Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
The story of gold is an adventure involving kings, queens, pirates, explores, conquerors, and the native peoples they conquered. Throughout history, gold had (1)_____a magic spell over those it touch. Gold is beautiful and rare; a soft shiny metal that can be moulded into many(2)_____.It has been used for money, jewellery, and to decorate special buildings such as palaces and places of worship. (3)_____the precious metal was discovered, prospectors rushed to mine it, starting new cities and countries as they went. Gold and the people who love it have helped shape the world we live in today. Gold is one of many elements, or substances that cannot be changed by normal chemical (4)_____, that are found in the Earth’s crust. Gold has a warm, sunny colour and (5)_____it does not react (6)_____air, water, and most chemicals, its shine never fades. In its natural (7) _____, gold is soft and easily shaped. When heated to 1,062 Celsius it melts and can be poured(8)_____ moulds to form coins, gold bars, and other objects. Stories have been told, movies (9)_____and legends born about the (10)_____of the world’s great gold deposits. It is a saga of dreams, greed, ambition and exploration.

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
The Power of Crowdsourcing
There is a famous old saying that when trying to solve a problem “two heads are better than one”. Yet until recently, businesses would often rely on one key person to get important tasks done. But thanks to a phenomenon called crowdsourcing, more and more companies are allowing their consumers to have their say when designing new products. The term “crowdsourcing” refers to the process of outsourcing jobs which were once done by a single person to a large group (or a crowd) of people. In the past, crowdsourcing wasn’t practical, as it was impossible to gather thousands of like-minded people together to share opinions. Now, thanks to the Internet, online forums, and social media, this isn’t a difficult task at all. There are many important applications for crowdsourcing in business. For example, if a small business was looking to develop a business logo, it might employ a single designer and hope for the best. However, with crowdsourcing, companies can specify some guidelines about their project, set a budget, and start a design contest online. Within hours, it will likely receive hundreds of designers sending them logos. In the end, they can choose the design they like best and the winner will get compensated. Crowdsourcing has other applications as well. A website called Duolingo is using crowdsourcing to translate documents into different languages. It offers free lessons to language learners. As part of their tests, users translate lines to test their knowledge. Then, a computer programme will analyze thousands of test results for consistency and arrange an accurate translation. Not everyone is sold on crowdsourcing, though. In many cases, it may be better to rely on the opinion of a few specialized professionals than information from a crowd. For instance, it makes more sense to trust the opinion of one top doctor than to take the advice of 1,000 random people regarding a health issue. Another criticism is the low wage that crowdworkers usually receive. Since crowdworkers are freelancers and not employees, they can be paid less than minimum wage. Whether you love or hate crowdsourcing, it appears to be here to stay. So before you make any financial judgements, consider following the crowd and give crowdsourcing a try.
6. The word “compensated” in paragraph 3 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 :
Faster processors and advances in memory technology have made today’s smartphones much more powerful than a lot of computers from just a decade ago. With wireless technology, people can surf the internet, play online games, send e-mail, and do (1)_________ all the things they once could only do on a computer. (2)__________, they have the power to do things constantly at their fingertips. Many people (3)_________ that while smartphones are powerful tools, they are making people reliant on them. Why would a person need to learn to read a map when he can get directions to anywhere by simply asking his phone a question? Who needs to learn maths when you have immense calculating power in your pocket at all times? What (4)__________ is there to memorise facts about history, art, or geography when that information is readily available from a portable Internet interface? There are just some of the questions being asked and answered as smartphone usage continues to spread. Like any technology, smartphones have their advantages, but they do have disadvantages as well that we must (5)__________ an eye on.

Choose the best answer:
"………… is the longest river in the world?" - "I think it's the Nile River."

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:
Butterflies are among the most extensively studied insects - an estimated 90 percent of the world's species have scientific names. As a consequence, they are perhaps the best group of insects for examining patterns of terrestrial biotic diversity and distribution. Butterflies also have a favorable image with the general public. Hence, they are an excellent group for communicating information on science and conservation issues such as diversity.
Perhaps the aspect of butterfly diversity that has received the most attention over the past century is the striking difference in species richness between tropical and temperate regions.
For example, in 1875 one biologist pointed out the diversity of butterflies in the Amazon when he mentioned that about 700 species were found within an hour's walk, whereas the total number found on the British islands did not exceed 66, and the whole of Europe supported only 321. This early comparison of tropical and temperate butterfly richness has been well confirmed. A general theory of diversity would have to predict not only this difference between temperate and tropical zones, but also patterns within each region, and how these patterns vary among different animal and plant groups. However, for butterflies, variation of species richness within temperate or tropical regions, rather man between them, is poorly understood. Indeed, comparisons of numbers of species among the Amazon basin, tropical Asia, and Africa are still mostly "personal communication" citations, even for vertebrates, In other words, unlike comparison between temperate and tropical areas, these patterns are still in the documentation phase.
In documenting geographical variation in butterfly diversity, some arbitrary, practical decisions are made. Diversity, number of species, and species richness are used synonymously; little is known about the evenness of butterfly distribution. The New World butterflies make up the preponderance of examples because they are the most familiar species. It is hoped that by focusing on them, the errors generated by imperfect and incomplete taxonomy will be minimized.

The word “exceed” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _     .

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
The reality of an interview is never as bad as your fears. For some reason people imagine the interviewer is going to jump on every tiny mistake they (1)________. In truth, the interviewer is as keen for the meeting to go well as you are. It is what makes his or her job enjoyable. The secret of a good interview is preparing for it. What you wear is always important as it creates the first impression. So (2)________ neatly, but comfortably. Make sure that you can deal with anything you are asked. Prepare for questions that are certain to come up, for example: Why do you want to become a nurse? What is the most important quality a good nurse should have? Apart from nursing, what other careers have you considered? What are your interest and hobbies? Answer the questions fully and precisely. For instance, if one of your interests is reading, be prepared to talk about the sort of books you like. (3)________, do not learn all your answers off (4)________ heart. The interviewer wants to meet a human being, not a robot. Remember, the interviewer is genuinely interested in you, so the more you relax and are yourself, the more (5) ________ you are to succeed.

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
To help pay for infrastructure improvements, Governor Bill Anderson (1)------- a $1 increase on the toll fee for vehicles entering the western turnpikes. The governor’s decision took effect last week. It is expected that an amount of $80 million dollars will be generated from the increase this year and will be used to repair the state’s turnpike system. (2)-------, the Transport Authority is now scheduling tunnel and road renovations to ensure drivers’ convenience and safety. In a press conference held last week, Governor Anderson addressed the motorists’ concerns. He said that although the toll fee increase is (3)-------, he believes that it will improve road and traffic conditions for all drivers using the turnpike.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.
A picture was stolen by art thieves. It was painted by Munch.

Choose the best answer:
What does D.C. in Washington D.C. __________?

Kentron's own Groovato Gelato was founded in 2010 when Luciano Algieri, an Italian immigrant to the United States, bought a ---143--- on Coverby Avenue. The building had previously housed the Hopscotch Ice Cream Company, and Algieri was able to hire many former Hopscotch employees. Teaching ---144--- ice-cream crafters to make gelato proved to be an easy task.---145--- his product, Algieri started with an old family recipe. He then enhanced the flavor with secret ingredients plus unusual combinations of fruits and nuts. ---146---.

146.......................

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
The Brain: Myths and Facts
There are a lot of myths about the human brain. We are going to tell you a little about these myths, and we are also going to give you the truth. One of the biggest myth is that we only use 10 percent of our brains. The next part of that myth is that if we can learn to use the rest of our brains, then we will be much smarter. People say this all the time, but it is absolutely not true. The truth is that although we don’t know everything about the human brain, we know that each part of it has an important function. Modern scientists call the “10 percent myth” ridiculous. The other most popular myth is about being “right brained” or “left brained”. According to this myth, people who use the right side of their brains tend to be more artistic and creative. People who use the left side of their brains tend to be better at maths and science. This myth is as popular as the 10 percent myth, and it is also wrong. In 2013, a study at an American university examined the right brain and left brain myth. According to the study, we use both sides of our brains equally. It is true that we use different parts of our brains for different things: We use our left side for language more, and our right side when we need to pay attention. But there is no evidence that creative people use the right side more, or that scientific people use the left side more. We have talked about myths, so let’s look at a few interesting facts about the brain. First of all, the brain feels no pain. Second, about 75 percent of the brain is made of water. It is also the fattest organ in your body. Another interesting fact about the brain is that around the time you turn 18 years old, it stops growing.
4. The word “_this_” in paragraph 2 refers to ________

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
The Invention of the Periodic Table
If you are looking to gain a better understanding of the world around you, chemistry is the perfect subject to study. It is an examination of matter, its properties, and its interactions with everything around it. Where physics often deals with concepts and theories that are difficult to test and observe, chemistry principles can easily be applied to medicine, cooking, and several other areas. At the heart of all these discoveries is one vital chart that organizes elements based on their atomic number and chemical properties: the periodic table. Although the first periodic table was published in 1869, it was a work in progress for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Since ancient times, people have been fascinated with elements such as gold, tin, and copper in their natural forms. They were mined and used to make jewellery, weapons, coins, and many other things. Over time, people became more curious about these metals and how they were composed. In ancient Greece, Aristotle and other philosophers claimed things were made from the elements of earth, water, fire, and air. For years, this theory was accepted. Then people began to reevaluate this concept during the Age of Enlightenment. In 1661, Irish scientist Robert Boyle defined an element as something that “cannot be broken down into a simpler substance by a chemical reaction”. Over a century later, French chemist Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier would publish the first modern textbook on chemistry. In it, he listed several substances which he believed should be classified as elements into two categories: metals, and non-metals. Although his work wasn’t completely accurate, it represented a major step forward at the time. Over the next century, scientists started to classify the elements into different groups depending on their properties and atomic weights. However, it is Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev who is usually credited as the first person to make a periodic table. Although other scientists had submitted tables, they were eventually rejected by the scientific community for a lack of detail. Mendeleev arranged all of the elements according to their atomic mass. He was even smart enough to leave empty spaces for elements which hadn’t been discovered at the time. Although Mendeleev’s periodic table wasn’t perfect, it set the format which is similar to the one used today.
4. The word “credited” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to __________.

Rewrite the sentence:
It was very kind of you to send me the postcard.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best option for each of the following questions.
Banana fiber is used in the production of banana paper. Banana paper is used in two different senses: to (1)..................... to a paper made from the bark of the banana tree, mainly used for artistic purposes, or paper made from banana’s fiber, (2).............. from an industrialized process, from the stem and the non–usable fruits. The paper can be either hand–made or made by machine. The volume of raw (3)................... for making banana paper around the world on plantations is vast and largely unutilized. The market for banana paper is seen as a growth industry. (4).......... 1988, in Costa Rica, companies like EcoPaper.com   and   Costa   Rica   Natural   Paper   have   been   producing   100%   industrialized   fine environmental and ecological paper derived from natural banana fibers, for the writing and stationery market.
This industry (5).......... numerous waste products such as: the plastic that wraps the bananas, plastic cords to tie the wrapping, damaged bananas and the pinzote (stems). An alarming quantity of over of 92% of water, 3% of resins and 2% glucose; the rest is vegetal fiber. This particular composition  makes it decompose without the solid component being destroyed. This causes a severe impact on the surrounding ecosystems – much to the detriment of rivers and underground waters.

(5)...................

FIRST STEP BEAMED TO A WAITING WORLD

About six and a half hours after Eagle landed, its hatch (1) _______ and the Apollo 1 commander backed slowly out to its little porch. On the (2) _______ he paused, pulled a lanyard, and thus deployed the MESA, or modularized equipment stowage assembly, just to the left of the ladder. As the MESA lowered into (3) _______ with its load of equipment for lunar prospecting, a seven-pound Westinghouse TV camera mounted atop the load began shooting black-and-white (4) _______. Fuzzy and scored with lines, the pictures nonetheless held earthlings spellbound. No one who sat that July night welded to his TV screen will ever forget the (5) _______ of that ghostly foot groping slowly past the ladder to Eagle's footpad, and then stepping tentatively into the virgin soil. Man had made his first footprint on the moon.

(20)_____

Choose the best answer:
My younger sister _________ ten on her next birthday .

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Piranhas on Parade
With the exception of whales and sharks, fish are generally considered to be harmless creatures. The thought of a small fish hurting anyone is almost laughable. However, piranhas are an exception to this rule. They frequently attack in groups and in some cases they can cause great bodily harm. Most piranhas are under 25 centimetres long, but don’t let their size fool you. Unlike most fish, they have two rows of razor-sharp teeth. Their triangular shape makes them perfect for puncturing and shredding whatever they bite. Although piranhas usually swim alone, they also hunt in school of 1,000 fish or more, which greatly multiplies the damage they are capable of. As small fry, they feed of vegetables and plankton until they can tolerate meat. In terms of flesh, they will eat any animals or fish that enters their territory when swimming in schools, even humans. In some cases, hungry piranhas will even go after each other if they are really desperate for a snack. However, the danger they present to humans is often exaggerated. In Hollywood films, piranhas are often portrayed as vicious destroyers who love to eat people. Some rumours even developed that schools of hungry piranhas will quickly kill and consume humans in a matter of seconds. In reality, the majority of these attacks only consist of a few painful, but non-life threatening bites to the person. However, that is not always the case. A recent attack on December 25, 2013 in Argentina left at least 60 people injured. Victims were wading in a river when a sudden attack began. Local police believe that some local debris left floating by fishermen brought the piranhas to the area. Many swimmers left the water with cuts all over their bodies, and a few even had to have their limbs amputated. Oddly enough, some people choose to keep piranhas in their home aquariums. However, piranhas can be tough to catch for this purpose because their sharp teeth can easily cut through fishing nets. Before buying one, be sure to check local laws as it is illegal to own them in many areas. Lawmakers often fear of the damage piranhas can cause to marine life if an owner decides to release them into a local stream.
1. According to the first paragraph, what do people usually think about small fish?

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
The Prime Minister's comments yesterday on education spending miss the point, as the secondary education system also needs a major overhaul. Firstly, the system only views the weakest learners as having special (1)...... .The brightest and most (2)....... students are not encouraged to develop to their full potential. Secondly, there's too much testing and not enough learning. My fifteen-year-old daughter, for example, has just spent the last month or so (3)_____ for exams. These aren't even real, important exams, as her GCSEs will be next year. They're just (4)....  exams. Is the work she's been doing really going to make her more (5)..... about her subjects, or will she forget it all tomorrow? I suspect the latter. Thirdly, the standard (6)_____ doesn't give students any (7)....... in developing practical work-related, living and social skills, or in skills necessary for higher education. How many students entering university have the first idea what the difference is between (8)....... someone else's work and making good use of someone else's ideas? Shouldn't they have been taught this at school? How many of them are really able to go about (9).......a  skill that's essential at university because there are no teachers to tell you what to do - in an efficient way? Indeed, hoe many students (10)....... from university totally unable to spell even simple English words correctly? The system is letting our children down

Choose the best answer:
He doesn’t know much about the subject, but he is ....................... .

Choose the best answer:
Come to me if you ________help.

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:
Ranked as the number one beverage consumed worldwide, tea takes the lead over coffee in both popularity and production with 5 million metric tons of tea produced annually. Although much of this tea is consumed in Asian, European and African countries, the United States drinks its fair share. According to estimates by the Tea Council of the United States, tea is enjoyed by no less than half of the U.S population on any given day. Black tea or green tea – iced, spiced or instant – tea drinking has spurred a billion-dollar with major tea producer in Africa and South America and throughout Asia.
Tea is made from the leaves from an evergreen plant, Camellia saneness, which grows tall and lush in tropical region. On tea plantation, the plant is kept trimmed to approximately four feet high and as new buds called flush appear; they are plucked off by hand. Even in today’s world of modern agricultural machinery, hand harvesting continues to be the preferred method. Ideally, only the top two leaves and a bud should be picked. This new growth produces the highest quality tea.
After being harvested, tea leaves are laid out on long drying racks, called withering racks, for 18 to 20 hours. During this process, the tea softens and become limp. Next, dependent on the type of tea being product, the leaves may be crushed or chopped to release flavor, and then fermented under controlled condition of heat and humidity. For green tea, the whole leaves are often steamed to retain their green color, and the fermentation process is skipped. Producing black teas requires fermentation during which the tea leaves begin darken. After fermentation, black tea is dried in vats to produce its rich brown or black color.
No one knows when or how tea became popular, but legend has it that tea as a beverage was discovered in 2737 B.C. by Emperor Shen Nung of China when leaves from camellia dropped into his drinking water as it was boiling over a fire. As the story goes, Emperor Shen Nung drank the resulting liquid and proclaimed that the drink to be most nourishing and refreshing. Though this account cannot be documented, it is thought that tea drinking probably originated in China and spread to other parts of Asia, then Europe, and ultimately to America colonies around 1650.
With about half the caffeine content of coffee, tea is often chosen by those who want to reduce, but not necessarily eliminate their caffeine intake. Some people find that tea is less acidic than coffee and therefore easier on the stomach. Others have become interested in tea drinking since the National Cancer Institute publishes its finding on the antioxidant properties of tea. But whether tea is enjoyed for it perceived health benefit, its flavor, or as a social drink, teacups continue to be filled daily with the world’ most popular beverage.a

The word “eliminate” in paragraph 5 could be best replaced by which of the following words?