I.Are the following statements true or false? Mark "T" for true and "F" for false.

1. The Constitution was enough to provide every citizen of the United States their full rights and obligations regardless of their color and creed. ( )

2. The author has confidence in solving the current challenges because he believes in the decency and generosity of the American people. ( )

3. Before the presidential campaign, it had been correctly predicted that the American people would be eager for the message of unity. ( )

4. The author explains his relationship with Wright in order to quie the criticism to him for his insufficient condemnation. ( )

5. In the author's opinion, the over-reactions to Wright's remarks are as divisive as the remarks themselves. ( )

II.General Knowledge. Fill in the blanks based on the general knowledge.

1. In 1787, was signed in the State House in Philadelphia, the same location where ________ had been signed 1l years earlier.

2. The September 1l attacks were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks upon the United States in city and the Washington, D. C area on September1l, _________.

3. Barack Obama's presidential campaign began in February 2007. In the 2008 presidential election, he defeated Republican nominee, and was inaugurated as president on _________.

4. The 4th US. president Barack Obama is the first president of the United States, as well as the first president born in the state of ________.

5. Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of _________and the county seat of Philadelphia County.

6. The Iraq War, sometimes called ________ began in 203 with the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and overthrow of the Ba’athist regime led by ________.

7. Deep South is a region of the southeast United States, usually comprising the states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, ________ and ________.

8. ________is a war fought in the United States between the North and the South from 1861 to 1865 during the presidency of ________.

9. The three largest groups in the world of Christianity are ________, ________ and the various denominations of Protestantism.

10. The 50 stars on the national flag of the United States of America represent_________ and the 13 stripes represent _________ that rebelled against the British monarchy and became the first states of the Union.

III. Words & Expressions Choose the one that BEST explains the underlined part.

1. In Western culture, it is a matter of convention that men should open doors for ladies.

A. a large meting B. a customary habit

C. a formal agreement D. a common practice

2. In 1999, the United Nations passed a resolution to increase aid to the Third World.

A. decision B. promise C. determination D. solution

3. The mosque issue has been distorted for political reasons, while it could become an instrument for civil coexistence.

A. malformed B. misrepresented C. deformed D. mistaken

4. Mr. Heath sketched out a post 1992 European community with a common currency and its own defense policy and foreign policy.

A. ordinary B. abundant C. popular D. shared

5. Abortion remains one of the most divisive issues in some religious countries.

A. decisive B. controversial C. revisable D. traditional

6. Of course, there is the eternal, nagging question: What on earth are designers thinking?

A. pleasing B. negating C. inspiring D. worrying

7. Author William Gibson says he takes a perverse delight in wondering just what they' re going to do with them.

A. natural B. strange C. popular D. extensive

8. More than 50 news executives have charged that the Pentagon is trying to censor media coverage in the Persian Gulf.

A. have proposed B. have commanded

C. have accused D. have denounced

9. The shipbuilding industry recently has sustained heavy losses and huge debts largely as a result of frequent labor disputes.

A. continual B. successive C. severe D. sequential

10. Joseph does not conform to the stereotype of a policeman.

A. abide by B. comply with

C. adapt to D. involve in

11. The organization has peddled the myth that they are supporting the local population.

A. has updated B. has spread

C. has produced D. has promoted

12. Democrats will do their best to show they have a more compelling vision for how to minister to the nation's domestic needs.

A. provide for B. be responsible for

C. give help to D. be in charge of

13. Secret Service guards strike a jarring note in a place where students sit meditatively in Quaker-style meetings in the gym.

A. incongruous B. shocking C. unpleasant D. piercing

14. One reporter who lost a cousin in the World Trade Center found that writing helped her work through her own grief.

A. let of B. figure out

C. deal with D. go away with

15. Large segments of the public-including many Catholics harbor serious concerns about immigrants and immigration.

A. conceal B. shield C. develop D. keep