2008年全國大學(xué)生英語競賽樣題及答案(ABCD各級)

B.Atadepartmentstore.C.Atalawyer'soffice.B.Indifferent.C.Negative.

2008年全國大學(xué)生英語競賽樣題及答案（A級）B.Atadepartmentstore.C.Atalawyer'soffice.B.Indifferent.C.Negative.

PartIListeningComprehension(25minutes,30marks)

SectionA(10marks)

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear10shortconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,aquestionwill

beaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionwillbereadonlyonce.Aftereach

question,therewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthethreechoicesmarkedA,BandC,and

decidewhichisthebestanswer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletterontheAnswerSheetwithasingleline

throughthecentre.

1.A.Atabank.

2.A.Jealous.

3.A.Apartyinvitation.

B.Atourofthehouse.

C.Adinnerparty.

4.A.Policemananddriver.

B.Teacherandpupil.

B.530.C.Nov.13th,1916.B.Dinner.C.1,060.C.Asnack.

C.Driverandactress.B.530.C.Nov.13th,1916.B.Dinner.C.1,060.C.Asnack.

5.A.Toattendaparty.

B.Tothebeautysalon.

C.Totheschool.

6.A.1,090.

7.A.Dec.13th,1906.B.Dec.30th,1906.

8.A.Nothing.

9.A.Inlessthanthreedays.

B.Inmorethanthreedays.

C.Inthreedays.

10.A.Toafriend'shouse.

B.Tothekindergarten.

B.Cleanthehouse.B.WatchTV.B.2:00pm.B.Disappointing.C.Gotothedoctor's.C.Gotothedentist's.C.4:30pm.C.Exhausting.

C.Dosomeshopping.B.Cleanthehouse.B.WatchTV.B.2:00pm.B.Disappointing.C.Gotothedoctor's.C.Gotothedentist's.C.4:30pm.C.Exhausting.

SectionB(5marks)

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearonelongconversation.Theconversationwillbereadonlyonce.Atthe

endoftheconversation,therewillbeaone-minutepause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefivequestions,

eachwiththreechoicesmarkedA,BandC,anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.Thenmarkthecorresponding

letterontheAnswerSheetwithasinglelinethroughthecentre.

11.WhatdoesSusanhavetodoonSaturdaymorning?

A.Walkthedog.

12.WhatwillSusandoatnoon?

A.Goshopping.

13.WhattimeisSusanmeetingwithJulie?

A.12:30am.

14.HowdoesSusanfeelaboutherscheduleonSaturday?

A.Exciting.

B.RogenFidow.C.RogerFederer.

15.Whycan'ttheywatchavideoatSusan'shouse?B.RogenFidow.C.RogerFederer.

A.Themachinedoesn'twork.

B.Theycan'tdecideonavideo.

C.Susan'smotherisgoingtouseit.

SectionC(5marks)

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear5shortnewsitems.Aftereachitem,therewillbeapause.Duringthe

pause,youmustreadthequestionandthenthethreechoicesmarkedA,BandC,anddecidewhichisthebest

answer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletterontheAnswerSheetwithasinglelinethroughthecentre.

16.Whogottomovetothenextstep?

A.AndreAgassi.

17.Whatdidthegunmanforcethecharitytodo?

A.Delaytheoperationinthisarea.

B.Operateontheirownstaff.

C.AttacktheSansFrontieres.

C.NearAriel.

18.WhyweretheIraqidetaineesmadetopickupgarbage?C.NearAriel.

A.Becausetheservicemanabusedthedetainees.

B.Becausethecommandergavetheordertotheserviceman.

C.Becausethedetaineeswereaccused.

19.Wheredidtheclashhappen?

A.IntheWestBank.

B.NearIsraeli.

20.WhydotheIsraeliforcesthreatentocarryoutamassiveoffensiveagainstthePalestinians?

A.BecauseIsraelitroopswerebesiegedbythePalestinians.

B.BecausethemilitaryoperationbegansincelastNovember.

C.BecausePalestinianskilledIsraelisinasuicideattack.

SectionD(10marks)

Ifthisturnof

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearashortpassage.Therearetenmissingwordsorphrasesinit.FillintheIfthisturnof

blankswiththeexactwordsorphrasesyouhearonthetape.RemembertowritetheanswersontheAnswer

Sheet.

Therearetwotypesofpeopleintheworld.Althoughtheyhave(21)________degreesofhealthandwealth

andothercomfortsoflife,onebecomeshappy,andtheotherbecomes(22)________.Thisarisesfromthe

differentwaysinwhichtheyconsiderthings,persons,andevents,andtheresultingeffectsupontheirminds.

Peoplewhoaretobehappyfixtheirattentiononthe(23)________ofthings,thepleasantpartofconvention,

thefineweather.Theyenjoyallthe(24)________things.Thosewhoaretobeunhappythinkandspeakonly

ofthe(25)________things.Therefore,theyarecontinually(26)________.Bytheirremarks,theysourthe

pleasureofsociety,offendmanypeople,andmakethemselves(27)________everywhere.

mindwerefoundinnature,suchunhappypersonswouldbethemoretobepitied.Thetendencytocriticizeand

tobedisgustedisperhapstakenuporiginally(28)________.Itgrowsintoahabit,unknowntoits

possessors.Thehabitmaybestrong,butit

maybecuredwhenthosewhohaveitareconvincedofitsbadeffects(29)________.Ihope

thislittlewarningmaybeofservicetothem,andhelpthemchangethishabit.Althoughinfactitischiefly(30)

________,ithasseriousconsequencesinlifesinceitbringsondeepsorrowandbadluck.

PartIIVocabularyandStructure(10minutes,15marks)

B.thatisconceivedD.thatisbeingconceivedofB.atsacrificeofD.insupportofB.youwon'tspeakD.youdidn'tspeakB.Neverbeforehave

Directions:Thereare15incompletesentencesinthissection.ForeachblanktherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B.thatisconceivedD.thatisbeingconceivedofB.atsacrificeofD.insupportofB.youwon'tspeakD.youdidn'tspeakB.Neverbeforehave

B,CandD.Choosetheonethatbestcompletesthesentence.Thenmarkthecorrespondingletteronthe

AnswerSheetwithasinglelinethroughthecentre.

31.Essentially,atheoryisanabstract,symbolicrepresentationof________reality.

A.whatitisconceived

C.whatisconceivedtobe

32.NewYorkCitycollectsgarbage________$209perfamilyperyear.

A.atthecostof

C.indemandof

33.Iwouldjustassoon________rudelytoher.

A.younotspeak

C.younotspeaking

34.________somanypeoplebeenoutofworkastoday.

A.Morethaneverbefore

D.Formerly,thereneverwereB.inotherwordsB.hairbreadthD.ahair'sbreadthB.we;usB.fallshortofD.arelackofC.orratherC.them;themD.inanycaseD.those;those

C.Inthepast,thereneverhaveD.Formerly,thereneverwereB.inotherwordsB.hairbreadthD.ahair'sbreadthB.we;usB.fallshortofD.arelackofC.orratherC.them;themD.inanycaseD.those;those

35.Wegothomelatelastnight,________,earlythismorning.

A.namely

36.Theminersescapedthedangerby________.

A.ahairbreadth

C.hair'sbreadth

37.Praiseislikewarmsunshine.Itnotonlybringsjoyto________whoarepraisedbutalsoaddspleasureto

________whopraise.

A.these;these

38.Whenourimports________ourexports,wesaywehaveafavorabletradebalance;however,whenour

importsandexportsaretheotherwayroundwesaywehaveanunfavorabletradebalance.

A.fallshort

C.runoutof

B.onthebeliefbasedD.thebasedbeliefonB.LampsallearlyD.Earlyalllamps

39.________thatdistinguishhumanbeingsfromotherprimatesarerelatedtotheabilityofpeopletostandB.onthebeliefbasedD.thebasedbeliefonB.LampsallearlyD.Earlyalllamps

uprightandwalkontwolegs.

A.Manyofthephysicalcharacteristics

B.Ofthemanyphysicalcharacteristics

C.Thephysicalcharacteristics

D.Therearemanyphysicalcharacteristics

40.Classicallogicischaracterizedbyaconcernforthestructureandelementsofargument________that

thought,language,andrealityareinterrelated.

A.basedonthebelief

C.beliefbasedonthe

41.________fashionedfromawickfloatinginabowlofoilfunctionedaccordingtotheprincipleofcapillary

action.

A.Alllampsearly

C.Allearlylamps

B.thatamajorcollectionD.amajorcollectionB.whensweetciderisservedD.sweetciderisserved

42.In1964________ofHenryOsakaTanner'spaintingswasshownattheSmithsonianInstitution.B.thatamajorcollectionD.amajorcollectionB.whensweetciderisservedD.sweetciderisserved

A.wasamajorcollection

C.acollectionwasmajor

43.Traditionally,________onThanksgivingDayinNewEngland.

A.whenservedissweetcider

C.isservedsweetcider

44.Richard:Thisclassissoboring.Whenwillitend?

Drew:Idon'tknow.Idon'tthinkIcantakeitmuchlonger.

Teacher:________

Richard:Oh,nothing.Wewerediscussingthetext.

A.Heyyoutwo!Whatareyoutalkingabout?

B.Dooneofyouknowwhattheanswertothisproblemis?

C.AmIboringyoutwo?

D.Thetwoofyougototheprincipal'sofficerightnow!

45.Deliveryman:IhaveapackagehereforBeverlyBeaver.

Beverly:Thatisme.________

Deliveryman:Yes,pleasesignhereontheline.

Beverly:Thankyou.ThesemustbethenewdrapesIordered.

A.Whereisthereceipt?

B.Doyouhavethesender'saddress?

C.Doyoutakeacreditcard?

D.DoIhavetosignforit?

PartIIIReadingComprehension(20minutes,40marks)

SectionA(5marks)

Directions:Thereisonepassageinthissectionwith5questions.Foreachquestion,therearefourchoices

markedA,B,CandD.Youshoulddecideonthebestchoice.Thenmarkthecorrespondingletteronthe

AnswerSheetwithasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Questions46-50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Nomatterwhatourworkis,weallhavetofacethatchoice-inmyfieldnolessthaninothers.Theremaynot

beamoreimportantfieldforthedisseminationofvaluesinourcountrythantheentirecommunications

industry-moststrikingly,television.Networksareverysensitivetothatfact,andtheyemploydozensof

censorstopreventallofusfromusinglanguageontelevisionthataneightyearoldmighthavetoexplaintohis

parents.Butthepointthatcensorsmiss,Ithink,isthatitisnotsomuchwhatwesaythatteachesaswhatwe

don'tsay.Evenprogramsthatattempttomakeamoralpointdon'talwaysmakethepointthattheyintended

to.Becausewhenwesensewearebeingsolesomething,weautomaticallydefendourselvesagainstit.Ithink

itmaybetheunspokenassumptionsthatmoldanaudience.

Lookattheway,forinstance,thatviolenceistreatedontelevision.Itisnotonlythequantitythatoffends.

ThereprobablyisnomoreviolenceontelevisionthanthereisinaShakespeareantragedy.Butontelevisionyou

findunfeltviolenceandinShakespeareyoutendtofindfeltviolence.InShakespearethecharactersreactwith

ahumanresponse:Theyfear,theyhurt,theymourn.Mostofthetimeontelevision,violenceisdealtwithby

sweepingitundertherugasfastaspossibleandbyhavingpeoplegoonabouttheirbusinessasifnothinghad

happened.(IfIcan'thavelessviolence,Iwantatleastabettergradeofviolence.)Oneoftheunspoken

assumptionsisthatviolencecanbetoleratedaslongasyouignoreitandhavenoreactiontoit.Butthatseems

tometobedangerouslyclosetopsychopathicbehavior.Iwonderifthereisanyconnectionbetweenthelong

acceptancebyourpeopleoftheVietnamWarandthethousandsandthousandsofdeathsthatwehaveseenon

televisionovertheyearsthatwerenevermourned,neverevenpausedforexcepttosellshampooforsixty

seconds.

Maybeourgreatestproblemisthatwehavetwoseparatesetsofvaluesystemsthatweuse-theonewetalk

aboutandtheoneweliveby.Weseemtoplaceaveryhighvalueonfairnessandonhumanconcerns.Andyet

westillhavewidespreaddiscriminationbasedonrace,sexandreligion.Youstilldon'tfindJews,blacksorother

minoritiesinanysignificantnumbersindecision-makingpositionsinthebankingindustry,forinstance.You

thinkthat'sanaccident?Ithinksomebodyputsavalueonthat.Andyoudon'tfindwomeninanysignificant

numbersindecision-makingcapacitiesinanyindustry.Why?Becauseweplaceahighervalueonappeasingthe

fragilemaleegothanwedoonfairnessanddecency.Maybewhatweneedisadeclarationofinterdependence.

Questions:

46.Itcanbeconcludedfromthefirstparagraphthat________.

A.wewon'tbuythingsthatarerecommended

B.webecomedefensivewheneverwearetaughttodosomething

C.televisionisthemostimportantpartofthecommunicationindustry

D.TVprogramscanneversuccessfullyconveyamoralpoint

B.accusingC.soothingD.satisfying

47.Whatistheauthor'sattitudetowardviolenceontelevision?B.accusingC.soothingD.satisfying

A.Hethinksthatviolenceontelevisionshouldbetotallybanned.

B.ViolenceontelevisionismoretolerablethantheoneinShakespeare'splays.

C.Violencecanbetoleratedifyoupretendthatitdoesn'texist.

D.Violence,ifunavoidable,shouldbepresentedontelevisioninamoreappropriateway.

48.Theword“appeasing”(line6inparagraph3)mostprobablymeans________.

A.attacking

49.BycitingtheexamplesoftheJews,blacks,andotherminoritiesinthelastparagraph,theauthoraimsto

showthat________.

A.it'sanaccidentthattheyareout-numberedinthedecision-makingpositionsinthebankingindustry

B.theystandforonesetofvaluesystem

C.whatwetalkaboutandwhatweactuallydomightbetotallydifferent

D.fairnessiswellrespectedinourlife

50.Theauthor'stoneinwritingthetextis________.

B.matter-of-factD.questioningifthestatementagreeswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage;ifthestatementcontradictstheinformationgiveninthepassage;iftheinformationisnotgiveninthepassage.

A.neutralB.matter-of-factD.questioningifthestatementagreeswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage;ifthestatementcontradictstheinformationgiveninthepassage;iftheinformationisnotgiveninthepassage.

C.critical

SectionB(15marks)

Directions:Thereisonepassageinthissectionwith10questions.Gooverthepassagequicklyandanswerthe

questionsontheAnswerSheet.

Forquestions51-55,mark

Y(forYES)

N(forNO)

NG(forNOTGIVEN)

Forquestions56-60,completethesentenceswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage.

Youhearthesamecomplaintallthetimeaspeoplegetolder:“Mymemoryisterrible.”Isitallinthemind,or

dorealchangestakeplaceinthebrainwithagetojustifysuchgrumbling(抱怨)?Thedepressingansweristhat

thebrain'scells,theneurons,dieanddeclineinefficiencywithage.

quicklyyoquicklyyoucanreactto

whichmentalfunctionchanges.Thefirstismentalspeed,forexamplehow

fast-movingincidentsontheroad.Driversintheirlateteensreactquicklybuttendtodrivetoofast,whilethe

oversixtiesaremorecautiousbutreactmoreslowly.Thenear-inevitableslowingwithagealsopartlyexplains

whysoccerplayersareseenasoldintheirthirties,whilegolfprofessionalsarestillintheirprimeatthatage.

Thistypeofmentalslowingresultsfromareductionintheefficiencywithwhichthebrain'sneuronswork.

Thefactthatadultsfindithardertolearnmusicalinstrumentsthanchildrenpointstoasecondtypeof

mentallosswithage-areductioninlearningcapacity.Thepartsofthebrainknownasthetemporallobes

controlnewlearning,andareparticularlyvulnerabletotheeffectsofaging.Thismeansthat,aswegetolder,

wetakelongertolearnanewlanguage,andslowertomasternewroutinesandtechnologiesatwork,andwe

havetorelymoreondiariesandothermentalaids.

“Workingmemory”isthethirdbrainsystemwhichisvulnerabletotheeffectsofaging.Workingmemoryis

thebrain's“blackboard”,wherewejugglefrommomenttomomentthethingswehavetokeepinmind

whensolvingproblems,planningtasksandgenerallyorganizingourday-to-daylife.Absent-mindednessoccurs

atallagesbecauseofimperfectionsintheworkingmemorysystem-so,forinstance,youmaycontinuallylose

yourglasses,orfindyourselfwalkingintoaroomofyourhouseonlytofindthatyoucannotrememberwhatyou

camefor.

Suchabsent-mindednesstendstocreepuponusasweageandoccursbecauseourplansandintentions,

whicharechalkeduponthementalblackboard,areeasilywipedoutbystraythoughtsandotherdistractions.

Stressandpreoccupationcanalsocausesuchabsent-mindedness,inadditiontoage-relatedchangesin

thebrain.Thefrontallobesofthebrain-locatedbehindtheforeheadandabovetheeyes-arewherethe

workingmemorysystemislocated.Likethetemporallobes,whichhandlenewlearning,thefrontallobesare

morevulnerabletotheagingprocessthanotherpartsofthebrain.

Thenews,however,isnotallbleak.Althoughneuronsreduceinnumberwithage,theremainingneurons

sendoutnewandlongerconnectionfibers(dendrites)tomaintainconnectionsandallowustofunction

reasonablywellwithonlyrelativelysmalldropsinability.

Thisandotherevidencesuggeststhattheprinciple“useitorlostit”mightapplytotheagingbrain.

ProfessorShimamurastudiedagroupofuniversityprofessorswhowerestillintellectuallyactive,andcompared

theirperformanceonneuropsychologicaltestswiththatofothersoftheiragegroup,aswellaswithyounger

people.Hefoundthatonseveraltestsofmemory,thementallyactiveprofessorsintheirsixtiesandearly

seventiesweresuperiortotheircontemporaries,andasgoodastheyoungerpeople.

Researchonanimalsprovideevenstrongerevidenceoftheeffectsofstimulationonthebrainstructure.

ProfessorBryanKolb,oftheUniversityofLethbridgeinCanada,hasshownthatanimalskeptinstimulating

environmentsshowsprouting(生長)andlengtheningoftheconnectingnervefibersincomparisonwithanimals

keptinunstimulatingenvironments.

Thebeneficialeffectsofcontinuedmentalactivityareshownbythefactthatoldercontestantsinquizshows

arejustasfastandaccurateinrespondingtogeneralknowledgequestionsasyoungercompetitors,suggesting

thatatleastpartoftheirintellectualapparatusissparedtheeffectsofagingbecauseofpracticeandskill.

Suchfindingsleadtotheintriguingpossibilityof“mentalfitnesstraining”toaccompanyjoggingand

workoutsforthehealthconscious.ResearchinStockholmbyProfessorLarsBackmanandhiscolleaguehas

shownthatolderpeoplecanbetrainedtousetheirmemorybetter,withtheeffectsofthistraininglasting

severalyears.

Justaspeoplegobaldorgreyatdifferentrates,sothesameistruefortheirmentalfaculties.Whythis

shouldbethecaseformemoryandothermentalfunctionsisnotyetclear.IfProfessorShimamuraisright,then

thedegreetowhichpeopleuseandstretchtheirmentalfacultiesmayalsohavearoletoplay.

Questions:

51.Thepassagegivesadescriptionofseveralmethodsoftestingmentalability.

52.ProfessorShimamuraidentifiedanumberofareasinwhichmentalfunctionmaychange.

53.Asthetemporallobesofthebrainareaffectedbyaging,itbecomeshardertopickupnewskills.

54.Researchindicatesthatphysicaltrainingcanhelptoimprovememory.

55.Takingpartinquizzesisthebestwaytostimulatethebrain.

56.Absent-mindednessisnotnecessarily________.

57.Scientistsdonotunderstandwhypeople's________declineatdifferentrates.

58.Ifapersonisunderstress,________maybecomemorefrequent.

59.Whenthefrontallobesofthebrainareaffectedbyaging,thereisagradualdeteriorationin________.

60.Ifananimal'sbrainiskeptactiveandstimulated,______________.

SectionC(10marks)

Directions:Inthissection,thereisonepassagefollowedby5questions.Readthepassagecarefully,then

answerthequestionsinamaximumof10words.RemembertowritetheanswersontheAnswerSheet.

Questions61-65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Alarmedbya20-yeardeclineinstudentachievement,Americanschoolsareconsideringmajorupheavalsinthe

careerstructureofteachers,schoolboardsaroundthecountryareplanningtoabandontraditionalsalary

schedulesandsingleoutoutstandingteachersformassivepayrise.

TheideaisregardedwithdeepsuspicionbytheUnitedStates'biggestteachers'unions,theNational

EducationAssociationandtheAmericanFederationofTeachers.Theysaythecreationofacadreofelite

teacherswillsourprofessionalrelationshipsandencourageteacherstocompeteinsteadofcooperate;theyalso

questionwhetherafairwaycanbedevisedtotellwhichteachersreallydoperformbetterthantheircolleagues.

Butheightenedpublicanxietyaboutsecondaryeducationappearstohavegiventhemasterteacherconcept

unstoppablepoliticalmomentum.FloridaandTennesseeareracingtointroduceambitiousstatewidemaster

teacherschemesbeforetheendoftheyear.Lessgrandioseproposalstopayteachersonthebasisofmerit

insteadofseniorityhavealreadybeenimplementedincountlessschooldistricts.AndtheSecretaryofEducation,

Mr.TerrelBell,recentlypromisedsubstantialincentivegrantstostateswhichintendtofollowtheirexample.

Lowpayisbelievedtobethesinglemostimportantreasonfortheflightfromteaching.Theaveragesalary

ofateacherintheUnitedStatesisjustunder$19,000,muchlessthanthatofanengineer($34,700)andnot

muchmorethanthatofasecretary($16,500).Tomakeendsmeetitiscommonforteacherstotakesecondjobs

intheeveningandintheirsummerholidays,andwomen,whousedtomakeupthebulkofteachercandidates

areturningtobetterpaidprofessions.

Theunionsinsistthattheanswertothisproblemistoincreasethebasicpayofallteachers,butmoststates

wouldfindthattooexpensive,theywouldbebetterabletoaffordschemesthatconfinepayincreasestoasmall

numberofexceptionalteachers.Championsoftheideasayitwouldatleastholdoutthepromiseofhighpay

andstatustobrightgraduateswhoareconfidentoftheirabilitytodowellintheclassroom,butaredeterredby

thepresentmeageropportunitiesforpromotion.

Oneofthefirstlarge-scaletestsofthisapproachwillcomeinTennessee,whereayearofpainstaking

negotiationshasjustovercomebitterunionoppositiontoawide-rangingmasterteacherscheme.

Tennesseepromisedthattheywillallocate$300millionaseducationbudget.Inreturnforachancetoearn

biggersalariesandfasterpromotion,teacherswillsubjectthemselvestocloserscrutiny.

TheTennesseeplanwillmakeitharderforpoorteacherstojointheprofession.Beginnerswillhavetoserve

aprobationaryyearbeforequalifying,andanotherthreeapprenticeyearsbeforereceivingtenure.Apprentice

teacherswhofailtoreacharequiredstandardwillnotbeallowedtostayon.Survivorswillbedesignated

“careerteachers”andgivenachancetoclimbthroughthreecareerrugsandearnbonusesofupto$7,000.

Advancementwillnotbeautomatic.Theperformanceofeachteacherwillbecloselyassessedbycommitteesof

teachersdrawnfromotherdistricts.

Questions:

61.Whatsupportisthefederalgovernmentofferingtostatesthatsetupamasterteacherscheme?

62.What'sthepurposeofthemasterteacherscheme?

63.InthestateofTennessee,howwillteachersbeassessed?

64.Whatisthemainideaofthetext?

65.Whatcanbeinferredfromthetextaboutthemasterteacherscheme?

SectionD(10marks)

Directions:Inthissection,thereisonepassagefollowedbyasummary.Readthepassagecarefullyand

completethesummarybelowbychoosingnomorethanthreewordsfromthepassage.Remembertowritethe

answersontheAnswerSheet.

Questions66-70arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

TheUnitedKingdom

Britain(orGreatBritain)isanislandthatliesoffthenorth-westcoastofEurope.ThenearestcountryisFrance,

whichis20milesawayandfromwhichBritainisseparatedbytheEnglishChannel.Theislandissurroundedby

theAtlanticOceantothewest,andtheNorthSeatotheeast.ItcomprisesthemainlandsofEngland,Walesand

Scotland,thatis,threecountries.Scotlandisinthenorth,whileWalesisinthewest.Ireland,whichisalsoan

island,liesoffthewestcoastofBritain.ItconsistsofNorthernIrelandandtheIrishRepublic.Britaintogether

withNorthernIrelandconstitutetheUnitedKingdom(UK).Thus,theUnitedKingdomiscomposedoffour

countries,thelargestofwhichisEngland.ThecapitalcityisLondon,whichissituatedinsouth-eastEngland.

TheUKhasatotalareaofabout244,100squarekilometres(94,248squaremiles).About70%oftheland

areaisdevotedtoagriculture,about7%iswasteland,moorlandandmountains,about13%isdevotedtourban

(47inches).

development,and10%isforestandwoodland.ThenorthernandwesternregionsofBritain,thatisScotland(47inches).

andVales,aremainlymountainousandhilly.Partsofthenorth-westandcentreofEnglandalsoconsistof

mountainsandhills.

Britainhasagenerallymildandtemperateclimate.Itis,however,subjecttofrequentchanges.Ithasan

averageannualrainfallofabout120centimetres

In1998thepopulationoftheUnitedKingdomwasnearly59million.Thedensityofpopulationwas

approximately240peoplepersquarekilometre.However,inEngland,where83%ofthepopulationlive,the

densitywasmuchhigher,about363persquarekilometre.

IntheUK,Englishisthefirstlanguageofthevastmajorityofpeople.However,inwesternWales,Welshis

thefirstlanguageformanyofthepeople.InScotlandonlyasmallnumberofpeoplespeakGaelic.

InBritainabout66%ofthepopulationsaythattheyareChristian,whilefewerthan5%saythattheybelong

tootherreligions.

Summary:

Britainisanislandthat(66)________theAtlanticOceanandtheNorthSea.Itcomprisesthemainlandsof

England,WalesandScotland.Ireland(67)________thewestcoastofBritain.It(68)________Northern

IrelandandtheIrishRepublic.TheUnitedKingdomconsistsofBritaintogetherwithNorthernIreland.The

capitalcityisLondonwhich(69)________south-eastEngland.

In1998thepopulationoftheUKwasnearly59million.Thedensityofpopulationwas240peoplepersquare

kilometre.IntheUKEnglishisthefirstlanguageofmostpeople.InwesternWales,Welsh(70)________

manyofthepeople,butfewpeopleinScotlandspeakGaelic.

PartIVCloze(15minutes,15marks)

SectionA(5marks)

Directions:Thereare5blanksinthepassage.Foreachblank,somelettersofthewordhavebeengiven(not

exceeding3letters).Readthepassagebelowandthinkofthewordwhichbestfitseachblank.Useonlyone

wordineachblank.RemembertowritetheanswersontheAnswerSheet.

Languageislearnedprimarilythroughcommunicationwithotherpeople.Researchshowsthatthemore

communicationchildren(71)exp________athome,thebetterdevelopedt