The discovery that language can be a barrier   to communication is quickly made by all who travel, study, govern or sell. Whether the activity is tourism, research, government, policing or business, the lack of a common language can severely delay progress or can stop it altogether. Although communication problems of this kind must happen thousands of times each day, very few become public knowledge. Publicity comes only when a failure to communicate has major results, such as strikes, lost orders, legal problems or deadly accidents--even, at times, war. One reported example of communication failure took place in 1970, when several Americans ate a species of poisonous mushroom. No remedy was known, and two of the people died within days. A radio report of the case was heard by a chemist who knew of a treatment that had been successfully used in 1959 and published in 1963. Why had the American doctors not heard of it seven years later? Possibly because the report of the treatment had been published only in journals written in European languages other than English.   Several comparable cases have been reported. But isolated   examples do not give an impression of the size of the problem--something that can come only from studies of the use or avoidance of foreign-language materials and contacts in different communicative situations. In the English-speaking scientific world, for example, surveys of books and documents consulted in libraries and other information agencies have shown that very little foreign-language material is ever consulted. Library requests in the field of science and technology showed that only 13 percent were for foreign language journals. The language barrier presents itself entirely to firms who wish to market their products in other countries. British industry, in particular, has in recent decades often been criticized for its assumption   that foreign buyers will be happy to communicate in English, and that awareness of other languages is not therefore a matter to be considered first. In... Firms of English-speaking countries use English only when marketing their products because   _  . A) English is their official language B) they don't know their products will be sold abroad C) people in their countries don't know other languages D) they think foreign customers will be happy when English is used
D
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Some people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you have known them half your life. These people have something in common. And once we know what it is, we can try to do it ourselves. How is it done? Here are several skills that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they'll help you put people at their ease, and make friends with them quickly. First of all, good talkers ask questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question. One well-known businesswoman says, "At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. It's a common question, but it will get things going." From there you can move on to other matters--sometimes to really personal questions. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go. In addition, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen to the answers. This point seems clear, but it isn't. Your questions should have a point and help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively. Real listening at least means some things. First it means not to change the subject of conversation. If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he's really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to tones of voice. If the voice sounds dull, then, it's time for you to change the subject. Last but not least, good talkers know well how to deal with the occasion of parting. If you're saying good-bye, you may give him a firm handshake and say, "I've really enjoyed meeting you." If you want to see that person again, don't keep it a secret. Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they've known you half their life. In general, good talkers are persons who   _  . A) can keep the conversation interesting B) never talk too much or too little C) always keep the conversation a secret D) can change the topic of the conversation properly
D
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In the United States 84 colleges now accept just women. Most of them were established in the 19th century; they were designed to offer women the education they could not receive anywhere else. At that time major universities and colleges accepted only men. In the past 20 years many young women have chosen to study at colleges that accept both men and women. As a result some women's colleges decided to accept men students too. Others, however, refused to change. Now these schools are popular again The president of Trinity College in Washington, D. C. said that by the end of the 1980s women began to recognize that studying at the same school with men did not mean women were having an equal chance to learn. The president of Smith College in Massachusetts says a women's college permits women to choose classes and activities freely. For example, she says that in a women's college a higher percentage of students studies mathematics than in a college with both men and women. Educational experts say men students in the United States usually speak in class more than women students do. In a women's college, women feel free to say what they think. Women's schools also bring out leadership capabilities in many women. Women are represented everywhere. For example, at a women's college every governing office is held by a woman. Recent studies reportedly show this leadership continues after college. The studies show that American women who went to women's colleges are more likely to hold successful jobs later in life. Some women's colleges decided to accept men students because  _  . A) teaching women is more difficult than teaching men B) many young women chose to study at colleges with both men and women C) study with men is more challenged. D) women and men can have equal chances of competition.
B
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A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas  playing in the mud,with empty food boxes and wrappers thrown all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open,as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Walking into the entry,he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel,and the family room was thrown with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen,dishes filled the sink,breakfast food was spilled on the counter,the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor,a broken glass lay under the table,and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs,stepping over toys and more piles of clothes,looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill,or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small drop of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he looked inside he found wet towels, soap and more toys thrown over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap  and toothpaste had been put over the mirror and walls. As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still sleeping in the bed in her pajamas,reading a novel. She looked up at him,smiled,and asked how his day went. He looked at her puzzled and asked, "What happened here today?" She again smiled and answered,"You know every day when you come home from work and ask me what in the world I did today?" "Yes," was his reply. She answered,"Well,today I didn't do it." When the man got home from work, he found  _  . A) everything was in good order B) the house was in a great mess C) his wife was seriously ill in bed D) his car and house were broken into

B
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