The boy quickly_____________the old woman's telephone number to memory.

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.

Most people are born with the natural ability to tell stories, but only a rare few have the determination to become professional authors, and even fewer have the joy of seeing their novels top the (26) _____________of bestselling books. Some of the world's famous crime writers have achieved the greatest success of all. Who can deny the appeal of famous detectives like Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot? Even if you haven't read the (27) _____________ books you will have seen them in films or on the TV.

If you have an ambition to become the next Agatha Christie what should you do? The best starting point is to read lots of examples of crime fiction written by good authors. You will need a notebook to carry around with you or, even better, some loose sheets of paper that you can (28) _____________notes on and then file into a folder. After all, the most everyday situation - for example, watching a woman get (29) _____________a train - may be the inspiration for your first bestseller.

Like any good recipe you have to know the main (30) _____________of a successful novel. These are: an original story, strong characters and a memorable setting.

According to the passage, Notting Hill Carnival_____________.

Ann's very modest, always_____________her success.

Lan was_____________of the two sisters.

The film_____________in 1997 is about the wild animals.

The word "surpassed" in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to_____________.

The film would have been perfect_____________the ending.

The last time I saw David was when I ran into him at the station on my way to New York.

_____________people are those who share the same interests, or points of view.

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.

She did not study hard. She failed the exam.

Lan's replies were inconsistent with her previous testimony.

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.

Notting Hill Carnival takes place in London every August Bank Holiday, and is the most colourful and largest street event in the UK. The festival celebrates the traditions of the Afro-Caribbean community, who emigrated to England from the West Indies in the 1950s. They brought with them the Caribbean idea of the carnival, with colourful costumes, processions, steel bands and street dancing. Preparations for the carnival start many months in advance. Costumes need to be made, and floats built, ready for the carnival street procession, steel bands practise traditional Caribbean music on instruments built from used oil barrels. Just before the festival, the streets are decorated with yellow, green and red streamers, and amplifying devices are set in place, to carry the rhythmic sounds over the roar of the London traffic. The carnival is celebrated over three days, and is full of music and colour. Processions of steel and brass bands, floats, and dancers in colourful costumes make their way through the narrow London streets, watched by tens of thousands of people. The streets are lined with stalls selling tropical fruits, such as fresh mangoes, watermelons and pineapple. Everyone dances - young and old, black and white - and even the policemen on duty take part in the fun. For these three days in August, a little Caribbean magic touches the streets of London.

What is the writer's main aim in writing the passage?

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

I don't like him. There is a sneaky look on his face.

After all, the most everyday situation - for example, watching a woman get (29) _____________a train - may be the inspiration for your first bestseller.

Suppose she_____________you stealing, what would you do?