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:
People travel for a lot of reasons: Some tourists go to see battlefields or religious shrines. Others are looking for culture, or simply want to have their pictures taken in front of famous places. But most European tourists are looking for a sunny beach to lie on.

Northern Europeans are willing to pay a lot of money and put up with a lot of inconveniences for the sun because they have so little of it. Residents of cities like London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam spend a tot of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest of the year in the rain. This is the reason why the Mediterranean has always attracted them. Every summer, more than 25 million people travel to Mediterranean resorts and beaches for their vacation. They all come for the same reason, sun!

The huge crowds mean lots of money for the economies of Mediterranean countries. Italy’s 30,000 hotels are booked solid every summer. And 13 million people camp out on French beaches, parks and roadsides. Spain’s long sandy coastline attracts more people than anywhere else. 37 million tourists visit yearly, or one tourist for every person living in Spain.

But there are signs that the area is getting more tourists than it can handle. The Mediterranean is already one of the most polluted seas on earth. And with increased tourism, it’s getting worse. The French can’t figure out what to do with all the garbage left by campers around St. Tropez. And in many places, swimming is dangerous because of pollution.

None of this, however, is spoiling anyone’s fun. The Mediterranean gets more popular every year with tourists. Obviously, they don’t go there for clean water and solitude. They tolerate traffic jams and seem to like crowded beaches. They don’t even mind the pollution. No matter how dirty the water is, the coastline still looks beautiful. And as long as the sun shines, it’s still better than sitting in the cold rain in Berlin, London, or Oslo.

The latter half of the last sentence in paragraph 3, “or one tourist for every person living in Spain” means .

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
Joanne Rowling became famous almost overnight. She is the (1)_____of a highly successful series of books for young people. Joanne has dreamt of being a writer for as long as she can remember. In fact, she has been(2)_____ stories and characters ever since she was a schoolgirl. When she was still quite young, the family moved to a town called Chepstow. A family who lived (3) ____were called Potter, and she used their name for the hero of her books. She and her sister, Di, (4)_____a state school in town. At school, she was hard-­‐working and rather reserved. She was (5)_____good at English and languages. Her talent for telling stories made her popular figure in the school. During breaks between (6) _____she was often surrounded by a crowd of friends, excited to hear the (7) _____story she had written. She often included her classmates in her stories though they were not always aware of this! When she left school, Joanne succeeded in getting a place at university. After graduating, she got a(8) _____in French. Then Joanne started to work as a teacher in a school in Portugal. She married a journalist but, sadly, the couple soon (9)_____and she moved to Edinburgh. She had (10) _____and couldn’t even afford a plastic folder to send her new book to potential publishers. However, one wonderful day a publisher said “yes”. It was the greatest day of her life.

Rewrite sentences without changing the meaning
The valley is so dangerous to live in.

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Movies for the Blind
When you think of the cinema, the phrase ‘watching a movie’ probably comes to mind, and, indeed, moviemakers work very hard to make their films interesting visually. They may use elaborate costumes, beautiful locations, or amazing special effects to tell a story. An actor’s expression or movements can also sometimes say more than words. But what about people who are blind or have trouble seeing? Movies also I contain dialogue, music, and sound effects – things that people don’t need to see in order to enjoy. Movie reviewer Marty Klein, who is blind, created a website called Blindspots to help people choose movies that they can follow without the help of someone explaining what is happening on the screen. He gave a rating, from 1 to 10, based on several things. A movie received a high rating if it has only a few main characters whose voices are easy to recognize. Klein also liked interesting stories without many changes in time and place. A large amount of dialogue between the characters was better than long silences or noisy action scenes. His reviews are still online, but the site is no longer updated. Another blind movie reviewer, Jay Forry, maintains the website Blindsite Reviews. He also writes for newspapers and is a guest on radio shows. Forry gives movies one of five ratings, including, “So good, blind people like it” and “I’m glad I couldn’t see it.” Forry became a writer after going blind at the age of 28, and his writing skills and sense of humour are what keep people reading his reviews or listening to him on the radio. After “watching” the animated movie Up, Forry commented that he wished he, too, could have a talking dog to tell him to watch out for cars and not to “go into the ladies’ restroom again.” Sometimes, though, it’s nice to go to the movie without reading reviews and knowing what to expect. Some movie theaters have begun to offer recorded audio descriptions of the movements, scenery, and special effects so that blind moviegoers can follow what other audience members see on the screen. They usually receive a wireless headset to wear during the movie. This allows them to listen to the narration while still hearing the hearing’s music and other sounds that surround them in the theater. Jay Forry also notes that modern theaters now have excellent sound systems, something he appreciates more than the average moviegoer. In the end, going to the movies should be a fun and exciting experience – for both the sighted and the blind.
8. What does the phrase “something he appreciates more than the average moviegoer” mean?

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.
The demand was so great. They had to reprint the book immediately.

Rewrite sentences without changing the meaning
 I find cooking in my free time relaxing.

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 ‌from‌ ‌43‌ ‌to‌ ‌50.‌ ‌
There‌ ‌are‌ ‌two‌ ‌basic‌ ‌types‌ ‌of‌ ‌glaciers,‌ ‌those‌ ‌that‌ ‌flow‌ ‌outward‌ ‌in‌ ‌all‌ 
directions‌ ‌with‌ ‌little‌ ‌regard‌ ‌for‌ ‌any‌ ‌underlying‌ ‌‌terrain‌ ‌‌and‌ ‌those‌ ‌that‌ ‌are‌ ‌confined‌ ‌by‌ ‌terrain‌ ‌to‌ ‌a‌ ‌particular‌ ‌path.‌ ‌The‌ ‌first‌ ‌category‌ ‌of‌ ‌glaciers‌ ‌includes‌ ‌those‌ ‌massive‌ ‌blankets‌ ‌that‌ ‌cover‌ ‌whole‌ ‌continents,‌ ‌appropriately‌ ‌called‌ ‌ice‌ ‌sheets.‌ ‌There‌ ‌must‌ ‌be‌ ‌over‌ ‌50,000‌ ‌square‌ ‌kilometers‌ ‌of‌ ‌land‌ ‌covered‌ ‌with‌ ‌ice‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌glacier‌ ‌to‌ ‌
qualify‌ ‌as‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌sheet,‌ ‌when‌ ‌portions‌ ‌of‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌sheet‌ ‌spread‌ ‌out‌ ‌over‌ ‌the‌ ‌ocean,‌ ‌they‌ ‌form‌ ‌ice‌ ‌shelves.‌ ‌
About‌ ‌20,000‌ ‌years‌ ‌ago‌ ‌the‌ ‌Cordilleran‌ ‌Ice‌ ‌sheet‌ ‌covered‌ ‌nearly‌ ‌all‌ ‌the‌ ‌mountains‌ ‌in‌ ‌southern‌ ‌Alaska,‌ ‌western‌ ‌Canada,‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌western‌ ‌United‌ ‌States.‌ ‌It‌ ‌was‌ ‌about‌ ‌3‌ ‌kilometers‌ ‌deep‌ ‌at‌ ‌its‌ ‌thickest‌ ‌point‌ ‌in‌ ‌
northern‌ ‌Alberta.‌ ‌Now‌ ‌there‌ ‌are‌ ‌only‌ ‌two‌ ‌sheets‌ ‌left‌ ‌on‌ ‌Earth,‌ ‌those‌ ‌covering‌ ‌Greenland‌ ‌and‌ ‌Antarctica.‌ ‌Any‌ ‌domelike‌ ‌body‌ ‌of‌ ‌ice‌ ‌that‌ ‌also‌ ‌flows‌ ‌out‌ ‌in‌ ‌all‌ ‌directions‌ ‌but‌ ‌covers‌ ‌less‌ ‌than‌ ‌50,000‌ ‌square‌ ‌kilometers‌ ‌is‌ ‌called‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌cap.‌ ‌Although‌ ‌ice‌ ‌caps‌ ‌are‌ ‌rare‌ ‌nowadays,‌ ‌there‌ ‌are‌ ‌a‌ ‌number‌ ‌in‌ ‌northeastern‌ ‌Canada,‌ ‌on‌ ‌
Baffin‌ ‌Island,‌ ‌and‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌Queen‌ ‌Elizabeth‌ ‌Islands.‌ ‌The‌ ‌second‌ ‌category‌ ‌of‌ ‌glaciers‌ ‌includes‌ ‌those‌ ‌of‌ ‌a‌ ‌variety‌ ‌of‌ ‌shapes‌ ‌and‌ ‌sizes‌ ‌generally‌ ‌called‌ ‌mountain‌ ‌or‌ ‌alpine‌ ‌glaciers.‌ ‌Mountain‌ ‌glaciers‌ ‌are‌ ‌typically‌ ‌identified‌ ‌by‌ ‌the‌ ‌landform‌ ‌that‌ ‌controls‌ ‌their‌ ‌flow.‌ ‌One‌ ‌form‌ ‌of‌ ‌mountain‌ ‌glacier‌ ‌that‌ ‌resembles‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌cap‌ ‌in‌ ‌that‌ ‌it‌ ‌flows‌ ‌outward‌ ‌in‌ ‌several‌ ‌directions‌ ‌is‌ ‌called‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌field.‌ ‌The‌ ‌difference‌ ‌between‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌field‌ ‌and‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌cap‌ ‌is‌ ‌‌subtle‌.‌ ‌Essentially,‌ ‌the‌ ‌flow‌ ‌of‌ ‌an‌ ‌ice‌ ‌field‌ ‌is‌ ‌somewhat‌ ‌controlled‌ ‌by‌ ‌surrounding‌ ‌terrain‌ ‌and‌ ‌thus‌ ‌does‌ ‌not‌ ‌have‌ ‌the‌ ‌domelike‌ ‌shape‌ ‌of‌ ‌a‌ ‌cap.‌ ‌
There‌ ‌are‌ ‌several‌ ‌ice‌ ‌fields‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌Wrangell.‌ ‌St.‌ ‌Elias,‌ ‌and‌ ‌Chugach‌ ‌mountains‌ ‌of‌ ‌Alaska‌ ‌and‌ ‌northern‌ ‌British‌ ‌Columbia.‌ ‌Less‌ ‌spectacular‌ ‌than‌ ‌large‌ ‌ice‌ ‌fields‌ ‌are‌ ‌the‌ ‌most‌ ‌common‌ ‌types‌ ‌of‌ ‌mountain‌ ‌glaciers:‌ ‌the‌ ‌cirque‌ ‌and‌ ‌valley‌ ‌glaciers.‌ ‌Cirque‌ ‌glaciers‌ ‌are‌ ‌found‌ ‌in‌ ‌depressions‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌surface‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌land‌ ‌and‌ ‌have‌ ‌a‌ ‌characteristic‌ ‌circular‌ ‌shape.‌ ‌The‌ ‌ice‌ ‌of‌ ‌valley‌ ‌glaciers,‌ ‌bound‌ ‌by‌ ‌terrain,‌ ‌flows‌ ‌down‌ ‌valleys,‌ ‌curves‌ ‌around‌ ‌‌their‌ ‌‌corners,‌ ‌
and‌ ‌falls‌ ‌over‌ ‌cliffs.‌ ‌

According‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌passage,‌ ‌where‌ ‌was‌ ‌the‌ ‌Cordilleran‌ ‌Ice‌ ‌Sheet‌ ‌thickest?‌ ‌

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 
Are Human Beings Getting Smarter?
Do you think you are smarter than your parents or grandparents? According to James Flynn, a professor at a New Zealand university, you might be. Over the course of the last century, IQ test scores of people in some countries have got increasingly better - on average, three points better for every decade that has passed. This trend of improving scores is known as “the Flynn effect,” and scientists want to know what is behind it. IQ tests and other similar tests are designed to measure general intelligence rather than knowledge. Flynn knew that intelligence is partly inherited from our parents and partly the result of our environment and experiences, but the improvement in test scores was happening too quickly to be explained by heredity. So what happened in the 20th century that led to higher test scores? Scientists have proposed several explanations for the Flynn effect. Some suggest that the improved test scores simply reflect an increased exposure to tests in general. Because we take so many tests, we learn test-taking techniques that help us perform better. Others have pointed to better nutrition, which results in babies being born larger, healthier, and with more brain development than in the past. Another possible explanation is a change in educational styles - children are encouraged to discover things for themselves rather than just memorizing information. This could prepare people to do the kind of problem-solving that intelligence tests require. Flynn himself suggested that learning new technologies may have improved people’s problem-solving skills. This may be true for the first decade of his tests, when IQ scores in many countries increased. However, in recent years, IQ test scores in some countries have begun to decline. Data from Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, and Great Britain have shown that as these countries become more and more modern, IQ scores have begun to drop. While scientists aren’t sure what is causing this decline, they think technology is dramatically changing the way that we learn and get information. For example, people are now able to access all kinds of information easily using online resources like Google or Wikipedia. The danger is when they start to rely too much on these sources of information, and not do any thinking for themselves. Lifestyle changes that come with modem technology may also have a negative effect on intelligence, such as video games and television making people less social.  So while the world may have got smarter over the 20th century, improving technology and changing lifestyles may soon reverse that trend.

Which statement would the writer probably agree with?

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Getting Closer to Nature at National Parks
In modern times, we seem to be getting more separate from nature with each passing day. Most of us spend the majority of our time indoors, typing away at computers and fiddling with digital devices. All the while, we are destroying the planet’s natural beauty by cutting down forests and building cities in their place. In an effort to preserve nature for future generations, national parks were created. The primary function of national parks is conservation. In many cases, it is a matter of national pride for countries to protect their indigenous species. Although several nations considered opening national parks, the US was the first country to officially do so when Yellowstone Park opened in 1872. This designation made the federal government responsible for taking care of the territory. Soon after, national parks started to open in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and eventually across the globe. Today, almost 100 countries have established their own national parks. In total, there are over 6,500 worldwide. There are several incredible national parks that have a lot to offer. Kruger National Park in South Africa at 19,633 square kilometers is one of the largest game reserves. Tourists can go on safari and witness elephants, rhinoceroses, lions, and several other large mammals in their natural environments. At 75,000 square miles, the Northeast Greenland National Park is the world’s largest. In fact, it is larger than all but 30 countries in the world. Despite differences in names, location, and rules, most natural parks have certain traits in common. For one, they are usually open to visitors throughout the year. Those who come to the park can take part in a wide scope of outdoor activities including hiking, camping, cycling, bird watching, and fishing. Other options may include horseback riding, rafting, or scuba diving if the territory is suitable. In most places, visitors are encouraged not to feed the animals. The purpose for this law is twofold: to protect the animals as well as those who might feed them. Animals also have strict dietary needs, so feeding them exotic foods could make them sick. Feeding wild animals could also cause them to aggressively pester humans they encounter in the future for food. However, as long as you follow the rules, you are assured of having a great time at whichever national park you visit.
8. What can be inferred from the passage?

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
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.
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to complete the sentences with given words:
The restaurant/ turn/ out/ be/ surprisingly cheap.

Choose the best answer:
Oil ............if you pour it on water.

 When the unemployment rate is high, the crime rate is usually also high.

(116)______

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Are Vitamins Beneficial?
If you happen to flip through TV channels, you are likely to come across a commercial for a new vitamin or supplement designed to improve your health. These pills often promise the world, claiming to cure baldness, or kick-start fat loss. But in the medical community, there is some debate as to whether these products provide any tangible benefits at all. Millions of people worldwide begin their day by popping a multi-vitamin. These pills are supposed to effortlessly provide our bodies with vitamins in case we have missed them in our meals. It seemed to be a no-brainer that everyone should take one. Scientific studies, however, have painted another picture. In 2006, a study conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which used the strictest possible standards, concluded that multi-vitamins have zero effect on reducing a person’s chances of getting cancer or heart disease. The only people multi-vitamins benefitted were those in poverty-stricken nations who suffered from nutritional deficiencies. In 2009, a related study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center came to a similar conclusion after monitoring 160,000 women for a period of 10 years. Antioxidants are another supplement that is promoted to improve health and prevent aging. Antioxidants are found in vitamins A, C, and E, and are supposed to greatly reduce cellular damage. However, in a study that involved over 180,000 adults, those who took a combined dosage of these vitamins actually increased their risks of dying by 16 percent. One likely cause for these negative results is that people who eat healthy diets and take vitamins are probably getting too many nutrients, which can be toxic. Then why are these supplements being promoted? Many experts blame the health industry in the US and other nations because supplements are not highly regulated as they should be. What is worse, vitamin makers are not required to list negative side effects like medicines do. In many cases, it can even be difficult for the US’s Federal Drug Agency (FDA) to ban risky ingredients due to lengthy and expensive legal battles. On the other hand, after these studies were made public, people continued buying more vitamins than ever. It seems that no matter what evidence is presented, the majority of people are not ready to give up on a magic pill just yet.
7. Who would be most interested in the passage?

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:

A small side door led into the whitewashed corridor from which the three bedrooms opened. We (1) __________ at once to the one in which Miss Stoner was now sleeping, and in which her sister (2)____________ her fate. It was a cosy little room, with a low ceiling and a gaping fireplace, the style of old country houses. A brown chest of drawers stood in one corner, a narrow bed in (3)___________, and a dressing table on the left-hand side of the window. These articles, with two small wickerwork chairs, (4)__________ all the furniture in the room, save for a square of Wilton carpet in the centre. Holmes drew one of the chairs into a corner and sat in (5) _________, while his eyes travelled round and round and up and down, taking in every detail of the apartment

Choose the best answer:
Both fossil fuel _______ non-renewable resources are very important to our life.

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Saving the Rainforests
One of the hottest topics related to the environment is rainforests. Despite always being mentioned in the news, many people don’t know very much about these areas or understand why they are so important. The name “rainforest” actually does a pretty good job of describing what they are – tall forests that receive high amounts of precipitation. In a year, rainforests get between 250 to 450 centimetres of precipitation. There are two types of rainforests: tropical rainforests and temperate rainforests. Tropical rainforests are more plentiful and are located in warmer climates, while temperate rainforests are found in places where the weather is a bit milder. In terms of location, rainforests can be found on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Although they only cover 6 percent of the Earth, over 50 percent of the Earth’s animal and plant species can be found there. Many biologists estimate that there are possibly millions of additional species present there that have yet to be discovered and classified. Over the years, rainforests have gained the nickname “the world’s pharmacy” because more than 25 percent of natural medicines were found there. Many herbs that are used to make medicines can only be found in rainforests. Rainforests are also home to several tribes that have lived off the land for thousands of years. During this time, they have survived by hunting animals and gathering fruits and vegetables. They also possess tremendous knowledge when it comes to crafting and applying medicines made from herbs and plants. Over time, their unique way of life has declined as they have come in contact with modern civilization. Despite their numerous benefits, rainforests have been disappearing at a rapid speed. As the Earth’s population continues to expand, developers have been cutting down their trees to create new lands for farming or urban projects. This could have unfortunate long-term effects on our planet. If deforestation continues at this rate, it is possible that a quarter of all species on the Earth may become extinct in the next 50 years. As it stands, plenty of damage has already occurred. West Africa has had 90 percent of its rainforests destroyed, while the island nation of Madagascar has eliminated 66 percent of its original rainforests as well. As a result, many charities have sprung up with the goal of purchasing and protecting the remaining rainforests. With their help, hopefully we can stop the destruction of one of the planet’s most vital assets.
7. What can be inferred from the passage?

Choose the best answer
My sister hair isn't _______

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Mickey Mouse was not Walt Disney’s first successful cartoon creation, but he is certainly his famous one. It was on a cross-country train trip from New York to California in 1927 that Disney first drew the mouse with the big ears. Supposedly, he took his inspiration from the tame field mice that used to scamper into his old studio in Kansas City. No one is quite sure why he dressed the mouse in the now- familiar shorts with two buttons and gave him the yellow shoes. But we do know that Disney had intended to call him Mortimer until his wife Lillian intervened and christened him Mickey Mouse. Capitalizing on the interest in Charles Lindsborg, Disney planned Mickey’s debut in the short cartoon Plane Crazy, with Minnie as a co-star. In the third short cartoon, Steamboat Willie, Mickey was whistling and singing through the miracle of the modern soundtrack. By the 1930s Mickey’s image had circled the globe. He was a superstar at the height of his career. Although he has received a few minor changes throughout his lifetime, most notably the addition of white gloves and the alterations to achieve the rounder forms of a more childish body, he has remained true to his nature since those first cartoons. Mickey is appealing because he is nice. He may get into trouble, but he takes it on the chin with a grin. He is both good-natured and resourceful. Perhaps that was Disney’s own image of himself. Why else would he have insisted on doing Mickey’s voice in all the cartoons for twenty years? When interviewed, he would say: “There is a lot of the mouse in me.” And that mouse has remained one of the most pervasive images in American popular culture.
8. What distinguished Steamboat Willie from earlier cartoons?

SYNONYM: This contamination has threatened the park and many of the animals in it.

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Billboards that Recognize You
Have you ever felt you were being watched? Some new technologies might make you feel that way. Digital billboards are being created that have the ability to recognize certain characteristics. These high-tech devices have cameras pointed at the people on the street, and software that tries to recognize people by age and gender. A computer inside the billboard then uses this information to display ads that are directed at the people who are looking at the billboard. For example, if a man passes a billboard featuring an ad for cosmetics, the computer can change the ad to something that is more likely to catch the man’s attention, such as a restaurant, or sporting goods. While advertisers see this as a great opportunity to reach their target customers, some people feel that this kind of profiling is an invasion of their privacy. People are now much more aware of how information is exposed, shared, bought, and sold on the Internet. Now this debate will include technologies such as these “smart” billboards. But advertisers claim that they are sensitive to people’s concern about privacy – companies that have tested the billboards in Japan and the US assure consumers that the billboards can only guess your age and gender, but they will not be able to recognize your face or obtain any personal information about you. Until recently, this kind of “personal” advertising has been mostly limited to the Internet. Search engines like Google and Bing can follow what we search for because each computer that connects to those sites has a unique identity. Companies then pay search engines to use this information to display ads for products and services that you have searched for. So if you search for travel information, you are likely to see ads for airlines and hotels. This kind of advertising has proven to be much more effective and valuable than traditional advertising. In addition to taking steps to deliver more personalized messages, advertisers are using billboards to offer more useful information. Digital billboards can connect to the Internet to display information such as the time, weather, and news headlines. In the future, this technology could be used to reflect activity on social media sites or to broadcast ads that relate to local events. In today’s world, people ignore thousands of ads every day. Advertisers are trying to change that trend by personalizing the experience of seeing an ad. So pay attention the next time you see a billboard – it could be talking to you.
5. Why does the passage mention Google?