Traditionally, Americans and Asians have very(20) _____ideas about love and marriage. Americans believe in ‘romantic’ marriage – a boy and a girl are(21) ____ to each other, fall in love, and decide to marry each other. Asians, on the other hand, believe in contractual marriage – the parents of the bride and the groom decide on the marriage; and love – if it ever develops – is supposed to follow(22) _____, not precede it.
To show the differences, a (23)______was conducted among American, Chinese and Indian students to determine their attitudes (24)_____ love and marriage.
(22)...........................

 

 

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

The word "rough"in the passage  is closest in meaning to ___________.

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

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

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

(30) ________

Last year thieves broke into a Scottish stately home and stole only one thing: a rhino horn trophy, which at 1.5 meters was the longest in the world. Meanwhile, in China, pharmaceutical factories have been building up (31)___________ of antiques made from rhino horn, for the sole purpose of smashing them to powder to make the (32)___________ ingredient of many of their medicines. And in Zimbabwe, 34 poachers died in 1990 in the search for the black rhino.Recently, conservationists met to (33)___________a campaign to persuade countries where rhino horn is still part of the traditional medicine to switch to substitutes. The biggest threat to the survival of the rhinoceros is the refusal of certain countries to enforce a ban on domestic trading in rhino horn.The rhino horn is included in many doses for disorders raging from fevers to nosebleeds. Horn, like fingernails, is made of keratin and has no proven medicinal (34)___________. Traditional substitutes, such as horn from buffalo or antelope, are regarded as second best.The battle is thought to be winnable. But it may be harder than the battle against the trade in ivory, for there is a (35)___________between the two commodities. Ivory is a luxury; rhino horn, people believe, could save the life of their child.
(32)........................................

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

"United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) organization was (1)  ……. by the United Nations in 1946 to provide food, clothing, and rehabilitative programs (2)…. European children brutalized by World War II (1939- 1945). In 1950 the United Nations made UNICEF (3)……  for improving the welfare of all children worldwide. The organization’s mission is threefold: (I) to ensure that basic nutrition, health, and education needs of children are (4)….. , (II) to give children the opportunity to (5) ….. their potential, and (III) to create an international ethical Standard of behavior toward children.
 Since 1950 UNICEF has focused primarily (6)…… promoting “sustainable development” in more than 150 (7)…… nations. By providing community-based Services to teach community leaders to build wells and sewage-disposal Systems, UNICEF has helped (8)…..  millions of children with clean drinking water and sanitary living conditions. By training educators to develop effective school programs, the (9)….. has enabled children around the world to benefit (10)…..  a primary school education. In recognition of its efforts, UNICEF received the 1965 Nobel Peace Prize."

By training educators to develop effective school programs, the (9)….. has enabled children around the world 

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

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

The word "grip" in the passage means to..................

There is a strange paradox to the success of the Asian education model. On the one hand, class sizes are huge by Western standards with between 30 and 40 students per class, in countries like Japan and Korea. On the other hand, school children in developed Asian economies rank among the highest in the world for academic achievement in the areas of science and mathematics, especially on standardised tests. Meanwhile, British secondary school students fail to shine in conditions most educational researchers would say are far more likely to help them succeed.
Classroom management seems to be easier in places like Korea, and perhaps lessons are more effective as a direct consequence. After all, we are only too aware of the decline in discipline standards in our own school: belligerent and disrespectful students appear to be the norm these days. Teachers in Britain seem powerless to control what happens anymore. Surely this situation cannot create a very effective learning environment, so perhaps the number of students is far less relevant than is the manner in which they conduct themselves.
But there are other factors to consider, too. There is the home environment. The traditional family unit still remains relatively intact in Korea. Few children come from broken homes, so there is a sense of security, safety and trust both at home and at school. In Britain meanwhile, one in every two marriages fails and divorce rates are sky high. Perhaps children struggle to cope with unstable family conditions and their only way to express their frustration is by misbehaving at school.
But while the Japanese, Korean and Asian models generally do seem to produce excellent results, the statistics don’t tell the whole truth. You see, behind those great maths and science scores, there is a quite remarkable work ethic. Asian students tend to put their education before literally everything else. They do very few extracurricular activities and devote far more time to their studies than their British peers.
There has been a lot of attention and praise given to these Asian models and their “impressive” statistics of late. And without question, some of this praise is justified, but it seems to be a case of two extremes in operation here. At one end, there is the discipline and unbelievably hard work ethic of the Asian students – success in education before all else. At the other end, British students at times appear careless and extremely undisciplined by comparison, but at least they Do have the free time to enjoy their youth and explore their interests. Is either system better outright? Or is it perhaps about time we stopped comparing and started trying to combine the best bits of both, so that we can finally offer our students a balanced, worthwhile education

British secondary school students_______.

People used to know more or less how their children would live. Now things are changing so quickly that they don’t even know what their own lives will be like in a few years’ time. What follows is not science fiction. It is how experts see the future. You are daydreaming behind the steering wheel; is it too dangerous? No! That’s no problem because you have it on automatic pilot, and with its hi – tech computers and cameras, your car “know” how to get you home safe and sound. What is for lunch? In the old days you used to stop off to buy a hamburger or a pizza. Now you use your diagnostic machine to find out which foods your body needs. If your body needs more vegetables and less fat, your food – preparation machine makes you a salad.
 After lunch, you go down the hall to your home office. Here you have everything you need to do your work. Thanks to your information screen and your latest generation computer, you needn’t go to the office anymore. The information screen shows an urgent message from a co-worker in Brazil. You can instantly send back a reply to him and go on to deal with other matters.

The word “urgent” in the last paragraph probably means _____.

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

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

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

(33) ________

The Census Counts!
Every ten years there is a national census to count the number of people. The census counts the number of people in each area, the number of men and women, their ages, their profession, their family size and status. The census is the only way to count everyone. Its results are used by a great many people and are available to everyone. The census is useful; it helps to work out present and future needs for housing by seeing how many people are housed now, or the sizes and ages of their families. In addition, the size of annual grants made by the Government to public services depends largely on the numbers and needs of people in the area provided by the census. Furthermore, the census shows how many people have moved from one area to another and how the number of the local work force is changing.
The census is taken in order to provide the figures about the nation as a whole. It does not give information about any named person, family or household. Therefore, names and addresses are needed on the forms but they are not fed into the computer. After the census, the forms with the names on are locked away and will not be released to anyone outside the Census Office for 100 years. The answers people give on their census forms will be treated in strict confidence. Everyone working on the census is sworn to secrecy and can be sued if he or she improperly reveals information.

Census results _________________.

Read the following passage and indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each blank.

In the past, elephants in Thailand were taken from the wild when they were very young. They (18) _____ to work for the people cutting down the large trees of the forests. They became “work machine” – they were not free, wild animal (19) ______ more. Some of the elephants became depressed and some even cried. Elephants can be unhappy too. Boualoi was one of these elephants, (20) _______ with the help of Thailand’s Royal Family and the World Wildlife Fund, she is soon going back (21) _______ her natural environment, the forest. First, she is going to live at the Doi Pa Muang Wildlife Sanctuary. There, she will learn (22) _______ free again, and she will meet other free elephants for the first time.

Question 20: ................

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.

   Although speech is the most advanced form of communication, there are many ways of communicating without using speech. Signals, signs, symbols, and gestures may be found in every known culture. The basic function of signal is to impinge upon the environment in such a way that it attracts attention, as, for example, the dots and dashes of a telegraph circuit. Coded to refer to speech, the potential for communication is very great. Less adaptable to the codification of words, signs also contain meaning in and of themselves. A stop sign or a barber pole conveys meaning quickly and conveniently.

   Symbols are more difficult to describe than either signals or signs because of their intricate relationship with the receiver’s cultural perceptions. In some cultures, applauding in a theater provides performers with an auditory symbol of approval. Gestures such as waving and handshaking also communicate certain cultural messages.

   Although signals, signs, symbols, and gestures are very useful, they do have a major disadvantage in communication. They usually do not allow ideas to be shared without the sender being directly adjacent to the receiver. Without an exchange of ideas, interaction comes to a halt. As a result, means of communication intended to be used for long distances and extended periods must be based upon speech. To radio, television, and the telephone, one must add fax, paging systems, electronic mail, and the Internet, and no one doubts but that there are more means of communication on the horizon.

Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

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

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

The Census Counts!
Every ten years there is a national census to count the number of people. The census counts the number of people in each area, the number of men and women, their ages, their profession, their family size and status. The census is the only way to count everyone. Its results are used by a great many people and are available to everyone. The census is useful; it helps to work out present and future needs for housing by seeing how many people are housed now, or the sizes and ages of their families. In addition, the size of annual grants made by the Government to public services depends largely on the numbers and needs of people in the area provided by the census. Furthermore, the census shows how many people have moved from one area to another and how the number of the local work force is changing.
The census is taken in order to provide the figures about the nation as a whole. It does not give information about any named person, family or household. Therefore, names and addresses are needed on the forms but they are not fed into the computer. After the census, the forms with the names on are locked away and will not be released to anyone outside the Census Office for 100 years. The answers people give on their census forms will be treated in strict confidence. Everyone working on the census is sworn to secrecy and can be sued if he or she improperly reveals information.

The word “sued” in the last sentence 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 word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 31 to 35.
Easter is a holiday in late March or early April, the first Sunday after the first full moon after 21 March. Many people (31)_________it with their family or have a short holiday/ vacation. It is also an important Christian festival. Easter Sunday, the day of the Resurrection, is the end of Lent (32) ________  the most important date in the Christian year. Many people who do not go to church at other times go on Easter Sunday. It was once (33)_________for people to wear new clothes to church on this day. Women (34)_________new hats, called Easter bonnets. Today, people sometimes make elaborately decorated Easter bonnets for fun. A few people send Easter cards with religious symbols on them or pictures of small chickens, lambs, rabbits and spring flowers, all traditionally associated (35)_________Easter.
(35)................................

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.
Beatrix Potter was a story writer whose books about animals have been translated into many languages and read by both children and adults. (31)_________being an author, she was also regarded as a very successful farmer. Born in London in 1866, Beatrix was (32)_________for at home by various servants. Every year she (33)_________the days to her annual holiday in the countryside. She would take to her London home small animals which she (34)_________and drew. As she grew up, she entertained other children with drawings and stories about these animals. In 1901, she printed a book at her own (35)_________called 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit'. So many copies were sold that she bought a farm, where over the next eight years she wrote many other stories. They all sold very well and readers liked their detailed color drawings.
(34).......................

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

More __________ (6) 13,000 staff work with UNICEF, with approximately 85 per located in the field in 190 countries. Seven regional offices and over 124 country offices worldwide, 34 national committees, a research centre in Florence, a supply division in Copenhagen, a shared services centre in Budapest and offices in Berlin, Brussels, Seoul and Tokyo, and UNICEF headquarters __________ (7) New York and Geneva work on helping children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence.

We employ committed professional __________ (8) in our five focus areas: Child Survival and Development, Basic Education and Gender Equality, HIV/AIDS, Child Protection and Policy Advocacy and Partnerships. We __________ (9) employ staff with expertise in administration and finance, human resources, information technology, supply and logistics as well as external relations and communication. UNICEF’s presence in humanitarian crises means that we also seek experts __________ (10) emergency preparedness and response.

We employ committed professional __________ (8) in our five focus areas: Child Survival and Development, Basic Education and Gender Equality, HIV/AIDS, Child Protection and Policy Advocacy and Partnerships. 

Read the passage and choose the correct answer:

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. As a global authority UNICEF is able to influence decision makers at the global level and turn the most innovative ideas into reality.

In all of its work, UNICEF takes a life-cycle based approach, recognizing the particular importance of early childhood development and adolescence. UNICEF programmes focus on the most disadvantaged children, including those living in fragile contexts, those with disabilities, those who are affected by rapid urbanization and those affected by environmental degradation.

UNICEF was created with a distinct purpose in mind: to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path. We advocate for measures to give children the best start in life, because proper care at the youngest age forms the strongest foundation for a person’s future.

We promote girls’ education – ensuring that they complete primary education as a minimum – because it benefits all children, both girls and boys. Girls who are educated grow up to become better thinkers, better citizens, and better parents to their own children. We act so that all children are immunized against common childhood diseases, and are well nourished: no child should suffer or die from a preventable illness. We work to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people because it is right to keep them from harm and enable them to protect others. We help children and families affected by HIV/AIDS to live their lives with dignity.

 UNICEF contributes to the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

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

"The Security Council is the most powerful (1)…..  in the UN. It is responsible for maintaining international peace, and for (2)…. Peace when conflicts arise. Its decisions are binding on all UN members and have the force of international law. The Security Council has the (3)…  to define what is a threat to security, to determine how the UN should respond, and to enforce its decisions by ordering UN members to take certain (4)….. . For example, the Council may impose economic sanctions, such as halting trade with a country it considers an aggressor.
 The Security Council has 15 members, 5 of which hold permanent seats. The General Assembly elects the other 10 members for (5)….. two-year terms. The 5 permanent members - the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia (formerly the Soviet Union), and China - have the most power. These nations were the winning (6)…. at the end of World War II, and they still represent the bulk of the world's military might.
 Decisions of the Council require nine votes. But any one of the permanent members can veto an important decision. This authority is known (7) …. the veto right of the great powers. As a result, the Council is effective only when its permanent members can reach a consensus. Beginning in the 1990s, increased cooperation between the United States and Russia (8) …..the council to become more effective.
 In recent years, there has been growing (9)….. over which countries should have permanent seats on the Council. Some nations believe that other countries besides the original five should be included. For example, Japan and Germany are powerful countries that pay large membership dues and make substantial contributions to the UN, (10)…. they do not have permanent seats. There is no easy solution to this problem."

5. The General Assembly elects the other 10 members for (5)….. two-year terms. 

Read the following passage and Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions:
The brain of the average human weighs approximately 1.4 kilograms and consists of three main parts: the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brain stem. The cerebrum is by far the largest of the three parts, taking up 85% of the brain by weight. The outside layer of the cerebrum, the cerebral cortex, is a grooved and bumpy surface covering the nerve cells beneath. The various sections of the cerebrum are the sensory cortex, which is responsible for receiving and decoding sensory messages from throughout the body: the motor cortex, which sends action instructions to the skeletal muscles: and the association cortex, which receives, monitor and processes information. It is in the association cortex that the processes that allow humans to think take place. The cerebellum, located below the cerebrum in the back part of the skull, the section of the brain that controls balance and posture. The brain stem connects the cerebrum and the spinal cord. It control various body processes such as breathing and heartbeat.

Which of the following is true about the cerebellum?

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

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

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

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

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

According to the passage, what has happened to the wildlife in the past fifty years or so?