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.

   By mid-century, there will likely be 9 billion people on the planet, consuming ever more resources and leading ever more technologically complex lives. What will our cities be like? How much will artificial intelligence advance? Will global warming trigger catastrophic changes, or will we be able to engineer our way out of the climate change crisis?

   Making predictions is, by nature, a dicey business, but to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Smithsonian magazine Big Think asked top minds from a variety of fields to weigh in on what the future holds 40 years from now. The result is our latest special series, Life in 2050. Demographic changes in world population and population growth will certainly be dramatic. Rockefeller University mathematical biologist Joel Cohen says it's likely that by 2050 the majority of the people in the world will live in urban areas, and will have a significantly higher average age than people today. Cities theorist Richard Florida thinks urbanization trends will reinvent the education system of the United States, making our economy less real estate driven and erasing the divisions between home and work.

   Large migrations from developing countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Mexico, and countries in the Middle East could disrupt western governments and harm the unity of France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom under the umbrella of the European Union.

   And rapidly advancing technology will continue ever more rapidly. According to Bill Mitchell, the late director of MIT's Smart Cities research group, cities of the future won't look like "some sort of science-fiction fantasy" or "Star Trek" but it's likely that "discreet, unobtrusive" technological advances and information overlays, i.e. virtual reality and augmented reality, will change how we live in significant ways. Self-driving cars will make the roads safer, driving more efficient, and provide faster transports. A larger version of driverless cars—driverless trucks—may make long haul drivers obsolete.

   Meanwhile, the Internet will continue to radically transform media, destroying the traditional model of what a news organization is, says author and former New York Times Public Editor, Daniel Okrent, who believes the most common kinds of news organizations in the future will be "individuals and small alliances of individuals" reporting and publishing on niche topics.

(Source: https://bigthink.com)

What topic does the passage mainly discuss?

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.

THE RISE OF OLDER CITIES

    Many older cities are having modern makeovers and they are being given a new (23) ____. Sometimes the impetus for this type of change comes from the need to provide new facilities for particular events being held in the city - a sporting event, or something similar. On other occasions the change just seems to take place almost naturally.

    Take Birmingham, for instance, (24) ____ it was previously an unfashionable place to live, it has now become trendy, and this change has been brought about largely by the new-look architecture that can be found everywhere in the city. The old shopping centre has been knocked down and completely rebuilt, and new shopping malls are (25) ________ to attract shoppers with the high quality of their services and goods. The area located around the canal, once hidden away and surrounded by decaying factories was often used as a rubbish tip, but it has now become a trendy place made up of modern offices, bars, sought-after apartments and restaurants. To (26)______ up, Birmingham has become the place to be. Even in what was formerly the poorest part of the city an old factory has been converted into a lively complex of studios, galleries and coffee bars. With its theatres, museums and football teams Birmingham is (27) ____ worth visiting and has something for everyone.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word that differs from the other three in the position of the primary stress in each of the following questions.

Certain parts of town were restricted to residential use, while others were set aside for industrial or commercial development.

No sooner had James begun his new job than he knew his decision was wrong.

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

Over the last century, there ____ many significant changes in the way we live.

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

Although many people use the word "milk" to ____ to cows’ milk, it also applies to milk from any animal, including human milk and goat's milk.

I had no idea that you and he were on such intimate__________. I thought you were only casual acquaintances.

That the patient's condition had worsened so quickly surprising the doctor.

______ colleges and universities are the main institutions that provide _____ tertiary education.

Many new medicines today eradicate diseases before they become too widespread.

- "How about some chocolate?" – “____”

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

We are aware that, ____, the situation will get worse.