10After three days without news, the family grew for any information at all.
Adesperate
Bplentiful
Ccrisp
Dinitial
✔ 正確答案：(A) desperate
中譯三天沒有消息後，這家人變得極度渴望得到任何一點訊息。
解析be desperate for 表示「極度渴望」。crisp 酥脆的、plentiful 充足的、initial 起初的，都無法描述焦急渴求的心情。
單字desperate 極渴望的、絕望的、crisp 酥脆的、涼爽的、plentiful 充足的
2
段落填空 Cloze
共 10 題／兩篇短文，每篇 5 格
請閱讀短文，並由四個選項中選出最適合每個空格的答案。
Passage 1
The Government Nobody Watches
Most people can name their president, yet few can name a single member of their city 11. This is odd, because local government touches daily life far more directly. It decides where a road will go and how a park is used. Once a year this small 12 must also approve the town budget, and every resident is 13 to speak at that meeting. Turnout, however, is poor. A recent 14 found that fewer than one adult in ten had ever attended. Local 15 blame the dull language of official papers, and several towns are now rewriting their notices in plain language.
When people picture an 16, they imagine grand dinners and famous guests. Much of the work, however, is quiet paperwork. Staff answer questions about visas, help travelers who have lost their passports, and pass messages between the two governments. The 17 himself may spend a whole morning reading reports from the foreign 18 back home. Because rules can change overnight, the team must combine speed with care; one wrong date on a form can be 19 for a family waiting to travel. Officers say that quiet, 20 paperwork protects far more citizens than any grand dinner ever will.
On 12 October the city council will hold an open meeting on the new town charter. Every household is entitled to send one speaker.
Speakers have three minutes each. Please sign your name at the door before 6:45 p.m. Those who arrive after that time may listen, but may not speak.
Written comments are also welcome. Send them to my office by 5 October; I will read the first twenty aloud at the meeting.
The hall has no parking at all, so please come by bus.
Yours sincerely, Alice Ho, Council Member
全文中譯
第五選區的居民您好：
十月十二日，市議會將針對新的鎮章程召開公開會議。每一戶都有權推派一位發言人。
每位發言人有三分鐘。請於晚上六點四十五分前在門口簽名。逾時抵達者可以旁聽，但不得發言。
也歡迎書面意見。請於十月五日前寄到我的辦公室；我會在會議上朗讀前二十份。
會場完全沒有停車位，請搭公車前來。
敬祝安好 議員 何愛麗絲
Questions 21–24
21What is the main purpose of this email?
ATo thank residents for their written comments
BTo invite residents to a meeting on the town charter
CTo announce the result of a recent election
DTo ask residents to pay a new town fee
✔ 正確答案：(B) To invite residents to a meeting on the town charter
中譯這封電子郵件的主要目的為何？
解析首段即說 the city council will hold an open meeting on the new town charter，並說明每戶可派一人發言，主旨是邀請居民出席。
22How many speakers may one household send?
AFive
BOne
CTwenty
DThree
✔ 正確答案：(B) One
中譯每一戶可以推派幾位發言人？
解析Every household is entitled to send one speaker。three 是每人的發言分鐘數，twenty 是朗讀的書面意見份數。
23What happens to people who arrive after 6:45 p.m.?
AThey must pay a small fine
BThey are asked to leave the hall
CThey may speak for one minute only
DThey may listen but not speak
✔ 正確答案：(D) They may listen but not speak
中譯六點四十五分之後才到的人會怎麼樣？
解析Those who arrive after that time may listen, but may not speak。
24What must someone do to send a written comment?
APost it on the council website
BHand it in at the door on 12 October
CSend it to the writer's office by 5 October
DRead it aloud at the meeting
✔ 正確答案：(C) Send it to the writer's office by 5 October
中譯想提出書面意見的人必須怎麼做？
解析Send them to my office by 5 October；朗讀是由作者本人在會議上進行，並非投稿者自己念。
AD
Know Your Constitution: Four Free Evening Talks
Know Your Constitution — four free talks at the Public Library, third floor.
Talk 1 (Tue) How a bill travels through parliament
Talk 2 (Wed) What the federal courts may and may not decide
Talk 3 (Thu) Reading a poll without being fooled by it
Talk 4 (Fri) Writing a letter your own politician will answer
Every talk runs from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. No booking is needed for Talks 1 to 3. Talk 4 includes a writing workshop, so seats are limited to 25; call 02-8871-4400.
解析No booking is needed for Talks 1 to 3；只有含寫作工作坊的 Talk 4 名額限二十五人並須來電。
26How long does each talk last?
ATwo and a half hours
BOne hour
CAn hour and a half
DTwo hours
✔ 正確答案：(C) An hour and a half
中譯每場講座持續多久？
解析Every talk runs from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.，即一個半小時。
27What are visitors asked to bring?
ATea
BA copy of the constitution
CA pen
DTwenty-five dollars
✔ 正確答案：(C) A pen
中譯來聽講的人被要求攜帶什麼？
解析Please bring a pen；茶水由主辦單位供應，講座免費。
28Which talk deals with the work of the federal courts?
ATalk 2
BTalk 3
CTalk 1
DTalk 4
✔ 正確答案：(A) Talk 2
中譯哪一場講座談的是聯邦法院的職權？
解析Talk 2 的主題是 What the federal courts may and may not decide。Talk 1 談法案在議會的流程。
ARTICLE
Young Voters Are Not Lazy
In many countries, fewer young adults vote than their parents did at the same age. Boredom is the usual explanation, but a recent study points elsewhere. Young voters, it found, do care about politics; what they cannot stand is the language it is written in.
When one national congress rewrote its public papers in plain English, questions from ordinary readers rose by a third. In a second test, voting stations were moved onto university campuses, and turnout there climbed sharply.
Neither change cost much. The lesson, the researchers say, is that young people are not lazy, only badly served.