A. principle B. principal C. dispensable D. expendable

primarily on the nation. The Museum of Modern Art in New York began to ship abstract expressionistic works to be displayed in places like Milan, Madrid, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, and London. Some critics overseas were dismayed, stating that this type of abstract art was not new. As this art was practiced elsewhere, they continued by saying it was not good quality painting and was not purely American. One writer hailed typical American abstract art as “heir of the pioneer and immigrant.” Another saw the artists as heroic rebels, comparing them to movie stars of the same caliber as James Dean and Marlon Brando or teen idols such as Elvis Presley.

As the US was celebrating a highly contradictory mix of freedom and individuality, abstract expressionism became a political pawn of sorts. The art reflected the ambiguity of the world at the time as war-ravaged countries worked to recover their economy and people worked to achieve a normal state of life. The artists of abstract expressionism effectively captured the emotion of the nation as it emerged from a time of stress and tried to form an updated image. 1. The author discusses art from the 1930s in order to ………….

A. demonstrate the drastic change in art

B. explain the change in America’s culture

C. describe the hardships of the people

D. list the events that transpired 2. The word ‘conventions’ in the passage is closet in meaning to ………….

A. perceptions B. agreements C. situations D. traditions 3. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the change in art?

A. Artists sought ways to distinguish their art from previous artists.

B. The painters used traditional design elements in whole new ways,

C. Consistency in art overpowered the need for originality.

D. Artwork reflected the personal empowerment of the artist. 4. The word ‘exude’ in the passage is closest in meaning to………….

A. discourage B. portray C. replace D. instruct 5. The word “affluence” in the passage is closest in meaning to ………….

A. wealth B. learning C. position D. stature 6. According to paragraph 3, although the work of abstract artists appeared confident, it was in fact

A. identical to the nation’s certainty

B. representative of the country’s wealth

C. reflective of the anxiety of the era

D. expressive of the artists’ low self-esteem 7. All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 4 as Pollock’s techniques painting EXCEPT:

A. Stark displays of contrasts and opposition

B. Feelings and impulses from within the mind

C. Emotion mixed with ordinary scenes

D. Intense emotions from personal experiences 8. The word ‘each in the passage refers to ………….

A. artist B. dual consciousness

C. physic impulse D. notion of the unconscious 9. According to paragraph 5, abstract expressionism was critiqued for being

A. widely followed and admired B. labeled “American”

C. exhibited worldwide D. claiming to be modern 10. The word “ its” in the passage refers to

A. ambiguity B. nation C. modern art D. world

V. GUIDED CLOZE TEST Read the following passage and choose the options that best complete the blanks. PASSAGE 1

139

Our group (1)…………. silent at the base of a narrow steel ladder that rose vertically through the maze of girders at the south-east end of Australia's Sydney Harbour Bridge. We needn't have worried about the first part of the climb. Up to this (2)………….our guided tour had been little more than a stroll but now our task was to face the ladder. It must have been at least fifty feet high. There were handrails and our safety belts would be tethered to a cable to (3)…………. a fall but the water couldn't have been less than 250 feet below us and the (4)………….of climbing was daunting.

What lay at the top was stepping out on to the exposed upper arch of the bridge, with blue sky all round and the water almost 262 feet below. We ought to have found this out before embarking on what now seemed a singularly (5)…………. mission! My own (6)…………. was extreme, but, on this sparkling morning, I saw no option but to climb to the summit of one of the world's best-loved icons - a miracle of engineering recognized by people everywhere.

As I climbed the tension (7)………….out of me; I was driven by an exhilarating feeling of conquest. At the top, I dropped my (8)………….to the vast pool of the harbor below. It might just as well have been a mill pond from this height. We stood on a small viewing deck in the warm sunshine, (9) …………. with excitement and arms raised as our guide took a (10) …………. photograph. 1. A. fell B. came C. rendered D. dropped 2. A. position B. period C. point D. place . 3. A. hold B. halt C. reduce D. break 4. A. perspective B. proposal C. probability D. prospect 5. A. negligent B. reckless C. careless D. unthinking 6. A. acrophobia B. claustrophobia C. agoraphobia D. arachnophobia 7. A. exuded B. drained C. leaked D. came 8. A. glare B. glimpse C. gaze D. glance 9. A. flushed B. burned C. drenched D. flamed 10. A. celebrant B. celebratory C. celebrated D. celebrity

PASSAGE 2

THE VALUE OF WALKING

New research reveals that walking just 9.5 kilometers (six miles) a week may keep your brain sharper as you get older. Research published in the October 13 online issue of Neurology suggests that walking may protect aging brains from growing smaller and, in (1)…………. , preserve memory in old age.

‘Brain size shrinks in late adulthood, which can cause memory problems,’ study author Kirk Erickson of the University of Pittsburgh said in a news release. ‘Our findings should encourage further welldesigned scientific (2)…………. Of physical exercise in older adults as a very (3) …………. approach for preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.’ For the study, the team asked 299 dementia-free seniors to record the (4)…………. they walked each week.

Four years later, the participants were tested to see if they had developed (5)…………. of dementia. Then after nine years had passed, scientists (6)………….the participants’ brains to measure size. At the four-year test, researchers discovered subjects who walked the most had (7)………….their risk of developing memory problems by 50 per cent. At the nine-year checkpoint, those who walked at least 9.5 kilometers a week, had brains with a larger (8)………….than those who didn’t walk as much.

This is not the first study to (9)…………. the benefits of walking in seniors. For example, last spring, Harvard University found that women who walked regularly at a (10)…………. pace had an almost 40 per cent lower risk of stroke. 1. A. result B. turn C .sequence D. case 2. A. trials B. attempts C. searches D. courses 3. A. indicative B. promising C. fortunate D. ideal 4. A. distance B. length C. duration D. extent 5. A. signals B. factors C. signs D. features 6. A. skimmed B. scanned C. screened D. sounded