Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best completes each of the following exchanges

Two friends are talking about the coming Christmas holiday. 

- Tony: "Are you going to your family reunion this Christmas holiday?" 

- Mark: “__________________” 

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best completes each of the following exchanges

Mr. Collin is talking to Brian. 

- Mr. Collin: "You've been making very good progress. I'm proud of you!" 

- Brian: “_________________” 

Mark the letter 4, 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

It is widely known that the excessive use of pesticides is producing a detrimental effect on the local groundwater

Mark the letter 4, 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

 I was going to have a go at parachuting but lost my nerve at the last minute.

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

While playing hide and seek, the children came across some old photos in the attic.

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

Their daughter soon became a celebrated writer after the publication of her first novel.

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

If she didn't give us a hand, we ______ our project tomorrow

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

In Viet Nam, you shouldn't ______ at somebody’s house on the first day of the New Year unless you have been invited by the house owner

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

I have left my book in ______ kitchen and I would like you to get it for me.

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

Nobody answered the door, ______? 

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

When the old school friends met, a lot of happy memories ______ back.

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

______, tell him that I have gone to London

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

The doctors know that it is very difficult to save the patient's life; ___ , they will try their best

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

Jimmy's low examination scores kept him from ______ to the university.

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

Visiting Ha Long Bay, tourists can save money thanks ______ the availability of low-cost hotels and cruise tours

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

Make sure you ______ us a visit when you are in town again

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

The scientists are encountering the difficulties of ______ of radioactive waste.

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

Mr. Park Hang Seo, a Korean coach, is considered a big ______ in Vietnam football.

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

It can be seen that Urbanization has resulted in ______ problems besides the benefits

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

Tourists should avoid purchasing unusual relics ______ protected heritage sites.

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

The residents living in this area were warned not to be extravagant with water ______ the low rainfall this year

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

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

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.

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

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

Fifty minutes are the maximum length of time allotted for the exam

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

For more than 450 years, Mexico City has been the economic, culture and political centre of Mexican people

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

Almost medical doctors have had some training in psychology and psychiatry.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions

The noisy party next door stopped after midnight

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions. 

He didn't take his father's advice. That's why he is out of work now

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions

The living room isn't as large as the kitchen

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions

'No, no, you really must stay a bit longer!' said the boys

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions

It was a mistake of Tony to buy that house.

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 from 34 to 38.

          Mother Teresa was one of the most influential personalities of the twentieth century. However, her life was neither easy nor glamorous. She was born in Skopje, Macedonia in 1910. When she was 8 years old, her father died unexpectedly, and the family became devastated after a(an) (34) ______ of intense grief. At the age of 18, she left her home in Skopje and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India. She went to India as a (35) ______. She became a teacher of English in a secondary school. The school was in a nice area but there were slums nearby. Conditions there were absolutely terrible. She was horrified by (36) ______ she saw. She insisted on leaving her comfortable convent and going to live among the poor. At first her superiors tried to discourage her from leaving the convent, but in the end they agreed to (37) ______ her go. Soon other people heard about her work and came to help her. (38) ______ she had no money herself, she succeeded in building shelters for the dying and schools for the poor. By the 1990s, she had become famous and she was eventually given the Nobel Prize for her service to the poor. Mother Teresa died on September 5th, 1997

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 from 34 to 38.

          Mother Teresa was one of the most influential personalities of the twentieth century. However, her life was neither easy nor glamorous. She was born in Skopje, Macedonia in 1910. When she was 8 years old, her father died unexpectedly, and the family became devastated after a(an) (34) ______ of intense grief. At the age of 18, she left her home in Skopje and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India. She went to India as a (35) ______. She became a teacher of English in a secondary school. The school was in a nice area but there were slums nearby. Conditions there were absolutely terrible. She was horrified by (36) ______ she saw. She insisted on leaving her comfortable convent and going to live among the poor. At first her superiors tried to discourage her from leaving the convent, but in the end they agreed to (37) ______ her go. Soon other people heard about her work and came to help her. (38) ______ she had no money herself, she succeeded in building shelters for the dying and schools for the poor. By the 1990s, she had become famous and she was eventually given the Nobel Prize for her service to the poor. Mother Teresa died on September 5th, 1997

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 from 34 to 38.

          Mother Teresa was one of the most influential personalities of the twentieth century. However, her life was neither easy nor glamorous. She was born in Skopje, Macedonia in 1910. When she was 8 years old, her father died unexpectedly, and the family became devastated after a(an) (34) ______ of intense grief. At the age of 18, she left her home in Skopje and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India. She went to India as a (35) ______. She became a teacher of English in a secondary school. The school was in a nice area but there were slums nearby. Conditions there were absolutely terrible. She was horrified by (36) ______ she saw. She insisted on leaving her comfortable convent and going to live among the poor. At first her superiors tried to discourage her from leaving the convent, but in the end they agreed to (37) ______ her go. Soon other people heard about her work and came to help her. (38) ______ she had no money herself, she succeeded in building shelters for the dying and schools for the poor. By the 1990s, she had become famous and she was eventually given the Nobel Prize for her service to the poor. Mother Teresa died on September 5th, 1997

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 from 34 to 38.

          Mother Teresa was one of the most influential personalities of the twentieth century. However, her life was neither easy nor glamorous. She was born in Skopje, Macedonia in 1910. When she was 8 years old, her father died unexpectedly, and the family became devastated after a(an) (34) ______ of intense grief. At the age of 18, she left her home in Skopje and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India. She went to India as a (35) ______. She became a teacher of English in a secondary school. The school was in a nice area but there were slums nearby. Conditions there were absolutely terrible. She was horrified by (36) ______ she saw. She insisted on leaving her comfortable convent and going to live among the poor. At first her superiors tried to discourage her from leaving the convent, but in the end they agreed to (37) ______ her go. Soon other people heard about her work and came to help her. (38) ______ she had no money herself, she succeeded in building shelters for the dying and schools for the poor. By the 1990s, she had become famous and she was eventually given the Nobel Prize for her service to the poor. Mother Teresa died on September 5th, 1997

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 39 to 43.

     One way of training for your future occupation in Germany is by pursuing a dual vocational training programme. Such programmes offer plenty of opportunities for on-the-job training and work experience.  Programmes usually last between two and three and a half years and comprise theoretical as well as practical elements. You will spend one or two days a week, or several weeks at once, at a vocational school where you will acquire the theoretical knowledge that you will need in your future occupation. The rest of the time will be spent at a company. There you get to apply your newly acquired knowledge in practice, for example by learning to operate machinery. You will get to know what your company does, learn how it operates and find out if you can see yourself working there after completing your training. 

     This combination of theory and practice gives you a real head start into your job: by the time you have completed your training, you will not only have the required technical knowledge, but you will also have hands-on experience in your job. There are around 350 officially recognised training programmes in Germany, so chances are good that one of them will suit your interests and talents. You can find out which one that might be by visiting one of the jobs vocational training fairs which are organised in many German cities at different times in the year. 

     Employment prospects for students who have completed a dual vocational training programme are very good. This is one of the reasons why this kind of training is very popular with young Germans: around two thirds of all students leaving school go on to start a vocational training programme.

How many German school leavers choose this vocational training programme?

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 39 to 43.

     One way of training for your future occupation in Germany is by pursuing a dual vocational training programme. Such programmes offer plenty of opportunities for on-the-job training and work experience.  Programmes usually last between two and three and a half years and comprise theoretical as well as practical elements. You will spend one or two days a week, or several weeks at once, at a vocational school where you will acquire the theoretical knowledge that you will need in your future occupation. The rest of the time will be spent at a company. There you get to apply your newly acquired knowledge in practice, for example by learning to operate machinery. You will get to know what your company does, learn how it operates and find out if you can see yourself working there after completing your training. 

     This combination of theory and practice gives you a real head start into your job: by the time you have completed your training, you will not only have the required technical knowledge, but you will also have hands-on experience in your job. There are around 350 officially recognised training programmes in Germany, so chances are good that one of them will suit your interests and talents. You can find out which one that might be by visiting one of the jobs vocational training fairs which are organised in many German cities at different times in the year. 

          Employment prospects for students who have completed a dual vocational training programme are very good. This is one of the reasons why this kind of training is very popular with young Germans: around two thirds of all students leaving school go on to start a vocational training programme

The word "it" in the first paragraph refers to _______. 

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 39 to 43.

     One way of training for your future occupation in Germany is by pursuing a dual vocational training programme. Such programmes offer plenty of opportunities for on-the-job training and work experience.  Programmes usually last between two and three and a half years and comprise theoretical as well as practical elements. You will spend one or two days a week, or several weeks at once, at a vocational school where you will acquire the theoretical knowledge that you will need in your future occupation. The rest of the time will be spent at a company. There you get to apply your newly acquired knowledge in practice, for example by learning to operate machinery. You will get to know what your company does, learn how it operates and find out if you can see yourself working there after completing your training. 

     This combination of theory and practice gives you a real head start into your job: by the time you have completed your training, you will not only have the required technical knowledge, but you will also have hands-on experience in your job. There are around 350 officially recognised training programmes in Germany, so chances are good that one of them will suit your interests and talents. You can find out which one that might be by visiting one of the jobs vocational training fairs which are organised in many German cities at different times in the year. 

     Employment prospects for students who have completed a dual vocational training programme are very good. This is one of the reasons why this kind of training is very popular with young Germans: around two thirds of all students leaving school go on to start a vocational training programme.

Which of the following statements best describes the dual vocational training programmes

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 39 to 43.

     One way of training for your future occupation in Germany is by pursuing a dual vocational training programme. Such programmes offer plenty of opportunities for on-the-job training and work experience.  Programmes usually last between two and three and a half years and comprise theoretical as well as practical elements. You will spend one or two days a week, or several weeks at once, at a vocational school where you will acquire the theoretical knowledge that you will need in your future occupation. The rest of the time will be spent at a company. There you get to apply your newly acquired knowledge in practice, for example by learning to operate machinery. You will get to know what your company does, learn how it operates and find out if you can see yourself working there after completing your training. 

     This combination of theory and practice gives you a real head start into your job: by the time you have completed your training, you will not only have the required technical knowledge, but you will also have hands-on experience in your job. There are around 350 officially recognised training programmes in Germany, so chances are good that one of them will suit your interests and talents. You can find out which one that might be by visiting one of the jobs vocational training fairs which are organised in many German cities at different times in the year. 

          Employment prospects for students who have completed a dual vocational training programme are very good. This is one of the reasons why this kind of training is very popular with young Germans: around two thirds of all students leaving school go on to start a vocational training programme

The word "hands-on" in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.

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 39 to 43.

     One way of training for your future occupation in Germany is by pursuing a dual vocational training programme. Such programmes offer plenty of opportunities for on-the-job training and work experience.  Programmes usually last between two and three and a half years and comprise theoretical as well as practical elements. You will spend one or two days a week, or several weeks at once, at a vocational school where you will acquire the theoretical knowledge that you will need in your future occupation. The rest of the time will be spent at a company. There you get to apply your newly acquired knowledge in practice, for example by learning to operate machinery. You will get to know what your company does, learn how it operates and find out if you can see yourself working there after completing your training. 

     This combination of theory and practice gives you a real head start into your job: by the time you have completed your training, you will not only have the required technical knowledge, but you will also have hands-on experience in your job. There are around 350 officially recognised training programmes in Germany, so chances are good that one of them will suit your interests and talents. You can find out which one that might be by visiting one of the jobs vocational training fairs which are organised in many German cities at different times in the year. 

          Employment prospects for students who have completed a dual vocational training programme are very good. This is one of the reasons why this kind of training is very popular with young Germans: around two thirds of all students leaving school go on to start a vocational training programme

Which of the following is probably the best title 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 44 to 50. 

     Scientists have identified two ways in which species disappear. The first is through ordinary or "background" extinctions, where species that fail to adapt are slowly replaced by more adaptable life forms.  The second is when large numbers of species go to the wall in relatively short periods of biological time. There have been five such extinctions, each provoked by cataclysmic evolutionary events caused by some geological eruption, climate shift, or space junk slamming into the Earth. Scientists now believe that another mass extinction of species is currently under way - and this time human fingerprints are on the trigger. 

     How are we are doing it? Simply by demanding more and more space for ourselves. In our assault on the ecosystems around us we have used a number of tools, from spear and gun to bulldozer and chainsaw.  Certain especially rich ecosystems have proved the most vulnerable. In Hawaii more than half of the native birds are now gone some 50 species. Such carnage has taken place all across the island communities of the Pacific and Indian oceans. While many species were hunted to extinction, others simply succumbed to the “introduced predators” that humans brought with them: the cat, the dog, the pig, and the rat.

     Today the tempo of extinction is picking up speed. Hunting is no longer the major culprit, although rare birds and animals continue to be butchered for their skin, feathers, tusks, and internal organs, or taken as savage pets. Today the main threat comes from the destruction of the habitat of wild plants, animals, and insects need to survive. The draining and damming of wetland and river courses threatens the aquatic food chain and our own seafood industry. Overfishing and the destruction of fragile coral reefs destroy ocean biodiversity. Deforestation is taking a staggering toll, particularly in the tropics where the most global biodiversity is at risk. The shrinking rainforest cover of the Congo and Amazon River basins and such place as Borneo and Madagascar have a wealth of species per hectare existing nowhere else. As those precious hectares are drowned or turned into arid pasture and cropland, such species disappear forever.

Source: Final Countdown Practice Tests by D.F Piniaris, Heinle Cengage Learning,

What does the passage mainly discuss

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 44 to 50. 

     Scientists have identified two ways in which species disappear. The first is through ordinary or "background" extinctions, where species that fail to adapt are slowly replaced by more adaptable life forms.  The second is when large numbers of species go to the wall in relatively short periods of biological time. There have been five such extinctions, each provoked by cataclysmic evolutionary events caused by some geological eruption, climate shift, or space junk slamming into the Earth. Scientists now believe that another mass extinction of species is currently under way - and this time human fingerprints are on the trigger. 

     How are we are doing it? Simply by demanding more and more space for ourselves. In our assault on the ecosystems around us we have used a number of tools, from spear and gun to bulldozer and chainsaw.  Certain especially rich ecosystems have proved the most vulnerable. In Hawaii more than half of the native birds are now gone some 50 species. Such carnage has taken place all across the island communities of the Pacific and Indian oceans. While many species were hunted to extinction, others simply succumbed to the “introduced predators” that humans brought with them: the cat, the dog, the pig, and the rat.

          Today the tempo of extinction is picking up speed. Hunting is no longer the major culprit, although rare birds and animals continue to be butchered for their skin, feathers, tusks, and internal organs, or taken as savage pets. Today the main threat comes from the destruction of the habitat of wild plants, animals, and insects need to survive. The draining and damming of wetland and river courses threatens the aquatic food chain and our own seafood industry. Overfishing and the destruction of fragile coral reefs destroy ocean biodiversity. Deforestation is taking a staggering toll, particularly in the tropics where the most global biodiversity is at risk. The shrinking rainforest cover of the Congo and Amazon River basins and such place as Borneo and Madagascar have a wealth of species per hectare existing nowhere else. As those precious hectares are drowned or turned into arid pasture and cropland, such species disappear forever

The word assault in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _________. 

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 44 to 50. 

     Scientists have identified two ways in which species disappear. The first is through ordinary or "background" extinctions, where species that fail to adapt are slowly replaced by more adaptable life forms.  The second is when large numbers of species go to the wall in relatively short periods of biological time. There have been five such extinctions, each provoked by cataclysmic evolutionary events caused by some geological eruption, climate shift, or space junk slamming into the Earth. Scientists now believe that another mass extinction of species is currently under way - and this time human fingerprints are on the trigger. 

     How are we are doing it? Simply by demanding more and more space for ourselves. In our assault on the ecosystems around us we have used a number of tools, from spear and gun to bulldozer and chainsaw.  Certain especially rich ecosystems have proved the most vulnerable. In Hawaii more than half of the native birds are now gone some 50 species. Such carnage has taken place all across the island communities of the Pacific and Indian oceans. While many species were hunted to extinction, others simply succumbed to the “introduced predators” that humans brought with them: the cat, the dog, the pig, and the rat.

          Today the tempo of extinction is picking up speed. Hunting is no longer the major culprit, although rare birds and animals continue to be butchered for their skin, feathers, tusks, and internal organs, or taken as savage pets. Today the main threat comes from the destruction of the habitat of wild plants, animals, and insects need to survive. The draining and damming of wetland and river courses threatens the aquatic food chain and our own seafood industry. Overfishing and the destruction of fragile coral reefs destroy ocean biodiversity. Deforestation is taking a staggering toll, particularly in the tropics where the most global biodiversity is at risk. The shrinking rainforest cover of the Congo and Amazon River basins and such place as Borneo and Madagascar have a wealth of species per hectare existing nowhere else. As those precious hectares are drowned or turned into arid pasture and cropland, such species disappear forever

All of the following are mentioned as a form of habitat destruction EXCEPT _____.

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 44 to 50. 

     Scientists have identified two ways in which species disappear. The first is through ordinary or "background" extinctions, where species that fail to adapt are slowly replaced by more adaptable life forms.  The second is when large numbers of species go to the wall in relatively short periods of biological time. There have been five such extinctions, each provoked by cataclysmic evolutionary events caused by some geological eruption, climate shift, or space junk slamming into the Earth. Scientists now believe that another mass extinction of species is currently under way - and this time human fingerprints are on the trigger. 

     How are we are doing it? Simply by demanding more and more space for ourselves. In our assault on the ecosystems around us we have used a number of tools, from spear and gun to bulldozer and chainsaw.  Certain especially rich ecosystems have proved the most vulnerable. In Hawaii more than half of the native birds are now gone some 50 species. Such carnage has taken place all across the island communities of the Pacific and Indian oceans. While many species were hunted to extinction, others simply succumbed to the “introduced predators” that humans brought with them: the cat, the dog, the pig, and the rat.

          Today the tempo of extinction is picking up speed. Hunting is no longer the major culprit, although rare birds and animals continue to be butchered for their skin, feathers, tusks, and internal organs, or taken as savage pets. Today the main threat comes from the destruction of the habitat of wild plants, animals, and insects need to survive. The draining and damming of wetland and river courses threatens the aquatic food chain and our own seafood industry. Overfishing and the destruction of fragile coral reefs destroy ocean biodiversity. Deforestation is taking a staggering toll, particularly in the tropics where the most global biodiversity is at risk. The shrinking rainforest cover of the Congo and Amazon River basins and such place as Borneo and Madagascar have a wealth of species per hectare existing nowhere else. As those precious hectares are drowned or turned into arid pasture and cropland, such species disappear forever

What was the main threat to biodiversity in Hawaii and other islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans until recently? 

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 44 to 50. 

     Scientists have identified two ways in which species disappear. The first is through ordinary or "background" extinctions, where species that fail to adapt are slowly replaced by more adaptable life forms.  The second is when large numbers of species go to the wall in relatively short periods of biological time. There have been five such extinctions, each provoked by cataclysmic evolutionary events caused by some geological eruption, climate shift, or space junk slamming into the Earth. Scientists now believe that another mass extinction of species is currently under way - and this time human fingerprints are on the trigger. 

     How are we are doing it? Simply by demanding more and more space for ourselves. In our assault on the ecosystems around us we have used a number of tools, from spear and gun to bulldozer and chainsaw.  Certain especially rich ecosystems have proved the most vulnerable. In Hawaii more than half of the native birds are now gone some 50 species. Such carnage has taken place all across the island communities of the Pacific and Indian oceans. While many species were hunted to extinction, others simply succumbed to the “introduced predators” that humans brought with them: the cat, the dog, the pig, and the rat.

     Today the tempo of extinction is picking up speed. Hunting is no longer the major culprit, although rare birds and animals continue to be butchered for their skin, feathers, tusks, and internal organs, or taken as savage pets. Today the main threat comes from the destruction of the habitat of wild plants, animals, and insects need to survive. The draining and damming of wetland and river courses threatens the aquatic food chain and our own seafood industry. Overfishing and the destruction of fragile coral reefs destroy ocean biodiversity. Deforestation is taking a staggering toll, particularly in the tropics where the most global biodiversity is at risk. The shrinking rainforest cover of the Congo and Amazon River basins and such place as Borneo and Madagascar have a wealth of species per hectare existing nowhere else. As those precious hectares are drowned or turned into arid pasture and cropland, such species disappear forever

The word them in paragraph 2 refers to ________. 

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 39 to 43.

     One way of training for your future occupation in Germany is by pursuing a dual vocational training programme. Such programmes offer plenty of opportunities for on-the-job training and work experience.  Programmes usually last between two and three and a half years and comprise theoretical as well as practical elements. You will spend one or two days a week, or several weeks at once, at a vocational school where you will acquire the theoretical knowledge that you will need in your future occupation. The rest of the time will be spent at a company. There you get to apply your newly acquired knowledge in practice, for example by learning to operate machinery. You will get to know what your company does, learn how it operates and find out if you can see yourself working there after completing your training. 

     This combination of theory and practice gives you a real head start into your job: by the time you have completed your training, you will not only have the required technical knowledge, but you will also have hands-on experience in your job. There are around 350 officially recognised training programmes in Germany, so chances are good that one of them will suit your interests and talents. You can find out which one that might be by visiting one of the jobs vocational training fairs which are organised in many German cities at different times in the year. 

          Employment prospects for students who have completed a dual vocational training programme are very good. This is one of the reasons why this kind of training is very popular with young Germans: around two thirds of all students leaving school go on to start a vocational training programme.

Which is no longer considered a major cause of the mass extinction under way currently?

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 44 to 50. 

     Scientists have identified two ways in which species disappear. The first is through ordinary or "background" extinctions, where species that fail to adapt are slowly replaced by more adaptable life forms.  The second is when large numbers of species go to the wall in relatively short periods of biological time. There have been five such extinctions, each provoked by cataclysmic evolutionary events caused by some geological eruption, climate shift, or space junk slamming into the Earth. Scientists now believe that another mass extinction of species is currently under way - and this time human fingerprints are on the trigger. 

     How are we are doing it? Simply by demanding more and more space for ourselves. In our assault on the ecosystems around us we have used a number of tools, from spear and gun to bulldozer and chainsaw.  Certain especially rich ecosystems have proved the most vulnerable. In Hawaii more than half of the native birds are now gone some 50 species. Such carnage has taken place all across the island communities of the Pacific and Indian oceans. While many species were hunted to extinction, others simply succumbed to the “introduced predators” that humans brought with them: the cat, the dog, the pig, and the rat.

          Today the tempo of extinction is picking up speed. Hunting is no longer the major culprit, although rare birds and animals continue to be butchered for their skin, feathers, tusks, and internal organs, or taken as savage pets. Today the main threat comes from the destruction of the habitat of wild plants, animals, and insects need to survive. The draining and damming of wetland and river courses threatens the aquatic food chain and our own seafood industry. Overfishing and the destruction of fragile coral reefs destroy ocean biodiversity. Deforestation is taking a staggering toll, particularly in the tropics where the most global biodiversity is at risk. The shrinking rainforest cover of the Congo and Amazon River basins and such place as Borneo and Madagascar have a wealth of species per hectare existing nowhere else. As those precious hectares are drowned or turned into arid pasture and cropland, such species disappear forever

The word butchered in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _______.