M: To tell the truth, it couldn’t be worse. You see, I have to pick my wife up from the airport this evening, but while she was gone, something unexpected happened.

　　W: Oh really? What was it?

　　M: Well, I had some of the guys over Friday night to watch a basketball game on TV, but one of them got all excited, and started walking around, waving his arms, and he accidentally knocked over my wife’s 250 year old distinctively Chinese vase, given to her by her grandmother, and broke it beyond repair.

　　W: Oh, wow. You’re in hot water now.

　　M: If it had only been that.

　　W: Oh, there's more?

　　M: Yeah, you see, the water from the vase spilled all over the manuscript of a book my wife has been writing for the past two years. It blurred the ink over many of the pages. And so one of the guys had the bright idea of drying the pages by the fire while we watched the rest of the game, but a spark from the fire must have blown out and burned the manuscript to a crisp.

　　W: But what about an electronic file copy? She had one, didn’t she?

　　M: No, she didn’t.

　　W: Oh, you are really in trouble now. You’re going to have a hard time digging yourself out of this one. Ah, so I get it now. You’re buying the flowers for her as part of some kind of peace offering, right?

　　M: No, not at all. They’re for my funeral.

　　Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

　　19. How did the vase of the man’s wife break?

　　20. What happened to the manuscript of the book the man’s wife wrote?

　　21. What sort of reaction does the man expect from his wife about his misfortunes?

　　Conversation Two

　　M: Hi, Rose, how was your holiday?

　　W: Marvelous! I went to Thailand. I had been overseas before, so I felt somewhat at ease with the idea of traveling abroad, particularly since I lived in Asia for a number of years.

　　M: Was there anything impressive?

　　W: Well, I am impressed by different marketplaces there, where people bargain over the price before buying something. And even if you feel you’re getting a good deal, you might try walking away from the merchant, and there is the chance that the shop owner will call you back and lower the price even more in an attempt to get you to purchase something.

　　M: Sounds interesting. What about the people in Thailand?

　　W: Thais are friendly. But when in Thailand, I noticed a number of people who just stared at me as I walked by, as if I were an alien from another planet. Although it felt somewhat disquieting at first, I realized that my presence was perhaps an oddity with so few foreigners in that area.

　　M: I guess they were just curious.

　　W: That’s right. In fact, I was even able to strike up a few conversations with some of the locals.

　　M: Have you ever noticed the Thai culture is different from ours?

　　W: Well, from this trip I discovered one important thing. That is, there are often more similarities than differences between cultures. Regardless of language and culture, all people have a desire for friendship that bridges any cultural boundaries. The people I met have been wonderful hosts and friends, and I will treasure every moment of the trip.

　　M: That sounds quite reasonable.

　　Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

　　22. What are the two speakers mainly talking about?

　　23. What surprises the woman in the marketplaces?

　　24. What is the reason why people stared at the woman during her visit?

　　25. What has the woman learned about cultures from her trip?