(A)
Gift from a stranger
My local supermarket is always busy. The first parking space I found was convenient, but I
鈥?/p>
d noticed a woman in a blue car
circling for a while. (25) _________ I was in a good mood, I let her have it. On the edge of the car park I backed into the next
available spot
鈥?/p>
it was a tight fit.
Pretty soon I
鈥?/p>
d made my way through the supermarket and was back in the fresh air. Feeling good, I (26)________ (empty)
my purse change into the hands of a homeless man and helped a struggling woman reverse park.
Just as I approached my car, I
saw the woman I鈥檇 let have my car
spot earlier. She was giving me (27) _____ odd look
鈥?/p>
half
puzzled, half
intent
(
鐑垏鐨?/p>
). I smiled and wished her a pleasant day. As I squeezed back into my car, I saw the same lady (28)
_____ (look) in at me. 鈥淗ello,鈥?nbsp;she said, hesitantly. 鈥淭his (29) ___
___ sound crazy but I was on my way to drop some of my
mother鈥檚 things off at the charity bins. You are just so much (30) ___
_________ her. You helped those people, I noticed, and you
seemed so happy.鈥?nbsp;She looked at me meaningfully and passed a box in through the window. 鈥淚 think she would like you to have
it.鈥?nbsp;(31) ____
_____ (shock), I took it from her automatically. She smiled and walked away.
After a pause, I opened the box. Inside was a beautiful gold necklace with a large grey pearl. It was (32) __________ (nice)
gift
I鈥檇
ever
received,
and
it
was
from
a
complete
stranger.
The
necklace
was
around
my
neck,
a
warm
reminder
of
human
kindness.
(B)
Ask Helpful Hannah
Dear Helpful Hannah,
I
鈥?/p>
ve got a problem with my husband, Sam. He bought a smartphone a couple of months ago and he took it on our recent
ski
vacation
to
Colorado.
It
was
a
great
trip
except
for
one
problem.
He
has
a
constant
urge
(33)
_______
(check)
for
text
messages; he checks his phone every five minutes! He
鈥?/p>
s so addicted to it that he just can
鈥?/p>
t stand the idea (34) ________ there
may be an important text. He can
鈥?/p>
t help checking even at inappropriate times like when we are eating in a restaurant and I am
talking to him! He behaves (35) ________ ________ any small amount of boredom can make him feel the need to check his
phone even when he knows he shouldn
鈥?/p>
t. The temptation to see (36) ___________ is contacting him is just too great. When I
ask him to please put down the phone and stop (37)___________ (ignore) me, he says,
鈥?/p>
In a minute,
鈥?/p>
but still checks to see if
(38) _________ has posted something new on the Internet. Our life (39) ____________ (interrupt). If we go somewhere and I
ask him to leave the phone at home, he
suffers from withdrawal symptoms. Maybe this dependency on his smartphone has
become more than an everyday problem.
I recently read an article about
鈥?/p>
nomophobia,
鈥?/p>
(40) __________ is a real illness people can suffer from: the fear of being
without your phone! I am worried that Sam may be suffering from this illness because he feels anxious if he doesn
鈥?/p>
t have his
phone with him, even for a short time.
Who would have thought that little devices like these could have brought so much trouble!
Sick and Tired Sadie
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.
Considering
how
much
time
people
spend
in
offices,
it
is
important
that
work
spaces
be
well
designed.
Well-designed
office spaces help create a cooperation鈥檚 image. They
motivate workers and they make an impression on people who visit and
might be potential, or __41__, customers. They make businesses work better, and they are a part of the corporate culture we
A. access
B. alternatives
C. assigned
D. confirmed
E. conflicting
F. elements
G. function
H. innovative
I. prospective
J. separate
K. supporting