II. READING COMPREHENSION
2.1. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
Why are there so many grandmothers and so few grandfathers? In other words, why do men die
younger than women? Is this because men are afraid of getting old and helpless and so they prefer to die
before that happens? Perhaps they fear to be left alone by their women and so decide to do the leaving first.
Many explanations are given for the fact that men die earlier than women. Men are stronger
physically, yet women can hang on longer to life. Both men and women are emotional creatures but women
are not afraid or ashamed to cry while men refuse to do so. They are afraid of being thought "soft". Some
men, when they are upset, play loud music or dig in the garden to relieve their feelings. Many men like an
orderly life so that they bury themselves in their work or want a wife with some children or long to take part
in wars where there is a definite chain of command. There is a leader to give orders and a known enemy to
fight against and defeat. All these make men feel they live in a rational world.
So the majority of men like a rational world. Rationality is fine but it does not include everything that
makes life joyful and fun or even messy and frustrating. When a man refuses to cry, he is refusing to accept
that his emotions are part of him. Of course, some men do not follow this pattern. Bob Hawke is capable of
crying in public whereas Margaret Thatcher is probably incapable of crying at any time.
We need to cry because that shows our ability to suffer. If we do not suffer, we are not really alive at
all. Suffering can be creative or destructive. If we can all learn to cry and laugh and shout and dance openly,
we are living creatively and adding something to the human race. We often say men suffer more from stress
and therefore they die earlier. Are we not saying in another way that they do not know how to suffer in the
right way - with tears and laughter instead of silence - and so they are miserable and just give up? That is just
my theory of course. Have you a better one?
1. What does the word “that” in the passage refer to?
A. The fact that men get old and helpless.
B. The fact that they fear to be left alone.
C. The fact that men die younger than women.
D. The fact that they decide to do the leaving first.
2. What's the main question the article is intended to discuss?
A. Why women are more emotional than men.
B. Why suffering is different in men and women.
C. Why men die earlier than women.
D. Why men like a rational world.
3. What is found the same for both men and women?
A. They like to cry. B. They are physically strong.
C. They are emotional creatures. D. They want to play loud music.
4. The phrase “to do the leaving” is closest in meaning to.............
A. set off B. go down C. pass away D. depart
5. What's the writer's opinion toward crying?
A. It is a good thing for people to cry.

B. It is all right for women to cry but shameful for men.
C. Tears are not real signs of suffering.
D. To be silent is better than to cry.

Part 6: Read the following passage and circle the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to the questions .

    It is always thought that women are the second class in citizen, and men are the first. There is not real equality of opportunity for men and women. Years ago, people were living in a man-dominated society. Women had to obey their husbands and fathers absolutely.  Women’s place was in the kitchen and women’s work was housework. In many places, women were not even allowed to go to school. Women had no rights, even the right to choose a husband for themselves. Men usually occupied high positions in society so they thought they were intelligent and important than women. Men considered women their property. Sometimes, women were mistreated by their husbands and suffered this as a fate. Many parents did not even want to have female children.

Thanks to the women’s liberation movement, women have nowadays proved that they are equal to men on every aspect. An average woman has weaker muscles than an average man but she may be as intelligent as him. Women can do everything that men can, and women can do one thing that no man can; they produce children.

28. In a man-dominated society, _____________.

A. women were the first class           B. women had no rights

C. women were respected by men                D. women got a good education

29. The word “mistreated” in line 8 is closest meaning to ___________.

A. behaved badly  B. satisfied            C. took good care  D. treated well

30. The pronoun “they” in the last line refers to_______________

          A. men                           B. children            C. women             D. parents

31. In a man-dominated society, ____________.

A. all parents expected to have daughters               B. most parents liked girl babies

C. most parents did not want to have daughters      D. most parents did not like sons.

32. Nowadays, women have proved that they are _________ men.

A. more intelligent than                       B. more important than                                C. stronger than                                     D. equal to

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

What kind of tourists is she criticising when she says 'eyes are not good enough' in paragraph 4?

A. those who stand grumpily at the back of the group

B. those who wander enchanted through the site

C. those who look at the wonders through their cameras

D. those who lack a recording facility

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

Women often complain that the men in their lives are not romantic enough. But men sometimes have trouble expressing their feelings, often resorting to cheesy Hallmark cards or pricey bejeweled baubles to do the job for them. But there is a far better way to be romantic and it doesn't involve spending a fortune or even opening your mouth.

In the days before courting consisted of hanging out and getting drinks, courting was a formal and dignified endeavor. Symbols were used to express feelings and thoughts deemed too special for mere words. During the Victorian Era, a whole romantic language developed around the giving and receiving of flowers. Everything from the type and size of the flower to the way it was held or presented conveyed layers of meaning and communicated a gentleman's feelings and intentions. Each bouquet contained a secret message for a lady to eagerly interpret and endlessly dissect.

These days giving flowers has become a somewhat ho-hum cliché. Resurrecting this Victorian tradition will infuse the gesture with new life and romance and bring back some of the subtly, mystery, and fun of courtship. Your lady will swoon that you put far more thought into your selection of flowers than grabbing a bouquet out of the case at Wal-Mart. You'll come off as a real gentleman and a hopeless romantic. It can become an amazing tradition you'll both enjoy. Seriously, women eat this stuff up.

Of course, even women nowadays have forgotten the meanings of flowers. So buy your lady a flower dictionary. And keep a copy for yourself (it's important that you both use the same reference, as the meanings were never set in stone and can sometimes vary from book to book). Then, each time you present her with a bouquet, she can search the volume to find what secret messages you have embedded in the flowers.

 Which of the following does NOT express a secret message for the female receiver during the Victorian Era?

A. The kind of flowers

C. The size of flowers 

C. The way flowers are wrapped

D. The colors of the flowers

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

Women often complain that the men in their lives are not romantic enough. But men sometimes have trouble expressing their feelings, often resorting to cheesy Hallmark cards or pricey bejeweled baubles to do the job for them. But there is a far better way to be romantic and it doesn't involve spending a fortune or even opening your mouth.

In the days before courting consisted of hanging out and getting drinks, courting was a formal and dignified endeavor. Symbols were used to express feelings and thoughts deemed too special for mere words. During the Victorian Era, a whole romantic language developed around the giving and receiving of flowers. Everything from the type and size of the flower to the way it was held or presented conveyed layers of meaning and communicated a gentleman's feelings and intentions. Each bouquet contained a secret message for a lady to eagerly interpret and endlessly dissect.

These days giving flowers has become a somewhat ho-hum cliché. Resurrecting this Victorian tradition will infuse the gesture with new life and romance and bring back some of the subtly, mystery, and fun of courtship. Your lady will swoon that you put far more thought into your selection of flowers than grabbing a bouquet out of the case at Wal-Mart. You'll come off as a real gentleman and a hopeless romantic. It can become an amazing tradition you'll both enjoy. Seriously, women eat this stuff up.

Of course, even women nowadays have forgotten the meanings of flowers. So buy your lady a flower dictionary. And keep a copy for yourself (it's important that you both use the same reference, as the meanings were never set in stone and can sometimes vary from book to book). Then, each time you present her with a bouquet, she can search the volume to find what secret messages you have embedded in the flowers.

 As mentioned in the third paragraph, it's so moving if a man ________.

A. takes a bouquet available 

B. thinks of the flowers carefully before choosing. 

C. enjoys giving flowers to a woman. 

D. gives his woman something to eat.

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 statement: "Colloquialisms, on the other hand, are familiar words and idioms that are understood by almost all speakers of a language and used in informal speech or writing, but not considered acceptable for more formal situations." means:

A. Most of the speakers of a language can use both formal and informal speech in appropriate situations.

B. Familiar situations that are experienced by most people are called colloquialisms.

C. Familiar words and phrases are found in both speech and writing in formal settings.

D. Informal language contains colloquialisms, which are not found in more formal language.

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

Women often complain that the men in their lives are not romantic enough. But men sometimes have trouble expressing their feelings, often resorting to cheesy Hallmark cards or pricey bejeweled baubles to do the job for them. But there is a far better way to be romantic and it doesn't involve spending a fortune or even opening your mouth.

In the days before courting consisted of hanging out and getting drinks, courting was a formal and dignified endeavor. Symbols were used to express feelings and thoughts deemed too special for mere words. During the Victorian Era, a whole romantic language developed around the giving and receiving of flowers. Everything from the type and size of the flower to the way it was held or presented conveyed layers of meaning and communicated a gentleman's feelings and intentions. Each bouquet contained a secret message for a lady to eagerly interpret and endlessly dissect.

These days giving flowers has become a somewhat ho-hum cliché. Resurrecting this Victorian tradition will infuse the gesture with new life and romance and bring back some of the subtly, mystery, and fun of courtship. Your lady will swoon that you put far more thought into your selection of flowers than grabbing a bouquet out of the case at Wal-Mart. You'll come off as a real gentleman and a hopeless romantic. It can become an amazing tradition you'll both enjoy. Seriously, women eat this stuff up.

Of course, even women nowadays have forgotten the meanings of flowers. So buy your lady a flower dictionary. And keep a copy for yourself (it's important that you both use the same reference, as the meanings were never set in stone and can sometimes vary from book to book). Then, each time you present her with a bouquet, she can search the volume to find what secret messages you have embedded in the flowers.

 What does the word "her" in the last paragraph refer to?

A. your lady

B. women

C. yourself

D. a flower dictionary

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

Women often complain that the men in their lives are not romantic enough. But men sometimes have trouble expressing their feelings, often resorting to cheesy Hallmark cards or pricey bejeweled baubles to do the job for them. But there is a far better way to be romantic and it doesn't involve spending a fortune or even opening your mouth.

In the days before courting consisted of hanging out and getting drinks, courting was a formal and dignified endeavor. Symbols were used to express feelings and thoughts deemed too special for mere words. During the Victorian Era, a whole romantic language developed around the giving and receiving of flowers. Everything from the type and size of the flower to the way it was held or presented conveyed layers of meaning and communicated a gentleman's feelings and intentions. Each bouquet contained a secret message for a lady to eagerly interpret and endlessly dissect.

These days giving flowers has become a somewhat ho-hum cliché. Resurrecting this Victorian tradition will infuse the gesture with new life and romance and bring back some of the subtly, mystery, and fun of courtship. Your lady will swoon that you put far more thought into your selection of flowers than grabbing a bouquet out of the case at Wal-Mart. You'll come off as a real gentleman and a hopeless romantic. It can become an amazing tradition you'll both enjoy. Seriously, women eat this stuff up.

Of course, even women nowadays have forgotten the meanings of flowers. So buy your lady a flower dictionary. And keep a copy for yourself (it's important that you both use the same reference, as the meanings were never set in stone and can sometimes vary from book to book). Then, each time you present her with a bouquet, she can search the volume to find what secret messages you have embedded in the flowers.

The word "dignified" in paragraph 2 mostly means _______. 

A. serious

B. trivial

C. unimportant

D. slight

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.

If you enjoy cycling for pleasure, doing it in London can be a shock. There are not enough lanes especially for bikes, and making your way through the traffic can be very risky. But if you have great passion, cycling in London can be exciting, and  it  is an inexpensive way of keeping fit if you live there. Some cyclists don’t mind spending a lot of money on expensive bikes. However, if you just want a basic bike that is only for occasional use, there are many cheap choices. Several markets have cheap bikes on sale which may not be impressive to look at but should be satisfactory. You should buy a cycling helmet if you want to cycle in London. Wearing a cycling helmet is not compulsory in Britain, but it is a good idea to wear one for protection.

According to the passage, cycling in London is ____________

 A.

easy

 B.

boring

 C.

tiring

 D.

difficult