Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

      How old (1)          you be on Friday 13, 2029? That is how old you will be when a large asteroid, called Apophis, comes very, very close to (2)                        planet. Asteroids are rocks that circle the sun in space and sometimes (3)   closeto Earth and even hit it. Most asteroids are very small and, if you are lucky, youcan sometimes see (4)            in the night sky as ‘falling stars’. However, most scientists (5) )                  one large asteroid, about six to twelve kilometers across, hit the earth and killed all the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago. Apophis is also big. Scientists (6)                 it (7)            2004 and they say that it is about 300 meters across. That’s about the size of a large sports stadium. An asteroid this size, according to scientists, is (8) )               large enough to destroy our world, but it is large enough to destroy several cities. It will probably miss the earth, they say, but not by very much – it will miss (9) )             by about only 35,000 kilometers – that’smuch closer than our moon which is about 240,000 kilometers away. Another way of thinking about it is that it will (10) )                    us by only a few minutes.

In America or Australia many school children study             .

According to the writer                      .

      Read the passage, and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D for each question.

      Every year, students in many countries learn English. Some of these students are young children. Others are teenagers. Many are adults. Some learn at school, others study by themselves. A few learn English just by hearing the language in films, on television, in the office or among their friends. But not many are lucky enough to do that. Most people must work hard to learn another language.

      Many boys and girls learn English at school because it is one of their subjects. They study their own language, mathematics, and English. In England, America, or Australia, many boys and girls study their native language, which is English, mathematics, and another language, perhaps French, or German or Spanish.

      Many adults learn English because it is useful for their work. Teenagers often learn English for their higher studies, because some of their books are in English at college or university. Others learn English because they want to read newspapers or magazines in English.

1.   Many adults learn English because                      .

Fill in the blank with a suitable word in the box.

      Did you realize that over a two billion people in the world now speak English? According to a recent report “...three billion people will be speaking or learning English within a decade.” English is the language of (1)                                . It’s the language of (2)       business and politics. It is the primary language used for most computers and for the inner workings of the Internet.

      English is the (3)                          international language in communications, science, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy. English is an important tool for operating on the world stage. The ability to speak and understand English is mandatory in certain fields, professions, and occupations. In fact, English is so widely spoken, it is referred to as, the “lingua franca” of the modern era.

      With the global spread of English serious economic and political (4)                will probably come to those not having a reasonable command of the language. We see a future in which mono lingual English graduates face bleaker economic prospects as qualified (5)                            graduatesprove to have a competitive advantage in global companies and organizations. Given that English has acquired its world-wide reputation due in large part to globalized power relations, those companies and (6)                 employing well-trained non-native speakers for their international business (7)            needs will obviously see the advantage of hiring non-native speakers of the English languages with multilingual talents. The future is in your hands and the future demands a firm (8)                     of the English language.

      If you don’t find what you’re looking for on this page just enter your term in the rectangular box above labeled - Search the Web: which is at the top right hand comer of each window. You may be surprised at the number of (9)    responses you’ll receive, and I’ll bet before long you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for, all in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

      So - sit back, put your feet up, and take all the time you want until you find the perfect (10)                             you’ll want to work with while learning the English language.

Read the text carefully, then decide whether the following statements are True or False

LEARNING ENGLISH

      It is not easy for adult students of English to improve their accent. Unlike children, who are flexible, adults often find it hard to change the way they speak. This is why even the top, or smartest adult students have difficulty with pronunciation. There are several things that an international student can do to improve his or her pronunciation.

      One method is to sign up for a pronunciation class. Studying pronunciation can help students to understand the rules of English, but in order to practice speaking, students often need to be exposed to English outside the classroom as well. This is why many students say that studying in an English-speaking country greatly affects their English. Living with native speakers can help students to learn newvocabulary as well as improve their accents. International students can alsolearn important cultural information. This can help to prevent misunderstandings that can occur when people from different cultures live together.

1.   Adult students of English cannot improve their accents because they are                                                                                                                               _ slow to change.

2.   Most young students are able to change their pronunciation easily.                                                                                                                         ____

3.   Attending a pronunciation class can be very helpful to adult learners who                                                                                                                             _________ have problems with their pronunciation.

4.   All that they need to improve their pronunciation is to practice more outside                                                                                                                        _________ the classroom.

5.   To avoid misunderstandings about cultures, students should live with native                                                                                                                          _________ speakers.

The word “proliferated” in the passage is closest in meaning to which of the following?

Read the passage below and do the tasks.

      Over the past 600 years, English has grown from a language of few speakers to become the dominant language of international communication. English as we know it today emerged around 1350, after having incorporated many elements of French that were introduced following the Norman invasion of 1030. Until the 1600s, English was, for the most part, spoken only in England and had not extended even as far as Wales, Scotland, or Ireland. However, during the course of the next two centuries, English began to spread around the globe as a result of exploration, trade (including slave trade), colonization, and missionary work. Thus, small enclaves of English speakers became established and grew in various parts of the world. As these communities proliferated, English gradually became the primary language of international business, banking, and diplomacy.

      Currently, about 80 percent of the information stored on computer systems worldwide is in English. Two-thirds of the world’s science writing is in English, and English is the main language of technology, advertising, media, international airports, and air traffic controllers. Today there are more than 700 million English users in the world, and over half of these are non native speakers, constituting the largest number of non-native users than any other language in the world.

1.   What is the main topic of this passage?

Read the following passage and fill in the blank with a suitable word.

      Being able to speak English allows you to (1)                             effectively in numerous countries, and this opens up lots of possibilities for you in terms of the countries you could choose to seek (2)                          in one day – not to mention travel to as a tourist. You won’t have to worry about (3)                lost when you travel to an English-speaking country, as you’ll easily be able to ask for directions, and taking guided tours, ordering food and chatting to the locals will no (4)                           be a source of stress.

      What’s more, careers that involve lots of travel or international exposure, (5)         as the airline, tourism and film (6)                                   , use English as their (7)            language, and many employers in these sectors are likely to (8)                        evidence of a certain level of proficiency in English before they will consider (9)                             you. This means that if you can speak English, you’ll find that you have a greater number of possible careers to (10)                             from after you finish at university.

Read the passage carefully, then decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F)

      Canada is the world’s second largest country. Its population is not very large, however. About 25 million people live in Canada – less than half the population of Britain or France and only one thirtieth of the population of India. Canada is in North America and its capital is Ottawa. It is a rich country with a lot of natural resources. In southern Canada the land is very good for farming and Canada exports a lot of wheat. In the north there are magnificent forests. In the west there are some very high mountains called the Rockies. Canada also has many minerals such as petroleum, gas, copper and zinc. Canada was the first settled by French pioneers. In the eighteenth century there were wars between Britain and French, Canada came under British rule. Since 1931 Canada has been an independent member of the British Commonwealth. English and French are both official language in Canada.

1.   Canada is a densely populated country.                                                                                                                 _______

Activities at the market are also a(n)(9)                                 for tourists to study the cultural (10)                of southerners.

The main items (3)                 there are farm produce and specialties of neighboring areas.

Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

      When visitors join in a (1)            of the Mekong Delta, they can visit Cai Rang Floating Market to see the river life. Cai Rang Floating Market is (2)                      all day but it is busiest from sunrise to about 9 a.m. The main items (3)                       there are farm produce and specialties of neighboring areas.

      During the early morning market hours, larger sized boats anchor and create lanes so that (4)                        boats can move into and out of. The waterway becomes a maze of hundreds of boats packed with mango, bananas, papaya, pineapple, and other goods. Sellers do not have (5)                                    their goods because their goods can be seen (6)       and their cries would not be heard in the vastness of the river and the river and the noise of boat engines. Sellers tie their goods to a tall pole (7)                       buyers can see from a distance (8)                       theyare selling. Each boat is loaded with plenty of seasonal goods. Activities at the market are also a(n)(9)                               for tourists to study the cultural (10)            of southerners.

All of the following are true about Kyoto EXCEPT that                               .

Read the passage, and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.

      Fabrizio from Venice: Of course, there’s a lot to see in Venice. It’s one of the most famous cities in the world. First of all, there are the canals. We don’t have cars in Venice so you have to travel everywhere by canal. The most famous place in Venice is the square. St. Mark’s Square with St. Mark’s Cathedral. And there are lots of museums and palaces, and beautiful bridges, too.

      Yumi from Kyoto: For me, Kyoto is the most beautiful city in Japan. It’s also the oldest city. It has many old traditional buildings, and beautiful palaces, temples and gardens. The most famous temple is the Golden Pavilion. There are also very good markets, and also really good shops, and some beautiful modern buildings, too.

      Murat from Istanbul: I think Istanbul is maybe the most beautiful city in the world, but of course I come from Istanbul! The city is built on hills around the Bosphoros, and so there arebeautiful views across the water. From the water, you can see mosques – the most famous is called the Blue Mosque – and palaces and bridges. Istanbul also has a very famous market called the Grand Bazaar. But these days we also have many modern shopping centres and modern buildings and hotels. It’s really a fantastic city.

      Claudia from Rio de Janeiro: Rio is one of the most exciting cities in South America ... first of course we have our famous beach, the Copacabana, and there are many mountains around Rio – the most famous is the Sugar Plum Mountain where you can see a big statue of Christ, and of course we have our famous stadium... the Macarana stadium, maybe the most famous football stadium in the world ... it’s really a great place.

      Marina from St. Petersburg: You’ll really love St. Petersburg because there are so many things to see. The most famous is the Winter Palace, where the Tsars lived, and the Hermitage Museum which is a fantastic art gallery, and we have a very beautiful river too, the River Neva, and of course churches and cathedrals. There is so much to see!

1.   The place(s) that Fabrizio recommends coming to in Venice most must be             .