Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.
______ busy she is, she manages to pick her children up after school every day.
A.Despite                   
B.Because                  
C.Although                
D.However

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.
Seth informed us of his retirement from the company. He did it when arriving at the meeting.
A.Only after his retiring from the company did Seth tell us about his arrival at the meeting.
B.Not until Seth said to us that he would leave the company did he turn up at the meeting.
C.Hardly had Seth notified us of his retiring from the company when he arrived at the meeting.
D.No sooner had Seth arrived at the meeting than we were told about his leaving the company.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.
Tom had a lucky escape. He ______ killed.
A.could have been
B.must have been  
C.should have been 
D.had been

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.
Everyone expected Clement’s party to be a disaster. It was exactly the opposite.
A.Clement didn’t expect his party to go badly, but everybody else did.
B.Completely contrary to everyone’s expectations, Clement’s party was really good.
C.The expectation was that Clement’s party wouldn’t be successful, and it wasn’t.
D.Just as everyone had predicted, Clement’s party was not a disaster.

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.
They report that soil pollution has seriously threatened the livelihood of many local farmers.
A.The livelihood of many local farmers was reported to be seriously endangered by soil pollution.
B.It is reported that the livelihood of many local farmers has led to serious soil pollution.
C.Soil pollution is reported to have posed a serious threat to the livelihood of many local farmers.
D.It has been reported that soil pollution has actually put many local farmers' lives at risk.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions.
My (A) classmates is (B) going on a (C) trip to Cuc Phuong National Park this weekend (D).
A.My 
B.is 
C.a 
D.this weekend

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.
In this modern world where closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras are everywhere and smartphones in every pocket, the routine filming of everyday life is becoming pervasive. A number of countries are rolling out body cams for police officers; other public-facing agencies such as schools, councils and hospitals are also experimenting with cameras for their employees. Private citizens are getting in on the act too: cyclists increasingly wear headcams as a deterrent to aggressive drivers. As camera technology gets smaller and cheaper, it isn't hard to envisage a future where we're all filming everything all the time, in every direction.
Would that be a good thing? There are some obvious potential upsides. If people know they are on camera, especially when at work or using public services, they are surely less likely to misbehave. The available evidence suggests that it discourages behaviours such as vandalism. Another upside is that it would be harder to get away with crimes or to evade blame for accidents.
But a world on camera could have subtle negative effects. The deluge of data we pour into the hands of Google, Facebook and others has already proved a mixed blessing. Those companies would no doubt be willing to upload and curate our body-cam data for free, but at what cost to privacy and freedom of choice?
Body-cam data could also create a legal minefield. Disputes over the veracity and interpretation of police footage have already surfaced. Eventually, events not caught on camera could be treated as if they didn't happen. Alternatively, footage could be faked or doctored to dodge blame or incriminate others.
Of course, there's always the argument that if you're not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to fear. But most people have done something embarrassing, or even illegal, that they regret and would prefer they hadn't been caught on film. People already censor their social media feeds – or avoid doing anything incriminating in public – for fear of damaging their reputation. Would ubiquitous body cams have a further chilling effect on our freedom?
The always-on-camera world could even threaten some of the attributes that make us human. We are natural gossips and backbiters, and while those might not be desirable behaviours, they oil the wheels of our social interactions. Once people assume they are being filmed, they are likely to clam up.
The argument in relation to body-cam ownership is a bit like that for guns: once you go past a critical threshold, almost everyone will feel they need one as an insurance policy. We are nowhere near that point yet – but we should think hard about whether we really want to say "lights, body cam, action."
The phrase "a mixed blessing" in paragraph 3 probably means ______.
A.something that is neither good nor bad
B.something that produces unexpected results
C.something that has both advantages and disadvantages
D.something either negative or positive in nature

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 knock-on effect of volunteering on the lives of individuals can be profound. Voluntary work helps foster independence and imparts the ability to deal with different situations, often simultaneously, thus teaching people how to (25)______ their way through different systems. It therefore brings people into touch with the real world; and, hence, equips them for the future.
Initially, young adults in their late teens might not seem to have the expertise or knowledge to impart to others that say a teacher or an agriculturalist or a nurse would have, (26) ______ they do have many skills that can help others. And in the absence of any particular talent, their energy and enthusiasm can be harnessed for the benefit (27) ______ their fellow human beings, and ultimately themselves. From all this, the gain to any community no matter how many volunteers are involved is (28) ______.
Employers will generally look favorably on people (29) ______ have shown an ability to work as part of a team. It demonstrates a willingness to learn and an independent spirit, which would be desirable qualities in any employee.
(29) 
A.which                     
B.what                        
C.whose                     
D.who

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.
We were late because we had some car problems. By the time we ___________ to the station, Susan ____________ for us for more than two hours.
A.are getting/had waited
B.got/waited  
C.had got/had waited 
D.got/ had been waiting

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.unselfish                 
B.sympathy                
C.quality                    
D.principle