produces more impressive and profitable results.

21. How is the business writing course different from the others?

A. It is delivered online. B. It offers evening classes.

C. It focuses on report writing. D. It is hosted by Aston University.

22. What can pre-sessional programmes in EAP help students do?

A. Choose a suitable college subject. B. Prepare themselves for university.

C. Go to world-class universities. D. Only improve their academic skills.

23. Which course fits John if he hopes to write inspiring words for fundraising activities?

A. Pre-sessional programmes in EAP. B. Travel writing courses.

C. Business writing. D. Masterclass.

　　My first impression of Miss Vicki was a highly authoritative(权威的) person towering over me. She spoke in a loud voice and the earth shook whenever she marched. That was in the first year of high school. She was a knowledgeable literature teacher then. However, during my first year in school, she struck terror into my heart(使我胆战心惊). And everyone else's of course. Just the mention of her name made the most unruly classes silent.

　　Nevertheless, the two years of junior high passed by rather quickly. Soon, I went to senior high class. I had worked hard and gotten the subject combination that I wished for. Together with a group of old friends, I soon settled down in class comfortably.

　　To everyone's surprise, she was fortunate enough to be my teacher that year. I was shocked when I heard the news. This time round, however, I decided not to hide in terror whenever she was near. I decided to face the fact that we were going to meet each other for the next 365 days. Instead of trying too hard to lick her boots, I tried my best to my natural self in front of her.

　　Still, I could not shake off the ice-cold impression that she put in my heart. True, her jokes sometimes sent me into fits of laughter, yet at other times these jokes simply fell flat the moment she told them. My lovely class, however, was already ready to laugh at the right time of her amusing stories. After all, we would not want to run the risk of provoking(激怒) her.

　　Unluckily, life was not to remain boring. One day we received news that Miss Vicki was to leave Singapore for the Philippines where she would take part in a voluntary teaching program for the poor. We did not know what to say actually. All of us cried at the airport.

24. During the first year in school, the author thought Miss Vicki was .

A. proud but patient B. beautiful but strict

C. scholarly but serious D. humorous but single-minded

25. What does the underlined phrase "lick her boots" in Paragraph 3 mean?

A. Win her favor. B. Embarrass her.

C. Argue with her. D. Follow her closely.

26. What can we learn from Paragraph 4 ?

A. Miss Vicki was a good joke teller.

B. Miss Vicki's jokes were always boring.

C. Students liked Miss Vicki's class very much.

D. Students pretended to laugh to please Miss Vicki.

27. What can we infer about Miss Vicki from the last paragraph?

A. She was fired by the school.

B. She was not accepted by the students.

C. She was unwilling to leave her students.

D. She had a strong sense of social responsibility.

A recent study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has found a clear link between the color of a taxi and its accident rate. An analysis of 36 months of detailed