Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.

On Monday, May 12, 2008 a violent earthquake, measuring 8. 0 on the Richter scale, happened in southwestern China's Sichuan Province. Hundreds of aftershocks followed in the area The earthquake destroyed thousands buildings, roads, schools and hospitals, as well as infrastructure like communication networks and electrical towers. Thousands of people died or are missing, and more than 45 million people were affected by the earthquake, which has been the worst natural disaster to hit China for 30 years.

The American Red Cross has contributed 20 million to support the relief and recovery efforts of the Red Cross Society of China. These funds will be used to assist survivors through the purchase and distribution of relief supplies, coordination of logistics and transportation of disaster workers to the hardest hit areas. The American Red Cross has also sent relief experts to the affected area to help monitor and coordinate the response efforts. On June 6, the American Red Cross co-hosted a forum to address the U. S. response and recovery efforts following the earthquake.More than 30 representatives from humanitarian organizations, the business companies and the government participated in the event.

More than 35,000 staff and volunteers with the Red Cross Society of China responded to the disaster by distributing food, water, tents and other essential items. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are providing 100,000 tents to help those in need.

The Red Cross Society of China is a very strong organization with extensive experience responding to disasters. The American Red Cross has long history of working with the Red Cross Society of China, going to back to famines in 1906 and including severe storms earlier this year. There has been a close contact between the Red Cross Society of China and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, arid they have been ready to provide additional support such as disaster workers, relief supplies or financial assistance.

Concerned family and friends in the United States may have difficulty contacting their loved ones because telecommunication has been out of work by this disaster. If they are trying to reach relatives living in China or those who are citizens of China, the American Red Cross suggests them keep calling or try contacting other family members who live nearby.

According to the second paragraph, _______.

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 biologist’s role in society as well as his moral and ethical responsibility in the discovery and development of new ideas has led to a reassessment of his social and scientific value systems. A scientist can no longer ignore the consequences of his discoveries; he is as concerned with the possible misuses of his findings as he is with the basic research in which he is involved. This emerging social and political role of the biologist and all other scientists requires a weighing of values that cannot be done with the accuracy or the objectivity of a laboratory balance. As a member of society, it is necessary for a biologist now to redefine his social obligations and his functions, particularly in the realm of making judgments about such ethical problems as man's control of his environment or his manipulation of genes to direct further evolutionary development.
As a result of recent discoveries concerning hereditary mechanisms, genetic engineering, by which human traits are made to order, may soon be a reality. As desirable as it may seem to be, such an accomplishment would entail many value judgments. Who would decide, for example, which traits should be selected for change? In cases of genetic deficiencies and disease, the desirability of the change is obvious, but the possibilities for social misuse are so numerous that they may far outweigh the benefits.
Probably the greatest biological problem of the future, as it is of the present, will be to find ways to curb environmental pollution without interfering with man's constant effort to improve the quality of his life.

According to the passage, a modem scientist should be more concerned about________.

If you are invited to someone’s house in America for dinner, you should bring a gift, such as a bunch of flowers or a box of chocolates. If you give your host a wrapped gift, he/she may open it in front of you. Opening a gift in front of the gift-giver in considered polite. It shows that the host is excited about receiving the gift and wants to show his/her appreciation to you immediately. Even if the host doesn’t like it, he/she will tell “a white lie” and say how much they like the gift to prevent the guest from feeling bad.

If your host asks you to arrive at the particular time, you should not arrive exactly on time or earlier than expected time, because this is considered to be inconvenient and therefore rude, as the host may not be ready.

In America, if you are invited for dinner, you should bring ________ as a gift.

TRANSPORT IN THE CITY

Transport plays an important role in our daily lives and in the quality of life in our city. Moreover, the individual decisions we make when we choose how to (38)_______our destination can have an impact (39) _____other people – longer traffic queues, worsening air quality, greater number of accidents and health problems. Providing more transport options will create a transport system that is safe, clean and fair.

Increasing use of the car has led to greater (40) ____ of the impact it has and the real cost to us – for our health, for the economy and for the environment. We want our city to become a successful, cosmopolitan city by the sea, (41) _______people can enjoy a high quality of life in a pleasant environment. To (42)_______this we need to make sure everyone has access to the services and facilities they need, through a choice of as many different means of transport as possible.

(38)..........................................

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

"The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) encourages and coordinates sound environmental practices throughout the world. It grapples with ways to approach environmental problems on an international level, provides expertise to member countries, monitors environmental conditions worldwide, develops environmental standards, and recommends alternative energy sources.
 UNEP‘s work is guided by principles adopted at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, also known as the Earth Summit. The summit, which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was the largest such conference ever held, attracting with more than 100 national leaders.
 The major theme of the 1992 Earth Summit was sustainable economic development, meaning development that does not use up or destroy so many of the world’s natural resources that it cannot be sustained over time. The meeting produced an overall plan, called Agenda 21, in which large developing countries promised to develop their Industries with an eye to protecting the environment. Industrialized countries pledged to help them do that. The Earth Summit also produced major treaties on biodiversity and global warming, although the latter treaty lacked enforcement provisions.
 In 2002, UNEP sponsored the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. This conference sought to help developing countries, undergo industrialization without harming the environment. But progress on environmental issues is slow because proposed Solutions continue to pit the interests of poorer developing countries against those of richer industrialized nations. Most developing countries cannot afford to build an environmentally sound industrial base, while industrialized countries are unwilling to absorb the entire cost of environmental reform."

5. What may the phrase “with an eye to” in paragraph 3 be probably mean?

The rules of etiquette in American restaurants depend upon a number of factors the physical location of the restaurant, e.g., rural or urban; the type of restaurant, e.g., informal or formal; and certain standards that are more universal. In other words, some standards 5 of etiquette vary significantly while other standards apply almost anywhere. Learning the proper etiquette in a particular type of restaurant in a particular area may sometimes require instruction, but more commonly it simply requires sensitivity and experience. For example, while it is acceptable to read a magazine in a coffee shop, it is 10 inappropriate to do the same in a more luxurious setting. And, if you are eating in a very rustic setting it may be fine to tuck your napkin into your shirt, but if you are in a sophisticated urban restaurant this behavior would demonstrate a lack of manners. It is safe to say, however, that in virtually every restaurant it is unacceptable 15 to indiscriminately throw your food on the floor. The conclusion we can most likely draw from the above is that while the types and locations of restaurants determine etiquette appropriate to them, some rules apply to all restaurants.

What is the author’s main purpose in this passage?

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:
AN UNWELCOME GUEST
Of the one in seven people in the UK who claim to have seen a ghost, the majority are women. This may be because women have far more association with the spirit world. Women trust their emotions and are generally better able than men to cope with the unexpected.
Housewife Fiona Blair describes herself as very practical and down-to-earth, and never believed in the idea that a house could be haunted. That all changed when she and her family moved into a manor house in the Midlands. Although the surveyor reckoned that the house required a lot of attention and was somewhat damp, they thought it was stunning. They could just afford it and it would be a good investment, so they took the plunge and decided to buy it.
Nonetheless, right from the start, Fiona had a strange sense that they were not alone in the house. One of her teenage daughters had left a towel over the back of a chair in the kitchen. Fiona was in the garden, and when she returned to the house, the towel was over the kitchen table like a tablecloth. On other occasions the family would find that objects such as glasses and vases had been turned upside-down.
This was only the start of the peculiar happenings. A particularly strange incident happened on Fiona's birthday. Fiona's husband, Mark, came home from work and went into the living room. He immediately came rushing out to ask who had bought her the beautiful flowers - but nobody had given Fiona flowers and her daughters had not put the flowers there. It remained a mystery how they had miraculously appeared.
Fiona was curious and decided to find out about the history of the house. What she discovered was rather alarming. Apparently a young girl, servant to a previous generation of owners, had been found dead in peculiar circumstances in the attic. Fiona and her family inevitably began to feel claustrophobic and trapped in the house, and eventually decided that they would have to move.
Unfortunately, things were not as simple as that. Each time they attempted to show the house to potential buyers, Fiona would of course ensure beforehand that everything was neat and tidy in order to make a good impression. But by the time anyone arrived, the entire house would be in a complete mess, and visitors complained of an unpleasant atmosphere. Eventually, after many months, an American couple viewed the house, and decided it had a certain attraction. For some reason, the ghost did not play its usual tricks, and Fiona was able to sell what had been her dream home.
Now living in a spacious modern apartment in London, Fiona wants to forget it all and move on with her life. 'At one point I thought I might be going out of my mind, it was all so frightening. We can almost laugh about it all now, but I hope we never experience anything like that again.

According to the fifth paragraph, what had happened to the servant girl?

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

Under the global "health for all" strategy, WHO (the World Health Organization) and its members have placed special emphasis (26) ________ the developing countries. Nevertheless, the benefits of WHO's international health work are benefited by all countries, including the most developed ones. For example, all nations have benefited from their contributions to the WHO programs that led to the global (27) ________ of smallpox and to better and cheaper ways of controlling tuberculosis. (28) ________ is a key word in WHO's programs. The organization believes that immunization, (29) ________ prevents the six major diseases of childhood -diphtheria, measles, poliomyelitis, tetanus, tuberculosis, and whooping cough, should be (30) ________ to all children who need it. WHO is leading a worldwide campaign to provide effective immunization for all children in (31) ________ with UNICEF. Provision of safe drinking water for all is one of the objectives of the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1980 and (32) ________ by WHO. WHO is also active in international efforts to combat the diarrheal diseases, killers of infants and young children. The widespread introduction of oral rehydration salts, together with improved drinking water supply and sanitation will greatly reduce childhood mortality from diarrhea.

WHO's program for primary health (33) ________ comprises eight essential elements: education concerning prevalent health problems and the methods of preventing and controlling them; promotion of food supply and proper nutrition; maintenance of (34) ________ adequate supply of safe water and basic sanitation; provision of maternal and child health care, including family planning; immunization against the major (35) ________ diseases; prevention and control of locally endemic diseases; appropriate treatment of common diseases and injuries; and provision of essential drugs. These eight elements were defined in the Declaration of Alma-Ata, which emerged from the International Conference, on Primary Health Care in 1978.

(33) ________

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:
AN UNWELCOME GUEST
Of the one in seven people in the UK who claim to have seen a ghost, the majority are women. This may be because women have far more association with the spirit world. Women trust their emotions and are generally better able than men to cope with the unexpected.
Housewife Fiona Blair describes herself as very practical and down-to-earth, and never believed in the idea that a house could be haunted. That all changed when she and her family moved into a manor house in the Midlands. Although the surveyor reckoned that the house required a lot of attention and was somewhat damp, they thought it was stunning. They could just afford it and it would be a good investment, so they took the plunge and decided to buy it.
Nonetheless, right from the start, Fiona had a strange sense that they were not alone in the house. One of her teenage daughters had left a towel over the back of a chair in the kitchen. Fiona was in the garden, and when she returned to the house, the towel was over the kitchen table like a tablecloth. On other occasions the family would find that objects such as glasses and vases had been turned upside-down.
This was only the start of the peculiar happenings. A particularly strange incident happened on Fiona's birthday. Fiona's husband, Mark, came home from work and went into the living room. He immediately came rushing out to ask who had bought her the beautiful flowers - but nobody had given Fiona flowers and her daughters had not put the flowers there. It remained a mystery how they had miraculously appeared.
Fiona was curious and decided to find out about the history of the house. What she discovered was rather alarming. Apparently a young girl, servant to a previous generation of owners, had been found dead in peculiar circumstances in the attic. Fiona and her family inevitably began to feel claustrophobic and trapped in the house, and eventually decided that they would have to move.
Unfortunately, things were not as simple as that. Each time they attempted to show the house to potential buyers, Fiona would of course ensure beforehand that everything was neat and tidy in order to make a good impression. But by the time anyone arrived, the entire house would be in a complete mess, and visitors complained of an unpleasant atmosphere. Eventually, after many months, an American couple viewed the house, and decided it had a certain attraction. For some reason, the ghost did not play its usual tricks, and Fiona was able to sell what had been her dream home.
Now living in a spacious modern apartment in London, Fiona wants to forget it all and move on with her life. 'At one point I thought I might be going out of my mind, it was all so frightening. We can almost laugh about it all now, but I hope we never experience anything like that again.

The word 'stunning' in the passage could be best replaced by which of the following?

1.Not so long ago almost any student who successfully completed a university degree or diploma course could find a good career quite easily. Companies toured the academic institutions, competing with each other to recruit graduates. However, those days are gone, even in Hong Kong, and nowadays graduates often face strong competition in the search for jobs.
    2.Most careers organizations highlight three stages for graduates to follow in the process of securing a suitable career: recognizing abilities, matching these to available vacancies and presenting them well to prospective employers.
    3.Job seekers have to make a careful assessment of their own abilities. One area of assessment should be of their academic qualifications, which would include special skills within their subject area. Graduates should also consider their own personal values and attitudes, or the relative importance to themselves of such matters as money, security, leadership and caring for others. An honest assessment of personal interests and abilities such as creative or scientific skills, or skills acquired from work experience, should also be given careful thought.
    4.The second stage is to study the opportunities available for employment and to think about how the general employment situation is likely to develop in the future. To do this, graduates can study job vacancies and information in newspapers or they can visit a careers office, write to possible employers for information or contact friends or relatives who may already be involved in a particular profession. After studying all the various options, they should be in a position to make informed comparisons between various careers.
    5.Good personal presentation is essential in the search for a good career. Job application forms and letters should, of course, be filled in carefully and correctly, without grammar or spelling errors. Where additional information is asked for, job seekers should describe their abilities and work experience in more depth, with examples if possible. They should try to balance their own abilities with the employer's needs, explain why they are interested in a career with the particular company and try to show that they already know something about the company and its activities.
    6.When graduates are asked to attend for interview, they should prepare properly by finding out all they can about the prospective employer. Dressing suitably and arriving for the interview on time are also obviously important. Interviewees should try to give positive and helpful answers and should not be afraid to ask questions about anything they are unsure about. This is much better than pretending to understand a question and giving an unsuitable answer.
    7.There will always be good career opportunities for people with ability, skills and determination; the secret to securing a good job is to be one of them

In the paragraph 2, “them” refers to ______.

If you are invited to someone’s house in America for dinner, you should bring a gift, such as a bunch of flowers or a box of chocolates. If you give your host a wrapped gift, he/she may open it in front of you. Opening a gift in front of the gift-giver in considered polite. It shows that the host is excited about receiving the gift and wants to show his/her appreciation to you immediately. Even if the host doesn’t like it, he/she will tell “a white lie” and say how much they like the gift to prevent the guest from feeling bad.
If your host asks you to arrive at the particular time, you should not arrive exactly on time or earlier than expected time, because this is considered to be inconvenient and therefore rude, as the host may not be ready.

When invited for dinner, you shouldn’t arrive exactly on time because ______

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

"The United Nations (UN), international organization of countries created to promote world peace and cooperation. The UN was founded after World War II ended in 1945. Its mission is to maintain world peace, develop good relations between countries, promote cooperation in solving the world’s problems, and encourage respect for human rights.
 The UN is an organization of countries that agree to cooperate with one another. It brings together countries that are rich and poor, large and small, and have different social and political Systems. Member nations pledge to settle their disputes peacefully, to refrain from using force or the threat of force against other countries, and to refuse help to any country that opposes UN actions.
 UN membership is open to any country willing to further the UN mission and abide by its rules. Each country, no matter how large or small, has an equal voice and vote. Each country is also expected to pay dues to support the UN. As of 2004 the UN had 191 members, including nearly every country in the world.
 The UN’s influence in world affairs has fluctuated over the years, but the organization gained new prominence beginning in the 1990s. It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. Still, the UN faces constant challenges. It must continually secure the cooperation of its member nations because the organization has little independent power or authority. But getting that support is noi always easy. Many nations are reluctant to defer their own authority and follow the dictates of the UN."

1. What are the missions of the United Nations?

Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase.

The United Nations Children's Fund, or UNICEF, was (1) _____ by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and (2) _____ to children in 'countries that had been devastated by World War II. In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the United Nations System and its name was shortened from the (3) _____ United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund but it has continued to be known by the popular acronym based on this old name. (4) _____ in New York City, UNICEF provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to' children and mother in developing countries. UNICEF is currently focused (5) _____ five primary priorities: Child Survival and Development, Basic Education and Gender Equality, including girl's education, child protection from (6) _____, exploitation, and abuse, HIV/AIDS and children, and Policy advocacy and partnerships for children's rights. Related areas of UNICEF action include early childhood development, adolescence development and participation; life skills based education and child rights all over the world. A (7) _____ funded agency, UNICEF relies on contributions from governments and private (8) _____. Its programs emphasize developing community-level services to promote the health and well-being of children. Recently, UNICEF has begun partnerships with world-class athletes and teams to promote the organization's work and to (9) _____ funds. UNICEF greeting cards are sold worldwide to support efforts on behalf of children creating a better world where children are happy, healthy and live in dignity. UNICEF selects suitable paintings for reproduction from contemporary artists. Total income to UNICEF for 2006 was 2,781,000,000. UNICEF was (10) _____ the Nobel Peace Prize in 1965 and Prince of Asturias Award of Concord in 2006. UNICEF is present in 190 countries and territories around the world. 

(9) _____

Read the passage fully, then choose the correct answer. 
UNICEF means? United Nations Children's Fund. It serves children in communities all the the world. It helps children of all races, nationalities, religions, and political systems in more than 140 developing countries. 
UNICEF, created in 1946 to help bring food and medicine to children who suffered during World War II in Europe. It began as a temporary agency, but became a permanent part of the United Nations in 1953 due to the need for its services around the world. UNICEF's primary concern is to help governments of developing countries improve the quality of life for almost one billion children. UNICEF's main office is in the United Nations offices in New York City, but it. also has more than 40 offices and 100 programs worldwide. In 1965, UNICEF won the Nobel Peace Prize for its work helping children and building brighter futures.
UNICEF works with governments to provide three kinds of services. First, UNICEF plans and develops programs in developing countries. These programs serve the community by providing health care, information about nutrition, basic education, and safe water and sanitation. Then UNICEF trains people to work in these programs. UNICEF also provides supplies and equipment that enable the programs to work. 
UNICEF's greatest concern is to improve the health of children. It does this in several ways. It improves water supplies in undeveloped countries where the water is not clean enough to drink. When children drink unclear water, they become very sick, and many die. UNICEF works hard to correct this. It also provides food and teaches people what to feed their children so they grow up to be healthy. UNICEF provides immunizations for children to prevent serious diseases. It gives important vitamins, such as vitamin A, to children who could go blind because of a lack of it . It also helps disabled children throughout the world. UNICEF helps train teachers and provides equipment and supplies for schools. By teaching people to read and write, UNICEF helps people to improve their lives.

UNICEF's efforts were appreciated when it __________.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

The past fifty years or so have seen the gradual disappearance of animals from this earth, fishes from the sea, trees and plants from the land.
Many factors result in this unpleasant phenomenon. Among them, hunting is the main factor that endangers wildlife. Some people kill wildlife for sport. They take pleasure in collecting heads and hides. Yet others specialize in commercial hunting like killing whales.

Apart from this, the rapidly growing human population threatens wildlife on land, too. Towns expand and roads have to be built, so forests are burnt and trees are chopped down. It seems that man needs every inch of land within his reach, so he moves on to the natural habitat of wildlife. Tigers, lions and leopards slowly die off without the food and shelter that the forests provide.

In addition, rapid urbanization means industrial expansion. Very often, poisonous chemicals, industrial wastes and oil are dumped into the rivers and seas. Fish and birds are threatened.

Many depend greatly on animals for survival. He needs their flesh, hides and furs. Thus, man cannot do without wildlife; or he himself would become extinct. The public should be made aware that it would be better to shoot the animals with a camera than with a gun. In this way, they can preserve and help wildlife to continue living rather than to move all signs of it.
 
Man must learn to farm the sea as he does the land. He should regulate the amount of frequency of his catch. He should allow fish to breed and multiply before netting them. A man also needs to build forest reserves, and to pass a law prohibiting the killing of animals, especially those that already rare. To retain the present animal kingdom, the least that man can do is to clean the seas and rivers to prevent pollution. The cycle of nature is such that it forms a vicious circle. The insecticides and pesticides that we spray on crops can kill the birds and animals that feed on them. When a man eats these poisoned animals, he himself can die. We must therefore test the chemicals to be used before they are sprayed or it might mean the death of man!

The phrase “natural habitat of wildlife” in paragraph 3 refers to_________.

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction.

In case it will rain hard this afternoon, you should take the raincoat with you.

When we moved to our new house near the sea, I was eight years old. Even before that I had spent every summer messing about on boats. My dad had taught me to sail before I learnt to ride a bike so I knew how I wanted to spend my time at the new house- I was going to get my own boat and sail it everyday. The house was only a few meters from the water's edge, and in rough weather the waves would come crashing into the front garden. I used to sit with my nose pressed to the glass, fascinated by the power of the ocean. I grew up watching the skies to see if it was going to rain; would I be going sailing that afternoon or not?
Of course I sometimes wished I could live in the town like my friends. I used to get angry with my parents, who had taken early retirement because they seemed incapable of getting anywhere on time. Dad drove me the eight miles to school everyday, but I was often late because he had been walking on the cliffs earlier in the morning and had lost track of time. When I was taking my university entrance exams, I used to stay over at a friend's in town, just in case. All in all, I was lucky to grow up by the sea and I still love to sail.

The writer learnt to sail ___________.

Read the passage carefully, then choose the correct answer.

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries or regions (styled 'member economies') to discuss the regional economy, cooperation, trade and investment. The membership is claimed to account for approximately 41% of the world's population, approximately 56% of world GDP and about 49% of world trade. The activities, including year-round meetings of the members' ministers, are coordinated by the APEC Secretariat. The organization conducts the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM), an annual summit attended by the heads of government of all APEC members except Taiwan under the name Chinese Taipei, which is represented by a ministerial-level official due to China's insistence. The location of the summit rotates annually among the member economies, and a famous tradition involves the attending leaders dressing in a national costume of the host member. The first APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting occurred in 1993 when US president Bill Clinton,' after discussions with Australian prime minister Paul Keating, invited the heads of government from member economies to a summit on Blake Island. He believed it would help bring the stalled Uruguay Round of trade talks on track. At the summit, some leaders called for continued reduction of barriers to trade and investment, envisioning a community in the Asia-Pacific region that might promote prosperity, through cooperation. The APEC Secretariat, based in Singapore, was established to coordinate the activities of the organization. In the summit of 1994 in Bogor, APEC adopted the Bogor Goals that aimed to reduce trade tariffs to below five percent in the Asia-Pacific region, by 2010 for industrialized economies and by 2020 for developing economies. In 1995, APEC established a business advisory body named the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), comprised of three business executives from each member economy.

What is the APEC's mission?

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 Winterthur Museum is a collection and a house. There are many museums devoted to the decorative arts and many house museums, but rarely in the United States is a great collection displayed in a great country house. Passing through successive generations of a single family, Winterthur has been a private estate for more than a century. Even after the extensive renovations made to it between 1929 and 1931, the house remained a family residence. This fact is of importance to the atmosphere and effect of the museum. The impression of a lived-in house is apparent to the visitor: the rooms look as if they were vacated only a short while ago whether by the original owners of the furniture or the most recent residents of the house can be a matter of personal interpretation. Winterthur remains, then, a house in which a collection of furniture and architectural elements has been assembled. Like an English country house, it is an organic structure; the house, as well as the collection and manner of displaying it to the visitor, has changed over the years. The changes have coincided with developing concepts of the American arts, increased knowledge on the part of collectors and students, and a progression toward the achievement of a historical effect in period-room displays. The rooms at Winterthur have followed this current, yet still retained the character of a private house.
The concept of a period room as a display technique has developed gradually over the years in an effort to present works of art in a context that would show them to greater effect and would give them more meaning for the viewer. Comparable to the habitat group in a natural history museum, the period room represents the decorative arts in a lively and interesting manner and provides an opportunity to assemble objects related by style, date, or place of manufacture.

The word "assembled" in line 9 is closest in meaning to.................

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 American type of football was developed in the 19th century from soccer and rugby football. Played by professionals, amateurs, college and high school students, or young children, football in American is one of the most popular sports besides basketball and baseball. It attracts millions of fans each fall and people are very supportive of their favourite teams. The football playing field of today is rectangular in shape and measures 100 yards long and 53.5 yards wide. White lines are painted on the playing field to mark off the distances to the end zone. The games is divided into four quarters, each fifteen minutes long. The first two quarters are known as the first half. There is a rest period between two halves which usually last about fifteen minutes. Each team has eleven players. Each team has offensive players who play when the team has possession of the ball and defensive players who play when the other team has the possession of the ball. Because of the body contact players have during the game, helmets are worn to protect their head and face area, whereas pads are worn to protect the shoulders, arms, and legs. Also, there are officials carrying whistles and flags to make certain that the rules of the game are followed during the game. The football is made of leather and is brown in colour. It is shaped much like an oval and has white rings near each end of the football. These rings help the players see the ball when it is thrown or someone is running with it. The eight stitches on the top of the football help the players to grip the ball when throwing or passing. The most famous game of the year is Super Bowl that is played in January or February. It is televised around the world and is watched by millions of people each year.

When is the most famous football game held annually?

When we moved to our new house near the sea, I was eight years old. Even before that I had spent every summer messing about on boats. My dad had taught me to sail before I learnt to ride a bike so I knew how I wanted to spend my time at the new house- I was going to get my own boat and sail it everyday. The house was only a few meters from the water's edge, and in rough weather the waves would come crashing into the front garden. I used to sit with my nose pressed to the glass, fascinated by the power of the ocean. I grew up watching the skies to see if it was going to rain; would I be going sailing that afternoon or not?
Of course I sometimes wished I could live in the town like my friends. I used to get angry with my parents, who had taken early retirement because they seemed incapable of getting anywhere on time. Dad drove me the eight miles to school everyday, but I was often late because he had been walking on the cliffs earlier in the morning and had lost track of time. When I was taking my university entrance exams, I used to stay over at a friend's in town, just in case. All in all, I was lucky to grow up by the sea and I still love to sail.

The writer's father retired early because ___________.