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About 10 years ago, I started a job as a trainer for a telemarketing agency.In one of my first classes, the head trainer told a very inspiring story. He began by drawing a stickman standing in the middle of a circle.To make it more interesting, he drew things like a house, a car, and a few friends inside the circle. He asked the question, "Can anyone tell me what this is?" In a long silence, one guy decided to throw out "the world?" The trainer said, "That's close and this is your Comfort Zone.Inside your circle you have all the things that are important to you." "Your home, your family, your friends, and your job.People feel that inside this circle they are safe from any danger or conflict." "Can anyone tell me what happens when you step out of this circle?" A strong silence came over the room.The same eager guy abruptly announced, "You are afraid." Another guy said, "You make mistakes." The silence continued and the trainer smiled and said, "When you make mistakes, what can the result be?" The first guy shouted, "You learn something." "Exactly, you are learning." The trainer turned to the board and drew an arrow pointing from the stickman directly to the outside of the circle.He continued to say, "When you leave your Comfort Zone you put yourself out there, in front of the world to be in situations that you are not comfortable with." "The end result is that you have learned something that you did not know and you expand your knowledge to become a better person." He turned again to the board and drew a bigger circle around the original circle, and added a few new things like more friends, a bigger house, etc. "The moral of the story is that if you stay inside your Comfort Zone, you will never be able to expand your horizons and learn.When you step out of your Comfort Zone you will eventually make your circle bigger and your mind grow stronger, and all in all a better person."

[{'question': 'According to the passage, the Comfort Zone is _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['a place where we can enjoy a lot of amusement', 'a person who can offer us some comfort and protect us', 'a state in which we feel all safe and right with the world', "a circle which we don't dare to get out of"]}, {'question': 'Which of the following statements is TRUE?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['If we move beyond the Comfort Zone, our anxiety level will go up.', 'When we step out of the Comfort Zone, we must feel excited.', "We don't need to leave our Comfort Zone if we really want to grow.", 'We are all still in our Comfort Zone when making new friends.']}, {'question': 'Why does the author tell us the story?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['To build up our interpersonal skills.', 'To make us work better as a team.', 'To provide us some working activities.', 'To motivate us to step out for a better world.']}]

Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this. Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food. There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives. There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime , it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food.What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports. The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as _ them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.

[{'question': 'According to the text, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Those who often take exercise.', 'Those who often watch television.', 'Those who often have meals at home.', 'Those who often walk to school.']}, {'question': 'The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['their parents often cook meals for them', 'they are too busy to go out and play', "they can' t choose what to eat", 'there are too many fast food shops around']}, {'question': 'The main purpose of the text is to _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['tell a story', 'provide facts', 'give advice', 'compare opinions']}]

Why does a large education nation like China have so few world renowned scientists as the US? Educationists from China and the US try to find out the answer to questions like this at a forum on the basic education strategy. The forum, held recently, was jointly organized by the Education Development Research Center of the Ministry of Education in China and the Postgraduate School of the University of Pennsylvania in the US. It aims to find out similarities and differences that exist between two countries in their educational system. While some educationists in China keep a doubtful eye to the country's educational system in recent years. Their American counterparts give a positive answer to the basic education in China, saying that it is still one of the best in the world. An American educationist told reporters that the basic education in the US was criticized in recent years due to its political tendency. On the contrary, Chinese government's stress on basic education and qualified teachers has set a good example. At primary and middle school, pupils in China did better in math and science lessons than the US pupils. However, few grow to be world "masters". Why? Educationists attributed this to China's stress on examination rather than students' interest. Deputy Director of the postgraduate school of Pennsylvania University said American teachers encouraged students to focus on their strong points. In China, students are driven to study to pass the entrance examination test and they do not pay much attention to their own interest. At the forum, director of the Education Development Research Center Mr. Zhang said in the future, the research center would make its middle and long-term basic education strategy by taking some references from other countries including the US. He also revealed that for a long time in the future, China would make a breakthrough in setting the policy for quality education.

[{'question': 'This passage is mainly about _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['quality education development in the future', "why China's education cultivates few world masters", "China's good basic education", 'genius education at the primary stage']}, {'question': 'The following statements are true EXCEPT that _', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ["basic education in the US is associated with the government's political interest.", 'the forum aims to find out the reason why there few world masters in China.', "all the educationists in China cast doubts in the country's educational system.", "Chinese government's stress on basic education is spoken highly of."]}, {'question': "China's educational system will _ in the future.", 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['help students to study even harder to pass the examination', 'apply more attention to quality education referring to systems of other countries', 'allow students to pay more attention to their own interest without their test results', 'copy the educational system in the US']}]

In 1905, as part of his Special Theory of Relativity, Albert Einstein published the point that a large amount of energy could be released from a small amount of matter. This was expressed by the equation E = mc2. But bombs were not what Einstein had in mind when he published this equation. In 1929, he publicly declared that if a war broke out he would "refuse to do war service, direct or indirect...." His position would change in 1933, as the result of Adolf Hitler's coming into power in Germany. Einstein's greatest role in the invention of the atomic bomb was signing a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt urging that the bomb be built because some physicists feared that Germany might be working on an atomic bomb. Among those concerned were physicists Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner. But they had no influence with those in power. So in July 1939 they explained the problem to someone who did: Albert Einstein. After talking with Einstein, in August 1939 Szilard wrote a letter to President Roosevelt with Einstein's signature on it, which was delivered to Roosevelt in October 1939. Germany had invaded Poland the previous month, the time was ripe for action. That October research of a-bomb began but proceeded slowly because the invention of the atomic bomb seemed distant and unlikely. In April 1940 an Einstein letter, ghost-written by Szilard, pressed the researchers on the need for "greater speed". As the realization of nuclear weapons grew near, Einstein looked beyond the current war to future problems that such weapons could bring. He wrote to his friend about his fear about the future use of the a-bomb. The atomic bombings of Japan occurred three months after Germany gave in. In November 1954, five months before his death, Einstein summarized his feelings about his role in the creation of the atomic bomb: "I made one great mistake in my life...when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made; but there was some justification---the danger that the Germans would make them?

[{'question': 'What can we learn about Szilard and Wigner?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['They were not as influential as Einstein.', 'They had cheated their friend Einstein.', 'They were to blame for the invention of nuclear weapons.', 'They had a purpose of destroying the world.']}, {'question': 'Einstein realized his mistake in _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['co-operating with his workmates', 'inventing the atomic bomb', 'publishing his equation', 'signing the letter to Roosevelt']}, {'question': 'We can conclude that Einstein _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['assisted with the invention of atomic bomb', 'directly participated in the invention of the atomic bomb', 'was not involved in the invention of atomic bomb at all', 'contributed to the invention of atomic bomb']}, {'question': 'Please decide the order of the following events according to the passage.', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['c,e,a,f,b,d', 'a,e,b,d,f,c', 'e,c,a,f,d,b', 'e,c,b,f,a,d']}, {'question': 'The best title for the passage would be _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['A Story of Albert Einstein', 'Albert Einstein and the Atomic Bomb', 'It was Unfair for Einstein', 'How the Atomic Bomb was Invented']}]

Thanks a Million, Dad I was born disabled.A difficult birth, feet first, my head stuck.By my first birthday, I couldn't stand or walk. When I was three, the doctor told dad I had cerebral palsy .A loss of oxygen to my brain had destroyed brain signals to the right side of my body. But no son of my dad' s was going to be disabled.Every morning before breakfast and every evening before bed, my dad placed me on the bedroom floor to exercise my right leg.The muscles were shrunk and twisted together.Back and forth up and down, my dad pushed and pulled the muscles into shape. But my dad' s exercise of passion didn't stop there.For my 13th birthday, he threw me a special party.When everybody was gone, he brought me to open a large box, it was a-set of boxing gloves.We put them on.My dad kept on beating me mercilessly.Each time I tried to get up, leather kissed my nose, eyes and jaw.I "begged him to stop. He said he beat me to get me ready for the tough world. That same year, I was the only kid in my neighborhood that wasn't picked for Little League. Two weeks later.Dad started the Shedd Park Minor League, and every kid played.Dad coached us and made me a pitcher . The power of my dad' s love guaranteed I walked and more.In high school, I became a football star. In 1997, a brain surgeon in San Jose told me I didn't t have cerebral palsy after all.He explained how and where the doctor' s forceps at birth had damaged my brain. My dad never knew the whole truth since he passed away years ago.But all that counts is the bottom line.After all his madness, on this Father' s Day, like every Father' s Day, I' m no longer disabled.

[{'question': "What caused the author' s disability?", 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['A failed operation.', "The doctor's forceps.", 'An accident in a game.', 'Shrunken and twisted muscles.']}, {'question': 'What do we learn from the passage?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['The author has a talent for boxing.', "The author achieved a lot thanks to his father' s love.", 'The author became a baseball star with the help of his father.', "The author doesn't think his father should be so strict with him."]}, {'question': 'The author wrote the passage to _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['remember his father', 'encourage disabled children', 'show the difficulty the disabled face', 'give advice to the parents of disabled children']}]

This is an excerpt from a speech by Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple, delivered to graduates of Stanford University on June 12, 2005. I was lucky -- I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents' garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation -- the Macintosh -- a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge(to be different) and eventually we had _ . When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was destructive. I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down. I even thought about running away from the valley . But something slowly began to dawn on me -- I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over. I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar. Pixar went on to create the world's first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

[{'question': 'Which of the following is TRUE about Apple?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['It rejected one of its founders when he turned 30.', 'It once fell apart due to different visions of the future.', 'NeXT became its parent company and made a great comeback.', 'It has survived after it had a destructive blow.']}, {'question': 'Steve Jobs probably values _ most according to his speech.', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['patience', 'faith', 'inspiration', 'luck']}]

The round-the-clock availability that cell phones have brought to people's lives may be _ amily life, a new study suggests. The study, which followed more than 1300 adults over 2 years, found that those who consistently used a mobile phone through out the study period were more likely to report negative "spillover" between work and home life--and, in turn, less satisfaction with their family life. Spillover(,) actually means that the line between work and home began to become unclear. Work life may invade home life--when a parent is taking job-related calls at home, for instance--or family issues may start to take up work time. For example, a child may call Mom at work, telling her "the microwave exploded", explained Noelle Chesley, an assistant professor of society at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and the author of the study. The problem with cell phones seems to be they are allowing for ever more spillover between work and home. This may be especially true for working women, the study found. Among men, consistent use of mobile phones seemed not to allow more work issues to creep into family time. But for women, the spillover tended to go in both directions--being "connected" means that work cuts into home time, and family issues come into work life. Cell phones seem to be opening more lines for stressful exchange among family members. But there may be ways to control the spillover, according to Chesley. Employers, she said, should look at their policies on contacting employees after working hours to make sure their expectations are "reasonable". For their part, employees can decide that cell phones go off during family time, Chesley said.

[{'question': 'What is the main idea of this passage?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Cell phones offer 24-hour availability.', 'Cell phones get life and work mixed.', "Women don't use cell phones in an effective way.", 'Men are better at dealing with family problems.']}, {'question': "What is the author's attitude towards round-the-clock availability of the cell phone?", 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['Curious', 'Positive', 'Subjective', 'Objective']}]

It was a warm April day when a big fat envelope came in the mail from the only college I had ever imagined attending. I tore open the packet. My eyes were fixed on the word "congratulations. "I don't remember ever smiling so wide. Then I looked at my financial package. The cost of Dream School's tuition , room and board was around $ 40,000- an impossible sum! How could I afford to attend? What good reasons did I have to go there when three other fine colleges were offering me free tuition? My other choices were good, solid schools even if they weren't as famous as my first choice. In my mind, attending my dream university would be the only way to realize my dream of becoming a world-class writer. My parents understood how I felt. They told me that even though it would be a financial problem, I could go wherever I would be happiest. But as I was always careful with money, I wasn't sure what to do. One of the schools that _ had an informational dinner one night in the spring. Considering my parents' financial difficulties, I decided to drive the 45 minutes and attend. At first, all I had planned to do was smile politely, eat free food, listen quietly. But I surprised myself. At dinner the president of the university talked about the wonderful activities on campus including guest lectures and social gatherings. He also made it perfectly clear that free food would be offered at all future events. He continued with explanations of professors, class sizes, activities, and sporting events on campus. As he spoke, I began to realize that this school, though not as good as my first choice, might be the best one for me. It seemed small yet with many great programs. It seemed challenging yet caring. As the president ended his speech, we clapped politely and pushed back our chairs. As I walked out that door, a feeling of comfort washed over me. Looking at the campus that night, I realized that I would be spending the next four years right there. In all honesty, my university is not as well-known as my "dream"university. However, it turned out to be the right choice of schools for me.

[{'question': 'How did the author feel when he started to read the letter?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['He was lost in his dream.', 'He was full of joy.', 'He was worried about the money.', 'He was uncertain which school to go to.']}, {'question': 'We can learn from the passage that the parents were _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['honest', 'supportive', 'strict', 'decisive']}, {'question': 'What does the author mainly want to say?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['You should consider comfort in your choice of schools.', 'You should try your best to attend your dream school.', 'Your second-choice college may actually by your best fit.', 'Your choice of schools should be based on their fame.']}]

Americans often say that there are only two things a person can be sure of:death and taxes.Many people feel that the United States has the worst taxes in the world. Taxes are the money that people pay to support their government.There are generally three levels of government in the United States:federal,state,and city;therefore,there are three types of taxes. Salaried people who can earn more than four to five thousand dollars per year must pay a certain part.It depends on their salaries.The federal government has a two-level income tax:that is,15 or 28 percent.$17 850 is the cut off.The tax rate is 15 percent below $17 850 and 28 percent above. The second tax is for the state government:New York,California,or any of the other forty-eight states.Some states have an income tax similar to that of the federal government.Of course,the percentage for the state tax is lower.Other states have a sales tax,which is a percentage charged to any item which people buy in the state.Some states use income tax and sales tax to raise their revenues(=annual income). The third tax is for the city.This tax comes in two forms:property tax(people who own a home have to pay taxes on it) and excise tax ,which is collected on vehicles in a city.The cities use this money for education,police,public works,etc. Since Americans pay such high taxes,they often feel that they are working one day each week just to pay their taxes.People always complain about taxes.They often say that the government misuses their tax dollars.They all believe that taxes are too high in this country.

[{'question': 'In the United States,taxes are collected to provide revenues for .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['the federal government', 'the state government', 'the city government', 'the three levels of government']}, {'question': 'How much money does an American earning $40 000 per year pay to the federal government as income tax according to the passage?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['28% of his income.', '15% of his income.', '$17 870.', '$5000.']}, {'question': 'Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Different levels of the governments have different types of taxes in the United States.', 'All the states have a sales tax which is used to support poor people.', 'The tax of the states is similar to that of the federal government.', 'All the states use both taxes to raise their income every year to build schools.']}, {'question': 'What tax does an American have to pay to the city if he owns a car?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Property tax.', 'Excise tax.', 'Income tax.', 'Sales tax.']}, {'question': 'After reading the passage,we might feel that Americans seem to be .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['satisfied with their taxes', 'proud of their taxes', 'unhappy about their taxes', 'very angry at their taxes']}]

Long long ago, there was a man who was good at shooting arrows.He asked the king to declare him as the greatest archer of the country.The king was about to do so when an old servant of the king said,"Wait,sir.I know an old man who lives in the forest.He is a much greater archer.Let this young man go to him and learn from him for at least three years." The man could not believe what the servant said,but he went and found the old man and he was! For three years he learned from him.Then one day,when he thought he had learned everything,the thought arose in him:"If I kill this old man,then I will be the greatest archer." The old man had gone to cut wood and he was coming back carrying wood on his shoulder.The young man hid behind a tree,waiting to kill him.He shot an arrow.The old man took a small piece of wood and threw it.It struck the arrow and the arrow turned back and wounded the young man very deeply.The old man came,took out the arrow and said. "I knew that some day or other you were going to do this.That's why I have not taught you this secret.There is no need to kill me.My Master is still alive,and I'm nothing before him.You must be with him for at least thirty years.And he is very old,so go fast! Find the old man!"

[{'question': 'The young archer wanted to kill the old man because _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['he could then become the greatest archer', 'he had nothing more to learn from him', 'the old man refused to teach him everything', "the king's old servant ordered him to do SO"]}, {'question': 'What do you think would most probably happen next?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['The young archer died from the wound soon after.', 'The king declared the young man the greatest archer.', "The young archer found the old man's master and killed him.", "The young archer set off to look for the old man's master."]}, {'question': 'What lesson can you learn from the story?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['Always use a piece of wood to protect yourself from an arrow.', 'You must never try to become better than your teacher.', 'The older a man is,the better archer he usually becomes.', "There's always someone better than you in this world."]}]

Have you got any wonderful plans for your coming winter vacation? Here are some wonderful films for you to kill time. _ Verona De Tessant (Maya Rudolph) and Burt Farlander (John Krasinski) are in their early thirties and struggling to meet daily needs and build fulfilling lives as an artist and a salesman. When they learn they will soon become parents, they are faced with the challenge of how and where to raise a child and build a happy family. With a baby on his way, the young couple, look at their lives and are puzzled about what they really want. _ Lynn was married to Pual, but they broke up and Lynn took their daughter Alice while Paul got their son Dylan. Years later, now Dylan is getting married, and Lynn is attending the wedding, with her younger son Elliot and Ben. Elliot is a drug addict and Ben keeps everything to himself. Dylan hasn't spoken to Lynn in years, and Lynn is fearful of Pual and his wife Patty. At last, all this has put Lynn in a depressed situation, and she's not sure just how she's going to get through the day. _ Also named as Life is Beautiful, the film is a black comedy and also a best medicine that heals the scar left by war. This movie has some kind of characteristics as natural and active. On the 7th Oscar Award Ceremony , the movie won three great awards. It is not a sad movie from the very beginning , but when the father uses a great way to hide his murder from his son, all people are impressed by this moving deed. Under the protection of the father, the son has lived a happy life. _ The film is an American film directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The film tells the story of Andy, a banker who spends nearly two decades in Shawshank State Prison for the murder of his wife and his wife's lover despite his claims of innocence. There he makes friends with Red. Andy manages to escape from the prison by digging a tunnel with the rock hammer over the years. When Red is later released , he remembers Andy's advice. He then visits the place Andy mentions before he escapes. There, he finds money and a note left by Andy, telling him to get to Zihuatanejo.

[{'question': 'This passage aims to _', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['make comments on films for a cinema', 'recommend several films for fun', 'introduce films for a film corporation', 'advertise several films for a website']}, {'question': 'Which film might best help a newly married couple to figure out their new roles in future life?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['La Vita e bella', 'Another Happy Day', 'Away We Go', 'The Shawshank Redemption.']}, {'question': 'What is the ending of The Shawshank Redemption?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ["Andy killed his wife and his wife's lover.", 'Andy became famous for helping Red.', 'Red felt cheated by Andy in a way.', 'Red and Andy got reunited happily.']}]

How words came into being is unknown. All we assume is that some early men invented certain sounds,in one way or another,to express thoughts and feelings,actions and things,so that they could talk with each other. Later they agreed upon certain signs,called letters,which could be put together to show those sounds,and which could be written down. Those sounds,whether spoken or written in letters, are called words. The power of words,then,lies in their associations--the things they bring up to our minds. Words become filled with meaning for us by experience;and the longer we live,the more certain words bring back to us the happy and sad events of our past;and the more we read and learn,the more the number of words that mean something to us increases. Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which have powerful effects on our minds and feelings. This clever use of words is what we call literary style .Above all,the real poet is a master of words. He can express his meaning in words which sing like music,and which by their position and association can move men to tears. We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use them correctly,or they will make our speech silly and common.

[{'question': 'We learn from the text that language might have begun with _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['expressions', 'actions', 'signs', 'sounds']}]

These days,when about 10.3 million.Americans are jobless and countless mole worry they will be,lovers of yoga are eager to keep peace by twisting their bodies. "People want to do something relaxing and physically active.My experience is that attendance In classes gone significantly up in the past few months,"said yoga instructor David,who turned to teaching yoga when his advertising jobs dried up in the recession of 2001.He admitted his private custoIlll~I'8 have fallen off a bit,but "generally,my long--term private clients are financially well-off and eager to recommend me to their friends." "We've added yoga classes,"said Nicole Moke,spokeswoman for the fitness centers."We add classes every January." And if the attack of hard times should fall upon their weft-heeled member ship? "We've added a lot of meditation classes.Our members.seem to be very excited about that",she added. Callfornia-hased Yoga Works agrees that business is successful."In our experience attendance is up year over year,"Marketing Director Terri Seiden said. "We expect to see this trend continue.In difficult times yoga goers are more unwilling than ever to give up their practice,"she said from her office in Santa Monica,California.Seiden said Yoga Works opened a new studio in January and has plans for more."We are hiring more teachers and studio staff,"she said. So is yoga a recession-proof shelter from the storms of economy? "We don't say yoga is recession-proof but it does work,"Seiden said."Yoga is one way that people Can take care of multiple needs--it is a complete workout for your mind and body, a form of stress relief,entertainment and there is a sense of community as well.''

[{'question': 'From the passage we can see_.', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['the jobless are eager to practice yoga', 'people want to hunt for jobs by practicing yoga', "those practicing yoga don't worry about employment", 'those practicing yoga want to seek peace in the hard times']}, {'question': 'Which of the following is true according to the passage?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Meditation classes have been added to attract customers.', 'Some yoga instructors will lose their jobs in the hard times.', 'The well-heeled membership will be affected in the hard times.', 'People practice yoga because they are afraid of being jobless.']}]

When 15-year-old Louisa Ball takes a nap, she sleeps for days on end, and no amount of shaking can fully wake her up. The British girl has a rare condition called Sleeping Beauty Sickness. Doctors don't know what causes it or how to cure it --only know that it strikes teenagers and goes away by itself after eight to 12 years. Louisa's mum, Lottie, told NBC News that the girl had flulike symptoms just over a year ago. Shortly afterward, she had her first period of long sleeping. She was eventually diagnosed with Kleine-Levin Syndrome, whose victims worldwide may number no more than 1,000. The victims live normally for weeks or months at a time, with normal sleep patterns and normal energy levels. Then, with little warning, they'll go to sleep for days or weeks at a time. So far, Louisa's longest period in bed has been 13 days. Victims will wake briefly, but be _ and not fully awake. Louisa's parents force her awake so she can use the bathroom and eat. Now, Louisa's friends can tell when a period is coming on. She stops talking and she may be annoyed easily. That's when she knows she has to get home to her bed. Louisa has slept through family vacations, the dance recitals she loves to perform in, and school tests. Now it becomes increasingly difficult to catch up on missed schoolwork. But just as doctors don't know the cause, they also don't know why it ends as mysteriously as it began. The illness is unrelated to narcolepsy , whose victims are constantly tired and drop off for brief periods of sleep at any time. It's so dramatic that some people have accused Louisa of making the false symptoms to get attention. Her father, Richard, thinks that's absurd.

[{'question': 'Which is TRUE about Kleine-Levin Syndrome according to the passage?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['The victims usually sleep for days or weeks at a time.', 'There are usually many warning signs before it attacks the victims.', 'The victims are usually tired and in a bad mood.', 'There are more than 1, 000 victims in the world.']}, {'question': 'We can learn from the passage that _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['doctors have found the cure for Sleeping Beauty Sickness.', "some people don't believe in the truth of Louisa's symptoms.", "Kleine-Levin Syndrome has no effect on Louisa's study and life.", 'the narcolepsy victims sleep longer than those with Kleine-Levin Syndrome.']}, {'question': 'What can we learn about Louisa?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Louisa is fond of dancing.', 'Louisa can still manage finish her schoolwork without difficulty.', 'Louisa is a British girl who likes sleeping.', "Louisa's longest sleeping period is 8 years."]}, {'question': 'What is the best title of the passage?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['What is Narcolepsy', 'How Louisa Overcame the Difficulty', 'Rare Illness Turns a Girl into a "Sleeping Beauty"', 'The Latest Research on Kleine-Levin Syndrome.']}]

My mom has eyes in the back of her head. She also taught me from an early age to be suspicious of strange men, especially when they give you presents. One day, a "nice man" bearing flowers managed to steal 20 euros from her purse, while she was holding it in her hands. "He said he was collecting for a church charity so I pulled out a euro," she explains, "He said 'no, no, that's too much' and offered to look in my purse to find a smaller coin. He must have slid out that 20 euro note at the same time. I did not even notice until an hour later. I felt so stupid." According to neuroscientists, the key requirement for a successful pickpocket is not having nifty fingers, it's having a working knowledge of the loopholes in our brain. The most important of these loopholes is the fact that our brains are not set up to multi-task. Most of the time that is a good thing -- _ allows us to filter out all but the most important features of the world around us. But a good trickster can use it to against you. This kind of trick involves capturing all of somebody's attention with other movements. Street pickpockets often use this effect to their advantage by manufacturing a situation that can not help but overload your attention system. Other strategies are more psychological. Pickpockets tend to hang out a "beware of pickpockets" signs, because the first thing people do when they read it is check they still have their valuables, helpfully giving away where they are. And in my mom's case, the thief's best trick was not coming across like a pickpocket. "He was a very nice guy and very confident. Not someone that would cause you to suspect," she says. Apollo Robbins, a stage pickpocket, said smart move, like moving your hand in an arc motion rather than a straight line, is another popular strategy employed by tricksters. At last, it should be pointed out that most thefts are opportunistic. The skill level of most thieves is far less than you think. But they are opportunistic enough to keep up with new technology.

[{'question': 'According to the passage, all of the following are pickpocket strategies except _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['having nifty fingers', 'hanging out "beware of pickpockets" sign', 'displaying confidence', 'moving hand in an arc motion']}, {'question': "In the author's opinion, _ .", 'answer': 'D', 'options': ["people's brains have many loopholes", 'thieves are more skillful than opportunistic', "his mom's losing money is nothing but a by-accident experience", 'signs reminding people of pickpockets can play a negative role in protecting valuables']}, {'question': 'What will the author probably talk about next?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ["Mom's another suffering", 'Pickpockets concerning new technology', "Pickpockets' tricks", "Apollo Robbins' stage pickpockets"]}]

Dear Mr. King, Your grocery store is outstanding in many ways. I enjoy the selection of produce and fresh bakery items. I have been a long time Supermart shopper and hope to continue for many years. I have found, however, that I must make a separate shopping trip to one of your competitors because there are many items your store does not carry. This becomes inconvenient for me, as my time is valuable, and I do not like to make two trips. Your low prices and excellent customer service keep me coming back to Supermart, but I would be a more satisfied customer if I could find all the items I need in one place. Specifically, I have never been able to purchase nacho cheese soup at your store. I can find other flavors of soup, but your store does not carry nacho cheese soup, a common ingredient in many of my recipes. In addition, I can only find large wonton wrappers, while many other stores carry both large and small and offer a more varied selection for their customers. Another example is Regent Brand Chili Seasoning. Though it is not a leading brand, it is still common on the shelves of other grocery stores in this area and is superior in flavor to its competitors. I sincerely hope to continue a relationship with your store, and I hope that you will consider the possibility of expanding your goods to be more competitive. Yours truly, Bob Watson

[{'question': 'According to Bob, the grocery store _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['meets all his needs', 'is outstanding in every way', 'offers good customer service', 'lacks convenient transportation']}, {'question': 'From the letter, we can learn that the author is _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['a very picky reporter', 'a competitor of the store', 'a responsible nutritionist', 'a regular customer of the store']}]

Everyone, please think of your biggest personal goal. For real - you can take a second. You've got to feel this to learn it. Take a few seconds and think of your personal biggest goal, okay? Imagine deciding right now that you're going to do it. Imagine telling someone that you meet today what you're going to do. Imagine their congratulations and their high image of you. Doesn't it feel good to say it out loud? Don't you feel one step closer already, like it's already becoming part of your identity? Well, bad news: you should have kept your mouth shut, because that good feeling now will make you less likely to do it. Repeated psychology tests have proved that telling someone your goal makes it less likely to happen. Any time you have a goal, there are some steps that need to be done, some work that needs to be done in order to achieve it. Ideally, you would not be satisfied until you had actually done the work. But when you tell someone your goal and they acknowledge it, psychologists have found that it's called a "social reality". The mind is kind of tricked into feeling that it's already done. And then, because you felt that satisfaction, you're less motivated to do the actual hard work necessary. So, this goes against the conventional wisdom that we should tell our friends our goals. Peter Gollwitzer wrote a whole book about this and in 2009, he did some new tests that were published. It goes like this: 163 people across four separate tests - everyone wrote down their personal goals.Then, half of them announced their commitment to this goal to the room, and half didn't. Then everyone was given 45 minutes of work that would directly lead them toward their goals, but they were told that they could stop at any time. Now, those who kept their mouths shut worked the entire 45 minutes, on average, and when asked afterward, said that they felt that they had a long way to go to still achieve their goals. But those who had announced it quit after only 33 minutes, on average, and when asked afterward, said that they felt much closer to achieving their goals. So audience, next time you want to tell someone your goal, what will you say? (Silence) Exactly - well done.

[{'question': 'What is the article mainly about?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['The importance of having personal goals.', 'Tips on achieving your personal goals.', 'Studies on why people tend to keep their personal goals secret.', "Why it's not necessarily wise to announce your personal goals to others."]}, {'question': 'According to the article, when you tell your friends your goals, _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['you feel more pressure to try to make them happen', 'they feel jealous of your satisfaction and stand in your way', 'you make yourself believe that you are close to achieving them', 'it becomes easier for you to make them come true thanks to the support of others']}, {'question': 'What did Peter Gollwitzer find in his tests?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Writing down personal goals inspired people to work hard to achieve them.', "Those who didn't tell others their goals were more likely to achieve them.", 'Those who kept working hard tended to feel that they were closer to realizing their goals.', 'Those who made their goals public worked harder than those who kept them secret.']}]

It's a warm summer afternoon. You're cooking up the catch of the day over a campfire. Suddenly, a few raindrops fall on your arms, and before you know it, the sky is opened up. Then you hear what sounds like thunder in the distance. What should you do? Your tent is close by and would offer shelter from the pouring rain. There's a campsite picnic shelter a few minutes down the path. And then you remember that your car is parked down the road. What's your safest choice to make sure you and your families are safe? It's a common question for many hikers and campers, especially when they are camping during summer months. Heading to your car is almost always the safest choice. Your tent and a picnic shelter will keep you dry, but they offer little or no protection against lightening. Your car, on the other hand, will keep you dry and protect you from lightening strikes. Protecting yourself against possible lightening strikes is very important; lightening kills an average of 62 people in the US each year. If you keep all of the windows and doors closed in your car, you'll be able to return to your campsite safely. Of course, if you're backpacking , not car camping, and you're deep in the woods, your car won't be a good choice. So, what should you do if your car is far away and there's no other safe shelter nearby? First, you'll have to make sure that tree limbs or other objects don't fall on you or your campsite. Then you'll have to get in a safe position to avoid lightening, or flash flood conditions. What else should you do?

[{'question': 'The passage aims to tell us _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ["what's camping", 'how to camp safely', 'car camping is the safest way when camping', 'how to survive a storm when camping']}, {'question': "To avoid lightening in a storm, you'd better _ .", 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['go into your tent quickly', 'cook up the catch of the day over a campfire', 'get into your car and return to your campsite', 'run into a campsite picnic shelter at once']}, {'question': 'Which of the following is TRUE?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['Campers like car camping best.', 'Young people like backpacking best.', 'Lightening is a danger for campers.', 'Camping during summer months is the most popular.']}]

Healthy relationships are fun and make you feel good about yourself. The relationships that you make in your teenage years will be a special pan of your life. They will teach you some of the most important lessons about who you are. This may help you understand different kinds of relationships, what makes each relationship special, and how to communicate in a positive way. What makes a relationship healthy? Communication and Sharing: The most important part of any healthy relationship between two people is being able to talk and listen to each other. You and the other person can find out what your common interests are. You can share your feelings with the other person and trust that he or she will be there to listen to you and support you. In healthy relationships, people don't lie. Communication is based on honesty and trust. By listening carefully and sharing your thoughts and feelings with other people, you show them that they play an important part in your life. Respect and Trust: In healthy relationships, you learn to respect and trust important people in your life. Disagreements may still happen, but you learn to stay calm and talk about how you feel. Talking calmly helps you to understand the real reason for not getting along. It makes it much easier to figure out how to fix it. In healthy relationships, working through disagreements often makes the relationship stronger. In healthy relationships, people respect each other for who they are. This includes respecting and listening to yourself and your feelings so you can set boundaries and feel comfortable. You will find that you learn to understand experiences and feelings of others as well as having them understand your experiences and feelings. How do I know that I have a healthy relationship with someone? You know that you are in a healthy relationship with someone because you feel good about yourself when you are around that person. Unhealthy relationships can make you feel sad, angry, scared, or worried. Healthy peer relationships involve an equal amount of giving and taking in the relationship. In unhealthy relationships, there is an unfair balance. You may often feel that you are giving the other person more attention than that he or she gives to you. You should feel safe around the other person and feel that you can trust him or her with your secrets. In a healthy relationship, you like to spend time with the other person, instead of feeling that you have to spend time with him or her.

[{'question': 'The lessons you learn about the relationships in your teenage years may help you understand the following EXCEPT _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['different kinds of relationships', 'different kinds of people and occasions', 'how to communicate in a positive way', 'what makes each relationship special']}, {'question': "To have a healthy relationship, you shouldn't _ .", 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['talk and listen to each other', 'have common interests', 'disagree and quarrel with each other', 'take as much as you give']}, {'question': 'When disagreements happen, you learn to stay calm because _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['talking calmly helps you to understand the real reason for not getting along', 'talking calmly makes it much easier to figure out how to fix them', 'working through disagreements often makes the relationship stronger', 'all of the above']}, {'question': 'Which of the following relationships is healthy?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['You feel upset when you are around someone.', 'You like to talk to someone and listen to him or her.', 'Giving without taking.', 'You feel that you have to spend time with him or her.']}, {'question': 'The passage implies that _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ["it's easy to establish a good relationship with someone", "you don't need to give anything to make relationships healthy", 'healthy relationships need money, time, energy and care', 'mutual respect and trust lead to strong relationships']}]

Computer technology is still developing rapidly. The computer of the future will continue to increase in value and performance while decreasing in cost. It will become smaller, but faster and more powerful. It is possible to make some guesses about what the future of the computer will look like, based upon the types of technologies that are being developed now. A lot of progress has already been made in some of these new technologies, but some are still in their earliest stages and may not be ready for use for years. Two of the most interesting areas of computing that are currently being developed are quantum computing and nanotechnology . Quantum computing is one possibility for the future of the computer that could make computers run far faster than even the quickest computers do today. Quantum computers could be able to do what modern supercomputers are unable to do by using transistors that are able to take on many states at the same time. Nanotechnology could also change the face of computing, by creating computers that could be very powerful, though they are tiny in size. These computers could be incorporated into everyday objects, including electrical appliances , clothes and even the human body. We will be able to use computers in new and unimaginable ways. They will become a part of our lives rather than simply being a box that is used only for specific purposes, such as work. Quantum computing and nanotechnology will be able to play new roles, which will make us live greener lives, as well as enjoy better health and happier lives.

[{'question': 'Which of the following can NOT describe the computer of the future properly?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['Much smaller.', 'Much faster.', 'More powerful.', 'Less valuable.']}, {'question': 'According to the text, quantum computing _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['has been put in use so far', 'can make computers run by themselves', 'can reduce the cost of computers', 'will work by using transistors']}, {'question': 'We can learn from the text that nanotechnology will _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['create much smaller computers', 'be used in electrical appliances and clothing', 'change the structure of computers', 'make computers just serve specific purposes']}, {'question': 'The text is mainly about _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['what nanotechnology is', 'what quantum computing is', 'what the future of the computer is', 'what future computers can bring us']}]

Money might not grow on trees, but scientists have confirmed that gold is found in the leaves of some plants. Researchers from Australia say that the presence of the particles in an eucalyptus tree's leaves indicates that deposits are buried many meters below. They believe that the discovery offers a new way to locate the valuable metal in difficult-to-reach locations. Dr. Mel Lintern from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) said, "We've found a lot of the easy deposits in Australia in this way. Now we are trying to find the more difficult ones that are buried tens of meters below. And the trees are providing us with a method to be able to do this." Using the Australian synchrotron - a vast machine that uses X-rays to explore matter in remarkable detail - they found gold in the leaves, twigs and bark of some trees. The amount of the precious metal in an eucalyptus tree's leaves were tiny. "We need 500 eucalyptus trees growing over a gold deposit to have enough gold in the trees themselves to make a gold ring," said Dr. Lintern. However, the presence of the particles pointed to richer deposits buried more than 30m below. Dr. Lintern said, "We believe that the trees are acting like a pump. They are bringing life-giving water from their roots, and in so doing, they are taking smaller dissolved gold particles up into the leaves." Currently, the metal is found in outcrops ,where the ore appears at the surface, or it is detected through exploratory drilling. But the researchers said that analyzing plants could offer a better and simpler method to detect untapped gold deposits. Dr. Lintern said, "Not only do we believe it is a way of saving the exploration cost, because exploring for these deposits can be quite expensive, it also minimizes the damage to the environment because we are taking a very small sample from the trees themselves, as well as the leaves and twigs on the ground. The plant-analyzing method is certain to work."

[{'question': 'Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['A new ways to locate metal deposits is found.', 'Gold is found in many trees in Australia.', 'Gold in trees can lead to hidden deposits.', 'Dr. Mel Lintern discovered new gold deposits.']}, {'question': 'According to Dr. Lintern, what helped them find a lot of the easy deposits in Australia?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['The pump.', 'The water.', 'The tree.', 'The machine.']}, {'question': 'Which of the following is NOT true about the plant-analyzing method?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Expensive.', 'Low cost.', 'Easy and simple', 'environmental.']}, {'question': 'We can infer that Dr. Lintern _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['is not sure of the plant-analyzing method', 'is very content with what he has achieved', 'is tired of detecting gold deposits in the wild', 'is confident of the plant-analyzing method']}]

When we see well, we do not think about our eyes very often. It is only when we cannot see perfectly that we realize how important our eyes are. People who are near-sighted can only see things that are very close to their eyes. Everything else seems blurry (unclear). Many people who do a lot of work, such as writing, reading and sewing become near--sighted. People who are far-sighted _ from just the opposite problem. They can see things that are far away, but they have difficulty in reading a book unless they hold it at arm's length. If they want to do much reading, they must get glasses, too. Other people do not see clearly because their eyes are not exactly the right shape. They have what is called astigmatism . This, too, can be corrected by glasses. Some people's eyes become cloudy because of cataracts . Long ago these people often became blind. Now, however, it is possible to operate on the cataracts and remove them. Having two good eyes is important for judging distances. Each eye sees things from a slightly different angle. To prove this to yourself, look at an object out of one eye; then look at the same object out of your other eye. You will find the object's relation to the background and other things around it has changed. The difference between these two different eye views helps us to judge how far away an object is. People who have only one eye cannot judge distance as people with two eyes.

[{'question': 'We should take good care of our eyes _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['only when we can see well', 'only when we cannot see perfectly', 'even if we can see well', 'only when we realize how important our eyes are']}, {'question': '. When things far away seem indistinct , one is probably _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['near-sighted', 'far-sighted', 'astigmatic', 'suffering from cataracts']}, {'question': 'Having two eyes instead of one is particularly useful for _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['seeing at night', 'seeing objects far away', 'looking over a wide area', 'judging distances']}, {'question': 'People who suffer from astigmatism have _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['one eye bigger than the other', 'eyes that are not exactly the right shape', 'a difficulty that can be corrected by an operation', 'an eye difficulty that cannot be corrected by glasses']}]

George Bernard Shaw and Winston Churchill disliked each other. It is said that the playwright once sent Churchill two tickets for the opening night of one of his plays, together with a card, which said, "Bring a friend (if you have one)." Churchill, however, returned the tickets with a note, which said, "I shall be busy that evening. Please send me two tickets for the second night (if there is one)." There is no record of whether Shaw ever sent the tickets.

[{'question': 'What was Shaw trying to say to Churchill on his card?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['Churchill should not go to the play alone.', 'Churchill should not bring too many people.', 'Churchill may have to waste the two tickets.', 'Churchill did not have any friend.']}, {'question': "Why didn't Churchill want the tickets for the first night?", 'answer': 'A', 'options': ["He didn't want to take Shaw's insult .", 'The theatre would not be as crowded the second night.', 'He was busy on the first night of the show.', "He couldn't find a friend to go with him the first night."]}]

A growing number of workers at Google Inc., Facebook Inc. and other employers are trading in their sit-down desks for standing ones, saying they feel more comfortable and energized. They also are _ by medical reports saying that sitting for too long leads to increased health risks. A standing desk sits high off the floor so a worker can either stand at it or sit on a high stool to use it. Officials at Palo Alto-based Facebook say a number of employees asked about standing desks after news articles were published about the health risks of sitting all day. The stories cited medical studies that tied excessive sitting to increased obesity and other health problems because of factors including a drop in physical activity. A 2010 study by the American Cancer Society found that women who sat more than six hours a day were 37% more likely to die prematurely than women who sat for less than three hours, while the early-death rate for men was 18% higher. The American College of Cardiology released a study in January that found increased mortality among people who sat longer at home than those who didn't. No one seems to compile statistics on the standing-desk trend. But anecdotal reports suggest Silicon Valley is embracing the movement. Facebook officials say they have seen an upsurge in requests for standing desks to five to eight a week with a total of between 200 and 250 deployed at the company of more than 2,000 employees. Facebook also is trying out a treadmill station - where a worker can walk or run on a treadmill while tapping at a computer. Google spokesman Jordan Newman said that 'many employees at Google opt for standing desks, and we offer them as part of our wellness program' though he said he didn't know the exact number. Greg Hoy, 39 years old, asked for a standing desk shortly after joining Facebook seven months ago as a design recruiter. 'I don't get the 3 o'clock slump anymore,' he said. 'I feel active all day long.'

[{'question': 'The passage mainly talks about _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['sitting for too long leads to increased health risks', 'standing desks have replaced sit-down ones in Facebook Inc.', 'more and more workers choose standing desks instead of sit-down ones', 'many employees at Google opt for standing desks']}]

Throughout July 1945, the Japanese mainland, from Tokyo on Honshu northward to the coast of Hokkaido, were bombed as if an invasion were about to take place. In fact, something far more threatening was at hand, as the Americans were telling Stalin at Potsdam. In 1939 physicists in the United States had learned of experiments in Germany showing the possibility of atomic power and understood the coming damage of an atomic bomb. On August 2, 1939, Albert Einstein warned President Roosevelt of the danger of Nazi Germany's advances in development of the atomic bomb. Eventually, the U.S. Office of Scientific Research Development was created in June 1941 and given combined responsibility with the War Department in the Manhattan Project to develop a nuclear bomb. After four years of research and development efforts, an atomic device was set off on July 16, 1945, in a desert area at Alamogordo, New Mexico, producing an explosive power equal to that of more than 15,000 tons of TNT. Thus, the atomic bomb was born. Truman, the new U.S. president, believed that this terrible object might be used to defeat Japan in a way less costly of U.S. lives than an ordinary invasion of the Japanese homeland. Japan's unsatisfactory reply to the Allies' Potsdam Declaration decided the matter. On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb, carried from Tinian Island in the Mariana in a specially equipped B-29 was dropped on Hiroshima, at the southern end of Honshu. The combined heat and explosion destroyed everything in the explosion's immediate neighbourhood , produced fires that burned out almost 4.4 square miles completely, and killed between 70,000 and 80,000 people, in addition to injuring more than 70,000 others. A second bomb dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, killed between 35,000 and 40,000 people, injured a like number and ruined 1.8 square miles.

[{'question': 'What is the main idea of the passage?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['An atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.', 'After research and development efforts, an atomic bomb was born.', 'An invasion was about to take place with the use of the atomic bomb.', 'The birth and use of the atomic bomb ended the Second World War.']}, {'question': 'Albert Einstein warned Roosevelt of _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ["Nazi Germany' success in making an atomic bomb", 'the possibility of atomic power from Nazi Germany', "Japan's unsatisfactory reply to the Allies' Potsdam Declaration", 'destruction of everything from the explosion of the atomic bomb']}, {'question': 'What made the U.S. decide to drop the atomic bombs over Japan?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ["Truman's becoming the president of the United States.", 'The great destruction power of the atomic bomb.', 'Reducing the cost of its lives.', "Not being content with Japan's reply."]}, {'question': 'How many people were killed by the two bombs dropped in Japan?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Between 105,000 and 120,000 people.', 'Between 35,000 and 40,000 people.', 'Between 70,000 and 80,000 people.', 'Between 140,000 and 150,000 people.']}]

Names have gained increasing importance in the competitive world of higher education. As colleges struggle for market share, they are looking for names that project the image they want or reflect the changes they hope to make. Trenton State College, for example, became the College of New Jersey nine years ago when it began raising admission standards and appealing to students from throughout the state. "All I hear in higher education is, 'Brand, brand, brand,'" said Tim Westerbeck, who specializes in branding and is managing director of Lippmann Hearne, a marketing firm based in Chicago that works with universities and other nonprofit organizations. "There has been a sea change over the last 10 years. Marketing used to be almost a dirty word in higher education." Not all efforts at name changes are successful, of course. In 1997, the New School for Social Research becameprefix = st1 /NewSchoolUniversityto reflect its growth into a collection of eight colleges, offering a list of majors that includes psychology, music, urban studies and management. But New Yorkers continued to call it theNewSchool. Now, after spending an undisclosed sum on an online survey and a marketing consultant's creation of "naming structures", "brand architecture" and "identity systems", the university has _ a new name: theNewSchool. Beginning Monday, it will adopt new logos, banners, business cards and even new names for the individual colleges, all to include the words "theNewSchool". Changes in names generally show significant changes in how a college wants to be accepted. In changing its name from Cal State, Hayward, to Cal State, East Bay, the university hoped to project its expanding role in two mostly suburban counties east ofSan Francisco. Beaver College turned itself intoArcadiaUniversityin 2001 for several reasons: to break the connection with its past as a women's college, to promote its growth into a full-fledged university and, officials acknowledged, to put an end to jokes about the college's old name on late-night television and "morning zoo" radio shows. Many college officials said changing a name and image could produce vital results. At Arcadia, in addition to the rise in applications, the average student's test score has increased by 60 points, Juli Roebeck, an Arcadiaspokeswoman, said.

[{'question': 'Which of the following is NOT the reason for colleges to change their names?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['They prefer higher education competition.', 'They try to gain advantage in market share.', 'They want to project their image.', 'They hope to make some changes.']}, {'question': 'It is implied that one of the most significant changes in higher education in the past decade is _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['the brand', 'the college name', 'the concept of marketing', 'list of majors']}, {'question': 'The phrase "come up with" (Line 3, Para. 4) probably means _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['catch up with', 'deal with', 'put forward', 'come to the realization']}, {'question': 'The case of name changing from Cal State, Hayward, to Cal State,East Bay indicates that the university _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['is observed by the society', 'hopes to expand its influence', 'prefers to inform its teaching programs', 'expects to enlarge its campus']}, {'question': 'According to the officials, the name change of BeaverCollege _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['turned out very successful', 'failed to attain its goal', 'got rid of some jokes', 'transformed its status']}]

"Colour" and "color1" , "favourite" and "favorite""- Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a "u"? Is it because they are lazy? Of course not.In fact, the difference in spelling was created by Noah Webster(1758--1843) .He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger.Linguists celebrated his 250th birthday on October 16,2008.After the Revolutionary War(1775--1783) , Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary, rather than rely on British versions.He dropped the British "u" in some words.And he changed "centre" into "center" for children to learn English by spelling words more like they sounded. Webster wasn't shy about expressing his opinions.In defining preposterous (unreasonable) , he wrote: "A Republican government in the hands of females is preposterous." Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70,000 -word dictionary in 1828 with his American - style spellings.He also added local words.His dictionary was widely used in schools.Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom. "He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity," said Joshua Kendall, who is working on a biography about Webster."He at last got us united through our language.

[{'question': 'According to the passage, when he worked on his dictionary, Noah Webster did all of the following EXCEPT _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['dropping "u" in all the British words', 'changing "centre" into "center"', 'adding local words', 'voicing his opinion']}, {'question': 'When did Noah Webster probably begin his project of the dictionary?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['In 1758.', 'In 1783.', 'In 1800.', 'In 1828.']}, {'question': 'Why did Noah Webster create these differences in his dictionary?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Because he wanted to make English simple and easy.', 'Because he wanted American English to have its own characteristics.', 'Because he wanted to achieve political freedom.', 'Because he wanted to show that the USA is stronger than the UK.']}, {'question': "Which of the following words can best describe Noah Webster' s work?", 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['Interesting', 'Boring', 'Unfinished', 'Meaningful']}, {'question': 'Which of the following would probably be the best title for the passage?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ["Webster's dictionary", 'American identity', 'The shaper of American English', 'Spelling differences between American and British English']}]

Where is that noise coming from? Not sure? Try living with your eyes closed for a few years. Blind people are better at locating sounds than people who can see, a new study says, without the benefits of vision the ears seem to work much better. Previous studies have shown that blind people are better than others at reaching out and touching the sources of sounds that are close by. Researchers from the University of Montreal wanted to see if blind people were also better at locating sounds that are far away. Twenty-three blind people participated in the study. All had been sightless for at least 20 years. Fourteen of them had lost their vision before age 11. the rest went blind after age 16. The experiment also included 10 people who could see but were wearing blind-folds. In one task, volunteers had to pick the direction of a sound coming from about 3 metres away. When the sound was in front of them or slightly off center in front, both groups performed equally well. When sounds came from the side or the back, however, the blind group performed much better than the blindfolded group. The participants who had been blind since childhood did slightly better than those who lost their sight later. Recognizing the locations of distant sounds can be a matter of life-or-death for blind people, say the researchers. Crossing the street, for instance, is much harder when you can't see the cars coming. Still, the researchers were surprised by how well the blind participants did, especially those who went blind after age 16. In another experiment, the scientists also found that parts of the brain that normally deal with visual information became active in locating sound in the people who were blind by age 11. These brain parts didn't show sound-location activity in the other group of blind people or in the sighted people. The scientists now want to learn more about the working of brains of "late-onset" blind people.

[{'question': 'The recent study shows blind people are better at telling _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['The sources of loud sounds.', 'the locations of distant sounds', 'the direction of sharp sounds', 'the distance of a sound in front of them']}, {'question': 'Which would be a proper title for the passage?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['A Research on Blind People', 'Where is That Noise Coming from?', 'Hearing Better in the Dark', 'What If Living Without Your Eyes?']}, {'question': 'If people were asked to tell the direction of a sound from the side, who would perform best?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Those who are blind.', 'Those who have gone blind since children.', 'Those who went blind at age 16.', 'Those who are blindfolded.']}, {'question': 'Which of the following is true according to the passage?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Whether to be able to locate the sounds can be of vital importance for the blind.', 'All the volunteers in the experiment are sightless.', 'All the participants did equally well when picking sounds from whatever direction.', 'The later people become blind, the better they can perform in telling the direction of sound']}]

As winter gives way to spring, students feel like taking outdoor activities. However, do remember that accidents can happen, such as the one that happened at Taihu Lake several weeks ago. Four students from Shanghai were killed and several were injured. There were several reasons for the accident, but if the students had worn life jackets, it would have made a big difference. Therefore, it is important to take steps to avoid accidents before going on trips whether on land or water. Here are some steps: Make sure you are physically fit for any activities. You need energy for hiking or boating after a long inactive winter. Research your route . Check the weather report so you can pack the correct things so that an unexpected downpour or high winds won't destroy your day. If you are visiting a different culture, learn some basic knowledge about what's accepted and what is not. Take plenty of water to prevent your body from losing too much water and be sure to wear the correct footwear to protect your feet. Don't go to faraway areas and never risk going into unknown waters. Going in a group is safer than going alone. If you have to travel by yourself, leave a note of your travel route, telephone number and how you are traveling. So if there's an emergency, people can get in touch with you.

[{'question': 'The accident at Taihu Lake is mentioned to _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['warn students against traveling alone', 'introduce the topic of the passage', 'show the disadvantages of outdoor activities', 'remind students of the importance of life jackets']}, {'question': 'Which of the following statements is NOT true?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['People usually take part in fewer activities in winter.', 'Cultures play an important role in your traveling.', 'People should wear comfortable shoes while traveling.', 'People should never go out for activities alone.']}, {'question': 'Which of the following can be used as the best title?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Be Well Prepared for Outdoor Activities.', 'Pay Attention to Unexpected Accidents.', 'Do Take Outdoor Activities in a Group.', 'Be Sure to Avoid Being Injured When Traveling.']}]

Having spent five years searching for her older brother, Miss Lund was unbelievable to think she had been working in the same building for five months. Mr.Philips, 33, and Miss Lund last saw each other almost twenty years ago after their father, also called Stephen, 56, lost contact with his son from a previous relationship.Miss Lund, only five at that time, moved to India with her father and mother Rose, while Steven lived with his mother in Wolverhapton. By the time Miss Lund and her parents returned to Leeds, the family had lost all contact with Mr.Philips.On turning 18, Lund started to track down her long-lost half brother, even asking customers at the shop where she worked.But despite checking on Internet sites such as Friends Reunited and MySpace, it wasn't until the pair started working together at Loop Customer Management where she went on asking everyone if they knew a Stephen Philips that she tracked him down in March, 2007. She couldn't believe it when she was told someone by that name worked there.After she checked on the Internet database, it suggested he wasn't her brother as his name Steven instead of Stephen.Then a friend came up to her and said Steven's surely her brother.They checked parents' names and it turned out they were related.She wanted to scream but they were at work so they just hugged and chatted. Mr.Philips, a father of four children, said he was delighted, adding: "I never thought we would meet again.I can't wait to get to know my sister.We have so much to know."

[{'question': 'The relationship between the brother and sister is that _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['they have the same father', 'they have the same mother', 'they have the same parents', 'they are just cousins']}, {'question': 'How long had the brother and sister been working in the same building before they got to know each other?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['5 years', '13 years', '20 years', '5 months']}, {'question': 'How old may Miss Lund be now?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['5', '18', 'About 23', 'About 27']}, {'question': 'What made Miss Lund finally believe Mr.Philips was her brother?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['The names of their parents', 'His appearance', 'Her friends advice', 'Their talk with each other']}]

I'm part of the Roots & Shoots program founded by Dr. Jane Goodall. The program is intended to make and promote positive changes in the world. As Dr. Goodall says, "What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." In Bulgaria, where I live, homeless dogs are everywhere. Many people here turn a blind eye to them. But I cannot ignore the life of a street dog whenever I see one wandering in the street, looking for something to eat. That's why I'm no longer a food waster. When I see wasted food, I always think of a hungry dog climbing to garbage bins, searching for food that people have thrown there. When eating in a restaurant, I'm not afraid to take leftover food to feed stray cats or dogs. A week ago, I saw a homeless dog around the garbage bins. Immediately I knelt down, spoke to her softly and ran my hands over her. I could see that she had had puppies. I couldn't imagine how she could have been able to care for them. Hours earlier, I'd bagged up a plate of leftover fish. As I unwrapped it, she wagged her tail and sniffed at it. She ate all the fish in no time. It's sad, isn't it? I can't understand why many of us waste so much and think little of it. These homeless animals have taught me that food is precious. Even when I don't have leftovers with me, I'll take the time to get something from the grocery store to feed them. I know my power is small, so I hope that next time you see wasted food, do turn it into worthy food. You have the power to save a life!

[{'question': 'The author uses what Dr. Goodall says to show _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['how we can develop our business', 'why it is important to be great', 'why the program is popular globally', 'how we can change the world positively']}, {'question': 'What can be concluded from the text?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['There are few homeless dogs where the author lives.', 'The author takes homeless dogs home and raises them.', 'Seeing homeless dogs makes the author never waste food.', 'People throw food into garbage bins to feed homeless dogs.']}, {'question': 'The author took the leftover fish with him to _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['eat it when he was hungry', 'feed a homeless dog he met', 'look for more homeless animals', 'set an example to those who throw away food']}, {'question': 'The author wrote the text to ask us to _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['value our food', 'treat dogs as our friends', 'save wasted food for homeless dogs', 'raise homeless dogs and cats']}]

Up, Up, and Away! An adventurer who became the first person to fly across the English Channel on a cluster of balloons has launched a house into the sky just like in the hit movie Up-in reparation for a more ambitious journey and a new record Fearless Trappe , from North Carolina, stepped into the cartoon themed home before flying above the leon International Balloon Festivel in Mexico more than a week ago. The 38-year-old Trappe was using the event as a warm-up for his planned trans-Atlantic flight scheduled for next summer ,He aims to complete the 2,500-mile journey in a seven-foot lifeboat carried by 365 huge helium ballooms The brave man is learning to sail a lifeboat ,in case he meeds to ditch into the ocean during the danger-filled adventure He sill fly at between 18,000 feet and 25,000 feet , beating his previous world altitude record of 21,600 feet ,and must fly uninterrupted a distance ten times longer than his previous world record of 230 miles in order to succeed. The adventurer Trappe ,who holes records for crossing the Alps, flying the most cluster balloons, and the longest distance , has opent his entire carreer ,building up to this ambitious plan. "I didn't wake up one day and think:'I' going to fly across the Atlantic, '"he said "he said Every attempt before this was prepared for this fight ,I've been training for a long time"

[{'question': 'The adventurer flew across the English Channel to _', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['test the balloons', 'launch a house', 'shoot a hit movie', 'prepare for breaking a record']}, {'question': 'To finish the journey ,he will fly a distance of _', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['2500 miles', '18,000 feet', '25,000 feet', '230 miles']}, {'question': 'About the ambitious journey ,which is NIT mentioned in the passage?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['When he will fly', 'How high he sill fly', 'How far he will fly', 'How long it will take him']}, {'question': 'How many world records does Jonathan hold?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['Two', 'Three', 'Four', 'Five']}]

Dear Cassy, Thanks for reminding me by e-mail that you want to baby-sit our children. In spite of the fact that you are only 15 years old, my wife and I would be willing to consider your application if you can meet a few modest requirements: 1. three letters from teachers who will prove that you have never failed to follow directions perfectly in class and never failed to hand in the homework on time. 2. Submit a note from two doctors which says that you are in perfect health, have never been sick, and will never be sick. 3. Submit a document from your physical education teacher or team coach that proves that you can do each of the following: Run two miles in less than nine minutes, climb an oily rope to a height of twenty feet in thirty seconds while balancing a glass of water on your nose, and walk in bare feet over hot coals and broken glass without complaint or injury. 4. Submit letters from at least two mental health experts saying that you have never had a bad thought towards any living being or not living object. 5. Play and defeat five expert chess players with your eyes covered after going without sleep for 48 hours. 6. Wait patiently for two years while we make sure that all your documents are true. Your loving and trusting friends, The Smiths

[{'question': 'From the letter we can know that _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Cassy wrote to the Smiths twice', 'Cassy loves children very much', 'Cassy will be in perfect health', 'Cassy does very well in her studies']}, {'question': 'What can we infer from this text?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['Their children are hard to baby-sit.', 'Their children are well educated.', 'Cassy is good at doing many things.', "Cassy won't get the job as a baby-sitter."]}, {'question': 'Which of the following words can best describe the Smiths?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Humorous.', 'Patient.', 'Honest.', 'Kind-hearted.']}]

Who doesn't love sitting beside a cosy fire on a cold winter's night ? Who doesn't love to watch flames curling up a chimney? Fire is one of man's greatest friends, but also one of his greatest enemies. Many big fires are caused by carelessness. A lighted cigarette thrown out of a car or train window or a broken bottle lying on dry grass can start a fire. Sometimes, though, a fire can start on its own. Wet hay can begin burning by itself. This is how it happens: the hay starts to rot and begins to give off heat which is trapped inside it. Finally, it bursts into flames. That's why farmers cut and store their hay when it's dry. Fires have destroyed whole cities. In the 17th century, a small fire which began in a baker's shop burnt down nearly every building in London. Moscow was set on fire during the war against Napoleon. This fire continued burning for seven days. And, of course, in 64 A.D. a fire burnt Rome. Even today, in spite of modern fire-fighting methods, fire causes millions of pounds' worthy of damage each year both in our cities and in the countryside. It has been wisely said that fire is a good servant but a bad master .

[{'question': 'The writer considers it _ to sit beside a fire on a cold winter night .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['nice', 'dangerous', 'unhappy', 'painful']}, {'question': 'Which of the following describes the way how hay begins burning on its own ?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['wet hay ---- becomes dry ---- gives off heat ---- burns', 'dry hay ---- gets too much heat from the sun ---- gives out heat --- starts to burn', 'wet hay ---- begins to rot ---- gives out heat ---- starts to burn', 'dry hay ---- gives off heat ---- starts to rot ---- starts to burn']}, {'question': 'Many big fires are caused _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['by cigarette', 'by their own', 'by dry grass', "by people's carelessness"]}, {'question': 'How many examples did the writer give to show fires can destroy the whole city ?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['One', 'Two', 'Three', 'Four']}, {'question': 'Which of the following statement is not true ?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Fires still cause much damage now although there are modern fire - fighting', 'Fires cause less damage in the country than in the city .', "Fire can be man's good friend and also great enemy .", 'One should be careful not to throw a lighted cigarette everywhere .']}]

Dear Santa Claus, My name is Amy. I am 9 years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I just want one day when no one laughs at me or makes fun of me. Love, Amy At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for the Christmas Wish Contest. When Amy's letter arrived at the radio station, manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He thought it would be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special third grader and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper. The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of the "News Sentinel". The story spread quickly. All across the country, newspapers and radio and television stations reported the story of the little girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple, yet remarkable, Christmas gift--just one day without teasing. Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house. Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily from children and adults all across the nation. They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement. Some of the writers had disabilities; some had been teased as children. Each writer had a special message for Amy. Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy glimpsed a world full of people who truly cared about each other. Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to carry her head high. Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne High School. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel. That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially proclaimed December 21st as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city. The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught a universal lesson. "Everyone, "said the mayor, "wants and deserves to be treated with respect, dignity and warmth. "

[{'question': "Amy's letter showed that _ .", 'answer': 'B', 'options': ["her school wasn't a good place for students like her", 'her schoolmates cannot understand her disability', 'she wanted to win Christmas Wish Contest', 'she was often ignored in and out of class']}, {'question': 'The postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house because _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['he had to send letters to Amy daily', 'he was quite curious about Amy', 'he went to encourage Amy frequently', "he was moved by Amy's story"]}, {'question': "We may infer from Amy's story that _ .", 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['people are easy to turn their eyes to the disabled', 'Amy will still be made fun of by others', 'the news media played an important role in helping Amy', "there are few disabled people in Amy's country"]}, {'question': 'The Fort Wayne mayor officially proclaimed Amy Jo Hagadorn Day _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['to tell how bad teasing can make others feel', 'to encourage people to carry their heads high', 'to call on the public to treat everyone properly', 'to explain how brave Amy was by making her wish']}]

Shoplifting is happening in stores or supermarkets throughout the world. However, shoplifting happens more in British stores, according to a recent research, by the UK-based Center for Retail Research. Napoleon once considered prefix = st1 /Britainas "a nation of shopkeepers", to which so many people dreamed of traveling. Now it seems it is a nation of shoplifters. According to the research,Britainis the most light-fingered country in Europe, with nearly one in every two cases of shoplifting across the continent taking place in British stores. The report said there were nearly 566,000 reported cases of shoplifting inBritainout of a Europe-wide total of 1.27 million. The next worst countries in Europe,FranceandGermany, came well belowBritainwith only 188,000 and 167,000 cases, respectively.Switzerlandlived up to its clean-living reputation, with just 10,198 recorded cases of shop theft, and it is the lowest in Europe. "The only reason I can think of is the higher level of criminality in Britain," report author Joshua Bamfield said. But the blame forBritain's poor showing does not lie wholly at the doorstep of Britons, Bamfield said, but also with some organized foreign groups traveling in cities such asLondon. "There are traveling groups of thieves, many from places likePolandandRussia, that target large department stores," Bamfield said. "The problem is right across Europe -- the criminals have formed their own European Union." Bamfield said one factor causing some mistakes on the statistics was also likely to be that retailers in Britainwere more likely to record thefts compared to other nations, such asGreece. "It's a social phenomenon that could happen in any countries", said Bamfield, "The most important thing is how to prevent it rather than accusing of it too much."

[{'question': 'By saying "a nation of shopkeepers". Napoleon probably meant that _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['Britain was a nation of shoplifters though it was rich then', 'Britain should have cared more about its agriculture', "Britain's economy was experiencing a great development", 'Britainshould take some measures to reduce the number of shops']}, {'question': 'According to the passage, in which country are we likely to feel safer when shopping?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['Britain', 'Germany', 'France', 'Switzerland']}, {'question': 'From what Joshua Bamfield said, it can be inferred that _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ["it's the highest level of criminality that caused Britain's social problem", "Britain's social problem of shop theft came from varieties of sides", "Britain's poor showing does not lie wholly at the doorstep of Britons", "it's traveling groups of thieves that make up the majority of Britain's shoplifters"]}, {'question': "What's the main idea of this passage?", 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Protecting ourselves is important when shopping.', 'Shoplifting is becoming serious, especially in Britain.', 'Shoplifting does great harm to people across Europe.', 'Europe is suffering many traveling groups of thieves.']}]

The father's role in the family is important. One researcher says babies cared for by their fathers have greater cognitive development at one year of age than babies not cared for by their fathers. Another expert reports that by spending time with their pre-school children, fathers can help to develop children's language ability. Researchers also point out that for school-age children, fathers are one link with the outside world. Fathers who value education have children who do better in school than those children whose fathers don't value education. What's more, fathers who spend quality time with their children may give their children happy memories which may last a lifetime. While each father is a unique person who educates children in his own style, good fathers have something in common. Good fathers attend their children's school activities. They also involve the children in their lives and the adult world by taking them to see the workplace, or by taking them when the car needs to be repaired, etc. Good fathers expect a great deal from their children, but also accept and support the unique individuals that their children are becoming. Good fathers rely on explanations and reasoning rather than force. Good fathers know their time with children is really an investment in them. Being an involved father is good for children and good for fathers. Both children and fathers have the opportunity for growth and development. Today's lifestyles are changing. More and more fathers are balancing their personal life, work, and family time.

[{'question': 'The passage is mainly about _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['how to be a qualified father', 'the growth and development of both fathers and children', "the father's role in the growth and development of children", "the changing of the father's role in modern society"]}, {'question': 'According to the passage, we can find that _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['fathers are more important than mothers in the family', 'all fathers have the same way of educating their children', "fathers' involvement is the most important factor in children's development", 'fathers have an important influence on their children from infancy through adulthood']}, {'question': "According to the passage, fathers' involvement in their children's lives may NOT result in _ .", 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['the good fate of their children', 'better reading levels of their children', 'happy memories which may last a lifetime', 'greater cognitive development of their children']}]

Here is some must-know information from a handbook on how people behave in doing business in some countries. In Brazil Brazilians are warm and friendly.They often stand close when talking and it is common for them to touch the person on the shoulder.People often greet each other (particularly women)with light cheek kisses . Schedules tend to be flexible,with business meetings sometimes starting later than planned.But to be safe,be on time.Meals can stretch for hours--there's no such thing as rushing a meal in Brazil.Lunches also can start in the mid to late afternoon.Brazilians are social,preferring face-to-face communication over emails or phone calls. In Singapore Singaporeans shake hands when they meet and often also greet each other with a small,polite bow.Business cards should be offered and received with two hands.Arriving late is considered disrespectful.So be on time.Efficiency is the goal,so meetings and dealings often are fast-paced.Singaporeans are direct in their discussions,even when the subject is about money.Rank is important and authority is respected.This determines how people interact in meetings.For example,people avoid disagreeing outright with someone of a higher rank. In the United Arab Emirates In the UAE,status is important,so the most senior or oldest should be greeted first with their titles.The handshake seems to be longer than elsewhere.So do not pull away from the handshake.Women should cover themselves when it comes to dress.Men also tend to be covered from neck to elbows and down to the knees.People do not avoid entertaining in their homes, but they also hold business meals at restaurants.Touching or passing food or eating with your left hand is to be avoided.When meetings are one-to-one, if your host offers you coffee,you should refuse.It might seem odd,but it is a cultural tradition.Coffee should only be accepted if it is already set out or presented. In Switzerland The Swiss tend to be formal and address each other by last name.They also are respectful of private lives.You should be careful not to ask about personal topics.Punctuality is vital,something that comes from a deep respect for others' time.Arrive at any meeting or event a few minutes early to be safe.They also have clear structure in their companies.Higher-ups make the final decisions,even if others might disagree.Neat,clean dress is expected.The Swiss follow formal table manners.They also keep their hands visible at the table and their elbows off the table.It is polite to finish the food on your plate.

[{'question': 'The passage is mainly about _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['communication types', 'the workplace atmosphere', 'customs and social manners', '1iving conditions and standards']}, {'question': 'Why do Singaporeans avoid arguing with their boss?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['They put efficiency in the first place.', 'They dislike face-to-face communication.', 'They want to finish meetings as quickly as possible.', 'They are supposed to obey the person of a higher rank.']}, {'question': 'In the UAE, when should you refuse the coffee if it is offered?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['When greeting seniors.', 'When meeting the host alone.', 'When attending a presentation.', 'Whendining with business partners.']}, {'question': 'In which country do people care about where to put their hands at the dinner table?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['In Brazil.', 'In Singapore.', 'In the United Arab Emirate.', 'In Switzerland.']}]

It's wonderful to go to another country, complete a volunteer project and feel that you really have a positive influence. But how can you become an international volunteer? * Plan practically. Contact the organization a few months before leaving and find out if there are materials which are rare and hard to attain for the project. What you often consider plentiful here, such as nails or hammers, is in great need in other parts of the world. * Do the project together, not on your own. You are a guest in the community. The most successful result is not that you build something and walk away, but that you and the community build something as a team. Share skills and build together. * Be flexible. Not everything is going to happen as planned. Often the other country doesn't have the right tools, manpower, transportation or funds to get all the needed work done. In a word, they lack infrastructure . * Contact with the people in the community. Often you will have "downtime" outside of the range of the project. Rather than retreat to the group with whom you traveled, be sure to spend time with the people of the community. Listen to the things about their lives. If you can't speak the language, smiles work wonders. And you will be surprised -- you will find a way to community. Volunteering is a special and life-long experience for everyone involved. Be prepared that the person who may be changed most is you. It's a joyful, often careful experience which will encourage you to view yourself, your neighbors and your world quite differently.

[{'question': 'When you volunteer to join in a project, you are advised to _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['build something and walk away', 'make good preparation in advance', 'avoid involving locals in activities', 'depend on yourself to solve problems']}, {'question': 'According to the author, volunteer will _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['reduce challenge in the world', 'determine the future of a volunteer', "change a person's opinion of the world", 'benefit volunteers most in their learning']}, {'question': 'What is the passage mainly about?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['What prepares you to become a volunteer.', 'Where volunteers are needed most in the world.', 'Why volunteering is popular with young people.', 'How volunteers develop a relationship with local people.']}]

Have you ever wanted to achieve a goal and ended up doing tons of research on how to achieve the goal? As you learn more and more, it feels like you know less and less because when you learn something new, you find that there is a lot to know about those things. Sometimes, people will get stuck in this needing to gather more and more information. There's nothing wrong with learning a lot, but when you let learning get in the way of doing, you will never get going. When you never get going, you still never start having the things you want. Too much learning can paralyze you in terms of taking action. A better way to go about achieving a goal is to gather some information and immediately start taking action on the information you have gathered. Many times you will feel unprepared, and that's OK. The best way to learn is to take action and learn from the results you get from those actions. When you are able to get past the fear of not being perfect and just take the first step, you will be further ahead than the majority of people who are still in the preparation stage. It's good to be prepared especially in situations such as a pilot and crew making sure the plane is ready to take off, but over-preparation in trying to reach a goal won't give you any results. The knowledge and skills you will need will be picked up along the way. If a baby wants to learn how to walk, it will never be able to do it by sitting there and analyzing how to walk. The best way for a baby to walk is to actually stand up and start walking. Sure it may fall, but with every fall, it will learn what is working and what is not and adjust to _ . By doing this over and over again, it will eventually learn to walk. This is the approach you need to take when you want to achieve your goals as well. It works. Learning more is great but if all you're doing is learning and not taking action, it's time to change. Just take the first step!

[{'question': 'The author thinks that learning _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['stops us from doing things', 'prevents us from achieving a goal', 'should be combined with practice', 'means gathering more and more information']}, {'question': "According to the passage, we'd better learn from _ .", 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['our experiences', 'adequate preparations', 'other people who have succeeded', 'the information we have gathered']}, {'question': 'The passage implies that the more we learn, _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['the less we will know', 'the more we want to explore', 'the more likely we are to succeed', 'the better preparations we will make']}, {'question': 'Why does the author mention how a baby learns to walk?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['To prove another point is wrong.', 'To encourage readers to change.', 'To introduce a learning approach.', 'To support a conclusion.']}]

By teaching your children fire safety you can make sure they know what to do when a house fire occurs. Making sure that your children know exactly what is required of them cuts down on the chaos of the emergency situation and helps keep your family safe and secure. Make sure your children know how to correctly stop, drop, and roll and feel confident in the fact that it works. It puts out the flames. The usual response to clothing catching on fire is to run around and run about wildly, which only exposes the fire to more oxygen and feeds the flames. Your children should also know to touch door handles before opening the door to see if they are hot. If they are, it means that there's a fire in the next room, and they should leave the door closed and find another route out of the house. Make sure your children understand that they should never play with lighters or matches. Fires started by playing with these things are the leading cause of fire-related injuries in children under five years old. Many children are fascinated by lighters and matches and want to experiment with lighting things on fire to see what happens. Do regular fire drills to practice your evacuation plan so that your family knows what to do in an emergency. Make sure everyone knows all the possible exit points of the house that they can use; a fire in your home will be a chaotic situation, and it' s best to make sure all members of your family know your evacuation plan well enough so that it is second nature and they don't have to waste time thinking if a fire starts. Quick, determined response to a fire will save your family members' lives.

[{'question': 'What should children do when their clothing catches on fire?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Stop, drop and roll without delay', 'Run around quickly to put out the flames.', 'Call the firefighter for help at once.', "Feel confident and don't be afraid of fire."]}, {'question': 'When door handles feel hot, what should children do?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Open the door and see if there is a fire.', 'Stay away and find another way out.', 'Leave the door open and rush out of it.', 'Stay where they are and ask for help.']}, {'question': 'What should parents do with items like lighters and matches?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Let them play with them.', 'Hide them from the children.', 'Experiment with them.', 'Throw them out of the house.']}]

Good state is when your body and mind are in the best condition for learning. These pages describe that state. Applying this information will increase your learning performance, without using any of the other techniques on this site. You will learn faster if your cells, body and mind are in good condition, or good "state." Being in good state doesn't just increase your memory and learning performance. Being in good state also helps improve your health and well-being, with resulting benefits in many other areas of your life.The state described on these pages leads to peak condition for performing well in many human endeavors, from flying a plane to playing football. I've grouped the major contributors to Memletic State into three layers. These are the cell, physical and mental state layers. In summary, the elements that make up each of these layers are: * Cell State Layer: Water, Glucose, Oxygen, and Basic Nutrients. * Physical State Layer: Health, Fitness, Relaxation, Environment, Sleep and Body Rhythms, and Supplements. * Mental State Layer: Health, Fitness, Relaxation, Attention and Concentration, Positive Mental Attitude, and Goals. Cell state is primary and therefore the innermost layer. You will find it hard to learn without satisfactory functioning of cells. The next layer is the physical state layer. These elements impact how well you breathe, circulate blood, fight off illness and more. The outer layer is the mental state layer. The elements of this layer are within our mind. Notice how cell state layer supports the physical state layer, and the physical state layer supports the next layer out, the mental state layer.

[{'question': 'The passage may be taken from _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['a newspaper', 'a magazine', 'a website', 'a notice']}, {'question': 'According to the passage, to get a good lerning state, the most important thing is _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['to have enough food and water', 'to take exercise every day', 'to listen to music every day', 'to ask the experts for advice']}, {'question': 'From the passage, we know that _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['many other techniques on learning are introduced.', 'good learning state refers to mental and physical statement.', 'the writer is sure to have a good learning state.', '"No pains,no gains" belongs to physcial layer.']}]

Every one of us gets so used to punctuation marks that not many of us give them a secondthought.Actually,the ancient Greeks wrote this way.The lack of punctuation marks probably didn't bother good readers,though.As they read,they just put pauses where they fit best. Also at this time,sentences switched directions.A sentence read from leftto right.The next one read right to left,and then left to right again,etc.The ancient Romans sometimes punctuatedlike this:They put somethingthat can separate words in a sentence.The wordpunctuationactually comes from this idea andthe Latin word"punctum"which means a lot. When the 5th century arrived,there were just twopunctuation marks:spaces and points.The spaces separated words while the points showed pauses in reading.Then in the 13th century,a printer named Aldus Manutius tried to standardize punctuation.He always used a period for a complete stop at the end of a sentence.He used a slash(/)toindicate a short pause.Over time.that slash was shortened and curled,and it became the modern comma . Since that time,other marks have enlarged the punctuation family.The exclamation mark comes from the Latin word"io".It means "exclamation of joy".The question mark originally started out as the Latin word"questio",meaning"question".Eventually,scholars put it attheend of a sentence to show a question. Punctuation even keeps changing nowadays.New marks are coming into existence,and old punctuation marks are used in new ways.Take for example the"interrobang".This 1962 invention combines the question mark and exclamation mark for times when writers want both.For example."She did what?!"or"How much did you pay for that dress?!"Obviously,the interrobang is not widelyused or recognized yet,but its invention shows that English is not yet finishedwith its punctuation.

[{'question': 'We can learn from the passage that _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ["ancient Romans didn't use any punctuation marks", 'exclamation and question marks came from Latin', 'spaces and slashes were already used before the 5th century', 'Aldus Manutiusfast started to use commas']}]

D The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth . Most of it will miss our planet , but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth . On 17 July , a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earth's atmosphere with a massive explosion . About half of the piece is destroyed , but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound . The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the sea bed . Huge waves are created and spread outwards from the hole . The wall of water , a kilometer high , rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour . Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people re drowned . Before the waves reach South America , the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina . Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Mountains . The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean . The cities of Los Angeles , San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes . Millions of people in the southern half of the earth are already dead, but the north won't escape for long . Because of the explosions , the sun is hidden by clouds of dust , temperatures around the world fall to almost zero .Crops are ruined . The sun won't be seen again for many years . Wars break out as countries fight for food . A year later , no more than 10 million people remain alive . Could it really happen ? In fact , it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth . The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years . Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared . Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space . The dinosaurs couldn't live through the cold climate that followed and they died out . Will we meet the same end ?

[{'question': 'What is mainly described in the passage ?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['A historic discovery .', 'An event of imagination', 'A research on space .', 'A scientific adventure .']}, {'question': 'When the first piece hits the South Atlantic , it causes_.', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['an earthquake', 'damages to cities', 'an Earth explosion', 'huge waves']}, {'question': "Why can't the northern half of the earth escape for long ?", 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Because the land is covered with water', 'Because the light and heat from the sun can not reach the earth .', 'Because people there can not live at the temperature of zero .', 'Because wars break out among countries .']}]

Who we are Shanghai Super Star provides combination service including translation and tourism and sourcing, focusing on interpreting and translation. Our professional team offer highly professional business interpreters, assistants, companions and exhibition translators and sourcing for a variety of business requirements as well as tour guides to first-time tourists coming to China. Why choose us ^ Our professional and experienced business interpreters/translators have more than 5 years' experience and also have professional education background like business, foreign trade, management etc. ^ Our knowledgeable and enthusiastic private tour guides are always ready to help design your unique trip. ^ Our reliable interpreters have solid experience in different industries. So we will be your great choices when you need interpreters for trade shows, trade fairs, exhibitions or you need business assistants for your business trip like supplier meetings, factory visiting, project negotiation etc. ^ We are always ready to help you go through the language barrier and cultural understanding, and stand by your side and consider everything in your position. ^ When you have finished your business trip, you still have professional Chinese team to support you for goods inspection, shipping arrangement or other service you need. ^ We provide one-stop service for personal holidays or business trips within Great China&Hong Kong Area. From our customers I had the pleasure of working with Susan on multiple trips to Shanghai. Susan is very professional and likes her job. Having Susan as our translator made the trip enjoyable. I look forward to working with Susan on our next trip. --Gary Lennox (USA) In every respect, Susan did an excellent job as our interpreter. She was always friendly and professional, so everyone felt comfortable working with her. And she had no problem communicating clearly about technical subjects and sensitive business issues. I recommend Susan to any companies doing business in Shanghai and nearby cities. --Joe Abelson (USA)

[{'question': 'Which of the following descriptions about Shanghai Super Star is NOT true?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['It serves customers both at home and abroad.', 'It can provide business assistants if necessary.', 'Interpreting and translation are its main business.', 'Its interpreters and translators are all English majors.']}, {'question': 'The two comments in the passage are intended to indicate .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['Susan is very professional and can meet the needs of different customers', 'American customers have a preference for Shanghai Super Star', 'Shanghai Super Star enjoys a good reputation among customers', 'Shanghai Super Star provides combination service for customers']}]

Humans may be a bad influence on their best friends---at least when it comes to problem-solving. In a task that wasn't very tough, wolves performed must better than dogs. All the animals had to do was pull the lid off a food container, containing a sausage treat. Monique Udell studies animal behavior at Oregon State University in Corvallis. She tested 10 pet dogs and another 10 dogs from an animal shelter. In one set of tests, a person was nearby but did not encourage or discourage the dogs. Those dogs typically spent 10 to 15 percent of their time gazing at the person. They spent a mere 5 percent of their time or less touching the container. Udell offered the same challenge to wolves. These animals had been raised and fed by people but still lived outdoors. Here, the wolves didn't look at the nearby person. Instead, they devoted about 90 percent of the time to struggling with the box holding a treat. When someone walked around the dogs and actively encouraged them to keep trying to open the box, the dogs did spend more time handling the problem. A few more even managed to open the box. But their success rate still did not match the wolves. The dogs and wolves were also tested when no one was present. But even then, the dogs didn't paw or teat the box much more than they did when a human was present.

[{'question': 'What was the effect of encouragement on the dogs?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['It made their success rate improve a lot', 'It made them seek less guidance', 'It made them a little more devoted to the task', 'It made them able to compete with the wolves']}, {'question': 'What is the main idea of the text?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['How wolves and dogs differ from each other', 'The reason why wolves are dangerous', 'Dogs are more relaxed when no one is around', 'Wolves beat dogs in problem-solving tests']}]

A 13-year-old American boy on Saturday became the youngest climber to conquer Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain. Jordan Romero from Big Bear, California, climbed up the 8,850-meter summit from the Tibetan side. On the same day, a Nepali man, Apa Sherpa, broke his own world record of climbing Everest when he reached the summit for the twentieth time. Apa Shepa's team set off from Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, last month, heading for the base camp on the Chinese side of the mountain. "The team has just called in and believe that they are standing on top of Mt. Everest," Romero's blog said. "Their dreams have now come true. Everyone is happy." The climbing has put Romero one step closer to reaching his goal of climbing the highest mountains on all seven continents . "It is just a goal." Romero said. He had already climbed five peaks , and needs to climb only Vinson Massif, the highest peak in Antarctica, to hit his goal. The youngest person before to climb Everest was 16-year-old Temba Tsheri Sherpa of Nepal. Romero climbed together with a team including his father Paul and three local guides. He wanted to pick a small piece of rock from the top of the world and wear it in a necklace. While Nepal insists that anyone planning to climb Mount Everest must be at least 16, China does not have any age restrictions . Some mountain climbers haven't agreed with the Romero family for letting him try it but his father said the climbing from the Chinese side is less dangerous.

[{'question': 'Jordan Romero climbed up Mount Everest mainly to _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['meet Apa Sherpa', 'build his body', 'break the world record', 'realize part of his goal']}, {'question': 'To stand on the highest mountains on all seven continents, Jordan Romero plans to climb the peak in _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Asia', 'Antarctica', 'Europe', 'Africa']}, {'question': 'Why did Jordan Romero choose to climb from the Chinese side of Mount Everest?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['China allows climbers of any age to climb Mt. Everest.', "It wasn't far from Jordan's base camp on the Chinese side.", 'There were more challenges on the Chinese side.', 'There were more local guides on the Chinese side.']}, {'question': 'We can learn from the passage that Romero _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['is the first teenager to conquer Mr. Everest', 'climbed Mr. Everest without the help of local guides', 'still has two peaks to conquer in order to hit his goal', 'is supported by his father']}, {'question': 'What would be the best title for the passage?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['The great dream of picking rocks from top of Mt. Everest', 'The number of successful Mt. Everest climbs.', 'California teen becomes youngest to climb Mt. Everest.', 'Mt. Everest climbing becomes more popular.']}]

I want to tell you a story that changed my life many years ago. We were living in College Station, Texas and my wife and I were on our way home from Houston, Texas one Saturday morning. We decided to stop at a local restaurant to get something to eat since we had enough time. When we finished, we got back into our car and before I started it, we noticed a homeless man standing in front of the building. His clothes were worn and it looked as though he didn't have any money. It was cold and I was sure he wanted something warm to drink; however, it was not this that I remember, because that is not what "moved" me. A dog was also walking up to the front of the building. Being a dog owner, I knew that the dog was a mother, and that she had just had some pups . She was hungry and weak and I felt bad for her. I knew if she didn't eat soon, she and her pups would not live. People walking by didn't even notice her. She was not as pretty and clean as most dogs, but she still deserved better. We still did not do anything, but someone else did. The homeless man, who I thought could not afford anything to eat, went into the store and bought dog food with all the money he had.

[{'question': 'Where did the story happen?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['In front of the local restaurant.', 'In front of a building.', 'In the car parking lot.', "Near the author's house."]}, {'question': 'What do we know about the dog?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['The author wanted to help the dog, but he was un-able to.', 'The dog and her pups were in danger of dying from hunger.', 'The dog was not cute enough to be loved.', "The author didn't like dogs."]}, {'question': 'Which of the following moved the author?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['The homeless man had no money to buy food for himself.', 'The homeless man wore worn clothes on cold days.', 'The homeless man bought food for a dog with all his money.', "Most people walking by the dog didn't notice her."]}, {'question': 'What can we conclude from the passage?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['The author was so hungry that he went into the local restaurant to eat.', "The author didn't understand what the homeless man did.", "The dog shouldn't be taken care of carefully because it looked ugly.", 'Things are not always what they seem.']}, {'question': 'Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['My Memory', 'A Poor Dog', 'The Homeless Person', 'A Mother Dog']}]

Earth Day events are arranged all over the world, but for New Yorkers in the Catskill region, there are plenty of options.s6t---- Earth Day Celebrations6t---- Place: Frost Valley; Time: Friday, April 8 - Saturday, April 9 (Check-in at 5:00 pm on Friday). Activities include recycled arts and crafts projects, classes on composting and recycling, nature hikes, and a greenhouse planting project. All ages are welcomed. $15.00 per person (includes lunch). Kids 5 and under free. Call (845) 985-2291 for more details and to register.s6t---- Earth Festivals6t---- Place: Milford Central School; Time: Saturday, April 9 (11:00 am - 3:00 pm). Enjoy exhibits, activities and entertainment. Bring along your recyclables to be collected. You'll go green! Fashion Show will be held at the end of the day. Admission to the Festival is free, and tickets for the fashion show are $10 per person (or $60 for a table of 8). Call (607) 286-7721 for tickets to the fashion show or (607) 547-4488 for details about the Festival.s6t---- Clean Sweeps6t---- Place: Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site; Time: Sunday, April 17 (9:00 am - 12:00 pm). Help clean up the park with bush cutting and trash pick-up. You'll be joining volunteers from the Montgomery County Water Quality Committee. Please bring your own equipment (lunch will be provided). Call (518) 829-7516 for more details.s6t---- Trail Work Days6t---- It is in Grafton Lakes State Park on Saturday, April 16 (9:00 am - 12:00 pm). Enjoy the outdoors and take a hike while helping park volunteers to clear and inspect the trails. Sign up on [email protected] or call (518) 279-1155. This event may be rescheduled if weather is not permitting. s6t----

[{'question': 'This passage was written mainly for _ .s6t----', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['students who study at Milford Central School, New Yorks6t----', 'people who want to attend Earth Day events in the Catskill regions6t----', 'adults who protect the environment in New Yorks6t----', 'people who celebrate Earth Day all over the worlds6t----']}, {'question': 'If a couple with a five-year-old child go to Frost Valley, they should pay _ .s6t----', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['15 dollars', '20 dollars', '30 dollars', '35 dollarss6t----']}, {'question': 'If you want to get tickets to the fashion show, you should call _ .s6t----', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['(845) 985-2291', '(518) 829-7516', '(607) 286-7721s6t----', '(607) 547-4488']}, {'question': 'Where will you go if you only have time on Sunday?s6t----', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['Frost Valley.s6t----', 'Milford Central School.', 'Grafton Lakes State Park.', 'Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site.s6t----']}]

Thank-you cards -- heartfelt expressions of gratitude for gifts, services and general kindness -- seem to be rare in an age when the Internet continues to reduce human touch. Although our society has changed greatly over the past century, the _ of thank-you notes has not. While most people would agree that thank-you notes under these conditions are a necessity, there are still those who forever delay or are forgetful for unknown reasons. And at no time of the year are thank-you notes more visible (or lacking) than June, the month of graduations, and the beginning of summer parties. " It' s a must-do thing. A real ' thank you' does not come by e-mail. It comes in the mail in an envelope. And what comes out of an envelope is a beautiful thing to touch and to handle and to pass around for everyone to read, "said etiquette expert Letitia Baldrige. Don't think for a second that Baldrige is old-fashioned. Handwritten thank-you notes -- any handwritten letter, for that matter -- have taken on an air of extra importance in this e-hyper world. Baldrige remains hopeful that the art may be enjoying a renaissance . More than simply obeying rules of etiquette, thank-you cards are a sign of caring. "They are more important now than ever,"expert Peter Post says. "You are building a relationship. And part of building that relationship is that you recognize it when someone has done something nice for you." "The payoff, "Post says, "can be huge. The more we do it, the more it comes back to us, and it's a benefit to us all. It makes our world a little bit nicer place to live in."

[{'question': 'Nowadays thank-you cards seem to be rare mainly because _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['People think that they are out of fashion', 'It is cheaper to say thanks by e-mail', 'The Internet has reduced our chances of getting together', 'People are too busy to remember these things']}, {'question': 'The author implies in this article that _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ["old-fashioned people don't use e-mails", 'the changing society is making people impolite and lazy', 'modern technology is driving people apart', 'the e-hyper world is not a nice place to live in']}, {'question': "What is the author's main purpose of writing this article?", 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['To remind people to express heartfelt thanks.', "To criticize people's forgetfulness.", 'To suggest building a new relationship.', 'To emphasize the importance of e-mail.']}]

September is an exciting month in every college freshman's life. For many, it's the first time that they've left home to live in a new environment. But after the hustle and bustle of a few weeks, excitement gives way to a less enjoyable emotion-- homesickness. Homesickness manifests itself in many ways. You may miss mum's cooking, your pets, or even your old bed. All this becomes a fond memory of the past. Homesickness can be a bitter feeling for many students, especially when faced with the challenges of settling into an unfamiliar environment. But remember, you're not alone. According to a recent BBC article, 70 percent of British college students experience homesickness. In this increasingly globalized world in which people migrate to faraway places for a relationship, education or work, homesickness is a feeling shared by many adults. Homesickness can have similar symptoms to depression and in extreme cases it can develop into a panic attack. As for the term, homesickness or nostalgia wasn't invented until the 17th century. It was considered a disorder by a Swiss physician, who attributed soldiers' mental and physical discomfort to their longing to return home, "nostos" from Greek, and the accompanying pain, "algos". Studies in recent years, however, have shown that nostalgia may have some benefits to our mental health. After a decade of surveys and researches, Constantine Sedikides, a US social psychologist, found that nostalgia is what makes us human. He explains that nostalgia can resist loneliness, boredom and anxiety. Therefore, it's necessary for college students to learn some ways to overcome the uncomfortable feeling.

[{'question': 'According to the passage, we can know that _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['homesickness may cause mental diseases', 'homesickness is a feeling only shared by adults', "homesickness won't do any good to our health", 'homesickness is also called nostalgia in Switzerland']}, {'question': 'The attitude of Sedikides towards homesickness is _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['negative', 'supportive', 'skeptical', 'critical']}, {'question': 'What is the best title for the passage?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ["Let's embrace homesickness", 'How to fit into the college life', 'A harmful emotion--homesickness', 'The disadvantages of homesickness']}]

Being young is great. Most of the parts of your body still work great, you have a full head of hair, you're energetic, and you have a world of opportunity in front of you. However, there's going to come a time when you start to get older. And as you get older, you'll have new responsibilities, complete independence, and perhaps most importantly, less time to recover from mistakes. You see, we all make mistakes in life. Maybe you spent more money than you should have on a car, you passed up on a great job opportunity, or you didn't try as hard as you could have in school. It's a part of life and we learn from it. But there are certain mistakes that are much better made while you're still young and have plenty of time to recover. I'm definitely not telling you that you should purposely go out and make these mistakes (because they're a pain to recover from). But these are all mistakes that are much better made when you're younger so that you can learn from them and not have them ruin your entire life. Starting the wrong career Wouldn't you hate to be 45 years old and discover that you absolutely hate what you do for a living? It's a reality that a lot of people face and it can be difficult to fix. You see, when you're 23 and find out you don't like the career path you've chosen, you can easily explore new career options. We no longer live in an age when people are expected to stay with one company until they retire. You can bounce around a little bit and find out what you want to do. When you get older, just switching careers whenever you want isn't as simple. You have to consider your family, retirement, the difficulties you might run into with starting from the bottom in a new industry, and plenty of other issues that someone in their early 20's just doesn't have to deal with. Dating the wrong person The divorce rate in the U.S is extremely high. Other parts of the world aren't doing too much better either. While everyone gets divorced for their own reasons, I think we can all agree that it's better to find out that the person you're with is wrong for you sooner rather than later. Hopefully you find out whether or not the person you're with is right for you before you tie the knot, because around 50% of first marriages end in divorce. Messing up your credit Ruining your credit is never a good idea. Even if you ruin it while you're young, it could affect you in the future. The upside of having bad credit while you're young instead of older is that you have time to build it back up. It can take 7-10 years to rebuild your credit if you have a history of late payments, loan defaults, foreclosures, or bankruptcy. During those 7-10 years, you'll have a hard time financing anything unless you have a cosigner or put down a substantial down payment. Most people tend to make most of the bigger purchases in life when they get older such as a house or their dream car. If you have bad credit, you can kiss all of that goodbye. Making bad investments If you're investing money for your retirement, making bad decisions can mean you'll be working your entire life. Whether you choose to pay someone to do the investing for you or handle it all yourself, it's a lot better to take risks when you're younger. If you invest in stock or even real estate while you're young and the market takes a hit, you're not ruined. Investing is a long-term venture, so the younger you start, the more fluctuation you can withstand and still come out with a positive return. Blowing your money What would you do if you went broke at 60 years old? You would be working your behind off when you really should be relaxing and getting ready to retire soon. But if you're 25 and broke, you still have plenty of time to earn more money. Also, nobody will judge you because it's not unusual for people in their 20's to not have money these days. You might have blown your money on a nice car or have an obsession with all the newest gadgets. When you get older, you'll be able to look back and realize how dumb you were for spending $20,000 on a brand new car when you were only 20 years old. But when you're older and waste your money, you'll REALLY have nothing to show for it.

[{'question': 'The following are all the advantages of being young EXCEPT _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['you have more time to recover from mistakes', 'most of the parts of your body still work great', 'you have many responsibilities and complete independence', 'you have a world of opportunity in front of you']}, {'question': 'You can bounce around a little bit and find out what you want to do. "Bounce" in this sentence is most similar in meaning to _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['My father would burst into the kitchen bouncing a football.', 'The wind was bouncing the branches of the big oak trees.', 'I was an army brat, I always bounced a lot when I was young', "The ex-boxer's job is to bounce people who want to enter this private club."]}, {'question': 'What does the author really mean by saying "it\'s a lot better to take risks when you\'re younger"?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['You should purposely go out and make these mistakes so that you can learn from them and not have them ruin your entire life.', "There are certain mistakes that are much better made while you're still young and have plenty of time to recover.", "When you get older, you'll have rich experiences to share with your friends and families however dumb you were", 'The younger you start, the fewer risks you can withstand and still come out with a positive return.']}, {'question': 'We can infer from the passage that _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['about 50% of first marriages end in divorce in the U.S, much higher than other parts of the world', 'never tie the knot before you make sure he or she will not divorce you', "it usually takes 7-10 years to rebuild one's credit if it is broken for any reason", "it's unusual for people in their 20's to have money these days"]}, {'question': 'The author wrote this article mainly to tell the young _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['if you are to take risks, the earlier, the better', "it's better for the young to take any risk than the older", 'that they should make big purchases such as a house when they get older', "if you don't take risks when young, your youth will be dumb"]}]

Experts have put forward detailed plans for a tunnel to connect Taiwan with the Chinese mainland. The shortest proposed route would be 126 kilometers more than twice the length of the English Channel Tunnel. And the longest proposed route would be 207 kilometers. A recent conference in Xiamen, Fujian Province brought together more than 70 experts. The event was co-sponsored by universities from Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. Fujian is the province where both proposed routes would begin. There is direct passenger access between the mainland and Taiwan by air and sea at the moment. Experts say that it is better to start research sooner rather than later, although there is a lack of government funding . There are no technical problems to build a Taiwan tunnel. But it will require an improved political relationship across the Straits . A professor of Tsinghua University said, "A special feature of huge projects is that the period of preparation is longer than the period of construction." For example, he said, the English Channel Tunnel took 14 years of planning and had been discussed for two centuries. And preparations for the huge Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River began in the 1950s. The Xiamen conference focused on the longest southern route, which would pass Jinmen and Penghu. The first stage of the new project could be a bridge to cross the five kilometers between Xiamen and Jinmen. This would mean that travelling from Xiamen to Jinmen by car would only take five minutes. The longest tunnel now being planned anywhere in the world is the 54-kilometer land tunnel to link Lyon in France with Turin in Italy. The tunnel will not be completed until 2015-2020.

[{'question': 'Which is the longest tunnel in the world at present?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['The tunnel between Lyon and Turin.', 'The English Channel Tunnel.', 'The Taiwan Straits tunnel.', "The passage doesn't mention it."]}, {'question': 'Which of the following is NOT true?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Universities both at home and abroad have sponsored the plan.', "If the project is completed, the world's longest tunnel will appear.", 'You can reach Taiwan from the mainland directly at present.', 'The starting point of the proposed tunnel is in Fujian.']}, {'question': 'The example of English Channel Tunnel shows _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ["it's not easy to complete a huge project", 'there are many problems to be solved before doing something', 'discussions among countries usually take a lot of time', 'the preparation takes longer time than the construction']}, {'question': 'What is the major difficulty in carrying out the plan?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Improving the relationship between Taiwan and the mainland.', 'The lack of money for the project from the government.', 'The detailed plans for the tunnel.', 'The technical problems with the tunnel.']}]

One rainy night , Mark decided to end his life . Having undergone a lot of sufferings and frustrations , he walked the streets , feeling desperate . On that same night , I was sitting in my room when I heard the doorbell rang . My mom opened the door , finding herself face-to-face with a very disheveled-looking man , Mark , with tears running down his face . My mom , overcome by pity , invited him inside . Curious , I went downstairs to get a better look . The sight of the man , holding his head in his hands and crying , made my chest ache . I raced back upstairs to my room , pulled out my only half-dollar coin from my money jar and ran back downstairs . When I reached the door of the living room , I walked right in and quickly made my way over to the stranger . I put the half-dollar in his hand and told him that I wanted him to have it . Then I gave him a hug and turned and ran as fast as I could out of the room and back up the stairs . Downstairs , tears streamed down Mark's face as he tightly held that coin . Finally he said , " It's just that I thought nobody cared . For the last twenty years , I have been so alone . That was the first hug I have gotten . It's hard to believe that somebody cares . " Before Mark left , my parents asked him why he had knocked on our door , Mark said that as he was walking the streets that rainy night , hope. less and ready to die , he noticed a bumper sticker on our car reading SOMEBODY LOVES YOU . It's hard to imagine that a bumper sticker and fifty cents could change a person's life . Mark's life did change that night . When he left our house , he was ready to live instead of die .

[{'question': 'Mom let Mark inside our house because she _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['was hospitable to anyone', 'was ready to help others', 'wanted to educate me', 'felt sorry for him']}, {'question': 'Why did Mark cry when he tightly held the coin ?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Because he realized he was not abandoned by the world .', 'Because he was worried about whether he could pay it back .', 'Because he finally got money when he was in great need of it .', 'Because he felt ashamed that he should get money from a child .']}, {'question': 'Which of the following can best describe the author ?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Curious and desperate.', 'Sympathetic and nice.', 'Miserable and kind.', 'Brave and thoughtful.']}, {'question': 'What can be the best title for the passage ?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['Love is Selfless', 'Kindness is Rewarding', 'Love Saves All', 'Be Kind to Strangers']}]

SYDNEY--Australia's economic boom is encouraging a steady stream of unexpected visitors looking for work: Americans. U.S. citizens are heading to Australia in small but growing numbers as near-10% unemployment at home drives more to look for jobs Down Under, where China's thirst for iron ore and energy is transforming the Pacific nation into an economic powerhouse. A bricklaying student from Silver Trowel, a leading provider of quality education and training in the building and construction industry, apprentices on a building project in Western Australia, where workers are in short supply. Daniel Davila, a 23-year-old floorer from Camarillo, California made the 14-hour move across the Pacific two years ago. He had been forced to take a job stocking shelves at a local grocery store for $8.90 an hour when he couldn't get work fixing floors. On a good day in Australia, he now makes as much as 50 Australian dollars (US$50.21) an hour--about twice the amount for a typical flooring job in the U.S. He plans to start his own flooring business. "I can make what I did in a week in the U.S. in less than a day here," said Mr. Davila, who lives near a mining boom town in Western Australia. Australian government figures show just under 7,000 Americans currently working on long-term visas, an 80% jump over the past five years. U.S. citizens are now the third-largest group applying for so-called 457 work visas, after British and Indian nationals. Americans with degrees in areas such as accounting or mine engineering, as well as other skilled workers, can obtain a nonrenewable permit for as much as a three-year stay. After that, they can apply for the renewable 457, which allows up to a four-year stay. The need for workers is particularly pressing in Western Australia. The mining state's unemployment rate was 4.5% in November, below the national average of 5.2%. Drivers of heavy trucks can pull in six-figure salaries while experienced crane operators can earn hundreds of thousands a year. Attracting skilled workers is a shift for Australia, which historically sent many of its most highly educated to the U.S. and Europe, according to migration data.

[{'question': '_ , a growing number of Americans go to work in Australia.', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['As a result of the encouragement of Australia', 'As a result of high unemployment in the U.S.', 'Out of their ambition of finding valuable resources', 'Out of their determination to realize their dreams']}, {'question': 'It can be inferred from the passage that 457 work visasare _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['for skilled workers in some fields', 'for students on the building project', 'especially for American workers', 'especially for those out of work']}, {'question': 'It is implied in the passage that _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['foreigners have to give up their original professional jobs when working in Australia', 'it is possible for foreigners to earn more money in Australia than in their own countries', 'there are more U.S. citizens hoping to work in Australia than from other countries', 'Australians think it fair to exchange their talent with American skilled workers']}]

Table manners are very different in every country. For example, when you are in England you must not lift your soup plate to your mouth. This is very impolite. But when you are in Japan this is completely normal. Lifting your plate to your mouth in Japan is a traditional way of drinking your soup. And also in Japan you don't have to worry about making a noise when you drink it. It just shows that you really like the food! But it is not the same in Britain, so you shouldn't make a noise when eating there. In Britain, people don't put their hands or arms on the table during the meal. But in Mexico, guests keep their hands on the table all the time. In fact, you should watch what your hands do very carefully. In Arab countries, it is impolite when you eat with your left hand, so don't do it! In all the cultures it is impolite to speak when you are eating. In Ukraine you should not start eating first; you should wait for all the others to start eating with you. You also have to say "please" and "thank you" every time you ask for and get something. If you don't like some food, don't make faces and don't say: "Yuk! I hate that!" The best way to avoid making mistakes in other countries is to watch the host and try to do as he does.

[{'question': 'It is impolite to lift the soup plate to your mouth in _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['.Japan', 'England', '. Ukraine', '. Mexico']}, {'question': 'When you are ea ting in Japan, making a noise means that _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['you feel ill', 'you dislike the fo od', 'you like the food', 'you are very hungry']}, {'question': 'Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Keeping your hands on the table is polite in Britain but impolite in Mexico.', 'In Arab countries you should eat with your right hand.', "Speaking when you're eating is impolite just in some cultures.", "In Ukraine, it's a tradition that the guest eats first."]}, {'question': 'How does the text mainly develop?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['By giving examples.', 'By explaining reasons.', 'By following the order of time.', 'By following the order of importance.']}]

Depressed people can be very difficult to be around,and yet they need more than the usual amount of support and understanding from their friends and family. The anger and lack of concern that a depressed person may have for people close to him or her can be very disturbing to someone who's trying to help.At such times,the sincerity of a friend or a family member is questioned when the depressed person doesn't feel worthy of someone's friendship.Withdrawal from others can make it nearly impossible to encourage a depressed person to enter into activities that may help pull him or her out of the depression. It is frequently difficult for a depressed person to carry on a conversation.Attempts to help may be met with defensiveness and verbal attacks.While being supportive and understanding,the friend of a family member must be careful not to do too many things for the depressed person.There is a very thin line between being supportive and being overly protective.Too much"doing for" can be a disservice . You can best help a friend or relative who is depressed by considering the following points: *Do not moralize.Don't pressure him or her to "put on a happy face," or to "snap out of it." Often the person will feel even worse after hearing such words. *When you are alone with your depressed friend,you might say something like,"I've noticed lately that you seem down.I care about you and would like to listen to what you're thinking about." Then be a good listener. *Don't say,"I know exactly how you feel." You probably don't.But if you've had similar experiences,sharing those may help.Say things like,"This happened to me.It might help you." Or "I know some of what you must be feeling." *Urge him or her to get professional help if necessary.Offer to accompany your friend on the first visit if it will be easier for the person.

[{'question': '.The above passage is mainly intended for _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['a doctor who works with a depressed person', 'a depressed person', 'one who lives with a depressed person', 'an expert who gives advice to a depressed person']}, {'question': 'Too much "doing for" can _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['cause more severe depression', 'give the depressed person courage', 'result in defensiveness from the depressed person', 'be of no help to the depressed person']}, {'question': 'What are you advised to say to a depressed person?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ["Try to look happy and you'll be better.", 'I know exactly how you feel.', 'I had a similar experience.And it might help you.', 'Cheer up and get rid of your depression.']}]

Treetops, the hotel in the trees, are famous in the world. People know little about Kenya, but they know of Treetops. When King George VI died, Princess Elizabeth was staying on the Treetops, and when she came down from there, "She _ him as the queen of the country". The hotel is in the middle of the forest, and it shows the pleasure of Africa. When you visit it, you will be sent into the heart of the forest by hotel buses, and then a guide, with a gun to protect you against big game, will go with you to the Treetops. Before and after dinner, for the whole night if you wish, you can sit on the corridor , watching animals come to the water pool. The earliest hotel Treetops was built round a large tree on the opposite side of the water, but that was destroyed by fire and the new hotel Treetops, which is built round several trees, is much bigger. The dining room at Treetops is small, and the waiters cannot walk round to serve guests, so a clever " _ " has been invented. Guests take their food as it passes slowly in front of them, along a line in the center of the table. There are many animals around the Treetops. When you visit them, you can see: ---Animals and their babies are waiting to greet the guests. ---Animals, enjoying the Treetops pool in the daylight. ---A long bodied, long ring tailed very active cat-like animal is a special one coming out at night. He hunts and eats anything he can catch and is very destructive. He lives in the trees at Treetops. He comes for his food every evening. Do not get too near to him, as his teeth and claws can do you harm. These animals can be trained and become lovely pets.

[{'question': 'Which of the following statements about "the cat-like animal" is WRONG?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['It comes for food only at night.', 'It lives in the trees at Treetops.', 'Its teeth and claws can do people harm.', 'It can catch any other animal in the forest.']}, {'question': 'We can learn from the text that the guests _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['will be protected by a guide in the forest', 'can play with the cat-like animals', 'can have parties in the dinning room', 'could not sit on the corridor at night']}]

A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below l6degC. Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate. Without the forest cover,these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere, warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns,potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world. In the past hundred years,humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources : land for crops,wood for paper and other products,land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example,a lot of carbon dioxide in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit. There are two main reasons for _ . Firstly,when people cut down trees,generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly,cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now,but in the long run it actually reduces the world's wood supply. Rainforests are often called the world's drug store. More than 25% of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However,fewer than l%of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world's shrinking rainforests.

[{'question': 'Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['reflect more heat into the atmosphere', 'bring about high rainfall throughout the world', 'rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than l6degC', 'reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth']}, {'question': 'It can be inferred from the text that _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['we can get enough resources without rainforests', 'there is great medicine potential in rainforests', 'we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land', 'the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns']}, {'question': 'What might be the best title for the text?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['How to Save Rainforests', 'How to Protect Nature', 'Rainforests and the Environment', 'Rainforests and Medical Development']}]

MONTAGNE: In the summer of 2011, the world first heard of a small island in Norway under the most terrible of circumstances. Utoya Island was a youth camp run by Norway's Labor Party. One day in July, a heavily armed, right-wing extremist stepped onto the island and began shooting at random. Sixty-nine people died, over 100 were wounded; almost all, young people. This month, artist Jonas Dahlberg was appointed to create a memorial. He described to us the experience he imagines for those who come to the island. DAHLBERG: You start your walk through a forest of evergreens on a wooden pathway. After a while, this pathway starts to go down into the landscape. MONTAGNE: Down into the landscape, and into a short tunnel. When you come out, you are unable to go any farther. You can't get to the tip of the island because it has been cut off. So all you can do is look across a narrow channel of water at what is now a wall of polished stone, carved with the names of the dead. DAHLBERG: It becomes almost like a gravestone. You cannot reach it. It's close enough to be able to read, but it's forever lost for your possibility to reach. MONTAGNE: It's being called _ . Exactly what do you mean by that? DAHLBERG: During my first site visit, the experience of seeing those gunshots--and you can see it was like being in an open wound. And it took me to a stage of deep sadness where it was hard to breathe. So I didn't want to illustrate loss; I wanted to make actual loss. It's just a cut through the island. MONTAGNE: On the day of the massacre, just hours before launching his shooting on the island, the killer set off a bomb in downtown Oslo, leaving eight people dead. As those events were unfolding, artist Jonas Dahlberg had been out with his brother, and stopped in at a seaside village. DAHLBERG: In the harbor, it was silent, and this is the higher end of summer. So, it's normally a very lively place. And it was total silence there; and it was a very, very strange feeling in the whole small village. And it's totally impossible to grasp what is going on. And then it just kept on. It's still almost impossible to understand it. It's also one of the reasons why it's so important with memorials for these kind of things. It's to maybe help a little bit to understand what was happening. So it's not just about remembering. It's also about trying to just understand. MONTAGNE: Artist Jonas Dahlberg designed the memorial for the 69 who died at a youth camp on Utoya Island. The attack was the deadliest in Norway since World War II. That memorial will open in 2015. And to see a virtual version of what it will look like, go to our website, at npr.org. This is Renee Montagne at NPR news.

[{'question': 'Which of the following statements is TRUE?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Utoya Island was the only bloody shooting spot planned by the killer.', 'Utoya Island used to be a youth camp site and now has been reduced to total silence.', 'Dahlberg and his brother witnessed the shooting on Utoya Island.', 'Visitors to Utoya Island can touch the names of the victims carved on the polished stone.']}]

Polynesian Cultural Center The Polynesian Cultural Center (P.C.C.) offers the best value for your vacation dollar. There is so much to see and do for the entire family. They offer a unique and authentic view not only of the Hawaiian culture, but also offer a taste of their Polynesian cuisines . The Gateway Buffet Package A fun activity for all ages, experience the beauty of true Polynesia with The Polynesian Cultural Center's newest package. Experience the 7 Polynesian Islands as they share with you their culture through song and dance. Enjoy Prime Rib & Seafood Dinner at the Gateway Restaurant, finishing the evening with the Horizons Night Show. Adult Price: $68.00 Child Price: $51.00 The Twilight Package--Ambassador's Fine Dining This activity is an excellent choice for those who want a shorter visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center. You will be guided through the two villages, and you can choose from Hawaiian Luau or Prime Rib & Seafood Dinner. You will then attend the Horizons Night Show and receive a souvenir video, program and a "Pineapple Delight" dessert. Adult Price: $103.00 Child Price: $69.00 The Ambassador Luau Package Enjoy your experience at the Polynesian Cultural Center with luxury services and places of entertainment as you are guided through our seven villages by your personal tour guide. Enjoy the delicious Ali'i Luau Feast and front row seats at the Horizons Night Show. Adult Price: $118.00 Child Price: $83.00 The Super Ambassador Luau Package You will discover for yourself why the Polynesian people are known as the most hospitable in the world. Enjoy all the luxuries and places of entertainment of the Polynesian Cultural Center as you tour our seven islands with your personal tour guide. You can choose from delicious Prime Rib & Seafood Dinner or Ali'i Luau Feast. Enjoy front row seats at the Horizons Night Show. Adult Price: $215.00 Child Price: $165.00

[{'question': 'The four packages are most suitable for _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['a family who plan a holiday', 'a group of cultural researchers', 'a group of school students', 'a group of busy businessmen']}, {'question': 'Which of the following provides tourists with a souvenir?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['The Gateway Buffet Package', "The Twilight Package--Ambassador's Fine Dining", 'The Ambassador Luau Package', 'The Super Ambassador Luau Package']}, {'question': 'Tourists can experience the Polynesian culture mainly through _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ["the local people's dresses", 'luxury services and places of entertainment', 'songs and dances', 'cuisines']}, {'question': 'What can we learn from the above four packages?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ["The Twilight Package--Ambassador's Fine Dining is the cheapest one.", 'The 7 Polynesian Islands are included in all the packages.', 'The Horizons Night Show may be of special interest to tourists.', "You can enjoy Ali'i Luau Feast if you choose The Gateway Buffet Package."]}, {'question': 'How many kinds of cuisines are mentioned in the passage?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['One.', 'Two.', 'Three.', 'Four.']}]

My father always told me never to ever reveal my true opinions towards other people unless such opinions are positive. He said this is the "Chu Shi Zhe Xue", the philosophy of dealing with social network. It seems that everybody here just follows this philosophy very, very well. I would say that if I were given true friendship I would definitely treasure it with my greatest care. If I really regard someone as my close friend, I would never leave her alone whenever she's in need, either financially or mentally. And I always believe, as long as I treat people with whole-hearted honesty, I would have some rewards--at least, just ONE true friend of the same gender. Sometimes I just miss my friends in China. Perhaps when we became friends, we were still young, too young to have been polluted by any dirt in the society. But here, it is simply different. It seems that all of us have learned how to survive in a foreign land and such an experience actually makes us learn how to get the most benefits from the surroundings in order to survive. All are friends around me. I've looked through all the dark sides of their personalities and yet I have to pretend that I know nothing. I say to myself:They are good and we are friends". And then I can make myself comfortable enough to talk to people I hate the most. And of course, they don't say any words truly from their hearts. Neither do I. However, sometimes I just feel unwilling to talk to these people. Sometimes, I just want to be alone, quietly, without being forced to listen to their gossip or other useless words. "Standing on a mountain high Looking at the moon through a clear blue sky I should go and see some friends But they don't really comprehend" The singer expresses my feelings, too.

[{'question': "What do we know about the writer's father according to this passage?", 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['He is really a good philosopher.', 'He can get on well with others.', 'He told the writer to reveal her true opinions.', "The passage doesn't mention it."]}, {'question': 'Why does the writer mention the song twice in the passage?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['She likes the song very much.', 'The singer is one of her friends.', 'The song expresses her feelings.', 'She uses it to perfects her article.']}, {'question': 'Which of the following statements about the writer is not TRUE?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ["She is now living abroad but doesn't enjoy the life there.", "She sometimes doubts her father's philosophy.", 'She shows a positive attitude to her relationship with others.', 'She doesn\'t think highly of her friends by saying "They are good".']}, {'question': 'The writer mostly expresses that she feels _ in this passage.', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['happy', 'homesick', 'lonely', 'alone']}]

I recall a moment that I experienced with my dad when I was twenty-one. I was going to college and living with a couple of friends in Chicago. When the car I was using died, my dad, realizing that I needed transportation to get to work and to school, was good enough to lend me the money for a used car. Shortly after I bought it, my parents drove down to San Diego for the winter. Before they left, my dad gave me some of his bank deposit slips with clear and detailed instructions to put one hundred dollars of my earnings, every payday, into their savings account while they were gone. At that time of my life, I was not yet clear about what were the most important problems that I had to attend to first. I dismissed our agreement as nothing important and continued to spend my money as fast as I was making it, in pubs, on dates, and so on. Instead of honoring our agreement, I made payments that were less than the agreed-upon amounts, and on more than one occasion I made no payment at all. When my parents arrived home in late March, I got a call from my dad, who said, "Don't go anywhere. I'm coming over." My dad was (and still is) a physical presence and had been a truck driver for thirty-five years. I felt ashamed and guilty, knowing that Dad had discovered that I hadn't held up my end of our bargain. After he came in, he told me to sit down because he had a few things to tell me. There was no shouting, no red face with a vein about to burst on his forehead, and no bad language at all. His first words were, "When your mother and I got back into town yesterday, I called the bank. I can't say I was surprised to discover that you hadn't made all the payments. My first thought was to come here and take the car from you, but I want to tell you some things while I'm here. Maybe you'll understand, and maybe you won't." He went on to tell me, very calmly, about what it means to keep your word. He explained that when he was growing up after the Depression, a man's handshake and his word meant everything. He also told me that because I was twenty-one, he didn't feel angry so much as sad and disappointed. He closed by saying that our words and actions have a real effect on others, and that my words and actions were what others would measure me by. He added that if I hadn't yet formed some core or basic values and principles, this might be a good time to start thinking about those things. For the first time, I saw real disappointment on Dad's face. He gave me a second chance to make our deal right, and even gave me more deposit slips, saying, "I will take those keys if you miss a single payment or, at the very least, if you don't let me know in advance that you'll have trouble making a payment. _ ." He spoke for about forty-five minutes, and I listened. He didn't expect me to say much, and I knew enough to keep quiet. I just nodded or shook my head at the right time and continued to listen. That time we spent together changed me forever. Then and there, I made a promise to myself that I'd never again be the cause of that look of sadness and disappointment on Dad's face. After that defining afternoon, our relationship got better and better. I'm now married with two sons of my own, and they're already learning about the importance of honor, trust, and honesty.

[{'question': 'The writer bought a second-hand car because _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['he was going to college', 'he was living with some friends', 'he was working while studying', 'his parents wanted to go to San Diego']}, {'question': "Which of the following do you think is the real cause of Dad's disappointment?", 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['The writer had not formed his fundamental values and principles.', 'The writer had not thought clearly about his future.', 'The writer had not made all the payments.', 'The writer had spent too much money drinking in pubs.']}, {'question': "When dealing with the writer's failure to keep his word, his father was _ .", 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['mild but unfair', 'angry but considerate', 'firm but forgiving', 'cruel but reasonable']}, {'question': 'The writer mentions his own marriage and children at the end of the story in order to show _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['his love for his own children', "his father's long-lasting influence", 'his own happy family life', 'his memory of his father']}]

When people talk about Golden Age in Leadville, Horace Austin Warner Tabor and his second wife, Elizabeth McCourt must be included. Their story is becoming one of the legends of the Old West. H.A.W.Tabor was a school teacher in Vermont. With his first wife and two children he left Vermont in 1855 to settle in Kansas. Perhaps he was attracted by rumors of fortunes to be made in Colorado mines. A few years later he moved west to the small Colorado mining camp known as California Gulch, which he later renamed Leadville when he became its leading citizen. "Great deposits of lead are sure to be found here."he said. As it turned out, it was silver, not lead, that was to make Leadville's fortune and wealth. Tabor knew little about mining himself, so he opened a general store selling everything from boots to salt, flour, and tobacco. He often "grubstook" miners, in other words, to supply them with food and supplies, or"grub", while they looked for more. In return he would get a share in the mine if one was discovered. He did this for several years,but nobody he helped ever found anything of value. Finally one day in the year 1878, so the story goes, two miners came in and asked for "grub".Tabor had decided to quit supplying it because he had lost too much money that way. They were persistent, however, and Tabor was too busy to argue with them, " Oh help yourself. One more time won't make any difference," He said and went on selling shoes and hats to other customers. The two miners took $17 worth of supplies, in return for which they gave Tabor a one-third interest in their findings. They picked a barren place on the mountain side and began to dig. After nine days they struck a rich amount of silver. Tabor bought the shares of the other two men, and so the mine belonged to him alone. This mine, known as the "Pittsburgh Mine,"made $300 000 for Tabor in return for his $17 investment. Later Tabor bought the Matchless Mine on another barren hillside just outside the town for $117 000. This turned out to be even more successful than the Pittsburgh, earning $35 000 worth of silver per day at one time. Leadville grew. Tabor became its first mayor.

[{'question': 'According to the passage, why was Tabor able to achieve great success in Leadville?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['His wise decisions helped him achieve goals.', 'He knew miners there were poor.', 'He succeeded quite by accident.', 'His second wife helped him a lot.']}, {'question': 'Tabor renamed the city Leadville when he became its first mayor because _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ["it was the mayor's duty to do so", 'a great storage of lead was found there', 'the city had brought great fortune to Tabor', 'miners were eager to search for lead']}, {'question': 'What maybe talked about in the following part of the story?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ["Tabor's children.", "Tabor's second wife.", "Tabor's first wife.", 'Miners in Leadville.']}]

It's fun to receive presents. It also feels good to give presents to others. So what's the best way to budget your money, shop wisely and spend smartly this holiday season? Time for kids asked for advice from Susan Beacham of Money Savvy Generation, a company that teaches money-management skills to kids. " My first tip is to make a list and check it twice," says Beacham. She suggests that kids talk with their families about whom to include in their gift giving and how much to spend. Start by writing down names, Beacham says. Then put a dollar amount next to each name and add it up. Do you have enough money? If not, make changes. And don't forget---- not everyone needs a store-bought gift. Beacham points out that some of the best presents are free. Add to your list the names of people you want to give gifts of time and talent. Do the match Take the list with you to the store and "make sure that you do the math," says Beacham " If you've spent $ 30 on someone you were going to spent $25 on, you're going to have to spend $5 less on somebody else." The key to budgeting is staying within the boundaries you've set for yourself. Gifts from the heart The best gifts don't cost a thing. Here are some of Beacham's top gifts ideas. *For parents, make coupons that can be trade for your services, such as doing dishes. *For grandma, write a note telling her how special she is to you. *For a friend, create a work of art, like a poem, a drawing or a necklace. *For teachers, bake a delicious cake.

[{'question': "What's the most important thing in budgeting for presents according to Beacham?", 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Spending money within the limit you have set.', 'Working out how much money to spend in total.', 'Deciding how much money to spend on each person.', 'Checking the name list of people you will give presents']}, {'question': "Which of the following is Beacham's gift idea for friends?", 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['Writing a note telling them you love them.', 'Offering to help them with their studies.', 'Bringing them delicious food.', 'Drawing pictures for them']}, {'question': "What's the text mainly about?", 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['How to teach kids money-management skills.', 'How to make plans for giving presents.', 'How to do the math while shopping.', 'How to make gifts from the heart.']}]

Melissa Poe was 9 years old when she began a campaign for a cleaner environment by writing a letter to the then President Bush. Through her on efforts, her letter was reproduced on over 250 donated billboards across the country. The response to her request for help was so huge that Poe established Kids For A Cleaner Environment (Kids F.A.C.E.) in 1989. There are now 300,000 members of Kids F.A.C.E. worldwide and it is the world's largest youth environmental organization. Poe has also asked the National Park Service to carry out a "Children's Forest" project in every national park. In 1992, she was invited one of only six children in the world to speak at the Earth Summit in prefix = st1 /Brazilas part of the Voices of the future Program. In 1993, she was given a Caring Award for her efforts by the Caring Institute. Since the organization started, Kids F.A.C.E. members have distributed and planted over 1 million trees! Ongoing tree-planting projects include Kids' Yards -- the creation of backyard wildlife habitats and now Kids F.A.C.E. is involved in the exciting Odyssey, which is a great way to start helping. "We try to tell kids that it's not OK to be lazy," she explains, "You need to start being a response, environmentally friendly person now, right now, before you become a resource-sucking adult."

[{'question': 'Kids F.A.C.E. is _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['a program to help students with writing', 'a project of litter recycling', 'a campaign launched by President Bush', 'a club of environmental protection']}, {'question': 'What can we learn about Poe?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['She was awarded a prize in Brazil.', 'She donated billboards across the country.', 'She got positive responses for her efforts.', 'She joined the National Park Service.']}, {'question': "Kid's Yards is _ .", 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['established in national park', 'started to protect wildlife', 'a wildlife-raising project', 'an environment park for kids']}]

The man from the west stopped and drew back his arm. "You're not Jimmy Wells," he said in a quick and angry way, "Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough to change a man' nose from a Roman to pug." "It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one," said the tall man, "you've been under arrest for ten minutes. Silky Bob. prefix = st1 /Chicagothinks you may have dropped over our way and phones us she wants to have a word with you. Going quietly, are you? That's sensible. Now before we go to the station here's a note I was asked to hand you. You may read it here at the window. It's from Patrolman Wells.?" The man from the West opened the little piece of paper handed him. His hand was steady when he began to read, but it trembled a little by the time he finished. The note was rather short. Bob: I was at the right place on time. When you struck the match to light your cigar I saw it was the face wanted in Chicago. Somehow I couldn't do it myself, so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job.

[{'question': 'The man from the West must have broken the law _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['in Chicago', 'inNew York', 'in his hometown', 'somewhere else']}, {'question': 'The man from the West recognized the tall man not to be the one he had been waiting for because the tall man _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['had a different accent from his', "had a different nose from his friend's", 'was his another old friend', 'said "Chicagowants to talk with you?"']}, {'question': 'The two men may have walked _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['for ten minutes', 'arm in arm', 'face to face', 'both A and B']}, {'question': 'We can suppose Jim _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['was afraid of the man from the West', 'got another man to help him when necessary', 'had an appointment with Bob 20 years ago', "had something else to do and couldn't come himself"]}]

Teen Dating can be fun if you are aware of its pros and cons and are also aware of the ways to protect yourself. There are a couple of suggestions you would like to know before you are out for dating. Do not go out for dating with somebody whom you have seen only a few times and does not know much about him or her. Before leaving on a date, know the exact plans for the evening and make sure a parent or friend knows these plans and what time to expect you home. Let your date know that you are expected to call or tell that person when you get in. Similarly, if you leave a party with someone you do not know well, make sure you tell another person you are leaving and with whom. Ask a friend to call and make sure you arrive home safely. No matter how good the person appears to you, trust your inner instincts . If a situation makes you uncomfortable, try to stay calm and think of a way to remove yourself from the situation without letting your date realize what is going on in your mind. Be aware of your decreased ability to react under the influence of alcohol or drugs and keep yourself in control when out for a date. Always stay firm, straightforward and clear in your relationships, thoughts, decisions and judgments. Never let a doubt come to your mind or face when out for dating. If you are firm and clear in your communication, your date will always be careful in dealing with you. You should think ahead about ways to be safe if you are in a dangerous or potentially dangerous relationship. Adults, like parents, teachers, counselors, can be trusted in such cases.

[{'question': 'Which of the following is forbidden when dating according to the passage?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Going out for dating with a stranger.', 'Knowing the plan for the evening.', 'Telling your parents about the date.', 'Telling the person you date that your parents know about the date.']}, {'question': 'If you feel uncomfortable, you should NOT _', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['leave as soon as possible', 'tell your date what you are thinking', 'stay calm', 'trust yourself']}, {'question': 'The best title for this passage might be _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['Be careful with your friends', 'Never go out dating', 'Safety measures for teen dating', 'Dating out is always dangerous']}]

A brother and sister have been reunited after more than 60 years, thanks to a letter in the Welwyn and Hatfield Times. For years John Hannant Kept a photograph of his long-lost sister, hoping they would meet again. Margery, the eldest of the three children, had signed up to the Royal Air Force as part of the war effort, when John was still a baby. The family lost touch and as the decade s passed only a single letter gave a clue to her whereabouts. The clue was enough for a WHT reader to recognize Margery and put the family back in touch.. John, 67, had been searching for a long time and a friend suggested writing to the paper. "That's the one that made it, the letter to the paper a few months age," he said. "It's like a dream come true. The last time we ever heard from Margery was in 1953 after the floods. She wrote home to know if we were all right. My sister Dorothy wrote back, But Margery had moved again and never got the letter." Having retired from his job as a gardener at Park House, Mr. Hannat decided to take action once and for all. He and his wife Doreen, travelled to Margery's home in Chelwood Avenue, Hatfield , which she shares with her husband Jack Cooke. Now 88, she was recovering after several months in hospital, but immediately recognized her brother. John said, "It's something that I never thought was going to happen, but I always hoped it would." As well as finding his sister, John has also discovered he now has a nephew, niece and six grandnieces and grandnephews.

[{'question': 'When she wrote to John last time ,Margery was _', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['34 years old', '40 years old', '44years old', '54 years old']}, {'question': "What do we know about Jack Cooke's family?", 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Jack now has a son and a daughter.', 'Jack and his wife live with their children now', "Jack's wife is in good health all the time.", 'Jack lost touch with his family a long time ago.']}, {'question': 'It can be inferred from the passage that _', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['since 1953 Margery has come back home only once.', 'Margery received only one letter from John.', 'Margery does not care about her family.', 'WHT refers to a newspaper.']}]

108 cities in China took part in World Car Free Day on Saturday to promote environmentally-friendly transport and ease increasingly grid-locked city streets.It's a highlight of a nationwide urban public transport week.People were urged to take public transport,ride bikes or walk. To help out,more than 200 new buses took to the streets.And the Beijing Subway laid on 10 more trains for rush hour. A Beijing resident said, "Today is Car Free Day,and I do find the traffic much better and the bus can go much faster." Another resident said,"I spent only half an hour to go to work.It took me twice as long before. And I can find seat on the bus today." But in some areas not signed up for traffic control,endless lines of cars can still be seen. Some people say they just can't do without their cars. Another Beijing resident said,"Some people are willing to give up driving,but on certain days when I have to take my child to school or weekend classes,the public transport is so bad that I can't do it without a car." But the concept of"green"traffic is catching on .People say they believe it's the first and honest step in facing the serious traffic and environmental problems. A driver said,"The Car Free Day has a very important symbolic meaning.It does not mean that we must give up cars.It is to promote a concept,to encourage more people to contribute to the protection of the environment." The Ministry of Construction calculates"Car Free Day"will cut 3000 tons of emissions and save 33 million liters of gasoline.And it's planning more frequent activities to raise public consciousness of energy conservation and environmental protection.

[{'question': 'The best title of the passage is possibly"_".', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Private cars are banned in cities', 'Car Free Day pushes"green"transport', "Residents can't do without cars", 'Residents should ride bikes on Car Free Day']}, {'question': 'Car Free Day will bring the following benefits except_.', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['saving quite a lot of energy', 'environmental protection', 'improving road traffic', 'facing more serious traffic problems']}, {'question': "What do you think is possibly the author's attitude towards the Car Free Day?", 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Positive.', 'Negative.', 'Passive', 'Critical.']}]

BERLIN(AP)--A tiger escaped its enclosure at Cologne Zoo in western Germany on Saturday and killed a female keeper before being shot dead by the zoo's director,police said. The tiger slipped through a passage between the enclosure and a neighboring storage building,where it fatally attacked the 43yearold keeper,said police spokesman Stefan Kirchner. "It appears the gate wasn't properly shut," Kirchner told the Associated Press. The zoo was evacuated and a SWAT team was called in,police said.But before it arrived the zoo's director managed to kill the tiger by climbing onto the storage building and shooting it through a skylight using a rifle. Kirchner said it was unlikely that members of the public had witnessed the incident."This is the darkest day of my life," the zoo's director,Theo Pagel,was quoted as saying by Cologne newspaper Express. The paper said on its website that the Siberian tiger was a 4yearold male called Tltai that came to Cologne Zoo from an animal park in England.In November it fathered three cubs with a 7yearold Siberian tiger called Hanya,according to the zoo's website. Police said the zoo reopened after Saturday's incident,which occurred around noon.However,a planned latenight opening of the zoo has been canceled. Cologne Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in Germany.It was founded in 1860 and houses some 10,000 animals comprising more than 700 different species.

[{'question': 'Which of the following can be the best title of the news text?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Tiger Escaped,Killed a Keeper in German Zoo', 'Tiger Escaped in German Zoo,Shot Dead', 'German Zoo Keeper Shot Escaped Tiger', 'People Killed in One of the Oldest Zoos in Germany']}, {'question': 'According to the police,what was the direct reason for the incident?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['The zoo keeper was a new hand.', 'A gate was not closed appropriately.', 'The zoo had neglected the secret passage.', 'It was very dark when the incident happened.']}, {'question': 'What did the zoo do after the incident?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['They honored the killed person in a way.', 'They paid SWAT for their timely help.', "They returned the tiger's three cubs to England.", 'They called off the latenight opening.']}, {'question': 'What can we learn about the Cologne Zoo?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['It keeps a large variety of species.', 'It is one of the largest zoos in Germany.', 'It has a history of more than 700 years.', 'No such incident has happened before.']}]

Mary Master man, a senior at West Moore High School in prefix = st1 /Oklahoma City, was named the winner Tuesday of the annual Intel Science Talent Search. More than 1,700 high school seniors across the nation entered the competition, which is in its 66th year. Spectrographs, which measure wave lengths, are used in research such as astronomy and medicine and in industry. For example, they can be used as a sensing equipment to look for explosives or drugs or to help determine how old an art work is through its powders. They can cost as much as $100,000, but Masterman's invention--made of lenses, a laser, aluminum tubing and a camera--cost less than $1,000, Intel said. Masterman received the honor from Intel Corp. Chairman Craig Barrett during a banquet Tuesday night inWashington. "It was a complete surprise," Masterman said. "I wasn't expecting it." Masterman said she has been interested in science ever since she was little. She couldn't remember ever not being interested. _ She said she has not decided where she will attend college but would eventually like to become a physicist or chemist. Among the former winners of the competitions top award are six Nobel Laureates , three National Medal of Science winners, 10 MacArthur Foundation Fellows and two Fields Medalists. "You're not only dealing with the top young person in the science field in the country in Mary, but you're dealing with 40 finalists who are doing breaking--edge research in total," said Brenda Musilli, Intel's director of education. "It's really something that's hard to imagine, how a young person like Mary could even achieve this level of capability at such a young age."

[{'question': 'What is probably the best title for the passage?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['Senior challenges Nobel prize.', 'Masterman invents a sensing equipment.', 'Teen wins $100,000 science scholarship.', 'Spectrograph recognizes the "fingerprints".']}, {'question': 'According to the passage, Masterman received the honor because', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['the spectrograph she invents can be used to look for drugs', "Masterman's invention is made of lenses, a laser, and a camera", 'Masterman has shown great interest in science since she was young.', 'the spectrograph she invents costs much less as well as its high quality']}, {'question': 'Which of the following statements is NOT true?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['The competition attracts national talents to attend', 'Masterman was sure to win before the contest.', 'Intel Science Talent Search is held every year.', 'Spectrographs can be widely used in many fields.']}]

Students usually have two long holidays a year, but have you heard elephants have holidays? The Indian elephants from a temple are sent on a north-long holiday with massages and baths to relax. The 64 elephants will be fed with a lot of food, enough for them to put on 700~800 pounds. A temple veterinarian said that those Indian elephants would be treated after spending a month walking on roads, living on leaves and bananas and giving shows during lots of temple festivals. Their daily diet includes special rice and other special food, which are very _ and can make them healthy and strong. All of these are made by professional people. This treatment will also calm them down ahead of a busy work schedule in upcoming events later in the year where they are the main attractions. The special holiday has cost the temple aboutPS12,500, but extra money is ready for being used to treat the animals. Indians believe that doing something good to elephants can help them get wisdom and power. Having elephants is a traditional symbol of honor for temples across southern India. All temples, however, never buy their elephants. The elephants were donated by people.

[{'question': 'The Indian elephants can have a _ holiday.', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ["day's", "week's", "month's", "year's"]}, {'question': 'The elephants can do the following during their holiday EXCEPT _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['eating delicious food', 'giving performances', 'taking a shower', 'having a massage']}, {'question': 'People give these elephants a special holiday in order to _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['save a lot of money', 'make friends with them', 'make their temples famous', 'make them get ready for the coming work.']}]

If you want to live longer and lower the risk of heart disease, a move to the mountains may help. Research by scientists in Greece shows that living in the mountains is good for the heart and longevity . People living at higher altitude have lower possibility of dying from heart disease than those closer to sea level, even if they have factors that could increase their risk. "Residence in mountainous areas seems to have a 'protective effect' from heart disease," said Dr Nikos Baibas of the University of Athens. He and his colleagues suspect that the increased exercise from walking up mountainous area gives the heart a good workout and enables it to cope with lower levels of oxygen. Researchers studied the health records and death rates of 1,150 Greeks who lived in three villages near Athens over 15 years. One village was 1,000 meters above sea level and the other two were in low-lying areas. Although men and women living in the mountainous village had higher blood pressure rates and other risk factors than people in the other villages, they had a lower rate of death from heart disease and other causes after a fifteen year follow-up." The contrast was more evident among men than among women," Baibas added in a report in theJournal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Heart disease is one of the world's top killers. Smoking, high blood pressure, raised cholesterol levels, being overweight and a family history of the illness increase the possibility of developing the disease.

[{'question': 'The first sentence in the passage is used to _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['give a very good guessing', 'tell readers what the passage focuses on', 'warn people of the risk of heart disease', 'name a new unknown illness']}, {'question': 'According to the passage, a person _ may have less possibility of having heart attack.', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['from higher altitude', 'with a better living habit', 'with more money', 'in a happier mood']}, {'question': 'How long does the research of the Greeks last?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['At most 10 years.', 'Not mentioned.', 'More than 20 years.', 'About 15 years.']}, {'question': 'Apart from altitude, how many factors raise the chance of developing heart disease?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['three', 'four', 'five', 'six']}]

The ancient whistled language of the small island of La Gomera, off the coast of Africa, is about to disappear because of new technology and globalization. Now, a web company has taken on the task of saving the language by marrying history with technology. Silbo Gomero, a language used only on La Gomera Island, sounds to the untrained ear like few other known languages. The sounds that make up this language are made by whistling, rather than by speaking. The language was brought to the island by African setters many centuries ago. To communicate among the _ populated inland hills and valleys, shepherds had to use the whistled language, which could be heard and understood over distances of up to eight kilometers, compared to about 200 meters for a spoken word. With the development of new technologies like the cellphone, the number of Silbo Gomero whistlers has declined to around 1,000. Many of the older generation of islanders fear the language, which they consider to be a cultural symbol, may become extinct. To save Silbo Gomero, Busuu.com, a website based in Madrid, has launched a movement to teach Internet users worldwide to communicate using the language's unique whistles. "We really like the whole story of Silbo Gomero because it is really a fun language, " said Bernard Niesner, the company's co-founder. Niesner says one of the founding principles of the website was to promote learning languages in danger of extinction. "If Busuu.com really works out like we think, it would be an amazing tool for language learning all over the world," Niesner said. "The name of our website itself comes from Busuu, a language that is spoken by only eight people."

[{'question': 'Compared to other languages, Silbo Gomero is special because it _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['has a very long story.', 'was once very popular in Africa.', "doesn't use sounds", 'is spoken by whistling']}, {'question': 'In order to protect Silbo Gomero, Busuu.com _', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['teaches it on the Internet', 'attracts people to visit La Gomero Island', 'raises money to support students from La Gomero Island', 'translates stories about it into other languages.']}, {'question': 'What would be the best title for the passage?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['Africa suffers from new technology.', 'Niesner and his website.', 'Web company helps to save an ancient language.', 'Silbo Gomero, a fun language.']}]

When we look at the sky and see a bright light moving quickly across it or coming towards the earth, we talk about seeing a "shooting star" or a "falling star". These moving lights are not, in fact, stars at all. They are small pieces of matter from outer space, which burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere. The correct name of them is meteoroids. Any pieces that make it to the Earth's surface without completely burning up are known as meteorites. A meteor is actually the name given to the light we see when a meteoroid is burning up. When a meteorite hits the Earth at speeds between 11 and 72 kilometers a second, it can do amazing damage. A very large meteorite could knock the earth out of its orbit. If this happened, all life on Earth would probably become extinct . The path we follow around the Sun would change and as a result the Earth would become either much hotter or much colder. This change in temperature would affect sea levels and the amount of water in rivers. There would either be huge floods, which would cover most of the land with water, or the oceans would dry up and there would be a drought, which means a long period of time without rain. Either way, nothing could survive. If a large meteorite landed in the sea it would almost certainly cause tsunamis, which would race towards the land, destroying everything in their paths. Although it is unlikely the Earth will be struck by a meteorite large enough to do that kind of damage, there is evidence of fairly large meteorites hitting the Earth in the past. In 1908 a large area of forest in Tunguska, Siberia was destroyed by a meteorite that came apart just before it hit the ground. The moon, however, has about three billion craterscaused by meteorites impacting its surface. The reason more meteorites have reached the surface of the moon than the surface of the Earth is that the moon does not have enough atmosphere for the meteorites to burn up in. some of the meteorites that have reached the Earth's surface have done considerable damage. Some scientists believe it was a change of climate caused by meteorites hitting the Earth that resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs and other large prehistoric animals. Scientists are especially interested in meteorites because they contain information about the solar system. It is widely believed by scientists that most meteorites are produced by collisions between asteroids (small planets). These collisions probably happened many billions of years ago. This means the physical and chemical structure of a meteorite can give scientists information about the early days of the universe.

[{'question': 'The story is about _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['floods caused by meteors', 'matter from outer space', 'life on Earth millions of years ago', 'meteorites that have damaged the moon']}, {'question': 'The Earth has _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['three billion craters', 'fewer craters than the moon', 'more craters than the moon', 'a thinner atmosphere than the moon']}, {'question': 'Some scientists believe the dinosaurs became extinct because _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['they were hit by meteors', 'meteorites landed on their nests', 'meteorites landed and changed the climate', 'they could no longer breathe the atmosphere']}, {'question': 'Meteors are _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['small planets', 'the same as asteroids', 'from broken parts of asteroids', 'the light we see when meteoroids hit our atmosphere']}]

Jack Benny was one of the most famous names in show business.He was born in Chicago,Illinois,on February 14th,1894.His parents,Meyer and Emma Kubelsky,were religious Jews.They had moved to the United States from Eastern Europe.Benny was a quiet boy.For much of the time,his parents were busy working in his father's store.As a child,Benny learned to play the violin.After finishing his school,he joined the Navy.He continued using his violin to perform for sailors.In one show he was chosen more for his funny jokes than for his skill with the violin.That experience made him believe that his future job was a comedian. Benny developed a show personality that had all the qualities people dislike.He was known for being so _ --he refused to spend any money unless forced to do so.On his shows Benny often spoke of his appearance,especially his baby blue eyes.As he grew older,he always claimed to be 39 years old.Benny rarely made jokes that hurt other people.Instead,he would let the other actors on the show tell jokes about him. In real life,he was very giving and he was a person people liked having as their employer.Benny entered the new media of television in 1950.Five years later,he dropped his radio programme to spend more time developing his television show.At first his appearances on television were rare.By 1960 the Benny Show was a weekly television programme.It continued until 1965.Benny appeared in about twenty films during his life.A few became popular.But most were not.In 1963 Benny returned to Broadway for the first time since 1931. Benny received many awards during his lifetime.Perhaps the one honour that pleased him most was that his hometown of Waukeegan named a school for him.This was a special honour for a man who had never finished high school. Benny continued to perform.He died of cancer in 1974.At his funeral his friend Bob Hope said,"Jack Benny was stingy to the end.He gave us only eighty years."

[{'question': 'Benny was determined to be a comedian after he _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['left high school', 'joined the Navy', 'performed in a show for the sailors', 'left the Navy for Broadway']}, {'question': "According to the text,on Benny's shows,he _ .", 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['developed a good personality', 'played the violin skillfully', 'often referred to his appearance', 'said funny things that hurt others']}, {'question': 'Which of the following statements is TRUE about Benny?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['He did a good job in show business.', 'His first appearance on TV was very successful.', 'Most of his films became wellknown to Americans.', 'He treated all his awards as nothing.']}]

If you're among the millions of Americans packing their vacation bags for summer trips,don't forget,however, that as soon as you step off the plane,you're expected to follow that country's laws.We took a look at one of the top countries Americans are most likely to visit and what might happen if you got caught. prefix = st1 /Mexico Smoking marijuana:If police find you smoking a cigarette which contains marijuana,they will most likely _ you overnight and you will get a fine. Carrying a firearm:You might be able to walk around with a gun in Texas,but that isn't so in Mexico,so leave your gun behind.If you wish to go hunting in Mexico.you can apply for a gun permit but expect to be charged $5,000.If you are caught bringing a firearm,Mexican policeman may take away your car and arrest you.An arrested American may spend months in prison while his or her case is being looked into. Driving 70 mph on the highway:Speed limits are on the lower side.Depending on what type of highway you're driving on,you shouldn't go faster than 62 mph.The police enforce the speed limit,but most local police don't have radars.The maximum fine for speeding is about $40.To scare tourists into paying the fine "on the spot",sometimes police will threaten to keep your driver's license.This is illegal, so call them on it.

[{'question': 'When the travelers are in Mexico,they should NOT_.', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['smoke the cigarettes', 'hunt the animals without the permit', 'carry a gun even if you have permit', 'drive more than 50 mph on the highway']}, {'question': 'Which of the following statements is NOT true?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['The laws in America are different from the ones in Mexico.', 'People will be fined if they smoke marijuana.', 'People will be arrested if they are caught bringing a gun.', "The police in Mexicohave right to keep the drivers' license"]}, {'question': 'If the travelers want to drive in Mexico, they should_.', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['drive on the lower side of the street', 'keep an eye out on the radars', 'limit their car speed', 'pay the fine on the spot']}, {'question': 'What can we know from the passage?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Different countries have different regulations.', 'Different countries have the same regulations.', 'Americans like to visit other countries.', "Mexico police aren't friendly."]}]

Ad.1 West High School Bake Sale Come and support our band and buy some delicious baked goods! Friday, September 20th, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. In the hall by the office after school Cookies: 25 cents each or 5 for $1 Brownies: 50 cents each or 3 for $1.25 Cake by the slice: $1 Whole cakes: $8 Proceeds go toward sending our band to Nationals. Ad.2 SHIPPING AND HANDLING CHARGES Ups or U.S. Parcel Post are the standard methods for continental U.S. shipments. ORDER TOTAL GROUND EXPEDITED GROUND 9-12 working days 4-5 working days $0.00 to $30.00 $4.50 $5.50 $30.01 to $60.00 $7.25 $8.25 $60.01 to $100.00 $9.50 $10.50 $100.01 to $200.00 $11.50 $12.50 Add $7.00 to Ground Rates for 3 Days.

[{'question': 'How much money can you save if you buy 3 brownies?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['50 cents.', '1.25 dollars.', '75 cents.', '25 cents.']}, {'question': 'Which of the following gives you the most for your money if you buy the baked goods?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['4 cookies.', '5 cookies.', '2 brownies', 'One slice of cake.']}, {'question': 'If you wish to receive an order totaling $90.00 within 3 days, how much would the shipping cost?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['$10.50.', '$15.00.', '$16.50.', '$26.50.']}, {'question': 'How much should you pay for an order totaling $50 for the expedited ground ?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['$1', '$7.25', '$8.25', '$15.5']}]

Are you hard-working? Do you like to meet people? If your answer is "Yes", then we have a job for you as a waiter. Call AL Hotel at 556779! (2) SUMMER JOB Do you like to talk with people? Do you like to write stories? If you want to work for our magazine as a reporter, please call Karen at 558366. (3) HELP WANTED Do you like babies? Can you look after one baby for two days? If you are sure to take food care of it, call us at 766588. $80 or more. Today! Hurry! (4)CLEANER WANTED Can you make a large house clean and tidy? If you hope to get the job paid at $20 once, call us this evening 18:00-20:00. Tel:633800

[{'question': 'The above job ads are probably from a _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['newspaper', 'story book', 'TV show', 'radio program']}, {'question': 'If you like children and have two days free, you can call at _ for a job.', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['766588', '633800', '556779', '558366']}, {'question': '_ are needed in AL Hotel.', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['Cleaners', 'Baby-sitters', 'Reporters', 'Waiters']}]

Most people believe they don't have imagination. They are wrong. Everyone has imagination, but most of us,once we became adults, forget how to access it. Creativity isn't always connected with great works of art or ideas. People at work and in their free time routinely think of creative ways to solve problems. Maybe you have a goal to achieve,a tricky question to answer or you just want to expand your mind! Here are three techniques to help you. This technique involves taking unrelated ideas and trying to find links between them. First,think about the problem you have to solve or the job you need to do. Then find an image,word,idea or object,for example,a candle. Write down all the ideas/words associated with candles:light,fire,matches, wax,night,silence,etc. Think of as many as you can. The next stage is to relate the ideas to the job you have to do. So imagine you want to buy a friend an original present; you could buy him tickets to a match or take him out for the night. Imagine that normal limitations don't exist. You have as much time/space/money,etc. as you want. Think about your goal and the new possibilities. If,for example,your goal is to learn to ski, you can now practice skiing every day of your life (because you have the time and the money). Now adapt this to reality. Maybe you can practice skiing every day in December,or every Monday in January. Look at the situation from a different point of view. Good negotiators use this technique in business,and so do writers. Fiction writers often imagine they are the characters in their books. They ask questions: what does this character want? Why can't she get it? What changes must she make to get what she wants? What does she dream about? If your goal involves other people, put yourself "in their shoes". The best fishermen think like fish!

[{'question': 'According to the passage, when we become adults, _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['most of us are no longer creative', 'we can still learn to be more creative', 'we are not as imaginative as children', 'we are unwilling to be creative']}, {'question': 'The second technique suggests that you just imagine', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['setting a goal is as simple as skiing', 'new possibilities will soon appear', 'December and January are the best months for skiing.', 'you have every resource to achieve your goal']}, {'question': 'We learn from the third technique that a good salesman should ask himself " _ ?".', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['what do I usually do', 'what did my boss tell me to do', "what are my customers' needs", 'how should I sell my products']}]

Among professional basketball players,Jeremy Lin's background is not typical.He graduated from Harvard University,which sends few players to the NBA,and he is the only ChineseAmerican NBA player.But when you watch him on the court,there is no doubt that he belongs there.He moves with speed and grace that show years of faithful practice,which is fueled by a love for basketball. The Family Effect Lin's enjoyment of basketball actually began in Taiwan,where his father started watching it.Lin's father moved to U.S.,and his interest in the sport only grew.He passed on this love of basketball to his son,introducing him to the game at the age of five.The young Lin spent much of his youth playing basketball for fun.After each game,his parents would discuss not only his score but also his conduct toward other players.This taught Lin that character was more important than playing well,a lesson he still remembers. Rise of a Star In high school,Lin dreamed of playing in the NBA but did not really expect to do so.When he applied for college,he was not offered a single sports scholarship.However,after his admission to Harvard,he was offered a place on its college basketball team.During Lin's time at Harvard,his basketball career began to take off.He scored 1,482 points,making him one of the highest scorers in Ivy League history.Eventually,the recognition he received led him to suspect that his NBA dream could come true. When he first graduated,no professional teams offered Lin a contract ,but he was invited to play in the NBA Summer League.He played well and ended up eagerly signing a contract with the Golden State Warriors. Life in the NBA His journey in NBA did not go very well at first.He spent most of his time on the bench during the past two seasons.He constantly compared himself to other players and gave himself no time to rest up.For the first time in his life,he no longer enjoyed playing basketball.After a few very difficult months,he realized that much of his anxiety and stress came from selfcentered desires like wanting to be famous.So he transformed his attitude.He never stopped practicing and never gave up any slim chance. Now he has become the NBA's latest phenomenon after leading the New York Knicks to seven straight wins.He _ and thinks that the credit for the winning goes to everyone in his team.Knicks fans developed nicknames for him,such as "Linsanity","Lincredible",and "Linderella".The Associated Press called Lin "the most surprising story in the NBA".

[{'question': 'What can we learn from Jeremy Lin?', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Hard work brings success.', "We must have a father like Jeremy's.", 'A good university can help us realize our dreams.', 'Team honour is more important than our own success.']}, {'question': 'What is the best title for the text?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['What Is Next for Jeremy Lin?', "Jeremy Lin's Tips for Success", 'Following Dreams and Finding Joy', 'Six NBA Teams Eyeing Jeremy Lin']}]

Claressa was getting ready for a fight. She had boxed many times before. But this time, the prizes were higher than ever. If she won this fight, Claressa would win a spot on the US Olympic Women's Boxing Team. The fight was difficult. Claressa was up against a two-time US champion. "Her whole game plan was to hold me against the ropes so I wouldn't hit her,"says Claressa. Claressa didn't give up. She won the fight. And that wasn't all. She also won the title of outstanding fighter for the whole tournament! Claressa, now 17, started boxing when she was just 11. She was inspired by her dad. He had been a fighter when he was younger. But when she first told her dad that she wanted to box, he didn't support her. "He told me, 'No! No! Boxing is a man's sport,'" Claressa remembers. "It made me so mad." Claressa wouldn't back down. "I wanted to fight. I knew that whatever I put my heart and my work into, I was going to be successful at it," she says. Finally, her dad took her to the boxing gym to start training. She was the only girl. "Everybody was looking at me," she says. Claressa didn't worry about fitting in. She just did her best. Claressa now has a boxing record of 23 wins and zero losses. "I think you're awesome," her dad told her not long ago. He's proud that she proved him wrong."I'm still proving people wrong," says Claressa. Boxing can be dangerous. How does Claressa feel when she steps into the ring? "I'm not nervous," she says. "I'm determined and calm." She knows it's important to stay confident. "I've never gotten into the ring thinking that a girl can beat me," she adds. But Claressa takes the competition seriously. "I always tell myself it's going to be harder than I think," she says. "I fight them all like they are world champions. If I think it's going to be easy, I'm done!" We asked Claressa to imagine stepping into the ring at the Olympics. Would it feel any different from her other fights? "No," she says. "Just a fight. Just another girl in my way."

[{'question': 'Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Claressa was sure to be like a boy in character.', 'Claressa had some trouble persuading her father.', "Claressa's father did well in boxing competitions.", "Claressa's father loved her and was afraid to hurt her."]}, {'question': 'The passage is mainly about _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['a valuable competition of Claressa', "the background of Claressa's career", "the process to Claressa's success", "Claressa's promising boxing career"]}]

My sister Grace Halloran spent most of her teen years in and out of the juvenile institutions for minor offenses but, at 18 she was sent to prison for stealing a car. After three years behind the bars, she was released. Only a few years later, she was given a sentence far worse--she had an incurable and progressive disorder and would be totally blind. Meanwhile, Grace was also happily pregnant but terrified she would never see her child's face. She believed she would succeed as a mother, although "success" had never been in her vocabulary before. She managed well despite fading vision. For years she kept consulting specialists about her eye problems, only to be told that her son would also be blind by the time he was a teenager. She swore to find something, anything, to prevent him from facing her fate. When conventional medicine offered no hope, Grace began a personal _ . She entered a local college. The office for disabled students had her reading assignments put on cassette tapes so that she could listen and learn. She began studying anatomy, physiology and other health sciences. Everyone knowing her was astonished at her persistence to educate herself, restore her vision and keep focused on raising a son who would have perfect eyesight. Eventually Grace's own way worked and she earned the PhD. in Holistic Health for her successful work in improving serious eye disorder. Her eyesight slowly improved so much that she was able to qualify for a driving license. Even better, her son had perfect vision and was accepted into the Air Force.

[{'question': 'From the passage we can know that Grace used to be _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['aggressive', 'troublesome', 'ignorant', 'competitive']}, {'question': 'How did Grace regain her eyesight?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['By following the treatment from specialists.', 'By just trying what was taught in the local college.', 'By practicing the principles sought by herself.', 'By adopting the experience from other patients.']}]

Mary went out at night. She never forgot the night when she met a robber many years ago. That evening, she was invited to a birthday party which lasted until two o'clock in the morning. Without company Mary walked along the quiet street. Suddenly from the shadow of a dark building a tall man with a sharp knife in his right hand ran out at her. "Good evening, lady," the man said in a low voice, "I don't think you wish to die here." "What do you want?" Mary asked. "Your earrings .Take them off!" Slowly Mary's eyes looked down. She tried to cover her necklace with the collar of her overcoat while she used the other hand to take off both of her earrings, and then she quickly threw them on the ground. "Take them and let me go." she said. The robber looked at her only feeling uncertain. He saw the girl didn't care for the earrings at all, only trying to protect the necklace. He realized the necklace would cost more. So he said, "Give me your necklace." "Oh, sir. It's not worth much. Please let me keep it." "Stop rubbish. Quick!" With shaky hands, Mary took off her necklace. As soon as the robber disappeared, she picked up her earrings and ran as fast as she could to one of her friends. The earrings cost 480 pounds and the necklace the robber had taken away cost only six pounds ten shillings.

[{'question': 'Mary never forgot that night because _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['she was robbed of her necklace', 'she was robbed, but she fooled the robber', 'she had a good time at the party', 'she lost her earrings']}, {'question': 'The party _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ["didn't end at two", 'ended before two', 'lasted two hours', 'was over at two']}, {'question': 'She tried to protect the necklace because _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ["she didn't want to lose it", 'it was more important', 'she liked it better than earrings', 'she would rather have the necklace lost']}, {'question': 'The story tells us that she was a _ girl.', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['clever and brave', 'clever and beautiful', 'brave and careful', 'clever and careful']}]

My description of a hero is a person who _ his all for others. A person who puts others before himself.A person who does ordinary things, not because they have to, but because they want to. So I got to think who are my heroes? Several people came to mind. But there was one that really stuck out in my mind. I guess I really thought about it, but this man really is my hero. This man is my dad. I know,we all think our dads are our heroes. But the truth is, I really can't ever remenber thinking of my dad really as a hero. I am sure that I have said that he was. But I an not sure if I ever really thought about in terms of what is a hero?I mean he never saved anyone's life. He never fought in a war. He never invented anything to make life easier for others. But as I thought of his qualities. I found myself saying yes, he is a hero. My dad is like other dads. He worked hard to provide for his family. He made sure that the bills were paid . He made sure that there was money to buy food, and clothes for his family.But that is what Daddys are supposed to do. So that doesn't really make him a hero. It just means that he is a man who wants the best for his family, even if that means he has to go without. In my eyes what makes my dad a hero is his faith. My dad is a man who has a very deep belief in his faith. He has put a good life before us his children.

[{'question': 'The writer believes his father is a hero because _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ["his father saved people's lives", 'he fought in a war bravely', 'he invented something to make life easier for others', 'he does ordinary things that he wants to do for families.']}, {'question': "We can infer from the text, heroes in the writer's eyes _ .", 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['must be great man', 'can be ordinary people', 'must be famous', 'must be our fathers']}]

Artie Shaw was born in New York City in 1910. His name was Arthur Arshawsky. His parents were poor immigrants who had come to the United States from Eastern Europe. His family later moved to New Haven, Connecticut. At the age of fourteen, he began to play the saxophone and then the clarinet. From a very young age, Artie Shaw wanted to play his clarinet better than anyone. He wanted his sound and music to be perfect. He worked at this task much of his life. He began working as a professional musician when he was fifteen. He left home and began playing in bands across the United States. In 1928, young Artie Shaw traveled to Chicago, Illinois to hear the great trumpet player, Louis Armstrong. He immediately understood that Armstrong's great jazz sound was the beginning of something new and exciting. Artie left Chicago with a growing interest in jazz music. Soon after, he moved to New York City. He got work playing the clarinet for the Columbia Broadcast System radio network. In 1936, he was given a chance to form a small group and play at New York's famous Imperial Theater on Broadway. His group was not the top band in the show. But the crowd loved his music. This proved to be a major step in his career. Artie Shaw was always trying something new, something different. He heard a young black woman sing and hired her for his band. This was the first time that a black woman sang with white musicians. Racial separation was the rule in many states. Artie Shaw did not care. Artie Shaw wrote several books in his later years. He wrote stories for magazines. He spoke about music at colleges and universities. But he had very little to do with the world of recording or music. During those years however, he received many awards and honors for his music. These included a Hall of Fame award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

[{'question': 'When he was very young, Artie Shaw was _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['born to a wealthy family', 'a famous singer', 'a man with a great dream', 'was in love with music when he was a baby']}, {'question': 'To achieve his music dream, Artie Shaw _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['first began to play the clarinet', 'wanted to be the most famous musician around the world', 'began playing in bands across the United States', 'became a famous musician when he was fifteen']}, {'question': 'When Artie Shaw became an adult, _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['he showed a growing interest in jazz music', 'he worked for Columbia Broadcast System radio network as a singer', 'he formed a small band when he was twenty three', 'he thought that racial separation should be the rule of the society']}, {'question': 'In his later years, Artie Shaw _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['almost stopped playing music', 'worked for a magazine as an professional writer', 'he made many speeches about his life at colleges', 'he received many awards and honors for his books']}, {'question': 'Which one can be the title of the passage?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ["Artie Shaw's Life Stories", 'Artie Shaw -- A Crazy Musician', 'Artie Shaw -- A Great Writer', "Artie Shaw's Music Life"]}]

"It was cool,because I got a chance to be in a studio and see how a record is made,"says 14-year-old Javon Martin,who joined the music clubhouse 3 years ago."It has impacted my life in a big way. People are actually starting to see me as an artist."Ten-year-old Akheylah Hunter didn't play an instrument when she became a club member last year. Now,she plays piano and sings with the band. What she likes best,she says,is performing."We performed in different places,"she says."We go on trips and it is fun." Since the Music Clubhouse opened three years ago,it's served almost 500 kids.Aggeler says performing in front of different audiences helps the young musicians build self-esteem.Coming to the club to prepare for those performances helps them learn how to deal with their personal problems and concerns. "I can see what it does for them and it just develops confidence,"he explains."It's also an escape from the big problems we have in the neighborhood. So whether they feel embarrassed about a zit on their face,or they feel embarrassed because they're not as tall as somebody,they can rap about it and let it out a little bit." To expand the club and help more kids learn music,Aggeler sought the support of the community. The Berklee College of Music and local music stores have provided free equipment. The club has also gotten support from the Music and Youth Initiative,a nonprofit that develops after school music education programs in underserved communities in Massachusetts. All these have made it possible to provide kids who may not have the means to get private music lessons the opportunity to still learn music and get all the benefits that music education brings."

[{'question': 'Which of the following was NOT mentioned as a benefit of joining the club?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['Helping the youngsters to build self-confidence.', 'Helping its members escape from problems.', 'Learning to deal with personal problems.', 'Learning to get help from nonprofit groups.']}, {'question': "What is Mr.Aggeler's possible post?", 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['An organizer of the club.', 'A conductor of the band.', 'An expert in child problems.', 'A parent of one of the children.']}, {'question': 'What does the writer intend the passage to be?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['An advertisement for a club.', 'A promotion of some non-profit groups.', 'An introduction of a music club for children.', "A try to call for attention on children's needs."]}, {'question': 'Which of the following might NOT be included in activities of the club?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['Putting on performances.', 'Making records.', 'Traveling to different places.', 'Giving private music lessons.']}]

Talking plants might sound like characters in a fairy tale. But recent scientific studies have shown that plants communicate with each other and with other living things in a surprising number of ways. To understand them, scientists say, we just have to learn their language. Farmers are especially interested in what plants have to say. "Plants are able to communicate with all sorts of organisms . They can communicate with giant bacteria, with other plants and with insects. They do this chemically," said Cahill, an Ecology Professor of the University of Alberta in Canada. Plant scientists are just beginning to understand this chemical "language". Cahill says studies have shown, for example, that plants can evaluate conditions in their immediate environment and take appropriate actions. Plants have an ability, for example, to signal pain or discomfort caused by anything from temperature extremes to an insect attack. Jack Schultz, a professor of chemical ecology at the University of Missouri, says when a plant senses that it's being eaten, it cannot walk away from trouble; on the contrary, it will release a chemical vapor that _ other plants nearby. "Their language is a chemical language, and it involves chemicals that move through the air that are easy to be changeable, and most of all are smells that we are familiar with," Schultz explained. "All plants responded to the attack by changing their chemistry to defend themselves," Schultz recalled. "But we were quite surprised to find that nearby plants also changed their chemistry to defend themselves, even though they were not part of the experiment." Studies have also shown that plants under attack release pleasant chemicals. Those chemicals attract friendly insects that attack the pests eating the plant. In the end, plants' ability to communicate their needs--and our ability to understand them--could help farmers reduce the use of poisonous chemicals, cut operating costs and limit damage to the environment.

[{'question': 'The recent scientific studies have shown that plants can _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['communicate with other living things in a chemical way', 'hardly react to any sudden change in temperature', 'use a very special chemica1 language which is familiar to us', 'respond to the attack by giving off poisonous chemicals']}, {'question': 'When being eaten by an insect, the plant will _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['walk away from trouble', 'change its chemistry to kill the insect', 'release a chemical vapor to "ask" other plants for help', 'give off nice chemicals to attract friendly insects killing the pest']}, {'question': 'Which would be the best title for the passage?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['Communication between Plants', 'A Chemical "Language"', 'Plants Can Talk', 'How Plants Protect Themselves']}]

In today's throw away society, dealing with the city's growing mountain of waste is an inereasing challenge for the city countil . Recently. Edinburgh is faced with the problem of dssposing of about250,000 Million tons of waster a year . Despite different ways to dispose of much of it in a green manner---largely through encouraging tecycling---its aging facilities such as the Powderhall landfill do not have the ability to deal with it. The European Union(EU) has issued a new policy, regulating how such mountains of waster are to hr disposed of. The five councils (Edinburgh. East Lothian. West Lothian. Midlethian and Borders) face fine around $18million a year from 2013 it they don't inerease recycling levels and rely less on landfill. With this in mind, the coumlls got together with the idea of building a lage incinerator plant to burn half of the waste produced in their districts. But the plan fell apart after the change of target levels by a new UK government waste policy which required that no more than 25% of the city's waste should be disposed of in this way by 2025. After the plan was abandoned, a private company which already transported millions of tons of the city's wast by train to a landfill site near Dunbar, offered an alternative soution when it suggested opening a huge waste site near Portobello. Since Powderhall is supposed to close in 2015, it seemed necessary for the members of the Edinburgh Council to accept the suggestion. But soon they turned it down--after 700 local objections reached them--because it would have meant hundreds of lorries a day making loud noise through heavily populated areas. That still leaves eth council with a problem. By 2013,only50%of 1995 levels of waste will benllewed to be sent to landfill. Even if recveling large are met, there will still be a large amount of rubbish to be burnt up. Due build an Edinburgh and Midlothian councils have now decided to work together to build an ineinerator plant as time to find a solution is fast running out.

[{'question': 'The main way of handling waste in a green manmer in Edinburgh is_.', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['recyeling', 'restoring', 'burying', 'burning']}, {'question': 'The five councils worked out a plan to build an incinerator plant to_.', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['reduce the roast of burying waste', 'meets the EU requirements', 'speed up waste recycling', 'tempter landfill sites']}, {'question': 'The city council of Edinburgh rejected the suggestion to open a huge landfill site near Portobello because .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['a name from a private company', 'the comelier was not interested in it', 'it was not supports by EU', 'the local poodle was waist it']}, {'question': 'What is the final dream an Edinburgh and Midlothian Country?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['To open a new landfill nearby', 'To close the powder hall landfill in 2015', 'To set up a plan for burning waste', 'To persuade people to deduce their waste.']}]

Every year, Americans send millions of tons of food to the landfill . What if you could use all of those rotten vegetables to heat your home? That's happening in one unlikely laboratory: the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plan in Brooklyn The plant's longtime manager, Jimmy Pynn, shows off the plant's crown jewels: eight huge, shiny, oval-shaped steel tanks known as digester eggs. Each one contains millions of gallons of black material that's roughly pea soup. Pynn calls it "black gold". "The digesters like to be fed like us: three times a day," he says. "They like to be kept warm, 98 degrees. And that's what we have these guys for: to make methane ,which can be used to heat homes or make electricity." Right now, what these bacteria are digesting is mostly sewage mud. But they are being introduced to a new diet food scraps. The hope is that this plant will soon take in hundreds of tons of organic waste from houses and apartments. "Cardboard packaging, rotten tomatoes, fats, oils, old diary products--those are all great food-stuff for a digester," says Paul Sellew. "My micro-organisms love that. That's their five-course meal." "Everything in New York City is like big scale when you're talking about quantities of waste," says Samantha MacBride. "Right now, it's all in its infancy. When you're in an apartment building, to separate out food scraps, it requires a lot of effort and attention," says MacBride. "It doesn't have to have unpleasant smell or be inconvenient. But it takes extra work. It's the first, what I will call the baby step," says Paul Sellew. "Because ultimately in New York City, just the restaurants alone, you're talking well over a million tons a year," he says. This new industry is trying to build more plants and digesters to handle all of that waste, says Sellew. The costliest part may be finding good locations in or around the nation's biggest cities. As for the trillions of bacteria? They'll work for free--- as long as you feed them.

[{'question': 'What role are the digester eggs expected to play?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['To get black gold from daily waste.', 'To produce new diet for humans.', 'To change food scraps into gas.', 'To make crown jewels.']}, {'question': "According to MacBride, what's the problem for New York City?", 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['Its rapid development causes environmental problems.', 'Its system of separate out food scraps is complex.', 'It fails to pay enough attention to recycling.', 'It has too much amount of waste.']}, {'question': 'What might be the biggest difficulty to build more plants?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['To get enough organic waste as materials.', 'To find good places for the factories.', 'To grow trillions of bacteria for free.', 'To have money to build digesters.']}, {'question': 'The tone of the last sentence is _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['humorous', 'suggestive', 'regretful', 'curious']}]

Here is some general information about Edison Elementary School. For more information, you can visit our website which is printed on the cover. Attendance: Please contact the office at 480. 472. 5282 if your child is going to be absent. Renaissance Reading: The Accelerated Reader (AR) Program is a computerized reading enrichment program that combines great children's literature with computer skills. As an individualized reading program, it is designed to motivate students to read more and to read good literature. Students of different abilities can use this program. It is not a competitive program but one that improves any student's reading ability. Here is how it works. Students select books in their reading range from our Accelerated Reader Selection and read it at their own pace. Once the student has completed the book, he/she is ready to take an AR quiz. Each quiz consists of 5, 10, or 20 multiple choice comprehensive questions about the book. After taking the quiz, the computer shows the student how many questions he/she answered correctly, shows the correct answers for missed questions, and praises the students' efforts with an onscreen personalized message. Passing the quiz assures the teacher and the parent that the child actually read and understood the book. Each student tests independently--reading the quiz questions himself/herself. The computer keeps track of reading points, books, and average test scores, as well as other data. A student may test on a book only once and should, therefore, have thoroughly read and understood the contents before taking the quiz. Each student is responsible for reading the screen to be sure the quiz, by title and author, is the correct one he/she wishes to take. Students are recognized for their accomplishments with praise from the teachers and special recognition at the classroom level when individual and/or classroom goals are met. P. T. O. We have an active ParentTeacher Organization. They have monthly meetings, check the calendar for the meeting times and places.

[{'question': 'The passage may be selected from _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['a magazine', 'a newspaper', 'a website', 'a novel']}, {'question': 'The passage is written for _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['general readers', 'parents', 'teachers', 'primary students']}, {'question': 'Which of the following is TRUE about how Renaissance Reading works?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Students select books based on the instruction of the computer.', "Students take the quiz without others' arrangements.", 'The result of the quiz will be kept by teachers.', 'The summary of the book to be selected is shown on the screen.']}, {'question': 'It can be inferred from the passage that _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ["students won't be punished if they don't pass the quiz", 'students only have one chance to test on a book', "students won't be praised if they reach their goals", 'parents meet the teachers once a term']}]

For some people, the prospect of starting college, especially going away to school, is scary. It's probably the first time that you'll be totally responsible for your own schedule. What if you intend to go to college but just don't feel ready to start yet-for whatever reason-and you don't want to take on a full-time job after graduation? You might want to take a year off to pause and regroup. This practice is common in some countries, like the United Kingdom, where it's called a " _ ". Taking time off doesn't mean you should ignore the idea of applying to college. In fact, you may want to consider making your college plans before you become involved in other things, especially if you'll be travelling. Apply to schools and make your choice, then ask for a deferred admission. Rachel took a year off and worked in New York City between college and medical school. She says that she had to be extremely well organized about planning for medical school so she didn't miss any of her deadlines. "Not only did I have to apply to schools and make plans to take my MCAT exams, I also had to make all my living arrangements and other plans for my year off!" Even if you decide not to apply to college, it can be a great idea to take a year to do something you may not have an opportunity to do again. Lots of volunteer organizations would welcome your time and energy and would provide you with a wonderful learning experience. If you take a year off you will learn some great life skills-like living on a tight budget! If you take a year off you'll pay your way while you are traveling or doing volunteer work.

[{'question': "What's the best title of the passage?", 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['Taking Time Off', 'Disadvantages of a "Gap Year"', 'Plans after Graduation', 'How to Apply to College']}, {'question': 'Going on a "gap year" means _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ["asking for a year's leave to rest at home", 'taking a year off to pause and regroup', 'ignoring the idea of applying to college', 'travelling around the world before going to college']}, {'question': 'Which of the following is NOT the benefit of taking a year off?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ["You'll learn some great life skills.", "You'll make full preparation for starting college.", "You'll earn much money by taking on a full-time job.", "You'll gain a wonderful learning experience by joining in a volunteer organization."]}]

Pets are popular. They're good listeners, they encourage us to exercise, and they're always on our side when we argue with others. They can bring people comfort and pleasure. But it is important to keep in mind that pets can carry diseases that can make you sick. Washing your hands often -- especially after you touch, feed, or clean up a pet -- is the best way to keep yourself healthy and prevent the spread of disease. Be sure to clean your fingernails carefully every time you wash. You also can protect your health by wearing gloves while cleaning animal cages or cat litter boxes. Avoid washing your pet in the bathtub , but if you do, always disinfect the tub immediately afterward. Be sure to bring your pet to the hospital for examinations every two weeks or month and whenever your pet is sick or injured. You can do a few other things to keep yourself and your pet healthy. Only give your pet food that has been planned ahead for them. It's not a good idea to share your food with your pet. Human food (like chocolate) can make animals sick. Never feed your pet raw meat because it can carry germs that cause serious illness. And funny as it can be to see your dog or cat drinking from the toilet, don't let pets do this. It's bad for your pet's health! Give them clean, fresh water to drink at all times. Never give milk to cats. The only milk an animal should drink is from its mother. Cow's milk is not for pets, especially for cats, as _ makes them sick. Finally, some animals aren't pets. Don't take in a wild or abandoned animal as a pet because it may have diseases that could make you or your family sick. Instead, turn to an animal rescue group that is trained in helping sick or abandoned animals.

[{'question': 'To keep healthy, the author may be against _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['washing your fingernails after touching your pet', "wearing gloves when cleaning your pet's cage", 'washing your pet in the bathtub', 'bringing your pet for examinations regularly']}, {'question': 'Which is the RIGHT way to feed your pet?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['Sharing your chocolate with your dog.', 'Letting your dog drink from the toilet.', 'Feeding your little cat with raw meat.', 'Giving your cat cooked fish.']}, {'question': 'According to the text, when you meet an abandoned dog, you should _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ['call an animal rescue group', 'bring it back to your home', 'give it first aid in time', 'help to find its owner']}]

We found out that Jenny was suffering hearing loss when she was four and a half years old. Several operations and speech classes later, when she was seven, we found out that Jenny had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis . She could not put pressure on the heels of her feet, so she walked on tiptoe , and when the pain became unbearable, I carried her. Jenny was fortunate, though, because she did not suffer the deformities , often associated with JRA. All through grade school, and on into high school, Jenny suffered, yet never complained. She took her medicine, and I would often wrap her feet in steaming towels, and hold her until the pain eased. But, as soon as she could stand the pain, Jenny, immediately, carried on, as though she were pain-free. She wore a smile on her face, a song on her lips, and a love and acceptance of others. That was simply amazing. She ran, when she could run. She played when she could play, and she danced when she could dance. And, when she could do none of these things, she took her medicine, and she waited until she could. Jenny, a beautiful girl with warm brown eyes, was never a cheerleader. She never competed in a sport. She joined the band. She won a place in the Govemor's School for the Arts; yet, no one in the Charleston, South Carolina School System knew what to do with Jenny. The perimeters were, simply, not in place to deal with a student, who was both active and disabled. Jenny continued to have one operation after another on her ears, all through school. Her hearing improved to 60%, and she taught herself to read lips. At school she was popular, attending every football game to cheer the team on. She carried her pillow everywhere she went, so that she could reduce the pain when she sat down. Then came her senior year in high school. She liked school activities, especially sports. So she began to bombard the school football coach. Finally the coach gave in, with the warning,"If you miss ONE game, you're out!"So, Jenny became Manager of Garrett High School Football Team. She carried big buckets of water to her teammates. She bandaged knees and ankles before every game. She gave inspiring talks and it turned out to be one of the best years for Garrett High School football Team in its history. When asked why he thought that the team was winning all their games, one team member Jack explained, "Well, when you've been knocked down, and you can't seem to move, you look up and see Jenny Lewis, walking across the field, dragging her buckets and carrying her pillow. It makes anything the rest of us may suffer seem pretty unimportant." At the Senior Awards ceremony, Jenny received a number of scholarships to College of Charleston. Her favorite scholarship, however, was a small one from the Charleston Women's Club. The President of the Women's Club listed Jenny's achievements, starting with her grades, and ending with an excited,"...and the first girl to letter in football, in Garrett High School history!"

[{'question': 'According to the passage, Jenny was mainly described as _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['a professional football player', 'a different kind of athlete', 'a disabled athlete full of ambitions', 'A disabled girl full of ideas']}, {'question': "In Jack's opinion, what was the main reason why the School Football Team won?", 'answer': 'C', 'options': ["The coach's proper instruction.", "Teammate's cooperation.", "Jenny's inspiring action.", "The team's good luck."]}, {'question': 'It can be inferred from the passage that Jenny _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['was very sensitive to what others thought of her', 'was active but pessimistic about her misfortune', 'attached great importance to group honor', 'was positive about her life and achieved a lot']}, {'question': 'We can learn from the passage that _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['Jenny was the first girl football player in her school', 'the coach was strict with his team members except Jenny', 'Jenny did service work on the school football team', 'Jenny could go to Charleston College free of charge']}, {'question': 'The passage is probably written by _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ["Jenny's parent", "Jenny's football coach", 'a doctor', 'a reporter']}]

UNICEF reports that 40 million children below the age of 15 suffer from abuse and neglect. The USA National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse finds 3 million new reports of child abuse or neglect every year. According to such information on human rights abuses of children, the United Nations declared 2010 as the International Year of Youth. In answer to the common human rights abuses of young people, Dr. Mary Shuttleworth of Youth for Human Rights International(YHRI) recently completed her seventh annual World Tour to five continents in eighty days. The purpose of the tour is to promote the to tens of thousands of children and officials. According to UNICEF, 1.2 million children are illegally traded all over the world every year. Sold as goods, these children are forced into inhuman labor, denied basic education and robbed of their childhoods. Youth who do not know their rights are easily cheated by ill-intentioned men. That is why YHRI thinks highly of education. "When the United Nations declared 2010 as the International Year of Youth, I knew that their human rights had to be greater than ever," Dr. Shuttleworth said. The tour reached Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Ecuador, Brazil, South Africa, Swaziland, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily, Italy, Greece, Taiwan, Japan, Hawaii and Los Angeles. The YHRI World Tour 2010 has reached tens of thousands of students as well as officials, educators, and religious leaders and thus promotes human rights education to millions more.

[{'question': '2010 was declared as the International Year of Youth because _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['3 million children reported their information to the UN', 'many children are suffering from ill-treatment and neglect', 'children are illegally traded throughout the whole world', 'human rights abuses of young people have been avoided']}, {'question': 'According to para. 2, Dr. Shuttleworth first started her annual World Tour in _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['2000', '2004', '2008', '2010']}, {'question': 'Youth for Human Rights International is paying attention to education because _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['education should serve most children', 'too many children are forced to leave school', 'children who know their rights will make more money', 'children who know little about their rights are easily cheated']}, {'question': 'According to the passage, the YHRI World Tour 2010 _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['has almost stopped the child abuse', 'has reached different areas and people', 'has found more forced child labor', 'was neglected by some political leaders']}]

Why are so many students not doing well? Why is there such a huge achievement gap between urban and suburban students? Just this week, in my school the seventh grade team leader called a meeting to discuss academic detention . The purpose of the detention is to allow students who are doing poorly a second chance to redo the work. Now if a student did not understand an assignment I have no trouble allowing that student to redo a test or give some extra credit work, but if a student did poorly because he/she opted not to do the work out of sheer laziness, that student should not be given a second chance. And parents should be held accountable for their children. That is another reason why there is such a huge achievement gap. All children should be monitored at home in order to achieve great success in school. Perhaps it might be a great idea for urban school districts to offer free classes to parents on how to help their students at home. Of course this idea is far fetched, after all we do not want to offend the parents. What we will do instead is to spend a fortune on teacher training because if the kids are not doing well it must be the fault of the teacher. That kind of mindset, if allowed to continue will be a perfect recipe for greater achievement gaps. I started working at my current school in August and I have been in the teaching field for 25 years. What I believe is that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make that horse drink. You can't force kids to change bad habits over night, nor can we afford to lower standards just so a kid can pass a class.

[{'question': "The seventh grade team leader in the author's school called a meeting to _ .", 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['analyse the reason for the huge achievement gap between students', 'find out who is to blame for the huge achievement gap between students', 'talk about giving students who are doing poorly a second chance to redo the work', 'discuss how to narrow the huge achievement gap between students']}, {'question': 'The author believes that a student can be given a second chance _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['if he did poorly the first time', 'for whatever reason he did poorly the first time', 'if he failed the first time in spite of his efforts', 'if he comes from a suburban area']}]

Shakespeare's Sister Let us imagine, since facts are so hard to come by, what would have happened had Shakespeare had a wonderfully gifted sister, called Judith. Shakespeare himself went, very probably -- his mother was an heiress -- to the grammar school, where he may have learnt Latin -- Ovid, Virgil and Horace -- and the elements of grammar and logic. He was, it is well known, a wild boy who poached rabbits, perhaps shot a deer, and had, rather sooner than he should have done, to marry a woman in the neighborhood, who bore him a child rather quicker than was right. That escapade sent him to seek his fortune in London. He had, it seemed, a taste for the theatre; he began by holding horses at the stage door. Very soon he got work in the theatre, became a successful actor, and lived at the centre of the universe, meeting everybody, knowing everybody, practicing his art on the boards, exercising his wits in the streets, and even getting access to the palace of the queen. Meanwhile his extraordinarily gifted sister remained at home. She was as adventurous, as imaginative, as curious to see the world as he was. But she was not sent to school. She had no chance of learning grammar and logic, let alone of reading Horace and Virgil. She picked up a book now and then, one of her brother's perhaps, and read a few pages. But then her parents came in and told her to mend the stockings or mind the stew and not moon about with books and papers. They would have spoken sharply but kindly, for they were practical people who knew the conditions of life for a woman. Soon, however, before she was out of her teens, she was to be engaged to the son of a neighboring wool stapler . She cried out that marriage was hateful to her, and for that she was severely beaten by her father. Then he ceased to scold her. He begged her instead not to hurt him, not to shame him in this matter of her marriage. He would give her a chain of beads or fine dresses, he said; and there were tears in his eyes. How could she disobey him? How could she break his heart? The force of her own gift alone drove her to it. She made up a small parcel of her belongings, let herself down by a rope one summer's night and took the road to London. She was not seventeen. The birds that sang in the woods were not more musical than she was. She had the quickest fancy, a gift like her brother's, for the tune of words. Like him, she had a taste for the theatre. She stood at the stage door; she wanted to act, she said. Men laughed in her face. The manager -- a fat, loose-lipped man -- howled with laughter. He roared something about puppies dancing and women acting -- no woman, he said, could possibly be an actress. She could get no training in her craft. Could she even seek her dinner in a bar or roam the streets at midnight? Yet her genius was for fiction and lusted to feed abundantly upon the lives of men and women and the study of their ways. At last -- for she was very young, oddly like Shakespeare the poet in her face, with the same grey eyes and rounded brows -- at last Nick Greene the actor-manager took pity on her; she found herself with child by that gentleman and so -- who shall measure the heat and violence of the poet's heart when caught and confined in a woman's body? -- killed herself one winter's night and lies buried at some cross-roads where the omnibuses now stop outside the Elephant and Castle. That, more or less, is how the story would run, if a woman in Shakespeare's day had had Shakespeare's genius.

[{'question': "What can we infer from Judith's teen life?", 'answer': 'A', 'options': ["She was cared for but was expected to live a girl's life.", 'She was willing to be engaged to a wool stapler.', 'Her father wanted to make a fortune by her marriage.', 'She got less affection from her parents than her brother.']}, {'question': 'Why did Judith commit suicide to end her life?', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['The fat manager rejected her and even insulted her.', "She married the wrong person and couldn't face it.", "She couldn't tolerate the violence of the poet's heart.", 'She was caught between her ideal and the reality.']}, {'question': 'From the passage, we can safely draw the conclusion that in the age of Shakespeare _ .', 'answer': 'A', 'options': ["women couldn't possibly act on the stage or write plays", 'women could enjoy themselves domestically and socially', "women couldn't make their achievements at any level", 'women could make their own decision as to their marriage']}]

Recently, South Korean star PSY's 'Gangnam style" video has been popular on the Internet. It has become most people's favorite music. In fact, the song has set the Guinness World Record for the most popular video in the history of the Internet. More than two million people have said "like" since the song was on the Internet on July 15. PSY"s special dance moves and funny horse riding style have attracted many people. Although many people do not understand the language, the video has become the talk of the Internet. The song has come to first place in the music charts in 31 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. "I just sang for my South Korean fans. I have never expected it to be popular in other countries," PSY told the reporters on a concert. The song was so popular that a few of South Korean's politicians showed PSY's moves to attract supporters. "The song came out in mid-July. It sings about the rich life of South Korea --especially Gangnam in Soeoul, where a lot of rich people live. Millions of people have watched the video. Many stars, such as Katy Perry, Robbie Williams and Nelly Furtado said that they love the song. These stars performed part of the song at a recent concert. Riding high on the success of "Gangnam Style", PSY was signed by Scooter Braun to Braun's Schoolboy Records, a label distributed by Universal Republic. PSY has written many hit songs of varying styles for different singers. Prior to "Gangnam Style" his most famous composition perhaps was Lee Seung Gi's debut song "Because You Are My Woman".

[{'question': 'What makes PSY\'s "Gangnam Style" the famous music of millions of people?', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['The song has set the Guinness World Record.', 'The song has come to first place in the music chart.', 'They like the dance moves and the horse riding style.', "They don't understand the words of the song."]}, {'question': 'Why did some of South Korea\'s politicians show PSY"s moves?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['They wanted to tell people that they were also fond of music.', 'They wanted people to support them.', "They were PSY's fans.", "They liked PSY's dancing style."]}, {'question': 'What\'s "Gangnam Style" about?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['The way of horse riding.', 'The rich life of people of Gangnam in Seoul.', 'The Guinness World Record.', 'The love of stars.']}, {'question': 'What is the best title of the passage?', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['Life of the Music Star PSY', '"Gangnam Styly" ---- Most people\'s favorite Music', "PSY's Famous Compositions", 'Meaning of "Gangnam Style"']}]

On the morning of November 18, 1755, an earthquake shock Boston. John Winthrop, a professor at Harvard College, felt the quake and awoke. "I rose", Winthrop wrote, "and lighted a candle, looked at my watch, and found it to be 15minutes after four." John Winthrop hurried downstairs to the grandfather clock. It had stopped three minutes before, at 4:12. Except for stopping the clock, the quake had only thrown a key from the mantel to the floor. The clock had stopped because Winthrop had put some long glass tubes he was using for an experiment into the case for safekeeping. The quake had knocked the tubes over and blocked the pendulum .Winthrop, therefore, had the key on the floor. The quake had thrown _ forward in the direction of the quake' s motion by a shock coming from the northwest, perhaps in Canada.

[{'question': 'The selection suggests that _ .', 'answer': 'B', 'options': ['earthquakes are common in Boston', 'John Winthrop was a scientist', 'John Winthrop often had difficulty in sleeping', 'Harvard College was a center for earthquake researching']}, {'question': 'Professor Winthrop ran downstairs because he wanted to know what had happened to _ .', 'answer': 'D', 'options': ['the clock', 'his grandfather', 'the key', 'the glass tubes']}, {'question': 'John Winthrop put some tubes into this clock case because _ .', 'answer': 'C', 'options': ['he wanted to do an experiment', 'he thought an earthquake was probably to happen soon', 'he thought it safe for them to be put there', 'he wanted to record the exam time of the earthquake']}]