Tổng hợp đề thi thử tiếng anh thpt quốc gia (Đề số 17)

Choose the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.

Choose the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.

Choose the word that differs from the other three in the position of the primary stress in each of the following questions.

Choose the word that differs from the other three in the position of the primary stress in each of the following questions.

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

Next week when there ____ a full moon, the ocean tides will be higher.

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

____ the light rain, the baseball game will not be cancelled unless the other team concedes.

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

The explosion was of such ____ that it was heard five miles away.

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

The crew worked so hard; they finished the entire project three days ____ of schedule.

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

My director is angry with me. I didn’t do all the work I ____ last week.

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

The steak looked tender, but it was as tough as ____.

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

On hearing the news she fainted and it was half an hour before she ____ again.

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

His lack of qualifications was taken as a sign of a ____ youth.

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

Michael looked upset and surprised when ____ by his mother today.

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

She came in covered in mud, so I bathed her and ____ her in new clothes.

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

Our father suggested ______ to Da Nang for this summer holiday.

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

____ she was under the weather, I wouldn’t have asked her to join us.

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

____ of the hundred members of the club was given a souvenir.

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

Marie Curie was the first and only woman ____ two Nobel Prizes.

Choose the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions

In the 1980s TV viewers began to hook up videocassette players to their TVs.

Choose the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions

The police have not had time to complete their investigations, but they have concluded tentatively that the explosion was caused by a bomb.

Choose the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.

Humans can use language deceptively by telling lies or half-truths.

Choose the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.

Tired of being a tiny cog in a vast machine, he handed in his resignation.

Choose the option that best completes each of the following exchanges

Ben: “You didn’t go to school yesterday, did you?”

Jasmine: “______. I saw you, but you were talking to someone”

Choose the option that best completes each of the following exchanges

Mother: “How come you didn’t tell me that you would quit your job?”

Lisa: “__________.”

Read the following passage and choose the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the blanks. Fill in the appropriate word in question 25

Education is more important today than ever before. It helps people acquire the skills they need for such everyday (25) _______ as reading a newspaper or managing their money. It also gives them the specialized training they may need to (26) _______ for a job or career. For example, a person must meet certain educational requirements and obtain a license or certificate before he can practice law or medicine. Many fields, like computer operation or police work, (27) _______ satisfactory completion of special training courses.

Education is also important because it helps people get more out of life. It increases their knowledge and understanding of the world. It helps them acquire the skills that make life more interesting and enjoyable, such as the skills needed to participate in a sport, paint a picture, or play a musical (28) _______. Such education becomes increasing important as people gain more and more leisure time. Education also helps people adjust to change. This habit has become necessary because social changes today take place with increasing speed and affect the lives of more and more people. Education can help a person understand these changes and provide him (29) _______ the skills for adjusting to them.

Read the following passage and choose the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the blanks. Fill in the appropriate word in question 26

Education is more important today than ever before. It helps people acquire the skills they need for such everyday (25) _______ as reading a newspaper or managing their money. It also gives them the specialized training they may need to (26) _______ for a job or career. For example, a person must meet certain educational requirements and obtain a license or certificate before he can practice law or medicine. Many fields, like computer operation or police work, (27) _______ satisfactory completion of special training courses.

Education is also important because it helps people get more out of life. It increases their knowledge and understanding of the world. It helps them acquire the skills that make life more interesting and enjoyable, such as the skills needed to participate in a sport, paint a picture, or play a musical (28) _______. Such education becomes increasing important as people gain more and more leisure time. Education also helps people adjust to change. This habit has become necessary because social changes today take place with increasing speed and affect the lives of more and more people. Education can help a person understand these changes and provide him (29) _______ the skills for adjusting to them.

Read the following passage and choose the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the blanks. Fill in the appropriate word in question 27

Education is more important today than ever before. It helps people acquire the skills they need for such everyday (25) _______ as reading a newspaper or managing their money. It also gives them the specialized training they may need to (26) _______ for a job or career. For example, a person must meet certain educational requirements and obtain a license or certificate before he can practice law or medicine. Many fields, like computer operation or police work, (27) _______ satisfactory completion of special training courses.

Education is also important because it helps people get more out of life. It increases their knowledge and understanding of the world. It helps them acquire the skills that make life more interesting and enjoyable, such as the skills needed to participate in a sport, paint a picture, or play a musical (28) _______. Such education becomes increasing important as people gain more and more leisure time. Education also helps people adjust to change. This habit has become necessary because social changes today take place with increasing speed and affect the lives of more and more people. Education can help a person understand these changes and provide him (29) _______ the skills for adjusting to them.

Read the following passage and choose the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the blanks. Fill in the appropriate word in question 33

Education is more important today than ever before. It helps people acquire the skills they need for such everyday (25) _______ as reading a newspaper or managing their money. It also gives them the specialized training they may need to (26) _______ for a job or career. For example, a person must meet certain educational requirements and obtain a license or certificate before he can practice law or medicine. Many fields, like computer operation or police work, (27) _______ satisfactory completion of special training courses.

Education is also important because it helps people get more out of life. It increases their knowledge and understanding of the world. It helps them acquire the skills that make life more interesting and enjoyable, such as the skills needed to participate in a sport, paint a picture, or play a musical (28) _______. Such education becomes increasing important as people gain more and more leisure time. Education also helps people adjust to change. This habit has become necessary because social changes today take place with increasing speed and affect the lives of more and more people. Education can help a person understand these changes and provide him (29) _______ the skills for adjusting to them.

Read the following passage and choose the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the blanks. Fill in the appropriate word in question 33

Education is more important today than ever before. It helps people acquire the skills they need for such everyday (25) _______ as reading a newspaper or managing their money. It also gives them the specialized training they may need to (26) _______ for a job or career. For example, a person must meet certain educational requirements and obtain a license or certificate before he can practice law or medicine. Many fields, like computer operation or police work, (27) _______ satisfactory completion of special training courses.

Education is also important because it helps people get more out of life. It increases their knowledge and understanding of the world. It helps them acquire the skills that make life more interesting and enjoyable, such as the skills needed to participate in a sport, paint a picture, or play a musical (28) _______. Such education becomes increasing important as people gain more and more leisure time. Education also helps people adjust to change. This habit has become necessary because social changes today take place with increasing speed and affect the lives of more and more people. Education can help a person understand these changes and provide him (29) _______ the skills for adjusting to them.

Read the following passage choose the correct answer to each of the question.

Around 365 B.C. in ancient Greece, the great teacher Plato told a story about a place called Atlantis. Plato described Atlantis as a continent in the Atlantic Ocean. He said it had been the home of a powerful people who were destroyed when the continent was swallowed by the sea.

Ever since Plato’s time, people have wondered if the story about Atlantis was really true. Was there ever such a place as Atlantis? During the Middle Ages, many people believed in the legend of Atlantis. Some men even made voyages to find the “lost continent”. Later, most people believed Atlantis to be just a myth. Scientists could find no evidence to show that such a place had ever existed.

Ideas change in time, however, for now some scientists think that Atlantis might have been a real place. A Greek professor has offered a new theory. He says that Atlantis was not a continent in the Atlantic Ocean but an island called Thera in the Aegean Sea. The professor says that 3,500 years ago much of Thera collapsed into the sea when a volcano erupted. He thinks that before the explosion Thera had been the home of a people called Minoans. The Minoans were sea traders who ruled the Aegean Sea from 2,000 B.C. to 1,250 B.C.

Scientist who have come to investigate Thera have found an ancient city buried beneath volcanic ash and stone. It appears that the people who lived in the city had an advanced civilization. They were probably Minoans.

Is Thera the “lost continent” of Atlantis? No one may ever know for certain. Atlantis may remain a riddle without an answer.

According to Plato, Atlantis was in the ____.

Read the following passage choose the correct answer to each of the question.

Around 365 B.C. in ancient Greece, the great teacher Plato told a story about a place called Atlantis. Plato described Atlantis as a continent in the Atlantic Ocean. He said it had been the home of a powerful people who were destroyed when the continent was swallowed by the sea.

Ever since Plato’s time, people have wondered if the story about Atlantis was really true. Was there ever such a place as Atlantis? During the Middle Ages, many people believed in the legend of Atlantis. Some men even made voyages to find the “lost continent”. Later, most people believed Atlantis to be just a myth. Scientists could find no evidence to show that such a place had ever existed.

Ideas change in time, however, for now some scientists think that Atlantis might have been a real place. A Greek professor has offered a new theory. He says that Atlantis was not a continent in the Atlantic Ocean but an island called Thera in the Aegean Sea. The professor says that 3,500 years ago much of Thera collapsed into the sea when a volcano erupted. He thinks that before the explosion Thera had been the home of a people called Minoans. The Minoans were sea traders who ruled the Aegean Sea from 2,000 B.C. to 1,250 B.C.

Scientist who have come to investigate Thera have found an ancient city buried beneath volcanic ash and stone. It appears that the people who lived in the city had an advanced civilization. They were probably Minoans.

Is Thera the “lost continent” of Atlantis? No one may ever know for certain. Atlantis may remain a riddle without an answer.

The word in paragraph 3 that means “fell down” is ____.

Read the following passage choose the correct answer to each of the question.

Around 365 B.C. in ancient Greece, the great teacher Plato told a story about a place called Atlantis. Plato described Atlantis as a continent in the Atlantic Ocean. He said it had been the home of a powerful people who were destroyed when the continent was swallowed by the sea.

Ever since Plato’s time, people have wondered if the story about Atlantis was really true. Was there ever such a place as Atlantis? During the Middle Ages, many people believed in the legend of Atlantis. Some men even made voyages to find the “lost continent”. Later, most people believed Atlantis to be just a myth. Scientists could find no evidence to show that such a place had ever existed.

Ideas change in time, however, for now some scientists think that Atlantis might have been a real place. A Greek professor has offered a new theory. He says that Atlantis was not a continent in the Atlantic Ocean but an island called Thera in the Aegean Sea. The professor says that 3,500 years ago much of Thera collapsed into the sea when a volcano erupted. He thinks that before the explosion Thera had been the home of a people called Minoans. The Minoans were sea traders who ruled the Aegean Sea from 2,000 B.C. to 1,250 B.C.

Scientist who have come to investigate Thera have found an ancient city buried beneath volcanic ash and stone. It appears that the people who lived in the city had an advanced civilization. They were probably Minoans.

Is Thera the “lost continent” of Atlantis? No one may ever know for certain. Atlantis may remain a riddle without an answer.

A lot of people in the Middle Ages ____.

Read the following passage choose the correct answer to each of the question.

Around 365 B.C. in ancient Greece, the great teacher Plato told a story about a place called Atlantis. Plato described Atlantis as a continent in the Atlantic Ocean. He said it had been the home of a powerful people who were destroyed when the continent was swallowed by the sea.

Ever since Plato’s time, people have wondered if the story about Atlantis was really true. Was there ever such a place as Atlantis? During the Middle Ages, many people believed in the legend of Atlantis. Some men even made voyages to find the “lost continent”. Later, most people believed Atlantis to be just a myth. Scientists could find no evidence to show that such a place had ever existed.

Ideas change in time, however, for now some scientists think that Atlantis might have been a real place. A Greek professor has offered a new theory. He says that Atlantis was not a continent in the Atlantic Ocean but an island called Thera in the Aegean Sea. The professor says that 3,500 years ago much of Thera collapsed into the sea when a volcano erupted. He thinks that before the explosion Thera had been the home of a people called Minoans. The Minoans were sea traders who ruled the Aegean Sea from 2,000 B.C. to 1,250 B.C.

Scientist who have come to investigate Thera have found an ancient city buried beneath volcanic ash and stone. It appears that the people who lived in the city had an advanced civilization. They were probably Minoans.

Is Thera the “lost continent” of Atlantis? No one may ever know for certain. Atlantis may remain a riddle without an answer.

Who were the ancient Minoans?

Read the following passage choose the correct answer to each of the question.

Around 365 B.C. in ancient Greece, the great teacher Plato told a story about a place called Atlantis. Plato described Atlantis as a continent in the Atlantic Ocean. He said it had been the home of a powerful people who were destroyed when the continent was swallowed by the sea.

Ever since Plato’s time, people have wondered if the story about Atlantis was really true. Was there ever such a place as Atlantis? During the Middle Ages, many people believed in the legend of Atlantis. Some men even made voyages to find the “lost continent”. Later, most people believed Atlantis to be just a myth. Scientists could find no evidence to show that such a place had ever existed.

Ideas change in time, however, for now some scientists think that Atlantis might have been a real place. A Greek professor has offered a new theory. He says that Atlantis was not a continent in the Atlantic Ocean but an island called Thera in the Aegean Sea. The professor says that 3,500 years ago much of Thera collapsed into the sea when a volcano erupted. He thinks that before the explosion Thera had been the home of a people called Minoans. The Minoans were sea traders who ruled the Aegean Sea from 2,000 B.C. to 1,250 B.C.

Scientist who have come to investigate Thera have found an ancient city buried beneath volcanic ash and stone. It appears that the people who lived in the city had an advanced civilization. They were probably Minoans.

Is Thera the “lost continent” of Atlantis? No one may ever know for certain. Atlantis may remain a riddle without an answer.

Which statement seems true for the passage?

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.

It is hard to get any agreement on the precise meaning of the term “social class”. In everyday life, people tend to have a different approach to those they consider their equals from that which they assume with people they consider higher or lower than themselves in the social scale. The criteria we use to “place” a new acquaintance; however, are a complex mixture of factors. Dress, way of speaking, area of residence in a given city or province, education and manners all play a part.

In Greece, after the sixth-century B.C., there was a growing conflict between the peasants and the landed aristocrats, and a gradual decrease in the power of the aristocracy when a kind of “middle class” of traders and skilled workers grew up. The population of Athens, for example, was divided into three main classes which were politically and legally distinct. About one-third of the total were slaves, who did not count politically at all, a fact often forgotten by those who praise Athens as the nursery of democracy. The next main group consisted of resident foreigners, the “metics”, who were freemen, though they too were allowed no share in political life. The third group was the powerful body of “citizens”, who were themselves divided into sub-classes.

The medieval feudal system, which flourished in Europe from the ninth to the thirteenth century, gave rise to a comparatively simple system based on birth. Under the King, there were two main classes - lords and “vassals”, the latter with many subdivisions.

In the later Middle Ages; however, the development of a money economy and the growth of cities and trade led to the rise of another class, the “burghers” or city merchants and mayors. These were the predecessors of the modern middle class. Gradually high office and occupation assumed importance in determining social position, as it became more and more possible for a person born to one station in life to move to another. This change affected the town more than the country areas, where remnants of feudalism lasted much longer.

According to the passage, people evaluate others’ position by which following factors EXCEPT ____.

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.

It is hard to get any agreement on the precise meaning of the term “social class”. In everyday life, people tend to have a different approach to those they consider their equals from that which they assume with people they consider higher or lower than themselves in the social scale. The criteria we use to “place” a new acquaintance; however, are a complex mixture of factors. Dress, way of speaking, area of residence in a given city or province, education and manners all play a part.

In Greece, after the sixth-century B.C., there was a growing conflict between the peasants and the landed aristocrats, and a gradual decrease in the power of the aristocracy when a kind of “middle class” of traders and skilled workers grew up. The population of Athens, for example, was divided into three main classes which were politically and legally distinct. About one-third of the total were slaves, who did not count politically at all, a fact often forgotten by those who praise Athens as the nursery of democracy. The next main group consisted of resident foreigners, the “metics”, who were freemen, though they too were allowed no share in political life. The third group was the powerful body of “citizens”, who were themselves divided into sub-classes.

The medieval feudal system, which flourished in Europe from the ninth to the thirteenth century, gave rise to a comparatively simple system based on birth. Under the King, there were two main classes - lords and “vassals”, the latter with many subdivisions.

In the later Middle Ages; however, the development of a money economy and the growth of cities and trade led to the rise of another class, the “burghers” or city merchants and mayors. These were the predecessors of the modern middle class. Gradually high office and occupation assumed importance in determining social position, as it became more and more possible for a person born to one station in life to move to another. This change affected the town more than the country areas, where remnants of feudalism lasted much longer.

The author implies that slaves in Greece in the sixth century B.C. ____.

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.

It is hard to get any agreement on the precise meaning of the term “social class”. In everyday life, people tend to have a different approach to those they consider their equals from that which they assume with people they consider higher or lower than themselves in the social scale. The criteria we use to “place” a new acquaintance; however, are a complex mixture of factors. Dress, way of speaking, area of residence in a given city or province, education and manners all play a part.

In Greece, after the sixth-century B.C., there was a growing conflict between the peasants and the landed aristocrats, and a gradual decrease in the power of the aristocracy when a kind of “middle class” of traders and skilled workers grew up. The population of Athens, for example, was divided into three main classes which were politically and legally distinct. About one-third of the total were slaves, who did not count politically at all, a fact often forgotten by those who praise Athens as the nursery of democracy. The next main group consisted of resident foreigners, the “metics”, who were freemen, though they too were allowed no share in political life. The third group was the powerful body of “citizens”, who were themselves divided into sub-classes.

The medieval feudal system, which flourished in Europe from the ninth to the thirteenth century, gave rise to a comparatively simple system based on birth. Under the King, there were two main classes - lords and “vassals”, the latter with many subdivisions.

In the later Middle Ages; however, the development of a money economy and the growth of cities and trade led to the rise of another class, the “burghers” or city merchants and mayors. These were the predecessors of the modern middle class. Gradually high office and occupation assumed importance in determining social position, as it became more and more possible for a person born to one station in life to move to another. This change affected the town more than the country areas, where remnants of feudalism lasted much longer.

The word “remnants” in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to ____.

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.

It is hard to get any agreement on the precise meaning of the term “social class”. In everyday life, people tend to have a different approach to those they consider their equals from that which they assume with people they consider higher or lower than themselves in the social scale. The criteria we use to “place” a new acquaintance; however, are a complex mixture of factors. Dress, way of speaking, area of residence in a given city or province, education and manners all play a part.

In Greece, after the sixth-century B.C., there was a growing conflict between the peasants and the landed aristocrats, and a gradual decrease in the power of the aristocracy when a kind of “middle class” of traders and skilled workers grew up. The population of Athens, for example, was divided into three main classes which were politically and legally distinct. About one-third of the total were slaves, who did not count politically at all, a fact often forgotten by those who praise Athens as the nursery of democracy. The next main group consisted of resident foreigners, the “metics”, who were freemen, though they too were allowed no share in political life. The third group was the powerful body of “citizens”, who were themselves divided into sub-classes.

The medieval feudal system, which flourished in Europe from the ninth to the thirteenth century, gave rise to a comparatively simple system based on birth. Under the King, there were two main classes - lords and “vassals”, the latter with many subdivisions.

In the later Middle Ages; however, the development of a money economy and the growth of cities and trade led to the rise of another class, the “burghers” or city merchants and mayors. These were the predecessors of the modern middle class. Gradually high office and occupation assumed importance in determining social position, as it became more and more possible for a person born to one station in life to move to another. This change affected the town more than the country areas, where remnants of feudalism lasted much longer.

It can be indicated from the passage that the decline of the Greek aristocracy’s power in the sixth century B.C. ____.

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.

It is hard to get any agreement on the precise meaning of the term “social class”. In everyday life, people tend to have a different approach to those they consider their equals from that which they assume with people they consider higher or lower than themselves in the social scale. The criteria we use to “place” a new acquaintance; however, are a complex mixture of factors. Dress, way of speaking, area of residence in a given city or province, education and manners all play a part.

In Greece, after the sixth-century B.C., there was a growing conflict between the peasants and the landed aristocrats, and a gradual decrease in the power of the aristocracy when a kind of “middle class” of traders and skilled workers grew up. The population of Athens, for example, was divided into three main classes which were politically and legally distinct. About one-third of the total were slaves, who did not count politically at all, a fact often forgotten by those who praise Athens as the nursery of democracy. The next main group consisted of resident foreigners, the “metics”, who were freemen, though they too were allowed no share in political life. The third group was the powerful body of “citizens”, who were themselves divided into sub-classes.

The medieval feudal system, which flourished in Europe from the ninth to the thirteenth century, gave rise to a comparatively simple system based on birth. Under the King, there were two main classes - lords and “vassals”, the latter with many subdivisions.

In the later Middle Ages; however, the development of a money economy and the growth of cities and trade led to the rise of another class, the “burghers” or city merchants and mayors. These were the predecessors of the modern middle class. Gradually high office and occupation assumed importance in determining social position, as it became more and more possible for a person born to one station in life to move to another. This change affected the town more than the country areas, where remnants of feudalism lasted much longer.

The word “they” in the second paragraph refers to ____.

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.

It is hard to get any agreement on the precise meaning of the term “social class”. In everyday life, people tend to have a different approach to those they consider their equals from that which they assume with people they consider higher or lower than themselves in the social scale. The criteria we use to “place” a new acquaintance; however, are a complex mixture of factors. Dress, way of speaking, area of residence in a given city or province, education and manners all play a part.

In Greece, after the sixth-century B.C., there was a growing conflict between the peasants and the landed aristocrats, and a gradual decrease in the power of the aristocracy when a kind of “middle class” of traders and skilled workers grew up. The population of Athens, for example, was divided into three main classes which were politically and legally distinct. About one-third of the total were slaves, who did not count politically at all, a fact often forgotten by those who praise Athens as the nursery of democracy. The next main group consisted of resident foreigners, the “metics”, who were freemen, though they too were allowed no share in political life. The third group was the powerful body of “citizens”, who were themselves divided into sub-classes.

The medieval feudal system, which flourished in Europe from the ninth to the thirteenth century, gave rise to a comparatively simple system based on birth. Under the King, there were two main classes - lords and “vassals”, the latter with many subdivisions.

In the later Middle Ages; however, the development of a money economy and the growth of cities and trade led to the rise of another class, the “burghers” or city merchants and mayors. These were the predecessors of the modern middle class. Gradually high office and occupation assumed importance in determining social position, as it became more and more possible for a person born to one station in life to move to another. This change affected the town more than the country areas, where remnants of feudalism lasted much longer.

The author implies that Athens is often praised as the nursery of democracy ____.

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.

It is hard to get any agreement on the precise meaning of the term “social class”. In everyday life, people tend to have a different approach to those they consider their equals from that which they assume with people they consider higher or lower than themselves in the social scale. The criteria we use to “place” a new acquaintance; however, are a complex mixture of factors. Dress, way of speaking, area of residence in a given city or province, education and manners all play a part.

In Greece, after the sixth-century B.C., there was a growing conflict between the peasants and the landed aristocrats, and a gradual decrease in the power of the aristocracy when a kind of “middle class” of traders and skilled workers grew up. The population of Athens, for example, was divided into three main classes which were politically and legally distinct. About one-third of the total were slaves, who did not count politically at all, a fact often forgotten by those who praise Athens as the nursery of democracy. The next main group consisted of resident foreigners, the “metics”, who were freemen, though they too were allowed no share in political life. The third group was the powerful body of “citizens”, who were themselves divided into sub-classes.

The medieval feudal system, which flourished in Europe from the ninth to the thirteenth century, gave rise to a comparatively simple system based on birth. Under the King, there were two main classes - lords and “vassals”, the latter with many subdivisions.

In the later Middle Ages; however, the development of a money economy and the growth of cities and trade led to the rise of another class, the “burghers” or city merchants and mayors. These were the predecessors of the modern middle class. Gradually high office and occupation assumed importance in determining social position, as it became more and more possible for a person born to one station in life to move to another. This change affected the town more than the country areas, where remnants of feudalism lasted much longer.

The word “predecessors” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.

It is hard to get any agreement on the precise meaning of the term “social class”. In everyday life, people tend to have a different approach to those they consider their equals from that which they assume with people they consider higher or lower than themselves in the social scale. The criteria we use to “place” a new acquaintance; however, are a complex mixture of factors. Dress, way of speaking, area of residence in a given city or province, education and manners all play a part.

In Greece, after the sixth-century B.C., there was a growing conflict between the peasants and the landed aristocrats, and a gradual decrease in the power of the aristocracy when a kind of “middle class” of traders and skilled workers grew up. The population of Athens, for example, was divided into three main classes which were politically and legally distinct. About one-third of the total were slaves, who did not count politically at all, a fact often forgotten by those who praise Athens as the nursery of democracy. The next main group consisted of resident foreigners, the “metics”, who were freemen, though they too were allowed no share in political life. The third group was the powerful body of “citizens”, who were themselves divided into sub-classes.

The medieval feudal system, which flourished in Europe from the ninth to the thirteenth century, gave rise to a comparatively simple system based on birth. Under the King, there were two main classes - lords and “vassals”, the latter with many subdivisions.

In the later Middle Ages; however, the development of a money economy and the growth of cities and trade led to the rise of another class, the “burghers” or city merchants and mayors. These were the predecessors of the modern middle class. Gradually high office and occupation assumed importance in determining social position, as it became more and more possible for a person born to one station in life to move to another. This change affected the town more than the country areas, where remnants of feudalism lasted much longer.

The passage is mainly about

Choose the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions.

Developing new technologies are time-consuming and expensive.

Choose the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions.

Excepting for the graduate students, everyone will have to take the tests on the same day.

Choose the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions.

Don’t let that old rascal take you along with his clever talk – none of it is true.

Choose the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions.

Friendly though he may seem, he’s not to be trusted.

Choose the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions.

“You’re always making terrible mistakes”, said the teacher.

Choose the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions.

When the unemployment rate is high, the crime rate is usually also high.

Choose the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.

All possible means have been used to prevent air pollution. The sky is still not clear.

Choose the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.

She spent all her money. She even borrowed some from her father.