C ． He knew he would get home quicker that way.

D ． He chose to go that way by chance.

52 ． The police officer questioned the man because________.

A ． he had seen the man doing something strange

B ． the man had fallen and needed attention

C ． he thought he recognised the man

D ． the man had tried to escape

53 ． By saying “… in a manner other than the customary one ”, the officer meant the man left the house________.

A ． without paying the landlady                            B ． at such an early hour

C ． by the front door                                        D ． down a drain-pipe

54 ． Why had Crane stayed the night at number 29?

A ． He had lost his way in the dark.

B ． He had suddenly felt sick at stomach.

C ． There was something wrong with his lorry.

D ． Nottingham was too far for him to reach that night.

55 ． When Crane returned to the house, _______.

A ． he didn’t want to wake Mrs Fern

B ． he tried to wake Mrs Fern but failed

C ． he woke Mrs Fern, but she refused to get up

D ． he felt ashamed to wake Mrs Fern, but he did so

Passage 2

   Every country has its share of the odd beliefs that we call superstitions. And of all the subjects that superstitions have been built around, the most outstanding is salt.

   The properties of salt have puzzled people everywhere. Today we know its chemical nature. We know why salt can help to thaw snow or to freeze ice cream. But early man did not have this knowledge. He looked on salt as magic. As magic, it had the power to do good or evil.

   Man probably first noticed salt when he saw animals near a salt lick. When he tried some, it tasted good. Then he found out that salt could keep food from spoiling. He began to imagine that it could protect him as well. He valued salt for both its magical and its chemical properties.

   In those days salt was scarce in some places. It was too precious to be wasted. So there was a sensible reason for being careful not to spill salt. Spilling salt was indeed an unlucky accident.

   Superstition gave another meaning to the same accident. Early man was sure that the good spirit guarding him had caused him to spill the salt. It was a warning of evil near him. Good spirits were thought to live on the right side of the body; bad spirits were on the left. So early man threw a pinch of salt over his left shoulder. The salt was a bribe to the spirits that planned to harm him.