Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 25 to 29. Fill in the appropriate word in question 29

Speech is one of the most important ways of communicating. It consists of far more than just making noises. To talk and also to (25) ______ by other people, we have to speak a language, that is, we have to use combinations of (26) ______ that everyone agrees to stand for a particular object or idea. Communication would be impossible if everyone made up their own language.

Learning a language properly is very important. The (27) _______ vocabulary of English is not very large, and only about 2,000 words are needed to speak it quite well. But the more ideas you can (28) ______, the more precise you can be about their exact meanings.

Words are the main thing we use in communicating what we want to say. The way we say the words is also very important. Our tone of voice can express many emotions and (29) _____ whether we are pleased or angry, for instance.

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

Could you please stop ________ so much noise?

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

As a newspaper reporter, she always wanted to get information at first hand.

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

Any student who neglects his or her homework is unlikely to do well at school.

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

I can’t go out this morning. I’m up to ____ in reports.

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

Thanks to the invention of labor-saving ________, domestic chores are no longer a burden.

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

If you ________ in my position, what would you do?

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

She played ______ piano confidently, but her timing was not good.