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

23. According to the text, what is the most extreme event that shows Pulitzer’s great attempt to achieve
his goals?
A) His altering a typical newspaper into a thrilling one. B) His buying the newspaper The New York World.
C) His correspondent’s pretending to be crazy. D) His writing about all offences and quarrels found.
24. Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A) Eager readers of the US papers B) The American journalists
C) The Great Newspaper War D) Political and Business Newspapers


The piranha, in spite of its tiny size, is one of the most feared fish in the world. Piranhas live in the Amazon River, have very sharp teeth, and are capable of eating four times their body weight daily. This would not be so bad, if it were not for the way they attack in numbers. Even the smallest movement, like splashing your hand in the water, is enough to attract 300 piranhas in an instant. A piranha attack can transform a live cow into a skeleton in a matter of minutes. When there is nothing else to eat, they will even eat each other.
25. We learn from the passage that the piranha ... .
A) is the world’s smallest fish B) has sharp teeth and a large appetite
C) lives largely on a diet of its own species D) is a salt water fish, similar to the shark
26. It can be implied from the passage that ... .
A) the Amazon River is full of cow skeletons
B) a single piranha can eat a cow in a matter of minutes
C) the average piranha eats four other piranhas every day
D) piranhas are dangerous because so many of them gather to attack their prey
27. The passage tells us that unless there is food, piranhas ...
A) get smaller in size B) face a decline in their numbers
C) attack anything moving in the water D) feed on each other


In 1948, in an effort to stabilise the currency, the Chinese government announced the issue of a new form of currency, called the Gold Yuan Certificate. This measure was necessary because the people had lost all confidence in the old currency, called the Fa Bi. Inflation had escalated to the point where one US dollar was worth 11 million Fa Bi. Official announcements called for all Chinese to turn in their old banknotes, their gold and silver and their foreign currency. Gold Yuan Certificates would be given in exchange, supposedly backed by gold and each worth four to one American dollar. Immediately there was a gold rush, as most private depositors withdrew their precious metals and foreign currency from local banks, because no one with common sense believed that there was any gold to back those certificates.