III. READING

a. Choose the word or phrase ~ a, b, c or d - that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

Vietnam has succeeded in organizing the 22"d SEA Games and receiving the tremendous support from its people. It richly (46) ________ to top the medal list by securing 150 gold medals, far (47) ________ of second-placed Thailand with 86 golds. Thailand brought ..along the largest contingent of 937 (48) ________: 640 a. ahead athletes, 218 coaches and 69 officials. Timor Leste or formerly East Timor, which was (49) ________ recognized as the world‘s newest democracy on 20 May 2002, sent in a token contingent of 16 athletes and 6 coaches. As expected Timor Leste, the smallest participating country with a population of 800,000, did not win any medals. The Philippines, as the next (50) ________ nation for the 23rd SEA Games two years hence, was placed fourth with 44 gold medals, just one ahead of Malaysia. Singapore was stuck in the middle with 29 golds (51) ________ the 11 participating countries. Indonesia, as the most populous country in Southeast Asia with more than 150 million people, (52) ________ in third with 53 gold medals. The closing (53) _________ was as impressive and as colourful as the opening. It combined the modern and the traditional. There were laser beams shooting about in the huge and crowded (54) ________. People were full of (55) ________ and they exuded a pleasant sense of joy and jubilation.

The Sahara Desert in Africa is by far the largest desert of the world, covering an area nearly as big as the United States.