42. Which of the following words is closest in meaning with “gratification” in the third paragraph?
(A) hostility
(B) estimation
(C) satisfaction
(D) eccentricity
(E) discernment

38. In the second news article, funerals are considered big business because . (A) death is inevitable (B) gangsters are often involved in funerals (C) people spend a lot of money on funerals (D) funerals are low-cost but high-profit events (E) religious practices have become less important in funerals

39. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE? (A) In both funerals, the families felt sad. (B) Both funerals involved religious beliefs. (C) In both funerals, the families tried to seek comfort. (D) In both funerals, it is believed that people go somewhere after death. (E) Both funerals showed similar attitudes toward the afterlife of the deceased.

40. What does the saying “death and taxes are the two facts of life” mean? (A) Death and taxes may happen to anyone in their lifetime. (B) People do not need to pay taxes anymore when they die. (C) Death and taxes are two unavoidable events in everyone’s life. (D) People are so afraid of paying taxes that they would rather die. (E) In their lifetime, everyone has two chances to face death and taxes.

41. Which of the following titles is the best for this passage? (A) TikTok Brain Explained (B) TikTok, the Last Frontier (C) TikTok, the New Brain Juice for Everybody (D) TikTok: the Saviour of COVID-19 Pandemic (E) A Conversation with the Mastermind Behind TikTok

43. According to this passage, which of the following statements is TRUE? (A) Dopamine will be released when we are facing challenges. (B) TikTok has revolutionized how people interact with each other. (C) TikTok is favorable among youngsters because of peer pressure. (D) Attention span might be lengthened because of social media apps. (E) With algorithms, TikTok is able to feed its users with contents that cater to users’ interests.

44. Among the following adjectives, which can best describe the author’s general attitudes toward the overuse of TikTok? (A) celestial (B) cautious (C) healthful (D) optimistic (E) delusional

45. What can be inferred from the passage? (A) Scholars believe the current trend can be reversible. (B) TikTok should be held accountable for damaging young children’s eyes. (C) Parents should discourage their children from using apps like TikTok at all. (D) Parents should discuss with children how to better manage the use of Tik Tok. (E) Children’s cognitive development will be enhanced because of these brief videos.

46. Which of the following titles suits this article best? (A) Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun imagines a world full of human clones (B) Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun presents a future without human beings (C) Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun explores artificial intelligence and human hearts (D) Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun exemplifies the grave dangers of artificial intelligence (E) Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun manifests a utopia where artificial intelligence governs human beings

47. What does the word “deity” mean in the first paragraph? (A) an eating habit (B) a god or goddess (C) a revealing garment (D) a product made from milk (E) a record of private thoughts

48. Judging from this article, which of the following adjectives is most likely to be used to portray Klara? (A) crude (B) biased (C) ferocious (D) dominant (E) perceptive