It may be that golf originated in Holland but certainly Scotland fostered the game and is famous for it. In fact, in 1457 the Scottish Parliament, disturbed because football and golf had lured young Scots from the more soldierly exercise of archery, passed an ordinance that banned football and golf. James I and Charles I of the royal line of Stuarts were golf enthusiasts, whereby the game came to be known as "the royal and ancient game of golf". The golf balls used in the early games were leather-covered and stuffed with feathers. Clubs of all kinds were fashioned by hand to suit individual-players. The great step in spreading the game came with the change from the feather ball to the present-day ball introduced in about 1850. In 1860, formal competitions began with the establishment of an annual tournament for the British Open championship. There are records of "golf clubs" in the United States as far back as colonial days. However, it remained a rather sedate and almost aristocratic pastime until a 20-year-old Francis Ouimet of Boston defeated two great British professionals, Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, in the United States Open championship at Brookline, Mass., in 1913. This feat put the game and Francis Ouimet on the front pages of the newspapers and stirred a wave of enthuslasm for the sport.

76. As we understand from the passage, golf only became a popular game __________.
a) after an unknown American beat two famous British golf players in a US tournament.
b) following the annual tournament organized in 1860.
c) in the time of James.
d) after the introduction of annual formal competitions in both England and America.
e) after golf clubs were set up in colonial America.

77. According to the passage, it was at one time believed in Scotland that __________.
a) football was a better game than golf for young people.
b) annual tournaments made the game too competitive.
c) golf was having an adverse effect on young people's military skills
d) young people should be encouraged to take up either golf or archery
e) the origins of archery were in some way associated with Holland

78. It is pointed out in the passage that golf __________.
a) was to some extent practised in colonial America 
b) has been overshadowed by football in recent times
c) requires a great deal of expensive equipment 
d) receives less newspaper coverage than football
e) didn't arouse as much enthusiasm as archery did in medieval Scotland

79. The point is made in the passage that golf has been described as a "royal" game __________.
a) though for the last two centuries no kings have participated in the game
b) since the professionals of the game are treated with so much respect
c) as golf clubs are particular about who they accept as members
d) because two British kings were passionately
e) which Americans find very annoying

80. As we learn from the passage, it was around the mid-19th century that __________.
a) the old golf ordinance of the Scottish Parliament was repealed
b) the first formal golf competitions between America and Britain were held
c) the newspapers began to cover major golf championships
d) Scotland became the world's leading country in golf
e) important changes were introduced into golf

 

The economic news from Europe was particularly disappointing in the second half of 2002. Moreover, recent surveys from the region imply little prospect of improvement in the near future. Perhaps the most worrying aspect has been the sharp decline in conditions in Germany-the area's largest and most important economy. Domestic demand in Germany is very weak and, with the global economy also struggling, Germany's manufacturers have not been able to export their way out of trouble as they have done in the past. With the economy in such a weak state, it is no surprise then that European stock markets have followed the US stock markets' downturn over the past 6 months. While individual share pries may be lower and market valuations look attractive, the economy does not. Recovery seems some way off and strong equity performance from Europe's markets seems unlikely in 2003.

81. We understand from the passage that the economic prospects in the current year for the European stock markets __________.
a) are not foreseeable
b) are certainly promising
c) are constantly under discussion
d) seem most encouraging
e) don't look hopeful

82. It is pointed out in the passage that the present economic recession in Germany __________.
a) is actually not as serious as is being experienced in several other European countries
b) is being overcome by means of increased exports
c) is more persistent than previous ones have been 
d) should have been foreseen much earlier 
e) has been exaggerated in several surveys recently

83. The passage points out that Germany's current economic problems __________.
a) have left the stock markets of Europe unaffected 
b) have led to a worrying decline in the world economy
c) are far serious than those of any other country in Europe
d) stem in part from a drop in domestic sales
e) are in fact not as alarming as they were once thought to be

84. According to the passage, the trend in European stock markets __________.
a) does not reflect the economic situation in Germany
b) has been roughly the same as that in the US stock markets
c) improved greatly during the last six months of 2002
d) is related to the level of domestic demand in Germany
e) seems to change every six months

85. The phrase "to export their way out of trouble" means __________.
a) to expand their market capacity through more exports
b) to find trouble-free markets for exports
c) to work extremely hard to increase their exports 
d) to put and end to the slump
e) to get out of the recession through increased exports