Once I invited a group of friends round to my house, telling them that I was going to record their speech. I said I was interested in their regional accents, and that it would take only a few minutes. Thus, on one evening, three people turned up at my house and were shown into my front room. When they saw the room they were a bit alarmed, for it was laid out as a studio. In front of each easy chair there was a microphone at head height, with wires leading to a tape-recorder in the middle of the floor. I explained that all I wanted was for them to count from one to twenty. Then we could relax and  have a drink．

I turned on the tape-recorder and each in turn seriously counted from one to twenty in their best accent．When it was over，I turned the tape—recorder off and brought round the drinks，and for the rest of the evening there was general cheerful conversation -interrupted only by the fact that I had to take a telephone call in another room，which unfortunately lasted some time．

Or at least that was how it would appear．For，of course，the microphones were not connected to the tape-recorder in the middle of the room at all but to another one in the kitchen．The participants，having seen the visible tape-recorder turned off, paid no more attention to the microphones only a few inches from their mouths．And my lengthy absence meant that I was able to obtain as natural a piece of conversation as it would be possible to find．

I should add，perhaps，that I did tell my Mends what had happened to them，after the event was ever，and gave them the choice of destroying the tape．None of them wanted to-thaugh for some years afterwards it always seemed to be my round when it eatne to the buying of drinks．Linguistic re-search Can be a very expensive business．

71．The writer asked his friends to count from one to twenty because________________.

A．he wanted to record the numbers for his research

B．he wanted to find out whether the tape recorder Was working

C．he wanted to make his friends relax before real recording started

D．he wanted his friends to think that was all he wanted to record

72．The writer tamed off the tape-recorder so that______________________.

A．he could check if the recording was OK

B．his friends could enjoy some drinks

C．he could take out the tape safely

D．his friends felt sure the recording was over

73．The writer went into another room to_____________________．

A．leave his guests talking freely

B．check if the other tape—recorder was working

C．bring a telephone into the front room

D．answer a long distance phone call

74．What does the writer do as a profession?

A．Record conversations．      B．Do expensive businesses．

C．Study languages．                 D．Test tape-recorders.

75．The writer sounds ___________________ in tolling the story．

A．serious    B. humorous    C．honest             D. excited

Once I invited a group of friends round to my house, telling them that I was going to record their speech. I said I was interested in their regional accents, and that it would take only a few minutes. Thus, on one evening, three people turned up at my house and were shown into my front room. When they saw the room they were a bit alarmed, for it was laid out as a studio. In front of each easy chair there was a microphone at head height, with wires leading to a tape-recorder in the middle of the floor. I explained that all I wanted was for them to count from one to twenty. Then we could relax and have a drink.

I turned on the tape-recorder and each in turn seriously counted from one to twenty in their best accent. When it was over, I turned the tape-recorder off and brought round the drinks, and for the rest of the evening there was general cheerful conversation—interrupted only by the fact that I had to take a telephone call in another room, which unfortunately lasted some time.

Or at least that was how it would appear. For, of course, the microphones were not connected to the tape-recorder in the middle of the room at all but to another one, which was turning happily away in the kitchen. The participants, having seen the visible tape-recorder turned off, paid no more attention to the microphones which stayed in front of their chairs, only a few inches from their mouths, thus giving excellent sound quality. And my lengthy absence meant that I was able to obtain as natural a piece of conversation as it would be possible to find.

I should add, perhaps, that I did tell my friends what had happened to them, after the event was over, and gave them the choice of destroying the tape. None of them wanted to—though for some years afterwards it always seemed to be my round when it came to the buying of drinks. Linguistic research can be a very expensive business.

41. The writer asked his friends to count from one to twenty because _______. 

A. he wanted to record the numbers for his research 

B. he wanted to find out whether the tape recorder was working

C. he wanted to make his friends relax before real recording started

D. he wanted his friends to think that was all he wanted to record

42. Which of the following words can best describe the recording which the linguist managed to make? 

   A. controlled   B. prepared    C. natural          D. artificial 

43. The writer went into another room to ________. 

A. get a natural recording of his friends’ conversation 

B. stay away from too much drinking with his friends

C. bring a telephone into the front room  D. answer a long distance phone call 

44. The writer turned off the tape-recorder because _______.

    A. he had to answer a phone call       

B. he wanted his friends to enjoy some drinks

C. he thought the tape-recorder might bother his friends

D. he wanted to make his friends believe he had finished the recording

45. The writer sounds _______ in telling the story.

   A. serious    B. humorous      C. honest          D. excited

Once I invited a group of friends round to my house, telling them that I was going to record their speech. I said I was interested in their regional accents, and that it would take only a few minutes. Thus, on one evening, three people turned up at my house and were shown into my front room. When they saw the room they were a bit alarmed, for it was laid out as a studio. In front of each easy chair there was a microphone at head height, with wires leading to a tape-recorder in the middle of the floor. I explained that all I wanted was for them to count from one to twenty. Then we could relax and have a drink.

I turned on the tape-recorder and each in turn seriously counted from one to twenty in their best accent. When it was over, I turned the tape-recorder off and brought round the drinks, and for the rest of the evening there was general cheerful conversation—interrupted only by the fact that I had to take a telephone call in another room, which unfortunately lasted some time.

Or at least that was how it would appear. For, of course, the microphones were not connected to the tape-recorder in the middle of the room at all but to another one, which was turning happily away in the kitchen. The participants, having seen the visible tape-recorder turned off, paid no more attention to the microphones which stayed in front of their chairs, only a few inches from their mouths, thus giving excellent sound quality. And my lengthy absence meant that I was able to obtain as natural a piece of conversation as it would be possible to find.

I should add, perhaps, that I did tell my friends what had happened to them, after the event was over, and gave them the choice of destroying the tape. None of them wanted to—though for some years afterwards it always seemed to be my round when it came to the buying of drinks. Linguistic research can be a very expensive business.

39. The writer asked his friends to count from one to twenty because _______. 

A. he wanted to record the numbers for his research 

B. he wanted to find out whether the tape recorder was working

C. he wanted to make his friends relax before real recording started

D. he wanted his friends to think that was all he wanted to record

40. The writer went into another room to ________.

A. get a natural recording of his friends’ conversation 

B. stay away from too much drinking with his friends

C. bring a telephone into the front room

D. answer a long distance phone call 

41. The writer turned off the tape-recorder because _______.

    A. he had to answer a phone call       

B. he wanted his friends to enjoy some drinks

C. he thought the tape-recorder might bother his friends

D. he wanted to make his friends believe he had finished the recording

   When I was young, my parents ran a snack bar in our small town.

   One evening in early April, my mother told me to fill in at the snack bar   36   a worker who had the flu. I told her I would mess it up,   37   I had never worked at the bar before. I   38   that instead of making money, I would end up owing it.

   “You can do it,” said my mother, “  39  , you won’t get much business until lunch.”

   “But I’ll never remember the orders, and I’m no good   40   money. Please, Mom, don’t   41   me.

   “Then I’ll help you,” she said.

   I shrugged my shoulders. I thought my mother’s   42   was a bad one, but I   43  .

   When I got to the bar the next day, I found my mother was   44  . Because the weather that day was rainy and cold, people wanted hot snacks and drinks.   45  , I was really slow at taking the orders and making change. The line of people grew, and everybody seemed   46  , I was so nervous that my hands shook, and I   47   a cup into pieces. What a mess! Then my mother came to   48   me, and she also showed me how to make   49  . If someone gave me $ 5 for something that cost $ 3.25, I handed over

  50   quarters and a dollar and said, “75 cents makes four dollars, plus one dollar makes five.” Things went more   51   after that.

   By the end of the day, I could remember orders,   52   the bill, and make change quickly with a smile. I was even a little   53   when the sun came out and dried up business. My mother said she was proud of me, and when she   54   that I work at the snack bar again next year, I did not even shrug. I was too busy

  55   the restaurant I would open one day.