Every country has its own traditions, some of which have existed for centuries. In my opinion, we should do everything possible to preserve them. Some people think that in today’s high-tech world, traditional celebrations are too old-fashioned and (i) _______ to our lives. However, events such as Carnival, are important, as they bring communities together and make US think about other people and not just computers. (ii) _______ argument against traditional festivals is that they are expensive to organise. To some extent this is true, particularly when there are firework (iii) _______ or parades. On the other hand, it is a small price to pay for brightening up our lives with entertainment and colour. Moreover, celebrations like the ‘Fallas’ in my home town of Valencia attract many tourists and their money. Finally, although 1 agree that some traditional customs (iv) _______ their original significance, they can provide an opportunity for US to learn about our past. For example, Bonfire Night teaches British children about a particular period of their country’s history. To conclude, traditional celebrations are a source of great pleasure and interest, and they are certainly (v) _______ keeping

(ii)_____

Scientific remedies are not the only ways people combat motion sickness. Ginger has long been used as a traditional home remedy to (i) ________ upset stomach. Now ginger being used to help alleviate the nauseous effects of motion sickness. Ginger root, taken in the form of capsules, has been the subject of studies on motion sickness and has been found to be effective in helping keep the sickness from materializing. Ginger root, consumed in its raw form, however, has been found to have severe irritating effects on people. The effectiveness of the capsules containing ginger root (ii) ________ to result from the herb’s acting within the gastrointestinal tract to absorb toxins and gastric activity. Ginger tea, cookies, candy and even ginger ale have also been found helpful in preventing and remedying motion sickness. Vitamin B6 has been reported to be a nausea (iii) ________ as has been aromatherapy. (iv) ________ all of the scientific and natural herbal remedies considered to be solutions for motion sickness, some people think that scientific assistance is (v) ________ little value and that keeping their eyes on the horizon, eliminating reading in closed quarters, rest, and getting as much fresh air as possible are better solutions for the balance problems caused by motion.

(iii)_______

Choose the best option:

Scientists will find ways _____ our supplies of coal, oil, and gas.

The seashore or coastline (i) _______ the unique area where seawater borders land to create a diverse and very important ecosystem. It is special in that the freshwater carried along by rivers and streams flows into the ocean and mixes with salt water to provide rich nutrients and food to a variety (ii) _______ marine plants and animals. The wildlife along the coast is part of a never-ending food chain as each tiny insect (iii) _______ on its nourishment on other even smaller creatures; (iv) _______, any human (v) _______ in the life cycle of the seashore will cause irreparable damage to the environment in the long run.

(iii)____

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word or phrase that is OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions: 

His replies were inconsistent with his previous testimony. 

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word or phrase that is OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions: 

We are now a 24/7 society where shops and services must be available all hours.

How to protect children web fans from unsuitable material online while encouraging them to use the Internet has long been discussed in the U.S. For some parents, the Internet can seem like a jungle, filed with danger for their children. But jungles contain wonders as well as hazard and with good guides, some education, and a few precautions, the wilds of the Internet can be safely navigated. “Kids have to be online. If we tell our kids they can’t (i) _______ the Internet, we’re cutting them off from their future,” said an expert.

Most kids have started to use seareh engines. Many of them are great for finding tons of interesting Internet sites, and they can also locale places where you might not want your kids to go. There are seareh engines (ii) _______ just for kids. A certain software contains only sites that have been selected as safe.

The most popular way to limit access would be to use what is known as a “content screener”. But this can’t be wholly reliable, and the best thing parents can do is to talk to their kids and let them know what is OK or not OK to see or do on the Internet. Another way is that mum or dad is nearby when the child is surfing the Internet.

A few other tips:

Don’t put the PC in a child’s room but keep it in an area where mum or dad can keep (iii) _______ hings. That also makes the Internet more of a family activity.

Ask your child (iv) _______ he or she has been doing and about any friends they make online.
Tell your child not to give on-line strangers (v) _______ information, especially like address and phone number.

And tell your children never to talk to anyone they meet online over the phone, send them anything, accept anything from them or agree to meet with them unless you go along.

(iv)______

Special effects, abbreviated SPFX or SPF, are a (i) _______ enhancing and intensifying the impact a filmed scene has on its audience in order to create an optical illusion which would render that particular image undistinguishable (ii) _______  reality. Special effects engineers have at their disposal a (iii) _______ number of techniques, ranging from traditional theatre effects to sophisticated photography and modem computer graphics, which are often used in one single shot (iv) _______ create the desired effect.

Most special effects are employed to obtain effects that cannot (v) _______ by normal means, such as intcrgalactic battles or space travelling; others are substituted for more expensive real-life effects, such as high-blast explosions, while others still are there to recreate the particular atmosphere of long- ago times, such as restoring the arehitectural splendour of a princely castle.

(iii)______-

The professor (i) _______ the ancient symbol in the course of researeh for a visual history of the 20th century, to be published by the Trecca in Encyclopedia. The first (ii) _______ instance of its use, he says, occurred in a letter written by a Florentine merchant on May 4th, 1536. He says the sign made its (iii) ________  along trade routes to northern Europe, where it came to represent “at the price of” – its contemporary accountancy (iv) _______  . Professor Stabile believes that Italian banks may possess even earlier documents (v) _______ the symbol lying forgotten in their arehives. The oldest example could be of great value. The race is on between the mercantile world and the banking world to sec who has the oldest documentation of @.

(v)_____

A recent investigation by scientists at the US Geological Survey shows that strange animal behaviour might help (i) _______ future earthquakes. Investigators found such (ii) _______ about ten kilometres from where a fairly recent earthquake took place. Some birds made strange sounds and flew about wildly; dogs barked and ran around (iii) _______. Scientists believe that animals can sense these environmental changes as early as several days before (iv) _______ disaster. In 1976, after observing animal behaviour, the Chinese scientists were able to predict a (v) _______  earthquake. Although hundreds of thousands of people were killed, the government was able to evacuate millions of other people and thus keep the death toll al a lower level.

(iii)______

Vincent Van Gogh is a very famous painter from the 19th century. Van Gogh’s paintings are sold at very high prices because many collectors want his paintings. But unfortunately, when he was (i) _______ he did not have a happy life. Van Gogh was from a poor family in Holland and lived (ii) _______ his life at home. He lived a rather sad and (iii) _______ life. He drew things that he could sec cither around the quiet town of his parents’ home or outside his window. This was why he painted things like the sky, his room and even himself. Van Gogh once cut off his own car after drawing a picture of himself. He cut it off to show the person that said the ear in Van Gogh’s painting was not correct. It was very (iv) _______ him to do such a thing. Van Gogh was also (v) _______ a crazy man. He really did become crazy, and was sent to a mental hospital. Sadly, he killed himself when he was just 37.

(iii)____

I have several good friends but I (i) _______ that my best friend is Ellen. We have been friends with each other since we were very young because she (ii) _______ next door to me. We have always been in the same class al school, although she has always been much cleverer than me. I don’t mind (iii) _______, because she often helps me with my homework! Anyway, I’ve always been better at sports than she is. I always beat her at tennis, and she doesn’t like that. In fact, she hates losing al anything and gets very annoyed if she docs. That’s the only thing that 1 don’t like about her. Otherwise, she has a great sense of humour and she’s always making me laugh. We get on very well together, although occasionally we’ve had arguments – usually about silly little things. Ellen and her family moved to another district last year, but I still see her a lot. We’re planning to go on a trip around Europe next summer, I’m really (iv) _______ to it because 1 think we’ll have a lot of fun and sec exciting places. Of course, it’s going to be hard -to afford such a wonderful and exciting trip, so we’re both going to get jobs and try to (v) _______ enough money for it

(iii)____

The violence of the conflict has (i) _______ the attention of the international world, with many labelling it as the (ii) _______ humanitarian crisis since the 2004 Asian tsunami. Members of the United Nations have called upon the rest of the world to put an end to this terrible (iii) _______ and the deliberate and systematic destruction of an ethnic group. In 2004, Chad negotiated a ceasefire agreement between the Sudanese government and the JEM and SLM groups, (iv) _______ would put an end to the hostilities.

Yet, there is an uneasy truce, as the National Movement for Reform and Development (v) _______ away from the JEM during peace negotiations and stills continues its guerrilla war against the Janjaweed in spile of careful peace monitoring done by the African Union and the European Union. A new peace agreement has been proposed in May 2006, but its rejection by a couple of rebel groups docs not bode well for the future of Darfur.

(ii)______

 I … a meeting on Zoom for 1 hour

As President, Grant had the task of continuing to attempt (i) _______ reunify the American nation after its Civil War. One of Grant’s accomplishments as President was the enactment of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution which ensured voting rights for blacks. Grant is also remembered as the President who signed the bill into law which created America’s first national park – Yellowstone Park. But financial problems throughout the land while Grant was in office (ii) _______ the Panic of 1873.

Grant was criticized for his indecisiveness, failure to lake decisive action, and inability to helo the American economy during the Panic, and in the next elections the (iii) _______  won more scats in Congress and look the Presidency. Several scandals occurred during Grant’s administration. Grant was an (iv) _______ man but had appointed loyal friends and supporters to serve in governmental capacities.

Some of his appointees were involved in the corruption. It is thought that Grant’s early business failures and lack of success in personal relationships with other military leaders and businessman (v) _______ reasons why Grant appointed those who had remained loyal to him and had been nice to him even though they were not political astute.

(iv)_____

I began volunteering at the age of fourteen. At the time, there was no mandatory volunteering requirement; volunteering was a personal choice (i) _______ my own interest. My interests centered on helping children – especially children with special needs. At our school we had a special needs classroom with a number of special needs children. Twice a week I would work (ii) _______ the teacher’s helper.

Through the work I did, I (iii) _______ two things: I was happiest when I volunteered, and I was good at helping special needs students. I am now (iv) _______, have a college degree in special education, and still do volunteer work at a community center (v) _______ troubled teenagers. I guess I would say that the volunteer work I did at age fourteen changed my life forever.

(v)____

The old version of the hula is the hula kahiko. It is a very melodic and sensuous dance, performed to bring (i) _______ to the senses. The dancers gently move their hips back and forth while singing and telling a story with their fingers. Hula kahikos can be funny fishermen stories, or very serious historical tales. (ii) _______ them were performed to entertain or praise kings or chiefs. But (iii) _______ serious hulas were religious performances made inside a temple. It was a sign of bad luck to make a mistake during a hula performance. Therefore, dancers were secluded inside the temple while learning the dance. They could not (iv) _______ by anybody, and were not allowed to leave until they knew the dance by heart and could execute (v) _______ without any mistakes

(i)_____

The town of Bunol in Spain is famous for La Tomatina, the world’s largest vegetable fight. The event takes place during a week-long celebration (i) _______ festivities and with even greater anticipation for the battle ahead. La Tomatina started during the 1940s, when (ii) _______ of friends started a tomato fight and passers-by got dragged into it. From that day forward, the fiesta has been celebrated annually and is expected to draw record numbers this time around. The reason for the fight has never been established and it hardly matters since the point is fun. La Tomatina has blossomed into a huge fiesta that coincides with the festival for the town’s patron saint. This is partly in an effort to draw more tourism into Bunol, and at the same time many more targets. The night before La Tomatina, the narrow’ streets are filled with tomatoes, and in a much (iii) _______ form than the next day. No one can do battle on an empty stomach so huge pans filled with delicious paella are on offer. Then, early Wednesday morning, shopkeepers set about covering windows and doors in preparation for the mess. Large trucks rumble up the streets to arrive in the square and be cheered by the 20,000 strong crows. Men on top of the tracks then begin the attack (iv) _______ soft tomatoes from the four comers of Spain. The victims retaliate against the trackers, each other, and anyone else that strays within their range. When all the tomatoes have been demolished, (v) _______ heads to the river to clean it all off.

(v)____

In 1977, the United States enacted the Mine safety and Health Act, and since that time the overall number of deaths related to mining accidents (i) _______ decreased. But, unfortunately, in the United States, several coal mine explosions have recently (ii) _______ the lives of several miners and increased this year’s mining- related deaths above of the total number of mining-related deaths recorded last year. The mining industry and the United States government take seriously the safety problems confronting miners. (iii) _______ is being done to help protect the miners is important in the mining industry throughout the world. The United States Congress has recently considered legislation increasing the amount of oxygen miners must have available to them as they work below the earth’s surface because a lack of available oxygen may have caused the death of some of the trapped miners in recent coal mine explosions. When an explosion (iv) _______ in an underground mine and air packs are in short supply or those available to miners are not in working condition, the successful rescue efforts can be crippled even though rescue workers are (v) _______ valiant efforts to save lives.

(i)____

People from all cultures and civilizations are also (i) _______ with numbers, dates and festival days. In North America, the number 13 is considered (ii) _______ unlucky that often high-rise buildings do not have a 13th floor and the apartment that should be number 13 is given another number. There is no clear reason behind this superstition, (iii) _______ there is evidence for a pathological fear of the number 13, called triskaidekaphobia. Conversely, in Japan, Korea and China, the number 4 is the one bringing bad luck since the character for this number, ‘shi’ sounds like the word ‘death’. Yet all cultures seem to agree (iv)  _______the importance of New Year’s Day. Virtually all countries have rituals surrounding this first day of the year to (v)________ good luck for the future.

(v)_______

I have several good friends but I (i) _______ that my best friend is Ellen. We have been friends with each other since we were very young because she (ii) _______ next door to me. We have always been in the same class al school, although she has always been much cleverer than me. I don’t mind (iii) _______, because she often helps me with my homework! Anyway, I’ve always been better at sports than she is. I always beat her at tennis, and she doesn’t like that. In fact, she hates losing al anything and gets very annoyed if she docs. That’s the only thing that 1 don’t like about her. Otherwise, she has a great sense of humour and she’s always making me laugh. We get on very well together, although occasionally we’ve had arguments – usually about silly little things. Ellen and her family moved to another district last year, but I still see her a lot. We’re planning to go on a trip around Europe next summer, I’m really (iv) _______ to it because 1 think we’ll have a lot of fun and sec exciting places. Of course, it’s going to be hard -to afford such a wonderful and exciting trip, so we’re both going to get jobs and try to (v) _______ enough money for it

(ii)____