Is it a car? Is it a boat? Or is it both?
它是一輛車？還是一艘船？亦或兩者皆是？

　　When former US president Lyndon B. Johnson entertained visitors on his Texas ranch▼, he enjoyed playing a prank on his unsuspecting guests. First, he would take his guests for a drive, and then he would speed down a hill towards a lake yelling, "The brakes have failed!" Screams turned into laughter as his car floated as smoothly as a luxury boat across the lake. The president's car was an Amphicar, a car that can float.
　　Amphicars were first manufactured in 1961 in Germany primarily for the American market, although a few were converted to right-hand drive for the British market. Sales of the vehicle were anticipated to be around 20,000 per year, but by the time production wound up in 1968, only 4,000 were actually manufactured. Unfortunately, they were considered a novelty▼ item despite some of them being used in the Berlin police force and rescue services in America. The poor reception to the Amphicar by motoring and boating enthusiasts was another reason for the lack of success. An article in Time magazine reviewed the Amphicar, saying, "The standard line▼ is that the Amphicar was both a lousy car and a lousy boat."
　　The Amphicar looked almost identical to a regular car, although the front of the vehicle was slightly pointed▼ and its body was a lot higher off the ground. Despite being equipped with a state-of-the-art engine, it wasn't as powerful as a comparable▼ car or boat. In water, it was propelled by two propellers▼ mounted▼ under the rear▼ bumper bar▼ and steered by the front wheels.
　　Amphicars originally sold for around the same price as a family car, but now, fully-restored Amphicars can fetch up to NT$3,000,000.
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1. How did former US president Lyndon B. Johnson like to entertain his guests?
(A) By taking them on a tour of Texas.
(B) By speeding around in his car on his ranch.
(C) By playing a prank on them with his Amphicar.
(D) By taking them for a cruise on a lake in his luxury boat.
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2. What is an Amphicar?
(A) A car that can travel on both dry land and water.
(B) A car capable of flying.
(C) A boat that looks like a car.
(D) A car that looks like a boat.
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3. Which of the following is NOT a reason for Amphicars being unsuccessful?
(A) They were considered a novelty item.
(B) They met with a poor reception from motoring and boating enthusiasts.
(C) They were too expensive.
(D) They had poor reviews in magazines.
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4. What is true about Amphicars?
(A) They were steered by two propellers.
(B) They had a high-performance engine.
(C) They were only made for world leaders.
(D) They were identical to a regular car.

水陸兩棲車：上山下海
它是一輛車？還是一艘船？亦或兩者皆是？
　　美國前總統林登•貝恩斯•詹森在他德州的牧場宴請訪客時，喜歡對那些毫無疑心的賓客惡作劇。首先他會載他的賓客去兜風，之後加速朝著一面湖疾駛下山，並且大喊『煞車失靈啦！』當他的車子像一艘豪華遊艇平穩地橫越這片湖的時候，這些尖叫聲隨即轉變為笑聲。這輛總統的座車是水陸兩棲車，一輛可以在水上漂浮的車。
　　水陸兩棲車在 1961 年於德國生產，主要針對美國市場，不過有些為了進攻英國市場則改裝成右座駕駛。水陸兩棲車的銷量預期每年生產約兩萬輛，但到了 1968 年結束生產時，實際產量只有四千輛。可惜的是，儘管有些水路兩棲車被柏林警察部隊以及美國的救難勤務所採用，它們仍被視為一種新奇的玩意兒。汽車以及遊艇愛好者對於水陸兩棲車的接受度不佳是另一個失敗的原因。《時代雜誌》當中有一篇關於水陸兩棲車的評論提到：『以大眾的標準來看，水陸兩棲車是糟糕的車也是糟糕的船。』
　　儘管水陸兩棲車的車頭稍微尖凸，且車身離地面相較高出許多，不過它看起來與一般車輛幾乎一模一樣。雖然配有尖端引擎，但它仍無法和相似車輛或者遊艇一樣有力。在水中，它藉由安裝在後保險桿下方的兩個螺旋槳來推動，且由前輪控制方向。
水陸兩棲車起初與一般家庭房車售價相當，但如今，全面整修過的水陸兩棲車可售得新臺幣三百萬元。
1. 美國前總統林登•貝恩斯•詹森喜歡怎樣娛樂他的賓客？
(A) 帶他們遊覽德州。
(B) 用他的車在自家牧場高速駕駛。
(C) 運用他的水陸兩棲車來對他們開玩笑。
(D) 帶他們搭自己的豪華郵輪遊湖。
題解：根據本文第一段，首先他會載他的賓客去兜風，之後加速朝著一面湖疾駛下山，並且大喊『煞車失靈啦！』這輛總統的座車是水陸兩棲車，一輛可以在水上漂浮的車，故 (C) 項應為正選。
2. 什麼是水陸兩棲車？
(A) 一輛能夠行駛於陸地及水上的車。
(B) 一輛能飛的車。
(C) 一艘看起來像車的船。
(D) 一輛看起來像船的車。
題解：根據本文第一段，這輛總統的座車是水陸兩棲車，一輛可以在水上漂浮的車，得知水陸兩棲車可於陸地及水上行駛，故 (A) 項應為正選。
3. 下列哪一項不是水陸兩棲車失敗的原因？
(A) 它們被視為一種新奇的玩意兒。
(B) 它們並未受到汽車和遊艇愛好者的歡迎。
(C) 它們身價不斐。
(D) 它們在雜誌中的負面評價。
題解：根據本文第二段，僅 (C) 項未被提及，故為正選。
4. 哪一項關於水陸兩棲車的敘述是正確的？
(A) 它們以兩個螺旋槳控制方向。
(B) 它們擁有高性能引擎。
(C) 它們只為世界上的領袖製造。
(D) 它們與一般汽車長得一模一樣。
題解：根據本文第三段，雖然配有尖端引擎，但它仍無法和相似車輛或者遊艇一樣有力，故 (B) 項應為正選。

答案：　1. C　2. A　3. C　4. B