V. Read the following passage and fill in each of the blanks with ONE suitable word. (15 pts)

Most people think of computers (1) very modern inventions, products of our new technological age. But actually, the (2) for a computer was worked out (3) two centuries ago by a man (4) Charles Babbage.

Babbage was born in 1791 and (5) up to be a brilliant mathematician. He drew up plans for several calculating machines (6) he called. 'engines'. But (7) the fact that he started building some of these, he never finished any of (8). Over the years people have argued whether his machines (9) ever work. Recently, however, the Science Museum in London (10) finished building an engine (11) on one of Babbage's designs. It (12) six years to complete and (13) than four thousand parts had been specially made. (14) it works or not, the machine will be on show at a special exhibition in the Science Museum to (15) people of Babbage's work.

. Fill in the numbered blanks in the passage with ONE suitable word from the box. There is ONE extra word. Write your answer on the answer sheet.

    Water is one of our most  (26) _________resources; put it simply, without water there would be no life. Unfortunately, many of us seem to have forgotten this fact, and as a (27) ________ the world is facing  the danger of running out of  water. The actual amount of water on earth has changed little since the time of dinosaurs. The problem has been (28) ________ by people’s misuse of our water supply. This not only means that we have polluted our rivers and seas, but (29) _________that we are wasting a great deal of this precious resource. (30) ___________the destruction of the rain forests has made this problem (31 ) ________since much of the rain that (32) _________is lost because it runs off into the sea. The population of the earth is increasing daily, so it is (33) ________ that we find a solution to this problem before it is too late.

Fill each of the numbered blanks in the following passage with one suitable word.

      Write your answers in the spaces that follow. (15 pts)

Television owes its origin to many inventors. But it was the single–minded determination of an amateur inventor, John Logie Baird, that led ---(1)--- the first live television broadcast.

Born in Scotland in 1888 and educated in Glasgow, John Logie Baird earned a living ---(2)--- a razor–blade salesman. In the 1890s Guillermo Marconi showed that sound could ---(3)--- sent by radio waves. Baird became convinced that a similar system could transmit a picture. He spent most of his spare time ---(4)--- on his ideas in his tiny workshop without ---(5)--- commercial support. He ---(6)--- to use his ---(7)--- earnings to continue his research. In 1924, Baird successfully transmitted the general outline of a figure over more ---(8)--- three metres. He continued to experiment and ---(9)--- October 25, 1925 transmitted a recognisable image of a doll. He ran ---(10)--- to the office on the ground floor and persuaded one of the office boys to come upstairs. The boy became the first living image ---(11)--- by television.

Overnight, Baird became famous and the money ---(12)--- he needed to continued his research was at ---(13)--- made available. In 1927 he made a transmission from London to Glasgow and in 1928 he made ---(14)--- from London to New York. He continued experimenting and ---(15)--- the rest of his life exploring the possibility of colour television.

IV. Fill in each of the blanks with ONE appropriate word. (10 marks)                                                                                                                    

Answers

Everyone loves Harry Potter! He is one of the most (1) _________  characters in the world. His creator, J.K. Rowling, is now a successful writer, but life was not always easy for her. (2) ______ in 1965, Rowling grew up in a small town in England. She played in the surrounding fields, imagining that they were (3) _____ of magic. Misfortune hit when Rowling was 15. Her mother became ill and died several years (4) _______. Rowling had a baby and then her marriage (5) ________ up. She became deeply depressed. Harry Potter saved her. While  sitting on  a train in 1990, Rowling  got the (6) _________ for Harry. "All at once, the idea for Harry just (7) ________ in my head… I have never been so excited." Unemployed  and  poor, Rowling started  writing. She worked  extremely (8) _________ , writing day after day in a cafe, with her baby next to her. In  1996, when she tried to sell her first Harry Potter story, twelve publishers (9) ________ it. Then she finally received good news - the thirteenth publisher had accepted it! "I felt so happy," Rowling said, "that it was going to be a real book on the shelf of a (10) _________."   

Ex1   Fill in the blanks with PRESENT CONTINUOUS or SIMPLE PRESENT:

1. The children ………………………….. (play) outside now.

2. She usually ………………………. (read) the newspaper in the morning.

3. I …………………………… (do) my homework now.

4. I ………………………… (eat) my dinner now.

5. ……………………………. (you / want) a pizza?

6. They …………………………….. (watch) TV now.

7. I ……………………………. (not / like) spaghetti.

8. The baby …………………………. (sleep) now.

9. My mother usually …………………. (cook) dinner in the evening.

10.        He …………………….. (write) a letter to his pen-friend every month.

11.        She  ………………………. (not / like) football.

12.        Mary ………………………….. (listen) to music now.

13.        Tom usually ……………………(drink) coffee, but he …………………. (drink) tea now.

14.        We ………………………. (go) to the disco tonight.

15.        ………… (he / go) to work by bus everyday.

 16.       Look! Jane ………… (sing) again. She often ……….. (sing) this song.

17.        My father ……………(have) a lot of work to do every weekend.

18.        The girls …  (not / talk) now. All of them ……… (watch) a film.

19.        …… you….. (like) watching TV?

20.        He ….. (usually / go) at 9:00 o’clock, but this morning he .. (leave) home late.

21.        I …. (visit) my grandparents every Friday. My sister ……. (often / visit) them.

22.        The boys …….. (swim) in the pool now but they …… (usually / swim) in the sea.

23.        She …….(write) a letter to her pen-friend at the moment.

24.        They .. (sometimes / have) lunch at work, but today they …. (have) at a restaurant.

25.        She can’t talk to you. She ……………. (have) a shower.

Ex2 Read the text carefully and answer the questions:

       Right now I am looking at a picture of Barbara. She is not at home in the picture. She is at the park. She is sitting on a bench. She is eating her lunch. Some boys and girls are running on a patch in the park. A squirrel is sitting on the ground in front of Barbara. The squirrel is eating a nut. Barbara is watching the squirrel. She always watches squirrels when she eats her lunch in the park. Some ducks are swimming in the pond in the picture, and some birds are flying in the sky. A policeman is riding a horse. He rides a horse in the park every day. Near Barbara, a family is having a picnic. They go on a picnic every week.

a. Where is Barbara in the picture?

b. What is she doing?

c. What is the squirrel doing in the picture?

d. What does Barbara always do when she has lunch in the park?

e. What are the ducks doing?

f. How often does the policeman ride his horse?

g. How often does the family have a picnic at the park?

IV. Read and fill in the blanks with ONE word given in the box.                                                           

My name is Sara. My _________(1) is reading. I enjoy reading a book when I am free. I started to do it __________(2) I was four years old. The first time I did it, I felt interested. So I kept reading. The teachers always taught me to read the difficult words. I was happy when I read a story with a happy ending. I was thrilled when I read a detective story. I enjoy reading ___________(3)  I like to explore the imaginative world of my favourite author, J.K. Rowling who _________(4) “ Harry Potter” . There are a lot of advantages of reading. Reading can make me relaxed and calm. I can also learn new vocabulary items. Then I can further ___________(5) my English. Moreover, it can give me an unlimited imagination, so I can write books in the future. I can learn the different cultures and customs of other countries in the world too.I read at least one hour every day. I read books by myself. I usually read it at home. I wish I could read different kinds of books because it might be very challenging.

I.  Read and fill in the blanks with ONE word given in the box.

Recent studies show that more and more (23)__________ are turning to screen-based activities for relaxation. Almost every teenager watches TV. Many of them (24)___________ the web. They join social networking and play video games. Unlike (25)____________ activities, more screen time harms children. It makes their eyesight weaker. It does not improve (26)___________ social skills. A child often prefers TV or computer games to physical exercise. They (27) __________ want to meet friends, either. Experts warn people of these harms, (28)______________ parents do little to help their children.