Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.
A.amount
B.countable
C.country
D.around

But for his father’s early retirement, Richard would not have taken over the family business.
A.Richard’s father didn‘t want him to take over the family business despite his retirement.
B.His father retired early, but he still ran the family business.
C.Richard only took over the family business because his father decided to retire early.
D.Richard didn’t take over the family business because his father didn‘t retire.

It was under (= less than) a fortnight before his final exams when Jim began to regret not having studied sufficiently.
A.Although he worked hard for almost two weeks before the finals, Jim still didn’t pass them.
B.Jim felt sorry because he hadn’t done any work until two weeks before the final exams.
C.There was less than a fortnight's time before the finals. but Jim hadn’t even started studying for them.
D.Jim started to wish. less than two weeks before he took them, that he had done more work for his finals.

The word “bulwark” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to______
A.barrier
B.gateway
C.radar
D.tomb

The word “reprocessing” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to______
A.transporting
B.arranging
C.converting
D.eliminating

Arguing with the boss has considerably reduced his chances of promotion.
A.He would definitely have been promoted by now if he hadn‘t quarreled with the boss.
B.The likelihood of his being promoted has significantly decreased because of his argument with the boss.
C.His promotion was certain until he had a dispute with the boss.
D.He argued with the boss about why he wasn’t considered for promotion.

According to the passage, what is the main function of bacteria and fungi?
A.to help aerate (= to allow air to act on something) the soil
B.to provide food for plant life
C.to kill mature plants
D.to build walls in the soil

The word “linked" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to______-
A.related
B.chained
C.mechanical
D.measured

The word “bustles" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to________
A.continues
B.is very active
C.threatens
D.waits

The main topic of this passage is_______
A.life in the forest soil
B.the life cycle of ants and worms
C.a description of a forest scene
D.the habits of the forest animals