Choose the best answer:
Obesity may be considered a serious health problem.

 

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Twitter: 140 Characters to Express Yourself
At the start of the social media revolution, Facebook quickly became the most popular site for sharing information with others. However, it is not the only service that people can use to express themselves. Those who believe in the old saying that “more is less” may want to check out Twitter. Part of Twitter’s appeal is that it limits users to 140 characters whenever they update their status. This forces people to quickly “get to the point” when they are communicating. Twitter is a microblogging service that was created by four American programmers in 2006. The founders chose the name Twitter because the word has two definitions: “a short burst of information” and “the sound that little birds make”, both of which fit the description of what their service provides. In fact, some people have even labeled Twitter the “SMS of the Internet”. Twitter is not just about words though. Users can also share videos and pictures. Another thing which truly sets Twitter apart from its competition is the hashtag. Hashtags are a special way of labeling and classifying information. They help people interested in a subject to find related posts and content. For example, some interested in sports could simply search for hashtag sports and they would find all messages tagged in this manner. Twitter has also allowed people to easily connect with others who they would have never had access to in the past. This has enabled fans to interact with their favourite celebrities by following their Twitter updates and sending them direct messages. Of course, there is no guarantee that the famous person will respond, as the celebrities may receive thousands of messages each day. However, there have been some pretty stunning interactions. In 2011, singer Justin Timberlake made headlines when he accepted an invitation from a female soldier to attend a Marine Corps ball. In return, many celebrities find it gratifying to know some of their supporters more closely. However, there is a dark side to Twitter conversations: Some people who don’t think before sending out tweets that can cause outrage by making inappropriate or insensitive remarks. In November 2013, Twitter went public on the New York Stock Exchange. The added investments should allow the company to do some incredible things in the near future.

1. What is an effect of Twitter’s word limit mentioned in the article?

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“ Do you have a camera?” she asked.

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
During the nineteenth century, women in the United States organized and participated in a large number of reform movements, including movements to reorganize the prison system, improve education, ban the sale of alcohol, and, most importantly, free the slaves. Some women saw similarities in the social status of women and slaves. Women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucy Stone were feminists and abolitionists who supported the rights of both women and blacks. A number of male abolitionists, including William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Philips, also supported the rights of women to speak and participate equally with men in antislavery activities. Probably more than any other movement, abolitionism offered women a previously denied entry into politics. They became involved primarily in 20 order to better their living conditions and the conditions of others. When the Civil War ended in 1865, the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution adopted in 1868 and 25 1870 granted citizenship and suffrage to blacks but not to women. Discouraged but resolved, feminists influenced more and more women to demand the right to vote. In 1869, the Wyoming Territory had yielded 30to demands by feminists, but eastern states resisted more stubbornly than before. A women's suffrage bill had been presented to every Congress since 1878 but it continually failed to pass until 1920, 35 when the Nineteenth Amendment granted women the right to vote.
10. When were women allowed to vote throughout the United States?

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:
Foot racing is a popular activity in the US. It is seen not only as a competitive sport but also as a way to exercise, to enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded people, and to donate money to a good cause. Though serious runners may spend months training to compete, other runners and walkers might not train at all. Those not competing to win might run in an effort to beat their own time or simply to enjoy the fun and excrcise. People of all ages, from those of less than one year (who may be pushed in astrollers) to those in their eighties, enter into this sport. The races are held on city streets, on college campuses, through parks, and in suburban areas, and they are commonly 5 to 10 kilometers in length.
The largest footrace in the world is the 12-kilometer Bay to Breakers race that is held in San Francisco every spring. This race begins on the east side of the city near San Francisco Bay and ends on the west side at the Pacific Ocean. There may be 80.000 or more people running in this race through the streets and hills of San Francisco. In the front are the serious runners who compete to win and who might finish in as little as 35 minutes. Behind them are the thousands who take several hours to finish. In the back of the race are those who dress in costumes and come just for fun. One year there was a group of men who dressed like Elvis Presley, and another group consisted of firefighters who were tied together in a long line and who were carrying a fire hose. There was even a bridal party, in which the bride was dressed in a long white gown and the groom wore a tuxedo. The bride and groom threw flowers to bystanders, and they were actually married at some point along the route.

The word “costumes” as used in paragraph 2 most likely refers to     .

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What does D.C. in Washington D.C. __________?

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The principal difference between urban growth in Europe and in the North American colonies was the slow evolution of cities in the former and their rapid growth in the latter. In Europe they grew over a period of centuries from town economies to their present urban structure. In North America, they started as wilderness communities and developed to mature urbanism in little more than a century. In the early colonial days in North America, small cities sprang up along the Atlantic Coastline, mostly in what are now New England and the Middle Atlantic states in the United States and in the lower Saint Lawrence valley in Canada. This was natural because these areas were nearest England and France, particularly England, from which most capital goods were imported. Merchandising establishments were, accordingly, advantageously located in port cities from which goods could be readily distributed to interior settlements. Here, too, were the favored locations for processing raw materials prior to export. Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Montreal, and other cities flurished, and as the colonies grew, these cities increased in importance. This was less true in the colonial South, where life centered around large farms, known as plantations, rather than around towns, as was the case in the areas further north along the Atlantic coastline. The local isolation and the economic self-sufticiency of the plantations were antagonistic to the development of the towns. The plantations maintained their independence because they were located on navigable streams and each had a wharf accessible to the small shipping of that day. In fact, one of the strongest factors in the selection of plantation land was the desire to have it front on a water highway. When the United States became an independent nation in 1776, it did not have a single city as large as 50,000 inhabitants, but by 1820 it had a city of more than 100,000 people, and by 1880 it had recorded a city of over one million. It was not until after 1823, after the mechanization of the spinning and weaving industries, that cities started drawing young people away from farms. Such migration was particularly rapid following the Civil War (1861 -1865)
5. According to the passage, early colonial cities were established along the Atlantic coastline of North America due 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:
Foot racing is a popular activity in the US. It is seen not only as a competitive sport but also as a way to exercise, to enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded people, and to donate money to a good cause. Though serious runners may spend months training to compete, other runners and walkers might not train at all. Those not competing to win might run in an effort to beat their own time or simply to enjoy the fun and excrcise. People of all ages, from those of less than one year (who may be pushed in astrollers) to those in their eighties, enter into this sport. The races are held on city streets, on college campuses, through parks, and in suburban areas, and they are commonly 5 to 10 kilometers in length.
The largest footrace in the world is the 12-kilometer Bay to Breakers race that is held in San Francisco every spring. This race begins on the east side of the city near San Francisco Bay and ends on the west side at the Pacific Ocean. There may be 80.000 or more people running in this race through the streets and hills of San Francisco. In the front are the serious runners who compete to win and who might finish in as little as 35 minutes. Behind them are the thousands who take several hours to finish. In the back of the race are those who dress in costumes and come just for fun. One year there was a group of men who dressed like Elvis Presley, and another group consisted of firefighters who were tied together in a long line and who were carrying a fire hose. There was even a bridal party, in which the bride was dressed in a long white gown and the groom wore a tuxedo. The bride and groom threw flowers to bystanders, and they were actually married at some point along the route.

Which of following is NOT implied by author?

Most children enjoy_______ with their parents and siblings.
(127)____________

Rewrite the sentence
What is her opinion of the countryside?

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She goes to school late because she lives very far from school.

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In the Us, the first stage of compulsory education ___________ as elementary education.

SEATTLE (May 1 ) – Researchers at technology firm Nylobe, Inc., are working to develop a sensor capable of detecting corrosion caused by environmental exposure. Corrosion is a major contributor to ---143--- losses in the aircraft industry each year. "This will be a major ---144--- for commercial airline fleets," says Mel Laveau, Nylobe's CEO. "The sensor will decrease both labor and maintenance costs   without being too expensive."
According to Ms. Laveau, the sensor will work by detecting corrosion in its early stages, when the problem can be corrected simply by removing the corroded material. ---145---. In the structure of large aircraft, some critical joints can be particularly susceptible to corrosion. ---146---, the sensor can be used to inspect these areas and then target the most likely areas of concern.

144.....................

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) that best fits each of the numbered blanks .
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 go on holiday each year, and  industry  planners  expect  this  figure  to  double  (1)............... 2020. Some of the biggest beneficiaries are less developed countries, where it is often their main source of income.
(2)......... , along with the economic benefits, this mass movement of people has resulted in environment. People often forget the damage caused by carbon emissions from aircraft, (3)............  contribute directly to global warming. Deforestation has cleared land in order to build hotels, airports and roads, and this has destroyed wildlife. In some areas, water shortages are now common because 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 harmful to people living in tourist destinations.
In  response  to  these  (4)....................... , some travel operators now offer  environment-friendly holidays. Many of these aim to reduce the negative effects of tourism  by (5)............only hotels that have invested equipment to recycle waste and use energy and water efficiently. Increasingly, tourists are also being reminded to show respect for customs of the people whose countries they are going to visit, and to support local businesses, such as restaurants and shops which depend on tourism for their main income.

(4).....................

Read a text about some young people who write for a TV show and decide if the following statements are True, False or Not Given.

Teen writers on TV hit Catch

Dan Finelli is a normal teenager from North London; he goes to school, enjoys hanging out with his mates and only occasionally misses his classes. But Dan also happens to be a writer for the popular teen drama, Catch. The second series starts this week and the one-hour episode that Dan wrote, his very first for the show, will be on screen later in the year. This will make him one of the youngest writers of a peak-time drama ever.

'What's great about Catch is that the characters are exactly like the people around you,' says Dan, who also plays the part of Computer Chris in the show. 'When I'm at school and one of my friend says something funny, I write it down in my notebook and use it later in the script. I never tell them I'm doing it. I just want it to sound as real as possible,' Dan adds.

Catch is about the lives of a group of 16-18-year-olds in a sixth-form college. The school doesn't really exist, but the whole show does feel very true to life. There's an episode every week and each one concentrates on an individual member of the group and tells his or her story.

The idea for the programme came from an unusual source, a father-and-son pair of writers, Ken Thomas and his son, Callum. They took their idea to a TV company and were very surprised when the company said they were keen to make it. Now, Ken and Callum are central members of the writing team but in order to build that team, Ken had to go to theatre companies and writing groups all over London to find both writers and teens to advise on the stories.

Dan asks his friends if he can use the actual things they say in his writing.

 Knowing your skills and strengths is ______ important part of the job search process.

(267)______

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Alemur is a unique animal. When you look at a lemur, it might be hard to tell what you are really looking at. With their huge dark eyes and lush fur, lemurs are very cute, but what animal family are they from? Some lemurs look like a cross between a cat and a dog. Some look a little like squirrels, while others resemble monkeys. Why do they look so strange? To answer to this question we need to understand the lemur's history and genetics. In modern biology, lemurs are called prosimians. This means before monkeys. Remarkably, lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans all share a common ancestor from about 50 million years ago. Monkeys, apes, and humans developed together in one direction. However, lemurs developed differently and slowly because of their geographical location. All lemurs come from the island of Madagascar, located off the east coast of Africa. Madagascar split off from mainland Africa 50 million years ago. It is believed that the first prosimians traveled to Madagascar on floating trees and plants. The prosimians that traveled to Madagascar were isolated from the rest of Africa. Predators, like dogs or cats, did not make it to Madagascar. Since there were no dangerous threats, prosimians did not have to evolve as quickly as other primates did. (primates: any nimal that belongs to the group of mammals that includes humans, apes, and monkeys.) Over time, the original prosimians evolved into lemurs. Lemurs have changed in some ways over those 50 million years, but they are much more similar to our shared ancestor than either humans, monkeys, or apes. Because of this, their bodies and behaviors hold clues about what out common ancestor looked like. Lemurs have four fingers and a thumb on their hands, and five toes on their feet, just like humans do. They have eyes and jaw bones that are similar to humans as well, but they have a wet nose, like a dog. Lemur behavior is also comparable to human behavior, as they live in social groups. Like apes and humans, lemurs travel together, groom one another, fight each other, and play together. Lemurs, however, have simpler friend and family relationships. Recently, lemurs have been studied in captivity. Like their distant chimpanzee and monkey cousins, they can be taught to use tools and to solve complicated problems. The word lemur means ghost. While the name probably comes from their huge reflective eyes and their strange, haunting cries, lemurs are ghosts in a way. They are living ghosts that remind US where we came from, and also give US clues about how humans evolved.
1. Why did lemurs develop more slowly and quite differently?

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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.
4. The word “he” in paragraph 2 refers to ___________.

Choose the best answer:
__________ Robert lately?

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Cities develop as a result of functions that they can perform. Some functions result directly from the a great city regardless of the disadvantageous ingenuity of the citizenry, but most functions activity. result from the needs of the local area and of the surrounding hinterland (the region that supplies goods to the city and to which the city furnishes services and other goods). Geographers often make a distinction between the situation and the site of a city. Situation refers to the general position in relation to the surrounding region, whereas site involves in physical characteristics of the specific location. Situation is normally much more important to the continuing prosperity of a city. If a city is well situated in regard to its hinterland, its development is much more likely to continue. Chicago, for example, possesses an almost unparalleled situation: it is located at the southern end of a huge lake that forces East-West transportation lines to be compressed into its vicinity, and at a meeting of significant land and water transport routes. It also overlooks what is one of the world's fiest large farming regions. These factors ensured that Chicago would become characteristics of the available site, such as being prone to floding during thunderstorm Similarly, it can be argued that much of New York City's importance stems from its early and continuing advantage of situation. Philadelphia and Boston both originated at about the same time as New York and shared New York's location at the Western end of one of the world's most important oceanic trade routes, but only New York possesses an easy-access functional connection (the Hudson-Mohawk lowland) to the vast Midwestern hinterland. This account does not alone explain New York's primacy, but it does include several important factors. Among the many aspects of situation that help to explain why some cities grow and others do not, original location on a navigable waterway seems particularly applicable. Of course, such characteristics as slope, drainage, power resources, river crossings, coastal shapes, and other physical characteristics help to determine city location, but such factors are normally more signifiant in early stages of city development than later.
5. The author mentions each of the following as an advantage of Chicago's location EXCEPT its: 

Choose the best answer:
There/ compass/ sleeping bag/ and/ some plasters/ in/ their backpack.