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continued success of women in every field and honors their great importance in modern society, helping to do away  with outdated perceptions about traditional women's duties.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, _______.

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

(1) _____ history, women have always aimed for a recognized place in (2) _____. Guided by their own (3) _____ of knowledge and expertise,  women  like  Marie  Curie  in  science,  Mary  Wollstonecraft  in  literary  writing,  Simone  de  Beauvois  in  philosophical  existentialist debate, and Marie Stopes, in medicine, to name a few, have brought about (4) _____ awareness of the role of  women in any walks of life. These  women  have  helped  redefine  and  (5)  _____  the  nature  of  women's  place  in  society.  Today  the  (6)  _____  of  global  women's organizations and the impact of  women's contributions (7) _____ society  show that progress has been made and the progress in furthering the role of  women in society has been some benefit to the (8) _____ woman. It is true to say that not all women have the same need. The need of the woman who stays at home and (9) _____ children will differ  widely  from the woman who works outside. Nonetheless, in the extensive field of equal opportunities, it would be good to know that access is given to both with equal measure according to the true value of respective abilities. It also would be good to know that the woman at home is recognized as a valued (10) _____ of society just as much as the one who deals on business outside the home.

(2) _____

Even before the turn of the century, movies began to develop in two major directions: the realistic and the formalistic Realism and formalism are merely general, rather than absolute, terms. When used to suggest a tendency toward either polarity, such labels can be helpful, but in the end they are still just labels. Few films are exclusively formalist in style, and fewer yet are completely realist. There is also an important difference between realism and reality, although this distinction is often forgotten. Realism is a particular style, whereas physical reality is the source of all the raw materials of film, both realistic and formalistic. Virtually all movie directors go to the photographable world for their subject matter, but what they do with this material - how they shape and manipulate it - determines their stylistic emphasis.
Generally speaking, realistic films attempt to reproduce the surface of concrete reality with a minimum of distortion. In photographing objects and events, the filmmaker tries to suggest the copiousness of life itself. Both realist and formalist film directors must select (and hence emphasize) certain details from the chaotic sprawl of reality. But the element of selectivity in realistic films is less obvious. Realists, in short, try to preserve the illusion that their film world is unmanipulated, an objective mirror of the actual world. Formalists, on the other hand, make no such pretense. They deliberately stylize and distort their raw materials so that only the very naive would mistake a manipulated image of an object or event for the real thing.
We rarely notice the style in a realistic movie; the artist tends to be self-effacing. Some filmmakers are more concerned with what is being shown than how it is manipulated. The camera is used conservatively. It is essentially a recording mechanism that reproduces the surface of tangible objects with as little commentary as possible. A high premium is placed on simplicity, spontaneity, and directness. This is not to suggest that these movies lack artistry, however, for at its best the realistic cinema specializes in art that conceals art

How can one recognize the formalist style?

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.‌ ‌

The‌ ‌word‌ ‌“‌them‌”‌ ‌in‌ ‌paragraph‌ ‌1‌ ‌refers‌ ‌to‌ ‌_______.‌ ‌ ‌

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. 

What does the passage mainly discuss? 

In an age when technology is developing faster than ever before, many people are being attracted to the idea of looking back into the past. One way they can do this is by investigating their own family history. They can try to  (37)..........out more about where their family came from and what they did. This is now a fast-growing hobby, especial in countries with a  (38) .......... short history, like Australia and the United States.
It is one thing to spend some time going through a book on family history and to take the  (39) ..........  to investigate your own family's past. It is quite another to carry out the research work successfully. It is easy to set about it in a disorganised way and  (40)............ yourself many problems which could have been avoided with a little forward planning.
If your own family stories tell you that you are connected with a famous character, whether hero or criminal, do not let this idea take over your research. Just treat  it as an interesting possibility. A simple system for collecting and storing your track. The most important thing, (41)..............  find?
(41)................................

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.

Einstein was a citizen of all of the following countries EXCEPT ________ 

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

Read the passage and the questions or unfinished sentences. Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet that you think fits best.

Computers have led to a greater change in our society in recent decades than any other force and are likely to continue to do so until the next century. The industry surrounding computers is growing quickly, providing employment for many but meanwhile making others redundant. Jobs that computers can do much more reliably, faster and cheaper are lost. The redeployment of labour and the prospect of increased leisure are causing social upheavals which require new ideas and significant changes of attitude.

It is pointed out in the passage that the introduction of computers into daily life __________________.

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 ‌from‌ ‌42‌ ‌to‌ ‌48.‌ ‌
Nepal‌ ‌has‌ ‌made‌ ‌important‌ ‌progress‌ ‌over‌ ‌the‌ ‌past‌ ‌few‌ ‌years‌ ‌to‌ ‌promote‌ ‌equality,‌ ‌but‌ ‌the‌ ‌country‌ ‌still‌ ‌has‌ ‌one‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌highest‌ ‌rates‌ ‌of‌ ‌child‌ ‌marriage‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world.‌ ‌41%‌ ‌of‌ ‌Nepalese‌ ‌girls‌ ‌are‌ ‌married‌ ‌before‌ ‌the‌ ‌age‌ ‌of‌ ‌18.‌ ‌
Poverty‌ ‌is‌ ‌both‌ ‌a‌ ‌cause‌ ‌and‌ ‌consequence‌ ‌of‌ ‌child‌ ‌marriage‌ ‌in‌ ‌Nepal.‌ ‌Girls‌ ‌from‌ ‌the‌ ‌wealthiest‌ ‌families‌ ‌marry‌ ‌2‌ ‌years‌ ‌later‌ ‌than‌ ‌‌those‌ ‌from‌ ‌the‌ ‌poorest,‌ ‌who‌ ‌are‌ ‌seen‌ ‌as‌ ‌an‌ ‌economic‌ ‌burden,‌ ‌and‌ ‌who‌ ‌drop‌ ‌out‌ ‌of‌ ‌school‌ ‌and‌ ‌earn‌ ‌little‌ ‌money.‌ ‌
Food‌ ‌insecurity‌ ‌plays‌ ‌an‌ ‌important‌ ‌role‌ ‌too.‌ ‌Nepalese‌ ‌families‌ ‌that‌ ‌do‌ ‌not‌ ‌have‌ ‌enough‌ ‌food‌ ‌to‌ ‌eat‌ ‌are‌ ‌more‌ ‌likely‌ ‌to‌ ‌marry‌ ‌their‌ ‌daughters‌ ‌at‌ ‌a‌ ‌young‌ ‌age‌ ‌to‌ ‌decrease‌ ‌the‌ ‌financial‌ ‌‌burden‌.‌ ‌One‌ ‌study‌ ‌shows‌ ‌that‌ ‌91%‌ ‌of‌ ‌people‌ ‌who‌ ‌had‌ ‌secure‌ ‌access‌ ‌to‌ ‌food‌ ‌married‌ ‌over‌ ‌the‌ ‌age‌ ‌of‌ ‌19.‌ ‌
Dowry‌ ‌is‌ ‌also‌ ‌a‌ ‌common‌ ‌practice‌ ‌in‌ ‌many‌ ‌communities.‌ ‌Parents‌ ‌marry‌ ‌their‌ ‌daughters‌ ‌as‌ ‌soon‌ ‌as‌ ‌possible‌ ‌because‌ ‌the‌ ‌money‌ ‌they‌ ‌have‌ ‌to‌ ‌pay‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌groom's‌ ‌family‌ ‌is‌ ‌higher‌ ‌if‌ ‌their‌ ‌daughter‌ ‌is‌ ‌older.‌ ‌Since‌ ‌2010,‌ ‌the‌ ‌legal‌ ‌age‌ ‌of‌ ‌marriage‌ ‌is‌ ‌20‌ ‌for‌ ‌both‌ ‌men‌ ‌and‌ ‌women,‌ ‌or‌ ‌18‌ ‌with‌ ‌parental‌ ‌consent,‌ ‌according‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌Nepalese‌ ‌Country‌ ‌Code.‌ ‌
The‌ ‌law‌ ‌states‌ ‌that‌ ‌punishment‌ ‌for‌ ‌child‌ ‌marriage‌ ‌is‌ ‌‌imprisonment‌ ‌for‌ ‌up‌ ‌to‌ ‌three‌ ‌years‌ ‌and‌ ‌a‌ ‌fine‌ ‌of‌ ‌up‌ ‌to‌ ‌10,000‌ ‌rupees‌ ‌(£102).‌ ‌But‌ ‌reports‌ ‌suggest‌ ‌that‌ ‌this‌ ‌law‌ ‌is‌ ‌rarely‌ ‌applied.‌ ‌There‌ ‌has‌ ‌been‌ ‌quite‌ ‌a‌ ‌lot‌ ‌of‌ ‌progress‌ ‌in‌ ‌Nepal‌ ‌over‌ ‌the‌ ‌past‌ ‌3‌ ‌years‌ ‌with‌ ‌a‌ ‌clear‌ ‌government‌ ‌commitment‌ ‌to‌ ‌ending‌ ‌child‌ ‌marriage‌ ‌and‌ ‌civil‌ ‌society‌ ‌cooperation.‌ ‌The‌ ‌Ministry‌ ‌of‌ ‌Women,‌ ‌Children‌ ‌and‌ ‌Social‌ ‌Welfare‌ ‌is‌ ‌currently‌ ‌developing‌ ‌Nepal's‌ ‌first‌ ‌national‌ ‌strategy‌ ‌on‌ ‌child‌ ‌marriage‌ ‌in‌ ‌collaboration‌ ‌with‌ ‌UNICEF‌ ‌Nepal‌ ‌and‌ ‌Girls‌ ‌Not‌ ‌Brides‌ ‌Nepal.‌ ‌However,‌ ‌the‌ ‌post-earthquake‌ ‌and‌ ‌post-fuel‌ ‌crisis‌ ‌environment‌ ‌has‌ ‌meant‌ ‌progress‌ ‌is‌ ‌slow‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌national‌ ‌strategy‌ ‌has‌ ‌been‌ ‌delayed.‌ ‌

The‌ ‌word‌ ‌“‌those‌”‌ ‌in‌ ‌paragraph‌ ‌2‌ ‌refers‌ ‌to‌ ‌_______.‌ ‌ ‌

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:
It is relatively easy for computers to speak. A computer that says 'please' and 'thank you' in the right places is (31)_________miracle of science ,but recognizing the words that make up normal, human speech is another (32)_________ .
Not until now have computer been programmed to (33)_________to a range of spoken commands. Until recently it was thought that computers would have tobe programmed to the accent and speech hahits of each user,and only then would be able to respond (34)_________to their master's or mistress's voice.Now rapid progress is being made (35)_________systems programmed to adapt easily to each new speaker.
(35)...........................

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.

Which of the following is the most likely inference about the decision to promote gardening at forts?

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.

Which is not mentioned in the text as a project to create condition for Vietnamese women?

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 ‌from‌ ‌42‌ ‌to‌ ‌48.‌ ‌
Nepal‌ ‌has‌ ‌made‌ ‌important‌ ‌progress‌ ‌over‌ ‌the‌ ‌past‌ ‌few‌ ‌years‌ ‌to‌ ‌promote‌ ‌equality,‌ ‌but‌ ‌the‌ ‌country‌ ‌still‌ ‌has‌ ‌one‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌highest‌ ‌rates‌ ‌of‌ ‌child‌ ‌marriage‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world.‌ ‌41%‌ ‌of‌ ‌Nepalese‌ ‌girls‌ ‌are‌ ‌married‌ ‌before‌ ‌the‌ ‌age‌ ‌of‌ ‌18.‌ ‌
Poverty‌ ‌is‌ ‌both‌ ‌a‌ ‌cause‌ ‌and‌ ‌consequence‌ ‌of‌ ‌child‌ ‌marriage‌ ‌in‌ ‌Nepal.‌ ‌Girls‌ ‌from‌ ‌the‌ ‌wealthiest‌ ‌families‌ ‌marry‌ ‌2‌ ‌years‌ ‌later‌ ‌than‌ ‌‌those‌ ‌from‌ ‌the‌ ‌poorest,‌ ‌who‌ ‌are‌ ‌seen‌ ‌as‌ ‌an‌ ‌economic‌ ‌burden,‌ ‌and‌ ‌who‌ ‌drop‌ ‌out‌ ‌of‌ ‌school‌ ‌and‌ ‌earn‌ ‌little‌ ‌money.‌ ‌
Food‌ ‌insecurity‌ ‌plays‌ ‌an‌ ‌important‌ ‌role‌ ‌too.‌ ‌Nepalese‌ ‌families‌ ‌that‌ ‌do‌ ‌not‌ ‌have‌ ‌enough‌ ‌food‌ ‌to‌ ‌eat‌ ‌are‌ ‌more‌ ‌likely‌ ‌to‌ ‌marry‌ ‌their‌ ‌daughters‌ ‌at‌ ‌a‌ ‌young‌ ‌age‌ ‌to‌ ‌decrease‌ ‌the‌ ‌financial‌ ‌‌burden‌.‌ ‌One‌ ‌study‌ ‌shows‌ ‌that‌ ‌91%‌ ‌of‌ ‌people‌ ‌who‌ ‌had‌ ‌secure‌ ‌access‌ ‌to‌ ‌food‌ ‌married‌ ‌over‌ ‌the‌ ‌age‌ ‌of‌ ‌19.‌ ‌
Dowry‌ ‌is‌ ‌also‌ ‌a‌ ‌common‌ ‌practice‌ ‌in‌ ‌many‌ ‌communities.‌ ‌Parents‌ ‌marry‌ ‌their‌ ‌daughters‌ ‌as‌ ‌soon‌ ‌as‌ ‌possible‌ ‌because‌ ‌the‌ ‌money‌ ‌they‌ ‌have‌ ‌to‌ ‌pay‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌groom's‌ ‌family‌ ‌is‌ ‌higher‌ ‌if‌ ‌their‌ ‌daughter‌ ‌is‌ ‌older.‌ ‌Since‌ ‌2010,‌ ‌the‌ ‌legal‌ ‌age‌ ‌of‌ ‌marriage‌ ‌is‌ ‌20‌ ‌for‌ ‌both‌ ‌men‌ ‌and‌ ‌women,‌ ‌or‌ ‌18‌ ‌with‌ ‌parental‌ ‌consent,‌ ‌according‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌Nepalese‌ ‌Country‌ ‌Code.‌ ‌
The‌ ‌law‌ ‌states‌ ‌that‌ ‌punishment‌ ‌for‌ ‌child‌ ‌marriage‌ ‌is‌ ‌‌imprisonment‌ ‌for‌ ‌up‌ ‌to‌ ‌three‌ ‌years‌ ‌and‌ ‌a‌ ‌fine‌ ‌of‌ ‌up‌ ‌to‌ ‌10,000‌ ‌rupees‌ ‌(£102).‌ ‌But‌ ‌reports‌ ‌suggest‌ ‌that‌ ‌this‌ ‌law‌ ‌is‌ ‌rarely‌ ‌applied.‌ ‌There‌ ‌has‌ ‌been‌ ‌quite‌ ‌a‌ ‌lot‌ ‌of‌ ‌progress‌ ‌in‌ ‌Nepal‌ ‌over‌ ‌the‌ ‌past‌ ‌3‌ ‌years‌ ‌with‌ ‌a‌ ‌clear‌ ‌government‌ ‌commitment‌ ‌to‌ ‌ending‌ ‌child‌ ‌marriage‌ ‌and‌ ‌civil‌ ‌society‌ ‌cooperation.‌ ‌The‌ ‌Ministry‌ ‌of‌ ‌Women,‌ ‌Children‌ ‌and‌ ‌Social‌ ‌Welfare‌ ‌is‌ ‌currently‌ ‌developing‌ ‌Nepal's‌ ‌first‌ ‌national‌ ‌strategy‌ ‌on‌ ‌child‌ ‌marriage‌ ‌in‌ ‌collaboration‌ ‌with‌ ‌UNICEF‌ ‌Nepal‌ ‌and‌ ‌Girls‌ ‌Not‌ ‌Brides‌ ‌Nepal.‌ ‌However,‌ ‌the‌ ‌post-earthquake‌ ‌and‌ ‌post-fuel‌ ‌crisis‌ ‌environment‌ ‌has‌ ‌meant‌ ‌progress‌ ‌is‌ ‌slow‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌national‌ ‌strategy‌ ‌has‌ ‌been‌ ‌delayed.‌ ‌

The‌ ‌word‌ ‌“‌imprisonment‌”‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌last‌ ‌paragraph‌ ‌could‌ ‌be‌ ‌best‌ ‌replaced‌ ‌by‌ ‌_______.‌ ‌ ‌

Stars have been significant features in the design of many United States coins and their number has varied from one to forty-eight stars. Most of the coins issued from about 1799 to the early years of the twentieth century bore thirteen stars representing the thirteen original colonies. Curiously enough, the first American silver coins, issued in 1794, had fifteen stars because by that time Vermont and Kentucky has joined the Union. At that time it was apparently the intention of mint officials to add a star for each new state. Following the admission of Tennessee in 1796, for example, some varieties of half dimes, dimes, and half-dollars were produced with sixteen starts. As more states were admitted to the Union, however, it quickly became apparent that this scheme would not prove practical and the coins from A798 on were issued with only thirteen stars-one for each ofthe original colonies. Due to an error at the mint, one variety of the A828 half cent was issued with only twelve stars. There is also a variety of the large cent with only A2 stars, but this is the result of a die breakand is not a true error.

The expression “Curiously enough” is used because the author finds it strange that _______ .

Since water is the basis of life, composing the greater part of the tissues of all living things, the crucial problem of desert animals is to survive in a world where sources of flowing water are rare. And since man’s inexorable necessity is to absorb large quantities of water at frequent intervals, he can scarcely comprehend that many creatures of the desert pass their entire lives without a single drop.

Uncompromising as it is, the desert has not eliminated life but only those forms unable to withstand its desiccating effects. No moist- skinned, water-loving animals can exist there. Few large animals are found. The giants of the North American desert are the deer, the coyote, and the bobcat. Since desert country is open, it holds more swift-footed running and leaping creatures than the tangled forest. Its population is largely nocturnal, silent, filled with reticence, and ruled by stealth. Yet they are not emaciated.

Having adapted to their austere environment, they are as healthy as animals anywhere else in the word. The secret of their adjustment lies in the combination of behavior and physiology. None could survive if, like mad dogs and Englishmen, they went out in the midday sun; many would die in a matter of minutes. So most of them pass the burning hours asleep in cool, humid burrows underneath the ground, emerging to hunt only by night. The surface of the sun- baked desert averages around 150 degrees, but 18 inches down the temperature is only 60 degrees.

The title for this passage could be__________.

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 following questions.

Bees, classified into over 10,000 species, are insects found in almost every part of the world except the northernmost and southernmost regions. One commonly known species is the honeybee, the only bee that produces honey and wax. Humans use wax in making candles, lipsticks, and other products, and they use honey as food. While gathering the nectar and pollen with which they make honey, bees are simultaneously helping to fertilize the flowers on which they land. Many fruits and vegetables would not survive if bees did not carry the pollen from blossom to blossom.

Bees live in a structured environment and social structure within a hive, which is a nest with storage space for the honey. The different types of bees each perform a unique function. The worker bee carries nectar to the hive in a special stomach called a honey stomach. Other workers make beeswax and shape it into a honeycomb, which is a waterproof mass of six-sided compartments, or cells. The queen lays eggs in completed cells. As the workers build more cells, the queen lays more eggs.

All workers, like the queen, are female, but the workers are smaller than the queen. The male honeybees are called drones; they do no work and cannot sting. They are developed from unfertilized eggs, and their only job is to impregnate a queen. The queen must be fertilized in order to lay worker eggs. During the season when less honey is available and the drones are of no further use, the workers block the drones from eating the honey so that they will starve to death.

It is stated in paragraph 2 that a hive is ________.

In the last third of the nineteenth century a new housing form was quietly being developed.   In 1869 the Stuyvesant, considered New York's first apartment house was built on East Eighteenth Street. The building was financed by the developer Rutherfurd Stuyvesant and designed by Richard Morris Hunt, the first American architect to graduate from the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Each man had lived in Paris, and each understood the economics and social potential of this Parisian housing form. But the Stuyvesant was at best a limited success.  In spite of  Hunt's  inviting façade, the living space was awkwardly arranged. Those who could afford them  were  quite  content  to remain in the more sumptuous, single-family homes, leaving the Stuyvesant to newly  married  couples and bachelors.
The fundamental problem with the Stuyvesant and the other early apartment buildings that quickly followed, in the 1870's and early 1880's was that they were confined to the typical New   York building lot. That lot was a rectangular area 25 feet wide by 100 feet deep-a shape perfectly suited for a row house The lot could also accommodate a rectangular tenement, though it could not yield the square, well-lighted, and logically arranged rooms that great apartment buildings require. Put even with the awkward interior configurations of the early apartment buildings, the idea caught on. It met the needs of a large and growing population that wanted something better than tenements but could not afford or did not want row  houses.
So while the city's newly emerging social leadership  commissioned  their  mansions, apartment houses and hotels began to sprout in multiple lots, thus breaking the initial space  constraints. In the closing decades of the nineteenth century,  large apartment houses  began dotting  the developed portions of New York City, and by the opening decades of the twentieth century, spacious buildings, such as the Dakota and the Ansoniafinally transcended the tight confinement of row house building lots. From there it was only a small step to building luxury apartment houses on  the newly created Park Avenue, right next to the fashionable Fifth Avenue shopping area.

The author mentions the Dakota and the Ansonia because....................

Read the passage and choose the correct answer:

On the provincial level, some women in Canada could vote beginning in 1916. Suffrage expanded to the federal level over the next few years: In 1917 nurses and women in the armed forces could vote, then women whose fathers, husbands, or sons were serving overseas. In 1918 legislation passed expanding suffrage to female citizens excluding Asian-Canadian women and First Nation women, who did not win the right to vote until the 1940s and 1960s, respectively.

Non-indigenous women in Australia got the right to vote beginning in 1895, when the state of South Australia passed colony- and state-wide suffrage, in addition to the right to stand for parliament. In 1899, state suffrage expanded to Western Australia. In 1902, non-indigenous women won the right to vote on the federal level with the passing of the Commonwealth Franchise Act. Indigenous Australians didn't get the federal right to vote until 1962.

Almost all the women in Canada could vote beginning in 1916.

A pioneering study by Donald Appleyard made the astounding discovery that a sudden increase in the volume of traffic through an area affects people in the way that a sudden increase in crime does. Appleyard observed this by finding three blocks of houses in San Francisco that looked much alike and had the same kind of middle-class and working-class residents, with approximately the same ethnic mix. The difference was that only 2,000 cars a day ran down Octavia Street (LIGHT street, in Appleyard’s terminology) while Gough Street (MEDIUM street) was used by 8,000 cars daily, and Franklin Street (HEAVY street) had around 16,000 cars a day. Franklin Street often had as many cars in an hour as Octavia had in a day.
Heavy traffic brought with it danger, noise, fumes and soot, directly, and trash secondarily. That is, the cars didn’t bring in much trash, but when trash accumulated, residents seldom picked it up. The cars, Appleyard determined, reduced the amount of territory residents felt responsible for. Noise was a constant intrusion into their homes. Many Franklin Street residents covered their doors and windows and spent most of their time in the rear of their houses. Most families with children had already left.
Conditions on Octavia Street were much different. Residents picked up trash. They sat on their front steps and chatted with neighbors. They had three times as many friends and twice as many acquaintances as the people on Franklin.
On Gough Street, residents said that the old feeling of community was disappearing as traffic increaseD. People were becoming more and more preoccupied with their own lives. A number of families had recently moved and more were considering. Those who were staying expressed deep regret at the destruction of their community.

In what order does the author present detailed discussions of the three streets?

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.
If you are (31) _________in having a trip of a life time, but also doing something useful at the same time, then why not try joining a Greenforce expedition as a volunteer. Greenforce, which was set up in 1997, is an international research agency that gathers information about the wildlife and natural habitats in various parts of the world. There is a qualified biologists in (32) _________of each team of volunteers and these carry surveys all year (33) _________in some of the world's remotest and most beautiful places.
Volunteers come from all walks of life. The minimum age is 18 years old, but there is no upper age (34) _________. No previous experience is necessary as Greenforce provides full training in animal identification and survey methods. You will need to be somebody who enjoys the outdoors life, however, as working in remote locations can be challenging. You will also need to be (35) _________on wildlife ands prepared to learn á lot about the place which you visit.
(33)................