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 35 to 42.
Washington was the first city in history to be created solely for the purpose of governance. Following the Revolution, members of Congress had hotly debated the question of a permanent home for themselves and for those departments – the Treasury, the Patent Office and so on – which even the sketchiest of central governments would feel obliged to establish. In 1790, largely in order to put an end to congressional bickering, George Washington was charged with selecting a site for the newly designated federal district. Not much to anyone’s surprise but to the disappointment of many he chose a tract of land on the banks of the Potomac River, a few miles upstream from his beloved plantation Mount Vernon.
The District of Columbia was taken in part from Virginia and in part from Maryland. At the time it was laid out, its hundred square miles consisted of gently rolling hills, some under cultivation and the rest heavily wooded, with a number of creeks and much swampy land along the Potomac. There is now a section of Washington that is commonly referred to as Foggy Bottom; that section bore the same nickname a hundred and eighty years ago.
Two ports cities, Alexandria and Georgetown, flourished within sight of the new capital and gave it access by ship to the most important cities of the infant nation – Charleston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Newport, Salem and Portsmouth – and also to the far-off ports of England and the Continent.
What is the main topic of the passage?
A.The founding of Washington, DC
B.The governing of the federal district
C.The first years of the United States Congress
D.The role of George Washington in the American Revolution

A.ocean
B.undersea      
C.beneath     
D.deep

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer for each of the questions
Humans have struggled against weeds since the beginnings of agriculture. Marring our gardens is one of the milder effects of weeds – any plants that thrive where they are unwanted. They clog waterways, destroy wildlife habitats, and impede farming. Their spread eliminates grazing areas and accounts for one-third of all crop loss. They compete for sunlight, nutrients, and water with useful plants.
The global need for weed control had been answered mainly by the chemical industry. Its herbicides are effective and sometimes necessary, but some pose serious problems, particularly if misused. Toxic compounds threaten animal and public health when they accumulate in food plants, groundwater, and drinking water. They also harm workers who apply them.
In recent years, the chemical industry has introduced several herbicides that are more ecologically sound. Yet new chemicals alone cannot solve the world’s weed problems. Hence, scientists are exploring the innate weed-killing powers of living organisms, primarily insects and microorganisms.
The biological agents now in use are environmentally benign and are harmless to humans. They can be chosen for their ability to attack selected targets and leave crops and other plants untouched. In contrast, some of the most effective chemicals kill virtually all the plants they come in contact with, sparing only those that are naturally resistant or have been genetically modified for resistance. Furthermore, a number of biological agents can be administered only once, after which no added applications are needed. Chemicals typically must be used several times per growing season.
The word ‘clog’ in bold is closest in meaning to
A.drain   
B.grow along  
C.obstruct     
D.float on

All nations may have to make fundamental changes in their economic, political, and the technological institutions if they are to preserve   environment.
A.have to make
B.changes in
C.the technological institutions 
D.to preserve

My school has over 2000 students -> there are…….. 
A.
B.
C.
D.

While doing some adult learning courses at a college, the writer was surprised______
A.to have more time to learn
B.to get on better with the tutor
C.to be able to learn more quickly
D.to feel learning more enjoyable

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions from 5 to 18.
I can’t give you the answer on the ______; I’ll have to think about it for a few days.
A.minute                    
B.place                       
C.scene                      
D.spot

Read the following passage  and mark the letter (A, B, C or D) on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each for  the question  from 41 to 50.
 
ACID DUST
 
“ Calcite- containing dust particles blow into the air and combine with nitric acid in polluted air from factories to form an entirely new particle – calcium nitrate,” said Alexander Laskin,  a senior  research scientist at the Department of  Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington. These nitrates have optical and chemical properties that are completely different from those of the originally dry dust particles . Due to this , climate models need to be updated to reflect this chemistry . Calcite dust is common in arid areas such as Israel , where scientists collected particles for analysis.
     Working from a mountaintop, the team collected dust that had blown in from the northern shores of Egypt, Sinai, and southern Israel. The particles had combined with air containing pollutants that came from Cairo. They analyzed nearly 2,00 individual particles and observed the physical and chemical changes at the W.R Wiley Environmental Sciences Laboratory.
     A key change in the properties of the newly formed nitrate particles is that they begin to absorb water and  retain the moisture. These wet particles can scatter and absorb sunlight-presenting climate modelers, who need to know where the energy is going, a new wild card to deal with . Companion studies of dust samples from the Sahara and the Saudi coast and loess from China  show that the higher the calcium in the mineral , the more reactive they are in with nitric acid .And once the particle is changed, it stays that way.
         “When dust storms kick up these particles and they enter polluted areas, the particles change,” Laskin said. “ To what extent this is happening globally, as more of the world  becomes industrialized, we don’t know. But now e have the laboratory and field evidence that shows it is definitely  happening. The story is much more complicated than anybody thought .”
Why do climate models need to be updated to reflect the chemistry of calcium nitrate ?
A.The new particles can absorb water and retain moisture.
B.The new particles can scatter and absorb sunlight.
C.To stop acid dust.
D.Both A and B.

__________(27)
A.the earth         
B.the planet       
C.the sun
D.the moon

Choose the different underlined word which is pronounced differently from the others

A.around                    
B.should                      
C.sound                       
D.about