The Bay filled the middle distance, sketching out of sight on both sides, and ones eye naturally

travelled in a great sight-seeing arc: skimming along the busy Shoreline Freeway, swerving out across the Bay via the long Esseph Bridge to the citys dramatic skyline, dark downtown skyscrapers posed against white residential hills, from which it leapt across the graceful curves of the Silver Span suspension bridge, gateway to the Pacific, to alight on the green slopes of Miranda County. This vast panorama was agitated, even early in the morning, by every known form of transportation- ships, yatchs, cars, trucks, trains, planes, helicopters and hovercraft all in simultaneous motion, reminding Philip of the brightly illustrated cover of a childrens book. It was indeed, he thought, a perfect marriage of Nature and Civilisation, this view, where one might take in at a glance the consummation of mans technological skill and the finest splendours of the natural world. The harmony he perceived in the scene was, he knew, illusory. Just out of sight to his left a cloud of smoke hung over the great military and industrial port of Ashland, and to his right the oil refineries of St Gabriel fumed into the limpid air. The Bay, which winked so prettily in the morning sun, was, people said, poisoned by industrial waste and untreated effluent. For all that, Philip thought, almost guiltily, framed by his living room window and seen at this distance, this view still looked very good indeed. Morris Zapp was less entranced with his view- a vista of dank back gardens, rotting sheds and dripping laundry, huge ill-looking trees, grimy roofs, factory chimneys and church spires- but he had discarded this criterion at a very early stage of looking for accommodation in an English industrial town. You were lucky, he had quickly discovered, if you could find a place that could be kept at a temperature approriate to human organisms, equipped with the more rudimentary amenities of civilised life, and decorated in a combination of colours and patterns that didnt make you want to vomit on sight. He had taken an apartment on the top foor of a huge old house own by an Irish doctor and his extensive family. Dr OShea had converted the attic with his own hands for the use of an aged mother, and it was to the recent death of this relative, the doctor impressed upon him, that Morris owed the good fortune of finding such enviable accommodation vacant. Morris didnt see this as a selling point himself, but OShea seemed to think that the apartments sentimental associations were worth at least an extra five dollars a week to an American torn form the bosom of his own family. 1. What sort of movement is suggested by the verbs used to describe the eyes progress in the first paragraph? A. smooth B. rapid C. interrupted D. reluctant 2. The word panorama is closest in meaning to_________ A. sight B. view C. landscape D. scene 3. Philip thought the harmony of the Nature and the Civilisation was __________. A. delightful B. non-existent C. unreal D. magnificent 4. Why did Philip look almost guiltily at the view? A. He realised its beauty was deceptive. B. He felt responsible for the pollution. C. He felt he was wasting time looking at it. D. He knew he had a better view than most people. 5. Which of the following is true EXCEPT A. Morris didnt care about the surrounding area. B. Morris found himself lucky. C. Dr OShea thought fortune smiled on Morris. D. Morris wasnt fussy. 6. Which factor did Morris consider most important when choosing accommodation? A. a tolerable view B. a pleasant proprietor C. a reasonable rent D. an efficient heating system 7. Dr OShea expected Morris to find the history of the apartment A. amusing B. comforting C.depressing D. exciting 8. The word criterion is closest in meaning to _________. A. standard B. feeling C. attention D. conclusion 9. What is Morriss attitude towards accommodation in England? A. He is charmed by the quaintness of the houses. B. He finds the contrast with America interesting.

C. He is prepared to make the best of it. D. He wishes he had stayed at home. 10. Which of these statements, comparing the views from the two windows, is correct? A. Philips view is more peaceful B. Philips view is more homely C. Morriss view is more restricted D. Morriss view is more uplifting. Key 1. B 2. B 3. C 4. A 5. B 6. D 7. B 8. A 9. C 10. C