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

23. We can conclude that one reason a worker might choose flexitime is ...
A) to be able to work longer hours and impress his or her boss.
B) to earn more money by working more overtime hours.
C) to get a longer weekend in return for longer working days.
D) to avoid the rush-hour traffic by commuting at different hours from the majority.
24. The word GRANT in the text is closest in meaning to ...
A) conform B) give C) reduce D) reject


Cities are a universal symbol of civilisation. They have been found in every country that has gone beyond a simple agricultural economy, regardless of whether there was industrial or technological development. The history of civilisation is the history of the city. From their origins as places where people gathered for mutual safety or defence, cities have gone on to become marketplaces for goods and ideas, seats of government, and centres of religious devotion. By division of labour and by easing communication between people, cities created the opportunity to invent new technologies and new ways of viewing life. While many individual geniuses have come from rural backgrounds, it has been in the cities that they have found inspiration and scope for their talents.
25. The author states that cities ... .
A) have developed in every country that has had a simple agricultural economy
B) have created more geniuses than have rural areas
C) have only arisen in countries that are industrially or technologically developed
D) are a worldwide phenomenon and have historical significance
26. According to the passage, it is clear that in the beginning cities ... .
A) were centres where people gathered for religious reasons
B) functioned as places of safety in times of danger
C) had importance, as governments were located there
D) were primarily marketplaces where goods were traded
27. What point does the author make about geniuses?
A) They visit cities to get ideas and then return to their houses in more peaceful rural places.
B) They have no chance to improve themselves in intellectually uninspiring rural situations.
C) They are almost never found in the country as they are of little use in such an environment.
D) They can be born anywhere, but have more opportunity to develop their talents in cities.


In the Pacific Ocean, over 4000 kilometres from the coast of Chile, the closest mainland, is a tiny island named Easter Island that amazed the first seafarers to land there in the 18th century. What surprised them were the hundreds of colossal statues scattered all over the island. They were the remains of massive sculptures that had been cut from the volcanic mountains. No one has ever been able to explain why these statues were built. They are between ten and twenty metres high and weigh up to fifty tonnes. Even now, scientists are unable to explain how such huge monuments were constructed and moved about on such a remote island.