Section C

Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.

You probably have noticed that people express similar ideas in different ways 26__________ the situation they are in. This is very natural. All languages have two general levels of usage: a formal level and an informal level. English is no 27__________ . The difference in these two levels is the situation in which you use a 28__________ level. Formal language is the kind of language you find in text books, 29__________ books and in business letters. You would also use formal English in 30__________ and essays that you write in school. Informal language is used in conversation with 31 __________, family members and friends, and when we write personal notes or letters to close friends.

Formal language is different from informal language in several ways. First, formal language 32__________ be more polite. What we may find interesting is that it usually takes more words to be polite. For example, I might say to a friend or a family member, “Close the door, please,” but to a 33__________ , I probably would say “Would you mind closing the door?”

Another difference between formal and informal language is some of the 34__________ . There are bound to be some words and phrases that belong in formal language and others that are informal. Let’s say that I really like soccer. If I am talking to my friend, I might say “I am just 35__________ soccer! ” But if I were talking to my boss, I would probably say “I really enjoy soccer.”