Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct answer to each of

the questions
Life expectancy is the period of time that a person can expect to live. Life expectancy varies greatly between
genders and cultures. It used to be that women had a lower life expectancy than men (1 in every 4 women
died in childbirth), but now they live an average of four to five years longer than men. Life expectancy has
been increasing rapidly over the last centuries. With the advent of such modern miracles as sewers, medicine
and a greater understanding of how diseases are spread, our life expectancy has increased by 25-30 years.
In developing countries like Swaziland, where there is a high HIV/ AIDS rate, life expectancy is as low
as 32.6 years. In developed countries like Australia, life expectancy rates are as high as 81 years. There are
an increasing number of factors which can cancel out the disadvantages you have. The one that we are
looking at now is how your career can affect your life expectancy. Choosing the wrong career can result in a
shorter life!
If you want your career to positively influence your life expectancy, you have to be made of money. That's
right. Rich people in wealthy areas of England and France live 10 years longer than the people in poorer
areas. Having a successful career has its drawbacks, too if the result of hard work is stress.
Stress can lead to a number of psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, fatigue, tension
and aggression. These conditions may result in a lack of concentration and an increase in serious
injuries at work. They can also lead to high blood pressure and heart attacks which seriously affect life
expectancy.
If you are worried that your job might decrease your life expectancy, you probably need to avoid careers on
"dangerous jobs" list such as timber cutters, pilots, construction workers, roofer, truck drivers.
So if you don't want to kick the bucket at an early age, choose a career in something other than timber
cutting, but above all, remember to relax.
From Pre-Essence Reading by Rachel Lee, Longman

1. The passage mainly discusses ___________.

A.The definition of life expectancy
B.The comparison of life expectancy between women and men
C.The importance of a successful career
D.The effects of a career on one’s life expectancy
2. The average life expectancy is 32.6 years in ________
A.Swaziland
B.France
C.Australia
D.England
3. Why does an increase in stress lead to an increase in workplace accidents?
A.Workers like to take sick leave and stay home
B.It leads o a decrease in concentration and depression
C.Workers don’t care as much as about their jobs
D.Workers are too busy to observe safety regulations
4. It can be inferred from the paragraph 3 that the disadvantage of a successful career is that _____
A.Yon won’t have to take a job on the “dangerous jobs” list
B.You are at the greater risk of being a victim of crime
C.There is a high number of work-related injuries
D.You are more likely to be under stress
5. The phrase “kick the bucket” in the passage is closest in meaning to ___________
A. die
B. relax
C. live
D. succeed
Rewrite the following sentences as long as the meaning is unchanged
1. The last time it rained was a fortnight ago.
It has been a fortnight since it rained
2. The last time Lucy wore that dress was a Barbara’s wedding.
Lucy has worn that dress since Barbara’s wedding.
3. Tom began playing the piano 4 years ago.
Tom has played the piano for 4 years
4. I started cooking for the party 4 hours ago.
I have cooked for the party for 4 hours
5. My father hasn’t driven a car before
This is the first time since my father drove a car.
2. I’ve never met such a famous singer before
It’s the first time since I met such a famous singerr

UNIT 2: THE GENERATION GAP

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three
in pronunciation in each of the following questions.
1. A. gap B. generation C. grandparent D. great
2. A. hold B. follow C. force D. notice
3. A. believe B. extend C. respect D. gender
4. A. complains B. forbids C. distracts D. follows
5. A. special B. common C. consist D. conflict
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.
1. Living in three- or four-generational families, commonly referred to as "___ families," has both benefits
and drawbacks.
A. single-parent
B. extended
C. nuclear
D. crowded
2. My family ___ pay a lot of taxes every year.
A. should
B. has to
C. must
D. ought to
3. Sometimes parents ___ be tolerant of their children’s childlike behaviours.
A. should
B. must
C. have to
D. mustn’t
4. The ___ refers to the difference in attitudes or behavior between a younger generation and the older one.
A. argument
B. generation gap
C. conflict
D. disagreement
5. I have a 11 p.m ____. If I went back home after that, I'd be in trouble.
A. homestay
B. conflict
C. curfew
D. banning
6. Parents should be ____ by offering guidance to kids without forcing their decisions on them.
A. like-minded
B. narrow-minded
C. open-minded
D. absent-minded
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s)
in each of the following questions.
1. Although Mark is 25 years old, he always assists his mother to do the chores every day.
A. homework
B. works
C. housework
D. exercises
2. Your table manners are awful - don't you know how to use a knife and fork?
A. etiquette
B. rules
C. behavior
D. attitudes
3. When their children are teenagers, many parents struggle to comprehend what's happening to them.
A. adults
B. elders
C. adolescents
D. genders
4. Having a large extended family makes a number of problems inevitable.
A. profits
B. issues
C. views
D. merits
5. Now that Jean’s got a job, she’s financially independent
A. self-collected
B. self-confident
C. self-confessed
D. self-determining
Read the text and choose the correct answer
It is natural for young people to be critical of their parents at times and to blame them for most of the
misunderstandings between them. They have always complained, more or less justly, that their parents are
old-fashioned, possessive and dominant; that they do not trust their children to deal with obstacles; that they
talk too much about certain problems and that they have no sense of humor, at least in parent-child
relationships. I think it is true that parents often underestimate their teenage children and also forget how
they themselves felt when young.
Young people often irritate their parents with their choices in clothes and hairstyles, in entertainers and
music. This is not their motive. They feel cut off from the adult world into which they have not yet been
accepted. So they create a culture and society of their own. Then, if it turns out that their music or
entertainers or vocabulary or clothes or hairstyles irritate their parents, this gives them additional enjoyment.
They feel they are superior, at least in a small way, and that they are leaders in style and taste.
Sometimes you are resistant and proud because you do not want your parents to approve of what you do. If
they did approve, it looks as if you are betraying your own age group. But in that case, you are assuming that
you are the underdog: you can you can keep your honor. This is a passive way of looking at things. It is
natural enough after long years of childhood, when you were completely under your parents' control. But it
ignores the fact that you are now beginning to be responsible for yourself.
If you plan to control your life, co-operation can be part of that plan. You can charm others, especially
parents, into doing things the ways you want. You can impress others with your sense of responsibility and
initiative, so that they will give you the authority to do what you want to do.
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?
A. The teenagers' criticism of their parents
B. Misunderstandings between teenagers and their parents
C. The dominance of the parents over their children
D. The teenagers' ability to deal with difficulty
2. According to paragraph 2, teenagers tend to have strange clothes and hairstyles because they ____.
A. want to show their existence by creating a culture of their own
B. have a strong desire to be leaders in style and taste
C. have no other way to enjoy themselves better
D. want to irritate their parents
3. The word "superior" in the passage is closest in meaning to ____.
A. passive B. dominant C. advantageous D. updated
4. Teenagers do not want their parents to approve of whatever they do because they ____.
A. have already been accepted into the adult world
B. are not likely to win over the adults
C. have a desire to be independent
D. feel that they are superior in a small way to the adults
5. To improve parent-child relationships, teenagers are advised to be ____.
A. obedient
B. responsible
C. co-operative
D. independent
Rewrite the following sentences as long as the meaning is unchanged using modals
1. It is better for you to talk to your parents about your problem.
You _______________________________________________
2. If I were you, I would study hard to pass the exam.
You _______________________________________________
3. Parents find it unneccessary to satisfy all their children’s needs.
Parents don’t ________________________________________
4. My advice is that you try to avoid all junk food.
You _______________________________________________
5. It is a good idea for me to do voluntary work.
I __________________________________________________
6. My parents never let me forget to do my homework.
My parents always ____________________________________