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[ "they should destroy the temple", "they needn't build new houses", "They should build the temple to make life better", "they should not only build new houses but also be careful with the temple" ]
they should not only build new houses but also be careful with the temple
Near the village, there is an old famous temple. Some people want to build new houses where the temple now stands, because they can find no other area to build them, while others disagree with them. They meet to decide how to solve the problem. Here are their opinions about it. The expert wants to protect the temple and believes that there are some interesting things buried in the ground. If it is destroyed or moved, people may never learn about how people lived in the past. The businessman thinks that the houses should be built. History is important, but we must think about the future. The village needs development and building new houses will offer jobs to hundreds of people. Villager A says, "We should build the new houses because we need houses to live in." Villager B says, "We should protect the temple because it can attract many tourists to come for a visit. If the temple is destroyed or moved, we will lose a lot of business." The village leader thinks that he has a duty to make life better for the villagers. They need jobs and new houses. He also thinks the cultural site is important and they should be careful with it as well.
The village leader thinks _ .
[ "New Technology in Automobile", "Automobile", "GPS Automobile", "GPS" ]
New Technology in Automobile
Expanded use of computer technology ,development of stronger and lighter materials ,and research on pollution control will produce better, _ automobiles . In the 1980s the ides that a car would "talk" to its driver was science fiction; by the 1990s it had become reality. On board navigation was one of the new automotive technologies in the 1990s. By using the satellite-aided global positioning system(GPS), a computer in the automobile can pinpoint the car's location within a few feet. The onboard navigation system uses and electronic compass ,digitized maps , and a display screen showing where the car is to the destination the driver wants to reach. After being told the destination, the computer locates it and directs the driver to it , offering alternative routes if needed. Some cars now come equipped with GPS locator beacons ,enabling a GPS system operator to locate the vehicle ,map its location and ,if necessary ,direct repair or emergency workers to the scene. Gars equipped with computers and cellular telephones can link to the Internet to obtain constantly updated traffic reports ,weather information, route directions ,and other data .Future built-in computer systems may be used to automatically get business information over the Internet and manage personal affairs while the vehicle's owner is driving.
What does the passage mainly talk about?
[ "It costs less", "It saves labor power.", "It consumes too much energy", "It is more environmentally friendly." ]
It is more environmentally friendly.
Dickson Despommier, a public health professor at Columbia University in New York City developed an idea with his students nine years ago. They imagined people in cities growing crops inside a tall building. Tomatoes could grow on one floor of the skyscraper , potatoes on the next, small animals and fish on the floor above. This vertical farm, or "farmscraper", could have space for restaurants and other places that serve food, like schools or hospitals. They could serve foods that are truly locally grown. But why would anyone want to build a farm indoors in a city? Dickson Despommier believes it will become necessary. The world needs to find places to produce enough food to feed the growing population. Space, he says, is an all-important issue. The professor also points to the problems of traditional farms. They use a lot of freshwater. Their fertilizer and animal waste can pollute water resources. And their growing seasons can be limited. But inside the vertical farm, crops could grow all year. And there would be no wind to blow away soil. Farmers would not have to worry about too much or too little rain, or about hot summers, freezing winters or insects. And without insects there would be no need for chemicals to kill them. Farm machines that .use fossil fuels, like tractors, would not be needed either. And water could be recycled for drinking. "The vertical farm reuses everything, so there is no waste," says Professor Despommier. Even buildings could be saved. Old buildings could become new farms and provide jobs. The professor has been actively proposing the idea to cities as far away as Dubai and Canada. But so far it exists only in plans and drawings, and a model at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Critics say building a farmscraper would cost too much, especially considering the price of land in many cities. Dickson Despommier estimates the cost at about twenty to thirty million dollars. But he says the building would not have to be very tall. And his graduate students have found many empty lots and unused buildings in New York City that could provide space.
Which is one of the advantages of a farm scraper?
[ "1 and 3.", "2 and 4.", "I and 2.", "3 and 4." ]
2 and 4.
OUR KIDS ARE AMAZING-especially compared with everybody else's (who seem to cry all the time). How do you show your love for your kids this holiday season? With toys that are smooth and colorful, interactive and exciting. And with ones that have educational value-because you are the boss. 1. FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET Here is a toy that doesn't need power-and the bike have to put it together themselves. This 50 piece puzzle set is made of soft edged hardwood and makes a complete hospital, with an X ray room. It also includes eight patients, a car and a driver. $135; flaxart.com. 2. TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL Sure, it's cool, but this colorful baby toy also develops problem solving and motor skills. It has a head and legs, a magnetic hand and a tail. Suitable for little ones from 6 to 36 months. $19.95; tinylove.com. 3. ROBOSAPIEN This small, remote control robot is really powerful. It performs 67 preprogrammed functions , including throwing, kicking, picking up and dancing. You can even program your own function which, sadly, does not include doing windows. $99; robosapienonline.com. 4. MINI PEDAL CAR Want a Mini Cooper but can't fit the family inside? Get one for the kids. They can jump into this Mini car, which comes in hot orange with a single adjustable seat, and ride away. But it could spoil them for that used car they'll be driving when they turn 16.For ages 3 to 5.$189; minus A. com (click on "gear up," then "Mini motoring gear").
Which toy are fit for three year old kids?
[ "Crazy Fans of Death Valley.", "Importance of Death Valley.", "Beauty of California National Park.", "The Best Tourist Attraction in North America." ]
Crazy Fans of Death Valley.
Death Valley is the lowest, hottest, driest area in North America. This California National Park has less than 5 cm of rainfall a year and temperature up to 53degC in summer. That's enough to keep Americans away during the hottest months from June to August. But it is the high temperature and terrible heat that draw their most crazy fans, the foreign tourists. From all over the world, they come to the valley floor in cars, carrying maps and water bottles, and fanning themselves with newspapers to keep cool. About 1.3 million visitors enter the park each year, from June through August. 90% of them are foreigners. They go there to experience the summer heat that gives Death Valley its name. The average high in July is 53.2 degC and the low 30 degC. For August, the average high is 52.2 degC and the low 29.4 degC. So what do Americans think of the foreign visitors who arrive for the heat, just when locals from the United States try to avoid it? Park manager Brenda Henson says, " The foreigners want to experience the heat in Death Valley. We think it's crazy." In fact, Death Valley is a series of salt flats 225 km long and 6 km to 26 km wide. Birds and animals are largely absent, and only the plants have some chance of existence in this extreme place. One tourist from Paris concluded, " We come to it because we can tell all our friends and family that we've been to the hottest place in the world."
What would be the best title for the passage?
[ "divorce her husband", "be a wedding photographer", "pay off all her debt", "go travelling abroad" ]
go travelling abroad
When I decided to quit my job as a wedding photographer, I was in my late twenties, fresh from my divorce from Bob who had left me empty and confused. I decided to leave the US and travel. I had no savings, plus more than $5,000 in debt. What I did have were two sponsored tasks as a travel photographer- and with that along, I thought, it would be easy. My first experience was a road trip from Toronto to Las Vegas, paid for by a car delivery service. Other trips followed and then I started a travel blog . It was intended to be my calling card for assignment travel photography. Yet even with my blog and past experience, email after email I sent to publications, trying to get work, went unanswered. When they did get in touch, editors told me that I had no chance of making a career with travel photography. While I struggled to get on the path that I wanted, and as I expanded my blog to help get me there, I found myself wearing the hat of a full-time blogger. Luckily, I got in at the right time. It was 2010,and the travel industry was just starting to turn its attention to bloggers. As I never could have predicted, my blogging-not my photography-did take me around the world successfully. At first,I thought it was for personal reasons, but I realized later that it was for free marketing for my blogging. Within two years, I was being asked to speak at travel blogging conferences, which helped me to raise a network of friends around the world. Even more meaningful, however, was when I saw that my travels were also helping other people. My blog and social media followers saw that I chased my dreams and told me over and over again how they needed that kind of example, which was absent in their lives elsewhere.
After the author quit her job, she decided to _ .
[ "Special lanes are needed on every street.", "\"Bike for a Better City\" members ride bicycles to work.", "The Central Park is closed to cars on weekdays.", "Accidents won't happen if cars and bikes are on different lanes." ]
"Bike for a Better City" members ride bicycles to work.
Some people think that they have an answer to the problems of automobile crowding and pollution in large cities. Their answer is the bicycle, or bike. In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bicycles to work every day. In New York City, some bike riders have even formed a group called "Bike for a Better City". They claim that if more people rode bicycles to work there would be fewer _ in the downtown section of the city and therefore less dirty air from car engines. For several years this group has been trying to get city government to help bicycle riders. For example, they want the city to paint special lanes--for bicycles only--on some of the main streets, because when bicycle riders must use the same lanes as cars, there may be accidents. "Bike for a Better City" feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes. But no bicycle lanes have been painted yet. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea. Taxi drivers don't like the idea--they say it will slow traffic. Some store owners on the main streets don't like the idea--they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business. And most people live too far from downtown to travel by bike. The city government has not yet decided what to do. It wants to keep everyone happy. On weekends, Central Park--the largest open place in New York--is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bicycles only. But "Bike for a Better City" says that this is not enough and keeps fighting to get bicycle lanes downtown. Until that happens, the safest place to bicycle may be in the park.
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
[ "a reader will receive everything the book presents", "the author should understand readers", "a reader should have his own judgment of the author's opinion", "the author should help readers understand better" ]
a reader should have his own judgment of the author's opinion
You know you have to read "between the lines" to get the most out of anything. I want to persuade you to do something equally important in the course of your reading. You have to "mark between the lines". By marking you can make the most efficient kind of reading. There are two ways in which one can own a book. The first is the property right you have by paying for it, just as you pay for clothes and furniture. While full ownership comes only when you have made it a part of yourself and the best way to make yourself a part of it is by writing marks on it. Why is marking up a book _ to reading? First, it keeps you awake. Second, active reading is thinking, and thinking tends to express itself in words. Finally, marking helps you remember the thoughts you had, or the thoughts the author expressed. Reading a book should be like making a conversation, a conversation between you and the author. Although he knows more about the subject than you do, don't let anybody tell you that a reader is only on the receiving end. Understanding is a two-way operation. Reading doesn't mean being a passive empty receiver, the reader has to question himself and question the author. And marking a book can show his own judgment on author's opinion: agreement or difference.
By saying "Understanding is a two-way operation" the author means _ .
[ "a book", "a magazine", "a video", "an exhibition hall" ]
an exhibition hall
The Yale Peabody Museum is open: Monday through Saturday 10:00 a. m. to 5:00 p. M. Sunday Noon to 5:00 p. m. The Museum is closed on New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. Admission Fees: $9.00 Adults $8.00 Senior citizens 65 years and over $5.00 Children ages 3 through 18, and college students with ID $4.00 Group admission To receive this reduced admission, groups must make a reservation at least 2 weekdays in advance. Group admission is only available with a written confirmation brought to the Museum at the time of the visit. More attention: Some halls may be closed to the public on weekday mornings during the academic year for school group programs, so we recommend visiting after 1 p.m. on weekdays or at any time on the weekends. There is no cafeteria or lunchroom at the Peabody. Information on local eating places is available through our Restaurant Guide or at the Admission Desk in the lobby. Visitors are welcome to picnic on the lawns around the Museum. Photography with handheld cameras is permitted in exhibition halls for personal use only; photography of The Age of Mammals is prohibited at all times. All other uses require the advance written permission of the Yale Peabody Museum. Highlights Tours of the Museum are offered at no extra charge every Saturday and Sunday at 12: 30 and 1: 30 p.m. These 45minute tours of the Yale Peabody Museum's exhibition halls are led by one of our specially trained volunteer guides. The Museum offers free individual admission on Thursday afternoons from 2: 00 to 5: 00 p.m. during the months of September to June. Admission is free to any individual with a valid Yale ID. Check out a Peabody Museum pass at your local library. A Museum pass will give you $5 off each admission for up to 4 people. Ask for it at your local library.
According to the passage, The Age of Mammals is most probably _ in the museum.
[ "You'll believe only the last soldier.", "The officer believed the nine soldiers.", "You'll believe none of the nine soldiers.", "The officer won't punish his soldiers." ]
You'll believe none of the nine soldiers.
It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp . It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp. Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn't work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening to the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they drank wine. Of course they found the officer was angry. "I'm sorry, sir,"said the first soldier."I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back." And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier's turn. He said, "I'm sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but..." Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, "If you say something was wrong with your bus, I'll punish you at once!" "No, no, sir," said the young man. "My bus was all right, but the horse died!"
Which answer do you think is true?
[ "offer some suggestions on how to spend the time after retirement", "advise couples to develop their separate hobbies", "warn couples not to be accusing each other", "give people some advice on how to entertain themselves after retirement" ]
offer some suggestions on how to spend the time after retirement
Some couples spend every waking minute together. Others fill their hours with personal hobbies,outside interests and even part-time jobs, just to keep their distance from each other! "There should be private time and couple time," suggests Dr. Stephen Treat at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia."You don't want your latter years to turn into a process where two people unite as one. If you hold too tightly to your partner, it's going to cause resentment and anger. If you're completely separate, you'll both be lonely and disconnected. You need balance. So you have to talk about how you'll achieve that." The right balance? It's different for every couple. "Having a conversation about time can be difficult,but it's important for both partners to process those feelings out loud," Dr. Treat says. "You should not be accusing and act as a judge--ask the difficult questions, but do it in a loving way. You could say something like, 'How are we going to be as individuals and how are we going to be as a couple?' " Barbara and Chris Christensen have achieved the balance that works for them. In addition to daily routines that keep them close--including about 10 minutes for a daily check-in and about a half hour of relaxation time--they each maintain separate interests and friendships. "We have found that we need time apart," Barbara says. "I have a group of women friends that I have known for the last 30 years. We have dinner out once a month. We women also have parties and weekend or weeklong vacations as a group at a beach or somewhere. Chris, a former fighter pilot, has many aviation-oriented groups and friends and also a poker-playing group of our friends. I may be with him during the poker night, but I don't play, and the wives usually watch a chick flick' DVD or something while the poker group has an evening of fun. We have found it important to have separate time as well as together time."
The author writes the passage to _ .
[ "2", "3", "4", "5" ]
3
Every student in America likes popular music. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music as they drive on the street. Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, the life of American people. Most of the radio programmes are music. Pop music singers make much money. Once the popular singer is famous all over the country, young people buy his or her tapes . Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. There are other kinds of music. They are important to Americans. One is folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is western or country music. This kind of songs started by cowboys watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl we call western or country music.
How many kinds of music are mentioned in the passage?
[ "pay for the advertisement", "get free necessary equipment", "receive the monthly revenues", "maintain the company's standards" ]
maintain the company's standards
Well-known companies are powered by their names and reputations. When people walk into a Pizza Hut in Tokyo, Rome, or Miami, they know exactly what they are getting. Through franchising, an investor can make use of this brand power by opening a Pizza Hut of his or her own. The risk is low, and the rewards can be big. No wonder franchising is such a successful business model. Franchising had been around for more than 100 years, but its popularity took off in the 1950s. Leading the trend were fast food restaurant like McDonald's. These days, there are franchises in more than eighty-five industries, including dry cleaning, hotels and supermarkets. It's a very big business. In the US, there are some 760,000 franchises, totaling more than $1.5 trillion in yearly revenues (income). There are two sides in a franchise: the franchisor--the owner of the business system and the franchisee--the person who licenses the system. After signing a "franchise agreement", the franchisee pays a fee. He or she also pays for equipment, supplies, and, if necessary, building costs. The total investment usually ranges from $10,000 to $1,000,000. After the business opens, the franchisee also pays a percentage of sales revenues--called a royalty--to the franchisor. Marking fees must also be paid. In return, the franchisee receives many benefits. Training is among the most common ones. It includes everything from dealing with customers to understanding the company's standards. The franchisor also handles advertising. On top of that, there's the benefit of the brand reputation that the company has built up. All of these benefits make the risk of opening a franchise much smaller than that of starting a business from scratch. However, a franchise can also have drawbacks. If a customer at a single restaurant gets sick, it may hurt every franchise in the system. Running a franchise also means closely following the company's standards. So, one has to give up a degree of independence. You have to do things their way and trust that the system will work. If you want to earn a lot of money from the business, you have to work hard. Also, remember that the monthly royalty must be paid, even if you are losing money. However, there are thousands of opportunities in franchising. They will surely grow as brand recognition becomes more important in the global economy .
After signing a franchise agreement, a franchisee will _ .
[ "life was new to Kiger", "her family were united", "her mother was positive", "Kiger liked eating lettuce" ]
life was new to Kiger
Eighteen-year-old Dana Kiger is happily running after balls on the soccer field. But not long ago, she couldn't remember her love of the game, her parents' faces or even her name. At 16, the Tennessee honor student and star athlete was hit from behind while playing in a soccer game. She fell to the ground, her head striking the hard ground. The blow knocked out nearly all of Kiger's memories. With no physical injury or unusual change in her brain, doctors thought Kiger's memory would return in a few days. But it did not. And two and a half years later, it still hasn't. Kiger--who has no memory of her family, her childhood or her life before her injury--has had to create new memories, restart relationships and relearn old skills. "The only thing I had ...I could walk, write, but I didn't know what to write," Kiger said of the days after the accident. "Physically, I was OK, I guess, but mentally I was troubled." Doctors say long-term amnesia brought on by a less severe brain injury like Kiger's is unusual. "It's very rare for people to have this lasting problem with memory recovering," said Dr Roger Hartl at Weill Cornell Medical College. Kiger's parents tried to help their daughter return to the life she once lived. "She didn't know what food was," Kiger's mom said. "She said, 'What is that?' I said, 'Lettuce." She said, 'Do I like it?' I said, 'That's up to you to decide.'" Kiger's natural ability on the soccer field was the one part of her earlier life that died immediately. And soon, she'll begin a new life at Slippery Rock University, where she plans to study physical therapy . Kiger said that while parts of her past still remain a mystery, she's focused on what's to come. "It is about my future," she said.
From the dialogue between Kiger and her mother, we can infer that _ .
[ "He advises students to participate in certain program.", "He teaches part-time in an elementary school.", "He observes elementary school students in the classroom.", "He helps students prepare their resumes." ]
He advises students to participate in certain program.
Community service is an important component of education here at our university. We encourage all students to volunteer for at least one community activity before they graduate. A new community program called "One On One" helps elementary students who've fallen behind. Your education majors might be especially interested in it because it offers the opportunity to do some teaching, that is, tutoring in math and English. You'd have to volunteer two hours a week for one semester. You can choose to help a child with math, English, or both. Half-hour lessons are fine, so you could do a half hour of each subject two days a week. Professor Dodge will act as a mentor to the tutors-he'll be available to help you with lesson plans or to offer suggestions for activities. He has office hours every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. You can sign up for the program with him and begin the tutoring next week. I'm sure you'll enjoy this community service...and you'll gain valuable experience at the same time. It looks good on your resume, too, showing that you've had experience with children and that you care about your community. If you'd like to sign up, or if you have any questions, stop by Professor Dodge's office this week.
What does Professor Dodge do? _
[ "To prevent the waste of energy.", "To increase production safety.", "To reduce pollution.", "To save money." ]
To reduce pollution.
The oldest and most common source of renewaBle energy known to man, Biomass is one of the most important forms energy production in the United States and elsewhere. Since such a wide variety of Biomass materials is everywhere ---- from trees and grasses to agricultural and city ---- life wastes ----Biomass promises to play a continuing role in providing power and heat for millions of people around the world. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists(UCS), Biomass is a kind of renewaBle energy source that produces no carBon dioxide , Because the energy it contains comes from the sun. When plant matter is Burned, it gives off the sun's energy. In this way, Biomass serves as a sort of natural Battery for storing the sun's energy. As long as Biomass is produced continuously ----with only as much grown as is used--- the "Battery" lasts forever. According to the Energy Information Administration, Biomass has Been one of the leading renewaBle energy sources in the United States for several years running through 2007, making up Between 0.5 and 0.9 percent of the nation's total electricity supply. In 2008----although the numBers aren't all in yet----wind power proBaBly took over first place Because of the rapid development of wind farms across the country. Producing power from Biomass helps reduce some 11 million tons of carBon dioxide each year. Some homeowners also try to make their own heat By using Biomass materials. Such practice may save homeowner's money, But it also produces a lot of pollution. So, the Best way is to encourage power plants to use it.
Why does the author encourage power plants to use Biomass?
[ "solve childhood obesity across the country", "attract the attention of the world", "show her first lady identity", "please the public" ]
solve childhood obesity across the country
Michelle Obama has just started a campaign against childhood obesity with the admission that she put her girls Malia and Sasha on a diet because they were getting fat. Clearly, childhood obesity must be solved urgently. But is it a good idea for mothers to put their daughters on diets? Studies show that the more children diet, the more likely they are to become obese as adults. Research also shows that girls are highly influenced by their mothers when it comes to eating habits and body image. This was the case for Carly, 40, who blames her mother for her lifelong struggle with weight. "My mother was on a diet the whole time I was growing up," she says. "And she put me on my first diet when I was 10. I lost puppy fat, gained her approval and never ate normally again." America's First Lady clearly has a vital healthy eating message to convey. But could this be damaging for Malia and Sasha? Could they develop eating disorders because of it? "It's wrong just to blame mothers for their daughters' eating disorders," says Susan Ringwood, chief executive of the eating disorders charity. "There is a genetic component to eating disorders." However, "We do know that parents have a very strong influence over a child's eating. It's important to realize that you are your daughter's role model. Girls idolize their mothers." says Ringwood. "No food should ever be 'good 'or' bad'," Ringwood says. Instead, "You have to make it clear that food is a sociable, healthy and fun part of life, not something to be feared." "Talk to her about body image," Ringwood says. "Talk about how curves are an important and exciting part of being a woman. Show her that anorexic ) fashion models are not sexy, but ill. The pressure on girls today is immense," she says. Never forget that you are the authoritative voice, too.
Michelle Obama has started a campaign to _ .
[ "nobody remembered him", "almost all the books about his travels were burned", "the new king thought these trips were lucky", "sea trips to other countries lasted 50 years." ]
almost all the books about his travels were burned
Zheng He was an amazing man. He was born in 1371. Eleven years later, he was caught by the army of a rich young man called Zhu Di and made to work for him. Over time the rich man saw that Zheng He was very clever and strong and they became close friends. In 1403 Zhu Di was made the King of China and he asked Zheng He to join his government. The King wanted to learn more about the world and show other countries his power. He ordered many new ships to be built and made Zheng He their leader. between 1405 and 1433, Zheng He led seven sea trips to different parts of the world. He certainly travelled to India, Africa and the Middle East. A few people think his ships have even reached South America and Australia. Each trip lasted between two and four years and it is believed he sailed more than 50,000 kms during the years of his travels.Zheng He led a fleet with 28,000 men and over 300 ships, such as boats for food, water and even soldiers' horses. On these trips he brought with him many Chinese goods like silk and medicine to give to foreign kings or to sell for local goods. He returned from each trip with boats filled with expensive things such as gold and treasures, foreign guests and strange animals like a giraffe. It is a pity that we may never learn everything about Zheng He' s travels. The Columbus of the east, Zheng He, died in 1433. After that, the new king, had these trips stopped and he burned almost all the books about Zheng He's travels, because he believed the trips were unlucky and too expensive. It is only in the last 50 years that historians have begun to carefully study the adventures of great Zheng He.
After Zheng He died, _
[ "Another experiment on weight loss.", "An importance of calorie.", "People's breakfast time.", "The composition of the breakfast." ]
Another experiment on weight loss.
As a recipe for losing weight, taking a slice of chocolate cake at breakfast would seem an unlikely fantasy. A team from Tel Aviv University found that eating pudding as part of a balanced 600-calorie breakfast that also included proteins and carbohydrates , could help dieter to lose more weight---and keep _ off in the long run. Attempting to avoid sweets entirely can create a psychological addiction to these same foods in the long term. So adding desserts to breakfast can control craving throughout the rest of the day. Over the course of a 32-week-long study, participants, who added desserts to their breakfast lost about 40 pounds more than a group that avoided such foods. What's more, they kept off the pounds longer. A meal in the morning provides energy for the day's tasks, aids in brain functioning, and kick-starts the body's metabolism , making it decisive to weight loss and maintenance. And breakfast is the meal that most successfully regulates ghrelin, the hormone that increases longer. While the level of ghrelin rises before every meals, it is controlled most effectively at breakfast time. The researchers hoped to determine whether meal time and composition had an impact on weight loss in the short and long term, or whether it was a simple matter of the caloric count.
What will the passage develope next?
[ "in the teacher's office", "in an exam room", "in the school", "in the language lab" ]
in an exam room
I found out one time that doing a favor for someone could get you into a lot of trouble. I was in the eighth grade at the time, and we were having a final test. During the test, the girl sitting next to me whispered something, but I didn't understand. So I leaned over her way and found out that she was trying to ask me if I had an extra pen. She showed me that hers was out of ink and would not write. I happened to have an extra one, so I took it out of my pocket and put it on her desk. Later, after the test papers had been turned in, the teacher asked me to stay in the room when all the other students were dismissed . As soon as we were alone she began to talk to me about what it meant to grow up; she talked about how important it was to stand on your own two feet and be responsible for your own acts. For a long time, she talked about honesty and emphasized the fact that when people do something dishonest, they are really cheating themselves. She made me promise that I would think seriously about all the things she had said, and then she told me I could leave. I walked out of the room wondering why she had chosen to talk to me about all those things. Later on, I found out that she thought I had cheated on the test. When she saw me lean over to talk to the girl next to me, it looked as if I was copying answers from the girl's test paper. I tried to explain about the pen, but all she could say was it seemed very very strange to her that I hadn't talked of anything about the pen the day she talked to me right after the test. Even if I tried to explain that I was just doing the girl a favor by letting her use my pen, I am sure she continued to believe that I had cheated on the test.
The story took place exactly _ .
[ "made her dad worry", "ruined the car", "broke the law", "didn't tell her mom about the car incident" ]
made her dad worry
First,you ought to know that I'm "only" fourteen.My mother points this out often.I can make my own decisions when I'm old enough to vote,she says.Second,I should tell you that she's right -- I'm not always responsible.I sometimes take the prize for grade-A dork .Take last weekend for instance.I was staying at Dad's,and I decided it was time I learned to drive.It was Sunday morning,7 A.M.,and I hadn't slept well.I'd been up thinking about an argument,which I'll tell you about in a minute.Well,nobody was up yet in the neighborhood,so I thought it couldn't hurt to back the car out of the garage and drive around the block.But Dad has a clutch car.The "R" on the shift handle was up on the left side,right next to first gear .I guess you can guess the rest. Dad's always been understanding.He didn't say,"Okay,little Miss Know-It-All,you can just spend the rest of the year paying this off," which is what Mom would have said.Instead,Dad worried about what might have happened to me.And that made me feel more guilty than anything.I think he'd be a better number-one caregiver,but I can't say things like that to Mom.To her,I have to say,"But Mom,Dad's place is closer to school.I could ride my bike," to which she replies,"Amy Lynn,you don't own a bike.Remember? You left it in the yard,and it was stolen.And you haven't got the patience to earn the money to replace it."
The writer feels guilty because she _ .
[ "Dealing with more complex tasks.", "Applying themselves to their school work.", "Involvement with drugs or alcohol.", "Association with their parents or teachers." ]
Involvement with drugs or alcohol.
As a middle school student, you are in an age group that is both fascinating and complex. You are no longer a "baby", but you are not yet an adult. You are experiencing biological, physical, and behavioral and social changes. Relationships with your friends and family take on new meanings. This time period, called adolescence, can be joyful and painful at the same time. However, it is always a time of growth. You will be dealing with more complex intellectual tasks. You will be expected to behave in a more mature manner and you will be held more responsible for your actions. In other words, you are growing up. Use your curiosity, imagination, energy, and idealism to make your school an exciting place to learn and play. As an adolescent, you now have more control over how you apply yourself to your school work and on the kinds of friends you make. As an intelligent and thinking adolescent, be aware of health risks to avoid such as involvement with drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and sexual activity. This involvement reduces your quality of life. Be kind and gentle to yourself, seek the advice and wisdom of your parents/guardians regularly, and talk with your teachers and school counselor. Middle school students are expected to be respectful and considerate of others. You are responsible for your behavior. Think of ways to improve your behavior ^in your classroom ^in the lunchroom ^on school grounds ^during school activities ^on the school bus ^in your community If you need assistance in working on ways to improve yourself as a person, contact your counselor. The counselor is trained to help students solve personal problems.
What are middle school students warned of in the passage?
[ "It makes your heart and body strong.", "It is to reuse anything that can be used again.", "It means keeping the land , air and water clean.", "buying items made from recycled materials" ]
It is to reuse anything that can be used again.
Recycling is a way to take trash and turn it into new products. There are a number of different recycling processes that allow materials to be used more than once. All kinds of materials can be recycled. Some of the most common processes in use today involve recycling plastic, glass, metals , paper, electronics and so on. Items made of these materials include soda cans, plastic boxes, newspapers, old computers, and cardboard boxes. There are many steps in recycling. It isn't actually a simple process and is different for each type of material. For example, paper starts its recycling process by being mixed with water and other chemicals to break it down. This process finally turns the paper into a pulp . Then remove the plastics and other useless materials from the pulp. After that, it gets cleaned. Now the pulp is ready to be made into new paper. However, computers and batteries are usually recycled in order to remove harmful chemicals as well as to find again some valuable materials such as gold. In general, we should follow different steps in the recycling process. These steps are: *Collecting recyclable materials, like cans and plastic bottles. *Processing the old materials and making new items. *Buying items made from recycled materials. ,.
What is recycling?
[ "separate the victim from the appliance and let them sit up", "keep the victim warm and help them breathe again", "move the victim onto their side if they have got neck injuries", "keep the victim's head high until professional help arrives" ]
keep the victim warm and help them breathe again
Government statistics recently showed that in the UK, more than 3,000 people a year experience electric shocks in their home. A smaller number of people are killed after contact with power lines outside the home. Electric shocks can cause a person's heart or breathing to stop, can also cause burns and are potentially fatal. It is essential for people to learn basic first aid techniques to deal with such emergencies. What to do? If you are the first person to reach someone who has had an electric shock, don't touch them! If they are still holding the appliance that has given them shock (e.g. a hair dryer), unplug it or turn off the power at its source. _ If you can't turn off the power, use a piece of wood, like a broom handle or a chair, to separate the victim from the appliance or the power source. You may even be able to do this with a folded newspaper. The victim must remain lying down. If they are unconscious, victims should be placed on their side. But they should not be moved if there is a possibility of neck or spine injuries unless it is absolutely necessary. It is essential to maintain the victim's body heat, so make sure you cover him or her with a blanket before you do anything else. If the victim is not breathing, apply mouth-to-mouth resuscitation . Keep the victim's head low until professional help arrives. If the electric shock has been caused by an external power line, the dangers to the victim and to anybody providing first aid are much greater.
When a person has got an electric shock, you should _ .
[ "Creating an ever-lasting space station for astronauts.", "Placing a man-staffed lab into orbit for long periods.", "Carrying out large-scale experiments in laboratories.", "Setting up a fully-equipped space engineering System." ]
Setting up a fully-equipped space engineering System.
BEIJINCG, Feb.28, 2008 (Xinhua) -- China plans to carry out its first spacewalk in second half of the year, an official of the nation's manned space program said here on Thursday. The Shenzhou VII spacecraft will be launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern province of Gansu late in the year and the astronauts will leave their spaceship for the first time, the official told Xinhua. Compared with the previous two manned space flights, the upcoming Shenzhou VII space mission is more complex.Besides the spacewalk, the crew is also expected to perform extra-vehicular work such as fixing and tightening equipment.The spaceship will also release a small inspection satellite, which keeps an eye on its own performance. China may live broadcast the first ever spacewalk."The Shenzhou VII spaceship is able to live-broadcast the walk, but it has not been decided whether the spacewalk will be broadcast in a live or recorded version," the official told Xinhua. Breakthroughs have been made in significant techniques related to the spacewalk.Research into the development of spaceship and rockets has been going smoothly, and astronauts have undertaken extensive training, according to the official. The Shenzhou VII mission will start the second phase of China's three-stage space program.said the official. In the second stage, China plans further breakthroughs in manned space flight, such as space walks.In this phase, China will put into orbit a space laboratory staffed by humans for short periods and create a fully-equipped space engineering system. In the third stage, China will build a permanent space station and a space engineering system.Astronauts and scientists will travel between the Earth and the space station to conduct large-scale experiments.
What is included in the second stage of China's three-stage space program?
[ "The type and form of pollution.", "The cause and effect of pollution.", "The situation and elimination of pollution.", "The concept and examples of pollution." ]
The situation and elimination of pollution.
Even before there were people, there were cases of air pollution. There were dust storms. Volcanoes erupted, sending ash and poisonous gases into the atmosphere. When people appeared on the scene and began their conquest of nature, they also began to pollute the air. They cleared land, which made possible even larger dust storms. They built cities, and the soot from their hearths filled the air. The Roman author Seneca wrote in A.D. 61 of the "stink, soot and heavy air "of the imperial city. In 1257, the Queen of England was forced to move away from the city of Nottingham because the heavy smoke was unbearable. The industrial revolution brought even worse air pollution. Coal was burned to power factories and to heat homes. Soot, smoke, and sulfur dioxide fill the air. The good old days? Not in the factory towns. But there were large rural areas unaffected by air pollution. With increasing population, the entire world is becoming more urban. It is the huge cities that are most affected by air pollution. But rural areas are not unaffected. In the neighborhoods around smoky factories, there is evidence of increased rates of spontaneous abortion and of poor wool quality in sheep, decreased egg production and a high death rate in chickens. Traffic police in Tokyo have to wear gas masks and take "oxygen breaks" --breathing occasionally from tanks of oxygen. Smog in Athena at times has forced factory closings and traffic restrictions. Acid rain in Canada is caused by air pollution in the United States, contributing to strained relationships between the two countries. Sydney, Rome, Tehran, Ankara, Mexico City, and most other major cities in the world have had frightening experiences of air pollution. One of the two major types of smog--consisting of smoke, fog, sulfur dioxide, sulfuring acid (H2SO4), ash and soot--is called London smog. Indeed, the word smog is thought to have originated in England in 1905 as a contraction of the words "smoke" and "fog." Probably the worst case of smog in history started in London on Thursday, 4 December, 1952. A large cold air mass moved into the valley of the Thames River. A temperature inversion placed a blanket of warm air over the cold air. With nightfall, a dense fog and below-freezing temperatures caused the people of London to put coal into their small stoves. Millions of these fires burned throughout the night, pouring sulfur dioxide and smoke into the air. The next day, Friday, the people continued to bum coal when the temperature remained below freezing. The factories added their smoke and chemical fumes to the atmosphere. Saturday was a day of darkness. For twenty miles around London, no light came through the smog. The air was cold and still. And the coal fires continued to bum throughout the weekend. On Monday, 8 December, more than one hundred people died of heart attacks while trying desperately to breathe. By the time a breeze cleared the air on Tuesday, 9 December, more than 4,000 deaths had been caused by the smog. Soot and ash can be removed by electrostatic precipitators . Unfortunately, they use large amounts of electricity, and the electrical energy, which is hardly affordable for most of us, has to come from somewhere. Fly ash removed from the air has to be put on the land or water, although it could be used in some way. The elimination of sulfur dioxide is more difficult. Low-sulfur coal is rare and expensive. Although sulfur can be washed from finely pulverized coal, the process is expensive. There are also processes for changing dirty coal into clean liquid and gaseous fuels. These processes may hold promise for the future, but they are too expensive to compete economically with other fuels at present. They also waste a part of the coal's energy.
What is the passage mainly talking about?
[ "Volunteering spirit has disappeared", "How to become a college student", "College students learn to give back", "The real life of young adults today" ]
College students learn to give back
Harvard student Julie Zauzmer turned 20 on January 22, and her birthday couldn't have been better: She got to working the overnight shift at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter. That might seem an extraordinary act of selflessness for someone turning 20. But there's increasing evidence that commitment to community service is becoming much more ordinary to today's young adults. "Young adults are doing more volunteer service than in any point in history,'' said Scott Seider, an assistant professor of education at Boston University who studies the civic development of young adults. At Harvard, the Winthrop Street Homeless Shelter is one of 86 social service programs associated with the Phillips Brooks House Association, which is a student-run nonprofit organization. Students can work with deaf children, bring pets to nursing homes, and prepare Chinese students to become US citizens, and so on. Volunteerism develops well outside of colleges, too. Applications to AmeriCorps have risen to a very high level, jumping from 91,399 in 2008 to 258,829 in 2010. City Year, which puts young people in high-poverty schools as tutors and mentors for at-risk students, has had a 140 percent increase in applications since its 2007-2008 service year. Citizen Schools, which uses volunteers to work with students in middle schools, has had a 28 percent jump in applicants between 2008 and 2009. "Most of my friends know it's their duty to give back before they settle down,'' said Samantha Wolf, a 23-year-old Boston University graduate serving with City Year in a Mattapan school. City Year corps member Antonio Gutierrez, 22, graduated last year from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., and is applying for admission to law schools, but this year he is tutoring and mentoring students at the Blackstone Elementary School in the South End. "I grew up in similar circumstances,'' said Gutierrez, who said he was a weak student until enrichment programs changed his academic trajectory . Raised by a single mother in low-income housing across the street from City Year's South End Headquarters, he used to watch the red-jacketed corps members come and go, and decided to become one someday.
What would be the best title for the text?
[ "Learning about asteroids and meteors.", "The threats of objects from space and possible solutions.", "NASA's latest technology to discover visitors to the Earth from space.", "How to measure the damage of collisions from asteroids and meteors." ]
The threats of objects from space and possible solutions.
Sixty-five million years ago, an asteroid that crashed on Earth led to the disappearance of the largest animals that have ever walked our planet - the dinosaurs. At least, this is what some scientists believe. But that accident happened so long ago. People have come to believe that we are free of threats from asteroids and everything else from space. However, what happened on Feb 15 , 2013 was a reminder that we're just as _ as the dinosaurs once were. Two objects from space - a meteor and an asteroid called 2012 DA14 - visited Earth's atmosphere on the same day. The former fell in Russia, injuring 1,200 people, while the latter passed by Earth at a record-setting close distance. Scientists had been expecting the asteroid since last year, but the meteor was a surprise. NASA's telescope system only detects asteroids at least 50 meters in diameter , which is just about the size of 2012 DA14. But the meteor was much smaller, which made it harder to spot. But what if we do spot an asteroid that is headed right for Earth? There are several possible ways in which dangerous asteroids could be made to change its orbit. Which method is best depends on several factors and most importantly - how much time we have to stop it. If there is enough time before the hit, we can send off a heavy spacecraft to travel alongside the asteroid. The gravity from the spacecraft would gradually change the rock's orbit. Besides that, scientists could one day use sun-powered lasers to either make asteroids disappear or change their course. If there's not enough time, we'll have to go after the asteroid with a spacecraft and change its orbit with a crash. Finally, if things are truly desperate, there will be only one choice left - to use a nuclear bomb. That could turn the asteroid into a meteor shower, which would be even more dangerous.
What is the main idea of the article?
[ "They don't want to do their homework.", "They sleep in class.", "They feel excited.", "They not only feel tired and unhappy but also think slowly." ]
They not only feel tired and unhappy but also think slowly.
March 21 is World Sleep Day. How's your sleep recently? The Chinese Medical Doctor Association asked 8,200 people in China about their sleep. More than 36.3 percent of them said they often sleep badly. The study also finds that many students have only 5 hours of sleep a day. According to the US National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep every night. What cuts into their sleeping time? Homework. Also, school starts early in the morning. But bad sleeping habits also play a role. Do you like to have a look at your mobile phone before going to bed? The survey finds that 60 percent of people check their phones before they sleep. They read news, check their WeChat or chat with QQ friends. It's important for us to get enough sleep. We feel tired and think slowly. Besides, sleepy kids are often unhappy, says a study by the US National Sleep Foundation. We can't change our school time. But there are still ways to get better sleep. Stay away from coke, coffee and tea at night. They make it hard to fall asleep. Watch less television. Leave your mobile phone and tablet computer on your desk. ,,.
How do students behave in class when they don't get enough sleep?
[ "Just enough to buy chocolates.", "Just enough to buy a sandwich.", "Just enough to buy his lunch in a restaurant.", "Just enough to buy his lunch in the office." ]
Just enough to buy his lunch in the office.
Once there was a large ,fat woman who had a small, thin husband .He had a job in a big company and was given his weekly pay every Friday evening. As soon as he got home on Fridays ,his wife used to make him give her all his money, and then she used to give him back only enough to buy his lunch in the office every day. One day the small man came home very excited. He hurried into the living-room. His wife was listening to the radio and eating chocolates there. "You will never guess what happened to me today, dear." he said. He waited for a few seconds and then added, "I won ten thousand pounds on the lottery!" "That's wonderful!" said his wife happily. But then she thought for a few seconds and added angrily, "But wait a moment! How could you afford to buy the lottery ticket?"
How much money was the husband allowed to keep every day?
[ "Some manners on visiting British and American people's home.", "Different table manners between British and American people.", "Different ideas about the home between British and American people", "Different ideas about how to get along well with neighbors between British and American people." ]
Some manners on visiting British and American people's home.
For the British, the home is a private place in which he or she goes to hide away from the troubles of life. It is very seldom that one would be invited to a British person's home. It is rude to knock on a person's door if you are not invited. If you are invited, don't ask to see more than the downstairs that your British host invites you into. Never ask how much the house or any of the items in it cost. To the American, most of them want their home to be a place where they can entertain and share their lives with their friends. They may be delighted to give you a full tour of their houses. They may also be pleased when you show your interest and pleasure in their houses. Both British and American people will _ quite a bit of chat and a drink or two before the meal is served. After the first mouthful, you should say how delicious the food is and ask something about it. Remember, never eat with your mouth open and make very little noise while eating. It would be nice of you to help your host in any way. Maybe offer to pour some drinks or clear up after the meal.
What's the main idea of the passage?
[ "run about the room", "get down", "walk around the chairs", "sit on the chairs" ]
walk around the chairs
Do you know how to play a game called "Musical Chairs"?It is easy to play and most people enjoy it. All you need are some chairs, some people and some way of making music. You may use a piano or any other musical instrument, if someone can play it. You may use a tape recorder. You can even use a radio. Put the chairs in a row. The chairs may be put in twos, back to back. A better way is to have the chairs in one row with each chair facing in the opposite direction to the chair next to it. The game is easy. When the music starts, the players walk round the chairs. Everyone goes in the same direction, of course, they should walk in time to the music. If the music is fast they should walk quickly. If the music is slow, they should walk slowly. The person playing music cannot see the people in the game. When the music stops, the players try to sit on the chairs. If a person cannot find a chair to sit on, he drops out. Then, before the music starts again, one chair must be taken away. When the music stops again, one more player will be out.. At last, there will be two players and one chair. The one who sits on the chair when the music stops is the winner.
When the music starts,the players must _ .
[ "How to Remember the Audience", "How to Pick out the Topic for a Speech", "How to Prepare the Material for a Speech", "How to Improve Your Speech" ]
How to Improve Your Speech
We are often asked to make a speech in life. Most of us are afraid of it and don't do a good job. Here are some simple steps to make your speech a successful one. First of all, find out everything you can about your subject and at the same time find out as much as you can about your audience. Who are they? What do they know about your subject? Put yourself in their shoes as you prepare your speech. Then try to arrange your material so that your speech is clear and easy to follow. Use as many examples as possible. Never forget your audience. Don't talk over their heads or talk down to them. When you are giving your speech, speak slowly and clearly, look at your audience and for a few seconds from time to time to give your audience chances to think over what you've said. Just remember: be prepared, know your subject and your audience, say what you have to say and be yourself so that your ideas will bring you and your audience together.
Which title best gives the main idea of the passage?
[ "Because he was unfriendly.", "Because he was naughty.", "Because he was dirty.", "Because he was weak." ]
Because he was dirty.
Long ago, there was a little elephant. He left home and played in the forest alone. He stayed outside for many days and became dirty because he could not wash his back. All the other animals didn't play with him because he was dirty. The elephant sat under a tree. He started to cry. He cried for two days. But nobody could see him there. So he went back home and asked for help. His mother told him," You have a long trunk . It can help you wash your back." He and his mother went to the river and his mother taught him how to use the trunk to clean his back with water. All the other animals came over to him and said, "You are so clean now. Do you want to play with us?" The elephant was so happy and said, "Yes."
Why didn't the other animals play with the little elephant at first?
[ "be fined a lot of money", "be forbidden to return to Australia", "have to declare your items again", "make yourself screened" ]
be fined a lot of money
When you're returning to Australia, be careful that you don't bring in pests and diseases. Some items you might bring back from overseas can be pests and diseases that Australia doesn't have. When you return, declare all food, meat, fruits, plants, seeds, wooden souvenirs, animal or plant materials. Australia has strict quarantine laws and tough on-the-spot fines. Every piece of luggage is now screened or X-rayed. If you fail to declare any quarantine items, or if you make a false declaration, you will get caught. In addition to on-the-spot fines, you could be accused and fined more than $60, 000 and you may risk 10 years in prison. All international mail is also screened. Some products may require treatment to make them safe. Items that are restricted because of the risk of pests and diseases will be seized and destroyed by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service(AQIS). In many cases, the goods you declare will be returned to you after inspection. However, any item that presents a quarantine risk will be withheld . You will be given a range of options for each item depending on the quarantine risk: Treating the item to make it safe; Holding the item until an import permit is presented*; * Re-exporting the item; Destroying the item. Those treatments with the sign "*" are subject to fees. Further information: For more detailed information about bringing in food, animals, plants, animal or plant materials, call the AQIS at 1800-020-504.
If you make a false declaration, you would _ .
[ "A friend in need is a friend indeed", "God help those who help themselves", "Stand straight, stand tall", "Practice makes perfect" ]
Stand straight, stand tall
My grandfather grew up in war - torn Europe. When German soldiers occupied his hometown, the thriving city of Tarow, prefix = st1 /Poland, he refused to obey them and eventually joined the Soviet army to fight for his country's freedom. "Stand straight, stand tall," he told himself. After the war, in 1947, he boarded a boat for Manhattan. He was hungry and suffering from seasickness. All alone in a new country, he was frightened about his future .Still, he marched head-on into the hustle and bustle of the streets ofNew York. Soon he met other European immigrants, each of them trying to find his or her own way .If they could do it ,why couldn't he? "Stand straight, stand tall," he would remind himself. Thanks to the help of a loyal and trusting friend, my grandfather gained a jewelry booth on Canal Street,New York City.He once told me how nervous he was on that first day of work. He was not only trying to learn this tough new business, but also a new language. To his surprise, the men in neighboring booths--who could have taken advantage of him--offered their help and advice. Within months, my grandfather was commanding his spot behind the counter, selling diamonds and cultured pearls as if he'd been doing it his whole life. Stand straight and stand tall. In later years , my grandfather would take both my mother and her sister down the aisle at their weddings. As he stood with each of them, he thought about their new beginnings, and of the adventures and journeys they would experience together .He also thought about the children who would one day carry on his family name. I am so proud to be one of those children . Listening to my grandfather's remarkable experiences has changed the way I view my own life.
Grandpa probably inspired his grandchildren in time of trouble by saying "_".
[ "war", "peace", "love", "friendship" ]
love
My name is Toby. I'm eighty-three years old now. I once knew the greatest man in England. William Shakespeare was his name. I first met William near a big field of apple trees in the town named Stratford in October, 1579. He told me he was 15 years old. He was two years older than me. He had a sister, Joan, and two younger brothers, Gilbert and Richard. And the next year he had another brother, Edmund. After William's parents died, he and his sister lived with his mother's brother. I became his friend from that day until he died. We met nearly every day. We were friends for thirty years. I once worked with him in the theatre, through the good times and the bad times. William was good at acting. He could make all kinds of people pleased. By 1592, he became very famous. He was always busy day and night. I don't know when he slept. He not only acted in plays, but also wrote his own plays. In his whole life, William wrote 37 plays in all. He was the best _ in England. He wrote a play about love in 1595. It was Romeo and Juliet. He once used my name, Toby, in his play--Twelfth Night. In this play, Sir Toby Belch was a big fat man, who liked drinking too much and having a good time. Queen Elizabeth the First watched this play on the 6thof January, 1601. She liked it. William Shakespeare is dead now, of course. He has been dead for more than thirty years. There's no singing, no dancing, no plays. It isn't like that in my young days. But I can still think--and remember when William and I were young, we had a good time in London, William and I...
Romeo and Julietis a play about _ .
[ "agriculture", "raising cattle", "commercial trade", "making gold coins" ]
commercial trade
Pingyao, in the center of Shanxi Province, is a famous historic cultural city of China and a world cultural heritage site . It's 90 kilometers south of Taiyuan on the Fen River. People lived in Pingyao during the New Stone Age. Its long period as a country government seat has left Pingyao with lots of historic buildings and sites, with a 2,700-year history. Ninety-nine of _ are under government protection, including Zhengguo Temple, Shuanglin Temple and Pingyao Ancient City. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, businessmen organized commercial groups that did business nationwide. Shanxi Province had some of the most important ones and Pingyao was their center. In 1823, a store, known as Rishengchang(Sunrise Prosperity), traded in bank checks rather than in silver or gold coins. It was the beginning of modern Chinese banking. Branch banks were soon set up in major cities in China and other parts of Asia, leading to great development in Pingyao. Its Lacquer ware became well known. In Pingyao Ancient City are many traditional houses and commercial buildings, 3,797 of which are protected and more than 400 of which are in good condition. Not only do the houses in Pingyao show Shanxi's history and culture, but this large number is valuable for studying its history, customs, and ancient buildings and art. Most of these houses are still used as homes and shops of local people. In 1997, Ancient Pingyao City was listed in World Heritage List as " World Culture Heritage Site".
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Pingyao was a leading center in _ .
[ "Harry's father", "Harry's mother", "Harry", "Nobody" ]
Harry's father
Harry is eighteen now. He studies in a middle school. His parents like him very much and hope he can become a famous man. So they often tell him to study hard and they do all for him. They call him at six in the morning, after breakfast his father takes him to school in a car and in the afternoon, as soon as the young man comes back, the supper is ready. Of course, he never washes his clothes or goes to buy something in the shops. Once, Harry's father was sent to London on business. He would stay there for half a year. Leaving, he told his wife to take good care of their son. The woman had to get up earlier and did all what her husband did before. And two months later she was so tired that she was ill in bed. Now the young man got into trouble. He couldn't do any housework. He had to do as his mother told him. Even he didn't know where to get on the bus! Yesterday Harry's mother found his shoes were worn out and told him to buy a new pair in the shop. But he didn't know how to choose. The woman had a sigh and gave him a shoe pattern and told him to buy a pair of shoes himself. It's Saturday today and Harry doesn't go to school. With a policeman's help, he found a shop. The shopkeeper was friendly to him. The man brought a lot of shoes and asked him to choose. When he was trying on a pair, suddenly he remembered something and took them off. The man was surprised and asked, "What's the matter, young man?" "I'm sorry, I've left the shoe pattern at home!"
_ always does some housework in the morning.
[ "means the same in America as in England", "means \"call somebody\" to the American people.", "has two different meanings", "means \"be going to get married\" in England" ]
has two different meanings
When I was sixteen years old, I made my first visit to the United States. It wasn't the first time I had been abroad. Like most English children I learned French at school. And I had often been to France, so I was used to speaking a foreign language to people who didn't understand English. But when I went to America I was really looking forward to having a nice easy holiday without any language barriers. How wrong I was! The misunderstandings began at the airport. I was looking for a public telephone to give my American friend Penny a call and tell her that I had arrived. A friendly old man saw me looking lost and asked if he could help me. "Yes," I said, "I want to give my friend a ring." "Well, that's nice," he said. "Are you getting married? But aren't you a bit young?" "Who is talking about marriage?" I replied. "I only want to give my friend a ring to tell her I've arrived. Can you tell me where there's a phone box?" "Oh!" he said, "There's a phone downstairs." When at last we met, Penny explained the misunderstandings to me. "Don't worry," she said to me. "I had so many difficulties at first. There are lots of words which the Americans use differently in meaning from British. You'll soon get used to all the funny things _ say. Most of the time British and American people understand each other!"
From the passage we can see that "give somebody a ring" _ .
[ "play football there", "make his dream realized", "be a professional player", "have parties there." ]
make his dream realized
What separates me from everyone else? The difference is not what clothes I wear or the music I listen to, but what I feel inside. Ever since I was young, I have loved professional wrestling.I woke up every Saturday to watch my favorite "Superstars." As I grew older, I got a lot of flak for watching this "fake" sport.My peers would laugh at me for following what was called a "man's soap opera." So, _ .Like everyone else, I wanted to be associated with the cool clique.I yearned to be invited to the parties of the in-crowd and hang out with the popular kids.I became pretty successful.Although my Friday evenings were busy with parties, I would still wake up early Saturdays to watch wrestling.It wasn't until freshman year that I realized I wasn't being myself. That year, I tried many new things and activities and made new friends.In my town, football was the sport, so I decided to play football, thinking it might give me a head start in popularity.The team started with 48 athletes.At the end, there were 14 of us left.I stuck it out not because I liked it, but because I am not a quitter.That long season taught me a lesson: I wasn't a football player.More importantly, it taught me to be myself. After that season, I went back to being a wrestling fan.I watched it religiously, no matter what insults were thrown my way.I came across a quote: "Don't Dream It, Be It." When I read this, my friend Dan had the same idea I had. "What if we build a wrestling ring?" we asked.We acquired the necessary wood and equipment for its construction.The following weekend, we met at his house.We saw our dream in a pile in his backyard.We worked from dawn to dusk to build our great establishment.By Sunday night, our mission was complete.Our hard work (combined with a little creativity) had paid off.We had a real ring.We decided to hold an "event." We practiced for hours, trying to improve every aspect of our wrestling ability.The date was May 24th.Our show had a start time of 9: 00 p.m.To our surprise, about one hundred family, friends and fans showed up to support us.It was the most important night of my life and a complete success.Since that time, we have held five shows with as many as two hundred and fifty people turning out.We continue to live this dream.We accomplished what we set out to do.We are now well known throughout school.When I walk down the halls, I am respected by my peers.Some are the same peers who ridiculed me for watching wrestling when I was younger.When they approach me, they often say, "Good match, Chris." I humbly say, "Thank you," knowing I did something I believed in. As my senior year winds down, I'll remember all of my high school memories.But what will stick out most is the memory that I did something I loved, despite what everyone said or thought.I accomplished my goal ...I lived my dream.
The writer built the wrestling ring in order to _ .
[ "peace", "physics", "medicine", "literature" ]
medicine
Tu Youyou, an 84-year-old scientist, became the first female Chinese to win a Nobel Prize in science on Oct,5. She shared the 2015 Nobel Prize for medicine because of the new medicine for malaria . Tu started the research in the 1970s that made her find artemisinin , a kind of medicine that has saved many people's lives. It comes from Chinese traditional medicine and now is a good way to treat malaria. When the news came that Tu was given the prize, there were cheers as well as questions. Some said that her achievement was the result of lots of Chinese scientists working together. So it is unfair to give the prize only to Tu. However, Tu was awarded for "three firsts". She was the first to bring artemisinin to her team, the first to extract artemisinin that can stop malaria, and the first to finish the experiment. Giving prizes to scientists with great ideas is the best way to keep national innovation .
What kind of prize did Tu Youyou win at the Nobel Prize ceremony?
[ "She didn't have to worry about money.", "She likes helping others when they are in trouble.", "Many Chinese families lent her money.", "She asked people to take care of her daughter." ]
She likes helping others when they are in trouble.
Liang Huili is the leader of Huana International Volunteer Service Group,with hundreds of students, young professionals and business leaders. They held a basketball match to help 150 poor students in western China with school supplies and winter clothes. She also worked with an organization in the US to raise money for children with heart disease. Born in Guangdong Province in 1942, Liang moved with her family to Taiwan at the age of seven. Liang taught at a primary school for seven years until her boyfriend went to America in 1969, one year after they got married. "We didn't have much money," she says, " so I started babysitting for other Chinese families and taking care of my own daughter at the same time." She also taught children Chinese at Chinese schools. What's more, she would help newly arrived Chinese families find apartments and work, and sometimes lend them money. "I remember those students from China who first came in 1986. They didn't have much money, and idea of what to do," Liang told us. " I then asked people in my neighborhood and my Chinese friends for donations -not only some money but also small electronic appliances needed for daily living." One of her experiences in Dayton, Ohio made her want to make volunteering a vocation . She remembers how she once collected two Chinese professors who had missed their flight and had no one there to pick them up. A friend told Liang about it, and she went to meet them herself around midnight. She found the men feeling lost in that strange country, where no one spoke their language. They didn't want to go to an American hotel, and didn't know how they would get to Columbus the next day. " So I talk to them and took them home with me," she says, " and today, I am still in touch with those two professors. We are good friends."
What can we learn about Liang from the passage? _
[ "\"Wugging\", A New Technology for the Internet", "British People Show Strong Interest in Charities", "More BritainCharities Benefit from the Internet", "Students Raise Money for Charity by \"Wugging\"" ]
Students Raise Money for Charity by "Wugging"
Wugging, or web use giving, describes the act of giving to charity at no cost to the user. By using Everyclick. com, which is being added to a number of university computers across theprefix = st1 /UKthis week , students can raise money every time they search, but it won't cost them a penny. Research shows that students are enthusiastic about supporting charity, 88% of full time students have used the Internet to give to charity. This figure is high, considering this age group is often the least likely to have their own income. 19% of 22 to 24 years old have short-term debts of more thanPS5,000. With rising personal debt levels in this age group, due to university tuition fees or personal loans and a lack of long-term savings, traditional methods of donating to charity are often not appealing or possible. Beth Truman, a 21-year-old recent university graduate has used Everyclick. com to donate to her chosen charity, the RSPCA, for two years and has seen the "wugging" movement grow popular with students. "When you're at university you become more socially aware, but it's sometimes hard to give to others when you have little money yourself. " says Beth. "Wugging is great for people in this age group as it allows them to use the technology on a daily basis to give it to charity, without costing them a single penny. " Wugging is perfect for people who want to be more socially aware and supportive but don't feel they have the _ to do so. Students using the web can generate money for causes they care about without it costing them anything in terms of time or money, and charities get a valuable source of funding. Everyclick. com works like any other search engine, allowing users to search for information, news and images but users can identify which of the UK's 170,000 charities they would like to support through their clicks. Everyclick. com then makes monthly payments to every registered charity. Launched in June 2005 Everyclick. com is now the eighth largest search engine and one of the busiest charity websites in theUK.
What is the best title for this passage?
[ "It will have a promising future.", "It will bring higher business risk.", "It will control the global economy.", "It will cause losses of brand recognition." ]
It will control the global economy.
Well-known companies are powered by their names and reputations. When people walk into a Pizza Hut in Tokyo, Rome, or Miami, they know exactly what they are getting. Through franchising, an investor can make use of this brand power by opening a Pizza Hut of his or her own. The risk is low, and the rewards can be big. No wonder franchising is such a successful business model. Franchising had been around for more than 100 years, but its popularity took off in the 1950s. Leading the trend were fast food restaurant like McDonald's. These days, there are franchises in more than eighty-five industries, including dry cleaning, hotels and supermarkets. It's a very big business. In the US, there are some 760,000 franchises, totaling more than $1.5 trillion in yearly revenues (income). There are two sides in a franchise: the franchisor--the owner of the business system and the franchisee--the person who licenses the system. After signing a "franchise agreement", the franchisee pays a fee. He or she also pays for equipment, supplies, and, if necessary, building costs. The total investment usually ranges from $10,000 to $1,000,000. After the business opens, the franchisee also pays a percentage of sales revenues--called a royalty--to the franchisor. Marking fees must also be paid. In return, the franchisee receives many benefits. Training is among the most common ones. It includes everything from dealing with customers to understanding the company's standards. The franchisor also handles advertising. On top of that, there's the benefit of the brand reputation that the company has built up. All of these benefits make the risk of opening a franchise much smaller than that of starting a business from scratch. However, a franchise can also have drawbacks. If a customer at a single restaurant gets sick, it may hurt every franchise in the system. Running a franchise also means closely following the company's standards. So, one has to give up a degree of independence. You have to do things their way and trust that the system will work. If you want to earn a lot of money from the business, you have to work hard. Also, remember that the monthly royalty must be paid, even if you are losing money. However, there are thousands of opportunities in franchising. They will surely grow as brand recognition becomes more important in the global economy .
What does the author think of franchising?
[ "all the students", "all the teachers", "students with special learning needs", "some special-education teachers" ]
students with special learning needs
EDGEWOOD-Every morning at Dixie Heights High school,customers pour into a special experiment:the district's first coffee shop run mostly by students with special learning needs. Well before classes start,students and teachers order Lattes,Cappuccinos and Hot Chocolates.Then,during the first period,teachers call in orders on their room phones,and students make deliveries.By closing time at 9:20a.m.,the shop usually sells 90drinks."Whoever made the chi tea,Ms.Schatzman says it was good,"Christy McKinley,a second year student,announced recently,after hanging up with the teacher. The shop is called the Dixie PIT,which stands for Power in Transition.Although some of the students are not disabled,many are,and the PIT helps them prepare for life after high school.They learn not only how to run a coffee shop but also how to deal with their affairs.They keep a timecard and receive paychecks,which they keep in check registers. Special-education teachers Kim Chevalier and Sue Casey introduced the Dixie PIT from a similar program at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia.Not that it was easy.Chevalier's first problem to overcome was product-related.Should schools be selling coffee?What about sugar content?Kenton County Food Service Director Ginger Gray helped.She made sure all the drinks,which use non-fat milk,fell within nutrition guidelines.
The coffee shop is mostly run by .
[ "Shooting fish in a barrel", "Walking on a falling tree log.", "Staying on a log", "Shooting fish in a river" ]
Shooting fish in a barrel
People have their own ways of saying things with their own special expressions. Some of these expressions are easy to understand. "As Easy as Falling off a Log " is one such expression. It describes a job that does not take much effort. If you ever tried to walk on a falling tree log, you may understand what the expression means. It is easier to fall off the log than to stay on it. There are several other expressions that mean the same thing. And their meaning is as easy to understand as falling off a log. One is "Easy as Pie." Nothing is easier than eating a piece of sweet juicy pie, unless it is a piece of cake. "A Piece of Cake" is another expression that means something is extremely easy to do. Another expression is "As Easy as Shooting Fish in a Barrel ". Clearly, fish in a barrel will be much easier to shoot than fish in a river. In fact, it would be as easy as falling off a log. Sometimes, things that come to us easily also leave us just as easily. In fact, there is an expression "Easy Come Easy Go". Another easy expression is "To Go Easy on a Person". It means to treat a person kindly or gently, especially in a situation where you might be expected to be angry with him. A wife might ask her husband to go easy on their son, because the boy did not mean to destroy the toy. If you want to borrow some money to fix the car, you should look for a friend who is an "Easy Touch". An easy touch or a soft touch is someone who is kind and helpful. And there is one more expression that means do not worry or work too hard. Try to keep away from difficult situations. "Take it easy", until we meet again.
Which of the following expressions has the same meaning with "As easy as falling off a log?"
[ "can see everything clearly", "can't see anything clearly", "can see nothing", "can see only fishes" ]
can see everything clearly
Skin-diving is a new sport today. This sport takes you into a wonderful new world. It is like a visit to the moon!When you are under water,it is easy for you to climb big rocks, because you are no longer heavy. Here,under water,everything is blue and green.During the day,there is enough light. When fish swim nearby,you can catch them with your hands. When you have tanks of air on your back,you can stay in deep water for a long time.But you must be careful. To catch the fish is one of the most interesting parts of this sport.On the other hand, you can clean the ships without taking them out of the water.You can get many things from the deep sea. Now you can see that skin-diving is both useful and interesting.
A skin-diver _ under water in the day.
[ "Jane", "David", "Jack", "Mary" ]
David
Here is a photo of my family. These are my parents, Jack Ken and Mary Ken. My father is a teacher and my mother is a nurse . This is my brother David and this is my sister Jane. And the little girl is me .I have a happy family. I love my family.
_ is my brother.
[ "other parks were opened", "homeowners lost their houses", "Carl Laemmle decided to produce films", "more environmental regulations have been made" ]
other parks were opened
Universal Studios Hollywood, a park for fun, entertainment, and even learning, is taking its first steps in a 25-year plan to expand itself. The plan is to expand the amusement facilities and develop a residential neighborhood in the area. "I'm really excited about what's happening here," one visitor said. Originally known as Universal City, Universal Studios Hollywood was founded in 1915 by Carl Laemmle. It was the first studio offering tours during which people could watch films in production. Since then, Universal Studios Hollywood has grown to include theme parks, restaurants, hotels, shopping malls, and etc. This park proved to be so popular that Universal Studios Florida opened in 1990. With such past success and growth, it's no wonder that Universal Studios Hollywood is excited about its latest plans for expansion. The original plans had to be changed because of environmental regulations , but now they are ready to move ahead at full speed. While many new attractions are in the works for the new expansion, Universal Studios Hollywood will keep some of its old attractions, such as the Bates Mansion from the film Psychoand the Shark from Jaws. These attractions offer a look at the historical development of the film industry, and show the advances in film-production techniques over the years. But while preserving the past, plenty of new high-tech sound stages, rides, and theaters are in the works. In May, Citywalk, a shopping, dining, and entertainment facility, began undergoing renovations , and spring also saw the opening of Sky Venture Hollywood, an attraction where visitors can float 40 feet into the air on 125 mph winds.
As a result of the popularity of Universal Studios Hollywood, _ .
[ "Thankful.", "Overjoyed.", "Surprised.", "Doubtful." ]
Surprised.
Bill Fulton doesn't remember losing his wallet, but its return helped him remember the past. The leather stayed smooth and the cowboy design unblemished . And when he looked inside, the contents brought back memories from 1946, when he apparently dropped the wallet behind the balcony bleachers in the Baker Middle School gym. Fulton's Social Security Card and bicycle license, bearing the address where he lived during his teenage years, were positioned in their respective compartments, apparently untouched since the year after World War Il ended. Worker Nathan Osborne found the wallet -- along with old homework, lost library books and a 1964 talent show program -- while removing the bleachers for renovations on June 17. It was brought to Fulton's door the following day by Melanie Trindle, the Baker Middle School secretary. Middle School Principal Mindi Vaughan said the brown pine bleachers were connected to the gym balcony's brick wall and had remained in the same place since the school, known as the Helen M. Stack Building, opened in 1936. Fulton, 78, said he probably lost the wallet while cheering for the Baker High basketball team with a group of friends. Fulton said the bicycle ID was needed because he delivered medicine for Rodamar Drug. He was surprised, however, that his bicycle ID wasn't inside. He said he always kept it there. But rather than focus on what was inside the wallet, Fulton said the recovery has led him to reflect on his life -- one that took him to the Korean War and Berlin before the return to Baker City. He worked at Ellingson Lumber Company for 30 years, from March 1964 to April 1994. Since his retirement, Fulton has enjoyed spending time with his 11-year-old black dog, Smokey. The two often hike the nearby mountains. Trindle's knock on the door, wallet in hand, induced a slight ripple in his life, prompting him to consider the times he hadn't thought about in many years. "Where did all the times go?" Fulton said with a deep sigh. "It' s hard to believe that the times have gone so fast."
Which of the following best describes Fulton's feeling when the wallet was returned?
[ "Because it was scared by the noise made by Ian's shouting.", "Because Hagar rushed to grab the baby from its jaws.", "Because it wanted to attack Iris and took her away.", "Because Hagar and Ian were chasing it back into the woods." ]
Because it was scared by the noise made by Ian's shouting.
He was a hero that saved two children from the jaws of a cougar . Standing barely 1.7 meters, the 22-year-old with black-frame glasses might pass more for a Chinese Harry Potter. Yet Shen Huigang is now getting recognition for his bravery in fighting off a cougar on Vancouver Island, Canada, during a family outing. Shen, also known as Ian, was then an exchange student. With him was a friend, Myles Hagar, and Hagar's two grandchildren. Silently and suddenly a cougar appeared out of nowhere. By the time they spotted the cat, it already had the head of 18-month-old Julien in its mouth. "At first, my brain was nothing but blank," Shen recalled. "But I believed I could get the child back." He gestured as if he were ready for a fight, and tried to scare the beast off with his bag. Hearing the noise Shen made, the animal dropped the baby and Hagar rushed to grab his grandson. But the animal didn't run, instead turned toward 3-year-old Iris standing beside Shen. "Had Ian not been there, shouting at the cougar, remaining calm and standing firm, it would certainly have attacked Iris." Hagar recalled. They chased the animal back into the woods. "We moved slowly to our vehicle as we waved our fists and bags, pretending to wrestle it," Shen said. "The vehicle wasn't far away but it felt like it took us a century to travel the short journey." As Hagar drove for help, Shen held the heavily-bleeding boy in the passenger seat and calmly kept him awake by hugging and kissing him in case he would go into a coma . The boy was flown to a hospital nearby. Doctors later said his little skull had been punctured through to his brain in two places. Luckily, Julien made a full recovery. "Any hesitation, even a second delay, would have resulted in certain death for Julien, but Ian was there..." Hagar said. Following the incident, the story appeared on Canadian TV networks in every city, and in many small town newspapers---plus many US Internet news sites. The Royal Canadian Humane Association planned to give Shen a Canada Bravery Award, but it couldn't reach him because he had returned to China.
Why did the cougar drop the baby?
[ "an educational booklet", "a school website", "a traveling guide", "an academic report" ]
an educational booklet
prefix = st1 /New Zealand Education Compulsory Education Compulsory education starts at age 5 and ends at age 16. The day children turn 5, they are expected to start school. They can leave school as soon as they reach 16. Class Size The maximum number of students in a class is 30 students. Classrooms Students from year 0--8 stay in the same classroom for most subjects and move to other classrooms only for specific subjects. Even when they move from one classroom to another, they mostly stay together as a class. In year 9, students take some courses with their homeroom class and some optional classes with students from different classes. Starting from year 10, students no longer stay in the same classroom most of the time nor do they move around with their classes. They go to different classes based on their own choice and abilities. Term Dates A school year starts in January and ends in December. There are four terms in a year. Each term is about 10 weeks. Class Schedule School starts at around 8:30 and ends at 15:15. There are only five periods a day and a period is about an hour long. In the morning, around 10:30, there will be a 20--30 minute interval when students and staff have morning tea. Students usually have some snacks during this time, and staff gathers in the staff room to drink coffee and eat some snacks. There is a lunch period at around 12:40 for about an hour. Teachers In New Zealand, teachers have to teach students of different year level at the same time. Most teachers teach students from at least three to four different year levels. In addition, quite a number of teachers teach more than one subject. This is mainly due to the fact that many courses are optional.
This passage is most probably taken from _ .
[ "It is bitter and disappointing.", "It is painful but understandable.", "She feels sorry but pitiful.", "She feels hurt and angry." ]
It is painful but understandable.
Dear Maya Shao-ming, To me, June 6, 1990 is a special day. My long-awaited dream came true the minute your father cried, "A girl!" You are more than just a second child, more than just a girl to match our boy. You, little daughter, are the link to our female line, the legacy of another woman's pain and sacrifice 31 years ago. Let me tell you about your Chinese grandmother. Somewhere in Hong Kong, in the late fifties, a young waitress found herself pregnant by a cook, probably a co-worker at her restaurant. She carried the baby to term, suffered to give it birth, and kept the little girl for the first three months of her life. I like to think that my mother--your grandmother--loved me and fought to raise me on her own, but that the daily struggle was too hard. Worn down by the demands of the new baby and perhaps the constant threat of starvation, she made the painful decision to give away her girl so that both of us might have a chance for a better life. More likely, I was dropped at the orphanage (M JLR) steps or somewhere else. I will probably never know the truth. Having a baby in her unmarried state would have brought shame on the family in China, so she probably kept my existence a secret. Once I was out of her life, it was as if I had never been born. And so you and your brother and I are the missing leaves on a family tree. Do they ever wonder if we exist? Before I was two, I was adopted by an Anglo couple. Fed three square meals a day, I grew like a wild weed and grasped all the opportunities they had to offer--books, music, education, church life and community activities. In a family of blue-eyed blonds, though, _ . Whether from jealousy or fear of someone who looked so different, my older brothers sometimes teased me about my unpleasing skin, or made fun of my clumsy walk. Moody and impatient, burdened by fears that none of us realized resulted from my early years of need, I was not an easy child to love. My mother and I conflicted countless times over the years, but gradually came to see one another as real human beings with faults and talents, and as women of strength in our own right. Lacking a mirror image in the mother who raised me, I had to seek my identity as a woman on my own. The Asian American community has helped me regain my double identity. But part of me will always be missing: my beginnings, my personal history, all the delicate details that give a person her origin. Nevertheless, someone gave me a lucky name "Siu Wai." "Siu" means "little," and "Wai means "clever." Therefore, my baby name was "Clever little one." Who chose those words? Who cared enough to note my arrival in the world? I lost my Chinese name for 18 years. It was Americanized for convenience to "Sue." But like an ill-fitting coat, it made me uncomfortable. I hated the name. But even more, I hated being Chinese. It took many years to become proud of my Asian origin and work up the courage to take back my birth-name. That, plus a little knowledge of classroom Cantonese, is all the Chinese culture I have to offer you. Not white, certainly, but not really Asian, I try to pave the way between the two worlds and bridge the gap for you. Your name, "Shao-ming," is very much like mine--"Shao" means "little." And "ming" is "bright," as in a shining sun or moon. Whose lives will you brighten, little Maya? Your past is more complete than mine, and each day I cradle you in your babyhood, generously giving you the loving care I lacked for my first two years. When I pat you, I comfort the lost baby inside me who still cries for her mother. Sweet Maya, it doesn't matter what you "become" later on. You have already fulfilled my wildest dreams. I love you, Mommy
How does Mommy feel about her being given away?
[ "the importance of being honest", "how to write excuse notes skillfully", "the pleasure of creative writing", "how to be creative in writing" ]
how to be creative in writing
I was in my third year of teaching creative writing at a high school in New York, when one of my students, 15-year-old Mikey, gave me a note from his mother. It explained his absence from class the day before. I had seen Mikey himself writing the note at his desk. Most parental-excuse notes I received were penned by my students. If I were to deal with them, I'd be busy 24 hours a day. The _ excuse notes made a large pile , with writing that ranged from imaginative to crazy. The writers of those notes didn't realize that honest excuse notes were usually dull: "Peter was late because the alarm clock didn't go off." Isn't it remarkable, I thought, how the students complained and said it was hard to put 200 words together on any subject? But when they produced excuse notes, they were brilliant. So one day I typed out a dozen excuse notes and gave them to my classes. I said, "They're supposed to be written by parents, but actually they are not. True, Mikey?" The students looked at me nervously. "Now, this will be the first class to study the art of the excuse note--the first class, ever, to practice writing them. You're so lucky to have a teacher like me who has taken your best writing and turned it into a subject worth studying." Everyone smiled as I went on, "You used your imaginations. So try more now. Today I'd like you to write 'An Excuse Note from Adam to God' or 'An Excuse Note from Eve to God'. " Heads went down. Pens raced across paper. For the first time ever I saw students so careful in their writing that they had to be asked to go to lunch by their friends. The next day everyone had excuse notes. Heated discussions followed. The headmaster entered the classroom and walked up and down, looking at papers, and then said, "I'd like you to see me in my office." When I stepped into his office, he came to shake my hand and said, "I just want to tell you that that lesson, that task, whatever the hell you were doing, was great. Those kids were writing on the college level. Thank you."
The author had the students practice writing excuse notes so that the students could learn _ .
[ "tell parents the reasons of moving.", "explain the reasons of stress.", "give parents some advice on moving.", "teach parents how to move." ]
give parents some advice on moving.
One in five American families will move every year. Moving is one of the most stress-producing events a family has to go through. Experts say it can be harder for children. How do you help your child adjust to the changes? The Ricardos moved from their old house to a new home. Same family, same dog-but it was harder for 9-year-old Elena. She hated the room, the house and everything. She hated leaving her friends the most. " I was so emotional. I mean, saying goodbye to all my friends.....my very close friends, who was my neighbor, made me so sad," says Elena. For some children, the emotional stress of moving is not much more different from the emotions when someone has died. "There's that sense that, 'I've lost my friends, my friends, my base, my school, my teachers-everything I knew that made me feel safe is all gone now. I have to start over," says Dr. Tim Jordan. Starting over is exactly Dr. Tim Jordan's advice. Make new friends, enter the new school and enter the new neighborhood. And here are some other pieces of advice. * Explain clearly to the children why the move is necessary. * Familiarize the children as much as possible with the new area with maps, photographs or the daily newspaper. * After the move, got the children to join in activities in the place. * Help the children keep in touch with friends from the neighborhood before through telephone, letters, e-mail, and personal visits.
The passage mainly wants to _
[ "it is better for parents not to divorce", "children should not stay with divorced parents", "it is better to live with one divorced parent", "children of divorced parents don't have serious problems" ]
it is better for parents not to divorce
In the United States, the number of children affected by divorce grows by about one million each year. As the number increases, experts continue to debate the effects of divorce on children. Some experts say divorce is harmful to children. Some studies show that children of divorce have more problems. For example, some children of divorce are more often aggressive toward parents and teachers. They have a greater risk of leaving school before completing their studies. They have more health and learning problems. However, experts note that these problems are not necessarily caused by divorce alone. During the 1970's, many Americans believed that divorce was the best solution for married people who were not happy. People did not think divorce would harm children. They thought children would go through a period of change when their parents ended their marriage. Then the children would be all right. These beliefs have changed in recent years. Researcher Judith Wallerstein studied more than one hundred children of divorce over a twenty-five-year period. She says some children never recover from divorce. She says they often have problems with their own adult relationships as a result of their parents' divorce. Ms. Wallerstein says her study proves that parents should stay together for their children, even if they are unhappy. However, some people say that children suffer more in a situation where there is much conflict. They say it is better for children to live with one divorced parent than to live with two parents who are angry and unhappy. Other experts note that many children of divorce do not have serious problems. This is because their parents are able to deal with the situation in a responsible way. Experts say that some people who get divorced are able to put the needs of their children first. They say that they are able to show the children that their love and support will continue after the divorce.
According to Ms. Wallerstein, _ .
[ "9.5 hours of sleep a night is enough for children.", "The more a child sleeps, the healthier he will be.", "Six graders need much more sleep than third graders.", "One's race or gender has nothing to do with his weight." ]
One's race or gender has nothing to do with his weight.
Weighing too much can damage your health, and obesity is a growing problem for both kids and adults around the world. Sleep might be one answer to the problem. A new study has found that elementary school students who slept too little were more likely to gain pounds. Past studies have shown a link between sleeping less and weighing more, but scientists have had a tough time determining"which came first, the chicken or the egg,"says Julie C. Lumeng of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In other words, it hasn't been clear whether kids who weigh too much have trouble sleeping, or whether sleeping less leads to weight gain. Both scenarios seemed equally possible. To get a better idea of which causes which, Lumeng and her colleagues interviewed the parents of 785 third graders from around the United States. The parents answered questions about how well their kids slept that year. Three years later, the parents answered the same questions. By sixth grade, 18 percent of kids involved in the study were obese. The scientists found no relationship between weight and the students' race or gender. It also didn't matter how strict their parents were, or whether they were boys or girls. Obesity struck all of these groups equally. Instead, sleep seemed to be the key factor. Over the 3 years of the study, the children averaged a healthy 9.5 hours of sleep a night. Some kids, however, slept a lot more -- or less -- than others. For the sixth graders, every hour of sleep above the 9.5-hour average was linked to a 20 percent lower risk of being obese. Sleep appeared doubly important for the third graders. Every extra hour of sleep they got was linked to a 40 percent drop in obesity.
What did the interview find out?
[ "Natural cures worked better than scientific medicine in ancient times.", "People who practice folk medicine need lots of formal education on herbs.", "The success of folk medicine led to the development of doctor medicine.", "Folk healers choose different herbs to cure diseases without any sound basis." ]
Natural cures worked better than scientific medicine in ancient times.
There are three branches of medicine. One is called "doctor medicine" or "scientific medicine". Scientific doctors try to observe sickness, look for logical pattern, and then find out how the human body works. From there they figure out what treatments may work. This kind of medicine is believed to date from the 4thcentury BC. Although nowadays it is successful, in the ancient this approach probably did not cure many patients. The second kind of medicine is called "natural cures" or "folk medicine", in which less educated people try to cure sickness with various herbs. These folk healers also use observation and logic, but they are not so aware of it. They try things until they find something that seems to work, and then they keep doing that. Folk medicine flourished long before the development of scientific medicine and was more successful in ancient times. The third kind is called "health spas" or "faith healing". Sometimes this may be as simple as touching the holy man and being immediately healed. Other times, a magician may make you a magic charm, or say a spell , to cure you. Some religious groups organize healing shrines for the sick. In these places people rest, get plenty of sleep, eat healthy food, drink water instead of wine, and exercise in various ways. They also talk to the priests and pray to the gods. If you are feeling depressed or you have been working too hard, going to these places may be just the right thing to make you feel better.
According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
[ "enjoy living", "happy", "enjoyable", "get laid", "do enjoy" ]
enjoy living
have fun
More people should lower the guard and just have fun, we don't got long just what?
[ "a professional magazine", "a recent blog post", "journal articles and textbooks", "a 3-D printer user" ]
journal articles and textbooks
Amos Dudley, a 24-year-old boy who studies digital design at New Jersey University of Technology, felt ashamed about his teeth. But being a student, Dudley didn't have the money to get braces . So, he decided to 3-D print his own and marked down the DIY project in a recent blog post. His braces totaled less than $60, and after wearing them for 16 weeks, his teeth are also getting straighter. Months ago, he mentioned on his blog that he avoided smiling for a while because he was unhappy with his teeth. However, clear braces can get pricey, costing up to $8,000. But after studying some images of these expensive clear braces, something comes up on him--they looked like that one which can come from a 3-D printer. So he decided to hit up his school's 3-D printing equipment and scanned and printed models of his teeth. He then made non-harmful plastic molds around them to make 12 sets of braces. Dudley, who does not recommend attempting any of this at home said that he didn't ask a dentist for his project. But the student did get information from journal articles and textbooks. And though this was a perfectly friendly choice to buy braces. He didn't accept the project just to save money--he was also up for the challenge. "When I realized that I could do something that was a little bit special, while proving my skills as a designer and a maker, and fixing something that was making me self-conscious for actually free, I felt it was more than worth the risk." he said.
Dudley got the information on making a 3-D printed braces from _ .
[ "All that glitters is not gold", "It never rains but pours", "Every coins has two sides", "It's no good crying over spilt milk" ]
Every coins has two sides
Owning a smartphone may not be as smart as you think. It may let you surf the Internet, listen to music and snap photos wherever you are...but it also turns you into a workaholic, it seems. A study suggests that, by giving you access to emails at all times, the all-singing, all-dancing mobilephone adds as much as two hours to your working day. Researchers found that Britons work an additional 460 hours a year on average as they are able to respond to emails on their mobiles. The study by technology retailer Pixmania reveals the average UK working day is between 9 and 10 hours, but a further two hours is spent responding to or sending work emails, or making work calls. More than 90 percent of office workers have email-enabled phones, with a third _ them more than 20 times a day. Almost one in ten admits spending up to three hours outside their normal working day checking work emails. Some workers confess they are on call almost 24 hours a day, with nine out of ten saying they make work emails and calls outside their normal working hours. The average time for first checking emails is between 6 am and 7 am, with more than a third checking their first emails in this period, and a quarter checking them between 11 pm and midnight. Ghadi Hobeika, marketing director of Pixmania, said, "The ability to access literally millions of apps, keep in contact via social networks and take photos and video as well as text and call has made smartphones invaluable for many people. However, there are drawbacks. Many companies expect their employees to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and smartphones mean that people literally cannot get away from work. The more constantly in contact we become , the more is expected of us in a work capacity ."
What can we conclude from the text?
[ "learnlanguageskillsmoreeasily", "behealthier", "findithardtolearntoread", "eatlessfood" ]
findithardtolearntoread
Television is good. You'd like to watch it all day and all night. But too much TV is a very bad thing. Scientists found that kids who watch too much TV may have more trouble learning to read. They can't focus on their work. Kids learn language skills best by reading, talking and playing with others. If they spend too much time watching TV, they'll have less time for those things. Watching too much TV is bad for people's health. People don't move much while watching TV. What's more, they may eat a lot of food while watching. This can make them fat. We call these people couch potatoes. Fighting on TV is a big problem for kids. Yong people are good at following. Scientists have found that those who watch a lot of fighting shows are more likely to fight.
Scientists say if kids watch too much TV, they will _ .
[ "Just listen.", "Keep silent.", "Be careful.", "Tell your own story." ]
Just listen.
In my eyes, the most basic and powerful way to communicate with another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. And especially if it's given from the heart. When people are talking,there's no need to do anything but receive them. Listen to what they're saying. Care about it. Most times caring about it is even more important than understanding it. Most of us don't value ourselves or our love enough to know this. It has taken me a long time to believe in the power of simple saying "I'm so sorry," when someone is in pain. One of my patients told me that when she tried to tell her story people often interrupted to tell her that they once had something just like that happening to them. Her pain became a story about themselves. Eventually she stopped talking to most people. We connect through listening. When we interrupt what someone is saying to let them know that we understand,we move the focus of attention to ourselves. When we listen,they know we care. I have even learned to respond to someone crying by just listening. In the old days I used to reach for the handkerchiefs,until I realized that passing a person a handkerchief may be just another way to shut him down,to take them out of their experience of sadness. Now I just listen. When they have cried all they need to cry,they find me there with them. This simple thing has not been that easy to learn. It certainly went against everything I had been taught since I was very young. I thought people listened only because they were too shy to speak or did not know the answer. But now I know that a loving silence often has far more power to heal than the kindest words.
Which of the following might be the author's opinion about communication?
[ "she would like to change her face", "she had a strange feeling", "she was satisfied with what she looked like as a Middle Eastern person", "she could buy the Human Race machine" ]
she was satisfied with what she looked like as a Middle Eastern person
Have you ever wondered what you would look like if you were an Asian, Middle Eastern, black, white or Indian person? By stepping into the Human Race Machine, you can find out. When you sit inside it, the machine creates a digital image of your face. After pushing certain buttons, the machine uses various photos of people of a certain ethnic group mixed with your own facial features. From this, it can _ an image showing how you would look as a member of a different race. The machine is part of a traveling retrospective called " Seeing and Believing: The Art of Nancy Burson." Burson is a famous American photographer and inventor. The show of 100 photos and multimedia works was on view at the Grey Art Gallery in New York on April 20. " It is a strange feeling, just like stepping into someone else's skin." said Hathy Zajchenko, a museum visitor from Pennsylvania, US. As soon as she sat down, she tried out a range of ethnic groups. " The Middle Eastern image worked pretty well for me," she said with a smile. According to Burson, _ It is about seeing through differences to find the things we all share in common. Burson added the database of Middle Eastern faces, both Arab and Jewish, after the terrorist attacks on September 11. "I have always wanted to allow people to see differently. I am a photographer. I am recording the unseen, because what we can not see is so much more interesting than what we can see," Burson said. For those who missed the show, the Human Race machine will be on view at the New York Hall of Science in the Queens district full-time as of June.
When Kathy Zajchenko said that the Middle Eastern image worked well for her, she meant that _ .
[ "responding right away if it's urgent", "downloading every e-mail before you reply", "scheduling it for later reply if it takes much time", "asking someone else to reply to it if it's not at your convenience" ]
downloading every e-mail before you reply
It's interesting that technology often works as a servant for us, yet frequently we become a servant to it. E-mail is a useful tool but many feel controlled by this new tool. The average business person is getting about 80e-mails per day and many feel that about 80% of the messages in their "Inbox" are of little or no value. So, I have four suggestions to help you to become better at "Erasing E-mail". 1.Get off the lists. The best way to deal with a problem is to never have it. If you are receiving a lot of unwanted e-mails, ask to be removed from the various lists. This would include your inclusion in unwanted lists. 2."Unlisted address". Just as you keep an "unlisted" telephone number that you share only with those whom you want to have direct access to, you might want to get a separate e-mail address only for the important communications you wish to receive. 3.Check it once or twice per day. Many I speak with are becoming chained to their email server, monitoring incoming email continuously. Maybe this is because e-mail creates its own sense of urgency, but most of thecommunications are not all that urgent. I respond to them a couple of times per day. 4.Deal with it. As you open each e-mail, do one of the following: a. If it requires a quick response, respond to it and delete it. b. If it requires a response but is not the best use of your time, try to find someone else to do it. c. If it is going to take any serious amount of time to respond, schedule it for action in your Day Planner andthen download the message, save it, or print it out for future action. I personally receive about 250 e-mails per day and by practicing the suggestions above, I can handle thatvolume in about an hour, taking advantage of this fantastic tool but not being controlled by it to make sure I'mdoing more important tasks in my day.
To deal with an e-mail you get, you can do the following EXCEPT _ .
[ "whatever others do can change your life", "nobody can make a difference to others", "everyone can make a difference to himself", "once you dare to do, you can change a person's life" ]
nobody can make a difference to others
On the first day of the sixth grade, I waited at the bus stop for the school bus. When it arrived, I got on and I noticed one little girl called Amy. She was different from everyone else on the bus. "Don't talk to Amy," warned Lauren, who sat beside me. "Or everybody will make fun of you." Amy had many physical differences and the other kids always made fun of her. Her eyes weren't straight. Her glasses were an inch thick. And she had really strange teeth. Every day kids shouted insults at Amy. They would say, "God, what a strange face! Stop looking at me!" For a while I shouted insults at Amy too, just so I could fit in. After all, I didn't want the other kids treating me the same as they treated Amy. But it made me sad to insult her. I could see that the insults were making her feel ashamed and lonely. I began to pity her. Then I wanted to stand up for her. I didn't know how to stop my schoolmates insulting Amy until the night of our class skating party. Our whole class was there, including Amy. Amy didn't know how to skate, but I could see how much she wanted to have fun like the rest of us. So I skated over to her and took her by the hand. Holding her hand, I slowly pulled her, and together we began the journey around the skating rink. I didn't say a word to her, and she didn't speak to me. She just smiled, and every once in a while she would laugh in excitement. The next morning, on the school bus the other kids talked a lot about Amy and me. But nobody insulted her or me. And they didn't do that for the rest of the year. When the school year ended, my family moved away, and I never heard of Amy again. But I've always hoped that I changed her life for the better. She changed my life as well. After becoming her friend, I no longer tried to impress people by trying to act like them or dress like them. I became myself.
The story implies that _ .
[ "urge parents to treat girls equally as boy", "call on people to pay more attention to girls' education", "call on people to pay more attention to girls in poor countries or areas", "start a global campaign against early marriages" ]
start a global campaign against early marriages
At age 11, Ghulam was married off to 40-year-old Jaiz in a rural Afghan village, making her only one of more than 10 million young girls who are being forced to wed men old enough to be their fathers of grandfather every year. In an effort to start a global conversation about the devastating effects of early marriages, which are currently practiced in more than 50 developing countries, the United Nations designed October 11 as International Day of the Girl Child this year. Although child marriage is against the law in many countries, and international treaties forbid the practice, it is estimated that about 51 million girls below age 18 are currently married, often under the cover of darkness and in secret. In Afghanistan alone, it is believed that approximately 57 percent of girls wed before the legal age of 16. Various factors drive parents of child bridges to marry off their daughters, from the community's pressure to confirm to age-old cultural customs to economic considerations. In poor, developing nations, it is not uncommon for families to settle debts by offering their daughters as payment. Experts agree that early marriage denies the girl education and robs them of their childhood because most young wives, burdened by grownup responsibilities, do not get a chance to interact with their peers or carry on friendships outside the household. In many cases, the girls are lorded over by their husbands and in-laws, leaving them vulnerable to domestic violence as well as physical, sexual and verbal abuse. Underage wives who are lucky enough to escape from their husbands end up living in poverty, or worse. Most girls who enter early marriages are expected to get pregnant right away, which often leads to tragedy for both the mothers, who are still children themselves, and their babies. Unless international organizations take steps to reverse the troubling trend, it is estimated that over the next decade, 100 million more girls--or about 25,000 girls a day ---will marry before they turn 18. To learn more about campaign to end the practice of early marriages, please click: Too Young To Wed.
The UN made October 11 as International Day of the Girl Child in order to _
[ "it should buy books on law", "it should be the largest in the world", "it should have books on all subjects", "it should answer all kinds of questions" ]
it should have books on all subjects
You might think the largest library in the world would be in Europe. But it isn't. It's in Washington D.C. It's called the Library of Congress. President John Adams started the library in 1800 for members of Congress. He wanted them to be able to read books about law. The first 740 books were bought in England. They were simply set up in the room where Congress met. Then Thomas Jefferson sold Congress many of his own books. He felt Congress should have books on all subjects, not just on law. This idea changed the library forever. The library grew and grew. Now it covers a large area of land. It contains20million books as well as many pictures, movies, globes and machines. Experts in every field work there. Hundreds of people call every day with all kinds of questions. Many of them get answers right over the phone. The library is a huge storehouse. Thomas Edison's first movie and Houdini's magic books are preserved there. And it is the proud owner of the world's best collection of humorous books.
Thomas Jefferson's opinion about the library was that_.
[ "A high school task.", "A professor's encouragement.", "Losing a friend.", "Doubts about the present test." ]
Losing a friend.
Jack Andraka from Maryland won the grand prize at the 2012 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. It is the largest high school science competition in the world. The Maryland teenager is the youngest winner of the $75,000 prize. He was chosen from among 1,500 students in 70 countries. Jack Andraka invented a test for pancreatic cancer . He started to learn it after losing a close family friend to the disease. "I went on the Internet and I found that 85%of all pancreatic cancers are found late, when someone has less than 2% chance of survival , " he says, "and I was thinking,' That's not right. We should be able to do something.'" He found that early discovery is important to increasing the chances of surviving the disease. The Maryland teenager asked to work in a laboratory at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and was allowed. There he developed a simple paper test, which can recognize the disease in a single drop of blood. His test has proved correct 90% of the time. It also is 100 times more sensitive than other tests. "It costs 3 cents per test, and then it takes only 5 minutes to run," he said. Jack's success wouldn't have been possible without Anirban Maitra, a professor at Johns Hopkins. He was the only person among the 200 researchers Jack wrote to who showed interest in his project. "I was very surprised that this was a 15-year-old who was writing this. I wanted to meet this clever young man and see what he wanted to talk about and so I called him over for an interview . " Jack worked in Professor Maitra's laboratory, completing his project in 7 months. The government has given the Maryland teenager patent rights to the pancreatic cancer test. He is now talking with companies about developing the test into a simple product. Whatever happens, the professor believes Jack Andraka's name is one we will be hearing again over the next 10 to 20 years.
What made Jack Andraka research pancreatic cancer?
[ "You have to pick it up.", "You have to sweep the street.", "You will be fined up to$500", "You will be told not to do it again." ]
You will be fined up to$500
Singapore: A City Singapore welcomes tourists. When you come to visit Singapore, please keep the laws of this country. Here are some points that you must remember. SMOKING: Cigarette smoking is a danger to health. It is not allowed in lifts, cinemas, theaters, all government offices and on buses. If you break it, you have to pay fines of up to $ 1,000. LITTER: Singapore is the Garden City of Asia---clean and green. Dropping litter in public places is not allowed. You can be fined up to $ 500 for dropping litter ---even if it only a piece of waste paper or a cigarette end. EATING OR DRINKING: In Singapore, when you take a subway or a bus, you are not supposed to eat or drink anything, or you'll be fined up to $ 500. RIDING: When you ride a bike across an underpass , please push your bike across the underpass, or you have to pay $ 1,000 for riding your bike. JAYWALKING*: You must always use the pedestrian(, )crossing. You can be fined $ 50 for crossing the street less than 50 meters from a crossing. These laws are also for children who are old enough to be in the street on their own.
What will happen if you drop a piece of waste paper in Singapore?
[ "Natural beauty.", "A large sum of money.", "A healthy lifestyle.", "A slim shape." ]
A slim shape.
If you are a book-lover, you may be interested in the following. Dietland, by Sarai Walker If you're sick of the stick-thin and perfectly slim models of society today, Dietland is for you. The funny novel follows Plum Kettle, an over-weight advice journalist who answers fan mail for a teen girls' website. She's convinced that her life won't really start until she saves up enough money for her weight-loss operation -- when she'll finally look like the "perfect" woman. But after she gets pulled into a series of adventures with a group of women who live life on their own terms, she begins to reconsider her own opinions of what "beauty" really is. Orhan's Inheritance, by Aline Ohanesian After Orhan's Turkish grandfather dies, he learns that while he's taken over his grandfather's successful business, the house that's been in his family for generations was not left to him. Instead, it went to an 87-year-old woman who lives in L.A. that no one in his family has ever heard of. To get to the bottom of this, Orhan travels to L.A. to meet with the woman. It's then that he uncovers the secrets of his family. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari If the story of evolution has always interested you, this book is for you. In it, Dr. Yuval Noah Harari explores how, if 100,000 years ago there were six different kinds of humans on Earth, only one lived through to today: homo sapiens. He takes both an historical and biological approach to his discussion of how humans have evolved over time. He talks about the society created by sapiens and cultural wonders. And perhaps what is most fascinating is the evolution of humans.
What does Plum Kettle want before she joins the women in the adventures?
[ "singing songs", "celebrating great people", "writing poems", "praising common people" ]
writing poems
Walt Whitman was born in eighteen nineteen in New York City. During his long life, he watched America grow from a young nation to the strongest industrial power in the world. Whitman was influenced by events around him. But his poetry speaks of the inner self. He celebrated great people like President Abraham Lincoln. He also celebrated common people. As a young man, Whitman worked as a school teacher, a printer and a newspaper reporter. He was thirty-six years old when his first book of poetry was published. He called it Leaves of Grass. It has only twelve poems. The poems are written in free verse. The lines do not follow any set form. Some lines are short and some are long. The words at the end of each line do not have a similar sound. They do not rhyme. One of America's greatest thinkers and writers immediately recognized the importance of Leaves of Grass. Ralph Waldo Emerson praised Whitman's work. _ The America's Civil War began in eighteen sixty-one. During the war, Whitman worked without pay at army hospitals. He helped care for the wounded and dying soldiers. He sat beside these men for hours. He brought them food and wrote letters for them. After the Civil War, Whitman worked for government agencies. He watched the United States try to heal itself and increase democracy. To Walt Whitman, democracy was more than a political system or idea. It was a natural form of government for free people. Whitman believed democracy was meant to honor the rights of every person and the equality of all people. In eighteen seventy-three, Walt Whitman suffered a stroke. He spent the last few years of his life in Camden, New Jersey and wrote more poems. Whitman was poor and weak during the last few years of his life. He died in eighteen ninety-two.
Walt Whitman expressed his feelings by _ .
[ "The Fortune Wal-Mart Makes", "The Wal-Mart you don't Know", "The Biggest Retailer--Wal-Mart", "The Money Saving Tip in Wal-Mart" ]
The Wal-Mart you don't Know
Wal-Mart is not just the world's largest retailer . It's the world's largest company, which sells in three months what number-two retailer Home Depot sells in a year. Wal-Mart exercises its power for just one purpose: to bring the lowest possible prices to its customers. At Wal-Mart, that goal is never reached. The retailer has a clear policy for suppliers: On basic products that don't change, the price Wal-Mart will pay, and will charge shoppers, must drop year after year. But what almost no one outside the world of Wal-Mart and none of its 21,000 suppliers know is the high cost of those low prices. To survive in the face of its pricing demands, makers of everything from bikes to jeans have had to close US plants in favor of obtaining products from abroad. Indeed, the real story of Wal-Mart, the story that never gets told, is the story of the pressure the biggest retailer constantly applies to its suppliers in the name of bringing us "every day low prices". The giant retailer' s low prices often come with a high cost. Wal-Mart' s pressure can crush the companies it does business with and force them to send jobs overseas. Are we shopping our way straight to the unemployment line? Of course, US companies have been moving jobs offshore for decades, long before Wal-Mart was a retailing power. But there is no question that the chain is helping accelerate the loss of American jobs to low-wage countries such as Thailand. People ask, "How can it be bad for things to come into the US cheaply?" Sure, it's great to have bargains. But you can' t buy anything if you' re not employed. There is no question that Wal-Mart's drive to squeeze out cost has benefited consumers. By now, it is accepted wisdom that Wal-Mart makes the companies it does business with more efficient and focused. Wal-Mart itself is known for continuous improvement in its ability to handle, move, and track goods. It is legendary for forcing its suppliers to redesign everything from their packaging to their computer systems. It is also legendary for quite straightforwardly telling them what it will pay for their goods.
What's the best title for the passage?
[ "mom cooks with her love", "we are so familiar with mom's food", "moms are better cooks than fathers", "mom is experienced in cooking" ]
mom cooks with her love
It's amazing how we grow from careless kids to responsible teens. What happens in the course that makes us responsible now? It's the seed that we sow in the beginning which grows and becomes a huge tree. As I sit here, silently thinking about my growth, I wonder over some questions which don't have an answer but it's because of such unanswerable situations that life has become a roller coaster ride. As a kid, I used to read a lot of story books. In one particular book, I read a story of a bird. From then on, that has become an integral part of my life. It described a male bird which takes a lot of pain to build a nest and the female bird takes shelter in it and nourishes the baby. When the bird learns to fly, the whole family flies off to a different place leaving behind the beautiful nest for other birds to grow their family in it. It made me wonder. How could they so easily sacrifice their house built with so much effort? One night, when I was deep in sleep, I got this particular dream. I was walking miles on the endless road, totally isolated but lined with beautiful trees on the either side. Fascinated by the greenery, I marched towards it only to end up deeper and deeper into the greenery. I happened to stop upon seeing something. It was a massive, wonderful house. I fell in love with that amazing part of art. Yeah, it was indeed a piece of art with every nook and corner touched artistically and lovingly. I don't know why I felt that it was done lovingly. Maybe because, things turn out to be beautiful only when we put our love into it -- just like the food prepared by mom which tastes more delicious with her love. I explored the house only to fall more in love with it. There was a sloping roof which matched with the greenery around; the large central open courtyard reminded me of the activities that might have taken place there which felt lively even now when it is completely deserted. The small water body that kept the house cool added to the beauty of the house -- of course, it was all dried up now. It's really wonderful how such things add life to the spaces which otherwise just become structures. Such liveliness and happening turns the house into a home. They say 'THE HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS', but now I began to feel it. This is where my heart belongs. This is what I'm destined to do. When I woke up from the dream, I was clear about everything. I realized where that mile of walk was intending me to lead. I realized what message my dream wanted to convey me. And years later, when finally my turn of choosing my destination came, I simply closed my eyes, held that book in my hand, pressed it against my chest and relived the dream. When I opened my eyes, I was sure what to do. I decided to choose the road -- less traveled. Yes, I took up architecture as my profession because this is what I am destined to do. I wanted to do the same thing that the male bird in the story did, to take pain in building a beautiful house and let others stay in it. This is my dream come true and the happiness that I gain now from this profession is indescribable.
Mom's food always tastes better because _ .
[ "his eighties when an art show was travelling around the United States", "his fifties when his drawings and writings were published", "nineteen eighty-four when his book MeEligot's Pool was published", "his thirties when his first book was published" ]
his thirties when his first book was published
One of the best-known American writers of children's books is Alfred Strong, or Doctor Strong, as he is better known to readers everywhere. Now, an art show called "Doctor Strong From Then to Now" is travelling around the United States. The pictures and drawings show the history of Doctor Strong. Doctor Strong first became famous almost fifty years ago when his first children's book was published. Since then, he has written forty-five books that have sold more than one hundred million copies around the world. Doctor Strong's books are known for their easy use of words and colorful, hand-drawn pictures. These drawings bring life to his imaginary creatures. The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and hundreds of others. The San Diego Museum, in California, organized the art show. It included about three hundred Doctor Strong's original drawings and some of his writings. Most of Doctor Strong's books, although written in a funny way, have serious messages. For example, in Mc Elligot's Pool, he describes the danger of pollution. He discusses the arms race in The Butter Battle Book, written in nineteen eighty-four. Doctor Strong is almost eighty-four years old now. He says he never planned to write stories just for children. He says he writes stories that interest people of all ages. He says he uses easy words so that everyone, even a child, can understand.
Doctor Strong first became famous in _ .
[ "He hated to live in a little town.", "He liked to make friends with strangers.", "He usually offered some help to others.", "He refused to make friends with strangers." ]
He refused to make friends with strangers.
Moving can bring out the best and the worst in people, I'm finding. And I've discovered where a very generous spirit lives: Defiance, Ohio. After suffering through many months of unemployment, my wife and I had to move this week from Colorado to Ohio, where she would work as a sales assistant. Not knowing a person there, we were pretty concerned about all the work, including how we'd get all the things unloaded without killing ourselves. We decided to pay a couple of college students to help with all the heavy lifting once we got there. But one neighbor after another stopped by and joined in. "What? Have we moved to some other country? Maybe we've died and gone to heaven!" I thought. Unloading actually became fun as we connected with so many wonderful new friends as we worked. The more people that helped, the easier the work became. A job we were afraid might take days for the two of us alone was done in just a few hours. Many total strangers would either walk by or drive by to ask us if we were moving in. Many were delighted that this fine old house that had sat empty for so long was coming to life again. We were invited to an outdoor meal yesterday by neighbors on the same street. All the while, my brain was on this new sense of hope that people could be outgoing and kind to strangers. Among all the conversations were lots of offers to be of help to one another in a variety of ways. It's wonderful to live in such a kind little town. I feel so grateful to be here, and wish the rest of the world could see how an entire society can be a model for what it's like to look out for one another. I used to stay away from friendships with strangers, but now I live in Defiance!
What can we know about the author's past life?
[ "spending it alone", "treating good friends", "travelling for fun", "buying ice creams" ]
treating good friends
I have always really loved receiving my monthly pocket money form my dad. After getting the money I would be very excited and would rush off to my friend's place where after much consideration we would decide what to do with it and where to spend it. Mostly it would go for the ice cream treats(;) or jam sessions with our favorite people around. Girls will manage to find some way of budgeting so the money we save can be used for other purposes. I think that the best way to enjoy your pocket money would be to enjoy those treats that come occasionally. Since just mere pocket money would be not enough, many girls are doing a part time job of some form so that a larger amount of money can be collected. The best use of pocket money is to spend it in such a way that it involves lots of fun with your closest friends. Those treats are no fun if done alone. Company, especially good company can work wonders for providing you the best relaxation that you need. It is also best to spend your pocket money on things that otherwise parents end up refusing. When you use your pocket money to get this sense of achievement you will just feel so crazily happy. I remember the time when a friend and I were just so tired of our everyday _ life that we decided to go out, have some great food and then head out to the beach and have those lovely grape and mango ice-creams. And we did exactly that. That day has just been one of the most refreshing days of my life. I think the true meaning of pocket money is to be able to maximize your fun at a minimal cost!
The writer thinks he can get greatest fun from pocket money by _ ,.
[ "They are becoming less travel confident.", "Being single is now seen as a positive factor.", "They are the minority on group trips.", "They are unhappy to travel with their partners." ]
Being single is now seen as a positive factor.
More than 15 million Britons, many of them women, will holiday unaccompanied this year. And they will no longer be treated as second-class citizens. After 50 years of being slighted, ripped off, herded together and allocated the worst rooms in the hotel, the single traveller's time has finally come. Rather than being viewed as an awkward peculiarity in the standard couples-and-families "system", single travelers have become travel's fastest growing sector and a phenomenon that tour operators are falling over themselves to catch up with. In one sense, the boom is the result of people postponing marriage and children. Approximately 39% of the adult British population--19 million people--is now single and the proportion of one-person households has increased from 18% in 1971 to 29% last year. The most significant growth of singles over the next few years is expected to be within the well-off, travel-hungry 25-34 age group. The expansion in single travel is being increased by women. Women are just as happy as men to leave partner at home and head off on holiday. On adventure group trips single women constitute more than half of all travelers, and Internet agents report that 70% of their single clients are women. Women today see being single as an opportunity to travel, rather than as an obstacle. The result is that travel companies are now attempting to work out new ways of attracting singles----a market worth PS10.4 billion. The number of specialist singles tour operators has risen from a couple to at least 10, but they face a growing challenge from mainstream operators, who now propose to target solo travelers with moves like abolishing single room supplements. At the moment, single travelers usually have to join a group, or pay more. As soon as we get beyond that, the singles market is going to take off to a completely new level.
Which of the following is true for women nowadays?
[ "Try to Be Attractive", "Let Your Hair Down", "The White-haired Boy", "The Top Student" ]
The White-haired Boy
Everywhere you will always find "the white--haired boy", sometimes called "the fair-haired boy" He gets special treatment, as if he were above everybody else. You will find him in school, in college, at home, or where you work. In school, he is the teacher's pet, her darling who can do nothing wrong. Sometimes she lets him do little jobs for her. He comes to class in the morning, all shiny and clean, He is always raising his hand, ready with an answer to the teacher's questions. And he knows all the answers. _ especially if you are at the bottom of the class and the teacher thinks you are stupid. How you hate the white-haired boy! In college, he walks--more often strides--across the school grounds as if he owned them. Sometimes he wears a colorful football or basketball shirt or sweater, with a bright red, or green or yellow college letter proudly worn on the front of it--as a big B, for Bullfinch University. What broad shoulders, what muscles he has! He makes the girls happy by just smiling at them. He has the mark of success on him. At home, "the fair-haired boy" is mother's choice, her favorite. Sometimes, he is the oldest son--at times, the youngest. If you are in between, you are out of luck. On the job, you might meet another of these "white-haired boys"; you cannot escape him. For some strange reason, he is the man who always moves ahead. He gets better and better jobs, with more and more money. But you stand still, wondering why, and trying to explain to your-self why you hate him so much. Then, you discover that there are others who share your feelings, ready to "let their hair down" --to tell you their private thoughts. One of them asks: "What does he have that I haven't got?" You ask yourself the same question. Finally, there comes a day when you decide to stop hating him. Is it perhaps because he has been made boss and you find yourself working for him?
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
[ "he was thinking about the words", "he didn't understand the words", "he wanted to talk to his dog", "he liked talking to himself" ]
he wanted to talk to his dog
Jim, a successful businessman, told the experience of his childhood. When he was 12, his parents died. He was alone and didn't get on well with others. People always laughed at him. No one showed kindness to him. His only friend was a dog named Tiger. He gave his dog enough to eat and drink, but sometimes he was not polite to it. He didn't know that an unkind word sometimes could cut one's heart like a knife. One day as he walked down the street, a young lady was walking in front of him. Suddenly one of her bags dropped from her arms. As she stopped to pick it up, she dropped other bags. He came to help her. "Thank you, dear! You are a nice little boy!" she said kindly, smiling. A special feeling came to him. These were the first kind words he had ever heard. He watched her until she went far away, and then he whistled to his dog and went directly to the river nearby. "Thank you, dear! You are a nice little boy" he repeated the woman's words. Then in a low voice he said to his dog, "You are a nice little dog!" Tiger raised its ears as if it understood. "Unum! Even a dog likes it!" he said. "Well, Tiger, I won't say unkind words to you any more." Tiger waved its tail happily. The boy thought and thought. Finally he looked at himself in the river. He saw nothing but a dirty boy. He washed his face carefully. Again he looked. He saw a clean nice boy. He was amazed. From then on, he had a new life. After telling this, the businessman stopped for a while, and then he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the very place where that kind woman planted in me the first seed of kindness. All of us should learn about kindness. What a great power it has!"
The boy repeated the words "Thank you, dear! You are a nice little boy!" because _ .
[ "Images", "Electricity", "Oil and ink", "Fingernail" ]
Electricity
On school nights, lots of kids have to do their reading before they are allowed to watch TV. Pretty soon, you might get to do both at the same time, in true Harry Potter style. Several companies are racing to produce electronic paper and ink, complete with colors and moving imagines . One idea would be to create a newspaper like The Daily Project in the Harry Potter books. Its pages would hold video clips of baseball games instead of just black-and-white photos. Electronic paper is not a new idea. A company in Massachusetts called E ink, for example, has been working for years on such a technology. Little electricity determines whether each microsphere looks black or white at any given time. Together, microspheres make up words and imagines. The techniques seems promising for creating still imagines that can be changed when needed, but the process is too slow for good videos. Scientists in the Netherlands now report a new type of e-paper technology. By using layers of oil, the requirements. They can also make images which change fast enough to meet standard video requirements. They can also make brilliant colors,. So far, however, each image is smaller than the fingernail. For now, reading and watching TV will have to return two separate activities. Keep your eyes open, though, in the future, TV watching and reading might be part of the same work.
What determines the black and white color of each microsphere?
[ "it gets wet.", "the next snowfall comes.", "the temperature gets colder.", "the snow above it is heavy enough." ]
the snow above it is heavy enough.
The Antarctica is actually a desert. It is the only continent on the earth without a river or a lake. The Antarctica is all ice all year round. The warmest temperature ever recorded there is zero, at the South Pole. Explorers used to think that a place so cold would have a heavy snowfall. But less than ten inches of snow falls each year. That is less than half an inch of water. Ten times that much moisture falls in parts of the Sahara. The little snow that falls in Antarctica never melts. It continues to pile up deeper and deeper year after year and century after century. When the snow gets to be about eighty feet deep it is turned to ice by the weight of snow above it .
The snow turns to ice when _ .
[ "create a botanical garden where only exotic flowers grew", "do a thorough study of plant structure", "make a copy of one member of each United States flower family", "show that glass are more realistic than wax flowers" ]
make a copy of one member of each United States flower family
Artificial flowers are used for scientific as well as for decorative purposes. They are made from a variety of materials, such as wax and glass, so skillfully that they can scarcely be distinguished from natural flowers. In making such models, painstaking and artistry are called for, as well as thorough knowledge of plant structure. The collection of glass flowers in the Botanical Museum of Harvard University is the most famous in North America and is widely known throughout the scientific world. In all, there are several thousand models in colored glass, the work of two artist-naturalists, Leopold Blaschka and his son Rudolph. The intention was to have the collection represent at least one member of each flower family native to the United States. Although it was never completed. It contains more than seven hundred species representing 164 families of flowering plants, a group of fruits showing the effect of fungus diseases, and thousands of flower parts and magnified details. Every detail of these is accurately reproduced in color and structure. The models are kept in locked cases as they are too valuable and fragile for classroom use.
It can be inferred from the passage that the goal of Leopold and Rudolph was to _ .
[ "animal-to-human transmission", "person-to-person transmission", "consuming badly-cooked food", "not determined yet" ]
not determined yet
About influenza A(H7N9) virus What is the influenza A(H7N9) virus? Influenza A H7 viruses are a group of influenza viruses that normally spread among birds. The influenza A(H7N9) virus is one smaller group among the larger group of H7 viruses. Although some H7 viruses (H7N2, H7N3 and H7N7) have sometimes been found to infect humans, no human infections with H7N9 viruses have been reported until recent reports from China. What are the main signs of human infection with influenza A(H7N9) virus? So far, most patients with this infection have had severe pneumonia . Signs include fever, cough and shortness of breath. However, information is still limited about the full area of disease that infection with influenza A(H7N9) virus might cause. How did people become infected with the influenza A(H7N9) virus? Some of the confirmed cases had connections with animals or with an animal environment. The virus has been found in a pigeon in a market in Shanghai. It is not yet known how persons became infected. The possibility of animal-to-human spread is being looked into. Is it safe to eat meat like chicken and pork products? Influenza viruses are not spread through eating well-cooked food. Because influenza viruses are made inactive by normal temperatures used for cooking (so that food reaches 70degC in all parts), it is safe to eat properly prepared and cooked meat. Diseased animals and animals that have died of diseases should not be eaten. In areas experiencing outbreaks, meat products can be safely eaten only if they are properly cooked and properly handled during food preparation. The eating of raw meat and uncooked blood-based dishes is a high-risk practice and should be discouraged. Is it safe to travel to China? The number of confirmed cases in China is very low. WHO does not advise the application of any travel measures with respect to visitors to China, nor to persons leaving China. Are Chinese products safe? There is no evidence to link the present cases with any Chinese products. WHO advises that people should not fear to trade them at this time.
According to this passage the way of spreading the influenza A(H7N9) virus is _ .
[ "do homework while watching TV", "have less homework", "spend more time on homework", "do homework in a place without disturbance" ]
do homework in a place without disturbance
It's 10:30 p.m., and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. He blinks twice, and the message on the screen becomes clear: "R U awake?" But the late-night text does not annoy Brandon. He gets frequent messages and calls, even after bedtime. And he can't imagine life without them. "If I didn't have a cell phone, I wouldn't be able to talk to my friends or family as often," he told the Kaiser Family Foundation. Brandon's use of technology doesn't stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles in his room. With so many devices, it is no surprise that when he is not at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices. Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by TFK, kids aged 8 to 18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found. That's about an hour more than just five years ago. The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. "These devices have opened up many more opportunities for young people to use media, whether it's on the bus, on the way to school or waiting in line at the pizza parlor," says Rideout. Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. "If you've got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?" Media expert Cheryl Olson says. Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. "It's a matter of balance," says Olson. Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. "It's important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply," says Rideout. With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use _ is more important than ever. "Kids should try," adds Rideout. "But parents might have to step in sometimes."
According to the text, Victoria Rideout would probably agree that kids should _ .
[ "The climate", "The scenery", "The study condition", "The living condition" ]
The study condition
If you are planning to study in the United States, you need to consider several factors. Everyone has different opinions about where is the best place to live in. Also, the best places to live in are not always home to the best schools. Finally, many schools specialize in different areas of study. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, is a great school for computer science and technology-related fields of study. However, if you want to study oceanography , your interests may be better served by attending school in a place that is on a coastline or near the ocean. Now I am sure that you know which schools are considered the best in the country. So I will tell you about which states I believe are the best to live in. California is a nice state. Northern California specifically has very good weather. Los Angeles in southern California is another story, though. Life in LA is full of excitement and fast, and sometimes dangerous. As for me, I enjoyed the time I spent in Massachusetts, Virginia and Maryland and these states have a lot of history and culture. The weather is not as perfect as Northern California, but it is still quite nice. My favorite area of America is the Mid-west. Middle America, I think, is home to the true American sense of values. In addition, there are many good universities there. Also, you need to think about your likes and dislikes and then research the various states. You like sunshine and hate snow? Then you probably won't like the Midwest or even the Northeast. Open space, nature and peace? Then you probably should stay away from America's large cities. Are you interested in government? Then Washington D. C. is the only place for you. Whatever you decide, put some thought into it. The place you live in could be the difference between a great study-abroad experience and a state of great suffering on earth.
What, according to the author, should be considered first if you want to study in the USA?
[ "studying dinosaur fossils", "examining modern animals", "watching dinosaurs", "using telescopes" ]
studying dinosaur fossils
Unlike modern animal scientists, dinosaur scientists cannot sit on a hillside and use telescopes to watch dinosaurs in order to know how they lived and whether they were good parents. Instead, they have to search hard for information from dinosaurs' fossils because dinosaurs died out millions of years ago. It's very difficult for the scientists to reach an agreement because different results can be got from the same fossils. Many fossils of the same kind of dinosaurs have been dug out from one place. They might have formed when an entire group of dinosaurs got stuck all at once, or they might have been the result of dinosaurs getting stuck one after another over a course of a few centuries. Thus we can say that dinosaurs might have in the first case lived in big groups and in the second lived alone. Though there are two different results, dinosaur scientists now generally agree that at least some kinds of dinosaurs lived in big groups. "That's pretty much settled at this point," says Paul Sereno. A kind of dinosaurs called Sauropods left behind tracks in the western United States that appear to run north and south, suggesting that they even moved long distances together. As to whether dinosaurs cared for their young, dinosaur scientists have turned to the closest living relatives of dinosaurs-birds and crocodiles-for possible models. Birds give a lot of care to their young, while crocodiles just help their young to the water. The discovered fossils of dinosaurs sitting on their eggs and staying with their young suggest the parents were taking care of their babies, but we still cannot say that all dinosaurs did the same. There is still a long way to go before the above questions could be answered. Dinosaur scientists, will have to find more proof to reach an agreement.
Dinosaur scientists can get information directly by _ .
[ "would like David to eat more of them", "hoped all the other campers would join", "found it possible to help David release anger", "wanted to show that he was as angry as David" ]
found it possible to help David release anger
He looked like a pirate. With his handkerchief tied in a knot behind his little nine-year-old head, he looked like a pirate, a sad pirate. The first time little David came to our camp, he was hairless and worn out from medical treatments. He was also very angry. Paul Newman's camp counselors ( ) were hoping to fill David's days with fun and laughter. But David stayed inside himself, wanting to be alone, or in a corner of the cabin. At this camp for children with life-threatening illnesses, we had seen some pretty tough children worn out by cancer recover full of energy despite their illness. But we saw little progress in David no matter what we tried with him. Five days into the eight-day session saw a quiet, sad little pirate. Then something happened on that fifth night. Something at camp that we would call "huge". It was cabin night. That's the time when campers and counselors spend lime together in each individual cabin instead of an all-camp activity. Campers love cabin nights because there's always a bedtime snack. On the cabin table that night were bags of potato chips. David slowly walked over to the table, leaving his comer to join the rest of us. He took one of the bags of the potato chips and started smashing it with his little fists, as all the other campers looked on in disbelief, I wondered what the cabin counselor would do. The college-age volunteer counselor positioned a bag of chips on die table in front of himself, and he, too, started smashing it with his fist. The campers went crazy as everyone ran to the table to get in on the fun of smashing potato chips with their fists. Somehow everyone knew, everyone sensed, that anger within him was now being released. For the last couple days of the session, David was a different kid. He was a little nine-year-old boy again, trying to fill the hours of each remaining day at camp with as much fun as could be possible. Several days after the session, David came back again. This time, there wasn't anything he wouldn't try to fit in to his day. He sure was having a great time at camp. David asked me if I needed an altar boy when I celebrated Mass in the woods. Sure enough, he was my altar boy. I remembered how carefully he listened to me when I talked about death. 1 said it's only a doorway. You walk through the door and there's the Lord God and behind God a whole line of people waiting to hug you. After Mass, he said to me, "Hey Fatha, a door, huh?" A couple more days of fun passed and tonight was the talent show. The tradition is that campers and counselors dress up in costumes, and everyone gets a standing applause for singing and dancing or simply just acting like fools on stage. The show had begun: lights, camera, action. Unfortunately, the only action taking place in our row of seats was little David making his way from counselor to counselor to say an early good-bye to camp. He had become quite ill and had to go to the hospital because of this new crisis. When this little nine-year-old pirate stood in front of me, he gave me a hug and a big wet kiss on my cheek. 1 was crying. He was crying. A whole row of counselors was in tears. After the hug and kiss, he put his hands on my shoulders, and tears still in his eyes, said: "See you on the other side of the door, Fatha."
Seeing David smashing the potato chips, the counselor did the same thing in response because he _ .
[ "Japanese history", "Japanese cartoons", "American films", "American music" ]
Japanese history
Many French teachers and parents complain that their kids are less bright than they were. They say young people visit museums less often and spend too much time on the Internet. They only read comics and listen to music, and like American culture more than their own. But is this true? A recent survey shows that many French kids spend their time as other kids always have. Most French teens love music, with 86% putting it as their top hobby, above the cinema, sport and television. French kids read a lot and like different things, from Japanese cartoons to American novels. Many French people worry that their children watch too many American films and listen to too much American music. But the results of this survey show that French young people like their own culture. As Silvia Berlin, a student from Paris, says, " _ "
The French kids like all of the following except _ .
[ "A warm handshake.", "A kiss on the cheek.", "A string of flowers.", "A big hug." ]
A string of flowers.
Every culture has it own ways to show friendship. On the island of Hawaii, _ aloha spirit". In the language of the Hawaiians who first settled the islands long ago,alohahad a very special meaning. That is "to be with happiness". Hawaiians believe that once somebody loves the land, they are ready to love their people or community. This is the second most important thing of friendship. It is calledlokahiin the Hawaiian language, which means "oneness with all people". To enjoy the land you should not be selfish. The land is for everyone who lives on. Today many different people call Hawaii their home. Indeed, Hawaii is a place where people make one big community from many smaller communities. Each person giveskokua(help) to other people so that all feel stronger. It is believed that the islands can be a paradise when people live in peace. People are told that their actions should be as gentle as the wind that blows from the sea. When problems happen, people are asked to solve them with understanding. So when people of Hawaii talk aboutohana(family), they are really talking about all those who live on the island. Living in peace, Hawaiians have developed a third sign of friendship. This personal friendship is shown by givingleisto one another. Thelei, a string of flowers, is put over a friend's neck. Then the friend is given a kiss on the cheek. Visitors to the islands are also givenleis. When they hearaloha, visitors began to feel at home.Alohaalso means "goodbye", so visitors will hear it again when they leave. It can mean "our hearts singing together". Perhaps this is how most visitors will remember their new friendship.
Which of the following is a sign to show friendship by Hawaiians?
[ "drop out of school.", "require an alcohol education program.", "be tried and sentenced to a year or so in prison.", "be fined five hundred dollars as well as fifty hours of community service." ]
require an alcohol education program.
In the United States, the legal age to drink alcohol is twenty-one --- one of the highest in the world. Americans debate whether _ should be lowered, or whether young drinkers would only drink more. In parts of Europe, the legal drinking age for beer, and sometimes hard liquor, is sixteen. Yet France may raise the age limit for beer and wine sales to eighteen, the same as for hard liquor there. Rules on alcohol differ from college to college in the United States. Many schools require all first-year students to take an alcohol prevention and education program, often given online. Some have a "zero tolerance" policy where alcohol is banned from all buildings. Parents are informed of violations and students may be suspended . At the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, permission is needed to serve alcohol at any event on campus. But alcohol is banned in first-year dorms --- where most students are under twenty-one anyway. Susan Davis, a university lawyer, says campus police and local police report underage drinking violations to administrators. The university judicial committee decides punishment on a case by case basis. For example, the committee might suspend or expel a student. It might require an alcohol education program. Or it might just give a warning. Jon Zug is a prosecutor in Albemarle County, where the university is located. He says international students would face the same punishment as American citizens for underage drinking in Virginia. That includes a fine of five hundred dollars or fifty hours of community service. But first offenders might be given a chance to complete an alcohol education program instead. Schools have to report legal violations by international students to the Department of Homeland Security. International adviser Richard Tanson at the University of Virginia says even minor violations stay on a student's permanent immigration record. He says international students should know that this can affect them in the future if they try to re-enter the United States.
If a student under 21 drinks alcohol for the first time in Virginia,he might _ .
[ "Because he thought that the painter idled most of the hours.", "Because he knew that genius might be busiest when seemingly idlest.", "Because he liked the work of a stonemason.", "Because he was eager to be taken as a model for Judas." ]
Because he thought that the painter idled most of the hours.
The Last Supper is regarded as one of the supreme masterpieces in the whole field of pictorial art. Tradition has it that Leonardo Da Vinci worked for ten years upon the painting, the monks in the church annoyed at the delay. It was said that Leonardo often painted continuously from dawn to night without eating his meals. But at other times he spent hours before the picture, lost in contemplation, examining, comparing, and measuring his figures. This inactivity aroused the anger of the fussy Prior, the head of the church, who belonged to the large group of those who believed that the busier a man seems, the more he accomplishes; and so he tried to find fault with the idle painter. Leonardo was slightly unhappy and explained to somebody else that there is a great difference between the work of the creative artist and the stonemason . The creative artist needs time for contemplation; he may be busiest when his hands are idlest. Just now he needed two heads to complete the picture: that of Christ, for which no model on earth could be found, for where was the man to be found whose face would express the strength, and beauty, and tenderness, and deep sorrow of the Christ; then he also needed a head of Judas, and that was hard to find as well, for where was the man whose face could express the meanness of that base traitor . But he would look no further; if none came his way, he would be satisfied to take Prior as a model for Judas. This threat silenced the angry Prior, who quite naturally had no desire to pass to descendants in such a fashion.
Why did the Prior complain about the delay?
[ "The \"keep the big ones\" rule made no difference to fish size.", "The \"keep the big ones\" rule made fish smaller on average.", "The \"keep the big ones\" rule made the fish bigger on average.", "The \"keep the big ones\" rule affected all fish populations in the same way." ]
The "keep the big ones" rule made fish smaller on average.
Fishing is a popular activity and every fisherman knows the rule: Keep the big ones, throw the smaller ones back. The idea behind Lt is simple - the larger fish are probably older. If you keep the smaller ones, they won't be able to reproduce, and the fish population is in danger. But fishing out the largest fish from a population has an unwanted effect: Over time, fewer adult fish get really big. If only the smaller fish reproduce , then future generations become smaller. This is an example of evolution in action. One scientist, Dr David Conover has spent the last decade studying the effects of the "keep the big ones" rule and if they can be reversed . To set up his experiment, Conover and his team caught hundreds of silverside fish and divided them into six groups. For two groups, Conover followed the "keep the large ones" rule and took out the biggest fish. For two other groups, he removed only the small fish. For the last two groups, he removed fish at random . After five years, he measured the fish in each group. In the two groups where the largest fish were regularly removed, the average fish size was smaller than the average size in the other groups. Here was evolution in action: If only small fish survive to reproduce, then future generations of fish will also tend to be small. For the second five years of his experiment, Conover changed the rules and took fish randomly from each group. At the end of the experiment, he found that the fish that were in the "keep the large ones" group for the first five years had started to get larger again, although he calculated it would take at least 12 years for the fish in that group to return to their original size. In other words, it takes less time to shrink than it does to recover.
What did Conover find after the first five years of his experiment?
[ "No. 1", "No. 2", "No. 3", "No. 4" ]
No. 4
Read the following reviews for movies that are showing at the moment. And then answer questions. ............................................................................................. Happiness(Romance) Happiness tells the story of two people(Lisa Turbot and Danny Roy)who work for different advertising companies. They talk on the phone all the time and do not like each other. But then they _ by e-mail and fall in love. This movie will be very popular with teenagers and people who like romances. It also has beautiful music. ............................................................................................. I Scream(Thriller) In I Scream,Paul(Colin Jacks)is a young man who joins a thriller club. Each of the members tries to frighten the others. Paul is told to stay in an old house for the night. Everyone who has tried to stay in the house before has died. This movie is very frightening but also quite silly. It does not make sense for Paul to stay in the house when things start to go wrong. Only for people who like thrillers. ............................................................................................. Paul's Heroes(comedy) This is a very funny war movie set in World War Two. Six soldiers (including Sammy Tur- blow) have to get toprefix = st1 /Italyto take secret messages to the American army there. During the movie,they dress up as women and fight with Italian workers. You can guess the ending,but it is great fun getting there. ............................................................................................. (Drama) This is a very good drama with Jack Ross, who plays a hard--working truck driver. His wife becomes ill and he has to find a doctor who can help her. In his travels he meets Dr Lloyd(Phil Driver) who has found the cure for the illness,but Jack Ross has only twelve hours to get the medicine back to his wife on the other side of America. This is an excellent movie,which is very exciting.
Of which movie does the reviewer have the best opinion?
[ "They live among the rocky hills of Laos.", "They live on meat of other animals.", "They look like rats but are of different kind.", "They are of the latest discovery of a new species." ]
They live on meat of other animals.
It's not quite a rat. Nor is it a squirrel, or a mouse. It's definitely a rodent , and it's also a brand-new family of mammals. The locals of the Southeast Asian country of Laos call the creature a kha-nyou (ga-nyou). The kha-nyou have long body hair, short legs, and a hairy tail less thick than a squirrel's. They're vegetarians living in the rocky hills of Laos, and they come out at night, but for more information, you'll have to ask the Lao people. "It was for sale on a table next to some vegetables. I knew immediately it was something I had never seen before," said Robert Timmins, a researcher for the Wildlife Conservation Society. Timmins was working in Laos to stop people from selling endangered animals when he spotted the species. Criminals who trade illegal wildlife can make a lot of money, but they also push the animals closer to disappearing from the planet. The kha-nyou live in karsts, or rough rock. Mark Robinson, a scientist with the World Wildlife Foundation, set out with Lao villagers to find a few more of the rodents for study. They climbed onto a karst, trapped with rice, and caught several. "To find something so unusual in this day and age is just extraordinary," said Timmins. "For all we know, this could be the last remaining animal family left to be discovered." It's a big deal to discover an entirely new family of animals. Humans, for instance, belong to the same family as great apes, chimpanzees, and gorillas. So even though kha-nyous look like rats, they're really very different. The last time scientists discovered a new family of mammals may have been in the 1970s, when they found new bats in Thailand. Timmins seems to have the gift for finding new animals in Laos--he discovered a new species of rabbit there in 1999. Scientists call the kha-nyou Laonastes aenigmamus, which means "mysterious mouse that lives among the stones."But if that's too hard, Timmins and Robinson suggest you call them "rock rats".
Which of the following cannot describe the new species of rodent?
[ "They seldom give each other kisses.", "They usually avoid direct eye contact.", "They like keeping their friendship a secret.", "They show their friendship by \"dog kisses\"." ]
They show their friendship by "dog kisses".
What could be cuter than your puppy giving his doggy friend a kiss on the nose? Nothing, really. But is your dog actual-fly planting a kiss on his friend? Yes, but that's only one of the reasons your dog may lick another dog's nose. Here are some other reasons why your dog may lick another dog's nose. During an introduction, a shy and lower-ranking dog will lower his head, avoid direct eye contact and gently extend his tongue to lick the nose of a more confident and high-ranking dog. The first dog licks the nose of the second dog to simply make it know that:he comes in peace. Dogs who are already friends will also trade kisses. Two strongly bonded dog pals will lick and clean each other. They give each other "dog kisses" showing friendship. Puppies also "kiss" their mothers, but it's not a gesture of love. When puppies stop suckling their mothers' tits for milk and start to eat semisolid food instead;they lick their mothers' mouths and noses in the hope of getting the mother to regurgitate some semi-digested food. So how to help your _ dog make friends with other dogs? You can carefully select confident-but-friendly and good-tempered dogs to play with your shy dog, to help him develop his social skills. Also consider taking him to a special training class that focuses on socialization and positive training technique. Do not disturb them when your two dogs play "kiss" briefly with each other. Sit back and enjoy this display of friendship. Then call them over and have them do a command such as "sit'' or "shake paws". Offer them treats as a reward for being good to each other. If you foster a dog and have three or more resident dogs, introduce the foster dog to your brood dog one at a time and let muzzle licking between them happen naturally. Start with your least reactive or most friendly dog. Never force an in production between the dogs because this can deepen the foster dog's submissiveness or spark a fight.
What can we know about two dogs who are already friends?
[ "Toyota will release its improvements on faulty cars in less than a month.", "Chinese put more and more focus on the quality of their cars.", "You may get the information about faulty cars on the website of AQSIQ.", "It was AQSIQ that first exposed Volkswagen's DSG defects." ]
You may get the information about faulty cars on the website of AQSIQ.
BEIJING, March, 17th --The Japanese automaker Toyota will _ some 4,400 units of FJ Cruiser cars in China over seat belt flaws, China's consumer quality watchdog said Saturday. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said on its website that Toyota China will recall these imported cars produced between December 2007 and March 2013. Toyota is busy working on the solution to the flaw and will release improvement methods before April 15, according to the administration. This marks Toyota's second recalling this year after the auto giant announced in January that it would recall 22,869 units of Lexus IS cars in China due to wiper arm problem. China's private auto ownership reached 93.09 million units by the end of 2012, up 18.3 percent compared with the year before. Along with the fast expanding auto market, Chinese drivers grow more concerned about the quality of their cars. Also on Saturday, the AQSIQ said in a statement on its website that its research has basically confirmed the German automaker Volkswagen's direct shift gearbox (DSG) transmission has defects which may cause engine power failures and urged Volkswagen to recall defective cars after China Central Television (CCTV) exposed Volkswagen's gearbox defect on Friday. To better protect the interests of Chinese consumers, the AQSIQ announced late last year that it would formulate a guideline to regulate a recall system for faulty cars.
Which of the following statements is probably NOT true according to the news?
[ "She stands out in a totally different way from Gaga and Beyonce.", "She and Madonna are contemporary megastars in music.", "Only she and Madonna spent that long at No.1 in the UK.", "Jessie J and she both have an American habit of expressing themselves." ]
She stands out in a totally different way from Gaga and Beyonce.
Last week Adele's second album, 21, sold 257,000 copies in the UK, a sales figure that would look incredible as an opening sales week for any album by any global superstar. The fact that the album was celebrating its 10th week at No.1, and that each of the previous nine weeks it had sold over 100,000 copies, makes what Adele has achieved look miraculous. The last female singer to spend that long at No.1 in the UK was Madonna in 1990 with her greatest hits compilation, The Immaculate Collection. For Adele, the success of 21 is part of a perfect storm of talent, timing and a connection that went beyond gender, age and credibility. But what does it say about the state of the music industry? Does Adele's success signal a return to the MOR musical depression, when the likes of James Blunt dominated the charts? Her success may well lead to a great many similar acts aiming for an MOR audience, but that's more the fault of an industry desperate to recreate any kind of success by creating poor copies until the world shouts "stop now". What seems to have set Adele apart is her apparent ordinariness, besides that incredible voice. While Gaga parades around in a dress made of meat and Beyonce orbits a world out of touch to the majority of most human beings, Adele's chain-smoking, girl-you'd-like-to-go-to-the-pub-with persona stands out. Even for a British act, her ordinariness goes against trend, with fellow Jessie J adopting a very American habit of over-emoting, talking about a "journey" and making the idea of being a pop star seem fairly difficult. It's this universality and broad appeal that's helped her translate talent into sales. While the first single from 21, Rolling in the Deep, appealed to Radio 1 listeners and bloggers, the second single, Someone Like You, is so successful that silenced the grand O2 Arena during this year's Brit Awards. The press can write pages and pages in that there's enough of a connection of musicians - Rick Rubin worked on the album, there's a cover of the Cure, Mumford & Sons were an influence - while the gossip magazines have been excited by the fact that the album is one long break-up record, eager to find the ex. In 1990, Madonna was a global superstar with a back catalogue of era-defining hits to her name. She was untouchable and, tellingly, unknowable. She was (and still is) a megastar, but a megastar of a different age. These days, we want to know a bit more about our artists; that they have relationship problems, walk their dog. Her selling point and appeal is precisely the fact that she exists at the point between everyday ordinariness and pop star. For now, Adele's success should be celebrated, especially for becoming an unlikely global star on her own terms. The danger is that we're headed for a lot of fairly boring pop, a situation that led to the "birth" of Gaga a few years back. Pop goes in cycles and it feels like we're headed back towards the very middle of MOR.
Compared with other female pop stars, what does the author think of Adele?
[ "the author didn't work hard during his first week in college", "the author's history teacher went to the library together with him", "only a few students in the author's class met with difficulty in writing papers", "the author spent two days preparing for his term papers" ]
the author's history teacher went to the library together with him
I still remember my college days after I was initiallygiven my assignments of writing different papers. I enjoyed my first week with new friends and teachers as they were quite friendly and sociable. But I didn't realize that there was a dark era in my life, which was the horrifying day after I found that my term papers with empty pages. I had no way out. I was not alone. All the new students were feeling exactly the same way. I gathered some courage and started thinking to find methods to help me write my term papers. I went to my history teacher. She was very kind and always prepared to help new students. She told me that I should act like a professional student and not take my work lightly. She also provided some encouraging tips which really improved my confidence. I was instructed to go to the library and gather books that have relevant material or topics about the term papers. The next step was to find related chapters in those books. I did as I was ordered. Throughout the whole process of term papers there was something quite interesting and pleasing. She didn't assist me in doing any practical thing, but gave instructions one by one. With a large pile of reference books, we left the library and she told me to review those chapters. I got a lot of information and data. I had been feeling proud and happy as I got a good idea about the topics. She told me to create a 2000-word essay in my own words. I had been happy that it took only two days to finish my task. She did further editing and told me to make a bibliography , which was not a hard task. I felt quite lucky to see the term papers had a professional appearance. I also felt lucky to have such a good teacher as her.
We can infer from the passage that _ .