Find the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
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Choose the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s).
The use of loud sounds to scare off predators serves as a viable strategy for survival.
Find the underlined part that needs correction in the following question.
I’ve given talks so many times that now I just make up them as I go along.
Find the underlined part that needs correction in the following question.
The problems of traffic congestion and pollution will continue to grow if the government does not make any measures to reduce the negative effects of urbanization.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
It was on a beautiful day in November when she accepted his proposal of marriage.
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Almon Strowger, an American engineer, constructed the first automatic telephone switching system, which had a horizontal, bladelike contact arm, in 1891. The first commercial switchboard based on his invention opened in La Porte, Indiana, a year later and was an instant success with business users. To access the system, the caller pressed buttons to reach the desired number and turned the handle to activate the telephone ringer. During the same year, Strowger's step-by-step call advancement technology was implemented in the long-distance service between New York and Chicago when it proved to have the capacity of carrying signals through cable-joint extensions.
The first actual dial telephones, patented by Lee De Forest in 1907, were installed in Milwaukee in 1896. In 1912, their sound transmittal apparatus adapted an electronic tube to function as an amplifier. Transatlantic radio-telephone service linked New York and London in 1927. However, the long-distance coaxial cable, which was hailed as unprecedented, came on the scene in 1936 connecting New York and Philadelphia. The Bell Laboratories research facility came up with the transistor to replace the cumbersome vacuum tube, thus diminishing the size of the electronic switch system to about 10 per cent of that of the original. Crossbar switching, installed in terminals in 1938, operated on the principle of an electromagnetic force, which rotated horizontal and vertical bars within a rectangular frame and brought contacts together in a split second. A technological break-through in the form of undersea cables between the United States and Hawaii was implemented almost twenty years later. An extension was connected to Japan in 1964.
Choose the word that differs from the rest in the position of the main stress.
Choose the word that differs from the rest in the position of the main stress.
_____ where he tried to hide his favorite jacket, Jethreo’s brother always managed to find it.
James visited _____ State Hermitage Museum, _____ famous tourist attraction in St. Petersburg.
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Every day, millions of shoppers hit the stores in full force - both online and on foot - searching frantically for the perfect gift. Last year, Americans spent over $30 billion at retail stores in the month of December alone. Aside from purchasing holiday gifts, most people regularly buy presents for other occasions throughout the year, including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and baby showers. This frequent experience of gift-giving can engender ambivalent feelings in gift-givers. Many relish the opportunity to buy presents because gift-giving offers a powerful means to build stronger bonds with one’s closest peers. At the same time, many dread the thought of buying gifts; they worry that their purchases will disappoint rather than delight the intended recipients.
Anthropologists describe gift-giving as a positive social process, serving various political, religious, and psychological functions. Economists, however, offer a less favorable view. According to Waldfogel (1993), gift-giving represents an objective waste of resources. People buy gifts that recipients would not choose to buy on their own, or at least not spend as much money to purchase (a phenomenon referred to as ‘‘the deadweight loss of Christmas”). To wit, givers are likely to spend $100 to purchase a gift that receivers would spend only $80 to buy themselves. This ‘‘deadweight loss” suggests that gift-givers are not very good at predicting what gifts others will appreciate. That in itself is not surprising to social psychologists. Research has found that people often struggle to take account of others’ perspectives - their insights are subject to egocentrism, social projection, and multiple attribution errors.
What is surprising is that gift-givers have considerable experience acting as both gift-givers and gift-recipients, but nevertheless tend to overspend each time they set out to purchase a meaningful gift. In the present research, we propose a unique psychological explanation for this - that is, that gift-givers equate how much they spend with how much recipients will appreciate the gift (the more expensive the gift, the stronger a gift-recipient’s feelings of appreciation). Although a link between gift price and feelings of appreciation might seem intuitive to gift-givers, such an assumption may be unfounded. Indeed, we propose that gift-recipients will be less inclined to base their feelings of appreciation on the magnitude of a gift than givers assume.
Why do gift-givers assume that gift price is closely linked to gift-recipients’ feelings of appreciation? Perhaps givers believe that bigger (that is, more expensive) gifts convey stronger signals of thoughtfulness and consideration. According to Camerer (1988) and others, gift-giving represents a symbolic ritual, whereby gift-givers attempt to signal their positive attitudes toward the intended recipient and their willingness to invest resources in a future relationship. In this sense, gift-givers may be motivated to spend more money on a gift in order to send a “stronger signal” to their intended recipient. As for gift‑recipients, they may not construe smaller and larger gifts as representing smaller and larger signals of thoughtfulness and consideration.
In paragraph 1, the word “ambivalent” most nearly means _______.
The word “this” in paragraph 3 refers to gift-givers’_____.
Find the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
Because of their microscopic size, particles and easily penetrate deep into the respiratory system, causing serious health problems.
Choose the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s).
The new sweater collection is so popular with teenagers all over the world that the manufacturer is making money hand over fist.
Choose the answer that is closest in meaning to this pair of sentences.
We couldn’t get a babysitter. That’s why we couldn’t join you at the restaurant.
Choose the sentence that best combines this pair of sentences.
The president failed to explain the cause of the crisis. He did not offer any solutions.
Read the passage. Choose one suitable word for each blank.
Paparazzi are freelance photographers pursue unique candid photographs of celebrities. Their actions of paparazzi are sometimes criticized because they often go to extreme extents to get unusual shots. At times, their actions may actually be , and in some countries they may be prosecuted. Wherever celebrities and stars can be found, paparazzi are usually not far behind.
The term paparazzi comes from the name of the character in the Italian film Fellini film La Dolce Vita. Signor Paparazzo is a photographer who quests for his next photo opportunity and, at one point, photographs a woman who has recently a personal tragedy. His tactics are remarkably similar to those used by real-life celebrity photographers today, which is why they came to be known as paparazzi. A single representative of this intriguing business is known as a paparazzo, although it is rare to see a paparazzo alone, these photographers often follow each other as well as famous people.
Choose the sentence that is CLOSEST in meaning to this one.
Every soldier will have to use a radio after landing.
Choose the answer that is closest in meaning to this sentence.
It’s hard to concentrate when you're tired.
Choose the sentence that is closest in meaning to this sentence.
“You must never play truant again." said their mother.
Brian: “Andrew won’t like it, you know.”
Tim: “_____ I don’t care what Andrew think.”
Guest: “Would you give this note to Mr. Wilson, please?”
Secretary: “_____”