On the day of my first piano recital, I became more and more nervous. To help me calm down, my piano teacher told me to place several cabbages in the room where I practiced. I was so eager to get over my nerves that I was willing to try anything. For the next few hours, I played to an audience of cabbages. When the time of the recital finally arrived, I was still terribly nervous. My hands felt like ice. When I finally walked across the stage, I looked out into the dark audience. I could not see anyone! All those people out there could just as easily have been cabbages. As I sat down to play, my hands relaxed. Before I knew it, I had played all my pieces without a mistake. For the first time, the cabbage heads applauded.
  
  1. On the day of the recital the music teacher _____ .
  A) advised the writer to put cabbages in the room where he practiced
  and play for them.
  B) warned the writer not to look at the audience.
  C) had no patience with the writer because he was nervous too.
  D) felt nearly as nervous about the recital as the writer did.
  E) couldn't think of a way of helping the writer to stay calm.
  2. The writer stopped feeling nervous _____ .
  A) because he had practiced a great deal
  B) when the audience began to applaud
  C) before he walked onto the stage
  D) as soon as the concert was over
  E) when he found he couldn't see the audience.
  3. In the passage it is explained that _____ .
  A) the writer was always nervous on the day of a concert
  B) the writer played to some cabbages because there was no real
  audience
  C) the writer finally began to relax just before he began his recital
  D) the room was so cold the writer's hands felt like ice
  E) the writer always practiced in a room where there were cabbages

  The novelist E. L. Doctorow is best known for his mixing fiction with historical fact, by placing his stories within the framework of public events. In fact, by integrating the front-page news of the 20th century America with the lives of his characters, Doctorow gives readers the "feel" of an era, combining the unusual and the commonplace. His latest novel "World's Fair" shows how the events of the turbulent 1930s helped mold the sensibilities of his young protagonist.
  
  1. It is explained in the passage that Doctorow's novel "World's Fair" _____ .
  A) describes the damaging effects of the turbulent 1930s on the sensitive young protagonist
  B) is actually a full historical account of the great changes that took place in the 1930s
  C) demonstrates his theories concerning the relationship between man and his society
  D) fails to give his readers a "feel" of the 1930s in America
  E) gives the account of how the thoughts and feelings of the main character are shaped by the period in which he lived
  2. From the passage we learn that a blend of fiction and history _____ .
  A) has not always been Doctorow's primary concern
  B) is deliberately avoided by Doctorow in his most recent novels
  C) is a striking feature of Doctorow's writing
  D) is commonly used by contemporary American writers, including Doctorow himself
  E) is never to be found in the traditional novel
  3. We see in the passage that Doctorow's purpose in bringing together in his novels the usual and the extraordinary _____ .
  A) is to build up a convicting picture of a period
  B) did not achieve the result he aimed for in "World's Fair"
  C) has been frequently criticized by his readers
  D) has not been properly appreciated except in the case of "World's Fair"
  E) has been shared by other 20th century American novelists

  Public libraries, maintained by the local authorities, are well developed and progressive, and everywhere allow people to borrow books without charge. The books in the lending section are always kept on open shelves, and library staffs are very helpful in getting books on request from other libraries through the exchange system. Most libraries report an increase in borrowing over the past few years, so television does not seem to be stopping people from reading, as it was feared that it would.
  
  1. It is explained in the passage that any book which is not available
  in one library _____ .
  A) won't be available at any library
  B) can be brought from another
  C) discourages people from using libraries
  D) spoils the whole lending system of the public libraries
  E) should be reported to the librarian
  2. As pointed out in the passage, people nowadays _____ .
  A) prefer entertaining television programs to reading
  B) are using public libraries more than they used to in the past
  C) read a lot but don't use the libraries much
  D) complain a great deal about the poor services the libraries are
  offering
  E) are using the exchange system less and less frequently
  3. The passage gives us the impression that public libraries _____ .
  A) charge more than is necessary for the services given
  B) are no longer receiving any financial support from local authorities
  C) are working extremely efficiently at present
  D) do not cooperate with each other at all
  E) are understaffed and poorly equipped

  It was a fine Sunday in April. David and his sister, who were going to the zoo, crossed the main road and joined the queue at the bus stop. There were a lot of empty buses waiting by the side of the road. The drivers were standing about in groups talking and smoking. In the park nearby young mothers were with their children. There was someone selling balloons and someone else selling small cakes.
  
  1. In the passage, we are given _____ .
  A) an account of the animals in the zoo.
  B) the reasons for the drivers' strike.
  C) a description of a street one Sunday.
  D) a full description of the park near the bus stop.
  E) some advice on how to spend our Sundays.
  2. David _____ .
  A) is taking his sister to the zoo.
  B) would rather spend the afternoon in the park.
  C) is going to buy a balloon for his sister.
  D) wondered why the buses were empty.
  E) wished his mother had also come along with them.
  3. When David and his sister got to the bus stop _____ .
  A) they decided to play with the other children.
  B) there were no buses in sight.
  C) they began to talk to the drivers.
  D) there were a lot of people waiting for the bus.
  E) they bought some cake.