I found it difficult to follow what was_______because of the noise from the engine room.

The boy always does his homework before class_______be the teacher.

VIII/ Read the following passage on commuting, and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 61 to 70.

After two decades of growing student enrollments and economic prosperity , business schools in the United States have started to face harder times. Only Harvard’s MBA School has shown a substantial increase in enrollments in recent years. Both Princeton and Stanford have seen decreases in their enrollments. Since 1990, the number of people receiving Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degrees, has dropped about 3 percent to 75,000, and the trend of lower enrollment rates is expected to continue.

There are two factors causing this decrease in students seeking an MBA degree. The first one is that many graduates of four-year colleges are finding that an MBA degree does not guarantee a plush job on Wall Street or in other financial districts of major American cities . Many of the entry-level management jobs are for students graduating with Master of Arts degrees in English and the humanities as well as those holding MBA degrees. Students have asked the question, “ Is an MBA degree really what I need to be best prepared for getting a good job?” The second major factor has been the cutting of American payrolls and the lower number of entry-level jobs being offered. Business needs are changing , and MBA schools are struggling to meet the new demands.

 As used in the second paragraph, the word “struggling” is closest in meaning to_________.

bridge /build/50years ago /collapse/last storm.

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.

Herman Melville, an American author best known today for his novel Moby Dick, was actually more popular during his lifetime for some of his other works. He traveled extensively and used the knowledge gamed during his travels as the basis for his early novels. In 1837, at the age of eighteen, Melville slimed as a cabin boy on a merchant ship that was to sail from his Massachusetts home to Liverpool, England. His experiences on this trip served as a basis for the novel Redburn (1849). In 1841 Melville set out on a whaling ship headed for the South Seas. After jumping ship in Tahiti, he wandered around the islands of Tahiti and Moorea. This South Sea island sojourn was a backdrop to the novel Omoo (1847). After three years away from home, Melville joined up with a U.S. naval frigate that was returning to the eastern United States around Cape Horn. The novel White-Jacket (1850) describes this lengthy voyage as a navy seaman. With the publication of these early adventure novels, Melville developed a strong and loyal following among readers eager for his tales of exotic places and situations. However, in 1851, with the publication of Moby Dick, Melville's popularity started to diminish. Moby Dick, on one level the saga of the hunt for the great white whale, was also a heavily symbolic allegory of the heroic struggle of humanity against the universe. The public was not ready for Melville's literary metamorphosis from romantic adventure to philosophical symbolism. It is ironic that the novel that served to diminish Melville's popularity during his lifetime is the one for which he is best known today.

According to the passage, Melville's early novels were_______. 

Read the following passage on commuting, and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 51 to 60.

Many folk cures which have been around for centuries may be more therapeutic than previously suspected. A case in point is that of penicillin Alexander Fleming did not just randomly choose cheese molds to study when he discovered this very important bacteria-killing substance. Moldy cheese was frequently given to patients as a remedy for illness at one time Fleming just isolated what it was about the cheese which cured the patients.

In parts of South America, a powder obtained from grinding sugar cane is used for healing infections in wounds and ulcers. This usage may date back to pre-Colombian times. Experiments carried out on several hundred patients indicate that ordinary sugar in high concentrations is lethal to bacteria. Its suction effect eliminates dead cells and it generates a glasslike layer which protects the wound and ensures healing.

Another example of folk medicine which scientists are investigating is that of Arab fishermen who rub their wounds with a venomous catfish to quicken healing. This catfish excretes a gellike slime which scientist found to contain antibiotics coagulant that helps close injured blood vessels, anti-inflammatory agents, and a chemical that directs production of a glue-like material that aids healing.

It is hoped that by documenting these folk remedies and experimenting to see if results are indeed beneficial, an analysis of the substance be made, and synthetic substances be developed for human consumption.

In what way are cheese molds, sugar, and catfish slime similar? 

A: "Could you tell me how to get to the nearest post office?”

B: “_______”

Feeling tired after a long day of hard work,_______.

Read the following passage on commuting, and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 51 to 60.

Many folk cures which have been around for centuries may be more therapeutic than previously suspected. A case in point is that of penicillin Alexander Fleming did not just randomly choose cheese molds to study when he discovered this very important bacteria-killing substance. Moldy cheese was frequently given to patients as a remedy for illness at one time Fleming just isolated what it was about the cheese which cured the patients.

In parts of South America, a powder obtained from grinding sugar cane is used for healing infections in wounds and ulcers. This usage may date back to pre-Colombian times. Experiments carried out on several hundred patients indicate that ordinary sugar in high concentrations is lethal to bacteria. Its suction effect eliminates dead cells and it generates a glasslike layer which protects the wound and ensures healing.

Another example of folk medicine which scientists are investigating is that of Arab fishermen who rub their wounds with a venomous catfish to quicken healing. This catfish excretes a gellike slime which scientist found to contain antibiotics coagulant that helps close injured blood vessels, anti-inflammatory agents, and a chemical that directs production of a glue-like material that aids healing.

It is hoped that by documenting these folk remedies and experimenting to see if results are indeed beneficial, an analysis of the substance be made, and synthetic substances be developed for human consumption.

The gellike substance which promotes healing comes from_________. 

Our country has large areas of_______beauty.

: - A: "You look nice in that red hat." - B: "_______”

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.

Herman Melville, an American author best known today for his novel Moby Dick, was actually more popular during his lifetime for some of his other works. He traveled extensively and used the knowledge gamed during his travels as the basis for his early novels. In 1837, at the age of eighteen, Melville slimed as a cabin boy on a merchant ship that was to sail from his Massachusetts home to Liverpool, England. His experiences on this trip served as a basis for the novel Redburn (1849). In 1841 Melville set out on a whaling ship headed for the South Seas. After jumping ship in Tahiti, he wandered around the islands of Tahiti and Moorea. This South Sea island sojourn was a backdrop to the novel Omoo (1847). After three years away from home, Melville joined up with a U.S. naval frigate that was returning to the eastern United States around Cape Horn. The novel White-Jacket (1850) describes this lengthy voyage as a navy seaman. With the publication of these early adventure novels, Melville developed a strong and loyal following among readers eager for his tales of exotic places and situations. However, in 1851, with the publication of Moby Dick, Melville's popularity started to diminish. Moby Dick, on one level the saga of the hunt for the great white whale, was also a heavily symbolic allegory of the heroic struggle of humanity against the universe. The public was not ready for Melville's literary metamorphosis from romantic adventure to philosophical symbolism. It is ironic that the novel that served to diminish Melville's popularity during his lifetime is the one for which he is best known today.

According to the passage, Moby Dick is_______ 

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of rest in each of the following questions.

Read the following passage on commuting, and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 51 to 60.

Many folk cures which have been around for centuries may be more therapeutic than previously suspected. A case in point is that of penicillin Alexander Fleming did not just randomly choose cheese molds to study when he discovered this very important bacteria-killing substance. Moldy cheese was frequently given to patients as a remedy for illness at one time Fleming just isolated what it was about the cheese which cured the patients.

In parts of South America, a powder obtained from grinding sugar cane is used for healing infections in wounds and ulcers. This usage may date back to pre-Colombian times. Experiments carried out on several hundred patients indicate that ordinary sugar in high concentrations is lethal to bacteria. Its suction effect eliminates dead cells and it generates a glasslike layer which protects the wound and ensures healing.

Another example of folk medicine which scientists are investigating is that of Arab fishermen who rub their wounds with a venomous catfish to quicken healing. This catfish excretes a gellike slime which scientist found to contain antibiotics coagulant that helps close injured blood vessels, anti-inflammatory agents, and a chemical that directs production of a glue-like material that aids healing.

It is hoped that by documenting these folk remedies and experimenting to see if results are indeed beneficial, an analysis of the substance be made, and synthetic substances be developed for human consumption.

 The word "eliminates" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

The children said that they    the game for about an hour_______.

With the help of new computer programs, we can solve many problems quickly and accurately.