the young man was very excited. Everything happened as had been planned. The servant brought in the vase, and as he entered the room, he dropped it. There was horror on everybody’s face. When the vase was unpacked the guests saw that each piece was packed separately. The word “ fiancee” means _________. A) a good friend B) a woman engaged to get married C) a beautiful girl with a boy friend D) a girl who is going to have her birthday Why did the young man want to buy a present for the girl? A) He wanted to give her a Christmas present. B) Her birthday was coming soon. C) He fell in love with her. D) They were going to get married. 3. The vase in the corner of the shop was broken. Who broke it? A) The young man. B) A servant. C) The shop manager. D) Someone not mentioned in the story. 4. Who thought out the clever idea? A) The young man. B) The girl. C) The shop manager. D) The manager’s servant. 5. Who do you think packed each piece separately? A) The clever manager. B) The servant. C) The beautiful girl. D) The unhappy young man. 10 Learners of English, especially self-taught learners may have trouble in understanding speeches by native speakers. The following ways might help improve their listening ability. First of all, do things step by step. It is not good to listen to something beyond your level. Better choose a suitable course and start with the first book. Go on to the second book only after you are sure you understand the first one. Secondly, stick to one course of study. Don’t change books often. Never let your attention be attracted by another course just because it seems to be more fashionable (öeæš). Thirdly, listen to the English news program over the radio from time to time. Better go through the news stories in the Chinese-language newspaper first. That will make it easier for you to understand the English news on the radio. Fourthly, if you have time, listen to some interesting stories in “Special English” from the VOA or other listening materials of the same level as that of your textbook. This is a piece of advice to learners of English on how to _________. A) read fast B) write better English and read faster C) speak correctly D) improve their listening ability If you want to understand the English news program on the radio, you had better _________. A) read the Chinese-language newspaper step by step B) read again and again the Chinese-language newspaper C) be able to recite the Chinese-language newspaper D) go through the Chinese-language newspaper “beyond your level” in paragraph 2 means something _________. A) easy for you B) too difficult for you C) not too easy and not too difficult for you D) just all right for you The author advised that once you have taken up a course, you should _________. A) stick to it B) begin with the last book C) take up other courses if they are more fashionable D) not do anything else In this passage, VOA stands for _________. A) a book B) a magazine C) a text-book D) a radio station 11 Albert Einstein was probably the most famous scientist of the twentieth century. He changed scientific thinking in the modern world. He is generally considered as the greatest physicist who ever lived. What’s more, he devoted a lot of his time and energy to working for human rights and progress. In 1933, while Einstein was visiting England and the United States, the Nazi government of Germany took all his things away, including his position and his citizenship. Einstein then settled down in the United States. In 1939, Einstein, who loved peace—afraid of a world in which only Hitler would have an atomic bomb—tried hard to persuade President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a famous letter to have the United States start uranium (À”) research. That Germany, after all, had no bomb, and that the first bomb would fall on Japan, could not have been expected. After the war, Einstein never stopped working for peace and reducing the number of soldiers in the world. Although he wasn t connected with any accepted religion, Einstein felt that trust in a personal God was too special an idea to be suitable to the God at work in this universe, but he never believed that the universe was one of chance or disorder. The universe to him was one of pure law and order. He once said, “God may know everything, but he is not hateful.” 1. From the passage we know that _________. A) Einstein changed the world B) Einstein changed energy C) Einstein took a different attitude toward science D) Einstein had lived in Germany until 1933 2. Einstein believed that everything in the universe _________. A) was kept in order B) was made by the personal God C) was in an irregular way D) had nothing to do with us 3. If Einstein had known that Hitler had no atomic bomb and that the first atomic bomb would fall on Japan, he would _________. A) have continued his scientific research B) have won another Nobel Prize for physics C) not have advised starting uranium research in the USA D) not have moved to the USA 4. Which of the following is true? A) Einstein provided a new view of the universe B) Einstein was a peace-lover and believed in God C) Einstein considered human right and progress less important D) The world would not have laws and order without Einstein 5. Why did Einstein write to Roosevelt? A) He asked him for help. B) He expected some advice from him. He suggested atom research be started He told him the conditions in Germany. 12 What is your favorite color? Do your like yellow, orange, red? If you do, you must be an optimist (PNÂ‰;NIN€), a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be a pessimist (²`Â‰;NIN€). At least, this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference (OP}Y), as well as the effect that color have on human beings. They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favorite color as we grow up—we are born with our preference. If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly. Colors do influence our moods—there is no doubt about it. A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand, black is depressing. A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides than any other bridge in the area—until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply; perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue. Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active. It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or gray. 1. “You would rather follow than lead” in paragraph 1 means “_____________”, A) you don’t like to follow other people B) you would be a member rather than a leader C) you would be afraid of following others D) you would like to be a leader rather than a follower 2. If one enjoys life, one is sure to prefer _____________. A) red to yellow B) blue to orange C) red to gray D) blue to yellow 3. In “They tell us, among other facts, that we don’t choose our favorite colors as we grow up”, “among other facts” means “_____________”. A) besides other facts B) in regard to other facts C) not considering other facts D) according to other facts 4. Which of the following is true? A) People’s preference of one color to another is not trained. B) People’s preference of one color to another is learned as they grow up. C) Some people love brown because they saw something brown when they were born. D) Colors have little influence on our moods. 5. Those who committed suicide preferred the bridge over the Thames River near London to others because of _____________. A) its shape B) its structure C) its color D) its building materials 13 Like most people, I was brought up to look upon life as a process of getting. It was not until in my late thirties that I made this important discovery: giving-away makes life so much more exciting. One discovery I made about giving-away is that it is almost impossible to give away anything in this world without getting something back, though the return often comes in an unexpected form. One Sunday morning the local post office delivered an important special delivery letter to my home, though it was addressed to me at my office. I wrote the post-master a note of appreciation. More than a year later I needed a post-office box for a new business I was starting. I was told at the window that there were no boxes left, and that my name would have to go on a long waiting list. As I was about to leave, the post-master appeared in the doorway. He had overheard our conversation. “Wasn’t it you that wrote us that letter a year ago about delivering a special delivery to your home?” I said it was. “Well, you certainly are going to have a box in this post office even if we have to make one for you. You don’t know what a letter like that means to us. We usually get nothing but complaints.” 1. At first the author looked upon life as a process of getting. He formed this view of life because _________. A) other people were selfish B) he thought it exciting to get from others C) of his early education D) of his character 2. The author wrote a note of appreciation to the post office because _________. A) he knew what such a note would mean to the post office B) he had discovered giving-away made life all the more exciting C) he believed he would get something back by doing so D) the postman delivered an important letter in time 3. When the author needed a post-office box, _________. A) many had applied for post-office boxes before him B) he asked to put his name on a waiting list C) he tried to see the postmaster D) he wrote the postmaster a note of appreciation 4. The postmaster promised _________. A) to make a new post-office box for the author B) to let the author have a post-office box C) to include the author’s name in the list D) to deliver the author’s mail to his home 5. The postmaster offered the post-office box because _________. A) he overheard their conversation B) he had received a lot of complaints for lack of post-office boxes C) he was thankful for the letter the author had written D) he was proud of their good service 14 “What part of the States do you come from?” “I am not American, I am Canadian.” This is a mistake that Europeans often make. Many Americans, too, admit that it takes them a while to tell if it’s an American talking or a Canadian. This upsets some Canadians, because they want people to recognize them as Canadians. They want everyone to know that Canada is an independent nation with its own special character. American English was probably brought to Canada by the Loyalists who fled there during the Revolutionary War, for even as late as 1831 80% of all British Canadians had come from the USA. From the very first, Canada was a country with two languages, neither of which influenced the other very much, because the French and British spoke to each other so little, Canadian English has always remained very like American English, and the influence of the Indian and Inuit (SŽ1r¯eúWidºN„v) languages was no greater than the influence of French. But here are some important words that have found their way via Canadian dictionaries into British dictionaries. 1. The sentence I am not American, I am Canadian. suggests _________. A) Canada is a beautiful country B) Canadian English is not quite different from American English C) Canadians think Canada is a more developed country D) Canadians think that theirs is independent 2. It isn’t easy for Europeans and even for Americans to tell ______ from ______. A) American English, British English B) British English, Scottish English C) Canadian English, British English D) Canadian English, American English 3. The two languages spoken in Canada refer to _________. A) British English and American English B) English and Latin C) French and English D) Canadian English and American English 4. Generally speaking, Canadian English is the same as American English because _________. A) Canada is connected with the USA B) most of the British Canadians had come from the USA C) the population of Canada is smaller than that of the USA D) Canadians want to follow Americans 5. With the hel