Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word or phrase that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions.
James holds ambivalent views on whether or not computer is a lucrative invention

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The Wonders of Wetlands
If you’re searching for scenic places or areas, visiting wetlands probably won’t be high on your list. Wetlands are areas of land that are often saturated with water and they are quite an eyesore. Although they might not look very pretty, they play an important part in keeping the environment clean and suitable for plant and animal life. With the exception of Antarctica, wetlands occur naturally on every continent. There are many different types of wetlands on the Earth, including bogs, swamps, and marshes. Along with rainforests, they are among the most diverse places on the Earth. In addition to naturally-occurring wetlands, humans are creating artificial ones for a number of purposes related to water management. One of the main benefits of wetlands is that they can prevent floods. They do so by storing water temporarily and then slowly releasing it over time. Wetlands operate similarly to a sponge. When it rains heavily and water levels rise, they absorb the excess water. This prevents runoff from entering streams and keeping them from overflowing. Then, when water levels become low in the future, they will release it. In many cases, wetlands offer a much more affordable solutions than dams. However, it’s important to note that wetlands, like dams, don’t eliminate all dangers from flooding. In cases of extremely heavy rainfall, wetlands can fill up and any additional water will start to run off. Wetlands can also play a part in water purification. Agricultural practices, urban runoff, and sewage waste are a major cause of water pollution. Wetlands contain plants and organisms that can reduce this pollution by filtering out unwanted substances such as chemicals, and decomposing matter, as well as sediment. Wetlands have additional benefits for the environment as well. They can help to feed nearby fish populations by releasing vegetative matter to rivers. Also, many amphibians use wetlands as breeding grounds because it provides places for foraging and the shallow water they require for reproduction. Some birds also use wetlands for migration, as they can settle in trees and then raid the wetland’s waters for fish when they’re hungry. Although wetlands may not look pretty, it’s clear that they are capable of doing the dirty work required to keep our planet clean and ensure that the circle of life remains unbroken.
5. All of the following are benefits of wetlands EXCEPT that __________

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A Microchip in Your Body
In 1998, a British scientist named Kevin Warwick did an experiment. He inserted a small microchip into his left arm. He used the microchip to turn on lights, work with his computer, and even start the water for his hath. After only nine days, Warwick removed the microchip from his arm. Nine days is not a long time, but it was enough to give the world a very important message. It is possible to have a microchip in your body. Many people think that someday, we all will have microchips. There are all kinds of things that a microchip could do. It could be useful for simple, everyday things. You might not have to carry keys, because you could use your microchip to open the front door of your house. You might not need cash, because you could use your microchip to buy things. A microchip might be able to do more important things. For example, a microchip could contain all of your important health information. If you had an emergency and wert to hospital, doctors could read your microchip and learn all of your health history. Some scientists even believe that someday a microchip could help cure diseases. Many people dislike the idea of a microchip in their body. They have a lot of concerns. Is it safe? Could a microchip make you sick? Besides, would other people be able to read your microchip and steal your personal information? People are especially worried about personal freedom. This is probably the biggest reason why so many people are against these microchips. What if your government could use your microchip to watch you? What if your government could use your microchip to find your location? Do you want the government to have that information about you? Again, for most people the answer is “no". Nobody has microchips in their body yet. We don't know if this will ever happen. If we ever do have microchips, we don't know what they would look like or what they would do. What do you think? Would you like to have a microchip inserted into your body?
1. The word “message” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to________

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There is a strange symbol ..................... the screen.

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Even before the turn of the century, movies began to develop in two major directions: the realistic and the formalistic. Realism and formalism are merely general, rather than absolute terms. When used to suggest a tendency toward either polarity, such labels can be helpful, but in the end they are still just labels. Few films are exclusively formalist in style, and fewer yet are completely realist. There is also an important difference between realism and reality, although this distinction is often forgotten. Realism is a particular style, whereas physical reality is the source of all the raw materials of the film, both realistic and formalistic. Virtually all movie directors go to the photographable world for their subject matter, but what they do with this material, how they shape and manipulate it determines their stylistic emphasis. Generally speaking, realistic films attempt to reproduce the surface of concrete reality with a minimum of distortion. In photographing objects and events, the filmmaker tries to suggest the copiousness of life itself. Both realist and formalist film directors must select and hence emphasize certain details from chaotic sprawl of reality. But the element of selectivity in realistic films is less obvious. Realists, in short, try to preserve the illusion that their film world is not manipulated, an objective mirror of the actual world. Formalists, on the other hand, make no such pretense. They deliberately stylize and distort their raw materials so that only the very naive would mistake a manipulated image of an object or event for the real thing. We rarely notice the style in a realistic movie; the artist tends to be self-effacing. Some filmmakers are more concerned with what is being shown than how it is manipulated. The camera is used conservatively. It is essentially a recording mechanism that reproduces the surface of tangible objects with as little commentary as possible. A high premium is placed on simplicity, spontaneity, and directness. This is not to suggest that these movies lack artistry, however, at its best the realistic cinema specializes in art that conceals art.
3. The phrase "this distinction" in paragraph 1 refers to the difference between: 

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:
We tend to assume that people like Shakespeare or Darwin owe their success (1)__________ their genius. In his new book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell suggests that the truth may be more complex. Of course, all successful people are bound to have some natural (2)__________. But the true (3)__________ of success are most probably hard work, opportunity, and the environment you grow up in. You need about 10,000 hours of practice before you get really good at something. Mozart’s early work was certainly not great or (4)___________. By the time he composed his first true masterpieces, he must have spent about ten years imposing concertos. But hard work is not enough, you have to get your chance. Most Silicon Valley tycoons, like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, were born around 1955. When the personal computer revolution came twenty years later, they were at a(n) (5)__________ age to lead it

Who cares where the tomatoes in your salad actually came from? ---139---, an increasing number of people do, according to a study conducted by the Consumer Group. In fact, the study shows that many consumers would pay an average of 10 percent more when given the exact source of a fresh food product. ---140--- . Some grocery stores, such as Venley Foods in Boston, have taken advantage of the trend and used it to implement ---141--- branding and marketing.  "If we can tell a story about our product," says Venley Foods CEO Minji Kim, "then we've added ---142--- in the minds of consumers."

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

Harry is talking to Judy over the phone.

- Harry: “Thank you for helping me prepare for my birthday party, Judy.” - Judy: “_______.”

(99)________

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Thanks to our modern lifestyle, with more and more time spent sitting down in front of computers than ever before, the number of overweight people is at a new high. As people frantically search for a solution to this problem, they often try some of the popular fad diets being offered. Many people see fad diets as innocuous ways of losing weight, and they are grateful to have them. Unfortunately, not only don't fad diets usually do the trick, they can actually be dangerous for your health. Although permanent weight loss is the goal, fewareabletoachieveit. Expertsestimate that 95 percent of dieters return to their starting weight, or even add weight. While the reckless use of fad diets can bring some initial results, long-term results are very rare. Nonetheless, people who are fed up with the difficulties of changing their eating habits often turn to fad diets. Rather than being moderate, fad diets involve extreme dietary changes. They advise eating only one type of food, or they prohibit other types of foods entirely. This results in a situation where a person's body doesn't get all the vitamins and other things that it needs to stay healthy. One popular fad diet recommends eating lots of meat and animal products, while nearly eliminating carbohydrates. A scientific study from Britain found that this diet is very high in fat. According to the study, the increase of damaging fats in the blood can lead to heart disease and, in extreme cases, kidney failure. Furthermore, diets that are too low in carbohydrates can cause the body to use its own muscle for energy. The less muscle you have, the less food you use up, and the result is slower weight loss. Veteran dieters may well ask at this point, "What is the ideal diet?" Well, to some extent, it depends on the individual. A United States government agency has determined that to change your eating habits requires changing your psychology of eating, and everyone has a different psychology. That being said, the British study quoted above recommends a diet that is high in carbohydrates and high in fiber, with portions of fatty foods kept low. According to the study, such a diet is the best for people who want to stay healthy, lose weight, and keep that weight off. And, any dieting program is best undertaken with a doctor's supervision.
1. What is the author's main point?

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One of the most important social developments that helped to make possible a shift in thinking about the role of public education was the effect of the baby boom of the 1950’s and 1960’s on the schools. In the 1920’s, but especially in the Depression conditions of the 1930’s, the United States experienced a declining birth rate – every thousand women aged fifteen to forty-four gave birth to about 118 live children in 1920, 89.2 in 1930, 75.8 in 1936, and 80 in 1940. With the growing prosperity brought on by the Second World War and the economic boom that followed it, young people married and established households earlier and began to raise larger families than had their predecessors during the Depression. Birth rates rose to 102 per thousand in 1946, 106.2 in 1950, and 118 in 1955. Although economics was probably the most important determinant, it is not the only explanation for the baby boom. The increased value placed on the idea of the family also helps to explain this rise in birth rates. The baby boomers began streaming into the first grade by the mid-1940’s and became a flood by 1950. The public school system suddenly found itself overtaxed. While the number of schoolchildren rose because of wartime and postwar conditions, these same conditions made the schools even less prepared to cope with the flood. The wartime economy meant that few new schools were built between 1940 and 1945. Moreover, during the war and in the boom times that followed large numbers of teachers left their profession for better-paying jobs elsewhere in the economy. Therefore, in the 1950’s and 1960’s, the baby boom hit an antiquated and inadequate school system. Consequently, the “custodial rhetoric” of the 1930’s and early 1940’s no longer made sense; that is, keeping youths aged sixteen and older out of the labor market by keeping them in school could no longer be a high priority for an institution unable to find space and staff to teach younger children aged five to sixteen. With the baby boom, the focus of educators and of laymen interested in education inevitably turned toward the lower grades and back to basic academic skills and discipline. The system no longer had much interest in offering nontraditional, new, and extra services to older youths
3. The word “overtaxed” in line 14 is closest in meaning to _________.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.
                                MENTORING
Many adults in America and increasing numbers elsewhere take part in mentoring schemes. A mentor is an adult who provides support and friendship to a young person. There are numerous different (1).........   of mentoring: passing on skills, sharing experiences, offering guidance. Sometimes the most    helpful thing to do is just listen. Mentoring is open to anybody - no particular (2)................... experience is  required, just a desire to make a difference to the life of a young person who needs help. This may seem a difficult thing at first, but many people find they have a real talent for it.
The support of a mentor can play an important part in a child's development and can often make up(3)............a lack of guidance in a young person's life. It can also improve young people's attitudes towards society and build up their confidence in dealing with life's challenges. For the mentor, it can be incredibly rewarding to know that they have had a significant influence on a child and helped to give the best possible (4)..........in life. Indeed, it is not only adults who are capable of taking on this role. There is now an increasing (5)..........for teenagers to mentor young children, for example by helping them with reading or other school work.

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

Choose the best answer:
The lights went _______ in several villages because of the storm.

My family consists of four people. There’s my father whose name is Jan, my mother whose name is Marie, my brother Peter and of course me. I have quite a large extended family as well but only the four of us live together in our apartment in a block of flats. My father is fifty-two years old, he works as an accountant in an insurance company. He is tall and slim, has got short brown and grey hair and blue eyes. My father likes gardening very much as well as listening to music and reading books about political science. His special hobbies are bird watching and travelling.

Now I’ll describe my mother and my brother. My mother is forty-seven and she works as a nurse in a hospital. She is small and slim, has got short brown hair and green eyes. She likes bird watching and travelling too, so whenever my parents are able to them go to some places interesting for nature watching. Since we have a cottage with a garden they both spend a lot of time there. My brother is sixteen. He is slim and has short brown hair and blue eyes. He also attends high school. He is interested in computers and sports like football and hockey. He also spends a lot of time with his friends.

I have only one grandmother left still living. She is in pretty good health even at the age of seventy- eight so she still lives in her own flat. I enjoy spending time with her when I can. Both my grandfathers died from cancer because they are smokers, which was really a great tragedy because I didn’t get a chance to know them. My other grandmother died just a few years ago. I also have a lot of aunts, uncles, and cousines. The cousine I’m closest to is my uncle’s daughter Pauline. We have a lot in common because we are both eighteen and so we are good friends.

My parents have assigned me certain duties around the house. I don’t mind helping out because everyone in a family should contribute in some way. I help with the washing up, the vacuuming and the shopping. Of course, I also have to help keep my room tidy as well. My brother is responsible for the dusting and the mopping. He also has to clean his own room. Even though my brother and I sometimes fight about who has to do what job, we are still very close. I am also very close to my parents and I can rely on them to help me. My parents work together to keep our home well maintained and it seems they always have some projects or another that they are working on. They respect each other’s opinions and even if they disagree they can always come to a compromise. I hope in the future that I have a family like ours.

What is the writer’s father?

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After the fire, we call the ________ to take the victims to the hospital.

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The Most Convenient Way to Shop
Do you do a lot of online shopping? For millions of people, it is a wonderful way to purchase the things they want without having to leave their homes. Online shopping is not very old. The first online shopping company was created in 1991. However, the idea of shopping from home has existed for a very long time. Many years ago, people shopped with mail-order catalogues. A catalogue is a very thin magazine that is full of advertisements, and then they mailed their order back to the company. A few weeks later, their product arrived. Because people ordered their products through the mail, they were called “mail-order” catalogues. After that, shopping television shows became popular. These TV shows introduced products to people watching at home. People who wanted to buy something called the company and placed the order. This is called home shopping. Now we have online shopping. Online shoppers go online and look at web sites. When they find something they want, they place an order with the web site. They usually pay with a credit card or with virtual currency. Online shopping is changing shopping. Millions of people buy things online every day. The biggest effect of online shopping is on stores. As more people buy things online, more stores are shutting down. After all, why should you go to a store if you can buy things from home? The main advantage of online shopping is convenience. You can buy almost anything from anywhere in the world, and a week later the product will be in your house. Also, other customers write reviews of products. You can read these reviews and decide whether or not you want to buy the product. The big disadvantages are the loss of jobs from store closing, and the fact that you can’t examine an item closely before you buy it. After online shopping, what do you think will come next?
5. The phrase “_shutting down_” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _________.

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to complete the sentences with given words
I/ can/ send/ you/ references/ the Director of the Happy Mind Charity Centre.

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
Beginning this year, Renaissance Strategy Inc. will provide financial aid to fulltime employees ith children in school. Financial aid is available to candidates from elementary school to college, but homeschooling is not included. There are also certain requirements that you must meet in order to be eligible for financial aid. Eligible candidates must be enrolled as full-time students and maintain passing grades. Candidates must also submit a copy of proof of enrollment along with application forms which you can find at the front of the administration division. How much aid your child receives will depend on your financial need and on the amount of other aid you receive. Aid will be paid directly to the school on a yearly basis. If you need more information or have any questions about the program, please call 123-5656.
1. What is the announcement intended for?

Football, game played on a rectangular (1) _______ by two opposing teams with an inflated leather ball that is roughly (2) _______ in shape. The object of the game is to score points by carrying the ball (3) _______ the opponent’s goal line or by (4) _______ the ball through the opponent’s goalposts. Football is (5) _______ a full-contact sport, meaning that play involves bodily contact by means of checking, blocking, grabbing, and tackling.

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Learning to Dig Jazz Music
It has been said that jazz is America’s greatest contribution to music. It mixes the powerful rhythm of African traditions with elements of European classical music. The beginnings of jazz music are a bit unclear, but many people believe it originated in New Orleans during the late 1800s. New Orleans was a melting pot where local tribes mixed with immigrants who came from Africa and Europe to form a new, unique culture. Jazz has several elements which set it apart from other styles of music. Compared to rock music, jazz is more complex and versatile. Whereas rock bands typically consists of a drummer, some guitarists, and a singer, jazz bands can be big or small and they are made up from a wide variety of instruments. Another thing which sets jazz apart from other forms of music is improvisation. Musicians start with a basic structure, perhaps a few chords, and then they decide what to play in the moment. Therefore, even if the same songs are repeated, you can be certain that no two jazz concerts are the same. Over the years, many sub-genres of jazz came about. Ragtime is one of the first styles that came about, and it consists mainly of upbeat piano compositions. Dixieland Jazz started in the 1920s and it incorporated blue music and brass bands. Next came the Big Band era, which showcased groups with 10 or more musicians playing different instruments. In the Bebop era of the 1940s, jazz musicians returned to smaller groups of four to six musicians, but they started playing far more complex melodies.  If you are just becoming interested in jazz, you should start by listening to the works of some of its masters. Louis Armstrong is considered one of the grandfathers of jazz, as he helped to spread jazz to the masses in the 1920s. Armstrong is perhaps best-known today for singing the classic song “What a Wonderful World”, but in his prime, he was a talented bandleader and an incredible trumpet player. Charlie Parker was all the rage during the bebop age, as every saxophone player was trying to imitate him. Miles Davis is another pioneering jazzman who everyone should check out, as he was always changing his style. During his long career, Davis won nine Grammy awards. Although jazz music is an acquired taste, once you begin to appreciate it, it is like a fine wine that gets better with age.
5. The word “they” in paragraph 2 refers to ___________

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They couldn’t pass the final ____________.

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:
Recent technological advances in manned and unmanned vehicles, along with breakthroughs in satellite technology and computer equipment, have overcome some of the limitations of divers and diving equipment for scientists doing research on the great oceans of the world. Without a vehicle, divers often became sluggish, and their mental concentration was severely limited. Because undersea pressure affects their speech organs, communication among divers has always been difficult or impossible. But today, most oceanographers avoid the use of vulnerable human divers, preferring to reduce the risk to human life and make direct observations by means of instruments that are lowered into the ocean, from samples take from the water, or from photographs made by orbiting satellites. Direct observations of the ocean floor can be made not only by divers but also by deep-diving submarines in the water and even by the technology of sophisticated aerial photography from vantage points above the surface of more than seven miles and cruise at depths of fifteen thousand feet. In addition, radio-equipped buoys can be operated by remote control in order to transmit information back to land-based laboratories via satellite. Particularly important for ocean study are data about water temperature, currents, and weather. Satellite photographs can show the distribution of sea ice, oil slicks, and cloud formations over the ocean. Maps created from satellite pictures can represent the temperature and the color of the ocean's surface, enabling researchers to study the ocean currents from laboratories on dry land. Furthermore, computers help oceanographers to collect, organize, and analyze data from submarines and satellites. By creating a model of the ocean's movement and characteristics, scientists can predict the patterns and possible effects of the ocean on the environment.
Recently, many oceanographers have been relying more on satellites and computers than on research ships or even submarine vehicles because they can supply a greater range of information more quickly and more effectively. Some of humankind's most serious problems, especially those concerning energy and food, may be solved with the help of observations made possible by this new technology.

This passage suggests that the successful exploration of the ocean depends upon