In countries other than the United States and Canada, the area code generally determines the 20 of a call.
答案：(A) cost
下一句說明區碼相同或相鄰者通話費率較低，可知區碼決定的是通話的「費用」，故填 cost；format（格式）已用於第 18 格，quality（品質）、distance（距離）都不是區碼所決定的。
答對率 31%。
看到 area code（區碼）與 a call（一通電話），你腦中浮現的大概是「長途／市內」，於是直覺選 distance——區碼確實對應地理區域，這個聯想很自然，但題目問的不是區碼「代表」什麼，而是區碼「決定」什麼。
答案寫在緊接的下一句：Calls within an area code and often a small group of neighboring area codes are normally charged at a lower rate than outside the area code.（同一區碼內、以及常常包括鄰近幾個區碼之間的通話，費率通常比跨區低）——charged at a lower rate 講的就是錢。區碼決定的是費率，也就是 cost。這一格必須往下讀一句才確定得了，屬於跨句題。
遇到抽象名詞（cost／quality／value／level）當受詞的空格，先往前後找「數字、金額、費率、程度」這類具體訊息，作者通常會在鄰句給出佐證。
format 已用於第 18 格（It was created in the format of XYX），文意選填與綜合測驗的選項不重複使用；quality 是通話品質，與區碼無關；distance 雖與區碼有地理關聯，但區碼並不「決定」距離。
determine the cost of（決定…的費用）、at a lower rate（以較低費率）、the cost of living（生活費）、at all costs（不惜一切）、cover the cost（支付費用）。
An area code is a section of a telephone number which generally represents the geographical area that the phone receiving the call is based in. It is the two or three digits just before the local number. If the number 16 is in the same area as the number making the call, an area code usually doesn't need to be dialed. The local number, 17 , must always be dialed in its entirety.
The area code was introduced in the United States in 1947. It was created 18 the format of XYX, with X being any number between 2-9 and Y being either 1 or 0. Cities and areas with higher populations would have a smaller first and third digit, and 1 as the center digit. New York, being the largest city in the United States, was 19 the 212 area code, followed by Los Angeles at 213.
In countries other than the United States and Canada, the area code generally determines the 20 of a call. Calls within an area code and often a small group of neighboring area codes are normally charged at a lower rate than outside the area code.