Why is it that flying to New York from London will leave you feeling less tired than flying to London from New York? The answer may be a clear case of biology not being able to keep up with technology.
Deep inside the brain there is a "clock" that governs every aspect of the body's functioning: sleep and wake cycles, levels of alertness, performance, mood, hormone levels, digestion, body temperature and so on. It regulates all of these functions on a 24-hour basis and is called the circadian clock (from the Latin, circa "about" + dies "day"). This body clock programmes us to be sleepy twice a day, between 3-5 a.m and again between 3-5 p.m.
Afternoon tea and siesta times are all cultural responses to our natural biological sleepiness in the afternoon.
One of the major causes of the travelers' malady known as jet lag is the non-alignment of a person's internal body clock with clocks in the external world. Crossing different time zones confuses the circadian clock, which then has to adjust to the new time and patterns of light and activity. To make matters more complex, not all internal body functions adjust at the same rate. So your sleep/wake may adjust to a new time zone at one rate, while your temperature adjusts at a different pace. Your digestion may be on a different schedule altogether.
Though we live in a 24-hour day, the natural tendency of the body clock is to extend our day beyond 24 hours. It is contrary to our biological programming to shrink our day. That is why traveling in a westward direction is more body-clock friendly than flying east. NASA studies of long haul pilots showed that westward travel was associated with significantly better sleep quantity and quality than eastward flights.
When flying west, you are "extending" your day, thus traveling in the natural direction of your internal clock. Flying eastward will involve "shrinking" or reducing your day and is in direct opposition to your internal clock's natural tendency. One of the more common complaints of travelers is that their sleep becomes disrupted. There are many reasons for this: Changing time zones and schedules, changing light and activity levels, trying to sleep when your body clock is programmed to be awake, disruption of the internal circadian clock and working longer hours.
Sleep loss, jet lag and fatigue can seriously affect our ability to function well. Judgment and decision-making can be reduced by 50%, attention by 75 percent, memory by 20 percent and communication by 30 percent.
It is often suggested that you adjust your watch as soon as you board a plane, supposedly to try to help you adjust to your destination's schedule as soon as you arrive. But it can take the body clock several days to several weeks to fully adjust to a new time zone.

 The direction you fly in................

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

"Since the 1940s, most international women’s rights efforts have been organized by the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), an office established in 1947 by the United Nations (UN). The Commission is the only existing intergovernmental body that issues reports on and recommendations for the promotion of women’s political, social, economic, and cultural rights. The CSW also acts as an advocate for women’s rights and can urge immediate international action in cases of severe violations of women’s rights.
 The UN encouraged equality in the workplace for men and women when it sponsored the Convention Concerning Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value in 1953 and the Convention Concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation in 1960. Over 100 countries ratified these measures. In 1975 the UN launched the Decade for Women, a ten-year effort to focus on women’s issues. From 1975 to 1985 international groups formed a series of conferences organized around the themes of equality, development, and peace. The conferences took place throughout the world and drew leaders and delegates from developing and industrialized nations alike. The Decade for Women culminated in the 1985 UN Nairobi Conference, held in Nairobi, Kenya, which was attended by 375 delegations of women from nations around the world.
 The United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing, China, in 1995. Over 17,000 people registered for the event, including delegates from nearly 200 countries. The Platform for Action that emerged from the conference focused on the removal of obstacles to women’s equal participation in society. The most controversial sections of the platform concerned reproductive rights, particularly the right to have an abortion. The final document declared that “the ability of women to control their own fertility forms, an important basis for the enjoyment of other rights,” and asserted the right of women and men to have access to all legal methods of fertility regulation."

3. What was the main goal of the Decade for Women?

Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase. In  the  1960s  the  women's  liberation  movement  (1)  _____  suddenly  into  the  public  consciousness  and  quickly  grew  into  (2)  _____ largest  social movement  in the history  of  the  United  States.  Women's  liberation movement  was  a  continuation  of  the  19-century  women's rights movement. The movement's major (3) _____ has included not only legal, economic, and political gains (4) _____ also has changed the  ways  in  which  people  live,  dress,  dream  of  their  future,  and  (5)  ___  a  living.  About  health,  for  example,  many  male  physicians and hospital  have  made  major  improvements  in  the  (6)  _____  of  women;  more  and  more  women  have  become  doctors  and  succeeded  (7) _____  their  medical  research;  and  diseases  such  as  breast  cancer,  which  affects  many  women,  now  receive  better funding  and  treatment, thanks to women's (8) ___. Feminists have insisted that violence against women become a political issue. The women's liberation movement has also made changes in education: curricula and (9) _____ have been written to promote equal opportunity for girls and women; more and more female students are admitted to universities and professional schools.The  women's  liberation  movement  brought  about  a  radical  change  in  society  (10)  _____  it  took  a  decade  for  the  movement  to  reach women's awareness.

(1)  _____

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

With which of the following statements would the author be most likely to agree?

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 growth of cities, the construction of hundreds of new factories, and the spread of railroads in the United Stases before 1850 had increased the need for better illumination. But the lighting in  American homes had improved very little over that of ancient times. Through the colonial period,  homes were lit with tallow candles or with a lamp of the kind used in ancient Rome- a dish of fish oil or  other animal or vegetable oil in which a twisted rag served as a wick. Some people used lard, but they  had to heat charcoal underneath to keep it soft and burnable. The sperm whale provided superior  burning oil, but this was expensive. In 1830 a new substance called "camphene" was patented, and  it proved to be an remained expensive, had an unpleasant odor, and also was dangerously explosive.
Between 1830 and 1850 it seemed that the only hope for cheaper illumination in the United  States was the wider use of gas. In the 1840s American gas manufacturers adopted improved British  techniques for producing illuminating gas from coal. But the expense of piping gas to the consumer  remained so high that until mid- century gas lighting was feasible only in urban areas, and only for  public buildings for the wealthy. In 1854 a Canadian doctor, Abraham Gesner, patented a process for  distilling a pitch like mineral found in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that produced illuminating  gas and an oil that he called "kerosene" (from "keros", the Greek word for wax, and "ene" because  it resembled camphene). Kerosene, though cheaper than camphene, had an unpleasant odor, and  Gesner never made his fortune from it. But Gesner had aroused a new hope for making illuminating oil from a product coming out of North American mines.

Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.

Today more and more women are actively participating in social activities both in urban and rural areas. Specifically, they have shined brightly  in  even  many  fields  commonly  regarded  as  the  man's  areas  such as  business,  scientific  research  and  social  management.  In  some areas,  women  even  show  more  overwhelming  power  than  men.  The  image  of  contemporary  Vietnamese  women  with  creativeness, dynamism, success has become popular in Vietnam's society. The fact reveals that the gender gap has been remarkably narrowed and women enjoy  many  more  opportunities  to  pursue  their  social  careers  and  obtain  success,  contributing  to  national  socio-economic  development.

According  to  Ms Le  Thi  Quy,  Director  of  the  Gender/and  Development  Research  Centre  under  the  University  of  Social  Sciences  and Humanities,  Hanoi National  University,  gender  equity  in  Vietnam  has  reached  a  high  level  over  the  past  decade.  The  rate  of  Vietnamese women  becoming  National  Assembly  members from the  9th  term  to  the  11th  term  increased  8.7%,  bringing  the  proportion  of  Vietnamese women in authority to 27.3%, the highest rate in Southeast Asia. There is no big gap in the level of literacy and schooling between men and women.  Women account for about  37%  of  university  and  college  graduates,  19.9%  of  doctoral  degree  holders  and 6.7%  of  professors  and associate professors.

The legitimate rights  of  women  and  children  are  ensured  more  than  ever  before  with more  complete  legal  documents  including laws, conventions and national action plans, among which the laws on "gender equity" mark a turning-point in the empowerment of women. Mass media also highlights the continued success of women in every field and honors their great importance in modern society, helping to do away  with outdated perceptions about traditional women's duties. Many projects on reproductive health care, children protection, and family  income  improvement  jointly  conducted  by  various  mass  organizations,  state  agencies  and  non-governmental  organizations  have created favorable conditions for women to become involved.

The text is about ________

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.

   My family consists of four people. There's my father whose name is Jan, my mother whose name is Marie, my brother, Peter and of course, me. I have quite a large extended family as well but, only the four of us live together in our apartment in a block of flats. My father is fifty-two years old. He works as an accountant in an insurance company. He is tall and slim, has got short brown and gray hair and blue eyes. My father likes gardening very much as well as listening to music and reading books about political science. His special hobbies are bird watching and travelling.

   Now I’ll describe my mother and my brother. My mother is forty-seven and she works as a nurse in a hospital. She is small, and slim, has short brown hair and green eyes. She likes bird watching and travelling too, so whenever my parents are able to they go someplace interesting for nature watching. Since we have a cottage with a garden they both spend a lot of time there. My brother is sixteen. He is slim and has short brown hair and blue eyes. He also attends high school. He is interested in computers and sports like football and hockey. He also spends a lot of time with his friends.

   I have only one grandmother left still living. She is in pretty good health even at the age of seventyeight so she still lives in her own flat. I enjoy spending time with her when I can. Both my grandfathers died from cancer because they were smokers, which was really a great tragedy because I didn't get chance to know them. My other grandmother died just a few years ago. I also have a lot of aunts, uncles, and cousins. The cousin I’m closest to is my uncle’s daughter Pauline. We have a lot in common because we are both eighteen and so we are good friends.

   My parents have assigned me certain duties around the house. I don't mind helping out because everyone in a family should contribute in some way. I help with the washing up, the vacuuming and the shopping. Of course I also have to help keep my room tidy as well. My brother is responsible for the dusting and mopping. He also has to clean his own room. Even though my brother and I sometimes fight about who has to do what job, we are still very close. I am also very close to my parents and I can rely on them to help me. My parents work together to keep our home well maintained and it seem they always have a project or another that they are working on. They respect each other's opinions and even if they disagree they can always come to a compromise. I hope in the future that 1 have a family like ours.

What does the writer’s brother do?

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D
 Diwali is a main Hindu festival. It is known as the “Festival of Lights”. It makes the victory of good over evil. In other words, lights are symbols of victory of brightness over darkness. People in India turn on lamps in every house and watch firecrackers in the night sky. These lights are a way showing honor to the gods of India for giving the people health, knowledge, riches and peace.

 On the day of Diwali, children get up at 3:00 a.m and take a bath. They dress up in festival clothes, light up the candles and share sweets. There is competition among the children to light the first firecracker and to make the loudest noise. Soon, the whole sky is bright. Children seem to have the most fun during this festival.

What does the passage mainly discuss?

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 goal of Internet-based encyclopedia Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) is to give everyone on the planet access to information. Like other encyclopedias, Wikipedia contains lots of information: more than 2.5 million articles in 200 different languages covering just about every subject. Unlike other encyclopedias, however, Wikipedia is not written by experts, but by ordinary people. These writers are not paid and their names are not published. They contribute to Wikipedia simply because they want to share their knowledge.
Encyclopedias began in ancient times as collections of writings about all aspects of human knowledge. The word itself comes from ancient Greek, and means "a complete general education". Real popularity for encyclopedias came in the nineteenth century in Europe and the United States, with the publication of encyclopedias written for ordinary readers. With the invention of the CD- ROM, the same amount of information could be put on a few computer discs. Then with the Internet, it became possible to create an online encyclopedia that could be constantly updated, like Microsoft's Encarta. However, even Internet-based encyclopedias like Encarta were written by paid experts. At first, Wikipedia, the brainchild of Jimmy Wales, a businessman in Chicago, was not so different from these. In 2001, he had the idea for an Internet-based encyclopedia that would provide information quickly and easily to everyone. Furthermore, that information would be available free, unlike other Internet encyclopedias at that time.
But Wales, like everyone else, believed that people with special knowledge were needed to write the articles, and so he began by hiring experts. He soon changed his approach, however, as it took them a long time to finish their work. He decided to open up the encyclopedia in a radical new way, so that everyone would have access not only to the information, but also to the process of putting this information online. To do this, he used what is known as "Wiki" software (from the Hawaiian word for "fast"), which allows users to create or alter content on web page. The system is very simple: When you open the web site, you can simply search for information or you can log on to become a writer or editor of articles. If you find an article that interests you - about your hometown, for example - you can correct it or expand it. This process goes on until no one is interested in making any more changes.

Wiki software enables________.

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.

   Ever since humans have inhabited the earth, they have made use of various forms of communication. Generally, this expression of thoughts and feelings has been in the form of oral speech. When there is a language barrier, communication is accomplished through sign language in which motions stand for letters, words and ideas. Tourists, the deaf, and the mute have no resort to this form of expression. Many of these symbols of the whole words are very picturesque and exact and can be used internationally: spelling, however, can not.

   Body language transmits ideas or thoughts by certain actions, either intentionally or unintentionally. A wink can be a way of flirting or indicating that the party is only joking. A nod signifies approval, while shaking the head indicates a negative reaction.

   Other forms of nonlinguistic language can be found in Braille (a system of raised dots read with fingertips), signal flags, Morse code, and smoke signals. Road maps and picture signs also guide, warn and instruct people. While verbalization is the most common form of language, other systems and techniques also express human thoughts and feelings.

How many different forms of communication are mentioned here?

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.
In recent years there have (31)_________many articles on air polution in newspapers and magazines. Scientists all over the world have warned that our atmosphere is becoming more and more contaminated, and that Man, through his carelessness, may run (32)_________of pure air to breathe.
Automobiles and industries mainly account (33)_________air pollution in most cities. They pour into the air such gases as carbon monoxide, sulphur and nitrogen oxides, which are very harmful (34)_________humans. Worrse still, these gases, a series of chemical changes, turn into toxic acids. They fall down in "acid rains", raising the acidity in the air, soil and water to dangerous levels and affecting not only tress but also fish and other wildlife. Many industrial countries in Europe and North America have suffered bad effects (35) ________  those "rains”.
(33).................

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

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

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

The title for this passage could be__________.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct answer for each of the blanks from 6 to 15

 
Revising for exams is not as easy as it looks. You will need to work out which routine suits you best, and then stick to it. Some people like studying at night when it’s quiet, whereas others find the early morning is a good time to get things done. You might enjoy (6)…….. to music while you revise, but this can be (7)……... Can you really concentrate (8)……….. two things at once? So think (9)……… you turn your radio on. Your (10)…….. is also important while you are revising. This may be a more than usually (11)………. period of your life, when you should take extra care to eat properly. No missed meals, or junk food, or (12)…….cups of coffee! Get plenty of exercise as well. If you have got fed up with (13)……. you’re doing, or find it hard to concentrate, go for a walk to clear your head. (14)……. exercise will help to keep your body fit and your brain working (15)………… Finally, you also need to take time off. Go out occasionally, see your friends, and make time to relax. Then you will return to your studies fresh and full of enthusiasm.

10.................

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

"Women’s Rights, rights that establish the same social, economic, and political (1)…. for women as for men. Women’s rights guarantee that women will not face (2)… on the basis of their sex. Until the second half of the 20th century, women in most societies were denied some of the legal and political rights accorded (3)… men. Although women in much of the world have gained significant legal rights, many people believe that women still do not have (4)….. political, economic, and social equality with men.
 Throughout much of the history of Western civilization, (5) ….. cultural beliefs allowed women only limited roles in society. Many people believed that women’s natural roles were as mothers and wives. These people (6)….. women to be better suited (7)……  childbearing and homemaking rather than for involvement (8)….. the public life of business or politics. Widespread belief that women were intellectually inferior to men led most societies to (9)….. women’s education to learning domestic (10)…. . Well-educated, upper-class men controlled most positions of employment and power in society."

1. Women’s Rights, rights that establish the same social, economic, and political (1)…. for women as for men.

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

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

(9) _____

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.

   Over the past 600 years, English has grown from a language of few speakers to become the dominant language of international communication. English as we know it today emerged around 1350, after having incorporated many elements of French that were introduced following the Norman invasion of 1066. Until the 1600s, English was, for the most part, spoken only in England and had not extended even as far as two centuries, English began to spread around the globe as a result of exploration, trade (including slave trade), colonization, and missionary work. Thus, small enclaves of English speakers became established and grew in various parts of the world. As these communities proliferated, English gradually became the primary language of international business, banking and diplomacy.

   Currently, about 80 percent of the information stored on computer systems worldwide is English. Two thirds of the world’s science writing is in English, and English is the main language of technology, advertising, media, international airports, and air traffic controllers. Today there are more than 700 million English users in the world, and over half of these are nonnative speakers, constituting the largest number of non-native users than any other language in the world..

According to the passage, all of the following contributed to the spread of English 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.

   Ever since humans have inhabited the earth, they have made use of various forms of communication. Generally, this expression of thoughts and feelings has been in the form of oral speech. When there is a language barrier, communication is accomplished through sign language in which motions stand for letters, words and ideas. Tourists, the deaf, and the mute have no resort to this form of expression. Many of these symbols of the whole words are very picturesque and exact and can be used internationally: spelling, however, can not.

   Body language transmits ideas or thoughts by certain actions, either intentionally or unintentionally. A wink can be a way of flirting or indicating that the party is only joking. A nod signifies approval, while shaking the head indicates a negative reaction.

   Other forms of nonlinguistic language can be found in Braille (a system of raised dots read with fingertips), signal flags, Morse code, and smoke signals. Road maps and picture signs also guide, warn and instruct people. While verbalization is the most common form of language, other systems and techniques also express human thoughts and feelings.

What is the best title for the passage?

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

"Women’s Rights, rights that establish the same social, economic, and political (1)…. for women as for men. Women’s rights guarantee that women will not face (2)… on the basis of their sex. Until the second half of the 20th century, women in most societies were denied some of the legal and political rights accorded (3)… men. Although women in much of the world have gained significant legal rights, many people believe that women still do not have (4)….. political, economic, and social equality with men.
 Throughout much of the history of Western civilization, (5) ….. cultural beliefs allowed women only limited roles in society. Many people believed that women’s natural roles were as mothers and wives. These people (6)….. women to be better suited (7)……  childbearing and homemaking rather than for involvement (8)….. the public life of business or politics. Widespread belief that women were intellectually inferior to men led most societies to (9)….. women’s education to learning domestic (10)…. . Well-educated, upper-class men controlled most positions of employment and power in society."

6. These people (6)….. women to be better suited

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

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

(6) _____

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

"Since the 1940s, most international women’s rights efforts have been organized by the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), an office established in 1947 by the United Nations (UN). The Commission is the only existing intergovernmental body that issues reports on and recommendations for the promotion of women’s political, social, economic, and cultural rights. The CSW also acts as an advocate for women’s rights and can urge immediate international action in cases of severe violations of women’s rights.
 The UN encouraged equality in the workplace for men and women when it sponsored the Convention Concerning Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value in 1953 and the Convention Concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation in 1960. Over 100 countries ratified these measures. In 1975 the UN launched the Decade for Women, a ten-year effort to focus on women’s issues. From 1975 to 1985 international groups formed a series of conferences organized around the themes of equality, development, and peace. The conferences took place throughout the world and drew leaders and delegates from developing and industrialized nations alike. The Decade for Women culminated in the 1985 UN Nairobi Conference, held in Nairobi, Kenya, which was attended by 375 delegations of women from nations around the world.
 The United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing, China, in 1995. Over 17,000 people registered for the event, including delegates from nearly 200 countries. The Platform for Action that emerged from the conference focused on the removal of obstacles to women’s equal participation in society. The most controversial sections of the platform concerned reproductive rights, particularly the right to have an abortion. The final document declared that “the ability of women to control their own fertility forms, an important basis for the enjoyment of other rights,” and asserted the right of women and men to have access to all legal methods of fertility regulation."

1. What are the functions of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)?

Just as optical fibers have transformed communication, they are also revolutionizing medicine. These ultrathin, flexible fibers have opened a window into the living tissues of the body. By inserting optical fibers through natural openings or small incisions and threading  them along the body's established pathways, physicians can look into the lungs, intestines,  heart and other areas that were formerly inaccessible to   them.
The basic fiber-optics system is called fiberscope, which consists of  two  bundles  of fibers. One, the illuminating bundle, carries light to the tissues. Is is coupled to  a  high- intensity light source. Light enters the cores of the high-purity silicon glass and travels along the fibers. A lens at the end of the bundle collects the light and  focuses  it into the other  bundle, the imaging bundle. Each fiber in the bundle transmits only a tiny fraction of the total image. The reconstructed image can be viewed through an eyepiece or displayed on a television screen.
During the last five years, improved methods of fabricating optical fibers have led to a reduction in fiberscope diameter and an increase in the number of fibers, which in turn has increased resolution. Optical fibers can also be used to deliver laser light. By use of laser beams, physicians can perform surgery inside the body, sometimes eliminating the need for invasive procedures in which healthy tissue must be cut through to reach the site of disease. Many of these procedures do not require anesthesia and can be performed in a physician's office. These techniques have reduced the risk and the cost of medical care.

What is the main topic of the  passage?