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 FOUR-YEAR SPREAD OF BUBBLE TEA ACROSS THE UK

     Four years ago bubble tea was relatively unknown in the UK, but the drinks are now ubiquitous on High Streets, from cities to small towns, writes Lucy Townsend.

     It is often brightly coloured, sometimes served with milk, with a layer of jelly-like globules - tapioca balls - that settle (23) …………. the bottom of the cup. Drunk through an extra thick straw with a spoon-shaped tip, it is a mouthful of tea and chewiness - both a drink and a snack.

     Chorley in Lancashire got its first bubble tea bar in July. Huddersfield has ‘Bubble n Shake’, there is a mobile bubble tea van in Bristol, and it can be (24) ……………. in cities from Glasgow to Portsmouth.

     Bubble tea hails from 1980s in Taiwan. It was an evolution from the country's street tea vendors (25) …………….. began experimenting with fruity flavours and colour to entice customers. The “bubble” actually (26) ………….. the froth on top of the drink which comes after it is violently shaken - some cafes use a machine especially for shaking. How the tapioca balls arrived in the drink is a matter of debate - though the most common story is that product development manager Lin Hsiu Hui (27) ………….. sitting in a staff meeting and poured the tapioca from her pudding into her Assam iced tea. The result was considered delicious.

     While growing in the UK, bubble tea is even more popular in Germany, according to the market research firm Mintel. Even McDonald's has started serving it.

23. A. down                 B. in                             C. at                         D. out

24. A. discovered        B. found                      C. searched              D. sought

25. A. which                B. where                      C. who                                 D. whom

26. A. stands for          B. regards to                C. describes             D. refers to

27. A. have been         B. is                             C. has been              D. was

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.

19. Let’s wait for Nick. I’m sure he’ll turn up soon.

     A. arrive                 B. enter                                    C. visit                    D. return

20. There are a number of drawbacks of living in the city.

     A. benefits            B. advantages          C. disadvantages          D. difficulties

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.

21. The water in the lake is so clear that I can see the stems of the water-lilies.

     A. obscure              B. colourful                C. muddy             D. transparent

22. We ought to keep these proposals secret from the chairman for the time being.

     A. revealed              B. frequented               C. accessible             D. lively

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.

8. Don’t phone between 7 and 8 o’clock …………….. dinner then and my wife doesn’t like being disturbed when we’re eating.

     A. We’ll be having       B. We’ll have       C. We’d have      D. We’d be having

9. The teacher keeps a record of every student's ……………………………

     A. attending            B. attendant              C. attendance           D. attention

10. He liked his work …………………….. it was badly paid.

     A. however                 B. even though                         C. even                D. in spite of

11. There's a world ………………. of energy and scientists are looking for alternative sources.

     A. shortage                       B. lack                    C. exhaust                 D. loss

12. - Do you know the man ……………………… to Anne?

      - No, I’ve never seen him before.

     A. talking              B. is talking            C. who talking           D. whose talking

13. If you make a good ……………….. at the interview, you will get the job.

     A. impress            B. impressive            C. impression            D. impressance

14. ……………… the beginning, I didn’t want to have a party for my birthday, but now I’ve changed my mind.

     A. At                       B. In                            C. On                     D. During

15. During his career as a teacher, he has ………………. students from different

backgrounds.

     A. taken over           B. got on with           C. dealt with         D. faced up to

16. I want to ……………… that I turned off all the lights in the house, so I'll go back and check.

     A. insure               B. reassure                  C. make sure                D. inquire

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the most suitable response to complete each of the following exchanges.

17. An: “Thanks a lot for your sound advice.”

      Binh: “…………………………..” 

     A. No worries              B. Cool              C. I doubt it             D. Wonderful

18. Shop assistant: “………………………”

       Customer: “Yes. Do you have any shirts?”

     A. Could you do me a favour?                   B. Oh, dear. What a nice shirt!

     C. May I help you?                                     D. White, please!

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.

1. A. collapse              B. wander                 C. gather                D. relax

2. A. exist                    B. exchange              C. expect                           D. experience

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other three in the position of primary stress in each of the following questions.

3. A. adolescence        B. independence       C. facility                          D. recognition

4. A. creature               B. contact               C. procedure            D. manual

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions.

5. She is (A) no longer young (B) to enter (C) a beautiful (D) contest.

6. Dinner time is a great time (A) for family members to talk (B) about that (C) is going (D) on during their day at work.

7. Viet Nam Airlines regrets informing (A) the passengers that (B) flight VN 251 to Hanoi is postponed (C) due to (D) bad weather.

Combine the two sentences into a new one using the given word in brackets. Do not change the given word in any ways.

33. Italy didn’t get to the quarter finals last year. France didn’t, either. (NEITHER)

     → ………………………………………………………………………………

34. The woman works as a cashier. She sits next to me in class. (WHO)

     → ………………………………………………………………………………

35. She cannot go to work. She hasn’t fully recovered from her illness. (BECAUSE)

     → ………………………………………………………………………………

36. We all need stress. We need stress to achieve and do our best work. (ORDER)

     → ………………………………………………………………………………

Make complete sentences using the given words/phrases. You may need to make any change if necessary except the order of the words/phrases.

37. He/ be/ salesman/ before/ he/ decide/ set/ own business/ last year/.

     → ………………………………………………………………………………

38. Students/ can expect/ more successful/ if/ have/ sense/ responsibility/ their own work/.

     → ………………………………………………………………………………

39. Students/ will have/ make/ own learning decisions/,/ which/ hard/ for/ many/ them/.

     → ………………………………………………………………………………

40. The problem/ urbanization/,/ which/ not new/ developing countries/ not easy/ solve/.

     → ………………………………………………………………………………

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

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.

19. If you are not good at academic subjects, you should opt for vocational training in which you are equipped with skills for a certain job.

     A. consider                      B. get                    C. choose                   D. take

20. An advanced degree from a prestigious institution is a must when you apply for a job as an astronaut.

     A. magnificent and well-known                  B. respected and of high quality

     C. old-aged and famous                              D. modern and stimulating

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.

21. The machine has been out of order since last month.

     A. under repair       B. functioning well        C. sold out      D. refusing orders

22.  Anyone who neglects his or her homework is unlikely to do well at school.

     A. puts off             B. attends to             C. looks for            D. approves of

8. If you want to make your salad taste much better, add some olive oil to your

dish and it …………… do the trick!

     A. has to                 B. ought to                   C. needs                   D. may

9. I wish I would have a chance          to visit ……Mount Everest in………. Himalayas in the future.

     A. 0-the                  B. the-the                     C. the - 0                      D. 0-0

10. What ……………. if there ………………. only one language in the world?

     A. will happen/is                                         B. happens/is

     C. would happen/were                                D. would have happened/was

11. I would like to know the names of the club members ………., as you have said, are responsible for the coming celebration.

     A. which                 B. whom                      C. whose                      D. who

12. I had to stand up and give a short speech ……….. the guest lecturer who cancelled at the last minute.

     A. in place of            B. in terms of             C. in need of            D. in relation to

13. ……………. having           to learn both vocational           subjects and academic subjects at the same time, students do not find it hard to perform well at school.

     A. Although              B. Though                 C. In spite              D. Despite

14. Many English words have been …… over the centuries. The ……. of form makes English easy to learn.

     A. simple - simplicity                                  B. simplicity - simple

     C. simplified - simplicity                            D. simplifying - simplicity

15. My sister is …… good at English so she could travel to the U.S alone last summer.

     A. reason             B. reasoning               C. reasonable              D. reasonably

16. Before you  decide …… your future job, it is advisable to consider your abilities and priorities.

     A. on                      B. about                       C. for                        D. at

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the most suitable response to complete each of the following exchanges.

17. Ann: “In order to be admitted to Harvard University, applicants need to prove themselves to be inspirational to those around them during their college years and beyond.”

Brendon: “ …………………………..!”.

     A. Excellent             B. How awful           C. Sounds hard          D. Well-done

18. Alice: “I got the sack.”

Bradford: “ ………………….”

     A. Good job       B. Poor you       C. Well, maybe not         D. Congratulations

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.

1. A. applied                B. steamed                   C. grated               D. enrolled

2. A. promote              B. global                      C. erode                D. astronomy

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other three in the position of primary stress in each of the following questions.

3. A. versatile              B. breathtaking                    C. inaccessible         D. dominance

4. A. flexibility                        B. bilingual              C. confusion            D. affordable

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions.

5. I decided (A) changing (B) my job because my boss makes me work (C) overtime (D).

6. Several (A) people have apparent (B) tried to change the man’s mind (C), but he refuses to listen (D).

7. Meal time gives (A) children a chance to learn (B) how (C) some of their favorite dishes make (D).