Strange Baby-Naming Laws

Germany Parents are banned by law from using last names and the names of objects and products as first names. A child’s first name must clearly indicate his or her sex, and all names must be approved by the office of vital statistics in the area in which the child was born.

Iceland The country’s naming committee consults the National Register of Persons to determine if a name is acceptable. If parents want to go off-list, they must apply for approval and pay a fee, and the name must contain only letters in the Icelandic alphabet.

New Zealand The country’s Births, Deaths, and Marriages Registration Act of 1995 prohibits parents from choosing a name that “ might cause offense to a reasonable person; is unreasonably long; or is, includes, or resembles an official title or rank,” including, apparently, Adolf Hitler and Yeah Detroit—both names recently rejected.

Denmark If Danish parents prefer a moniker not on the list of 7,000 preapproved baby names, they must get permission from local church and government officials. Fifteen to 20 percent of the 1,100 reviewed names—including creative spellings of common names, last names as first names, and unusual names—are rejected each year.

56. You can tell whether a baby is a girl or a boy according to the first name in _____.

   A. Denmark                   B. New Zealand                  C. Iceland                            D.Germany

57. In Iceland, the names should _____.

   A. be approved by the office of vital statistics.             B. be accepted by the National Register of Persons.

   C. contain only letters in the Roman alphabet.        D. be paid for some money.

58. Which name is accepted in New Zealand?

   A. Bin Laden                   B. Talula Does The Hula        C. Keenan Got Lucky           D. John Smith

59. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

   A. Danish babies’ names should be on the list if parents can’t get the permission.

   B. Each year about 150-200 reviewed names are rejected in Denmark.

   C. Adolf Hitler is banned in Iceland.

   D. Parents should pay a fee for babies’ names if the names are rejected.

Fill Her Tank First

The summer of 1975 I’d just graduated from college in Southern California and received a 1968 Ford Capri for a graduation present. I had my first job, in Los Angeles. One Sunday night, __36__ myself a very independent grown-up, I left my uncle’s place in South Laguna after a visit, without __37__ to him that I had less than an __38__ of a tank of gas and no cash to buy __39__ on the way to L.A. I pulled onto the Pacific Coast Highway and watched the needle __40__ as I headed north. When I started running on fumes, I pulled into a __41__. There was no self-service __42__; there were no credit cards, no ATMs.

I begged the guy at the station. I __43__ write him a check for gas, I said, or I could sleep in my car and try to __44__ to a town with a bank the next morning. As he was informing me that I could sleep in my car but he’d have me __45__, a station wagon __46__ to the next pump. The driver--- a thin, plain, middle-aged guy---overheard the tail end of my __47__ request. As the attendant went to serve him, he nodded at me. “__48__ her tank first,” he said.

“Really?” I said. Hope __49__. “Oh, thank you. Thank you. But please. I just need two dollars’ __50__. I just need to go home.”

“Fill it,” he __51__ to the attendant. Then to me, “You will do the same one day, for someone else.”

I keep looking for that unlucky young person, __52__ to save her night on the road. Meanwhile, in case she never __53__ up, I try for other acts of random kindness. That __54__ driver is always at the pump a few feet away, __55__ the attendant to fill mine first.

---I really want to go bungee jumping. Want to go with me? ______

--- Yes, I’m willing to.

A. Is it up to you? 　　　　　 B.Would you be up for it? 　　　　　 C. Guess what? 　　　　　　　　 D. You bet!

 I accepted a _____ teaching students ages 6 to 12 with severe learning and behavioral ____ who’d moved from school to school.

A. position; difficulties  B. post; hard                 C. job; troubles                    D. occupation; difficulty

 It was from John, ____ gave me a big key to _____ my dad.

   A.who; understand        B.that; understanding    C. who; understanding        D. which; to understand

 As each man I contacted recounted painful details, I felt as though I were talking with my father. Not only were they similar in appearance, but _____ the same things.

   A.had they experienced                       B. they have experienced

   C.they had experienced                  D. had experienced they

 With that information ____, I sought out Douglas Smith, director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania.  

A.in hand                       B.in the hand                 C.in hands                           D.in the hands

 I was making copies at work, and someone came into the room while talking on his cell phone. Should I have left _____ him privacy?  

A. give                          B. to give                    C. to show                          D. showing

 The best way to get a serious point ____ without causing offense is ____ humour.  

A.across; with                B.out; within                C.across; in                        D.down; by

Our patients _____ faster recoveries and greater pain relief than patients undergoing open neck and back surgery. And they’re up and _____ around within a few hours of surgery.

A.figure; walk　　　 B.average; walking　　　　　　　 C.calculate; walked 　　 D.make; walking