Read the passage below and choose the best answer for each question. 
People have been playing with marbles for thousands of years. The first marbles were probably either river stones that happened to be naturally round enough to roll or, more likely, rounded globs of clay that were baked hardness. Such very old clay marbles have been found in both Greek and Roman ruins, and quartz spheres have been dated at around 6000 B.C. Harder and more durable marbles tend to inspire different kinds of games than soft clay marbles, which crack very easily. So with the advent of hand-rounded and polished marbles made of agate or some other rugged, igneous rock, the ‘golden age’ of marbles and marble play flowered. Stone marbles began to appear in the early 1800s in what is now the southern part of Germany. Shortly after, handmade glass marbles appeared in the same part of Europe. For the next 120 years, marbles and marble playing-there were hundred of games – flourished in both Europe and America. Marble players developed their vocabulary for different sizes and materials of marbles, as well as for the many kinds of games to be played and the way marbles were used in the games. For example, if you were going to play a game of Ring-Taw, one of the most popular and enduring marbles games, you would lag for the first shot, and then knuckle down from the balk, trying your best to get a mib or two with your opponent’s immie.

It can be inferred from the passage that the use of marbles became very popular in Europe and America ________ .

Read the passage and choose the correct the correct answer A, B, C or D:

When Jane left school at the age of sixteen , her aunt Flory gave her $500 for her birthday . Most of Jane's friends decided to go to college , but Jane used her aunt's money to start her own business . She bought fruit , sugar and some glass jars and began making her own jam . She sold the jam to her friends for $1 a jar and she soon double her aunt's $500 .

At first , her parents didn't want Jane to spend her time making jam and the thought that she should study instead . The hoped that one day she would be a teacher or a doctor . But Jane didn't listen to them . She just kept on making jam . After a few months , she started selling it to the local market . Then she started making orange juice . She sold this to a school where one of her friends worked .

After 2 years , her business was very large and her parents were very pleased with her . She made all kinds of food which she sold to shops and supermarkets . She was so busy that she had to get some people to work for her.

How much did Jane get after a short time of her work?

Choose the word or phrase (a, b, c or d) that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

A 9.0 – 9.1 magnitude (31)_______ followed by a tsunami hit the east coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. With an underwater depth of 29 km, this was the largest earthquake to ever (32)_______ Japan in recorded history. Documented as the 4th most powerful earthquake in the world, it was (33)_________ for the death of 15,894 people with 6,152 injured and 2,562 people (34)________ . It also affected 20 prefectures, with over 127,000 buildings (35)________ destroyed and over 272,000 buildings “half collapsed”. The earthquake also caused a near nuclear (36)___________ when there was a partial meltdown in 3 (37)__________ of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, (38)____ is the 2nd largest nuclear disaster after Chernobyl.

38_______________

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

We wish _______ to college next year.

Choose the word or phrase (a, b, c or d) that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

About twenty percent of the world’s present (31)_______ already comes from the sun in one form or another. Special devices have already been made available to put on the roof of houses and flats to (32)______ the sun’s rays and thus heat water. Thousands of these devices are now being used to provide (33)________ in homes throughout the United States while more than a million solar water-heating units have already been (34)____ in homes in Japan. Other purposes for (35)_____ solar energy is at present being used include the separation of salt (36)___________ seawater, irrigation, and sewage disposal. For most people in developing countries, the (37)___________ is not for air conditioners or central heating (38)________ for cheap ways of cooking food, drying crops and lighting homes.

37___________

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

"Approximately one-third of the Arctic (1) _______ is underlain by continental shelf, (2) _______ includes a broad shelf north of Eurasia and the narrower shelves of North America and Greenland. Seaward of the continental shelves (3) _______ the Arctic Basin proper, which is subdivided (4) _______ a set of three parallel ridges and four basins (also (5) _______ as deeps). These features were discovered and explored (6) _______ in the late 1940s. The Lomonosov Ridge, the major ridge, cuts the Arctic Basin (7) _______ in half, extending as a submarine bridge 1,800 km (1,100 mi) (8) _______ Siberia to the northwestern tip of Greenland. Parallel (9) _______ it are two shorter ridges: the Alpha Ridge on the North American (10) _______, defining the Canada and Makarov basins, (11) _______ the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge on the Eurasian side, (12) _______ the Nansen and Amundsen basins. The average (13) _______ of the Arctic Ocean is only 1,300 m (4,300 ft) (14) _______ the vast shallow expanses on the continental shelves. The deepest (15) _______ in the Arctic Ocean is 5,450 m (17,880 ft)."

11. defining the Canada and Makarov basins, (11) _______ the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge on the Eurasian side,

Choose the best answer: 
Jalan Hang Jebat, or (1)............ ..known as Jonker Walk, is a street in (2)............. Chinatown of Melaka starting just across the river from the Dutch Square. Jonker Walk is flanked on (3)........... sides of the road with heritage houses dating (4)......... to the 17th century. At that time, rich Baba Nonyas (also known as Perankans, descendants of 15th - 16th century Chinese immigrants marrying local Malay women) lived and (5)............ their business here. Today, the street houses many shops selling antiques, textiles, (6)........... and souvenirs (similar to what you can find at Central Market in Kuala Lumpur). On the weekends, starting Friday night at 6pm, the road is closed (7).......... to traffic and turns in a very crowded night market. The famous Chicken Rice Ball dish (8).............. also be found here, just opposite the start of Jonker Walk near the bridge.
2.

Read the passage below carefully and choose the correct answer a, b, c, or d.

I get a lot of letters at this time of the year from people complaining that they have a cold that won’t go away. There are so many different stories about how to prevent or cure a cold that it’s often difficult to know what to do. Although colds are rarely dangerous, except for people who are already weak, such as the elderly or young babies, they are always uncomfortable and usually most unpleasant. Of course, you can buy lots of medicines which will help to make your cold less unpleasant, but you must remember that nothing can cure a cold or make it go away faster. Another thing is that any medicine which is strong enough to make you feel better could be dangerous if you are already taking drugs for some other illness so always with your chemist or doctor to see whether they are all right for you. And remember they might make you sleepy – please don’t try to drive if they do! Lastly, as far as avoiding colds is concerned, whatever you may be told about magic foods or drinks, the best answer is to keep strong and healthy – you’ll have less chance of catching a cold, and if you do, it shouldn’t be so bad!

Who should talk to the doctor before buying medicine for a cold?

Read the following passage carefully and use one of the following words to complete each numbered blank:

      Electricity is the most common form of energy today. In the modern world, electricity is very (25) ___________ at the touch of switch. Electricity has many uses. The most common use of electricity is to (26) ___________ artificial lighting. In factories, electricity is used to light up the work place. It is also used to operate air-conditioners, computers and many other machines. Electricity is also used to power many appliances (27) ___________ we have in our homes. Such appliances include television sets, computers, electric fans, irons and many others. The list is simply endless. Modern man will most probably be lost (28) ___________ electricity.

(27).............

Read the passage below carefully and choose the best option A, B, C or D:

On average, more than 100,000 wildfires, also called wildland fires or forest fires, destroy two million hectares of land in the U.S every year. A wildfire moves at speeds of about 20 kilometers an hour and can last for weeks, consuming everything - trees, brush, homes, and humans – in its path.

There are three conditions for a wildfire. Oxygen is necessary for a fire to burn. Heat sources help start the wildfire. Although most wildfires are started by people, natural factors like lightning, hot winds, and even the sun can all provide enough heat to start a wildfire.

Firefighters fight wildfires by removing the conditions a wildfire to burn. Traditional methods include using water an fire retardants to put out the fires. Firefighters also fight wildfires with "controlled burning". These controlled forest fires remove small trees, bushes, and ground litter from a forest. This will deprive a wildfire of fuel and prevent future forest fires.

Although often harmful and destructive to humans, wildfires play an important role in nature. Even healthy forests contain dead trees and decaying plant matter. When a fire turns them to ashes, nutrients return to the soil. They also remove sick plants and harmful insects from a forest. And by burning through thick leaves and branches, wildfires allow sunlight to reach to forest floor, making it possible for a new generation of trees to grow.

Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

Read the passage and choose the correct answer to each question.

Between 1977 and 1981, three groups of American women, numbering 27 in all, between the ages of 35 and 65, were given month-long tests to determine how they would respond to conditions resembling those abroad the space shuttle.

Though carefully selected from among many applicants, the women were volunteers and pay was barely above the minimum wage. They were not allowed to smoke or drink alcohol during the tests, and they were expected to tolerate each others’ company at close quarters for the entire period. Among other things, they had to stand pressure three times the force of gravity and carry out both physical and mental tasks while exhausted from strenuous physical exercise. At the end of ten days, they had to spend a further twenty days absolutely confined to bed, during which time they suffered backaches and other discomforts, and when they were finally allowed up, the more physically active women were especially subject to pains due to a slight calcium loss.

Results of tests suggest that women will have significant advantages over men in space. They need less food and less oxygen and they stand up to radiation better. Men’s advantages in terms of strength and stamina, meanwhile, are virtually wiped out by the zero-gravity condition in space.

Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

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

They can send submarines to take photographs of animal life and bring back to the __________ for further study.

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

Approximately one-third of the Arctic Ocean is underlain by continental shelf, (6) _______ includes a broad shelf north of Eurasia and the narrower shelves of North America and Greenland. Seaward of the continental shelves lies the Arctic Basin proper, which is subdivided (7) _______ a set of three parallel ridges and four basins (also known as deeps). These features were discovered and explored in the late 1940s. The Lomonosov Ridge, the major ridge, cuts the Arctic Basin almost (8) _______ half, extending as a submarine bridge 1,800 km (1,100 mi) by Siberia to the northwestern tip of Greenland. Parallel with it (9) _______ two shorter ridges: the Alpha Ridge on the North American side, defining the Canada and Makarov basins, and the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge on the Eurasian side, forming the Nansen and Amundsen basins. The average (10) _______ of the Arctic Ocean is only 1,300 m (4,300 ft) because of the vast shallow expanses on the continental shelves. The deepest point in the Arctic Ocean is 5,450 m (17,880 ft).

Read the passage and choose the correct answer to each question.

Between 1977 and 1981, three groups of American women, numbering 27 in all, between the ages of 35 and 65, were given month-long tests to determine how they would respond to conditions resembling those abroad the space shuttle.

Though carefully selected from among many applicants, the women were volunteers and pay was barely above the minimum wage. They were not allowed to smoke or drink alcohol during the tests, and they were expected to tolerate each others’ company at close quarters for the entire period. Among other things, they had to stand pressure three times the force of gravity and carry out both physical and mental tasks while exhausted from strenuous physical exercise. At the end of ten days, they had to spend a further twenty days absolutely confined to bed, during which time they suffered backaches and other discomforts, and when they were finally allowed up, the more physically active women were especially subject to pains due to a slight calcium loss.

Results of tests suggest that women will have significant advantages over men in space. They need less food and less oxygen and they stand up to radiation better. Men’s advantages in terms of strength and stamina, meanwhile, are virtually wiped out by the zero-gravity condition in space.

What can be said about the women who applied?

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

 A large number of jellyfish are _________ stake due to overhunting.

Read the following passage carefully and use one of the following words to complete each numbered blank:

Electricity is the most common form of energy today. In the modern world, electricity is very (25) ___________ at the touch of switch. Electricity has many uses. The most common use of electricity is to (26) ___________ artificial lighting. In factories, electricity is used to light up the work place. It is also used to operate air-conditioners, computers and many other machines. Electricity is also used to power many appliances (27) ___________ we have in our homes. Such appliances include television sets, computers, electric fans, irons and many others. The list is simply endless. Modern man will most probably be lost (28) ___________ electricity.

(25)........................

Read the passage and choose the correct answer to each question: 

Europa is the smallest of planet Jupiter’s four largest moons and the second moon out from Jupiter. Until 1979, it was just another astronomy textbook statistic. Then came the close-up images obtained by the exploratory spacecraft Voyager 2, and within days, Europa was transformed into one of the solar system’s most intriguing worlds. The biggest initial surprise was the almost total lack of detail, especially from far away. Even at close range, the only visible features are thin, kinked brown lines resembling cracks in an eggshell. And this analogy is not far off the mark.

The surface of Europa is almost pure water ice, but a nearly complete absence of craters indicates that Europa’s surface ice resembles Earth’s Antarctic ice cap. The eggshell analogy may be quite accurate since the ice could be as little as a few kilometers thick – a true shell around what is likely a subsurface liquid ocean that, in turn, encases a rocky core. The interior of Europa has been kept warm over the eons by tidal forces generated by the varying gravitational tugs of the other big moons as they wheel around Jupiter. The tides on Europa pull and relax in an endless cycle. The resulting internal heat keeps what would otherwise be ice melted almost to the surface. The crack-like marks on Europa’s icy face appear to fracture where water or slush oozes from below.

Soon after Voyager 2’s encounter with Jupiter in 1979, when the best images of Europa were obtained, researchers advanced the startling idea that Europa’s subsurface ocean might harbor life. Life processes could have begun when Jupiter was releasing a vast store of internal heat. Jupiter’s early heat was produced by the compression of the material forming the giant planet. Just as the Sun is far less radiant today than the primal Sun, so the internal heat generated by Jupiter is minor compared to its former intensity. During this warm phase, some 4.6 billion years ago, Europa’s ocean may have been liquid right to the surface, making it a crucible for life.

What does the author mean by stating that “this analogy is not far off the mark”?

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

"Approximately one-third of the Arctic (1) _______ is underlain by continental shelf, (2) _______ includes a broad shelf north of Eurasia and the narrower shelves of North America and Greenland. Seaward of the continental shelves (3) _______ the Arctic Basin proper, which is subdivided (4) _______ a set of three parallel ridges and four basins (also (5) _______ as deeps). These features were discovered and explored (6) _______ in the late 1940s. The Lomonosov Ridge, the major ridge, cuts the Arctic Basin (7) _______ in half, extending as a submarine bridge 1,800 km (1,100 mi) (8) _______ Siberia to the northwestern tip of Greenland. Parallel (9) _______ it are two shorter ridges: the Alpha Ridge on the North American (10) _______, defining the Canada and Makarov basins, (11) _______ the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge on the Eurasian side, (12) _______ the Nansen and Amundsen basins. The average (13) _______ of the Arctic Ocean is only 1,300 m (4,300 ft) (14) _______ the vast shallow expanses on the continental shelves. The deepest (15) _______ in the Arctic Ocean is 5,450 m (17,880 ft)."

 (14) _______ the vast shallow expanses on the continental shelves.

Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each question.

Where will you go on your next vacation? Disneyland? Sea World? Outer space?

That’s right; tourists are now paying big bucks to travel into space with astronauts! The first space tourist was Dennis Tito, an American businessman. In 2001, he paid about $20 million to ride on a Russian rocket to the International Space Station. The Space Station circles 220 miles above Earth. Tito stayed on the station for a week, hanging out with astronauts and eating space food.

The latest space tourist was Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian-born woman from the United States who went to the Space Station in mid-September 2006.

How safe is space travel? Apart from the risk of crashing, space tourists have some special things to worry about. Earth’s atmosphere protects us from dangerous radiation from the sun. Space travellers are exposed to more of the sun’s rays. But for tourists spending only a few days or weeks in space, the radiation probably isn’t harmful.

A bigger problem might be space sickness. Without Earth’s gravity to hold them down, visitors to the Space Station float around inside the craft. It may look like fun on TV, but it can make first-time space travellers dizzy and sick. Luckily, the sickness usually wears off quickly. Then space tourists can enjoy their trip and the amazing view of Earth.

This passage is ____ .

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

In many Western countries, people (19)________ Halloween on October 31st. The word Halloween (20)_________ from “All Hallows’ Eve”. It is the night before All Saints’ Day, a religious holiday in some parts of the world. On this night, children dress up in special costumes, put (21)___________ masks, and go door to door saying “trick-or-treat” to get candy. Many people decorate their homes with paper ghosts, black cats, or witches to give their houses a (22) ______ look. People also decorate their homes with jack-o-lanterns. They carve scary faces on pumpkins, and (23)______ candles inside the pumpkins. In some places, both children and adults can make (24)_____ of haunted houses. They all seem very excited about the festival.

21____________

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the following questions:
Smog is a combination of smoke and fog. It occurs when gases from burnt fuel mix with fog on the ground. When heat and sunlight get together with these gases, they form fine, dangerous particles in the air.

Smog occurs in big cities with a lot of traffic. Particularly, in the summertime, when it is very hot, smog stays near the ground. It is dangerous to our breathing, and in smoggy areas, we cannot see very well.

Smog was first discovered in Great Britain in the 19th century, during the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. At that time, people used coal for heating and cooking. Factories also used coal to produce iron and steel. Smoke mixed with wet, foggy air and turned yellow. The smog often hung over cities for many days. It caused lung diseases and breathing problem. Thousands of people died in London every year.

Today, cities that have a large population and are located in hot, subtropical areas have the biggest smog problems - for example, Los Angeles, Mexico City and Cairo. 

What probably caused the smog in Britain at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution?