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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 23 to 29.

In our connected globalized world, the languages which dominate communications and business, Mandarin, Hindi, English, Spanish and Russian amongst others, are placing small languages spoken in remote places under increasing pressure. Fewer and fewer people speak languages such as Liki, Taushiro and Dumi as their children shift away from the language of their ancestors towards languages which promise education, success and the chance of a better life. While to many parents, this may appear a reasonable choice, giving their offspring the opportunity to achieve the sort of prosperity they see on television, the children themselves often lose touch with their roots. However, in many places the more reasonable option of bilingualism, where children learn to speak both a local and a national language, is being promoted. This gives hope that many endangered languages will survive, allowing people to combine their links to local tradition with access to wider world culture.

While individuals are free to choose if they wish to speak a minority language, national governments should be under no obligation to provide education in an economically unproductive language, especially in times of budget constraints. It is generally accepted that national languages unite and help to create wealth while minority regional languages divide. Furthermore, governments have a duty to ensure that young people can fulfill their full potential, meaning that state education must provide them with the ability to speak and work in their national language and so equip them to participate responsibly in national affairs. People whose language competence does not extend beyond the use of a regional tongue have limited prospects. This means that while many people may feel a sentimental attachment to their local language, their government's position should be one of benign neglect, allowing people to speak the language, but not acting to prevent its eventual disappearance.

Many PhD students studying minority languages lack the resources to develop their language skills, with the result that they have to rely on interpreters and translators to communicate with speakers of the language they are studying. This has a detrimental effect on the quality of their research. At the same time, they have to struggle against the frequently expressed opinion that minority languages serve no useful purpose and should be allowed to die a natural death. Such a view fails to take into account the fact that a unique body of knowledge and culture, built up over thousands of years, is contained in a language and that language extinction and species extinction are different facets of the same process. They are part of an impending global catastrophe which is beginning to look unavoidable.

(Adapted from Complete Advanced by Guy Brook - Hart and Simon Haines)

 Which of the following could best serve as the main topic of the passage?

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 3 to 7.

Korea's recent unveiling of the world's first cloned dog was welcomed by King Chow, assistant professor of biotechnology at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, but he also warned that we need to be on guard against possible reproductive cloning. Professor Chow went on to explain that, “The development of the technology is a good thing in itself but how we monitor it and who we allow to use it will be of great importance”.

Professor Chow is one of many academics who feel that a clear line must be drawn between reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning. Therapeutic cloning involves the use of embryonic stem cells to develop human cells or organs that can be used to cure diseases such as Parkinson's and diabetes. People in wheelchairs may be able to walk again thanks to this technology as scientists believe that they can clone new cells to repair back and neck injuries.

Reproductive cloning involves implanting a cloned embryo into a uterus in the hope of producing a healthy foetus. A company called Clonaid claims to have successfully cloned thirteen human babies. They say that all of the babies are healthy and are in various locations, including Hong Kong, UK, Spain and Brazil. Clonaid states that they are using human cloning to assist infertile couples, homosexual couples and families who have lost a beloved relative.

The same technology can be used for animal cloning. If endangered species such as the giant panda and Sumatran tiger could be cloned, they could be saved from extinction. Livestock such as cows could also be cloned to allow farmers to reproduce cattle that produce the best meat and most milk. This could greatly help developing countries where cows produce significantly less meat and milk.

 What does the passage mainly discuss?