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.

Biological diversity has become widely recognized as a critical conservation issue only in the past two decades. The rapid destruction of the tropical rain forests, which are the ecosystems with the highest known species diversity on Earth, has awakened people to the importance and fragility of biological diversity. The high rate of species extinctions in these environments is jolting, but it is important to recognize the significance of biological diversity in all ecosystems. As the human population continues to expand, it will negatively affect one after another of Earth’s ecosystems. In terrestrial ecosystems and in fringe marine ecosystems (such as wetlands), the most common problem is habitat destruction. In most situations, the result is irreversible. Now humans are beginning to destroy marine ecosystems through other types of activities, such as disposal and runoff of poisonous waste; in less than two centuries, by significantly reducing the variety of species on Earth, they have irrevocably redirected the course of evolution.

Certainly, there have been periods in Earth’s history when mass extinctions have occurred. The extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by some physical event, either climatic or cosmic. There have also been less dramatic extinctions, as when natural competition between species reached an extreme conclusion. Only 0.01 percent of the species that have lived on Earth have survived to the present, and it was largely chance that determined which species survived and which died out.

However, nothing has ever equaled the magnitude and speed with which the human species is altering the physical and chemical world and demolishing the environment. In fact, there is wide agreement that it is the rate of change humans are inflicting, even more than the changes themselves, that will lead to biological devastation. Life on Earth has continually been in flux as slow physical and chemical changes have occurred on Earth, but life needs time to adapt-time for migration and genetic adaptation within existing species and time for the proliferation of new genetic material and new species that may be able to survive in new environments.

With which of the following statements would the author be most likely to agree?

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People who don’t get ________ their coworkers sometimes don’t last long at their jobs.

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Nine of every ten people in the world _____ in the country in which they were born.

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“Can I sit beside you, Jean?” Tom asked.

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Captain Scott’s ________ to the South Pole was marked by disappointment and tragedy.

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My new neighbor has two children, _______ are very lovely.

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Those interested in the post of Assistant manager are requested to apply ________.

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Many species of animals, birds and even insects are in ________ of disappearing from the earth.

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I haven’t seen either James or his sister for a very long time now.

Choose A, B, C, or D to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in the following questions.

Do you know that Jim has started painting as a hobby?

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I am busy ________ for the lesson.

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You can’t possibly say no to such a wonderful job offer. It’s too good to ______.

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I am not sure, but ________ I know there will be a new director in our company soon.

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the most suitable response to complete each of the following exchanges

“Do you mind if I switch the light off?”                 - “________.”

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People who ______ of violence should be punished.

Choose A, B, C, or D to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in the following questions.

He single-handedly solved the problem for the company and was named Employee of the Month.