SECTION Ⅲ  Reading Comprehension(40 minutes)
Part A

Directions:
Read the following three texts. Answer the questions on each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1.

Text 1
I'd been living with my wife for eight years and one night “morn” says, “I guess you guys are never gonna get married. I mean, you've been through jail together, you' e living together, but.., oh, forget it.”

“Oh, well,” I said, “put it like that and I'll marry your daughter tomorrow.”

Actually, I don't know what we were waiting for, except that for a guy it's never the right time to get married. I' m also suspicious of any two people who don' t struggle with that decision. Part of my problem was that I was still lusting in my heart after other ladies. But somehow I knew that I wasn't going to find another woman remotely as great as my soon-to-be wife. It's a good thing my mother-in-law finally spoke up.

I finally gathered my courage one day when we were having a picnic, and popped the question. I also gave my wife a big tourist pamphlet about Switzerland. I wasn't taking any chances.

She said no.
It killed me. I felt sick to my stomach. I lost my appetite. Our dog just stared at me, thinking, “If you're not going to eat your lunch, I will.” Finally, I said, “But the Switzerland trip is yours if you say yes.”
“Switzerland,” she said, “is filled with precise, humorless people.”

“Maybe I should have suggested Paris?”

For a minute it seemed as if my change in travel plans would rate a solid “maybe”. But she said no again.When we woke up the next morning, she told me that she'd slept on my proposal. “I guess I was a little rude to you last night,” she explained. Meanwhile, I' m figuring I' m off the hook for this marriage thing for at least another eight years. I could afford to be generous.

“I asked, you said no. It's okay,” I said. I might have looked a little too relieved because later that day she gave me a little box. Inside was a gold watch. On the back was inscribed. “Yes. I've reconsidered.”

I liked the watch, so I did the right thing.

46. The reason why the man had waited so long was that he_________.
[ A ] didn' t think eight years was long enough
[ B ] suspected that husband and wife would often quarrel
[ C ] didn' t think he was ready to propose to her
[ D ] was waiting for his mother-in-law' s approval

47. The man proposed to the woman because _________.
[ A] he realized he could find no other woman better
[ B ] he was afraid that the woman might leave him
[ C ] he was eager to visit Switzerland with the woman
[ D ] he could finally overcome his fear for marriage

48. By saying “I could afford to be generous.” (third paragraph from the bottom) the man implied that he__________.
[ A ] wouldn' t care too much if he stayed single
[ B ] could take her to a better place than Paris
[ C ] was rich enough to support his wife
[ D ] didn't care what she thought about his proposal

49. The last sentence “I did the right thing” implied he_________.
[ A ] traveled with his wife
[ B ] had a successful marriage
[ C ] liked the watch very much              
[ D ] waited for another eight years

50. The best title for this text would be___________.
[ A ] How My Mother-In-Law Helped Me
[ B ] How I Received a Gold Watch I Liked
[ C ] How I Made My Wife Travel With Me                                
[ D ] How I Came to Marry-My Wife

Text 2
“Hi there. How's it going?”
“Oh, fine. Fine. How about this weather, huh ?”
“Well, I guess we can always use the rain.”

What's that? This story ? Oh, just a little look at small talk. You know, those seemingly meaningless conversations you have dozens of times a day, Maybe you' re waiting for the elevator.

Or in a line at the bank. It all seems pretty trivial. Idle chatter about traffic doesn' t do much more than fill the air with empty words that are quickly forgotten. But you should know that small talk actually has a big place in our lives.

Pat Oliver, assistant professor on arts, says that, “Left unchecked, small talk can be an invasion. It's so powerful. It does something to you.” “Every morning after spending an hour and a half on the freeway I start the day with small talk with my secretary,” Oliver says, “If I don't make small connection with another person, I can' t work.”

What causes it? As a rule, you' re either trying to force something into your life, or you' re using conversation as an invisible force field to keep them out. You can be wanting to connect with another person, and small talk is your introduction to more meaningful conversation.

The way people use small talk is usually determined by where they happen to be at the time.

Take the elevator, for instance. Now there's prime territory. Nobody knows anyone and there's no reason to start a conversation, but invariably, someone does. Making conversation in such peaceful social settings, according to Oliver, “can confirm your territory. It's a way of feeling liked and accepted.”

The topics of small talk don't matter. In fact, you don't want anything more taxing than the weather or the traffic. It's non-threatening talk in a threatening situation. However, the rules change quickly when you're with lots of people doing lots of talking.

Let's say you're at a party. Now it' s time to use small talk as a way of making others feel more comfortable around you, so you don' t look silly standing by the food table alone all night.

51. “Small talk”, as interpreted by the author,________.
[ A ] has no real function in communication at all
[ B ] is usually meaningless and therefore useless
[ C ] is not as idle as it may seem to be
[ D ] is restricted to certain topics only

52. According to the author, small talk is often used ____________.
[ A ] to invade other' s private affairs
[ B ] to share a secret between intimate friends
[ C ] to open and maintain channels of communication
[ D ] to protect one' s own privacy

53. According to the author, topics of small talk may include comments on________.
[ A ] some political issues
[ B ] one' s physical condition
[ C ] other' s ways of dress
[ D ] the traffic jam

54. Why is small talk described as “non-threatening talk in a threatening situation”?
[ A] It is used by people to encourage those who are confronted with danger.
[ B ] It is used to show that one is enthusiastic and hospitable.
[ C ] It is used to create a more friendly atmosphere and to avoid embarrassment.
[ D ] It is used by people to protect others in the threatening situation.

55. According to the author, at a big party, small talk is used with the purpose of_______.
[ A ] making both others and yourself feel at ease
[ B ] excluding those you don't like from joining you
[ C ] keeping your voice low so only your friends can hear you
[ D ] comforting those who feel lonely