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 35 to 42.

Cambridge University is considering axing compulsory written exams, allowing students to use laptops or iPads instead, after tutors complained that students' handwriting is becoming illegible. Academics say the move, which would bring an end to over 800 years of tradition, has come about because students rely too heavily on laptops in lectures, and are losing the ability to write by hand.

Dr Sarah Pearsall, a senior lecturer at Cambridge University, said handwriting is becoming a ''lost art'' among the current generation of students. She added, ''It's increasingly hard for our examiners to read students' scripts. Those with illegible writing are forced to come back to their college during the summer holidays to read their answers aloud in the presence of two university administrators. It's extraordinarily commendable that the University is considering reforms to its examination practices.''

Sir Anthony Seldon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, said it is inevitable that universities will move to computers as handwriting deteriorates in the coming

years. ''We have to accept the reality. Handwriting has now become an optional, not a necessary, part of education. There simply isn't the same time in the curriculum for learning elegant, beautiful handwriting. Life is so quick now. Everybody writes as if they were a doctor writing a prescription,'' he said. ''Handwriting is not necessary for great thought, great English, or great intelligence. Some of our finest wordsmiths today write using laptops, and we have to fight to preserve what is really important, such as the use of great English or great sentence structures.''

Others, however, were not very positive about the move. Tracey Trussell, a handwriting expert, urged Cambridge to ensure that students continue to write by hand. She said, ''It's vital that people continue to write by hand. Writing by hand improves memory and equates to a higher rate of comprehension and information retention.'' There is also concern that schools could follow Cambridge's example by moving away from handwriting. Dr Jane Medwell, Associate Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham, is concerned that scrapping handwritten exams in universities could prompt ''downward curriculum pressure'' on primary and secondary schools to follow suit.

(Adapted from http://www. telegraph. co. uk)

The word "deteriorates'' in paragraph 3 mostly means     .

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Jenifer rejected the job offer. She now regrets it.

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Mike became a father. He felt a strong sense of responsibility towards his parents.

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.

These days, many people only read printed newspapers once in a while as they tend to access information online.

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.

The discovery of the new planet was regarded as a major breakthrough

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Paul noticed a job advertisement while he     along the street.

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Solar energy is not widely used                        it is friendly to the environment.

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You should turn off the lights before going out to save     .

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The    high levels of pollution in the coastal areas are a matter of great concern to the government.

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Sally paid for her travel in advance, but it wasn’t necessary.

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Event organisers should plan everything carefully so as to leave nothing to    .

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 25 to 29. Fill in the appropriate word in question 25

Advances in mobile technology and social networking websites mean we spend more time online than ever before. If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest in the world by population  (The  Economist,  2010).  It is (25)   not surprising that so many psychologists, sociologists, and others are eager to give their thoughts on how this is impacting negatively on our society.

The biggest criticism levelled at social networking is that young people are losing their offline friends to online friends (26) are unable to provide the same deep connection and emotional  support. However, a lot  of research shows these criticisms  are generally (27) . Allen et al. (2010) discovered that it is socially adjusted adolescents who are more likely to have a networking profile than those who are not. One study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project (2009) found that people are  not (28)        offline friends with online companions but are using them to support their offline relationships. The study also found that social networks allow us to have discussions with a much more diverse set of people than in the real world, so we share knowledge with people from a wide (29) _________of backgrounds.

(Adapted from ''Skillful Reading & Writing 4''by Mike Boyle and Lindsay Warwick)

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          , they were surprised to find their favourite band playing there.

 

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

Laura and Mitchell are talking about their school curriculum.

-  Laura: ''I think Art should be a compulsory subject.''

-  Mitchell: ''               . Art helps develop creativity.''

 

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.

Mary has finally managed to get round her strict parents to let her go on a three- day excursion with her classmates.

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In Vietnam, football is more popular than basketball.