Choose the best answer from A, B, C, or D to best complete the following sentences. 
16. In his anxiety to make himself________, he spoke too loudly and too slowly.
    A. understand    B. understanding    C. understood    D. to understand 
17. ______ what most people say about him, Paul has a very good sense of humor.
    A. Opposite    B. Against    C. Contrary to    D. Opposing 
18. There is a rumour that the National Bank is going to ______ the company I am working for.
    A. take on    B. take out of    C. take off    D. take over
19. ______ he failed in the entrance exam caused his family much sadness.
    A. Which    B. That    C. The thing    D. What
20. In the primary school, a child is in the ________ simple setting. 
    A. comparison        B. comparative        C. comparatively    D. comparable
21. Nobody was late for the meeting last night, ________?
    A. wasn't he          B. weren't they          C. was he        D. were they
22. “I can’t remember us ever ____________.” replied the stranger. 
    A. having met        B. being met        C. to meet        D. to have met
23. When _________ is not known. 
    A. was the wheel invented          B. the invention of the wheel
    C. it was invented the wheel          D. the wheel was invented
24. Military is _________ in this country. Every man who reaches the age of 18 has to serve in the army for two years. 
    A. compulsory    B. optional        C. illegal        D. unnecessary
25. Please don't be so __________. I can't do all the work by myself. 
    A. reason        B. reasonable        C. unreasonable        D. reasonably
26. Many Vietnamese people ________ their lives for the revolutionary cause of the nation. 
    A. sacrifice        B. sacrificed    C. sacrificial        D. sacrificially
27. When being interviewed, you should concentrate on what the interviewer is saying or asking you. 
    A. be related to            B. be interested in      
    C. pay all attention to          D. express interest to
28. There are ______ words in English having more than one meaning. Pay close attention to this fact.
    A. a large many     B. quite many     C. a great many     D. quite a lot
29. He promised to mend the broken wheel soon without ___________ .
    A. fail     B. failure     C. trouble     D. mistake
30. I don’t know French, but I’ll ________.
    A. get Tom to translate it     B. have it translate    
    C. have Tom to translate it     D. make it translate
31. The handwriting is completely ______ . This note must have been written a long time ago.
    A. inedible     B. indelible     C. unfeasible    D. illegible 
32. The new office block ________well with its surroundings. 
    A. blends in     B. stands out     C. shapes up     D. sets off 
33. Last year, Peter earned ________ his brother.
    A. twice as much as      B. twice as many as    C. twice more than      D. twice as more as
34. I felt so much better, my doctor ________me to take a holiday by the sea.
    A. suggested    B. advised    C. accepted       D. considered
35. E-mail is an effective form of communication ________many busy businesses rely.
    A. on which     B. on that                         C. which       D. that