Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
The well-being of America's rural people and places depends upon many things - the availability of good-paying jobs; (1) to critical services such as education, health care, and communication; strong communities; and a healthy natural environment. And, (2) urban America is equally dependent upon these things, the challenges to well-being look very  different in rural areas than in urban areas. Small-scale, low-density settlement (3) make it  more costly for communities and businesses to provide critical services. Declining jobs and  income in the natural resource-based industries that many rural areas depend on (4) workers  in those industries to find new ways to make a living. Low-skill, low-wage rural  manufacturing industries must find new ways to challenge the increasing number of (5)  competitors. Distance and remoteness impede many rural areas from being connected to the  urban centers of economic activity. Finally, changes in the availability and use of natural  resources located in rural areas (6) the people who earn a living from those resources and  those who (7) recreational and other benefits from them. Some rural areas have met these challenges successfully, achieved some level of prosperity, and are ready (8) the challenges of the future. Others have neither met the current challenges nor positioned themselves for the future. Thus, concern for rural America is real.  And, while ruralAmerica is a producer of critical goods and services, the (9) goes beyond economics. Rural America is also home to a fifth of the Nation'speople, keeper of natural  amenities and national treasures, and safeguard of a/an (10) part of American culture,  tradition, and history. 

Câu 2....................

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

As well as being a necessary life-saving skill, swimming also (26)________us with a source of great pleasure and relaxation. Swimming, as well as other water sports like diving, surfing or just floating on your back, are some of the best ways to have (27)________and keep fit at the same time. Water sports are enjoyable for people of (28)________ages and even babies can learn to swim.

For elderly people or (29)________with physical handicaps, swimming provides gentle, yet effective exercise. Swimming for fitness and recreation has been popular (30) ________the earliest times, for instance in ancient Egypt, Greece and Roma. Swimming competitions developed in the nineteenth century and swimming races were (31)_______ in the first of the modern Olympic Games in 1896. Now water sports are (32)________ all over the world and most towns have at least one swimming pool.

Most water sports - swimming, surfing and water-skiing, etc, take (33)________on the surface of the water, but scuba divers explore deep below the waves.

There they can find fascinating sea creatures and strange rockformations. Some archaeologists are divers. (34)________search the seabed for wrecks of ships sunk hundreds of years ago which (35)________ objects that show how people lived in ancient times.

(28)________

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
The heart has long been considered to be (1) feelings of love dwell. In love songs throughout  the ages, love almost always goes together (2) the heart. The heart has continuously been  viewed (3) the place where love begins and develops. Even the Bible gives (4) to love and the  heart. 
The role of the heart in love must come from what happens to it when a person feels strongly (5) to someone. The strong feelings (6) the other person, especially in the early stages of a relationship, have the results that the heart starts beating faster and  breathing starts speeding (7) . 
According to psychologists, a love relationship is a situation that (8) a lot of stress and the body reacts to this by getting ready to face the unknown. This has been called the  "fight or flight" (9) accelerates and (10) , meeting danger by fighting it or running away. So  with love, the heart becomes quick. 

Câu 2.....................

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

As well as being a necessary life-saving skill, swimming also (26)________us with a source of great pleasure and relaxation. Swimming, as well as other water sports like diving, surfing or just floating on your back, are some of the best ways to have (27)________and keep fit at the same time. Water sports are enjoyable for people of (28)________ages and even babies can learn to swim.

For elderly people or (29)________with physical handicaps, swimming provides gentle, yet effective exercise. Swimming for fitness and recreation has been popular (30) ________the earliest times, for instance in ancient Egypt, Greece and Roma. Swimming competitions developed in the nineteenth century and swimming races were (31)_______ in the first of the modern Olympic Games in 1896. Now water sports are (32)________ all over the world and most towns have at least one swimming pool.

Most water sports - swimming, surfing and water-skiing, etc, take (33)________on the surface of the water, but scuba divers explore deep below the waves.

There they can find fascinating sea creatures and strange rockformations. Some archaeologists are divers. (34)________search the seabed for wrecks of ships sunk hundreds of years ago which (35)________ objects that show how people lived in ancient times.

(33)________

Read the passage below and choose one correct answer for each question.

There is very little documentation about the origins of water polo. It is known, however, that the sport originated in the rivers and lakes of mid-19th century England as an aquatic version of rugby. Early games used an inflated rubber ball that came from India known as a "pulu" (the single Indian word for all "balls"). Pronounced "polo" by the English, both the game and the ball became known as "water polo". To attract more spectators to swimming exhibitions, the London Swimming Association designed a set of water polo rules for indoor swimming pools in 1870. At first, players scored by planting the ball on the end of the pool with both hands. A favorite trick of the players was to place the five-to-nine inch rubber ball inside their swimming suit and dive under the murky water, they would then appear again as close to the goal as possible. The introduction of the rules by Scottish players changed the nature of water polo. It became a game that emphasized swimming, speed and passing. Scottish rules moved from a rugby variant to a soccer style of play. Goals became a cage of 10x 3 feet and a goal could be scored by being thrown. Players could only be tackled when they "held" the ball and the ball could no longer be taken under water. The small rubber ball was replaced by a leather soccer ball. If the player came up too near the goal, he was promptly jumped on by the goalie, who was permitted to stand on the pool deck. Games were often nothing more than gang fights in the water as players ignored the ball, preferring underwater wrestling matches that usually ended with one man floating to the surface unconscious. Water polo was first played in the USA in 1888. The game featured the old rugby style of play which resembled American football in the water. "American style" water polo became very popular and by the late 1890s was played in such venues as Madison Square Garden and Boston's Mechanics Hall, attracting 14,000 spectators to national championship games.

Water polo became popular in America in _______.

THOMAS EDISON

On the night of 21 October 1931, millions of Americans took part in a coast-to-coast ceremony to commemorate the passing of a great man. Lights (31) _______ in homes and offices from New York to California. The ceremony marked the death of arguably the most important inventor of all time: Thomas Edison.

Few inventors have (32) _______ such an impact on everyday life, and many of his inventions played a crucial role in the development of modern technology. One should never (33) _______ how revolutionary some of Edison’s inventions were.

In many ways, Edison is the perfect example of an inventor - that is, not just someone who dreams up clever gadgets, but someone whose products transform the lives of millions. He possessed the key characteristics that an inventor needs to (34) _______ a success of inventions, notably sheer determination. Edison famously tried thousands of materials while working on a new type of battery, reacting to failure by cheerfully announcing to his colleagues: 'Well, (35) _______ we know 8,000 things that don’t work.’ Knowing when to take no notice of experts is also important. Edison’s proposal for electric lighting circuitry was received with total disbelief by eminent scientists, until he lit up whole streets with his lights.

(31).................................................

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
The heart has long been considered to be (1) feelings of love dwell. In love songs throughout  the ages, love almost always goes together (2) the heart. The heart has continuously been  viewed (3) the place where love begins and develops. Even the Bible gives (4) to love and the  heart. 
The role of the heart in love must come from what happens to it when a person feels strongly (5) to someone. The strong feelings (6) the other person, especially in the early stages of a relationship, have the results that the heart starts beating faster and  breathing starts speeding (7) . 
According to psychologists, a love relationship is a situation that (8) a lot of stress and the body reacts to this by getting ready to face the unknown. This has been called the  "fight or flight" (9) accelerates and (10) , meeting danger by fighting it or running away. So  with love, the heart becomes quick. 

Câu 6....................

 Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage:

"A water polo team consists (1)…… seven players - a goalkeeper and six field players. The goalkeeper must defend the goal without hanging onto the goal or using the side of the pool. Each team also may have six (2)…..  players. With the exception of the goalkeeper, each player may use only one hand at a time in (3) …… the ball. Players wear caps of different colors for team (4)…. ; the official rules stipulate white for one team, blue for the other, and red caps for the goalies.
 A match requires two referees, two goal judges, two timekeepers, and two recorders. Games are divided (5) …..four periods of 7 minutes each, with a 2-minute interval between periods. Play begins when the (6)….. , with each team spread out along its own goal line, throws the ball into play at a line halfway between the two teams. The players race toward the ball, and the team that gains (7)…… then attempts to advance it toward the opponent's goal by (8)….. it from teammate to teammate. Players can also swim with the ball by pushing it along the water surface with their bodies as they swim.
 Players may not use more than one hand at a time and may not (9)…. clenched fists. No players - except the goalie, when defending a goal in a pool with a shallow end - may walk on or use the bottom of the pool, (10)….. may they take the ball beneath the surface of the water. Players may not impede the free-limb movement of another player unless that player holds the ball."

2. Each team also may have six (2)…..  players.

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
In a world where 2 billion people live in homes that don't have light bulbs, technology holds  the key (1)_______ banishing poverty. Even the simplest technologies can transform lives and  save money. Vaccines, crops, computers and sources of solar energy can all reduce poverty in  developing countries. For example, cheap oral-rehydration therapy developed in Bangladesh  has dramatically cut the death (2) _______ from childhood diarrhoea. 
But even when such technologies exist, the depressing fact is that we can’t make them (3)  _______ for those who most need them. Solar panels, batteries and light bulbs are still beyond  the purse of many, but where they have been installed they change lives. A decent light in the evening gives children more time for homework and extends the productive day for adults.  Kenya has a thriving solar industry and six years ago Kenyan pioneers also (4) _______  connecting schools to the Internet via radio links. These people were fortunate (5) _______  being able to afford solar panels, radios and old computers. How much bigger would the  impact be if these things (6) _______ and priced specifically for poor people? Multinationals must become part of the solution, because (7)_______ they own around 60 per  cent of the world's technology, they seldom make products for poor customers. Of 1,223 new  drugs marketed worldwide from 1975 to 1996, for example, just 13 were for tropical diseases. People think those enterprises should do more to provide vital products such as medicines (8) _______ different prices around the world to suit (9) _______ people can afford.  Alternatively, they could pay a percentage of their profit towards research and development  for (10) _______. 

Question 7: .....................

Walt Disney was born in 1901 in Chicago, but soon moved to a small farm near Marceline, Missouri. From this rural and rather humble beginning he later became one of the most famous and beloved motion-picture producers in history. Although he died in 1966, his name and artistic legacy continue to influence the lives of millions of people throughout the world.
After several years of barely making ends meet as a cartoon artist operating from his Los Angeles garage, Disney had his first success in 1928, with his release of a Mickey Mouse cartoon. Throughout the next decade, he continued to produce a number of cartoons, and develop more of his highly profitable and enduring creations, such as Donald Duck and Pluto. In the late 1930s, he issued full-length cartoon film. Snow White became an instant commercial and critical success. This was only the first of many films, both animated and not, produced by Disney and his studio.
But as renowned as Disney name is for cartoon and monies, it is probably best known for a string of spectacular amusement and theme parks. Starting with California's Disneyland in 1955 and culminating with the fantastically successful Disney World and EPCOT Center in Florida, Disney became a household name. In recent years, the theme park concept became international, with openings in Toyo and Paris. With the continuing success of Disney, the creation of future theme park are under discussion.

The word “renowned” in bold in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _______.

The habits of those who constantly play video games are very important to people  working in video- game industry. If video games are going to be one of the most attractive  features of future interactive systems, it is essential for producers to know what types of games  to make, how best to present such games on interactive video and how to ensure that such  games maintain their fascination for people. Above all, it is vital to build up detailed profiles  of people who are addicted to video 
games. 
Until recently, the chief market for video games has been boys aged eight to fifteen. The  fascination for interactive video games is seen in its purest form in this group. Video games  appeal to some deep instinct in boys who find it impossible to tear themselves away from them.  Schoolwork is ignored, health is damaged and even eating habits are affected. Girls of the same  age, however, are entirely different, demonstrating far greater freedom from the hold of video  games. Quite simply, they can take video games in their stride, being able to play them when they  want and then leave them alone. 

The addiction to video games can be so powerful thatit can .......................

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

Football, also called association football or soccer, game …(6)…which two teams of 11 players, using any part of their bodies …(7)…their hands and arms, try to maneuver the ball into the opposing team’s goal. Only the goalkeeper is permitted to handle the ball and may do so only within the penalty area surrounding the goal. The team that scores more goals wins.

Football is the world’s most popular ball game in numbers of participants and …(8)…. Simple in its principal rules and essential equipment, the sport can be played almost anywhere, …(9)…official football playing fields (pitches) to gymnasiums, streets, school playgrounds, parks, or beaches. Football’s governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), estimated that at the turn of the 21st century there were …(10)… 250 million football players and over 1.3 billion people “interested” in football; in 2010 a combined television audience of more than 26 billion watched football’s premier tournament, the quadrennial month-long World Cup finals.

Simple in its principal rules and essential equipment, the sport can be played almost anywhere, …(9)…official football playing fields (pitches) to gymnasiums, streets, school playgrounds, parks, or beaches.

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
In a world where 2 billion people live in homes that don't have light bulbs, technology holds  the key (1)_______ banishing poverty. Even the simplest technologies can transform lives and  save money. Vaccines, crops, computers and sources of solar energy can all reduce poverty in  developing countries. For example, cheap oral-rehydration therapy developed in Bangladesh  has dramatically cut the death (2) _______ from childhood diarrhoea. 
But even when such technologies exist, the depressing fact is that we can’t make them (3)  _______ for those who most need them. Solar panels, batteries and light bulbs are still beyond  the purse of many, but where they have been installed they change lives. A decent light in the evening gives children more time for homework and extends the productive day for adults.  Kenya has a thriving solar industry and six years ago Kenyan pioneers also (4) _______  connecting schools to the Internet via radio links. These people were fortunate (5) _______  being able to afford solar panels, radios and old computers. How much bigger would the  impact be if these things (6) _______ and priced specifically for poor people? Multinationals must become part of the solution, because (7)_______ they own around 60 per  cent of the world's technology, they seldom make products for poor customers. Of 1,223 new  drugs marketed worldwide from 1975 to 1996, for example, just 13 were for tropical diseases. People think those enterprises should do more to provide vital products such as medicines (8) _______ different prices around the world to suit (9) _______ people can afford.  Alternatively, they could pay a percentage of their profit towards research and development  for (10) _______. 

Question 8: ......................

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 31 to 35.
Marcel Bich, a French manufacturer of traditional ink pens, was the man turning the ballpoint pen into an item that today almost anyone can afford. Bich was shocked at the poor quality of the ballpoint pens that were available, and also at their high cost. However, he recognised that the ballpoint was a firmly established invention, and he decided to design a cheap pen that worked well and would be commercially successful.
Bich went to the Biro brothers and asked them if he could use the design of their original invention in one of his own pens. In return, he offered to pay them every time he sold a pen. Then, for two years, Bich studied the detailed construction of every ballpoint pen that was being sold, often working with a microscope.
By 1950, he was ready to introduce his new wonder: a plastic pen with a clear barrel that wrote smoothly, did not leak and only cost a few cents. He called it the 'Bic Cristal'. The ballpoint pen had finally become a practical writing instrument. The public liked it immediately, and today it is as common as the pencil. In Britain, they are still called Biros, and many Bic models also say 'Biro' on the side of the pen, to remind people of their original inventors.
Bich became extremely wealthy thanks to his invention, which had worldwide appeal. Over the next 60 years his company, Société Bic, opened factories all over the world and expanded its range of inexpensive products. Today, Bic is as famous for its lighters and razors as it is for its pens, and you can even buy a Bic mobile phone.

The word "practical" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.

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

As well as being a necessary life-saving skill, swimming also (26)________us with a source of great pleasure and relaxation. Swimming, as well as other water sports like diving, surfing or just floating on your back, are some of the best ways to have (27)________and keep fit at the same time. Water sports are enjoyable for people of (28)________ages and even babies can learn to swim.

For elderly people or (29)________with physical handicaps, swimming provides gentle, yet effective exercise. Swimming for fitness and recreation has been popular (30) ________the earliest times, for instance in ancient Egypt, Greece and Roma. Swimming competitions developed in the nineteenth century and swimming races were (31)_______ in the first of the modern Olympic Games in 1896. Now water sports are (32)________ all over the world and most towns have at least one swimming pool.

Most water sports - swimming, surfing and water-skiing, etc, take (33)________on the surface of the water, but scuba divers explore deep below the waves.

There they can find fascinating sea creatures and strange rockformations. Some archaeologists are divers. (34)________search the seabed for wrecks of ships sunk hundreds of years ago which (35)________ objects that show how people lived in ancient times.

(29)________

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

"Water polo originated in England during the 1870s and soon became popular in the United States. It was first played in the Olympic Games as a men’s exhibition sport in 1900. In 1904 it became a men’s medal sport, but only the United States fielded a team. In 1908 it was contested internationally at the Olympics. Over the succeeding decades water polo became especially popular in Europe.
 From approximately 1920 to 1946 the United States departed from the international rules for water polo by adopting for play a loosely inflated ball that could be gripped in one hand and carried toward the goal. Opposing players usually attempted to seize the ballcarriers, wrestle them under water, and render them helpless from loss of breath. This rough style of play virtually disappeared by 1946. Since that time traditional water polo has grown rapidly in North America, especially as a college sport. It is particularly popular in Southern California and other parts of the West.
 Women have played water polo since the game’s early days, but participation was not widespread until the 1960s. In 1961 United States Water Polo established a national Club championship for women. It has hosted one for men since 1890. Women’s water polo became an Olympic medal sport at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia."

5. When did water polo become a women’s medal sport in the Olympic Games?

Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on river, lakes or on the ocean, (1) _____ on the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades (2) _____ they are pushed against the water. The sport can be both recreational, focusing (3)____ learning the techniques required, and competitive where overall fitness plays a large role. It is also one of (4) _____ oldest Olympic sports. In the United States, Australia and Canada, high school and collegial rowing is sometimes referred to as crew.

(5) _____ rowing, the athlete sits in the boat facing backwards, towards the stern, and uses the oars which are held in (6) ____ by the oarlocks to propel the boat forward, towards the bow. It is a demanding sport requiring strong core balance as well as physical (7) _____ and cardiovascular endurance.

Since the action of rowing (8) _____ fairly popular throughout the world, there are many different types of (9) _____. These include endurance races, time trials, stake racing, bumps racing, and the side-by-side format used in the Olympic Games. The many different formats are a result of the long (10) _____ of the sport, its development in different regions of the world, and specific local requirements and restrictions.

(4) ________

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 36 to 42.
A study was set up to examine the old marriage advice about whether it's more important to be happy or to be right. Couples therapists sometimes suggest that in an attempt to avoid constant arguments, spouses weigh up whether pressing the point is worth the misery of marital discord. The researchers from the University of Auckland noticed that many of their patients were adding stress to their lives by insisting on being right, even when it worked against their well-being.
The researchers then found a couple who were willing to record their quality of life on a scale of 1 to 10. They told the man, who wanted to be happy more than right, about the purpose of the study and asked him to agree with every opinion and request his wife had without complaint, even when he profoundly didn't agree. The wife was not informed of the purpose of the study and just asked to record her quality of life.
Things went rapidly downhill for the couple. The man's quality-of-life scores fell, from 7 to 3, over the course of the experiment. The wife's scores rose modestly, from 8 to 8.5, before she became hostile to the idea of recording the scores. Rather than creating harmony, the husband's agreeableness led to the wife becoming increasingly critical of what he did and said (in the husband's opinion). After 12 days he broke down, and the study was called off because of severe adverse outcomes."
The researchers concluded, shockingly, that humans need to be right and acknowledged as right, at least some of the time, to be happy. They also noted this was further proof that if given too much power, humans tend to "assume the alpha position and, as with chimpanzees, they become very aggressive and dangerous." It is often said that there can be no peace without justice, and that's true of domestic sphere.
Obviously the results are to be taken with extreme caution, since this was just one couple with who-knows-what underlying issues beforehand. But the study's chief author, Dr. Bruce Arroll, maintains that the question of happiness vs. rightness, theoretically, could be settled by scientific inquiry with a wider sample. "This would include a randomized controlled trial,” he says. "However, we would be reluctant to do the definitive study because of the concern about divorce."

The word "critical" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________. 

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
In a world where 2 billion people live in homes that don't have light bulbs, technology holds  the key (1)_______ banishing poverty. Even the simplest technologies can transform lives and  save money. Vaccines, crops, computers and sources of solar energy can all reduce poverty in  developing countries. For example, cheap oral-rehydration therapy developed in Bangladesh  has dramatically cut the death (2) _______ from childhood diarrhoea. 
But even when such technologies exist, the depressing fact is that we can’t make them (3)  _______ for those who most need them. Solar panels, batteries and light bulbs are still beyond  the purse of many, but where they have been installed they change lives. A decent light in the evening gives children more time for homework and extends the productive day for adults.  Kenya has a thriving solar industry and six years ago Kenyan pioneers also (4) _______  connecting schools to the Internet via radio links. These people were fortunate (5) _______  being able to afford solar panels, radios and old computers. How much bigger would the  impact be if these things (6) _______ and priced specifically for poor people? Multinationals must become part of the solution, because (7)_______ they own around 60 per  cent of the world's technology, they seldom make products for poor customers. Of 1,223 new  drugs marketed worldwide from 1975 to 1996, for example, just 13 were for tropical diseases. People think those enterprises should do more to provide vital products such as medicines (8) _______ different prices around the world to suit (9) _______ people can afford.  Alternatively, they could pay a percentage of their profit towards research and development  for (10) _______. 

Question 5: .....................

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 36 to 42.
A study was set up to examine the old marriage advice about whether it's more important to be happy or to be right. Couples therapists sometimes suggest that in an attempt to avoid constant arguments, spouses weigh up whether pressing the point is worth the misery of marital discord. The researchers from the University of Auckland noticed that many of their patients were adding stress to their lives by insisting on being right, even when it worked against their well-being.
The researchers then found a couple who were willing to record their quality of life on a scale of 1 to 10. They told the man, who wanted to be happy more than right, about the purpose of the study and asked him to agree with every opinion and request his wife had without complaint, even when he profoundly didn't agree. The wife was not informed of the purpose of the study and just asked to record her quality of life.
Things went rapidly downhill for the couple. The man's quality-of-life scores fell, from 7 to 3, over the course of the experiment. The wife's scores rose modestly, from 8 to 8.5, before she became hostile to the idea of recording the scores. Rather than creating harmony, the husband's agreeableness led to the wife becoming increasingly critical of what he did and said (in the husband's opinion). After 12 days he broke down, and the study was called off because of severe adverse outcomes."
The researchers concluded, shockingly, that humans need to be right and acknowledged as right, at least some of the time, to be happy. They also noted this was further proof that if given too much power, humans tend to "assume the alpha position and, as with chimpanzees, they become very aggressive and dangerous." It is often said that there can be no peace without justice, and that's true of domestic sphere.
Obviously the results are to be taken with extreme caution, since this was just one couple with who-knows-what underlying issues beforehand. But the study's chief author, Dr. Bruce Arroll, maintains that the question of happiness vs. rightness, theoretically, could be settled by scientific inquiry with a wider sample. "This would include a randomized controlled trial,” he says. "However, we would be reluctant to do the definitive study because of the concern about divorce."

Which of the following is NOT true, according to the passage?

Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on river, lakes or on the ocean, (1) _____ on the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades (2) _____ they are pushed against the water. The sport can be both recreational, focusing (3)____ learning the techniques required, and competitive where overall fitness plays a large role. It is also one of (4) _____ oldest Olympic sports. In the United States, Australia and Canada, high school and collegial rowing is sometimes referred to as crew.

(5) _____ rowing, the athlete sits in the boat facing backwards, towards the stern, and uses the oars which are held in (6) ____ by the oarlocks to propel the boat forward, towards the bow. It is a demanding sport requiring strong core balance as well as physical (7) _____ and cardiovascular endurance.

Since the action of rowing (8) _____ fairly popular throughout the world, there are many different types of (9) _____. These include endurance races, time trials, stake racing, bumps racing, and the side-by-side format used in the Olympic Games. The many different formats are a result of the long (10) _____ of the sport, its development in different regions of the world, and specific local requirements and restrictions.

(5) ________