The trouble with James is that he never         on time for a meeting.

When asked about their preference for movies, many young people say that they are in favor          science fiction.

The puppy stood up slowly, wagged their tail, blinked its eyes, and barked.

                                   A                        B              C                     D

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.

     Who talk more men or women? Most people believe that women talk more. However, linguist Deborah Tannen, who has studied the communication style of men and women, says that this is a stereotype.  According to Tannen, women are more verbal - talk more in private situations, where they use conversation as the “glue” to hold relationships together. But, she says, men talk more in public situations, where they use conversation to exchange information and gain status. Tannen points out that we can see these differences even in children. Little girls often play with one "best friend", their play includes a lot of conversation. Little boys often play games in groups; their play usually involves more doing than talking. In school, girls are often better at verbal skills, boys are often better at mathematics. 

     A recent study at Emory University helps to shed light on the roots of this difference. Researchers studied conversations between children aged 3-6 and their parents. They found evidence that parents talk very differently to their sons than they do to their daughters. The startling conclusion was that parents use more language with their girls. Specifically, when parents talk with their daughters, they use more descriptive language and more details. There is also far more talk about emotions, especially with daughters than with sons. 

Which sentence best expresses the main idea of the first paragraph? 

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

I’m getting better at this job,______?

John didn’t understand what the story was about until he saw the film based on it.

Shopping on the internet can be safe if you follow a few simple rules.

Air pollution is getting                            serious in big cities in the world.

________to my country, I will have been away from home for more than three years.

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.

He always did well at school_________having his early education disrupted by illness.

Her family and friends have given her lots of  

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

Her style of dress accentuated her extreme slenderness.