LOOK, I TAKE IT ALL _________________ I SHOULD NEVER HAVE SPOKEN LI...

9. Look, I take it all _________________ I should never have spoken like that.

C. READING (6 points)

Question I: Fill in each blank with ONE suitable word. (2p)

Number of blue whales increasing

This is a good-news story about sea life. Scientists (1)____________ reported that the number of blue

whales in the eastern Pacific Ocean (2)____________ the highest they have been in over a century.

Researchers at the University of Washington report that there are now over 2,200 blue whales

(3)____________ Mexico and Alaska. Hunters killed nearly all the blue whales in that area and they were

(4)____________ to extinction. (5)____________ became illegal in 1971 and the numbers of the world's

largest mammal started increasing. It has (6)____________ over 40 years for the blue whale to recover.

Lead (7)____________ Dr Cole Monnahan was very happy at this positive news. He said: "For us, this is a

great conservation success story."

Dr Monnahan said the number of 2,200 blue whales in the area might not rise any further. He said:

“Before this study, some people thought that the number should be going (8)__________________, but if

there were about 2,200 whales to begin with, then that is what the environment can support.” Monnahan

warned that the creature still needs to be (9)____________________, saying: “California blue whales are

recovering because we took actions to stop catches and start monitoring. If we hadn’t, the population might

have been pushed to (10)______________________ extinction.” He added that: “The recovery of California

blue whales from whaling demonstrates the ability of blue whale populations to rebuild under careful

management and conservation measures.”

Your answers:

1……… 2……….. 3……… 4……….. 5……….

6……… 7……… 8……… 9………….. 10…………..

Question II: Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each space. (2pts)

It is relatively easy for computers to speak. A computer that says ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ in the right

places is (1) ___ miracle of science ,but recognizing the words that make up normal , continuous human

speech is another (2) ___

Not until now have computer been programmed to (3) ___ to a range of spoken commands.Until recently

it was thought that computers would have tobe programmed to the accent and speech hahits of each user,and

only then would be able to respond(4) ___to their master’s or mistress’s voice.Now rapid progress is being

made (5) ______systems programmed to adapt easily to each new speaker.

The IBM Tangora system,under development at the end of 1980s was claimed to (6) ______a spoken

vocabulary of 20,000 words with 95 percent accuracy. The system includes a processor that can make

informed guesses as to(7)______is a likely sentence.That system has been programmed not only with

grammatical rules,but also with an analyssis of a vast quantity of office correspondence.On the (8) ______

of this information ,the machine can calculate the probability of one particular word following another.

Statistical probability is necessary for computers to interpret not only speech but also (9) ______data.

Security systems can distinguish between faces they have been taught to recognize,but never has a computer

been able to match a human’s ability to make sense of a three-dimemsional scene(10) ______identifying all

objects in it.

(From ‘Heinle & Heinle TOEFL Test Assistant .Grammar’ by Milada Broukal)

Question 1: A. no B. not C. nothing D. none

Question 2: A. problem B. topic C. matter D. theme

Question 3: A. talk B. answer C. communicate D. react

Question 4: A. truly B. completely C. accurately D. right

Question 5: A. with B. for C. within D. as

Question 6: A. know B. recognize C. master D. realize

Question 7: A. which B. what C. how D. that

Question 8: A. foundation B. principle C. ground D. basis

Question 9: A. visual B. noticeable C. seen D. visible

Question 10: A. from B. by C. of D. without

Question III: Read the text below and choose the best answer (A, B, C, or D). (2pts)

We are descendants of the ice age. Periods of glaciation have spanned the whole of human existence

for the past 2 million years. The rapid melting of the continental glaciers at the end of the last ice age spurred

one of the most dramatic climate changes in the history of the planet. During this interglacial time, people

were caught up in a cataclysm of human accomplishment, including the development of agriculture and

animal husbandry. Over the past few thousand years, the Earth’s climate has been extraordinarily beneficial,

and humans have prospered exceedingly well under a benign atmosphere.

Ice ages have dramatically affected life on Earth almost from the very beginning. It is even possible

that life itself significantly changed the climate. All living organisms pull carbon dioxide out of the

atmosphere and eventually store it in sedimentary rocks within the Earth’s crust. If too much carbon dioxide

is lost, too much heat escapes out into the atmosphere. This can cause the Earth too cool enough for glacial

ice to spread across the land.

In general the reduction of the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been equalized by the

input of carbon dioxide from such events as volcanic eruptions. Man, however, is upsetting the equation by

burning fossil fuels and destroying tropical rain forests, both of which release stored carbon dioxide. This

energizes the greenhouse effect and causes the Earth to warm. If the warming is significant enough, the polar

ice caps eventually melt.

The polar ice caps drive the atmospheric and oceanic circulation systems. Should the ice caps melt,

warm tropical waters could circle the globe and make this a very warm, inhospitable planet.

Over the past century, the global sea level has apparently risen upwards of 6 inches, mainly because

of the melting of glacial ice. If present warming trends continue, the seas could rise as much as 6 feet by the

next century. This could flood coastal cities and fertile river deltas, where half the human population lives.

Delicate wetlands, where many marine species breed, also would be reclaimed by the sea. In addition, more

frequent and severe storms would batter coastal areas, adding to the disaster of the higher seas.

The continued melting of the great ice sheets in polar regions could cause massive amounts of ice to

crash into the ocean. This would further raise the sea level and release more ice, which could more than

double the area of sea ice and increase correspondingly the amount of sunlight reflected back into space. The

cycle would then be complete as this could cause global temperatures to drop enough to initiate another ice age.

Question 1. According to the passage, carbon dioxide is stored in each of the following EXCEPT

A. polar ice caps. B. sedimentary rocks. C. rain forests. D. fossil fuel.

Question 2. What does the final paragraph of the passage mainly discuss?

A. The relationship between the ocean and the sun B. The amount of sunlight reflected into space

C. A rise in global temperatures D. The conditions that could lead to an ice age

Question 3. Which of the following does the author NOT mention as a consequence of a large rise in global

sea level?

A. The destruction of wetlands B. The flooding of cities

C. A more diverse marine population D. Severe storms

Question 4. According to the passage, what is the relationship between carbon dioxide and the Earth’s

climate?

A. Carbon dioxide, which is trapped in glacial ice, is released when warm temperatures cause the ice melt.

B. The greenhouse effect, which leads to the warming of the climate, is result of too much carbon

stored in the Earth’s crust.

C. Rain causes carbon dioxide to be washed out of the atmosphere and into the ocean.

D. An increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide results in the warming of the climate.

Question 5. The word "beneficial" in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to

A. calm B. inviting C. thoughtful D. favorable

Question 6. The word "massive" can be replaced to

A. wide B. huge C. dense D. thick

Question 7. It can be inferred from the passage that the development of agriculture

A. preceded the development of animal husbandry. B. withstood vast changes in the Earth’s climate.

C. did not take place during an ice age. D. was unaffected by the greenhouse effect.

Question 8. The word “this” in the third paragraph refers to

A. man’s upsetting the equation B. the reduction of the level of carbon dioxide.

C. a volcanic eruption D. the melting of the polar ice caps

Question 9. The word “inhospitable” is closest in meaning to

A. imperfect. B. uninhabitable. C. unlikable D. cruel.

Question 10. What is the main topic of the passage?

A. The possibility that the popular ice caps will melt

B. The coming of another ice age

C. Man’s effect on the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere

D. The climate of the Earth over the years.

D. WRITING (6 points)

Question I: Rewrite these sentences so that the new one has a similar meaning as the sentence preceded.

(2pts)