Task 3. 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 16 – 22.
ACADEMICS AREN'T THE PROBLEM
Studies about how students use their time might shed light on whether they face increased academic and financial pressures compared with earlier eras.
Based on data about how students are spending time, academic or financial pressures don’t seem to be greater now than a generation ago. The data show that full-time students in all types of colleges study much less now than they did a generation ago - a full 10 hours a week less. Students are also receiving significantly higher grades. So it appears that academic pressures are, in fact, considerably lower than they used to be.
The time-use data don't suggest that students feel greater financial pressures, either. When the time savings and lower opportunity costs are factored in, college appears less expensive for most students than it was in the 1960s. And though there are now full-time students working to pay while in college, they study less even when paid work choices are held constantly.
In other words, full-time students do not appear to be studying less in order to work more. They appear to be studying less and spending the extra time on leisure activities or fun. It seems hard to imagine that students feeling increased financial pressures would respond by taking more leisure.
Based on how students are spending their time then, it doesn't look as though academic or financial pressures are greater now than a generation ago. The time-use data don’t speak directly to social pressures, and it may well be that these have become more intense lately.
In one recent set of data, students reported spending more than 23 hours per week either socializing with friends or playing on the computer for fun. Social activities, in person or on computer, would seem to have become the major focus of campus life. It is hard to tell what kinds of pressures would be associated with this change.
The word "focus" in the last paragraph can be replaced with .




A.central activity
B.primary theme
C.headline
D.biggest importance

“Bricks” are mentioned in paragraph 3 to indicate how .




A.science is more than a collection of facts
B.scientific experiments have led to improved technology
C.mathematicians approach science
D.building a house is like performing experiments

For Robin Cousins, the key point when rehearsing skating routines is .




A.filling all available space on the ice
B.the movement of the lights
C.keeping in time with the music
D.the skaters’ positions on the ice

The word “blares out” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to .




A.seeps out
B.sounds beautifully
C.resounds loudly
D.rings

Where in the passage does the author explain where colloquial language and slang are most commonly used?




A.The last sentences of paragraph 2.
B.The last sentences of paragraph 3.
C.The first two sentences of paragraph 2.
D.The last two sentences of paragraph 5.

Which of the following can be affected by color?




A.your need for thrills
B.your friend's feelings
C.your appetite
D.your mood

Listen to the presentation about unusual British festivals and choose the correct option to complete the sentence.
To win the best gurner competition, one man __________________.




A.had all his teeth removed
B.grew a really long beard
C.had a lot of facial piercings
D.Ø

Vacation schools and extracurricular activities are mentioned to illustrate .the increased impact of public schools on students




A.alternatives to formal education provided by public schools
B.the importance of educational changes
C.activities that competed to attract new immigrants to their programs
D.the increased impact of public schools on students

A.best
B.part
C.pie
D.pen

_________(65)




A.broken
B.peaks
C.cracks
D.opens