Choose the best answer:
According to a new survey, people living in Britain's rural areas are more (34) _______ about the future and happier about their quality of life than people in cities and towns. The Countryside Living Index carried out (35) _______ how people feel about their lives, found that the satisfaction ratings of people living in the countryside leapt by 10.7 per cent (36) _______ the first and second quarters of 2013, with their views about the cost of living, education and crime all improving. People in both rural and urban areas said that they felt more optimistic about health, education, and the environment, but the positive change was much more pronounced among countrydwellers than city inhabitants. People from urban areas also said that they were increasingly more worried about crime than those in the countryside and overall, the rise in perceived quality of life was three times higher in the countryside than in the cities. Tim Price, who carried out the study, said: "The recession made life in the countryside very tough for many people, (37) _______ it's great news to see concerns about the cost of living easing." However, for young people the lack of rural jobs paying a living (38) _______, and housing costs continue to make hard for them to live in the countryside

Choose the best answer:
On December 10, 2006, I was going through some hard time. The landlady did not want to release the house any more so I had to (1) _____ and only had one month to find a place. Because Christmas was coming and it was difficult for me to (2) _____ a suitable accommodation. I had only some money (3) _____. I could not buy a Christmas tree and some presents for my three boys, (4) _____ I had to use the money to find a place to live. Tome, it broke my heart as I could not prepare the Christmas for my three boys. I have been their only parent since my husband (5) _____ away two years ago. I was so sad and everything was getting on my nerves. Although I managed to solve the problem myself I could not help (6) _____ my sons about the things. When I suddenly woke up at midnight, I found my eldest son was sitting (7) _____me. He kissed me and said, "Don't worry, Mum. We love you very much and always stand by you (8) ____ happens." At the moment I started weeping, grabbed him and kissed him. His words and love made me (9) _____ all about what I was stressing about. In fact ever since that moment, I have realized that I can overcome any problems thanks to my sons' love. The most important thing of my life is that my boys are safe and healthy, and they bring me joy all the time. The memory (10) _____ me that nothing really matters, when I have the love of my children

Choose the best answer:
It’s only natural that people want to use the latest innovations to better themselves. Smart devices can truly do incredible things and help to simplify our day. They can also enhance our perceptions, arm us with knowledge, and open up a world of new possibilities. A few people have even decided to make the leap and transform themselves to become cyborgs. Cyborg is a term used to describe a being that is half human and half machine. This may sound like something out of science-fiction novels, but some people have already adapted this lifestyle. One is artist Neil Harbisson. He was bom completely colour-blind, and could only see black and white images. It seemed that he would never experience colour. After attending a cybernetics talk in college, he met an inventor who agreed to make a special device for him. They designed an eyeborg, a mechanical eye that converted colours into sound frequencies. This enabled Harbisson to hear colour and perceive the world in a different way. He started going to museums to ‘"hear” classic paintings. In fact, a simple walk down a grocery store filled with colourful products produces some catchy tunes. Harbisson loves his eyeborg so much that he rarely takes it off. He now gives talks urging others to consider adding their own mechanical improvements. In 1998, British scientist Kevin Warwick conducted his own experiment. He implanted a chip inside of his arm, which he used to control lights and other appliances at home. He later expanded the project by placing electrodes inside his nervous system and linking it to the Internet. This allowed him to control external objects including robotic arms, amplifiers, and. loudspeakers. His work remains influential as this example of extended sensory input was the first of its kind. If you’re interested in becoming a cyborg and you’re willing, a good place to start might be with a pair of Google Glass. Users wear it like ordinary eyeglasses, yet Google Glass is equipped with state-of-the-art electronics. Using voice commands you can have it take a picture of what you see, see directions right in front of you, or translate your voice into other languages. Hopefully, this experience will help you decide whether becoming a cyborg is right for you, or if you’re content to remain a human like the rest of us.
3. What did Harbisson’s eyeborg do?

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
Approximately 350 million people speak English as their first ___(1)___ . About the same number use it __(2)___ a second language. It is the language ___(3)___ aviation, international sport and world trade. 75% of the world's mail is in English, 60% of the world's radio stations broadcast in English, and more than half of the world's newspapers are ___(4)___ in English. It is an official language in 44 countries. In ___(5)___ others, it is the language of business, commerce and technology. There are many varieties of English, but Scottish, Australian, Indian and Jamaican speakers of English, in spite of the differences in pronunciation, structure and vocabulary, would recognize that they are all speaking the same basic language.

Choose the best answer:
In Africa a famous food company tried to sell its baby food by advertising it with the picture of a baby on the label. They did not know that this particular country used labels only to (31) _________ a picture of the food inside. When Pepsico used the slogan ‘Come alive with Pepsi’ in Taiwan, they had no idea that it would be translated into Chinese as ‘Pepsi (32) _________ your ancestors back from the dead’. Misunderstandings such as these about language or about culture are sometimes comical but can also cause genuine hurt or anger. Business styles (33) _________ widely in different countries and what is normal in one culture can be completely unacceptable in another. Socialising in different countries can be tricky. In Arabic countries, for example, people do not discuss business (34) _________ meals. Giving gifts is another potential problem: in the UK most people take presents to a dinner party, but in many countries this is not polite because it (35) _________ you think the host is poor.

Choose the best answer:
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is located in the middle of the Annamite Mountain Range in Quang Binh province, Vietnam, and shares its boundary (23) ____ the Hin Namno Nature Reserve in the Lao PDR to the west. The property (24) ____ an area of 123,326 ha and contains terrestrial and aquatic habitats, primary and secondary forest, sites of natural regeneration, tropical dense forests and savanna and is rich in large, often spectacular and scientifically significant caves.  The property contains and protects over 104 km of caves and underground rivers making (25) ____ one of the most outstanding limestone karst ecosystems in the world. (26) ____ karst formation has evolved since the Palaeozoic period (some 400 million years ago) and as such is the oldest major karst area in Asia. (27) ____ to massive tectonic changes, the karst landscape is extremely complex, comprising a series of rock types that are interbedded in complex ways and with many geomorphic features. The karst landscape is not only complex but also ancient with high geodiversity and geomorphic features of considerable significance.

Choose the best answer:
According to fossil fuel records, roses are over 35 million years old and they were cultivated in China about 5,000 years ago. A Chinese emperor in the 6th century B.C. apparently had over 600 books on roses in his library, and oil was extracted from those grown in his gardens. (33) _______, only the highest members of society were allowed to use it. If anyone else was found with even a small amount, they were (34) _____ to death. Roses were also popular with the Romans, who used their petals as medicine, a source of perfume and as confetti at weddings. Cultivated rose were only introduced to Western Europe in the 18th century. Napoleon’s wife, Josephine, started a botanical garden near Paris, (35) _____ she collected all the known varieties of rose and encouraged the breeding of new ones. This led to the flowers becoming increasingly popular, and in Britain at that time roses became so (36) _____ that they were often used as currency in local markets. All roses in Europe used to be pink or white until the first red ones arrived from China 200 years ago. These now (37) _____ love and are the world’s most common cut flower

Choose the best answer:
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has issued a stark warning about the future of the world's natural World Heritage sites. It says half of the sites are at (1) ____ from different industries. The WWF warned that harmful industrial (2) ____ such as mining, dredging or drilling for oil are endangering the future of 114 of 229 sites. (3) ____ factors adding to the risk include illegal logging and unsustainable water use. All of these are in addition to the damage being (4) ____ by climate change. The WWF says the sites affected include Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon National Park in the USA, and China's Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, which are home (5) ____ more than 30 per cent of the world's endangered pandas.  The director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre said it was (6) ____ everyone to protect these sites. She said: "World Heritage is humankind's (7) ____ heritage, and the responsibility for its conservation is shared by everyone." She welcomed government efforts at reducing what they take from the Earth, saying: "The WWF's report comes at a time (8) ____ governments and the private sector around the world are stepping up their action against harmful extractive uses." However, the WWF said that more than 11 million people worldwide (9) _____ on World Heritage sites for food, water, shelter, jobs and medicine, and that non-stop development could harm (10) ____ as well as the environment

Choose the best answer:
In many parts of the United States, large areas of land have been made into national parks to protect and preserve the natural beauty of the land. National parks usually contain a variety of scenic features, such as mountains, caves, lakes, rare animals and plants. National parks are open to the public and have millions of visitors every year. Many national parks, however, are in danger of being destroyed. Rare animals in national parks are killed or hunted for fur, skin or other parts. Trees are cut down for wood. Large areas of national parks also experience devastating fires caused by careless people. The increasing number of visitors is harming the parks due to the pollution from their vehicles. If these problems are not solved immediately, and if there is not enough money for the parks’ staff and maintenance of their resources, many national parks will be completely destroyed. 
1. People killed rare animals for _____

Choose the best answer:
The American southwest is full of deserts. If you ever go there, you might get to see a very strange event. We are talking something called the sailing stones. Sometimes, stones in the southwestern desert move by themselves. Wind doesn’t seem to push them. People and animals don’t touch them. However, these stones still move. Sometimes they travel more than a hundred meters. They always leave a trail in the sand behind them. This is useful because we can look at the trail and figure out how far a stone has moved. How is this possible? How can stones move all by themselves? Scientists have been studying this for years. People have offered all kinds of theories. One of the earliest theories was that wind pushes the stones. That theory isn’t correct, because some of the stones weigh more than 300 kilograms. When it seemed like there was no logical explanation for the sailing stones, people started coming up with crazier ideas. Some people said that aliens were moving the stones, and others said that clever people were playing a joke. Finally, in 2013, a scientist came up with an explanation for the sailing stones. This scientist normally studies weather on other planets, and when he heard about the sailing stones, he became interested in them. He found out that ice forms on the bottom of the stones. When that happens, even a very light wind can push the stone for long distances. To prove his theory, the scientist did an experiment. He put a rock in his freezer and let some ice form on it. Then, he put sand and a little water in a tray. Finally, he put his frozen rock on top of the sand. When he blew on the rock, it moved. Even when he blew very gently, he had no problems moving the rock. Here is something interesting about the sailing stones. Curious people visit the desert in the southwest to see them. A lot of those people don’t like to hear the scientific explanation for the sailing stones. Many people prefer to feel that the stones are still a mystery.
4. The word “trail” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to________. 

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
There are many reasons (1) ____ it is important to have a hobby. First of all, a hobby can be a remedy for your (2) ____. Because it is the activity you choose for yourself, it will always give you pleasure and (3) ____ you relax. Even if you just spend a little time enjoying your hobby, you can see the difference (4) ____ your spirit. Second, some hobbies can also (5) ____ you financially. Many old people enjoy gardening. They grow a lot of trees and vegertable, so they can sell them for some money. In (6) ____, a hobby can help you connect with other people. If you like colecting stamps, you can (7) ____ a stamp club to share your albums with other collectors. If your hobby is caving eggshells, you can give your products to your friends (8) ____ gifts

Choose the best answer:
The (31) _________ for many young people today is to communicate with others over the Internet and have a life online. The way they do this is through social networking web sites such as Facebook and Twitter. However, the people who (32) _________ their lives online are also putting themselves at risk, and they may not even understand how they are doing so. The key to limiting risk is to keep certain pieces of information private. If you do any banking online, for example, it is important to note that dates of birth are often used as a(n) (33) _________ feature by banks. They will need to know your identification number and possibly your address as well, but to (34) _________ your identity, they might ask you for your date of birth. If a criminal were to gain access to your account number at a bank, and then obtain your address from public records, the one thing that he would not have would be your birth date. These days, however, a lot of people list their dates of birth openly on Facebook (35) _________ their friends can wish them well on their birthdays. Unfortunately, doing so could end up being a recipe for disaster.

Read and circle the best option A, B, C or D to complete the passage:

I live in a house near the sea. It is ...(1)... old house, about 100 years old and...(2)... very small. There are two bed rooms upstairs...(3)... no bathroom. The bathroom is downstairs ...(4)... the kitchen and there is a living room where there is a lovely old fire place. There is a garden...(5)... the house. The garden...(6)... down to the beach and in spring and summer...(7)... flowers every where. I like alone...(8)... my dog, Rack, but we have a lot of visitors. My city friends often stay with ...(9)...

I love my house for... (10)... reasons: the garden, the flowers in summer, the old fire place, but the best thing is the view from my bedroom window.

(9)......................

Choose the best answer:

Amy Tan was born on February 19,1952 in Oakland, California. Tan grew up in Northern California, (1) _______ when her father and older brother both died from brain tumors in 1966, she moved with her mother and younger brother to Europe, where she attended high school in Montreux, Switzerland. She returned to the United States for college. After college, Tan worked as a language development consultant and as a corporate freelance writer. (2) _______ 1985, she wrote the “Rules of the Game” for a writing workshop, which laid the early foundation for her first novel The Joy Luck Club. Published in 1989, the book explored the (3) _______ between Chinese women and their Chinese-American daughters, and became the longest-running New York Times bestseller for that year. The Joy Luck Club received numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Award. It has been translated into 25 languages, including Chinese, and was made into a major motion picture for (4) _______ Tan co-wrote the screenplay. Tan’s (5) _______ works have also been adapted into several different forms of media

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
Background, in relation to computers, on the screen, the color on which characters are displayed. (1) _______, a white background may be used for black characters. In a windowing environment in which more than one program or document can be available to the user, open but currently inactive (2) _______ are said to be in the background. In the context of operating systems and program execution, background refers to a process, or task, assigned a lower priority in the microprocessor's share of time to tasks other than the task running in the (3) _______. A background process thus often performs (4)_____________ work, such as printing or checking for arriving messages on an electronic mail network, invisibly unless the user requests an update or brings the task to the foreground. (5) _______, only multitasking operating systems are able to support background processing

Choose the best answer:
Culture has a strong influence on non–verbal communication. Even the simple act of looking someone in the eye is not at all that simple. In the USA, Americans are (5) _____ to look directly at people when speaking to them. It shows interest in what they are saying and is thought to carry a (6) _____ of honesty. Meanwhile, in Japan and Korea, people avoid long periods of eye contact. It is considered more polite to look to the side during a conversation. The Lebanese, (7) _____, stand close together and look intensely into each other's eyes. The action shows sincerity and gives people a better sense of what their counterparts want. Given such differences with even the most common expressions, people (8) _____ travel or work abroad have a real need to learn the other culture's body language. People tend to be unaware of the messages they are sending to others. So, it is (9) _____ to consider your own body language before dealing with people from other cultures. Knowing about the body language of friends, clients, and colleagues can be very helpful in improving understanding and avoiding miscommunication

Choose the best answer:
Singapore is an island city of about three million people. It’s a beautiful city with lots of parks and open spaces. It’s also a very (31)______ city.             Most of the people (32)______ in high-rise flats in different parts of the island. The business district is very modern with (33)______ of high new office buildings. Singapore also has some nice older sections. In Chinatown, there  (34)______ rows of old shop houses.  The government buildings in Singapore are very beautiful and date from the colonial days.             Singapore is famous (35)______ its shops and restaurants. There are many good shopping centers. Most of the goods are duty free. Singapore’s restaurants sell Chinese, Indian, Malay and European food, and the prices are quite reasonable.

Choose the best answer:
Many older cities are having modern makeovers and they are being given a new (1) ____. Sometimes the impetus for this (2) ____ of change comes from the need to provide new (3) ____ for particular events being held in the city - a sporting event, or something (4) ____. On other (5) ____ the change just seems to (6) ____ place almost naturally.  Take Birmingham, for instance, (7) ____ it was previously an (8) ____ place to live, it has now become trendy, and this change has been brought about largely by the new-look architecture that can be found everywhere in the city. The old shopping centre has been (10) ____ down and completely rebuilt, and new shopping malls are competing to attract shoppers with the high quality of their services and goods. The area located around the canal, once hidden away and surrounded by decaying factories was often used as a rubbish (11) ____, but it has now become a trendy place (12) ____ up of modern offices, bars, sought-after apartments and restaurants. To (13) ____ up, Birmingham has become the place to be. Even in what was formerly the poorest part of the city an old factory has been (14) ____ into a lively complex of studios, galleries and coffee bars. With its theatres, museums and football teams Birmingham is (15) ____ worth visiting and has something for everyone

Choose the best answer:
The knock-on effect of volunteering on the lives of individuals can be profound. Voluntary work helps foster independence and imparts the ability to deal with different situations, often simultaneously, thus teaching people how to work their way through different systems. It therefore brings people into touch with the real world; and, hence, equips them for the future.  Initially, young adults in their late teens might not seem to have the expertise or knowledge to impart to others that say a teacher or agriculturalist or nurse would have, but they do have many skills that can help  any skills that can help others. And in the absence of any particular talent, their energy and enthusiasm can be harnessed for the benefit of their fellow human beings, and ultimately themselves. From all this, the gain to any community no matter how many volunteers are involved is immeasurable.  Employers will generally look favourably on people who have shown an ability to work as part of a team. It demonstrates a willingness to learn and an independent spirit, which would be desirable qualities in any employee. So to satisfy employers' demands for experience when applying for work, volunteering can act as a means of gaining experience that might otherwise elude would-be workers and can ultimately lead to paid employment and the desired field.  The knock-on effect of volunteering on the lives of individuals can be profound. Voluntary work helps foster independence and imparts the ability to deal with different situations, often simultaneously, thus teaching people how to work their way through different systems. It therefore brings people into touch with the real world; and, hence, equips them for the future.  Initially, young adults in their late teens might not seem to have the expertise or knowledge to impart to others that say a teacher or agriculturalist or nurse would have, but they do have many skills that can help  any skills that can help others. And in the absence of any particular talent, their energy and enthusiasm can be harnessed for the benefit of their fellow human beings, and ultimately themselves. From all this, the gain to any community no matter how many volunteers are involved is immeasurable.  Employers will generally look favourably on people who have shown an ability to work as part of a team. It demonstrates a willingness to learn and an independent spirit, which would be desirable qualities in any employee. So to satisfy employers' demands for experience when applying for work, volunteering can act as a means of gaining experience that might otherwise elude would-be workers and can ultimately lead to paid employment and the desired field.  
1. According to paragraph 1, voluntary work helps equip people for the future because ____

Choose the best answer:
Vietnam is a (1) ____, developing country that in the last 34 years has had to recuperate from the ravages of war. Substantial progress was (2) ____ from 1986 to 1997 in moving forward from an extremely low level of development and significantly reducing poverty.  Since 2001, Vietnamese authorities have reaffirmed their (3) ____ to economic liberalization and international (4) ____. They have moved to implement the structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, (5) ____ industries.  Vietnam's membership in the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and entry (6) ____ force of the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement in December 2001 have (7) ____ to even more rapid changes in Vietnam's trade and economic regime. Vietnam's exports to the US doubled in 2002 and again in 2003. Vietnam joined the WTO (World Trade Organization) in January 2007, following over a decade long (8) ____. This should provide an important boost to the economy and should help to ensure the continuation of liberalizing reforms.  Vietnam is working to create jobs to meet the challenge of a (9) ____ that is growing by more than one million people every year. Vietnamese authorities have tightened monetary and fiscal (10) ____ to stem high inflation

Choose the best answer:
The word ‘grandparents’ is descriptive of the unique dual parenting role that this generation assumes. It emphasises the vital part they play in family life. With a (26) _______ of old world experience behind them, and with the unique ability to metamorphose from advisers or mediators into listeners or friends, they can offer support and stability in an ever-changing world. The underlying sense of responsibility (27) _______ goes with this is tremendous. Grandparents perform a balancing act between the needs of their adult children and those of their grandchildren. This role is varied. It is imperial at times, muted at (28) _______. It goes underground whenever required, but it is solid and absolutely dependable. Grandparents often (29) _______ the gap between parents and children. Rebellious, independent children who are trying to find their feet are almost always at loggerheads with their parents. The role of grandparents can be very important provided that they act as impartial judges and are able to convey this feeling to both parties. One important thing, which seems to be missing in the lives of children today, is a sense of family, values, beliefs and principles. This is where the grandparents step in. (30) _______, instilling beliefs and values is not as easy as it was fifty or sixty years ago