Mark the letter A, B, C, D on your answer sheet to indicate the word CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
Few businesses are flourishing in the present economic climate.
A.taking off       
B.setting up      
C.growing well  
D.closing down

Task 4. Read the following passages and mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct word for each of the blanks from 16 to 20.
In the past, people bought goods   using (16)              . They rarely borrowed money   from financial institutions and only when they had saved the money did they buy what they wanted. Recently, however, there have been great changes in the way people purchase goods. To begin with, some people pay for things by cheque, (17)     _            others prefer monthly installments rather  than paying the whole amount at once. Most consumers, though, prefer to buy things using their credit cards. (18)               , it is thought that there are benefits to having a credit card. Apart   from the fact that credit cards are handy, some stores offer bonus points to people making purchases, while others give discounts on certain products. On the other hand, credit cards must be used wisely because they can prove disastrous. In the long run, consumers find that they can’t (19)           ____without their credit cards and constantly rely on them, as they are “easy money”. As a result, some people lose control of their finances spending more than they should end up not being able to (20)   ____. So they end up in debt and have difficulty in paying it back.
(18) 
A.Last but not least    
B.Every now and then
C.One by one    
D.By and large

Task 4. Read the following passages and mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct word for each of the blanks from 16 to 20.
In the past, people bought goods   using (16)              . They rarely borrowed money   from financial institutions and only when they had saved the money did they buy what they wanted. Recently, however, there have been great changes in the way people purchase goods. To begin with, some people pay for things by cheque, (17)     _            others prefer monthly installments rather  than paying the whole amount at once. Most consumers, though, prefer to buy things using their credit cards. (18)               , it is thought that there are benefits to having a credit card. Apart   from the fact that credit cards are handy, some stores offer bonus points to people making purchases, while others give discounts on certain products. On the other hand, credit cards must be used wisely because they can prove disastrous. In the long run, consumers find that they can’t (19)           ____without their credit cards and constantly rely on them, as they are “easy money”. As a result, some people lose control of their finances spending more than they should end up not being able to (20)   ____. So they end up in debt and have difficulty in paying it back.
(16) 
A.cash            
B.currency                  
C.change                    
D.notes

Task 2. Read the following passages and mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct word for each of the blanks from 6 to 10.
A YEAR WITH OVERSEAS VOLUNTEERS
I was with Overseas Volunteers (OV) for a year after leaving university, and I was sent to an isolated village in Chad, about 500 kilometers from the capital N'Djamena. Coming from a rich country, I got quite a shock, as conditions were much harder than I had expected. But after a few days I got used to (6)________there. The people were always very friendly and helpful, and I soon began to appreciate how beautiful the countryside was. One of my jobs was to supply the village (7) ________water. The well was a long walk away, and the women used to spend a long time every day (8)________ heavy  pots  backwards  and  forwards. So I contacted the organization and arranged to have some pipes   delivered. (9) ________these pipes were not really perfect, they still made a great difference to the villagers. All in all, I think my time with OV was a good experience. Although it was not paid, it was well worth doing and I would recommend it to anyone (10) ________was considering working for a charity.
(8) 
A.holding
B.drinking                  
C.wearing                  
D.carrying

Task 2. Read the following passages and mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct word for each of the blanks from 6 to 10.
A YEAR WITH OVERSEAS VOLUNTEERS
I was with Overseas Volunteers (OV) for a year after leaving university, and I was sent to an isolated village in Chad, about 500 kilometers from the capital N'Djamena. Coming from a rich country, I got quite a shock, as conditions were much harder than I had expected. But after a few days I got used to (6)________there. The people were always very friendly and helpful, and I soon began to appreciate how beautiful the countryside was. One of my jobs was to supply the village (7) ________water. The well was a long walk away, and the women used to spend a long time every day (8)________ heavy  pots  backwards  and  forwards. So I contacted the organization and arranged to have some pipes   delivered. (9) ________these pipes were not really perfect, they still made a great difference to the villagers. All in all, I think my time with OV was a good experience. Although it was not paid, it was well worth doing and I would recommend it to anyone (10) ________was considering working for a charity.
(6) 
A.live             
B.living                      
C.lively                      
D.lived

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions.
I was offered to work for IBM, but I rejected.
A.I turned down the offer to work for IBM.
B.I rejected to offer to work for IBM.
C.IBM refused my offer to work.
D.I was refused by IBM at work.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions.
Tom’s advice to me was to sell the share immediately.
A.Tom had me sell the share immediately.
B.Tom encouraged me to sell the share immediately.
C.Tom persuaded me to sell the share immediately.
D.Tom suggested I sell the share immediately.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions.
My mother is very busy with her work at the office. She still takes good care of us.
A.In spite of being very busy with her work at the office, my mother takes good care of us.
B.Because my mother is very busy with her work at the office, she still takes good care of us.
C.My mother is so busy with her work at the office that she still takes good care of us.
D.My mother is too busy with her work at the office to take good care of us.

................he dislike coffee, he accepted a cup from her out of politeness.
A.Because
B.Although
C.Since
D.However

Mark the letter A, B, C, D on your answer sheet to indicate the word OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
During the five-decade history the Asian Games have been advancing in all aspects.
A.holding back  
B.holding at  
C.holding by
D.holding to