II. Grammar and Vocabulary

Section A

Directions: Beneath each of the following sentences there are four choices marked A, B, C and D.Choose the one answer that best completes the sentence.

25. A terrible earthquake hit the Pacific Ocean near Northeastern Japan _________ the afternoon of March 11, 2011.

A. in B. by C. on D. of 

26. Some friends tried to settle the quarrel between the twins without hurting the feeling of ______, but failed．

A. none B. either C. all D. neither

27. Don’t trust such an advertisement on TV. That kind of electronic dictionary is ______ it says. 

A. as good as B. not as good as C. as well as D. not as well as

28. We didn’t dare to go out of the hotel _________ we ran into anything dangerous.

A. in case B. where C. so that D. because

29. Peter, a fan of tennis, told me that the Chinese player Li Na _________ the second gold medal in the Australian Open Tennis Championship in the coffee bar the day before. 

A. wins B. will win C. would win D. had won 

30. I _________ the poor little rabbit, but I didn’t have any right drugs with me at that moment.

A. could have saved B. had saved C. could save D. saved 

31. Each means _________ to solve the problem, but none is effective. 

A. has been tried out B. have been tried out

C. will be tried out D. are tried out

32. You can never imagine what great trouble I have _________ this marble in my house.

A. found  B. for finding   C. finding  D. to find

33. He is a student at Oxford University, _________ for a degree in computer science.

A. studied B. studying C. to have studied D. to be studying 

34. _________ environmental damage is done, it takes many years for the ecosystem to recover.

A. Even if B. If only C. While D. Once

35. _________ gets home first is to cook supper for our big family.

A. Who B. Whoever C. Whom D. Those who 

36. It was the way he said it rather than what he actually said _________ made me angry.

A. what B. who C. that D. whom 

37. At the end of the program, the students are paid $600 – a way this program differs from others, _________ often charge a fee.

A. who B. that C. they D. which

38. The first black president of the United States of America, Barack Obama, won the election in the end, but it remains, of course, _________ whether he can overcome the present difficulties.

A. to see B. seen C. seeing D. to be seen

39. Carbon dioxide _________ from burning fuels is the most common of the “greenhouse gases”.

A. having been produced B. producing C. to be produced D. produced

40. Only when _________ possible to settle the problem among the boy students.

A. does the class teacher come will it be

B. the class teacher comes will it be

C. has the class teacher come it will be

D. the class teacher comes it will be

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.

 Reading can be fun, but it can also be time-consuming if your speed is not as fast as you’d like it to be. The __41___ reading speed can range from 200 to 350 words per minute, but that speed can vary depending on your reading experience and the __42___ you are reading. It’s also important to understand what you are reading—even when you improve your speed. Here are a few tips to help you become a __43___ reader.

Adjust your reading speed as you read different materials. Slow down when the material is new to you or you need to understand the material fully. Speed up if you are already __44___with the material or you don’t have to understand it completely.

Another way to improve your reading speed is to focus on the key words in the sentences. A large amount of reading time is __45___ on conjunctions, prepositions, or articles (i.e. a, an, the, but, and, etc.).

Talk about what you’ve read. Some readers find that by talking about their reading with friends or fellow students, they are able to understand the material more __46___ .

Determine a reading schedule that works for you. You may find that you can’t concentrate on the material for more than an hour (or a half hour). Also __47___ a time of the day when you are ready to read.

Don’t re-read right away; it will slow down your reading speed. If you absolutely don’t understand part of the reading selection, go back and __48___ the material later.
Find a proper reading place, where interruptions or distractions will not disturb your reading.

Practice. Practice. Practice. The best way to improve your reading speed is to practice reading.

Try out some of the above __49___ , and then perfect the strategies that work best for you.