* 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.

 Over time, the wind has eroded the landscape and converted the slate rocks 

into small fragments.

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

The latest ratings have aroused claims that reality television shows are on their last______.

* 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 from 24 to 30.

Weather forecasting

  Cyclones in India, hurricanes in the Caribbean - severe weather events make news headlines almost weekly. Yet even in Britain, which has comparatively few climate extremes, the country is still governed by weather. If it’s pouring with rain the British might stay indoors or go to the cinema; if it’s fine they’ll have a picnic.

  Most people nervously study the weather forecast the evening before if they’ve got an important appointment the following day. Even if they have nothing planned, the weather often affects their mood.

  For individuals, the worst that can usually happen if the weather catches them on the hop is that they get wet. For business, the effects are far more serious. Airlines and shipping companies need to avoid severe weather and storm-force conditions. Power companies need to make sure they can supply the demand for electricity in cold weather; farmers plan their harvests around the forecast and food manufacturers increase their production of salads and other summer foods when fine weather is promised.

  So who or what do meteorologists - weather forecasters as they are more commonly known - rely on when it comes to producing a forecast? Ninety percent of the information comes from weather satellites, the first of which was launched into space nearly forty years ago and was a minor revolution in the science of forecasting. Up until then, forecasters had relied on human observers to provide details of developing weather systems. As a result, many parts of the world where there were few humans around, especially the oceans, were information-free weather areas. Today, however, satellites can watch weather patterns developing everywhere.

  In the UK meteorologists have also relied on releasing four weather balloons a day from eight fixed sites. These balloons measure wind, temperature and humidity as they rise upwards to a height of about 26,000 metres.

  Some commercial aircraft can also be fitted with a range of forecasting instruments although this system has certain disadvantages. For example, it can provide a great deal of information about the weather on popular routes, such as London to New York, but little about the weather on more out-of-the way routes.

  Instruments aboard ships can also supply basic weather information as well as important data on wave height. Generally, the range of these instruments is fairly limited but they can indicate which direction rain is coming from, how low the cloud is and give an idea of when the weather system will reach land.

  One forecaster who has made a name for himself is a man called Piers Corbyn, who bases his forecasts on watching the Sun. Most forecasters will offer forecasts for only 10 days ahead, but Corbyn’s forecasts are for 11 months. Although most meteorologists believe that there is no scientific basis for his work, Corbyn’s forecasts are used by insurance companies who want to plan months in advance.

The weather system affects people’s lives in Britain____________.

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

Simon crept into the house very quickly         _____his parents would not notice how late he was.

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

You know that eating fruit as a snack is_______healthier for us than eating chips, yet_______of us actually do so.

* 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 front 43 to 50.

  You might be surprised to know that bicycles have existed for less than two hundred years. Though the earliest comes from a sketch said to be from 1534 and attributed to Gian Giacomo, there are several early but unverified claims for the invention of the modem bicycle. No one is sure who invented this popular two- wheeled machine, but it was probably either the German Karl von Drais, in 1817, or the American W K Clarkson, in 1819. The early models didn't look much like the bicycles of today. The front wheel was much bigger than the back one, and also there weren't any pedals - riders had to move themselves forward by pushing their feet against the ground. Pedals finally arrived in the 1840s, and in 1879 an Englishman named Henry Lawson had the idea of connecting them to the back wheel with a chain. Gears, which made things much easier for those cycling uphill, first appeared in the 1890s.

  There are now approximately one billion bicycles in the world - more than twice the total number of cars - and they are the main form of transport in some developing countries. They have to compete with cars on the streets of all the world’s cities, and the two forms of transport don't always mix well. In London in 2005, for example, over 300 cyclists were either killed or seriously injured in accidents involving cars. Even though bicycles are much more environmentally friendly than cars, most governments don't do much to encourage people to ride rather than drive. In China, which is famous for having a huge number of bicycles (about 200 million), the authorities in the city of Shanghai even banned cycling for a while in 2003.

  Cycling is on the rise is the United Kingdom, and the number of annual journeys made by bike in London has increased 50% over the last five years. Experts say there is a mixture of reasons for this boom: concerns about the environment, the desire to keep fit, and also the fact that cycling is often not only cheaper but also quicker than travelling by car.

  However, although one in three British adults owns a bicycle, they still don't use them nearly as much as they could. Bikes are used for a mere 2% of journeys in the UK, while the figure for the Netherlands is an impressive 27%.

  Cycling is becoming more popular as a competitive sport, and the most famous race is of course the three-week Tour de France, which takes place every July. American Lance Armstrong won it every year from 1999 to 2005 - one of the greatest individual sporting achievements of all time.

  (Adaptedfrom Handouts for B2, University of Linguistics and International Studies, 2017)

Which of the following is FALSE?

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

Naturalists say that there is evidence to support the assertion that anthropoids, whether in captive or in the native state, sometimes beat their breasts.

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

- Tina is still looking for a decent flat.

                   - How long__________?

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There are lots of other situations in life when it is vital to be able to make _______promises.

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While it is difficult for some people to change unhealthy habits, there are__________for exercising frequently and eating fewer fatty foods.

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

Administration will start by improving the executive-legislature relationship so as to set a good_______for members of the public

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A: Do you like using a desktop computer or laptop?

                      B:___________.

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He said the men took him to a forest and threatened to kill him but he convinced them to let him go in________for the car.

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

The personnel officer promised him that she wouldn’t tell anyone that he had been in the prison.

* 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.

My sisters will all tell you that when I was in charge I was such a real slave driver.

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When I first started there were a number of pupils outside of lessons playing_______.