Choose the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s).
Nobel's original legacy of nine million dollars was invested, and the interest on this sum is used for the awards which vary from $30,000 to $125,000.
Choose the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s).
Some newspapers are often guilty of distorting the truth just to impress readers with sensational news stories.
Choose the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s).
We need someone who is really on the ball to answer questions from the press.
Choose the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s).
I take my hat off to all those people who worked hard to get the contract.
Choose the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s).
Tom was so absorbed in his assignment that he forgot all about his dinner in the oven.
Choose the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s).
Many consumers are prejudiced against commercial goods made in that country. They reject them without even trying first.
Choose the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s).
In 2018 there was a craze for Bitcoin mining in Vietnam due to the belief that it would bring impressive profits.
Choose the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s).
She went off on a tangent about what happened to her last summer.
Bandipura National Park is as dry as a _____ with summer still to come.
Residents were warned not to be extravagant with water, _____ the low rainfall this year.
Instead of discussing their problems, they _____ all their anger and resentment.
While teachers at the school are not particularly strict, they are never _____ with students who skip classes or cheat on the tests.
It's very essential that students _____ as soon as there's any change in the timetable.
The museum has enough exhibits to _____ anyone occupied for an hour or two.
Read the following passage and choose the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the blanks.
Stories about how people somehow know when they are being watched have been going for years. However, few attempts have been made to investigate the phenomenon scientifically. Now, with the completion of the largest-ever study of the so-called staring effect, there is impressive evidence that this is a recognizable and sixth sense. The study involved hundreds of children. For the experiments, they sat with their eyes so they could not see, and with their backs to other children, who were told to stare at them or look away. Time and time again the results showed that the children who could not see were able to tell when they were being stared at. In a of more than 18,000 trials carried out worldwide, the children correctly sensed when they were being watched almost 70% of the time. The experiment was repeated with the added precaution of putting the children who were being watched outside the room, separated from the starters by the windows. there was some pretending going on with the children telling each other whether they were looking or not. This prevented the possibility of sounds being transmitted between the children. The results less impressive, were more or less the same. Dr. Sheldrake, the biologist who designed the study, believes that the result is convincing enough to find out through further experiments precisely how the staring effect might actually .
Read the passage and answer the questions.
Every day, millions of shoppers hit the stores in full force - both online and on foot - searching frantically for the perfect gift. Last year, Americans spent over $30 billion at retail stores in the month of December alone. Aside from purchasing holiday gifts, most people regularly buy presents for other occasions throughout the year, including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and baby showers. This frequent experience of gift-giving can engender ambivalent feelings in gift-givers. Many relish the opportunity to buy presents because gift-giving offers a powerful means to build stronger bonds with one’s closest peers. At the same time, many dread the thought of buying gifts; they worry that their purchases will disappoint rather than delight the intended recipients.
Anthropologists describe gift-giving as a positive social process, serving various political, religious, and psychological functions. Economists, however, offer a less favorable view. According to Waldfogel (1993), gift-giving represents an objective waste of resources. People buy gifts that recipients would not choose to buy on their own, or at least not spend as much money to purchase (a phenomenon referred to as ‘‘the deadweight loss of Christmas”). To wit, givers are likely to spend $100 to purchase a gift that receivers would spend only $80 to buy themselves. This ‘‘deadweight loss” suggests that gift-givers are not very good at predicting what gifts others will appreciate. That in itself is not surprising to social psychologists. Research has found that people often struggle to take account of others’ perspectives - their insights are subject to egocentrism, social projection, and multiple attribution errors.
What is surprising is that gift-givers have considerable experience acting as both gift-givers and gift-recipients, but nevertheless tend to overspend each time they set out to purchase a meaningful gift. In the present research, we propose a unique psychological explanation for this - that is, that gift-givers equate how much they spend with how much recipients will appreciate the gift (the more expensive the gift, the stronger a gift-recipient’s feelings of appreciation). Although a link between gift price and feelings of appreciation might seem intuitive to gift-givers, such an assumption may be unfounded. Indeed, we propose that gift-recipients will be less inclined to base their feelings of appreciation on the magnitude of a gift than givers assume.
Why do gift-givers assume that gift price is closely linked to gift-recipients’ feelings of appreciation? Perhaps givers believe that bigger (that is, more expensive) gifts convey stronger signals of thoughtfulness and consideration. According to Camerer (1988) and others, gift-giving represents a symbolic ritual, whereby gift-givers attempt to signal their positive attitudes toward the intended recipient and their willingness to invest resources in a future relationship. In this sense, gift-givers may be motivated to spend more money on a gift in order to send a “stronger signal” to their intended recipient. As for gift‑recipients, they may not construe smaller and larger gifts as representing smaller and larger signals of thoughtfulness and consideration.
In paragraph 1, the word “ambivalent” most nearly means _______.
According to paragraph 2, what can be inferred about the thought of social psychologists toward gift-givers?
The word “this” in paragraph 3 refers to gift-givers’_____.
Helena: How soon will you be leaving?
Mark: _____
Laura: Thanks for all that you’ve done for me.
Jeffrey: ______
Tom: I don’t like living in an apartment. It’s very inconvenient.
David: _____
Joey: I asked her about her condition and she snapped. How weird is that?
Fiona: _____
Mai and Hung are talking about a school play, which was written by their friend, Jack.
Mai: Jack's story was very well written, don't you think?
Hung: _____
Mrs Hoa and Mr Long are talking about teaching soft skills at school.
Mrs Hoa: Some soft skills should be taught to children.
Mr Long: _____. They are necessary for them.
Choose the sentence CLOSEST in meaning to the sentence given.
We can't speak of our economy as healthy when there is a widening gap between the rich and the poor.
Choose the sentence CLOSEST in meaning to the sentence given.
As the city grew industrially, more and more immigrants were attracted to the newly-created jobs.
Choose the sentence CLOSEST in meaning to the sentence given.
It's impossible to escape from America completely as its culture has spread to every corner.
Choose the sentence CLOSEST in meaning to the sentence given.
I don't understand how you could have survived all those years in China without speaking the language.
Choose the sentence CLOSEST in meaning to the sentence given.
I was amazed that my ordinarily humorless boss could come up with such a hilarious joke.
Since my boss has such a great sense of humor, I was astounded to hear him tell such a bad joke.
Choose the sentence that best combines this pair of sentences.
Janet had thought the storm would be over in a short time. In fact, it went on for several hours.
Choose the sentence that best combines this pair of sentences.
Essentially, there are two ways of solving this problem. However, the question is: which one will provide the ideal solution for us?
Choose the sentence that best combines this pair of sentences.
The hotel is conveniently located near the beach. Apart from that, it has nothing to make me recommend to you.
Choose the sentence that best combines this pair of sentences.
This shop is the most expensive in town. Meanwhile, the quality of its products leaves a lot to be desired.
Choose the sentence that best combines this pair of sentences.
She is currently writing a historical book about food. It will include old recipes and the history behind them.
Read the passage and choose the correct answer.
(1) _____. Firstly, he argues that Australians place a high value on independence and personal choice. (2) _____. Rather, a teacher will give them a number of options and suggest they work out which one is the best in their circumstances. It also means that they are expected to take action (3) _____ something goes wrong and seek out resources and support for themselves. Australians are also prepared to accept a range of opinions rather than believing there is one truth. This means that in an educational setting, students will be expected to (4) _____. Australians believe that life should have a balance between work and leisure time. (5) _____, some students may be critical of others who they perceive as doing nothing but study. Students (6) _____ and enjoy outdoor activities to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Choose the correct answer for (1).
Choose the correct answer for (2).
Choose the correct answer for (3).
Choose the correct answer for (4).
Choose the correct answer for (5).
Choose the correct answer for (6).
The students are reviewing their notes, practicing math problems, and organizing study materials before an important exam. They are determined to cover all topics and feel confident before the test.
What phrase best describes what they are doing?
After the company faced severe financial difficulties, the management worked tirelessly to keep the business afloat. Despite the challenges, they managed to maintain operations until conditions improved.
Which expression best describes the company's situation?
Emily can easily pick up new melodies by ear and is able to identify different instruments in a song within seconds. Her ability to understand complex musical patterns and reproduce them without much effort always impresses her friends.
Which expression best describes Emily?
Tom helped Lisa prepare her presentation last week, and now she’s offering to support him with his project. They both understand that by assisting each other, they can achieve better results.
What idiom best describes their relationship?
Write an academic essay of about 250 words on the following topic.
Some people think that the best way to improve road safety is to increase the minimum legal age for driving a car or motorbike. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.