Choose the best answer:
The University of Oxford, informally called "Oxford University", or simply "Oxford", (35) ______ in the city of Oxford, in England, is (36) ______ oldest university in the English-speaking world. It is also considered as one of the world's leading (37) ______ institutions. The university traces, its roots back to at least the end of the 11th century, (38) ______ the exact date of foundation remains unclear. Academically, Oxford is consistently ranked in the world's top ten universities. The University is also open (39)  ______ overseas students, primarily from American universities, who may (40) _____ in study abroad programs during the summer months for more than a century, it has served as the home of the Rhodes Scholarship, (41) ______ brings highly accomplished students from a number of countries to study at Oxford as (42) ______. The University of Oxford is also a place where many talented leaders from all over the world used to study. Twenty-five British Prime Ministers attended Oxford, including Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. At (43) ______ 25 other international leaders have been educated at Oxford, and this number includes King Herald V of Norway and King Abdullah II of Jordan. Bill Clinton is the first American President to attend Oxford. Forty-seven Nobel (44) ______ winners have studied or taught at Oxford

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The future of the daily newspaper is in danger. With changes in people‘s reading habits and financial concerns, it seems that more and more of us are turning (1)…………from the traditional daily newspaper as a means of getting our information and going online or to TV news for the headlines and main stories instead. Does this mean that newspaper will (2)…………become a thing of the past? Many experts believe that newspapers will survive in some form in the future (3)………… the convenience of the internet, their main rival. The main reason for thinking this is that a large percentage of the population is (4)…………35 and has a strong newspaper reading habit. For many of these people, reading newspapers is not simply a way of getting the information about (5)…………events but part of a traditional routine. For them, catching up with the main stories electronically from news websites or TV news broadcast will never be a real substitute for turning the pages of a paper on the train or at the table. However the main competition for newspapers (6)…………from their own online version. Access to these is currently free of charge but for how much longer? Many newspaper corporations are (7)…………that the only way forward for all newspapers is to charge customers to read the online versions. Apparently, surveys (8)…………that as many as 48%of British and American consumers are prepared to pay for this service, although they are not prepared to pay very (9)…………! Would you be willing to pay for online access to news websites or should it continue to be free for everyone? Can you (10)…………a world without newspapers? 

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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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Mobile phones emit microwave radio emissions. Researchers are questioning whether exposure to these radio waves might (36) _______ to brain cancer. So far, the data are not conclusive. The scientific evidence does not (37) _______ us to say with certainly that mobile phones are categorically (38) _______. On the other hand, current research has not yet (39) _______ clear adverse effect associated with the prolonged use of mobile phones Numerous studies are now going (40) _______ in various countries. Some of the results are contradictory but others have shown an association between mobile phone use and cancer. (41) _______, these studies are preliminary and the issue needs further, long - term investigation. (42) _______ the scientific data is more definite, it is prudent for people to try not to use mobile phone for long (43) _______ of time. Don't think that hands free phones are any safer either. At the moment, research is in fact showing the (44) _______ and they may be just as dangerous. It is also thought that young people (45) _______ bodies are still growing may be at particular risk

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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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The Ruropean Union (EU) is an organization that brings European countries together to cooperate on economic and political matters. To help member countries make (1) _______ and settle disputes, the EU has its own governing bodies. These (2) _______ a legislature and courts. A major goal of the EU is topromote (3) ______ trade between member countries. In the past, trade barriers prevented European countries from trading freely. These barriers included tariffs, a tax paid (4) _______ goods are moved from one country to another. Removing tariffs, made trading easier and less costly. The EU also (5) ______ it easier for people to move from one country to another to find work or go to school. Today, all EU member countries grant their citizens European citizenship. That means a citizen of France or Germany has the (6) ______ to live and work in every other country that belongs (7) ______ the EU. In addition to economic cooperation, the EU works to promote (8) ______ cooperation among its members. The EU believes member countries (9) ______ decide together how to respond to international problems or threats. But many Europeans don‘t want to (10) ______ the right to defend their countries as they see fit. Often, this makes political cooperation difficult

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  United  States  has  many  different  types  of  families.  (1)....... most American families are traditional, consisting of a father, a mother and one or more children, 22 percent of all American families in 1998 were headed by one parent, usually a woman. In a few families in the United States, there are no children. These (2)...........couples may believe that they would not make good parents; they may want freedom from responsibilities of childbearing; or, perhaps they are not (3).......... able to have children. Other families in the United States have one adult who is a stepparent. A stepmother or stepfather is a person who joins a family by marrying a father or a mother.
Americans (4).......... and accept these different types of families. In the United States people have right to privacy and Americans do not believe in telling other Americans (5)............... type of family group they must belong to. They respect each other’s choices regarding family groups. Families are very important to Americans.

(3)..................................

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The importance of introductions is not merely the provision of a name. No one (1) ________ what your name actually is, unless it really is something devastatingly unusual, in which case it may serve as a conversation starter. Most, as (2) ________ as it may be, will forget it almost instantly. In its barest form, an introduction is the accepted method (3) ________ which the introducer, who knows the two people to be introduced, vouches for the character of the introducees by having a (4) ________ acquaintance. The level of (5) ________ with which the introducer takes on the task is indicative of the relationship between the introducer and the newcomer, so if you are the one saddled with the task, take it on with gusto. The newcomer will be delighted you think so (6) ________ of them and anyone to which you make the introduction will immediately believe the person to whom they are being introduced is worthy of (7) ________ time and conversational skills. Occasionally, the go- between will forget to (8) ________. At this point, if you are a friend of the go- between, the kindest thing to do is to loudly and jokingly force him or her into an introduction of the (9) ________ .The go- between should, at this point, apologize emphatically for their (10) ________ and make a greater effort to incorporate them into conversation

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The well-being of America's rural people and places depends upon many things - the availability of good-paying jobs; (1)______ to critical services such as education, health care, and communication; strong communities; and a healthy natural environment. And, (2)______ urban America is equally dependent upon these things, the challenges to well-being look very different in rural areas than in urban areas. Small-scale, low-density settlement (3)______ make it more costly for communities and businesses to provide critical services. Declining jobs and income in the natural resource-based industries that many rural areas depend on (4)______ workers in those industries to find new ways to make a living. Low-skill, low-wage rural manufacturing industries must find new ways to challenge the increasing number of (5)______ competitors. Distance and remoteness impede many rural areas from being connected to the urban centers of economic activity. Finally, changes in the availability and use of natural resources located in rural areas (6)______ the people who earn a living from those resources and those who (7)______ recreational and other benefits from them. Some rural areas have met these challenges successfully, achieved some level of prosperity, and are ready (8)______ the challenges of the future. Others have neither met the current challenges nor positioned themselves for the future. Thus, concern for rural America is real. And, while rural America is a producer of critical goods and services, the (9)______ goes beyond economics. Rural America is also home to a fifth of the Nation's people, keeper of natural amenities and national treasures, and safeguard of a/an (10)______ part of American culture, tradition, and history

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 knock-on effect of volunteering on the lives of individuals can be profound. Voluntary work helps foster independence and imparts the ability to deal with different situations, often simultaneously, thus teaching  people  how to (1)........... their way through different systems. It therefore brings people into touch with the real world; and, hence, equips them for the future.
Initially, young adults in their late teens might not seem to have the expertise or knowledge to impart to others that say a teacher or an agriculturalist or a nurse would have, (2)......... they do have many skills that can help others. And in the absence of any particular talent, their energy and enthusiasm can be harnessed for the benefit (3)...... their fellow human beings, and ultimately themselves. From all this, the gain to any community no matter how many volunteers are involved is (4) ................
Employers will generally look favorably on people (5).......... have shown an ability to work as part of a team. It demonstrates a willingness to learn and an independent spirit, which would be desirable qualities in any employee.

(3)........................................

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The first traffic signal was invented by a railway signaling engineer. It was installed outside the Houses of Parliament in 1868. It (1) ______ like any railway signal of the time, and was operated by gas. (2) ______, it exploded and killed a policeman, and the accident (3) ______ further development until cars became common.(4) ______ traffic lights are an American invention. Red-green systems was installed in Cleveland in 1914. Three-colour signals, operated (5) ______ hand from tower in the (6) ______ of the street, were installed in New York in 1918. The first lights of this type to (7) ______ in Britain were in London, on the junction between St. James‘s Street and Piccadilly, in 1925. Automatic signals were installed (8) ______ year later. In the past, traffic lights were special. In New York, some lights had a statue on top. In Los Angeles the lights did not just (9) ______ silently, but would ring bells to (10) ______the sleeping motorists of the 1930s. These are gone and have been replaced by standard models which are universally adopted

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School exams are, generally speaking, the first kind of test we take. They find out how much knowledge we have gained. But do they really show how intelligent we are? After all, isn‘t it a (1) ________ that some people who are very academically successful don‘t have any common sense. Intelligence is the speed (2) ________ which we can understand and react to new situations and it is usually tested by logic puzzles. Although scientist are now preparing (3)________ computer technology that will be able to ―read‖ our brains, (4)________ tests are still the most popular ways of measuring intelligence. A person‘s IQ is their intelligence (5) ________ it is measured by a special test. The most common IT tests are (6)________ by Mensa, an organization that was found in England in 1946. By 1976, it had 1,300 members in Britain. Today there are 44,000 in Britain and 100,000 (7)___________, largely in the US. People taking the tests are judged in (8)________ to an average score of 100, and those who score over 148 are entitled to join Mensa. This works out at 2 percent of the population. Anyone from the age of six can take tests. All the questions are straightforward and most people can answer them if (9)________ enough time. But that‘s the problem; the whole (10)________ of the test is that they‘re against the clock

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The role of translation enabling literature to pass beyond its natural frontiers is receiving growing recognition. In view of the general increase in this (30)_____, it is not surprising that many people with literary interests and a knowledge of languages should think of adopting translating as a full-or part-time (31)_____. Some advice may usefully be given to such would-be translators. The first difficulty the beginner will (32)_____is the unwillingness of publishers to entrust a translator to anyone who has not already (33)____a reputation for sound work. The least publishers will (34)____ before commissioning a translator is a fairly lengthy specimen of the applicant‘s work, even if unpublished. Perhaps the best way the wouldbe translator can begin is to select some books of the type (35)_____ he or she feels competent and eager to translate, translate a (36)_____section of the book and then submit the book and the translation to a suitable publisher. If he or she is extremely lucky, this may result in a commission to translate the book. More probably, however, publishers will(37) the book as such but if they are favorably (38) by the translation, they may very possibly commission some other books of a (39) nature which they already have in mind

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The Thames is the longest and best-known river in Britain. It is 210 miles/338 kilometres ___(1)___ and flows from the Cotswolds in central England to the North Sea after through London. Other famous towns on the river ___(2)___ Oxford, Windsor 1, Henley and Greenwich. ___(3)___ bridges across the Thames in London are London Bridge, Tower Bridge and Westminster Bridge. Large ships can sail ___(4)___ the Thames ___(5)___ London and smaller ones a further 86 miles/138 kilometres. A large area in the east of London was formerly a major port on the river, but in recent times this Docklands area has been ___(6)___. The Thames Barrier is a large barrier ___(7)___ across the River Thames at Woolwich, east of London, to prevent London from being flooded. It was completed in 1982 and ___(8) ___ opened in 1984. It consists of ten gates, which ___(9)___ on the bottom of the river when the barrier is not required. If there is a danger of flooding, the gates rise to form a solid ___(10)___ 50 feet/15 metres high

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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

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate thecorrect word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks
There is usually one important (1)............. missing from most school. Very few students are taught how to organize their learning, and how to (2)............ the best use of their time. Let’s take some simple examples. Do you know how to look up words in a dictionary, and do you understand all the information the dictionary contains? Can you (3)............ notes quickly, and can you understand them afterwards? For some reasons, many schools give learners no (4)..........with these matters. Teachers ask students to memorize pages from books, or tell them to write ten pages, but don’t explain (5)............to do it.
Learning by heart can be useful, but it is important to have genuine understanding of a subject. You can waste a lot of time memorizing books, without understanding anything about the subject.

(3)...................

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The University of Oxford, informally called "Oxford University", or simply "Oxford", (35) ______ in the city of Oxford, in England, is (36) ______ oldest university in the English-speaking world. It is also considered as one of the world's leading (37) ______ institutions. The university traces, its roots back to at least the end of the 11th century, (38) ______ the exact date of foundation remains unclear. Academically, Oxford is consistently ranked in the world's top ten universities. The University is also open (39)  ______ overseas students, primarily from American universities, who may (40) _____ in study abroad programs during the summer months for more than a century, it has served as the home of the Rhodes Scholarship, (41) ______ brings highly accomplished students from a number of countries to study at Oxford as (42) ______. The University of Oxford is also a place where many talented leaders from all over the world used to study. Twenty-five British Prime Ministers attended Oxford, including Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. At (43) ______ 25 other international leaders have been educated at Oxford, and this number includes King Herald V of Norway and King Abdullah II of Jordan. Bill Clinton is the first American President to attend Oxford. Forty-seven Nobel (44) ______ winners have studied or taught at Oxford

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.
Before the 1960’s, Singapore was essentially a trading nation. Since (1)...... , it has developed a more (2) .............. economy and has become an important financial, trade, and transportation center. Singapore has many banks, (3).................firms, and finance companies, as (4)................. as a stock exchange. Tourism is also important to the economy of Singapore.
There is little unemployment in Singapore. The country’s annual income per capita (per person) is one of the highest in Asia.
The government of Singapore plays a major role in the country’s economy. For example, it decides what benefits, such as vacation time and sick leave, must be provided for workers by employers. It also operates  an  employment  agency  to  help  people  find  jobs,  and  it   provides  (5)..... for retired workers.

(1)...........................
 

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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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Bodies are made to move! They are not (19) _________for sitting around in front of the television or reading magazines. Keeping fit doesn‘t (20) _________you have to be a super-athlete, and even (21) ______exercise can give you a lot of fun. When you are fit and healthy, you will find you look better and feel better. You will develop more energy and self-confidence. Every time you move, you are exercising. The human body is designed to bend, stretch, run, jump and climb. (22) _________ it does, the stronger and fitter it will become. Best of all, exercise is fun. It‘s what your body likes doing most-keeping on the (23) _________. Physical exercise is not only good for your body. People who take regular exercise are usually happier, more relaxed and more alert (24) _________ people who sit around all day. Try an experiment-next time you are (25) _________a bad mood, go for a walk or play a ball game in the park. See how much better you feel after an hour. A good (26) _________of achievement is yet another benefit of exercise. People feel good about themselves when they know they have (27) _________their fitness. People who exercise regularly will tell you that they find they have more energy to enjoy life. So have (28) _________-you‘ll soon see and feel the benefits

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
Face–to–face conversation is a two–way process. You speak to me, I reply to you and so on. Two–way (1).......... depends on having a coding system that is understood by both sender  and (2)..........., and an agreed convention about signaling the beginning and end of the message. In speech, the coding system is the language like English or Spanish; the convention that one person speaks at a time may seem too obvious to mention. In fact, the signals (3)......... in conversation and meetings are  often (4)............... . For example, lowering the pitch of the voice may mean the end of a sentence, a sharp intake of breath may signal the desire to interrupt, catching the chairman’s eye may indicate the desire to speak in a formal setting like a debate, a clenched fist may indicate anger. When (5)............. possible, more formal signals may be needed.

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