Read the passage and answer the questions that follow by circling the corresponding letter A, B, C or D of the correct answers. 
Ragtime, developed primarily by black pianists, is a style of composed piano music that was popular from the 1890s to about 1915. It is a style of jazz characterized by an elaborately syncopated rhythm in the melody and a steadily accented accompaniment. Ragtime quickly gained popularity after its first appearances, reaching millions on a national scale through sheet music, player pianos, ragtime songs, and arrangements for dance and marching bands. The leading ragtime composer was Scott Joplin, known as the "King of Ragtime," whose most famous piano piece, "Maple Leaf Rag," was published in 1899.
Ragtime piano music has a generally standard form, duple meter (2/4, or two beats per measure) performed at a moderate march tempo. The pianist's right hand plays a highly syncopated melody, while the left hand steadily maintains the beat with an "oom-pah" accompanishment. A ragtime piece usually consists of several similar melodies that take such forms as AA BB A CC DD or Introduction AA BB CC DD EE, where each letter represents a melodic phrase. "Maple Leaf Rag" is a classic example of ragtime.
The forms of ragtime derive from European marches and dances, but the rhythms are rooted in African-American folk music.

Ragtime reached people nationwide through all of the following EXCEPT........

Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

The Buddha of the Poor

More than 26,000 children now have bright (23)…………………..faces after receiving free operations. About 173,000 poor people received free treatment to regain their vision, and nearly 3,400 deaf children were given hearing aids. These are part of the (24)………………………..of the Ho Chi Minh Association for Support of Poor Patients, launched and run by Mr. Nguyen Vinh Nghiep. Mr Nghiep, the former Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, retired in 1992, and (25)……………………his Association two years later. Together with his former colleagues, Mr Nghiep has (26)……………………… billions of VND from individual (27)……………….and organizations to support more than a million poor people nationwide through seven major (28)………………….programmes, such as “ For the children’s smile”, “Bringing light to poor blind people from birth”., “ Sound and Vouce for Deaf and Dumb Children”, : Wheelchairs for people with disabilities and paralysed children”.

The “ Free meals for patients and their relatives” programme has offered over 2.6 million free meals to poor people in 10 hospitals. Mr Nghiep said, “Helping one person to gain their (29)………means bringing happiness to him or herself, freeing two or three more people from (30)………………of the patient, and more importantly, building (31)…………………..for poor patients in society.”

In 2002, Mr Nghiep, (32)……………. “The Buddha of the Poor”, was given the national title of Labor Hero in the Reneval Process, and his Association received the title in 2005.

Question 29.......................

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:

"Background, in relation to computers, on the screen, the color on which characters are displayed. For example, a white background may be used for black characters. In a windowing environment in which more than one program or document can be available to the user, open but currently inactive windows  are said to be in the background.
In the context of operating systems and program execution, background refers to a process, or task, assigned a lower priority in the microprocessor's share of time to tasks other than the task running in the foreground. A background process thus often performs its work, such as printing or checking for arriving messages on an electronic mail network, invisibly unless the user requests an update or brings the task to the foreground. Generally, only multitasking operating systems are able to support background processing. However, some operating systems that do not support multitasking may be able to perform one or more types of background tasks. For example, in the Apple Macintosh operating system running in Single-Launch Mode (with multitasking turned off), the Background Printing option can be used to print documents while the user is doing other work."

4. Which word in the reading means “kinds”?

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow by circling the corresponding letter A, B, C or D of the correct answers. Mark your choice on the answer sheet.
A drop shot, a tennis player "drops" the ball just over the net, hoping that his or her opponent won't get to it at all or will just barely reach it, thus making a weak return. The drop shot works well in a number of situations. It can be used to tire an opponent, to bring a baseline player to the net, to win points outright when an opponent is slow in moving forward or is out of position, or to substitute for the approach shot.
A perfect situation for a drop shot occurs when a player's opponent is far out of the court and hits well to the inside of the service line. A good drop shot is a sure winner, but a bad one is equally certain a disaster. The opponent who gets to the ball early has been handed the net position, which is a distinct advantage for the net rusher who will usually win the point in short order.

The word "distinct" in line 4 is closest in meaning to which of the following words?

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow by circling the corresponding letter A, B, C or D of the correct answers.
London is the place where the historic past and the present come alive. A blend of history, architecture and culture has created an amazingly and constantly developing city.
Not surprisingly the capital has become a wonderful place for visitors and a great place to live with countless museums, galleries and entertainment places throughout the city. Whatever you want to buy, you can surely find out in London.
London has a population of 7.2 million people and it is one of Europe's most densely populated areas.
Throughout history, a lot of immigrants and refugees have been arriving in London. London has more women than men and its population is younger when compared to the rest of the country. The capital is housing over 306,000 students in higher education.

In London, there are________.
 

Reading the following passage and do the tasks below.

Inventors and Inventions

Technology is the reason humans have risen to a dominant role on our planet, above all other species. We are not the strongest or the fastest, in fact we're quite weak in relation to many other animals. But our brains, and our technology have allowed us to dominate our world. The most important discovery in human history is the harnessing of fire, which allowed us to operate in darkness, keep warm in the winter, and cook food. There is no set date to think about the invention of fire, however.

The first great invention, then, was agriculture. Ancient peoples collected wild grains to eat as long ago as 20,000 BC, but didn't start growing these crops until 13,000 BC and 6,000 BC, depending on the region. One of the earliest crops to be domesticated was rice, in China in around 11,000 BC.

Agriculture includes animals, of course, and the earliest animals to be domesticated are believed to be pigs, in 13,000 BC in Macedonia. The switch to agriculture is crucial, as it provides a food surplus. This surplus means that not everyone has to be involved in food production, freeing people up to conduct trade and advance science and the arts.

Other crucial inventions are the wheel, invented by the Greeks, which allowed people to carry heavy goods; as well as nails, invented by the Romans, without which construction was difficult.

Another great, world-shaking invention was the compass. The compass was invented between 200 BC and 100 AD in China. Prior to the compass, mariners had to use the sun and stars to navigate, which meant it was impossible to steer when the sky was overcast. The invention allowed accurate navigation in any weather... though the compass was first used for feng shui, or the construction of houses to be harmonious with the environment.

Probably the most significant medieval achievement was the printing press, without which modern civilization wouldn't be possible. It was invented in Johannes Gutenberg in 1436. Though imprinting symbols or images via stencils and ink had been known in Europe and China for hundreds of years, Gutenberg mechanized the process, improving its speed and efficiency. Up until then, books had to be painstakingly copied by hand, but now they could be mass-produced easily.

About fifty years after the invention of the printing press, twenty million volumes had been mass-produced. This led to a rise of literacy never seen before and directly contributed to the Protestant Reformation as it allowed average people to access the Bible.

One of the greatest inventions, which today we take for granted, is the lightbulb. There were several contributors to the field before Thomas Edison came along, but today he is credited with the invention of the first practical incandescent light bulb. He tried thousands of times to create the light bulb before managing to do so in 1879. This invention revolutionized the world.

When asked about the thousands of times he'd failed to create the lightbulb, Edison replied 'I didn't fail. I just found 2,000 ways now not to make a light bulb; I only needed to find one way to make it work.' Who the next great inventor will be is up in the air.

Which of the following people invented the wheel?

Read the following passage and do the tasks below.

The traditional American family

The nuclear family, consisting of a mother, father, and their children, may be more an American ideal than an American reality. Of course, the so called traditional American family was always more varied than we had been led to believe, reflecting the very different racial, ethnic, class, and religious customs among different American groups, but today diversity is even more obvious.

The most recent government census statistics reveal that only about one third of all current American families fits the traditional mold of two parents and their children, and another third consists of married couples who either have children or have none still living at home. An analysis of the remaining one third of the population reveals that about 20 percent of the total number of American households are single people, the most common descriptor being women over sixty-five years of age. A small percentage, about 3 percent of the total, consists of unmarried people who choose to live together; the rest, about 7 percent, are single parents, with at least one child.

There are several easily identifiable reasons for the growing number of single-parent households. First, the sociological phenomenon of single-parent households reflects changes in cultural attitudes toward divorce and also toward unmarried mothers. A substantial number of adults become single parents as a result of divorce. In addition, the number of children born to unmarried women who choose to keep their children and rear them by themselves has increased dramatically. Finally, there is a small percentage of single-parent families that have resulted from untimely death. Today, these varied family types are typical and, therefore, normal.

In addition, because many families live far from relatives, close friends have become a more important part of family life than ever before. The vast majority of Americans claim that they have people in their lives whom they regard as family although they are not related. A view of family that only accepts the traditional nuclear arrangement not only ignores the reality of modern American family life, but also undervalues the familial bonds created in alternatives family arrangements. Apparently, many Americans are achieving supportive relationships in family forms other than the traditional one.

Who generally constitutes a one-person household?

Read the following passage, then choose the correct answer.

       Music can move the soul. It can be a very strong influence. Some music can calm us down, but some music can make us wild! How does music affect us? Music is used in a variety of ways. It is used in the medical field as a source of research and as a sort of therapy as well. Music has been used as therapy for seizures, to lower blood pressure,  treat mental illness, treat depression, aid in healing, treat stress and insomnia, and premature infants. Musicologist Julius Portnoy found that it can change heart rates, increase or decrease blood pressure, affect energy levels, and digestion, positively or negatively, depending on the type of music. Calming music, such as classical music was found to have a very calming effect on the body and cause the increase of endorphins, thirty minutes of such music was equal to the effect of a dose of valium. Both hemispheres of the brain are involved in processing music. The music in these studies is not the "lyrics", but the music itself, the melody, the tones, the tunes, the rhythm, the chords. Conversely, music has also been documented to cause sickness. The right, or wrong music, rather, can be like poison to the body. Studies have been done on plants where loud hard rock music, for instance, killed plants and soft classical music, make the plants grow faster. Music is very powerful, like a drug, and can even be an addiction. According to Patty Hearst, a researcher on music,  it was documented that music was used in the aid of brainwashing some people. In the book,” Elevator  Music” by Joseph Lanza, it was stated that certain types of music over prolonged periods in certain conditions were shown to cause seizures.

Which is the main idea of the text?

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

"ADULT EDUCATION: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Early formal adult education activities focused (1) _______ single needs such as reading and writing. Many early programs were (2) _______ by churches to teach people to read the Bible. When the original purpose was (3) _______, programs were often adjusted to meet more general educational needs of the (4) _______. Libraries, lecture series, and discussion societies began in various countries during the (5) _______. As more people experienced the benefits of (6) _______, they began to participate increasingly in social, political, and occupational (7) _______. By the 19th century, adult education was developing as a formal, organized movement in the (8) _______ world.
The largest early program in the U.S., the Lyceum, (9) _______ (1826) in Massachusetts by Josiah Holbrook, was a local (10) _______ of men and women with some schooling who wanted to expand their own education (11) _______ working to establish a public school system. The Lyceum (12) _______ encouraged the development of other adult education institutions (13) _______ libraries, evening schools, and gifted lecture series. By mid-century, employers and philanthropists began to endow (14) _______ such as the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (1859) in New York City (15) _______ the Peabody Institute (1857) in Baltimore, Maryland, for adult education. Large audiences were (16) _______ to the Chautauqua movement, which began (1874) in New York State (17) _______ a summer training program for Sunday school teachers and evolved into a traveling lecture series and (18) _______ school. Chautauqua was the prototype of institutions established to further (19) _______ education in the U.S. By 1876, universities started offering extension programs that (20) _______ education directly to the public..."

4. programs were often adjusted to meet more general educational needs of the (4) _______

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to complete the passage below

An allergy is an immune system response __________ (1) a foreign substance that’s not typically harmful to your body. These foreign substances are called allergens. They can __________ (2) certain foods, pollen, or pet dander.

Your immune system’s job is to keep you healthy by fighting harmful pathogens. It does this by attacking anything it thinks could put your body in danger. Depending on the allergen, this response may involve inflammation, sneezing, or a host of __________ (3) symptoms.

Your immune __________ (4) normally adjusts to your environment. For __________ (5), when your body encounters something like pet dander, it should realize it’s harmless. In people with dander allergies, the immune system perceives it as an outside invader threatening the body and attacks it. Allergies are common. Several treatments can help you avoid your symptoms.

Read the following passage and choose A, B, C, or D to fill in the gaps:
The leading causes of (41) ………….. in many developing countries are now heart disease, cancer, accident, flu, pneumonia, etc. Moreover, cigarettes, alcohol, physical inactivity, and overeating also add to the causes of several of these killing diseases. Medicine has little help to offer, however, to persons (42) ………….. can not get rid (43) ………….. habits harmful to their health. Surgery is the only (44) …………..to offer any chance of survival for people (45) …………..lung cancer.
Although psychiatrists tried to stop people (46) …………..drinking, they haven't been very (47) …………... Neither have doctors. How then (48) ………….. our health be improved? The answer is simple, though perhaps not very pleasing. Ordinary persons can do it (49) …………... They (50) …………..able to make good advances in the prevention of diseases.

49_______

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

I felt nervous when the teacher said she __________ my school report home soon.

Read the following passage carefully, and then select the best option A, B, C or D to complete it:

"Music, artful arrangement of sounds (1) _______ time. This definition is obviously very broad, but a narrower one would exclude (2) _______ much. Music is part of virtually every culture on (3) _______, but it varies widely among cultures in style and structure. Definitions of music can (4) _______ dramatically over a short time, as they have across the world during the 20th (5)_________. Can music exist without (6) _______? Some philosophers argue that music should be defined as a kind of “mental(7) _______” and that the physical aspects of sound are simply by-products of this image. If you (8) _______ you can have a musical experience by imagining the sound of a piece of music, then you think (9) _______ can exist without sound. But most musical experiences involve producing or (10) _______ to physical characteristics of sound such as pitch and timbre (quality comparable to texture or color in sight).
Is the tape-recorded sound of a large metal-stamping machine music? Are 4 minutes (11) _______ 33 seconds of silence music? Is the activity of reading a (12) _______ of hundreds of seemingly unrelated objects, activities, and states of mind music? Each of these “(13) _______”, as well as many other sounds (or nonsounds), has been copyrighted (14) _______ a musical composition, performed, and recorded in the 20th century. One of the legacies of 20th century music is to have blurred the definition of music as (15) _______ before."

15.  One of the legacies of 20th century music is to have blurred the definition of music as (15) _______ before

Technology, such as tablets, isn't only useful for ________ (8) knowledge; it helps with communication as well. Teachers and administrators use such devices to send materials and information ________ (9) students and parents. Students ________ (10) in homework and term papers online and can access educational applications and programs to further assist with learning.

Read the passage and choose the best answer.

Family life is changing. Two-parent households are on the decline in the United States as divorce, remarriage and cohabitation are on the rise. And families are smaller now, both due to the growth of single-parent households and the drop in fertility. Not only are Americans having fewer children, but the circumstances surrounding parenthood have changed. While in the early 1960s babies typically arrived within a marriage, today fully four-in-ten births occur to women who are single or living with a non-marital partner. At the same time that family structures have transformed, so has the role of mothers in the workplace – and in the home. As more moms have entered the labor force, more have become breadwinners – in many cases, primary breadwinners – in their families.

As a result of these changes, there is no longer one dominant family form in the US. Parents today are raising their children against a backdrop of increasingly diverse and, for many, constantly evolving family forms.

Who are breadwinners in the US?

Choose the correct answer to complete the sentence: "________ my sister had considered what to say she decided to talk to her headmaster."

Read the following passage and choose A, B, C,  or D to fill in the gaps:
Bangkok, the (41) of Thailand, is a city of contrasts. It is an exciting, crowded, modern (42), and at the same time, a city that is full of history. The (43) of Bangkok are usually noisy and crowded (44) people. Some are (45) food, others are selling clothing, cassette tapes, flowers, or souvenirs. Visitors (46) the rice markets, the (47) temples, and architecture, and the nightlife. They (48) enjoy the food, the shopping, and the (49) Thai people. Everyone seems to smile (50).

44_________

 Domestic violence and abuse are used for one purpose and one purpose only: __________ (8) and maintain total control over you. 

Choose the best answer:

My sister can't help you now. She is busy .......

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow by circling the corresponding letter A, B, C or D of the correct answers.
It has been said that to turn a corner in Toledo is to enter another century. The city is a rich blend of the cultures that occupied it after a series of invations. Strategically nearly impregnable. Toledo is located in the centre of Spain and is encircled by the Tagus River. Roman rule lasted 300 years and saw the development of the Spanish language. Having defeated the Romans, the Visigoths established their capital at Toledo and brought Christianity to the city's citizens.
It was the conquest of Toledo in the eighth century by the Moors that created the most dramatic and lasting effects upon the city. Moorish arts and architecture embellished the once predominantly military fortress. Mosques, mansions, and towers were built to last, so they remain to impress the visitors to Toledo with their opulence to this day.
Medieval Toledo sheltered a compatible mixture of Christians, Moslems, and Jews. Scholars from all three religious groups collaborated to make the school of Translators famous throughout Europe for its Aristotelian philosophy.

Christianity was brought to Toledo by the______.

Read the passage and choose the best answer.

Just like American students, you will have to submit your academic transcripts as part of your application for admission to a university or college. Academic transcripts are (23)……………copies of your academic work. In the US, this (24)……………your “grades” and “grade point average”(GPA), which are measurements of your academic achievement. Courses are commonly graded using percentages, which are converted (25)……………letter grades.

The grading system and GPA in the USA can be (26)……………, especially for international students. The interpretation of grades has a lot of variation. For example, two students who attended different schools (27)……………submit their transcripts to the same university. They both have 3.5 GPAs, but one student attended an average high school while the other attended a prestigious school that was academically challenging. The university might interpret their GPAs differently because the two schools have dramatically different standards.

25_____________