Part III                 Reading Comprehension                      (40 minutes)

Section A

Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices, Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.

Many people believe that passion and commitment are the foundations of strong romantic relationships. But a relationship is made of two   26   individuals. And the personality traits (特性) these individuals   27   or lack can often make a relationship more- or less- likely to   28  . Recent research has found that one trait in particular — humility (谦逊) — is an important indicator of successful relationships.

Humility can sometimes be   29   with a lack of confidence. But researchers have come to realize that being humble generally indicates the   30   of deeply admirable personal qualities. Being humble means you have the ability to accurately   31   your deficiencies without denying your skills and strengths. For example, you might recognize that you are intelligent, but realize that you are not a   32  . Thus, humility leads to an honest view of one's own advantages and shortcomings. Humble people do not ignore, avoid, or try to deny their limits or deficiencies. They can  33  mistakes, see value in things that are far from perfect and identify areas for improvement

Perhaps it is not   34  , then, that humility appears to be a huge asset to relationships. One study found that people tend to rate this quality   35   in their spouse. The study also found that someone who is humble is more likely to initiate a romantic relationship, perhaps because they are less likely to see themselves as "too good" for someone else. Thus, a humble partner might be your ideal partner

A) acknowledge   B) assess   C) confused   D) endure   E) extremely   F) genius

G) highly   H) permanent   I) possess   J) presence   K) puzzled   L) status

surprising   N) thoroughly   O) unique