Read the passage and choose the best answer.

An artist went to a beautiful part of the country for a holiday and stayed with a farmer. Every day he went out with his paints and his brushes and painted from morning to evening, and then when it got dark, he went back to the farm and had a good dinner before going to bed.

At the end of his holiday, he wanted to pay the farmer, but the farmer said: “No, I do not want money, but give me one of your pictures. What is money? In a week it will all be finished, but your painting will be still here.”

The artist was very pleased and thanked the farmer for saying such kind of things. The farmer still smiled and answer “It is not that. I have a son in London. He wants to become an artist. When he comes here next month, I will show him your picture, and then he will not want to become an artist anymore. I think.”

What did the farmer ask the artist at the end?

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.

 London attracts visitors because of its______.

Read the following passage, then choose the correct answer to questions 31 - 35.
Smoking causes lung cancer, which is the number one cancer among men. Ninety percent of the people who get lung cancer die. Smoking is also the leading cause of mouth cancer, tongue cancer, and throat cancer. Many smokers have heart disease and pneumonia. Smoking causes one million early deaths in the world every year.
Smokers not only harm themselves but also harm others. Smokers breathe smoke out into the air. They breathe it out on their children and their wives or husbands. Children whose parents smoke have more breathing and lung problems than other children. Women who are married to smokers are more likely to have lung cancer than those married to non-smokers.
We are all aware that smoking is bad. So why do people smoke?

Every year, smoking causes about one million____________.

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_________

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. (1) _______, 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 (2) _______ 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 (3) _______. 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. (4) _______, 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 (5) _______), the Background Printing option can be used to print documents while the user is doing other work."

2. In a windowing environment in which more than one program or document can be available to the user, open but currently inactive (2) _______ are said to be in the background.

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions

Music is one of the greatest creations of human kind in the course of history. It is creativity in a pure and undiluted form and format. Music plays a vital role in our daily life. It is a way of expressing our feelings and emotions. Music is a way to escape life, which gives us relief in pain and helps us to reduce the stress of the daily routine. It helps us to calm down, an even excites us in the moment of joy. Moreover, it enriches the mind and gives us self-confidence.

Music surrounds our lives at different moments of lives, whether we hear it on the radio, on television, from our car and home stereos. Different kinds of music are appropriate for different occasions. We come across it in the mellifluous tunes of a classical concert or in the devotional strains of a bhajan, the wedding band, or the reaper in the fields breaking into song to express the joys of life. Even warbling in the bathroom gives us a happy start to the day. Music has a very powerful therapeutic effect on the human psyche. It has always been part of our association with specific emotions, and those emotions themselves have given rise to great music.

 Music has a very powerful therapeutic ___________ on the human psyche.

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.

Toledo was invaded by_____.

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 27.......................

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.

According to the passage, the letters A in AA and B in BB each represent_______.

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..."

5. Libraries, lecture series, and discussion societies began in various countries during the (5) _______. 

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

Education plays a vital role ____________ (6) shaping successful people. It gives us the opportunity to become a productive member of a civilized society by acquiring all the necessary skills. We learn ____________ (7) to meet challenges and overcome obstacles. We learn how to become an integrated personality and maintain the perpetuation of our culture. People learn basic norms, rules, regulations, ____________ (8) values of society through education. Moreover, high quality education enables us to ____________ (9) a successful life, enhances our intelligence, skills, knowledge, and brings positive changes in our life.

Education lays the foundation stone for our future. An illiterate person can find ____________ (10) very difficult to cope ____________ (11) some aspects of life. Education expands our vision and creates awareness. It helps us develop a disciplined life and provides us with better earning opportunities. It enables us ____________ (12) the world beyond our own surroundings. Education ____________ (13) also a prerequisite of the prosperity and modernization of any country.

Modern education is liberal, open, and exoteric. It is the premise of progress, in every family and in every society. It teaches people to reason. It is based ____________ (14) the humanism, freedom, equality, democracy, and human rights. The content of education keeps pace with the needs of modern society and is a mirror of its goals, values, and priorities. So, education is a necessary means of eradicating the unemployment problem. It is able to reduce poverty in a number of ____________ (15). But we have to remember that there is a great need for the growth of the vocational education so that every person could pursue a fulfilling career that ensures a satisfied life.

It is based ____________ (14) the humanism, freedom, equality, democracy, and human rights. 

Read the following passage and choose A, B, C,  or D to fill in the gaps:
William Shakespeare was the (41) writer in the English language. He was born in 1564 in Stratford- upon- Avon. (42) the age of eighteen he married Anne Hathaway, (43) was eight years (44)  than himself. A few years later he moved to London, (45) he worked as an actor and a playwright. Shakespeare (46) thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets (a kind of poem). His most famous plays are the four great tragedies - Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet, and King Lear. Shakespeare died in Stratford (47) 23 April 1616, but his plays are still very popular today. They have been translated into different languages, and many of them have been (48) into films, both in English and other languages. Shakespeare's plays are about the great issues of life - love, hatred, jealousy, power, ambition, (49), and so on. So, his plays are just relevant today as they were in the sixteenth (50).

43_______

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

 Learning English _____________ really interesting.

Read the passage and choose the best answer.

Living in a city has a (23)…………..of drawbacks. Firstly, there are many problems of traffic jams and traffic accidents. The increase (24)…………..population and the increasing number of vehicles have caused many accidents to happen every day. Secondly, air pollution negatively affects people’s health, and it also has a bad influence on the environment. More and more city dwellers (25)…………..from coughing or breathing problems. Thirdly, the city is noisy, even at night. Noise (26)…………..comes from the traffic and from construction sites. Buildings are always being knocked (27)………….. and rebuilt. These factors contribute to making city life more difficult for its residents.

25____________

Read the passage and choose the best answer.

There is now increasing concern about the world’s energy (23)____ , particularly about those involving fossil (24) ____. In less than a hundred years we shall probably exhaust all the present (25) ____ of oil and gas. The world’s coal (26) ____ should last langer but, once used, these cannot be renewed. It is important; therefore, that we should develop such (27) ____ sources of energy as solar energy as well as water and wind power.

27___________

Each sentence has a mistake. Find it by choosing the letter A, B, C or D.

Question 2: Would you be enough kind to open the doors, please?

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

Education plays a vital role ____________ (6) shaping successful people. It gives us the opportunity to become a productive member of a civilized society by acquiring all the necessary skills. We learn ____________ (7) to meet challenges and overcome obstacles. We learn how to become an integrated personality and maintain the perpetuation of our culture. People learn basic norms, rules, regulations, ____________ (8) values of society through education. Moreover, high quality education enables us to ____________ (9) a successful life, enhances our intelligence, skills, knowledge, and brings positive changes in our life.

Education lays the foundation stone for our future. An illiterate person can find ____________ (10) very difficult to cope ____________ (11) some aspects of life. Education expands our vision and creates awareness. It helps us develop a disciplined life and provides us with better earning opportunities. It enables us ____________ (12) the world beyond our own surroundings. Education ____________ (13) also a prerequisite of the prosperity and modernization of any country.

Modern education is liberal, open, and exoteric. It is the premise of progress, in every family and in every society. It teaches people to reason. It is based ____________ (14) the humanism, freedom, equality, democracy, and human rights. The content of education keeps pace with the needs of modern society and is a mirror of its goals, values, and priorities. So, education is a necessary means of eradicating the unemployment problem. It is able to reduce poverty in a number of ____________ (15). But we have to remember that there is a great need for the growth of the vocational education so that every person could pursue a fulfilling career that ensures a satisfied life.

People learn basic norms, rules, regulations, ____________ (8) values of society through education.

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

In 1814, Francis Scott Key pens a poem ___________ (6) is later set to music and in 1931 becomes America’s national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The poem, originally titled “The Defence of Fort McHenry,” was written after Key witnessed the Maryland fort being bombarded ___________ (7) the British during the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the sight of a lone U.S. flag still flying over Fort McHenry at daybreak, as reflected in the now-famous words of the “Star-Spangled Banner”: “And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.”

After one of Key’s friends, Dr. William Beanes, ___________ (8) by the British, Key went to Baltimore, located the ship where Beanes was being held and negotiated his release. However, Key and Beanes weren’t allowed to leave until after the British bombardment of Fort McHenry. Key watched the bombing campaign unfold from aboard a ship located about eight miles away. After a day, the British were unable ___________ (9) the fort and gave up. Key was relieved to see the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry and quickly penned a few lines in tribute to what he had witnessed.

Francis Scott Key died of pleurisy ___________ (10) January 11, 1843. Today, the flag that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814 is housed at the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

The poem, originally titled “The Defence of Fort McHenry,” was written after Key witnessed the Maryland fort being bombarded ___________ (7) the British during the War of 1812. 

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."

11. Are 4 minutes (11) _______ 33 seconds of silence music?

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..."

13. other adult education institutions (13) _______ libraries, evening schools, and gifted lecture series.