Choose the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation.
hoot
Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others.
choice
chorus
charge
change
Choose the word that differs from the rest in the position of the main stress.
Choose the word that differs from the other three in the position of the primary stress.
Choose the word or phrase CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s).
This tapestry has a very complicated pattern.
Choose the word or phrase CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s).
We decided to pay for the furniture on the installment plan.
Choose the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s).
She had a cozy little apartment in Boston.
Choose the word or phrase OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s).
He decided not to buy the fake watch and wait until he had more money.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
In just three months H.G. Wells wrote the famous classic The Time Machine for what he won a Newberry Caldecott award.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
It was suggested that Pedro studies the material more thoroughly before attempting to pass the exam.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
Chicago’s Sears Tower, now the tallest building in the world, rises 1,522 feet from the ground to the top of it antenna.
This is very _____! Can't you practise your violin somewhere else?
We are here to provide you _______ the best service possible.
No sooner had we left the house _____ it started snowing.
Several cars, _____ owners had parked them under the trees, were damaged.
The young should _______ themselves in social activities.
Please cut my hair _____ the style in this magazine.
I prefer _____ jobs because I don’t like to keep on moving and changing all the time.
_______ anyone object, the plan will be reconsidered.
When they _____ for the beach the sun was shining, but by the time they arrived it had clouded over.
I'm really sleepy today. I wish I _____ Bob to the airport late last night.
He left the country _______ arrest if he returned.
In order to ______ their goals in college, students need to invest the maximum amount of time, money, and energy in their studies.
Choose the most suitable response to complete the following exchange.
"Can I try your new camera?"
"_______"
Brian was late for school.
– Brian: “Sorry, I was late again this morning.”
– Teacher: “ _____.”
Choose the sentence that is closest in meaning to the following sentence.
David drove so fast; it was very dangerous.
Choose the sentence that is CLOSEST in meaning to the sentence given.
The children couldn’t go swimming because the sea was too rough.
Choose the sentence CLOSEST in meaning to the sentence given.
"Leave my house now or I'll call the police!", shouted the lady to the man.
Choose the sentence that best combines this pair of sentences.
The girl didn’t have any friends. Therefore, she felt lonely.
Choose the sentence that best combines this pair of sentences.
It was an interesting novel. I stayed up all night to finish it.
Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
Most languages have several levels of vocabulary that may be used by the same speakers. In English, at least three have been identified and described.
Standard usage includes those words and expressions understood, used, and accepted by a majority of the speakers of a language in any situation regardless of the level of formality. As such, these words and expressions are well defined and listed in standard dictionaries. Colloquialisms, on the other hand, are familiar words and idioms that are understood by almost all speakers of a language and used in informal speech or writing, but not considered acceptable for more formal situations. Almost all idiomatic expressions are colloquial language. Slang, however, refers to words and expressions understood by a large number of speakers but not accepted as appropriate formal usage by the majority. Colloquial expressions and even slang may be found in standard dictionaries but will be so identified. Both colloquial usage and slang are more common in speech than in writing.
Colloquial speech often passes into standard speech. Some slang also passes into standard speech, but other slang expressions enjoy momentary popularity followed by obscurity. In some cases, the majority never accepts certain slang phrases but nevertheless retains them in their collective memories. Every generation seems to require its own set of words to describe familiar objects and events.
It has been pointed out by a number of linguists that three cultural conditions are necessary for the creation of a large body of slang expressions. First, the introduction and acceptance of new objects and situations in the society; second, a diverse population with a large number of subgroups; third, association among the subgroups and the majority population.
Finally, it is worth noting that the terms ''standard", "colloquial”, and "slang” exist only as abstract levels for scholars who study language. Only a tiny number of the speakers of any language will be aware that they are using colloquial or slang expressions. Most speakers of English will, during appropriate situations, select and use all three types of expressions.
Which of the following is the main topic of the passage?
The word "appropriate" is closest in meaning to ________.
The word "obscurity" in line 13 could best be replaced by ________.
How is “slang” defined by the author?
Which of the following is TRUE of standard usage?
The word “them” in line 14 refers to ________.
It can be inferred from the passage that the author ________.
Read the passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
At 7 pm on a dark, cold November evening, thousands of people are making their way across a vast car park. They're not here to see a film, or the ballet, or even the circus. They are all here for what is, bizarrely, a global phenomenon: they are here to see Holiday on Ice. Given that most people don't seem to be acquainted with anyone who's ever been, the show's statistics are extraordinary: nearly 300 million people have seen Holiday on Ice since it began in 1943; it is the most popular live entertainment in the world.
But what does the production involve? And why are so many people prepared to spend their lives traveling around Europe in caravans in order to appear in it? It can’t be glamorous, and it's undoubtedly hard work. The backstage atmosphere is an odd mix of gym class and workplace. A curtained-off section at the back of the arena is laughably referred to as the girls' dressing room but is more accurately described as a corridor, with beige, cracked walls and cheap temporary tables set up along the length of it. Each girl has a small area littered with pots of orange make-up, tubes of mascara and long false eyelashes.
As a place to work, it must rank pretty low down the scale: the area around the ice-rink is grey and mucky with rows of dirty blue and brown plastic seating and red carpet tiles. It's an unimpressive picture, but the show itself is an unquestionably vast, polished global enterprise: the lights come from a firm in Texas, the people who make the audio system are in California, but Montreal supplies the smoke effects; former British Olympic skater Robin Cousins is now creative director for the company and conducts a vast master class to make sure they’re ready for the show's next performance.
The next day, as the music blares out from the sound system, the case starts to go through their routines under Cousins' direction. Cousins says, ‘The aim is to make sure they're all still getting to exactly the right place on the ice at the right time - largely because the banks of lights in the ceiling are set to those places, and if the skaters are all half a meter out they’ll be illuminating empty ice. Our challenge,’ he continues, ‘is to produce something they can sell in a number of countries at the same time. My theory is that you take those things that people want to see and you give it to them, but not in the way they expect to see it. You try to twist it. And you have to find music that is challenging to the skaters because they have to do it every night.’
It may be a job which he took to pay the rent, but you can’t doubt his enthusiasm. ‘The only place you'll see certain skating moves is an ice show,’ he says, ‘because you’re not allowed to do them in competition. It’s not in the rules. So the ice show world has things to offer which the competitive world just doesn't. Cousins knows what he's talking about because he skated for the show himself when he stopped competing - he was financially unable to retire. He learned the hard way that you can’t put on an Olympic performance every night. I'd be thinking, these people have paid their money, now do your stuff, and I suddenly thought, "I really can't cope. I'm not enjoying it”. The solution, he realized, was to give 75 percent every night, rather than striving for the sort of twice-a-year excellence which won him medals.
To be honest, for those of us whose only experience of ice-skating is watching top-class Olympic skaters, some of the movements can look a bit amateurish, but then, who are we to judge? Equally, it’s impossible not to be swept up in the whole thing; well, you'd have to try pretty hard not to enjoy it.
(Adapted from TOEFL reading)
What surprises the writer about the popularity of Holiday on Ice?
The word "blares out" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _______.
What does the writer highlight about the show in the third paragraph?
The word "them" in paragraph 5 refers to _______.
For Robin Cousins, the key point when rehearsing skating routines is_____
Cousins believes that he can meet the challenge of producing shows for different audiences _____.
What does Cousins suggest in paragraph 5 about skating in shows?
What conclusion does the writer draw about Holiday on Ice?
Read the following passage and choose the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the blanks.
SCHOOL LUNCH
Research has shown that over half the children in Britain who take their own lunches to school do not eat (A)_____ in the middle of the day. In Britain, schools have to provide meals at lunchtime. Children can choose to bring their own food or have lunch in the school canteen.
One shocking (B)_____ of this research is that school meals are much healthier than lunches prepared by parents. There are strict standards for the preparation of school meals, which have to include one portion of fruit and one of the vegetables, as well as meat, a dairy item and starchy food like bread or pasta. Lunchboxes (C)_____ by researchers contained sweet drinks, crisps, and chocolate bars. Children (D)_____ twice as much sugar as they should at lunchtime.
The research will provide a better understanding of why the percentage of overweight students in Britain has increased in the last decade. Unfortunately, the government cannot instruct parents, but it can remind them of the (E)_____ value of milk, fruit, and vegetables. Children can easily develop bad eating habits at this age, and parents are the only ones who can prevent it.
(A)______
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)______