4 in 1 Reading U4

 

Unit 04

I. 綜合測驗

The Metamorphosis, a famous novel by Franz Kafka, describes a story of a man transformed into an ugly beetle. Gregor Samsa, a salesperson, got up one morning to find that he had become a giant beetle. _1._ his family, he pretended to be sick and confined himself to his bedroom. However, as his family forced his bedroom door open, they were shocked at what they saw. Gregor's mother fainted at the sight of him because it had never _2._ her that her dear son should have become a hideous monster.

While the entire family was troubled and disgusted by Gregor's frightening appearance, his sister, Grete, secretly brought him food. However, Gregor no longer felt interested in the food he used to enjoy. _3._, he took great delight in the rotting food scraps. His behaviors had become so abnormal and scary that his family grew tired of him and secretly wished for his death.

The story ends as Gregor eventually died in loneliness. His family, who had moved to a smaller house because of their extra _4._ spent on Gregor, felt a sense of relief. They thought that if Gregor had not become a horrifying beetle, their family _5._ a better life. Their indifferent attitudes to Gregor's death in a way add sadness to the ending and invite the issue of humanity and morality for readers to ponder over.

(  ) 1. (A) Not scaring   (B) Not scared             (C) To scare not           (D) Not to scare

(  ) 2. (A) come across   (B) occurred to            (C) counted on            (D) happened to

(  ) 3. (A) Hence            (B) Likewise               (C) Instead                  (D) Supposedly

(  ) 4. (A) expenses        (B) benefits                 (C) incomes                 (D) charges

(  ) 5. (A) can have        (B) must live               (C) had lived               (D) could have had

應考小撇步

選出正確的動詞形式是常考題型。

就第1.題來說，後面有一完整子句，先判斷該題對後面的句子來說有無目的性，若有擇選不定詞片語(to + VR)形式；若沒有則可能就是分詞構句，此時就以主要句子的主詞來判斷，若動詞對它來說是主動，則選用現在分詞，若是被動，則選過去分詞。

句型總匯

It + occurred to / dawned on / struck + sb. that + S + V...  某人突然想到…、瞬間領悟…

說明：這個句型也可以說 It crossed / came across / flashed into / flashed through one's mind that + S + V...，或是sb. hit upon an idea that…。

à After I watched the film about bees, it occurred to / dawned on / struck me that I could write an essay about behavior.

II. 綜合測驗

Fear is a common emotion that we all have. It is caused by a specific stimulus, which can be a horrible object right in front of us or an unknown situation in the future. If that fear is so _1._ as to affect our behavior and life, it is called a phobia. Some phobias are pretty common and understandable, such as arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, or acrophobia, the fear of heights, _2._ others are rare, such as somniphobia, which means feeling afraid of falling asleep. _3._, those uncommon, strange phobias are more or less present among us though we are not aware of them because they pose no threat to our life.

Upon seeing a subject of dread, people suffering from phobias may have an uneasy feeling, _4._ some physical reactions like fast shallow breath, pounding heartbeat sweating and feeling like vomiting. Seeing what causes them to fear, they are often so scared that their blood runs cold or they have _5._. When people's phobias have seriously affected their life, it is necessary that they consult a psychiatrist.

(  ) 1. (A) current           (B intense                    (C) stable                     (D) familiar

(  ) 2. (A) once              (B) when                     (C) since                      (D) while

(  ) 3. (A) Surprisingly  (B) Fortunately            (C) Originally              (D) Particularly

(  ) 4. (A) along with     (B) except for              (C) on the basis of       (D) by means of

(  ) 5. (A) the cherry on the cake                       (B) the apple in their eye

(C) butterflies in their stomach                (D) all the eggs in one basket

句型總匯

It is + necessary / essential / important / urgent + that + S + (should) + VR…  …有必要、重要、很緊急

說明：表示「必要重要急迫」的句型，後面的that子句裡要用助動詞should，是「應該」的意思，可以省略。

à It is necessary that the government (should) take measures to solve the pollution problem.

à It is urgent that the injured (should) be sent to the hospital immediately.

III. 文意選填

Ever since the release of the movie Truman Show, some audiences have taken delight in peeping into others' life. Jade Goody from London was one of the _1._ names in an English reality-television show, and she enjoyed being under the spotlight. Making her first _2._ in a British program Big Brother in 2002, she became a celebrity in the TV industry, and was famous for being blunt and straightforward. However, her popularity _3._ when she attacked an Indian actress Shilpa Shetty, and acted like a racist. Because of this, she was forced to leave the show and even to hold a press _4._ to apologize to the public.

Later in 2008, Jade Goody fell ill because of a(n) _5._ while she was still in another reality television show. The illness turned out to be cervical cancer after further examinations. Her cancer was aggressive and _6._. In that case, she had no choice but to have big surgery, _7._ a series of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Controversy about her was _8._ again as she started to shoot a reality-television documentary, Living with Jade Goody. She was _9._ of selling her own death, but she couldn't care less. She needed to make a fortune for her two sons. Finally, the day came when she was pronounced terminally ill. Though devastated, she made a will and drew up _10._ plans for caring her two sons. She died at age 27, and her death was reported in various British media as was expected.

(A) dropped       (B) stirred up      (C) accused        (D) appearance   (E) conference

(F) household     (G) detailed        (H) infection       (I) followed by   (J) life-threatening

1. _____                    2. _____                    3. _____                    4. _____                    5. _____

6. _____                    7. _____                    8. _____                    9. _____                    10. _____

句型總匯

…have no choice but to / cannot choose but + VR…  不得不…

說明：此句型表示別無選擇只能做某事。cannot help + V-ing cannot (help) but+VR S

à Because there was no bus late at night, I had no choice but to walk home.

= Because there was no bus late at night, I couldn't choose but walk home.

à Hearing the bad news, the mother couldn't help crying.

= Hearing the bad news, the mother couldn't (help) but cry.

IV. 篇章結構

Technology has been used in many ways, most noticeably in saving lives at critical moments. It is often hoped that victims can be saved in time when disasters strike. Two U.S. government agencies, the Department of Homeland Security and NASA, have noticed that the fate of the victims mostly depends on how fast they are rescued. ___1.___ Victims who are unable to crawl out of the wreckage or fail to let rescuers know their location are likely to be doomed. So the two government agencies decided to work together and design a high-tech device to locate the victims trapped in a collapsed building.

___2.___ With this equipment, a victim's slightest movement or a heartbeat can be detected. The theory is that FINDER sends out microwave signals, which go in and hit the rubble and debris. ___3.___ As the victim moves, FINDER can locate the human body by analyzing the signal reflection data. When the victim breathes or his / her heart beats, the skin moves a little bit, which FINDER will not miss. ___4.___ Hopefully, it will save lots of lives in the future.

(A) They soon created a new device, called FINDER, the short form for Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response.

(B) When a building crumbles down, the clock is ticking.

(C) Some of the signals may go further in, hit the victim deep inside and bounce back.

(D) Several pilot tests have proven that FINDER is indeed an efficient tool to find survivors in an accident.

1. _____                          2. _____                          3. _____                          4. _____

句型總匯

S1 + be + that + S2 + V...  that引導名詞子句當補語

說明：that引導的子句為名詞子句，可以當主詞、受詞、補語及同位語，當受詞時，that可省略。

à [That honesty is the best policy] is undeniable. (當主詞)

à My father always tells me [(that) time is money]. (當受詞)

à The point is [that humans will suffer if we don't protect the environment]. (當主詞補語)

à Kelly cannot accept the fact [that her boyfriend is dead]. (當同位語)

V. 閱讀測驗

You'd never know what it is just from looking. The new bright orange schoolhouse in Granados, Guatemala has walls built with used plastic bottles --- and so much other plastic waste that the team who built it had to go to the neighboring villages to collect waste because they used up all the trash of their own. Peace Corps volunteer Laura Kutner was inspired to start the project because of the plastic trash that she noticed everywhere in Guatemala, and because schools had classrooms with no walls. Therefore, she borrowed the idea of using bottles as a construction material from a magazine, and with materials and labor from local businesses as well as help from an organization called "Hug it Forward," they set to work.

The team filled individual bottles with plastic grocery bags, chip bags, and other waste they had collected, and after placing the bottles inside metal fencing for shape, they used trash again to fill spaces between the fencing and the bottles. "We needed a lot of plastic trash," said Laura --- "if the empty spaces hadn't been stuffed with trash, the wall would have been ill-shaped when we threw the cement on. We used so much trash that we could not find anymore in the town and had to go to the neighboring villages to get some of theirs. It was awesome!"

After the fencing was stuffed with waste, three layers of cement were placed on each side ----- creating the look and stability of any regular wall. Essentially, the bottles just served as insulation.

Laura called the project truly the perfect example of a team effort. "If the entire town had not participated, it would not have happened!" said Laura.

(  ) 1. What is the article mainly about?

(A) An orange schoolhouse that is totally built with plastic bottles.

(B) A lady's brilliant idea that benefits the environment and the community.

(C) The serious trash pollution and lack of resources in Guatemala.

(D) Two volunteering groups, "Peace Corps" and "Hug It Forward."

(  ) 2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the article about the building project?

(A) Building materials.                          (B) Days of construction.

(C) Purpose of construction.                  (D) Participants.

(  ) 3. Which of the following is the correct order of materials used in constructing the walls mentioned in the reading?

(A) plastic waste→metal fencing→bottles with plastic→cement

(B) bottles with plastic→metal fencing→cement→plastic waste

(C) cement→bottles with plastic→plastic waste→metal fencing

(D) metal fencing→bottles with plastic→plastic waste→cement

(  ) 4. What can we infer from the article?

(A) The building materials of the schoolhouse came from several villages.

(B) Laura Kutner is a schoolteacher in Granados, Guatemala.

(C) Had it not been for the financial support from around the world, the project wouldn't have been completed.

(D) The metal fencing was also made of recycled material from the town and the neighboring villages.

句型總匯

S + be / V + so + adj. / adv. // be / V + such + N + that + S + V…  如此…以至於…

說明：此句型中，若用so，後面要接形容詞或副詞，若用such，後面要接名詞，另外，也可以說so + adj. + a + N (這種用法名詞只能用單數)。

à She is so beautiful that every man wants to marry her.

= She is such a beautiful lady that every man wants to marry her.

= She is so beautiful a lady that every man wants to marry her.