Choose the word or phrase (a, b, c or d) that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

About twenty percent of the world’s present (31)_______ already comes from the sun in one form or another. Special devices have already been made available to put on the roof of houses and flats to (32)______ the sun’s rays and thus heat water. Thousands of these devices are now being used to provide (33)________ in homes throughout the United States while more than a million solar water-heating units have already been (34)____ in homes in Japan. Other purposes for (35)_____ solar energy is at present being used include the separation of salt (36)___________ seawater, irrigation, and sewage disposal. For most people in developing countries, the (37)___________ is not for air conditioners or central heating (38)________ for cheap ways of cooking food, drying crops and lighting homes.

38_____________

Read the passage and choose the correct answer to each question: 

Europa is the smallest of planet Jupiter’s four largest moons and the second moon out from Jupiter. Until 1979, it was just another astronomy textbook statistic. Then came the close-up images obtained by the exploratory spacecraft Voyager 2, and within days, Europa was transformed into one of the solar system’s most intriguing worlds. The biggest initial surprise was the almost total lack of detail, especially from far away. Even at close range, the only visible features are thin, kinked brown lines resembling cracks in an eggshell. And this analogy is not far off the mark.

The surface of Europa is almost pure water ice, but a nearly complete absence of craters indicates that Europa’s surface ice resembles Earth’s Antarctic ice cap. The eggshell analogy may be quite accurate since the ice could be as little as a few kilometers thick – a true shell around what is likely a subsurface liquid ocean that, in turn, encases a rocky core. The interior of Europa has been kept warm over the eons by tidal forces generated by the varying gravitational tugs of the other big moons as they wheel around Jupiter. The tides on Europa pull and relax in an endless cycle. The resulting internal heat keeps what would otherwise be ice melted almost to the surface. The crack-like marks on Europa’s icy face appear to fracture where water or slush oozes from below.

Soon after Voyager 2’s encounter with Jupiter in 1979, when the best images of Europa were obtained, researchers advanced the startling idea that Europa’s subsurface ocean might harbor life. Life processes could have begun when Jupiter was releasing a vast store of internal heat. Jupiter’s early heat was produced by the compression of the material forming the giant planet. Just as the Sun is far less radiant today than the primal Sun, so the internal heat generated by Jupiter is minor compared to its former intensity. During this warm phase, some 4.6 billion years ago, Europa’s ocean may have been liquid right to the surface, making it a crucible for life.

It can be inferred from the passage that astronomy textbooks prior to 1979 ______

Read the passage and choose letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct word phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks:

Today, supermarkets are found in almost every cityity in the world. But the first supermarket (1)_______ opened only fifty years ago. It was opened in New York by a man named Michael Cullen. Some supermarkets are different from other types of stores in several ways. In supermarkets, goods are placed (2) ________ open shelves. The (3) ________ choose what they want and take them to the checkout counter. This means that fewer shop assistants are needed than in other stores. The way products are displayed is another difference between supermarkets and many other types of stores; (4) __________ examples, in supermarkets, there is usually a display of small inexpensive items just in front of the checkout counter, candies, chocolates, magazines, cheap foods and so on. Most customers (5) ______ go to a supermarket to buy goods from their shopping lists. They know what they need to buy. They do the shopping according to a plan.

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

 Read the passage below carefully and choose the correct answer a, b, c, or d.

The invention of the phonograph happened quite a by accident. Thomas Edison moved to Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1876, where he established an industrial research laboratory. There, Edison was working on a carbon telephone transmitter to improve the existing Bell telephone system.

In that laboratory a year later, Edison invented the phonograph while he was trying to improve a telegraph repeater. He attached a telephone diaphragm to the needle in the telegraph repeater; in this way, he was able to produce a recording that could be played back. After he made some improvements to the machine, he tested it. He recited ‘Marry Had a Little Lamb’ into the machine and played his voice back to a very surprised audience.

What was Edison working on when he created the phonograph?

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions

Finding Innovative Applications of Technology

While technology, in and of itself, does not always spur innovation in the classroom, there are countless innovative ways to use technology to better teach and engage students. Here are some examples:

Robots in the Classroom – South Korean schools have experimented with robot teachers. This makes lessons more interesting and entertaining for kids and enables teachers from anywhere in the world to be “present” in the classroom.

Mobile Technology – Smartphones and other mobile devices are increasingly used in education. Mobile apps let teachers conduct digital polls, enhance verbal and presentation skills, and incorporate technological skills with core competency lessons.

3D Learning – Kids enjoy 3D games and movies, so why not use this technology to help them learn? GEMS Modern Academy in Dubai does just this, providing students with a 3D lab that offers interactive multimedia presentations.

Assisting Special Needs Students – Assistive technology is especially useful for students with learning disabilities. For example, phonetic spelling software helps dyslexic students and others with reading problems to convert words to the correct spelling.

Which country provide students with a 3D lab that offers interactive multimedia presentations?

Choose the word or phrase (a, b, c or d) that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

Most of the energy we use today (31)_______ from coal, oil, and gas. But these will not last forever, and burning them is slowly harming the (32)___________We need to (33)_______ other ways of supplying energy. Solar Power is a way of using the (34)_______ energy as heat or to make electricity. We can also use wind-power by building modern (35)_______ that spin in the wind. There are several types of water power: river water in mountainous areas can (36)_______ to generate hydroelectric power, and we can also create electricity (37)_______ seawater flowing in and out with the (38)_______

31____________

Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each question.

Where will you go on your next vacation? Disneyland? Sea World? Outer space?

That’s right; tourists are now paying big bucks to travel into space with astronauts! The first space tourist was Dennis Tito, an American businessman. In 2001, he paid about $20 million to ride on a Russian rocket to the International Space Station. The Space Station circles 220 miles above Earth. Tito stayed on the station for a week, hanging out with astronauts and eating space food.

The latest space tourist was Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian-born woman from the United States who went to the Space Station in mid-September 2006.

How safe is space travel? Apart from the risk of crashing, space tourists have some special things to worry about. Earth’s atmosphere protects us from dangerous radiation from the sun. Space travellers are exposed to more of the sun’s rays. But for tourists spending only a few days or weeks in space, the radiation probably isn’t harmful.

A bigger problem might be space sickness. Without Earth’s gravity to hold them down, visitors to the Space Station float around inside the craft. It may look like fun on TV, but it can make first-time space travellers dizzy and sick. Luckily, the sickness usually wears off quickly. Then space tourists can enjoy their trip and the amazing view of Earth.

While in outer space it is likely that people will _____.

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the following questions:
Smog is a combination of smoke and fog. It occurs when gases from burnt fuel mix with fog on the ground. When heat and sunlight get together with these gases, they form fine, dangerous particles in the air.

Smog occurs in big cities with a lot of traffic. Particularly, in the summertime, when it is very hot, smog stays near the ground. It is dangerous to our breathing, and in smoggy areas, we cannot see very well.

Smog was first discovered in Great Britain in the 19th century, during the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. At that time, people used coal for heating and cooking. Factories also used coal to produce iron and steel. Smoke mixed with wet, foggy air and turned yellow. The smog often hung over cities for many days. It caused lung diseases and breathing problem. Thousands of people died in London every year.

Today, cities that have a large population and are located in hot, subtropical areas have the biggest smog problems - for example, Los Angeles, Mexico City and Cairo. 

According to the author, what kind of cities is facing the most severe smog problems?

Read the passage below and choose the best answer for each question. 
People have been playing with marbles for thousands of years. The first marbles were probably either river stones that happened to be naturally round enough to roll or, more likely, rounded globs of clay that were baked hardness. Such very old clay marbles have been found in both Greek and Roman ruins, and quartz spheres have been dated at around 6000 B.C. Harder and more durable marbles tend to inspire different kinds of games than soft clay marbles, which crack very easily. So with the advent of hand-rounded and polished marbles made of agate or some other rugged, igneous rock, the ‘golden age’ of marbles and marble play flowered. Stone marbles began to appear in the early 1800s in what is now the southern part of Germany. Shortly after, handmade glass marbles appeared in the same part of Europe. For the next 120 years, marbles and marble playing-there were hundred of games – flourished in both Europe and America. Marble players developed their vocabulary for different sizes and materials of marbles, as well as for the many kinds of games to be played and the way marbles were used in the games. For example, if you were going to play a game of Ring-Taw, one of the most popular and enduring marbles games, you would lag for the first shot, and then knuckle down from the balk, trying your best to get a mib or two with your opponent’s immie.

We can conclude from lines 11-12 of the passage that the terminology of marble playing is __________ .

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the following questions:
Smog is a combination of smoke and fog. It occurs when gases from burnt fuel mix with fog on the ground. When heat and sunlight get together with these gases, they form fine, dangerous particles in the air.

Smog occurs in big cities with a lot of traffic. Particularly, in the summertime, when it is very hot, smog stays near the ground. It is dangerous to our breathing, and in smoggy areas, we cannot see very well.

Smog was first discovered in Great Britain in the 19th century, during the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. At that time, people used coal for heating and cooking. Factories also used coal to produce iron and steel. Smoke mixed with wet, foggy air and turned yellow. The smog often hung over cities for many days. It caused lung diseases and breathing problem. Thousands of people died in London every year.

Today, cities that have a large population and are located in hot, subtropical areas have the biggest smog problems - for example, Los Angeles, Mexico City and Cairo. 

In the first paragraph, the word fine is closest in meaning to _________.

Read the passage below carefully and choose the correct answer a, b, c, or d.

I get a lot of letters at this time of the year from people complaining that they have a cold that won’t go away. There are so many different stories about how to prevent or cure a cold that it’s often difficult to know what to do. Although colds are rarely dangerous, except for people who are already weak, such as the elderly or young babies, they are always uncomfortable and usually most unpleasant. Of course, you can buy lots of medicines which will help to make your cold less unpleasant, but you must remember that nothing can cure a cold or make it go away faster. Another thing is that any medicine which is strong enough to make you feel better could be dangerous if you are already taking drugs for some other illness so always with your chemist or doctor to see whether they are all right for you. And remember they might make you sleepy – please don’t try to drive if they do! Lastly, as far as avoiding colds is concerned, whatever you may be told about magic foods or drinks, the best answer is to keep strong and healthy – you’ll have less chance of catching a cold, and if you do, it shouldn’t be so bad!

Which of the following is NOT true?

Read the passage and choose the correct answer to each question.

Between 1977 and 1981, three groups of American women, numbering 27 in all, between the ages of 35 and 65, were given month-long tests to determine how they would respond to conditions resembling those abroad the space shuttle.

Though carefully selected from among many applicants, the women were volunteers and pay was barely above the minimum wage. They were not allowed to smoke or drink alcohol during the tests, and they were expected to tolerate each others’ company at close quarters for the entire period. Among other things, they had to stand pressure three times the force of gravity and carry out both physical and mental tasks while exhausted from strenuous physical exercise. At the end of ten days, they had to spend a further twenty days absolutely confined to bed, during which time they suffered backaches and other discomforts, and when they were finally allowed up, the more physically active women were especially subject to pains due to a slight calcium loss.

Results of tests suggest that women will have significant advantages over men in space. They need less food and less oxygen and they stand up to radiation better. Men’s advantages in terms of strength and stamina, meanwhile, are virtually wiped out by the zero-gravity condition in space.

Which would be the most suitable title for the passage?

Read the passage below and choose the best answer for each question. 
People have been playing with marbles for thousands of years. The first marbles were probably either river stones that happened to be naturally round enough to roll or, more likely, rounded globs of clay that were baked hardness. Such very old clay marbles have been found in both Greek and Roman ruins, and quartz spheres have been dated at around 6000 B.C. Harder and more durable marbles tend to inspire different kinds of games than soft clay marbles, which crack very easily. So with the advent of hand-rounded and polished marbles made of agate or some other rugged, igneous rock, the ‘golden age’ of marbles and marble play flowered. Stone marbles began to appear in the early 1800s in what is now the southern part of Germany. Shortly after, handmade glass marbles
appeared in the same part of Europe. For the next 120 years, marbles and marble playing-there were hundred of games – flourished in both Europe and America. Marble players developed their vocabulary for different sizes and materials of marbles, as well as for the many kinds of games to be played and the way marbles were used in the games. For example, if you were going to play a game of Ring-Taw, one of the most popular and enduring marbles games, you would lag for the first shot, and then knuckle down from the balk, trying your best to get a mib or two with your opponent’s immie.

The author makes the point in the passage that playing with marbles ____________ .

Read the following passage carefully and use one of the following words to complete each numbered blank:

Electricity is the most common form of energy today. In the modern world, electricity is very (25) ___________ at the touch of switch. Electricity has many uses. The most common use of electricity is to (26) ___________ artificial lighting. In factories, electricity is used to light up the work place. It is also used to operate air-conditioners, computers and many other machines. Electricity is also used to power many appliances (27) ___________ we have in our homes. Such appliances include television sets, computers, electric fans, irons and many others. The list is simply endless. Modern man will most probably be lost (28) ___________ electricity

(26).....................

Read the passage below carefully and choose the best option A, B, C or D:

On average, more than 100,000 wildfires, also called wildland fires or forest fires, destroy two million hectares of land in the U.S every year. A wildfire moves at speeds of about 20 kilometers an hour and can last for weeks, consuming everything - trees, brush, homes, and humans – in its path.

There are three conditions for a wildfire. Oxygen is necessary for a fire to burn. Heat sources help start the wildfire. Although most wildfires are started by people, natural factors like lightning, hot winds, and even the sun can all provide enough heat to start a wildfire.

Firefighters fight wildfires by removing the conditions a wildfire to burn. Traditional methods include using water an fire retardants to put out the fires. Firefighters also fight wildfires with "controlled burning". These controlled forest fires remove small trees, bushes, and ground litter from a forest. This will deprive a wildfire of fuel and prevent future forest fires.

Although often harmful and destructive to humans, wildfires play an important role in nature. Even healthy forests contain dead trees and decaying plant matter. When a fire turns them to ashes, nutrients return to the soil. They also remove sick plants and harmful insects from a forest. And by burning through thick leaves and branches, wildfires allow sunlight to reach to forest floor, making it possible for a new generation of trees to grow.

What does the phrase "deprive a wildfire of fuel" in the third paragraph mean?

Read the passage and choose the best option A, B or C to fill in each blank:

It might sound strange to you but these are some important rules. If you want to pass examinations, then study grammar. ____________ (26), if you want to become fluent in English, try to learn English without studying too much grammar because that will only ____________(27) you down and confuse you.

You will think about rules when creating sentences ____________ (28) than speaking naturally like a native speaker. Some native speakers do not know so many grammatical rules as non-native students.

Everyone can speak at least one language whether they are intelligent or lack some brain power. This could be achieved by being surrounded by that language at all times. You may notice that there are also some people ____________ (29) study abroad and learn very little.

That is because they go to an English speaking school, but find friends from their own country and don't practice English. Some others can speak English well ____________ (30) they live in an English speaking environment.

(26)..............

Read the passage and choose letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct word phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks:

Today, supermarkets are found in almost every cityity in the world. But the first supermarket (1)_______ opened only fifty years ago. It was opened in New York by a man named Michael Cullen. Some supermarkets are different from other types of stores in several ways. In supermarkets, goods are placed (2) ________ open shelves. The (3) ________ choose what they want and take them to the checkout counter. This means that fewer shop assistants are needed than in other stores. The way products are displayed is another difference between supermarkets and many other types of stores; (4) __________ examples, in supermarkets, there is usually a display of small inexpensive items just in front of the checkout counter, candies, chocolates, magazines, cheap foods and so on. Most customers (5) ______ go to a supermarket to buy goods from their shopping lists. They know what they need to buy. They do the shopping according to a plan.

(5)...................

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions

Finding Innovative Applications of Technology

While technology, in and of itself, does not always spur innovation in the classroom, there are countless innovative ways to use technology to better teach and engage students. Here are some examples:

Robots in the Classroom – South Korean schools have experimented with robot teachers. This makes lessons more interesting and entertaining for kids and enables teachers from anywhere in the world to be “present” in the classroom.

Mobile Technology – Smartphones and other mobile devices are increasingly used in education. Mobile apps let teachers conduct digital polls, enhance verbal and presentation skills, and incorporate technological skills with core competency lessons.

3D Learning – Kids enjoy 3D games and movies, so why not use this technology to help them learn? GEMS Modern Academy in Dubai does just this, providing students with a 3D lab that offers interactive multimedia presentations.

Assisting Special Needs Students – Assistive technology is especially useful for students with learning disabilities. For example, phonetic spelling software helps dyslexic students and others with reading problems to convert words to the correct spelling.

What are the advantages of robot instructors?

Read the passage and choose the correct answer to each question: 

Europa is the smallest of planet Jupiter’s four largest moons and the second moon out from Jupiter. Until 1979, it was just another astronomy textbook statistic. Then came the close-up images obtained by the exploratory spacecraft Voyager 2, and within days, Europa was transformed into one of the solar system’s most intriguing worlds. The biggest initial surprise was the almost total lack of detail, especially from far away. Even at close range, the only visible features are thin, kinked brown lines resembling cracks in an eggshell. And this analogy is not far off the mark.

The surface of Europa is almost pure water ice, but a nearly complete absence of craters indicates that Europa’s surface ice resembles Earth’s Antarctic ice cap. The eggshell analogy may be quite accurate since the ice could be as little as a few kilometers thick – a true shell around what is likely a subsurface liquid ocean that, in turn, encases a rocky core. The interior of Europa has been kept warm over the eons by tidal forces generated by the varying gravitational tugs of the other big moons as they wheel around Jupiter. The tides on Europa pull and relax in an endless cycle. The resulting internal heat keeps what would otherwise be ice melted almost to the surface. The crack-like marks on Europa’s icy face appear to fracture where water or slush oozes from below.

Soon after Voyager 2’s encounter with Jupiter in 1979, when the best images of Europa were obtained, researchers advanced the startling idea that Europa’s subsurface ocean might harbor life. Life processes could have begun when Jupiter was releasing a vast store of internal heat. Jupiter’s early heat was produced by the compression of the material forming the giant planet. Just as the Sun is far less radiant today than the primal Sun, so the internal heat generated by Jupiter is minor compared to its former intensity. During this warm phase, some 4.6 billion years ago, Europa’s ocean may have been liquid right to the surface, making it a crucible for life.

What does the author mean by stating that “this analogy is not far off the mark”?

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions

Finding Innovative Applications of Technology

While technology, in and of itself, does not always spur innovation in the classroom, there are countless innovative ways to use technology to better teach and engage students. Here are some examples:

Robots in the Classroom – South Korean schools have experimented with robot teachers. This makes lessons more interesting and entertaining for kids and enables teachers from anywhere in the world to be “present” in the classroom.

Mobile Technology – Smartphones and other mobile devices are increasingly used in education. Mobile apps let teachers conduct digital polls, enhance verbal and presentation skills, and incorporate technological skills with core competency lessons.

3D Learning – Kids enjoy 3D games and movies, so why not use this technology to help them learn? GEMS Modern Academy in Dubai does just this, providing students with a 3D lab that offers interactive multimedia presentations.

Assisting Special Needs Students – Assistive technology is especially useful for students with learning disabilities. For example, phonetic spelling software helps dyslexic students and others with reading problems to convert words to the correct spelling.

What aspect does phonetic spelling software help dyslexic students and others?

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the following questions:
Smog is a combination of smoke and fog. It occurs when gases from burnt fuel mix with fog on the ground. When heat and sunlight get together with these gases, they form fine, dangerous particles in the air.

Smog occurs in big cities with a lot of traffic. Particularly, in the summertime, when it is very hot, smog stays near the ground. It is dangerous to our breathing, and in smoggy areas, we cannot see very well.

Smog was first discovered in Great Britain in the 19th century, during the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. At that time, people used coal for heating and cooking. Factories also used coal to produce iron and steel. Smoke mixed with wet, foggy air and turned yellow. The smog often hung over cities for many days. It caused lung diseases and breathing problem. Thousands of people died in London every year.

Today, cities that have a large population and are located in hot, subtropical areas have the biggest smog problems - for example, Los Angeles, Mexico City and Cairo. 

Where can smog possibly be found?