Earthquakes are the most destructive natural disasters. They usually hit without any (23) ________and result in a great loss of life and an enormous demolition of buildings. Additionally, they may cause devastating landslides or (24) ________ gigantic tidal waves which, in fact, are colossal walls of water smashing into seashores with such force that they are capable of destroying coastal cities. (25) ________, the vast majority of fatalities and serious injuries come about when buildings collapse.

     Most frequently, the earthquake lasts 30 to 60 seconds, so usually there is no time to escape once the shaking starts. The savage (26) ________ of an earthquake trigger off a complex chain reaction in the building's structure when it is shaken, lifted, pushed or pulled. A building's height, its shape and construction materials are the most (27) ________factors deciding about the survival and collapse of the structure and, consequently, about the life or death of its inhabitants.

23. A. notice                    B. warning                   C. caution                    D. advice

24. A. create                    B. build                        C. construct                 D. get

25. A. Although              B. Nevertheless          C. Since                       D. However

26. A. services                B. results                     C. forces                      D. waves

27. A. significant            B. considerate            C. trivial                      D. positive

Ex6: Read the following passage and choose the correct answer

Throughout its history, Japan (1)________from the destructive sea surges, known as tsunami. Tsunamis (2)________by earthquakes, hundreds of which strike Japan each year. It is of utmost importance that Japan is always ready for this chain of natural disasters. In Japan, high-rise buildings in major cities (3)________so that they (4)_______rather than shake during earthquakes, making them safer. Besides, new regualtions for quake-proofing buildings came into force, and some local governments (5)_____citizens a structural health check on their homes. Some coastal areas have tsunamis (6)_______, while others (7)________built floodgates to withstand inflows of water from tsunamis. And if an earthquake above a certain magnitude (8)_________, the bullet train will stop and nuclear and other plants will automatically go into temporary shut-down.

1. A.had suffered B. has suffered C. had been suffered D. has been suffered

2. A.trigger B. are triggered C. triggered D. were triggered

3. A.design B. are designed C. designed D. were designed

4. A.sway B. are swaying C. are swayed D. have swayed

5. A. offer B. are offering C. are offered D. offered

6. A.home B. house C. shelter D. habitat

7. A.build B. are building C. are built D. have built

8. A.strikes B. is striking C. has struck D. is struck

II. Read the passage and do the tasks below it. (1.5pts)           MOTHER’S DAY

            The modern Mother’s Day is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in March, April, or May as a day to honour mothers and motherhood.
            Historically, the celebration has its origin in ancient customs and traditions. The ancient Greeks kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of Greek gods. The ancient Romans also had another holiday, Matronalia, that was dedicated to Juno (an ancient Roman goddess), though mothers were usually given gifts on this day. In Europe there were several long standing traditions where a specific Sunday was set aside to honour motherhood and mothers.
            Today, the holiday has become very popular around the world. People take the day as an opportunity to pay tribute to their mothers and tank them for all their love and support. There is also a tradition of gifting flowers, cards and other gifts to mothers on the occasion.

1)      Answer the questions: (1.0pt)
1. In what months is Mother’s Day celebrated around the world?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. What is Matronalia?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. When do Europe people celebrate Mother’s Day?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. What do mothers receive on Mother’s Day?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………

                            THE GREAT LIBRARY IN ALEXANDRIA

            Today, there are libraries in almost every town in the world. Even in areas (36) ……..there are no libraries, there are often mobile libraries which take books from one village to (37). But in the days when books were copied by hand rather than printed, libraries were very rare. The reason is simple: books took a very long time to produce, and there were far  (38) ____copies of any given work around. The greatest library (39) …….all, that in Alexandria, had 54,000 books. In the ancient world, this number was considered huge. It was the first time that anyone (40)……. ever collected so many books from all around the world under one roof. There are many theories about             (41) …….these books were lost. (42)……. is that the library accidentally burned down. Another is that one of the rulers of the city ordered the books to be burned. They were taken to various places and it (43) six months to burn them. (44)……. happened, the collection there was priceless. Many of the library's treasures were lost forever - some books were never recovered. We cannot even know what exactly the library (45)…….

Question 36. A. where            B. which             C. that                            D. whose

Question 37. A. the other       B. other               C. another                      D. the another

Question 38. A. little              B. less                 C. few                            D. fewer

Question 39. A. among           B. of                   C. for                              D. in

Question 40. A. has                B. has been         C. was                            D. had

Question 41. A. how               B. when              C. what                          D. which

Question 42. A. Some             B. One                C. A                               D. It

Question 43. A. took              B. spent              C. cost                            D. lasted

Question 44. A. However       B. Whenever       C. Whatever                   D. Whoever

Question 45. A. made up        B. composed      C. contained                   D. included

Read the passage, and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.

Fabrizio from Venice: Of course, there’s a lot to see in Venice. It’s one of the most famous cities in the world. First of all, there are the canals. We don’t have cars in Venice so you have to travel everywhere by canal. The most famous place in Venice is the square. St. Mark’s Square with St. Mark’s Cathedral. And there are lots of museums and palaces, and beautiful bridges, too.

Yumi from Kyoto: For me, Kyoto is the most beautiful city in Japan. It’s also the oldest city. It has many old traditional buildings, and beautiful palaces, temples and gardens. The most famous temple is the Golden Pavilion. There are also very good markets, and also really good shops, and some beautiful modern buildings, too.

Murat from Istanbul: I think Istanbul is maybe the most beautiful city in the world, but of course I come from Istanbul! The city is built on hills around the Bosphoros, and so there arebeautiful views across the water. From the water, you can see mosques – the most famous is called the Blue Mosque – and palaces and bridges. Istanbul also has a very famous market called the Grand Bazaar. But these days we also have many modern shopping centres and modern buildings and hotels. It’s really a fantastic city.

Claudia from Rio de Janeiro: Rio is one of the most exciting cities in South America ... first of course we have our famous beach, the Copacabana, and there are many mountains around Rio – the most famous is the Sugar Plum Mountain where you can see a big statue of Christ, and of course we have our famous stadium... the Macarana stadium, maybe the most famous football stadium in the world ... it’s really a great place.

Marina from St. Petersburg: You’ll really love St. Petersburg because there are so many things to see. The most famous is the Winter Palace, where the Tsars lived, and the Hermitage Museum which is a fantastic art gallery, and we have a very beautiful river too, the River Neva, and of course churches and cathedrals. There is so much to see!

1. The place(s) that Fabrizio recommends coming to in Venice most must be .

A. the square B. the museums C. the canals D. beautiful bridges

2. All of the following are true about Kyoto EXCEPT that .

A. it is the most beautiful city in Japan

B. it has very good markets and shops

C. the Golden Pavilion is very famous

D. it only has old traditional buildings

3. The most spectacular views of Istanbul are .

A. the Bosphoros

B. the mosques across the water

C. the Grand Bazaar on the Bosphoros

D. modern shopping centres and buildings

4. We can infer from Claudia’s words that people in Rio .

A. are very religious

B. love architecture

C. love football very much

D. built the statue of Christ on the Copacabana

5. People who would probably want to visit St. Petersburg most are .

A. sports enthusiasts B. art lovers

C. politicians D. ballet dancers

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 43 to 50.

          Experts in climatology and other scientists are becoming extremely concerned about the changes to our climate which are taking place. Admittedly, climate changes have occurred on our planet before. For example, there have been several ice ages or glacial periods.
          These climatic changes, however, were different from the modern ones in that they occurred gradually and, as far as we know, naturally. The changes currently being monitored are said to be the result not of natural causes, but of human activity. Furthermore, the rate of change is becoming alarmingly rapid.
          The major problem is that the planet appears to be warming up. According to some experts, this warming process, known as global warming, is occurring at a rate unprecedented in the last 10,000 years. The implications for the planet are very serious. Rising global temperatures could give rise to such ecological disasters as extremely high increases in the incidence of flooding and of droughts. These in turn could have a harmful effect on agriculture.
          It is thought that this unusual warming of the Earth has been caused by so-called greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, being emitted into the atmosphere by car engines and modern industrial processes, for example. Such gases not only add to the pollution of the atmosphere, but also create a greenhouse effect, by which the heat of the sun is trapped. This leads to the warming up of the planet.
          Politicians are also concerned about climate change and there are now regular summits on the subject, attended by representatives from around 180 of the world’s industrialized countries. Of these summits, the most important took place in Kyotoin Japanin 1997. There it was agreed that the most industrialized countries would try to reduce the volume of greenhouse gas emissions and were given targets for this reduction of emissions.
          It was also suggested that more forests should be planted to create so-called sinks to absorb greenhouse gases. At least part of the problem of rapid climate change has been caused by too drastic deforestation.
          Sadly, the targets are not being met. Even more sadly, global warnings about climate changes are often still being regarded as scaremongering

The word “alarmingly” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ____

A. disapprovingly

B. disappointingly

C. surprisingly

D. worryingly

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 43 to 50.

          Experts in climatology and other scientists are becoming extremely concerned about the changes to our climate which are taking place. Admittedly, climate changes have occurred on our planet before. For example, there have been several ice ages or glacial periods.
          These climatic changes, however, were different from the modern ones in that they occurred gradually and, as far as we know, naturally. The changes currently being monitored are said to be the result not of natural causes, but of human activity. Furthermore, the rate of change is becoming alarmingly rapid.
          The major problem is that the planet appears to be warming up. According to some experts, this warming process, known as global warming, is occurring at a rate unprecedented in the last 10,000 years. The implications for the planet are very serious. Rising global temperatures could give rise to such ecological disasters as extremely high increases in the incidence of flooding and of droughts. These in turn could have a harmful effect on agriculture.
          It is thought that this unusual warming of the Earth has been caused by so-called greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, being emitted into the atmosphere by car engines and modern industrial processes, for example. Such gases not only add to the pollution of the atmosphere, but also create a greenhouse effect, by which the heat of the sun is trapped. This leads to the warming up of the planet.
          Politicians are also concerned about climate change and there are now regular summits on the subject, attended by representatives from around 180 of the world’s industrialized countries. Of these summits, the most important took place in Kyotoin Japanin 1997. There it was agreed that the most industrialized countries would try to reduce the volume of greenhouse gas emissions and were given targets for this reduction of emissions.
          It was also suggested that more forests should be planted to create so-called sinks to absorb greenhouse gases. At least part of the problem of rapid climate change has been caused by too drastic deforestation.
          Sadly, the targets are not being met. Even more sadly, global warnings about climate changes are often still being regarded as scaremongering

The word “drastic” in paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to ____.

A. hard

B. severe

C. widespread

D. obvious

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 43 to 50.

          Experts in climatology and other scientists are becoming extremely concerned about the changes to our climate which are taking place. Admittedly, climate changes have occurred on our planet before. For example, there have been several ice ages or glacial periods.
          These climatic changes, however, were different from the modern ones in that they occurred gradually and, as far as we know, naturally. The changes currently being monitored are said to be the result not of natural causes, but of human activity. Furthermore, the rate of change is becoming alarmingly rapid.
          The major problem is that the planet appears to be warming up. According to some experts, this warming process, known as global warming, is occurring at a rate unprecedented in the last 10,000 years. The implications for the planet are very serious. Rising global temperatures could give rise to such ecological disasters as extremely high increases in the incidence of flooding and of droughts. These in turn could have a harmful effect on agriculture.
          It is thought that this unusual warming of the Earth has been caused by so-called greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, being emitted into the atmosphere by car engines and modern industrial processes, for example. Such gases not only add to the pollution of the atmosphere, but also create a greenhouse effect, by which the heat of the sun is trapped. This leads to the warming up of the planet.
          Politicians are also concerned about climate change and there are now regular summits on the subject, attended by representatives from around 180 of the world’s industrialized countries. Of these summits, the most important took place in Kyotoin Japanin 1997. There it was agreed that the most industrialized countries would try to reduce the volume of greenhouse gas emissions and were given targets for this reduction of emissions.
          It was also suggested that more forests should be planted to create so-called sinks to absorb greenhouse gases. At least part of the problem of rapid climate change has been caused by too drastic deforestation.
          Sadly, the targets are not being met. Even more sadly, global warnings about climate changes are often still being regarded as scaremongering

According to the passage, in what way did the climate changes in the ice ages differ from the modern ones?

A. They occurred naturally over a long period of time

B. They were partly intended

C. They were wholly the result of human activity

D. They were fully monitored by humans

It took hundreds of thousands of years for the world population to grow to 1 billion. However, in just another two centuries, it grew sevenfold. You know, in 2011, the total population of the world reached 7 billion. And today, it's about 7.5 billion. Tokyo, with 37.8 million residents, continues to be the largest city in the world in terms of population.

Advances in modern medicine are the main cause of this dramatic growth in the world population. It helps the birth rates increase and the death rates decline. The second contributor is the improvement in living standards. This leads to the rise of global lifespan, from 64.8 years in the early 1990s to 70.0 years today. Last but not least, the number of women of reproductive age is increasing day by day.

However, the rapid population growth can lead to the shortage in medical and educational facilities and services. The population grows fast so the demand for energy also increases. Therefore, energy shortages are also a big problem. In addition, air, water and land pollution caused by growing population in big cities has bad effects on people's health.

Decide if the following statements are True or False or Not Given.

Question. The lifespan today is higher than in the early 1990s.

A. True

B. False

C. Not Given