III. Reading Comprehension （35分）
Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
There was a man who played the piano in a small bar. There were not too many ___46___, but because he was a good piano player, some people ___47___ came in every night just to hear him play. But one night, a patron (老顾客) told him he didn’t want to hear him play but to sing a song.
The man said, “I have never done that before in public. I think I’m ___48___ at playing the piano.” But the customer ___49___. He told the waiter, “I’m ___50___ listening to the piano day after day. I want to hear something new and I want that guy to sing.”
The waiter ___51___ across the room, “Hey, buddy! If you want to get ___52___, sing a song. The patrons are asking you to sing!”
So in order no bring some money home that night, the piano player who had never sung in public did so for the very first time. And ___53___ had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung before ___54___ that night by Nat King Cole, and it surprised all, including the ___55___ himself.
He had talent he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar, but ___56___ he had to sing, he went on to become one of the best-known entertainers in America.
You, too, have skills and ___57___. You may not feel as if your “talent” is particularly ___58___, but it may be better than you think! And with persistence, most skills can be ___59___. Besides, you may as well have no ability at all if you sit on whatever talent you possess. The ___60___ is not “What ability do I have that is useful?” It is rather “How will I use whatever ability I have?”
46. A. waiters B. players C. singers D. customers
47. A. never B. still C. ever D. only
48. A. better B. nicer C. easier D. sooner
49. A. agreed B. worried C. insisted D. charged
50. A. familiar with B. fond of C. used to D. tired of
51. A. complained B. shouted C. explained D. served
52. A. changed B. fired C. paid D. praised
53. A. nobody B. anybody C. somebody D. everybody
54. A. since B. after C. until D. when
55. A. waiter B. singer C. patron D. owner
56. A. unless B. although C. because D. if
57 A. advantages B. characters C. abilities D. principles
58. A. different B. surprising C. famous D. great
59. A. improved B. wasted C. recognized D. impressed
60 A. decision B. difficulty C. question D. solution
Section B
Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A. environment B. necessarily C. allowed D. cheated E. hardly
F. admitted G. communication H. necessary I. joy J. difficulty
A relative of mine once asked me: “Why should a Chinese take time to learn a language that is not his own?” Obviously he has ___37___ in learning a foreign language. He is not the only one who is mentally against English learning. One reason, as I suspect, is the way English is taught. The emphasis on memorization is such that no ___38___ is left in the process, only endless irritation. What students are presented in the classroom is not the language in real-world ___39___. A Chinese student with extremely high scores for American standardized tests was ___40___ into one of the most famous universities. But his professors soon found out that he could ___41___ understand them in the classroom. Suspecting that he ___42___ in the tests, the school demanded he repeat them. Again, he passed with high scores. Not till then did they realize that the student had mastered the techniques for dealing with the tests, not ___43___ the skills of using the language.
Many people take TOFEL, IELTS, GRE, annual Band 4 and Band 6 exams not because they work in areas where English is a ___44___ tool, but because they have to do it for job promotion or enrolment in certain programmes.
Must English learning be such a pain in the neck?
Create a(n)___45____ where learning English is natural and painless. Don't make it compulsory for people whose work or major does not require it. China will not become more international by adding millions of people who can only say a simple "Hello."
Many soldiers are reported _______ to the drought area to help the local people carry water in the past few weeks.
A. to send B. to be sent
C. to have been sent D. to have been sending
Three free tickets for the Expo will be given to ________ comes first in the competition.
A. who B. whom C. whoever D. whomever
With the land prices ________, I can’t afford a piece of land big enough to park my car on.
A. going up B. gone up C. go up D. to go up
________ is stronger than steel and lighter than a feather is the silk ________ spiders make their webs.
A. That; that B. Which; for which C. What; what D. What; with which
