Part A

　　Directions:

　　Read the following three texts. Answer the questions on each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1.

　　Text 1

　　I'd been living with my wife for eight years and one night “morn” says, “I guess you guys are never gonna get married. I mean, you've been through jail together, you' e living together, but.., oh, forget it.”

　　“Oh, well,” I said, “put it like that and I'll marry your daughter tomorrow.”

　　Actually, I don't know what we were waiting for, except that for a guy it's never the right time to get married. I' m also suspicious of any two people who don' t struggle with that decision. Part of my problem was that I was still lusting in my heart after other ladies. But somehow I knew that I wasn't going to find another woman remotely as great as my soon-to-be wife. It's a good thing my mother-in-law finally spoke up.

　　I finally gathered my courage one day when we were having a picnic, and popped the question. I also gave my wife a big tourist pamphlet about Switzerland. I wasn't taking any chances.

　　She said no.

　　It killed me. I felt sick to my stomach. I lost my appetite. Our dog just stared at me, thinking, “If you're not going to eat your lunch, I will.” Finally, I said, “But the Switzerland trip is yours if you say yes.”

　　“Switzerland,” she said, “is filled with precise, humorless people.”

　　“Maybe I should have suggested Paris?”

　　For a minute it seemed as if my change in travel plans would rate a solid “maybe”. But she said no again.When we woke up the next morning, she told me that she'd slept on my proposal. “I guess I was a little rude to you last night,” she explained. Meanwhile, I' m figuring I' m off the hook for this marriage thing for at least another eight years. I could afford to be generous.

　　“I asked, you said no. It's okay,” I said. I might have looked a little too relieved because later that day she gave me a little box. Inside was a gold watch. On the back was inscribed. “Yes. I've reconsidered.”

　　I liked the watch, so I did the right thing.

　　46. The reason why the man had waited so long was that he_________.

　　[ A ] didn' t think eight years was long enough

　　[ B ] suspected that husband and wife would often quarrel

　　[ C ] didn' t think he was ready to propose to her

　　[ D ] was waiting for his mother-in-law' s approval

　　47. The man proposed to the woman because _________.

　　[ A] he realized he could find no other woman better

　　[ B ] he was afraid that the woman might leave him

　　[ C ] he was eager to visit Switzerland with the woman

　　[ D ] he could finally overcome his fear for marriage

　　48. By saying “I could afford to be generous.” (third paragraph from the bottom) the man implied that he__________.

　　[ A ] wouldn' t care too much if he stayed single

　　[ B ] could take her to a better place than Paris

　　[ C ] was rich enough to support his wife