The International Red Cross helps people in need without any discrimination based on______,race, religion, class or political opinions.

Current extinction rates are at least 100 to 1,000 times higher than____ rates found in the fossil record.

My husband and I take turns cleaning _____ the kitchen depending___ who gets home from work earlier.

Mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.

According to the paragraph 2, what will NOT happen if one breathes the toxic air?

What is the main function of the toxins emitted by the dinoflagellates?

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Pollution is a threat to many species on Earth, but sometimes it can cause species to thrive. Such is the case with Pfiesteria piscicida. A one-celled creature called a dinoflagellate, Pfiesteria inhabits warm coastal areas and river mouths, especially along the eastern United States. Although scientists have found evidence of Pfiesteria in 3,000-year-old seafloor sediments and dinoflagellates are thought to be one of the oldest life forms on earth, few people took notice of Pfiesteria.

Lately, however, blooms - or huge, dense populations- of Pfiesteria are appearing in coastal waters, and in such large concentrations the dinoflagellates become ruthless killers. The blooms emit powerful toxins that weaken and entrap fish that swim into the area. The toxins eventually cause the fish to develop large bleeding sores through which the tiny creatures attack, feasting on blood and flesh. Often the damage is astounding. During a 1991 fish kill, which was blamed on Pfiesteria on North Carolina's Neuse River, nearly one billion fish died and bulldozers had to be brought in to clear the remains from the river. Of course, such events can have a devastating effect on commercially important fish, but that is just one way that Pfiesteria causes problems. The toxins it emits affect human skin in much the same way as they affect fish skin. Additionally, fishermen and others who have spent time near Pfiesteria blooms report that the toxins seem to get into the air, where once inhaled they affect the nervous system, causing severe headaches, blurred vision, nausea, breathing difficulty, short-term memory loss and even cognitive impairment.

For a while, it seemed that deadly Pfiesteria blooms were a threat only to North Carolina waters, but the problem seems to be spreading. More and more, conditions along the east coast seem to be favorable for Pfiesteria. Researchers suspect that pollutants such as animal waste from livestock operations, fertilizers washed from farmlands and wastewater from mining operations have probably all combined to promote the growth of Pfiesteria in coastal waters.

United Nations Day has been (18)___on October 24 since 1948 and celebrates the objectives and accomplishments of the organization, which was established on October 24, 1945.

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.

Founded after World War II by 51 "peace-loving states" combined to oppose future aggression, the United Nations now counts 192 member nations, (17)___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 (18)___on October 24 since 1948 and celebrates the objectives and accomplishments of the organization, which was established on October 24, 1945.

The UN (19)____in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions across the globe. Though some say its (20) ______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.

Havy: "Thanks for your help, Judy." - Judy: "

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

Jack: "Would you like to join our volunteer group this summer?" -Jill: " .”

I started training to be an accountant six months ago. I've got more months to go and then I have to take exams.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.

 Peter told us about his leaving the school. He did it on his arrival at the meeting.

"I will ring you up after I get home." Peter said to Mary.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions.

He could escape from hurt because he was wearing protective clothes.

The population of Singapore is approximately 4.59 million. Though Singapore is highly cosmopolitan and diversity, ethnic Chinese forms the majority of the population.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions.

Next week, when there will be an English club held here, I will give you more information about it.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.

Mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.

She was unhappy that she lost contact with a lot of her old friends when she went abroad to study.

Life on Earth is disappearing fast and will continue to do so unless urgent action is taken.

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

According to Christopher McKay, the possibility of transforming Mars

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According to the best evidence gathered by space probes and astronomers, Mars is an inhospitable planet, more similar to Earth's Moon than to Earth itself - a dry, stark, seemingly lifeless world. Mars' air pressure is equal to Earth's at an altitude of 100,000 feet. The air there is 95 percent carbon dioxide.

Mars has no ozone layer to screen out the sun's lethal radiation. Daytime temperatures may reach above freezing, but because the planet is blanketed by the mere wisp of an atmosphere, the heat radiates back into space. Even at the equator, the temperature drops to -50C (-60F) at night. Today there is no liquid water, although valleys and channels on the surface show evidence of having been carved by running water. The polar ice caps are made of frozen water and carbon dioxide, and water may be frozen in the ground as permafrost.

Despite these difficult conditions, certain scientists believe that there is a possibility of transforming Mars into a more Earth-like planet. Nuclear reactors might be used to melt frozen gases and eventually build up the atmosphere. This in turn could create a "greenhouse effect" that would stop heat from radiating back into space. Liquid water could be thawed to form a polar ocean. Once enough ice has melted, suitable plants could be introduced to build up the level of oxygen in the atmosphere so that, in time, the planet would support animal life from Earth and even permanent human colonies. "This was once thought to be so far in the future as to be irrelevant," said Christopher McKay, a research scientist at NASA. "But now it's starting to look practical. We could begin work in four or five decades."

The idea of "terra-forming" Mars, as enthusiasts call it, has its roots in science fiction. But as researchers develop a more profound understanding of how Earth's ecology supports life, they have begun to see how it may be possible to create similar conditions on Mars. Don't plan on homesteading on Mars any time soon, though. The process could take hundreds or even thousands of years to complete and the cost would be staggering.

What does the passage mainly discuss?