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It is surely more than coincidence that the beginning of a new millennium is being (1)…... by renewed interest in sundials: (2)………used to measure time according to the position of the sun. A hundred years ago, they were a vital time-keeping (3)………, essential for everyone who hopes to keep their clocks working accurately. Then, as clocks and watches became more (4)……….. and reliable, the sundial was relegated to the (5)………….of garden ornament _ a romantic and intriguing ornament, but (6)…………an anachronism, in a brave new technological age. Now the clock has been (7)…………. They are again being taken seriously. David Harber, a sundial maker, believes that their appeal (8)………..in their direct link with the planets. He said that when he delivers one, there is a (9)…………..of magic when it starts working. They are still calm, romantic objects that (10)…………..us of our place in the cosmos

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When the word "endangered" is mentioned, people usually think of particular species, like the panda or whooping crane. However, we would like to encourage you to think about (1) _______ in a broader context. It is (2) _______, the physical places where species live and interact with one another. Although the development of special breeding programs, also known as captive conservation, may help some species in some cases, it is clearly not (3) _______ answer to the global problem. Indeed, (4) _______ we are able to protect natural areas where endangered species actually live, they have no future Species become endangered for a wide (5) ________ of reasons. By analyzing and grouping many individual cases, however, we find the same broad causes (6) _________ again and again. They are Habitat Destruction, Exotic Species, and Overexploitation. Among other factors threatening particular species are limited: distribution, disease, and pollution. Limited distributions are often a consequence of other threats: populations confined to one or a few small areas because of habitat (7) _________, for example, may be disastrously affected by random factors. Diseases can have severe (8) _________ on species lacking natural genetic protections against particular pathogens, like the rabies and canine distemper viruses that are currently devastating carnivore populations in East Africa. Domestic animals are usually the reservoirs of these and other diseases affecting wild (9) _________, showing once again that human activities lie at the root of most causes of endangerment. Pollution has seriously done harm (10) _________ number of terrestrial species, although species living in freshwater and marine ecosystems are also suffering

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word for each of the blanks.
Alligators have always been the most dangerous predators of the Florida Everglades, (1) ..................their long-held position is now being challenged by a growing population of Burmese pythons.
The Burmese python, a giant snake measuring up to 20 feet long and weighing up to 200 pounds, is very popular among exotic pet owners. However, as the (2)..............snakes grow, they become more difficult to cafe and handle. To avoid dealing with the snakes, the owners irresponsibly release them into the wild. (3).............the Everglades is quite similar to the python’s native environment of Southeast Asia, they survive and prosper without difficulty.
The issue with the Burmese pythons is their choice of meals. They eat alligators and endangered birds, which creates a strain on an  already (4)...........ecosystem. Recently a 13-foot long Burmese  python was found with a 5-foot alligator bursting from its stomach. They python died trying to eat the alligator but a larger one would have easily won the struggle. With over 30,000 Burmese pythons now living in the Everglades,  a  solution  to  stop  this  invasive  species  is  necessary.  If  the  pythons  are  (5)..................unchecked, there is a strong possibility they will wipe out a variety of species necessary for the functioning of the Everglades ecosystem.

(1)......................................

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The invention of the airplane , like many great inventions, was initially met with ridicule and disbelief. Although many people who heard about the first powered flight on December 17, 1903, were excited and impressed, others reacted with peals of laughter. The idea of flying an aircraft was repulsive to some people. Although Orville and Wilbur Wright, the inventors of the first flying machine, were called impulsive fools, the Wrights continued their experiments in aviation. Orville and Wilbur Wright had always had a compelling interest in aeronautics and mechanics. As young boys they earned money by making and selling kites and mechanical toys. Later, they designed a newspaper-folding machine, built a printing press, and operated a bicycle-repair shop. In 1896, when they read about the death of Otto Lilienthal, the brother's interest in flight grew into a compulsion. Lilienthal, a pioneer in hang-gliding, had controlled his gliders by shifting his body in the desired direction. This idea was repellent to the Wright brothers, however, and they searched for more efficient methods to control the balance of airborne vehicles. In 1900 and 1901, the Wrights tested numerous gliders and developed control techniques. The brothers' inability to obtain enough lift power for the gliders almost led them to abandon their efforts. After studying and experimenting with model wings in a wind tunnel, the Wright brothers designed their first airplane in 1903 for less than one thousand dollars. They even designed and built their own lightweight gasoline engine. On December 17, they successfully flew the plane for twelve seconds and 120 feet, despite a turbulent start. By 1905 the Wrights had perfected the first airplane that could turn, circle, and remain airborne for half an hour at a time. Others had flown in balloons or in hang gliders, but the Wright brothers were the first to build a full-size machine that could fly under its own power. As the contributors of one of the most outstanding engineering achievements in history, the Wright brothers are accurately called the fathers of aviation.
2. The word repulsive in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______

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It is surely more than coincidence that the beginning of a new millennium is being (1)…... by renewed interest in sundials: (2)………used to measure time according to the position of the sun. A hundred years ago, they were a vital time-keeping (3)………, essential for everyone who hopes to keep their clocks working accurately. Then, as clocks and watches became more (4)……….. and reliable, the sundial was relegated to the (5)………….of garden ornament _ a romantic and intriguing ornament, but (6)…………an anachronism, in a brave new technological age. Now the clock has been (7)…………. They are again being taken seriously. David Harber, a sundial maker, believes that their appeal (8)………..in their direct link with the planets. He said that when he delivers one, there is a (9)…………..of magic when it starts working. They are still calm, romantic objects that (10)…………..us of our place in the cosmos

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Televisions has changed the lifestyle of people in every industrialized country in the world. In the United States , where sociologists have studied the effects , some interesting observations have been made. TV, although not essential , has become a(n) (1)____part of most people‘s lives. It has become a baby-sitter , an initiator of (2)____of program does not elevate people into greater (3)____, but rather maintains and encourages the status quo. The (4)____reason for the lack of quality in American TV is related to both the history of TV development and the economics of TV. TV in American began with the radio. Radio companies and their sponsors first experimented with TV. Therefore , the close relationship , (5)____the advertisers had with radio programs , but many actually produced the programs .Thus , (6)____from the capitalistic , profit – oriented sector of American society, TV is primarily (7)_____with reflecting and attracting society (8)____than innovating and experimenting with new ideas . Advertisers want to attract the largest viewing audience possible ; to do so TV in America today remains , to a large (9)______ , with the same organization and standards as it had thirty years ago. The hope for some evolution and true achievement toward improving society will require a change in the (10)____ system.

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We are using up the world‘s petroleum. We use (1) _________in our cars and to heat our building in winter.Farmers use petrochemicals to (2) _________ the soil rich. They use them to kill insects (3) _________eat plants. These chemicals go (4) __________rivers and lakes and kill the fish there. Thousands of pollutants also go into the air and pollute it. Winds carry this (5) _________ air to other countries and other continents. Poor farmers use the same land over and (6) __________ The land needs a rest so it will be better next year. However, the farmers must have food this year. Poor people cut down forests (7) _________ firewood. In some areas when the trees are gone, the land (8) _________ desert. Poor people can‘t save the environment for the (9) ___________ This is not a problem for one country or one area of the world. It is a problem for allhumans. The people and the nations of the world must work together to (10) ___________ the world‘s resources

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Can you imagine what life would be like if there were no telephone? You could not call (1) _____ your friends on the phone and talk to them. If fire (2) ____out in your house you could not call the fire department. If somebody was sick, you could not call a doctor. In our daily life we need to (3) ____ with one another. We need do this mostly by speaking to other people and listening to (4) ___ they have to say to us, and when you are close (5) _______ them you can do this very easily. However, our voices will not travel very far even when we shout. The man who (6) _______ this possible was Alexander Graham Bell, a Scotsman, born in Edinburgh in 1847. Bell, a teacher of visible speech who later moved to Canada, (7) _____all his spare time experimenting. (8) _____ enthusiastic was he in his research for a means of sending speech (9) ____ electricity that he left much time for his day-to-day work and at one time was (10)_____ penniless

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In this age of (30)........ telephone networks and electronic mail, it seems that fewer and even fewer people are taking time to sit down and write letters (31).......  friends and relatives. For hundreds of years, letters were the only way to keep (32)...........  people who were any distance away and letter-writing was seen as an important skill for all learned people (33)............. . Gradually, (34)............. , the importance of writing letters is decreasing to a point that majority of us have to (35)............ a special effort to turn out something worthwhile when we apply for a job or make a complaint. In business circles the tendency is for routine communications to become shorter. (36)............. clients may appreciate a detailed letter, an employee who sends out long letters is often regarded as (37)............ . Many people prefer the telephone in all circumstances and its speed is essential in many situations but (38)............  have you put the telephone down, dissatisfied with what you have managed to say? I don‘t think I‘ll throw my (39)................ away yet

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Nobody knows for certain what the origin of music was. Music is certainly older than poetry and painting but as early man had no way of (1) _______ it, we can only (2)_______ what it sounded like. Watching a child (3) ______ on a drum with its hands or a (4 ) ______ of wood, it is easy to see that this is the simplest of instruments. It does not (5) ______ much effort to produce a rhythm on it. Wall paintings show what some of the first instruments looked like. Early civilizations had already discovered the three basic ways of producing music: blowing into a tube, striking an object, and scraping a string. We know that western music comes from the (6) _______ Greeks. The musical scales we use now are (7) ______ on certain sequences of notes which the Greeks used to create a particular (8)_______.  Until the sixteenth century, most players of instruments were single performers, but as music became more (9)_______, orchestras and musical groups began to appear. This (10 ) _______ about the writing of music to be played byseveral musicians at one time. This can certainlybe called the birth of modern music

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The popular image of student life is of young people with few responsibilities enjoying themselves and (1)_____ very little work. This is often not true. Many older people now study at college or university, sometimes (2)_____ a part-time basis while having a job and looking after a family. These students are often (3)_____ motivated and work very hard . Younger students are often thought to be lazy and careless about money but this (4)_____ is changing. In Britain reduced government support for higher education means that students can no longer rely on having their expenses (5)_____ for them. Formerly, students received a grant towards their living expenses. Now most can only get a loan (6)_____ has to be paid back. Since 1999 they have paid over $1 000 towards tuition (7)_____ and this amount will increase up to a maximum of $ 3 000. In the US students already (8)_____ pay for tuition and room and board . Many get a financial aid package which may (9)_____ grants, scholarships and loans. The fear of having large debts places (10)_____ pressure on students and many take part-time jobs during the term and work full-time in the vacations

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The Thames Barrier is a major part of the flood defence scheme for protecting London (1) ____________ rising water levels. The defenses (2)___________ include raised river embankments and additional flood gates at strategic points, including the Barking Baưier. The unique structure that is the Barrier spans the 520-metre wide Woolwich reach and consists of 10 separate movable gates, each pivoting and supported between concrete structures which house the operating machinery. When raised, the four main gates (3) _____________ stand as high as a five-storey building and as (4) __________as the opening of Tower Bridge. Each (5) _____________ 3700 tonnes. During the first twelve years of (6) ______________________________________ , the Barrier has been closed twenty nine times to protect London. (7) __________ the Barrier from the comfortable Cafeteria. Picnic on the riverside embankment. Enjoy beautiful views from the riverside walk. Visit the shop which stocks a large selection of souvenirs, books and Barrier information. There is a children‘s play (8) _______ suitable for 4 – to 12-year olds, (9) __________ adjacent to the riverside walk. A visit to the spectacular Thames Barrier is a (10) ___________ experience.

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Earth is the only place we know of in the universe that can support human life. (1) _____ human activities are making the planet less fit to live on. As the western world (2) _____ on consuming two-thirds of the world's resources while half of the world's population do so just to stay alive we are rapidly destroying the (3) _____ resource we have by which all people can survive and prosper. Everywhere fertile soil is (4) _____ built on or washed into the sea. Renewable resources are exploited so much that they will never be able to recover (5) _____. We discharge pollutants into the atmosphere without any thought of the consequences. As a (6) _____ the planet's ability to support people is being reduced at the very time when rising human numbers and consumption are (7) _____ increasingly heavy demands on it. The Earth's (8) _____ resources are there for us to use. We need food, water, air, energy, medicines, warmth, shelter and minerals to (9) _____ us fed, comfortable, healthy and active. If we are sensible in how we use the resources, they will (10) _____ indefinitely. But if we use them wastefully and excessively, they will soon run out and everyone will suffer.

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Denmark is the smallest and most southerly of the countries of Scandinavia. (1) ____ lie in northern Europe. It is probably best (2) ____ for being home to the powerful Vikings, (3) ____ 1,000 years ago. Denmark is a small country, with limited natural (4) ____. Nevertheless, it has become one of the richest countries in the (5) ____. Denmark has its own (6) ____ culture and traditions, and a tongue−twisting language, which includes several different dialects. Although Denmark is a member (7) ____ the European Union, recently it has been reluctant to work more closely with the EU and give up (8) ____ of its independence. Wealth in Denmark is shared out more evenly than in most countries, because people pay high taxes. Many workers pay more than 50 percent of their wages in tax. The money is used to pay (9)____ a welfare system which includes health care, benefits for the unemployed and the elderly, and public services. Compared to the rest of the world, it is (10) ____ to become either very rich or very poor in Denmark

Read the passage below and choose one correct answer for each question.

In the past, both men and women were expected to be married at quite young ages. Marriages were generally arranged by parents and family, with their children having little chance to say no in the matter. In the past it was not surprising to find that a bride and groom had only just met on the day of their engagement or marriage. In modern Vietnam, this has changed completely as people choose their own marriage-partners based on love, and in consideration primarily to their own needs and wants. Moreover early marriage is quite illegal. The traditional Vietnamese wedding is one of the most important of traditional Vietnamese occasions. Regardless of westernization, many of the age-old customs practiced in a traditional Vietnamese wedding continue to be celebrated by both Vietnamese in Vietnam and overseas, often combining both western and eastern elements. Besides the wedding ceremony, there is also an engagement ceremony which takes place usually half a year or so before the wedding. Due to the spiritual nature of the occasion, the date and time of the marriage ceremony are decided in advance by a fortune teller. The traditional Vietnamese wedding consists of an extensive array of ceremonies: the first is the ceremony to ask permission to receive the bride, the second is the procession to receive the bride (along with the ancestor ceremony at her house), the third is to bring the bride to the groom's house for another ancestor ceremony and to welcome her into the family, then the last is a wedding banquet. The number of guests in attendance at these banquets is huge, usually in the hundreds. Several special dishes are served. Guests are expected to bring gifts, often money, which the groom and bride at one point in the banquet will go from table to table collecting.

In the past, _________.

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All relationships go through difficult times. In the past, when married couples had problems they usually didn‘t (11) . They had to either (12) with each other or continue to live together in an unhappy relationship. Getting divorced wasn‘t an option for most people due to economic and social reasons. Some people believe that this wasn‘t such a bad thing. They say that relationships require hard work and (13) . ―If a relationship is going to last a lifetime, you have to keep working at it,‖ says Doreen, who is celebrating her fiftieth wedding anniversary this year. ―It isn‘t all roses and romance. (14) perfect all of the time. These days young people give up when there‘s the (15) argument.‖ Experts agree that communication is key. The most important thing is to (16) talking. How many times have you heard yourself say to (17) , ―If only you‘d listen!‖ or ― I wish you (18) do that!‖ The truth is, the (19) couples talk, the better their relationship (20) be

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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

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The first question we might ask is: What can you learn in college that will help you in being an employee? The schools teach (55) _______ many things of value to the future accountant, doctor or electrician. Do they also teach anything of value to the future employee? Yes, they teach the one thing that it is perhaps most valuable for the future employee (56)_______. But very few students bother to learn it. This basic skill is the ability to organize and express ideas in writing and in speaking. This means that your success as an employee will depend on your ability to communicate with people and to (57) _______ your own thoughts and ideas to them so they will (58) _______ understand what you are driving and be persuaded. Of course, skill in expression is not enough (59) _______ itself. You must have something to say in the first place. The effectiveness of your job depends (60) _______ your ability to make other people understand your work as they do on the quality of the work itself. Expressing one‘s thoughts is one skill that the school can (61) _______ teach. The foundations for skill in expression have to be (62) _______ early: an interest in and an ear (63) _______ language; experience in organizing ideas and data, in brushing aside the irrelevant, and above all the habit of verbal expression. If you do not these foundations (64) _______ your school years, you may never have an opportunity again

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Women are expert at gossiping, and they always talk about trivial things, or at least that‘s what men have always thought. However, some new research (1) _____ that when women talk to women, their (2) ______ are far from frivolous, and cover many more (3) _____ (up to 6 subjects) than men talk to other men. Women‘s conversations (4)_____ from health to their houses, from politics to fashion, from movies to family, from education to relationship problems. Sports are notably (5)_____. Men tend to have a more limited range of subjects, the most popular being work, sports, jokes, cars, and women. According to Professor Petra Boynton, a psychologist who interviewed over 1000 women, women also tend to move quickly from one subject to another in (6)_____, while men usually stick to one subject for longer periods of time. At work, this (7) _____ can be an advantage for men, as they can put other matters aside and concentrate matter aside and concentrate (8) ______ on the topic being discussed. On the other hand, it also means that they sometimes find it hard to concentrate when several things have to be discussed at the same (9) _____ in a meeting. Professor Boynton also says that men and women talk for different reasons. In social (10) _____ women use conversation to solve problems and reduce stress while men talk with each other to laugh or to compare opinions

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During shopping trip to your supermarket, you will (1)_____ many similar products. How do manufacturers (2)_____ you to buy their products and not those of another company? By careful packaging! (3)_____ of the boxes and bottles that you see has been carefully designed to appeal to you, personally. Do you care about the environment? Then buy this washing powder; it contains (4)_____ chemicals. Do you want to impress your friends? Buy these trainers; they have a designer label. Before manufacturers market a new product, they spend months discussing the packaging. Then, they try out their ideas on a group of customers. Manufacturers (5)_____ customers will see more than just a box or bottle. They want to convince you that their product ((6)_____ your personality more than any other product in the shop. One psychologist did some interesting (7)_____ .He wanted to (8)_____ how important packaging is. He asked customers to try a certain drink. They all agreed about the taste and quality. Then he secretly poured the same drink into a differently designed bottle. The results changed! People thought this drink tasted much better than the first, (9)_____ both drinks were, in fact, the same! To the researcher‘s amazement, people‘s opinions depended (10)_____ the design of the bottle

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A coincidence is a surprising thing that happens to us. For example, you and a friend both go shopping on the same day. You don‘t go together and don‘t discuss your shopping plans in (21) ______, but when you meet up afterwards, you are amazed to discover that you‘ve bought an identical T-shirt. By (22) , you each decided to buy the same one. Many people (23) coincidences as significant. Did you and your friend communicate with each other in some subconscious way? What does it tell you about your friendship? Well, the simple (24) ________ could be that, being (25) friends, you have similar taste in clothes. In reality, life is (26) ________of coincidences, but normally we don‘t notice them. For example, in almost fifty percent of all football matches, two players share the same birthday. This seems surprising, (27) ________ that there are 365 possible birthdays in the year. But most of these matches will be played without anybody being (28) _______ that coincidence exists. (29)________your birthday is today, you don‘t generally tell people about it. In addition, without realising it, you probably (30) ______ into contact with lots of people who were born on the same day as you. But when a coincidence brought to your attention, it still seems amazing