I. Choose the one which is equal to the word given blow:

1. sociable  A. lovable     B. humorous     C. gregarious     D. communication

2. intricate  A. arduous     B. complex    C. invalid     D. unpleasant

3. meander  A. wind     B. glow    C. move    D. stop

4. anecdote  A. tedious meeting     B. boring talk  C. exciting chat    D. amusing story 

5. intimate  A. companion     B. enemy   C. classmate        D. foe

6. desultorily  A. orderly    B. aimlessly    C. pleasantly    D. briefly

7. tart  A. interesting   B. positive   C. courageous     D. biting

8. convict  A. culprit   B. invader    C. instructor    D. mentor

9. churl  A. farmer     B. peasant     C. agriculture worker     D. servant 

10. snobbery  A. pride   B. anger     C. pretension       D. politeness 

11. scamper  A. jump angrily  B. run quickly  C. move smoothly   D. walk leisurely

12. intercept  A. cut off   B. turn off   C. lay off   D. fall off

13. tussle  A. pull     B. struggle   C. push    D. determine

14. pejoratively  A. contemptuously      B. playfully     C. angrily     D. proudly

15. facetiously  A. formally   B. superficially   C. hideously   D. humorously

16. edict  A. decree      B. editorial    C. instruction      D. essay

17. ultimatum  A. false statement  B. strong criticism  C. final warning  D. urgent decision

18. sinister  A. approaching    B. foreboding  C. concurrent      D. arrogant

19. punctuate  A. break off       B. break down   C. break up    D. break out  

20. justify  A. veto     B. decide  C. legitimize     D. impeach

II. Choose the right word to fill in the blank of the sentence.

1. rift     2. abuse      3.  justify       4. intimate 5. meander 6. sty     7. desultory   8.  facetious   9. alchemy   10. snobbery 11. jeer   12. sinister      13.  ultimatum 14. edict   15. pejorative

1. Some people comment that there has often been an element of _______ in golf.

2. The emperor issued a(n) ______ that all of the writings by the convicted poet be destroyed.

3. In the first class, the professor said that “we do actually start class with a little bit of history from ______ to modern chemistry, but I decided to skip that this time”.

4. At the end of the 19th century, an amateur meant someone who was motivated by the sheer love of doing something; professional was a rare, _______ term for grubby money-making.

5. The tourists ________ through a landscape of mountains, rivers, and vineyards.

6. The earth convulsed uncontrollably, a _____ opened suddenly and, with a horrid sucking sound, swallowed the entire pool.

7. My life is so miserable that I have to live in the foul _____ day and night.

8. The two Palestinian factions, bitter rivals for years, have made various ________ efforts to settle their differences.

9. There was something _______ about him that she found disturbing.

10. The demonstrators _______ at the mayor as he arrived at the town for a week-long visit.

11. If you say that someone is being _____, it means you are criticizing him because he is making humorous remarks or saying something that he does not mean in a situation where he ought to be serious.

12. Some Japanese women alleged that they were verbally ____ by the American soldiers.

13. Lucy catches the time to enjoy the _______ moments with her boyfriend.

14. To the extent that Lycidas' body has been recovered, that it's been redeemed, Milton is able to ______ the ways of God to men.

 

15. They issued an ______ to the police to rid the area of racist attackers, or they will take the law into their own hands.

III. Determine whether the following statements are true or false. Put a “T” if the statement is true, and put an “F” if the statement is false.

1. Animals can communicate with each other in a complicated way so they can actually enjoy the same conversation as humans do.  

2. The charm of conversation is that there is no idea and real meaning in it.

3. The musketeers of Dumas lived side by side with each other, but they did not delve deep into each other’s private lives.

4. “The King’s English” used to be a pejorative term which was used to criticize some people who could not speak English properly.

5.  One of the reasons for the English to revolt under the Saxon leaders like Hereward the Wake was the intense cultural humiliation they felt.  

6. French was the dominant language in the Angevins and the Plantagenets’ reign.

7. “The abuse of God’s patience and the King’s English” means the master will probably lose temper and curse.

8. Looking up the dictionary and checking the meaning of a term in the middle of a conversation will usually settle the argument and make the conversation move more smoothly.

9. The phrase “the sinister corridor of our age” by E.M. Forster is more vivid and interesting than the expression “we are all following each other down the sinister corridor of our age”.

10. The author holds that people are not interested in teaching chimpanzees to talk is probably that they will ruin human’s conversation by talking improperly with men.  

IV. Writing

Write an essay of about 350-400 words with the title:

                  My Views on a good conversation

You can approach the essay from the following perspectives:

your criteria for a good conversation;

the way to make a conversation good;

the effects to be expected of a good conversation

In the introduction part of your essay you should state clearly your main argument, and in the development part you should support your argument with appropriate details. In the conclusion part you should bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or make a summary.