Freshman English Reading Test

2006Final Exam: Fall Semester

組別______原屬系級______中文姓名______學號____________

I. Vocabulary: 14%

(A) Vocabulary in context: 9%

  1. ______Robert has a t______y (habit of behavior)to be late to class, and in

fact has only been on time twice all year long.

  1. ______In some very c______e (traditional) countries, women are not allowed to

vote or even drive cars.

  1. ______To deprive the girl of her education is a v______n (the act of breaking a law) of state law.
  2. ______When a person has been very kind to me, I express my g______e (thankfulness)with a small gift.
  3. ______The museum guard came over and told us that it was f______n (not allowed)to smoke in the galleries.
  4. ______I’ve been reading about travel in Asia in this magazine every month whole year and I can’t wait to get the next i______e(edition).
  5. ______The government m______ned (made something continue) its confidence in the economy despite discouraging news from Wall Street.
  6. ______Holding up all five fingers together is considered a very rudeg______e (position or movement of the hand)in the Middle East.
  7. ______She has denied any c______n (relationship between two things, people, or groups) to the bombing.

(B)Choose the correct word to fill in the blank: 5%

tolerant overpowered unseemly therapist deducted

strategically obscene aggressive submitted sacred

  1. After my accident,I had to see a physical ______twice a week for three months.
  2. He continued to use ______language and make threats.
  3. It would be______for judges to receive pay increases when others have to tighten their belts.
  4. Applications must be ______before April 1st.
  5. I love to visit temples and look at all the different ______images people pray to.
  1. Sentence Structure: 12%

1_____ Fumiko doesn’t have enough time to get everything (a. do b. doing c. done).

2. _____Verbal taboos usually involve topics that people believe (a. is b. are c. to be) too private to talk about publicly.

3. _____Behavior that is acceptable and non-offensive in one culture can be highly

offensive in (a. another b. the other c. some others).

4. ____If I follow my schedule, I’ll spend less time (a. hanging out b. to hang out

c. hang out) at the coffee shop with my friends.

5. _____Following (a. is b. are c. been) some fundamental rules that will make

your trip more enjoyable.

6. _____In many cultures, (a. displaying b. display c. displayed) affection in public

is considered taboo.

7. _____If they don’t behave in a certain way, you probably shouldn’t (a. too b. either

c. neither).

8. _____The sound for “clock” is similar to (a. that b. those c. this) of “death”.

9. _____ In most Asian countries, (a. that b. it c. this) is considered impolite to

open gifts in front of the gift-givers.

10. _____In western countries, do not be surprised if your hosts tear the (a. wrapping

b. wrapped c. to wrap) paper from a gift in great excitement.

11. _____They discuss the ways (a. of b. in c. to) which a university student’s life

can be stressful.

12. _____Every culture has its own (a. unwrite b. unwriting c. unwritten) list of

behavior that is acceptable.

III. Reading Comprehension: 10%

PARAGRAPH 1

The explosion around the world in mobile phone use has some health professionals worried. Some doctors are concerned that in the future many people may suffer health problems from the use of mobile phones. In England, there has been a serious debate about this issue. Mobile phone companies are worried about the negative publicity of such ideas. They say that there is no proof that mobile phones are bad for your health.

On the other hand, why do some medical studies show changes in the brain cells of some people who use mobile phones? Signs of change in the tissues of the brain and head can be detected with modern scanning equipment. In one case, a traveling salesman had to retire at a young age because of serious memory loss. He couldn’t remember even simple tasks. He would often forget the name of his own son. This man used to talk on his mobile phone for about six hours a day, every day of his working week, for a couple of years. His family doctor blamed his mobile phone use, but his employer’s doctor didn’t agree.

  1. According to the passage, why did the salesman retire at a young age?

aBecause of his health problem.

bBecause he’s tired of traveling a lot.

cBecause he made some mistakes on simple tasks.

dBecause he couldn’t remember his clients’ phone numbers.

Ans:_____

  1. What is true about the mobile phone companies in England?

aThey don’t believe that mobile phone is bad for people’s health.

bThey have been debating with customers for many years.

cThey have been suffering business loss for years.

dMobil phones are banned by doctors in England.

Ans:_____

  1. In paragraph #1, “negative publicity” means _____.

adoctors think that using too much cell phone might bring some
damage to our health

bpublic have negative image of using mobile phone while traveling in foreign countries

cmobile phone companies and the public do not quite agree with each other about the explosion in mobile phone use

dmany people complain that it is too expensive to make international calls by using mobile phones

Ans:_____

  1. The writer’s purpose in writing this article was to _____.

aconvince people not to buy cell phones

bconvince people that cell phones may be dangerous

cconvince people that doctor’s report is not always right

dconvince people that cell phone is convenient while traveling

Ans:_____

  1. We can infer from the information in paragraph #1 that mobile phone
    companies______.

aknow that cell phones are dangerous to your health

balways try different promotion to boost their sales

chave proof that cell phones are not dangerous to your health

dare afraid that information about cell phone health problems will hurt their business

Ans:_____

PARAGRAPH 2

Living abroad, it doesn't take long to realize that many things don't 'work' the same, especially when moving from 'the West' to 'the East'. Apart from different languages, each country has its own social systems and laws and ways of implementing them to resolve problems and disputes. You will find some of them bizarre. There will be times when you feel alienated or uncomfortable because you realize that things are not the same as you think they ought to be. This is what is often described as 'Culture Shock'. Living in an environment with an unfamiliar culture can cause stress, anxiety or worse – mental or physical illness or even suicide in some instances. Cross-cultural adjustment is the period of anxiety, distress and confusion suffered when entering a new culture. Acceptance is the key that unlocks the final door.

Be careful also not to ‘cross the line’ by upsetting your friends, family or even worse, the authorities because you will eventually come off to be the second best.

  1. What is the passage mainly about?

athe culture shocks in the West

bsome tips about living abroad

chow culture shock causes stress

dwhy living in an unfamiliar culturewill affect a person’s mental or physical illness

Ans:_____

  1. Which one is not true of culture shock?

aStress can be related to living in an unfamiliar environment.

bAdapting to new ways of living is the key.

cStick to your own way of life to survive.

dIt can influence a person’s emotions.

Ans:_____

  1. What does “the key that unlocks the final door” refer to?

aa key that opens every door

bthe only answer to solving the problem

cthe fact that there is no answer to solving culture shock

dthe main idea to the passage

Ans:_____

  1. What does “bizarre”mean?

ainteresting

bfrustrating

cstrange

dparty

Ans:_____

  1. What does “cross the line”mean?

awalk over the line

bbeing the second best

cmake the matter worse

dfight with your friends

Ans:_____

IV. Short Questions: 12%

  1. Do you believe stress can cause health problems? Give two examples and explain why.
  1. Name one action that is considered good manners and one that is considered bad manners in Taiwan.
  1. List three ways that people can cope with stress?
  1. Make a list of two taboo forms of behavior you would like to adapt to help you communicate with Americans. Explain why.
  1. What are two things you want to eliminate from your way of life? Explain how you intend to improve your lifeas a student?

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Answer Key

I. Vocabulary

Vocabulary in context

  1. tendency
  2. conservative
  3. violation
  4. gratitude
  5. forbidden
  6. issue
  7. maintained
  8. gesture
  9. connection

Choose the correct word to fill in the blank: 5%

  1. therapist
  2. obscene
  3. unseemly
  4. submitted
  5. sacred
  1. Sentence Structure 12%
  1. c
  2. b
  3. a
  4. a
  5. b
  6. a
  7. b
  8. a
  9. b
  10. a
  11. b
  12. c
  1. Reading Comprehension

PARAGRAPH 1

  1. a
  2. a
  3. a
  4. b
  5. d

PARAGRAPH 2

  1. b
  2. c
  3. b
  4. c
  5. c

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