Task 1: Read the following article and mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions. There is no fixed rule for the time the traffic jams happen but it is the worst during the rush hour when everyone is in a hurry to get to work or come back home. Apart from peak hours, the time between 9 a.m to 10 a.m and between 3 p.m to 4 p.m also witnesses long lines of vehicles, mainly motorbikes, struggling to get out of narrow streets. Whenever it rains, the traffic jam gets more terrible with the joining hand of flooding. Taxis are extremely hard to catch or wave during the “downpour”. However, it only takes about 30 minutes on average for a standstill and 2 hours to get through the worst, not really bad compared to that of other countries. While the rapid increase in car use coupled with the deterioration of roads caused by disordered planning makes “the matter” worse, the most annoying thing about the traffic jam is the way people react when being stuck at the congestion. Most road users ride their motorbikes on the pavement rather than waiting calmly, or they constantly use their horns to “hasten” riders in the front, even shouting at them from time to time. More luckily, bicyclists can leisurely carry their “war- horses” on their backs and thread their way through messy matrixes. 1. The word “downpour” in the first paragraph refers to . A. the traffic jam B. the rain C. the vehicles D. narrow streets 2. Why does the traffic jam get more terrible whenever it rains? A. Because of water from the rain.3 B. Because of the flooding. C. Because of long lines of vehicles struggling to get out of narrow streets. D. Because of motorbikes. 3. What does the word “standstill” refer to? A. Everyone is very tired because of traffic jam. B. Everyone is struggling to get out of narrow streets. C. Everyone can’t move. D. Everyone is waiting for the green of the traffic light. 4. The word “the matter” in the second paragraph refers to . A. the traffic jam C. the increase in car use B. the flooding D. the deterioration of roads 5. What does the word “war-houses” mean? A. a horse B. a vehicle C. a transport D. a bicycle