Read the following passage carefully and then choose the best option to fit each numbered blank (from 26 to 30).
Students at the age of 18 always have to face a difficult decision to make. Some want to go on with their study (26)_______ college or university, others prefer to start work immediately. Many school leavers are eager to go to work in order to make money to live (27)_______ and help their parents. They always (28)_______ their best to overcome any obstacles they may encounter. Unfortunately, owing to the guidance (29)_______ is poor and biased from their parents and teachers, most boys and girls are ill-prepared for employment. Therefore, they often feel worried and build up all sorts of fearsome prospects in their mind as the time to start work gets nearer. It is the duty of the school and family (30)_______ these young people for their future jobs.
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 (from 31 to 35). At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the American educational system was desperately in need of reform. Private schools existed, but only for the very rich. There were very few public schools because of the strong sentiment that children who would grow up to be laborers should not "waste" their time on education but should instead prepare themselves for their life's work. It was in the face of this public sentiment that educational reformers set about their task. Horace Mann, probably the most famous of the reformers, felt that there was no excuse in a republic for any citizen to be uneducated. As Superintendent of Education in the state of Massachusetts from 1837 to 1848, he initiated various changes, which were soon matched in other school districts around the country. He extended the school year from five to six months and improved the quality of teachers by instituting teacher education and raising teacher salaries. Although these changes did not bring about a sudden improvement in the educational system, they at least increased public awareness as to the need for a further strengthening of the system.