HE FOUND THE COURSE DIFFICULTSO HE HAD TO SPEND MOST OF HIS TIME ON...

20.He found the course

difficult

so he had to spend most of his time on study.

A. memorable

B. easy

C. interesting

D. hard

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct

word for each of the blanks.

Marriage nowadays is a choice people make on their own, but this has not always been the case in society.

Thousands of years ago, the average lifespan was shorter than

it

is today. A man usually lived until he was

about 40 years old, while women died even sooner because of childbirth. There were many wars and

illnesses, and people had to protect themselves by having more children while they were still young. The

parents lived through their children.

Marriage was not so much a romantic love story but a business transaction, or deal. Most marriages were

arranged between parents while their children were still very young. It was the custom that the fathers made

the decision on whom their children were going to marry. The mothers had little say in it since they rarely

made any decisions outside the household. The fathers would meet to arrange the wedding date and the

money given for the bride on her wedding date. The more money and land a girl had, the more chances she

had to marry well. Therefore, it was important that her father choose the

bridegroom

very well. Usually, it

was someone who came from a good family or who was rich too. It was very unlikely that people married

outside their social class. A few well-off and rich merchants got to marry poorer noblewomen and became

King’s business advisors. In a way, poor peasants had an easier choice as it was less important whom they

married.

The practice of arranged marriage is still common in some countries in the Middle East, such as India or

Pakistan. Here, social classes are still strongly divided and very well-kept. Often, however, arranged

marriages are a sign that people do not want to

let go of

the past, which gives them comfort and security in

an ever-changing world.

(Adapted from Longman Essence Reading, Vol. 2)