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Last week,Chicago became the first city in the US to join the "Lights Out Plan".People turned off the lights in the city's tallest buildings,so that thousands of birds could get to their winter homes.Every year in autumn,some birds fly over Chicago on their way to the south,and come back the next spring. Lights mean danger to birds.Birds find their way by looking at the stars in the sky.Lights in tall buildings are so bright that birds may mistake them as stars.This means they can not find the right way to go home. This month,about 300 types of birds are flying over Chicago to go back to the south to live through the cold winter.Birds fly to warmer places for a few reasons.Many birds cannot live in the cold,so they fly to warmer places.But there are other reasons,too.Birds need to look for food in the south.Another reason is that they want to have baby birds.Many birds like to have their baby birds in the same "house" they lived in last year,so they fly back there. There are about 9,000 kinds of birds in the world,and about 600 kinds of birds _ .Some birds can fly a very long way.Sometimes they fly to other countries.We have fewer birds today because there are fewer places for birds. Why did people in Chicago turn off their lights last week? | [
"Because people wanted to save money.",
"Because people liked the dark night.",
"Because people were a afraid that birds would make much noise.",
"Because people were a afraid that birds would lose their way."
] | 3D
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Parents in three Midwestern states will soon know just how good or bad their kids' driving is when their children take the car for a spin . Starting today, American Family Insurance is offering customers with teen drivers free cameras that record what happens when a sudden change in the car's movement occurs. The cameras record the action inside and in front of the car in 20-second audio-video clips . The clips are then transmitted to Drive Cam, a prefix = st1 /San Diegocompany that analyzes the clips for risky behavior. Among things the analysts look for is the response time of the drivers and if they are paying attention to the road. Parents can receive a report on their kids' driving and view the clips on a home computer. Car accidents are the leading cause of death among U. S.teens, according to the NHTSA(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). "There will be fewer accidents," Rick Fetherston, vice president at American Family said of the new system. American Family will test the system out by offering it for free for one year to 30.000 families in Wisconsin, Indiana and Minnesotato see whether the system results in fewer accidents. If the system is proven to prevent accidents, customers who volunteer to use it might see their insurance premiums drop. The company would not be viewing the videos or individual score cars, unless there is an accident. Bruce Moeller, president of Drive Cam, says his company's system is already being used by companies with lots of cars. "Some of our customers are reporting a 30% to 90% reduction in their risky driver events," Moeller says. But a lawyer in Minneapolissays. "If I felt I needed a camera in the car to watch over my kids, I shouldn't be letting them drive." American Family tested the system in two high schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Megan Ireland, 17, said the camera caught her stopping too late and taking turns too fast. The student at Prior Lake High School in Savage, Minn., said she didn't like it because she felt it invaded her privacy but has warmed up to the system. "Now I don't really have a problem with it because it's made me a better driver," she says. "For real." The camera is being offered to _ by _ free of charge now. | [
"teen drivers; a company called Drive Cam",
"insurance companies; a San Diegocompany",
"families with teen drivers; an insurance company",
"American Family Insurance; the NHTSA"
] | 2C
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As a boy, Sanders was much influenced by books about the sea, but by the age of fifteen he had decided to become a doctor rather than a sailor. His father was a doctor. So he was often with the doctors and got along very well with them. When he was fourteen, he was already hanging around the hospital where he was supposed to be helping to clean the medicine bottles, but was actually trying to listen to the doctors' conversations with patients in the next room. During the war Sanders served in the army as a surgeon . "That was the happiest time of my life. I was dealing with real sufferers and on the whole making a success of my job." In Rhodes he taught the country people simple facts about medicine. He saw himself as a life-saver. He had proved his skill to himself and had a firm belief that he could serve those who lived simply, and were dependent upon him. Thus, while in a position to tell them what to do he could feel he was serving them. After the war, he married and set up a practice deep in the countryside, working under an old doctor who hated the sight of blood. This gave the younger man plenty of opportunities to go on working as a life-saver. When the war was over, he _ . | [
"had the happiest time of his life",
"started to hate the sight of blood while working",
"served the countrymen under an old doctor",
"had few chances to be a \"life-saver\" because he was younger"
] | 2C
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Rivers are one of our most important natural resources . Many of the world's great cities are located on rivers, and almost every country has at least one river running through it that plays an important part in the lives of its people. Since the beginning of history, people have used rivers for transportation. The longest one in the United States is the Mississippi. The lifeline of Egypt is the Nile. To the people of India, the Ganges is great, but it is also important for transportation; ships can travel along it for a thousand miles. Other great rivers are the Congo in Africa and the Mekong in southeastern Asia. The greatest of all for navigation , however, is the Amazon in Brazil . It is so wide and so deep that large ships can go about two thousand miles up it. Besides transportation, rivers give food to eat, water to drink, water for crops, and chances for fun. In order to increase the supply of water for crops, engineers sometimes build a dam across a river and let a lake form behind the dam. Then people can use the water not only to irrigate their fields but also to make electricity for their homes and industries. However, large cities and industries that are located on rivers often cause problems. As the cities grow in size and industries increase in number, the water in the rivers becomes polluted with chemicals and other materials. People are learning the importance, however, of doing more to keep their rivers clean if they want to enjoy the benefits of these natural resources. Most water in rivers is polluted with _ . | [
"people's drinking water too much",
"people's swimming in the river too much",
"chemicals and other materials",
"people's building a dam across a river"
] | 2C
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After years of study, I have known there are only two types of people in this world:those who get to the airport early and those who arrive as the plane is about to take off. If there were any justice in this world, the early-airport people would be rewarded for doing the right thing and the late-airport people would be punished. But the early-airport people get ulcers , heart attacks and bite their fingernails to the bone. The late-airport people are hardly aware that they are flying. A guy of that kind once said, "Don't hurry. If you miss your flight, it's because God didn't want you to go."This is clearly a guy who is never going to get an ulcer. Early-airport people suffer another"name". They are called exactly what they are--wimps . I know. I am an early-airport person for years. My luggage will get on the plane first, which makes it the last luggage they take off the plane after landing. Another strange thing:No matter how early I showed up, I was always told that someone had called two or three years ahead of me and asked for the best seat. I figured it was a trick. I figured there was someone in America who called every airline every day and said, "Is that wimp Simon flying somewhere today? If he is, give me his seat. " After a lifetime arguing with my wife over whether I really have to pack 24 hours in advance and set the alarm clock four hours ahead, I have learned another fact about early-airport people and late-airport people: They always marry each other. We can learn from the passage that _ . | [
"late-airport persons often get ulcers or heart attacks",
"early-airport persons are always relaxed before the flight",
"early-airport persons get their luggage first after landing",
"late-airport persons always take things easy"
] | 3D
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The united States has about 475,000 school buses -- all painted yellow. Each day they carry more than 25,000,000 children, half of all schoolchildren in the country. But these buses, on average, use four liters of diesel fuel to travel less than sixteen kilometers. When the school year began last fall, diesel averaged 55 cents a liter nationally. The price nearly doubled, to a dollar and 8 cents, by the end of school in June. Bob Riley speaks for the American School Bus Council. He says fuel prices for schools are not much lower than others have to pay. As a result, schools are looking for ways to reduce transportation costs. Bus routes are being redrawn or, in some cases, canceled. Some areas are buying buses that use natural gas or other alternative fuels. Other steps include fewer field trips and less travel by sports teams. And some school districts may end any bus service not required by law. Studies show that school buses are the safest form of transportation to and from school. The American School Bus Council says cuts in bus service are bad for children and possibly the environment. It says removing buses from the road will mean an increase in other vehicles transporting students. Spokesman Bob Riley says another concern is that reducing bus services might reduce attendance. But it could also get more children to walk or bicycle to school. And that would surely make people happy at the National Center for Safe Routes to School. More kids walking or biking safely to school is the aim of a three-year-old federal program, part of an international movement. The goal is to increase physical activity and reduce air pollution. The United States will celebrate Walk to School Day on October eighth this year. But for some students, high fuel prices could make every day a walk-to-school day. The National Center for Safe Routes to School encourages more children to walk or bike to school in order to _ . | [
"save more fuels and diesel for the country",
"keep the children safe on their way to school",
"make the children live a simple life",
"keep the children healthy and the environment clean"
] | 3D
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Children should be allowed to get angry. I remember many years ago, when I was visiting my sister in Australia, and I told my oldest son that he wasn't allowed to do something he really wanted to do. He thought about it for a minute and said, "Mom, I'm very angry with you." I replied, "That's OK, darling, it's what you do with your anger." I then asked him if he wanted to talk to me about it but he was too angry to talk to me. Then he stormed off . My sister looked at me surprisingly. Now she has a son the same age as mine and she said angrily, "How can you allow your child to be angry with you? If my son learns that from you, I will never forgive you." Then it was hard for me to stay with her, I ended up leaving earlier. Why shouldn't my son have the right to tell me when I have made him angry? If he can't tell me then how can he tell others in his life? Children need to be able to express how they feel. We need to teach them ways to do this in a right way instead of saying nothing. I want them to tell me. _ anger is not healthy for anyone and usually makes things worse. What should children be allowed to do according to the passage? | [
"Fight.",
"Get angry.",
"Drink wine.",
"be rude to their parents."
] | 1B
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What will the house of the future look like? Could it have gardens on its walls, or a pool with fish for dinner? Architects believe that they are all possibilities. The only thing for sure is that the houses will be as green as possible. The tree house Many architects in the world would like to build a "tree house." Like a leaf, the surface of the house collects sunlight during the day. The energy can be used to heat water, produce electricity, and even create fresh air for the home. The "root" of the house is deep under the ground. It uses the soil to the home's temperature. The Lizard house Like a lizard , changing color with the weather is the most important design of a lizard house. When it's in the bright sun, the cover of the house will turn dark to protect it from strong heat. During dark days, it turns white and takes in as much light and heat as possible to produce energy. Meals at home This design is perhaps as much about the future of food production as architecture . It has gardens on the outside wall of the house. People can plant tomatoes, carrots and green tea on them. So every day in the morning, you just need to walk outside and collect your meals. Learning from the past Looking to the future isn't the only way to be green. Sometimes, ancient techniques can also help cut down energy use. For example, a chimney can be a useful air conditioner because it is easier of hot air to flow out at the chimney. ,A, B, C, D. We can heat water, produce electricity or create fresh air for the home_. | [
"with the root of a leaf.",
"with the energy from sunlight.",
"with the soil under the ground",
"with gardens on its walls."
] | 1B
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The apartments for sales,40 minutes' walk to the gold coast beach, on the ground floor is a private patio , fully fitted kitchen, resting room with feature fireplace and a second reception room which could be used as a dinning room or third downstairs bedroom. On the first floor are two double bedrooms, one of which leads onto a sunny terrace , fully tiled bathroom with bath and shower. The property is in excellent condition throughout and is ready to move straight into Sky TV, telephone and broadband are connected. Status: Available Price: EURC/115,000 Telephone: 00351-981888988 Location: Mollina Malaga Province Spain Apartment furnished for sale at an unbelievable price. The apartment is part of a small complex with swimming pool and a public resting-room with TV, relaxing area, changing areas, etc. The apartment is on the market fully furnished, air conditioning, with good environment to all divisions of the apartment. If you are thinking _ the rental market while the property is empty during the year, this property could be your best bet at the best possible price. Number of Bedrooms: 2 Status: Available Price: EURC/147,000 Telephone: 00331-961777017 Location: Sao Leiria Portugal Nice villa for sale. The villa has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. Beach at walking distance. Outside there is a swimming pool. The villa is just outside inland coast in a small villa of 20 houses. Status: Available Price: EURC/340,000 Telephone: 04811-961999018 Location: Inland Costal Area The apartments in the first advertisement have the following advantages Except _ . | [
"the rest room has a fire fireplace",
"the bathroom has bath and shower",
"the apartments are ready to move straight into",
"it has a public resting-room with TV"
] | 3D
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What is the main function of the circulatory system? | [
"secrete enzymes",
"digest proteins",
"produce hormones",
"transport materials"
] | 3D
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Reading is the key to school success and, like any skill, it takes practice. A child learns to walk by practicing until he no longer has to think about how to put one foot in front of the other. An excellent sportsman practices until he can play quickly, correctly and without thinking. Educators call it "automaticity ". www.ks5u.com A child learns to read by sounding out the letters and finding the meaning of the words. With practice, he stumbles less and less, reading by the phrase . With automaticity, he doesn't have to think about the meaning of words, so he can give all his attention to the meaning of the text. It can begin as early as first grade. In a recent study of children in Illinois schools, Alan Rossman of Northwestern University found that automatic readers in the first grade not only read almost three times as fast as the others, but also got better results in exams. According to Rossman, the key to automaticity is the amount of time a child spends reading , not his IQ. Any child who spends at least 3.5 to 4 hours a week reading books, magazines or newspapers will probably reach automaticity. It can happen if a child turns off TV just one night for reading at home. You can test yourself by reading something new which is suitable for your level. If you read aloud with expression, with a sense of the meaning of the sentences, you probably are an automatic reader. If you read brokenly, one word at a time, without expression or meaning, you need more practice. The best title for the passage is "_". | [
"IQ Is the Key to the Automaticity",
"TV Is Bad for Children's Reading",
"Automaticity Depends on Practice",
"Automatic Reads Will Be Successful"
] | 2C
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Mrs.Green was eighty,but she had a small car,and she always drove to the shops on Saturday and bought her food.She didn't drive fast because she was old,but she drove well and never hit anything. Sometimes her grandchildren said to her,"Please don't drive your car,grandmother.We can take you to the shops." But she always said,"No,I like driving.I've been driving it for fifty years,and I'm not going to stop driving." Last Saturday she stopped her car at some traffic lights because they were red and then it did not start again.The lights were green,then yellow,then red,then green again,but her car didn't start. "What am I going to do now? "she said. At this time a policeman came and said to her kindly,"Good morning.Don't you like any of our colours today? " She drove _ well _ she never hit anything. | [
"much;so",
"very;and",
"not;but",
"more;then"
] | 1B
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If prefix = st1 /U.S.software companies don't pay more attention to quality, they could kiss their business good-bye. BothIndiaandBrazilare developing a world-class software industry. Their weapon is quality and one of their jobs is to attract the topU.S.quality specialists whose voices are not listened to in their country. Already, of the world's 12 software houses that have earned the highest rating in the world, seven are in India. That's largely because they have used new methods rejected by American software specialists. For example, for decades, quality specialists, W. Edwards Deming and J. M. Juran had urgedU.S.software companies to change their attitudes to quality. But their quality call mainly fell on deaf ears in the U.S -- but not in Japan. By the 1970s and 1980s,Japanwas grabbing market share with better, cheaper products. They used Deming's and Juran's ideas to bring down the cost of good quality to as little as 5% of total production costs. InU.S.factories, the cost of quality then was 10 times as high: 50%. In software, it still is. Watts S. Humphrey spent 27 years at IBM heading up software production and then quality assurance. But his advice was seldom paid attention to. He retired from IBM in 1986. In 1987, he worked out a system for assessing(evaluating) and improving software quality. It has proved its value time and again. For example, in 1990 the cost of quality at Raytheon Electronics Systems was almost 60% of total software production costs. It fell to 15% in 1996 and has since further dropped to below 10%. Like Deming and Juran, Humphrey seems to be winning more praises overseas than at home. The Indian government and several companies have just founded the Watts Humphrey Software Quality Institute at the Software Technology Park in Chennai,India. Let's hope thatU.S.lead in software will not be eaten up by its quality problems. Which of the following statements about Humphrey is true? | [
"He is now still an IBM employer.",
"He has worked for IBM for 37 years.",
"India honors him highly.",
"The US pays much attention to his quality advice."
] | 2C
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If you're someone who is eager to do something beyond the ordinary, you must have figured out by now that there will always be those who are jealous or resentful of your success. It doesn't matter that you've worked long and hard to get where you are, nor that you've made great sacrifices in achieving your goals. The "haters" will always find a reason to speak ill of you and even condemn you. They're spiteful people who envy you the pride you have in yourself and the recognition you're receiving from others. They can't stand it that you're happy, fulfilled and achieving your goals. These hateful individuals are unwilling to do the work that you've done. They hate your success but are too lazy to invest real time or energy in achieving their own goals. The thing you need to know about these haters is that the only reason they behave this way is that you have something they want, but they aren't willing to work for it. The haters are convinced that you've been lucky or that you've had some unfair advantage, but the truth is that your success is born of your untiring efforts, and it's these efforts that have brought about your "luck." The best way to deal with haters is what I call the "one-two punch." First, don't let them hurt you. Be happy about your success and proud of your accomplishments. Company with those who approve you, recognize you and support you, and never doubt that you deserve all the success. The haters are angry, jealous people. What they think or say is meaningless. Next, the more the haters annoy you, the more you should be motivated to succeed. They want to ruin you, but your response should be to work that much harder in order to increase your level of success. When your reaction to their bad behavior has inspired you to achieve further success, you've transformed the haters' negativity into fuel for your creative fires. Not only can they not hurt you but they've inspired you onto even greater heights by chance. According to the passage, one of the best ways to deal with haters is _ . | [
"to get rid of them",
"to work even harder",
"to share the happiness",
"to motivate them"
] | 1B
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On the wall in my mother's bedroom there was a photo, which showed a soldier with a gun. Below the photo was the word "Speaking". "Who's that soldier called Speaking?" I asked one day. "He was Harold." She said. "He was my only brother. When the Second World War began, Harold was eighteen. I was twelve then, and my sisters were ten and nine". "Harold liked to play with us, and we often quarreled. When we quarreled, we said:We're not speaking to you. But before long we were all happy again, and then we said: I'm speaking now. Are you speaking to me?" "When the war broke out, Harold joined the army. A month later, he came to see us. He brought the gun to show us. Then he went miles away to the war. We didn't see him for three years, three long, empty years. We didn't often hear from him. But one day in May there was a loud bang on the front door..." "I ran to open it. It was Harold! He was an old Harold, a thinner Harold. He looked at me with his two green eyes and smiled. That smile was just the same as before, then he said one word: 'speaking'". "I didn't...I couldn't...answer. I just fell into his arms and he dropped his gun. He stayed with us for a month. We played all our old games again. Then he went back to the war, and never came back again. So I wrote the word on the photo." Why did the mother hang the photo in her bedroom? | [
"She wanted to keep a memory of her childhood.",
"It could awake her happy memories.",
"It could show that her brother was a great man.",
"She hung it there in memory of her brother."
] | 3D
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"In my country, men usually go to restaurants on their own. They always take their shoes off before they go in. Then they usually sit on the floor around a small, low table. In the evening they often sing songs." "You usually take chocolates or flowers. But you always take an odd number of flowers, and you remove the paper before you give them to the hostess. You can also send flowers before you arrive. you don't usually take wine except when you visit very close friends." "We always offer our guests something to drink when they arrive, tea, coffee or perhaps water or soft drinks. We think it is polite to accept a drink even if you're not thirsty. If you visit someone you always stay for a few drinks. When you have had enough to drink, you tap your cup or put your hand over it. If you say no, your host will insist that you have more to drink." "People's private lives are very important so they never ask you personal questions about your family or where you live or your job. They never talk about religion or matters of finance, education or politics, but usually stay with safe subjects like the weather, films, plays, books and restaurants." "It's difficult to know when to leave, but an evening meal usually lasts about three or four hours. When the host serves coffee, this is sometimes a sign that the evening is nearly over, but you can have as much coffee as you want." "If the invitation says eight o'clock then we arrive exactly at eight. With friends we know well, we sometimes arrive about fifteen minutes before." "Obviously it depends on the occasion, but most dinner parties are informal. The men don't usually wear a suit, but they may wear a jacket and tie. Women are usually smart but casual." Which of the following statements isn't right? | [
"If you are invited for dinner, you should arrive on time.",
"You should take off your shoes first after you step into the host's door.",
"The hostess always offer the guests something to drink when they arrive.",
"You should accept the hostess' drinks even if you're not thirsty."
] | 1B
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In the universe,as we all know,there is the sun,the moon,the earth and a good manystars.Through our geography lessons,we know the earth goes around the sun,and the moon goes around the earth.We have day and night because the earth keeps turning all the time.When our part of the earth turns to the sun,it is day.When our part of the earth turns away from the sun,it is night. Just because the moon is closer to the earth than the sun, it looks much bigger than the sun. Big things will look smaller when they are further, and small things also look bigger when they are nearer. The sun is big enough to give out very strong light. The moon can't give any light at all, but it looks quite bright, too. Why? In fact, the light from the moon comes from the sun. The moon looks much bigger and brighter than the stars. But actually the stars are much bigger and brighter than the moon.They look smaller than the moon also because they are further away from the earth. There are many other planets in the universe. But of all the planets, only on the earth there are living things and people can only live on the earth, too. But at 9:00 a.m. on October 15th,2003, Chinese pilot Yang Liwei was sent up to space. He stayed there for 21 hours.It was the first time for Chinese to get into space. We find the sun is _ than the moon because it is _ to us. | [
"bigger;farther",
"smaller;closer",
"bigger;closer",
"smaller;farther"
] | 3D
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What if our babies could somehow tell us what they're thinking about, what they want, and what makes them unhappy? Robyn Holt, researcher for Baby Talk New Zealand, says they can. Holt heard about baby sign language through an advertisement and decided to go along to a workshop . "Sign language is something that's always interested me, and I thought, it could be really cool to try this with a baby because we are always guessing all the time what they actually want." Holt started using baby sign language with her baby son Benjamin, now 12, and within two weeks he started to sign the sign for milk. She has since used it with her two younger sons Dominic, 8, and Matthew, 3. Baby sign language is nothing new: the practice (which is based on adult sign language) has been out in America for more than 30 years. But it is enjoying a rebirth in New Zealand. The idea behind baby sign language is that babies do have the ability to communicate their needs if they are given the right tools to do so. Although many mothers develop an intuition about whether their baby's crying is from hunger, tiredness, or pain, baby sign language creates a direct form of communication that unlocks _ . When babies are between 6-months and 12 to 13-months, parents can begin to teach them sign language: use the sign for milk while feeding, and also talk about milk, so that the child begins to make the link in their brain. Then they can begin to add other signs, i.e. food, sick or pain. "I know of one parent. Her child was signing the sign for hurt by his mouth, and she realised his first teeth were growing. It makes life so much easier," said Holt. According to the text, baby sign language _ . | [
"has been used in New Zealand for 30 years",
"can easily make the parents understood",
"has developed from adult sign language",
"was designed by Robyn Holt"
] | 2C
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"Tomorrow is another day"---- this line has impressed various people at various times. It's now 70 years after _ appeared in the film, but it still seems to hold its power especially during an economic downturn. The phrase comes from a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's successful 1936 novelGone With the Wind. It's set in the American South and tells the story of a strong heroine, Scarlett O' Hara, who struggles to find love during the Civil War and, afterwards, of her strength in surviving the war and its hardships. Love story In a moment of despair, Scarlett finally realizes that her love belongs to Rhett Butler. For many audiences, it is the theme of love and struggle that has kept the movie alive. While the burning of Atlanta might seem irrelevant to today's viewers, the timeless theme of love keeps its ability to touch people. With a promise to her lover still in her mind, Scarlett chooses to stay in the midst of war and take care of Melanie. But her heart is broken when Rhett just walks away, leaving the woman that he once loved with cruel words, "Frankly, dear, I don' t give a damn." Great epic The film shows the love-hate relationship of these characters, but also American history, the fall of the Confederacy and the following period of Reconstruction in the South. The background made this film a true classic in the epic genre. When the film opened after World War II, French viewers loved it, and it reminded them of their fight against the Nazis. In 1940 Shanghai, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, people stood in line for hours to watch this film, and saw the same suffering they were having as well as the hope and possibility of building a new homeland from the ruins. Each nationality could identify with the story and see it as a victory. In fact,Gone With the Windnever lost its charm and ability to inspire and amaze. Biggest of all time The film had five directors, 15-plus screenwriters, and an unexpected $3.9 million budget. The film brought in $ 200 million, which makes it the biggest selling film of all times in North America. It also won 10 Academy awards in 1940. The passage mentions Shanghai in order to _ . | [
"prove that the background of the movie touched viewers",
"describe how popular the movie was at that time",
"point out that Shanghai was a center of entertainment",
"tell us that Chinese were suffering the War then."
] | 0A
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At the Presbyterian Church in downtown Harare, Zimbabwe, 15-year-old Lovemore and other children crowd around tables in a small room, answering questions in their workbooks. Their uniforms are clean and worn with pride, and in many ways it would be difficult to distinguish this classroom from any other. These children, like Lovemore, live at the Mbare bus station, a crowded, dirty and dangerous place for anyone, especially at night. Lovemore said that he started to face problems once his mother died and his father stopped paying school fees. When Lovemore's father remarried, Lovemore was forced onto the street, no longer welcome at home. After meeting a worker from the Presbyterian Children's Club (PCC), Lovemore felt encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to get an education. Since joining the program, he is always at the top of his class. He spends his mornings at the PCC, where he receives his only meals for the day. At night, he sleeps on the ground at the bus station. The few clothes he owns are hidden in secret places around town so that no one will steal them. At the end of each day, Lovemore and his classmates take their books with them to study at night in the market square. "We read by the street lights, but sometimes the guards drive us away." Each year, the top three students are given a chance to go to formal school. Those who successfully complete their grade-seven exams will be given a PCC scholarship to attend a boarding school , proving there is hope for forgotten children like Lovemore. Started in 1996, the program provides free education, basic meals, health care and clothing to more than 70 children. "There are people who care here, and other kids like me," Lovemore said. "It feels like this is my family." What would be the best title for the passage? | [
"Lovemore's life",
"The programs of the PCC",
"The situation of street children",
"Opportunities for street children"
] | 3D
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If there is any single factor that makes for success in living, it is the ability to profit by defeat. Every success I know have achieved because the person was able to analyze defeat and actually profit by it in his next undertaking. Confuse defeat with failure, and you are doomed indeed to failure. For it isn't defeat that makes you fail: it is your own refusal to see in defeat the guide and encouragement to success. Defeats are nothing to be ashamed of. They are routine incidents in the life of every man who achieves success. But defeat is a dead loss unless you face it without _ , analyze it and leave why you have failed. Defeat, in other words, can help to cure its own cause. Not only does defeat prepare us for success, but nothing can arouse within us such a compelling desire to succeed. If you let a baby grasp a rod and try to pull it away, he will hold more and more tightly until his whole weight is suspended. It is the same reaction as should give you new and greater strength every time you are defeated. If you exploit the power which defeats give, you can accomplish with it far more than you are capable of. Defeat is valuable because _ . | [
"it makes you a better thinker",
"it forces you to face it without humiliation",
"it provides the guide to achievement.",
"It enables you to analyze events successfully"
] | 2C
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May 5 is Japanese Children's Day. In fact, it is usually called Boy's Day because it is mainly celebrated ( ) by boys. The celebration of Boy's Day has a long history. It is said that the festival comes from the Dragon Boat Festival in China. On Boy's Day, Japanese boys eat a special kind of rice cake. It is covered with a leaf and filled with bean paste ( ). Children love to eat it very much. On this day, children don't have to go to school. Each family with a boy hangs up huge carp-shaped flag ( ). The flags are usually three colors: black, red and blue. Black stands for the father, red stands for the mother and blue stands for the son. Japanese parents believe that the flags will bring their boys good luck and give them courage and power. On Boy's Day, _ . | [
"only boys don't have to go to school.",
"each family with a child hangs up three flags.",
"Japanese boys eat a special kind of rice cake.",
"boys need to clean their rooms by themselves."
] | 2C
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Want to save the environment? You probably can't fix everything on your own, but by taking small steps and keeping the environment in mind every day, you can make a difference, 1. Think Green. Challenge yourself to think about the environment as you live your life. If you shut off lights when you leave the room, turn off your TV when you're not watching it, you'll save energy. If you take shorter showers, you'll save water. 2. Shop Green. Shopping is fun, but buying things you don't need is wasteful and bad for the earth. Before you buy something, ask yourself how much you'll really use it. Keep yourself away from buying products with unnecessary packaging , and whenever possible, buy things that were locally made instead of those shipped from far away. 3. Dress Green. Wear green trousers and T-shirts if you want. But what really matters isn't the colour, it's how the clothes were made. If you want to help the environment, the best place to find clothes is at _ , but you might not want to buy everything used. No matter where you shop, keep an eye out for products made from environmentally friendly materials like organic cotton, which is grown without the use of pesticides ( ). 4. Study Green. What's better than learning about the environment? Save it while you learn, It can be as simple as using both sides of a piece of paper before you recycle it, or reusing an old textbook :instead of buying a new one. If you want to do more, join an environmental group at your school, and encourage your friends to join, too. Which of the following acts does not agree with the writer's green ideas? | [
"Taking shorter showers.",
"Buying products with unnecessary packaging.",
"Wearing clothes made from organic materials.",
"Using both sides of a piece of paw."
] | 1B
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There is a forgotten player in the global efforts to limit C02 emissions:the consumer. Households consume one--third of the final energy used in the European Union and produce around two--thirds of city waste.Moreover,food,housing,and private transport account for almost 80%of environmental pressures.So consumers can make a real difference when it comes to fighting climate change. Several factors can direct consumers towards more environmentally--friendly behavior. To achieve this,we need clear and simple information to guide consumption decisions. Indeed.Two thirds of consumers find it difficult to understand which products are better for the environment when shopping. With 58% of Europeans believing that many companies pretend to be green in order to charge higher prices, industry has a long way to go in helping consumers feet confident when making green choices.They should give consumers more information about the carbon footprint of their products,and promote more sustainable behavior among their customers. To be sure, companies are increasingly creating product labels that help consumers make responsible choices--for instance, reminding users of products made from materials that are recycled,renewable, and/or less carbon--intensive. Even so,only,20% of Europeans believe that companies are doing enough to promote environmentally friendly options. In times of crisis, consumers prefer high-quality products that will last long and won't go out of style.Durable products might sometimes cost more, but they don't need to be replaced as frequently. In this way,companies that create durable or recyclable products enable consumers to think differently about their purchases, which can help users behave more responsibly, and thus may help end our "throw-way" culture. However, it is not enough to inform consumers of the environmental features of products. We also need to provide consumers with guidance to establish a practical lifestyle model to follow. This cannot be brought about by regulations alone, but by good business communities that would create a loyal group of "sustainable consumers". According to the passage, the key to going greener globally is _ . | [
"to get the government involved in protecting the environment",
"to require the companies produce environmentally-friendly products",
"to encourage consumers to make their efforts to live a green way",
"to provide enough information about sustainable products"
] | 2C
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A new study says one part of the human brain may become smaller as the result of a condition known as jet lag. Jet lag results from flying long distances in an airplane. Jet lag interferes with a person's normal times for sleeping and waking. People with jet lag may feel extremely tired for several days. They also may have problems thinking clearly and remembering. Kwangwook Cho is a researcher at the University of Bristol in Britain. He reported the findings of his jet lag study in the publication Nature Neuroscience. The study involved twenty young women who worked for international airlines. The women had served passengers on airplanes for five years. These flight attendants flew across many countries and at least seven time zones. In the study, the flight attendants had different amounts of time to recover from jet lag. Half the women spent five days or fewer in their home areas between long flights. The other half spent more than fourteen days in their home areas. Mister Cho took some fluid from the women's mouths to measure levels of a hormone that increases during stress. He tested them to see if they could remember where black spots appeared on a computer screen. And he took pictures of their brains using magnetic resonance imaging. This is a way to measure the size of the brain's temporal lobes. It was found that the women who had less time between flights had smaller right temporal lobes. This area of the brain deals with recognizing and remembering what is seen. The same group performed worse and had slower reaction times on the visual memory test. And their saliva samples showed higher levels of stress hormones. Mister Cho says he believes the brain needs at least ten days to recover after a long trip. He says airline workers told him their ability to remember got worse after working on planes for about four years. Other studies have shown that increased feelings of stress can cause a loss of cells in the part of the brain that controls memory. Scientists say more tests are needed to study the effects of jet lag on the brain. They want to find out if too much jet lag could permanently affect memory. According to the text, jet lag _ . | [
"can cause difficulties in speaking",
"can make people feel tired for a few weeks",
"is the illness only found in people who work on the airplanes",
"can be caused by flying over several time zones in an airplane"
] | 3D
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Here's How to Get Your 6 Movies for 1C/Each Just Write in the Numbers of the 6 movies you want for 1C/each, plus shipping. In exchange ,you agree to buy just six more movies in the next three years, at our regular Club prices (which currently start as low as $19.95 plus shipping) -- and you may cancel membership at any time after doing so. What's more, you can get two more movies for the low price of $6.95 each and you will, after that, spend much less on the movies you want. Free Video Magazine sent every four weeks (up to 13 times a year), with our Director's Selection --plus many lower-priced cassettes, down to $14.95. And you may receive Special Selection mailings up to four times a year (a total of up to 17 buying opportunities per year). Buy Only What You Want! If you want the Director's Selection, do nothing -- it will be sent automatically . If you prefer some other selection, or none at all, just mail the answer card always provided by the date specified. And you'll always have 14 days to decide. Instant Bonus Plan. As soon as you become a member, you'll immediately have the right to our money-saving plan! It enables you to enjoy more great savings on the movies you want -- right from the start of your membership! 10-Day Risk-Free Trial. If not satisfied, return everything within 10 days, and then you'll get your money back and there will be no further obligation. You may receive a free Video Magazine _ a year. | [
"13 times",
"12 times",
"4 times",
"17 times"
] | 0A
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Certain moths are able to experience incomplete metamorphosis by | [
"skipping cocooning",
"eating more fruit",
"flying further",
"breeding quickly"
] | 0A
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Hi, boys and girls! Welcome to our museum. It's free. You don't have to pay any money. But we have some rules for you. Please remember them and do as I say. Firstly, don't have food or drink here. You may make our museum dirty. Secondly, you can take photos here, but don't touch the things here. Thirdly, keep quiet in the museum. Don't talk loudly. Fourthly, the museum is not open after five o'clock in the afternoon. Please leave before five. Have a good time here! Thank you. There are some rules for a _ . | [
"store",
"park",
"school",
"museum"
] | 3D
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While other countries debate whether to fix wind turbines offshore or in distant areas, Denmark is building them right in its capital. Three windmills were recently introduced in a Copenhagen neighbourhood, and the city plans to add another 97. "We've made a very ambitious commitment to make Copenhagen CO2-neutral by 2025," Frank Jensen, the mayor, says. "But going green isn't only a good thing. It's a must." The city's carbon-neutral plan, passed two years ago, will make Copenhagen the world's first zero-carbon capital. With wind power making up 33% of Denmark's energy supply, the country already features plenty of wind turbines. Indeed, among the first sights greeting airborne visitors during the landing at Copenhagen's Kastrup airport is a chain of sea-based wind towers. By 2020, the windswept country plans to get 50% of its energy from wind power. Now turbines are moving into the city and these ones will cost less than half the price of those sea-based. Having the energy production closer makes it cheaper, and land-based turbines are the cheapest possible source of energy available today. Fixing them also makes the locals more aware of their energy consumption. Though considerably less attractive than it was in ancient times, the windmill is enjoying popularity in the 21st century. "Windmills are a symbol of the new and clean Copenhagen," says resident Susanne Sayers. Meanwhile, fellow Copenhagen citizen Maria Andersen worries about the noise, explaining that she wouldn't want a wind turbine in her neighbourhood. While Copenhagen citizens approve of the windmills, they're less willing to live close to one. The answer, the city has decided, is to sell turbine shares. Each share represents 1,000 kW hours/year, with the profit tax-free. With a typical Copenhagen household consuming 3,500 kW hours/year, a family buying four shares effectively owns its own renewable energy supply. To date, 500 residents have bought 2,500 shares. Involving the local population was a smart move. "There are a lot of things you can do close to people if it's not too big and if there's a model where locals feel involved and get to share in the profit. Knowing that you, or your neighbours, own a technology creates a very different atmosphere than if a multinational owned it," says Vad Mathiesen. Going green? Yes. Accepted by the population? Yes. Going with centuries-old city architecture? Hardly. Certainly, the three turbines don't exactly _ the 18th-century city centre, as they are in a neighbourhood 3 km away. According to the mayor's office, none of the remaining 97 turbines will rise in architecturally sensitive areas. But Sascha Haselmayer, CEO of city creation group Citymart, warns, "With Denmark being a world-leading producer of windmills, there is a risk that the answer to every energy question is windmills." "We've destroyed mountains and lakes in order to support our lifestyle," notes Irena Bauman, an architect and professor at Sheffield University. "Wind turbines are a sign that we're learning to live with nature. I hope we'll have them all over the world," she says. "They may be unpleasant to some, but better-looking ones will come. It's just that we don't have time to wait for them!" Sascha Haselmayer's attitude to building windmills can best be described as _ . | [
"disapproving",
"unconcerned",
"cautious",
"enthusiastic"
] | 2C
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I have been teaching in the United States for three semesters. During this time, I have been very impressed with the hardworking American students. Tuition fee in American universities are pretty expensive. Most American students receive little, if any, financial support. As a result, they have to work hard to pay for their tuition and other basic expenses. Tertiary education is a necessity in today's workforce. Young people with higher education are rewarded with a good career and better salary. So how do American students support themselves? All my American students have to work to pay for their tuition. For this reason, most universities provide limited jobs for students who need economic help. They also help students search for jobs in the community. I have been touched to see some students are so worn out from their jobs that they doze in my classroom. In addition to taking part-time jobs, students are also expected to take part in various social and sporting activities and, in fact, those who do not take part in are often looked down upon by their peers. A number of American university students are married with families, or are single parents. These students are faced with the additional burden of raising a family. They have to spend much time, money and energy caring for their children and family. Most American university professors are strict. They test students on every unit in their course, in addition to mid-term and final exams in each semester. A lack of preparation by students may result in their failure. This means the loss of a lot of money and possibly future employment opportunities for these students. For this reason, many American students will study or stay up all night before an exam, in an effort to pass. In contrast, Chinese students have a much easier time, because most Chinese parents pay for their kids' tertiary education. Moreover, Chinese students do not need to worry about raising children or maintaining a family. So, Chinese students have no reason for not studying hard and achieving good marks. This passage mainly deals with _ . | [
"part-time jobs chosen by American students",
"the high fees of American universities",
"difficult lives American students have to face",
"different opinions on American universities"
] | 2C
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Which of the following would be considered a predator? | [
"grizzly bear",
"moose",
"salmon",
"lobster"
] | 0A
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|
Dear Mr. Wolfson, The purpose of this letter is to inform you of one of our citizens who I believe should receive some special recognition for dedicated community service. The person I recommend is Elizabeth Samuelson. I believe you know her in your position as volunteer coordinator . I have known Elizabeth for more than 20 years as both a friend and a neighbor. During that time I have seen her work tirelessly on scores of community projects and committees. As far as I know, she has never received any kind of recognition from the community for her work. I believe she should be given some sort of special recognition. Just last year alone, she worked on at least six different community projects including the Park Renewal Project and the Heritage Homes FundRaising Banquet. In addition, she is a weekly driver for the MealsonWheels program and she visits patients in the care unit on a regular basis. Whenever a project or committee needs her, she will put herself into the work wholeheartedly. I'm sure that if you check with a few of your staff members who have been there over the years, they will confirm Elizabeth's community service record and probably be able to add many examples to the few I have given here. By the way, Elizabeth has no idea that I am writing this. She is a humble person, and if she were aware of it, she would not allow me to send it. I thought about writing such a letter about her a number of times in the past but just never took action. Then last week, I noticed in the paper that you sponsor an annual dinner at which dozens of awards are given out to people with much less community service than Elizabeth. In fact, I checked with her and she has never even been invited to that annual event! I urge you to correct that omission now and take action to see that Elizabeth is properly recognized for her many years of silent but outstanding service to this community. Sincerely, Linda Sullivan From the letter we know that Linda _ Elizabeth much. | [
"depends on",
"looks down upon",
"ignores",
"respects"
] | 3D
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Since my retirement from teaching music in 2001, I have spent a good deal of time painting as an artist, I actually began drawing again in the summer of 1995 when my father died. so perhaps I was trying to recover from the loss of my father, or maybe it was just that it brought back memories of him. In any case, I drew pen and ink animals and landscapes much influenced by Krenkel and St. John for five years. For some strange reason, I had been waiting until my retirement to start doing watercolor1s again, but as soon as I walked out of the school door for the last time I picked up my brushes and rediscovered Andrew Wyeth, who quickly became my favorite artist, I had looked through all the art books I had on my shelves and found his watercolor1s to be the closest to how I thought good watercolor1s should look. So I painted landscapes around Minnesota for three years and tried out many other types of painting. However, watercolor1s remained my first choice, and I think I did my best work there, showing my paintings at a number of art exhibitions. Art is now together with my piano playing and reading. There is a time for everything in my world, and it is wonderful to have some time doing what I want to do. As Confucius once said: "At seventy I can follow my heart's desire." We can infer from the text that the author _ . | [
"had been taught by Krenkel and St. John",
"painted landscapes in Minnesota for 5 years",
"believed Wyeth to be the best in watercolor1s",
"started his retirement life at the age of seventy"
] | 2C
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Jack is an English boy. He is a good student. He is eleven. Now he is in a blue coat. Linda is Jack's sister. She is a nice girl. She is fourteen. Now she is in a green dress. Lucy and Lily are from the USA. They are students, too. They are in yellow coats. They look the same. Jack, Linda, Lucy and Lily are good friends. Jack, Lucy and Lily are in the same school. But Linda is not in the school. They all like China. ,. Linda is _ . | [
"Lucy's sister",
"Lily's sister",
"Jack's sister",
"Jack's mom"
] | 2C
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Failure is probably the most exhausting experience a person ever has. There is nothing more tiring than not succeeding. We experience this tiredness in two ways: as start-up fatigue and performance fatigue. In the former case, we keep putting off a task because it has either too boring or too difficult. And the longer we delay it, the more tired we feel. Such start-up fatigue is very real, even if not actually physical, not something in our muscles and bones. The solution is obvious though perhaps not easy to apply: always handle the most difficult job first. Years ago, I was asked to write 102 essays on the great ideas of some famous authors. Applying my own rule, I determined to write them in alphabetical , never letting myself leave out a tough idea. And I always started the day's work with the difficult task of essay-writing. Experience proved that the rule works. Performance fatigue is more difficult to handle. Though willing to get started, we cannot seem to do the job right. Its difficulties appear so great that, however hard we work, we fail again and again. In such a situation, I work as hard as I can-then let the unconscious take over. When planning Encyclopaedia Britannica (<<>> ), I had to create a table of contents based on the topics of its articles. Nothing like this had ever been done before, and day after dat I kept coming up with solutions, but none of them worked. My fatigue became almost unbearable. One day, mentally exhausted, I wrote down all the reasons why this problem could not be solved. I tried to convince myself that the trouble was with the problem itself, not with me. Relived, I sat back in an easy chair and fell asleep. An hour later, I woke up suddenly with the solution clearly in mind. In the weeks that followed, the solution which had come up in my unconscious mind provided correct at every step. Though I worked as hard as before, I felt no fatigue. Success was now as exciting as failure had been depressing. Human beings, I believe must try to succeed. Success, then, means never feeling tired. People with start-up fatigue are most likely to . | [
"delay tasks",
"work hard",
"seek help",
"accept failure"
] | 0A
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After the Summer Olympics are over, when all the athletes have gone home and the television audience has switched off, another group of athletes and fans will arrive at the host city, and another competition will begin. These are the Paralympics, the games for athletes with a disability. But in Beijing in 2008, for the first time, one of the greatest Paralympics athletes did not take part. She is a British athlete by the name of Tanni Grey-Thormpson. Born with spine hifida which left her paralysed from the waist. Tanni used a wheelchair from the age of 7. at first, she did not like sports, apart from horse-riding, which gave her a sense of freedom. But in her teens, she started taking sports more seriously. She tried swimming, basketball and tennis. Eventually she found she began to love athletics, and never looked back. Indeed, Tanni's athletic career took off . In 1984, when she was 15, she pulled off a surprise victory in the 100metres at the Junior National Wheelchair Games. In 1988, Tanni went to her first Paralympic Games in Seoul. She won bronze in the 400 metres. Even greater success followed at the 1992 Barcelonn. Paralympics. Tanni won gold in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 metres relay, setting two world records in the process. In the same year she achieved the first of her six London Wheelchair Marathon victories. Tanni's success had been part motivation , part preparation, "The training I do that enables me to be a good sprinter enables me to be good at a marathon too. I train 50 weeks of the year and that keeps me prepared for whatever distance I want to see.... I am still competing at a very high level, but as I get older, things get harder and I want to retire before I fall apart." Indeed Tanni retired finally after the Visa Paralympic World Cup in 2007. Her wish is to coach young athletes for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. In spite of ups and downs, she never takes her fate lying down. In her splendid life, she has won an amazing eleven gold medals, four silvers and one bronze in series of Paralympics- a top level athletic career covering two decades. She has won the London Wheelchair Marathon six times, more than any other competitor, and she has set over thirty world records. What advice does she have for young athletes? "Work hard at your studies, and then train, train and train again." When did Tanni win her first Olympic gold medal? | [
"In 1984.",
"In 1988.",
"In 1992.",
"In 2007."
] | 2C
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Everybody is afraid of something.That's what more than 1,700 kids told us when we asked them about fears and scary stuff.We gave kids a list of 14 scary things and asked which one frightened them most.Here are the top 5 answers from our survey :1 Scary movies and TV shows;2Scary dreams;3Thunderstorms,hurricanes ;and other horrible weather;4War and terrorism ;5Sounds heard at night. But not everyone is afraid of the same thing.And what makes one person scared can be of no big deal for someone else.Plenty of kids said their biggest fear wasn't on our list. What is fear? Fear is a feeling that eyeryone has--it's programmed into all of us--and that's a good thing because fear is there to protect us.We're born with a sense of fear so we can react to something that could be dangerous.The baby cries,and their mom comes over to comfort him or her,helping the baby feel safe and OK again.Real vs.Pretend The best way to get over a fear is to get more information about it.As kids get older,they understand more and start seeing the difference between what is real and unreal.So when William's imagination leads him to think of witches,he can tell himself,"Wait a minute.They're only pretend things.I don't need to worry about them." The same goes for the dark.A kid's imagination can start playing tricks when the lights go out.What's under my bed?Is that a thief I hear?With the help of a parent,kids can get more comfortable in the dark.Using a nightlight or shining a flashlight under the bed to see that there's nothing there can help kids fight that fear. In the writer's opinion, _ . | [
"having a sense of fear is not a bad thing",
"babies have a weak sense of fear",
"fear is not something that we are born with",
"not all people can react to dangerous things"
] | 0A
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|
Which area contains few organisms? | [
"Madagascar",
"South Pole",
"Amazon Rain Forest",
"Sahara Desert"
] | 1B
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|
Food safety will become the food industry's key target as the nation tries to adopt international food standards. The National Development and Reform Commission, the Standardization Administration of China, the Ministry of Agriculture and six other departments announced their 2004-05 development programme for national food standards over the weekend. China is conducting a rectification within two years. Inspectors will search for all known banned materials in food production. To reduce trading barriers, China will raise the ratio of adopting international standards in the food industry to 55 percent from today's 23 percent. "Safety is the first consideration for anything entering people's mouth followed by its nutritious value," said Hao Yu, secretary-general of the National Food Industry Standardization Technique Committee. He added the usage of food addictives will be a major field for consideration in setting the new standards. On-the-spot checks during the past two years have shown the abuse or misuse of addictives in food production and processing has become the biggest threat to food safety. In one case, talcum powder was found in flour products, which is outlawed according to national food standards. "At present there are no methods or standards to test the content of talcum powder in flour," said Shang Yan'e, an official with the national watchdog on grain and oil inspections. Under the guidelines, all banned addictives will be recorded as inspections increase, Relevant departments have allocated funds to conduct risk evaluations on current food addictives to fix the limits of their usage. China will adopt international advanced techniques and standards so as to find out the harmful materials in food within a shortest period. _ is the second consideration for anything people eat according to the passage. | [
"Safety",
"Value",
"Nutrition",
"Addictives"
] | 2C
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|
An article published recently in the scientific journal Nature is shedding new light on an important, but so far little has been appreciated, aspect of human evolution. In this article, Professors Dennis Bramble, and Daniel Lieberman suggest that the ability to run was a decisive factor in the development of our species. According to the two scientists, humans possess a number of anatomical features that make them surprisingly good runners. "We are very confident that strong selection for running,which came at the expense of the historical ability to live in trees-was helpful in the origin of the modern human body form," says Bramble, a biology professor at the University of Utah. Traditional thinking up to now has been that the upright body form of modern humans has come about as a result of the ability to walk, and that running is simply a by-product of walking. Furthermore, humans have usually been regarded as poor runners compared to such animals as dogs, horses or antelopes. However, this is only true if we consider fast running over short distances. Even Olympic athlete can hardly run as fast as a horse can gallop, and can only keep up a top speed for fifteen seconds or so. Horses and antelopes, on the other hand, can run at top speed for several minutes, clearly outperforming us in this respect. But when it comes to long-distance running, humans do astonishingly well. They can maintain a steady pace for miles, and their overall speed compares favorably with that of horses or dogs. Bramble and Lieberman examined twenty-six anatomical features found in humans. One of the most interesting of these is the nuchal ligament . When we run, it is this ligament that prevents our head from pitching back and forth or from side to side. Therefore, we are able to run with steady heads held high. The nuchal ligament is not found in any other surviving primates , although the fossil record shows that Homo erectus, an early human species that walked upright, much as we do, also had one. Then there are our Achilles tendons at the backs of our legs, which have nothing to do with walking. When we run, these tendons behave like springs, helping to push us forward. Furthermore, we have low, wide shoulders, virtually disconnected from our skulls (the bony part of the head), another anatomical adaptation which allows us to run more efficiently. But what evolutionary advantage is gained from being good long-distance runners? One assumption is that this ability may have permitted early humans to obtain food more effectively. "What these features and fossil facts appear to be telling us is that running evolved in order for our direct ancestors to compete with other carnivores (animals that eat meat) for access to the protein needed to grow the big brains that we enjoy today." says Lieberman. It appears that the nuchal ligament _ . | [
"enables us to run with steady heads",
"is found in modern primates only",
"prevents the head from being held high",
"is a unique feature of carnivores"
] | 0A
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Psychology tells us that many people hate to take risks. But it is good for us to take risks, especially when the risk is to achieve a desired result. In that way, we become stronger and braver. Our human nature should be to take risks, but some people just sit and wish they didn't have the fear to move on. This is because of one or two failures in their lives. Please step out and don't let the past hold you back from living life to the fullest. Move forward and move on! In studying the psychology of taking risks, we find that human nature provides us with the desire to experiment and take chances. Risk taking is a great benefit that allowed our ancestors to become stronger and stronger day by day. By taking risks they fought off enemies and discovered new territories . _ has become a part of our modern culture. Riding a roller coaster is a common risk taking activity that even the average person seems to enjoy although they have the understanding that it is dangerous. This psychological and biological connection creates an interesting connection between what is unsafe and what humans enjoy. Getting in a car each day is a risk. Getting out of bed is a risk. There is such thing as perfect safety. We need to take risks so that we can complete (finish) many things. Astronauts take risks when they get inside a rocket; however, the things they achieve are great. Businessmen take a risk when they buy parts of a company. However, without doing that, they could not make more money. We need to take risks so that we can gain something. It is impossible to move forward in life, earn money, enjoy a relationship, play a sport, or do anything else without taking a risk. It is all part of the game. It's one of the most important parts of life. Some people don't want to take risks, mainly because _ . | [
"they are too lazy to move on",
"they feel pleased with the present life.",
"they have experienced some failures before",
"they show little interest in the strange world outside"
] | 2C
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Item 78431 The Video Camera Pen $129. 95 ; Available for Immediate Shipment; Order by Phone :1-800-321-1484 This is the pen that has a built-in video camera, capturing(,)videos or still images with a click of its button. Ideal for use while secured in a pocket, it can capture up to five hours of video. Its battery provides up to two hours of power before requiring a recharge. Item 78098 The Wristwatch Camcorder $149. 95; Available for 3-day Shipment; Order by Phone :1-800-321-1484 This is the men's watch with an unnoticeable camera located at the two-o'clock position, yet the watch's hands never make it covered. So you'll be always ready to capture a famous person or a pet's ridiculous actions. The camera's rechargeable battery provides up to two hours of use from a four-hour charge. Item 77918 The only 55 Inch Widescreen Personal Movie Theater $ 249. 95 ; Available for Immediate Shipment; Order by Phone:l-800-321-1484 This is the only personal media viewer that provides a private viewing experience just like watching a widescreen 55 inch television from 10 meters away. It connects to a video iPod, iPhone, portable DVD player with two AA batteries providing up to six hours of continuous operation. Item 77281 The Digital Phone Album Watch $ 99. 95 ; Available for Immediate Shipment; Order by Phone :1-800-321-1484 This is the watch that vividly displays 120 of your favorite digital photographs. You can download digital photographs to the watch. The watch can be viewed in the Photo Album mode or digital mode ( time and date view). A six-hour charge provides up to 10 days of use. If you're a movie fan, you probably show strong interest in _ . . | [
"Item 77918",
"Item 78431",
"Item 77281",
"Item 78098"
] | 0A
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Visible light passes through glass. Other types of electromagnetic radiation are able to pass through other materials in a similar way. Which of the following are used in medical technology because they can pass through some parts of the human body? | [
"x-rays",
"infrared waves",
"microwaves",
"ultraviolet rays"
] | 0A
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My daughter Kelly is a cautious person.She needs to warm up to situations,is hesitant to try new things.When with close friends,she becomes a leader who laughs loudly and chants,"Girls rule,boys drool." But when that comfort zone is not around her,she is shy and nervous. This has been challenging for me at times."Shy" is not a word that I think has ever been used to describe me.But this has been a year of firsts for my girl that has filled her with a new sense of confidence.This year she moved to lap lane in swimming where she was preparing for a swim team.This year she learned to ride a bike without training wheels.And this year she completed her first kids' triathlon . On Saturday,with a thunderstorm coming soon and my son's birthday party later in the day,we all went out in the dark of the morning for Kelly to participate in her first triathlon.We practiced transitions from swim to bike to run with her,we got all the equipment she'd need,and we kept talking about the race.But as we waited the two hours for the older kids to finish before her turn,she held my leg a little harder and told me she loved me a few too many times.She was nervous but trying to keep it together. And then it was her turn.From the second she jumped into the water,my heart soared. My daughter transformed into the most confident human being I had ever seen.She dominated that swim,crushed that bike ride and ran to the finish with the biggest smile on her face. I can honestly say that I never felt so proud of someone in my entire life.It wasn't because she did a sport or anything like that.It was because she was afraid of something and conquered that fear with confidence and a fire I hadn't seen before. All day I would find myself just looking over at her and smiling.She might be wearing the finalist medal but I felt like I won that day.I won the chance to see my girl shine. Shine on,sweet baby. Seeing Kelly's performance in the race,the author felt _ . | [
"excited and proud",
"anxious and uneasy",
"curious and concerned",
"worried and hesitant"
] | 0A
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Welcome to your future life! You get up in the morning and look into the mirror.Your face is firm and younglooking.In 2035,medical technology is better than ever.Many people your age could live to be 150,so at 40,you're not old at all.And your parents just had an antiaging treatment.Now,all three of you look the same age! You say to your shirt,"Turn red." It changes from blue to red.In 2035,"smart clothes" contain particles much smaller than the cells in your body.The particles can be programmed to change your clothes' color or pattern. You walk into the kitchen.You pick up the milk,but a voice says,"You shouldn't drink that" Your fridge has read the chip that contains information about the milk,and it knows the milk is old.In 2035,every article of food in the grocery store has such a chip. It's time to go to work.In 2035,cars drive themselves.Just tell your "smart car" where to go.On the way,you can call a friend using your jacket sleeve.Such "smart technology" is all around you. So will all these things come true?"For new technology to succeed," says scientist Andrew Zolli,"it has to be so much better that it replaces what we have already." The Internet is one example--what will be the next? What is the text mainly about? | [
"Food and clothing in 2035.",
"Future technology in everyday life.",
"Medical treatments of the future.",
"The reason for the success of new technology."
] | 1B
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Which method could be used to separate a solution of table salt and water? | [
"mixing",
"settling",
"filtration",
"evaporation"
] | 3D
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When most people turn 21, they spend too much time partying and having fun. But when Adele turned 21, she did something completely different. After going through a tough breakup , the British singer turned her pain into glory and recorded one of the most moving albums of the year. The album,21, which was _ in January, has already hit the charts in 14 countries, according to the Billboard magazine. It also noted that Adele made history as the first artist since the Beatles to have two top five singles and two top five albums in the charts at the same time (Adele's first album,19, was released in 2008. Each album is named for her age when she wrote it). Now, after touring around the world for almost a year, the DVD of her live concert, released on November 29, is Adele's latest work. Having topped the pre-order list ofAmazon. comfor over a month already, this one seems set to stay on top for a while. Born in north London, Adele sang her way up honestly: In 2006, she was signed by England's XL Recordings on the strength of a three-song demo a friend of hers had posted on MySpace;within two years she had won the BRIT Awards 'Critics' Choice prize and been tipped by the BBC as the "Sound of 2008". In 2009 she got the best new artist Grammy Award, and went on a world tour in support of the album19with a sold-out show in Los Angeles. According to Adele herself, much of the inspiration of her music comes from one single breakup. That's probably what has made the singer's success-that emotional certitude , according to Dickins. "The key to great singers is believing every single word they sing, " he said. "And I think you believe every word that comes out of Adele's mouth. You can feel her life force through her voice. " How many awards did Adele get? | [
"One.",
"Two.",
"Three.",
"Four."
] | 2C
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The first day of school always goes wrong. For many students in the United States, however, this year it was even more so. It was all due to one extra school policy - they are now required to follow a new standardized dress code. According to the handbooks of all high schools in Allentown, Pennsylvania, students must wear short- or long-sleeve polo shirts and khaki or black pants. Skinny jeans, leggings and open-toe shoes are not allowed. Allentown schools are not alone. At Edgewater High School in Florida, shirts must have collars or sleeves, and pants must not sag and reach at least mid-thigh . No see-through shirts or T- shirts with references to sex on them are allowed. Overall, more than half of US public schools now enforce dress codes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. About 57 percent of schools now have a "strict dress code", up from more than 47 percent a decade earlier, USA Today said. Among young people, there are mixed emotions. Some don't mind wearing similar clothes every day while others aren't happy. Despite dress codes in many school districts, some students still come to school - even on their first day - in skirts that are too short, necklines that are too low and sagging pants that don't stay up on their hips. But there are punishments. If they are out of dress code, students can be removed from the classroom until they fix the problem. In Florida, wearing sagging pants is illegal for youths according to a state law issued in 2011. Breaking the rule results in not being able to do after-school activities, and even being forbidden to attend class. Some US schools go further and require students to wear uniforms. Many say that they simplify their jobs, saving teachers from having to punish students for wearing skirts or shorts that are too short, for instance. They can also prevent feelings of competition and envy among students. "It takes away the daily fashion show and helps level the playing field a little bit with the haves and have-nots," longtime school safety consultant Ken Trump told USA Today. Critics of uniforms say they rob students of individuality. But for some people, that's a lazy argument. "Clothing isn't the only form of self-expression. Students should know that it's what they do that counts," commented a parent named Beth Kassab in The Orlando Sentinel in Florida. Students in some US schools are required to wear uniforms Not to _ . | [
"pay less attention to their appearance",
"prevent comparison among students",
"bring out the best in students",
"spare teachers from punishing students for their improper dress"
] | 2C
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Turning left under a bridge in Beijing, Hu Xingxin, 24, suddenly braked to a stop in front of a yellow light at a busy crossroad. "According to the new traffic regulations, running a yellow light is equal to running a red one," said the Beijing-based IT technician. "Since the new rules came into effect I'm always ready to hit the brakes to avoid a penalty." Authorities have since changed the rules and running a yellow light no longer results in a 6-point punishment. New traffic regulations are the latest measure to improve road safety, which has become a problem in China. Experts say that to achieve better road safety, various and comprehensive methods are needed. Updating the rules are only part of the story. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), traffic accidents kill more people around the world than malaria and are the leading cause of death for young people aged 5 to 29 -- especially in developing countries. Each year up to 1.3 million people are killed and more than 50 million injured in traffic accidents around the world. The economic consequences are also significant: according to a study by the World Bank and Harvard University, traffic accidents on average cost a country 1 to 3 percent of its annual Gross National Product.. The newly revised regulations impose much heavier punishment on drivers who violate traffic rules. Under the new regulations, 52 different violations result in penalties, up from 38 under the previous system. Eleven kinds of violations now result in the deduction of 12 points, compared to six points under the previous regulation. These violations include drunken driving and using fake license plates, as well as driving without a valid license. But traffic regulations are only one aspect of many regarding problems with road safety in China. Other components of road safety include technology and urban design. Which measure is not mentioned in the passage to improve road safety? | [
"A better design of the city.",
"Proper application of advanced technology.",
"More involvement of the government and organizations such as the WHO.",
"Stricter traffic regulations."
] | 2C
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This is the twin's bedroom. The two beds looks the same . This bed is Wang Lei's. It is near the window. That one is Wang Fang's. It's behind the door. The twins have one desk and two chairs. Their clock, books and pencils are on the desk. Their schoolbags are on the chairs. Wang Lei's shirt is on his bed. On Wang Fang's bed there is her skirt. It's yellow. The room isn't big, but nice. The bedroom is _ . | [
"not big but new",
"new",
"nice",
"big and nice"
] | 2C
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Kids will often ignore your requests for them to shut off the TV, start their chores , or do their homework as a way to avoid following your directions. Before you know it, you've started to sound like a broken record as you repeatedly ask them to do their assignments, clean their room, or take out the trash. Rather than saying, "Do your chores now", you'll be more effective if you set a target time for when the chores have to be completed. So instead of arguing about starting chores,just say, "If chores are't done by 4 p.m, here are the consequences." Then it's up to your child to complete the chores. Put the ball back in their court. Don't argue or fight with them,just say, "That's the way it's going to be." It shouldn't be punitive as much as it should be persuasive. "If your chores aren't done by 4 p.m, then no video game time until chores are done. And if finishing those chores runs into homework time, that's going to be your loss." On the other hand, when dealing with homework, keep it very simple. Have a time when homework starts, and at that time, all electronics go off and do not go back on until you see that their homework is done. If your child says they have no homework, then they should use that time to study or read. Either way, there should be a time set aside when the electronics are off. When a kid wears his iPod or headphones when you're trying to talk to him, make no bones about it; he is not ignoring you, he is disrespecting you. At that point, everything else should stop until he takes the earplugs out of his ears. Don't try to communicate with him when he's wearing headphones--even if he tells you he can hear you. Wearing them while you're talking to him is a sign of disrespect. Parents should be very tough about this kind of thing. Remember, mutual respect becomes more important as children mature . According to the passage,it seldom happens that _ . | [
"kids turn a deaf ear to their parents' requests",
"parents' directions sound like a broken record",
"children are ready to follow their parents' directions",
"parents are unaware of what they are repeating to their kids"
] | 2C
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Mo Yan's winning of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature shows the world's recognition of China's contemporary literature, according to the China Writers Association. It also represents the attention drawn to Chinese writers and the international influences of Chinese literature, said an official statement from the organization on Thursday evening. Mo is the first Chinese national to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. In the statement, the association congratulated Mo Yan on his success and spoke highly of his "outstanding achievements". Mo had effectively extended the boundaries of imagination, the depth of thoughts and the state of arts of Chinese literature by focusing on lives in the countryside with a unique national style, said the statement. He Jianming, vice president of the association, said in a separate interview, "It is not only a joyous occasion for Mo, but also a dream coming true for generations of Chinese writers. " "The prize also shows recognition in realism writing coming from traditional Chinese literature, " said He. He cited Mo's latest novel, Frog, which was published in China in 2010, as an example of Mo's focus on realism. The book focuses on the influence of China's "one child" policy in the countryside. "Mo's works are among the best when it comes to Chinese contemporary literature. "He said, "Adding the award is significant for the development of Chinese literature and will improve confidence in the country's cultural creativity. " Mo Yan, a pen name for Guan Moye, was born in 1955 and grew up in Gaomi in east China's Shandong Province. Mo is one of the most widely translated Chinese writers. His best-known work is Red Sorghum, which was made into a film by the director Zhang Yimou. Which is the main idea of the passage? | [
"2012 Nobel Prize in Literature.",
"Mo Yan's success represents recognition of Chinese literature.",
"The success in Chinese literature.",
"A great Chinese writer."
] | 1B
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A primary school in UK has banned Valentine's Day cards because of concerns that young pupils spend too much time talking about boyfriends and girlfriends. Ashcombe Primary School in WestonSuperMare,Somerset,has told parents that cards declaring love can be"confusing" for children under the age of 11,who are still emotionally and socially developing. In this month's newsletter ,Peter Turner,the head teacher,warned that any cards found in school would be confiscated .He wrote:"We do not wish to see any Valentine's Day cards in school this year. Some children and parents encourage a lot of talk about boyfriends and girlfriends. We believe that such ideas should wait until children are mature enough emotionally and socially to understand the commitment involved in having or being a boyfriend or girlfriend."Mr.Turner said any families wanting to support the Valentine's Day idea should send cards in the post or deliver them to home addresses by hand. His views were _ by Ruth Rice,46,who has twins Harriet and Olivia at the school. She said,"Children at that age shouldn't really be thinking about Valentine's Day,they should be concentrating on their schoolwork."They are at an age when they are impressionable and most parents including myself are with Mr.Turner. "She added that the cards cause" too much competition. If someone gets a card and another doesn't,then someone will be disappointed. However,Rajeev Takyar,40,who has two children Jai,11,and Aryan,five,at the school,said he was "outraged".He said,"There are schools that have banned conkers and snowballs,and now Valentine's Cards."I think banning the cards stops children from having social skills. How are they going to learn about relationships otherwise?It's ridiculous. Alec Suttenwood,father of three children,said of the ban:"It's totally ridiculous. Young children just send the cards to each other as friends and to their parents. It's just a bit of harmless fun. There is no difference between this and Mother's or Father's Day." The newsletter by Peter Turner probably appeared on _ . | [
"February 22",
"February 6",
"March 18",
"August 1"
] | 1B
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Dear Abby, I am a helpless mother, my son is 15 years old. I find out that the older he grows, the less we talk. I feel very worried and I really need help. My first problem is about his hobbies, he seems to spend too much time on computer games. As soon as he gets home, he always turns on the computer, closes the door and locks others out. I am getting worried about him, especially when his English teacher told me he always fails(,) in the English exam. Secondly, it seems that he is crazy about the new technology. However, to be honest, I don't have enough money and I can't _ all the things he wants. Recently, I have found that he seems to be always alone. I have never seen him talking to his friends on the phone or going out with anyone on weekends. That is the last problem I have. Do all the boys behave this way? What should I do to help him? A helpless mother It seems that her son spends too much time _ . | [
"playing computer games",
"watching TV",
"playing with new technology",
"talking to his friend"
] | 0A
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Poster 1 I am a journalist living in Barcelona and I would like to travel exchanging my apartment. I have an apartment in the city center with 2 bedrooms. You can get to the airport by bus or taxi in 20 minutes. And there is a metro station really close to the apartment. The area has many shops , theatres , bars and restaurants. Poster 2 I am looking forward to exchanging my apartment in Madrid for yours in a nice location in Beijing. It's a really nice apartment in the centre of Madrid, within walking distance of the main attractions. You can walk to the Puertadel Sol, Royal Palace, Opera, Plaza Mayor, etc. in a few minutes ;everything is so close!The apartment has all the facilities and it is very modern. Poster 3 Hello, I am a Canadian IT professional and accounting student looking for a room in Wudaokou or other areas near Shang Di ( my office location). I want to pay 1,400 RMB to 2,500 RMB depending on the room and location. I can sign a contract for at least three months. My email address: [email protected]. Poster 4 My 21-year-old son Matthew would like to visit China in the spring for three to four weeks. If you can offer him a safe, clean, cost-free place to stay, I will offer you or your family a stay at my second home 28miles outside of Reno, Nevada, USA . This is a single -story home on the edge of the desert. You have access to 70 acres of land, clean air and clean water. Fishing and golfing are available nearby. I will provide transportation to the home, and pick you up when you have finished. My son Matthew is honest, safe and clean-living. Reply to :hbxdd-3537187673@hous. Craigslist.org. Where is the house in Poster 4 located? | [
"In a stadium.",
"In the countryside.",
"In the centre of a desert.",
"In an area of the downtown."
] | 1B
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We Love Gadgets If you love the latest gadgets or you want to be the next James Bond, come to Gadgets in the Garden Shopping Mall. Gadgets is a cool new shop. It sells all the latest gadgets and toys from MP3 players and cameras phones to toy robots. It's a great place to go to check out the latest things. Jon Lee and his best friend Tom Green own Gadgets. They love gadgets and toys very much. They are already running a successful Internet shop but want to give their customers a chance to play with all the latest gadgets before they buy. Jon says, "Tom and I are always buying the latest gadgets. We love new ideas and we know that our customers love them too." They both think their new shop will be a big success and we think so too! Gadgets opens at 9 0'clock on Wednesday August 1st, 2012. John and Tom are planning a fantastic opening. Don't miss it. Who will probably to the new shop and buy things? | [
"James Bond.",
"Jon Lee.",
"People who love the latest gadgets.",
"Tom Green."
] | 2C
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Mr. and Mrs. Green had different ideas about where to go last weekend. Mrs Green wanted to go to Florida to see her sister, but Mr Green didn't like to go there. He wanted to go to Maine . "Florida is too hot in summer," Mr Green said to Mrs Green. "Maine is quite cold," said Mrs Green, "I like swimming, but the water in Maine is usually not warm enough." "Florida is too far," said Mr Green, "We don't have enouh time to drive there. It'll take us more than two days." Just then, the telephone rang. Mr Green answered the phone. It was his mother. "Is that Jim speaking? Please cme quickly. I need help. I'm calling from the hospital in Boston." She said. They stopped the discussion , and they left for Boston at once. Who called them when they were talking? | [
"Mr Green.",
"Mr Green's wife.",
"Mr Green's mother",
"Mr Green's son"
] | 2C
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My life began much like most children before my father left us. I grew up without knowing what a father was and no one was there to teach me how to behave and how to tell right from wrong. Because of this, I developed problems with alcohol and spent seven years as a boy in the street, before ending up in a rehab clinic when I was 20. Inside I met my counselor , Bill, and he taught me a lot of things. The main thing was the gift of giving. It was the night before an important test and I was very nervous. Bill saw this and suggested that we should go out for a walk. As we walked and talked, Bill suggested we should go for a coffee. I told him I was broke, and when I got paid, I would pay him back. He stopped then and looked at me in a serious but loving way and said, "No, you won't." He told me that I didn't owe him anything and he was doing this because he wanted to. He then told me something that has followed me to this day, "One day you'll be around someone and they'll need a coffee, and you'll be able to buy it for them. That's how you can pay me back." I'm a primary school teacher now; far away from the life I had ten years ago. My job is simple and I buy young people coffee now. Bill taught me how to do that. The author got into some bad habits because _ . | [
"he didn't have a father to teach and love him",
"he couldn't get good school education",
"his brothers or sisters didn't teach him",
"he was living in the street"
] | 0A
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There is a famous story about British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He was writing a poem when he was interrupted by a knock at the door. This was an age before telephones. Someone was delivering a message. When Coleridge got back to his poem, he had lost his inspiration. His poetic mood had been broken by the knock on his door. His unfinished poem, which could otherwise have been a masterpiece, would now never be more than a fragment. This story tells how unexpected communication can destroy an important thought, which bring us to the cellphone. The most common complaint about cellphones is that people talk on them to the annoyance of people around them. But more damaging may be the cellphone's interruption of our thoughts. We have already entered a golden age of little white lies about our cellphones, and this is by and large a healthy, protective development. "I didn't hear it ring" or "I didn't realize my phone had shut off" are among the lies we tell to give ourselves space where we're beyond reach. The notion of being unreachable is not a new concept--we have "Do Not Disturb" sign on the doors of hotel rooms. So why must we feel guilty when it comes to cellphones? Why must we apologize if we decide to shut off the phone for a while? Now time alone, or a conversation with someone next to us which cannot be interrupted by a phone, is something to be cherished. Even cellphone devotees , myself usually included, can't help at times wanting to throw their phone away, or curse the day they were invented. But we don't and won't, and there really is no need. All that's required to take back our private time is a general social recognition that we have the right to it. In other words, we have to develop a healthy contempt for the rings of our own phones. A cellphone call deserves no greater priority than a random word from the person next to us,though the call on my cellphone may be the one-in-a-million from Steven Spielberg--who has finally read my novel and wants to make it his next movie. But most likely it is not, and I'm better off thinking about the idea I just had for a new story, or the slice of pizza I'll eat for lunch. According to the author, what is the most annoying problem caused by cellphones? | [
"People get so obsessed with the cellphone rings that they fail to notice anything else.",
"People feel guilty when they are not able to answer their cellphones.",
"Cellphones interrupt people's private time.",
"With cellphones it is no longer possible to be unreachable."
] | 2C
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|
Gimmicky--and expensive--new gloves allow chatterboxes to take the term 'handsfree' to a new level--by talking into them as they make a call. The gloves are known as 'Talk to the Hand' and costPS1.000 a pair. They come with a speaker unit embedded into the thumb and a microphone built into the little finger that can be connected to any mobile handset using Bluetooth.Artist Sean Miles designed the gloves that double as a phone in part of his project that shows the possibilities of gadget recycling.He combines gloves with parts from mobile handsets recycled through O2,which commissioned the project. Mobile phone users will be able to keep their hands warm while they chat without taking their phone out of their pocket or handbag. Mr Miles designed two pairs of the new gloves--one in pink and the other in brown and yellow.They will appear in an exhibition this July and visitors will be able to win the gloves.If demand is high,they will then be produced on a larger scale. O2 Recycle,which backs the project,estimates that there are already 70 million unused mobile handsets in the UK.The service pays those who recycle gadgets including phones,MP3 players and digital cameras. Designer Scan Miles,hopes his work will get people thinking about recycling.The 41-year-old said:"I hope that my Talk to the Hand project will get people to think again about the waste created by not recycling gadgets.If a few more people recycle their gadgets rather than send them to landfill ,I think this project will have fulfilled its aim." The Talk to the Hand mobile phone gloves are the second product in a series that O2 Recycle and Miles have created.Miles is now working on combining phones with handbags--so people don't spend time rummaging around in their bags to find a phone when it rings. What is the passage mainly about? | [
"New mobiles that are fashionable.",
"Sean Miles who set up a phone company.",
"Outdated gadgets that can be used for recycling.",
"New gloves that can be used for making phone calls."
] | 3D
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If someone is lost in a forest( ), he needs only study the trees around him carefully to find his way. On this half of the earth, he will find that the side of the tree with the most leaves and branches( ) is the south side. Also, by checking the tops of the trees, he will find that they lean( ) to the south too. Another sign( ) for him to know where he is going is found in the bark.( ) That is brighter on the south side.The remanining( ) of a cut tree is also a finder, for its rings can give him another sign. The rings will be thinner on the south side and thicker on the north side. One more sign: some very small plants grow at the foot of a tree and they point to the north. From a cut tree we can know that _ . | [
"the direction is written on it",
"the rings will be thinner on the south side and thicker on the north side",
"the rings will be thinner on the south",
"its rings can send messages to you"
] | 1B
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|
The size and location of the world's deserts are always changing. Over millions of years, as climates change and mountains rise, new dry and wet areas appear. But within the last hundred years deserts have been increasing after frightful speed. This is partly because of natural changes, but most responsible for creating deserts are men. Man can make deserts, but they can also prevent them from getting bigger. Algeria is planning a green belt of trees along the edge of the Sahara Desert to stop the sand. In China, too, _ are being built in the northwest to keep the desert from growing. But desert still threaten the world. Experts believe that land that is on the way to becoming deserts equals the size of Australia, Russia and US put together. Can we stop the spread of the world's deserts and save the land that is so essential to mankind? Yes, we can, and we must. The reason for the land that turns into deserts is mostly because of _ | [
"the changing of the climate",
"man",
"the natural changes",
"the wind"
] | 1B
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|
Hello, everyone! My name is Peter. I think a good friend is like a mirror. I'm tall and have short hair. My best friend Jack looks similar to me. I'm quiet and like reading books. He likes reading, too. So we often spend time together reading and studying. I like sports. I play basketball very well and he is good at playing basketball too. I don't think it's easy for me to make friends because I'm quieter than most of the other boys. But I think friends are like books--you don't need a lot of them as, long as they're good. Read and answer the questions(, ) Who is Peter's best friend? | [
"Jack.",
"We don't know.",
"Lily.",
"Tom"
] | 0A
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As the economic crisis forces corporations and small businesses to shed jobs , one large employer still has the "help wanted " sign out :the U.S .government Experts say the federal governments' civilian workforce of 2.8 million is likely to expand significantly over the next several years as it aims at stimulating the economy , rescue troubled banks, _ health care and pursue other elements of President Barack Obama's agenda With the economy in turmoil the stability of a government career now holds greater appeal. And it doesn't hurt that the new boss, President,Barack Obama, has encouraged citizens to consider public service-a marked contrast to predecessor George W. Bush who disparaged government "It's the same thing that happened 40-some-old years ago when Kennedy came in "said Ross Harris whose Federal Research Service helps applicants find government jobs, "It was a new generation and there was the same type of excitement behind it , and we're seeing the same type of thing with Obama"Harris said he has seen the number of unique visitors to his website double over the past year as the recession has taken hold, He estimated that the $ 787 billion economic stimulus package signed into laws last month could create at least 100,000 more government jobs next year and 120,000 by 2012 Government hiring has increased steadily over the past four years, from 79,000 in the year 2004 to 99,000 in 2007 according to the Office of Personnel Management What can we learn from the passage about Ross Harris'? | [
"He works for the Office of Personnel Management",
"He is a famous economist in U.S.",
"He runs a website named Federal Research Service to help people find government jobs.",
"Unemployed people go to his website to take job reviews"
] | 2C
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Weather changes when the temperature and the amount of water in the atmosphere change. We can see and feel water coming from the atmosphere when we have rain. But the water must somehow get back to the atmosphere. Meteorologists call this the water cycle. There are many stages in the water cycle. Rain falls when water vapour in clouds condenses . Drops of water form and fall to the ground. The water soaks into the ground and feeds streams and rivers. A lot of rain falls into the sea. The heat of the sun evaporates some of the water in the ground and in the rivers, lakes, and the sea. It changes the liquid water into water vapour. The vapour rises onto the air. Water vapour is normally invisible. On a very damp or humid day, however, you can sometimes see water vapour rising from a puddle or pond in a mist above the water. Water vapour also gets into the air from living things. Trees and other plants take in water through their roots and give off water vapour from their leaves. People and land animals drink water and breathe out water vapour. In all these ways the water returns to the air. There it gathers to form clouds and condenses to form rain. The rain falls to earth, and the cycle starts again. It continues even if snow or hail fall instead because both eventually melt to form water. The amount of water vapour in the air depends on the temperature. The air is more moist in the tropics than in the cold polar regions. From the passage we get to know _ . | [
"there is more water vapour in the air in the tropics than in cold polar regions",
"there is more water vapour in the air in cold polar region than in the tropics",
"it gets more rain in the tropics than in cold polar regions because there is less vapour",
"the amount of water vapour in the air depends on how often it rains"
] | 0A
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Part-time jobs for 15 and 16 years olds Waiter / Waitress A job as a waiter or waitress is a good choice for 16-year-olds. Not only can one earn $9-$12 an hour, but they can also get the tips . Most people that visit a restaurant don't just have good food. They come here to relax and have a good time. Besides serving food quickly, a young waiter who talks to them politely with a smile on his face will make the diners enjoy their time at the restaurant. Work in a library If one is fond of books, working in a library is another suitable choice. Besides the pay is good, it offers a lot of free time when students can actually sit down and finish their homework. So on returning home, they would have time to hang around with friends or just relax. So working in a library is an excellent part-time job for teens, especially for school students. Internet jobs There are many ways of making money through online jobs like clicking on advertisements, visiting sites and signing up with them. However, such online jobs don't pay well. A better Internet job for teens is to complete online surveys. These are quite simple surveys that usually ask one about his/ her opinions and ideas. Many companies use these ideas to make products designed for teenagers. Why do some companies ask the teens to do surveys? | [
"The teens have more free time.",
"They can pay less to the teens.",
"They need advice to make products for teens.",
"The teens usually express their true opinions."
] | 2C
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How many coins have you got in your pocket right now?Three?Two?Or one?With a phonecard you can make up to 200 calls without any change at all. 1.What do you do with it? Go to a telephone box marked "Phonecard".Put in your card,make your call and when you've finished,a screen tells you how much is left on your card.It costs no extra for the cards,and the calls cast 10 per unit,the same as any other payphone call.You can put them in units of 10,20,40,100 or 200. 2.Now appearing in a shop near you Near each card phone place you'll find a shop where you can buy one.They're at bus,train and city tube stations.Many universities,hospitals and clubs,restaurants and gas stations on the highway and shopping centers.At airports and seaports. 3.No more broken payphones Most broken payphones are like that they've been vandalized .There are no coins in Cardphone to excite thieves' interest in it.So you're not probably to find a vandalized one.Get a phonecard yourself and try it out.Or get a bigger wallet. There are three sections in the passage.Which section do you think is about why phonecards are good? | [
"Section 1.",
"Section 2.",
"Section 3.",
"Section 1&2."
] | 2C
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An explosion on Thursday killed one and injured 21 in a busy street in Tongren, Southwest China's Guizhou Province. The bomb was hidden in a rubbish bin in the city's commercial hub ,where lots of shops and restaurants are concentrated. The ear-splitting blast was heard around 12:50 p.m.,said a local newspaper, citing witnesses. The power of the blast shattered nearby shop windows and ripped the stainless steel rubbish can to pieces. One passer-by,identified only as Zhang,said she was shocked by the noise and saw a lot of pedestrians lying on the ground when she got to the scene. Thirteen of the injured were taken to a local hospital after the explosion. A doctor there said five were in serious condition but already out of danger after emergency treatment. The others were just slightly hurt. "The cause of the explosion is still unknown", said an officer with the Tongren police, but refused to speculate as to the cause. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage? | [
"One passer- by, identified only as Zhang, saw the man throwing a bomb into a bin.",
"Some customers in restaurants were injured.",
"The writer didn't get to the scene.",
"All customers in shops got hurt."
] | 2C
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Many blind people use guide dogs to help them get safely from place to place and to warn them of danger. But what can blind people do if they are allergic to dogs or just don't like them? For these people, they can turn to the Guide Horse Foundation. Janet and Don Burleson founded the organization in 1999. They began training miniature horses to help guide blind people. Miniature horses look just like common horses, only much smaller. They are generally less than 34 inches tall. Cuddles was the foundation's first guide horse in full service. She became 45-year-old Dan Shaw's helper. Shaw has an eye disease and his sight is very poor. One night, while filling out a form to get a guide dog, Shaw heard a news story on TV about people training horses to guide the blind. Shaw loves horses and wanted a guide animal that would live a long time. So he applied ,and a year later, Cuddles and Shaw began training as a team. On a trip to New York, Cuddles helped Shaw safely visit many places of interest .They even traveled on a boat and on the subway system. Shaw says that he is very lucky to have Cuddles. He believes that Cuddles has changed his life for the better by giving him the chance to do things himself and making him feel much more confident about himself. According to the text, miniature horses _ . | [
"live a shorter life than guide dogs",
"are much smaller than common horses",
"are more friendly to people than dogs",
"are different from common horses in many ways"
] | 1B
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While applying to college may seem easy, getting in can be tough! When you apply for college, you will have to be honest with yourself and do a bit of research to find the right fit. Here are three steps to take when applying to colleges for the best chances at getting into the best college for you. Step l: Making A List Of Colleges To Apply To With over 6,000 colleges in the United States, the first step in applying to college is to do some research and make a college list . This process will be different for everyone. The number of colleges you apply to can vary, from applying to 1 school (not recommended) to 30 schools (not recommended),each applicant can choose how many colleges they apply to. Many limit the number because applications are accompanied by a fee. . Step2: Splitting The List Into Target, Reach and Safety Schools In general, students will want to apply to three types of schools: Target, Reach and Safety schools. It is up to you how many applications you send, but a good mix would be more target than reach, and at least one safety. You will need to take your list, and now decide which are your top picks, which are attainable for you academically, which are affordable for you only with aid, and refine your broad list into a group of schools that gives you the best chance for success. Talk to an admissions counselor at your high school if you have questions about this. Step 3: Completing and Sending Applications to Colleges Once your list is complete you are ready to apply to college by completing and sending in applications! College applications take time to complete --you have to write essays, ask for recommendations and get test scores sent to schools--so stay organized! All colleges will require these types of application materials, so start thinking about these items well before October or December. Once you complete and send them, then you have successfully applied to college. We can conclude from the text that _ . | [
"each applicant has the right to apply to any colleges for free",
"the more college one chooses, the more successful he will be",
"applicants should send required materials before the deadline",
"safety schools are those that don't have so many requirements"
] | 2C
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Do you know the girl in a hat with flowers on it? Her name is Yinzi. She is a nice Japanese girl, my new friend. She is in our class, studying Chinese. I like Yinzi. I don't know Japanese, and Yinzi doesn't know Chinese. We know some English. We are the same age. In the same class we have the same interests . We like to sing Chinese, Japanese and English songs. I help her to ride a bike and fly a kite. She helps me to swim and jump. We like playing football, but we can't play in the school because the playground is small. Yinzi and the other girls in our class will go to the swimming pool on Monday, and I want to go with them. The Japanese girl knows _ . | [
"some Chinese",
"some English",
"little Japanese",
"A and B"
] | 1B
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Big things were happening in my life the summer after I turned 13. In the middle of that summer, my parents shook my whole world and turned it upside down when they told me they were getting a divorce . I couldn't believe that our family was going to break up. Though I always knew my parents weren't very happy and they often fought, I still wanted my family to stay the same. My life changed a lot after the divorce. My mother and I moved into a small apartment across town, while my father and brother, Bill, stayed in our house. I now became a visitor whenever I went to see my dad and Bill on weekends. And later I had my soon-to-be stepfather, Dan, whom I showed no interest in. I was clearly depressed, especially after Dan and my mother married and I realized that there was no way that things could changed back to the way they were. Even though I resisted all Dan's attempts to get to know me and wasn't very nice to him, he never gave up on me. Gradually, I began to believe in him. I realized that we actually had some thing in common especially when it came to movies and TV shows. We spent a lot of time together hanging out and watching TV. That gave us a chance to talk and get to know each other. Better still, Dan showed an interest in me, which I had never experienced from my own father. Dan was always around when I needed advice on school or friends. Once I begin to warm up to Dan, the three of us began spending a lot of time together. We often went out to eat and took short trips. Eventually, I discovered that I finally had the happy family that I had always wanted. I now realize my parents were right about getting the divorce. Their breakup was the best thing to happen for all of us. My father also found happiness-- he remarried and had another child, my half -sister, Michelle. What can we know about the author? | [
"He had no concern for his parents' divorce.",
"He lived with his mother and brother after his parent's divorce.",
"He lost his happiness with his parents' breakup.",
"He finally changed his attitude towards his stepfather."
] | 3D
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I believe that it is important to be brought up with a firm belief in the good. I was fortunate in this respect. My parents not only gave me a happy home, but they had me study half a dozen foreign languages and made it possible for me to travel in other countries. This made me more tolerant and helped me to bridge many difficulties in later life. Soon after I got married, my husband and I left our native Czechoslovakia and went to live in Shanghai, China. Here was a really international city. People of all races and beliefs lived and worked together. In Shanghai, in 1941, when I was only twenty years old, the doctors discovered that I had diabetes. It was a terrible shock, because diabetes is incurable. But it can be controlled by insulin . Although this drug was not manufactured in China, there were enough stocks of imported insulin available. This enabled me to continue a normal, happy life. Then bombs fell on Pearl Harbor and the Japanese occupied Shanghai. The import of insulin was cut off. Before long, there was not enough for the diabetics. I was on a starvation diet to keep my insulin requirements as low as possible. Many diabetics had already died, and the situation became desperate. In spite of all this, I never stopped believing that with the help of my husband's love and care, I would survive. I continued to teach in Chinese schools. My faith and my husband's never-ending efforts to get the manufacture of insulin started gave me courage. In his small laboratory the production of insulin was attempted. I served as the human guinea pig on which was tested. I'll never forget the day when my husband gave me the first injection of the new insulin, which had worked on rabbits. It helped! Can you imagine our happiness and relief? I received the greatest strength from the deep love and complete understanding between my husband and me. And next to that was the kindness and help of many, many friends of many nationalities. To me, the experience of living in Shanghai during the special times was unforgettable. After the Second World War, my husband and I sailed to the Untied States, which is also known as a melt pot. Wherever we live, I believe, with faith and love, love between families and friends from different nationalities, we can make it our cherished home. We can infer from the text that the author's husband was _ . | [
"a doctor",
"a researcher",
"a teacher",
"a sailor"
] | 1B
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Buying books on the internet is a great way to save time and money. Online bookstores offer new books and used books that can save you lots of money. They are far better compared to traditional bookstores as they offer much broader kinds of books. Another advantage of shopping online is that you can also read the book reviews as well as readers' reviews to get an idea whether the book is worth buying. Online bookstores offer great discounts to regular customers which is a big attraction for book lovers. For book lovers, the most important thing is to get books on time. Therefore, you need to find a reliable online bookstore that will be able to provide fast deliveries . Here are some tips to use when choosing an online bookstore. Some online bookstores are popular for fiction books; some are for non-fiction books or novels, etc. Understanding their specialization will help you get the right kind of books in time. Check whether you will be buying the books from a third-party seller or directly from the website. Although the website could be reputable ,third-party sellers advertised on their site may not have a good reputation. Never jump at stores that offer super cheap prices, as books sold at such low prices could be in very bad condition. Most of the popular online bookstores offer useful tools. One tool is a wish list tool on its website. You can update the list of books you wish to buy in the future. The bookstore will know what you want and will e-mail you immediately when the book of your choice is available. The wish list tool can help readers_. | [
"learn about the number of the books",
"get to know more reliable booksellers",
"pay for their books more quickly",
"buy their favorite books in time"
] | 3D
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A man heard that a certain government wanted a clerk, so wrote and asked for the position. But while he was waiting for an answer, a friend of his introduced him to the head of the department, who gave him the job. Several months later, while the man was working in the department, he got a letter that had been sent to him from the place he used to live in. This letter said, "Dear sir, We are sorry to have to tell you that we cannot offer work in this department because we do not think that you would be able to do the work successfully. Your faithfully." The man laughed, but when he looked at the letter more carefully, he saw that he had signed it himself. He got a letter that had been sent to him, which means _ . | [
"he himself received the letter",
"someone else got it and then didn't bring it to him",
"someone else got it and then brought it to him",
"the government sent it to him"
] | 2C
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How difficult change is depends a lot on your attitude towards it and your resistance to it. Your attitude to change can make the whole transformation process much easier. Imagine change as a pair of shoes and this will help you understand change and how it works. I am sure that you have ever had a comfortable pair of shoes in your life. A pair of shoes is so comfortable that you really don't want to get rid of them. You know you need a new pair, and may even have them, but you don't want to wear them because you are comfortable with your current pair. Besides, the new pair may hurt your feet, give you blisters or be awkward to wear to start with. So, you resist the new shoes. However, you know that this new pair would be much better for your feet, and after the initial discomfort they would probably be even more comfortable, yet you still resist. Do you know I'm doing this now? I'm wearing my comfortable shoes and they feel good. They have a hole in each heel, and the sole is starting to fall off, but I'm persisting in wearing them. This describes change exactly; change of our habits, change of our thought patterns. We stick with the old patterns because they are comfortable. Yet once we get over the initial pain of the transformation, the new pattern will be comfortable and feel good until the time comes when we need another new pair of shoes. According to the passage, we know that people _ . | [
"don't realize the benefit of the new shoes very well",
"are positive and open-minded to accept new things",
"actually know the change will finally be good for them",
"don't accept new patterns because they are not good"
] | 2C
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The freezing Northeast hasn't been a terribly fun place to spend time this winter, so when the chance came for a weekend to Sarasota, Florida, my bags were packed before you could say "sunshine". I left for the land of warmth and vitamin C(C), thinking of beaches and orange trees. When we touched down to blue skies and warm air, I sent up a small prayer of gratefulness. Swimming pools, wine tasting, and pink sunsets(at normal evening hours, not 4 in the afternoon) filled the weekend, but the best part- particularly to my taste, dulled by months of cold- weather root vegetables- was a 7 a.m. adventure to the Sarasota farmers' market that proved to be more than worth the early wake-up call. The market, which was founded in 1979, sets up its tents every Saturday from 7:00 am to 1 p.m, rain or shine, along North Lemon and State streets. Baskets of perfect red strawberries, the red-painted sides of the Java Dawg coffee truck; and most of all, the tomatoes: amazing, large, soft and round red tomatoes. Disappointed by many a broken, vine-ripened promise, I've refused to buy winter tomatoes for years. No matter how attractive they look in the store, once I get them home they're unfailingly dry, hard, and tasteless. But I homed in, with uncertainty, on one particular table at the Brown's Grove Farm's stand, full of fresh and soft tomatoes the size of my fist. These were the real deal- and at that moment, I realized that the best part of Sarasota in winter was going to be eating things that back home in New York I wouldn't be experiencing again for months. Delighted as I was by the tomatoes in sight, my happiness deepened when I learned that Brown's Grove Farm is one of the suppliers for Jack Dusty, a newly opened restaurant at the Sarasota Ritz Carlton, where- luckily for me- I was planning to have dinner that very night. Without even seeing the menu, I knew I'd be ordering every tomato on it. What can we learn about tomatoes sold in New York in winter? | [
"They are soft.",
"They look nice.",
"They taste great.",
"They are juicy."
] | 1B
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James Cleveland Owens was the son of a farmer and the grandson of black slaves:His family moved to Cleveland when he was 9.There,a school teacher asked the youth his name. "J.C."he replied. She thought he had said"Jesse",and he had a new name. Owens ran his first race at age 13.After high school,he went to Ohio State University.He had to work part time so as to pay for his education.As a second-year student, in the Big Ten games in 1935,he set even more records than he would in the Olympic Games a year later. A week before the Big Ten meet, Owens accidentally fell down a flight of stairs.His back hurt so much that he could not exercise all week,and he had to be helped in and out of the car that drove him to the meet.He refused to listen to the suggestions that he give up and said he would try, event by event.He did try, and the results are in the record book . The stage was set for Owens' victory at the Olympic Games in Berlin the next year, and his success would come to be regarded as not only athletic but also political.Hitler did not congratulate any of the African American winners. "It was all right with me,"he said years later."I didn't go to Berlin to shake hands with him,anyway." Having returned from Berlin,he received no telephone call from the president of his own country, either.In fact, he was not honored by the United States until 1976,four years before his death. Owens'Olympic victories made little difference to him.He earned his living by looking after a school playground,and accepted money to race against cars,trucks,motorcycles,and dogs. "Sure,it bothered me," he said later."But at least it was an honest living.I had to eat." In time,however, his gold medals changed his life."They have kept me alive over the years," he once said,"Time has stood still for me.That golden moment dies hard." We can infer from the text that Owens was treated unfairly in the US at that time because_. | [
"he was not of the right race",
"he was the son of a poor farmer",
"he didn't shake hands with Hitler",
"he didn't talk to theUSpresident on the phone"
] | 0A
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The researchers, led by Hwang Woo-suk, insist they cloned an Afghan hound, only to help investigate human disease, including the possibility of cloning stem cells for treatment purposes. But others immediately renewed calls for a global ban on human reproductive cloning before the technology moves any farther. "Successful cloning of an increasing number of species confirms the general impression that it would be possible to clone any species of mammals, including humans," said Ian Wilmut, a reproductive biologist at the University of Edinburgh who produced the first cloned mammal, Dolly the sheep, from an adult cell nearly a decade ago. Researchers have since cloned cats, goats, cows, mice, pigs, rabbits, horses, deer, mules and gaur, a large wild ox of Southeast Asia. So far, efforts to clone a monkey or another primate with the same techniques have failed. Uncertainties about the health and life span of cloned animals continue to exsist; Dolly died at a young age in 2003 after developing cancer and arthritis. Wilmut and others _ Hwang's achievement, reported Wednesday in the journal Nature. But they said politicians and scientists must face the larger issue -- how to go on with the research without crossing the moral boundary of copying human life in the lab. "The ability to use the technology is hopeful," said Robert Schenken, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. "However, the paper also points out that in dogs as in most species, cloning for reproductive purposes is unsafe." The cloned puppy was the lone success from more than 100 dogs implanted with more than 1,000 cloned embryos. In a news conference in Seoul, the cloning team also condemned the reproductive cloning of humans as "unsafe and inefficient." Human reproductive cloning already is banned in South Korea. Other nations, including the United States, are divided on whether to ban just human cloning or cloning of all kinds, including the production of stem cells. The cloning of human beings is banned in _ . | [
"South Korea",
"the United States",
"both South Korea and the United States",
"neither South Korea nor the United States"
] | 0A
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Weather Report (8:00 a.m. December 17--8:00 a.m. December 18) Influenced by a cold front northern Xinjiang, the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and the northern and eastern parts of Heilongjiang are expected to experience light snow today. Drizzle is forecast for most areas of Sichuan and western coastal areas of South China. Northerly winds of force 4-6 are expected to affect western and southwestern Inner Mongolia, and most parts of Northeast China while northerly winds of force 5-7 will sweep across the Bohai Sea, the northern parts of the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, the Taiwan Straits, and the central and northern parts of the South China Sea. Weather forecast for major Chinese cities On December 17, the East China Sea will be swept by _ . | [
"a cold front",
"light snow",
"northerly winds of force 4-6",
"northerly winds of force 5-7"
] | 3D
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Bill is from Australia. He lives in Sydney. He can speak French and English, but he can' t speak Chinese. He has a pen pal in the United States. Her name is Lisa and she lives in New York. Bill' s favorite sport is basketball and he can play the guitar. Lisa' s favorite sport is tennis. She can't play the guitar, but she can play the piano and sing very well. What languages does Bill speak? | [
"Chinese",
"French",
"English",
"B and C"
] | 3D
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What do those countries have in common? People are killing each other or drive others out of their homes. Why is this happening? Very simple, in each of these, one group of people believes another group is different from them and dangerous to them. It has been thus through history. How different are humans from each other? We come in different colors: red, black, white, yellow and brown; we have a variety of political systems, social systems, religious views or none at all; We are different in mind, have different educational systems, different economic classes. We speak different languages, and have different customs and dresses. If we were to break each of these further, we would have quite a long list of qualities and characteristics that make humans appears to be different from each other. I say they appear to be different, because most of what have been listed stand for what we see or hear, not what is true of human. Man is man everywhere. It is only where he lives, when he lives there, with whom he lives there, and al the others that have effect on how he lives, that is, what he believes, what he wears, his customs, his language and so on. These are man-made facts that each group develops over tome, living together, facing the same problems, needing and desiring the same things. They are his culture. The truth is that we are much more same than different. If you wear one type of clothing and I wear another, we both wear some kind of clothing. Our culture demands it. If you speak one language and I another, we both speak so that others will understand us; we must communicate with each other. Nothing is gained by giving too many differences, but much is lost. If we understood our differences as the ones of culture, then we could make our world more peaceful. Differences does not mean better or worse, right or wrong. It means only that differences have been made by society. Differences produce variety of thoughts, work out human problems peacefully. If you pay much attention to differences, _ . | [
"we will get something.",
"we will produce problem.",
"we will develop further.",
"Nothing will be lost."
] | 1B
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J.K. Rowling is the writer of Harry Potter, which is now one of the bestsellers in the world. J.K. Rowling was born in Bristol on July 31st, 1965. She has one sister who is two years younger than her. Both girls loved listening to their father reading bedtime stories to them. They especially loved stories about magical worlds. Rowling wrote her first story, called Rabbit, at the age of six. After she graduated from the university, Rowling worked as a translator in London. During this time, on a long train trip in the summer of 1990, the idea came to her of a boy who has magic but doesn't know it. In 1992 Rowling began to teach English. She lived with her baby daughter, Jessica, and spent much time finishing the first Harry Potter book for young readers. It appeared in June 1997. To her surprise, the book was greatly successful. The film came out in November 2001. Now Harry Potter series is popular with people of all ages and about 60 million books were sold in 200 countries. Why has the series been so successful? There are a few things. Many other magical stories take place in faraway lands or in past or future times. But Harry lives in modern England. He's also a very normal boy: polite, friendly, brave and clever. So when other children read about Harry, they can imagine being like him. J.K. Rowling is very happy with the success, and she is now busy finishing the whole series of seven books. She's writing full time and she's really enjoying life. She says she will go on living a normal life with her daughter and writing children's books. How is Harry Potter series different from other magical stories? | [
"There are magical things.",
"The stories happened in the modern world.",
"It has seven books.",
"It took much time to finish."
] | 1B
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For many years I had a good life. My illness was reasonably under control, I had a nice relationship with my husband, I did work, I didn't hate. It was, as I said, a good life. But there's a saying that the good is the enemy of the best. I finally realized this one day, and began making my best life. I changed doctors and tried a new way that could relieve my symptoms , rather than just making them easier to deal with. I started talking more with my husband and listening to what he had to say. And I quit my job and started working for myself. I have the best life I've ever had. I'd call it great. It is possible there's a better life for me, which would then be my "best life" , but for now I don't think so. I've started a business I love. My husband and kids are wonderful. I have a good friend and I'm close to my older sister who lives in town. Could it get better? I suppose so. But for me I think this is the best life I can have right now. Think more about your life. Where are you living? Are you in a job you just don't mind? What makes your life "good" ? Why isn't it great? What's the enemy of the best and what can you do about it? Enjoy your best life. We're only here for a short while, and we all need to have the best possible time we can. It's like going to Disney World. If you spend too much time standing in line waiting for the ride, pretty soon your time's up. Get out of the "good" line and have your best life. Which of the following is NOT included in the writer's "good life" ? | [
"Having a job.",
"Having no hate.",
"Getting on well with her husband.",
"Living close to her good friend."
] | 3D
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One beautiful day, there was a watermelon. This watermelon was sitting on a bench. The bench was on the grass. The grass was in the park. It was a beautiful place. But Watermelon had a problem. It was bored. All of its friends were busy! "I'm so bored!" cried Watermelon. "Come talk to me!" answered a voice from the park. "But who are you? Where are you?" asked the watermelon. "I am a rock. I am behind you." Watermelon turned around. Off in the distance, it saw the rock. "But Rock, you are so far away! Can you come closer?" "No, I can't. I am a rock. I am big and flat and heavy. I am not round like you. I can't roll to join my friends. I can't play with everyone like you can. My shape is no good. No good at all. But I want to play! I want to talk!" "That is a very sad story, Rock. But what can I do?" "Can you roll?" "Well, yes, yes I can." "Then roll over here!" And so Watermelon did. They talked for a long time. They sang songs. They played games. It was so much fun that Watermelon did not see the weather was changing. Suddenly a strong wind blew, and it pushed Watermelon away. "Help! Help! I am rolling away, help!" "Quick, Watermelon! Get behind me!" Rock was afraid for his new friend. Watermelon rolled behind Rock, and there it was protected by Rock from the dangerous wind. "You saved me! Thank you" "No problem!" "You may be big and flat and heavy. And maybe you can't roll around like me. But I am very happy because of that! I am safe because you are what you are!" Where was Watermelon? | [
"on a bench in the park",
"on the grass in the wind",
"on a rock in the park",
"on a cloud in the wind"
] | 0A
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A boy pulls a sweater off over his head. His hair is attracted to the sweater due to | [
"a magnetic force",
"a heat transfer",
"a chemical change",
"an electrical charge"
] | 3D
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It is often said that politeness costs nothing.In fact,it seems that a little more courtesy could save businessesPS5 billion every year. Frequently hearing the phrase "thank you" or "well done" means the same to staff as a modest pay rise,researchers say. Praise and encouragement also makes employees more likely to work hard and stay in their jobs,saving on the cost of finding replacements. A third of 1,000 workers surveyed by consulting firm White Water Strategies said they did not get thanked at all when they did well--and a further third said they were not thanked enough. In both cases,staff said they felt undervalued,meaning they were less likely to exert themselves and were more likely to look for employment elsewhere. The net result is around PS5.2 billion in lost productivity from employees who would raise their game if they felt more appreciated,White Water claimed According to the company,praising staff has the same motivational kick as a 1 per cent pay rise--and works out much cheaper for bosses. Three out of four employees said that regular acknowledgement by their boss was important to them,but only a quarter said they were actually given as much praise as they felt they needed. The survey found that those in blue-collar and manual jobs were less likely to be given any recognition for doing well. In regional terms,Scottish staff felt most undervalued.Four out of ten workers said they were never thanked and eight out of ten said they would like more praise.However,workers in the North-East are less impressed by being buttered up by the boss,as only 69 per cent said they felt the need to be told "well done"regularly. Older employees and women need the most reassurance,according to psychologist Averil Leimon,a director of White Water Strategies.She said that words of praise did more than create a pleasant place to work--they could even boost profits. The main idea of the passage is that _ . | [
"praise and encouragement may help employees work better",
"workers are always demanding more praise and encouragement",
"bosses in prefix = st1 /Scotlandusually praise and encourage their staff enough",
"if undervalued employees will certainly look for employment elsewhere"
] | 0A
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Two good friends, Sam and Jason, met with a car accident on their way home one snowy night. The next morning, Sam woke up blind. His legs were broken. The doctor, Mr Lee, was standing by his bed, looking at him worriedly. When he saw Sam awake, he asked, "How are you feeling, Sam?" Sam smiled and said, "Not bad, Doctor. Thank you very much for doing the special operation ." Mr Lee was moved by Sam. When he was leaving, Sam said, "Please don't tell Jason about it." "Well...Well...OK," Mr Lee replied. Months later when Jason's wounds healed , Sam was still very sick. He couldn't see or walk. He could do nothing but stay in his wheelchair all day long. At first, Jason stayed with him for a few days. But days later, Jason thought it boring to spend time with a disabled man like Sam. So he went to see Sam less and less. He made new friends. From then on, he didn't go to visit Sam any more. Sam didn't have any family or friends except Jason. He felt very sad. Things went from bad to worse. Sam died a year later. When Jason came, Mr Lee gave him a letter from Sam. In the letter Sam said, "Dear Jason, I am disabled. But I want you to be a healthy man. So I gave my eyes to you so that you can enjoy life as a healthy man. Now you have new friends. I'm glad to see that you are as healthy and happy as usual. I'm glad you live a happy life. You are always my best friend... Sam". When he finished reading the letter, Mr Lee said, "I have promised that I will keep this a secret until Sam is gone. Now you know it." Jason stood there like a stone. Tears ran down his face. Sam thanked Mr Lee mainly because Mr Lee | [
"saved his friend Jason's life",
"was very kind and friendly to him",
"came to see him early in the morning",
"did the operation according to his wish"
] | 3D
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Many people think there is no need to take special care over home security. "I'm all right, I'm insured " Maybe--if you're fully insured. Even then you can never recover the real value you place on your possessions. But you can't insure against the upset and unhappiness that we all feel if our homes are torn apart by some stranger, our windows and doors broken, our precious possessions ruined. "It won't happen to me" Won't it? A home is broken into every minute or so of the day. The thefts of all kinds, including cars and property stolen from cars, happen twice as frequently. "I've nothing worth stealing" You may think not. But in fact everyone has something worth a thief's attention. And we all have things of special value to us even if they're worth little or nothing in cash terms. "I'm just a tenant here" The thief doesn't care whether you're a tenant or an owner-occupier. You're just as likely to be robbed. Have a word with the owner of the house if you think extra locks and fastenings are necessary. "They'll get in anyway" Most thieves are on the lookout for easy jobs. They are soon discouraged by houses they can't get into in any quick and easy way. So it's worth taking care. "This booklet will help you" It's based on the practical experience of police forces throughout the country. Most of the suggestions will cost you only a few minutes extra time and thought. A few may involve some expense, but this is small compared with the loss and unhappiness you might otherwise suffer. If you are in doubt, ask for free advice from the Crillle Prevention Officer at your local police station. The advertisement says that most thieves _ . | [
"prefer stealing from offices",
"like causing a lot of damage",
"break into any places they desire",
"get prevented by perfect guard equipment"
] | 3D
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Finally, there is some good news for older dads. A new study shows that their children and even grandchildren may get a health benefit because of their older age. It's based on research into something called telomeres--tips on the ends of chromosomes Some previous studies have connected having longer telomeres with better health and longer lives. Telomeres haven't been proven to cause those benefits in the general population, but a number of researchers think they may hold secrets for things like longevity and cancer. As you age, telomeres shorten. However, previous studies have shown that the older a man is when he becomes a father, the longer the telomeres his children tend to have. The new research confirms that and finds it's extended to the grandchildren. That's a cheerier result for older dads than some other studies in recent years that indicate their kids are at higher risk for things like autism Carol Greider of Johns Hopkins University, who shared a Nobel Prize in 2009 for telomere research but didn't participate in the new study, said it's no surprise that the telomere effect would extend beyond children to grandchildren. She also said that since older fathers also tend to pass more potentially harmful genetic mutations , it's "not at all clear" whether advanced paternal age gives an overall health benefit to children. In a statement, the researchers who conducted the study said their study shouldn't be taken as a recommendation that men reproduce at older ages because there's a risk of genetic mutations. Some previous studies of the impact of older fatherhood have been less encouraging. In 2010, for example, at least two big studies confirmed a link to having children with autism. In 2008, a big Swedish study strengthened evidence linking bipolar disorder to older paternal ages. According to the latest study, we know that the older dads are likely to _ . | [
"have children with autism",
"be cheerier than younger dads",
"have children with shorter telomeres",
"have grandchildren with longer telomeres"
] | 3D
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Which marine ecosystem is independent of sunlight? | [
"estuary",
"whale fall",
"black smoker",
"open ocean"
] | 2C
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Many people believe that you lose the ability to learn new languages as you get older. Language experts, however, will tell you that you're never too old to learn a new language. As you get older, it can be more difficult to learn a new language, though. Children and adults learn new languages in different ways. For children, language is their life. They study for thousands of hours every year, because they need to learn languages to become part of their communities. Adults, on the other hand, are already part of a language community. Learning a new language means becoming part of another language community, and adults rarely get the chance to practice as much as young children do. Moreover, children learning a new language are expected to make mistakes. This gives them freedom when learning to be daring and confident. Adults, however, often feel pressured to be perfect when learning a new language. This can discourage many people and make it even harder to learn a new language. When young children learn a new language, they come to see various languages as a "normal" part of society. This mindset helps them embrace learning a new language without feeling like they're doing something unusual or "too hard". So if you want to learn a new language, go for it! It's never too late to learn a new language. If you're older, it may take more work, but it can be done. If you're a young child, though, now is the time to step out and learn a new language! According to the author, a new language _ . | [
"can never be learned by the old people",
"can be grasped by the old people easily",
"can be understood only by the old people",
"can be learned by both the old and the young"
] | 3D
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A couple having a baby want to guess if the child will share the same eye color as mother and father so they | [
"chart the likelihood",
"pray for peace",
"take a vacation",
"inject a dye"
] | 0A
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Kettles are lakes which are formed when chunks of glaciers | [
"freeze",
"drown",
"float",
"dissipate"
] | 3D
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Visitors to London often eat in restaurants. The owners and workers in them are all from other countries. The visitors say in these restaurants they don't feel they are in England. Most of English people eat at home as much as they can. Sometimes they themselves will think they are in another country when they are in restaurants. When an Englishman goes out of a restaurant, he may find that he doesn't understand why everything is written in French and Italian. Most of English people think it is better to eat at home, because it is cheaper. They don't want to spend much money on food and they like cooking at home. They like fast food. But for Christmas, they will spend two or three weeks getting ready for it, because they want to have good food. Visitors to London often eat in restaurants because _ . | [
"they don't like the food at home",
"their homes are not in London",
"it's cheaper",
"restaurants are beautiful places"
] | 1B
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We humans love to scare ourselves. Newspapers and TV news are full of shock-horror stories about the killer flu virus but are there things we can do to cut our risk of catching it? Every year, people in Britain catch the flu virus and some of those who are already ill, or are very young, may die. It is very sad, but modern treatment means that many deaths can be avoided. Experts tell us that the world is another flu epidemic and that the latest bird-flu virus would be the most likely cause. Humans can catch the disease only after closely contacting with a sick bird. However, if someone who had normal flu was to come into contact with bird flu, this could be very dangerous. The bird flu virus could attach itself to the human flu virus, _ and then start to spread from person to person. Coughs and sneezes always have spread diseases, especially colds and flu, and they still do. If bird flu does begin to infect humans, it will spread through coughs and sneezes. If you want to stay free of flu and someone coughs or sneezes at you, what should you do? First, keep your hands away from your face and wash them and your face as soon as you can. If a cough or a sneeze spray misses your face and you accidentally touch a droplet with your hands and then touch your face, the flu or cold bug could creep into your system. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage? | [
"Bird flu is the most dangerous disease.",
"Normal flu can be easily changed into Bird flu.",
"We don't need to worry about flu virus.",
"The person who has normal flu and comes into contact with bird flu can easily get Bird flu."
] | 3D
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On July 4,1986,Americans celebrated the Statue of Liberty's 100th birthday.Parades,speeches,fireworks,and other activities contributed to the great joy of the event.The celebration caused reporters and the 1ocal people to 1ook back a century to the similar great joy that marked the official opening of the statue.The Statue of Liberty was completed in 1886,but the story began earlier.The idea for a statue was first suggested at a dinner party by Edouard de Laboulaye, a French historian .A guest at the party was Frederic Bartholdi,a young sculptor. Most people who attended the dinner party soon forgot the idea,but Laboulaye and Bartholdi remembered it.In 187l, Bartholdi came to the United States to interest Americans in a statue that would link France and the United States in friendship.Many people in France had already been persuaded and contributed money to the project.Americans were also persuaded to build a fund for the statue.Much of the money came from school children. After the idea had been accepted,Bartholdi set to work. He worked hard for many years.His friend Laboulaye died before the statue was completed.At last,in 1885,the statue was sent to the United States.It had to be shipped in sections and then put together for its weight and size. Ever since then, 1886,the Statue of Liberty has stood as a symbol of freedom to millions of immigrants entering New York Harbor. From the content,we may feel that the writer is _ when he is writing the passage. | [
"calm",
"curious",
"worried",
"Modest"
] | 0A
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True friends are always with you when the rest of the world refuses you.A true friend is like a mirror that shows the real you.True friendship is like a 100% safe journey in this risky and unpredictable world.True friendship is always fresh. Children can share their feelings, things and thoughts among themselves freely.They comfort their friends when they are in trouble and share their happiness when they are happy.You can find fresh and wonderful friendship among children. As we grow into teenagers, we will be attracted by worldly things.We will wonder who is a true friend and who is not.We will be busy deciding about our future jobs or following everything that is popular. When we reach our thirties, we will be busy with our marriage and taking care of our children and their education.But we need somebody to meet and share our ideas with, and we need suggestions from friends.However, we have few true friends because we are all busy working towards our future. When we grow older, we feel like children again and we need more friends and true friendship.If we are lucky enough to keep our childhood friendships to this age, then that is wonderful.Otherwise, we have to find new friends again to have a wonderful life. We can lean from the passage that true friends _ . | [
"are always there when you feel lonely",
"always tell you about your mistakes",
"are more important than our career",
"can only be found when we are children"
] | 0A
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Have you eaten too much over the holidays? You should try fidgeting for a while. Those around you might not like it, but scratching (moving your nails against a part of your body) and twitching (moving suddenly and quickly when you don't want to) is an important way of burning up calories . American researchers have found that some people's squirming (continuously turn your body when nervous) and wigging (move in small movements, especially from side to side) equals several miles of slow running each day. The scientists, based at the National Institute of Health's laboratory in Phenix, Arizona, are studying why some people get fat and other stay slim. In one study 177 people each spent 24 hours in a room in the institute where the amount of energy is measured by their oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. By the end of the day, some people had burned up 800 calories in toe-tapping, (moving the front part of your foot up and down) finger-drumming (hitting your fingers continuously and lightly against something hard) and other nervous habits. However, others had burned up only 100 calories. The researchers found that slim women fidget more than fat women, but there was no significant difference in men. Heavy people burn up more energy when they fidget than thin people do. According to the scientists, the reason why some people get fat and other people stay slim is that _ . | [
"thin people burn up less calories than fat people",
"fat people burn up more calories than thin people",
"those who burn up more calories than others will be thinner",
"those who fidget more than others will be thinner ks5u"
] | 2C
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Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening. One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one's own. Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one's free time digging, planting, watering and doing other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature. Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight's (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night. People who think happiness lies in the town would feel that _ if they had to live outside London. | [
"their life was meaningless",
"their life was invaluable",
"they didn't deserve a happy life",
"they were not worthy of their happy life"
] | 0A
|
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