Ques: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: "Selfie" may have been named Oxford Dictionary's word of 2013. In effect,so widely known has the selfie become that in the past 12 months,its frequency in the English language has increased by 17000 percent, said Oxford dictionaries. However,its popularity has just earned it another honour-being voted the most annoying and overused term of the past 12 months. But I'd like to offer that maybe it isn't so bad. According to the Oxford online dictionary, selfie is a photo that one takes of oneself, often from a smart phone, and send them to a social media website. Women and men alike decorate their Facebook and Twitter accounts with these pictures, sometimes with exaggerated facial expressions,such as large smiles or puckered lips . Let's think about it. Someone takes about 10 selfies each time they do, and they only end up posting one or two of those. They pick the one that they feel makes them look the best. Isn't that beautiful? In that one picture,somebody has given himself or herself confidence. Self-image is vital. In today's society,we are so crazy about being perfect. But perhaps, with that one selfie,we feel as if we fit that need. We feel handsome,beautiful,confident,smart,happy,and content. For that moment,everything bad or terrible that has ever happened to us seemed to have been erased,for that smile or that pucker is what gives us the determination to love ourselves. A spoken-word poem I saw lately set me thinking:If I ask you what you love,the answers will most likely roll of your tongue. You love to read. You love to write. You love birds,music...your mom,your brother,your sister,your daughter,your best friend,your dog. How long do you think you could go on and on before you said,"I love myself."? The poem hit me like a ton of bricks. I've struggled with confidence all of my life. And I still do. And in no way am I saying that taking a selfie is a gateway to that confidence. However,the selfie does deserve some _ for allowing individuals to express themselves. Just as Pamela Rutledge put it,"There... Question: According to the writer, we live in a society where _ . - selfie leads to success - a good image decides one's status - one's poor performance can be erased - being perfect is highly valued
Ans: being perfect is highly valued

Ques: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: The music of your teenage years probably will stay with you for the rest of your life.I think music is deeply connected with memory because of the emotions it awakens.Music also helps to mark time because of the way the fashions and stars of pop culture come and go.I often connect some summers with particular records ( ) that came out while I was on holiday.But what's really the best way to record your youth? Is it your favorite song, or a picture of the singer? In my teenage years, one of the special things about Britain was the huge amount of information about music.There were 3 weekly newspapers about music:Sounds, Melody Maker and the New Musical Express.Buying records was expensive and it also meant making a choice.So it was wise to read about music instead, and in some ways, it was actually better as well.It was possible for a group to get onto the front cover of one of the music papers without even having made any records--but they needed things to say for the reporters to write about.In fact, the best pop stars of the 1980s were people whose main talent was exactly _ .They weren' t great musicians or singers and they weren't especially goodlooking, but they had some unusual acts or habits and a nice way with clever phrases.They were ideal for filling music papers. When The Face magazine first came out in May, 1980, it was meant to be a rock magazine.I have given away or sold all the records I bought as a teenager, but I think my old copies of The Face will stay with me for ever.Although it started out as a source of information about music, the writers quickly realized that it wasn't really the music that was important--it was the way people spoke and acted, and, above all, the way they looked. Question: According to the author,music can NOT _ . - improve memory - awaken emotions - mark time - stay in the mind
Ans: improve memory

Ques: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Vellumsound presents Social Distinctions: Patrons and Partnerships 8:00 pm-9:30 pm Harry and Mildred Remis Auditorium (Auditorium 161), Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston Ticket Required MFA Members $20.00 Nonmembers $25.00 Activities The exhibition"Class Distinctions: Dutch Painting in the Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer"and the MFA collection show many purposes that artists have created works -- for the open market, wealthy patrons, religious organizations, and royal commissions. Music has been composed for these reasons as well. Examine how artists create their magnificent works. First, from exhibition curator Ronni Baer, hear an overview of"Class Distinctions", an exhibition designed to encourage close looking at paintings to recognize clues embedded in the works that refer to social rank and status. Then listen to beautiful works for string quartet by Purcell, Mozart, and Bartok. Tips Entry or re-entry after the event starts is not guaranteed and will be at the discretion of the house manager. To order tickets by phone, call 1-800-440-6975; to order in person, visit any MFA ticket desk. For $5 more, enjoy guaranteed Premium Seating in the first three rows of the auditorium. Question: If you are an MFA member and want to best enjoy the activity, you should pay . - $20.00 - $25.00 - $30.00 - $35.00
Ans: $25.00

Ques: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Learning to communicate in another language may be challenging, but it is also a very rewarding and enriching experience. It is the best passport to discovering another culture. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of the experience. Work at your own pace. Make the most of the time you have available to study. You will find you can learn more effectively if you study for half an hour every day, rather than try to do a whole unit in one sitting. Why not learn with someone else? It helps if you can learn with someone else. If you can persuade a friend or family member to study with you, it will give you extra motivation to keep working. Remember that you can go a long way with just a little language. Even if you feel unsure about your ability to form right sentences, you'll find that it is possible to communicate with just a few words. Above all, don't worry about getting things wrong: people will still be able to understand you. The more confidence you gain in communicating, the more fluent you'll become. Build up your vocabulary. A wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning but don't try to learn too much at once. It's best to study frequently. Put words into sentences to fix them in mind, and come back to them later. Learning vocabulary in this way is usually very effective. And most of all, have fun! Question: In the writer's opinion, it is better to study _ . - for half an hour every day - a whole unit at a time - more than an hour a day - at any time in the day
Ans:
for half an hour every day