Shirley的部落格

I. Vocabulary and Derivatives

Fill in each blank with the correct word.

associated 1. The color black is often a      ed with death. Thus, people usually don’t wear black to weddings.

familiar 2. Jack is very f r with this type of washing machine. He can fix it right away.

ceremony 3. The opening c      y of the Olympic Games is always interesting to watch.

artificial 4. Many people use a      l plants to decorate their homes because they don’t want to take care of real ones.

scientific 5. According to several s      c studies, many of our everyday activities lead to global warming (全球暖化), such as driving cars and cutting down trees.

immediately 6. When an earthquake occurs, i      y find something that you can use to protect your head with and be sure to keep the doors in your home open.

events   7. For Mandy, her wedding is one of the most important e      ts in her life.

actually   8. Tom says he isn’t worried about giving the speech, but we know that he is a      y very nervous about it.

diary     9. Sarah keeps a d      y. She writes down her private thoughts every day.

attend   10. Jamie caught a cold, so she didn’t a      d the meeting today.

engagement 11. After Chris and Jill’s       (engaged) was announced (宣布), they began to prepare for their wedding.

superstitious 12. There is a       (superstition) belief that Friday the 13^th is an unlucky day. Some people believe that something bad might happen on that day.

original 13. Ella posted the lost dog’s picture on the Internet, and hoped to find its       (origin) owner.

II. Idioms and Phrases

Fill in each blank with one of the idioms or phrases listed below. Make changes if

necessary.

1. Your answer to that question is    in no way   correct; it is completely wrong.

2. The injury (受傷) of the top player of this basketball team    resulted in   their failure in the important game.

3. The manager is looking for a new secretary to    take the place of   the one who just left.

4. Once the determined young man makes up his mind, he will    stick to   the decision he has made.

5. The famous movie, Batman, was    based on   the famous comic books.

III. Cloze Test

Choose the correct answer to fill in each blank.

In our everyday lives, many activities are greatly affected by superstition­based customs. For example, it is common for a bride to invite her close friends to be bridesmaids. The superstition behind this tradition is that ancient Roman people    1   that evil spirits might hurt the bride at a wedding. To prevent this    2   happening, therefore, bridesmaids dressed the same as the bride to fool the evil spirits. Another example is the relationship between a rabbit’s foot and good luck.

The two are not related, but some Westerners think that it is unusual that rabbits, when running, touch the ground    3   their back feet first. Therefore, they    4   this    4   a lucky sign. Other customs that have been followed for many years may have grown    5   fears. For instance, the number “four” is usually avoided by Taiwanese people because it sounds like the Chinese word for “death.” Although there is no proof to support such superstitions, people nowadays still practice these customs to face the unknown.

( B ) 1. (A) are used to believe            (B) used to believe

(C) used to believing       (D) get used to believe

( C ) 2. (A) for          (B) against  (C) from      (D) with

( C ) 3. (A) to            (B) from      (C) with             (D) in

( D ) 4. (A) see . . . for                  (B) look . . . with

(C) take . . . about                  (D) regard . . . as

( A ) 5. (A) out of            (B) with             (C) among   (D) together with

IV. Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answers.

( A ) 1. The father has never given up hope of finding his missing son because he has the belief       he is still alive.

(A) that        (B) which          (C) where    (D) what

( A ) 2. Claire invited all her classmates       her birthday party.

(A) to join    (B) join              (C) joining  (D) be joined

( C ) 3. Ian       his classmate’s dictionary, but now he doesn’t have to do so anymore, because his father has bought one for him as a birthday gift.

(A) is used to borrow                   (B) gets used to borrowing

(C) used to borrow                (D) used to borrowing

( B ) 4. Many fans dressed in the same way       Lady Gaga did when they went to see her shows.

(A) with        (B) as                (C) for         (D) about

( D ) 5.       Diane wrote in her letter about her trip to Los Angeles interested me.

(A) How       (B) Which         (C) That            (D) What

( B ) 6. Ashley was late for work       the heavy traffic this morning.

(A) with        (B) because of   (C) for         (D) about

( B ) 7. The couple fought a lot. That’s the reason       they decided to break up.

(A) which     (B) why                   (C) how             (D) that

( D ) 8.       is something that some Westerners do in order to protect themselves from bad luck.

(A) Knock on wood               (B) Knocks on wood

(C) Knocked on wood                  (D) Knocking on wood

( C ) 9. Dragons       as a lucky sign in Chinese society for thousands of years.

(A) are long viewing              (B) have long viewed

(C) have long been viewed     (D) have viewed

( C ) 10. In this village, ancient traditions still       today.

(A) have followed                  (B) are been followed

(C) are being followed            (D) are following

V. Making Sentences

A. Complete the following sentences by using the given words and patterns. (6%)

1.          Amy is used to brushing her teeth before she goes to bed          
(Amy/brush/her teeth/before/go to bed), so she seldom goes to the dentist.

2.              Mr. Jones used to smoke every day               (Mr. Jones/
smoke/every day), but he gave it up after he became a father.

3. Since the foreigner came to Taiwan just a few days ago,                     
   he still can’t get used to using chopsticks     (he/still/can’t/use/chopsticks)
at every meal. So, he usually eats with a fork and knife.

B. Rewrite the following sentences by using the given patterns.

1. Ethan finally succeeded because he worked hard.

→ Ethan finally succeeded because of his hard work.                      
                                                              

2. Because he received strict training when he was in the U.S., Lin Hwai­min was able to become a great dancer.

→ Because of the strict training he received in the U.S., Lin Hwai­min was able to become a great dancer.                                            

3. Because of the loud noise from the kids next door, Kevin couldn’t fall asleep.

→ Because the kids next door made loud noise, Kevin couldn’t fall asleep.      
                                                              

VI. Guided Translation

Translate the following Chinese sentences into English.

1. 當我們感到焦慮或難過時，我們傾向和朋友們聊天以尋求慰藉。

When we get nervous or sad, we tend to    find      comfort      in   talking with our friends.

2. 在一個社會中，多數成員為了處理未知的事而普遍做出的行為就叫做習俗。

In a society, the ways that most people    deal      with   the unknown usually become customs.

3. 有些人除了隨身帶著幸運物之外，還會去廟裡拜拜祈求好運。

Some people go to temples to pray for good luck    in      addition      to   carrying lucky charms with them.

VII. Reading Comprehension

Read the following article and choose the correct answer to each question or statement.

There are many superstitions in the United States of America. For example, the number 13 is considered a very unlucky number. Many buildings in the United States do not have a 13^th floor, because 13 is unlucky. When a Friday occurs on the 13^th day of the month (Friday the 13^th), many people worry that something bad will happen that day.

Besides the number 13, there is another superstition in America about breaking a mirror. According to this superstition, if you break a mirror, you will have seven years of bad luck! It is also bad luck if a black cat walks in front of you. Likewise, people believe walking under a ladder is bad luck, so they avoid doing so.

Spilling salt is another sign of bad luck. According to this superstition, if you spill salt, you should throw some salt over your shoulder to stop bad things from happening. In some cases, superstitions become customs. Have you ever heard someone say “God bless you,” after someone else sneezes? This tradition comes from the superstition that when a person sneezes, devils will enter his or her body. Saying “God bless you” protects people against devils.

Of course, not everyone in the United States believes in these superstitions. However, these superstitions have been around for a very long time and probably will continue to influence people’s actions in the future.

—Brian Foden

( D ) 1. What is the main idea of the article?

(A) Superstitions help people keep bad things away.

(B) All people in the United States believe in superstitions.

(C) Nowadays, it is silly to believe in superstitions.

(D) Superstitions are common in the United States.

( C ) 2. According to this article, people usually say “God bless you” after someone sneezes because      .

(A) they would like to receive good luck from this person

(B) they want to wish this person well

(C) they want to keep devils away

(D) they hope to avoid bad luck

( C ) 3. Which of the following statements is true?

(A) There are no 13th floors in all American buildings.

(B) Spilling salt can make something good happen.

(C) American people might not like to see black cats.

(D) People in the U.S. never walk under a ladder.