_________ economic boom last year, the business was successful.

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.

     Because of mobile phones’ explosion in popularity, many schools have opposed, or even banned, their use in the classroom. Yet an increasing ___(26) ___ of educators are now turning to cell phones in order to bolster student engagement and learning. ___(27) ___ mobile-phone use should be limited to situations (28) _______ the technology genuinely enhances instruction, the advanced functionality of today's cell phones makes them ideal for 2 1st century lessons. For example, many schools use the devices to poll students in class via text message.

     Some schools encourage students to use their phones Cameras to snap pictures for use as inspiration in art classes. Others allow students to capture photographs of a post-lecture whiteboard. In seconds, kids car grab a detailed image of a teacher's notes on the board and email it themselves, resulting in incredible study tool.

     On field ___(29) ___, students can participate in scavenger hunts by snapping pictures of items on a teacher-supplied list. Mobile phones can also help facilitate class discussion. Teachers might ask students to run a Google Search for information on a particular topic. An alternative to presenting the information via lecture or having students read it from a textbook, discussion-integrated Web searchers are ___(30)___ more engaging, increasing the adds that students will retain the information.

Charles and Adam are talking about learning online.

- Charles: “There is no problem with online learning.”

- Adam: “_____. Looking at the screen most of the time can make students’ eyes tired.”

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 from 36 to 42.

        Most people currently realize the danger of using credit card numbers online. However, from time to time, we all use passwords and government ID numbers on the Internet. We think we are safe, but that may not be true! A new kind of attack is being used by dishonest people to steal IDs and credit card numbers from innocent web surfers. This new kind of attack is called “phishing”.

       Phishing sounds the same as the word “fishing”, and it implies that a thief is trying to lure people into giving away valuable information. Like real fishermen, phishers use bait in the form of great online deals or services. For example, phishers might use fake emails and false websites to con people into revealing credit card numbers, account usernames, and passwords. They imitate well-known banks, online sellers, and credit card companies. Successful phishers may convince as many as five percent of the people they contact to respond and give away their personal financial information.

       Is this really a big problem? Actually, tricking five percent of the online population is huge! Currently, more than 350 million people have access to the Internet, and seventy-five percent of those Internet users live in the wealthiest countries on Earth. It has been estimated that phishers send more than three billion scam messages each year. Even by tricking only five percent of the people, phishers can make a lot of money.

        Since there is so much money to make through this kind of scam, it has caught the interest of more than just small-time crooks. Recently, police tracked down members of an organized phishing group in Eastern Europe, who had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from people online. The group created official-looking email messages requesting people to update their personal information at an international bank’s website. However, the link to the bank in the message actually sent people to the phishers’ fake website. To make matters worse, further investigation revealed that this group had connections to a major crime gang in Russia.

       How can innocent people protect themselves? Above all, they have to learn to recognize email that has been sent by a phisher. Always be wary of any email with urgent requests for personal financial information. Phishers typically write upsetting or exciting, but fake, statements in their emails so that people will reply right away.

       Also, messages from phishers will not address recipients by name because they really don’t know who the recipients are yet. On the other hand, valid messages from your bank or other companies you normally deal with will typically include your personal name.

Which of the following could best serve as the topic of the passage?

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 from 31 to 35.

    Have you ever heard some superstitions about birds? Usually, birds are considered bad luck, or even a sign of imminent death. For example, all over the world, both crows and ravens have some connection to war, and death. In early times, crows and ravens were thought to accompany the gods of war, or be signs of the gods’ approaching arrival. This idea later changed. Crows in particular were thought to be harbingers of ill fortune or, in some cases, guides to the afterlife. Woe be it to the person who saw a single crow or raven flying overhead, for this was most certainly a portent of death in the near future.

       Interestingly, though potentially bad luck for people individually, the raven is considered to be good luck for the crown of England. So much so, in fact, that a “raven master” is, even today, an actual government position in London. He takes care of the ravens there and also clips their wings, ensuring that these birds can never fly far from the seat of the British government. This way, the kingdom will never fall to ill fortune.

      Another bird that is thought to play a part in forecasting the fortunes of people is the swallow. Depending on how and when it is seen, the swallow can be a harbinger of either good or ill fortune. Perhaps inspired by the swallow’s red-brown breast, Christian people initially related the swallow to the death of Jesus Christ. Thus, people who saw a swallow fly through their house considered it a portent of death. Later, however, farmers began to consider swallows signs of good fortune. Any barn that has swallows living in it is sure to be blessed in the following year. Farmers also have to beware of killing a swallow; that would be certain to end any good luck they might have had.

      Though many people think these superstitions are old wives’ tales, there is actually some evidence to support them. For example, crows and ravens, being scavengers, appear at the aftermath of battles. Thus, large numbers of crows and ravens could be good indications of war in an area. As well, swallows feed on insects that can cause infections in cattle. Thus, a farmer who has many swallows in his barn may actually have healthier animals on his farm. Therefore, the next time you feel inclined to laugh at an old wives’ tale, maybe you had better find out if there is any truth to it first!

What is the main idea of this reading?

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each

The last time my friend wrote a letter to me was in February.