PASSAGE 1:

We always went to Ireland in June. Ever since the four of us began to go on holidays together we
had spent the first fortnight of the month at Glencom Lodge in County Antrim. It's a large house
by the sea, not far from the village of Ardbeag. The English couple who bought the house, the
Malseeds, have had to add to the building, but everything has been done most discreetly.

It was Strafe who found Glencorn for us. He'd come across an advertisement in the days when
the Malseeds still felt the need to advertise. ‘How about this?’ he said one evening and read out
the details. We had gone away together the summer before, to a hotel that had been
recommended by friends, but it hadn't been a success because the food was so appalling.

The four of us have been playing cards together for ages, Dekko, Strafe, Cynthia and myself.
They call me Milly, though strictly speaking my name is Dorothy Milson. Dekko picked up his
nickname at school, Dekko Deacon sounding rather good, I suppose. He and Strafe were at
school together, which must be why we call Sirafe by his surname as the teachers used to. We're
all about the same age and live quite close to the town where the Malseeds were before they
decided to make the change from England to Ireland. Quite a coincidence, we always think.

‘How very nice,’ Mrs Malseed said, smiling her welcome again this year. Some instinct seems to
tell her when guests are about to arrive, for she’s rarely not waiting in the large, low-ceilinged hall
that always smells of flowers. ‘Arthur, take the luggage up,’ she commanded the old porter. ‘Rose,
Tulip, Lily and Geranium.’ She referred to the names of the rooms reserved for us. Mrs Malseed
herself painted flowers on the doors of the hotel instead of putting numbers. In winter, when no
one much comes to Glencom Lodge, she sees to little details like that; her husband sees to
redecoration and repairs.

‘Well, well, well," Mr Malseed said, now entering the hall through the door that leads to the kitchen.
‘A hundred thousand welcomes,” he greeted us in the Irish manner. He was smiling broadly with
his dark brown eyes twinkling, making us think we were rather more than just another group of
hotel guests. Everyone smiled, and I could feel the others thinking that our holiday had truly
begun. Nothing had changed at Glencorn, all was well. Kitty from the dining room came out to
greet us. ‘You look younger every year, all four of you,” she said, causing everyone in the hall to
laugh again. Arthur led the way to the rooms, carrying as much of our luggage as he could manage
and returning for the remainder.

1) Why did the Malseeds no longer advertise Glencorn Lodge?

A. It was too expensive. B. It was not necessary.
C. It was too complicated. D. It was not effective.

2) The word ‘come across’ in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

A. found B. covered
C. placed D. published

3) What did Dekko and the writer have in common?

A. They did not like their names.
B. People used their surnames when speaking to them.
C. They chose their own nicknames.
D. People did not call them by their real names.

4) The ‘coincidence’ referred to in paragraph 3 is that the four friends and the Malseeds
A. came from the same area. B. preferred Ireland to England.
C. lived close to one another. D. were all about the same age.

5) What was special about the rooms at Glencorn Lodge?

A. They had been painted by Mrs Malseed herself.
B. There was no paint on the doors.
C. They did not have numbers.
D. There were different flowers in all of them.

6) What did the writer particularly like about Mr Malseed?

A. He had nice brown eyes. B. He always came to welcome them.
C. He made guests feel like friends. D. He spoke in the Irish way.

7) The word ‘see to’ in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to

A. overcomes B. turns to
C. takes care of D. observes

8) Why did the writer feel contented after Mr Malseed had spoken?
A. Everything was as it had always been.
B. The holiday would start at any moment.
C. A few things had improved at Glencorn.
D. Her friends had enjoyed the holiday.

9) What did Kitty do which made the friends laugh?

A. She told them a joke. B. She pretended to insult them.
C. She laughed when she saw them. D. She paid them a compliment.

10) What is the main idea of the passage?

A. a two-week holiday in Glencom Lodge
B. successful business of Glencom Lodge
C. a perfect accommodation for people travelling in groups
D. tips to find a good accommodation in Ireland

PASSAGE 2:
How does a person become an Olympic champion - someone capable of winning the gold? In
reality, a combination of biological, environmental, and psychological factors, as well as training
and practice, all go into making a super athlete.

[A] Perhaps the most important factor involved in becoming an elite athlete is genetics. Most
Olympic competitors are equipped with certain physical characteristics that differentiate them
from the average person. Take an elite athlete's muscles, for example. In most human skeletal
muscles (the ones that make your body move), there are fast-twitch fibers and slow-twitch fibers.
Fast-twitch fibers help us move quickly. Olympic weightlifters, for example, have a large number
of fast-twitch fibers in their muscles - many more than the average person. These allow them to
lift hundreds of kilos from the ground and over their heads in seconds. Surprisingly, a large,
muscular body is not the main requirement to do well in this sport. It is more important to have a
large number of fast-twitch fibers in the muscles.

The legs of an elite marathon runner, on the other hand, might contain up to 90 percent slow-
twitch muscle fibers. These generate energy efficiently and enable an athlete to control fatigue
and keep moving for a longer period of time. When we exercise long or hard, it's common to
experience tiredness, muscle pain, and difficulty breathing. These feelings are caused when the
muscles produce high amounts of lactate and can’t remove it quickly enough. Athletes with many
slow-twitch muscle fibers seem to be able to clear the lactate from their muscles faster as they
move. Thus, the average runner might start to feel discomfort halfway into a race. A trained
Olympic athlete, however, might not feel pain until much later in the competition. [B]

[C] For some Olympic competitors, size is important. Most male champion swimmers are 180 cm
(six feet) or taller, allowing them to reach longer and swim faster. For both male and female
gymnasts, though, a smaller size and body weight mean they can move with greater ease, and
are less likely to suffer damage when landing on the floor from a height of up to 4.5 meters (15
feet).

[D] Those raised at high altitudes in countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, and Morocco have blood
that is rich in hemoglobin. Large amounts of hemoglobin carry oxygen around the body faster,
enabling these athletes to run better. Cultural factors also help some athletes do well at certain
sports. Tegla Loroupe, a young woman from northern Kenya, has won several marathons. She
attributes some of her success to her country’s altitude (she trains at about 2,400 meters, or 8,000
feet) and some to her cultural background. As a child, she had to run ten kilometers to school
every day. “I'd be punished if I was late,” she says.

Although genetics, environment, and even culture play a part in becoming an elite athlete, training
and practice are needed to succeed. Marathon runners may be able to control fatigue and keep
moving for long periods of time, but they must train to reach and maintain their goals. Weightlifters
and gymnasts perfect their skills by repeating the same motions again and again until they are
automatic. Greg Louganis, winner of four Olympic diving gold medals, says divers must train the
same way to be successful: “You have less than three seconds from takeoff until you hit the water,
so it has to be reflex. You have to repeat the dives hundreds, maybe thousands, of times.”
Training this way requires an athlete to be not only physically fit but psychologically healthy as
well. “They have to be.” says Sean McCann, a sports psychologist at the Olympic Training Center
in the U.S. “Otherwise, they couldn't handle the training loads we put on them. [Athletes] have to
be good at setting goals, generating energy when they need it and managing anxiety.”

11) What is the passage mainly about?

A. factors that make someone a super athlete
B. the different muscle types of a super athlete
C. the size of a super athlete
D. how to qualify for the Olympics

12) The word ‘more’ in paragraph 2 refers to

A. Olympic weightlifters B. fast-twitch fibers
C. muscles D. average people

13) The word ‘generate’ in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning fo

A. waste B. devote
C. save D. release
14) Having a lot of slow-twitch muscle fibers is particularly important for
A. cyclists B. divers
C. weightlifters D. runners

15) When lactate builds up in their muscles, people feel

A. strength B. energy
C. dizziness D. pain

16) What advantage do athletes from high-altitude countries have?

A. a strong sense of culture
B. hemoglobin-rich blood
C. lower amounts of lactate in their muscles
D. more muscles in their legs

17) What is the main idea of paragraph 6?

A. Genetics is an important part of athletic success.
B. Divers must train to be successful.
C. Marathon runners must train hard to succeed.
D. Success in sports comes from a lot of practice.

18) In which space (marked A, B, C and D in the passage) will the following sentence fit? Some
athletes’ abilities are naturally enhanced by their environment.
A.[A]
B.[B]
C.[C]
D.[D]

19) What does Greg Louganis do?

A.a marathon runner B.weightlifter
C. diver D. swimmer

20) What is NOT mentioned as a factor that make an athlete successful?

A.cultural background B.genetics
C. nationality D.practice

PASSAGE 3:
At the end of the 1800's, Thomas Edison introduced the incandescent light bulb and changed the
world. Remarkably, the incandescent bulb used today has changed little in over a hundred years.
An incandescent light consists of a glass bulb filled with an inert gas such as argon. Inside the
bulb, electricity passes through a metal filament. Because of resistance, the filament becomes so
hot that it glows. But 95% of the energy goes to produce heat and is basically wasted. Given that
20% of the world's electricity is used to power lights, this represents an enormous amount of
wasted energy.

In the 1940's a new, more efficient form of lighting, the fluorescent bulb, was introduced.
Fluorescents work by passing electrical current through gas in a tube, producing invisible
ultraviolet light. A phosphor coating on the inside of the tube then converts the ultraviolet to visible
light. Little heat is wasted. Fluorescents have proved popular in offices, factories, and stores, but
they never took over the residential lighting market. The harsh color isn't as pleasing as the
warmer glow of incandescent lamps. Besides, they have a tendency to flicker on and off and to
produce an annoying buzz.

Now, lighting engineers are developing a new form of lighting that is both pleasing to the eyes
and energy efficient. This is the light-emitting diode, or LED. LEDs are made up of layers of
electron-charged substances. When an electrical current passes through the layers, electrons
jump from one layer to another and give off light without producing heat. Different types of
materials result in light of different colors. Red, green, and orange LEDs have been used for
decades in devices such as digital clocks, calculators, and electronic toys. In the future, however,
white-light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) may be used to light homes. Engineers say that they are
significantly more efficient than either incandescent or fluorescent lights.

The next challenge for researchers is to develop an efficient, bright, inexpensive WLED. A few
years ago, a Japanese scientist named Shuji Nakamura discovered that, by using layers of
gallium nitride, he could create a powerful blue LED. Later, engineers devised two ways to use
this blue LED to create a WLED. Red, green, and blue LEDs can be combined, creating a pleasant
white light. Another way is to use a chemical coating similar to that inside a fluorescent bulb that
converts the blue light to white. Nevertheless, it will still be some time before WLEDs are
commonly used in homes. WLEDs are currently only twice as energy efficient as incandescent.
They are also very expensive. But researchers believe that they can create WLEDs that are ten
times as efficient and one thousand times as long-lasting as incandescent lights, making them
cost effective.
LEDs may someday have an even greater impact on developing countries than in the developed
world. Worldwide, an estimated 2 billion people lack access to electricity. Lighting is usually
provided by kerosene lamps. Kerosene is expensive, creates indoor pollution, does not provide
very bright light, and worst of all, causes many fires. A low-energy (1-watt) WLED can provide
enough light for a person to read by — more light, in fact, than most kerosene lamps. An entire
rural village could be lighted with less energy than that used by a single conventional 100-watt
light bulb. Energy to light these efficient LEDs can be provided by batteries that are charged by
pedal-driven generators, by hydroelectricity from rivers or streams, by wind-powered generators,
or by solar energy.

21) In paragraph 2, which of the following is NOT mentioned as one of the problems with
fluorescent lights?
A. The need to replace them often
B. An annoying sound
C. The harsh quality of the light they produce
D. Their tendency to flicker

22) According to the passage, a red LED is different from a green LED because it
A. is made from different materials
B. uses a different amount of energy
C. uses a red plastic filter, not a green one
D. produces less heat

23) The word ‘they’ in paragraph 3 refers to

A. white-light-emitting diodes
B. digital clocks, calculators, toys, and similar devices
C. engineers
D. red, orange, and green LEDs

24) In paragraph 5, what achievement of Shuji Nakamura does the author mention?
A. He discovered the chemical compound gallium nitride.
B. He invented the first WLED.
C. He found a way to combine blue, green, and yellow LED light
D. He developed a bright blue LED

25) It can be inferred from the passage that the most recently developed type of LED is a powerful
A. red LED B. white LED
C. blue LED D. green LED

26) In paragraph 5, the author compares one type of WLED with fluorescent light because they
both
A. use ultraviolet light B. are filled with gas
C. employ a chemical coating D. are energy efficient

27) From the information in paragraph 5, it is clear that WLEDs could be used in homes today if
they were
A. not so expensive
B. easier to install
C. twice as efficient as incandescent lights
D. available in various colors

28) The author gives details about the use of kerosene lights in paragraph 6 in order fo
A. explain why people in developing countries prefer kerosene to electrical light
B. show the problems and dangers associated with this form of lighting
C. give an example of a type of lighting that is not as important as it once was
D. demonstrate that kerosene is brighter and easier to use than WLEDs

29) The electricity to power WLEDs in rural villages would come directly from
A. the energy of the sun B. batteries
C. water power D. a human-powered generator

30) The word ‘conventional’ in paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to

A. inexpensive B. powerful
C. standard D. experimental

PASSAGE 4:
An important part of marketing is determining what price to charge consumers for goods and
services. Companies aspire to set prices that are high enough to allow them to make a profit but
low enough to encourage people to purchase their products. To determine these prices,
marketing specialists must consider a variety of factors and use a number of different pricing
approaches.
Cost-based approaches determine the price of a product based on how much it costs to make.
This is the simplest method because manufacturers can easily determine how much it will cost
them to produce their goods. After they calculate the price of materials and labor, they add a set
percentage to that cost, called a standard markup, which covers advertising, marketing, and other
administrative costs, as well as profit. The main advantage to this approach is its simplicity.
Businesses do not need to adjust their prices constantly based on changes in the market for their
goods. However, the inability to account for important factors relating to the market is also the
weakness of the cost-based approach. This is why many businesses also use more complex
approaches to determine their prices.

In many industries, producers often pay less attention to their own costs and set prices based on
those of their leading competitors instead. This is called competition-based pricing. It sometimes
puts small businesses at a disadvantage. Because very large companies can buy their materials
or production machinery in bulk, they often have lower production costs than smaller companies
do. In order to compete, smaller companies cannot depend on cost-based pricing. They often set
their prices lower than those of their larger competitors, even though their production costs may
be higher, in order to make their products attractive to consumers and build or maintain their
customer base.

While cost-based and competition-based pricing are largely based on objective mathematical
factors, like production costs and average prices, buyer-based approaches are based on
individual perspective. [A] Perceived value is how much consumers feel an item is worth, as
opposed to its actual monetary value. [B] For example, a product like a pet rock, which is simply
an ordinary rock marketed as a pet, has very little actual monetary value. [C] Marketers will not
use production costs to set their price, because this would make the price too low. [D] Instead,
they must determine how much consumers feel their product is worth.

Because perceived value is subjective, it is difficult to calculate. One common strategy for
determining the perceived value of a product is to interview people in focus groups, small groups
of people who share their feelings about a product with market experts. The responses of focus
groups often change according to the group being interviewed, so experts try to interview a large
enough sample to get useful information. Along with focus groups and market experts, some
businesses may even employ psychologists to help them understand the minds and emotions of
consumers so that they can create products that people will see as valuable. The more perceived
value an item has, the more a company can charge for that item, regardless of its production
costs or the prices set by competitors.
31) The word ‘aspire’ in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
A. decide B. hurry
C. aim D. attempt

32) What is NOT a disadvantage of competition-based pricing for small businesses?

A. it provides benefits for companies that buy materials in bulk.
B. it favors companies with low production costs.
C. it promotes the use of a single pricing strategy.
D. it encourages sellers to set prices lower than their costs will allow.

33) What can be inferred about large businesses?

A. They are more likely to use only one pricing approach.
B. Their prices are influenced by the pricing strategies of small businesses.
C. They spend less money on marketing than small businesses do.
D. They tend to have higher production costs when using competition-based pricing.

34) The word ‘objective’ in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to

A. accessible B. improper
C. impartial D. precise

35) What do cost-based and competition-based approaches have in common?

A. They are based on the value of a product or service.
B. They depend on measurable information.
C. They rely equally on personalized information and averages.
D. They focus on the costs to the customer.

36) Why does the author mention a pet rock in paragraph 42

A. To give an example of a product with a low perceived value
B. To illustrate why using perceived value is appropriate for certain products
C. To contrast the actual and perceived value of a specific item
D. To explain how buyer-based and competition-based pricing can be used together

37) In which space (marked A, B, C and D in the passage) will the following sentence fit?
In buyer-based pricing, companies set prices based on the perceived valve of a commodity.
A [A] B.[B]
C.[C] D. [D]
38) What best paraphrases the following sentence in paragraph 5?
One common strategy for determining the perceived value of a product is to interview people in
focus groups, small groups of people who share their feelings about a product with market
experts.

A. In order to determine the perceived value of a product, some focus groups interview experts
about their feelings on a product.
B. Interviewing people in focus groups is one way that market experts determine the perceived
value of a product.
C. Focus groups allow market experts to interview people about how they form their ideas about
the value of an item.
D. One strategy for interviewing small groups of people about perceived value involves asking
them how they feel about a product.

39) The word ‘they’ in paragraph 5 refers to

A. market experts B. businesses
C. psychologists D. consumers

40) What is NOT true about an item's perceived value?

A. It allows companies to set prices without concern for other marketing factors.
B. It may vary from group to group.
C. It reflects the psychology of the consumer.
D. It is often higher than the actual value.