The boss then laughingly pointed out that the same proposal had been made and 34 some minutes before.
答案：(D) turned down
【句型】turn down 固定片語動詞「拒絕」，表示這個方案先前已經被提過、也被拒絕過；agreed to（同意）、put up（提出/張貼）、called upon（呼籲）都不符合「先前被拒絕過」的語意。
本題大考中心未公布逐題答對率，以下不談數據，只談觀念。
四個選項都是片語動詞，中文是「同意、提出、呼籲、拒絕」，只讀這一句會覺得都有可能。這一格的證據不在這一句，在同一篇的後面——而且是原封不動重述了一次。
先看形態：空格前面是 had been made and ___，and 連接兩個過去分詞，所以空格也要是過去分詞。四個選項都是片語動詞、形態上刷不掉，得靠語意。而語意的證據非常硬，就在同一篇的後面：第 37 題那一格之後，作者寫 The young engineer swore that he had never heard the proposal made and rejected.（那位年輕工程師發誓他從沒聽過那個提案被提出、又被否決。）這句話等於把答案原封不動重述了一次：made 對 made、rejected 對空格。turn down 就是 reject（拒絕、否決）。再用情境驗算：年輕工程師提了一個他自以為很好的方案，換來一陣尷尬的沉默，老闆笑著說幾分鐘前就有人提過了——如果當時被採納了，就不會有那陣沉默，也不會有後面「他出了糗」的發展。
agreed to（同意）：方向相反，被同意就不會出糗。put up（提出、張貼、搭建）：語意上接近 and 前面那個 made，兩者重複。called upon（呼籲、要求）：與提案被否決無關。
turn down（拒絕、否決；把音量調小）、reject a proposal（否決提案）、make a proposal（提出方案）、agree to（同意）、put up（搭建、張貼）、some minutes before（幾分鐘前）。
The people in the room were tense. Five young engineers were sitting with their 31 . They were trying to settle details of an important new plant site for a major client. Suddenly one of the young engineers gave what he thought was a good solution 32 the problem. What he had to say was 33 by an uncomfortable silence. The boss then laughingly pointed out that the same proposal had been made and 34 some minutes before. The incident seemed funny 35 the time, but several months later it did not.
After the project had been successfully finished, most of the engineers who had worked on it were 36 . But the young man who had made a fool of himself at the meeting was not on the list. 37 The young engineer swore that he had never heard the proposal made and rejected. 38 He was a victim of a bad listening habit that he didn't know he had.
Bad listening habits can hurt you a lot in your daily living. Much of your success, both in your work and social life, 39 how you listen. A number of major industries and more than twenty leading colleges 40 . They have set up "listening clinics" and courses to find out what is wrong—and what to do about it.