Choose the best answer:
He is ....... football player I’ve ever seen.

 

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Inside the Mind of a Sushi Legend
During our lives, it is likely we will have not one, but several careers. People change jobs due to boredom, to earn more money, or because they want to experience more from life. Although this certainly brings variety to life, it also prevents workers from achieving mastery in their craft. This is what makes Sukiyabashi Jiro so incredible. For the past 75 years, he was dedicated his life to one goal: perfecting his technique so that he can make the world’s best sushi. In the documentary Jiro: Dreams of Sushi, viewers get a peek inside the life of this genius. For Jiro, who owns a three-star Michelin restaurant, sushi is not simply taking raw fish, vinegar, and rice, and arranging them together. He insists that every detail must be perfect. Watching him at work is similar to seeing an artist in action. Yet, the true key to his success is not creative imagination: it’s his dedication and repetition. Jiro has kept the same daily schedule for decades. As he goes about his tasks, he always searches for small ways to improve his craft. Jiro won’t accept anything less than the best. He has committed to using only the freshest ingredients, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get them. This means heading down to the local fish market daily to purchase fish which has just been caught that day. Jiro only deals with the top fish dealer, who is also a master of his trade. This seller reserves only the best of the best for Jiro, which Jiro inspects closely before making his choices. Back at the shop, the sushi rice is also prepared with delicate care. If he senses something is not up to standards, he will have his employees trash it and start all over again. At the age of 85, Jiro is aware that he won’t be able to continue making sushi forever. Therefore, he has been training his two middle-aged sons for many years to learn his techniques and philosophies. His eldest son, Yamamoto, works side-by-side with Jiro to this day. His younger son, Takashi, has opened his own sushi restaurant elsewhere in Tokyo. In the film, both sons discuss how difficult it is to live up to their famous father’s expectations and match his rigorous work ethic. To learn more about Jiro and his methods, be sure to catch this fascinating film.
4. The word “_rigorous_” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to __________

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Although he created the game of basketball at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, Dr. James A. Naismith was a Canadian. Working as a physical education instructor at the International YMCA, now Springfield College, Dr. Naismith noticed a lack of interest in exercise among students during the wintertime. The New England winters were fierce, and the students balked at participating in outdoor activities. Naismith determined that a fast-moving game that could be played indoors would fill a void after the baseball and football seasons had ended. First he attempted to adapt outdoor games such as soccer and rugby to indoor play, but he soon found them unsuitable for confined areas. Finally, he determined that he would have to invent a game. In December of 1891, Dr. Naismith hung two old peach baskets as either end of the gymnasium at the school, and, using a soccer ball and nine players on each side, organized the first basketball game. The early rules allowed three points for each basket and made running with the ball a violation. Every time a goal was made, someone had to climb a ladder to retrieve the ball. Nevertheless, the game became popular. In less than a year, basketball was being played in both the United States and Canada. Five years later, a championship tournament was staged in New York City, which was won by the Brooklyn Central YMCA. The teams had already been reduced to seven players, and five became standard in the 1897 season. When basketball was introduced as a demonstration sport in the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, it quickly spread throughout the world. In 1906, a metal hoop was used for the first time to replace the basket, but the name basketball has remained.
9. The author mentions all of the following was typical of the early game of basketball EXCEPT .

Rewirte the sentence
I am 14 and my new friend in the guitar club is 14 too.

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One of the most important social developments that helped to make possible a shift in thinking about the role of public education was the effect of the baby boom of the 1950’s and 1960’s on the schools. In the 1920’s, but especially in the Depression conditions of the 1930’s, the United States experienced a declining birth rate – every thousand women aged fifteen to forty-four gave birth to about 118 live children in 1920, 89.2 in 1930, 75.8 in 1936, and 80 in 1940. With the growing prosperity brought on by the Second World War and the economic boom that followed it, young people married and established households earlier and began to raise larger families than had their predecessors during the Depression. Birth rates rose to 102 per thousand in 1946, 106.2 in 1950, and 118 in 1955. Although economics was probably the most important determinant, it is not the only explanation for the baby boom. The increased value placed on the idea of the family also helps to explain this rise in birth rates. The baby boomers began streaming into the first grade by the mid-1940’s and became a flood by 1950. The public school system suddenly found itself overtaxed. While the number of schoolchildren rose because of wartime and postwar conditions, these same conditions made the schools even less prepared to cope with the flood. The wartime economy meant that few new schools were built between 1940 and 1945. Moreover, during the war and in the boom times that followed large numbers of teachers left their profession for better-paying jobs elsewhere in the economy. Therefore, in the 1950’s and 1960’s, the baby boom hit an antiquated and inadequate school system. Consequently, the “custodial rhetoric” of the 1930’s and early 1940’s no longer made sense; that is, keeping youths aged sixteen and older out of the labor market by keeping them in school could no longer be a high priority for an institution unable to find space and staff to teach younger children aged five to sixteen. With the baby boom, the focus of educators and of laymen interested in education inevitably turned toward the lower grades and back to basic academic skills and discipline. The system no longer had much interest in offering nontraditional, new, and extra services to older youths
3. The word “overtaxed” in line 14 is closest in meaning to _________.

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 :
It was once thought that forests and the wood that could be taken from them were in endless supply. Especially in areas like South America, where vast areas of the continent were covered by rainforests, logging and clearing of forests for farming seemed like a harmless endeavor. (1)__________ the clearing of rainforests been kept in moderation, it may have become a stable source of wood and a(n) (2)_________ for the people in the region. It was not, though, and the amount of damage that has been (3)__________ to the entire planet has been terrible because of the clearing of rainforests. The rainforests are considered the lungs of the world because they breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. We need the oxygen to survive, and the more we clear rainforests, the more carbon dioxide begins to concentrate in the atmosphere. In addition to the clearing of forests, the burning of fossil fuels for energy (4)__________ more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. It makes the problems of global warming get worse, as we keep adding more carbon dioxide while simultaneously taking away the planet’s (5)___________ to deal with this gas.

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Incredible Shrinking Microchips
There is a popular old saying that “bigger is better”. Although this may be true in some regards, the exact opposite often applies in technology. As electronic components get smaller, it allows companies to manufacture tinier devices with more features. Thus began the never-ending quest to create the smallest microchips on the planet. Yet as these vital electronic components get smaller, they are also getting stronger and clever inventors are finding new ways in which to use them to do incredible things. Currently, the biggest limitation microchip producers face when trying to reduce chips’ size is the copper wires that provide electrical current throughout the chip. Although they can be made smaller, this can cause a whole host of problems such as melting and overheating. Thanks to the work of a few scientists from the UK though, this problem may soon be a thing of the past. Their solution is getting rid of the copper wiring altogether and using carbon nanotubes instead. Not only would this allow for smaller sizes but it would also increase the power that microchips can generate. In the end, this would translate into smaller and more powerful devices much to the delight of consumers all over the world. Corporate powerhouse Intel® has announced plans to create a line of tiny, low power chips that can be used in bracelets, smart watches, and other tiny devices. The chips will be called Intel® Quark, and they are being designed primarily to fit in biomedical devices. A key selling point to biomedical technology is that the devices have to be nonintrusive because people don’t want to carry around heavy equipment to monitor their health. If they can do this, Intel® will likely find several tablet and smartphone manufacturers who are willing to corporate Quark microchips into their devices. In a somewhat unusual project, researchers are working on a special microchip that will serve as miniature human organs in experiments. These “organ” chips could be used to test different medicines and study diseases. If realized, the technology could put an end to the use of lab mice and other animals for testing. Everyone from the largest pharmaceutical companies to the US military has shown interest in the project. Currently, the research team in charge of the project believes that within five years the organ chips will be used in practical research. It goes to show that thinking small often produces the biggest results.
6. Where are you most likely to find an Intel® Quark chip at first?

Choose the best answer:
Max says life in the countryside is _________ than he expected.

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That old cottage is __________ need of reconstruction.

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.
The fictitious androids written about in the mid-1900s are becoming a reality with advances in the field of robotics. Japan and Korea have been pioneers in this field. They regularly compete to be the first. The focus on most reseachers is in (1)............. life-like, attractive female androids. A Japanese research group led by Hiroshi Ishiguro created ther world’s first female android, which is called Actroid in 2003. The early model was limited so upgrades were made and the dramatic entertainment model was released in 2006. Actroids are covered with a silicone skin and have built-in sensors making them (2)................ of reacting  to  humans,  and  they  can  also  mimic  many  human behaviors. (3)................... , they can be programmed to speak in any language. The Korean android, EveR-2, released in 2006, was designed by a team from Kitech. They claim that she is more life-like than Actroids, and she can mimic emtions. She can also speak and move her lips to match  her (4)..................... . Future models are expected to have higher mobility and even be proficient in dancing. Research teams have also created male androids. One in particular is the Germinoid HI-I.
Regardless of the competition, it’s clear that this technology will one day present us (5)..................the dilemma of determining human from machine.

(5)...............................

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They_______ time and money doing such a thing.

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It is commonly believed in the United States that school is where people go to get an education. Nevertheless, it has been said that today children interrupt their education to go to school. The distinction between schooling and education implied by this remark is important. Education is much more open-ended and all-inclusive than schooling. Education knows no bounds. It can take place anywhere, whether in the shower or on the job, whether in a kitchen or on a tractor. It includes both the formal learning that takes place in schools and the whole universe of informal learning. The agents of education can range from a revered grandparent to the people debating politics on the radio, from a child to a distinguished scientist. Whereas schooling has a certain predictability, education quite often produces surprises. A chance conversation with a stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known of other religions. People are engaged in education from infancy on. Education is, then, a very broad, inclusive term. It is a lifelong process, a process that starts long before the start of school, and one that should be an integral part of one's entire life. Schooling, on the other hand, is a specific, formalized process, whose general pattern varies little from one setting to the next. Throughout a country, children arrive at school at approximately the same time, take assigned seats, are taught by an adult, use similar textbooks, take exams and so on. The slices of reality that are to be learned, whether they are the alphabet or an understanding of the working of government, have usually limited by the boundaries of the subject being taught. For example, high school students know that they are not likely to find out in their classes the truth about political problems in their communities or what the newest filmmakers are experimenting with. There are definite conditions surrounding the formalized process of schooling
1. What does the author probably mean by using the expression "children interrupt their education to go to school"?

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I come from Canada.Where .............you .............from?

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A boat is ....... than a plane.

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Tantalizing Teas from around the Globe
There are few things in life as refreshing as a cup of hot tea. However, few people realize the wide variety of teas available. Here are some more options to try the next time you are in the mood for a cup of tea. The most famous tea in the West is Earl Grey. Although it is classified as a black tea, Earl Grey contains some citrus qualities as well. The tea gets its name from a 19th century prime minister of England, Charles Grey. According to the legend, Grey saved the life of a drowning man in China. The man he rescued was reportedly a tea blender, so as a reward he instructed Grey how to flavour black tea with a special type of oil. Many tea historians doubt this tale and insist that the only reason the tea is named after Grey is that he was a famous politician. Another famous black tea is Assam tea. It comes from the mountains of India and it is named after the region where it is produced. Assam tea is known for its strong and bitter flavour. It is sometimes called the breakfast tea, because it is an invigorating brew to enjoy in the morning. Although Assam tea is cultivated in the East, it immediately became a big hit once it was introduced to the West. Some people enjoy drinking Assam tea straight, but others feel it is best with a little bit of milk and sugar added. It has been known to go perfectly with sweets as well as more pungent foods like cheese. Chamomile tea has a light, pleasant taste that some people have described as a mix between flowers, herbs, and apples. Yet, it is the potent health benefits of the tea that cause most people to buy it. For starters, it is the best tea to have at the end of a long day when you are looking to relax. In fact, it has been used as a cure for insomnia for hundreds of years. In ancient times, it was also used by the Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians to help wounds heal faster. Chamomile has anti-­inflammation properties, so it can also help to clear up skin issues such as allergies and acne as well. So the next time you are sitting down for afternoon tea, be sure to have a close look at the menu. You may even discover a new variety that becomes your favourite.
3. What is the third paragraph mainly about?

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to complete the sentences with given words:
In order/ not/ have/ any/ digestive disease, you/ should/ eat/ healthily

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:
Climate change is caused by the (1)____________ high levels of dangerous chemicals in the atmosphere, particularly carbon dioxide. It is estimated that average global temperatures will rise (2)___________ between two and six degrees by the end of this century. We all know the effects could be catastrophic, but are we (3)__________ of the possible solutions? Crazy as it sounds, a group of academics from British universities is making a plan to build a 12-mile pipe, held up by a huge balloon, that would pump (4)___________ quantities of toxic chemicals, such as sulphur dioxide, into the atmosphere. Surprisingly, there is good science behind the idea. The chemicals would form a (5)_____________ layer around the earth that would reflect sunlight and so cool the earth, much like the effects of a volcanic eruption

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:
Composers today use a wider variety of sounds than ever before, including many that were once considered undesirable noises. Composer Edgard Varese (1883-1965) called thus the “liberation of sound…the right to make music with any and all sounds.” Electronic music, for example – made with the aid of computers, synthesizers, and electronic instruments – may include sounds that in the past would not have been considered musical.
Enviromental sounds, such as thunder, and electronically generated hisses and blips can be recorded, manipulated, and then incorporated into a musical composition. But composers also draw novel sounds from voices and non-electronic instruments. Singers may be asked to scream, laugh, groan, sneeze, or to sing phonetic sounds rather than words. Wind and string players may lap or scrape their instruments. A brass or woodwind player may hum while playing, to produce two pitches at once; a pianist may reach inside the piano to pluck a string and then run a metal blade along it. In the music of the Western world, the greatest expansion and experimentation have involved percussion instruments, which outnumber strings and winds in many recent compositions. Traditional persussion instruments are struck with new types of beaters; and instruments that used to be couriered unconventional in Western music – tom-toms, bongos, slapsticks, maracas – are widely used.
In the search for novel sounds, increased use has been made in Western music of Microtones. Non-Western music typically divides and intervals between two pitches more finely than Western music does, thereby producing a greater number of distinct tones or micro tones, within the same interval. Composers such as Krzysztof Penderecki create sound that borders on electronic noise through tone clusters – closely spaced tones played together and heard as a mass, block, or band of sound. The directional aspect of sound has taken on new importance as well Loudspeakers or groups of instruments may be placed at opposite ends of the stage, in the balcony, or at the back and sides of the auditorium. Because standard music notation makes no provision for many of these innovations, recent music scores may contain graph like diagrams, new note shapes and symbols, and novel ways of arranging notation on the page.

The passage suggests that Edgard Varese is an example of a composer who

Rewrite sentences without changing the meaning
 I haven’t been to this gallery before.

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Last year, there were millions of international tourist arrivals across the globe. Whether they were students on their (1)______ years looking for overseas adventure, stressed-out workers hoping to get away for a weekend, or retirees (2)______ to relax in an exotic location- clearly none of them thought they could find the same experience at home. The question is whether foreign travel brings more advantages or disadvantages. An obvious positive point is that going abroad sometimes helps people to expand their knowledge of the world. If they are (3)_____ – minded, they can learn about new cultures and hopefully gain a more accurate understanding about their way of life. In addition, there is the economic benefit of tourism to countries which have few other resources. It can provide an income to many people within the industry. Having said that, some people simply go to a foreign resort (4)______ by high walls and therefore learn little about their holiday (5)______. Another issue is that hordes of tourists often spoil the “unspoilt” places they visit. The most recent example of this is Antarctica, where last year cruise ships took thousands of visitors to view the disappearing icebergs and wildlife. Vegetation, nesting penguins and resting walrus are vulnerable when humans intrude

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word or phrase that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions.
There has been a significant increase in the number of crimes reported this year