12 Trường THPT chuyên Tiền Giang – Tiền Giang

II. WORD FORMATION: (20PTS) PART 1: Complete each sentence, using the correct form of the word in parentheses. 1………….value of quinine in treating malaria has been proved by science. (THERAPY) 2. We all go out for a…………. meal after the two-week project. (CELEBRATE) 3. This out-of-the-way region in China suffers an annual………….outbreak of cholera. (VIRUS) 4. The sprawling factory compound, all grey dormitories and…………. warehouses, blends seamlessly into the outskirts of the Shenzhen megalopolis. (WEATHER) 5. A …………. species is a plant or animal that plays an indispensable role in the way an ecosystem functions. (KEY) 6. To the technical philosophers, who strictly confine themselves to the logical collation and criticism of scientific methods, he has, …………. , not seemed philosophic enough. (CONTRARY) 7. Insidious 4, albeit a horror movie, has some…………. scenes that stem from two auxiliaries, whose lines are particularly conducive to uproarious laughter. (SIDE) 8. It was just………….that I met my high school friend on my second day visiting Paris. (HAPPEN) 9. ‘Thank God you ’re here’ has attracted excessive favorable publicity thanks to the imaginative and unorthodox plays, tailored to whet the ………….appetite for originality from the audience. (SATISFY) 10. Beethoven, despite not winning any prize during his time, was awarded…………. (POST)

PART 2: Complete the passage with the appropriate forms from the words given in the box.

genius grip practice perceive chief document timid grass pass carpentry

The cinema, though, does have something in common with the confessional, video blog aspect of Youtube. The popularity of the horror film the Blair Witch Project was inflamed by a vast, (1)…………. Internet campaigns which (2)…………. suggested that the film’s horrors were real. Plus there’s a cousin to this blurring of fact and fiction - confessional blogs which turn out to be faked by (3) ………….actors. In the past, some (4)…………. that you could see on TV or at the cinema had Youtube qualities, in that the footage was shot by the participants themselves, although they needed a professional cinema (5)…………. to bring it to light. If the unhappy heroes of these films are making their videos now, they would probably (6)………….these directors and take them straight to Youtube.

Where straight cinema and Youtube come more closely into parallel is the use of continuous shot: the persistent, unjudging, (7) ………….gaze; an unedited, deep-focus scene in which our attention as audience is not (8)………….or directed. The true Youtube gems are not the digitally (9)………….mini-features. The most (10)………….material is raw, unedited footage in one continuous take.

III. ERROR CORRECTION: (10PTS) The following passage contains 10 errors. Identify and correct them. Line 1 5 10 The sacred Tet, intrinsically a traditional festival, occurs some time between late January and early February, depending on the Lunar Calendar. Though officially a three-day affair, festivities continue, more likely than not, for a week or more with every effort made to indulge in eating, drinking, and enjoyable social activities. It is also an opportunity for family reunions, and for memorizing ancestors. Gifts of food are made to friends, neighbors and relatives on the days before Tet. Everyone is in a rush to get a haircut, buy new clothes, spring up their homes, visit friends, settle standing debts, and stock up on traditional Tet delicacies. Businesses hang festive red banners printed ‘Happy New

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25 Year' and city streets are festooned with colored lights. Stalls commence to sell candied fruits and jams, traditional cakes, and fresh fruit and flowers. Certain markets sell nothing but cone-shape kumquat bushes. Others sell flowering peach trees, symbols of life and good fortune which people bring into their homes to celebrate the coming of spring. As vendors pour into the City with peach trees strapped to their bicycles, the streets look alike moving pink forests. On the last day of the old year, the preparation of food to offer to the ancestors is of special significance. Dishes to offer the ancestors differ in the Northern, Central and Southern parts of the country, depending on their respective weather conditions at the time and on different fresh products available locally. What is common in all regions of the country during Tet holidays are the varieties of soups, fried, boiled, or stewed dishes ,... The foods that the Vietnamese eat at Tet are various and diverse, but the people throughout the country all want to have the best and the most beautiful looking food on this occasion to offer their decease ancestors and to treat their friends and guests.

1……………… 2……………… 3……………… 4……………… 5……………… 6……………… 7……………… 8……………… 9……………… 10……………..

IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION: (20 PTS) Rewrite the following sentences using the words given. 1. Your story is different from the facts. → Your story doesn’t tie in with the facts. 2. Martine cannot go any higher in his career. (PINNACLE) → Martine...................................................................................................... …. 3. I will appreciate it if you didn’t pretend to support my view. (LIP) → I would sooner ....................................................................... ........................ 4. Sorry, you can’t do whatever you want. → Sorry, you are not in a ................................................................ and choose 5. You can eat as much as you like for $5 at the new lunch-bar. . → There..................................... ............................................ ............................. 6. My father became extremely angry when he discovered someone had damaged his car. → My father............................. ............................................................................ 7. Addicts of computer games struggle to distinguish the virtual world from the real world. (DRAW) → Those obsessed ............................................................................................... 8. Have a look at this picture. It may help you remember something. (JOG) → Have a ............................................................................................................ 9. Apparently, a lot of employees will be made redundant when the 21st Century Fox is taken over.(HEAP) → Apparently, many an ...................................................................................... 10. Although the beginning may be smooth for a business, one has to think about the worst-case scenario. (PREOCCUPIED)

→....................... ..................................................................................................

A. MULTIPLE CHOICE (40PTS) 1. WORD CHOICE (5PTS) Choose the best alternative to fill the gap in each of the following sentences 1 .When asked if she had ever been in trouble with the police before, she replied in the…………...

A. aggressive B. assertive C. affirmative D. abrasive 2. It is hard to know whether to believe such …………... of doom, possibly because what they are saying seems too terrible to be true.

A. champions B. warriors C. prophets D. giants 3. Furiously, she banged down the…………...and immediately dialed the complaints department.

A. headset B. handle C. recipient D. receiver 4. New restaurants often try to attract customers by using …………... to homes in the surrounding area.

A. postal adverts B. mailshots C. mail flyers D. mailboxing 5. The young lad was the…………...of his father.

A. image B. likeness C. picture D. portrait 6. The salesman demonstrated how a push of the button would cause the aerial to…………...

A. rebound B. retreat C. recoil D. retract 7. Patrick is too…………...a gambler to resist placing a bet on the final game.

A. instant B. spontaneous C. compulsive D. continuous 8. Several soldiers of the squad were taken …………... by the enemy forces.

A. capture B. hostage C. kidnap D. torture 9. The newspaper is well-known for being …………...against trade unions.

A. biased B. skewed C. twisted D. distorted 10. We have always tried to peace with our unfriendly neighbors.

A. gain B. reserve C. live D. preserve

II. GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURES (5PTS) Choose the best alternative to fill the gap in each of the following sentences 1. Peter: Why were those three men arrested? Tom: They were suspected of being at Nairobi National Park.

A. poaching B. poached C. poacher D. poach 2. Not to waste time, searching, Alex kept everything just…………...he could get his hand on it.

A. where B. as C. when D. if 3. You can no more swim than I can fly. The sentence means:…………....

A. Both of us can’t swim or fly B. You can never swim, which I am sure of.

C. Either you or I can fly D. You can swim as I can fly 4. Her father insisted that she_seriously ill and that a doctor for at once.

A. was / was sent B. was /be sent C. be /be sent D. being / sending 5. What a terrible thing to happen! Just think, if we hadn’t missed the plane, we…………...dead for certain.

A. were B. would have been C. would be D. are 6. What surprised me most was to find …………... little boys could make…………...much progress in …………... a short time.

A. such, so, so B. such ,so, such C. so, so, such D. so, such, such 7. I won’t pay 80 dollars for the coat; it is not worth…………....

A. all that much B. that all much C. much that all D. that much all 8. With profits at record levels, the company’s certainly sitting…………... this year.

A. pretty good B. pretty well C. prettily D. pretty 9. Because we hadn’t seen each other for ages, we sat…………...for hours.

A. to have talked B. to have been talking C. talking D. to be talked 10. John :…………... what he has said be true?

227 Mary: Yes, it…………...be true.

A. May/may B. Can/can C. May/must D. Can/must

III. PREPOSITIONS AND PHRASAL VERBS (5 PTS) Complete each of the following sentences with a suitable preposition or particle. 1. The front page was full of the reports given by the reporters…………...the scene of the road accident.

A. in B. on C. at D. of 2. The winds changed and it seemed our sailing team might …………...out on top.

A. float B. come C. reach D. get 3. Let’s row over…………...the other side of the lake.

A. on B. along C. to D. off 4. If you feel bad about what she said, then it up with her - don’t let it go.

A. get B. sit C. put D. take 5. He gave…………...his seat on the bus to an elderly woman.

A. over B. in C. up D. back 6. The doctor…………...all night with the patients in the hospital.

A. sat out B. sat up C. sat in D. sat on 7. I was allowed to sit …………... on an executive meeting.

A. about B. in C. at D. up 8. His latest book deals with the social problem…………...the day.

A. on B. in C. for D. of 9. Unfortunately, some really ill animals have to be…………...by our center.

A. put down B. turned over C. passed away D. taken out 10. The new regulations have…………... up a number of problems for the company.

A. come B. thrown C. got D. moved

IV. IDIOMS AND COLLOCATIONS. (5PTS) Choose the best option to complete the following sentences. 1. Those stones have been here since time…………...

A. immemorable B. immemorial C. immortal D. innumerable 2. The art teacher gave the children a free…………... in their creative compositions.

A. offer B. hand C. gift D. kick 3. Once at the skating rink, Ivan was allowed to skate to his heart's …………...

A. happiness B. contentment C. content D. delight 4. After making several bad business deals the company was losing money hand over…………...

A. finger B. thumb C. wrist D. fist 5. The government is making little …………... in its fight to beat inflation.

A. headway B. improvement C. advance D. forward 6. We at Buyrite fling down the …………... to competitors to match us for price, quality and service.

A. mitten B. sword C. gauntlet D. hat 7. The drama group…………...a sketch about a couple buying a new house.

A. created B. carved C. did D. painted 8. Has the show finally jumped the…………...?

A. salmon B. herring C. shark D. dolphin 9. I can't tell you…………...the population of Prague, but there’s an encyclopedia in the cupboard.

A. in hand B. at hand C. off-hand D. on hand 10. During pioneer days a lot of land in the United States was up for…………...

A. gain B. taking C. promotion D. grabs

V. READING COMPREHENSION (10PTS)

1. READING COMPREHENSION 1 (5PTS) Read the passage and choose the right answer for each question:

Musicals are a wonderful form of entertainment. While plays are theatrical productions which tell a story through the written words of a script and are presented by actors, musicals are stories told with lyrics and music. In New York many of the theaters where the famous and well-known musicals are performed are on or near Broadway and for that reason the musicals are often referred to as “Broadway Musicals” . Some of the lesser known productions, whether theatrical or musical, are also performed in New York but these are usually performed in other areas of the city and are referred to as “Off-Broadway” productions.

Some of the same musicals being performed in New York are also being performed throughout the world in major cities. And not all musicals are first performed in New York. Sometimes shows open in Lon don's West End which is home to numerous theaters where musicals, as well as plays, are performed with great frequency and regularity to full-house audiences.

One of the world’s most prolific and well-known songwriters is an Englishman, Andrew Lloyd Webber. Webber grew up in a family whose interests centered on music. Andrew’s father was a music professor and his mother a singer and musician, and Andrew's talents seemed to take center stage when he was very young. He began playing the violin when he was three years old and by the time he was nine he was composing music for the small theater which had been built in his home.

One of Webber’s first musicals was a short production about a religious topic and was written for a school’s end of the year concert. The production later became a musical known to the world as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Based on the biblical story of Jacob and his son Joseph, the musical tells the story of Jacob giving his son, Joseph, a beautiful multi-colored coat and the resulting jealousy of Joseph’s brothers who have Joseph sold as a slave.

As the story continues in song, Joseph is jailed, explains his dreams to other prisoners, and is later asked by the Egyptian pharaoh to help explain the pharaoh’s dream. The dream, signifying an impending famine, is correctly interpreted by Joseph and as a result Joseph is held in high esteem by the ruler. The musical concludes happily when Joseph’s brothers, who need food from Joseph as a result of the famine, are no longer jealous of him and he forgives them.

Cats, which is based on an English author’s poems about cats, is a favorite of nearly everyone. It tells the story of cats who are beautiful and of cats who are old. Some of the cats are magical and others are mischievous. One cat reminisces about her youth and the others also become person-like as their stories are told. And the cats come in all shapes and sizes, too. Some are chunky while others are lean. Some have seen better days and some are waiting for better days. To make the musical even better, in some of the productions the cats-all human sizes and shapes, of course - find their ways down the aisles to the stage to begin each act. The lyrics in Cats follow T. s. Eliot’s poetry and as the songs are sung by cats they are about cats. And one of the most interesting aspects of the production is that the human-like personalities of the cats are readily apparent to the viewers.

The award-winning Evita was another Webber’s masterpiece. Evita is the story of Eva Peron, and tells of her rise to power and the influence she had among the people of Argentina. The play begins with her death. This musical, unlike some others, begin s with the immediate - Evita's death - and then flashes back to the beginning of her life, showing her rise in importance in her South American home land. Historically significant, Evita has brought to the world's attention the plight of Argentina and its people as well as presenting some of the story of the dictatorship of Juan Peron and the lasting impact Eva Peron had on the people of her country . This musical, while serious in subject matter, leaves the audience with a greater understanding of a country and its peopled The lyrics and music of "Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina," are hauntingly uplifting rather than sad and demonstrate Evita’s continually encouraging attitude to the struggling poor in her homeland.

Throughout the years Webber has written lyrics to a variety of productions. The rock musical, Jesus Christ Super star, began its run in 1969 and has been a favorite of touring companies since then. Sunset Boulevard is set in Los Angeles and tells the story of a silent movie star who desperately - ants to revive her fame and reputation with a comeback in the talkies. And perhaps one of the all-rime greats is the highly

229 acclaimed production, Phantom of the Opera . The setting, in the bowels of a great opera house , is significant to the story line because the phantom of the opera has established his domain there. Love, lost love , and intrigue are all facets of the phantom’s story and his role in assisting a talented young woman who aspires to be one of the opera’s greats.

An drew Lloyd Webber has made significant contributions to the arts and especially to the musical theater through the numerous lyrics he has written for musicals. His prolific productivity continues as he has, for the past several years, written a new musical about every two years. And in 1992 he was recognized and knighted for his services to the arts. 1. Why does the author discuss Joseph in the passage?

A. A pharaoh is the central character and is a necessary inclusion in the musical to convey the meaning of the story.

B. Usually a biblical story is not set to music as Lloyd Webber saw fit to do.

C. The plot of the musical involve d a famine which had dire effects on the people of the Middle East.

D. Egypt is the setting for the musical and is important to the story line of the musical. 2. What is the main ide a about Sir Andrew Lloyd Web be r’s musicals presented in the passage?

A. He is an Australian member of Parliament who decided to write songs in his spare time.

B. As a New Zealander. Webber felt it important to promote the British Commonwealth of Nations.

C. As an Englishman honored for his musical talents, the musicals present a wide variety of settings, lyrics, and interest areas forth eater attendees.

D. He is of Scottish descent and wanted to show his appreciation to the British royalty for showing positive responses to his works. 3. Musicals are different from plays in that…………... .

A. musicals are stories produced with scripts whereas plays can be scripted or unscripted.

B. while plays and musicals both tell stories, in a play the stories are not set to music.

C. plays are noted for their seriousness while musicals only provide entertainment to the attendees.

D. plays are only informative while musicals are never informative. 4. Webber, who is noted for the variety of subject matter in his famous musicals, has chosen to write music for existing literature in which of the following musicals?

A. Evita B. Sunset Boulevard

C. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat D. Cats 5. What does the author mention about Webber's other musical talents other than composing music?

A. His singing ability gave him opportunities to try new verse ideas on people who were inclined to appreciate his work.

B. Playing the piano provided the necessary background for understanding how the piano played an important part in musical, Sunset Boulevard, which was the story of a silent movie star.

C. Playing the violin helped Webber understand the different musical qualities an instrument could provide, which in turn helped him understand the importance of variety in lyrics.

D. Dancing, an important part of all musicals, was better appreciated by Webber when he began to write lyrics. 6. Which of the following is mentioned about a famine in one of Webber's musicals in the passage?

A. People in England understood the famine in connection with the British rule of its Commonwealth of Nations.

B. The famine was central to the plight of the Egyptians during the time period in which the musical was set.

C. The Middle East had never experienced a famine and the reader needed to be aware of the ramifications of such an event.

D. Americans did not understand the significance of a famine other than the potato famine in Ireland which resulted in the migration of many settlers to America. 7. Evita is the beautifully told story of…………...

A. Argentina's havoc-wrecked rural society during the 1930s

B. dictators and rulers in a power hungry nation during the 1940s

C. the leadership in Buenos Aires at the turn of the century

D. Eva Peron’s influence over the masses in a poverty-stricken country 8. In what aspect was the introduction of Jesus Christ Superstar to the stage and to the world a monumental undertaking?

A. It was able to put a serious subject matter to a type of music which many found offensive or unacceptable.

B. It became highly acclaimed and extremely popular with the younger adults during the 1980s.

C. It has the controversial nature of the subject matter and the widely accepted musical basis

D. It was first shown in Los Angeles even though most US musicals are first shown on stage in New

York City. 9. The word ‘plight’ in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to…………....

A. serious epidemics B. difficult situation

C. natural disasters D. poor cooperation 10. The word ‘intrigue’ in paragraph 8 is closest in meaning to…………...

A. security B. plot C. betrothal D. surety

2. READING COMPREHENSION 2 (5PTS) Read the passage and choose the right answer for each question:

In February 2001, at the age of 24, Ellen Mac Arthur became the youngest and fastest ever woman to sail round the world. After 94 days alone on board her yacht Kingfisher, she finished second to Michel Desjoyaux of France in the single-handed Vende Globe event.

In sport, like life, the winner is usually feted, and runners-up quickly forgotten. This time the roles were reversed and it was Ellen, weighing just 50 kilos and barely lm60 tall, that really captured people's imaginations and emotions. One newspaper in France, where she was and is a real heroine, summed up the national mood there with the headline 'Well done, Michel, brave Ellen'.

As with many spectacular achievers, the signs were there from an early age, even in the unpromising nautical terrain of landlocked Derbyshire. Her great-grandparents were sailing people and a great-uncle was a merchant seaman, but any real link with the sea is tenuous. There was, however, an Auntie Thea who lived on the east coast of England and had a 26-foot sailing boat called Cabaret. It took just one trip on the open sea with her aunt to spark off Ellen's lifelong passion. She was eight years old. She began saving her pocket money and spent all her spare time reading sailing books in the library, absorbing information like a sponge. With her savings and the help of her grandmother she bought an 8-£00t fibreglass dinghy, and from that moment on there was no keeping her away from the water.

Sailing round Britain single-handed at the age of 18 was just the start; Ellen had long since set her sights on the Vende. But finding the money to undertake round-the-world voyages is no easy feat. She wrote 2,000 letters requesting sponsorship and received just two replies, from the Kingfisher company who were looking to expand into France. And in terms of race preparation, if thoroughness was the key to success, Ellen could certainly be considered one of the favourites. In the eight months leading up to the start of the race, she sailed no fewer than 60,000 miles at the helm of her 60-£001 Kingfisher, far more than the rest of the fleet put together in the same period.

During her three months at sea MacArthur negotiated deadly icebergs, gigantic waves and gale-force winds. She endured the freezing cold of the Antarctic and suffered the blistering heat of the windless doldrums. Racing conditions meant sleeping in 10-minute bursts, a survival suit that stayed on for weeks at a time and hands and wrists covered in sores and cuts. Food was dried or frozen. Water came from a desalinator, which passes sea water through a membrane. 'You don't really wash in the icy waters of the southern ocean,' she laughs. 'Anyway, there's no one to tell you that you smell.'

As Kingfisher crossed the finishing line Ellen was surrounded by hundreds of spectator boats and a cheering crowd of 200,000 lined the shore. Stepping off her yacht she looked remarkably composed and seemed to take the change from solitude to public adulation very much in her stride. Her thoughts, she later

231 confessed, were on the realization that she had fulfilled the ambition that had dominated her life for the previous four or five years. 'Throughout that time my sole focus had been crossing the finishing line, and in the fastest possible time.' Now she could savour that moment.

But despite MacArthur's belief that everyone who finishes the Vende is a winner, she still feels a sense of disappointment that, having taken the lead from the eventual winner Michel Desjoyaux 10 days from the finish, she did not quite have the energy or good fortune to turn her advantage into victory. 'You have to believe you can win from the start,' she asserts. 'Deep down you're a competitor, you don't climb the mast and come back black and blue just for a cruise. You do it because it's a race.'

The public will now be hoping to see a suitable encore, some new feat of endurance to justify her celebrity status. For Ellen can no longer claim, as she did in her post-race press conference, to be the simple Derbyshire girl with 'no mobile, no credit cards, no money, no nothing'; she is a heroine and an inspiration to others of her generation. As if to reinforce this, and despite her reluctance to take on this role, she later commented: 'If there's one thing I've learned in this past year, it's that deep down in your heart, if you have a dream, then you can and must it happen.' 1. The word feted in the second paragraph means…………...

A. to make somebody pleasant. B. to praise somebody.

C. to make somebody happy. D. to give somebody a reward. 2. At the time of her achievement we learn that Ellen…………....

A. enjoyed only short-lived success.

B. was more famous in France than anywhere else,

C. attracted more attention than Michel Desjoyaux.

D. became popular because of her size. 3. The word landlocked in the third paragraph means…………...

A. having no seaport. B. having no fresh water .

C. having no land. D. having no sea coast. 4. Where did Ellen's initial interest in sailing come from?

A. She came from a family of sailing enthusiasts:

B. She went to see one of her relatives,

C. She read widely on the subject.

D. She lived near the sea. 5. The word single-handed in the fourth paragraph means…………...

A. without any help from anyone else.

B. using only one of one's hands to row.

C. on a boat with only one paddle.

D. on a boat with only one sail. 6. What do we learn about Ellen at the start of the race?

A. People thought she had a very good chance of winning.

B. She was a more experienced sailor than the other racers,

C. She had been waiting for this moment since she was 18.

D. She had gone to great lengths to achieve her ambition. 7. The writer suggests that one cause of discomfort for Ellen at sea was…………....

A. the shortage of water. B. her failure to sleep.

C. extremes of temperature. D. a lack of cooking facilities. 8. According to the writer, when Ellen finished the race, she was…………...

A. overwhelmed by her new-found fame.

B. surprised by the number of people who came to greet her.

C. able to reflect on her achievement.

D. delighted to be amongst people again. 9. According to the writer, Ellen…………...

A. thinks she deserved to win the race.

B. has mixed feelings about the outcome of the race,

C. knew she would win the race.

D. thinks Michel Desjoyaux was lucky to beat her. 10. Which of the following views does the writer express in the last paragraph?

A. She has the power to motivate. B. She has no right to fame yet.

C. Her comments lack depth. D. She needs to change her lifestyle.

VI. CLOZE TEST 1. CLOZE TEST 1 (5PTS) Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space.

Lee Kuna Yew was appointed as the first prime minister of Singapore in 1959 when the nation became a self-governing state. At that time, Singapore per (1)…………... income was only about USD 400. When Lee (2)…………... down in 1990. the figure was USD 11,000 and in 2014 it went up to over 56,000, even higher than that of its former (3)…………... , Great Britain. In his (4)…………...published in 2000, he wrote ‘They laughed at us, but I was confident that we would have the last laugh.'

Born into a middle-class Chinese family in Singapore, Lee was (5)…………...by the language and institutions of the British rulers. He was (6)…………... to go to the UK to study law, but the Second World War broke out and he had to go to the local Raffles College where he learnt some economics. It was not until 1946 when he talked his way to Cambridge and graduated three years later with a starred first. It was during this time that he nurtured ambitions (7) …………...starting a legal career back home.

As a prime minister, he has always been described as an efficient and inventive person. He was one of the greatest statesmen who proved to the whole world that human (8)…………... , not natural resources, is the essential element of prosperity. Lee is also believed to be very (9)………….... When Singapore gained independence in 1965, he decided to keep English as the main language to increase economic benefits. Although many of his policies are still considered (10)…………... , they helped Singapore to overcome many obstacles and become one of the most admired international business and financial centers around the world. l. A . personal B. capita C. capital D. national 2. A. sat B. settled C. stepped D. passed 3. A. colonizer B. colonial C. colony D. colonization 4. A. journals B. agenda C. autography D. memoirs 5. A. rooted B. affected C. influenced D. educated 6. A. scheduled B. ordered C. made D. pushed 7. A to B. beyond C. over D. of 8. A. ability B. sources C. intelligence D. ingenuity 9. A. open-minded B. innovative C. forward-looking D. imminent 10. A. skeptical B. disbelieving C. controversial D. contradictory

2. CLOZE TEST 2 (5PTS) Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space.

Sunday May 4th will be World Laughter Day. Dr Madan Kataria, who introduced this annual event, says we need more laughter in our lives to (1)…………... the global rise of stress and loneliness. But surely that strange sound that we make periodically can ’t be the (2)…………... to such problems.

If an alien were to land on our planet and (3)…………... a stroll among a crowd of earthlings, it would hear a lot of ‘ha-ha’ noises. It might wonder what (4)…………...this strange habit served. If we ask ourselves what (5)…………... a good laugh, the obvious answer is that it is a response to something funny. But one scientist, Robert Provine, says humour has surprisingly little to do with that. Instead, it lies at the (6)…………... of such issues as the perception of self and the evolution of language and social behaviour.

Provine realised that you cannot capture (7)…………... laughter in the lab because as soon as you

233 (8)…………... it under scrutiny, it vanishes. So, instead, he gathered data by hanging around groups of people, noting when they laughed.

He collected 1,200 laugh episodes - and episode being defined as the comment immediately preceding the laughter and the laughter itself. His analysis of this data revealed some important facts about laughter. “It's a message we send to other people - it (9)…………... disappears when we’re by ourselves,” he says. “And it's not a choice. Ask someone to laugh and they'll either try to (10)…………...a laugh or say they can't do it on command.” 1. A. struggle B. combat C. threaten D. contest 2. A. way B. answer C. end D. response 3. A. make B. get C. walk D. take 4. A. reason B. purpose C. idea D. meaning 5. A. results B. leads C. prompts D. concludes 6. A. root B. stem C. head D. back 7. A. complete B. authentic C. contemporary D. current 8. A. place B. lay C. stand D. keep 9. A. absolutely B. constantly C. undoubtedly D. virtually 10. A. offer B. pretend C. fake D. imagine

B. WRITTEN TEST (70PTS) I. OPEN CLOZE TEST (20PTS) 1. OPEN CLO ZE TEST 1 (10PTS) Fill in each blank with ONE suitable word

Have you ever given any thought to the concept of the protection of our natural resources and the significance it (1)…………... on our sound existence? It may have been recognized by only a few of us what consequences our wasteful life may lead to unless we undertake some proper measures to conserve our natural habitats and their key (2)…………...- wildlife, vegetation, soil and water supplies. This question requires still more publicity, (3)…………... sure. (4)…………...ever do we realize how much effluent gets discharged into water or how many tons of waste our populations can (5)…………... out daily. In our hectic life, we seldom think of the vast area of woodlands, including the rain forests, that get (6)…………... every minute. We aren't usually conscious of the fact that the ozone layer is being depleted due to the greenhouse effect. How much do we know about the animal species being on the (7)…………... of extinction? Lastly, who is to (8) …………... for our abysmal ignorance? One possible response is the incredible intensity of life that we are living almost all the time. Statistically, an average couple has more to acquire in the 20th century than their ancestors did several decades ago - education, the financial means for securing the family with a flat or a house, a car, a sterero and other variety of rudimentary accessories that the civilized world has to older and (9)…………... which our earthly existence seems unimaginable. Therefore, the answer is simple. It is ourselves that should lace the charges of devastating the natural environment that we originate from, but for which we don't give much consideration (10)………principle.

2. OPEN CLOZE TEST 2 (10PTS) Fill in each blank with ONE suitable word

How often do you go along to a gig and see (1)…………. new? Well, Quest's Friday night gig at the City Hall certainly caught my (2)………….. Having heard one or two tracks online, I was (3)…………. a group of about six musicians. Imagine my surprise when just three young men walked on stage.

It was clear that the band already have a small but (4)………….following. A group of fans in front of the small stage were singing (5)…………. to at least half of the songs. And it was easy to see why. Quest have a clever combination of catchy (6)…………. , an irresistible beat, and very much their own sound. All three of the band members play with great energy and expertise (7)………….their age.

The only downside was when it came to the encores. They (8)…………. up repeating some of their material and giving us cover (9)…………. of early rock classics. A bit disappointing, but give them time

and I'm sure they'll be writing a lot more.

I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more from Quest. Check them out every Friday at the City Hall until the end of the month. It's well (10)…………. it. II. WORD FORMATION (20PTS) 1. WORD FORM 1 Complete each sentence, using the correct form of the word in parentheses. (10 PTS) 1. Students carried out a …………. at the governor's office to protest higher tuition costs. (SIT ) 2. It was a very idea …………. completely impractical and unworkable. (FAR) 3. Sometimes the way we view life seems to be determined not by what really happens to us, so much as by our perception of what happens, which is sometimes called thinking. (FACT) 4. Bill Gate is a totally millionaire…………. he started his own business with no financial help at all. (SELF) 5. we often forget we are inextricably linked to nature, and by doing so,………….contribute to its slow destruction. (ADVERT) 6. The drinking water had a …………. oily taste. (AGREE) 7. The students ranged from people who already had some expertise in the kitchen, to totally (3)…………. people like myself. (SKILL) 8.It was going to take some deft political…………. to save the situation. (WORK) 9. What a terrible film! It's really…………. in my views. (RATE) 10. The reason for Bruce Lee's death was sleeping pill…………. (DOSAGE)

2. WORD FORM 2 Complete the passage with appropriate forms of the words given in the box. (10 PTS)

revere rebel single love tantrum atop recognize demographic timid imposing

Shigeru Miyamoto is the most successful artist of the last 50 years. He has (1)………. laid the foundations for the world's largest entertainment industry. Sales of his video games, from Super Mario Bros to Wii Sports, have (2)………. an incredible 500 million, and show no signs of slowing down. Miyamoto, who joined Nintendo in 1977, has created eight of the top-10-selling video games of all time. His latest smash, Wii Fit, has sold 23 million copies, becoming the second biggest-selling game in history. It's made video games a daily part of life for a huge (3)………. of people who previously dismissed them as child's play.

Yet over and above his phenomenal sales success, what really sets Miyamoto apart from anyone else in any creative field is his marrying of genius with astonishing modesty. He cuts a(n) (4)………. , diminutive figure, sitting obediently in his chair. A Beatles T-shirt and mop top haircut are the only signs of cultural (5)………. , smoothed at the edges by a quiet (6)………. and politeness. It's immediately apparent that unlike many of the Bafta Fellows to whose club he now rightly belongs, impassioned (7)……….and theatrical outbursts are not his style.

Neither, as it turns out, are the glitz and glamour to which some may suggest he is entitled. "I'm not envious of the attention of movie stars. I enjoy not (8)………. ," he says. "It allows me to get on with my life. All I want is to be recognized through my work. It's funny - in America and the UK, they say I'm famous in Japan. In Japan, they say I'm famous in America and the UK." Miyamoto's placid temperament and genial (9)………. form a perfect fit with the universally (10)………. nature of his work. Miyamoto has never produced a title that wasn't suitable for families to play together, even in the days when video games were the unique preserve of teens in darkened bedrooms.

III. ERROR CORRECTION (10PTS) Read the following text which contains 10 mistakes. Identify the mistakes and write the corrections

235 5 10 15

I trotted along country toward the den, and I was within half a mile of it where there was a thunderous roar behind me. It was so loud and unexpected that I involuntarily flang myself down on the moss. The Norseman came over at about fifty feet. As it roared past, the plane waggled its wings gaily in salution, then lifted to skim the crest of the wolf esker, sending a blast of sand down the slope with its propeller wash. 1 picked it up and quieted my thumping heart, thinking black thoughts about the humor in the rapidly vanishing aircraft. The den ridge was, as I expected, wolfless. Reaching the entrance to the burrow, I shed my heavy trousers, tunic and sweater, and taking a flashlight (whose batteries were very nearly dead) and measured tape from my pack, I began the difficult task of wigling down the entrance tunnel. The flashlight was so dim (that) it cast only an orange glow - barely sufficient to enable me to read the mark on the measuring tape. I squirmed on, descending at a 45-degree angle, for about eight feet. My mouth and eyes were soon full of sand and I was beginning to suffer from claustrophobia, for the tunnel was just big enough to admit me. 1……………. 2……………. 3……………. 4……………. 5……………. 6……………. 7……………. 8……………. 9……………. 10…………… IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (20PTS) 1. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the sentence printed before it. 1. Managing the company will probably be much more complicated than they say. → Managing the company should not.................................... easy as they say. 2. Because my father went away for the weekend, his secretary was in charge of the business. → Had ...................... .............................................. store in terms of business. 3. The family members find it hard to accept their father’s fortune will go to charity. (resistance) → There ............................................................................................................... 4. If she fails to accomplish her mission, her job will be put at risk. (line) → Should............................................................................................................... 2. For questions 5-10, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the sentence, using the word given. Write only the missing words on the separate answer sheet. 5. The day after I lost my job, I did not feel like getting out of bed. (inclination)

→ ........................................................................................................................... 6. It is necessary to free our business from the influence of the bureaucracy right now. (hand) → It is necessary to free........................................................................................ 7. The train is too crowded with the commuters during the morning rush hour. (sardines) → The commuters on the train were................................................................... 8. The club has been very successful since the beginning of the season. (on)

→ ....................................................... .............................................................. . 9. The boys fixed all their attention on what the teacher was saying in order not to miss any small details. (zeroed)

→......................................................................................................................... 10. He causes so much trouble that we can do nothing besides from leaving him to worry and suffer the unpleasant effect of his own actions. (juice)

→............................................................................................................................

A. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (40pts) I. WOR D CHOICE (5ps) Choose the best options to complete the following sentences. 1. Large UK-owned companies are .................. their European rivals when it comes to creating wealth, a study has concluded.

A. outstripping B. catching up C. overruning D. exceeding 2. Donald Trump's pledge to rip up existing trade deals with Mexico would ..................... substantial damage on the US economy and kill the region's competitiveness on the world stage, according to the Mexican economist who led the country's trade talks with the US.

A. induce B. inflict C. impose D. wreak 3. Discontent among the ship's crew finally led to the ......................

A. riot B. rebellion C. mutiny D. strike 4. The inconsiderate driver was ..................for parking his vehicle in the wrong place.

A. inflicted B. harassed C. condemned D. confined 5. Another, perhaps inspired by the nursery rhyme, is that a(n )................... . for sweet things during pregnancy makes you more likely to be having a girl, while a boy will make you crave savoury, salty foods, meat and cheese in particular.

A. inspiration B. affinity C. predilection D. propensity 6. The proposal would ....................... a storm of protest around the country

A. spark B. sparkle C. ignite D. trigger 7. She refused to answer questions that...................... her private affairs

A. infringed on B. imprinted in C. impinged on D. indulged in 8. The book is such a .....................that I can not put it down

A. page-turner B. best-seller C. duvet-cover D. mind-reader 9. The rates of extreme poverty have halved in recent decades. But 1.2 billion people still live.....................

A. on the house B. on the tenterhooks C. on the breadine D. on the cards 10. Obama expressed regret as a US drone strike has..................... killed innocent hostages.

A. incongruously B. vehemently C. inadvertently D. graciously

II. STRUCTURE AND GRAMMAR (5pts) Choose the best options to complete the following sentences. 11 ……………. , we missed our plane.

A. The train is late B. The train was late

C. To be late D. The train being late 12. "Mind your business"

A. What, again? B. I don't mind.

C. Thank you D. All right. I didn't mean to be noisy 13. My friend has …………….for a bargain.

A. a sharp ear B. a keen eye C. a strong head D. a keen ear 14…………….they to open fire without a warning.

A. On condition that B. Under no conditions that are

C. On no condition are D. On no conditions that are 15. His jean s and checked shirt,……………. , looked clean and of good quality.

A. though it old and well-worn

B. though old and well-worn

C. even though are they old and well-worn

D. although them old but well-worn 16. I hope you won’t take it…………….if I suggest an alternative remedy.

A. offence B. amiss C. upset D. most

237 17. Claims for compensation could…………….run into billions of pounds.

A. far B. much C. well D. most 18. I’d prefer to go skiing this year…………….on a beach holiday.

A. to going B. than going

C. rather than go D. rather than going 19.……………the public’s concern about the local environment, this new road scheme will have to be abandoned.

A. as regards B. In view of C. In the event of D. However much 20. We are prepared to overlook the error on this occasion…………… your previous good work.

A. with a view to B. thanks to

C. in the light of D. with regard to

IV. PREPOSITION AND PHRASAL VERBS (5pts) Choose the best options to complete the following sentences. 21. My fingers are tired! I've been hammering away …………..this keyboard for hours.

A. on B. at C. onto D. in 22. There tactics were strongly influenced by reliance on line formation and fire-power, as against attack…………..close quarters.

A. in B. on C. to. D. at 23. His jokes seemed to be going………….. very well with his audience, if their laughter was any indication.

A. off B. along C. by D. down 24. The communist government has resigned………….. the background of the widespread social unrest.

A. against B. from C. to D. as 25. The prisoner was recaptured as he made a dash………….. the gate.

A. at B. to C. for D. from 26 . I ………….. a small fortune when my uncle died but I managed to squander most of it. I'm ashamed to say.

A. came into B. came about C. came round to D. came down with 27. At the meeting someone………….. the idea that there should be a student representative on the committee.

A. put forward B. put across C. put about D. put out 28. Do you have trouble obtaining your copy of Teacher's Weekly? Why not………….. a regular subscription and be sure of receiving each edition as soon as it's published?

A. Take over B. take out C. take on D. take to 29. He originally …………..to beat the land speed record, but weather conditions were unfavourable.

A. Set to B. set in C. set up D. set out 30. The job itself is well paid and interesting, but commuting to the City every day really………….. me…………..

A. gets- down B. gets-round C. gets - for D. gets- from

III. COLLOCATIONS AND IDIOMS (5pts) 31. The waiter tried to be friendly to his customers but a ………….. can't change its spots and he was still very rude.

A. leopard B. lion C. cheetah D. wolf 32. Denise has been ………….. the midnight oil trying to finish this report, so she must be exhausted.

A. lighting B. brightening C. burning D. burnt 33. For some peculiar………….. , they didn't tell us they were going away.

A. cause B. effect C. justification D. reason 34. Monsoon Wedding was described as a cinematic jewel when it hit the…………..screen.

A. golden B. silver C. bronze D. diamond 35. How much to tell terminally ill patients is ………….. the discretion of the doctor.

A. leaving to B. left to C. led to D. lead to 36. The British prime minister is too apt to cling to Washington's………….. strings.

A. apron B. violin C. heart D. taut 37. After I was nearly expelled in my first year of college, I decided to stop fooling around, put my ………….. to the wheel, and get as much out of my degree as I could.

A. shoulder B. arms C. shoulders D. leg 38. Trying to find her way home through the woods in the dead of night, Sarah lost her …………..when the clouds obscured the stars overhead.

A. bearings B. rag C. heart D. marbles 39. I was struggling with the reading before, but now I've definitely …………...

A. get the wrong end of the stick B. got hold of the wrong end of the stick

C. got the wrong end of the steel D. get hold of the wrong end of the steel 40. Cubans who reach the U.S. are usually…………..asylum.

A. protested B. protected C. found D. granted

VI. GUIDED CLOZE TEST (10 pts) Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space PASSAGE A

LONDON’S BLACK CABS

Black cabs, officially known as Hackney Carriages, are synonymous with London and are special for a number of reasons. For a start, they are the only taxis in the city that can be (41)…………from the kerb with a raised hand signal to get the driver's attention. Currently, it is estimated that there are 20,000 black cabs (42)…………on the capital's streets. Their origin, in fact, can be (43)…………the name ‘Hackney Carriage’ said to derive from the French word haquenée referring to the type of horse used to pull the carriages in the days of horse-drawn carriages. The first horse-drawn Hackney coaches appeared on London's streets in the 17th century during the (44) …………of Queen Elizabeth I. As transport developed and motor cars were (45) ………… , motor cabs replaced the horse-drawn carriages. Since the end of the 19th century, various car manufacturers’ vehicles have been used as motor cabs but it was not until the mid-20lh century that the cabs we have been (46) ………… over the last decades first appeared.

It is such a(n) realisation of becoming a black cab driver in London and it is (47) …………. If you want to gain this honour you will need to have passed the (48) ………… test known as ‘the Knowledge’, which was first introduced in 1851 following hordes of com plaints by passengers whose cab drivers got lost. This incredibly difficult test can take around three or four years to prepare for and you can often catch a(n) (49) ………… of those drivers who are doing just this zipping around London oh their mopeds, with a map fastened to a clipboard on their handlebars. These people are essentially trying not only to master the 25,000 or so streets within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross, but also to work out the most direct routes from place to place. They must know thousands of ‘points of interest’ such as hotels, hospitals, places of worship, theatres, stations, sports and leisure facilities, to name but a few. Practically everywhere and anywhere that a potential passenger would wish to be taken to or from must be known, so a(n) (50)………, for a black cab driver, is beyond the pale and perhaps this is the most difficult part, knowing the quickest way to get from one place to another. Little wonder so few people are successful. 41. A. acclaimed B. acknowledged C. hailed D. summoned 42. A. hereabouts B. hither and thither C. or thereabouts D. there and then 43. A. ferreted out from B. hunted down from

C. mapped out to D. traced back to 44. A. incumbency B. leadership C. reign D. sovereignty 45. A. all the time B. of high standing C. of repute D. in vogue 46. A. clued in on B. genned up on

239

C. in the know about D. no stranger to 47. A. beyond you B. no brainer C. no mean feat D. over your head 48. A. abominable B. infamous C. loathsome D. unscrupulous 49. A. gander B. geek C. glance D. glimpse 50. A. nodding acquaintance B. insight into London C. profundity of London D. smattering knowledge

PASSAGE B

If you are an environmentalist, plastic is a word you tend to say with a sneer or snarl. It has become a symbol of our wasteful, throw-away society. But there seems little (51)………… it is here to stay, and the truth is, of course, that plastics have brought enormous (52)………… , even environmental ones. It's not really the plastics themselves that are the environmental evil - it's the way society chooses to use abuse them.

Almost all the 50 or so different kinds of modern plastics are made from oil, gas, or coal-nonrenewable natural (53)………… We (54)………… well over three million tons of the stuff in Britain each year and, sooner or later, most of it is thrown away. A high (55)………… of our annual consumption is in the (56)………… of packaging, and this (57)………… about seven per cent by weight, of our domestic (58)…………. Almost all of it could be recycled, but very little of it is, though the plastic recycling (59)………… is growing fast.

The plastics themselves are extremely energy-rich. They have a higher caloric value than coal and one method of “recovery" strongly favored by the plastic manufacturers is the (60)………… of waste plastic into fuel. 51. A. doubt B. evidence C. concern D. likelihood 52. A. pleasures B. benefits C. savings D. profits 53. A. processes B. products C. fuels D. resources 54. A. remove B. consume C. change D. import 55. A. proportion B. portion C. amount D. rate 56. A. way B. form C. kind D. type 57. A. takes B. makes C. carries D. constitutes 58. A. goods B. refuse C. rubble D. requirements 59. A. industry B. manufacture C. factory D. plant 60. A. melting B. change C. conversion D. replacement

V. READING COMPREHENSION (10 pts) Read the text below and, decide which answer best fits each space PASSAGE A

THE CREATORS OF GRAMMAR

No student of a foreign language needs to be told that grammar is complex. By changing word sequences and by adding a range of auxiliary verbs and suffixes, we are able to communicate tiny variations in meaning. We can turn a statement into a question, state whether an action has taken place or is soon to take place, and preform many other word tricks to convey subtle differences in meaning. Nor is this complexity inherent to the English language. All languages, even those of so-called 'primitive' tribes have clever grammatical components. The Cherokee pronounce system, for example, can distinguish between ‘you and I’ , 'several other people and I’ and ‘you, another person and I’. In English, all these meanings are summed up in the one, crude pronounce ‘we’. Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no matter how widespread it is. So, the question which had baffled many linguists is - who created grammar?

At first, it would appear that this question is impossible to answer. To find out how grammar is created, someone needs to be present at the time of a language’s creation, documenting its emergence. Many historical linguists are able to trace modern complex languages back to earlier languages, but in order to

answer the question of how complex languages are actually formed, the researcher needs to observe how languages are started from scratch. Amazingly, however, this is possible.

Some of the most recent languages evolved due to Atlantic slave trade. At that time, slaves from a number of different ethnicities were forced to work together under colonizer’s rule. Since they had no opportunity to learn each other's languages, they developed a make-shift language called a pidgin. Pidgins are strings of words copied from the language of the landowner. They have little in the way of grammar, and in many cases, it is difficult for a listener to deduce when an event happened, and who did what to whom. [A] Speakers need to use circumlocution in order to make their meaning understood. [B] Interestingly, however, all it takes for a pidgin to become a complex language is for a group of children to be exposed to it at the time when they learn their mother tongue. [C] Slave children did not simply copy the strings of words uttered by their elders, they adapted their words to create a new, expressive language. [D] Complex grammar systems which emerge from pidgins are termed creoles, and they are invented by children.

Further evidence of this can be seen in studying sign languages for the deaf. Sign languages are not simply, a series of gestures; they utilize the same grammatical machinery that is found in spoken languages. Moreover, there are many different languages used worldwide. The creation of one such language was documented quite recently in Nicaragua. Previously, all deaf people were isolated from each other, but in 1979 a new government introduced schools for the deaf. Although children were taught speech and lip reading in the classroom, in the playgrounds they began to invent their own sign system, using the gestures that they used at home. It was basically a pidgin. Each child used the signs differently, and there was no consistent grammar. However, children who joined the school later, when this inventive sign system was already around, developed a quite different sign language. Although it was based on the signs of the older children, the younger children's language was more fluid and compact, and it utilized a large range of grammatical devices to clarify meaning. What is more, all the children used the signs in the same way. A new creole was born.

Some linguists believe that many of the world's most established languages were creoles at first. The English past tense -ed ending may have evolved from the verb ‘do’. ‘It ended’ may once have been ‘It enddid’. Therefore, it would appear that even the most widespread languages were partly created by children. Children appear to have innate grammatical machinery in their brains, which springs to life when they are first trying to make sense of the world around them. Their minds can serve to create logical, complex structures, even when there is no grammar present for them to copy. 61. In paragraph 1, why does the writer include information about the Cherokee language?

A. To show how simple, traditional cultures can have complicated grammar structures

B. To show how English grammar differs from Cherokee grammar

C. To prove that complex grammar structures were invented by the Cherokees.

D. To demonstrate how difficult it is to learn the Cherokee language 62. What can be inferred about the slaves’ pidgin language?

A. It contained complex grammar.

B. It was based on many different languages.

C. It was difficult to understand, even among slaves.

D. It was created by the land-owners. 63. All the following sentences about Nicaraguan sign language are true EXCEPT:

A. The language has been created since 1979.

B. The language is based on speech and lip reading.

C. The language incorporates signs which children used at home.

D. The language was perfected by younger children. 64. In paragraph 3. where can the following sentence be placed?

It included standardized word orders and grammatical markers that existed in neither the pidgin language, nor the language of the colonizers.

A [A] B.[B] C. [C] D. [D]

241 65. ‘from scratch’ in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to:

A. from the very beginning B. in simple cultures

C. by copying something else D. by using written information 66. ‘make-shift’ in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to:

A. complicated and expressive B. simple and temporary

C. extensive and diverse D. private and personal 67. Which sentence is closest in meaning to the highlighted sentence? Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no matter how widespread it is.

A. All languages, whether they are spoken by a few people or a lot of people, contain grammar.

B. Some languages include a lot of grammar, whereas other languages contain a little.

C. Languages which contain a lot of grammar are more common that languages that contain a little.

D. The grammar of all languages is the same, no matter where the languages evolved. 68. All of the following are features of the new Nicaraguan sign language EXCEPT:

A. All children used the same gestures to show meaning.

B. The meaning was clearer than the previous sign language,

C. The hand movements were smoother and smaller.

D. New gestures were created for everyday objects and activities. 69. Which idea is presented in the final paragraph?

A. English was probably once a creole.

B. The English past tense system is inaccurate.

C. Linguists have proven that English was created by children.

D. Children say English past tenses differently from adults. 70. Look at the word ‘consistent’ in paragraph 4. This word could best be replaced by which of the following?

A. natural B. predictable C. imaginable D. uniform

PASSAGE B

Fish that live on the sea bottom benefit by being flat and hugging the contours. There are two very different types of flatfish and they have evolved in very separate ways. The skates and rays, relatives of the sharks, have become flat in what might be called the obvious way. Their bodies have grown sideways to form great “wings”. They look as though they have been flattened but have remained symmetrical and “the right way up”. Conversely, fish such as plaice, sole and halibut have become flat in a different way. There are bony fish which have a marked tendency to be flattened in a vertical direction; they are much “taller” than they are wide. They use their whole, vertically flattened bodies as swimming surfaces, which undulate through the water as they move. Therefore, when their ancestors migrated to the seabed, they lay on one side than on their bellies. However, this raises the problem that one eye was always looking down into the sand and was effectively useless. In evolution this problem was solved by the lower eye “moving” around the other side. We see this process of moving around enacted in the development of every young bony flatfish. It starts life swimming near the surface, and is symmetrical vertically flattened, but then the skull starts to grow in a strange asymmetrical twisted fashion, so that one eye, for instance the left, moves over the top of the head upwards, an old Picasso-like vision. Incidentally, some species of 20 flatfish settle on the right side, others on the left, and other on either side. 71. The passage is mainly concerned with…………

A. symmetrical flatfish B. bony flatfish

C. evolution of flatfish D. different types of flatfish 72. The phrase “hugging the contours” means………….

A. swimming close to the seabed

B. hiding in the sand at the bottom of the sea

C. floating just below the surface

D. lying still on the sea bottom