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.

Marriage nowadays is a choice people make on their own, but this has not always been the case in society. Thousands of years ago, the average lifespan was shorter than it is today. A man usually lived until he was about 40 years old, while women died even sooner because of childbirth. There were many wars and illnesses, and people had to protect themselves by having more children while they were still young. The parents lived through their children.

Marriage was not so much a romantic love story but a business transaction, or deal. Most marriages were arranged between parents while their children were still very young. It was the custom that the fathers made the decision on whom their children were going to marry. The mothers had little say in it since they rarely made any decisions outside the household. The fathers would meet to arrange the wedding date and the money given for the bride on her wedding date. The more money and land a girl had, the more chances she had to marry well. Therefore, it was important that her father choose the bridegroom very well. Usually, it was someone who came from a good family or who was rich too. It was very unlikely that people married outside their social class. A few well-off and rich merchants got to marry poorer noblewomen and became King’s business advisors. In a way, poor peasants had an easier choice as it was less important whom they married.

The practice of arranged marriage is still common in some countries in the Middle East, such as India or Pakistan. Here, social classes are still strongly divided and very well-kept. Often, however, arranged marriages are a sign that people do not want to let go of the past, which gives them comfort and security in an ever-changing world.

The word "bridegroom" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to                                       .

The audience showed their                                      by giving the world-famous orchestra a big round of applause.

The harder he studies,                                     . 

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.

Maria and Alex are talking about the environment. Maria: "Our environment is getting more and more polluted. Do you think so?" Alex: "      . It's really worrying.

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.

Some of the tunnels in the cliff are totally natural; some others were carved out by soldiers for defensible purposes.

We                                      full advantage of the fine weather and had a day out.

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.

A ghostly animal creeps silently through a Florida swamp. It’s a rare type of big cat known as a Florida panther, one of only 80 to 100 such panthers left in the world. Scientists must work to save these remaining panthers from extinction, but their secretive nature is making it difficult. They are attaching a special transmitter to each Florida panther so they can follow their movements, range, and habits. The technology these transmitters use is called satellite tracking.

The scientists are dedicated professionals, but they are not pioneers. Their colleagues before them have attached tiny transmitters to many different kinds of wild animals, including birds, fish, and big cats. So the Florida scientists are using their methods. Firstly, they must trap and tranquillize the panther. Then, the transmitter is attached to a harness and strapped to the panther’s body. Each harness is custom designed and manually adjusted for panthers so it fits comfortably. Scientists don’t want the transmitter to interfere with the panther’s natural habits. The point of tracking them is to find out as much as they can about their natural habits.

Once the tracking transmitter is in place, the information it records is sent to an orbiting satellite. The satellite can see the transmitter that is attached to the panther, even when it is out of sight of a biologist on the ground. The satellite collects information from the transmitter about the

panther’s exact location. Once the information is received, it is transmitted back to Earth so it can be recorded by the scientists.

Scientists can use the information in many different ways. They can follow the panthers on the ground and observe their behavior. Alternatively, they can use the information to determine the panthers’ ranges and to understand their social patterns. They can also track how environmental changes like weather conditions affect their movements and health. All this information can be used to provide ideal conditions for the endangered panthers. It can also be used to protect the panthers from danger.

In the end, the panther silently slips away through the trees. Around its shoulders a transmitter is sending signals via satellite to a dedicated biologist. The biologist is using the information the transmitter provides to save the Florida panthers from extinction. With the help of satellite tracking these beautiful cats have a better chance of survival in the modern world.

The phrase "custom designed" in paragraph 2 probably means                                       .

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.

Jolie and Tom are meeting at the supermarket. Jolie: "Hi, Tom. How are you doing?" Tom: "               . How about you?" 

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.

His parents don’t allow him staying out late on weekdays.

As the clouds drifted away, the pattern of the fields was clearly                                             from a height. 

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.

Safety regulations have made it obligatory for all employees to wear protective clothing.

First our team should identify                                   _ specific need in the community and then carry out a project to address that need.

The teacher gave some                                       on how to prepare for the test. 

Jack’s father bought him a(n)                                    _ bike as a birthday gift. 

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.

Each student have to write a paragraph about the benefits of learning English.

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.

The dog is starving. It hasn’t got anything to eat for nearly a week.