Some people return to college as mature students and take full- or part-time training courses in a skill will help them to get a job. The development of open learning, (1)______ it possible to study when it is convenient for the students, has increased the opportunities available (2)_______ many people. This type of study was formerly restricted to book-based learning and (3)________ course but now includes courses on TV, CD-ROM or the Internet, and self-access courses at language or computer centers. Americans believe that education is important at all stage of life and should not stop (4)________ people get their first job. About 40% of adults take part in some kind of formal education. About half of them are trying to get qualifications and skills to help them with their jobs, the (5)_________ are taking recreational subjects for personal satisfaction. Schools and community colleges arrange evening classes, and a catalog of courses is published by local boards of education

The invention of the mobile phone has undoubtedly revolutionized the way people communicate and influenced every aspect of our lives. The issue is whether this technological innovation has done more harm than good. In order to (1)______ the question, we must first turn to the type of consumer. Presumably, most parents buy mobile phones for their teenagers to track their whereabouts and ensure their safety. We can also assume that most teenagers want mobile phones to avoid missing out (2)______ social contact. In this context, the advantages are clear. However, we cannot deny the fact that text messages have been used by bullies to intimidate fellow students. There is also (3)______ evidence that texting has affected literacy skills. The ubiquitous use of the mobile phone has, (4)______ question, affected adult consumers, too. What employee, on the way home from work, would be reluctant to answer a call from their boss? Apparently, only 18% of us, according to a recent survey, are willing to switch off our mobile phones once we’ve left the office. Admittedly, mobile phones can be intrusive but there are obvious benefits to possessing one. Personally speaking, they are invaluable when it comes to making social or business arrangements at short (5)______. According to a recent survey, they also provide their owners with a sense of security in emergency situations. In conclusion, mobile phones do have their drawbacks, but these are outweighed by the benefits. I would argue that it is not the tool that chooses its purpose, but the user.

In the past, students were limited to their school’s (3)______ of books. In many cases, they got to the school library and found out that someone had already taken the books they needed.

The Internet has truly transformed how students do their homework. (1)______ homework today still means spending time in the library, it’s for a different reason. Rather than using books for research, students today are (2)______ to the Internet to download enormous amounts of data available online. In the past, students were limited to their school’s (3)______ of books. In many cases, they got to the school library and found out that someone had already taken the books they needed. Nowadays, such inconvenience can be avoided since the Internet never runs out of information. Students, however, do have to (4)______ sure that the information they find online is true. Teachers have also benefited from the homework which is done on the Internet. They do not need to carry students’ papers around with them any more. This is because online (5)______ allow students to electronically upload their homework for their teachers to read and mark. Of course, this also means that students can no longer use the excuse that the dog ate their homework!

The ubiquitous use of the mobile phone has, (4)______ question, affected adult consumers, too. What employee, on the way home from work, would be reluctant to answer a call from their boss? Apparently, only 18% of us, according to a recent survey, are willing to switch off our mobile phones once we’ve left the office. Admittedly, mobile phones can be intrusive but there are obvious benefits to possessing one.

The volume of traffic in many cities in the world today continues to expand. This (1)________ many problems, including serious air pollution, lengthy delays, and the greater risk (2) ________ accidents. Clearly, something must be done, but it is often difficult to persuade people to change their habits and leave their cars at home. One possible approach is to make it more expensive for people to use their cars be increasing changes for parking and bringing in tougher fines for anyone who (3) ________ the law. In addition, drivers could be required to pay for using particular routes at different times of the day. This system, also known as ‘road pricing’, is already being introduced in a number of cities, using a special electronic card (4) ________ to windscreen of the car. Another ways of dealing with the problem is to provide cheap parking on the outskirts of the city, and strictly control the number of vehicles allowed into the centre. Drivers and their passengers then use a special bus service for the final stage of their journey. Of course, the most important (5) ________ is to provide good public transport. However, to get people to give up the comfort their cars, public transport must be felt to be reliable, convenient and comfortable, with fares charged at an acceptable level.

Last year thieves broke into a Scottish stately home and stole only one thing: a rhino horn trophy, which at 1.5 meters was the longest in the world. Meanwhile, in China, pharmaceutical factories have been building up (1)___________ of antiques made from rhino horn, for the sole purpose of smashing them to powder to make the (2)___________ ingredient of many of their medicines. And in Zimbabwe, 34 poachers died in 1990 in the search for the black rhino. Recently, conservationists met to (3)___________a campaign to persuade countries where rhino horn is still part of the traditional medicine to switch to substitutes. The biggest threat to the survival of the rhinoceros is the refusal of certain countries to enforce a ban on domestic trading in rhino horn. The rhino horn is included in many doses for disorders raging from fevers to nosebleeds. Horn, like fingernails, is made of keratin and has no proven medicinal (4)___________. Traditional substitutes, such as horn from buffalo or antelope, are regarded as second best. The battle is thought to be winnable. But it may be harder than the battle against the trade in ivory, for there is a (5)___________between the two commodities. Ivory is a luxury; rhino horn, people believe, could save the life of their child