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 39 to 43.
American jazz is a mixture of sounds borrowed from such varied sources as American and African folk music, European classical music, and Christian gospel songs. One of the recognizable characteristics of jazz is its use of improvisation: certain parts of the music are written out and played the same way by various performers, and other improvised parts are created spontaneously during a performance and vary widely from performer to performer. The earliest form of jazz was ragtime, lively songs or rags performed on the piano, and the best-known of the ragtime performers and composers was Scott Joplin. Bom in 1868 to former slaves, Scott Joplin earned his living from a very early age playing the piano in bars along the Mississippi. One of his regular jobs was in the Maple Leaf Club in Sedalia, Missouri. It was there that he began writing the more than 500 compositions that he was to produce, the most famous of which was “The Maple Leaf Rag.”
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 44 to 50.
We are a planet of seven billion people, and this number is growing by about 370,000 people every day. This is putting a huge strain on the planet's natural resources. For many governments and environmental organizations, the race is on to drastically reduce our consumption of resources before they run out. Water is one of our most precious resources. Our quality of life, as well as life itself, depends on the availability of clean, fresh water. It is the most widely used resource in industry, and plays a major role in energy production. Although 70 percent of the world is covered in water, only 2.5 percent of that is fresh water, and less than one percent of that freshwater is readily available to us. Yet we often overestimate how much water we have, and reduce it further through pollution or inefficient use. Some 92 percent of all fresh water used annually is dedicated to growing plants and raising animals for food. This means that if water runs out, our food supply might follow. In India, it is estimated that future water shortages could reduce grain harvests by 25%. In a country where the population exceeds 1.2 billion people and is growing rapidly every year, this is a huge concern. India, like many developing countries, is already struggling to provide for its population. While most people in developed countries can get water at the turn of a tap, nearly four billion people elsewhere lack access to safe water, according to United Nations Development Report. Rain forests are another endangered-resource. While rain forests are critically important to humanity, they are rapidly being destroyed by human activities. The biggest cause of deforestation is conversion of forest land for agriculture. Often called the “Lungs of the Planet”, rain forests once covered 14 percent of the Earth's land surface, but this has shrunk to only six percent. Every second, an area of rain forest, the size of a football field, is destroyed at this rate. Rain forests will possibly disappear completely in less than 40 years. (Adapted from: Active Reading)
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 34 to 38. It's the end of the school year and the exam period is approaching. Undoubtedly, exams (34)________pressure on both students and parents alike. (35)_________parents would like to see their children succeeding academically, as they believe a good education gives them an added advantage in life. They want to see their children settled in a rewarding job and be financially well-off. But is that what their children have planned for themselves? Apparently it is not. Most students either can't think that far ahead or have no intention of doing so. They would rather aim low so as not to be disappointed if they get low marks.However, child psychologists, who have been consulted on the matter, stress that students should aim high, but at the same time have a variety of other options. (36)_______, students will not have to worry about grades and in the long term they will have better chances of succeeding. On the whole, there are many practical and invaluable things (37)_________parents can do for their children.Apart from being people their children can turn to, parents can plan a reasonable schedule that both they and their children agree on. According to psychologists' (38)_________, this schedule should include no more than eight hours of studying, three proper meals a day and some exercise. Above all, prior to each exam, parents need to reassure their children that everything will be fine whatever the result.