At the back of my mother's closet there is a blue coat that nobody wears. It is two sizes too small for her and far too old for me. (11) She bought it with her first month of pay, when she was nineteen and new in the city. For a year she ate the same cheap food every day to keep it. I once said she should give it away, (12) she only smiled and closed the door. (13) I understand that the coat is not clothes at all. It shows that a frightened girl in a strange town kept a promise to herself, (14) nothing in a shop can take its place.
Ask anyone why they chose today's clothes and most will say they wanted to feel easy. (15) In one study, people were asked to put on a white coat. Those who were told it belonged to a doctor made fewer mistakes in a careful task than those who were told the same coat belonged to an artist. Nothing about the coat had changed, (16) the story around it had. Clothes also tell other people how to treat us, and we learn this young. A child in a new shirt walks differently for about an hour. (17), fashion is not really about what we wear. It is a way of saying something about ourselves before we open our mouths, (18) most of us never notice we are doing it.
✔ 正確答案：(D) But the truth is more interesting than that.
解析空格後立刻引述研究，所以空格要先否定「只是為了舒服」並引出更有趣的事實。
16
Aso
Bbut
Cbecause
Dif
✔ 正確答案：(B) but
解析「外套沒變」與「說法變了」形成對比，用 but。
17
ABy chance
BIn other words
CAt first
DHowever
✔ 正確答案：(B) In other words
解析這句在把前面的例子總結成一句話，用 In other words。
18
Abecause
Bso
Calthough
Dbefore
✔ 正確答案：(C) although
解析「衣服在替我們說話」與「我們從未察覺」是讓步關係，用 although。
3
閱讀理解 Reading Comprehension
共 12 題／4 個題組
請閱讀下列短文，並回答相關問題。
NOTICE
Messages and a Size Chart
Ann: I want to buy that shirt online but I do not know my size. Here is their chart.
SIZE CHART · Shirts
S shoulder 38 · around 88
M shoulder 40 · around 94
L shoulder 42 · around 100
All sizes in centimeters
Ben: Your shoulder is about 40, right? Then M.
Ann: Yes, but I like my shirts big. Should I take L?
Ben: Then L. You can always wash it in hot water once if it is too big.
全文中譯
安：我想在網路上買那件襯衫，但不知道自己的尺寸。這是他們的尺寸表。
尺寸表 · 襯衫
S 肩寬 38 · 胸圍 88
M 肩寬 40 · 胸圍 94
L 肩寬 42 · 胸圍 100
所有尺寸單位為公分
班：你的肩寬大約 40 吧？那就 M。
安：對，但我喜歡襯衫大一點。我應該拿 L 嗎？
班：那就 L。如果太大，用熱水洗一次就好。
Questions 19–21
19Why does Ben first say M?
AIt is the cheapest size
BAnn's shoulder is about 40 centimeters
CM shirts are always small
DThe shop has only M left
✔ 正確答案：(B) Ann's shoulder is about 40 centimeters
中譯班為什麼一開始說 M？
解析M 的肩寬是 40，而安的肩寬大約 40。
20Why does Ann think about taking L?
AL costs less than M
BThe chart says L is best
CHer size is 100 centimeters
DShe wants a bigger one
✔ 正確答案：(D) She wants a bigger one
中譯安為什麼考慮買 L？
解析I like my shirts big，是因為喜歡大一點，不是因為胸圍。
21What does the chart NOT tell us?
AThe number around the body for size S
BThe unit used
CThe shoulder width of size L
DThe price of each shirt
✔ 正確答案：(D) The price of each shirt
中譯尺寸表沒有告訴我們什麼？
解析表上有肩寬、身圍與單位，但沒有價格。
NOTICE
Clothes Day at Sun Hill
Friday, October 10 · Double Tenth Day week
On Friday students may come without the school shirt, pants, or trousers. Wear what you enjoy and have fun, but please keep these points in mind.
No open shoes; we will walk outside for the picnic
Bring a coat: the wind at the tower is cold in the afternoon
Each class will take one photo at noon
Students who would rather wear the school clothes may do so; nobody has to change. We will also collect old clothes that day. Put them in the boxes outside the office, and please wash them first. Last year we gathered over three hundred pieces, an excellent result that the students achieved themselves.
解析No open shoes; we will walk outside for the picnic。學校制服是可以穿的。
23Why should students bring a coat?
AThe classroom is cold
BIt may rain at noon
CThe wind at the tower is cold
DThey will give it away
✔ 正確答案：(C) The wind at the tower is cold
中譯學生為什麼應該帶外套？
解析Bring a coat: the wind at the tower is cold in the afternoon。
24What should students do before putting old clothes in the box?
ACount them
BWrite their names on them
CWash them
DAsk a teacher
✔ 正確答案：(C) Wash them
中譯把舊衣服放進箱子前，學生應該先做什麼？
解析please wash them first。
EMAIL
A Note about a Jacket
Dear Sir,
I bought a coat from your shop two weeks ago, size M. After washing it once in cold water, as the paper inside says, it has become half an inch shorter in the arms and the skin of my wrist now shows.
I am not asking for my money back. I would like to change it for the same coat in size L, if you have one. If not, I would rather have a different color in M than nothing at all.
I still have the paper from the shop. I work until seven every day, so I can only come on Sunday. Could you keep one for me?
Sincerely, Wu Ping
全文中譯
敬啟者：
我兩週前在貴店買了一件 M 號外套。依照裡面的說明用冷水洗過一次之後，袖子短了半英寸，我的手腕皮膚都露出來了。
我不是要退錢。如果還有的話，我想換成同款的 L 號。如果沒有，我寧願換 M 號的其他顏色，也不要什麼都沒有。
我還留著店裡給的單據。我每天工作到七點，所以只能星期天過去。可以先幫我留一件嗎？
敬上，吳萍
Questions 25–27
25What is the purpose of this letter?
ATo say the shop closes too early
BTo change a coat for a bigger one
CTo ask how to wash a coat
DTo get her money back
✔ 正確答案：(B) To change a coat for a bigger one
中譯這封信的目的是什麼？
解析I would like to change it for the same coat in size L，而且她明說不是要退錢。
26What does the writer say she did wrong?
AShe bought the wrong size
BShe washed it too many times
CShe did nothing wrong
DShe used hot water
✔ 正確答案：(C) She did nothing wrong
中譯作者說她做錯了什麼？
解析她說 After washing it once in cold water, as the paper inside says，完全按照說明，因此並沒有做錯。
27What will the writer accept if size L is not there?
AA shirt of the same price
BA coat in M of another color
CMoney back
DNothing at all
✔ 正確答案：(B) A coat in M of another color
中譯如果沒有 L 號，作者可以接受什麼？
解析I would rather have a different color in M than nothing at all。
ARTICLE
The Short Life of a Cheap Shirt
A shirt today can cost less than a lunch. That sounds like good news, and for a while it was.
But a shirt that costs so little is made to be worn a few times. The shirt is thin, the buttons are weak, and after two or three washes it loses its shape. People now buy more clothes than ever and keep each piece for half as long as their parents did.
Some people now buy less and better. They choose one coat that will last ten years, learn to put a button back on, and pass clothes to a younger cousin. It is slower, and at first it costs more. But in the end they spend less, and their closets are no longer full of things they never wear.