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 25 to 29.  
The United States has many different types of families. (25) ______ most American families are traditional, consisting of a father, a mother and one or more children, 22 percent of all American families in 1998 were headed by one parent, usually a woman. In a few families in the United States, there are no children. These (26) ___________ couples may believe that they would not make good parents; they may want freedom from responsibilities of childbearing; or, perhaps they are not (27) _______ able to have children. Other families in the United States have one adult who is a stepparent. A stepmother or stepfather is a person who joins a family by marrying a father or a mother.
Americans (28) ___________ and accept these different types of families. In the United States people have right to privacy and Americans do not believe in telling other Americans (29) ______ type of family group they must belong to. They respect each other’s choices regarding family groups. Families are very important to Americans.
(25)
A.Like        
B.While       
C.Despite            
D.Because

Difficult though the exam was, he still passed it with flying colours.
A.Because the exam was difficult, he passed it with flying colours.   
B.Although the exam was difficult, but he still passed it with flying colours. 
C.No matter how difficult the exam was, he still passed it with flying colours.    
D.The exam was not too difficult, so he could pass it with flying colours.

Cultures vary from country to country.
A.Cultures are different in different countries.          
B. There are different cultures in one country
C.Culture differences are based on countries
D. Cultures move from one country to another.

They were expected ____ back by eleven.
A.being                                  
B.been                        
C.have been 
D.to be

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other three in the position of primary stress in each of the following questions.

A.ability   
B.sympathetic
C.political
D.significant

The author states that offshore canyons and guyots have which of the following characteristic in common?
A.Both are found on the ocean floor near continental shelves. 
B.Both were formed by volcanic activity. 
C.Both were, at one time, above the surface of the sea.
D.Both present oceanographers with a mystery.

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the most suitable respond to complete each of the following exchanges.
Mary is talking to a porter in the hotel lobby. Porter: “Shall I help you with your suitcase?” Mary: “_____.”
A.Not a chance.  
B.That's very kind of you.
C.I can’t agree more.      
D.What a pity!

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the most suitable response to complete each of the following exchanges.
"Could I speak to Alex, please?" - "____________”.
A.This is Joe speaking.    
B.Can I take the message?    
C.I'm sorry. Alex is not in.              
D.Just a moment. I'm coming.

A.enjoyed      
B.digested                  
C.chewed                   
D.killed

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.
Peter bought a                                               car as a present for his wife two weeks ago.

A.new German red
B.red new German
C.red German new
D.new red German