
第二篇:
Dennis is travelling to Thailand for the first time. He loves Thai food, but he is not familiar with Thai 36 . He
doesn’t want to do anything offensive while he is there, so he has been reading up on some 37 in Thailand. First of all,
Dennis finds that Thai people greet each other by placing their palms and fingers together. This 38 has a similar
meaning to shaking hands in the U.S. In addition, he finds that he is not supposed to touch anyone on the head, which
represents the 39 part of the body and should be respected, according to Thai beliefs. Such an action would be
considered 40 . Of course, the police won’t arrest the person who does it, but the locals will be unhappy about it.
【3】36. music and dance laws and penalties culture and customs history and geography
【1】37. dos and don’ts ups and downs haves and have-nots pros and cons
【2】38. killing instinct praying gesture calming signal nursing movement
【1】39. holiest sexiest hardest softest
【4】40. a blessing an attack a joke an insult
四、閱讀測驗【請在下列各題中選出最適當的答案】
第一篇:
In today’s workplace, gossip is as common as ever. Rumors, half-truths, and lies fly from desk to desk and from
employee to employee. Thanks to modern technology, gossip can spread through an entire company within minutes.
Though it’s hard to stop completely, it needs to be kept in check. Otherwise, it can cause trouble for one’s colleagues or
even harm the company.
Office workers tend to gossip about two main areas. The first is a company’s general goings-on, such as hiring and
firing news, yearly bonuses, and so on. As one U.S. survey revealed, nearly two-thirds of office workers are involved in
this type of gossip. Some experts believe that, in small doses, that’s actually a good thing for it gives employees a sense
of what management is planning as company news are passed on. And hearing something on the grapevine helps
managers know better about the employees’ reaction and morale level.
The second type of gossip concerns one’s coworkers. An estimated 40% people love to talk about their colleagues’
romantic interests, career goals, and private lives. Again, some analysts suggest that a small amount of such personal
gossip helps build group relationships as it shows people’s care about and attention on their colleagues. However, when
spread with malicious intentions, it can hurt people’s feelings, job performance, and even their health.
Gossip is often passed around in employees’ break rooms and around desks. Instant messaging apps are also a
major channel for gossiping. A recent study in England found that some 80% of employees use these convenient tools on
their smartphones to chat about other employees behind their backs. E-mail, once a widely used method a decade ago,
has become a much less welcome choice, as many companies keep records of e-mails and their internal messaging
systems.
Most people strongly dislike being gossiped about. According to another large-scale questionnaire done in Europe,
60% of workers viewed gossip as the biggest office-related problem. Victims of gossip may even sue a company for not
doing enough to stop this pain in the neck in workplace. Consequently, more and more companies now have policies that
limit or forbid office gossip.
【4】41. Which of the following aspects of office gossip is NOT mentioned in this article?
Types of office gossip
Topics of office gossip
Positive influence of office gossip
A famous real case of office gossip
【3】42. Where or how is office gossip most commonly spread nowadays?
At the stairways, at restrooms, through companies’ intranet, or by e-mails.
In employees’ rest lounges, through instant messaging apps, or by e-mails.
In employees’ break rooms, around desks, or through instant messaging apps.
At employees’ cubicles, through companies’ intranet, or through instant messaging apps.
【2】43. Which of following is true about the comparison between the two main kinds of office gossip?
One focuses on the company’s matters, and the other targets those hated workers.
Both have their benefits when going moderately, according to some experts.
One involves a large portion of employees, while the other has a very small percentage of participants.
One is unwelcome to the management, and the other is hated by many employees.
【3】44. What would be the closest meaning of the word malicious (in the third paragraph)?
pious decent vicious splendid
【1】45. How do more and more companies today deal with office gossip?
They set up rules to avoid the negative impact of gossip.
They change it by promoting more positive gossip.
They fire the employees who often spread gossip.
They pay victims of gossip to prevent possible lawsuits.
第二篇:
Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it any better. A novice swimmer in the Olympics competed in a showdown with
the sport’s greatest champion and his long-time idol, and won! It sounds like the plot of a movie, but all of this actually
happened in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Singapore’s Joseph Schooling first encountered United States swimming legend Michael Phelps, also known as the
Flying Fish, when the former was barely into his teens. In 2008, Schooling was lucky enough to take a picture with
Phelps when the most decorated Olympian visited the small nation. In the photo, Phelps towers over the child. A look on
the young boy’s face seemed to say: “I can’t believe this is really happening!”
The two didn’t meet again until many years later. During the period, Joseph set his sight high, training night and
day to get himself in world-class shape. Although Joseph failed more than he succeeded, he believed this was just the
type of intense training that would lead him to success. Finally, after eight years, Joseph met Phelps once again. This
time, they were competing in the men’s 100-meter butterfly final at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Phelps, who planned to retire after the games, had already won gold in the men’s 200-meter medley, as well as the
200-meter butterfly, 4x100 freestyle relay, and 4x200 freestyle relay. He aimed to clinch another gold in the 100-meter
butterfly, but surprisingly, the 21-year-old Singaporean led the way right from the start. With audience from his home
country cheering him on, Schooling beat the Flying Fish.
When the race was over, Phelps looked up to the scoreboard and saw “2nd place” next to his name. Schooling was
ecstatic when he spotted he had placed first with a time of 50.39 seconds, edging his childhood idol by just three quarters
of a second! Phelps swam over to congratulate the young swimmer. The two gave each other a big hug, both of them
humble in victory and defeat. Schooling was filled with joy – he had become his country’s first-ever Olympic gold
medalist and a national pride.
【2】46. What does the author mean by saying “Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it any better”?
No actors can act as Schooling and Phelps with enough swimming skills.
The story of Schooling’s success seemed too good to be true.
U.S. filmmakers refused to shoot a movie about someone beating Phelps in swimming.
A Hollywood movie adapted but ruined the story of Schooling.
【4】47. Which of the following is NOT what the author used to describe Michael Phelps?
Someone whom Schooling has admired
His nickname
The person who had won most Olympic medals
What Phelps’ wife called him in private
【4】48. Which of the following is true about Joseph Schooling?
He is a Singapore-born American.
He first met Michael Phelps in the Olympic Games.
He had always been at the top of his game in his country.
He felt very happy about once taking a photo with Phelps.
【3】49. What happened when the swimming race of men’s 100-meter butterfly in the 2016 Rio Olympics was over?
Schooling won and gave a big hug with his family and coach at the poolside.
Phelps finished second but he offered a quick handshake as congratulation to Schooling.
Schooling won and Phelps swam to him, and they held each other with sportsmanship.
Phelps lost the race just by less than a second, so he requested an instant TV review.
【1】50. What was the recorded time for Phelps in men’s 100-meter butterfly in the 2016 Rio Olympics?
51.14 seconds
50.42 seconds
52.14 seconds
50.24 seconds