Read the following passage and write the letter A, B, C or D on the top of the first page to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 26 to 30.

Founded after World War II by 51 "peace-loving states" combined to oppose future aggression, the United Nations now counts 192 member nations, (26) _________ its newest members, Nauru, Kiribati, and Tonga in 1999, Tuvalu and Yugoslavia in 2000, Switzerland and East Timor in 2002, and Montenegro in 2006.

United Nations Day has been (27) _________ on October 24 since 1948 and celebrates the objectives and accomplishments of the organization, which was established on October 24, 1945.

The UN (28) _________         in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions across the globe. Though some say its (29) _________ has declined in recent decades, the United Nations still plays a tremendous role in world politics. In 2001 the United Nations and Kofi Annan, then Secretary-General of the UN, won the Nobel Peace Prize "for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world."

Since 1948 there have been 63 UN peacekeeping operations that are currently under way. Thus far, close to 130 nations have contributed personnel (30) _________various times; 119 are currently providing peacekeepers. As of August 31, 2008, there were 16 peacekeeping operations underway with a total of 88,230 personnel. The small island nation of Fiji has taken part in virtually every UN peacekeeping operation, as has Canada.

 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 first each of the numbered blanks from 1 to 5.

Humans are destroying the earth‟s tropical rain forests. About 80,000 square kilometers are being destroyed every year. About a quarter of the (1)_____ comes from people cutting trees for fuel. Another quarter is to make grassland for their cattle. The (2)______ trees are cut down to sell the wood to start farms.

The population in cities all over the world is growing, and more and more wood is needed to build huge new buildings. For example, 5,000 trees from Sarawak rain forest in Malaysia were used to build just one tall building. (3)_______ people continue cutting down that many trees in Sarawak rain forest, all the trees could be gone in eight years.

The world needs more food, and it (4)______ like a good idea to clear the rain forests and use the land for agriculture. Many people think that the land under these huge, thick forests must be in rich nutrients, but it isn't. This is another surprising thing about rain forests. Most of the land in tropical rain forest is very(5)________.

Read the passage and mark A, B, C or D to indicate the correct word that best fits each of the questions from 21 to 25.

In the early twentieth century, an American woman named Emily Post wrote a book (21)_______ etiquette. This book explained the proper behavior Americans should follow in many different social situations from birthday parties to funerals. But in modern society, it is not simply to know the proper (22)______ for behavior in your own country. It is necessary for people who work or travel abroad to understand the rules of etiquette in other cultures as well. Cultural differences can be found in such simple processes as giving or receiving a gift. In Western cultures, a gift can be given to the receiver with relatively (23)______ ceremony. (24)______, in some Asian countries, the act of gift-giving may appear confusing to Westerners. When a gift is offered, the receiver usually takes the gift and expresses his or her thanks. In Chinese culture, both the giver and receiver understand that the receiver will typically refuse to take the gift several times before he or she finally accepts it. In addition, to show respect for the receiver, it is (25)_________ in several Asian cultures to use both hands when offering a gift to another person.

The (2)______ trees are cut down to sell the wood to start farms.

(3)_______ people continue cutting down that many trees in Sarawak rain forest, all the trees could be gone in eight years.

Read the following passage and mark A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the blanks from 36 to 40.

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 first each of the numbered blanks from 16 to 20.

Nowadays people are more aware that wildlife all over the world is in (16)______ . Many species of animals are threatened, and could easily become (17)_______ if we do not make an effort to protect them. In some cases, animals are hunted for their fur or for other valuable parts of their bodies. Some birds, such as parrots, are caught (18)______ and sold as pets. For many animals and birds the problem is that their habitat - the place where they live - is disappearing. More land is used for farms, for houses or industry, and there are fewer open spaces than there once were. Farmers use powerful chemicals to help them to grow better crops, but these chemicals pollute the environment and (19)______ wildlife. The most successful animals on earth - human beings - will soon be the only ones (20)______, unless we can solve this problem.

Read the following passage and mark A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the blanks from 46 to 50.

University researchers have taken samples from a preserved dodo specimen in an (46) _____ to uncover the extinct bird‟s family tree. They worked with the British Natural History Museum to collect and study genetic material from large number of specimens: a preserved dodo, the extinct solitaire bird, and 35 kind of living pigeons and doves. Their analysis (47) _____ the doo and the solitaire to be close relatives with the Nicobar pigeon, their nearest living relative. The dodo lived on Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It was a flightless bird, bigger than a turkey. By 1681, all dodos had been (48) _____ by hungry sailors. The solitaire, which looked a bit like a dodo, had gone the same way by 1800. By extracting short pieces of the dodo‟s DNA and (49) _____ these with the DNA of living birds, the scientists were able to deduce when the dodo evolved away from its relatives into a separate entity. The scientists can now (50) _____ assume that the dodo developed its distinctive appearance and features as a result of its geographical isolation. They are now convinced that it separated from the solitaire about 25 million years ago, long before Mauritius became an island.