Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage:

"“Customs, then, is the great guide of human life,” wrote Scottish (1)…..  David Hume. Knowing the customs of a place is a guide to understanding the soul of that place and its (2)….. . The customs of a nation: how people marry, how families celebrate holidays and other (3)…… , what people eat, how they socialize and have fun (4) ….. many things about their country and their inner thoughts and feelings.
 In Wales, a (5)…… handshake is usual when first being introduced, but is often dispensed with thereafter. When meeting for the first time, a common (6)….. is “How do you do?” or “Pleased to meet you.” On other occasions, “How are you?” may be used. Good friends, (7) ……  young people, use “Hello” and “Hi” to greet each other. Women who are close friends may kiss each(8) ….. once slightly on the cheek; sometimes men also kiss women this way.
 Many women remain seated when being introduced and shaking hands. First (9) …… are widely used. The Welsh enjoy visiting friends and neighbors, and often call without an invitation. If invited for a meal, however, it is (10) ……. impolite to arrive late."

6. When meeting for the first time, a common (6)….. is “How do you do?” or “Pleased to meet you.”

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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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Researchers in the field of psychology have found that one of the best ways to make an important decision, such as choosing a university to attend or a business ……(1)…….., involves the utilization of a decision worksheet. Psychologists ……(2)…….. optimization compare the actual decisions made by people to theoretical ideal decisions to see how similar they are. Proponents of the worksheet procedure believe that it will yield optimal, that is, the best decisions. ……(3)…….. there are several variations on the exact format that worksheets can take, they are all similar in their essential aspects. Worksheets require defining the problem ……(4)…….. a clear and concise way and then listing all possible solutions to the problem. Next, the pertinent considerations that will be affected by each decision are listed, and the relative importance of each consideration or consequence ……(5)……... Each consideration is assigned a numerical value to reflect its relative importance. A decision is mathematically calculated by adding these values together. The alternative with the highest number of points emerges as the best decision. Since most important problems are multifaceted, there are several alternatives to choose from, each with unique advantages and disadvantages. One of the benefits of a pencil and paper ……(6)…….. procedure is that it permits people to deal with more variables than their minds can generally comprehend and remember. …… (7)…….., people can keep about seven ideas in their minds at once. A worksheet can be especially useful when the decision involves a large ……(8)…….. of variables with complex relationships. A realistic example for many college students is the question "What will I do after graduation?" A graduate might seek a position that offers specialized training, pursue an advanced degree, or ……(9)…….. for a year. A decision-making worksheet begins with a succinct statement of the problem that will also help to narrow it. It is important to be clear about the distinction between long-range and immediate goals because long-range goals often involve a different decision than short-range ones. Focusing on long-range goals, a graduating student might revise the question above to "What will I do after graduation that will ……(10)…….. a successful career?"

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
What is meant by the term economic resources? In general, these are all the natural, man-made, and human resources that go into the (1).....   of goods and services. Economic resources can be broken down   into two general categories: property resource – land and capital, and human resources – labor and entrepreneurial skills.
What do economists mean (2).......... land? Much more than the non-economist, land refers to all the natural resources that are usable in the production process: arable land, forests, mineral and oil deposits, and (3).........on.  What  about  capital?  Capital  goods  are  all  the  man-made  aids to producing, storing, transporting, and distributing goods and services. Capital goods differ from consumer goods in that (4)........... satisfy wants directly, while the former do so indirectly by facilitating the production of consumer goods. It should be noted that capital as defined here does not refer to money. Money, as such, produces nothing.
The term labor refers to the physical and mental talents of humans used to produce goods and services (with the exception of a certain set of human talents, entrepreneurial skills, which will be considered separately because of their special significance). Thus the services of a factory worker or an office worker, a ballet (5)..........or an astronaut all fall under the general heading of labor.

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

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.
                A MORE COMMERCIAL TUNE
 Roger Press, 40, has changed his career. After spending five years (1)...... a concert pianist, he has gone into business, recently setting up his own company.
After leaving university I decided to (2)....... myself to a career in music. I loved performing, but it was hard work. I played at concerts in Europe and America, made recordings and got reviews. But after a while I felt I had gone as far as I could. Unless you’re one of the world’s top 20 pianists, it’s difficult to earn a good living and I wasn’t one of the greatest.
When I gave up my performing career, people around me were more sad and disappointed than I was. But I felt free  and (3).... I knew I was getting serious about life. After getting a qualification in business administration I joined the recording company EMI and started their classical video division, producing programmes about famous artists. A year ago I left EMI and formed a new company, New Media Systems, which (4)............ in multimedia programs.
(5)........... I run my own business, I’m in control of my life and I feel proud of my achievements. Although the stress is high and I work long hours, the stress involved in piano playing was much worse. It took physical, emotional and mental skills. I prefer the pressures I live with now.

(2)..........................

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Higher Education in the UK Students who have successfully completed an A-level course may go to university to do (1)_____ three- or four-year course leading to a first degree such as Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc), etc. They apply to several universities which then (2)_____ an offer of a place specifying the minimum grades the student needs to obtain in the A level subjects studied. Higher education is not (3)_____. In principle, students have to pay a contribution to the cost of teaching (tuition fees) and have also to pay their living costs (maintenance). The government provides (4)_____ to help them pay for university education which have to be paid back from earnings once their income reaches a certain (5)_____. In recent years government policy has been to (6)_____ the percentage of 18-year olds (7)_____ go to university, which is now, at 40%, double the 1990 figure, but this growth has been at the (8)______ of the amount of financial support given to individual students. Universities receive money (9)_____ the state for each student and are responsible for employing staff and deciding which courses to offer. The head of a university, who is (10)_____ for its management, is called a vice-chancellor.

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Almost everyone says that computers are wonderful and that they are (35)...... our lives for the better by making everything faster and more reliable, but I am not so sure that this is the (36)....... .The other day I was standing in a large department store waiting to pay for a couple of films for my camera (37)..... t he assistant announced that the computer which controlled the till (38)........ working. I did not think this was a big problem and I (39)....... to find another counter, but of course, all the machines are part of the same system. So there we were: a shop full of customers, money at the ready, waiting to (40)....... our purchases, but it was quite clear that none of the assistants knew what to do. They were not allowed to take our money and give to customers a written(41)........ ,because the sales wouldn‟t then have been recorded on the computer system. In the end,(42).......... many other people, I left my shopping on the counter and walked out .Don't you think so that's ridiculous? It (43).......... never have happened before computers, and that, for me, is the problem: we are beginning to depend on these machines so completely that we (44).......... cannot manage without them anymore

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A solid object that has the power to attract iron and some metals is called a magnet. It does this through its magnetic field, a region of force surrounding it. The (33) _____ the magnet, the more intense is the field. Objects that are attracted to the magnet feel a force (34) _____ as ―magnetism‖ when they are inside the magnetic field. This magnetic force can pass (35) _____ some materials. Even a weak magnet will attract a pin to the other side of a (36) ______ of paper, for example. Magnets come in (37) ______ shapes. A familiar one is the curved horseshoes magnet. There are also bar magnets in the form (38) _____ disc or a stubby cylinder. Every magnet has (39) ______ poles, called north and south, at opposite ends of it: at the two ends of a horseshoes magnet, for example, or on the two sides of a disc. Powerful magnets can be (40) _______ by passing an electric current through wire coiled around a piece of iron. The (41) _____ is called and electromagnet. Magnets are (42) ______ in many household and everyday devices. They are also commonly used in industrial machinery, usually in the form of electromagnets

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.

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

Choose the best answer:
In recent years there have (1) _______ many articles on air pollution in newspapers and magazines. Scientists all over the word have warned that our atmosphere is (2) ______ more and more contaminated, and that Man, through his carelessness, may run (3) _____ of pure air to breathe. Automobiles and industries mainly account (4)____air pollution in most cities. They pour into the air such gases as carbon monoxide, sulphur and nitrogen oxides, (5) _______ are very harmful (6) ____ humans. (7) _____ still, these gases, a series of chemical changes, turn into toxic acids. They fall down in ―acid rains‖, (8) _______ the acidity in the air, soil and water to dangerous levels and affecting not only tress but also fish and other wildlife. Many industrial countries in Europe and North America have suffered bad effects (9) ______ those ―rains‖. Surely, Man faces no more urgent problem than that of saving his own survival. Scientists, social organizations and governments should sit down together to solve the air (10) __________ problem

Choose the best answer:
We are using up the world‘s petroleum. We use (1) _________in our cars and to heat our building in winter.Farmers use petrochemicals to (2) _________ the soil rich. They use them to kill insects (3) _________eat plants. These chemicals go (4) __________rivers and lakes and kill the fish there. Thousands of pollutants also go into the air and pollute it. Winds carry this (5) _________ air to other countries and other continents. Poor farmers use the same land over and (6) __________ The land needs a rest so it will be better next year. However, the farmers must have food this year. Poor people cut down forests (7) _________ firewood. In some areas when the trees are gone, the land (8) _________ desert. Poor people can‘t save the environment for the (9) ___________ This is not a problem for one country or one area of the world. It is a problem for allhumans. The people and the nations of the world must work together to (10) ___________ the world‘s resources

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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Nobody knows for certain what the origin of music was. Music is certainly older than poetry and painting but as early man had no way of (1) _______ it, we can only (2)_______ what it sounded like. Watching a child (3) ______ on a drum with its hands or a (4 ) ______ of wood, it is easy to see that this is the simplest of instruments. It does not (5) ______ much effort to produce a rhythm on it. Wall paintings show what some of the first instruments looked like. Early civilizations had already discovered the three basic ways of producing music: blowing into a tube, striking an object, and scraping a string. We know that western music comes from the (6) _______ Greeks. The musical scales we use now are (7) ______ on certain sequences of notes which the Greeks used to create a particular (8)_______.  Until the sixteenth century, most players of instruments were single performers, but as music became more (9)_______, orchestras and musical groups began to appear. This (10 ) _______ about the writing of music to be played byseveral musicians at one time. This can certainlybe called the birth of modern music

Choose the best answer:
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

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word for each of the blanks.
Alligators have always been the most dangerous predators of the Florida Everglades, (1) ..................their long-held position is now being challenged by a growing population of Burmese pythons.
The Burmese python, a giant snake measuring up to 20 feet long and weighing up to 200 pounds, is very popular among exotic pet owners. However, as the (2)..............snakes grow, they become more difficult to cafe and handle. To avoid dealing with the snakes, the owners irresponsibly release them into the wild. (3).............the Everglades is quite similar to the python’s native environment of Southeast Asia, they survive and prosper without difficulty.
The issue with the Burmese pythons is their choice of meals. They eat alligators and endangered birds, which creates a strain on an  already (4)...........ecosystem. Recently a 13-foot long Burmese  python was found with a 5-foot alligator bursting from its stomach. They python died trying to eat the alligator but a larger one would have easily won the struggle. With over 30,000 Burmese pythons now living in the Everglades,  a  solution  to  stop  this  invasive  species  is  necessary.  If  the  pythons  are  (5)..................unchecked, there is a strong possibility they will wipe out a variety of species necessary for the functioning of the Everglades ecosystem.

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

Choose the option (A, B, C or D) that best completes each of the following sentences.

My aunt is one of those people who can talk to anyone about anything. If she goes to a party where she doesn't know any of the people, she just walks up to the first person that she sees and introduces herself. And yet she doesn't seem to talk about deeply important things like politics or religion. She always starts off on something very obvious like the other person's job. Very soon she's talking as if she's known the other person for years. I asked her once what her secret was. She said that the most important thing in a conversation was listening. People love to talk about themselves, so if you allow them to do so, it's very easy to keep a conversation going. You have to listen very carefully and ask questions. And you have to look interested, too. So don't keep looking at other things in the room while you're talking to someone.

Another thing that I've noticed is that she only pays people compliments. She says: “I like your hair. Which hairdresser do you go to?” or “You look very well. Have you been on holiday?” Friendly messages like this seem to provide an easy way into a conversation.

My aunt thinks that it's very easy to keep a conversation going if you ………

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the undelined part that needs correction in each of the following questions:
It is hard to think of a world without gas or electricity. Both are commonly used for lighting and heating today. We now can instantly flick a lighter or strike a match to make a flame. But it was not long ago that there were no such things as matches or lighters. To make
fire, it was necessary to strike a piece of iron on flint for sparks to ignite some tinder. If the tinder was damp, or the flint old, you had to borrow some fire from a neighbor.
We do not know exactly when or how people first used fire. Perhaps, many ages ago, they found that sticks would burn if they were dropped into some hole where melted lava from a volcano lay boiling. They brought the lighted sticks back to make their fire in a cave. Or, they may have seen trees catch fire through being struck by lightning, and used the trees to start their own fires.
Gradually people learned they could start a fire without traveling far to find flames. They rubbed two pieces of wood together. This method was used for thousands of years.
When people became used to making fires with which to cook food and stay warm at night, they found that certain resins or gums from trees burnt longer and brighter. They melted resins and dipped branches in the liquid to make torches that lit their homes at night. Iron stands in which torches used to be fixed can still be seen in old buildings of Europe.
There was no lighting in city streets until gas lamps, and then electric lamps were installed.
Boys ran about London at night carrying torches of burning material. They were called torch boys, or link boys, and earned a living by guiding visitors to friends’ houses at night.
For centuries homes were lit by candles until oil was found. Even then, oil lamps were no more effective than a cluster of candles. We read about the splendors and marvels of ancient palaces and castles, but we forget that they must have been gloomy and murky places at night.

The word “gloomy” in the passage is closest in meaning to

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the undelined part that needs correction in each of the following questions:
It's called 42 - the name taken from the answer to the meaning of life, from the science fiction series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. 42 was founded by French technology billionaire Xavier Niel, whose backing means there are no tuition fees and accommodation is free. Mr Niel and his co-founders come from the world of technology and start-ups, and they are trying to do to education what Facebook did to communication and Airbnb to accommodation.
Students at 42 are given a choice of projects that they might be set in a job as a software engineer - perhaps to design a website or a computer game. They complete a project using resources freely available on the Internet and by seeking help from their fellow students, who work alongside them in a large open- plan room full of computers. Another student will then be randomly assigned to mark their work.
The founders claim this method of learning makes up for shortcomings in the traditional education system, which they say encourages students to be passive recipients of knowledge. "Peer-to-peer learning develops students with the confidence to search for solutions by themselves, often in quite creative and ingenious ways."
Like in computer games, the students are asked to design and they go up a level by completing a project. They graduate when they reach level 21, which usually takes three to five years. And at the end, there is a certificate but no formal degree. Recent graduates are now working at companies including IBM, Amazon, and Tesla, as well as starting their own firms.
"The feedback we have had from employers is that our graduates are more apt to go off and find out information for themselves, rather than asking their supervisors what to do next," says Brittany Bir, chief operating officer of 42 in California and a graduate of its sister school in Paris. Ms Bir says 42's graduates will be better able to work with others and discuss and defend their ideas - an important skill in the "real world" of work. "This is particularly important in computer programming, where individuals are notorious for lacking certain human skills," she says.
But could 42's model of teacherless learning work in mainstream universities? Brittany Bir admits 42's methods do not suit all students. "It suits individuals who are very disciplined and self- motivated, and who are not scared by having the freedom to work at their own pace," she says.

The word "them" in paragraph 2 refers to     .

Choose the best answer:
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

Choose the best answer:
Once upon a time, people left school or university, joined a company and stayed within until they retired. The concept of a job for life is now long (1)_______, and nowadays many employees find it hard to stay loyal to their companies for even a relatively short period of time. According to a recent survey, this is particularly (2)_______ in London, where more than half of those asked said that they constantly (3)_______ one eye on other job opportunities, (4)_______ they are fairly happy in their existing job. A high number of London workers say that they are always on the (5)_______ , although they are content and motivated in their current position. Job seekers find that the internet (6)_______ them with a quick and easy way to find out what's available, and 53 percent said that they had applied for a job or registered with an employment agency in the past 12 months. This proactive (7)_______ means that people can look for a perfect job match with the (8)_______ of effort. But while this is good for job hunters, the growing lack of company loyalty could (9)_______ up being a big problem for employers .Perhaps surprisingly, the (10)_______ factors attracting job seekers was not more money, but challenging and interesting work.

Choose the best answer:
All plants rely on nutrients taken from the soil in order to survive. However, in areas where the soil does not contain enough (1)_____ nutrients, some plants have adapted to (2) _____ their diets from another source: living organisms. Though they are few in number, carnivorous plants are (3)_____ fascinating beings that ―eat‖ anything from onecelled organisms to insects in order to survive. They are commonly found in marshlands. Carnivorous plants feature one of several types of ―traps‖ to ensnare prey, which they consume to make up for nutrients that may be missing from the soil. While there are over 400 species of carnivorous plants in the world today, some are more (4)_____ than others. The most well-known of these plants are the snap traps, which include the Venus flytrap. Snap traps are easily identified by their leaves, which are separated into two lobes that have the ability to fold together. Inside the lobes, the surface is covered with tiny hairs that are (5) _____ to movement. When the plant‘s prey brushes against the hairs, it triggers a closing mechanism that rapidly brings the two lobes together, trapping the prey (6)_____ inside. The response of the traps is phenomenal (7)_____ speed: the time between triggering the hairs and snapping shut is less than a second. As the prey struggles inside the trap, it only triggers more hairs, causing the leaves to tighten their (8) _____. The plant then secrets liquid chemicals from special glands into the trap to dissolve the prey and absorb all of its nutrients. Besides the Venus flytrap, only one other type of snap trap exists today, (9)_____ to as the waterwheel plant. The two share a common ancestor and differ only in a few ways. For instance, the waterwheel is an aquatic plant, while the flytrap is exclusively terrestrial. In addition, the flytrap feeds primarily on arthropods like spiders, while the waterwheel lives (10)_____ simple invertebrates, like certain types of plankton