Read the following passage about U.S. Regional DAC Hubs: Removing Carbon Directly from the Atmosphere and mark...

Read the following passage about The Return of Traditional Christmas Magic and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 23 to 30.

Christmas 2025 marks a significant transformation in holiday decoration preferences. After years of simple, neutral-toned interiors dominating festive seasons, homeowners are embracing a warmer, more elaborate approach. This dramatic change represents a departure from minimalist trends that previously characterized modern celebrations. The current movement celebrates abundance, memories, and traditional elements that evoke childhood wonder. Interior designers report unprecedented demand for classic ornaments and rich color palettes throughout residential spaces.

The new aesthetic draws inspiration from beloved holiday films and vintage photographs. Red velvet ribbons, emerald garlands, and golden ornaments have replaced subtle decorations. Families are displaying collections of nutcrackers, hanging multiple stockings, and wrapping staircases with illuminated greenery. These choices reflect desires for comfort and familiarity during uncertain times. The style combines luxury elements with accessible touches, allowing everyone to participate regardless of budget constraints.

Social platforms have accelerated this decorative revolution through viral content and influencer endorsements. The "Ralph Lauren Christmas" phenomenon emerged organically, capturing imaginations without corporate marketing campaigns. Young adults particularly connect with 1990s holiday imagery, seeking authentic experiences that their childhoods promised. Digital communities share styling tips, vintage finds, and creative arrangements that inspire widespread adoption. This grassroots movement demonstrates how collective nostalgia shapes contemporary consumer behavior.

Retailers have responded enthusiastically to shifting customer preferences, stocking shelves with traditional merchandise. Sales figures indicate strong performance for classic decorations, while minimalist items remain unsold. Major corporations have adjusted advertising strategies, featuring cozy scenes rather than modern aesthetics. This commercial success confirms that consumers genuinely crave meaningful connections through familiar symbols. The trend suggests people prioritize emotional satisfaction over trendy sophistication when creating holiday atmospheres.

https://www.theguardian.com/am

Question 23: Which detail is NOT MENTIONED in the passage?

A.  The environmental impact of traditional decorations

B.  Digital communities sharing styling tips

C.  Sales performance of minimalist items

D.  Interior designers reporting unprecedented demand

Question 24: The word “evoke” in paragraph 1 is OPPOSITE in meaning to _________.

A.  remind                                        B. inspire                                        C. trigger                                        D. suppress

Question 25: The word “familiarity” in paragraph 2 could be best replaced by _________.

A.  complexity                                B. uncertainty                                C. recognition                                D. luxury

Question 26: The word “their” in paragraph 3 refers to _________.

A.  young adults'

B.  influencers'

C.  digital communities'

D.  corporations'

Question 27: Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?

A.  Traditional items sell moderately, while simple ones dominate the market.

B.  Classic decorations sell excellently, while minimalist ones don't sell at all.

C.  Vintage products perform weakly, while modern items are highly popular.

D.  Classical ornaments sell steadily, while simple designs attract most buyers.

Question 28: Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.  Corporate campaigns created the Ralph Lauren Christmas trend.

B.  Minimalist items are selling well alongside traditional decorations.

C.  Interior designers report declining demand for classic ornaments.

D.  Young adults connect strongly with 1990s holiday imagery.

Question 29: In which paragraph does the writer mention what particularly appeals to young adults?

A.  Paragraph 1                                B. Paragraph 2                                C. Paragraph 3                                D. Paragraph 4

Question 30: In which paragraph does the writer suggest something about consumer priorities?

A.  Paragraph 4                                B. Paragraph 3                                C. Paragraph 2                                D. Paragraph 1

Read the following advertisement and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 1 to 6.

Discover the Future of Robotics at Humanoids Summit 2025!

⮚        Are you ready to witness the revolutionary transformation of robotics technology in real time? Join over 2,000 innovators and explore cutting-edge humanoid robots (1)_________ are reshaping industries worldwide through smart automation.

⮚        (2)_________ of the leading robotics companies from various countries will showcase their latest prototypes at this groundbreaking event. Chinese robots, particularly (3)_________ for their affordability and advanced features, (4)_________ the expo with impressive demonstrations.

⮚        Don't miss the chance to (5)_________ the latest developments in truly innovative AI-powered humanoid technology! Whether you're a researcher, investor, or technology enthusiast, this (6)_________ offers invaluable insights into how robots will work alongside humans in the near future.

❖        Register now and be part of the robotics revolution!

❖        Limited seats available. Book your spot today at www.humanoidssummit2025.com

https://apnews.com/am

Question 1:A. whose
B.  that
C.  who
D.  when

Question 2:A. Any
B.  Much
C.  Some
D.  Most

Question 3:A. known
B.  had known
C.  knowing
D.  which known

Question 4:A. highlighted
B.  enhanced
C.  dominated
D.  attended

Question 5:A. keep up with
B.  catch up with
C.  come across with
D.  look out for

Question 6:A. summit
B.  summiteer
C.  summitify
D.  summitwise

Read of the following leaflet and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 7 to 12.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PARENTS AND TEENS

Australia's New Social Media Age Restriction

❖        ATTENTION: Major Changes Coming to Social Media Access

⮚        Starting December 10, 2025, Australia's groundbreaking social media ban takes (7)_________ for all children under 16 years old.

❖        What You Need to Know:

⮚        The (8)_________ law requires platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to block underage users immediately. This historic ban comes (9)_________ the wake of alarming reports about cyberbullying and harmful online content affecting teenagers. (10)_________ some teens accept these new rules, many are actively seeking ways to bypass the restrictions.

❖        Key Facts:

✔        Major (11)_________ must verify users' ages through various methods

✔        Fines up to A$49.5 million for non-compliance

✔        Some teens have already said goodbye online, while (12)_________ are looking for ways around the ban.

✔        TikTok has already deactivated 200,000 accounts

❖        What Happens Next?

⮚        Platforms will use age verification methods, including behavior analysis, selfie checks, and ID uploads, to ensure compliance.

❖        For more information, visit www.esafety.gov.au

❖        Protecting young Australians online - A new era begins

https://www.reuters.com/am

Question 7:A. place
B.  affect
C.  action
D.  effect

Question 8:A. unprecedented
B.  sweeping
C.  landmark
D.  stringent

Question 9:A. to
B.  for
C.  in
D.  at

Question 10:A. Much as
B.  Whereas
C.  Because
D.  Even as

Question 11:A. social media platforms
B.  platforms media social 

C.  media platforms social 
D.  social platforms media 

Question 12:A. other
B.  the others
C.  another
D.  others

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best arrangement of utterances or sentences to make a meaningful exchange or text in each of the following questions from 13 to 17.

Question 13:

A.         Tom: My teacher says we forget 70% after one day. But if you study again today and again tomorrow, you remember better!

B.         Anna: Oh! So I need to see the words many times? Like meeting a new friend—the first time is hard, but after three times, I remember their name!

C.         Anna: Tom, I studied English words yesterday, but today I forgot everything! Why?

A.  b-a-c
B.  c-a-b
C.  c-b-a
D.  a-b-c

Question 14:

A.         David: That's strange and scary because the computer is not really your grandmother, right?

B.         Maria: You're right, but maybe in the future, computers can save all our memories before we die, and then our families can talk to us forever!

C.         Maria: My grandmother died last year, but now a company can make a computer talk like her!

D.         David: I understand you miss her, so you want to hear her voice, but this is just a machine copying her.

e.        Maria: No, it's not her, but it knows her stories, and it sounds like her voice when I'm sad.

A.  c-a-b-e-d
B.  a-e-d-c-b
C.  c-a-e-d-b
D.  b-a-d-c-e

Question 15:

Dear Kim,

A.         I'm writing to you because I'm worried about our traditional festivals that young people are forgetting.

B.         I believe that we can use social media to share our culture because young people love watching traditional dance videos when they're mixed with modern music.

C.         If we teach our children our language and customs while they learn about the world, they can have both global knowledge and Korean hearts.

D.         When I visited Seoul last week, I saw many cafes that looked American, but I also found beautiful hanbok shops where teenagers were taking photos.

e.        Although we live in a modern world, we must remember our grandparents' stories and songs before they disappear.

Your friend,

AM

A.  a-e-d-c-b
B.  d-e-b-c-a
C.  c-d-e-a-b
D.  a-c-d-e-b

Question 16:

A.         Now he has a PhD in engineering, and he teaches young workers at the factory because he understands their dreams and wants to help them succeed.

B.         After he got his diploma, his boss saw his hard work, so the company paid for his university classes while he continued working part-time.

C.         He failed many exams because English was difficult, but he didn't give up, and his family helped him when he felt tired.

D.         My uncle worked in a shoe factory for ten years, but he always read books during lunch breaks because he loved learning.

e.        Although he left school at sixteen, he studied at night school when his children were sleeping, and he slowly finished high school.

A.  b-c-e-d-a
B.  e-d-c-b-a
C.  c-b-d-e-a
D.  d-e-b-c-a

Question 17:

A.         Although we sometimes don't understand each other's accents, we are patient because we know that speaking many languages helps us with international customers.

B.         Our company has workers from fifteen countries, and we work better because everyone brings different ideas when we solve problems together.

C.         If someone celebrates a holiday that we don't know, they bring traditional food and explain their customs, which makes everyone feel welcome and happy.

D.         When Maria from Mexico joined our team, she taught us to have lunch together, so now we talk more and understand each other better.

e.        Our sales increased by 30% after we hired diverse workers because they understand different markets, and customers trust people who speak their language.

A.  b-e-d-c-a        
B.  b-d-a-c-e
C.  b-a-c-d-e
D.  b-c-e-a-d

Read the following passage about the The Frustrating State of Modern Entertainment and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 31 to 40.

Getting concert tickets in 2025 has become a nightmare that keeps moving the goalposts for regular fans. Virtual queues force people to wait endlessly, sometimes for hours, only to discover that affordable seats have vanished into premium tiers or resale markets within seconds. [I] Presales require special codes, credit cards, or memberships, creating unnecessary barriers between audiences and artists. What should be an exciting moment—securing tickets to see your favorite performer—transforms into administrative torture filled with disappointment, financial stress, and the bitter feeling that ordinary fans no longer matter to the industry.

Television streaming platforms now prioritize quantity over quality, churning out formulaic thrillers designed to hook viewers rather than tell compelling stories that resonate emotionally. Series feel more like business products than creative works. These productions stretch paper-thin plots across eight tedious episodes, constantly repeating information for distracted audiences while manufacturing artificial cliffhangers every few minutes. [II] Instead of genuine suspense, viewers encounter calculated manipulation engineered for subscriber retention metrics, not artistic merit, emotional impact, or meaningful storytelling that respects their intelligence and time.

The internet has deteriorated into a wasteland of synthetic content, where AI-generated articles flood search results and deepfake videos blur reality beyond recognition. [III] Even podcasts, once intimate audio experiences, now interrupt conversations mid-sentence with jarring advertisements that destroy the listening flow. This relentless monetization strategy reveals how platforms value profit margins above listener satisfaction, contributing to widespread digital fatigue among users who increasingly feel exploited by the very services they pay for monthly.

Industry consolidation has created entertainment monopolies that control distribution channels and creative decisions with unprecedented authority. Mergers concentrate power among fewer corporations, making content harder to locate across fragmented services that require multiple expensive subscriptions. Typography has also suffered noticeably, with all-caps titles and deliberately illegible stylization symbolizing culture's hostile attitude toward simplicity and readability. [IV] These accumulated irritations represent a broader pattern: entertainment systems increasingly treat consumers as obstacles to overcome rather than audiences to serve respectfully, transforming leisure into labor and enjoyment into exhausting work.

https://www.theguardian.com/am

Question 31: The phrase “moving the goalposts” in paragraph 1 has the closest meaning to _________.

A.  opening up                                B. setting up                                C. giving away                                D. shifting around

Question 32: According to the passage, which is NOT mentioned?

A.  Virtual queues forcing people to wait for hours

B.  Specific dollar amounts for concert ticket prices

C.  Presales requiring special codes and memberships

D.  AI-generated articles flooding search results

Question 33: Where in the paragraph does the following sentence best fit?

Companies eagerly embrace generative technology despite serious concerns about authenticity and human creativity.

A. [I]
B. [II]
C. [III]
D. [IV]

Question 34: The word “their” in paragraph 2 refers to _________.

A.  viewers                                        B. streaming platforms        C. productions                                D. stories

Question 35: Which of the following best summarises paragraph 3?

A.  Technology companies use AI to innovate digital platforms and create better user experiences through targeted advertising.

B.  Content creators face challenges with platform algorithms while trying to maintain authentic audience connections.

C.  Regulatory frameworks must address digital monopolies and oversee AI applications to ensure fair competition.

D.  Digital platforms prioritize profit through synthetic content and disruptive ads, causing user exploitation and digital fatigue.

Question 36: The word “jarring” in paragraph 3 is OPPOSITE in meaning to _________.

A.  disturbing                                B. harmonious                        C. unpleasant                                D. shocking

Question 37: Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?

A.  Corporate mergers create unified platforms that reduce subscription costs and improve content accessibility.

B.  Business acquisitions spread control among many companies, simplifying content discovery through centralized services.

C.  Corporate consolidation centralizes control, complicating content discovery across scattered platforms, requiring costly subscriptions.

D.  Industry mergers enhance competition, streamlining content organization while offering flexible subscription options.

Question 38: Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.  Concert presales require special codes or memberships, creating barriers between audiences and artists.

B.  Streaming platforms stretch thin plots across episodes to provide meaningful storytelling for viewers.

C.  Podcast advertisements are strategically placed to enhance rather than disrupt listening experiences.

D.  Corporate mergers distribute power among multiple companies, improving content accessibility for consumers.

Question 39: Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A.  The entertainment industry's technological innovations primarily serve to enhance consumer satisfaction and creative quality.

B.  Presale systems and virtual queues were designed to democratize concert access for regular everyday fans.

C.  Streaming services prioritize quantity over quality because audiences genuinely prefer diverse content viewing options.

D.  The entertainment industry increasingly prioritizes financial metrics over authentic consumer experiences and artistic merit.

Question 40: Which of the following best summarises the passage?

A.  Entertainment industries face transitional challenges balancing innovation and accessibility, though technological advances will ultimately improve most overall consumer experiences.

B.  Modern entertainment systems increasingly prioritize corporate profits over consumer satisfaction, creating widespread barriers and transforming enjoyment into exhausting frustration.

C.  Streaming platforms and concert venues struggle with operational efficiency challenges, resulting in occasional inconveniences for consumers seeking quality entertainment content.

D.  Contemporary entertainment reflects evolving consumer preferences toward quantity and convenience, though some traditional quality standards have gradually declined overall.