广东省2009年普通高等学校本科插班生招生考试《英语》（公共课）试题Part I Vocabulary and Structure (35%)1. Nearly two thousand years have passed ______ the Chinese first invented the compass.A. whenB. beforeC. sinceD. after2. They lost their way in the forest, and _____ made matters worse was night began to fall.A. thatB. itC. whatD. which3. ______ leisure was generally considered a waste of time.A. Not until recentlyB. Not recentlyC. Until recentlyD. Recently until4. ______that this region was so rich in natural resources.A. Little he knewB. Little he did knowC. Little did he knowD. Little he had known5. After a meal in a restaurant, one asks the waiter for the ______.A. payB. billC. chargeD. note6. If you are walking away from a clock tower, you will hear the ticking of the clock fade to a point ______ it cannot be heard.A. whichB. whatC. whereD. how7. To our disappointment, Bill ______ to win the very important game.A. servedB. failedC. managedD. enjoyed8. For the whole period of two months, there ______ no rain in this area. Now the crops are dead.A. isB. wasC. has beenD. have been9. You must try to ______ looking after yourself.A. get accustomed toB. get along withC. get byD. get off10. I know this job of mine isn’t well paid; ______, I don’t have to work long hours.A. on the one handB. on the contraryC. howeverD. otherwise11. The ______ and more educated people in the East have, to a great extent, taken up the table manners and customs of the West.A. richB. richerC. poorD. poorer12. ______ suggestions you make, he will turn a deaf ear to them.A. WhatB. WhichC. WhateverD. However13. Mr. Johnson, together with his wife and two daughters, ____to arrive on the evening flight.A. are goingB. areC. willD. is14. The meeting is for the ______ purpose of discussing how to prevent crime.A. detailedB. specificC. limitedD. sophisticated15. The ______ of College English Tests is to help students learn English better, isn’t it?A. objectiveB. subjectC. objectingD. aiming16. The newspaper ______ severe punishment for all who had been involved in this incident.A. applied forB. called forC. looked forD. paid for17. By trading, both countries get good products from abroad for ______they would cost if made at home.A. less thanB. more thanC. little thanD. fewer than18. He was ______ by the army because of his poor eye-sight.A. rejectedB. stoppedC. declinedD. prevented19. At the ______moment, people from all corners of the country offered their help to the earthquake survivors.A. meaningfulB. criticalC. beneficialD. useful20. I was ______ when I learnt that your application for the post of secretary had been unsuccessful.A. regretfulB. regrettedC. regrettableD. regretting21. Who is the greatest man ______ ?A. livingB. livelyC. liveD. alive22. I never had the ______ to hear him play the piano.A. contactB. contestC. possibilityD. opportunity23. ______ of money prevented us from taking a holiday this year.A. LimitationB. FreedomC. ExpenseD. Lack24. These shops normally ______ in old antique (古董) items, not in modern ones.A. majorB. pullC. specializeD. get25. Physics is the equivalent of ______ used to be called natural philosophy.A. thatB. allC. whichD. what26. The government uses opinion polls to learn what people think about many social ______.A. issuesB. subjectsC. questionsD. objects27. Her father ______ nothing in her education that might make her the most accomplished (有造诣的) woman of the age.A. omittedB. thoughtC. paidD. thanked28. Many difficulties have ______ as a result of the exchange over to a new type of fuel.A. existedB. raisedC. arisenD. aroused29. We moved to the front row ______ we could hear and see better.A. so asB. so thatC. becauseD. such that30. My father ______ me by saying that I could win in the speech contest, so I took part in it.A. discouragedB. encouragedC. preventedD. asked31. While ______ your imagination, you should be alone and completely undisturbed.A. exercisingB. exercisesC. to exerciseD. exercised32. You must have said something to ______ her, as she was crying after talking with you.A. defendB. offendC. confuseD. offer33. The roommates should ______ to clean their dormitory.A. take sidesB. take turnsC. give upD. give off34. We will manage to ______ all the debt within two years.A. pay forB. give backC. give awayD. pay off35. Jack and Jane announced their ______ to their colleagues and everyone is waiting for their marriage.A. engagementB. investmentC. appointmentD. arrangementPart II Reading Comprehension (40%)Passage 1Once it was considered good to keep the car engine idling a minute or two following cold starts. Today, with modern technology, the opposite is true. An engine operating under road conditions will warm up faster and nun more efficiently than the one that is idling. Idling just burns gas (on average, about a gallon an hour) .When you have a full tank of gas, park the car downhill. This will prevent any gas from coming out of the tank. Parking in areas of less or no sunlight helps prevent the gas from steaming that would occur if you parked in the hot sun. Your car will stay cooler, too, and that means less gas consuming work for the air conditioner once the engine is started.Stay away from wide-track tires if you want top mileage (汽车耗费1加仑油所行驶的路程)。