Read the passage carefully, then choose the best answer for each question.
THE GREAT DOME OF FLORENCE
Brunelleschi and the Dome
In 1419, at the beginning of the Renaissance in Italy, a clockmaker named Filippo Brunelleschi started work on a very difficult project. He was building the dome of Florence's main cathedral, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. At 55 meters (180 feet) above ground, it would be the largest dome built since the Pantheon in Rome was finished 1,500 years before.
After most of the cathedral was built in 1296, many builders tried to complete the dome. But none could do it. No one knew what material to use. Many builders knew how to build concrete domes. However, the dome in Florence needed to be wider than any dome ever built. Also, tall buildings of the time relied on structures that supported the heavy stone from the outside. The cathedral didn't have these structures, so a concrete dome was too heavy. It would easily fall. So, the cathedral's roof was left unfinished for over a hundred years.
Filippo Brunelleschi promised to solve all these problems. He said he would build two domes, an inner dome made of stone, and an outer one made of light bricks. He would use lighter materials as he worked upwards, and would hold it all together with strong rings made of stone, wood, and iron.
Brunelleschi also had to find a way to lift the materials high into the air. What did he do? He invented a new machine to do the job.
Building the dome took 16 years. The crown at the top took another ten. Brunelleschi died a few years later, in 1446. He had done something no one else could. However, he left no pictures of his design. So—even today - experts don't fully understand how this amazing structure was built.
Why don’t we fully understand how the dome was built?




A.Brunelleschi didn’t leave any pictures of his design.
B.Some structures are completely covered in concrete.
C.The dome has been rebuilt many times over the years.
D.The dome took too long to complete.

Read the passage carefully, then choose the best answer for each question.
THE GREAT DOME OF FLORENCE
Brunelleschi and the Dome
In 1419, at the beginning of the Renaissance in Italy, a clockmaker named Filippo Brunelleschi started work on a very difficult project. He was building the dome of Florence's main cathedral, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. At 55 meters (180 feet) above ground, it would be the largest dome built since the Pantheon in Rome was finished 1,500 years before.
After most of the cathedral was built in 1296, many builders tried to complete the dome. But none could do it. No one knew what material to use. Many builders knew how to build concrete domes. However, the dome in Florence needed to be wider than any dome ever built. Also, tall buildings of the time relied on structures that supported the heavy stone from the outside. The cathedral didn't have these structures, so a concrete dome was too heavy. It would easily fall. So, the cathedral's roof was left unfinished for over a hundred years.
Filippo Brunelleschi promised to solve all these problems. He said he would build two domes, an inner dome made of stone, and an outer one made of light bricks. He would use lighter materials as he worked upwards, and would hold it all together with strong rings made of stone, wood, and iron.
Brunelleschi also had to find a way to lift the materials high into the air. What did he do? He invented a new machine to do the job.
Building the dome took 16 years. The crown at the top took another ten. Brunelleschi died a few years later, in 1446. He had done something no one else could. However, he left no pictures of his design. So—even today - experts don't fully understand how this amazing structure was built.
Which of the following is NOT given as a reason the dome was difficult to build?




A.No one had ever built a dome from concrete before.
B.No one had built such a wide dome before.
C.Many builders argued what material to use.
D.The cathedral didn’t have structures that could support a dome from the outside.

Read the passage carefully, then choose the best answer for each question.
DO ANIMALS LAUGH?
We know animals have emotions. They can feel fear. We also think they feel love, since they have strong relationships with each other. So are animal emotions all similar to our own? And do animals have a sense of humor?
A Parrot Named Bongo Marie
Sally Blanchard's parrot Bongo Marie didn't get along with her other parrot, Paco. In fact, Bongo Marie clearly didn't like Paco at all! One day, Blanchard cooked a chicken for dinner. She started to cut the chicken with a knife. "Oh, no! Paco!'' Bongo Marie said loudly and laughed. Blanchard laughed, too, and said, "That's not Paco." "Oh . . . no," said Bongo Marie. This time, she sounded disappointed. Then the parrot laughed at her own joke.
Yoga Dog
Jean Donaldson enjoys doing yoga—and so does her dog Buffy. While Jean Donaldson does yoga, Buffy carefully places her toys on Donaldson's body. If a toy falls, Buffy runs to put it back. Does this behavior have any real purpose? “She thinks it's hilarious!" says Donaldson.
Animal Laughter
Can dogs "laugh"? Recent research shows that dogs can tell each other when they want to play. They make a special sound—a kind of "laugh." Psychologist Patricia Simonet recorded the sound. Then she played it back to dogs to assess their behavior. "All the dogs seemed to like the laugh," says Simonet. So do animals have a sense of humor? If laughter is a clue, then perhaps the answer is "yes!"
The word “she” refers to_____.




A.Paco
B.Bongo Marie
C.Sally Blanchard
D.The chicken

Read the passage carefully, then choose the best answer for each question.
A PENGUIN FAMILY
Emperor penguins are the largest penguins on Earth. Each adult is over a meter tall, and can weigh1 up to 40 kilograms.
For many months each year, emperors live near the sea in large groups called colonies. However, in May, the weather gets colder and ice covers large areas of ocean. Each colony moves many kilometers from the water. There, each mother penguin lays just one egg. Then all the hungry mothers must walk back to the ocean to find food. The father penguins put their eggs on top of their feet, under a special piece of skin called the brood pouch.
Sharing the Work
For two months, the father penguins keep the eggs safe and warm. They do this through some of the coldest weather conditions on Earth. By July, it is winter in Antarctica. Most animals leave for warmer places, but the father penguins stay. In this time, without food, a father penguin can lose almost half of his body weight.
New Life
By August, the babies begin to hatch! The mother penguin returns just in time to see her baby come out of its egg. The chick is then moved to her brood pouch. This can be difficult. If the chick falls, it can freeze quickly, so the penguin parents must be very careful. Once this is done, the father penguin can go back to the ocean to find food.
Growing Up
Over the next few months, penguin parents take turns going to the ocean for food. They each make the trip several times, bringing back food for the chick. The chick grows quickly and is always hungry.
Into the Water
By December, winter is ending. The chick is five months old and can live on its own. Soon it enters the water for the first time. It will swim and eat until next April, and then return here. After a few more years, it, too, will start its own family.
Which of the following things happens first?




A.The mother penguin lays one egg.
B.The mother penguin walks to the ocean to find food.
C.The father penguin loses half of his body weight.
D.The adult penguins walk away from the ocean.

Choose the one word or phrase - a, b, c, or d - that best completes the sentences or substitutes for the underlined word or phrase.
Your friendship should be based on ________ trust.




A.basic
B.fragile
C.mutual
D.blind

Choose the words whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others




A.trust
B.mutual
C.number
D.uncertain

Choose the most suitable word or phrase.
I won't go unless you_________ me the money back.




A.pay
B.to pay
C.paying
D.paid

Choose the word in each group that has the underlined part pronounced differently from the rest.




A.traffic
B.provide
C.consist
D.litter

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.
What do you do if your cell phone rings while you are with a group of people? If you are French, you will probably ignore the call. If you are English, you may walk away from the group to answer it. If you are Spanish, you are likely to answer it there in the middle of the group and invite everyone around you to join the conversation. As many travelers have noticed, there are considerable differences from one country to another in the way people use their cell phones. This has been confirmed by a recent study of cell phone use in three European cities-Madrid, London, and Paris.
According to Amparo Lasen, the Spanish sociologist who conducted the study, there were no real surprises for anyone who is familiar with the customs in these cities. Lasen interviewed people and observed their behavior in three different settings: a major train station, a commercial area, and a business district in each city. She found that Londoners use their cell phones the least in public. If they are with others, they prefer to let calls be answered by voice mail (a recorded message) and then they check for messages later. If the English do answer a call on the street, they seem to dislike talking with others around. They tend to move away from a crowded sidewalk and seek out a place where they cannot be heard, such as the far side of a subway entrance or even the edge of a street. They seem to feel that the danger of the traffic is preferable to the risk of having their conversation be overheard. This has led to a behavior that Laser) has called "clustering." At a busy time of day on the streets of London, you may find small crowds of cell phone users grouped together, each one talking into a cell phone. Even when it is raining-as it often is in London-people still prefer not to hold their conversations where others could hear. They talk under their umbrellas or in a doorway.
In Madrid, on the other hand, few people use voice mail because the Spanish dislike talking with machines rather than real voices. If there is no answer, they don't leave a message. They prefer to try again later or wait for a return call. And since the Spanish are not shy about answering their calls in public, the call may come sooner than it would in London or Paris. In fact, in Madrid it is common to hear loud and lively phone conversations on the street, accompanied by shouts, laughter and the waving of hands. In fact, sometimes it happens that a group of friends may be walking down the street together, each talking on their own phone, but smiling and nodding as though it were one large conversation that everyone could hear. Even when they are not using their phones, the Spanish often hold them in their hands as they walk down the steet or put them on the table at a restaurant, so they will not miss any incoming calls. In a movie theater, not only do cell phones occasionally ring, but people sometimes answer them and have brief conversations. In Paris, however, there are stricter rules about how and when to use cell phones. It is not considered polite to use a phone in a restaurant, for instance, though it might be acceptable in the more informal setting of a café. One special custom that has developed in cafés seems unique to Paris. Young women often place their cell phones on the table beside them to signal that they are expecting someone. When the friend arrives, the phone is put away. In fact, the French are generally very disapproving of phone use in public and are quick to express that disapproval, even to strangers.
What can be inferred about the Spanish?




A.They are not polite.
B.They are not considerate to other people.
C.They don't want to miss any calls.
D.They want to others to know that they are talking on the phone.

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 questions.
I will try to rent the car at any price.




A.The is too expensive to hire.
B.I will try my best to hire the car.
C.It's cheaper to hire the car.
D.The car's rental price is high.