Read the following passage and then choose the best answer for each question by circling the corresponding letter A, B, C or D from 36 to 40.

The modern comic strip started out as ammunition in a newspaper war between giants of the American press in the late nineteenth century. The first full-color comic strip appeared in January 1894 in the New York World, owned by Joseph Pulitzer. The first regular weekly full-color comic supplement, similar to today’s Sunday funnies, appeared two years later, in William Randolph Hearst’s rival New York paper, the Morning Journal.

Both were immensely popular and publishers realized that supplementing the news with comic relief boosted the sale of papers. The Morning Journal started another feature in 1896, the “Yellow Kid”, the first continuous comic character in the United States, whose creator, Richard Outcault, had been lured away from the World by the ambitious Hearst. The “Yellow Kid” was in many ways a pioneer. Its comic dialogue was the strictly urban farce that came to characterize later strips, and it introduced the speech balloon inside the strip, usually placed above the characters’ heads.

The first strip to incorporate all the elements of later comics was Rudolph Dirks’s “Katzenjammer Kids”, based on Wilhelm Busch’s Max and Moritz, a European satire of the nineteenth century. The “Kids” strip, first published in 1897, served as the prototype for future American strips. It contained not only speech balloons, but a continuous cast of characters, and was divided into small regular panels that did away with the larger panoramic scenes of earlier comics.

Newspaper syndication played a major role in spreading the popularity of comic strips throughout the country. Though weekly colored comics came first, daily black-and-white strips were not far behind. The first appeared in the Chicago American in 1904. It was followed by many imitators, and by 1915 blackand-white comic strips had become a staple of daily newspapers around the country.

What does the passage mainly discuss? 

A. The differences between early and modern comic strips

B. Features of early comic strips in the United States

C. The effects of newspapers on comic strip stories

D. A comparison of two popular comic strips

Read the following passage and then choose the best answer for each question by circling the corresponding letter A, B, C or D from 36 to 40.

The modern comic strip started out as ammunition in a newspaper war between giants of the American press in the late nineteenth century. The first full-color comic strip appeared in January 1894 in the New York World, owned by Joseph Pulitzer. The first regular weekly full-color comic supplement, similar to today’s Sunday funnies, appeared two years later, in William Randolph Hearst’s rival New York paper, the Morning Journal.

Both were immensely popular and publishers realized that supplementing the news with comic relief boosted the sale of papers. The Morning Journal started another feature in 1896, the “Yellow Kid”, the first continuous comic character in the United States, whose creator, Richard Outcault, had been lured away from the World by the ambitious Hearst. The “Yellow Kid” was in many ways a pioneer. Its comic dialogue was the strictly urban farce that came to characterize later strips, and it introduced the speech balloon inside the strip, usually placed above the characters’ heads.

The first strip to incorporate all the elements of later comics was Rudolph Dirks’s “Katzenjammer Kids”, based on Wilhelm Busch’s Max and Moritz, a European satire of the nineteenth century. The “Kids” strip, first published in 1897, served as the prototype for future American strips. It contained not only speech balloons, but a continuous cast of characters, and was divided into small regular panels that did away with the larger panoramic scenes of earlier comics.

Newspaper syndication played a major role in spreading the popularity of comic strips throughout the country. Though weekly colored comics came first, daily black-and-white strips were not far behind. The first appeared in the Chicago American in 1904. It was followed by many imitators, and by 1915 blackand-white comic strips had become a staple of daily newspapers around the country. 

The word “incorporate” is closest in meaning to 

A. combine 

B. create 

C. affect 

D. mention 

Read the following passage and then choose the best answer for each question by circling the corresponding letter A, B, C or D from 36 to 40.

The modern comic strip started out as ammunition in a newspaper war between giants of the American press in the late nineteenth century. The first full-color comic strip appeared in January 1894 in the New York World, owned by Joseph Pulitzer. The first regular weekly full-color comic supplement, similar to today’s Sunday funnies, appeared two years later, in William Randolph Hearst’s rival New York paper, the Morning Journal.

Both were immensely popular and publishers realized that supplementing the news with comic relief boosted the sale of papers. The Morning Journal started another feature in 1896, the “Yellow Kid”, the first continuous comic character in the United States, whose creator, Richard Outcault, had been lured away from the World by the ambitious Hearst. The “Yellow Kid” was in many ways a pioneer. Its comic dialogue was the strictly urban farce that came to characterize later strips, and it introduced the speech balloon inside the strip, usually placed above the characters’ heads.

The first strip to incorporate all the elements of later comics was Rudolph Dirks’s “Katzenjammer Kids”, based on Wilhelm Busch’s Max and Moritz, a European satire of the nineteenth century. The “Kids” strip, first published in 1897, served as the prototype for future American strips. It contained not only speech balloons, but a continuous cast of characters, and was divided into small regular panels that did away with the larger panoramic scenes of earlier comics.

Newspaper syndication played a major role in spreading the popularity of comic strips throughout the country. Though weekly colored comics came first, daily black-and-white strips were not far behind. The first appeared in the Chicago American in 1904. It was followed by many imitators, and by 1915 blackand-white comic strips had become a staple of daily newspapers around the country.

The word “it” refers to 

A. farce 

B. dialogue 

C. balloon 

D. the “Yellow Kid” 

Read the following passage and then choose the best answer for each question by circling the corresponding letter A, B, C or D from 36 to 40.

The modern comic strip started out as ammunition in a newspaper war between giants of the American press in the late nineteenth century. The first full-color comic strip appeared in January 1894 in the New York World, owned by Joseph Pulitzer. The first regular weekly full-color comic supplement, similar to today’s Sunday funnies, appeared two years later, in William Randolph Hearst’s rival New York paper, the Morning Journal.

Both were immensely popular and publishers realized that supplementing the news with comic relief boosted the sale of papers. The Morning Journal started another feature in 1896, the “Yellow Kid”, the first continuous comic character in the United States, whose creator, Richard Outcault, had been lured away from the World by the ambitious Hearst. The “Yellow Kid” was in many ways a pioneer. Its comic dialogue was the strictly urban farce that came to characterize later strips, and it introduced the speech balloon inside the strip, usually placed above the characters’ heads.

The first strip to incorporate all the elements of later comics was Rudolph Dirks’s “Katzenjammer Kids”, based on Wilhelm Busch’s Max and Moritz, a European satire of the nineteenth century. The “Kids” strip, first published in 1897, served as the prototype for future American strips. It contained not only speech balloons, but a continuous cast of characters, and was divided into small regular panels that did away with the larger panoramic scenes of earlier comics.

Newspaper syndication played a major role in spreading the popularity of comic strips throughout the country. Though weekly colored comics came first, daily black-and-white strips were not far behind. The first appeared in the Chicago American in 1904. It was followed by many imitators, and by 1915 blackand-white comic strips had become a staple of daily newspapers around the country.

According to the passage, the “Yellow Kid” was the first comic strip to do all of the following EXCEPT 

A. feature the same character in each episode 

B. appear in a Chicago newspaper 

C. include dialogue inside a balloon 

D. characterize city life in a humorous way 

III. Read the following passage then choose the best answer from the four options (marked A, B, C and D) to complete the numbered blanks in the passage. Identify your answers by writing the corresponding letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet.

If asked who ____________(1) the game of baseball, most ___________(2) would probably reply that it was Abner Doubleday. At the beginning of this century, there was some disagreement over ___________(3) the game of baseball had actually originated, so sporting-goods manufacturer Spaulding inaugurated a commission to research the ____________(4). In 1908 a report was published by the commission _________(5) which Abner Doubleday, a U.S. Army officer from Cooperstown, New York, was ____________(6) credit for the intervention of the game. The National Baseball Hall of Fame was established in Cooperstown in __________(7) of Doubleday.

Today, most sports historians are in agreement that Doubleday ____________(8) did not have much to do with the development of baseball. __________(9), baseball seems to be a close ____________(10) to the English game of rounders and probably has English rather than American roots. 

1. A. discovered B. founded C. invented D. found

2. A. Americans B. American C. The US D. America

3. A. what B. how C. when D. that

4. A. problem B. question C. matter D. issue

5. A. at B. to C. of D. in

6. A. provided B. passed C. given D. delivered

7. A. honor B. reward C. award D. ceremony

8. A. truly B. really C. as well D. probably 

9. A. But B. Moreover C. Instead D. Additionally

10. A. relate B. relationship C. relative D. relation

Read the following passage then choose the best answer from the four options (marked A, B, C and D) to complete the numbered blanks in the passage. Identify your answers by writing the corresponding letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet.

           Although some groups of people have always lived outdoor in tents, camping as we know it today only began to be (1) _________ about 50 years ago. The increase in the use of cars and improvement in camping equipment have (2) __________ more people to travel longer (3) __________ into the countryside and to stay there in greater comfort.

           Many campers like to be (4) __________ themselves in quiet areas, so they (5)__________ their tent and food, and walk or cycle into the forests or the mountains. Others, preferring to be near people, drive to a public or privately-owned campsite (6) __________ has up-to-date facilities, (7)__________ hot showers and swimming pools.

           Whether campers are (8) ________ in the mountains or on a busy site, they should remember to (9)________ the area clean and tidy. In the forests, they must put out any fires and keep food hidden to avoid attracting (10) _________ animals.

1. A. fame                    B. popular                                C. favorite                 D. current

2. A. asked                    B. let                                         C. made                     D. allowed

3. A. parts                     B. directions                             C. voyages                D. distances

4. A. on                        B. by                                        C. at                          D. of

5. A. take                      B. make                                    C. pick                      D. do

6. A. where                   B. who                                     C. which                   D. when

7. A. such                     B. like                                       C. as                          D. just

8. A. lonely                   B. single                                   C. separate                D. alone

9. A. remain                  B. stay                                      C. keep                      D. let

10. A. wild                   B. natural                                 C. loose                     D. free

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 questions.

The modern comic strip started out as ammunition in a newspapaer war between giants of the American press in the late nineteenth century. The first full-color comic strip appeared in January 1894 in the New York World, owned by Joseph Pulitzer. The first regular weekly full-color comic supplement, similar to today’s Sunday funnies, appeared two years later, in William Randolph Hearst’ rival New York paper, the Morning Journal.

Both were immensely popular and publishers realized that supplementing the news with comic relief boosted the sale of papers. The Morning Journal started another feature in 1896, the “Yellow Kid”, the first continuous comic character in the United States, whose creator, Richard Outcault, had been lured away from the World by the ambitious Hearst. The “Yellow Kid” was in many ways a pioneer. Its comic dialogue was the strictly urban farce that came to characterize later strips, and it introduced the speech baloon inside the strip, usually placed above the characters’ heads.

The first strip to incorporate all the elements of later comics was Rudolph Dirks’s “Katzenjammer Kids”, based on Wilhelm Busch’s Max and Moritz, a European satire of the nineteenth century. The “Kids” strip, first published in 1897, served as the prototype for future American strips. It contained not only speech baloons, but a continuous cast of characters, and was divided into small regular panels that did away with the larger panoramic scenes of earlier comics.

Newspaper syndication played a major role in spreading the popularity of comic strips throughout the country. Though weekly colored comics came first, daily black-and-white strips were not far behind. The first appeared in the Chicago American in 1904. It was followed by many imitators, and by 1915 black-and-white comic strips had become a staple of daily newspapers around the country.

The passage suggests that comic strips were popular for which of the following reasons?

A. Readers enjoyed the unusual drawings

B. They were about real-life situations

C. Readers could identify with the characters

D. They provided a break from serious news stories

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 questions.

The modern comic strip started out as ammunition in a newspaper war between giants of the American press in the late nineteenth century. The first full-color comic strip appeared January 1894 in the New York World, owned by Joseph Pulitzer. The first regular weekly full-color comic supplement, similar to today's Sunday funnies, appeared two years later, in William Randolph Hearst's rival New York paper, the Morning Journal.

Both were immensely popular, and publishers realized that supplementing the news with comic relief boosted the sale of papers. The Morning Journal started another feature in 1896, the "Yellow Kid", the first continuous comic character in the United States, whose creator, Richard Outcault, had been lured away from the World by the ambitious Hearst. The "Yellow Kid" was in many ways a pioneer. Its comic dialogue was the strictly urban farce that came to characterize later strips, and it introduced the speech balloon inside the strip, usually placed above the characters' heads.

The first strip to incorporate all the elements of later comics was Rudolph Dirks's "Katzenjammer Kids," based on Wilhelm Busch's Max and Moritz, a European satire of the nineteenth century. The "Kids" strip, first published in 1897, served as the prototype for future American strips. It contained not only speech balloons, but a continuous cast of characters, and was divided into small regular panels that did away with the larger panoramic scenes of most earlier comics.

Newspaper syndication played a major role in spreading the popularity of comic strips throughout the country. Though weekly colored comics came first, daily black-and-white strips were not far behind. The first appeared in the Chicago American in 1904. It was followed by many imitators, and by 1915 black-and-white comic strips had become a staple of daily newspapers around the country.

The passage suggests that comic strips were popular for which of the following reasons?

A. Readers enjoyed the unusual drawings

B. They were about real-life situations

C. Readers could identify with the characters

D. They provided a break from serious news stories

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 questions from 35 to 42.

The modern comic strip started out as ammunition in a newspaper war between giants of the American press in the late nineteenth century. The first full-color comic strip appeared January 1894 in the New York World, owned by Joseph Pulitzer. The first regular weekly full-color comic supplement, similar to today's Sunday funnies, appeared two years later, in William Randolph Hearst's rival New York paper, the Morning Journal.

Both were immensely popular, and publishers realized that supplementing the news with comic relief boosted the sale of papers. The Morning Journal started another feature in 1896, the "Yellow Kid," the first continuous comic character in the United States, whose creator, Richard Outcault, had been lured away from the World by the ambitious Hearst. The "Yellow Kid" was in many ways a pioneer. Its comic dialogue was the strictly urban farce that came to characterize later strips, and it introduced the speech ballon inside the strip, usually placed above the characters' heads.

The first strip to incorporate all the elements of later comics was Rudolph Dirks's "Katzenjammer Kids," based on Wilhelm Busch's Max and Moritz, a European satire of the nineteenth century. The "Kids" strip, first published in 1897, served as the prototype for future American strips. It contained not only speech balloons, but a continuous cast of characters, and was divided into small regular panels that did away with the larger panoramic scenes of earlier comics.

Newspaper syndication played a major role in spreading the popularity of comic strips throughout the country. Though weekly colored comics came first, daily black-and-white strips were not far behind.. The first appeared in the Chicago American in 1904. It was followed by many imitators, and by 1915 black-and-white comic strip had become a staple of daily newspapers around the country.

What does the passage mainly discuss

A. A comparison of two popular comic strips

B. The differences between early and modern comic strips

C. The effects of newspapers on comic strip stories

D. Features of early comic strips in the United States