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.

The Giant Panda

The giant panda is a beloved animal in China. It is regarded as a national (26) _____________. It is found mostly in southwestern China in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. The giant panda is part of the bear family. It has a white coat with black trimmings around its eyes and on its ears, arms, and legs. Adult pandas can be 5 feet (1.5 meters) long and weigh (27) _____________to 330 pounds (150 kilograms). The giant panda leads a (28) _____________life, except during the mating season.

It lives in bamboo forests in the mountains. It can climb trees but lives mainly on the ground. (29) _____________most bears, the panda does not hibernate. It moves to low-lying areas during the winter in search of warmer temperatures. The giant panda has a mainly (30) _____________diet, eating mostly bamboo shoots and leaves. It also eats insects and small rodents. Giant panda breeding groups are small and isolated from one another.

The president, (A) with his wife and children, (B) are at home watching the (C) news(D) on television.

According to the passage, what can be inferred about Pittsburgh's population during the World War II?

- Did you remember to give Linda the money you owed her?

- Yes, I gave it to her_____________I saw her.

- Mai: I'm terribly sorry. I forgot to call you last night.

- Nam: _____________.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.

"If I were you, I'd buy that house," Ms. Hoa said to Ms. Lan.

_____________we have!

I should leave here. I don't want to_____________my welcome.

Between the Civil War and World War II, all of the following happened in Pittsburgh EXCEPT_____________.

_____________no taxi, they had to walk home.

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.

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 knew she was only flattering me because she wanted to borrow some money.

My brother attended the meeting. His friend attended the meeting, too.

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

Nowadays, many serious childhood diseases_____________by early immunization.

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.

Everybody likes to feel that she or he is special. Sadly, many of us grow up believing that we're not special at all. We wish that we could be more attractive or better at sports. We wish we had more money or nicer clothes. Like the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, or the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz, we think we're not good enough just as we are. In the film, The Tin Man wishes he had a heart. The Scarecrow wishes that he had a brain, and the Lion wants courage. Eventually, each of them realizes that he already has what he wants. Nearly all parents want us to be the best we can be. They occasionally attempt to encourage us to do better by comparing us to others. They mean well, but the message we usually get is that we're not good enough. We start to believe that the only way we can be special is by being better than somebody else, but we are frequently disappointed. There will always be somebody out there that is better than we are at something. There are a lot of people around who may not be as intelligent as we are but who are better at sports. Or they may not be as handsome, but they have more money. It is unthinkable for us to be better than everybody else all the time. Like the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion, we all need what we believe will make us better people. What we don't understand is that often we already have inside us the very things that we look for. Our parents often forget to tell us that we are special, that we are good enough just as we are. Perhaps no one told them when they were growing up, or maybe they just forgot. Either way, it's up to us to remind them sometimes that each of us, in our own way, is special.

What is the writer's main purpose in writing the essay?