Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

TV has transformed politics in the USA by changing the way in which information is disseminated, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizen's patterns of response to politics. By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television diminished the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizen's focus on character rather than issues.

TV has altered the forms of political communication as well. The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 3/2 to 2 hours, which characterized nineteenth-century political discourse, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the 10 second "sound bite" in broadcast news. Increasingly the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a snippet of the speech on the news.

In these abbreviated forms, much of what constituted the traditional political discourse of earlier ages has been lost. In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. In snippets, politicians assert but do not argue.

Because television is an intimate medium, speaking through it require a changed political style that was more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old-style stump speech. Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. Schools teach us to analyze words and print. However, in a word in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.

Recognizing the power of television's pictures, politicians craft televisual, staged events, called pseudo-event, designed to attract media coverage. Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relations advisers for televised consumption. Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements.

It can be inferred that before the introduction of television, political parties_____________.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.

The president failed to explain the cause of the economic crisis. He did not offer any solutions.

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Because he came to class late, the teacher punished him.

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After a lot of difficulty, he______________to open the door.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.

My father's really out of shape, so he starts exercising.

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I would sooner you______________the office phone for personal purpose.

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He attempted to______________the painting from the gallery but he was caught.

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"Don't forget to do your homework", the teacher told us.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 26 to 30.

Is organic food safer and more (26) ______________? This is an important part of the debate.

Many farmers and consumers believe it is. They think agricultural chemicals can cause serious illnesses like cancer, but there isn't much evidence proving this is true. However, recent studies have shown that eating organically-grown produce (27) ______________your chances of developing heart disease. Many doctors think it's more important to stop dangerous bacteria from contaminating foods. These bacteria can contaminate both organic and non-organic fruit and vegetables, and doctors recommend washing them carefully before eating them. Meat, fish and chicken can also become contaminated, so washing your hands before handling these foods is also very important. Many doctors also believe we should reduce the amount of sugar in our diets, and there is a lot of evidence to support this idea. They recommend carefully checking the list of ingredients on processed food and drinks for all the words that really mean sugar, like glucose, sucrose and fructose. And they remind us that the aim of most big food companies is (28) ______________lots of money, even if they damage our health while doing so. This means processed foods that are called "organic" can also be very (29) ______________if they contain lots of sugar.

Most people agree that naturally grown food tastes better. Is tastier food worth the extra money? That's a matter of opinion. Whether organic food is healthier or not is still not clear, (30) ______________more research is needed. However, consumers of organic food often say "better safe than sorry" when it comes to what we eat.

Điền vào ô số 26

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.

The life______________of individuals in developed countries has increased dramatically.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best completes each of the following exchanges.

- "I think we should use public transport to protect the environment."

- “______________”

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I'm not keen on______________control of the project to a newcomer.

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There is no doubt that Hoa is the best candidate for the job.

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I enjoyed seeing that film. It was rather sad, ______________.

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It's high time you let your______________down and had some fun!

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions.

(A) Research in the USA on acupuncture (B) has focused on (C) their use in (D) pain relief and anesthesia.