Listen to the audio and do the tasks.
You will hear part of a lecture about the development of suburbs in the USA.
Rich people have been known to live in suburbs _____.
During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, London _____.
In the 19th century, the development of suburbs was encouraged by _____.
European suburbs, unlike those in North America, _____.
Suburban sprawl is said to destroy _____.
You will hear part of a talk about the challenges of living in space. Listen and fill in each blank with ONE WORD ONLY.
| Living on the International Space Station (ISS) |
|
Astronauts spend months in microgravity, so
NASA continues to improve ways to recycle water, including . |
Is it necessary that I _____ here tomorrow?
They are _____ the best employees in the company.
The company introduced a new training program, _____ productivity rose significantly in the following quarter.
Mr. Thompson expected ______ for the new position as regional manager.
The lawyer insisted that his client _____ in the first place.
_____ he failed in the entrance exam caused his family much sadness.
After the theft of his car, he put in an insurance ______ for $3.000.
_____ her inexperience, her failure to secure the contract was not surprising.
The two machines _____ considerably. One has an electric motor, the other runs on oil.
Helen was _____ disappointed when she learned that she hadn’t won the beauty contest.
In many cultures, there are _____ creatures like dragons and unicorns.
Sometimes people just focus on the _____ benefits without thinking of the environmental risks of certain economic activities.
During the lecture, he was trying to get the message _____.
James had a cosy birthday party at home last Friday in the _____ of his close friends.
_____ from Bill, all the students said they would go.
Jake: I always learn vocabulary _____ before tests.
Anna: That sounds tiring. Maybe you should try using flashcards instead.
Carly: "Hey, you can't just leave the meeting."
Huong: "Don't worry. _____"
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
The roses in the garden had a sweet and pleasant . (FRAGRANT)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
Customers who are tired of waiting turn to less suppliers. (REPUTATION)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
I prefer teaching methods that involve students in learning. (ACT)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
Many people thought that there was a hidden meaning in her innocent remarks. (SUPPOSE)
The biggest challenge faced by Vietnamese people was to (CONSTRUCT) the country in ruins.
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
The clinic claims to have successfully countless patients with drug addiction. (REHABILITATION)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
Scientists discovered cave paintings that are believed to be over 10,000 years old. (HISTORY)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
He prefers a approach to learning as it helps him understand complex concepts better. (HAND)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
The bustling are surrounded by upscale shopping centers and malls. (TOWN)
Complete the following sentence with the correct form of the word in brackets.
My laptop keeps when I run too many programs at the same time. (HEAT)
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
I feel both excited and nervously because I have an interview tomorrow.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
Most of the language used by teenagers today, especially in emails and text messages, is almost unintelligent to elderly people.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
Mobility is one of the characteristics often demanded of executives, and they must accustom themselves to move quite regularly.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
In the United States, among 60 percent of the space on the pages of newspapers is reserved for advertising.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
It was twenty years ago since he last went back to his hometown, but I haven’t heard from him ever since.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
A person's body postures, movements but positions often tell us exactly what they mean.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
The present chairman, Eric Rosengren is due to retirement next month as scheduled, citing health concerns.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
A large number of entries has updated in the latest edition of the encyclopedia recently.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
However type of raw materials is used in making paper, the process is essentially the same.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
His boss asked him to respond immediate this email.
Read the passage and choose the suitable word to fill in the blanks.
Tourism will always have an impact the places visited. Sometimes, the impact is good, but often it is negative. For example, if lots of people visit one place, then this can the environment. The question is can we minimize the problems without preventing people from traveling and visiting places?
The main aim of ecotourism is to reduce the impact that tourism has on the environment and local people. The idea is to encourage tourists to think about what they do when they visit a place.
It's great to talk about the environment, but how do you actually do this? There are a number of key points. Tourists shouldn't drop litter, they should stay on the paths, they shouldn't interfere with wildlife and they should respect local customs and traditions.
Some people see ecotourism as a . They say that any tourism needs infrastructure - roads, airports, and hotels. tourists that visit a place, the more of these are needed and, by building more of these, you can't avoid damaging the environment.
But, of course, things aren't so black and . Living in a place of natural beauty doesn't mean that you shouldn't benefit from things like better roads. As long as the improvements benefit the local people and not just the tourists, and the local communities are on plans and changes, then is there really a problem?
In 2002 the United Nations celebrated the "International Year of Ecotourism". Over the past twenty years, more and more people have started taking eco-holidays. In countries such as Ecuador, Nepal, Costa Rica and Kenya, ecotourism represents a significant of the tourist industry.
Read the passage carefully then fill in the blank with a suitable word.
THE LEGEND OF THE ROOT
Ginseng is one of the great mysteries of the East. Often referred to as the “elixir of life”, its widespread use in oriental medicine has led to many myths and legends building up around this remarkable plant. Ginseng has featured an active ingredient in oriental medical literature for over 5,000 years. Its beneficial effects were, at one time, widely recognized and praised that the root was said to be worth its weight in gold.
the long history of ginseng, no one fully knows how it works. The active part of the is the root. Its full name is Panax Ginseng – the word Panax, the word panacea, coming from the Greek for “all healing”. There is a growing interest by Western scientists in the study of ginseng. It is today believed that this remarkable plant may beneficial effects in the treatment of many diseases which are difficult to treat with the synthetic drug.
Today, ginseng is longer a myth or a legend. Throughout the world, it is becoming widely recognized that this ancient herb holds the answer to relieving the stresses and ailments of modern living. It is widely used for the treatment of various ailments as arthritis, diabetes, insomnia, hepatitis, and anemia. However, the truth behind ginseng works still remains a mystery. Yet its widespread effectiveness shows that the remarkable properties are than just a legend.
Read the following passage then choose the best answer to each question.
Speaking two languages has clear practical benefits in today’s world. However, recent scientific research shows that the benefits of bilingualism go much deeper than broadening communication abilities. Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills unrelated to language and even protecting against dementia in old age.
This contemporary view of bilingualism is remarkably different from the one through much of the 20th century. Researchers and educators used to consider that a second language could slow down a child's academic and intellectual development. They were not wrong: there is ample evidence that in a bilingual's brain, both language systems are active even when only one language is being used, therefore causing interference. But this interference, researchers are finding out, isn't so much a handicap as an advantage. It forces the brain to deal with internal conflicts, which strengthens thinking skills.
Bilinguals appear to perform better than monolinguals in solving certain mental puzzles. In a 2004 study by psychologists Ellen Bialystok and Michelle Martin-Rhee, bilingual and monolingual preschoolers were tasked with sorting blue circles and red squares into digital boxes - one marked with a blue square and the other with a red circle. [I] The first task required sorting by color, which both groups completed with similar ease. [II] Next, the children were instructed to sort by shape, which was more challenging. [III] Bilinguals completed this task more quickly. [IV]
Such studies suggest that the bilingual experience improves the brain's executive function - a control system responsible for planning, problem-solving, and managing mentally demanding tasks. These processes include avoiding distractions, switching focus and holding information in mind - like remembering directions while driving. The main difference between bilinguals and monolinguals may be more basic: an increased ability to monitor the environment. "Bilinguals have to switch languages quite often - you may talk to your father in one language and to your mother in another," says Albert Costa, a researcher at the Pompeu Fabra University in Spain. "This requires observing changes around you in the same way that we monitor our surroundings when driving." In a study comparing German-Italian bilinguals with Italian monolinguals on monitoring tasks, Mr Costa found that the bilingual speakers did them better and needed less brain activity, indicating that they were more efficient.
The bilingual experience leaves its mark on the brain from childhood to old age. In a recent study of 44 elderly Spanish-English bilinguals, scientists directed by the neuropsychologist Tamar Gollan of the University of California, San Diego, found that individuals with a higher degree of bilingualism were more resistant than others to the onset of dementia and other symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and developed them later. Nobody ever doubted the power of language. But who could imagine that the words we hear and the sentences we speak might have such a big influence?
Recent scientific studies have proved that bilingual people _____.
The word "contemporary" in paragraph 2 is OPPOSITE in meaning to _____.
Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 2?
The word "one" in paragraph 3 refers to _____.
According to Albert Costa, changing from one language to another all the time _____.
Which of the following is NOT a responsibility of the brain's executive function mentioned in the passage?
Which of the following is TRUE according to Mr. Costa's study?
The words "leaves its mark on" in paragraph 5 is CLOSEST in meaning to _____.
Where in paragraph 3 does the following sentence best fit?
This task required placing the images into boxes marked with different colors.
What can be inferred from paragraph 5?
Read the following passage and choose which of the headings from A - I match the blanks. There are three extra headings, which do not match any of the paragraphs.
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List of headings A. Species protected by tracking B. Researchers go deeper with innovation C. Unravel the dwindling of species D. Mapping ocean highway E. Functions of satellites in tracking F. Tagging for tracking G. New technique facilitating fishery H. Black box of marine biology I. Stratified ocean highway |
From Black Box to Blue Box
Section 1:
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has just held its annual meeting. One highlight was a session on new techniques for tracking marine animals.
Making a living as a fisherman has never been easy. With the continual decline in fish stocks currently under way, it is becoming an even harder way to grind out a living. And it is not only fish that are disappearing, but marine fauna generally. In the past 20 years, for example, 90% of leatherback turtles and large predatory fish, such as sharks, have disappeared.
Section 2:
Where and how this is happening has been difficult to say, since the ocean is something of a black box. Things go in, and things come out, but what happens in between is hard to unravel. According to researchers presenting their work at the AAAS meeting in Seattle, Washington, this is now changing. Today, when many marine biologists swig their morning coffee and download their messages, they receive special e-mails from their research subjects. These messages, relayed by a satellite, tell them exactly where their animals have been, This has been made possible thanks to advances in underwater electronic tagging, and it is causing a revolution in marine biology.
One of the leading researchers in oceanic tagging is Barbara Block of Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove, California. She tags bluefin tuna, which are commercially valuable animals that can reach 680 kg (1,500Ib) in weight, and swim at speeds of up to 80kph (50mph). So far, her group has tagged around 700 bluefin. Many of the tags are surgically implanted, a tricky thing to do while on board a moving boat. These tags archive their data in memory chips, and are eventually recovered when a fish is caught and butchered. (The tags carry a healthy reward). Other tags, though, are fastened to the outside of a fish, and pop off at a pre-programmed time and date. They then broadcast their results to a satellite. Dr. Block's work has shown that blue-fin can migrate thousands of kilometres across the Atlantic, ignoring boundaries that have been set to protect stocks in the western Atlantic.
Section 3:
Tagging is also helping David Welch, head of the Canadian government's salmon programme, to find out where and why large numbers of the fish are vanishing. He uses small acoustic tags (the size of a large multivitamin capsule) that are sewn into the body cavities of salmon. These tags broadcast their signals to microphones on the seabed.
Dr. Welch can now track where an individual salmon spends its life and watch trends in an entire population. He was surprised to find that most salmon do not die as they leave the river and enter the sea, as previously believed. And he is finding that climatic fluctuations play an important role in determining population.
Dr. Welch and his colleagues are planning to install a system of microphones stretching from the coast of Washington State to southeastern Alaska. This could follow the movements of some 250,000 fish — collecting data on their direction of travel, speed, depth and position. If that works, the plan is to extend the system from Baja California in Mexico to the Hering Sea — a project that would involve about 1,000 underwater tracking stations.
Section 4:
Meanwhile, Andrew Read, a marine biologist at Duke University in North Carolina, is following 45 tagged loggerhead turtles. These animals must come to the surface to breathe. When they do so, the tags (which are glued to their shells) talk to the nearest convenient satellite.
Dr. Read told the meeting that the tracking data he collects are now available online, to allow fishermen to follow the movements of turtles and, if they wish, to modify the deployment of their nets accordingly. Bill Foster, a fisherman from Hatteras, North Carolina, and Dr. Read, proposed the project because the Pamlico Sound near Hatteras was closed to large-mesh gill nets (which are dragged behind a boat like a curtain) for four months a year because too many turtles were being caught by accident. Now, the fishermen are helping the researchers, and attaching tags to healthy turtles that are accidentally caught in their nets.
Section 5:
Together, all this work is beginning to fill in the map of marine thigh ways' used by particular species, and their preferred habitats. It is also showing where particular animals prefer to stay close to the surface, and where they prefer deeper waters. As in the case of Dr. Read's turtles, this is helping scientists to devise ways of protecting rare species in an efficient manner, without interfering too much with the exploitation of common ones.
Larry Crowder, also at Duke University, has overlaid maps of marine highways for loggerhead and leatherback turtles in the Pacific onto those of longline fisheries, in which people catch prey on fishing lines that are several kilometres long. Turtles often take the bait on the hooks that these lines cam. Dr. Crowder wants to identify the places of greatest danger to these turtles, in the hope that such places will be considered for protection. This need not, he says, mean a ban on fishing, but rather the use of different hooks, and other sorts of gear that are less damaging to turtles. It also turns out that turtles spend 90% of their time within 40 metres of the surface, so setting hooks deeper than this would reduce the chance of catching them accidentally.
Section 6:
Conservationists are now pushing the notion of 'ocean zoning'. Like the land, parts of the sea — such as turtle highways — would be defined as sensitive, and subject to restrictions on how extractive industries operate. If this idea is ever to work, tagging data will be crucial. And because tagging data come in continually, this could mean that sensitive areas in the ocean could be flexible, changing in both time and space. Enforcing such zones might be difficult. But it would help fish, and other marine fauna, breathe a bit easier. And careful management might leave the fishermen on top as well.
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
Immediately after winning the race, Sandy began training for the next one. (HAD)
=> No sooner ..................
Make a complete sentence using the given words. Change the form of the words or add other words if necessary.
We are about to sign a contract after today’s meeting. (CLOSE)
=> We are ..................
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
People believe that he was the one behind all the success of this company. (HAVE)
=> He is ..................
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
Ray's good work record enabled him to get promotion. (STRENGTH)
=> Ray got ..................
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
I lost my key so I cannot open the door now. (IF)
=> I ..................
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
People believe that this gigantic cave was accidentally discovered by a local lumberjack. (BELIEVED)
=> This ..................
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
A great many people will congratulate her if she wins. (SHOWERED)
=> She ..................
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
I was determined to take advantage of that experience. (MISSED)
=> I would ..................
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
Jerry had terrible problems with solving the riddle. (HARDLY)
=> Jerry ..........
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
Mr. Smith was not at the prize-giving ceremony, so his wife accepted the prize for him. (BEHALF)
=> Mr. Smith's wife ..................