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.

                                     Erosion in America

Erosion of America's farmland by wind and water has been a problem since settlers first put the prairies and grasslands under the plow in the nineteenth century. By the 1930s, (1) .  .  .  .   .  .  .  282 million acres of farmland (2).   .   .   .   .    .  by erosion. After 40 years of (3). . . . . . . efforts, soil erosion has accelerated due to new demands (4) . . . . . . . . .on the land by heavy crop pollution. In the years ahead, soil erosion and the pollution problems it causes are likely to replace petroleum scarcity as the nation's most critical nation resource problem.

            1.

            A. more than                                    

            B. more   

            C. less     

            D. than

                2.

                 A. damaged                                 

                 B. damaging                               

                 C. were damaged                        

                 D. damages

                 3.

                 A. conserve                                 

                 B. conservation                           

                 C. conserving                              

                 D. conservations

                 4.

                 A.  placing                                

                 B.  places                                  

                 C. which placed                          

                 D. placed

• 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.

                                                                                        SMARTPHONES - A NECCESITY

Smartphones have spread beyond the boardroom and keeping a close eye on what's new is Mike Lazaridis, chief executive of RIM, the company that makes the BlackBerry smartphone. His device may no longer be quite as trendy as it once was but it is still (21) .................. − particularly for Argentinian milk farmers. Mr. Lazaridis says: "I like the way it's being used by the farmers so they are always up to date. Milk is a (22) .................. item, so delivery and production standards are incredibly important." He is reminded of the company's early days: "This is where we started in 1987, with a wireless vertical data business for the Swedish lumber (23) .................., and then on to fire brigades, ambulances, and garbage trucks."

    While the BlackBerry was quick to (24) .................. itself as the accessory of choice for business professionals such as Wall Street traders, the cheaper price (25) .................. and new, more colorful handsets now (26) .................. offer have opened it up to a much wider market. Mr. Lazaridis says: "It was obvious that business people and self-employed professionals would buy the BlackBerry, but we were not expecting the (27) .................. we had from ordinary consumers."

    The greatest challenge for RIM, however, could lie in an economic (28) ..................., when individuals and companies alike may see devices like the BlackBerry as luxuries they can (29) .................. without. The company has to make its product indispensable to the lifestyles of consumers or prove that they bring a real (30) .................. on investment for business users.

_{+ ANSWER:}

21, A. constructive     B. functional     C. active     D. operative

22, A. perishable     B. short-lived     C. decaying     D. destructible

23, A. manufacturers     B. enterprise     C. commerce     D. industry

24, A. install     B. establish     C. create     D. demonstrate

25, A. designs     B. programmes     C. plans     D. systems

26, A. at            B. on             C. for            D. under

27, A. return     B. retort     C. reply     D. response

28, A. downturn     B. tall     C. decrease     D. drop

29, A. make      B. carry      C. do      D. stay

30, A. return      B. gain      C. interest      D. profit

I. READING 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

The country and the city have advantages and disadvantages. People in the country live in more beautiful surroundings. They enjoy (19) …………….. and quietness, and can do their work at their own pace because no one is in a (20) …………………... They live in larger, more comfortable houses, and their neighbors are more friendly, and ready to help them (21) ……………….. they need it. Their life, however, can be boring and they may be isolated, which is serious problem (22) ……………… they are ill or want to take children to school. The city has all the services that the country lacks, but it also has a lot of disadvantages. Cities are often polluted. They not only have polluted air but also have noisy streets. Everyone is always in hurry and this means that people have no time to get to know each other and make friends.

Question 19. A. quietly B. peaceful C. peace D. quiet

Question 20. A. hurried B. hurrying C. hurriedly D. hurry

Question 21. A. what B. when C. which D. that

Question 22. A. unless B. although C. because D. if

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 country is more beautiful than a town and more pleasant to live in. Many people think so, and go to the country for the summer holidays though they cannot live there all the year round. Some have a cottage built in a village so that they can go there whenever they can find the time. English villages are not all alike, but in some ways they are not very different from one another. Almost every village has a church, the round or square tower of which can be seen from many miles around. Surrounding the church is the church yard, where people are buried. The village green is a wide stretch of grass, and houses or cottages are built round it. Country life is now fairly comfortable and many villages have running water brought through pipes into each house. Most villages are so close to some small towns that people can go there to buy what they can’t find in the village shops.

Question 23. When do city people often go to the country?

A. At the weekends.

B. All the year round.

C. At Christmas.

D. . The summer holidays.

Question 24. What is the advantage of city people when they have a cottage built in the

village?

A. They can have their houses rented.

B. They can go to the country at weekends.

C. They can go to the country when they are busy.

D. They can go to the country whenever they can find the time.

Question 25. What is NOT mentioned in the life of English villages?

A. The village green

B. Running water

C. The church

D. The Internet

Question 26. What can villagers do when their villages are close to small towns?

A. They can go there to buy cheaper things.

B. They can go there to buy whatever they want.

C. They can go there to buy luxury goods.

D. They can go there to buy what is not found in the village shops.

Read the following passage and write 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.

Two  of  the  most  important  holidays  in  the  United  state  are  Independence  day  and  Thanksgiving Day. The fourth of July marks the American declaration of independence from   Britain.  Most  towns,  big  or  small,  celebrate  the  fourth  of  July  with  parades  and  fireworks.  Families (25)______with barbecues or picnics. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in Fall, on the fourth Thursday in November. It is a day (26)____people give thanks to the harvest.  Most families (27)_____a large dinner with roast turkey. (28)________. Independence Day and Thanksgiving are national holidays

Question 25: A. celebrating           B. celebration           C. celebrate               D. celebrated

Question 26: A. where                    B. when                      C. which                    D. in which

Question 27: A. have                      B. buy                        C. help                       D. take

Question 28: A. Besides                 B. Both                       C. Either                    D. Nor

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.

     English is the first language of many people in countries outside the United Kingdom. When you meet speakers of English from around the world, you immediately notice that they do not speak in the same way. There are also some (23) …………… in the words they use, including the names of (24) …………… objects that are part of everyone's daily life. Although pronunciation and (25) …………… are not the same everywhere, it is interesting that English speakers (26) ……………. opposite sides of the world can understand each other quite easily. It does not seem to matter where they learnt the language. And of course, this is one reason why speakers of other languages are keen on learning English too. If you know English, you are more (27) ……………… to be able to study or work in all sorts of exciting places, such as the United States or Australia.

23. A. mistakes                        B. corrections       C. changes              D. differences

24. A. common                        B. popular             C. favourite                        D. general

25. A. reading              B. composition                 C. dictation             D. vocabulary

26. A. of                      B. in                      C. from                   D. at

27. A. likely                 B. probably           C. possibly              D. luckily

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.

Are Sports Bad for Kids?

     People think children should play sports. Sports are fun, and children stay healthy while playing with others. However, playing sports can have negative effects on children. It may produce feelings of poor self-esteem or aggressive behavior in some children. According to research on kids and sports, 40 million kids play sports in the US. Of these, 18 million say they have been yelled at or called names while playing sports. This leaves many children with a bad impression of sports. They think sports are just too aggressive.

     Many researchers believe adults, especially parents and coaches, are the main cause of too much aggression in children’s sports. They believe children copy aggressive adult behavior. This behavior is then further reinforced through both positive and negative feedback. Parents and coaches are powerful teachers because children usually look up to them. Often these adults behave aggressively themselves, sending children the message that winning is everything. At children’s sporting events, parents may yell insults at other players or cheer when their child behaves aggressively. As well, children may be taught that hurting other players is acceptable, or they may be pushed to continue playing even when they are injured. In addition, the media makes violence seem exciting. Children watch adult sports games and see violent behavior replayed over and over on television.

     As a society, we really need to face up to this problem and do something about it. Parents and coaches should act as better examples for children. They also need to teach children better values. They should teach children to enjoy themselves whether they win or not. It is not necessary to knock yourself out to enjoy sports. Winning is not everything. In addition, children should not be allowed to continue to play when they are injured. Sending a child with an injury into a game gives the child the message that health is not as important as winning. If we make some basic changes, children might learn to enjoy sports again.

28. What is the main idea of the reading?

     A. Children often become like their parents.

     B. Children need to play sports in school.

     C. Playing sports may have negative results.

     D. Some sports can cause health problems.

29. How many children said they had some negative experience when playing sports?

     A. All of the children                      B. More than half of the children

     C. Less than half of the children     D. About ten percent of the children

30. Which is described as the main cause of more aggressive playing?

     A. Adults                                        B. Children with low grades in school

     C. New rules in sports                     D. Other players

31. What does the writer suggest?

     A. Aggressive sports should not be shown on television.

     B. Children should not play sports until high school.

     C. Coaches should be required to study child psychology.

     D. Parents should teach children to play sports for fun and exercise.

32. What would probably NOT be done when “facing up to a problem”?

     A. Ignoring the problem                              B. Finding the reason

     C. Admitting there is a problem                  D. Looking for a solution

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.

Question 2

A. media

B. bulletin

C. programme

 D. journalism