PART 4. Questions 21-25. Read the text and questuions below. For each question, mark the correct letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet.

AT HOME IN VENICE BY FRANCESCO DA MOSTO

I was born in Venice, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy, and studied architecture at university there. Though I have also spent time away, I have always come back because it's my home. In Venice, there are no roads, only canals, so you have to get around on foot or by boat. I live on a canal in the Rialto area in a house that was built 1588 for the Multi family, who were merchants in the silk trade. In the mid-eighteenth century, it was home to the Vezzi family, who made things like plates and bowls in fine china and became rich sending these around the world. These merchants' houses in Venice are like palaces. Their owners had to have space to show off their foods, but the building also had to be an office, a factory, a store and a home. My house came into our family in 1919, when it was bought by my grandfather. He died before I was born but he was the director of a museum where I often do research on old documents. On some of these, I’ve seen notes in his handwriting, so, in a strange way, I met him through these documents.

Sadly, the population of Venice has dropped from120, 000 in the 1950s to about 60,000 now. This doesn't include the thousands of tourists who come to visit. I welcome the tourists but unless something is done to stop everyday shops like bakeries and chemists from disappearing, the city will die. I want people who love the city to come here to live and work and give Venice back a life that is not just about tourism.

21. What is the writer's main reason for writing this text?

A. to persuade more tourists to visit his city        B. to give readers the history of his home town  

C. to say what he feels about his birthplace        D. to describe some important moments in his life

22. The family who first owned the writer's home

A. used to buy and sell silk.           B. produced plates and bowls.  

C. were skilled architects.               D. helped to build the canals.

23. What does the writer say about his grandfather?

A. His grandfather taught him how to study documents.  

B. He didn’t find his grandfather's handwriting easy to read.  

C. He wasn’t able to get to know his grandfather personally.

D. His grandfather turned his home into a museum.

24. What is the writer's attitude to Venice today?

A. He hopes tourists al stop waiting the city.  

B. He would like people to get jobs working with tourists.  

C. He believes the city would benefit from having fewer inhabitants.  

D. He thinks local businesses should be encouraged to stay.

25. What might the writer say about his house?

A. I have never lived anywhere else apart from in my home in in the Rialto area of Venice.  

B. My house is on a canal in Venice and my family, starting with my grandfather have lived there since 1919.  

C. We don't know who lived in the house before 1588 but it was owned by merchants from then until the eighteenth century.  

D. The house was made bigger in the mid-eighteenth century because the owner wanted it to look like a palace.

Choose a suitable word or phrase (marked A, B, C, or D) to fill in each blank.

Question 1: Walking in further, she found the bathroom was adjacent __________ the dressing room.
A. with             B. on              C. to               D. in

Question 2: They shot the film in Ireland, ___________ avoiding the problems associated with filming in a hot climate.
A. whereby          B. nearby          C. thereby          D. close by

Question 3: Much of the wealth he accumulated was invested in real estate in numerous rural areas in the ___________ of Carpathian.
A. vicinity            B. territory             C. region             D. enclave

Question 4: The standard of service at that hotel has ____________ since we last stayed there.
A. deteriorated            B. languished            C. degenerated             D. debilitated

Question 5: He was famously a war hero, a connoisseur, a philanthropist and a devoted family man who had to ____________ an appalling succession of tragedies.
A. tackle             B. confront             C. withstand              D. approach

2.1. Read the text below and decide which answer A, B, C, or D fits each space.
“A Kid in King Arthurs Court” is directed by Michael Gottlieb. The main (1) _______ in the film is a
teenager called Calvin Fuller. Calvin is (2)_______ by Thomas Ian Nicholas. This film is a modern retelling
of Mark Twain’s (3) _______ book Connecticut Yankee.
Calvin lives in California, USA. Fie is a very shy boy and he is not very good at sports. At the beginning
of the film, Calvin is playing baseball when there is a (4) _______ earthquake. A hole opens in the ground and
Calvin falls through it. He lands in the past, in the (5) _______of King Arthur.
Calvin meets King Arthur and Merlin, the wizard. King Arthur is played by Joss Ackland and Merlin
is played by Ron Moody. They think that Calvin is (6) _______ because he plays them modern music on his
CD player and he show them (7)_______to make roller blades and a mountain bike. Calvin is trained to be a
knight and he becomes more (8) _______. Calvin helps King Arthur to beat his enemy, Lord Belasco, and
then Merlin sends Calvin back to the future. Calvin finds himself back in the baseball game, (9) _______this
time he wins the game.
The special effects in A Kid in King Arthurs Court are very good. Michael Gottlieb is a great director
and the actors‘ performances are good. The film is funny and (10) _______. It‘s a comedy, a drama, and an
action film all in one.
1. A. author B. name C. character D. actress
2. A. played B. did C. made D. created
3. A. classify B. class C. classic D. classical
4. A. terrify B. terrible C. terrifying D. terribled
5. A. period B. decade C. moment D. time
6. A. amazed B. amazing C. amaze D. amazes
7. A. what B. whatever C. how D. which
8. A. confident B. confidence C. confide D. confided
9. A. although B. but C. despite D. even
10. A. excite B. excited C. excites D. exciting

SECTION 4: READING.VII. Read the passage. Then choose one suitable word to fill in the gaps. (2.0 points)Jim Green is a student at May Secondary School. He (1)___________ classes from Mondayto Friday. He has many (2)_______________ to do after class in the afternoon. On Monday andWednesday, he helps his (3)___________ with their English. On Tuesday and Thursday, hetakes part in the Informatics Club. On Friday, he goes (4)__________ on the river. He goes tothe park or museum (5)_________ his parents and his sister (6)_______________ Saturday. OnSunday, he has a good rest (7)__________ home and (8)___________ his homework.Now it is 8:30 in the morning. Jim (9)________ in the classroom and having a maths class.He is listening to the teacher carefully. His friends David and Tony are looking at theblackboard. Lucy and Lily are thinking. Mary is writing something in her notebook. All ofthem (10)_________ working hard.1. A. to have B. has C. have D. having2. A. school B. lesson C. housework D. things3. A. books B. friends C. rulers D. notebooks4. A. to the zoo B. camping C. sailing D. shopping5. A. with B. to C. by D. of6. A. at B. in C. on D. to7. A. in B. at C. on D. of8. A. makes B. works C. does D. thinks9. A. are sitting B. sitting C. sit D. is sitting10. A. is B. are C. x D. be

I.  Read the text below and select the best option for each blank. Write your answers (A, B, C, or D) in the box provided. (10 marks)

Earthquakes

An earthquake is a trembling of the earth’s surface and is caused by natural (1) ______ within the earth itself. About a million earthquakes are (2)______ each year, but the vast (3)______ are small and cause little or no (4)______. (5)______ the energy of a large earthquake can be 10,000 times more powerful than that of the first atomic bomb. The terrible earthquake that (6)______ the cities of Tokyo and Yokohama in Japan in 1923 caused an estimate of 142,807 deaths. Even (7)______ disastrous was an earthquake in China when about 655,000 people died.

Most earthquakes (8)______ under the ocean bed. Many of these are harmless, but sometimes tidal waves are set up on the (9)______. The waves are not high in the middle of the ocean, but they travel quickly, and may be huge as they rush up a shallow shore. Such devastating walls of water can (10)______ widespread destruction.

1.   A. resources B. strength C. forces D. powers

2.   A. shown B. caught C. studied D. recorded

3.   A. area B. majority C. number D. amount

4.   A. hurt B. injury C. damage D. pain  

5.   A. Although B. Yet C. Therefore D. Similarly

6.   A. destroyed B. covered C. threatened D. affected

7.   A. more B. if C. though D. so

8.   A. stay B. occur C. come D. attack

9.   A. ground B. air C. mountain D. surface

10. A. stop B. cause C. influence D. change

II. Read the passage below and choose the answer that best expresses the meaning of the words in bold type.  Write your answer (A, B, C or D) in the box provided. (5 marks)

No one really likes going to the doctor, even though it is the sensible thing to do when feeling ill. Most people tend to postpone making an appointment in the hope that things will get better in a day or two. Yet a common cold or mild case of the flu can sometimes be discussed with a doctor over the telephone. Bed rest and a lot of liquids may be the best treatment. However, the sooner a person reports any abnormal conditions to a doctor, the sooner he or she can intervene and treat the problem. Any illness that lasts longer than a day or includes a fever should be looked at. Early treatment may impede the progress of an illness and curtail its spread to other family members. It is always best to contact a doctor. Doctors should decide whether their patients need appointments.  

1. When people postpone something, they

A. announce it publicly. B. put it off until later.

C. remember to do it. D. refuse to do it later.

2. A lot of liquids means

A. taking a lot of medicine. B. doing a lot of exercise.

C. eating a lot of food. D. drinking a lot of water.

3. An abnormal condition is one that is

A. very common. B. illegal. 

C. not normal. D. expensive to treat.

4. When people impede the progress of something, they

A. blow it up. B. improve it. C. slow it down D. change it.

5. When people curtail something, they

A. spread it quickly. B. give it away.

C. cut it short or reduce it. D. move it about.