Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 44 to 50.

In some low-lying countries such as Bangladesh, The Philippines or Cambodia, it is not unusual to have a boat school. In one area of Bangladesh, there are now over 20 such boats, which act as both a kind of ‘river bus’ and also a place to study. These schools were first set up in 2002 by a successful, local Bangladeshi architect called Mohammed Rezwan. Every year, between the monsoon season of June and October, at least one third of Bangladesh is flooded with water. This means that thousands of children can’t attend school regularly, when they ought to. Statistics have shown that once students’ attendance falls, then many stop completely. Rezwan understood that this mustn’t happen in the first place.

Rezwan rganiza that if young people can’t attend school, then the school had better come to them. In 2002, he encouraged companies to sponsor him and saved up money to set up an rganization to start the boat schools. These are now used by thousands of school children who happily attend school every month of the year. Each boat is powered by solar panels on the roof. There are lights and a computer on board, which means that teachers can access the Internet to make lessons more interactive. Most boats are for 30 children and some of the larger boats even have a school playground on the top deck. The students only have to walk a short distance from their homes to the river, where the boat picks them up and then collects the other children, before stopping at their final destination. Then lessons can start. At the end of the day, the children are returned home on the boat.

The rganization which Rezwan set up also provides solar-powered lamps to local families, where 70% of families have no electricity. Now children and their parents don’t have to stop studying or working as soon as the sun goes down. For parents, this has meant they can earn more money. It also means that in families where children have to work during the day, they can attend school in the evening.

The rganization has not stopped at schools, however. There are now more than 100 boats with different purposes: libraries, training centres for adults, clinics and also farming boats, which can keep animals and grow food. By 2050, nearly one fifth of Bangladesh will be permanently under water because of climate change. Mr Rezwan knows he should act quickly, to help families and children out of poverty and to give them the chance of a better life.

(Adapted from Gateway by Annie Cornford and Frances Watkins)

Question 44. Which best serves as the title for the passage?

A. Floating Homes Lift People out of Poverty

B. Boats Make Life More Sustainable!

C. The Prevalence of Boat Schools in Poor Countries

D. Floating Schools: The Answer to Floods

Question 45. The word unusual in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______ .

     A. common                     B. strange                        C. understandable                    D. actual

Question 46. According to paragraph 1, many students in Bangladesh do not attend schools during the monsoon season because ______ .

A. their parents cannot afford to send them to schools

B. their homeland is largely affected by floods

C. they are forced to stay at home to help their parents

D. they choose to be homeschooled instead

Question 47. The word interactive in paragraph 2 mostly means ______.

     A. simple to understand                                          B. involving communication among students

     C. easy to catch students’ attention                        D. having a great influence on students

Question 48. The word they in paragraph 3 refers to ______ .

     A. parents                        B. families                       C. lamps     D. children

Question 49. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Rezwan used his own money to establish school boats for children in Bangladesh.

B. There is a serious lack of modern technology on school boats run by Rezwan.

C. Children’s homes in Bangladesh are inconveniently located for school boats.

D. Night lessons are available for some students who are busy working in daytime.

Question 50. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. Boats run by Rezwan have lifted families in Bangladesh out of poverty.

B. There has been a decrease in the intensity of floods in Bangladesh.

C. Daytime activities of many people in Bangladesh were disrupted at sunset.

D. Bangladesh is the first country to promote the idea of school boats.