READING

PASSAGE 1 - Questions 1-10

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 question
Before mid-nineteenth century, people in the United States ate most foods only in season. Drying, smoking,
and salting could preserve meat for the short time, but the availability of fresh meat, like that of fresh milk,
was very limited; there was no way to prevent spoilage. But in 1810 a French inventor named Nicolas Appert
developed the cooking-and-sealing process of canning. And in the 1850’s an American named Gail Borden
developed a means of condensing and preserving milk. Canned goods and condensed milk became more
common during the 1860’s, but supplies remained low because cans had to be made by hand. By 1880,
however, inventors had fashioned stamping and soldering machine that mass-produced cans from tinplate.
Suddenly, all kinds of food could be preserved and bought at all times of the year. Other trends and invention
had also helped make it possible for Americans to vary their daily diets. Growing urban populations created
demand that encouraged fruits and vegetable farmers to raise more produce. Railroad refrigerator cars enabled
growers and meat packers to ship perishables great distances and to preserve them for longer periods. Thus,
by the 1890’s, northern city dwellers could enjoy southern and western strawberries, grapes, and tomatoes,
previously available for a month at most, for up to six months of the year. In addition, increased use of iceboxes
enabled families to store perishables. An easy means of producing ice commercially had been invented in the
1870’s, and by the 1900, the nation had more than two thousand commercial ice plants, most of which made
home deliveries. The icebox became the fixture in most homes and remained so until the merchandized
refrigerator replaced it in the 1920’s and 1930’s.
Almost everyone now had a more diversified diet. Some people continued to eat mainly foods that were heavy
in starches or carbohydrates, and not everyone could afford meat. Nevertheless, many families could take
advantage of previously unavailable fruits, vegetables, and daily products to achieve more varied fare.
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. Causes of food spoilage B. Commercial production of ice
C. Inventions that led to changes D. Population movement in 19th century
2.The phrase “in season” refers to __________.
A. A kind of weather B. A particular time of year
C. An official schedule D. A method of flavoring food
3. The word “prevent” is closest in the meaning to __________.
A. estimate B. avoid C. correct D. confine
4. During the 1860’s, canned food products were ___________.
A. unavailable in rural areas B. Shopped in refrigerator cars
C. available in limited quantities D. a staple part of the American diet
5. It can be inferred that railroad refrigerator cars came into use
A. Before 1860 B. Before 1890 C. After 1900 D. After 1920
6. The word “them” refers to __________.
A. refrigerator cars B. perishables C. growers D. distances
7. The word “fixture” is closest in the meaning to __________.
A. luxury item B. substance C. commonplace object D.mechanical device
8. The author implies that in the 1920’s and the 1930’s, home deliveries of ice ___________.
A. decreased in number B. were on an irregular schedule

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 C. increased in cost D. occurred only in the summer
9. The word “Nevertheless” is closest in the meaning to __________.
A. therefore B. because C. occasionally D. however
10. Which of the following types of food preservation was NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. Drying B. Canning C. Cold storage D. Chemical additives

PASSAGE 2: Question 11-20

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 question
By the mid-nineteenth century; the term "icebox" had entered the American language, but ice was still only
beginning to affect the diet of ordinary citizens in the United States. The ice trade grew with the growth of
cities. Ice was used in hotels, taverns, and hospitals, and by some forward-looking city dealers in fresh meat,
fresh fish, and butter. After the Civil War (1861-1865), as ice was used to refrigerate freight cars, it also came
into household use. Even before 1880, half the ice sold in New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, and one-
third of that sold in Boston and Chicago, went to families for their own use. This had become possible because
a new household convenience, the icebox, a precursor of the modern refrigerator, had been invented.
Making an efficient ice box was not as easy as we might now suppose. In the early nineteenth century, the
knowledge of the physics of heat, which was essential to a science of refrigeration, was rudimentary. The
commonsense notion that the best icebox was one that prevented the ice from melting was of course mistaken,
for it was the melting of the ice that performed the cooling. Nevertheless, early efforts to economize ice
included wrapping the ice in blankets, which kept the ice from doing its job. Not until near the end of the
nineteenth century did inventors achieve the delicate balance of insulation and circulation needed for an
efficient icebox.
But as early as 1803, an ingenious Maryland farmer, Thomas Moore, had been on the right track. He owned
a farm about twenty miles outside the city of Washington, for which the village of Georgetown was the market
center. When he used an icebox of his own design to transport his butter to market, he found that customers
would pass up the rapidly melting stuff in the tubs of his competitors to pay a premium price for his butter,
still fresh and hard in neat, one-pound bricks. One advantage of his icebox, Moore explained, was that farmers
would no longer have to travel to market at night in order to keep their produce cool.
11. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. The influence of ice on the diet B. The development of refrigeration
C. The transportation of goods to market D. Sources of ice in the nineteenth century
12. According to the passage, when did the word "icebox" become part of the language of the United
States?
A. In 1803 B. Sometime before 1850
C. During the Civil War D. Near the end of the nineteenth century
13. The phrase "forward-looking" in line 5 is closest in meaning to
A. Progressive B. Popular C. Thrifty D. Well-established
14. The author mentions "fish" in line 6 because
A. Many fish dealers also sold ice
B. Fish was shipped in refrigerated freight cars
C. Fish dealers were among the early commercial users of ice
D. Fish was not part of the ordinary person's diet before the invention of the icebox
15. The word "it" in line 7 refers to
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 A. Fresh meat B. The Civil War C. Ice D. A refrigerator
16. According to the passage, which of the following was an obstacle to the development of the icebox?
A. Competition among the owners of refrigerated freight cars
B. The lack of a network for the distribution of ice
C. The use of insufficient insulation
D. Inadequate understanding of physics
17. The word "rudimentary" in line 16 is closest in meaning to
A. Growing B. Undeveloped C. Necessary D. Uninteresting
18. According to the information in the second paragraph, an ideal icebox would
A. Completely prevent ice from melting B. Stop air from circulating
C. Allow ice to melt slowly D. Use blankets to conserve ice
19. The author describes Thomas Moore as having been "on the right track" to indicate that
A. The market was close to Moore's farm.
B. Moore was an honest merchant.
C. Moore was a prosperous farmer.
D. Moore's design was fairly successful.
20. According to the passage, Moore's icebox allowed him to
A. Charge more for his butter B. Travel to market at night
C. Manufacture butter more quickly D. Produce ice all year round
PASSAGE 3: Question 21-30
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 question
Two children carrying shopping bags left their home in Taliban-occupied Kabul. The older one wore a burka,
the short-haired one wore pants—a sister and brother running errands, any observer would think. They took a
different route each day. When they reached their destination, they made sure no one was watching before
they ducked through a doorway.
They were going to school. It was the fall of 1996, and girls’ education had just been outlawed; teachers and
parents risked death if they were caught allowing girls to attend school. The younger child, six-year-old
Shabana Basij-Rasikh, dressed as a boy to pose as her sister’s mandatory male chaperone. They’d hidden
books in their bags for classes taught in secrecy. One day, suspecting they’d been followed, the sisters begged
their parents to stop sending them. The parents refused: Education was worth the risk.
Two years ago, when Basij-Rasikh was 31, the Taliban seized Afghanistan again. She was by then the founder
of the nation’s only all-girls boarding school, the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), and she’d been
planning her escape for months. She burned the school’s records and spirited 256 staff, family, and students
through Kabul’s chaotic airport and onto a plane leaving for Rwanda. It was the only country that agreed to
take them.
Students hang out on the Kigali campus of the School of Leadership, Afghanistan, the first and only all-girls
Afghan boarding school. Under the leadership of founder Shabana Basij-Rasikh, students and staff were
evacuated to Rwanda after the Taliban takeover in 2021.
Girls’ education has always been among the first things the Taliban shut down when they take power. Today
in Afghanistan, girls are barred from school beyond sixth grade; fewer than 20 percent of school-age girls
attend class. New laws have slashed the rights they once held, even down to the ability to visit public parks.

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Women and girls are slowly being erased, says Basij-Rasikh, who was named 2023’s Rolex National
Geographic Explorer of the Year for her courage, leadership, and tireless efforts to ensure that Afghan girls
and young women have access to education.
Now Basij-Rasikh and her staff run SOLA in exile from a campus in Rwanda, a country whose people have
lived through their own long years of war and displacement and know what it means to seek refuge. SOLA’s
faculty teaches 61 students, some newly arrived from Afghan refugee communities in Uzbekistan, Pakistan,
and Iran.
But one physical school, Basij-Rasikh decided, is not enough. Displaced Afghans—including her husband,
Mati Amin, who grew up in a camp in Pakistan—have become the third largest refugee population in the
world. The average refugee is displaced for 10 to 15 years. Basij-Rasikh and Amin, who welcomed their first
child in 2022, want to help make up for that lost time. “In our house and in our personal relationship,
SOLA starts from when we wake up to when we go to bed,” Basij-Rasikh laughs.
In SOLA’s third year of exile, there are plans to launch SOLA X, a mobile curriculum that allows children to
study on their phones through WhatsApp. SOLA’s lo-fi system will offer chats that function as classrooms,
where teachers can post lessons and assignments. Classes will be accessible anywhere in the world—including
inside Afghanistan. SOLA X will provide each student with a certificate of completion. Basij-Rasikh thinks
back to the school records she burned—these students won’t need to worry that evidence of their education
will vanish.
In the meantime, SOLA is putting down roots in Rwanda, purchasing land and building a campus that will
house and educate more than 200 children, from sixth through 12th grade. When, someday, the school returns
to Afghanistan, this new campus will remain open—a faraway home, and a sanctuary, should extremism rip
Afghanistan apart yet again. Across the globe, education is being interrupted by war, climate change, and
politics. An estimated 244 million school-age children worldwide are not in class. Basij-Rasikh sees her
mission as building a model to educate students who’ve been displaced from home. “SOLA is not just a
school,” she says. “It’s a movement.”
(Adapted from National Geographic)

21. The word “ducked” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _____.

A. walk slowly to enjoy the day B. move quickly to avoid being seen
C. move slowly to avoid others D. walk to another direction
22. According to passage 2, which following is NOT true about girls’ education in 1996.
A. The law for girls’ education was launched.
B. Girls had to study in secret.
C. Parents and teachers were threatened their lives if they provided education for girls.
D. Girls had to have a male family member with them when they left their house.
23. It can be inferred from the phrase “Education was worth the risk” that
A. Education was very risky.
B. Education was not worth for taking risk.
C. Education was the thing that can be costly.
D. Education was so valuable that people could accept the danger.
24. In paragraph 3, what did Basij-Rasikh do before her leave?
A. She employed more than 250 staff. B. She rented a plane for her family.
C. She went to the airport in Rwanda. D. She destroyed all school’s doculment.
25. The word “they” refers to ______.
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 A. girl’s school B. students C. Taliban D. Afghanistan
26. Which following is NOT the reason for Basij-Rasikh’s name in 2023’s Rolex National Geographic
Explorer of the Year?
A. Her courage B. Her leadership
C. Her effort for girls’ education D. Her tiredness when ensuring education
27.What can be inferred from the sentence “In our house and in our personal relationship, SOLA starts
from when we wake up to when we go to bed.”?
A. SOLA is located in their house. B. SOLA plays a crucial part in their life.
C. SOLA makes their relationship better. D. SOLA takes their sleeping time.
28. According to the passage, which following is NOT mentioned about SOLA in its third year?
A. They have a system that people can learn online.
B. They build a lo-fi playlist for their learners’s relaxation.
C. People can take their course flexibly and can get a certificate.
D. People can communicate in their system.
29. The word “house” is closest in meaning to _____.
A. stay B. visit C. give D. accommodate
30. It can be inferred from the phrase “It’s a movement” that __________
A. SOLA can be moved to many places. B. SOLA is a trend of her society.
C. SOLA is a new change of her society. D. SOLA is a new start in her society.

PASSAGE 4: Question 31-40

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 question
No student of a foreign language needs to be told that grammar is complex.
word sequences and by adding a range of auxiliary verbs and suffixes, we are able to communicate tiny
variations in meaning. We can turn a statement into a question, state whether an action has taken place or is
soon to take place, and perform many other word tricks to convey subtle differences in meaning. Nor is this
complexity inherent to the English language. All languages, even those of so-called 'primitive' tribes have
clever grammatical components. The Cherokee pronoun system, for example, can distinguish between 'you
and I', 'several other people and I' and 'you, another person and I'. In English, all these meanings are summed
up in the one, crude pronoun 'we'. Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no matter
how widespread it is. So, the question which has baffled many linguists is - who created grammar?
At first, it would appear that this question is impossible to answer. To find out how grammar is created,
someone needs to be present at the time of a language's creation, documenting its emergence. Many historical
linguists are able to trace modern complex languages back to earlier languages, but in order to answer the
question of how complex languages are actually formed, the researcher needs to observe how languages are
started from scratch. Amazingly, however, this is possible. Some of the most recent languages evolved due
to the Atlantic slave trade. At that time, slaves from a number of different ethnicities were forced to work
together under the colonizer's rule. Since they had no opportunity to learn each other's languages, they
developed a make-shift language called a pidgin. Pidgins are strings of words copied from the language of
the landowner. They have little in the way of grammar, and in many cases it is difficult for a listener to deduce
when an event happened, and who did what to whom. [7A] Speakers need to use circumlocution in order to
make their meaning understood. [7B] Interestingly, however, all it takes for a pidgin to become a complex
language is for a group of children to be exposed to it at the time when they learn their mother tongue. [7C]
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Slave children did not simply copy the strings of words uttered by their elders, they adapted their words to
create a new, expressive language [7D] Complex grammar systems which emerge from pidgins are termed
creoles, and they are invented by children.
Some linguists believe that many of the world's most established languages were creoles at first. The English
past tense –ed ending may have evolved from the verb 'do'. 'It ended' mayoncehavebeen'Itend-did'. Therefore,it
would appear that even the most widespread languages were partly created by children. Children appear to
have innate grammatical machinery in their brains, which springs to life when they are first trying to make
sense of the world around them. Their minds can serve to create logical, complex structures, even when there
is no grammar present for them to copy.
31. In paragraph 1, why does the writer include information about the Cherokee Language?
A. To show how simple traditional cultures can have complicated grammar structures.
B. To show how English grammar differs from Cherokee grammar.
C. To prove that complex grammar structures were invented by the Cherokees.
D. To demonstrate how difficult it is to learn the Cherokee language.
32. Which sentence is closest in meaning to the highlighted sentence?
Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no matter how widespread it is.
A. All languages, whether they are spoken by a few people or a lot of people, contain grammar.
B. Some languages include a lot of grammar, whereas other languages contain a little.
C. Languages containing a lot of grammar are more common than languages that contain a little.
D. The grammar of all languages is the same, no matter where the languages evolved.
33. What can be inferred about the slaves’ pidgin language?
A. It contained complex grammar.
B. It was based on many different languages.
C. It was difficult to understand, even among slaves.
D. It was created by the land-owners.
34. The phrase “from scratch” is closest in meaning to ______.
A. from the beginning B. in simple structures
C. by copying something else D. by using written information
35. The phrase “make-shift” is closest in meaning to ______.
A. complicated and expensive B. simple and temporary
C. extensive and diverse D. private and personal
36. All the following sentences about Nicaraguan sign language are true EXCEPT
A. The language has been created since 1979.
B. The language is based on speech and lip reading.
C. The language incorporates signs which children use at home.
D. The language was perfected by younger children.
37. In paragraph 3, where can the following sentence be placed?
It included standardized word orders and grammatical markers that existed in neither the pidgin
language, nor the language of the colonizers.
A. 7A B. 7B C. 7C D. 7D
38. Which idea is presented in the final paragraph?

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 A. English was once probably a creole.
B. The English past tense system is inaccurate.
C. Linguists have proven that English was created by children.
D. Children say English past tenses differently from adults.
39. Which word could best replace the word “complex” by which of the following?
A. natural B. predictable C. complicated D. compound
40. What does the word “they” refer to?
A. brains B. children C. minds D. languages

THE END OF READING TEST

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