41. Which of the following is the most appropriate topic sentence for the paragraph below?
(A) A nickname is a name used informally instead of one’s given name.
(B) Almost everyone has a nickname and a given name.
(C) A nickname to a person is like the image to a company.
(D) A nickname is more important than a given name to a person. _______________ It is often simply a shortened version of a person’s given name, for example, “Joe” for Josephine or “Bill” for William. Sometimes, a nickname is given because of someone’s appearance or other characteristics. A very thin person may be called “Stick” and a very fat one, “Roly-poly.” It is common to use nicknames among family members and close friends.

37. What does the word “slim” mean? (A) Small. (B) Good. (C) Careful. (D) Serious.

38. According to the passage, socially-anxious people _______________. (A) are well-understood by the public (B) like going to the talk shows (C) enjoy themselves very much in social gatherings (D) feel that they are being negatively watched by the public

39. According to the passage, we may infer that _______________. (A) parents should send socially-anxious children to the hospital (B) doctors should give new medicine to treat socially-anxious people (C) talk shows should discuss more about the problem of social anxiety (D) socially-anxious people should be encouraged to stay home more

40. According to the passage, after the second paragraph, the author probably continues to write about _______________. (A) what the public think of socially-anxious people (B) why socially-anxious people cannot obtain help easily (C) how everyone realizes the problems of socially-anxious people in daily life (D) what kind of medicine could cure socially-anxious people

42. Which of the following is the most appropriate topic sentence for the paragraph below? (A) The Chinese writing system is the only existing system that consists of only picture words. (B) The Chinese writing system developed from ancient picture writing. (C) In learning the Chinese writing system, we have to draw pictures for words. (D) The Chinese writing system is difficult to learn, especially picture writing. _______________ At the very beginning, the picture words resembled closely the objects they were referring to. Examples are the words eye, mouth, human, mountain, sun, and moon. Over time, the words have changed in form; the picture signs became characters. The Chinese character for moon, for instance, first took the shape of a crescent moon before developing to its present form, and the word sun today no longer shows heat radiating from a sun.

43. Which of the following can best fit into the blank in the paragraph below? (A) who have laid off large numbers of workers and kept production below normal capacity (B) who make up the sector with the biggest recovery (C) whose orders from overseas markets showed the worst decline last year (D) whose recovery led to general economic recovery Manufacturers, _______________, have been the weakest link in the economy’s ability to recover fully from the effects of the 2001 recession. For all of 2002, orders to U.S. factories dropped by 0.8 percent. Still, that was an improvement over the sharp 7.4 percent decline for 2001. Shipments – a measure of demand – fell 1.1 percent last year, compared with a deeper 5.5 percent drop for all of 2001.

44. Which of the following can best fit into the blank in the paragraph below? (A) two capsules per meal per day are suggested (B) effects have on immune function and learning disabilities (C) we must acquire them from our diet (D) the best therapeutic levels for you based on lifestyle and general health There are about 50 essential elements our bodies require for everyday health and for longevity. They are considered “essential” because our bodies cannot produce them; _______________. Most of these essential elements are vitamins, minerals and amino acids, but two are the essential fatty acids known as omega 3 and omega 6.

45. Which of the following can best fit into the blank in the paragraph below? (A) Shopping for a low-rated company might save you a lot of money. (B) So do not drop your policy if it costs you a penalty. (C) Insurers with profit problems will probably raise premiums for its existing policyholders. (D) But if it promises years of stable premiums, it is actually cheap. When you are shopping for a new insurance policy, one from a high-rated company might look more expensive. _______________ Good insurance policies generally cover home care and some pay a family member to look after you. To hold your premium down, consider funding for NT$2000 a day and absorbing the rest of the cost yourself. Plan to pay for the first 90 days out of your pocket, before the coverage kicks in.

46. (A) When you finish vocational high school and start college, making your own decisions and taking responsibilities for your actions, you realize there is life after adolescence. (B) There is hardly any pressure. But then, look back and think harder. If I had the means, I would give out stickers to all junior and senior high school students. (C) These would carry the statement: “I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up.” Adolescence is not without its problems and confusions. (D) Yet, it permits you to keep some of the spontaneity of childhood.

47. We take our smoothly paved highways and streets for granted as products of technology and engineering. They are made of concrete, a building material composed of cement, sand or gravel, and water. (A) The huge concrete channel supplied drinking water to ancient Rome. (B) The cement in concrete has a long history. The Egyptians burned chips from the Great Pyramid and used the resulting ash as mortar. (C) The Romans made a cement out of volcanic ash, which they turned into concrete by mixing it with water, lime, and rock; they used cement in the Great Aqueduct about 2000 years ago. (D) Today, concrete mix containing sand is used for smooth applications; gravel mix is used where a stronger concrete is required.