There was no other building in sight. The trees which grew along the river completely hid the two other houses that shared the valley. Looking from the kitchen window Mary gave a long sigh of contentment. She knew she would be happy here; much happier that she had ever been in the city.
  
  1. Mary is quite sure that _____ .
  A) the view from her kitchen is spoiled by the two other houses.
  B) she will enjoy living in the valley.
  C) her neighbors will dislike her.
  D) new houses will be built along the river.
  E) she will soon miss the life of the city.
  2. The valley Mary is looking at _____ .
  A) is very near the city.
  B) overlooks a river.
  C) hasn't been lived in for a long time.
  D) is a very pleasant one.
  E) is completely deserted.
  3. The passage is not about _____ .
  A) the hardships of life in the city.
  B) Mary and her new home.
  C) Mary's happy life in the valley.
  D) Mary's escape from the city.
  E) the peace and beauty of the valley.

  Witness Testimonies Reliability
  
  All of us rely on what we see. Can we really trust the evidence of our eyes? Take competitive sports. Fans who see the same game will not agree with each other and will disagree with the referee. It is the same story in the courtroom. Trial procedure depends on witnesses giving sworn testimony. But just how reliable is the testimony of a person who reports what he has seen? In a recent study, ten thousand witnesses were asked to describe the man they saw commit a crime. The study reveals that, on the average, the witnesses overestimated the man's height by five inches, his age by eight years, and gave the wrong hair color in 83 percent of the cases. What can we do to keep error to minimum? First of all, don't see something because you want to see it. Secondly, try to stay relaxed. If you are tense, you are liable to see red when the color is blue.
  
  1. One can infer from the passage that _____.
   A) eyewitness testimony is the most trustworthy element in a criminal case
   B) very few people rely on what they see
   C) we can't completely trust the evidence of our eyes
   D) the sworn testimony given by the witnesses is always reliable
   E) fans never give accurate descriptions of what they see
  
  2. According to the passage, statistical studies show that _____.
   A) fans at sports events make notes of what they see
   B) witnesses feel comfortable when they are describing a crime to a jury
   C) very few people are willing to report what they see
   D) most fans believe referees' decisions are influenced by crowds
   E) eyewitnesses can make significant identification errors
  
  3. We understand from the passage that eyewitnesses _____.
   A) usually try to keep visual error to a minimum
   B) are sometimes forced to lie about what they see
   C) shouldn't let their emotions interfere with their vision
   D) have no respect for the truth
   E) generally stay calm when they are reporting an event

  Though Italy's national boundaries have altered relatively little since unification in the 1860s, national identity is qualified by sharp internal differentiation. Economic and occupational structures, standards of living, political loyalties, cultural traditions and even language vary substantially between parts of the country. Only since the 1970s has there existed a comprehensive system of regional government with financial and legislative authority. However, the division of powers between central and regional governments is imprecise, and in practice the latter depend on substantial resources from the former. In the absence of clear and effective rules, relations between the regions and the central government are determined by a process of political bargaining. In this process, political alliances and personal linkages play a vital role. In this respect, the Italian system may be defined as a kind of federalism.
  
  1. It is clear from the passage that in Italy, during the past 25 years or so, regional government _____
  A) has slowly become more powerful while central government has grown less
  B) has enjoyed considerable power though this is not very specific in nature
  C) has frequently been on bad terms with central government
  D) has become financially independent of central government
  E) has resisted all efforts on the part of the central government to bring uniformity to the country
  2. The passage puts considerable emphasis on the fact that _____
  A) there is a great deal of variety, in virtually every respect, among the regions of Italy
  B) the vast regional differences in Italy threaten the political unity of the country
  C) the traditional cultural, economic and linguistic differences in Italy have now almost disappeared
  D) federalism is a system of government that is unsuitable to Italy
  E) the central government exercises excessive authority on the affairs of local administrations
  3. It is clear from the passage that local administrations in Italy today _____ .
  A) are hardly at all concerned about the preservation of national unity
  B) are trying hard to get rid of the local differences of the country
  C) are, to a large extent, dependent upon the central government for financial and other support
  D) are far stronger and better organized that they were in the 1860s
  E) change whenever there is a change in the central government

  Princess Diana
  
  Diana, Princess of Wales, became famous when she decided to marry Prince Charles. She became the most photographed person in the world. Everywhere she went, there were photographers taking pictures of her and people were very interested in her clothes, where she went on holiday and who she was with. They were also interested in the problems between her and her husband. When they divorced she remained very popular. In addition to her image as a 'star', Princess Diana used her influence to attract attention to some charities. She was very sympathetic to all people who were ill and unhappy and dedicated time to helping them and drawing public attention to their problems. She used to visit homeless people regularly and did a lot of work for the National AIDS Trust; she visited people suffering from AIDS.
  
  1. It is implied in the passage that before her marriage to Prince Charles, Diana was _____.
   A) widowed by another Prince of Wales
   B) an unknown figure to public
   C) one of the relatives to his family
   D) followed by an army of photographers
   E) was one of the victims of the epidemic AIDS
  
  2. It can be understood from the passage that Diana and Charles _____.
   A) got on well due to her sympathy with children
   B) were expected to get divorced soon after the wedding
   C) had children before their marriage
   D) ended up in a marriage failure
   E) visited the hospitals in poor regions
  
  3. It is easy to infer from the passage that _____.
   A) Prince Charles married someone else after separation
   B) the Royal Family never approved Diana's marriage to Prince Charles
   C) the National AIDS Trust was one of the clubs which Diana was a
   member of
   D) one photographer caused Diana to die in a car accident
   E) Diana wasn't indifferent to suffering people