Variant 1 You could have come first and won the race if you … faster

22. The phrase AROUND THE CLOCK in the passage means ...
A) 12 hours a day B) 18 hours a day C) 24 hours a day D) 6 hours a day
23. According to the working system of North American hotels, who is in charge of the guests’ stolen
possessions?
A) the housekeeping staff B) the engineering staff C) the beverage staff D) the security staff
24. According to the passage, what is the job of the valet service?
A) Their job is to feed the guests’ pets. B) Their job is to park the guests’ cars.
C) Their job is to clean the guests’ shoes. D) Their job is to clean the guests’ clothes


Rays of sunlight travel from 150 million kilometres away, and when they reach the Earth, they are parallel rays. The curve of the Earth means that the rays are vertical at the Equator but at quite a low angle when they reach temperate latitudes. As the rays lose heat passing through the atmosphere, the more direct the journey, the greater the heat which penetrates through to the surface of the Earth. The vertical rays in equatorial latitudes mean that it is much hotter at the Equator than it is in the regions where the sun’s rays strike at a low angle. It is these variations in temperature that are largely responsible for the changes in weather.
25. The author discusses this issue in order to explain ... .
A) the distance between the Earth and the Sun
B) the way in which the Earth goes around the Sun
C) why the weather is different in different parts of the Earth
D) why sun-rays are parallel when they reach the Earth
26. It can be inferred from the passage that ... .
A) summer is when the Earth is closest to the Sun
B) when it is summer in the northern hemisphere it is winter in the southern hemisphere
C) temperates are cooler than equatorials as sun-rays travel through more atmosphere to reach them
D) sun-rays lose heat in passing through space