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Drawing a Line in the Sand
Artists are known to be a picky bunch. Over years of practice, they often develop a preference for certain materials. For instance, some sculptors will only work with marble, whereas some painters may insist on only using watercolour paints. Yet, only a select few have become masters working with a common material that you can find on any beach: sand. As children, we all made sand castles, but some skilled artists have taken this activity to the next level. They have created impressive, massive sand constructions in the shape of dragons, castles, and everything else you can imagine. A major benefit for many artists who build with sand is its simplicity. To get started, all you need is sand and water. However, mastering this medium takes years of practice and great attention to detail. For example, different tasks require different ratio of water to sand to get the job done. Deciding on the proper tools can also be complicated. Some artists prefer using buckets and shovels, while others are purists who refuse to use anything but their hands. Sand painting is another form of sand art. The practice dates back dozens of thousands of years and has been used by several different cultures. It involves spreading different coloured particles, which often come from crystals and rocks, onto a surface and then arranging them to make a picture. Interestingly enough, many sand paintings are designed to be temporary. Tibetan monks will spend days creating beautiful sand paintings which are blown away by winds shortly after they are finished. They view the natural destruction of their work as a symbol of impermanence in life. Meanwhile, Native Americans consider their temporary sand paintings as living creatures and they treat them with great respect while they exist. Recently, filmmakers have also discovered a way to work with sand by creating sand animation. Like other forms of animation, an artist will create one image and then capture it on camera. Then, they will make some subtle changes and then move on to the next frame and so on. After they have created and captured hundreds of images, the frames will be strung together. In the final product, it will appear as if the sand images are moving or changing shape. The next time you are at the beach, let your mind run free as you look at the shore. Who knows, you might get the urge to create some remarkable sand art of your own.
4. The word “them” in paragraph 3 refers to ___________.

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Hooray for Hip Hop
It is amazing how far hip hop music has come in its relatively short history. You can trace the roots of this urban art form to New York City in the 1970s. Hip hop began as a spontaneous way of entertaining crowds. DJs discovered that people loved dancing to the drum breaks in popular funk and soul records. These breaks were typically brief, so DJs would move or “scratch” records back to extend them. In addition, a master of ceremonies (MC) would sometimes grab the microphone and say a few words to get the crowd more excited. At first, the words of MCs were simple chants but they later became a more complex form of poetry. Still, for several years rap remained an underground art. Then, in the early 1980s, artists like LL Cool J, KRS-One, and Run DMC helped it reach a wider audience. Nevertheless, hip hop didn’t have an easy road to mainstream success. Many people dismissed rap music because no “real musicians” were involved in creating it. Critics blamed the beats were repetitive and stolen from other artists. Others claimed the lyrics were too negative and violent. Yet they were overlooking several things. The lyrics were often from the perspective of underprivileged youths growing up in the big city. Although these words were often dark, they painted a clear picture that allowed outsiders to understand their joys and pain. Not all hip hop songs had a heavy message, though. Others were quite humorous and showed a lighter side of street life. The influence of hip hop would spread far beyond music itself. In fact, a collection of other art forms, would develop out of it. Since hip hop music had a beat like no other music before it, new dance styles had to emerge. B-boying, more commonly called break dancing, was one of these styles. Break dancers featured lots of spinning and fancy moves that took speed, agility, and lots practice to perfect. Hip hop also helped to inspire waves of modern street graffiti. Urban artists would spray-paint their names on walls and subway cars a rebellious way of expressing themselves. After nearly three decades of popularity, hip hop has spread from New York to every continent on the earth and it is still going strong as it continues to evolve.
5. Which of the following was NOT a criticism of early hip hop?

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Some high school students_____ in helping the handicapped.

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Inside a 4D Film
A lot of people think that 3D films are pretty cool. When you watch a 3D film, it sometimes feels like you can reach out and touch the things that you see. In the future, however, 3D might be replaced by something even more advanced: 4D. What you see in a 4D film is the same as what you see in a 3D film. The screen is the same, and the glasses are the same. 4D films are different because they don’t use 3D technology. People in the audience also feel physical things during the films. Let’s look at a few examples. Let’s say that you are watching a film about earthquakes. If you are watching a 4D film, maybe your seat will suddenly start to shake. It will feel like you are in the middle of an earthquake, but you are not. The 4D effects make your seat shake. Or perhaps during the film, one of the characters gives flowers to another character. The people in the cinema might suddenly smell flowers. The point of 4D films is to make people feel like they are in the film. When we watch films these days, we only use two senses: our sense of sight and our sense of hearing. If we use our other senses, the film might feel more real to us. 4D films already exist. The film Avatar was released everywhere in 3D, but in Korea and Hong Kong, it was also released in 4D. People who watched Avatar in 4D feel wind and rain. They also smelled smoke from the weapons in the film, and sometimes their seats moved. Will 4D replace 3D films? It is possible, but we can’t be sure yet. One problem with 4D films is that it is very expensive to show them in theaters. Before a theater shows a 4D film, it has to buy a lot of special equipment. However, 4 films are catching on. Other films shown in 4D include Shrek 4-D, and Iron Man 3.
5. What would only happen during a 4D film?

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Synchronised swimming or (1) _______ swimming used to be known as 'water ballet'. This is because the routines are essentially a series of athletic movements choreographed to a piece of chosen music, so synchronised swimming is like a staged ballet (2) _______ is in the water. Synchronised swimming is highly challenging, requiring ease of movements and the ability to stay upside down in water. (3) _______ , it is said to be as hard to practice as it is beautiful to watch. A test even for strong swimmers, the sport requires advanced water skills, strength, flexibility, endurance, grace, precise timing, artistry and exceptional breath control. There are a (4) _______ of competitive categories in synchronised swimming: solo, duet, trio, team, combination and figures. There are two categories available to compete in the SEA Games. The first one is duet and (5) _______ is team.

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Plants that Can Help You
We have already talked about some dangerous plants, but we don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea. Please don’t think that most plants are dangerous. The truth is that although some plants can hurt you, most are completely harmless. In fact, there are plenty of plants that are actually very useful to humans. That is why plants are so popular in Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine has been using plants for at least 4,800 years. One of the most popular plants in Chinese medicine is ginseng. Doctors of Chinese medicine believe that ginseng can help your lungs, clean your blood, and do many other things. Ginseng is also a source of energy. In fact, many modern energy drinks that you see in stores contain ginseng. In some parts of the US, there is a plant called lady fern. This is the plant you need if you have been stung by a bee, or if you have got a small burn or a cut. Lady ferns are great for making your skin feel better. All you have to do is roll one of its leaves and crush it in your hands. The juices inside the leaf will help your skin feel better. If you are ever hiking in Europe, look for a flower called tansy. This yellow flower is a natural insect repellent. You just rub it on your skin, and insects will leave you alone. Sage is one of the most useful plants in the world. Because it has so many uses, it is also quite valuable. Human beings have been using sage for a very long time. In Europe, before refrigerators existed, people often used sage to preserve food. Over the years, people have used sage to fight all kinds of health problems. Sage has been used to treat colds, stop muscle problems, and reduce swelling. There are all kinds of other things that people have used sage for. In fact, sage is so useful that it comes from the Latin word “salvere” which means “to be saved”.
1. Which of the following is true about ginseng?

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I had never been to Denmark before, so when I set out to catch the ferry in early May, I little suspected that by the end of the trip I’d have made such lasting friendships. Esjberg is a (1) ________ port for a cyclist’s arrival, where tourist information can be obtained and money changed. A cycle track leads (2) ________ town and down to Ribe, where I spent my first night. The only appointment I had to keep was a meeting with a friend who was flying out in June. I wanted to use my time well, so I had planned a route which would include several small islands and various parts of the countryside. In my (3) ________, a person travelling alone sometimes meets with unexpected hospitality, and this trip was no (4) ________. On only my second day, I got into conversation with a cheerful man who turned out to be the local baker. He insisted that I should join his family for lunch, and, while we were eating, he contacted his daughter inOdense. Within minutes, he had (5) ________ for me to visit her and her family. Then I was sent on my way with a fresh loaf of bread to keep me going and the feeling that this would turn out to be a wonderful holiday

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Students ought to do homework after class.

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Although only a small percentage of the electromagnetic radiation that is emitted by the Sun is ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the amount that is emitted would be enough to cause severe damage to most forms of life on Earth were it all to reach the surface of the Earth. Fortunately, all of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation does not reach the Earth because of a layer of oxygen, called the ozone layer encircling the Earth in the stratosphere at an altitude of about 15 miles above the Earth. The ozone layer absorbs much of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation and prevents it from reaching the Earth. Ozone is a form of oxygen in which each molecule consists of three atoms (O3) instead of the two atoms (O2) usually found in an oxygen molecule. Ozone forms in the stratosphere in a process that is initiated by ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. UV radiation from the Sun splits oxygen molecules with two atoms into free oxygen atoms, and each of these unattached oxygen atoms then joins up with an oxygen molecule to form ozone. UV radiation is also capable of splitting up ozone molecules; thus, ozone is constantly forming, splitting, and reforming in the stratosphere. When UV radiation is absorbed during the process of ozone formation and reformation, it is unable to reach Earth and cause damage there. Recently, however, the ozone layer over parts of the Earth has been diminishing. Chief among the culprits in the case of the disappearing ozone, those that are really responsible, are the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). CFCs meander up from Earth into the stratosphere, where they break down and release chlorine. The released chlorine reacts with ozone in the stratosphere to form chlorine monoxide (ClO) and oxygen (O2). The chlorine then becomes free to go through the cycle over and over again. One chlorine atom can, in fact, destroy hundreds of thousands of ozone molecules in this repetitious cycle, and the effects of this destructive process are now becoming evident.
8. The word "culprits" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to which of the following?

 I _____ there once a long time ago and _____ back since.

(205)_______

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Although he created the game of basketball at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, Dr. James A. Naismith was a Canadian. Working as a physical education instructor at the International YMCA, now Springfield College, Dr. Naismith noticed a lack of interest in exercise among students during the wintertime. The New England winters were fierce, and the students balked at participating in outdoor activities. Naismith determined that a fast-moving game that could be played indoors would fill a void after the baseball and football seasons had ended. First he attempted to adapt outdoor games such as soccer and rugby to indoor play, but he soon found them unsuitable for confined areas. Finally, he determined that he would have to invent a game. In December of 1891, Dr. Naismith hung two old peach baskets as either end of the gymnasium at the school, and, using a soccer ball and nine players on each side, organized the first basketball game. The early rules allowed three points for each basket and made running with the ball a violation. Every time a goal was made, someone had to climb a ladder to retrieve the ball. Nevertheless, the game became popular. In less than a year, basketball was being played in both the United States and Canada. Five years later, a championship tournament was staged in New York City, which was won by the Brooklyn Central YMCA. The teams had already been reduced to seven players, and five became standard in the 1897 season. When basketball was introduced as a demonstration sport in the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, it quickly spread throughout the world. In 1906, a metal hoop was used for the first time to replace the basket, but the name basketball has remained.
7. What does the author mean by the statement in paragraph 5: "When basketball was introduced as a demonstration sport in the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, it quickly spread throughout the world"?

Sometimes forest fires have caused serious damage to both private and public property. They destroy many houses and cause deaths, particularly when they have reached villages which are close to the forests. It is more dangerous if a destructive fire burns away plants and trees that prevent erosion. If heavy rains occur after such a fire, landslides, ash flows, and flash floods can occur. This can result in property damage in the immediate fire area, and can affect the water quality of streams, rivers and lakes. Wind sometimes makes contributions to forest fires. In southern California, under the influence of Santa Ana winds, fires could move at tremendous speeds, up to 40 miles (60 km) in a single day, consuming up to 1,000 acres (4 km2) per hour.

What is the main idea of the text? 

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Flying Drones into Danger Zones
A plane is sent deep into the enemy territory with a deadly mission. It is assigned to eliminate several key targets with a precision bombing campaign. This mission won’t be easy, however, as to be successful, the plane will have to avoid enemy rockets and tank fire. There will be no risk to the life of the “pilot” of the plane because he will not be able to aboard the vessel. Instead, he will be thousands of miles away inside a control tower, as he is operating a drone. Drones, which are also called UVAs or unmanned aerial vehicles, marked a major step forward in technology. Inventors have been working on them since the early 1900s. Although some devices were designed back then, they weren’t able to do much more than a standard model airplane. In fact, it was not until a US plane was shot down in 1959 during the Cold War that the US military really got serious about drones. The aim was to save pilots’ lives while flying over hazardous territories. Drones usually fall into two categories. The first type of drones relies on human control from a remote location. The second type of drones is pre­programmed with computer instructions, and it then completes its mission operating autonomously. In addition to protecting pilots’ lives, drones also have several other advantages. They can stay in the air for longer periods of time because there is no concern for eating, sleeping, or rest breaks that pilots typically require. Drones can also be produced cheaper since manufacturers don’t need to value safety precautions as they would for aircraft flown by humans. Despite their usefulness, military drones have been the cause of great criticism over the past decade. There have been cases of British and American drones missing their targets and killing innocent civilians instead. The Brookings Institution released a statistic that for every military leader who is killed by a drone strike, ten civilians die. Some suggest that if human pilots were flying these planes, they wouldn’t have made these errors. Drones don’t always have targets that they must eliminate. The military also employs special surveillance drones that use long-range cameras to gather information about buildings, enemy soldier formations, and other vital information from the ground. In the end, whether people are for or against the use of drones, it appears that they are certain here to stay.
1. How are drones mainly different from regular planes?

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Peter is disappointed at not getting the job, but he will ______ it soon.

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The plants live on that island may develop differently.

The teacher told Joe _____

(223)_____

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I will see you again. We are all looking forward _______ again.

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

"The United States has been criticized* for its treatment of its elderly citizens. Although in many other countries the elderly usually live with their children’s family, many older Americans live alone, without the close companionship of their children. This situation is sometimes blamed on the “selfishness” of the younger generation but a closer look shows that many of the elderly prefer to maintain their independent lives.
 Research on the situation of the elderly in America has shown that while grandparents are delighted to be visited periodically by their children and grandchildren, they prefer to continue living in the surroundings that they are familiar with. This suggests that children should permit their parents to live alone if they wish to, and should encourage them to maintain close ties to the rest of the family.
 Another surprising result of the research on the elderly in the United States has been the very positive influence which pets have been found to have on the elderly people that they live with. It has been shown that elderly people who care for small pets, such as cats or dogs, live longer, are healthier, and have better attitudes towards their lives than similar elderly people without these companions."

3. Many of the elderly Americans want to …...

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Nowadays people are more aware that wildlife all over the world is in danger. Many (1)________of animals are threatened, and could easily become (2)______ if we do not make an effort to protect them. There are many (3)_______ for this. In some cases, animals are hunted for their fur or for othervaluable parts of their bodies. Some birds, such as parrots, are caught (4)________and sold as pets. For many animals and birds, the problem is that their habitat - the (5)________where they live - is disappearing. More (6)________is used for farms, for houses or industry, and there are fewer open (7)________than there once were. Farmers use powerful chemicals to help them grow better (8)________, but these chemicals pollute the environment and (9)________wildlife. The most successful animals on earth - human beings - will soon be the only Ones left, unless we can (10)________this problem

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What exactly is the influence of air pollution ...... human beings?

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The US first __________ of the Moon began with the Ranger 4 impactor in 1962.