三级水平测试(spot dictation)

1、Practice test 1In my (1_twenty-five years as a secretary_, I have had to master three different kinds of writing machines. I began my career on the manual typewriter. I soon (2 learned to handle it efficiently_ and typed between sixty-five and seventy words per minute. (3_Then ten years later_, I fo

2、und myself (4_being forced to adapt_ to an electric typewriter. At first, I swore I preferred a manual because I had trouble remembering (5_not to hit the keys as hard_. Also, it took me several days to quit reaching for a carriage return. After a while, however, I (6_would not have considered_ retu

3、rning to a manual. Recently, I was persuaded to give up my electric typewriter for a word processor. (7_Always resistant to change_, I complained in the beginning (8_about having to remember_ the new keyboard and the commands. But after using the word processor (9_for less than six months_, I don

4、9;t believe I would consider (10 _returning to the age_ of the electric typewriter.Practice test 2A farmer who lived in a small village (1 suffered from the severe pain_ in his stomach. The doctor in the village had (2tried a number of treatments_ but been unable to cure him. The farmer decided to s

5、ee (3a doctor in the nearest town_. As he loved money badly and (4_spent as little as possible_, he thought he would find out what he would have to pay this doctor. He was told that his patient had to pay three pounds for the first visit, and (5_one pound for the second visit_. The farmer (6_thought

6、 about this for a long time_. As he came into the doctor's room, he said, "Good morning, doctor. (7_Here I am again_." The doctor was a little surprised. Then he asked the farmer a few questions, examined his chest and took the pound which the farmer (8insisted on giving him_. The doct

7、or said with a smile, "Well, sir. (9_There is nothing new_. Please continue to take the same medicine I gave you (10_the first time you came to see me_."Practice test 3Americans eat breakfast and lunch quickly unless it is a (1_social, business or family occasion_.The evening meal is usual

8、ly longer and a time (2 for families to get together_. Rushing through daytime meals is (3_part of the fast pace_ in America. Another reason for (4_rushing through daytime meals_ is that many people eat in restaurants that are (5_usually crowded with people_ waiting for a place so that they too (6_c

9、an be served_ and return to work (7 _at the proper time_. So each one hurries to (8_make room for the next person_. As with busy people everywhere (9_there is a real difference_ with meals that are eaten in a hurry and those (10_can be enjoyed_ slowly with friends.Practice test 4The first true piece

10、 of sports equipment (1_that man invented_ was the ball.In ancient Egypt, as everywhere, pitching stones was a (2_favorite childrens game_. But a badly thrown rock (3_could hurt a child_. Looking for something less dangerous to throw, the Egyptians made (4_what were probably the first balls_.At firs

11、t, balls (5_were made of grass or leaves_ held together by vines. Later theywere made of pieces of animal skin sewed together and (6_stuffed with feathers or hay_.Even though the Egyptians were warlike, they (7_found time for peaceful games_. Before long they had developed a number of ball games, (8

12、_each with its own set of rules_. Perhaps they played ball (9_more for instruction than for fun_. Ball playing was thought of mainly as a way to teach young men the speed and skill (10_they would need for war_.Practice test 5It is only a shiny, yellow metal, but it is (1_one of the most valuable met

13、als_ on earth. Since the beginning of time, men have looked for (2this extremely valuable item_, gold.Gold is soft and easy (3_to form into different objects_. If it gets wet, it does not rust like iron or other metals. Acids do not change it. One important reason that gold is so valuable is (4_that

14、 it is scarce_.(5_Due to its softness_, gold must be combined with other metals (6_to harden it and give it strength_. By hardening gold, people can then make coins and jewelry with it. (7_Metals commonly mixed with gold_ are nickel, platinum, and copper. Gold jewelry (8_bears a number and the lette

15、r K_. The K means Karat (carat, which is a measure of the amount of pure gold in the jewelry. Pure gold is 24K. Therefore, a necklace which is 14K is (9_fourteen parts gold and ten parts other metal_.Many countries utilize gold for certain coins, but this practice is not as common now as it once was

16、. The United States, for instance, (10_stopped making gold coins_ in 1933.Practice test 6A nobleman and a merchant once met in a tavern. For their lunch (1_they both ordered soup_. When it was brought, the nobleman took a spoonful. (2But the soup was so hot_ that he burned his mouth and (3_tears cam

17、e into his eyes_. The merchant asked him why he was weeping. The nobleman was (4_ashamed to admit that_ he had burned his mouth and answered, "Sir, I once had a brother (5 who committed a great crime_, for which he was hanged. I was thinking of his death, (6_which made me weep_." The merch

18、ant, believing his story, began to eat his soup. He (7_too burned his mouth_, so that he had tears in his eyes. Noticing it, the nobleman asked the merchant, "Sir, (8_why do you weep_?" The merchant, who now saw that the nobleman(9_had deceived him_, answered, "My lord, I am weeping b

19、ecause you were not(10 _hanged together with your brother_."Practice test 7We have just climbed out of a spaceship (1 _onto the surface of the moon_. Behind us is the ship, (2_half in the sunlight_ and half in deep shadow. (3_A few miles ahead_ is a wall of mountains towering against the black

20、sky. And there, (4_as though resting on the mountains_, is a great ball of light, (5_beautifully colored_ in blue and green and brown with a patch of dazzling white at the top. (6_It is our own faraway world_ the earth.(7_we take a step_ and rise like prize jumpers up float, and down again.Hopping c

21、arefully, (8_we explore the valleys_, the sloping crater walls, the shadowy crater floors.(9Not a sound can be heard_ there is no air to carry sound, no wind; there are no smells, no plants, no animals. There is (10_nothing but rock and dust_, blinding sunlight and cold black shadows.Practice 8An ex

22、pensive car (1_speeding down the main street_ of a small town was overtaken by a young motorcycle policeman. As he started (2_to make out the ticket_, the woman behind the wheel said haughtily, "(3 _Before you go any further_, young man, I think you should know that (4_the mayor of this city_ i

23、s a good friend of mine." The officer did not say a word, (5_but kept writing_. "I am also a friend of chief of police Barnes," continued the woman, (6_getting more indignant_ each moment. Still he kept on writing. "Y oung man," she persisted, "I know Judge Lawson and S

24、tate Senator Patton."(7_Handing the ticket to the woman_, the officer asked pleasantly, "Tell me, do you know Bill Bronson?""Why, no," (8_she admitted_."W ell, that is the man (9_you should have known_." He said, (10_heading back to _ his motorcycle, "I am Bil

25、l Bronson."Practice 9A certain old gentleman was very (1_unhappy about modern education_, and thought that young people nowadays were not being taught the importance of knowing (2_the difference between right and wrong_.One day he was (3_taking a walk in the park_ near his home when he saw some

26、 young boys standing around a small cat. The old gentleman (4went up to the boys_ and asked them (5_what was happening_. One of the boys said to him, "(6_W ere having a contest_. W e're telling lies, and the one (7_who tells the biggest one_ gets to keep the cat."The old gentleman thought that this was a good opportunity (8_to teach the boys a useful lesson_, so he said to them, "(9_Ive never told a lie_ in my life." All at once there was a great shout from all the boys,