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.

        The handling and delivery of mail has always been a serious business, underpinned by the trust of the public in requiring timeliness, safety, and confidentiality. After early beginnings using horseback and stagecoach, and although cars and trucks later replaced stagecoaches and wagons, the Railway Mail Service still stands as one of America’s most resourceful and exciting postal innovations. This service began in 1832, but grew slowly until the Civil War. Then from 1862, by sorting the mail on board moving trains, the Post Office Department was able to decentralize its operations as railroads began to crisscross the nation on a regular basis, and speed up mail delivery. This service lasted until 1974. During peak decades of service, railway mail clerks handled 93% of all non-local mail and by 1905 the service had over 12,000 employees.

Railway Post Office trains used a system of mail cranes to exchange mail at stations without stopping. As a train approached the crane, a clerk prepared the catcher arm which would then snatch the incoming mailbag in the blink of an eye. The clerk then booted out the outgoing mailbag. Experienced clerks were considered the elite of the Postal Service’s employees, and spoke with pride of making the switch at night with nothing but the curves and feel of the track to warn them of an upcoming catch. They also worked under the greatest pressure and their jobs were considered to be exhausting and dangerous. In addition to regular demands of their jobs they could find themselves the victims of train wrecks and robberies.

       As successful as it was, “mail-on-the-fly” still had its share of glitches. If they hoisted the train’s catcher arm too soon, they risked hitting switch targets, telegraph poles or semaphores, which would rip the catcher arm off the train. Too late, and they would miss an exchange.

The word “glitches” in the third paragraph can be replaced by _______

A. accidents          

B. blames              

C. advantages                 

D. problems

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

In a critical review of an experiment, a researcher should question (A) the validity,(B) the reliable,(C) and the importance (D) of any test results

A. question

B. validity

C. the reliable

D. importance

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43 to 50.

The technology of the North American colonies did not differ strikingly from that of Europe, but in one respect, the colonists enjoyed a great advantage. Especially by comparison with Britain, Americans had a wonderfully plentiful supply of wood.

The first colonists did not, as many people imagine, find an entire continent covered by a climax forest. Even along the Atlantic seaboard, the forest was broken at many points. Nevertheless, all sorts of fine trees abounded, and through the early colonial period, those who pushed westward encountered new forests. By the end of the colonial era, the price of wood had risen slightly in eastern cities, but wood was still extremely abundant.

The availability of wood brought advantages that have seldom been appreciated. Wood was a foundation of the economy. Houses and all manner of buildings were made of wood to a degree unknown in Britain. Secondly, wood was used as fuel for heating and cooking. Thirdly, it was used as the source of important industrial compounds, such as potash, an industrial alkali; charcoal, a component of gunpowder; and tannic acid, used for tanning leather.

The supply of wood conferred advantages but had some negative aspects as well. Iron at that time was produced by heating iron ore with charcoal. Because Britain was so stripped of trees, she was unable to exploit her rich iron mines. But the American colonies had both iron ore and wood; iron production was encouraged and became successful. However, when Britain developed coke smelting, the Colonies did not follow suit because they had plenty of wood and besides, charcoal iron was stronger than coke iron. Coke smelting led to technologic innovations and was linked to the emergence of the Industrial Revolution. In the early nineteenth century, the former colonies lagged behind Britain in industrial development because their supply of wood led them to cling to charcoal iron

The word "abundant" in paragraph 3 is closest meaning to _________-.

A. redundant 

B. sufficient

C. insufficient

D. plentiful

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 from 26 to 28.

This is the first time I have ever gone out for a picnic.

A. I have gone out for a picnic this time

B. I have ever gone out for a picnic

C. I have never gone out for a picnic before

D. I had never gone out for a picnic before

__________the cause of mass fish kill along the country’s central coast has not been determined, scientists have recommended solutions to quickly identify the source of the problem.

A. Becau

se          

B. While               

C. Although                   

D. As if

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct word for each of the blanks. Fill in the appropriate word in question 40

           Nearly 200 of the 1500 native plant species in Hawaii are at risk of going extinct in the near future because they have been  (33)_______ to such low numbers. Approximately 90 percent ofHawaii's plants are found nowhere else in the world but they are  (34)_______  by alien invasive species such as feral goats, pigs, rodents and  (35)_______ plants.

          The Hawaii Rare Plant Restoration Group is striving to (36)_______  the extinction of the 182 rare Hawaiian plants with fewer than 50 individuals remaining in the  (37)_______ . Since 1990,  (38)_______ a result of their "Plant Extinction Prevention Program", sixteen species have been brought into  (39)_______ and three species have been reintroduced. Invasive weeds have been removed in key areas and fencing put up in order to  (40)_______  plants in the wild.

            In the future the Hawaii Rare Plant Restoration Program aims  (41)_______  collecting genetic material from the remaining  plants  in  the  wild  for storage  as a safety net for the future. They also aim to manage wild populations and where possible reintroduce species into (42)_______  .

A. derive

B. vary

C. remain

D. protect

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.

        The handling and delivery of mail has always been a serious business, underpinned by the trust of the public in requiring timeliness, safety, and confidentiality. After early beginnings using horseback and stagecoach, and although cars and trucks later replaced stagecoaches and wagons, the Railway Mail Service still stands as one of America’s most resourceful and exciting postal innovations. This service began in 1832, but grew slowly until the Civil War. Then from 1862, by sorting the mail on board moving trains, the Post Office Department was able to decentralize its operations as railroads began to crisscross the nation on a regular basis, and speed up mail delivery. This service lasted until 1974. During peak decades of service, railway mail clerks handled 93% of all non-local mail and by 1905 the service had over 12,000 employees.

Railway Post Office trains used a system of mail cranes to exchange mail at stations without stopping. As a train approached the crane, a clerk prepared the catcher arm which would then snatch the incoming mailbag in the blink of an eye. The clerk then booted out the outgoing mailbag. Experienced clerks were considered the elite of the Postal Service’s employees, and spoke with pride of making the switch at night with nothing but the curves and feel of the track to warn them of an upcoming catch. They also worked under the greatest pressure and their jobs were considered to be exhausting and dangerous. In addition to regular demands of their jobs they could find themselves the victims of train wrecks and robberies.

       As successful as it was, “mail-on-the-fly” still had its share of glitches. If they hoisted the train’s catcher arm too soon, they risked hitting switch targets, telegraph poles or semaphores, which would rip the catcher arm off the train. Too late, and they would miss an exchange.

The public expects the following three services in handling and delivery of mail except ___________

A. safety               

B. accuracy           

C. confidentiality 

D. timeliness

Read the following passage and mark the letter A,B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer

Meditation

Meditation has been in use for thousands of years: people have always searched for inner quiet and physical relaxation, which may be for spiritual, self-realization or health reasons. It is nothing unusual and you do not have to be a great athlete to be able to achieve and enjoy the benefits of meditation at both physical and mental levels.

What, then, is meditation? As one expert put it recently, it is just sitting and relaxing. (A) Many people find that their lives are so full of the demands of work, family, friends and organized leisure pursuits that they have no time to “stand and state”. Many are so busy planning and working towards the future that they take little pleasure from the here and now. In their hurry to “get on” they miss out on the simple pleasures of life; the change of the seasons, the singing of a bird or the innocent wonder of a child. But beauty and joy are there to be seen and experienced, even in the most industrial of landscapes. (B) Meditation can be a good way of just taking time out and allowing yourself to relate to and appreciate the moment. It may be by walking along the seashore, or sitting by a stream, or just by noticing silence in a still room and enjoying it. (C)

Rather than forcing yourself to take up a difficult physical position, just relax; sit in a chair or take a walk in a favorite landscape at a steady pace. It is not a good idea to slump or lie down, as this tend to leads to sleep. It is the relaxed focus that is necessary. If you sit down, do so with your feet flat on the floor, hands resting in your lap or on the arms of the chair, and your head comfortably balanced. If you are walking, do so slowly and carefully, aware of the movement of each foot, and the contact with the ground below. (D) Notice the reaction of the ground to your feet. This is an extremely simple but effective exercise in becoming truly aware of the present.

Meditation, above all, is about staying with the moment, being in touch with one’s surroundings and one’s inner world, much of which is more easily achieved when you are in a meditative state. 

What is one thing the author recommends you do when meditating?

A. lie down comfortably in a dark room

B. sit with your back and neck straight

C. look at the ground around your feet

D. lie down with your feet raised above your heart

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43 to 50.

The technology of the North American colonies did not differ strikingly from that of Europe, but in one respect, the colonists enjoyed a great advantage. Especially by comparison with Britain, Americans had a wonderfully plentiful supply of wood.

The first colonists did not, as many people imagine, find an entire continent covered by a climax forest. Even along the Atlantic seaboard, the forest was broken at many points. Nevertheless, all sorts of fine trees abounded, and through the early colonial period, those who pushed westward encountered new forests. By the end of the colonial era, the price of wood had risen slightly in eastern cities, but wood was still extremely abundant.

The availability of wood brought advantages that have seldom been appreciated. Wood was a foundation of the economy. Houses and all manner of buildings were made of wood to a degree unknown in Britain. Secondly, wood was used as fuel for heating and cooking. Thirdly, it was used as the source of important industrial compounds, such as potash, an industrial alkali; charcoal, a component of gunpowder; and tannic acid, used for tanning leather.

The supply of wood conferred advantages but had some negative aspects as well. Iron at that time was produced by heating iron ore with charcoal. Because Britain was so stripped of trees, she was unable to exploit her rich iron mines. But the American colonies had both iron ore and wood; iron production was encouraged and became successful. However, when Britain developed coke smelting, the Colonies did not follow suit because they had plenty of wood and besides, charcoal iron was stronger than coke iron. Coke smelting led to technologic innovations and was linked to the emergence of the Industrial Revolution. In the early nineteenth century, the former colonies lagged behind Britain in industrial development because their supply of wood led them to cling to charcoal iron

Which of the following is a common assumption about the forests of North America during the colonial period?

A. They contained only a few types of trees

B. They existed only along the Atlantic seaboard

C. They had little or no economic value

D. They covered the entire continent