Though some say its (29) _________ has declined in recent decades, the United Nations still plays a tremendous role in world politics

Read the passage and mark A, B, C or D to indicate the correct word that best fits each of the questions from 21 to 25.

In the early twentieth century, an American woman named Emily Post wrote a book (21)_______ etiquette. This book explained the proper behavior Americans should follow in many different social situations from birthday parties to funerals. But in modern society, it is not simply to know the proper (22)______ for behavior in your own country. It is necessary for people who work or travel abroad to understand the rules of etiquette in other cultures as well. Cultural differences can be found in such simple processes as giving or receiving a gift. In Western cultures, a gift can be given to the receiver with relatively (23)______ ceremony. (24)______, in some Asian countries, the act of gift-giving may appear confusing to Westerners. When a gift is offered, the receiver usually takes the gift and expresses his or her thanks. In Chinese culture, both the giver and receiver understand that the receiver will typically refuse to take the gift several times before he or she finally accepts it. In addition, to show respect for the receiver, it is (25)_________ in several Asian cultures to use both hands when offering a gift to another person.

Read the following passage and write the letter A, B, C or D on the top of the first page to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 26 to 30.

Founded after World War II by 51 "peace-loving states" combined to oppose future aggression, the United Nations now counts 192 member nations, (26) _________ its newest members, Nauru, Kiribati, and Tonga in 1999, Tuvalu and Yugoslavia in 2000, Switzerland and East Timor in 2002, and Montenegro in 2006.

United Nations Day has been (27) _________ on October 24 since 1948 and celebrates the objectives and accomplishments of the organization, which was established on October 24, 1945.

The UN (28) _________         in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions across the globe. Though some say its (29) _________ has declined in recent decades, the United Nations still plays a tremendous role in world politics. In 2001 the United Nations and Kofi Annan, then Secretary-General of the UN, won the Nobel Peace Prize "for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world."

Since 1948 there have been 63 UN peacekeeping operations that are currently under way. Thus far, close to 130 nations have contributed personnel (30) _________various times; 119 are currently providing peacekeepers. As of August 31, 2008, there were 16 peacekeeping operations underway with a total of 88,230 personnel. The small island nation of Fiji has taken part in virtually every UN peacekeeping operation, as has Canada.

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 41 to 45.

SOCIAL NETWORK

A 16-year-old girl from Essex has been sacked after describing her job as boring on the social networking website, Facebook. The teenager, who had been working (41)_____ an administrative assistant at a marketing company for just three weeks, didn‟t feel very enthusiastic about the duties she was asked to do. (42)_____ of moaning to her friends she decided to express her thoughts on her Facebook page to a colleague, who (43) _____ the boss‟s attention to it. He immediately fired her on the (44)_____ that her public display of dissatisfaction made it impossible for her to continue working for the company. She later told newspapers she had been treated totally unfairly, especially as she hadn‟t even mentioned the company‟s name. She claimed she‟s been perfectly happy with her job and that her light-hearted comments shouldn‟t (45)_____ taken seriously. A spokesperson from a workers‟ union said the incident demonstrated two things: firstly, that people need to protect their privacy online and secondly, that employers should be less sensitive to criticism.

In addition, to show respect for the receiver, it is (25)_________ in several Asian cultures to use both hands when offering a gift to another person.

(3)_______ people continue cutting down that many trees in Sarawak rain forest, all the trees could be gone in eight years.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase for each of the blanks from 11 to 15.

About 50 or so kinds modern plastic are made from oil, gas, or coal-non-renewable natural resources. We (11)___ well over three million tons of the stuff in Japan each year and, sooner or later, most of it is thrown away .A high proportion of our animal consumption is in the (12)____ of packaging and this constitutes about seven percent by weight, of our domestic (13) ____ . Almost all of it can be recycled, but very little of it is ,though the plastic recycling industry is growing fast. The plastics themselves are extremely energy - rich – they have a higher calorific (14) ____ than coal and one methodn of “recovery” strongly (15)____ by plastic manufacturers if the conversion of waste plastic into a fuel.

 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 first each of the numbered blanks from 1 to 5.

Humans are destroying the earth‟s tropical rain forests. About 80,000 square kilometers are being destroyed every year. About a quarter of the (1)_____ comes from people cutting trees for fuel. Another quarter is to make grassland for their cattle. The (2)______ trees are cut down to sell the wood to start farms.

The population in cities all over the world is growing, and more and more wood is needed to build huge new buildings. For example, 5,000 trees from Sarawak rain forest in Malaysia were used to build just one tall building. (3)_______ people continue cutting down that many trees in Sarawak rain forest, all the trees could be gone in eight years.

The world needs more food, and it (4)______ like a good idea to clear the rain forests and use the land for agriculture. Many people think that the land under these huge, thick forests must be in rich nutrients, but it isn't. This is another surprising thing about rain forests. Most of the land in tropical rain forest is very(5)________.