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

Button decided to continue with his studies for another two years.

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other three in the position of primary stress in each of the following questions.

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

Mrs. Adams was surprise that her son and his friend had gone to the mountains to ski

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.

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.

- Anna: Would you like to have lunch with us?

- Laura: _______.

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.

I’ll have to whisper to you, otherwise he will hear what we are saying.

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.

      Over the past 600 years, English has grown from a language of few speakers to become the dominant language of international communication. English as we know it today emerged around 1350, after having incorporated many elements of French that were introduced following the Norman invasion of 1066. Until the 1600s, English was, for the most part, spoken only in England and had not extended even as far as two centuries, English began to spread around the globe as a result of exploration, trade (including slave trade), colonization, and missionary work. Thus, small enclaves of English speakers became established and grew in various parts of the world. As these communities proliferated, English gradually became the primary language of international business, banking and diplomacy.

      Currently, about 80 percent of the information stored on computer systems worldwide is English. Two - thirds of the world’s science writing is in English, and English is the main language of technology, advertising, media, international airports, and air traffic controllers - Today there are more than 700 million English users in the world, and over half of these are nonnative speakers, constituting the largest number of nonnative users than any other language in the world.

What is the main topic of this passage?