Part II  Reading Task

Comprehension

Possible answers to content questions

1. They found their tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves so much in tune that they set up a joint studio.

2. Johnsy would be able to recover from pneumonia if she wanted to live.

3. She wanted to paint the Bay of Naples some day.

4. She could see a bare yard, and an old ivy vine climbing half way up the brick wall.

5. Because she thought that she would die when the last leaf fell.

6. No. Because in the text the author mentions that Behrman was a failure in art. For forty years he had been always about to paint a masterpiece, without ever actually starting one.

7. He was upset that Johnsy should have such a silly idea.

8. Because they were afraid that Johnsy would die if the leaves on it were all gone.

9. She saw the last leaf on the vine.

10. It rekindled her will to live. And she realized that it was a sin to want to die.

11. He caught pneumonia because he painted the last leaf on a rainy and cold night in the yard and was wet through.

12. Yes, he finished his masterpiece eventually. It was his fine painting of the last leaf, the painting that saved Johnsy.

Text Organization

1.

1) She made up her mind to die when the last leaf fell.

2) She decided not to give up her life.

3) Behrman, a kind neighbor, who was aware of Johnsy's state of mind, risked death to paint the last leaf and save her.

4) Because it was so perfect the girls both mistook it for the real thing.

2.

Language Sense Enhancement

1.

Vocabulary

I. 1.

2.

3.

1) Illnesses usually stand out in childhood memories.

2) According to the bulletin, Albright College now offers a joint bachelor's degree program in environmental studies together with Duke University.

3) The new government is less oppressive, but violence still stalks the country.

4) There is scarcely any surface water in the desert.

5) The demand for change in the election law is so persistent that both houses have promised to consider it.

4.

1) It was dreary lying in the tent with nothing to read, so we built a campfire. Soon the smell of steaks, bread and coffee mingled with that of fresh grass and earth. Other campers seemed to be doing the same. Here and there people were eating, drinking, or dancing to their hearts' content, if not to excess. What a merry night!

2) Miss Florence, our music teacher, called to us to stop singing. I didn't realize why until Sally told me in a whisper: "You are not in tune with the group!"

3) The angry wife poured a bucket of water over her drunken husband, who stumbled backward, completely wet through.

"You can't do without drink?” she yelled. “I won't hear of any excuses and don’t you dare think you can turn loose your tongue on me!"

II.  Words with Multiple Meanings

1. He went to Paris on business last month.

2. The train to Brussels goes at 2:25 p.m.

3. As soon as they arrived at the meadow, the shepherd let the sheep go.

4. We went exploring together in the mountains. / We will go exploring together in the mountains.

5. Let's go and have a drink in the bar.

6. The store is going to close up soon.

7. South Koreans went crazy when their soccer players beat the Spanish team in the quarter-finals.

8. When the mother came out of the house, she found her children gone.

III. Usage

1. a little white wooden house

2. long, curly red hair

3. a large old round table

4. a cheap Indian restaurant

5. a huge cool chocolate ice-cream

6. rapid technological advance

7. a handsome young Chinese American

Comprehensive Exercises

I. Cloze

1.

2.

II. Translation

1.

1) The red house stands out against the old trees that reach high up to the sky.

2) The salary in/for my new job is great, but for the rest, I’m not satisfied.

3) The waters of the two streams mingle near our village.

4) We should not mock at other people's religious beliefs.

5) The curtains of the room are not quite in tune with the style of the furniture.

2.

Here and there we see young artists who stand out from other people. They may be in worn out jeans all the year round, or walk barefoot/in bare feet even in winter, or drink to excess, or cling to the fancy of creating a masterpiece without actually doing any creative work. In fact, many of them act like this just to look the part, or to be in tune with other artists. They have forgotten that only through persistent effort can one achieve success.