Read the following passage and mark the letter (A, B, C or D) on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each for the question from 36 to 42.

Sir Anthony Van Dyck, one of the world’s greatest masters of portraiture, was born in Antwerp and was the seventh of twelve children. His affluent father apprenticed him to a painter when he was just a little over ten. Having become a member of the Antwerp Guild of painters before he was nineteen, he worked in the studio of Peter Paul Rubens for several years. In Italy, Van Dyck studied the great Venetian masters and painted flattering portraits of gorgeous ladies and haughty nobles in gilded velvet robes with lace and pearls. While he was sought after by the aristocracy for his acclaimed loose brushwork, his engravings and etchings also evinced his outstanding talent. Upon his return to Antwerp in 1628, he was influenced by Rubens’s interpretation of the artistic form and produced numerous religious paintings while holding an appointment as the court painter. During his tenure, he proved that his use of color, his sensitive elegance, and his remarkable insight were unexcelled.

His fame preceded him to England, where he was invited by King Charles I. After years of faithful service, he was knighted in recognition of his achievements in painting countless portraits of the king, the queen, the royal children, and the titled nobility of England.

However, Van Dyck’s greatest piece is one of his religious works, a true masterpiece displayed in the Antwerp gallery. This group scene exhibits his artful polish in painting the folds of fabric, the delicacy of human skin, landscape, and other externals, and puts him above other accomplished contemporary masters. Although Charles paid Van Dyck a salary and granted him a pension, the painter’s extravagant life-style and penchant for luxuries led him into debt, and he died without means.

What are the reasons given for Van Dyck’s financial decline?

Read the following passage and mark the letter (A, B, C or D) on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each for the question from 43 to 50.

ACID DUST

“ Calcite- containing dust particles blow into the air and combine with nitric acid in polluted air from factories to form an entirely new particle – calcium nitrate , ” said Alexander Laskin, a senior research scientist at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington .These nitrates have optical and chemical properties that are completely different from those of the originally dry dust particles . Due to this, climate models need to be updated to reflect this chemistry. Calcite dust is common in arid areas such as Israel, where scientists collected particles for analysis.

 Working from a mountaintop, the team collected dust that had blown in from the northern shores of Egypt, Sinai,and southern Israel. The particles had combined with air containing pollutants that came from Cairo.They analyzed nearly 2,00 individual particles and observed the physical and chemical changes at the W.R Wiley Environmental Sciences Laboratory.

 A key change in the properties of the newly formed nitrate particles is that they begin to absorb water and retain the moisture .These wet particles can scatter and absorb sunlight-presenting climate modelers, who need to know where the energy is going , a new wild card to deal with . Companion studies of dust samples from the Sahara and the Saudi coast and loess from China show that the higher the calcium in the mineral , the more reactive they are in with nitric acid .And once the particle is changed , it stays that way.

 “When dust storms kick up these particles and they enter polluted areas , the particles change ,” Laskin said . “To what extent this is happening globally, as more of the world becomes industrialized , we don’t know . But now we have the laboratory and field evidence that shows it is definitely happening . The story is much more complicated than anybody thought .”

It can be inferred that the word “retain ” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _____.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to the sentence given in each of the following questions

As I didn’t want to disappoint my parents, I agreed to go to medical school

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions

_______ few species that live on the ground, most monkeys live in trees

Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space.

LIVING A HEALTHIER LIFE

Keeping fit and healthy may seem difficult, but there are a few easy-to-follow guidelines. Firstly, a balanced diet is absolutely essential. This (31)_______selecting food that is low in salt and sugar. Experts recommend reducing the amount of fat in your diet, as too much can lead to heart problems. They also suggest increasing the (32)_______of high fiber food we eat. This comes in the form of fresh fruit, vegetables, whole meal bread and pasta. As well as being packed with vitamins and minerals, they are delicious too. Secondly, it’s important to fit exercise into your daily (33)_______This can be done by simply walking as much as possible and climbing stairs instead of taking the lift. Exercise is necessary to maintain a healthy body, as well as increasing energy levels and (34)_______you feel generally fitter and happier. Finally, staying relaxed is important for good health. Too much stress can lead to a variety of illnesses, from headaches to high blood pressure. (35)_______possible, do things you enjoy and treat yourself occasionally. So the message is simple- enjoy yourself but learn to respect your body too. It’s all a question of getting the balance right

Điền vào ô số 35

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions

It’s time you _______ up your mind about what you are going to do with your life

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to show the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions

Chocolate is prepared by a complexity process of cleaning, blending, and roasting cocoa beans, which must be ground and mixed with sugar

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions

The newly-weds agreed to be very frugal in their shopping because they wanted to save enough money to buy a house

Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space.

LIVING A HEALTHIER LIFE

Keeping fit and healthy may seem difficult, but there are a few easy-to-follow guidelines. Firstly, a balanced diet is absolutely essential. This (31)_______selecting food that is low in salt and sugar. Experts recommend reducing the amount of fat in your diet, as too much can lead to heart problems. They also suggest increasing the (32)_______of high fiber food we eat. This comes in the form of fresh fruit, vegetables, whole meal bread and pasta. As well as being packed with vitamins and minerals, they are delicious too. Secondly, it’s important to fit exercise into your daily (33)_______This can be done by simply walking as much as possible and climbing stairs instead of taking the lift. Exercise is necessary to maintain a healthy body, as well as increasing energy levels and (34)_______you feel generally fitter and happier. Finally, staying relaxed is important for good health. Too much stress can lead to a variety of illnesses, from headaches to high blood pressure. (35)_______possible, do things you enjoy and treat yourself occasionally. So the message is simple- enjoy yourself but learn to respect your body too. It’s all a question of getting the balance right

Điền vào ô số 32

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions

He was the greatest _______ of the time

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best joins each of the following pairs of sentences in each of the questions

We stayed out all night. We wanted to watch a meteor storm

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions

I think everyone should be _______ with the way office machinery works

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best joins each of the following pairs of sentences in each of the questions

Most scientists know him well. However, very few ordinary people have heard of him

Read the following passage and mark the letter (A, B, C or D) on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each for the question from 36 to 42.

Sir Anthony Van Dyck, one of the world’s greatest masters of portraiture, was born in Antwerp and was the seventh of twelve children. His affluent father apprenticed him to a painter when he was just a little over ten. Having become a member of the Antwerp Guild of painters before he was nineteen, he worked in the studio of Peter Paul Rubens for several years. In Italy, Van Dyck studied the great Venetian masters and painted flattering portraits of gorgeous ladies and haughty nobles in gilded velvet robes with lace and pearls. While he was sought after by the aristocracy for his acclaimed loose brushwork, his engravings and etchings also evinced his outstanding talent. Upon his return to Antwerp in 1628, he was influenced by Rubens’s interpretation of the artistic form and produced numerous religious paintings while holding an appointment as the court painter. During his tenure, he proved that his use of color, his sensitive elegance, and his remarkable insight were unexcelled.

His fame preceded him to England, where he was invited by King Charles I. After years of faithful service, he was knighted in recognition of his achievements in painting countless portraits of the king, the queen, the royal children, and the titled nobility of England.

However, Van Dyck’s greatest piece is one of his religious works, a true masterpiece displayed in the Antwerp gallery. This group scene exhibits his artful polish in painting the folds of fabric, the delicacy of human skin, landscape, and other externals, and puts him above other accomplished contemporary masters. Although Charles paid Van Dyck a salary and granted him a pension, the painter’s extravagant life-style and penchant for luxuries led him into debt, and he died without means.

It can be inferred from the passage that Van Dyck was raised

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions

We can’t possibly make any _______ for her, however sweetly she asks

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the most suitable response to complete each of the following exchanges

–“If only I hadn’t lent him all my money!” –“_______”