Many people believe that watching television has resulted in lower reading standards in schools. However, the link between television and printed books is not as simple as that. In many cases, television actually encourages people to read; for example, when a book is turned into a TV series, its sales often go up. One study of this link examined six-year-old children who were viewing a special series of 15-minute programs at school. The series was designed to encourage love of books, as well as to develop the basic mechanical skills of reading. Each program is an animated film of a children's book. The story is read aloud and certain key phrases from the book appear on the screen, beneath the picture. Whenever a word is read, it is also highlighted on the TV screen.

   One finding was that watching these programs was very important to the children. If anything prevented them from seeing a program, they were very disappointed. What's more, they wanted to read the books which the different parts of the series were based on.

   The programs also gave the children more confidence when looking at these books. As a result of their familiarity with the stories, they would sit in pairs and read the stories aloud to each other. On each occasion, the children showed great sympathy when discussing a character in a book because they themselves had been moved when watching the character on television.

How did children feel when viewing a special series of 15-minute program at school?

Many people believe that watching television has resulted in lower reading standards in schools. However, the link between television and printed books is not as simple as that. In many cases, television actually encourages people to read; for example, when a book is turned into a TV series, its sales often go up. One study of this link examined six-year-old children who were viewing a special series of 15-minute programs at school. The series was designed to encourage love of books, as well as to develop the basic mechanical skills of reading. Each program is an animated film of a children's book. The story is read aloud and certain key phrases from the book appear on the screen, beneath the picture. Whenever a word is read, it is also highlighted on the TV screen.

   One finding was that watching these programs was very important to the children. If anything prevented them from seeing a program, they were very disappointed. What's more, they wanted to read the books which the different parts of the series were based on.

   The programs also gave the children more confidence when looking at these books. As a result of their familiarity with the stories, they would sit in pairs and read the stories aloud to each other. On each occasion, the children showed great sympathy when discussing a character in a book because they themselves had been moved when watching the character on television.

Who were the subjects of the study?

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer

A birthday party is a celebration that occurs to celebrate the birth of the person being honored. Birthday parties are celebrated in many cultures. While a child’s party is usually at home and consists of soft drinks and sweet food as well as some main courses, adults’ birthday parties in Western countries often take place in bars or nightclubs where a range of alcoholic beverages are consumed. 

In Western cultures, particularly in the United States, birthday parties are often accompanied by colorful decorations such as streamers and balloons. A birthday cake is often served with candles that are to be blown out after a “birthday wish” has been made. While the birthday cake is brought to the table, the song Happy Birthday to You is sung. Wealthy people or celebrities may hire an event management agency or a party service to organize a birthday party. 

The birthday cake has been an integral part of the birthday tradition in Western cultures since the middle of the 19th century.

The cake, or sometimes a pastry or dessert, is served to a person on his or her birthday, and is often decorated with small novelty candles, with the person’s name and a message of congratulations inscribed with icing. The phrase “Happy Birthday” did not appear on birthday cakes until the song Happy Birthday to You was popularized in the early 1900s.

Tradition holds that the person with the birthday may make a wish, which will come true if all the candles can be blown out in one breath.

A birthday cake is____.

As viewed from space, Earth’s distinguishing characteristics are its blue waters and white clouds. Enveloped by an ocean of air consisting of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, the planet is the only one in our solar system known to harbor life. Circling the Sun at an average distance of 149 million kilometers (93 million miles), Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest planet in the solar system.

   Our planet’s rapid spin and molten nickel-iron core give rise to an extensive magnetic field which, coupled the atmosphere, shields us from nearly all of the harmful radiation coming from the Sun and other stars. Earth’s atmosphere protects us from meteors as well, most of which burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere before they can strike the surface. The planet active geological processes have left no evidence of the ancient pelting it almost certainly received soon after it formed about 4.6 billion years ago. The Earth has a single natural satellite – the moon.

 It’s probable that the next paragraph would discuss ________.

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to complete the sentences with given words

In 1778, he went/ London/ study/ Benjamin West/ for/ four years.

Write the sentence with the following words 

Peter/ sincere/ easy-going/ man/ a sense of humour

Last year I went to Nepal for three months to work in a hospital. I think it's important to see as much of a country as you can, but it is difficult to travel around Nepal. The hospital let me have a few days’ holiday, so I decided to go into the jungle and I asked a Nepalese guide, Kamal Rai, to go with me.

We started preparing for the trip at six in the morning, and left camp with two elephants carrying our equipment. It was hot but Kamal made me wear shoes and trousers to protect me from snakes. In the jungle there was a lot of wildlife, but we were trying to find big cats, especially tigers. We climbed onto the elephants' backs to get better view, but it is unusual to find tigers in the afternoon because they sleep in the heat of the day.

Then, in the distance, we saw a tiger, and Kamal told me to be very quiet. We crept nearer and found a dead deer, still bleeding. This was the tiger's lunch! Suddenly I started to feel very frightened.

We heard the tiger a second before we saw it. It jumped out like a flash of lightning, five hundred kilos plus and four meters long. I looked into its eyes and face, and saw right down the animal's throat. It grabbed Kamal's leg between its teeth, but I managed to pull Kamal away. One of our elephants ran at the tiger and made it go back into the grass, so we quickly escaped to let the tiger eat its lunch. That night it was impossible to sleep!

It's difficult to find tigers in the afternoon because ________

Choose the sentence -a, b, c or d - which is closest in meaning to the sentence above.

David seems really ill at case in front of all those people

Going to party can be fun and enjoyable. If you are invited to a party, do call your host up early to inform him/her of whether you are going. If you want to bring someone who has not been invited along with you, you should ask for permission first. Remember to dress appropriately for the party. You will stick out like a sore thumb if you are dressed formally whereas everyone else is in T-shirt and jeans. If you are not sure what to wear, do ask your host.

During the party you may perhaps like to help your host by offering to serve drinks or wash the dishes. Your host would certainly appreciate these efforts. If you happen to be in a party you do not know anyone, do not try to monopolize the host's attention. This is inconsiderate since your host has many people to attend to and can not spend all his/ her time with you. Instead, learn to mingle with others at the party. You could try breaking the ice by introducing yourself to someone who is friendly-looking.

Before you leave the party, remember to thank your host first. If you have the time, you could even offer to help your host clean up the place.

The phrase 'break the ice' means ________.

Choose the best sentence that can be made from the words given

 the U.S population / grow / 250 million / 1991

Rearrange the sentences to make meaningful sentences

Heart to Heart/ Charity Office/ Would/ to/ at/ volunteer/ like/ the/ you?

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 we believe that clothing has to do with covering the body, and costumes with the choice of a particular form of garment for a particular use, then we can say that clothing depends primarily on such physical conditions as climate, health, and textile manufacture, whereas costumes reflect social factors such as religious beliefs, aesthetics, personal status, and the wish to be distinguished from or to emulate our fellows.

   The ancient Greeks and the Chinese believed that we first covered our bodies for some physical reason such as protecting ourselves from the weather elements. Ethnologists and psychologists have invoked psychological reasons: modesty in the case of ancients, and taboo, magical influence and the desire to please for the moderns.

   In early history, costumes must have fulfilled a function beyond that of simple utility, perhaps through some magical significance, investing primitive man with the attributes of other creatures. Ornaments identified the wearer with animals, gods, heroes or other men. This identification remains symbolic in more sophisticated societies. We should bear in mind that the theater has its distant origins in sacred performances, and in all periods children at play have worn disguises, so as to adapt gradually to adult life.

   Costumes helped inspire fear or impose authority. For a chieftain, costumes embodied attributes expressing his power, while a warrior's costume enhanced his physical superiority and suggested he was superhuman. In more recent times, professional or administrative costume has been devised to distinguish the wearer and express personal or delegated authority; this purpose is seen clearly in the judge's robes and the police officer’s uniform. Costume denotes power, and since power is usually equated with wealth, costume came to be an expression of social caste and material prosperity. Military uniform denotes rank and is intended to intimidate to protect the body and to express membership in a group. At the bottom of the scale, there are such compulsory costumes as the convict’s uniform. Finally, costume can possess a religious significance that combines various elements: an actual or symbolic identification with a god, the desire to express this in earthly life, and the desire to enhance the wearer's position of respect.

The word “ornaments” in paragraph 3 is closet in meaning to _______.

Read the article and answer the questions that follow.

Is There Really a Generation Gap?

According to the results of a survey in USA WEEKEND Magazine, there isn’t really a generation gap. The magazine’s “Teens & Parents” survey shows that today’s generation of young people generally get along well with their parents and appreciate the way they’re being raised. Most feel that their parents understand them, and they believe their parents consider family as the No. 1 priority in their lives. Although more than a third of teens have something in their rooms they would like to keep secret from their parents, it is usually nothing more harmful than a diary or a CD.

Such results may seem surprising in the context of the violent events that people hear about in the media. Maybe because of the things they hear, parents worry that their own kids might get out of control once they reach the teenage years. However, the facts in the survey should make us feel better. The survey shows us that today’s teens are loving and sensible. They are certainly happier than the angry people in the teenage stereotypes we all know about. True, some teenagers are very angry, and we need to recognize their needs, but the great majority of teens are not like that at all.

In contrast to some stereotypes, most teens believe they must be understanding about differences among individuals. Many of them volunteer for community service with disadvantaged people. When they talk about themselves, their friends and their families, they sound positive and proud. Generally, these are very nice kids.

Is this spirit of harmony a change from the past? Only a generation ago, parent-child relations were described as the “generation gap”. Yet even then, things were not so bad. Most kids in the 1960s and 1970s shared their parents’ basic values.

Perhaps, however, it is true that American families are growing closer at the beginning of this new millennium. Perhaps there is less to fight about, and the dangers of drug abuse and other unacceptable behavior are now well known. Perhaps, compared to the impersonal world outside the home, a young person’s family is like a friendly shelter, not a prison. And perhaps parents are acting more like parents than they did 20 or 30 years ago.

What is the stereotype referred to in paragraph 2?

Read the article and answer the questions that follow.

Is There Really a Generation Gap?

According to the results of a survey in USA WEEKEND Magazine, there isn’t really a generation gap. The magazine’s “Teens & Parents” survey shows that today’s generation of young people generally get along well with their parents and appreciate the way they’re being raised. Most feel that their parents understand them, and they believe their parents consider family as the No. 1 priority in their lives. Although more than a third of teens have something in their rooms they would like to keep secret from their parents, it is usually nothing more harmful than a diary or a CD.

Such results may seem surprising in the context of the violent events that people hear about in the media. Maybe because of the things they hear, parents worry that their own kids might get out of control once they reach the teenage years. However, the facts in the survey should make us feel better. The survey shows us that today’s teens are loving and sensible. They are certainly happier than the angry people in the teenage stereotypes we all know about. True, some teenagers are very angry, and we need to recognize their needs, but the great majority of teens are not like that at all.

In contrast to some stereotypes, most teens believe they must be understanding about differences among individuals. Many of them volunteer for community service with disadvantaged people. When they talk about themselves, their friends and their families, they sound positive and proud. Generally, these are very nice kids.

Is this spirit of harmony a change from the past? Only a generation ago, parent-child relations were described as the “generation gap”. Yet even then, things were not so bad. Most kids in the 1960s and 1970s shared their parents’ basic values.

Perhaps, however, it is true that American families are growing closer at the beginning of this new millennium. Perhaps there is less to fight about, and the dangers of drug abuse and other unacceptable behavior are now well known. Perhaps, compared to the impersonal world outside the home, a young person’s family is like a friendly shelter, not a prison. And perhaps parents are acting more like parents than they did 20 or 30 years ago.

In what way, according to the writer, are parents today different from they were a generation ago?

Most of us are interested in one kind of sport or another, even if we don't go in for it actively. Lots of people take up a particular sport at an early age, for example tennis, skiing, or ice-skating. If they get up to a suitably high standard, they may go in for local competitions or even championships. But special training is hard work and most young people don't keep it up. Many of them opt out when they come up against tough competition.

To become a professional in any sport, you have to go through with a strict training schedule. And it's not easy! It means doing without some of life's little pleasures, too. For example, to build up your physical strength you may have to stick to a special diet and give up some of your favorite foods. Smoking and alcohol are out, and to keep fit you have to work out regularly every day.

Sometimes it all pays off, but the road to success is long and there are no guarantees. No wonder that countless young talents decide to settle for a regular job instead, and, as far as professional sport is concerned, for looking on as spectators.

To become professional in any sports, your strict training schedule would probably involve _________

Read the text and choose the best answer for each blank.

 Viet Nam Assistance for the Handicapped (VNAH) is a non-profit organization (36) ............... in 1991 to assist people with disabilities in Viet Nam. Its main aim is to help disabled people to overcome their (37) ............... . Some of VNAH'S programs (38) ............... technical assistance to clinics and wheelchair factories in the (39) ............... of high-quality and low-cost wheelchairs.

 To (40) ............... disadvantaged people, VNAH has set up the Office of Disabilities Technical Assistance (ODTA) in Hanoi. In addition, VNAH (41) ............... a program to support the government in improving activities benefiting people with disabilities.

In cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development, VNAH is now working to (42) ............... different Vietnamese agencies. Special attention (43) ............... to providing disabled people with full access to all facilities and services.

Question 36....................

Emigrating to better yourself was a dream for most Jamaicans, a dream many were determined to fulfill. Families were close and grandmothers were an important part of the family. So, when the mass emigrations began, it seemed perfectly right and natural for them to take over the running of families left behind.

   Grandmothers are often strict, but usually also spoil you. She ran the family like a military operation: each of us, no matter how young, had our tasks. Every morning, before we went to school, we all had to take a bucket appropriate to our size and run a relay from the communal tap to the barrels until they are full. My sisters had to sweep the yard before they went to school. My grandmother would give orders to the eldest and these were passed down- as I got older I found this particularly annoying! But I can tell you, no one avoided their duties.

What does "this" in the third paragraph refer t

The Amazon rainforest is home to more than a third of all the world's species of plants, birds and animals. Twenty per cent of all the birds in the world live in the rainforest. Scientists have discovered thousands of types of plants and animals that can only be found there. There are thousands - probably millions more that we haven't discovered yet. There are at least 2.5 million species of insects there. Imagine what would happen if they all lost their home? It couldn't happen, could it? Unfortunately, it's happening right now. Yet, the rainforest is big. But it's getting smaller. The problem is that people are cutting down the trees, mainly to make room for cows. These provide meat and make money for their owners. This process of cutting down trees is called ‘deforestation'.

The good news is that it is slowing down. In 2004, for example, more than 27,000 square kilometres were cut down. That's an area bigger than Wales. In 2006, because of all the campaigns to save rainforest, it dropped to just over 13,000 square kilometres. The bad news is that it's not enough. Scientists predict that by 2030, the rainforest will have become smaller by 40%. It's possible that by the end of the 21st century, the rainforest will have completely disappeared. With deforestation, thousands of the animals, birds, fish and plants that live in the Amazon rainforest lose their home, their natural habitat. Some of them move to other areas, but most of them die. Many species have already become extinct, and many more will if deforestation continues. That will change the balance of life in the rainforest and could cause enormous problems to the region's ecosystem.There's another problem too. Trees and plants are a vital source of oxygen. If we cut them down, we lose that oxygen. But it's worse than just that. With deforestation, the trees and plants are burnt. This sends gases into the Earth's atmosphere, which stops some of the Earth's heat escaping. That then leads to the temperature here on the ground going up. This increase in the world's temperature is called 'global warming', and most scientists believe it's a very serious issue. If they stopped deforestation, it might help prevent global warming

 Which title best summarises the main idea of the passage?

The Amazon rainforest is home to more than a third of all the world's species of plants, birds and animals. Twenty per cent of all the birds in the world live in the rainforest. Scientists have discovered thousands of types of plants and animals that can only be found there. There are thousands - probably millions more that we haven't discovered yet. There are at least 2.5 million species of insects there. Imagine what would happen if they all lost their home? It couldn't happen, could it? Unfortunately, it's happening right now. Yet, the rainforest is big. But it's getting smaller. The problem is that people are cutting down the trees, mainly to make room for cows. These provide meat and make money for their owners. This process of cutting down trees is called ‘deforestation'.

The good news is that it is slowing down. In 2004, for example, more than 27,000 square kilometres were cut down. That's an area bigger than Wales. In 2006, because of all the campaigns to save rainforest, it dropped to just over 13,000 square kilometres. The bad news is that it's not enough. Scientists predict that by 2030, the rainforest will have become smaller by 40%. It's possible that by the end of the 21st century, the rainforest will have completely disappeared. With deforestation, thousands of the animals, birds, fish and plants that live in the Amazon rainforest lose their home, their natural habitat. Some of them move to other areas, but most of them die. Many species have already become extinct, and manymore will if deforestation continues. That will change the balance of life in the rainforest and could cause enormous problems to the region's ecosystem.

In the final paragraph, the word "increase” is closest in meaning to ____.

Rearrange the sentences to make meaningful sentences 

who/ Could/ invented/ tell/ the/ you/ me/ light/ bulb?

 Many people associate the countryside with peace and relaxation. They spend their free time walking or cycling there, or go to the country for a picnic or a pub lunch. In summer people go to fruit farms and pick strawberries and other fruit. Only a few people who live in the country work on farms. Many commute to work in towns. Many others dream of living in the country, where they believe they would have a better and healthier lifestyle.

   The countryside faces many threats. Some are associated with modern farming practices, and the use of chemicals harmful to plants and wildlife. Land is also needed for new houses. The green belt, an area of land around many cities, is under increasing pressure. Plans to build new roads are strongly opposed by organizations trying to protect the countryside. Protesters set up camps to prevent, or at least delay, the building work.

Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an activity of relaxation in the countryside of Britain?