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.
                       NOISE POLLUTION
Noise is more than a mere nuisance. At certain levels and durations of exposure, it can cause physical damage to the eardrum, and (1)..... in temporary or permanent hearing loss. In addition to causing hearing loss, (2)....... noise exposure can also (3)....... blood pressure and pulse rate, cause irritability, anxiety, and mental fatigue, and interfere with sleep, recreation, and personal communication. Noise pollution control is, (4)....... , of importance in the workplace and in the community.
Noise effects can be (5)..... by a number of techniques, for example, increasing the distance or blocking the path between the noise source and the recipient, reducing noise level at the source, and protecting recipients with earplugs or earmuffs.

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

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

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People in the United States often shop from catalogs. There are special catalogs for (1)____ every need, including clothing, furniture, health, (2)____ products and things for the kitchen. People also order (3)_____ 40% of their music from music club catalogs. Customers say that music stores are too noisy. Television shopping began in 1986. About 5% to 8% of the American public now shops by television. Some (4)_____shopping channels are the Home Shopping Network and QVC. Customers say that television shopping is (5)____.than shopping in a store. How do they buy things? They (6)______a phone call and charge the item to their credit card. And TV shopping channels are on late at night (7)______people can go shopping anytime. Is computer shopping the way of the future? About 37% of American (8)____now have personal computers. And shopping by computer (or shopping on-line) is (9)______to more people every day. Already, shoppers can use their computers to order many different products, such as computer products, flowers, foods, T-shirts, and posters. And new on- line shopping services (10)________every day. Soon people may be able to shop for anything, anytime, anywhere in the world

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

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

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Facebook is a for-profit online social media and social networking service. The Facebook website was launched on February 4th, 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, along with fellow Harvard College students and roommates. Since 2006, anyone age 13 and older has been allowed to become a registered user of Facebook though variations exist in minimum age requirement, depending on applicable local laws.
Over 25 million people in the Uk use Facebook. That’s 45% of population! And on average, each user spends over six hours a month on Facebook. Though not the highest this is a considerable number. Is Facebook is a dangerous obsession or just harmless fun? Seventeen-year-old Bethan has written on her blog about what it was like to stop using Facebook. I think I am a Facebook addict. I log on to Facebook everyday to chat to my friends real friends and loads of online friends. Sometimes I have ten conversations going at the same time. I upload photos and update my Facebook profile all the time. But recently I’ve started to feel worried if I am offline for more than a few hours. And then last week I forgot to meet a real friend because I was online! I’ve realised I could have a problem. So I’ve decided to give it up for a while. I found it really hard. Facebook and my friends demanded to know why I had left. I spent the first few evenings wondering what everyone was chatting on Facebook. I even phoned a couple of friends to find out. The fourth night I wasn’t quite so bad. I actually concentrated on my homework better and I had more time to watch my TV programmes. And I spoke to my friends during the day at school. At the end of the first week, I reactivated my account, I think Facebook is fun and it’s useful for posting messages to friends and sharing photos. But I’ll try not to spend so much time on it in the future.

What happened to make Bethan decide to quit Facebook for a while?

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Carbon dating can be used to estimate the age of any organic natural material; it has been used successfully in archeology to determine the age of ancient artifacts or fossils as well as in a variety of other fields. The principle underlying the use of carbon dating is that carbon is a part of all living things on Earth. Since a radioactive substance such as carbon-14 has a known half-life, the amount of carbon-14 remaining in an object can be used to date that object.
Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,570 years, which means that after that number of years, half of the carbon- 14 atoms have decayed into nitrogen-14. It is the ratio of carbon-14 in that substance that indicates the age of the substance. If, for example, in a particular sample the amount of carbon- 14 is roughly equivalent to the amount of nitrogen-14, this indicates that around half of the carbon- 14 has decayed into nitrogen-14, and the sample is approximately 5,570 years old.
Carbon dating cannot be used effectively in dating objects that are older than 80,000 years. When objects are that old, much of the carbon-14 has already decayed into nitrogen-14, and the molecule amount that is left doesn’t provide a reliable measurement of age. In the case of older objects, other age-dating methods are available, methods which use radioactive atoms with longer half-lives than carbon has.

The word “underlying” could best be replaced by     .

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Library is a collection of books and other informational materials made available to people for reading, study, or reference. The word library comes (1)_________ liber, the Latin word for ― book‖ . (2) _____ , library collections have almost always contained a variety of materials. Contemporary libraries maintain collections that include not only printed materials such as manuscripts, books , newspapers, and magazines, (3)_______ audio-visual and online databases. In addition (4) _____ maintaining collections within library buildings, modern libraries often feature telecommunications links that provide users with access to information at remote sites. The central mission of a library (5) _______ to collect , organize, preserve, and provide access to knowledge and information. In fulfilling this mission, libraries preserve a valuable record of culture that can be passed down to (6)_______ generations. Libraries are an essential link in this communication between the past , present, and future. Whether the cultural record is contained in books or in electronic formats, libraries ensure (7) ____ the record is preserved and made available for later use. People use library resources to gain information about personal (8)__ or to obtain recreational materials such as films and novels. Students use libraries to supplement and enhance their classroom experiences, to learn (9)_____ in locating sources of information, and to develop good reading and study habits. Public officials use libraries to research legislation and public policy issues. One of the most valued of all cultural institutions, the library (10) ___ information and services that are essential to learning and progress. From ― Library ( institution)‖ by Richard S.Halsey et al

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.
Do you know that your place on the family ladder may have certain effects on the sort of person you grow up to be? You may be the only child, the eldest, youngest or (1)..............one; you may be the youngest of three boys or the eldest girl with a younger brother and sister. All the different combinations of relationships will have helped to make you the person you are. (2).................. of years between your siblings and you also helps to shape your character.
Knowing such details about your best friend or loved one (3)............ also tell you about the type of friend or partner he needs. For example, a boy with a younger sister would normally (4)......... much better with a girl who has an older brother than with a girl who has a younger brother. Similarly, if your girlfriend is the oldest in her family, she would probably be more than a little domineering.
Fortunately for all of us, family psychology is not totally accurate. There are always exceptions to the rule.  Most  important  of  all,  we  should  always  judge people (5)................ to who they are, not the relatives they have.

(4)..................... 

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Ostriches are the largest and heaviest birds on earth. They can grow to be as tall as 9 feet and can weigh as much as 250 pounds. Even though they have wings, they cannot fly. Instead, ostriches have long, powerful legs that help them to run very fast when they feel threatened. Ostriches use their wings to move themselves forward and to help them change direction. Ostriches are native to Africa, where they still live in desert areas and dry, open grasslands called savannah. Ostriches can also be found in zoos all over the world. Humans have domesticated ostriches, so now ostriches live on farms in over a dozen countries, including the United States, China, India, Japan, Brazil and Costa Rica. They are raised for their meat, skin, and feathers. Ostriches like to live in small groups called herds. The male ostrich is called a rooster; the female, a hen. Baby ostriches are called chicks. The female ostrich lays the eggs, but both the male and the female take turns sitting on the eggs to keep them warm.
3. The word them in paragraph 3 refers 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.
In many countries of Northern Europe, including Scandinavia, Finland, Northern Russia, and the Baltic states, ice swimming is closely connected with the tradition of sauna, (1)......... has led to the creation of a new activity where stays in the sauna are (2)......... with quick 'pauses' in ice water. In Russia, ice swimmers are called what can be literally translated as 'walruses '. The north of Europe, (3)............, is not the only place where winter swimming is practised regularly. A large ice swimming movement exists in the UK, based in a famous location: the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park in London. In Harbin, Northern China, about 200,000 people ice-swim in the Songhua River every winter. The oldest ice swimming club in the United States, the Coney Island Polar Bear Club of New York, organises an annual (4)....... on New Year's Day. In Canada, 'Polar Bear Swims; 'Plunges' or 'Dips' are a New Year's Day tradition in (5)........ communities as well, the biggest one taking place in Vancouver since 1920.

(5)...........................

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Mr. Faugel was convinced that students’ nervousness had affected their scores; to reduce the anxiety of these students who had already been tested, he gave 22 of them a beta blocker before readministration of the test. Their scores improved significantly. The other 8 students (who did not receive the beta blockers) improved only slightly. Second-time test-takers nationwide had average improvements which were similar to those in Faugel's non-beta blocker group.
Beta blockers are prescription drugs which have been around for 25 years. These medications, which interfere with the effects of adrenalin, have been used for heart conditions and for minor stress such as stage fright. Now they are used for test anxiety. These drugs seem to help test-takers who have low scores because of test fright, but not those who do not know the material. Since there can be side effects from these beta blockers, physicians are not ready to prescribe them routinely for all test-takers.

The word “interfere” in paragraph 2 most nearly means     .

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The first question we might ask is: What can you learn in college that will help you in being an employee? The school teach a (1) ____ many things of value to the future accountant, doctor or electrician. Do they also teach anything of value to the future employee? Yes, they teach the one thing that it is perhaps most valuable for the future employee to know. But very few students bother (2) _____ it. This basic is the skill ability to organize and express ideas in writing and in speaking. This means that your success as an employee will depend on your ability to communicate with people and to (3) _____ your own thoughts and ideas to them so they will (4) _____ understand what you are driving at and be persuaded. Of course, skill in expression is not enough (5) _____ itself. You must have something to say in the first place. The effectiveness of your job depends (6) ____ your ability to make other people understand your work as they do on the quality of the work itself. Expressing one's thoughts is one skill that the school can (7) _____ teach. The foundations for skill in expression have to be (8) ____ early: an interest in and an ear (9) ___ language; experience in organizing ideas and data, in brushing aside the irrelevant, and above all the habit of verbal expression. If you do not lay these foundations (10) ___ your school years, you may never have an opportunity again

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A coincidence is a surprising thing that happens to us. For example, you and a friend both go shopping on the same day. You don‘t go together and don‘t discuss your shopping plans in (21) ______, but when you meet up afterwards, you are amazed to discover that you‘ve bought an identical T-shirt. By (22) , you each decided to buy the same one. Many people (23) coincidences as significant. Did you and your friend communicate with each other in some subconscious way? What does it tell you about your friendship? Well, the simple (24) ________ could be that, being (25) friends, you have similar taste in clothes. In reality, life is (26) ________of coincidences, but normally we don‘t notice them. For example, in almost fifty percent of all football matches, two players share the same birthday. This seems surprising, (27) ________ that there are 365 possible birthdays in the year. But most of these matches will be played without anybody being (28) _______ that coincidence exists. (29)________your birthday is today, you don‘t generally tell people about it. In addition, without realising it, you probably (30) ______ into contact with lots of people who were born on the same day as you. But when a coincidence brought to your attention, it still seems amazing

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One of the most urgent environmental problems in the world today is the shortage of clean water. Having clean drinking water is a basic human right. But acid rain, (1) ____ pollution and garbage have made many sources of water undrinkable. Lakes, reservoirs and even entire seas have become vast pools (2) ____ poison. Lake Baikal in Russia is one of the largest lakes in the world. It (3) _____ a rich variety of animals and plants, including 1,300 rare species that do not exist (4)____ else in the world. But they are being destroyed by the massive volumes of toxic effluent which (5) ____ into the lake every day. Even where law existed, the government did not have the power to enforce them. Most industries simply ignore the regulations. The Mediterranean Sea (6)____ 1% of the world's water surface. But it is the dumping (7)____ for 50% of all marine pollution. Almost 16 countries regularly throw industrial wastes a few miles (8) ____ shore. Water is free to everyone. A few years ago, people thought that the supply of clean water in the world was limitless. Today, many water supplies have been (9) ____ by pollution and sewage. Clean water is now scarce, and we are at last beginning to respect this precious (10) _____.We should do something now.

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School exams are, generally speaking, the first kind of test we take. They find out how much knowledge we have gained. But do they really show how intelligent we are? After all, isn‘t it a (1) ________ that some people who are very academically successful don‘t have any common sense. Intelligence is the speed (2) ________ which we can understand and react to new situations and it is usually tested by logic puzzles. Although scientist are now preparing (3)________ computer technology that will be able to ―read‖ our brains, (4)________ tests are still the most popular ways of measuring intelligence. A person‘s IQ is their intelligence (5) ________ it is measured by a special test. The most common IT tests are (6)________ by Mensa, an organization that was found in England in 1946. By 1976, it had 1,300 members in Britain. Today there are 44,000 in Britain and 100,000 (7)___________, largely in the US. People taking the tests are judged in (8)________ to an average score of 100, and those who score over 148 are entitled to join Mensa. This works out at 2 percent of the population. Anyone from the age of six can take tests. All the questions are straightforward and most people can answer them if (9)________ enough time. But that‘s the problem; the whole (10)________ of the test is that they‘re against the clock

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

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The Thames Barrier is a major part of the flood defence scheme for protecting London (1) ____________ rising water levels. The defenses (2)___________ include raised river embankments and additional flood gates at strategic points, including the Barking Baưier. The unique structure that is the Barrier spans the 520-metre wide Woolwich reach and consists of 10 separate movable gates, each pivoting and supported between concrete structures which house the operating machinery. When raised, the four main gates (3) _____________ stand as high as a five-storey building and as (4) __________as the opening of Tower Bridge. Each (5) _____________ 3700 tonnes. During the first twelve years of (6) ______________________________________ , the Barrier has been closed twenty nine times to protect London. (7) __________ the Barrier from the comfortable Cafeteria. Picnic on the riverside embankment. Enjoy beautiful views from the riverside walk. Visit the shop which stocks a large selection of souvenirs, books and Barrier information. There is a children‘s play (8) _______ suitable for 4 – to 12-year olds, (9) __________ adjacent to the riverside walk. A visit to the spectacular Thames Barrier is a (10) ___________ experience.

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In the United it is not customary to telephone someone very early in the morning. If you telephone him early in the day, while he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the (1) _______ shows that the matter is very important and requires immediate attention. The same meaning is (2) _______ to telephone call (3) _______ after 11:00 p.m. If someone receives a call during (4) _______ hours, he assumes it is a matter of life and death. The time chosen for the call communicates (5) _______ importance. In social life, time plays a very important part. In the USA guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation (6) _______ a dinner party is extended only three or four days before the party date. But it is not true in all countries. In other areas of the world, (7) _______ may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in advance (8) _______ plans which are made for a date more than a week tend to be forgotten. The meaning of time differs in different parts of the world. (9)_______, misunderstandings arise between people from cultures that treat time (10) _______

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In their attempt to ensure higher (1)……., TV producers have developed a whole new breed of programmes (2)……. real people. In Europe the most famous of these (3)……… reality TV shows was probably Big Brothers, where 12 ordinary people volunteered to live under the watchful eye of TV cameras 24 hours a day. In America, the top show was Survivor, based on a similar concept, in which 16 constants are abandoned on a desert island. But the ultimate example of the (4)………… must surely be The Osbournes, first(5)…….on MTV in 2002, in which the homelife of rock star Ozzy Osbourne and his family was laid bare to public scrutiny. Obsourne himself was already a(6)……name as the former lead singer of the highly successful heavy-metal group, Black Sabbath, The show was described as a real-life sitcom because it(7)………light on Ozzy‘s softe, more humorous side. It revealed his (8)…………….. to his teenage kids, even though he was often heard yelling and (9) ……….at them. The programme (10) ……………millions for the Osbourne family and certainly blurred the boundaries between reality and television

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Lifelong learning is now becoming a must for everyone in the modern world. Many people, however, find it overwhelming, as being lifelong learners means they will have to keep studying for their entire life. The following are several strategies to promote lifelong learning. First, start with a clear purpose. Study something that you will likely have many uses in the future. Design learning goals that should serve you in your career path, as well as in your personal interests. You will need to think of the learning experience as continuous investment rather than a one-off endeavor. Second, choose something that is really enjoyable for you. You will need to have fun all through the pursuit of knowledge and skills, which will be an endless journey. The ‘fun' part will always keep you motivated, even during the hard times. Third, lifelong learning is not just about keeping on studying; you will need to think through what you have learned, and find out how to apply it in your work and personal life. Don't read too much and use your brain too little. Think more often; meditate on the ideas that you feel might make your work and/or life better. Those are the key strategies to make sure your lifelong learning is studying smart rather than studying hard. Remember, the lifelong learning movement is unstoppable.
1. What is the passage mainly about?

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Earth is the only place we know of in the universe that can support human life (1) ______ human activities are making the planet less fit to live on. As the western world carries on consuming two-thirds of the world's resources while half of the world's population do so (2)______ to stay alive we are rapidly destroying the (3)______ resource we have by which all people can survive and prosper. Everywhere fertile soil is (4)______ built on or washed into the sea. Renewable resources are exploited so much that they will never be able to recover (5)______ We discharge pollutants into the atmosphere without any thought of the consequences. As a (6)______ the planet's ability to support people is being reduced at the very time when rising human numbers and consumption are (7)______increasingly heavy demands on it. The Earth's (8)______ resources are there for us to use. We need food, water, air, energy, medicines, warmth, shelter and minerals to (9)______ us fed, comfortable, healthy and active. If we are sensible in how we use the resources they will (10)______ indefinitely. But if we use them wastefully and excessively they will soon run out and everyone will suffer