I.Are the following statements true or false? Mark "T" for true and "F" for false.

1. The inferior education provided by segregated schools is partially responsible for the lower achievement of black students compared with white ones. ( )

2. Welfare policies have helped prevent the deterioration of black families. ( )

3. Some critics claim that Obama believe that the Americans can settle the racial issues with his candidacy. ( )

4. Resentments among working and middle-class whites build over time because blacks are getting more advantages than themselves. ( )

5. Reverend Wright's sermons also advocate the notion of self-help and the belief that society can change. ( )

II. General Knowledge. Fill in the blanks based on the general knowledge.

1. ________ are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States.

2. Uncle Tom's Cabin, published in 1852, is an anti-slavery novel by American author ________. The novel depicts the life of African Americans under slavery.

3. Hyper-segregation is a form of racial segregation that consists of the ________ grouping of racial groups. Most often, this occurs in cities where the residents of the inner city are African Americans and the suburbs surrounding this inner core are often ________ residents.

4. The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the ________and the ________.

5. Lobbying (also lobby) is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often ________ or members of regulatory agencies.

6. For many immigrants, ________ was their first view of the United States, signifying new opportunities in life. The statue is an iconic symbol of ________.

7. Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States, serving from ________ to ________. As president, Reagan implemented sweeping the political and economic initiatives.

8. Religious texts, also known as ________, holy writ or holy books, are the texts which consider various religious traditions to be sacred, or of central importance to some kind of religious belief.

9. The Christian Bible is divided into two parts. The first part is called ________ containing (minimum) 39 books, and the second part is called ________, containing a set of 27 books.

10. ________ is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in ________.

III. Words & Expressions Choose the one that BEST explains the underlined part.

1. Counselors should assist new students in dealing with any disparity between their expectations of and their actual experiences in the university.

A. distinction B. dispute C. discrepancy D. discontent

2. The policemen are required to walk the beat and get more acquainted with the neighborhoods.

A. beat the time B. patrol the area

C. walk the streets D. stroll along the road

3. The science of modern species conservation came of age with the founding of conservation biology in the 1980s.

A. grew up to date B. entered a new age

C. reached adult status D. became fully established

4. What are the odds that the world will warm 4 degrees during the next century?

A. the probability B. the difficulties

C. the trivialities D. the advantages

5. The church has tried to make up for the shortfall by using foreign priests.

A. compensate for B. take the place of

C. show apology by D. go in the direction of

6. After a vacation, most people feel more focused and productive at work.

A. creative B. positive C. original D. efficient

7. An eight-day cruise can produce and dump over one million gallons of gray water into the sea.

A. sell out B. drain off C. put away D. pour down

8. Today democracy largely functions, but the economy remains stagnant.

A. sluggish B. smelly C. sprawling D. straggly

9. In contrast to rights grounded in personal autonomy values, however, freedom of speech primarily serves instrumental goal.

A. rooted in B. based on

C. in line with D. on account of

10. Mr. Obama is setting up his re-election campaign, and after two years stuck in legislative battles, he needs a positive vision to mobilize voters.

A. caught in B. devoted to

C. attached to D. infatuated with

11. Though Washington is proving slower to embrace Clinton's cause, her own popularity is soaring.

A. to hold closely B. to accept willingly

C. to include naturally D. to welcome warmly

12. It is a story of the lives and aspirations of Irish immigrants.

A. inspirations B. ambitions

C. articulations D. respirations

13. As critics get older, they very easily succumb to the notion that there is no more room in the pantheon.

A. yield to B. give up

C. die from D. subject to

14. As a doctor and now a senator, Frist is bound to the fundamental ideal of improving people's health.

A. is imposed upon B. is contracted into

C. is tied up with D. is destined for

15. The basis of a collaborative relationship is the recognition of the complementary gifts and skills of men and women.

A. concern B. designation

C. introduction D. identification