Choose the best answer:
They __________ the project “Environmental preservation” at this time next Tuesday.

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:
If you ask any Vietnamese girl right now who she has a crush on, chances are you will encounter the name of the 20-year-old goalkeeper who plays for Vietnam national team. Bui Tien Dung made a name for himself in the AFC U23 Championship where he accurately blocked opponents' shots time after time and saved Vietnam’s chance at the championship in the process. Bui Tien Dung was born on February 28th, 1997 in a poor farming family in Thanh Hoa Province. Dung has loved soccer since he was a kid, but his family was so poor that they could not even
afford a plastic soccer ball for him and his brother. The Bui brothers had to resort to playing with balls made from scrap papers and old grapefruits.
Dung's parents recognized the brothers' passion for football and used the little money they had to support their sons' early training. When a big football club in the city announced a recruitment event, Dung convinced his younger brother to go to the tryout. He passed on the opportunity knowing that his parents could not afford to have both their sons gone to city.
While his younger brother training in the city, Dung's local training center went bankrupted and abruptly ended Dung's football career. For a year, instead of kicking balls, the young man worked as a construction worker to support his parents. He seemingly gave up on football.
Fate finally smiled on Dung when a football coach rediscovered him and sent him to train with a local football team. Reentering the football field, Dung wanted to play in a defense position but he was pushed to goalkeeping because of his height. At first, Dung was unhappy about his new position, but his parents advised him to follow and make the best out of it. And Dung did.
The young goalkeeper trained hard for his new position and patiently climbed up the ranks the following years. Through hard work, he was named the best goalkeeper of Vietnam's U19 division. Those who have worked with Dung described him as a likable young man. He is very respectful to others and speaks very little. However, when the gloves are on, the nice young man transforms into a fierce competitor and an unyielding goalkeeper.
At AFC U23 Championship, Dung finally reunited with his brother on the field. They fought battle after battle together with other amazing players on the team and helped Vietnam made history for Southeast Asian football.
Even though Vietnam came short of winning the championship, Dung and his teammates are already heroes and legends in the heart of Vietnamese people. They played fairly and lost with glory and grace.

Which of the following could best replace the word "afford" ?

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:
In the North American colonies, red ware, a simple pottery fired at low temperatures, and stone ware, a strong, impervious grey pottery fired at high temperatures, were produced from two different native clays. These kinds of pottery were produced to supplement imported European pottery. When the American Revolution (1775-1783) interrupted the flow of the superior European ware, there was incentive for American potters to replace the imports with comparable domestic goods. Stoneware, which had been simple utilitarian kitchenware, grew increasingly ornate throughout the nineteenth century, and in addition to the earlier scratched and drawn designs, threedimensional molded relief decoration became popular. Representational motifs largely replaced the earlier abstract decorations. Birds and flowers were particularly evident, but other subjects---lions, flags, and clipper ships---are found. Some figurines, mainly of dogs and lions, were made in this medium. Sometimes a name, usually that of the potter, was die-stamped onto a piece.
As more and more large kilns were built to create the high-fired stoneware, experiments revealed that the same clay used to produce low-fired red ware could produce a stronger, paler pottery if fired at a hotter temperature. The result was yellow ware, used largely for serviceable items; but a further development was Rockingham ware---one of the most important American ceramics of the nineteenth century. (The name of the ware was probably derived from its resemblance to English brown-glazed earthenware made in South Yorkshire.) It was created by adding a brown glaze to the fired clay, usually giving the finished product a mottled appearance. Various methods of spattering or sponging the glaze onto the ware account for the extremely wide variations in color and add to the interest of collecting Rockingham. An advanced form of Rockingham was flint enamel, created by dusting metallic powders onto the Rockingham glaze to produce brilliant varicolored streaks.
Articles for nearly every household activity and ornament could be bought in Rockingham ware: dishes and bowls, of course; also bedpans, foot warmers, cuspidors, lamp bases, doorknobs, molds, picture frames, even curtain tiebacks. All these items are highly collectible today and are eagerly sought. A few Rockingham specialties command particular affection among collectors and correspondingly high prices.

The passage suggests that the earliest stoneware     .

Read the passage and decide which answer A, B, C, or D best fits each space. 

The Lost Shoe

Once a poor farmer had a daughter named Little Pea. After his wife died, the farmer married again. His new wife had a daughter, Stout Nut. (1) ________, the new wife was very cruel to Little Pea. Little Pea had to do chores all day. This made Little Pea’s father very upset. He soon died (2) ______ a broken heart.

Summer came and went. In the fall, the village held its harvest festival. That year, everyone was (3) ________ as the prince wanted to choose his wife from the village. Stout Nut’s mother made new clothes for her, but poor Little Pea had none. (4) ___________, before the festival started, a fairy appeared and (5) ________ changed Little Pea’s rags into beautiful clothes.

As Little Pea ran to the festival, she dropped one of her shoes and lost it. When the prince found the shoe, he decided to marry the girl who owned it. Of course, the shoe fitted Little Pea. and the prince immediately fell in love with her.
5.a fairy appeared and (5) ________ changed Little Pea’s rags into beautiful clothes.

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:
The diary and the letter were the most extensively practiced forms of life writings in eighteenth- century America. From the numerous examples of these two types of writing from the period, a portrait of daily life of the period can be gleaned.
Many of the diaries that were kept during this period were life diaries by authors interested in maintaining day-to-day records of reflective self-examination, but some of the most compelling were situational diaries; those prompted by and limited to lengthy descriptions of personal reflections about a particular event. Three of the many situational journals of this period are those written by Sarah Kemble Knight, William Burd II, and Dr. Alexander Hamilton. Sarah Kemble Knight's diary of her five-month trip at the end of 1704 and the beginning of 1705 from Boston to New Haven to New York and back again to Boston was published more than a century later as The Journal of Madam Knight. Though this diary does include an account of the hardship that she encountered along the way, it is principally composed of humorous descriptions of and commentary on the hospitality that she was offered and the manners of those that she encountered. William Burd II kept two diaries to describe his experiences on a 1729 surveying expedition to settle a border dispute between Virginia and North Carolina. One of the diaries, History of the Dividing Line between Virginia and North Carolina, was published in 1842, while its companion, Secret Diary, was published in 1929. In these diaries, Burd used a humorous and satirical approach to describe not just the day-to-day events of the trip but also the characteristics which set his beloved Virginia culture apart from the (in his opinion) decidedly less praiseworthy culture of those non- Virginians that he encountered in his trip. Dr. Alexander Hamilton's Itinerarium (1744) describes a four- month voyage of discovery undertaken by Hamilton through the mid-Atlantic and New England colonies; in the diary that he kept of this trip. Hamilton provides considerable commentary on the social customs of various areas, comparing the customs and culture of the better homes of the American colonies with those of the great salons of Europe.
Letter-writing also held a place of importance in eighteenth-century America (indeed, the ability to produce cultured letters was considered a form of art), and many letters extant from that period provide insights into the culture, mores, and styles of written communication of that era. Many of the letter writers employed devices in common usage in European models of the time, demonstrating that letter writers felt a sense of cohesiveness with the cultured classes of Europe: John and Abigail Adams signed the names Lysander and Constantia to their early letters, while Thomas Jefferson created an elaborate dialogue between his head and his heart to discuss the nature of friendship in  a 1786 letter to Maria Cosway. The variety of purposes that these letters served provides additional insight into the priorities of the society of the time. The letters were used to cement love matches and friendships, as the previously mentioned letters did; they were the primary method for relaying news among family and friends who were scattered across various geographic locations; they were often used as a means of carrying out business in this era before more rapid long-distance communication; they were often used used as a way of sharing professional, social, or political ideas among leaders in various fields who perhaps had no other way to get together and exchange ideas.

The word “gleaned” in paragraph 1 could best be replaced by     .

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:
Mandatory volunteering made many members of Maryland high school class of 1997 rumble with indignation. They didn’t like a new requirement that made them take part in the school’s community service program.
Future seniors, however, probably won't be as resistant now that the program has been broken in. Some, like John Maloney, already have completed their required hours of approved community service. The Bowie High School sophomore earned his hours in eighth grade by volunteering two nights a week at the Larkin-Chase Nursing and Restorative Center in Bowie. He played shuffleboard, cards, and other games with the senior citizens. He also helped plan parties for them and visited their rooms to keep them company. That experience inspired him to continue volunteering in the community.
John, 15, is not finished volunteering. Once a week he videotapes animals at the Prince George County animal shelter in Forestville. His footage is shown on the Bowie public access television channel in hopes of finding homes for the animals."Volunteering is better than just sitting around," says John, "and I like animals; I don't want to see them put to sleep. "
He's not the only volunteer in his family. His sister, Melissa, an eighth grader, has completed her hours also volunteering at Larkin-Chase. "It is a good idea to have kids go out into the community, but it's frustrating to have to write essays about the work," she said. "It makes you feel like you're doing it for the requirement and not for yourself."
The high school's service learning office, run by Beth Ansley, provides information on organizations seeking volunteers so that students will have an easier time fulfilling their hours. "It's ridiculous that people are opposing the requirements," said Amy Rouse, who this summer has worked at the Ronald McDonald House and has helped to rebuild a church in Clinton. "So many people won't do the service unless it's mandatory," Rouse said, "but once they start doing it, they'll really like it and hopefully it will become a part of their lives - like it has become a part of mine."

Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

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:
Many of the most damaging and life-threating types of weather-torrential rains, severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes-begin quickly, strike suddenly, and dissipate rapidly, devastating small regions while leaving neighboring areas untouched. One such event, a tornado, struck the northeastern section of Edmonton, Alberta, in July 1987. Total damages from the tornado exceeded $250 million, the highest ever for any Canadian storm. Conventional computer models of the atmosphere have limited value in predicting short-live local storms like the Edmonton tornado, because the available weather data are generally not detailed enough to allow computers to discern the subtle atmospheric changes that precede these storms. In most nations, for example, weather balloon observations are taken just once every twelve hours at locations typically separated by hundreds of miles. With such limited data, conventional forecasting models do a much better job predicting general weather conditions over large regions than they do forecasting specific local events.
Until recently, the observation-intensive approach needed for accurate, very short range forecasts, or “Nowcasts”, was not feasible. The cost of equipping and operating many thousands of conventional weather stations was prohibitively high, and the difficulties involved in rapidly collecting and processing the raw weather data from such a network were insurmountable. Fortunately, scientific and technological advances have overcome most of these problems. Radar systems, automated weather instruments, and satellites are all capable of making detailed, nearly continuous observation over large regions at a relatively low cost. Communications satellites can transmit data around the world cheaply and instantaneously, and modern computers can quickly compile and analyzing this large volume of weather information. Meteorologists and computer scientists now work together to design computer programs and video equipment capable of transforming raw weather data into words, symbols, and vivid graphic displays that forecasters can interpret easily and quickly. As meteorologists have begun using these new technologies in weather forecasting offices, Nowcasting is becoming a reality.

Why does the author mention the tornado in Edmonton, Canada?

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A number of factors related to the voice reveal the personality of the speaker. The first is the broad area of communication, which includes imparting information by use of language, communicating with a group or an individual and specialized communication through performance. Aperson conveys thoughts and ideas through choice of words, by a tone of voice that is pleasant or unpleasant, gentle or harsh, by the rhythm that is inherent within the language itself, and by speech rhythms that are flowing and regular or uneven and hesitant, and finally, by the pitch and melody of the utterance. When speaking before a group, a person’s tone may indicate uncertainty or fright, confidence or calm. At interpersonal levels, the tone may reflect ideas and feelings over and above the words chosen, or may believe them.Here the participant’s tone can consciously or unconsciously reflect intuitive sympathy or antipathy, lack of concern or interest, fatigue, anxiety, enthusiasm or excitement, all of which are usually discernible by the acute listener. Public performance is a manner of communication that is highly specialized with its own techniques for obtaining effects by voice and /or gesture. The motivation derived from the text, and in the case of singing, the music, in combination with the performer’s skills, personality, and ability to create empathy will determine the success of artistic, political, or pedagogic communication. Second, the voice gives psychological clues to a person’s self-image, perception of others, and emotional health. Self- image can be indicated by a tone of voice that is confident, pretentious, shy, aggressive, outgoing, or exuberant, to name only a few personality traits. Also the sound may give a clue to the facade or mask of that person, for example, a shy person hiding behind an overconfident front. How a speaker perceives the listener’s receptiveness, interest, or sympathy in any given conversation can drastically alter the tone of presentation, by encouraging or discouraging the speaker. Emotional health is evidenced in the voice by free and melodic sounds of the happy, by constricted and harsh sound of the angry, and by dull and lethargic qualities of the depressed.

According to the passage, what does a constricted and harsh voice indicate?

Read the passage and mark A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the blanks. 
In European and North American cultures, body language behaviors can be divided into 2 groups: open or closed and forward or backward.
Open/closed postures are the easiest to (21).............. . People are open to messages when they show open hands, face you fully, and have both feet on the ground. This indicates that they are (22)............... to listen to what  you are saying, even if they are disagreeing with you. When people are closed to messages, they have their arms folded or their legs crossed, and they may turn their bodies away. This body language usually means that people are rejecting your message.
Forward or backward behavior reveals an active or a passive (23)...... to what is being said. If people lean forward with their bodies toward you, they are actively engaged in your message. They may be accepting or rejecting it, but their minds are on (24).................you are saying. On the other hand, if people lean back in their chairs or look away from you, or perform activities such as drawing or cleaning their eyeglasses, you know that they are either passively taking in your message or that they are ignoring it. In (25).............case, they are not very much engaged in the conversation.

(22)..........................

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions:
It can be shown in facts and figures that cycling is the cheapest, most convenient, and most environmentally desirable term of transport in towns, but such cold calculations do not mean much on a frosty winter morning. The real appeal of cycling is that it is so enjoyable. It has none of the difficulties and tensions of other ways of traveling so you are more cheerful after a ride, even though the rush hour.
The first thing a non-cyclist says to you is: "But isn't it terribly dangerous?" It would be foolish to deny the danger of sharing the road with motor vehicles and it must be admitted that there are an alarming number of accidents involving cyclists. However, although police records indicate that the car driver is often to blame, the answer lies with the cyclist. It is possible to ride in such a way as to reduce risks to a minimum.
If you decide to join the thousands in Britain who are now returning to cycling as a cheap, satisfying form of transport your first problem will be trying to decide what bike to buy. Here are three simple rules for buying a bike:
Always buy the best you can afford. Of course there has to be a meeting point between what you would really like and economic reality, but aim as high as you can and you will get the benefit not only when you ride but also if you want to sell. Well-made bikes keep the value very well. And don't forget to include in your calculations the fact that you'll begin saving money on fares and petrol the minute you leave the shop.
Get the best frame, the main structure of the bicycle, for your money as you can. Cheap brakes, wheels or gears can easily be replaced by more expensive ones, but the frame sets the    upper limit on any transformation. You should allow for the possibility our cycling ambitions will grow with practice. When you begin, the four miles to work may the most you ever dream of, but after a few months a Sunday ride into the country begins to look more and more desirable. The best thing is to buy a bike just a little bit better than you think you'll need, and then grow into it. Otherwise, try to get a model that can be improved.
The fit is vital. Handlebars and seat height can be adjusted but you must get the right sized frame. On the whole it is best to get the largest size you can manage. Frame sizes are measured in inches and the usual adult range is from 21 inches to 25 inches, though extreme sizes outside those measurements can be found. Some people say if you take four inches off from your inside leg measurement you will end up with the right size of bike. The basic principle though is that you should be able to stand with legs either side of the crossbar (the bar that goes from the handlebars to the seat) with both feet comfortably flat on the ground.

The phrase "to be a meeting point" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
For hundreds of years, giving flowers have been a social means of communication. In the United States, flowers are often given during rites of passage, for commemorating special occasions or as a heartfelt gift between loved ones and friends. Flower gifting also occurs in most countries around the world. However, the meanings and traditions often vary.
While students traditionally gave their favorite teacher an apple in past years, in China, teachers are given flowers. Peonies are by far the  flower most often  given  in  China. They are also quite popularly used for weddings. Strangely, potted plants are not considered a pleasant gift among Asian cultures. The people believe that like a plant confined by a pot, the gift  symbolizes a binding or restriction.
In Russia, in lieu of giving birthday presents, the guest of honor receives a single flower or an unwrapped bouquet. Floral arrangements or baskets are not given. Russians celebrate a holiday known as Woman's Day. Traditional gifts include red roses, hyacinths or tulips. When   there is a funeral or other occasion where someone wishes to express sympathy, carnations, lilies or roses are given in circular configurations, which signify the transition of birth, life and death to   rebirth. In this instance, the color of choice is commonly yellow. For joyous occasions, arrangements and bouquets generally contain an odd number of flowers.
In the times of ancient Rome, brides carried flowers to scare away evil spirits and encourage fertility. The Dutch believed that flowers were food for the soul. When invited to someone's home in Great Britain, it is tradition to bring a gift of flowers. All types are acceptable except white lilies, which are usually seen at funerals. Unlike the United States, red roses are a symbol of love.
Flowers are generally gifted in odd numbered increments regardless of the occasion. However, the Brits also have superstitions regarding the number 13, so the number is avoided.
In the southern region of the continent, flowers are traditionally given during Christmas. Egyptians are much more conservative and restrict flower gifting to funerals and weddings. While certain flowers may have significant meanings for some, flowers in Las Vegas and across the United States flowers are an accepted gift for any reason desired.

What does the word "They" in paragraph 2 refer to?

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrases that best fits each of the numbered blanks.
Most educational specialists believe that early schooling should provide children with an (56)..........of their own abilities and the self-confidence to use their abilities. One approach recognised by many (57)........... as promoting these qualities is the Montessori method, first practised by Maria Montessori of Italy in the early 1900s. Nancy McCormick Rambusch is credited with (58)........... the method in the United States, where today there are over 400 Montessori schools.
The  method  helps  children  learn  for  themselves by (59)........ them with instructional materials and tasks that facilitate acts of discovery and manipulation. Through such exploration, children develop their sense of touch and learn (60)............ to do everyday tasks without adult assistance. Other benefits include improvement in language skills, and acquaintance with elements of science, music, and art.

(58).............................

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:
Newspapers can be traced back to 16th century Venice. In 1566, handwritten news sheets - called 'avis' or ‘gazette' – filled with information on wars and politics in Europe were distributed weekly in Venice. Similar news sheets soon started to appear in other European countries. By 1615, Germany and Austria were publishing weeklies. And in 1621, the first news sheets appeared in England.
At first, these news sheets only printed news which came from outside the country in which they were printed. Discussion of local or national issues was avoided. Europe’s governments did not tolerate anything negative being said about them as it could lead to national unrest.
Such censorship slowed the development of newspapers. Nevertheless, a belief in the importance of a 'free press’ slowly began to take hold in Europe. England was among the first countries to escape government control of the press. This occurred during the reign of King Charles I in the 17th century, when, during a period of breakdown in the king's authority, people began to publish what they wanted.
Eventually, free press had the right to criticize government and voice other ideas freely. In the middle of the 18th century, Sweden became the first country to make press freedom a part of its law.
In the 19th century, the newspaper industry was transformed by the invention of the telegraph. The telegraph was a communication system that allowed messages to be sent over long distances in a matter of minutes. It wasn’t long before newspapers became society's primary means of spreading and receiving information. In 1880, the first photographs appeared in newspapers and, by the end of the century, all the basic technical tools for the modern newspaper were in place.
The story of newspapers in the 20th century was one of adaptation to changing consumer and media markets. The invention of radio, TV, and later the Internet, repeatedly drove newspapers to re-invent themselves. Also, during the 20th century, mass-market advertising increased profitability for newspapers. This attracted large, publicly-owned corporations who began buying newspapers from the descendants of company founders.
Over the years, people have periodically predicted the extinction of newspapers. In fact, every time a new media has come into being, dire predictions have been made for existing forms (e.g. television was supposed to have replaced radio, radio was supposed to have replaced newspapers). Yet history has repeatedly shown that new media do not replace existing media. Instead, what happens is that media consumption grows, which creates the necessary space for the new media to become a part of the media landscape.
According to the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), each day more than 1.5 billion people around the world read a newspaper. The WAN has also estimated the total annual worth of the global newspaper industry and put it at just under 180 billion USD. Such statistics suggest the newspaper industry is healthier than at any other time in its history. Indeed, if the industry proves itself as capable of adapting to change as it has done in the past, it is unlikely that newspapers will be disappearing from newsstands anytime soon.

The extinction of newspapers      

I am delighted to inform you that Voyacon has been selected as one of this year’s Code Touch Magazine’s Top 25 Emerging Technology Firms. We will be ---139--- your company in our September issue. This is considered a great honor by our readers, as our list includes only ---140--- that advance the industry in significant ways.

As Voyacon’s founder, could you e-mail us a digital photograph of yourself to use in the article?---141---. We could need to receive it ---142--- August 5. Otherwise, we will use a public-domain photo. Thanks for your help, and congratulations.

142.................

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:
She wants to be a singer; you think she should go for a long–term career with job security and eventually retire with a good pension. But a new report suggests that in fact she’s the practical one. Why do parents make terrible career advisers?
Today’s 14 and 15–year–olds are ambitious. They are optimistic about their prospects, but their career ideas are rather vague. Although 80% of them have no intention of following in their parents’ footsteps, 69% still turn to their parents for advice. They look at their working future in a different way to their parents.
A job for life is not in their vocabulary; neither is a dead–end but secure job that is boring but pays the bills. Almost half the boys surveyed expected that their hobbies would lead them into the right sort of job, while most girls seemed determined to avoid traditionally female careers such as nursing.
In the past, this might have counted as bad news. Certainly when I was 15, my guidance counsellors were horrified at my plans to become a writer. I’m glad I didn’t change my plans to suit them. Even so, their faith in rigid career paths was well–founded. In those days, that was the way to get ahead.
But the world has changed. The global economy is not kind to yesterday’s diligent and dependable worker. The future belongs to quick–thinking people who are resourceful, ambitious and can take the initiative. This means that a 14–year–old who sees her working future as a kind of adventure, to be made up as she goes along is not necessarily being unrealistic.
However, she has to have the training and guidance to help her develop the right skills for today’s market; not the rigid preparation for a workplace that disappeared twenty years ago. Many young people are very aware of the pitfalls of the flexible workplace; they understand that redundancy, downsizing and freelancing are all part of modern working life, but no one is telling them how they might be able to turn the new rules of the employment game to their advantage. This is what they need to know if they are to make a life for themselves.

So what is to be done? A good first step would be to change the way in which schools prepare young people for adult life. The education system is becoming less flexible and more obsessed with traditional skills at just the time that the employment market is going in the opposite direction.
Accurate, up–to–date information on new jobs and qualifications can help guidance counsellors to help their students. Young people need solid information on the sort of training they need to pursue the career of their dreams. Also, a little bit of encouragement can go a long way. If nothing else, a bit of optimism from an adult can serve as an antidote to the constant criticism of teenagers in the press.
What, then, can we as parents do to help them? The best thing is to forget all the advice that your parents gave you, and step into your teenager’s shoes. Once you’ve done that, it’s easier to see how important it is that they learn how to be independent, resourceful and resilient. Give them the courage to follow their dreams –however odd they might sound right now. In a world that offers economic security to almost no one, imagination is a terrible thing to waste.

The writer feels that most parents     .

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Mandatory volunteering made many members of Maryland high school class of 1997 rumble with indignation. They didn’t like a new requirement that made them take part in the school’s community service program.
Future seniors, however, probably won't be as resistant now that the program has been broken in. Some, like John Maloney, already have completed their required hours of approved community service. The Bowie High School sophomore earned his hours in eighth grade by volunteering two nights a week at the Larkin-Chase Nursing and Restorative Center in Bowie. He played shuffleboard, cards, and other games with the senior citizens. He also helped plan parties for them and visited their rooms to keep them company. That experience inspired him to continue volunteering in the community.
John, 15, is not finished volunteering. Once a week he videotapes animals at the Prince George County animal shelter in Forestville. His footage is shown on the Bowie public access television channel in hopes of finding homes for the animals."Volunteering is better than just sitting around," says John, "and I like animals; I don't want to see them put to sleep. "
He's not the only volunteer in his family. His sister, Melissa, an eighth grader, has completed her hours also volunteering at Larkin-Chase. "It is a good idea to have kids go out into the community, but it's frustrating to have to write essays about the work," she said. "It makes you feel like you're doing it for the requirement and not for yourself."
The high school's service learning office, run by Beth Ansley, provides information on organizations seeking volunteers so that students will have an easier time fulfilling their hours. "It's ridiculous that people are opposing the requirements," said Amy Rouse, who this summer has worked at the Ronald McDonald House and has helped to rebuild a church in Clinton. "So many people won't do the service unless it's mandatory," Rouse said, "but once they start doing it, they'll really like it and hopefully it will become a part of their lives - like it has become a part of mine."

What is the word “footage” in paragraph 3 closest in meaning to?

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions:
Generally, in order to be preserved in the fossil record, organisms must possess hard body parts such as shells or bones. Soft, fleshy structures are quickly destroyed by predators or decayed by bacteria. Even hard parts left on the surface for any length of time will be destroyed, therefore, organisms must be buried rapidly to escape destruction by the elements and to be protected against agents of weathering and erosion. Marine organisms thus are better candidates for fossilization than those living on the land because the ocean is typical the site of sedimentation, whereas the land is largely the site of erosion. The beds of ancient lakes were also excellent sites for rapid burial of skeletal remains of freshwater organisms and skeletons of other animals, including those of early humans, Ancient swaps were  particularly plentiful with prolific growths of vegetation, which fossilized in abundance. Many animals became trapped in bogs overgrown by vegetation. The environment of the swaps kept bacterial decay to a minimum, which greatly aided in the preservation of plants and animals. The rapidly accumulating sediments in flood plains, deltas, and stream channels buried freshwater organisms, along with other plants and animals that happened to fall into the water.
Only a small traction of all the organisms that have ever lived are preserved as fossils. Normally, the remains of a plant or animal are completely destroyed through predation and decay. Although it seems that fossilization is common for some organisms, for others it is almost impossible. For the most part of, the remains of organisms are recycled in the earth, which is fortunate because otherwise soil and water would soon became depleted of essential nutrients. Also, most of the fossils exposed on Earth’s surface are destroyed by weathering processes. This make for an incomplete fossil record with poor or no representation of certain species. The best fossils are those composed of that form the vast majority of
unaltered fossils. Calcite and aragonite also contributed to a substantial number of fossils of certain organisms.

The best fossils are those     

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:
Because the low latitudes of the Earth, the areas near the equator, receive more heat than the latitudes near the poles, and because the nature of heat is to expand and move, heat is transported from the tropics to the middle and high latitudes. Some of this heat is moved by winds and some by ocean currents, and some gets stored in the atmosphere in the form of latent heat. The term “latent heat” refers to the energy that has to be used to convert liquid water to water vapor. We know that if we warm a pan of water on a stove, it will evaporate, or turn into vapor, faster than if it is allowed to sit at room temperature. We also know that if we hang wet clothes outside in the summertime, they will dry faster than in winter, when the temperature is lower. The energy used in both cases to change liquid water to water vapor is supplied by heat - supplied by the stove in the first case and by the Sun in the latter case. This energy is not lost. It is stored as vapor in the atmosphere as latent heat. Eventually, the water stored as vapor in the atmosphere will condense to liquid again, and the energy will be released to the atmosphere.
In the atmosphere, a large portion of the Sun’s incoming energy is used to evaporate water, primarily in the tropical oceans. Scientists have tried to quantify this proportion of the Sun’s energy. By analyzing temperature, water vapor, and wind data around the globe, they have estimated the quantity to be about 90 watts per square meter, or nearly 30 percent of the Sun’s energy. Once this latent heat is stored within the atmosphere, it can be transported, primarily to higher latitudes, by prevailing, large - scale winds. Or it can be transported vertically to higher levels in the atmosphere, where it forms clouds and subsequent storms, which then release the energy back to the atmosphere.

The word “confine” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to     .

I am delighted to inform you that Voyacon has been selected as one of this year’s Code Touch Magazine’s Top 25 Emerging Technology Firms. We will be ---139--- your company in our September issue. This is considered a great honor by our readers, as our list includes only ---140--- that advance the industry in significant ways.

As Voyacon’s founder, could you e-mail us a digital photograph of yourself to use in the article?---141---. We could need to receive it ---142--- August 5. Otherwise, we will use a public-domain photo. Thanks for your help, and congratulations.

140.................

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.
Throughout history, women have had responsiblity for healing the sick. However, it is only in ccomparative recent times that they have been allowed to train as doctors at medical schools in Britain. Yet in that short time, they have (61)....... an enormous contribution to modern medicine.
The first female doctors were nuns (62)........._ gave advice about diseases and (63)......... and prepared medicnes. In ancient Rome, women healers were considered skillful and respected. In Britain, for centuries, male doctors were suspicious of women who pratised medicine (64) ..........and in 1512 a law was passed making it illegal for them to do so. Women coulnd’t study medicine at universities (65).......... the 19th century and they only began to gain equality with male doctors in the 20th century.
(64)...........................

I am delighted to inform you that Voyacon has been selected as one of this year’s Code Touch Magazine’s Top 25 Emerging Technology Firms. We will be ---139--- your company in our September issue. This is considered a great honor by our readers, as our list includes only ---140--- that advance the industry in significant ways.

As Voyacon’s founder, could you e-mail us a digital photograph of yourself to use in the article?---141---. We could need to receive it ---142--- August 5. Otherwise, we will use a public-domain photo. Thanks for your help, and congratulations.

141...................