need to fill swimming pools and water golf courses for tourists. By pushing up prices for goods and services, tourism can also be (41)______________ to the people who live in tourist destinations. In response to these concerns, some travel operators now offer environmental friendly holidays. Many of these aim to reduce the negative (42)____________ of tourism by promoting only hotels that have invested equipment to recycle waste and use energy and water efficiently. Increasingly, tourists are also being reminded to show respect (43)______________ the customs of the people (44) ______________countries they are going to visit, and to support local businesses, such as restaurants and shops, which depend on tourism for their main income

Population in big cities

A United Nations report on world population trends has provided some interesting information for thought on the future demographics of our planet. The world’s population is currently 6.5 billion and is set (1) ________ and level off to about 9 billion people. The report says population explosions will occur in Africa and Asia, but not in the (2) _________ of the world, “Considerable diversity exists in the expected population growth of countries. The population of many countries, (3) __________ in Africa and Asia, will increase greatly in the coming decades.”  (4)___________, population levels in developed countries are expected to fall, because of decreased fertility rates caused by increased contraceptive use. The report also indicates half of the world’s population will be city (5) _________ by 2007. That is a huge jump from the figure of 30% urbanization in 1993. The five most populated cities today are Tokyo (35 million people), Mexico City (19 million), New York (18.5 million), Bombay (18.3 million) and Sao Paulo (18.3 million). In 1950 only Tokyo and New York had populations of more (6) _________ 10 million people. By 2050 there will be 22 cities of that size. The report concludes, “the current population picture is one of dynamic population changes, reflected in new and diverse patterns of childbearing, mortality, migration, urbanization and ageing. The (7) ___________ and consequences of these population trends present opportunities as well as (8) __________for all societies in the twenty-first century.”

(7) ________

Choose the best answer:
In the past, British children were frequently encouraged to try out their performing skills for the benefit of adults. They did this by reading aloud, acting or ___(1)___ a musical instrument. As they ____ (2)_____ up they were taken to public places of entertainment – the theatre, opera, circus or ballet. They looked forward to these _____(3)_____ with great ____(4)_____ and would remember and discuss what they had seen for many weeks afterwards. But nowadays television and computers ____(5)_____ an endless stream of easily _____( 6)_____ entertainment, and children quickly accept these marvelous _____(7)_____ as a very ordinary part of their everyday lives. For many children, the sense of witnessing a very special live performance is gone forever. But all is not lost. The ____(8)_____ of a TV set may have encouraged a very lazy response from ____( 9)_____ in their own homes, but the ____(10)____ of those with ambitions to become performing artists themselves does not seem to have been at all diminished. And live performances in public are still relatively popular, albeit with an older, more specialist audience

Choose the best answer:
Do you ever wish you were more optimistic, someone who always (45)____ to be successful? Having someone around who always fears the worst isn't really a lot of (46)____ - we all know someone who sees a single cloud on a sunny day and says, 'It looks like rain.' But if you catch yourself thinking such things, it's important to do something about it. You can change your view of life, according to psychologist. It only takes a little (47)___, and you'll find life more rewarding as a (48)____. Optimism, they say, is partly about self-respect and confidence but it's also a more positive way of looking at life and all it has to (49)____. Optimists are more (50)_____ to start new projects and are generally more prepared to take risks. Upbringing is obviously very important in forming your (51)___ to the world. Some people are brought up to depend too much on others and grow up forever blaming other people when anything (52)____ wrong. Most optimists, on the (53)____ hand, have been brought up not to (54)____ failure as the end of the world - they just get on with their lives

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the undelined part that needs correction in each of the following questions:
The need for a surgical operation, especially an emergency operation, almost always comes as a severe shock to the patient and his family. Despite modern advances, most people still have an irrational fear of hospitals and anaesthetics. Patients do riot often believe they really need surgery- cutting into a part of the body as opposed to treatment with drugs.
In the early year of the 20th century, there was little specialization in surgery. A good surgeon was capable of performing almost every operation that had been advised up to that time. Today the situation is different. Operations are now being carried out that were not even dreamed of fifty years ago. The heart can be safely opened and its valves repaired. Cloyed blood vessels can be clean out, and broken ones mended and replaced. A lung, the whole stomach, or even part of the brain can be removed and still permit the patient to live a comfortable and satisfactory life. However, not every surgeon wants to, or is qualified to carry out every type of modern operation.
The scope of surgery has increase remarkable in the past decades. Its safety has increased, too. Deaths from most operations are about 20% of what they were in 1910 and surgery has been extended in many directions, for example, to certain types of birth defects in new born babies, and at the other end of the scale, to life-saving operation for the octogenarian .The hospital stay after surgery has been shortened to as little as a week for most major operations. Most patients are out of bed on the day after an operation and may be back at work in two or three weeks.
One of the most revolutionary areas of modern surgery is that of organ transplants. Until a few decades ago, no person, except an identical twins, was able to accept into his body the tissues of another person without reacting against them and eventually killing them. Recently, however, it has been discovered that with the use of X-rays and special drugs, it is possible to graft tissues from one person to another which will survive for periods of a year or more. Kidneys have been successfully transplanted between non-identical twins. Heart and lung transplants have also been reasonably successful.
“Spare parts” surgery, the simple routine replacement of all worn-out organs by new ones, is still a dream of the future but surgery is ready for such miracles. In the meantime, you can be happy if the doctors say to you: “Yes, l think it is possible to operate on you for this condition”.

What is the similar meaning to the word “octogenarian”?

Choose the best answer:
It can (45) _________along time to become successful in your chosen field, however talented you are. One thing you have to be (46) _________ of is that you will face criticism along the way. The world is full of people who would rather say something negative than positive. If you‘ve made up your (47) _________ to achieve a certain goal, such as writing a novel, don‘t let the negative criticism of others prevent you from reaching your (48)_________ and let constructive criticism have a positive (49) _________ on your work. If someone says you‘re totally (50) _________ in talent, ignore them. That‘s negative criticism. If, however, someone advises you to revise your work and gives you good reasons for doing so, you should (51) _________ their suggestions carefully. There are many film stars who were once out of (52) _________. There are many famous novelists who made a complete (53) _________ of their first novel - or who didn‘t, but had to keep on approaching hundreds of publishers before they could get it published. Being successful does depend on luck, to a certain extent. But things are more likely to (54) _________ well if you persevere and stay positive

Choose the best answer:
In Korea, in former days the marriage between a man and woman represented the joining of two families, rather (50) ______ the joining of two individuals. The event (51) ______ Taerye (Great Ritual), and people from all over the village or neighborhood participated. The ceremonies and events surrounding the actual marriage were long and (52) ______. Professional matchmakers paired up likely candidates for marriage, with the new couple often meeting for the first time at their wedding! The families considered many factors in the decision, consulting with fortune tellers for (53) ______ about the couple's future life together. During the Chosun period, people married (54) ______ their early teens, with the girl often being several years older than the boy. The groom usually traveled to the house of the bride for the ceremony, then stayed there for three days (55) ______ taking his new bride to his family's home. The actual ceremony involved many small rituals, with many bows and symbolic gestures. The (56) ______ were expected to control their emotions and remain somber. (57) ______ Koreans have kept several aspects of the traditional ceremony, most modern ceremonies resemble Western marriage ceremonies more than (58) ______ Korean ones. However, many folk villages and museums across the country regularly perform ceremonies to (59) ______ the traditions alive

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the undelined part that needs correction in each of the following questions:
Today I’d like to begin a discussion on the problem of the heating up the earth. First, we’ll touch on the relationship between fluorocarbons and the ozone layer. You probably remember that the ozone layer is the protective shield around the earth. It is important to all life, because it filters out harmful ultraviolet light from the sun. Ozone itself, a form of oxygen, is regularly made by the action of the sun in the upper atmosphere. It is also regularly destroyed by natural chemical processes.
The problem now is that too much of the ozone layer is being destroyed. Scientists suspect that certain chemicals, such as fluorocarbons, are contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer. And how do we use fluorocarbons? The most common uses are in spray cans and cooling systems. The chemical pollution from these fluorocarbons can account for some of the ozone losses that have been reported. There are, however, new studies linking the sun itself to the depletion of the ozone layer. We’ll go into that new study more next time.

The speaker’s main topic is     .