Read the passage and choose the best answers. 
Until the 19th century, the denial of equal rights to women met with only occasional protest and drew little attention from most people. Because most women lacked the educational and economic resources that would enable them to challenge the prevailing social order, women generally accepted their inferior status as their only option. At this time, women shared these disadvantages with the majority of working class men, as many social, economic, and political rights were restricted to the wealthy elite.In the 19th century, as governments in Europe and North America began to draft new laws guaranteeing equality among men, significant numbers of women – and some men – began to demand that women be accorded equal rights as well.
At the same time, the Industrial Revolution in Europe and North America further divided the roles of men and women. Before the Industrial Revolution most people worked in farming or crafts-making, both of which took place in or near the home. Men and women usually divided the numerous tasks among themselves and their children. Industrialization led male workers to seek employment outside of the home in factories and other large-scale enterprises. The growing split between home and work reinforced the idea that women’s “rightful place” was in the home, while men belonged in the public world of employment and politics.
Organized efforts by women to achieve greater rights occurred in two major waves. The first wave began around the mid-19th century, when women in the United States and elsewhere campaigned to gain suffrage that is, the right to vote. This wave lasted until the 1920s, when several countries granted women suffrage

What did the effect of the Industrial Revolution in Europe and North America bring about?

Choose the option among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage: 

"The status of women’s rights today (1)….. dramatically in different countries and, in some cases, am ong groups within the same country, such as ethnic groups or economic classes.
 In recent decades women around the world have made strides in political participation. (2)….. the 1980s women could vote virtually everywhere in the world, except for a few Muslim countries. As of mid-2005, when women in Kuwait won suffrage, women could vote in all countries (3)…. Men could vote except Saudi Arabia. The right to vote usually included the right to (4)….. for elected office. In 2005 there were 12 female national leaders in the world, including 8 heads of (5)…… (3 monarchs and 5 presidents) and 4 heads of government (prime ministers). In 2005 women made (6)….. almost 16 percent of legislative bodies worldwide, compared to 11 percent in 1999 and 9 percent in 1987. Despite these advancements, women’s role in governmental decision-making remains (7) …...
 Many disparities persist between women’s legal rights and their economic status. Women today constitute nearly 70 percent of the world’s poor, (8) …..  international efforts to compensate women and men (9)…..  in the workplace. While women made up about 32 percent of the world’s labor force in 1990, the percentage of women in positions to make important decisions was far lower. In 2002 women held only 15.7 percent of corporate (10)…… positions in the 500 largest companies in the United States - an increase of 7 percentage points since 1995. In the mid-1990s women comprised only 1 percent of executives in the 1,000 largest corporations outside the United States."

10. In 2002 women held only 15.7 percent of corporate (10)…… positions in the 500 largest companies in the United States - an increase of 7 percentage points since 1995.

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

When people think of domestic abuse, they often focus __________ (1) domestic violence. But domestic abuse includes any attempt by one person in __________ (2) intimate relationship or marriage to dominate and control the other. Domestic violence and abuse are used for one purpose and one purpose only: __________ (3) and maintain total control over you. An abuser doesn’t “play fair.” Abusers use fear, guilt, shame, and intimidation to wear you down and keep you under __________ (4) thumb.

__________ (5) violence and abuse can happen to anyone; it does not discriminate. Abuse happens within heterosexual relationships and in same-sex partnerships. It __________ (6) within all age ranges, ethnic backgrounds, and economic levels. And __________ (7) women are more often victimized, men also experience abuse—especially verbal and emotional. The bottom line is that abusive behavior is never __________ (8), whether from a man, woman, teenager, or an older adult. You deserve to feel valued, respected, and safe.

Domestic abuse often escalates __________ (9) threats and verbal assault to violence. And while physical injury may pose the most obvious danger, the emotional and psychological consequences of domestic abuse are also severe. Emotionally abusive relationships can destroy your self-worth, __________ (10) to anxiety and depression, and make you feel helpless and alone. No one should have to endure this kind of pain—and your first step to breaking free is recognizing that your relationship is abusive.

(4).........................

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: 
Any list of the greatest thinkers in history contains the name of the brilliant German physicist Albert Einstein. His theories of relativity led to entirely new ways of thinking about time, space, matter, energy, and gravity. Einstein's work led to such scientific advances as the control of atomic energy, even television as a practical application of Einstein's work. In 1902 Einstein became an examiner in the Swiss patent office at Bern. In 1905, at age 26, he published the first of five major research papers. The first one provided a theory explaining Brownian movement, the zig-zag motion of microscopic particles in suspension. The second paper laid the foundation for the photon, or quantum, theory of light. In it he proposed that light is composed of separate packets of energy, called quanta or photons, that have some of the properties of particles and some of the properties of waves. A third paper contained the "special theory of relativity" which showed that time and motion are relative to the observer, if the speed of light is constant and the natural laws are the same everywhere in the universe. The fourth paper was a mathematical addition to the special theory of relativity. Here Einstein presented his famous formula, E = m(cc), known as the energy mass equivalence. In 1916, Einstein published his general theory of relativity. In it he proposed that gravity is not a force, but a curve in the space-time continuum, created by the presence of mass. Einstein spoke out frequently against nationalism, the exalting of one nation above all others. He opposed war and violence and supported Zionism, the movement to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, they denounced his ideas. He then moved to the United States. In 1939 Einstein learned that two German chemists had split the uranium atom. Einstein wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt warning him that this scientific knowledge could lead to Germany developing an atomic bomb. He suggested the United States begin its own atomic bomb research.

According to Einstein, light is composed ofseparate packets of energy called ________ .

Just as optical fibers have transformed communication, they are also revolutionizing medicine. These ultrathin, flexible fibers have opened a window into the living tissues of the body. By inserting optical fibers through natural openings or small incisions and threading  them along the body's established pathways, physicians can look into the lungs, intestines,  heart and other areas that were formerly inaccessible to   them.
The basic fiber-optics system is called fiberscope, which consists of  two  bundles  of fibers. One, the illuminating bundle, carries light to the tissues. Is is coupled to  a  high- intensity light source. Light enters the cores of the high-purity silicon glass and travels along the fibers. A lens at the end of the bundle collects the light and  focuses  it into the other  bundle, the imaging bundle. Each fiber in the bundle transmits only a tiny fraction of the total image. The reconstructed image can be viewed through an eyepiece or displayed on a television screen.
During the last five years, improved methods of fabricating optical fibers have led to a reduction in fiberscope diameter and an increase in the number of fibers, which in turn has increased resolution. Optical fibers can also be used to deliver laser light. By use of laser beams, physicians can perform surgery inside the body, sometimes eliminating the need for invasive procedures in which healthy tissue must be cut through to reach the site of disease. Many of these procedures do not require anesthesia and can be performed in a physician's office. These techniques have reduced the risk and the cost of medical care.

Where in the passage does the author provide a basic description of a fiberscope?

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer:
Today, more and more women are actively participating in social activities both in urban and rural areas. Specifically, they have shined brightly in even many fields commonly regarded as the man's areas such as business, scientific research and social management. In some areas, women even show more overwhelming power than men. The image of contemporary Vietnamese women with creativeness, dynamism, success has become popular in Vietnam's society. The fact reveals that the gender gap has been remarkably narrowed and women enjoy many more opportunities to pursue their social careers and obtain success, contributing to national socio-economic development. 
According to Ms, Le Thi Quy, Director of the Gender/and Development Research Centre under the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University, gender equity in Vietnam has reached a high level over the past decade. The rate of Vietnamese women becoming National Assembly members from the 9th term to the 11th term increased 8.7%, bringing the proportion of Vietnamese women in authority to 27.3%, the highest rate in Southeast Asia. There is no big gap in the level of literacy and schooling between men and women. Women account for about 37% of university and college graduates, 19.9% of doctoral degree holders and 6.7% of professors and associate professors. 
The legitimate rights of women and children are ensured more than ever before with more complete legal documents including laws, conventions and national action plans, among which the laws on "gender equity" mark a turning-point in the empowerment of women. 
Mass media also highlights the continued success of women in every field and honors their great importance in modern society, helping to do away with outdated perceptions about traditional women's duties. Many projects on reproductive health care, children protection, and family income improvement jointly conducted by various mass organizations, state agencies and non-governmental organizations have created favorable conditions for women to become involved.

According to the data in the text, ________.

DISAPPEARING ALASKAN SEALS
On a winter afternoon, a dozen male Northern fur seals are on an island off south-western Alaska. To look at them, fighting for territory on the rocks, it’s hard to imagine that they are at the (27)____________of a baffling scientific mystery: why is this species beginning to disappear? These seals- which can weigh up to 270 kilograms-have an important and symbolic (28)_________in Alaska’s history. Their soft and luxurious fur, the coveted prize during the huge commercial sea harvests that were legal here in the Bering Sea through the early 20th century, was once so valuable it (29)_________Alaska’s economy. Starting in the 1950s, for reasons that are (30)_______because the harvests by then tended to be fairly small, the seal population began a slow decline . But lately it has been falling drastically, declining at an alarming (31)________of 6 per cent a year since 1998. From a (32)_________ of more than 2 million in Alaska in 1948, their numbers have fallen to about 1 million.
So (33)________, no one has been able to establish a precise cause for this, although theories (34)___________. The seals' food supply may be (35)________, or another species may be (36)________on the seals- perhaps killer whales, which no longer have as many great whales to eat because of harvesting of those mammals. Some people have suggested that the decline can be (37)______to entanglement in fishing nets ,but scientists say they doubt that this alone could (38)_________the recent population decline.
(30)....................................

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:
The goal of Internet-based encyclopedia Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) is to give everyone on the planet access to information. Like other encyclopedias, Wikipedia contains lots of information: more than 2.5 million articles in 200 different languages covering just about every subject. Unlike other encyclopedias, however, Wikipedia is not written by experts, but by ordinary people. These writers are not paid and their names are not published. They contribute to Wikipedia simply because they want to share their knowledge.
Encyclopedias began in ancient times as collections of writings about all aspects of human knowledge. The word itself comes from ancient Greek, and means "a complete general education". Real popularity for encyclopedias came in the nineteenth century in Europe and the United States, with the publication of encyclopedias written for ordinary readers. With the invention of the CD- ROM, the same amount of information could be put on a few computer discs. Then with the Internet, it became possible to create an online encyclopedia that could be constantly updated, like Microsoft's Encarta. However, even Internet-based encyclopedias like Encarta were written by paid experts. At first, Wikipedia, the brainchild of Jimmy Wales, a businessman in Chicago, was not so different from these. In 2001, he had the idea for an Internet-based encyclopedia that would provide information quickly and easily to everyone. Furthermore, that information would be available free, unlike other Internet encyclopedias at that time.
But Wales, like everyone else, believed that people with special knowledge were needed to write the articles, and so he began by hiring experts. He soon changed his approach, however, as it took them a long time to finish their work. He decided to open up the encyclopedia in a radical new way, so that everyone would have access not only to the information, but also to the process of putting this information online. To do this, he used what is known as "Wiki" software (from the Hawaiian word for "fast"), which allows users to create or alter content on web page. The system is very simple: When you open the web site, you can simply search for information or you can log on to become a writer or editor of articles. If you find an article that interests you - about your hometown, for example - you can correct it or expand it. This process goes on until no one is interested in making any more changes.

 The word "approach" in the third paragraph of the passage means...........

Read the passage and choose the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the word that best fits each blank.
Nearly 450.000 businesses are started in Britain every year. One-third of these stops trading during the first three years. Starting a business is never easy (3)_______ so many things are outside your control. If you are thinking about working for yourself, you must start by thinking about the qualities you need to (4)______a business. Be hard with yourself. If you have a weakness, it is better to find out now rather than later (5)________ your business could be in danger. Ask yourself whether you are a good (6)______. Is your health good? Are you good at making decisions? Do you have any practical experience of the business you want to start? Are you prepared to work long hours for very (7)_______money? If you cannot answer 'yes' to most of these questions, perhaps you should think again about starting up in business on your own.

3................

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: 
The growth of cities, the construction of hundreds of new factories, and the spread of railroads in the United Stases before 1850 had increased the need for better illumination. But the lighting in  American homes had improved very little over that of ancient times. Through the colonial period,  homes were lit with tallow candles or with a lamp of the kind used in ancient Rome- a dish of fish oil or  other animal or vegetable oil in which a twisted rag served as a wick. Some people used lard, but they  had to heat charcoal underneath to keep it soft and burnable. The sperm whale provided superior  burning oil, but this was expensive. In 1830 a new substance called "camphene" was patented, and  it proved to be an remained expensive, had an unpleasant odor, and also was dangerously explosive.
Between 1830 and 1850 it seemed that the only hope for cheaper illumination in the United  States was the wider use of gas. In the 1840s American gas manufacturers adopted improved British  techniques for producing illuminating gas from coal. But the expense of piping gas to the consumer  remained so high that until mid- century gas lighting was feasible only in urban areas, and only for  public buildings for the wealthy. In 1854 a Canadian doctor, Abraham Gesner, patented a process for  distilling a pitch like mineral found in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that produced illuminating  gas and an oil that he called "kerosene" (from "keros", the Greek word for wax, and "ene" because  it resembled camphene). Kerosene, though cheaper than camphene, had an unpleasant odor, and  Gesner never made his fortune from it. But Gesner had aroused a new hope for making illuminating oil from a product coming out of North American mines.

Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

As many as one thousand years ago in the Southwest, the Hopi and Zuni Indians of North America were building with adobe-sun-baked brick plastered with mud.  Their homes looked remarkably like modern apartment houses. Some were four stories high and contained quarters for perhaps a thousand people, along with storerooms for grain and other goods. These buildings were usually put up against cliffs, both to make construction easier and for defense against enemies. They were really villages in themselves, as later Spanish explorers must have realised since they called them "pueblos", which is Spanish for towns. The people of the pueblos raised what are called "the three sisters" - corn,  beans, and squash. They made excellent pottery and wove marvelous baskets, some so fine that they could hold water. The Southwest has always been a dry country, where water is scarce. The Hopi and Zuni brought water from streams to their fields and gardens through irrigation ditches. Water was so important that it played a major role in their religion. They developed elaborate ceremonies and religious rituals to bring rain. The way of life of less - settled groups was simpler and more strongly influenced by nature.

Small tribes such as the Shoshone and Ute wandered the dry and mountainous lands between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. They gathered seeds and hunted small animals such as rabbits and snakes.

In the Far North, the ancestors of today's Inuit hunted seals, walruses, and the great whales. They lived right on the frozen season shelters called igloos built of blocks of packed snow. When summer came, they fished for salmon and hunted the lordly caribou.

The Cheyenne, Pawnee and Sioux tribes, known as the Plains Indians, lived on the grasslands between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River. They hunted bison, commonly called the buffalo. Its meat was the chief food of these tribes, and its hide was used to make their clothing and the covering of their tents and tepees

What does the passage mainly discuss?

Many ants forage across the countryside in large numbers and undertake mass migrations; these activities proceed because one ant lays a trail on the ground for the others to follow. As a worker ant returns home after finding a source of food, it marks the route by intermittently touching its stinger to the ground and depositing a tiny amount of trail pheromone – a mixture of chemicals that delivers diverse messages as the context changes. These trails incorporate no directional information and may be followed by other ants in either direction. 
Unlike some other messages, such as the one arising from a dead ant, a food trail has to be kept secret from members of other species. It is not surprising then that ant species use a wide variety of compounds as trail pheromones. Ants can be extremely sensitive to these signals. Investigators working with the trail pheromone of the leafcutter ant Atta texana calculated that one milligram of this substance would suffice to lead a column of ants three times around Earth. 
The vapor of the evaporating pheromone over the trail guides an ant along the way, and the ant detects this signal with receptors in its antennae. A trail pheromone will evaporate to furnish the highest concentration of vapor right over the trail, in what is called a vapor space. In following the trail, the ant moves to the right and left, oscillating from side to side across the line of the trail itself, bringing first one and then the other antenna into the vapor space. As the ant moves to the right, its left antenna arrives in the vapor space. The signal it receives causes it to swing to the left, and the ant then pursues this new course until its right antenna reaches the vapor space. It then swings back to the right, and so weaves back and forth down the trail.

What does the passage mainly discuss?' 

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 from 31 to 35.
In recent years there have (31)_________many articles on air polution in newspapers and magazines. Scientists all over the world have warned that our atmosphere is becoming more and more contaminated, and that Man, through his carelessness, may run (32)_________of pure air to breathe.
Automobiles and industries mainly account (33)_________air pollution in most cities. They pour into the air such gases as carbon monoxide, sulphur and nitrogen oxides, which are very harmful (34)_________humans. Worrse still, these gases, a series of chemical changes, turn into toxic acids. They fall down in "acid rains", raising the acidity in the air, soil and water to dangerous levels and affecting not only tress but also fish and other wildlife. Many industrial countries in Europe and North America have suffered bad effects (35) ________  those "rains”.
(32).................

Read‌ ‌the‌ ‌following‌ ‌passage‌ ‌and‌ ‌mark‌ ‌the‌ ‌letter‌ ‌A,‌ ‌B,‌ ‌C,‌ ‌or‌ ‌D‌ ‌on‌ ‌your‌ ‌answer‌ ‌sheer‌ ‌to‌ ‌indicate‌ ‌the‌ ‌correct‌ ‌answer‌ ‌to‌ ‌each‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌questions‌ ‌from‌ ‌35‌ ‌to‌ ‌39.‌ ‌
As‌ ‌customers‌ ‌choose‌ ‌brands‌ ‌based‌ ‌on‌ ‌how‌ ‌they‌ ‌make‌ ‌‌them‌ ‌feel,‌ ‌rather‌ ‌than‌ ‌their‌ ‌actual‌ ‌products‌ ‌or‌ ‌services,‌ ‌there‌ ‌is‌ ‌an‌ ‌intrinsic‌ ‌advantage‌ ‌to‌ ‌those‌ ‌organizations‌ ‌who‌ ‌use‌ ‌designed‌ ‌experiences‌ ‌as‌ ‌a‌ ‌weapon‌ ‌to‌ ‌cut‌ ‌through‌ ‌the‌ ‌most‌ ‌competitive‌ ‌of‌ ‌markets.‌ ‌Those‌ ‌that‌ ‌don't,‌ ‌operate‌ ‌in‌ ‌what‌ ‌we‌ ‌call‌ ‌the‌ ‌“experience‌ ‌gap”,‌ ‌the‌ ‌space‌ ‌between‌ ‌them‌ ‌and‌ ‌their‌ ‌customer's‌ ‌expectation‌ ‌of‌ ‌them.‌ ‌Make‌ ‌no‌ ‌mistake,‌ ‌in‌ ‌our‌ ‌high‌ ‌paced‌ ‌and‌ ‌digitally‌ ‌connected‌ ‌economies,‌ ‌the‌ ‌experience‌ ‌gap‌ ‌is‌ ‌driving‌ ‌markets,‌ ‌fast.‌ ‌
For‌ ‌example,‌ ‌take‌ ‌Instagram‌ ‌and‌ ‌Twitter.‌ ‌These‌ ‌brands‌ ‌filled‌ ‌the‌ ‌demand‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌whole‌ ‌new‌ ‌human‌ ‌experience‌ ‌that‌ ‌did‌ ‌not‌ ‌exist‌ ‌before‌ ‌the‌ ‌evolution‌ ‌of‌ ‌digital‌ ‌technologies‌ ‌enabled‌ ‌that.‌ ‌They‌ ‌were‌ ‌pioneers,‌ ‌and‌ ‌there‌ ‌were‌ ‌no‌ ‌established‌ ‌players‌ ‌to‌ ‌unseat.‌ ‌But‌ ‌we‌ ‌are‌ ‌also‌ ‌seeing‌ ‌a‌ ‌similar‌ ‌dynamic‌ ‌in‌ ‌existing‌ ‌industries.‌ ‌New‌ ‌entrants‌ ‌are‌ ‌coming‌ ‌in‌ ‌and‌ ‌taking‌ ‌the‌ ‌space,‌ ‌also‌ ‌using‌ ‌whole‌ ‌new‌ ‌experiences,‌ ‌purely‌ ‌because‌ ‌the‌ ‌incumbents‌ ‌left‌ ‌the‌ ‌door‌ ‌open.‌ ‌
Closer‌ ‌to‌ ‌home,‌ ‌this‌ ‌can‌ ‌be‌ ‌seen‌ ‌with‌ ‌Australian‌ ‌neobanks‌ ‌who‌ ‌are‌ ‌giving‌ ‌customers‌ ‌a‌ ‌better‌ ‌experience‌ ‌than‌ ‌the‌ ‌incumbents.‌ ‌Robert‌ ‌Bell‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌CEO‌ ‌at‌ ‌neobank‌ ‌86400.‌ ‌He‌ ‌says‌ ‌banking‌ ‌has‌ ‌already‌ ‌become‌ ‌quite‌ ‌complicated‌ ‌and‌ ‌he‌ ‌wanted‌ ‌to‌ ‌make‌ ‌a‌ ‌change.‌ ‌His‌ ‌neobank‌ ‌is‌ ‌working‌ ‌to‌ ‌solve‌ ‌customers’‌ ‌problems‌ ‌more‌ ‌holistically.‌ ‌Bell‌ ‌said,‌ ‌“It's‌ ‌significantly‌ ‌harder‌ ‌work‌ ‌and‌ ‌takes‌ ‌more‌ ‌time‌ ‌to‌ ‌become‌ ‌a‌ ‌bank,‌ ‌but‌ ‌having‌ ‌done‌ ‌that‌ ‌we‌ ‌can‌ ‌have‌ ‌a‌ ‌much‌ ‌better‌ ‌relationship‌ ‌with‌ ‌our‌ ‌customers‌ ‌and‌ ‌we‌ ‌can‌ ‌offer‌ ‌them‌ ‌a‌ ‌lot‌ ‌more‌ ‌products‌ ‌and‌ ‌services.”‌ ‌
Think‌ ‌about‌ ‌that‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌moment.‌ ‌Do‌ ‌you‌ ‌notice‌ ‌how‌ ‌better‌ ‌experiences,‌ ‌leads‌ ‌to‌ ‌better‌ ‌relationships,‌ ‌which‌ ‌is‌ ‌then‌ ‌the‌ ‌‌stepping‌ ‌stone‌ ‌for‌ ‌more‌ ‌offerings?‌ ‌Many‌ ‌brands‌ ‌still‌ ‌jump‌ ‌straight‌ ‌to‌ ‌modified‌ ‌offerings,‌ ‌without‌ ‌gaining‌ ‌that‌ ‌customer‌ ‌connection‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌necessary‌ ‌foundation‌ ‌of‌ ‌trust‌ ‌first.‌ ‌

‌‌According‌ ‌to‌ ‌paragraph‌ ‌3,‌ ‌what‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌attitude‌ ‌of‌ ‌Robert‌ ‌Bell‌ ‌towards‌ ‌the‌ ‌customers?‌ ‌

The handling and delivery of mail has always been a serious business, underpinned by the trust of the public in requiring timeliness, safety, and confidentiality. After early beginnings using horseback and stagecoach, and although cars and trucks later replaced stagecoaches and wagons, the Railway Mail Service still stands as one of America’s most resourceful and exciting postal innovations. This service began in 1832, but grew slowly until the Civil War. Then from 1862, by sorting the mail on board moving trains, the Post Office Department was able to decentralize its operations as railroads began to crisscross the nation on a regular basis, and speed up mail delivery. This service lasted until 1974. During peak decades of service, railway mail clerks handled 93% of all non-local mail and by 1905 the service had over 12,000 employees. 
Railway Post Office trains used a system of mail cranes to exchange mail at stations without stopping. As a train approached the crane, a clerk prepared the catcher arm which would then snatch the incoming mailbag in the blink of an eye. The clerk then booted out the outgoing mailbag. Experienced clerks were considered the elite of the Postal Service’s employees, and spoke with pride of making the switch at night with nothing but the curves and feel of the track to warn them of an upcoming catch. They also worked under the greatest pressure and their jobs were considered to be exhausting and dangerous. In addition to regular demands of their jobs they could find themselves the victims of train wrecks and robberies. 
As successful as it was, “mail-on-the-fly” still had its share of glitches. If they hoisted the train’s catcher arm too soon, they risked hitting switch targets, telegraph poles or semaphores, which would rip the catcher arm off the train. Too late, and they would miss an exchange. 

The word “glitches” in the third paragraph can be replaced by________. ' 

Choose the item among A, B, C or D that best answers the question about the passage:

"Until the 19thcentury, the denial of equal rights to women met with only occasional protest and drew little attention from most people. Because most women lacked the educational and economic resources that would enable them to challenge the prevailing social order, women generally accepted their inferior status as their only option. At this time, women shared these disadvantages with the majority of working class men, as many social, economic, and political rights were restricted to the wealthy elite. In the 19th century, as governments in Europe and North America began to draft new laws guaranteeing equality among men, significant numbers of women - and some men - began to demand that women be accorded equal rights as well.
 At the same time, the Industrial Revolution in Europe and North America further divided the roles of men and women. Before the Industrial Revolution most people worked in farming or crafts-making, both of which took place in or near the home. Men and women usually divided the numerous tasks among themselves and their children. Industrialization led male workers to seek employment outside of the home in factories and other large-scale enterprises. The growing split between home and work reinforced the idea that women’s “rightful place” was in the home, while men belonged in the public world of employment and politics.
 Organized efforts by women to achieve greater rights occurred in two major waves. The first wave began around the mid-19th century, when women in the United States and elsewhere campaigned to gain suffrage - that is, the right to vote. This wave lasted until the 1920s, when several countries granted women suffrage."

5. What was the aim of the women’s movement in the United States in the 1920s?

As many as one thousand years ago in the Southwest, the Hopi and Zuni Indians of North America were building with adobe-sun-baked brick plastered with mud.  Their homes looked remarkably like modern apartment houses. Some were four stories high and contained quarters for perhaps a thousand people, along with storerooms for grain and other goods. These buildings were usually put up against cliffs, both to make construction easier and for defense against enemies. They were really villages in themselves, as later Spanish explorers must have realised since they called them "pueblos", which is Spanish for towns. The people of the pueblos raised what are called "the three sisters" - corn,  beans, and squash. They made excellent pottery and wove marvelous baskets, some so fine that they could hold water. The Southwest has always been a dry country, where water is scarce. The Hopi and Zuni brought water from streams to their fields and gardens through irrigation ditches. Water was so important that it played a major role in their religion. They developed elaborate ceremonies and religious rituals to bring rain. The way of life of less - settled groups was simpler and more strongly influenced by nature.
Small tribes such as the Shoshone and Ute wandered the dry and mountainous lands between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. They gathered seeds and hunted small animals such as rabbits and snakes.
In the Far North, the ancestors of today's Inuit hunted seals, walruses, and the great whales. They lived right on the frozen season shelters called igloos built of blocks of packed snow. When summer came, they fished for salmon and hunted the lordly caribou.
The Cheyenne, Pawnee and Sioux tribes, known as the Plains Indians, lived on the grasslands between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River. They hunted bison, commonly called the buffalo. Its meat was the chief food of these tribes, and its hide was used to make their clothing and the covering of their tents and tepees.

It can be inferred from the passage that the dwellings of the Hopi and Zuni were.....................

Read the passage and choose the best answers. 
Until the 19th century, the denial of equal rights to women met with only occasional protest and drew little attention from most people. Because most women lacked the educational and economic resources that would enable them to challenge the prevailing social order, women generally accepted their inferior status as their only option. At this time, women shared these disadvantages with the majority of working class men, as many social, economic, and political rights were restricted to the wealthy elite.In the 19th century, as governments in Europe and North America began to draft new laws guaranteeing equality among men, significant numbers of women – and some men – began to demand that women be accorded equal rights as well.
At the same time, the Industrial Revolution in Europe and North America further divided the roles of men and women. Before the Industrial Revolution most people worked in farming or crafts-making, both of which took place in or near the home. Men and women usually divided the numerous tasks among themselves and their children. Industrialization led male workers to seek employment outside of the home in factories and other large-scale enterprises. The growing split between home and work reinforced the idea that women’s “rightful place” was in the home, while men belonged in the public world of employment and politics.
Organized efforts by women to achieve greater rights occurred in two major waves. The first wave began around the mid-19th century, when women in the United States and elsewhere campaigned to gain suffrage that is, the right to vote. This wave lasted until the 1920s, when several countries granted women suffrage

What was the aim of the women’s movement in the United States in the 1920s?

Many ants forage across the countryside in large numbers and undertake mass migrations; these activities proceed because one ant lays a trail on the ground for the others to follow. As a worker ant returns home after finding a source of food, it marks the route by intermittently touching its stinger to the ground and depositing a tiny amount of trail pheromone – a mixture of chemicals that delivers diverse messages as the context changes. These trails incorporate no directional information and may be followed by other ants in either direction. 
Unlike some other messages, such as the one arising from a dead ant, a food trail has to be kept secret from members of other species. It is not surprising then that ant species use a wide variety of compounds as trail pheromones. Ants can be extremely sensitive to these signals. Investigators working with the trail pheromone of the leafcutter ant Atta texana calculated that one milligram of this substance would suffice to lead a column of ants three times around Earth. 
The vapor of the evaporating pheromone over the trail guides an ant along the way, and the ant detects this signal with receptors in its antennae. A trail pheromone will evaporate to furnish the highest concentration of vapor right over the trail, in what is called a vapor space. In following the trail, the ant moves to the right and left, oscillating from side to side across the line of the trail itself, bringing first one and then the other antenna into the vapor space. As the ant moves to the right, its left antenna arrives in the vapor space. The signal it receives causes it to swing to the left, and the ant then pursues this new course until its right antenna reaches the vapor space. It then swings back to the right, and so weaves back and forth down the trail.

The author mentions the trail pheromone of the leafcutter ant in line 8 to point out

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.

   Ever since humans have inhabited the earth, they have made use of various forms of communication. Generally, this expression of thoughts and feelings has been in the form of oral speech. When there is a language barrier, communication is accomplished through sign language in which motions stand for letters, words and ideas. Tourists, the deaf, and the mute have no resort to this form of expression. Many of these symbols of the whole words are very picturesque and exact and can be used internationally: spelling, however, can not.

   Body language transmits ideas or thoughts by certain actions, either intentionally or unintentionally. A wink can be a way of flirting or indicating that the party is only joking. A nod signifies approval, while shaking the head indicates a negative reaction.

   Other forms of nonlinguistic language can be found in Braille (a system of raised dots read with fingertips), signal flags, Morse code, and smoke signals. Road maps and picture signs also guide, warn and instruct people. While verbalization is the most common form of language, other systems and techniques also express human thoughts and feelings.

How many different forms of communication are mentioned here?

In addition to their military role, the forts of the nineteenth century provided numerous other benefits for the American West. The establishment of these posts opened new roads and provided for the protection of daring adventurers and expeditions as well as established settlers. Forts also served as bases where enterprising entrepreneurs could bring commerce to the West, providing supplies and refreshments to soldiers as well as to pioneers. Posts like Fort Laramie provided supplies for wagon trains traveling the natural highways toward new frontiers. Some posts became stations for the pony express; still others, such as Fort Davis, were stagecoach stops for weary travelers. All of these functions, of course, suggest that the contributions of the forts to the civilization and development of the West extended beyond patrol duty.
 Through the establishment of military posts, yet other contributions were made to the development of western culture. Many posts maintained libraries or reading rooms, and some – for example, Fort Davis – had schools. Post chapels provided a setting for religious services and weddings. Throughout the wilderness, post bands provided entertainment and boosted morale. During the last part of the nineteenth century, to reduce expenses, gardening was encouraged at the forts, thus making experimental agriculture another activity of the military. The military stationed at the various forts also played a role in civilian life by assisting in maintaining order, and civilian officials often called on the army for protection.
 Certainly, among other significant contributions the army made to the improvement of the conditions of life was the investigation of the relationships among health, climate, and architecture. From the earliest colonial times throughout the nineteenth century, disease ranked as the foremost problem in defense. It slowed construction of forts and inhibited their military functions. Official documents from many regions contained innumerable reports of sickness that virtually incapacitated entire garrisons. In response to the problems, detailed observations of architecture and climate and their relationships to the frequency of the occurrence of various diseases were recorded at various posts across the nation by military surgeons.

The word “boosted” in line 6 is closest in meaning to _______.