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

It is difficult to succeed in the music business; nine out of ten bands that release a first record fail to produce a second. Surviving in the music industry requires luck and patience, but most of all it requires an intricate knowledge of how a record company functions. The process begins when a representative of a company’s Artists and Repertoire (A&R) department visits bars and night clubs, scouting for young, talented bands. After the representative identifies a promising band, he or she will work to negotiate a contract with that band. The signing of this recording contract is a slow process. A company will send a long time investigating the band itself as well as current trends in popular music. During this period, it is important that a band reciprocate with an investigation of its own, learning as much as possible about the record company and making personal connections within the different departments that will handle its recordings.

          Once a band has signed the contract and has finished recording an album, the Publicity and Promotions department take over. This department decides whether or not to mass produce and market the band’s album. Most bands fail to make personal contacts in this second department, thus losing their voice in the important final process of producing and marketing their album. This loss of voice often contributes to the band’s failure as a recording group.

According to the passage, the initial contact between a band and a recording company is made by…………..

A. the band’s manager

B. a band member

C. and (A&R) representative

D. the Publicity and Promotions department

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

It is difficult to succeed in the music business; nine out of ten bands that release a first record fail to produce a second. Surviving in the music industry requires luck and patience, but most of all it requires an intricate knowledge of how a record company functions. The process begins when a representative of a company’s Artists and Repertoire (A&R) department visits bars and night clubs, scouting for young, talented bands. After the representative identifies a promising band, he or she will work to negotiate a contract with that band. The signing of this recording contract is a slow process. A company will send a long time investigating the band itself as well as current trends in popular music. During this period, it is important that a band reciprocate with an investigation of its own, learning as much as possible about the record company and making personal connections within the different departments that will handle its recordings.

          Once a band has signed the contract and has finished recording an album, the Publicity and Promotions department take over. This department decides whether or not to mass produce and market the band’s album. Most bands fail to make personal contacts in this second department, thus losing their voice in the important final process of producing and marketing their album. This loss of voice often contributes to the band’s failure as a recording group.

The author mentions that a band’s success is dependent on all of the following factors EXCEPT………….. 

A. having patience 

B. making personal contacts with people in the company 

C. understanding how a record company functions 

D. playing music that sounds like music of famous bands

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

It is difficult to succeed in the music business; nine out of ten bands that release a first record fail to produce a second. Surviving in the music industry requires luck and patience, but most of all it requires an intricate knowledge of how a record company functions. The process begins when a representative of a company’s Artists and Repertoire (A&R) department visits bars and night clubs, scouting for young, talented bands. After the representative identifies a promising band, he or she will work to negotiate a contract with that band. The signing of this recording contract is a slow process. A company will send a long time investigating the band itself as well as current trends in popular music. During this period, it is important that a band reciprocate with an investigation of its own, learning as much as possible about the record company and making personal connections within the different departments that will handle its recordings.

          Once a band has signed the contract and has finished recording an album, the Publicity and Promotions department take over. This department decides whether or not to mass produce and market the band’s album. Most bands fail to make personal contacts in this second department, thus losing their voice in the important final process of producing and marketing their album. This loss of voice often contributes to the band’s failure as a recording group.

Which of the following statements best express the main idea of the passage? 

A.  Nine out of ten bands fail to produce a second album. 

B. It is important for a band to have an intricate knowledge of how a recording company works. 

C. Making personal connections will help the band in the final decisions about the promotion of  their album. 

D. The main factors in a band’s success are luck and patience.

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

It is difficult to succeed in the music business; nine out of ten bands that release a first record fail to produce a second. Surviving in the music industry requires luck and patience, but most of all it requires an intricate knowledge of how a record company functions. The process begins when a representative of a company’s Artists and Repertoire (A&R) department visits bars and night clubs, scouting for young, talented bands. After the representative identifies a promising band, he or she will work to negotiate a contract with that band. The signing of this recording contract is a slow process. A company will send a long time investigating the band itself as well as current trends in popular music. During this period, it is important that a band reciprocate with an investigation of its own, learning as much as possible about the record company and making personal connections within the different departments that will handle its recordings.

          Once a band has signed the contract and has finished recording an album, the Publicity and Promotions department take over. This department decides whether or not to mass produce and market the band’s album. Most bands fail to make personal contacts in this second department, thus losing their voice in the important final process of producing and marketing their album. This loss of voice often contributes to the band’s failure as a recording group.

As used in paragraph 1, the word “release” is closest in meaning to ……….

A. distribute

B. pay for

C. overturn

D. itemize

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

It is difficult to succeed in the music business; nine out of ten bands that release a first record fail to produce a second. Surviving in the music industry requires luck and patience, but most of all it requires an intricate knowledge of how a record company functions. The process begins when a representative of a company’s Artists and Repertoire (A&R) department visits bars and night clubs, scouting for young, talented bands. After the representative identifies a promising band, he or she will work to negotiate a contract with that band. The signing of this recording contract is a slow process. A company will send a long time investigating the band itself as well as current trends in popular music. During this period, it is important that a band reciprocate with an investigation of its own, learning as much as possible about the record company and making personal connections within the different departments that will handle its recordings.

          Once a band has signed the contract and has finished recording an album, the Publicity and Promotions department take over. This department decides whether or not to mass produce and market the band’s album. Most bands fail to make personal contacts in this second department, thus losing their voice in the important final process of producing and marketing their album. This loss of voice often contributes to the band’s failure as a recording group.

As used in paragraph 2, the phrase ‘takes over’ is closest in meaning to …….

A. takes charge

B. takes pleasure

C. takes advice

D. takes blame

19. It is getting ……………. to understand what the professor is explaining.

     A. more and more difficult                         B. more difficult than usual

     C. difficult more and more                         D. the more difficult

20. Most of the diseases are caused by the unhygienic surroundings …………...       

people live.

     A. in where             B. 0                      C. in that                   D. in which

21. Most children find it uncomfortable ………………… like little kids.

     A. being treated           B. treating            C. to be treated            D. to treat

22. Hardly anyone is injured after the serious flood in this area,……………..?

     A. does he              B. do they              C. aren’t they               D. are they

23. It was ……………….. that he was kept in hospital for nearby a month.

     A. so a serious accident                              B. so serious an accident

     C. such serious an accident                         D. a such serious accident

24. The government is being ……………… criticized in the press for failing to limit air pollution.

     A. widely                B. wide                               C. widen                  D. widened

25. In spite of his abilities, Peter has been …………… overlooked for promotion.

     A. repetitive             B. repeatedly              C. repetitious              D. repetition

26. You will have to …………………….. your holiday if you are too ill to travel.

     A. put out               B. put off                C. put down                   D. put up

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the most suitable response to complete each of the following exchanges.

27. Minh: “…………………….”

      Mai: “Well, what I mean is, I think it’s a good idea.”

     A. Do you mean it?                                    B. What’s the meaning of this word?

     C. Is it what you mean?                  D. I don't get what you mean.

28. John: “Do you think that we should use public transportation to protect our

     environment?”

      Ken: “ …………………………”

     A. I see.                                                     B. Of course not. You bet.

     C. Well, that’s very surprising.                    D. There is no doubt about it.

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

It is difficult to succeed in the music business; nine out of ten bands that release a first record fail to produce a second. Surviving in the music industry requires luck and patience, but most of all it requires an intricate knowledge of how a record company functions. The process begins when a representative of a company’s Artists and Repertoire (A&R) department visits bars and night clubs, scouting for young, talented bands. After the representative identifies a promising band, he or she will work to negotiate a contract with that band. The signing of this recording contract is a slow process. A company will send a long time investigating the band itself as well as current trends in popular music. During this period, it is important that a band reciprocate with an investigation of its own, learning as much as possible about the record company and making personal connections within the different departments that will handle its recordings.

          Once a band has signed the contract and has finished recording an album, the Publicity and Promotions department take over. This department decides whether or not to mass produce and market the band’s album. Most bands fail to make personal contacts in this second department, thus losing their voice in the important final process of producing and marketing their album. This loss of voice often contributes to the band’s failure as a recording group.

The author uses the phrase “ losing their voice” in paragraph 2 to illustrate that they …….

A.  are forbidden to speak

B. are unable to visit

C. have no representation

D. are too shy to express their desires

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

It is difficult to succeed in the music business; nine out of ten bands that release a first record fail to produce a second. Surviving in the music industry requires luck and patience, but most of all it requires an intricate knowledge of how a record company functions. The process begins when a representative of a company’s Artists and Repertoire (A&R) department visits bars and night clubs, scouting for young, talented bands. After the representative identifies a promising band, he or she will work to negotiate a contract with that band. The signing of this recording contract is a slow process. A company will send a long time investigating the band itself as well as current trends in popular music. During this period, it is important that a band reciprocate with an investigation of its own, learning as much as possible about the record company and making personal connections within the different departments that will handle its recordings.

          Once a band has signed the contract and has finished recording an album, the Publicity and Promotions department take over. This department decides whether or not to mass produce and market the band’s album. Most bands fail to make personal contacts in this second department, thus losing their voice in the important final process of producing and marketing their album. This loss of voice often contributes to the band’s failure as a recording group.

According to the passage, the Publicity and Promotions department……….

A. has the final decision in producing an album 

B. handles the recording arrangements for the band 

C. sends representatives to look for new talent 

D. visits bars and night clubs

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

       Archimedes’s Principle is a law of physics that states that when an object is totally or partially immersed in a fluid, it experiences an upthrust equal to the weight of the fluid displaced. The principle is most frequently applied to the behaviour of objects in water, and helps to explain floating and sinking, and why objects seem lighter in water. It also applies to balloons.

        The key word in the principle is “upthrust”, which refers to the force acting upward to reduce the apparent weight of the object when it is under water. If, for example, a metal block with a volume of 100 cm³  is dipped in water, it displaces an equal volume of water, which has a weight of approximately 1 N (3.5 oz). The block therefore seems to weigh about 1 N less.

        An object will float if its average density is less than that of water. If it is totally submerged, the weight of the water it displaces (and hence the upthrust on it) is greater than its own weight, and it is forced upward and out of water, until the weight if water displaced by submerged part is exactly equal to the weight of the floating object. Thus a block of wood with a density six tenths that of water will float with six tenths of its volume under water, since at that point the weight of fluid displaced is the same as the blocks’s own weight. If a dense material is made into a suitable shape, it will float because of Archimedes’s principle. A ship floats, whereas a block of iron of the same mass sinks.

        It is also because of Archimedes’s principle that ships float lower in the water when they are heavily loaded (more water must be displaced to give the necessary upthrust). In addition, they cannot be so heavily loaded if they are to sail in fresh water as they can if they are to sail in the sea, since fresh water is less dense than sea water, and so more water must be displaced to give the necessary upthrust. This means the ship is lower in the water, which can be dangerous in rough weather.

         From “Archimedes’s Principle”, MicrosoftÒ Student 2008[DVD]. Microsoft Corporation, 2007.

What happens when something is immersed in a fluid?

A. It will be pushed further down with a force, equal to the weight of the fluid displaced.

B. It receives an upward force, equal to the weight of the fluid displaced

C. It receives a download force, equal to the weight of the fluid displaced

D. The fluid will expand the object and overflow to the floor