04 专英组 复赛试卷

Lingnan Cup English Writing Contest

(For English Majors) (30 minutes)

I. There are 10 incomplete sentences. For each blank there are four choices marked A), B),

C), D), choose the one that best completes the sentence. (10%)

1. Everybody knows the saying that you may know a man by the _________ he keeps.

A) partner B) neighbor C) company D) friend

2. She is trying her best to acquire the _________ to be a middle school teacher.

A) level B) qualification C) point D) permit

3. I’m afraid that piece of music is too old-fashioned to _________ to our tastes any longer.

A) refer B) appeal C) set D) lead

4. Thanks to our _________ schedule, we got our task accomplished ahead of time.

A) active B) flexible C) positive D) fixed

5. The shop assistant was dismissed as she was _________ of cheating customers.

A) accused B) charged C) scolded D) cursed

6. When the post fell _________ , Dennis Bass was appointed to fill it.

A) empty B) vacant C) blank D) bare

7. None of us expected the chairman to _________ at the party. We thought he was still in hospital.

A) turn in B) turn over C) turn up D) turn down

8. The magazine English Square asks its readers to _________ their comments about the best article in every edition.

A) send in B) send for C) send off D) send up

9. It’s a very nice sofa, but it doesn’t with the rest of the room.

A) let in B) take in C) drop in D) fit in

10. The government is trying to _________ better understanding between the two countries.

A) provide B) promote C) clarify D) cancel

II. Choose one of the proper words or phrases below to fill in each blank in the following passage. (20%)

The early part of the twentieth-century was an important 1) ______________ bloody and confusing time for China. 2) ______________, in 1911, a popular revolution overthrew the last dynasty. China established its first public under Sun Yat-sen in 1912 and seemed to be modernizing. 3) ______________, violence and confusion soon followed.

4) ______________, civil war broke-out between the Nationalist forces led by Chiang Kai-shek 5) _________________the Communist forces 6) ________________ Mao Zedong.

7) ______________, in the 1930s, more violence erupted when Japan invaded in WW II. China suffered greatly 8) ______________ the Second World War. 9) ______________ Japan surrendered in 1945, the Chinese Civil War between the Nationalists and Communists

erupted again. 10) ______________, Mao Zedong proclaimed the formation of the people’s Republic of China in 1949, and China has had a Communist government ever since.

III. Rearrange the following sentences into a paragraph. Write the number in the right sequence. (14%)

1. A good voice is pleasant to listen to because it communicates a positive message. Keep in mind the following qualities of a good voice:

2. Speak slowly enough so that the listener has a chance to understand your message without your having to repeat it.

3. In these cases, careful pronunciation is very important for effective communication. You may need to repeat or spell words that are unusual or easy to be misunderstood.

4. Pronunciation is the correct way to say a word. To avoid mispronouncing (读错音) words, you may wish to check the pronunciation of unfamiliar words in the dictionary before you use them.

5. When you speak on the telephone, you cannot use your facial (面部的) expression, eye contact and gestures to help communicate your message. Your voice must do the job.

6. People with an accent unlike yours may not understand your pronunciation of some words. You also may not understand the pronunciation of some of their words.

7. Speak in a voice neither too loud nor too soft. Speak louder when giving important information.

IV. The following passage contains 10 errors. Each numbered line contains a maximum of one error. In each case, point out the error and supply the right form in the numbered blank as shown in the example given. (20%)

Why are so many people so afraid of fail? (Example) Simply because no one tell us how to fail 1. _____________

so as failure becomes a growing experience. 2. _____________

We forget that failure is a part of the human condition

and what every person has the right to fail. Most parents 3. _____________

work hard at either preventing failure or shield 4. _____________

their children from the knowledge which they have failed. 5. _____________

One way is to lower standards. A mother describes

her child’s hastily making table as “perfect” even though 6. _____________

it’s clumsy and unsteady. Another way is to shift blame.

If John fails math, his teacher is unfair or stupid.

The trouble with failure prevention devices are that 7. _____________

they lead a child unequipped with life in the real world. 8. _____________

The young need to learn that no one can be best

at everything, no one can win all the time and

that it is impossible to enjoy a game even when you don’t win. 9. _____________

A child who is not invited to a birthday party,

who doesn’t make the honor roll will feel sad.

But parents should not offer a quick consolation

prize or say, “It doesn’t matter”, because it does.

The youngster should allow to experience 10. _____________

disappointment and then be helped to master it.

V. You are going to read an article about American marriage. Eight sentences have been removed from the article. Fill in each gap (1-8) with a proper sentence chosen from the given ones (A-I). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. (16%)

“I do.” To Americans those two words carry great meaning. They can even change your life. Making wedding vows is like signing a contract. 1) _____________ But marriage is serious business.

It all begins with engagement. Traditionally, a young man asks the father of his sweetheart for permission to marry her. If the father agrees, the man later proposes to her. 2) _________ They may be engaged for weeks, months or even years. As the big day approaches, bridal showers and bachelor parties provide many useful gifts.

At last it’s time for the wedding. The usual place for a wedding is in a church. But some people get married outdoors in a scenic spot. A few even have the ceremony while sky-diving or riding on horseback! 3) _____________ They choose their own style of colors, decorations and music during the ceremony. But some things rarely change. The bride usually wears a beautiful, long white wedding dress. 4) ____________ The groom wears a formal suit or tuxedo.

As the ceremony begins, the groom and his attendants stand with the minister, facing the audience. Music signals the entrance of the bride’s attendants, followed by the beautiful bride. 5) _____________ Finally the minister announces the big moment: “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride!”

At the wedding reception, the bride and groom greet their guests. Then they cut the wedding cake and feed each other a bite. 6) ____________ Later the bride throws her bouquet of flowers to a group of single girls. 7) _____________ Many couples take a honeymoon, a one-to two-week vacation trip, to celebrate their new marriage.

Almost every culture has rituals to signal a change in one’s life. 8) ____________ So it’s no surprise to find many traditions about getting married，even in America. Yet each couple follows the traditions in a way that is uniquely their own.

VI. Supposed you are Wendy, Marketing Assistant. Your manager, Mona Lee, asks you to organize a meeting. Use the note and diary page below to write a memo to all staff in the Marketing Department. (20%)