Section Two: Structure. Part One

Read the following sentences. Then choose the correct choice (1,2,3,4) which best completes each sentence.

1. Photography changed dramatically ………………. introduced instant pictures.

2. Are you accustomed ………………… taking your shoes off when you go into a house?

3. Most European emigrants left their homelands searching for greater ……………… opportunities.

4. I`ll give you my spare keys in case you ………… home before me.

5. The singer ended the concert ………….. her most popular song.

6. Thank goodness …………… hurt in the train accident.

7. The study showed …………… for maternal and child health.

8. Only by working three jobs ………….. able to support his large family.

9. The boss didn`t know what to do, ……………… the rest of us.

10. It was not until Andrew stopped smoking ………….. healthy again.

11. ………… you see Frank at the conference, give him my regards.

12. Strange ……………, he chose not to undergo surgery.

13. A: Tell me about your parents.

B: Well, to tell you the truth, I think I ………….. Steven. Unfortunately, I didn`t.

14. If a person does not get enough sleep, she risks suffering ………… debilitating memory loss.

15. Urban farming is quickly becoming the most important part of agriculture ………… .

16. The interviewee, ………………., proudly said that he was qualified enough to get the job.

Section Two: Structure. Part Two

Read the following sentences. In each sentence, choose the number of the underlined word or group of words that is NOT correct.

17. Aspirin is recommend to many people for its ability to thin the blood.

18. Some people believe that human beings will never use away all the natural resources on earth.

19. The surface of the tongue covered with tiny taste buds.

20.Cosmic distance is measured on light-years.

21. A million of tourists from all over the world visit New York every year.

22. Whereas Earth has one moon, the planet call Mars has two small ones.

23. An ardent feminist, Margaret Fuller, through her literature, asked that women should be given a fairly chance.

24. No longer scientific discovery is matter of one person working alone.

25. The scientific method consists of forming hypotheses, collect data, and testing results.

26. All data in computer are changed into electronic pulses by an input unit.

27. The basic law of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are taught to all elementary school students.

28. A large percentage in Canadian export business is with the United States.

29. Caricature, a type of comic exaggeration, is common used in political cartoons.

30. One and more sentences related to the same topic form a paragraph.

31. Mirrors that made of shiny metal were used by the Egyptians in ancient times.

32. Mark Twain`s novel, ” The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, ” are one of America`s national treasures.

33. In his early days as a direct, Charlie Chaplin produced 62 short, silent comedy films in four years.

34. Some studies show that young babies prefer the smell of milk to those of other liquids.

35. Plants absorb water and nutrients and anchoring themselves in the soil with their roots.

Section Two: Part Three

In each of the following sets of sentences, three sentences are grammatically correct and one sentence is not grammatical. Identify the incorrect sentence.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

Section Three: Reading Comprehension

Read the passage and choose the one best answer for each question.

Chinese New Year celebrations also known as the Spring Festival, in China start on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month of the Chinese calendar. The festival lasts for about 23 days, ending on the 15th day of the first lunar month in the following year in the Chinese calendar.

Many people clean their homes to welcome the Spring Festival. They put up the red posters with poetic verses on it to their doors, Chinese New Year pictures on their walls, and decorate their homes with red lanterns. It is also a time to reunite with relatives.

In the evening of the Spring Festival Eve, many people set off fireworks and firecrackers, hoping to cast away any  bad luck and bring forth good luck. Children usually receive “luck” money and numerous people wear new clothing. Besides that, people also send New Year’s greetings to one another. Various activities such as beating of drums and striking gongs, as well as dragon and lion dances, are all part of the Spring festivities.

According to historical documents, on the day when Shun, who was one of ancient China’s mythological emperors, came to the throne more than 4000 years ago, he led his ministers to worship heaven and earth. From then on, that day was regarded as the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calendar. This is the basic origin of Chinese New Year. China adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1911, so Chinese New Year was renamed the Spring Festival.

The red posters with poetic verses on it were initially a type of amulet, but now it simply means good fortune and joy. Various Chinese New Year symbols express different meanings. For example, an image of a fish symbolizes “having more than one needs every year”. A firecracker symbolizes “good luck in the coming year”. The festival lanterns symbolize “pursuing the bright and the beautiful”.

41. Chinese New Year is based on …………. .

42. Chinese New Year starts on ………… of the Chinese calendar.

43. How long does the festival take?

44. In the New Year Chinese people ……….. .

45. Which of the following is NOT a part of the festivities?

46. People give money to children to …………… .

47. Most of the Chinese festivities and the symbols they use during the New Year are based on the belief that ……………………. .

48. Chinese New Year was named Spring Festival ………………………. .

49. It can be inferred from the text that the reason Chinese use red posters and red lanterns in their festivities is that they believe red color …………………………. .

Passage 2

Popcorn, also known as popping corn, is a special variety of corn. Each kernel contains a tiny drop of water. When it is heated, the water expands causing the kernel to explode and flip inside out. Most US popcorn is grown in Nebraska and Indiana, and increasingly in Texas.

Native Americans first discovered popcorn thousands of years ago in Guatemala or Mexico. It was popped in China during the Song Dynasty (960-279) as well as in Sumatra and India long before Columbus reached the Americas.

In 1519 when he invaded Mexico, Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortes first saw popcorn when he met the Aztecs. Popcorn was important to the Aztecs as food, as decoration for ceremonial headdresses and necklaces, and as ornaments on statues of their gods. Around 1612, French explorers around the Great Lakes met Iroquois who used heated sand in a pottery vessel to make popcorn. There is an unproven theory that an Indian named Quadequina brought a deerskin bag of popped corn for the first Thanksgiving feast on October 15, 1621. In 1948 and 1950, anthropologist Herbert Dick and botanist Earle Smith discovered ears of popcorn in the Bat Cave of west central New Mexico. The ears measured from smaller than a penny to about two inches. They were determined to be about 5,600 years old.

Colonial housewives served popcorn with sugar and cream for breakfast. Some colonists used a cylinder of thin sheet-iron that revolved on an axle in front of the fireplace to make popped corn.

In 1885, Charles Cretors of Chicago, Illinois, invented the first popcorn machine. Street vendors were soon pushing steam or gas-powered poppers through fairs, parks, and expositions. In 1914, in Sioux City, Iowa, Cloid H. Smith created America’s first branded popcorn (Jolly Time), and for the first time, popcorn was available in grocery stores.

Americans eat more than 17 billion quarts of popcorn a year, an average of 60 quarts per person per year. As the result of an elementary school project, popcorn became the official state snack food of Illinois. January 19 is National Popcorn Day, and October is National Popcorn Month.

50. What is the topic of the first paragraph?

51. Which of the following happened first?

52. Which of the following could be the title for the second paragraph?

53. Popcorn is the official snack of ………………. .

54. Popcorn is ……. .

55. Each kernel of popcorn contains ……………… .

56. The Aztec Indians did NOT used popcorn as ………………….. .

57. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

58. Which of the following is NOT true?

Section One: Vocabulary

Read each statement below carefully and choose the best answer.

59. The book …………… of eleven chapters, each one covering a different topic.

60. I have always …………. you as one of my best students.

61. Sally …………… that John`s remarks were meant as a joke.

62. Of the twenty people on the bus that crashed, only two ………………… .

63. Albert Einstein was …………… to sign autographs, and charged people a dollar before signing anything, but then gave the money to charity.

64. The cattle lying in the pathways arose and ………… down among the grass.

65. In the center of the university ………………. stands the statue of the founder.

66. His youth and ………….. habits had helped his recovery from a wound which in the earlier stages looked fatal.

67. Joan is much better worker than the fellow who ………….. her in this job.

68. The site will attract many homebuyers because of the advantages for the ………….. .

69. My son has been very …………… foe weeks. He really needs to find himself a summer job and pay the rent.

70. He is a very …………., emotional person, and doesn`t always think properly.

71.Robin picked up the hot iron as it was about to ………….. my dress.

72. She was completely …………… after working all day and then coming home to clean the house, make dinner, and spend time with her children.

73. The islands, rocks, and cliffs are frequented in ………….. by a great variety of birds.

74. The two opposition parties have ……………. in an attempt to win the next election.

75. All students must take a placement test at the …………. of the program.

76. His ………… pf politics is surprising, given that his parents have been involved in social issues all their lives.

77. Your next ……………. in this tournament have lost all their previous games, so I do not think you will have too much trouble with them.

20. Robert was a …………… child, with an early passion for learning.

79. Recently, many workhouses have been established for …………….. persons capable of work. The government hopes that this will change their financial status.

80. To be accused of being a communist is a/an ………….. to damage my reputation.

81. Many people think that it is easy to become ………… to long periods of little sleep without any consequences, but it is not true.

82. Mr. Williams used to carry paper in his wallet to look ………………. .

83. While walking across the lawn, I got …………. by the cold water sprinkler.