HEALTHY LIVING

Small Daily Choices, Lasting Results

• Morning habits: A healthy lifestyle does not begin with a perfect plan. It often starts with simple actions such as drinking enough water, getting fresh air, and making (1) __________ food choices before the day becomes busy.
• Balanced routines: People who stay well over time often develop body signal awareness, which helps them notice when stress, poor sleep, or inactivity is slowly affecting their energy. Among busy adults, those who maintain healthy routines are often the first (2) __________ early signs that their daily habits need adjustment.
• Long-term value: A healthier lifestyle can make people less vulnerable (3) __________ unhealthy patterns. It also encourages (4) __________ habits that support better sleep, clearer focus, and more stable energy. In many cases, this is the kind of steady self-management that helps people (5) __________ ground against unhealthy habits over time and derive greater value (6) __________ everyday discipline.

Question 1: A. nutrition        B. nutritious        C. nutritiously        D. nourish

Question 2: A. noticing        B. which notices        C. to notice        D. noticed

Question 3: A. in        B. at        C. to        D. with

Question 4: A. long-term balanced lifestyle        B. balanced lifestyle long-term

C. long-term lifestyle-balanced        D. lifestyle long-term balanced

Question 5: A. make        B. gain        C. hold        D. take

Question 6: A. in        B. at        C. with        D. from

A BRIEF NOTE ON HOW GENERATIONS MISREAD ONE ANOTHER

A common view

• Some Gen Z adults speak openly about stress, values, and personal limits. Older colleagues may see this as weakness, while younger people often see it as self-awareness.

Where the misunderstanding begins

• Tension grows when Gen X and Gen Y (7) __________ Gen Z behaviour as a sign of poor discipline rather than a response to changing social conditions.

• Some young adults leave one job for another; (8) __________ stay longer but ask for clearer boundaries.

• This difference is not always a sign of low (9) __________.

Why context matters

• (10) __________ the financial pressure many young adults face, their caution at work may be judged too harshly.

• A fair opinion requires a (11) __________ of evidence than a few online examples.

• In many cases, their attitude is more (12) __________ than careless.

Question 7: A. take over        B. write off        C. bring out        D. come across

Question 8: A. another        B. other        C. others        D. the others

Question 9: A. commitment        B. volume        C. permission        D. routine

Question 10: A. Save for        B. In spite of        C. Given        D. But for

Question 11: A. majority        B. share        C. level        D. body

Question 12: A. restless        B. rebellious        C. reflective        D. impulsive

Question 13:

a. Ryan: That makes sense. The comments under your post were getting mean, so it was probably better not to stay online all night.

b. Ryan: You disappeared from the class group after dinner. Was everything okay?

c. Lily: Yeah. I turned off notifications and left my phone in another room for a while.

A. a – b – c        B. c – a – b        C. c – b – a        D. b – c – a

Question 14:

a. Owen: Honestly, I keep checking my phone, even when I sit down to study.

b. Owen: Maybe that would help. I waste so much time opening messages that are not even important.

c. Owen: I plan to answer one text, then I end up scrolling for ages.

d. Chloe: I had that problem too, so I started putting my phone behind my laptop and using focus mode for thirty minutes.

e. Chloe: What usually happens when you check it?

A. a – d – b – e – c        B. a – c – d – b – e        C. a – e – c – d – b        D. b – d – a – e – c

Question 15:

Dear Ms. Parker,

We hope you are doing well. Thank you for your continued effort at work.

a. As a result, the company has decided to increase your monthly salary starting from July 1.

b. Over the past year, your performance in client support and internal coordination has been consistently strong.

c. We also appreciate the way you handled several urgent tasks during the recent system update.

d. This adjustment reflects both your contribution to the team and your professional attitude in daily work.

e. The updated amount will appear in your next payslip, and HR will send the official details later this week.

Best regards,

Human Resources Department

A. b – a – c – d – e        B. c – b – a – e – d        C. b – c – a – d – e        D. a – b – d – c – e

Question 16:

a. One reason is that online spaces make it easy to react quickly, especially when people see only one short clip or screenshot instead of the full story.

b. Because of that, small disagreements can suddenly become public arguments, and the original issue often gets buried under jokes, side comments, or personal attacks.

c. This is why digital communication needs more pause and more context than many people expect.

d. A growing problem among teenagers is that minor misunderstandings on social media are turning into serious conflicts much faster than before.

e. In real life, tone of voice, facial expression, and timing usually help people correct a misunderstanding early, but those signals are often missing online.

A. d – b – a – e – c        B. a – d – e – b – c        C. d – a – e – b – c        D. e – a – d – b – c

Question 17:

a. After a short discussion, we decided to focus on reducing plastic waste at school by promoting reusable items and practical daily habits.

b. Our teacher added motivation by highlighting the real-world impact of small environmental actions and consistently encouraging us to refine our plan.

c. Initially, we struggled with limited ideas and uneven participation, but these issues were gradually resolved through clearer roles and open discussion.

d. When the results were announced and our class won second prize, we felt genuinely proud of our teamwork and the meaningful contribution we had made.

e. As soon as the school announced the green project competition, our class eagerly began preparing with a shared sense of purpose.

A. a – c – e – b – d        B. e – c – b – a – d        C. a – e – b – c – d        D. e – a – c – b – d

More than half a century after antibiotics transformed modern medicine, their effectiveness continues to decline in ways that many researchers find deeply troubling. A recent multinational report, which examined prescribing data from over 150 healthcare systems, introduced a measure called “selection pressure”, a concept that takes into account not only how often an antibiotic is prescribed but also (18) __________. When researchers compared data from 2014 to 2023, they found that resistance rates had risen across several major bacterial groups, a pattern that suggests mounting strain on public health systems.

The rise in antibiotic resistance is linked to two interrelated developments: clinicians are relying on larger volumes of antibiotics, and (19) __________, a shift that has been driven by the rapid spread of resistant infections. As resistance intensifies, health systems that depend heavily on pharmaceutical treatment often feel compelled to adopt broader-spectrum drugs, which, although effective in the short term, (20) __________. Certain antibiotic classes, particularly fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins, have attracted growing concern because of the selective pressure they exert across a wide range of pathogens.

Efforts to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, while widely supported, involve difficult trade-offs, (21) __________, thereby increasing the likelihood of complications in vulnerable patients. Although many countries have pledged to curb inappropriate antibiotic use by 2030, (22) __________, leaving specialists concerned that current policy frameworks may be inadequate to the scale of the problem.

Question 18:

A. how severely each substance affects a range of bacterial populations

B. which bacterial populations are severely affected by each substance

C. how much damage is done by bacteria to each substance used

D. each substance affects a range of bacterial populations severely

Question 19:

A. older antibiotics are being progressively replaced by broader-spectrum ones

B. broader-spectrum antibiotics progressively replaced the older ones being used

C. the replacement of older antibiotics are increasingly broader-spectrum ones

D. broader-spectrum ones are older antibiotics being progressively replaced

Question 20:

A. are a major environmental risk in the immediate future

B. can intensify long-term resistance risks

C. a long-term risk to resistance is significantly increased

D. the long-term risk of resistance has been intensified

Question 21:

A. because restricting access too sharply may delay timely treatment

B. when timely treatment is delayed by restricting access too sharply

C. whereas restricting access too sharply is delaying timely treatment

D. despite the fact that timely treatment may sharply restrict access

Question 22:

A. measuring progress is shared by the difficulty of defining inappropriate use

B. a shared definition of inappropriate use makes progress difficult when measured

C. progress remains difficult to measure without a shared definition of inappropriate use

D. the difficulty in progress is measured by defining inappropriate use in common

Career Cushioning

Not long ago, preparing for a new job was often seen as a clear sign that someone wanted to leave. Today, that is no longer always true. In a labour market shaped by layoffs, restructuring, and economic uncertainty, many employees quietly keep other options alive while staying where they are. This habit is often called career cushioning. It may involve updating a résumé, building new connections, learning extra skills, or simply watching the market more closely than before. The point is not always escape. Quite often, it is protection.

That makes career cushioning different from open job-hunting. A person may still perform well, meet deadlines, and remain committed to current responsibilities, yet choose to prepare for change in the background. Taking a short course after work or reconnecting with former colleagues can look ordinary on the surface, but such actions often reflect a more careful reading of risk. In that sense, the behaviour can be seen as prudent rather than dramatic. People are not necessarily abandoning their roles; they are making sure that one setback does not leave them with no direction.

At the same time, the trend reveals something less comfortable about modern work. Employees usually build a safety net discreetly when they are not fully convinced that the organisation will protect them in return. If confidence were strong, preparation might feel less urgent or less private. Career cushioning therefore says as much about workplace culture as it does about individual ambition. Even when no one speaks openly about leaving, attention may already be drifting outward, with workers investing mentally in possibilities beyond the office.

Seen this way, career cushioning is neither simple disloyalty nor simple wisdom. It can strengthen personal confidence and long-term career resilience, but it also reflects a climate in which security feels conditional. The more common the habit becomes, the more it suggests that employees are learning not to depend too heavily on promises of stability. Preparation, then, is no longer just a career move; it has become part of how many people manage work itself.

[Adapted from Indeed]

Question 23: Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 1 as an activity associated with career cushioning?

A. Establishing new professional connections.        B. Monitoring the job market more frequently.

C. Resigning from a current role to pursue a course.        D. Improving a résumé and acquiring extra skills.

Question 24: The word "prudent" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to __________.

A. subtle        B. careful        C. controlled        D. calm

Question 25: The word "discreetly" in paragraph 3 is OPPOSITE in meaning to __________.

A. rashly        B. loudly        C. openly        D. clearly

Question 26: The word "they" in paragraph 2 refers to __________.

A. connections        B. former colleagues        C. roles        D. people

Question 27: Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 3: "If confidence were strong, preparation might feel less urgent or less private."?

A. Because preparation feels urgent and private, employees can build stronger confidence in their organisation.

B. Preparation only becomes a pressing and secret matter when workers lack faith in their company’s protection.

C. As long as employees feel confident, they will choose to keep their career preparation private and urgent.

D. Strong confidence in an organisation is the primary reason why preparation feels more urgent to employees.

Question 28: According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE about career cushioning?

A. It is a clear indication that an employee is failing to meet their current deadlines.

B. It reflects a workplace climate where long-term security is no longer guaranteed.

C. It is primarily driven by an individual’s ambition to leave their office as soon as possible.

D. It encourages employees to depend more heavily on the stability promised by their firms.

Question 29: In which paragraph does the author discuss how career cushioning serves as a tool for emotional and professional resilience?

A. Paragraph 1        B. Paragraph 2        C. Paragraph 3        D. Paragraph 4

Question 30: In which paragraph does the author explain the difference between career cushioning and actively seeking a new position?

A. Paragraph 1        B. Paragraph 2        C. Paragraph 3        D. Paragraph 4

Extreme heat surge does not arrive as a single “event”. It behaves more like a new operating system quietly installed on summer, changing what counts as normal without asking permission. One week, you notice the nights do not cool, so sleep becomes thinner and tempers shorten. The next, you realise the city has started to reconfigure itself around heat, with deliveries earlier, queues shorter, and streets emptier at midday. The language stays soft, heat becomes “unseasonable”, “uncomfortable”, “a spell”, but the pattern keeps repeating. The World Meteorological Organization has confirmed that 2025 was one of the three warmest years on record, continuing a run of extraordinary global temperatures that makes severe heat more likely and more persistent.

The real mechanism is not mystery, it is momentum. Heatwaves used to be treated as rare spikes, but the dice are now loaded. WMO, summarising IPCC findings, states that human caused climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of heatwaves since the 1950s and that additional warming will increase them further. What follows is not only hotter afternoons. It is longer sequences, higher overnight minimums, and compound stress, heat plus drought, heat plus wildfire smoke, heat plus power demand. In this new rhythm, the body never fully resets, and a “bad day” becomes a bad stretch.

[I] The cost shows up where people least expect it, not in dramatic collapse but in slow erosion. [II] Outdoor jobs must choose between speed and safety. Indoor jobs in poorly cooled spaces become endurance tasks. [III] The WHO and WMO technical guidance on workplace heat stress highlights escalating health and economic risks and argues for organised protection, not improvisation. [IV] Heat turns into inequality you can feel, because those with shade, insulation, and flexible hours buy relief, while others absorb the exposure.

So the question is not whether the next heatwave will happen, but whether society will keep treating each surge as a one off. An extreme heat surge is a pattern problem, meaning the solutions are pattern solutions: early warning linked to action, cooling that reaches the most exposed, rest and water and shade built into work, and cities redesigned to stop storing heat. If we keep speaking about heat as weather, we will keep responding with weather level fixes. If we speak about it as infrastructure and public health, we start building responses that last beyond the forecast.

[Adapted from https://wmo.int/]

Question 31: Where in the passage does the following sentence best fit?

Work becomes a physiological negotiation.

A. [I]        B. [II]        C. [III]        D. [IV]

Question 32: The expression “the dice are now loaded” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to __________.

A. conditions are now stacked to favour more extreme outcomes

B. the situation is now weighted toward more dangerous results

C. the causes are now arranged to hide the real pattern

D. the process is now designed to delay public action

Question 33: The word “them” in paragraph 2 refers to __________.

A. the real mechanism                B. human caused climate change

C. additional warming                D. heatwaves’ frequency and intensity

Question 34: Which of the following is NOT mentioned as part of the way cities begin to adjust around heat?

A. schools shortening the academic day in early summer

B. deliveries taking place earlier than usual

C. queues becoming less crowded

D. streets growing emptier at midday

Question 35: Which of the following best summarises the content of paragraph 3?

A. Heat mainly becomes dangerous when outdoor labourers ignore safety advice, although indoor workers are usually protected if employers respond quickly enough.

B. The main impact of extreme heat is psychological pressure, while the physical and economic effects remain limited unless a dramatic collapse occurs.

C. Extreme heat matters most because it causes visible emergencies, yet organised protection can only reduce inequality rather than improve working conditions.

D. Extreme heat wears people down through everyday working conditions, turning labour into a bodily strain that exposes unequal access to protection and relief.

Question 36: The word “reconfigure” in paragraph 1 is OPPOSITE in meaning to __________.

A. refresh        B. continue        C. maintain        D. destroy

Question 37: Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Wildfire smoke is now more dangerous than drought because it prevents the body from cooling at night.

B. Organised protection is more effective than ad hoc responses when extreme heat starts to affect work and health.

C. Extreme heat mainly creates problems outdoors, while indoor jobs become risky only when power demand rises sharply.

D. Extreme heat is treated as an unpredictable event whose worst effects come from short bursts rather than repeated exposure.

Question 38: Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 3?

A. Because relief from extreme heat is only available to those who can afford shade and insulation, the feeling of inequality remains hidden from the general public.

B. Extreme heat exacerbates social disparities, as individuals with more resources can afford protection while those with fewer means are forced to endure the brunt of the temperature.

C. Only by providing shade and flexible hours can society ensure that the exposure to heat does not turn into a physiological negotiation for those in outdoor jobs.

D. The feeling of inequality disappears when individuals absorb heat exposure equally, regardless of their access to insulation or the ability to purchase cooling relief.

Question 39: Which of the following can most likely be inferred from the passage?

A. Cities that improve early warning systems will eventually reduce all major forms of inequality created by extreme heat.

B. Because heatwaves are becoming more predictable, societies are now better prepared to protect workers in physically demanding jobs.

C. When extreme heat is treated as a repeating structural condition rather than an isolated incident, longer-lasting and fairer responses become more possible.

D. Since severe heat has become one of the main causes of urban disruption, governments will soon need to prioritise transport over public health.

Question 40: Which of the following best summarises the passage?

A. Extreme heat is becoming more common because climate change has made summers warmer, so communities should focus on better forecasts, shorter working hours, and stronger emergency care.

B. Extreme heat now functions less like an isolated weather event and more like a recurring system-level pressure, requiring structural responses in work, cities, and public health.

C. Extreme heat is being normalised through repeated exposure, physical strain, and unequal access to protection, making it an increasingly uneven social burden.

D. Extreme heat should be understood mainly as an economic problem, since its most serious effects appear when workers slow down and urban systems can no longer maintain normal productivity.