Choose the best answer:
My younger sister will be ten on her next birthday.

 

Find mistake:
Her brother is interested in to join the English Club.

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
The climate crisis is poised to deliver a severe blow to America’s most threatened animals, with a new study finding that almost every species considered endangered is vulnerable in some way to global heating. Of the 459 animal species listed as endangered by the US government, researchers found that all but one, or 99.8%, have characteristics that will make it difficult for them to adapt to rising temperatures. The California condor, once close to being completely wiped out, faces increased risk of contamination in hotter conditions. Key deer, found only in the Florida Keys, face losing habitat to the rising seas. Whole classes of animals including amphibians, mollusks and arthropods are sensitive to the greatest number of climate-related threats, such as changes in water quality, shifting seasons and harmful invasive species that move in as temperatures climb. Mammals, such as the north Atlantic right whale and Florida panther, also face increased hardships, albeit on fewer fronts than amphibians, mollusks and arthropods.  Despite the overwhelming peril faced by America’s endangered species due to the climate crisis, the report, published in Nature Climate Change, found a patchy response from the US government. Federal agencies consider just 64% of endangered species to be threatened by the climate crisis, while just 18% of listed species have protection plans in place. Astrid Caldas, a study co-author and a climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists said: “While agencies have increasingly listed climate change as a growing threat to species whose survival is already precarious, many have not translated this concern into tangible actions, meaning a significant protection gap still exists.” Nearly half of Australian species are threatened by the climate crisis, researchers have found. A spokesman for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees the endangered species list, said that while a species may be sensitive to changes in the climate, this sensitivity may not be so severe as to warrant being put on the list. “Our process for determining this looks at five factors: threats to a species’ habitat, overutilization, disease or predation, existing regulatory mechanisms, and other factors that may affect its continued existence,” he said. “Through this scientifically rigorous process we examine and account for the effects of climate change.  
5. The word “mechanisms” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _______

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
You’ll be able to purchase high-quality emotions online. Emotion-sharing experiences  are the latest fad in 2045. Imagine your friend at Glastonbury can post a photo on Instagram and with it comes bundled a faint twinkling of what she was feeling right there in that moment, so you too can share emotionally in her social experience.  Recently, techniques for direct brain stimulation, like opt genetics, have made it possible to not only read but also write information into single neurons. At the moment data transfer rates are still very slow, the best we can do is a few bits per second, but this could well increase to kilobits or maybe reach broadband speeds by 2045. This means the range of human perception could expand beyond its current design limitations. One could foresee a new and extraordinary world where there is a virtual marketplace for trading high quality emotions – where artists looking for a particularly high strength brew of melancholy, or actors needing to channel regret or compassion for their next play, could purchase emotions online.  Our cities will be made from living, dynamic materials that respond to the environment. In 30 years, tall buildings made of glass and twisted steel will be seen as relics from a bygone era, in the same way we think now of 1970s concrete tower blocks: ugly, outdated and unfit for contemporary purpose. The urban environment of 2045 blends architecture with living materials that are mouldable, adaptable, responsive and disposable.  Entirely new synthetic life forms, or biological machines, made of engineered living cells from bacteria, fungi and algae will grow and evolve with the changing needs of a building’s inhabitants. They breathe in pollutants, clean wastewater, and use sunlight to make useful chemicals, energy, heat and vibrant vertical gardens. We will start to see a convergence between biology and technology, to the point where there is no longer a perceptible difference between the two. Today, synthetic biology labs are looking at the full diversity of what nature has to offer and using this to mix, match and edit genomes to design synthetic life forms. Right now, this field is just getting started and the science of synthetic biology is going to be tougher than most will admit.  We will use invisibility cloaks to “disappear” ugly objects. Invisibility has forever been a tantalizing prospect. The key to cloaking lies in the way the electromagnetic spectrum  (including visible light) interacts with objects. The human eye picks up electromagnetic radiation that falls and scatters from objects and we perceive this as light. In recent decades, scientists figured out using mathematics that it might just be possible to imagine a new class of artificial materials made of intricate tiny features with light bending properties. They named them metamaterials.  Using nanotechnology engineering, scientists have since shown cloaking actually works – in principle at least, for a narrow range of colours and only from certain viewing angles. The future applications of cloaking are highly uncertain and will likely be determined by the fads and social contagion of the time. They may be used in everything from novelty gimmicks to making unsightly construction sites and power stations seemingly ‘disappear’.   
5. The word “perceptible” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to ______

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Most households in the UK will have a broadband connection and a lot of those  houses will also have experienced connection or speed issues. But what if there was a way to connect to the internet and benefit from a direct connection with much faster speeds? Enter Li-Fi.  Li-Fi stands for Light Fidelity and is a Visible Light Communications (VLC) system which runs wireless communications that travel at very high speeds. With Li-Fi, your light blub is essentially your router. It uses common household LED light bulbs to enable data transfer, boasting speeds of up to 224 gigabits per second.  Li-Fi and Wi-Fi are quite similar as both transmit data electromagnetically. However, Wi-Fi uses radio waves, while Li-Fi runs on visible light waves. This means that it accommodates a photo-detector to receive light signals and a signal processing element to convert the data into “streamable” content. For example, data is fed into an LED light bulb, it then sends data at rapid speeds to the photo-detector. The tiny changes in the rapid dimming of LED bulbs is then converted by the “receiver” into electrical signal. The signal is then converted back into a binary data stream that we would recognise as web, video and audio applications that run on internet-enabled devices.  While some may think that Li-Fi with its 224 gigabits per second leaves Wi-Fi in the dust, Li-Fi’s exclusive use of visible light could halt a mass uptake. Li-Fi signals cannot pass through walls, so in order to enjoy full connectivity, capable LED bulbs will need to be placed throughout the home. Not to mention, Li-Fi requires the light bulb is on at all times to provide connectivity, meaning that the lights will need to be on during the day. Additionally, where there is a lack of light bulbs, there is a lack of Li-Fi internet so Li-Fi does take a hit when it comes to public Wi-Fi networks.  However, using Li-Fi instead of Wi-Fi, you’ll negate lots of security problems associated with shared and often overloaded broadband networks. It will also be advantageous in areas where radio frequency waves do not reach. Due to its impressive speeds, Li-Fi could make a huge impact on the internet of things too, with data transferred at much higher levels with even more devices able to connect to one another. 
3. According to paragraph 3, what form does the transferred data from Li-Fi system take?

Choose the best answer:
Thanks to computers, we can calculate difficult mathematic formula __________ lightning speed.

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:
When another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not usually news.
Rather, it is an ordinary event. Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them. However, when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940, the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals, such as bison or wild cats.
Other images depict birds and, most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than 300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other animals.
Early artists drawing these animals accomplished a monumental and difficult task. “They” did not limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in the Lascaux complex.
Unfortunately, the paintings have been exposed to the destructive action of water and temperature changes, which easily wear the images away. Because the Lascaux caves have many entrances, air movement has also damaged the images inside. Although they are not out in the open air, where natural light would have destroyed them long ago, many of the images have deteriorated and are barely recognizable. To prevent further damage, the site was closed to tourists in 1963, 23 years after it was discovered.

In line 12, the word “They” refers to ………………...

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
In 1988, a year before the Soviet Union collapsed, the 13th National Congress of the  Communist Party of Vietnam adopted a resolution to have “more friends and fewer enemies”. So it was not surprising when Vietnam expressed interest in joining ASEAN as early as 1992, or when it did in fact join in July 1995.   Vietnam’s membership of the grouping integrated its security with the whole of Southeast Asia and created a favourable environment for economic development. This, in turn, raised Vietnam’s global image, leading to increased cooperation with multiple players in the region and greater bargaining clout with super powers like the United States and China. As an ASEAN member, Vietnam has worked hard to secure peace and reconciliation among Southeast Asian nations, which were once deeply divided by war. Vietnam was the first Indochinese country to join ASEAN, and its move helped end confrontation between the Indochinese bloc and ASEAN. Vietnam has also helped ASEAN partner with non-regional players.  Vietnam also led efforts within ASEAN to ensure regional security. Soon after becoming a member, Vietnam signed the Treaty on the Southeast Asian Nuclear-WeaponFree Zone and was one of the founding members of the ASEAN Regional Forum. But the most proactive steps by Hanoi towards regional stability have revolved around disputes in the South China Sea. A direct claimant in the dispute, Vietnam, along with the Philippines, has made constant efforts to put the South China Sea on ASEAN’s agenda, ensuring conflict is dealt with in a constructive way. Vietnam has shown constant support for the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles on the East Sea, and the soon-to-be-concluded Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea. Vietnam calls for the settlement of disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea — including through regulations on respecting exclusive economic zones and the continental shelf of coastal countries. Vietnam has remained committed to ASEAN since it joined in 1995 and Vietnam is beginning to integrate further with the global community, and  cooperation with ASEAN will always be an important pillar in its foreign policy. But Vietnam’s interest in ASEAN is not
limited to security issues. Its leadership also drives efforts toward an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). 
3. According to paragraph 2, what is NOT mentioned as one of the roles of Vietnam?

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
In the early twentieth century, an American woman named Emily Post wrote a book on etiquette. This book explained the proper behavior Americans should follow in many different social (1)______, from birthday parties to funerals. But in modern society, it is not simply to know the proper rules for behavior in your own country. It is necessary for people (2)______ work or travel abroad to understand the rules of etiquette in other cultures as well. Cultural (3)______ can be found in such simple processes as giving or receiving a gift. In Western cultures, a gift can be given to the receiver with relatively little ceremony. When a gift is offered, the receiver usually takes the gift and expresses his or her thanks. (4)______, in some Asian countries, the act of gift–giving may appear confusing to Westerners. In Chinese culture, both the giver and receiver understand that the receiver will typically refuse to take the gift several times before he or she finally accepts it. In addition, to (5)______ respect for the receiver, it is common in several Asian cultures to use both hands when offering a gift to another person.

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Vietnam’s population is ageing quickly. In 2017, more than 10 per cent of the population will be 60 and older, and in 15–20 years the elderly will account for one third of the total population. This raises concerns about healthcare, welfare and pensions for the elderly at a time when Vietnam is focusing on economic integration and requires a large labor force. So far two solutions have been proposed: to loosen the two-child policy and to increase the retirement age to 58 for women and 62 for men. By ending the two-child policy the government expects to make up for the ageing population within the next 20 years. But its effect could be creating an uncontrollable boom in the Vietnamese population. When the government loosened the two-child policy in 2015 in a trial period, in the first 6 months of 2016 the third child birth rate increased remarkably by 7.5 per cent. Raising the retirement age has been proposed by the Ministry of Labor pending parliamentary evaluation in May 2017. While the policy is beneficial in utilizing the work experience of the elderly while creating savings in the pension budget, it also means fewer job prospects and promotion opportunities for younger generations. It is also not in the interest of all the elderly, especially the 70 per cent of Vietnam’s labor force working in manual labor-intensive sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and construction where working above the age of 50 can be dangerous and unproductive. Despite these drawbacks, raising the retirement age is still considered by policymakers as one of the key solutions to the ageing population problem in Vietnam. However, these are only temporary solutions.  
3. The word “its” in paragraph 1 refers to_______________?

Choose the best answer:
Do you need to be that stressed______?

Swine influenza (also called swine flu, hog flu and pig flu) is an infection of a host animal by any one of several specific types of microscopic organisms called "swine influenza virus". A swine influenza virus (SIV) is any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is usually hosted by (is endemic in) pigs. As of 2009, the known SIV strains are the influenza c virus and the subtypes of the influenza A virus known as HI N1, H1N2, H3N1, H3N2 and H2N3. Swine influenza is common in pigs in the mid-western United States (and occasionally in other states), Mexico, Canada, South America, Europe (including the UK, Sweden and Italy) Kenya Mainland China, Taiwan Japan and other parts of eastern Asia.

Transmission of swine influenza vims from pigs to humans is not common and does not always cause human influenza, often only resulting in the production of antibodies in the blood. The meat of the animal poses no risk of transmitting the virus when properly cooked. If transmission does cause human influenza, it is called zoonotic swine flu. People who work with pigs, especially people with intense exposures, are at increased risk of catching swine flu. In the mid-20th century, identification of influenza subtypes became possible. This allows accurate diagnosis of transmission to humans. Since then, fifty confirmed transmissions have been recorded. Rarely, these strains of swine flu can pass from human to human. In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general namely chills fever sore throat, muscle pains severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort.

The 2009 flu outbreak in humans known as "swine flu" is due to a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 that contains genes closely related to swine influenza. The origin of this new strain is unknown. However, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reports that this strain has not been isolated in pigs. This strain can be transmitted from human to human, and causes the normal symptoms of influenza.

What does the word "poses" mean?

Application for admission to the Graduate School at this university must be made on forms provided by the Director of Admission. An applicant whose undergraduate work was done at another institution should request that two copies of undergraduate transcripts and degrees be sent directly to the Dean of the Graduate School. Both the application and the transcripts must be on file at least one month prior to the registration date, and must be accompanied by a non-refundable ten-dollar check or money order to cover the cost of processing the application. Students who have already been admitted to the Graduate School but were not enrolled during the previous semester should reapply for admission using a special short form available in the office of the Graduate School. It is not necessary for students who have previously been denied admission to resubmit transcripts; however, new application forms must accompany all requests for reconsideration. Applications should be submitted at least eight weeks in advance of the session in which the student wishes to enroll. Students whose applications are received after the deadline may be considered for admission as non-degree students, and may enroll for six credit hours. Non-degree status must be changed prior to the completion of the first semester of study, however. An undergraduate student of this university who has senior status and is within ten credit hours of completing all requirements for graduation may register for graduate work with the recommendation of the chairperson of the department and the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School.

Students who have already been admitted to the Graduate School_______________ ,

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 following questions:
It is many peoples dream to become a world-famous artist. Unfortunately, it can be extremely difficult to make a living solely from selling your paintings or sculptures. But don’t worry because there are other jobs in the world of art that you can pursue. One possible career option is to become an art dealer.
An art dealer works on behalf of artists to help them sell works to museums and galleries around the world. To be successful at this profession, it requires a well-rounded skill set. For starters, it helps a lot if you love art and are knowledgeable about art history. Having business skills will also be quite useful, as it will be necessary to negotiate with buyers, and help the artists you represent market their work. If becoming an art dealer sounds appealing, there are several steps which you can follow. Although you  may have a love for a wide range of styles, you should start by choosing one category to focus on. Buyers usually prefer to deal with a specialist in a particular area than someone who is a jack of all trades. When selecting your focus, choose an area that you are passionate about instead of something that seems lucrative. Art trends come and go, so there is no use trying to predict what is hot. These trends will certainly change over the course of your career.
Once you selected an area to focus on, start to contact some museums, galleries, and other companies in the art world and send them your resume. The majority of art dealers begin their careers working as interns for these kinds of companies. Although these interns may be paid little, or in some cases nothing at all, the experience of learning how art businesses work will certainly serve you down the road.
It pays to be flexible in the beginning, as the most important thing is to get your foot in the door. Museums and galleries may offer you several positions including a sales assistant or a junior art consultant. Whichever job you accept, be sure to learn it well and give it your best. In addition to your responsibilities, make sure your start to network with others in your industry. As your knowledge and contacts begin to grow, more opportunities will be open to you.

What could replace the work “lucrative” in paragraph 2?

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Most households in the UK will have a broadband connection and a lot of those  houses will also have experienced connection or speed issues. But what if there was a way to connect to the internet and benefit from a direct connection with much faster speeds? Enter Li-Fi.  Li-Fi stands for Light Fidelity and is a Visible Light Communications (VLC) system which runs wireless communications that travel at very high speeds. With Li-Fi, your light blub is essentially your router. It uses common household LED light bulbs to enable data transfer, boasting speeds of up to 224 gigabits per second.  Li-Fi and Wi-Fi are quite similar as both transmit data electromagnetically. However, Wi-Fi uses radio waves, while Li-Fi runs on visible light waves. This means that it accommodates a photo-detector to receive light signals and a signal processing element to convert the data into “streamable” content. For example, data is fed into an LED light bulb, it then sends data at rapid speeds to the photo-detector. The tiny changes in the rapid dimming of LED bulbs is then converted by the “receiver” into electrical signal. The signal is then converted back into a binary data stream that we would recognise as web, video and audio applications that run on internet-enabled devices.  While some may think that Li-Fi with its 224 gigabits per second leaves Wi-Fi in the dust, Li-Fi’s exclusive use of visible light could halt a mass uptake. Li-Fi signals cannot pass through walls, so in order to enjoy full connectivity, capable LED bulbs will need to be placed throughout the home. Not to mention, Li-Fi requires the light bulb is on at all times to provide connectivity, meaning that the lights will need to be on during the day. Additionally, where there is a lack of light bulbs, there is a lack of Li-Fi internet so Li-Fi does take a hit when it comes to public Wi-Fi networks.  However, using Li-Fi instead of Wi-Fi, you’ll negate lots of security problems associated with shared and often overloaded broadband networks. It will also be advantageous in areas where radio frequency waves do not reach. Due to its impressive speeds, Li-Fi could make a huge impact on the internet of things too, with data transferred at much higher levels with even more devices able to connect to one another. 
6. According to paragraph 4, which is NOT the drawback of Li-Fi?

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
While many behaviors and practices associated with going green are designed to save  money, there are certain ways in which green living can actually be moderately to very expensive. Much of the technology associated with green living (1) ____________ provide benefits to the environment but often at a much higher cost than their traditional counterparts. For instance, the use of solar panels can potentially save you money on your energy bills, but they can (2) ______________ thousands of dollars to install. Energy-efficient appliances are designed to use less electricity and water but they often come with a high price tag.  Going green can also potentially have a negative effect on the environment. For (3) __________, the development of alternative fuels is an innovation in the green movement in an effort to reduce reliance on (4) ___________ natural resources. While these fuels are intended to reduce the toxic emissions caused by the burning of traditional gasoline, they may have unintentionally caused the opposite effect. One of these alternative fuels, E85, actually (5) ___________ more ozone into the atmosphere than traditional fuel. While ozone is a natural part of the Earth’s upper atmosphere, if it becomes concentrated in the lower atmosphere, it can potentially increase air pollution in areas where smog is a concern, which can in turn impact the health of those living in these areas

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Continuing education is required for workers to stay current with the latest developments, skills, and new technologies required for their fields. Certain professions also require continuing education to comply with laws, remain licensed or certified, or maintain membership in an association or licensing body. Many careers require continuing education. For example, teachers, real estate agents, and engineers are required to have a base of education and then receive updated education as they continue to work in their fields. Nursing, pharmacy, accounting, and criminal justice are additional fields in which professionals must continue to develop the skills necessary for ever-changing environments. For nurses, there are typically two types of continuing education. The first is required for them to remain licensed in their states. The second type of continuing education allows them to get more advanced degrees and qualify for higher-level nursing positions. In the fastpaced pharmacy field, continuing education is important for career growth and licensure. Pharmacists need continuing education to renew their state licenses. Continuing education focuses on subject areas in health care, including pharmacology, patient counseling, regulatory issues, and other topics that contribute to professional pharmacy practice.  Certified public accountants (CPAs) must meet continuing education requirements established by the State Board of Accountancy of the states where their CPA licenses are held. The requirements vary from state to state. The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) also requires certain continuing education for CPAs to maintain membership. Meanwhile, criminal justice professionals need to stay up-to-date on the new laws, procedures, and technologies to reinforce the knowledge they have already gained. Criminal justice and legal fields include a variety of jobs, such as probation and parole officers, summary court officials, emergency management personnel, and crime scene technicians. Many of these careers require an undergraduate degree for entry, and then professionals must complete continuing education courses as they progress in their careers. Crime scene investigators and evidence technicians must maintain certifications specific to the collection, processing, and maintenance of evidence. Traffic crash reconstructionists must maintain accredited certifications. Emergency management professionals must complete and maintain certifications for their respective states and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Howard concluded “Today’s professionals must, therefore, commit to a ‘life-long learning’ philosophy that enhances effectiveness, diagnose and more quickly solves problems, while moving away from the traditional autocratic management styles.” Whether it is required or not, continuing education can be important for career satisfaction.  
5. The word “they” in paragraph 3 refers to _____

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Hardcover and paperback are two types of books and bookbinding processes. A hardcover book is also called a hardback or hardbound. On the other hand, a paperback also goes by the names softback and soft cover. Paperbacks can be further classified as trade paperbacks and mass-market paperbacks. Paperback book, as its name implies, has a soft card or a thick paper cover over the pages. This type of covering is less heavy but prone to folding, bending, and wrinkles with use and over time. Hardcover books are characterized with a thick and rigid covering. This covering allows protection for the pages and makes the book durable and usable for a long time. Oftentimes, a hardcover book has a dust that protects the books from dust and other wear and tear. Some books are even made durable by using leather or calfskin as a book covering. In terms of manufacturing and purchasing books, hardcover books are more expensive due to the materials and processes. Pages of hardcover books are acid-free paper. This type of paper allows preservation of the ink and is ideal for books in use and preserving them for a long time. On the other hand, paperbacks use cheap paper, usually newsprint. The reason for this is to lower production costs and being readily made available for the masses. The paper in a hardcover book is usually stitched together before being glued, stapled, or sewn to the book’s spine. Due to the stitches, a hardcover book can have signatures, a place where the binding threads are visible. Meanwhile, a paperback book’s pages are glued together and glued again to the spine. This makes the pages loose or separated while being in use. Hardcover books are often applied to academic books, references books, commercial, and bestsellers that have enjoyed financial success. Other books in the hardcover version are books of collectible value. Publishers often release a hardcover version of the book to show investment so that they can project a high return of investment. This is a large contrast regarding paperbacks. Paperback books are done for new or succeeding editions, reprinting of books or books with little profit margin. Publishers use the paperback editions to stretch the profit for the book. The first release or first edition of a literary work is purposefully done as a hardcover book followed by paperback versions.
6. The word “they” in paragraph 4 refers to _____

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
College is a new and different experience for me. I’m away from home, so I have  many things to adjust to. Being on my own, talking with friendly people, and having Fridays off - these are just some things I like about college.  Living at college, first of all, gives me a sense of responsibility, of being on my own. My parents are not around to say, “No, you’re not going out tonight.” Or “Did you finish your homework?” Everything I do has to be my decision, and that gives me the responsibility of handling my own life. During the second week I was at college, I had to go out and look for a bank where I could open an account. Before that I looked in the phone book since I had no clue about any banks around here or where they were located. Someone told me to go to a bank named Continental Federal Savings. And I had to make my own decision - whether to have a checking or saving account and whether or not to get a card. I’m on my own to make my own decisions.  I also love to have Fridays off. I wouldn’t be able to deal with five days of classes in a row. I love to sleep in. One Thursday night, my roommates and I went to Georgetown. We got in rather early the next morning, and my roommates and I decided to sleep in, something I couldn’t do in high school.  I do like things about college - being on my own and having Fridays off, but this doesn’t mean I don’t think about things at home. Although I like college, I can still get homesick: New York is a pretty good place, too. 
4. The phrase “had no clue” in paragraph 2 mostly means: 

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
The United States has had approximately a thousand lights as well as light towers,  range lights, and pier head lights. Michigan has the most lights of any state with over 150 past and present lights. Most of the lights in the United States have been built and maintained by the Coast Guard. As navigation has declined and as public interest in them has increased, the Coast Guard has been handing over ownership to other parties. The first navigational lights in the New World were probably lanterns hung at harbor entrances. The first lighthouse was put up by the Massachusetts Bay Colony In 1766 on Little Brewster Island at the entrance to Boston Harbor. Paid for and maintained by light dues levied on ships, the original beacon was blown up in 1776. By then there were only a dozen or so true lighthouses in the colonies. Little over a century later, there were 700 lighthouses.  The first eight erected on the West Coast in the 1850’s featured the same basic New England design: a Cape Cod dwelling with the tower rising from the center or standing close by. In New England and elsewhere, though, lighthouses reflected a variety of architectural styles. Since most stations in the Northeast were built on rocky eminences, enormous towers were not the rule. Some were made of stone and brick, others of wood or metal. Some stood on pilings or stilts: some were fastened to rock with iron rods. Farther south, from Maryland through the Florida Keys, the coast was low and sandy. It was often necessary to build tall towers there - massive structures like the majestic Cape Hatteras, North Carolina lighthouse, which was lit in 1870. At 190 feet, it is the tallest brick lighthouse in the country. Notwithstanding differences in appearance and construction, most American lighthouses shared several features: a light, living quarters, and sometimes a bell (or, later, a foghorn). They also had something else in common: a keeper and, usually, the keeper’s family. The keeper’s essential task was trimming the lantern Nick in order to maintain a steady bright flame. The earliest keepers came from every walk of life-they were seamen. Farmers, mechanics, rough mill hands-and appointments were often handed out by local customs commissioners as political plums. After the administration of lighthouses was taken over in 1852 by the United States Lighthouse 803rd, an agency of the Treasury Department, the keeper corps gradually became highly professional.  
2. Why does the author mention the Massachusetts Bay Colony?

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 following questions:
It’s often said that we team things at the wrong time. University students frequently do the minimum of work because they’re crazy about a good social life instead. Children often scream before their piano practice 5 because it’s so boring. They have to be given gold stars and medals to be persuaded to swim, or have to be bribed to take exams. But the story is different when you’re older.
Over the years, I’ve done my share of adult learning. At 30, I went to a college and did courses in History and English. It was an amazing experience. For starters, I was paying, so there was no reason to be late - I was the one frowning and drumming my fingers if the tutor was late, not the other way round. Indeed, if I could persuade him to linger for an extra five minutes, it was a bonus, not a nuisance. I wasn’t frightened to ask questions, and homework was a pleasure not a pain. When I passed an exam, I had a big meal, not for my parents or my teachers. The satisfaction I got was entirely personal.
Some people fear going back to school because they worry that their brains have got rusty. But the joy is that, although some parts have rusted up, your brain has learnt all kinds of other things since you were young. It has learnt to think independently and flexibly and is much better at relating one thing to another. What you lose in the rust department, you gain in the maturity department.
In some ways, age is a positive plus. For instance, when you’re older, you get less frustrated. Experience has told you that, if you’re calm and simply do something carefully again and again, eventually you’ll get the hang of it. The confidence you have in other areas - from being able to drive a car, perhaps - means that if you can’t, say, build a chair instantly, you don’t, like a child, want to destroy your first pathetic attempts. Maturity tells you that you will, with application, eventually get there.
I hated piano lessons at school, but I was good at music. And coming back to it, with a teacher who could explain why certain exercises were useful and with musical concepts that, at the age of ten. I could never grasp, was magical. Initially, I did feel a bit strange, thumping out a piece that I’d played for my school exams, with just as little comprehension of what the composer intended as I’d had all those years before. But soon, complex emotions that I never knew poured out from my fingers, and suddenly I could understand why practice makes perfect.

It is implied in the last paragraph that when you learn later in life, you