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.

What is the purpose of the paragraph 1?

 I have only one grandmother left still living. She is in pretty good health even at the age of seventyeight 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 were smokers, which was really a great tragedy because I didn't get chance to know them. My other grandmother died just a few years ago. I also have a lot of aunts, uncles, and cousins. The cousin 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 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 seem they always have a project 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 1 have a family like ours.

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

 Dodder is an unusual and unwanted plant that attacks other plants. Except for its flowers, the plant looks like spaghetti noodles. Its almost leafless, thread–like stems hang down atop other plants that dodder needs to stay alive. Dodder does not produce its own food. Instead, it steals it from other plants. It feeds by sucking juices from the plant it is wrapped around, often making its host very weak or even killing it. Dodder can find other plants by their smell. When a dodder seedling starts growing, it follows the scent of plants it prefers, like tomato plants, potato plants, or other farm crops.

   Unlike most plants that usually grow in the direction of light or warmth, a dodder plant will grow in the direction of, for example, tomato odor––if a tomato happens to be growing nearby.

   However, a young dodder plant must find a host plant quickly. If it cannot catch a whiff of a potential host within a few days, it will dry up and disappear—even if there is plenty of water around. Once it finds a host, the young dodder plant will attach itself to it and start growing faster. At that point, the dodder plant will drop its root.

Why does the author mention spaghetti?

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.

Traditions, saying, beliefs, language, and values are just a few things that make up our culture. Culture is the framework in which families are structured. It shapes our expectations and ideals. Culture plays a part in the meaning of marriage and our roles as husbands, wives, children, and parents.

Understanding cultural differences and similarities related to marriage are important. Culture affects the roles that spouses take within marriages, the age at marriage and number of children a couple has, the meaning of divorce, cohabitation and non-marital childbearing, and the way parents raise children. Understanding how relationships and marriages vary across cultural contexts, and how they are similar, we will be able to identify the unique ways that marriages and family life affect people of various cultures. As a result, we will be able to help families and sustain happy marriages.

A cross-cultural marriage or similar love relationship can be extremely exciting. The cultural background, visits to the other country, the language of the country and learning to speak it, the different habits and ways of doing and saying things that people from other cultures have, are. all very exciting indeed. What of the disadvantages of a cross-cultural marriage or love relationship with someone from another country or cultural background? No matter how much you love your husband or wife, no matter how high your level of cross-cultural awareness, cross-cultural communication, and respect for differences. Misunderstanding seems to be unavoidable.

According to the passage, which of the following is not affected by culture?

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

 I / write / ask you / some more information / the competition

 Perhaps it was because he was a handsome, red-haired country boy, the son of a poor miner from Oklahoma. His career, from the lead mines of the West to the heights of success and fame, was a fairy-tale version of the American dream. Or perhaps it was because America always loves a “natural”: a person who wins without seeming to try, whose talent appears to come from an inner grace. That was Mickey Mantle.

   But like many celebrities, Mickey Mantle had a private life that was full of problems. He played without complaint despite constant pain from injuries. He lived to fulfill his father’s dreams and drank to forget his father’s early death.

   It was a terrible addiction that finally destroyed his body. It gave him cirrhosis of the liver and accelerated the advance of liver cancer. Even when Mickey Mantle had turned away from his old life and warned young people not to follow his example, the destructive process could not be stopped. Despite a liver transplant operation that had all those who loved and admired him hoping for a recovery, Mickey Mantle died of cancer at the age of 63.

The word “accelerated” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to ______.

Herman Melville, an American author best known today for his novel Moby Dick, was actually more popular during his lifetime for some of his other works. He traveled extensively and used the knowledge gained during his travels as the basis for his early novels. In 1837, at the age of eighteen, Melville signed as a cabin boy on a merchant ship that was to sail from his Massachusetts home to Liverpool, England. His experiences on this trip served as a basis for the novel Redburn (1849). In 1841 Melville set out on a whaling ship headed for the South Seas. After jumping ship in Tahiti, he wandered around the islands of Tahiti and Moorea. This South Sea island sojourn was a backdrop to the novel Omoo (1847). After three years away from home, Melville joined up with a U.S. naval frigate that was returning to the eastern United States around Cape Horn. The novel White-Jacket (1850) describes this lengthy voyage as a navy seaman. With the publication of these early adventure novels, Melville developed a strong and loyal following among readers eager for his tales of exotic places and situations. However, in 1851, with the publication of Moby Dick, Melville's popularity started to diminish. Moby Dick, on one level the saga of the hunt for the great white whale, was also a heavily symbolic allegory of the heroic struggle of man against the universe. The public was not ready for Melville's literary metamorphosis from romantic adventure to philosophical symbolism. It is ironic that the novel that served to diminish Melville's popularity during his lifetime is the one for which he is best known today.

The passage implies that Melville stayed in Tahiti because____________.

Education is much more open-ended and all-inclusive than schooling. Education knows no bounds. It can take place anywhere, whether in the shower or on the job, whether in a kitchen or on a tractor. It includes both the formal learning that takes place in schools and the whole universe of informal learning. The agents of education can range from a revered grandparent to the people debating politics on the radio, from a child to a distinguished scientist. Whereas schooling has a certain predictability, education quite often produces surprises. A chance conversation with a stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known of other religions. People are engaged in education from infancy on. Education, then, is a very broad, inclusive term. It is a lifelong process, a process that starts long before the start of school, and one that should be an integral part of one's entire life.

   Schooling, on the other hand, is a specific, formalized process, whose general pattern varies little from one setting to the next. Throughout a country, children arrive at school at approximately the same time, take assigned seats, are taught by an adult, use similar textbooks, do homework, take exams, and so on. The slices of reality that are to be learned, whether they are the alphabet or an understanding of the workings of government, have usually been limited by the boundaries of the subject being taught.

The passage is organized by

Write the sentence with the following words 

We/ invite/ you / our house/ enjoy/ party

Your mind's ability to bring back experiences you have had is your memory. There are two kinds of remembering, recall and recognition. For instance, you may not be able to recall the poem you read yesterday in class, but if you see it again, you will know it instantly because you recognize it.

Some few people have 'total recall,' often spoken of as photographic memory. A person with total recall can recite a whole page of a book he has read only once, or play a musical composition after hearing it once. This is very unusual, however, and most people have difficulty in remembering even names they heard the day before. This is not because most people lack the ability to remember, but because they had not paid much attention to what they heard. They felt no personal reasons to remember. Having a personal reason for remembering is one of the most important factors in a good memory.

When you have a strong reason for remembering, concentrate as you read or listen, and try to connect the new information to things you I already know. A detail is easy to remember when it fits into a whole that makes sense. If you understand the entire history lesson before you try to remember any particular dates, your memory may surprise you.

 While not directly stated, it may be inferred from the article that ________.

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.

In a child’s birthday party, there is not____.

 In the 1960s, The Beatles were probably the most famous pop group in the whole world. Since then, there have been a great many groups that have achieved enormous fame, so it is perhaps difficult now to imagine how sensational The Beatles were at that time. They were four boys from the north of England and none of them had any training in music. They started by performing and recording songs by black Americans and they had some success with these songs. Then they started writing their own songs and that was when they became really popular. The Beatles changed pop music. They were the first pop group to achieve great success from songs they had written themselves. After that it became common for groups and singers to write their own songs. The Beatles did not have a long career. Their first hit record was in 1963 and they split up in 1970. They stopped doing live performances in 1966 because it had become too dangerous for them - their fans were so excited that they surrounded them and tried to take their clothes as souvenirs! However, today some of their songs remain as famous as they were when they first came out. Throughout the world, many people can sing part of a Beatles song if you ask them.

The first songs of the Beatles were __________

When the weather is cold, it is not very much fun to (1) ______a bus. People have to stand at a bus-stop for minutes or even hours. They talk about the bus and (2) _______about the weather. Most of them feel cold. Some have to drink coffee to stay warm.

Traveling by buses (3) _______pollution, but people often would rather drive their cars. Many people are not used to the bus schedules, and they do not like to wait.

On the other hand, many people have been (4) ______the bus every day for many years. They are used to it. They say the bus has been coming on time every day, and they have never been late for work. In (5) _______, they do not need a parking place in all that time. Buses are very convenient when you are used to them.

(5)_______

Perhaps it was because he was a handsome, red-haired country boy, the son of a poor miner from Oklahoma. His career, from the lead mines of the West to the heights of success and fame, was a fairy-tale version of the American dream. Or perhaps it was because America always loves a “natural”: a person who wins without seeming to try, whose talent appears to come from an inner grace. That was Mickey Mantle.

   But like many celebrities, Mickey Mantle had a private life that was full of problems. He played without complaint despite constant pain from injuries. He lived to fulfill his father’s dreams and drank to forget his father’s early death.

   It was a terrible addiction that finally destroyed his body. It gave him cirrhosis of the liver and accelerated the advance of liver cancer. Even when Mickey Mantle had turned away from his old life and warned young people not to follow his example, the destructive process could not be stopped. Despite a liver transplant operation that had all those who loved and admired him hoping for a recovery, Mickey Mantle died of cancer at the age of 63.

It can be inferred from the passage that for most Americans _____

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?

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.

 According to the passage, if you are dressed differently from everybody at the party, _________

Choose the correct word that best fits each space.

Many parents believe that they should begin to teach their children to read when they are (34)____ more than toddlers. This is fine if the child shows a real interest but forcing a child could be counter-productive if she isn't ready. Wise parents will have a (35)____ attitude and take the lead from their child. What they should provide is a selection of (36)____ toys, books, and other activities. Nowadays there is plenty of good (37)____ available for young children, and of course, seeing plenty of books in use around the house will also (38)____ them to read.

Of course, books are no longer the only source of stories and information. There is also a huge range of videos, which can reinforce and extend the pleasure a child finds in a book and are (39)____ valuable in helping to increase vocabulary and concentration. Television gets a bad review as far as children are concerned, mainly because too many children spend too much time watching programs not intended for their age (40)____. Too many television programs induce an incurious, uncritical attitude that is going to make learning much more difficult. However, (41)____  viewing of programs designed for young children can be useful. Just as adults enjoy reading a book after seeing it serialized on television, so children will pounce on books which (42)____ their favorite television characters, and videos can add a new (43)____ to a story known from a book.

Question 35........................

 In addition to its biological consequences, extinction poses a moral dilemma for humans, the only species capable of saving the others. The presence of humans on the planet has affected all other life forms, particularly plants and animals. Human lifestyles have proven to be incompatible with the survival of some other species. Purposeful efforts have been made to eliminate animals that prey on people, livestock, crops, or pose any threat to human livelihoods. Some wild animals have been decimated by human desire for meat, hides, fur, or other body parts with commercial value. Likewise, demand for land, water, and other natural resources has left many wild plants and animals with little to no suitable habitat. Humans have also affected nature by introducing non-native species to local areas and producing pollutants having a negative impact on the environment. The combination of these human-related effects and natural obstacles such as disease or low birthrates has proven to be too much for some species to overcome. They have no chance of survival without human help.

   As a result, societies have difficult choices to make about the amount of effort and money they are willing to spend to save imperiled species. Will people accept limits on their property rights, recreational activities, and means of livelihood to save a plant or an animal? Should saving such popular species as whales and dolphins take priority over saving obscure, annoying, or fearful species? Is it the responsibility of humans to save every kind of life form from disappearing, or is extinction an inevitable part of nature, in which the strong survive and the weak perish? These are some difficult questions that people face as they ponder the fate of other species living on this planet.

The word "They" in paragraph 2 refers to ______

As Chinese society changes, higher education is undergoing major transformations. The university model of the United States and other Western countries has a powerful influence. New trends in Chinese higher education are attracting the attention of global educators. Since the establishment of Western-oriented modern universities at the end of nineteenth century, Chinese higher education has continued to evolve. Over the past two decades, however, tremendous economic development in China has stimulated reforms in higher education that have resulted in some remarkable changes.

The first modern institution, Peiyang University, was founded in Tianjin. The university changed its name to Tianjin University in 1951 and became one of the leading universities in China: Next, Jiaotong University was founded in Shanghai in 1896. In the 1950s, most of this university was moved to Xi'an, an ancient capital city in northwest China, and became Xi'an Jiaotong University; the part of the university remaining in Shanghai was renamed Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Tianjin University celebrated its hundredth anniversary in 1995, followed by Xi'an Jiaotong and Shanghai Jiaotong Universities in 1996. Other leading universities, such as Zhejiang University (1897), Beijing University (1898), and Nanjing University (1902) also recently celebrated their hundredth anniversaries, one after another. These celebrations marked the beginning of a new chapter in Chinese higher education.

The text is about _______.

William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), who wrote under the pseudonym of O. Henry, was born in North Carolina. His only formal education was to attend his Aunt Lina’s school until the age of fifteen, where he developed his lifelong love of books. By 1881 he was a licensed pharmacist. However, within a year, on the recommendation of a medical colleague of his Father’s, Porter moved to La Salle County in Texas for two years herding sheep. During this time, Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary was his constant companion, and Porter gained a knowledge of ranch life that he later incorporated into many of his short stories. He then moved to Austin for three years, and during this time the first recorded use of his pseudonym appeared, allegedly derived from his habit of calling “Oh, Henry” to a family cat. In 1887, Porter married Athol Estes. He worked as a draftsman, then as a bank teller for the First National Bank.

According to the passage, Porter’s Father was ___________.

As Christmas evolved in the United States, new customs were adopted and many old ones were reworked. The legend of Santa Claus, for example, had origins in Europe and was brought by Dutch settlers to New York in the early 18th century. Traditionally, Santa Claus - from the Dutch Sinter Klaas - was depicted as a tall, dignified, religious figure riding a white horse through the air. Known as Saint Nicholas in Germany, he was usually accompanied by Black Peter, an elf who punished disobedient children. In North America he eventually developed into a fat, jolly old gentleman who had neither the religious attributes of Saint Nicholas nor the strict disciplinarian character of Black Peter.

Santa's transformation began in 1823, when a New York newspaper published the poem " A Visit from Saint Nicholas ", which Clemen Clark Moore had written to amuse his daughter. The poem introduced many Amercians to the story of a kindly saint who flew over housestops in a reindeer-drawn sleigh. Portraits and drawings of Santa Claus by American illustrator Thomas Nast further strengthened the legend during the second half of the 19th century. Living at the North Pole and assisted by elves, the modern Santa produced and delivered toys to all good children. By the late 19th century, he had become such a prominent figure of American folklore that in 1897, when Virginia O'Hanlon wrote to the New York Sun newspaper asking if Santawas real, she received a direct answer : " Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus ".

According to Clemen Clark Moore's poem