From March 29 to April 19, a new version of Death of a Salesman
was performedat tne Capital Theatre as the first in a series   of
foreign classics to mark the 60th anniversary of the Beijing People's Art
Theatre.The last time this play was performed in Beijing was 29 years ago.
      Death of a Salesman was created in 1949 by Arthur Miller, who  used it to reveal   the weakness of the "American Dream" .The main character, Willy Loman, believes wholeheartedly in American capitalism, and desires to "succeed" but his own greed  _ him in the end.Death of a Salesman's first performance was a huge hit on Broadway, where it shocked the American theatre world, and strengthened the 33-year-old Miller's status as a master of American theatre.The play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, New York Drama Critics' Circle, and the Tony Award for Best Play.The New York Times praised Death of a Salesman as a milestone of 20th century theatre.In 1999, Death of a Salesman received another Tony Award for Best Revival, and the then 83-year-old Miller was given the National Medal of Arts.
The 1983 version of Death of a Salesman was directed personally by Arthur Miller on a visit to China, with Beijing director and actor Ying Ruocheng as the main character of Willy Loman.On May 7, 1983, the play was performed for the first time at the Capital Theatre, and the first series of performances lasted until August 18, with over 50 performances, some of which filled the house, and all of which had great influence.
When it was first performed here, China didn't have "salesman" , so the actors had to use their imagination to represent the characters and American society, and the audiences weren't entirely sure about some information.For example, they couldn't understand what "fixed payments" were, or why, if Willy was a lower-class member of American society, his family had a house, car, refrigerator, and television.But this didn't stop the play from becoming a widely-known page in Beijing's theatre history.

Question: What would be the best title for the passage?

Choices:
- Death of a Salesman Returns to Beijing
- Arthur Miller--a master of American theatre
- Willy Loman--winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama
- Death of a Salesman--a milestone of 20th century theatre

Question: Which of the following is true according to the passage?

Choices:
- The play received the Tony Award twice.
- Arthur Miller became famous in his forties.
- China didn't have "salesman" until the play was first performed here.
- The 1983 version of Death of a Salesman was directed by Ying Ruocheng.


My heroes are the Singapore Women's Everest Team.In 2009,they became the first all-women team to climb Mount Everest.The team of six young women trained for seven years before they climbed the mountain.It was difficult for them to train because Singapore doesn't have any snow or any mountains.But they didn't stop,and in the end they made it.They Worked hard every day for their dream so I really admire them.
----Lance Reed, 16, from Britain
My mum,Mary Evans,is a real hero.I have a very big family, with two brothers and three sisters.My mum works very hard every day to look after us, and she is very busy.She always makes time for everyone and she always listens to me if I have a problem.I really respect my mum because she always looks after my family and makes sure we have everything we need.
----Mark Sterling,l7,from America
I admire the Salwen family from Atlanta,USA.In 2006, they made a very unusual choice.They decided to sell their house and give half of the money to charity .They moved into a smaller house and gave $800,000 to charities in Ghana. I really respect them because they gave their money to people in need.
----William Kloster, 17, from Canada
I really admire Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple.He invented a new kind of technology.Apple technology is very intelligent .The products that he made are also really beautiful.Steve Jobs created a successful business in IT.I was very sad when he died in October 2011.I respect him because he changed the way people use technology all over the world.
----Richard Hale, 18,from Australia

Question: What do we know about the Singapore Women's Everest Team?

Choices:
- They thought of giving up during training.
- They trained very hard outside Singapore.
- They made history as mountaineers.
- They never expected to make it.

Question: William admires the Salwen family's  _  .

Choices:
- wealth
- courage
- success
- kindness

Question: Who is closest to his hero?

Choices:
- Mark.
- William.
- Richard.
- Lance.


Working Wives
Last week, we published an article about modern marriage. A recent survey showed that in England 51 percent of married women go out to work . people were asked what they thought of "working wives". The results were as follow:
                    Men         Women
In favor       70%         80%
Against              10%         20%
Don't know           20%         0%
We asked readers to write and tell us their opinions.
Here are some of the hundreds of letters we received.
I'm a (woman)photographer. I make plenty of money, travel a lot, and meet a lot of people. I enjoy my work, and would hate to stay at home. I would never marry a man who wanted me to give up my work.
Ms. Jojo O Leary
Hampstead
At present there are over 1,000,000 unemployed men in Britain. If a woman gets a job, she puts one more man out of work. Perhaps that man has a wife and twelve children to support. Let women stay at home where they belong.
Ted Stubbs
Southend
 I am a mother of twelve children. When I go to work, my husband looks after the children. He is very good with the children and enjoys staying at home with them. And I enjoy my job as a bus driver.

Mrs E. Boot
                                                               Battersea
We are twin sisters, who both got married recently. One of us (Doreen)kept her job. The other(Doris)gave up her job. But Doris gets bored staying at home, and Doreen gets bored going out to work .So now Doreen works for a week, while Doris stays at home. Then Doris Doreen's job for a week, while Doreen stays at home. At work, they never know if it's Doreen who's working today!
                                                          Doris and Doreen Bean
                                                          Hendon

Question: Last week we published an article about   _  .

Choices:
- marriage nowadays
- working women
- working wives
- a strange marriage

Question: The woman photographer would not marry a man who   _  .

Choices:
- has less money than her
- likes staying at home
- is not very gentle
- wants her to stay at home

Question: Ted Stubbs thought that women going out to work   _  .

Choices:
- would make men lose chances for work
- would be better than men
- would weaken the right of the husband at home
- would be meaningless

Question: When the bus driver goes to work,   _  .

Choices:
- her children take care of themselves
- a nurse looks after her children instead of her
- her husband looks after the children
- she has to have everything ready for the family


Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street boy was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.
Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astonished. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you anything? Boy, I wish...." He hesitated. Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the kid said made Paul quite surprised.
"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that." Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, and then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?"
"Oh, yes, I'd love that."
After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?" Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the he wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again.
"Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then after a little while Paul saw him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car. "There  _ is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I'm going to give you one just like it... then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about."
Paul got out and lifted the kid to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve, Paul learned that it was more blessed to give....

Question: Why did what the boy said surprise Paul?  _  .

Choices:
- Because he didn't say what Paul had expected.
- Because he didn't say that he wanted a ride.
- Because he said something impolite.
- Because he said something improper.

Question: Which of the following is FALSE according to the passage?  _  .

Choices:
- The boy had a brother who was disabled.
- Paul's brother gave him a car at Christmas.
- Paul had thought the boy were wishing for a brother like his.
- The boy wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride in a big car.

Question: Which of the following best describes the boy?  _  .

Choices:
- Kind-hearted and generous.
- Kind-hearted and thoughtful.
- Honest and generous.
- Honest and hardworking.

Question: What can we learn from the passage?   _  .

Choices:
- Having a rich brother is important.
- It's unlucky to have a disabled brother.
- It's better to give than to receive.
- God helps those who help themselves.


The British policeman has several nicknames, but the most frequently used are"copper"and"bobby". The first name comes from the verb "cop" meaning "to take" or "capture", and thesecond comes from the first name of Sir Robert Peel, a 19th century politician, who was the founder of the police force. An early nickname for the policeman was "peeler", but this name had died out.
Visitors to England seem,nearly always, to be very impressed by the English police. In fact, it has become a joke that the visitors to Britain, when asked for his views of the country, will always say,at some point or other, "I think your policemen are wonderful."
Well, the British bobby may not always be wonderful but he is usually a very friendly and helpful character.
A music-hall song of some years ago was called, "If you want to know the time, ask a policeman." Nowadays, most people own watches but they still seem to find plenty of other questions to ask the policeman. In London, the policemen spend so much of their time directing visitors about the city that one wonders how they ever find time to do anything else!

Question: The British policeman has   _   nicknames mentioned in the passage.

Choices:
- five
- two
- three
- ten

Question: One of the nicknames for the policeman, "peeler"   _   .

Choices:
- is the name of a politician
- is most frequently used sometimes
- is not used any more
- is still used as much as "bobby"

Question: "If you want to know the time, ask a policeman." That means   _   .

Choices:
- the British policeman is friendly and helpful
- the British policeman has plenty of time to help people
- people usually think that the policeman always knows the time
- it is a duty for the policeman to tell people the time

Question: Which of the following is NOT true?

Choices:
- The British policeman has some nicknames.
- The British policeman is wonderful.
- Only the British policeman knows the time very well.
- The British policeman is ready to help people.


TheCastle of Monteriggioni
Located in central Tuscany,the Castle of Monteriggioniwas built by the Republic of Siena at the beginning of the 13th century in orderto defend its southern border against Florence.With their impressive towers, they feature in Dante's Divine Comedy.
MainSights
Inside the town are the Church of Santa Maria Assunta,the battlements on the town walls and the small "Monteriggioni in Arme" museum, where there are models andlife-size armors .
Every July within the wall of the town a special eventis celebrated: the Medieval Festival of Monteriggioni, one of the mostbeautiful festivals in the region. The city goes back in time to the MiddleAges, the streets are filled up with people in period costume creating a realatmosphere. Dances, live performances, music, theatre, kids entertainment,storytellers and more entertain the public.
Thesurrounding area
The townlands ofMonteriggioni, with the walled town as their capital, cover an area of about 100km2 directly to the north of Siena,full of woods, hills, vineyards and olive groves . Thetownlands also take in a large area of unspoiled nature that has been declareda Site of Community Importance(SCI). The area is crossed by a network oftrails, including the Via Francigena, which can be travelled on foot, bicycleor on horse-back.
Howto get to Monteriggioni
BY CAR
Take the "Monteriggioni" exit on theFlorence-Siena motorway link.
BY BUS
Line 130 from Siena for Colle di Val d'Elsa-Poggibonsi-SanGimignano.
BY TRAIN
The closest station is "Castellina inChianti- Monteriggioni".
TouristOffice
Piazza Roma, 23
53035 Monteriggioni(SI)-Italy
Tel./fax+39 0577 304834
info@ Monteriggioniturismo.it

Question: Which of the following you cannot seein the Castle of Monteriggioni ?

Choices:
- Tower
- Vineyards
- Church
- Performance

Question: The best way to travel around thesurrounding area is   _  .

Choices:
- by car
- by bus
- by train
- on foot

Question: Where can this article be probably found?

Choices:
- In a travel guidebook.
- In a textbook.
- In a fashion magazine.
- In a newspaper.


One night recently , I was driving down a two-lane highway at about 60 miles an hour . A car approached from the opposite direction at about the same speed . As we passed each other , I caught the other driver's eye for only a second . I wondered whether he might be thinking , as I was , how dependent we were on each other at that moment . I was relying on him not to fall asleep , not to be put off by a phone conversation, not to cross over into my lane and bring my life to a sudden end . Though we had never spoken a word to each other , he relied on me in just the same way .
Multiplied a million times over, I believe that is the way the world works . At some level , we all depend upon one another . Sometimes that dependence requires us simply not to do something like crossing over the double yellow line . And sometimes it requires us to act cooperatively , with friends or even with strangers .
As technology shrinks our world , the need increases for cooperative action among nations . In 2003, doctors in five nations were quickly organized to identify the SARS virus , which saved thousands of lives . The threat of international terrorism has shown itself to be a similar problem, one requiring coordinated action by police and intelligence forces across the world . We must recognize that our fates   are not ours alone to control .
In my own life , I've put great stock in personal responsibility . But , as the years have passed, I've also come to believe that there are moments when one must rely upon the good faith and judgment of others . so , while each of us faces the case of driving alone down a dark road , what we must learn is that the approaching light may not be a threat , but a shared moment of trust .

Question: The author considers  _  very important .

Choices:
- driving alone on a dark road
- independence of people
- cooperation to identify SARS virus
- shared trust and cooperation

Question: The author said that they depended on each other in the same way because  _  .

Choices:
- the approaching car was very dangerous
- they both drove their car at a terrific speed
- he might be killed out of the other's careless driving
- it was dark and the road was not wide enough

Question: The need for cooperation increases because  _  .

Choices:
- peoples' fates can't be controlled by themselves
- the SARS virus spread quickly
- terrorism can happen everywhere
- the world has become smaller


What is your favorite English letter? Many of you may say Q. Why? Because so many of you chat with your friends on QQ. What do you like about QQ? What do you talk about? The CCTV reporter, Miss Wang, interviews three kids. Let's listen to what they say.
When do you chat on QQ? What do you talk about?
Lin yuhan, Xi'an: On weekends. We talk about homework and chat with each other.
Tang Xuting, Shanghai: At weekends and when I don't have much homework. We exchange test answers and chat.
Yang yuhang, Dalian: Our class goes online together at 4:00----6:00pm on weekends. We complain about homework, chat and talk about computer games.
What do you put on your QQ blog ?
Lin: I put good articles I have found online on my blog. I also write articles myself. They are about funny things that have happened in my class.
Tang: I put picture on my blog. Not my own photos, but pictures from my favorite Japanese cartoons like Tennis Prince Conan.
Yang: I put DV films on my blog. I shoot them during sports meetings and school parties. The most popular one is about a dancing teacher,  he is so funny that everyone watches it.
How do you like QQ?
Lin: It's a good space for us to make a record of our lives of both good times and sad times.
Tang: My friends and I may not have time to chat at school. But we can do it on QQ. It's very helpful to our friendships.
Yang: If you chat with friends on the telephone, your parents sometimes listen to your conversation. There's no such problem with QQ. You can relax and talk freely.

Question: What does Lin Yuhan put on her QQ blog?

Choices:
- Some pictures.
- Good articles.
- DV films
- Japanese cartoons

Question: Which one is TURE according to this article?

Choices:
- Lin says QQ is very helpful to their friendships.
- Yang says he can chat freely with many friends and relax on QQ.
- Tang says QQ is a good space for them to make a record of their lives.
- Tang says he chats on QQ on weekends though he has lots of homework.


In his 1930 essay "Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren ", John Keynes, a famous economist, wrote that human needs fall into two classes: absolute needs ,which are independent of what others have , and relative needs ,which make us feel superior to our fellows. He thought that although relative needs may indeed be insatiable   , this is not true of absolute needs.
Keynes was surely correct that only a small part of total spending is decided by the desire for superiority. He was greatly mistaken, however, in seeing this desire as the only source of insatiable demands.
Decisions to spend are also driven by ideas of quality which can influence the demands for almost all goods, including even basic goods like food. When a couple goes out for an anniversary dinner, for example, the thought of feeling superior to others probably never comes to them. Their goal is to share a special meal that stands out from other meals.
There are no obvious limits to the _ of demand for quality. For example, Porsche, a famous car producer, has a model which was considered perhaps the best sport car on the market Priced at over $120,000, it handles perfectly well and has great speed acceleration. But in 2004, the producer introduced some changes which made the model slightly better in handling and acceleration. People who really care about cars find these small improvements exciting. To get them, however, they must pay almost four times the price.
By placing the desire to be superior to others at the heart of his description of insatiable demands, Keynes actually reduced such demands. However, the desire for higher quality has no natural limits.

Question: According to the passage, John Keynes believed that  _  .

Choices:
- desire is the root of both absolute and relative needs
- absolute needs come from our sense of superiority
- relative needs alone lead to insatiable demands
- absolute needs are stronger than relative needs

Question: The author of the passage argues that   _  .

Choices:
- absolute needs have no limits
- demands for quality are not insatiable
- human desires influence ideas of quality
- relative needs decide most of our spending


"Our aim is to take our art to the world and make people understand what it is to move," said David Belle, the cofounder of parkour  .
Do you love running? It is a good exercise, yet many people find it boring. But what if making your morning jog a creative one?Like jumping from walls and over gaps and ground rolls? Just like the James Bond in the movie Casino Royale? Bond jumps down from a roof to a windowsill and then runs several blocks over _ on the way. It is just because of Bond's wonderful performances that the sport has become popular worldwide.
Yes, that's parkour, an extreme street sport aimed at moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, getting over all the obstacles in the path using only the abilities of the human body. Parkour is considered an extreme sport. As its participants dash around a city, they may jump over fences, run up walls and even move from rooftop to rooftop.
Parkour can be just as exciting and charming as it sounds,but its participants see parkour much more than that.
Overcoming all the obstacles on the course and in life is part of the philosophy   behind parkour. This is the same as life. You must determine your destination, go straight, and jump over all the barriers as if in parkour and never fall back from them in your life, to reach the destination successfully. A parkour lover said,"I love parkour because its philosophy has become my life, my way to do everything."
Another philosophy we've learnt from parkour is freedom. It can be done by anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world. It is a kind of expression of trust in yourself that you earn energy and confidence.

Question: Parkour has become popular throughout the world because of   _  .

Choices:
- its cofounder, David Belle
- the film, Casino Royale
- its risks and tricks
- the varieties of participants

Question: Which of the following is TRUE of parkour?

Choices:
- It challenges human abilities.
- It is a good but boring sport.
- It needs special training.
- It is a team sport.

Question: Which of the following is the philosophy of parkour?

Choices:
- Sports and extremes.
- Excitement and popularity.
- Dreams and success.
- Determination and freedom.


My student teaching experience was a wonderful adventure. I had to deal with various discipline and behavior challenges that occurred again and again.
The greatest part of it was the relationship I developed with two students. One of the students was named Michael,whom I met when I was working for a kindergarten. Before I became a morning bus assistant, I'd heard that Michael was a challenging student who would always shout, stand up on the bus, make fun of other students, and distract bus driver. So I decided that each morning, when he got on the bus, I'd have Michael sit beside me. At first he didn't like this idea and pouted about it. But soon he settled down, knowing he had no choice. I began to talk to him about little things outside of school life, such as his weekend activities and things that he liked to do. I also listened closely to him When he talked and thoroughly responded to his ideas. As I gave Michael the attention that he needed,little by little, he began to behave better and better. His transformation was noticed by all, by the students and especially the bus driver.
Another student I took a special interest in was a boy named Tony, a third grader. To some, Tony seemed to be a slow or passive learner. So I decided to see if I could find a way to motivate Tony to stay on the task. I would sit in the seat next to him and encourage him through every step of the work he was doing. This helped him to stay motivated and at least the work was getting down on time. Before long, he was paying more attention to his studies, and scoring high on all his tests. I knew that all Tony had needed was to be motivated on a one-on-one basis.

Question: What is the text mainly about?

Choices:
- The two greatest students during the writer's career as a teacher.
- The writer's best memories of his teaching experience.
- How to motivate slow students.
- How to deal with naughty students.

Question: The writer first made Michael sit beside him in order to  _  .

Choices:
- limit his freedom and his behaviour
- listen to him and know his real thoughts
- talk to him to change his bad attitude
- give him attention and teach him to behave well

Question: Which of the following would probably have nothing to do with Tony?

Choices:
- He was uninterested in what the teacher was saying.
- He often shouted and stood up to distract the teacher.
- He seemed to stare at nothing and think of nothing.
- He always had a blank sheet of paper on his desk.

Question: What can we learn from the text?

Choices:
- Selfless giving is always a pleasure for a teacher.
- An act of kindness could bring the students great joy.
- Different students should be taught in different ways.
- Students should learn to appreciate teachers' concern.


Juac has made the leap from being an African refugee   to a chess champion in the United States. His job is to share his expertise  with students in schools, chess camps and other events.
During Sudan's civil war in the mid-1980s, Juac was forced out of the country with 20,000 0ther so -called Lost Boys. He fled to Ethiopia, then to Kenya staying in a refugee camp for eight years, where he learned to play chess.
Juac described a dangerous journey in which half the boys didn't survive. To eat, they had to kill wild animals.
"There were animals on the way. It was about a thousand miles and sometimes there was no water. When we were in Ethiopia, we had to cross the river and there a lot drowned."
Juac arrived in the United States in 2004 and began working as a security guard. Winning a chess tournament gave him this teaching opportunity. Juac believes chess helps prepare young people for life.
"Some kids are not interested, so it's your job to make them like the game, to explain them what chess is going to help them with." He said. "Like, I can tell, this game will give you patience, and help with your math skills."
Julie Cathone, a second grade teacher in Jackson Public School, agrees. The School's principal, Meghan Kelley, said Juac and chess have made a big difference.
"What a role model. I mean when you think about just overcoming, and finding what you love and turning that into your life's work."
Juac said he enjoys the freedom he has in the United States. But his passion is playing and teaching chess to youngsters. His boss, Michael Propper , said Juac has one great advantage.
"I think he's believable. I think they look at him and he's so _ that they feel like they can do what he's doing and be a person as he is too."
Ju ac still has a big goal ahead of him-becoming an international chess master. With his skill and patience, Propper and his peers have no doubt that will happen.

Question: How long did Juac most probably stay in Ethiopia?

Choices:
- About six years.
- About eight years.
- About twelve years.
- About sixteen years.

Question: We can learn from the passage that Juac   _

Choices:
- must be teaching kids chess for free
- is patient and good at math problems
- surely has his own chess school in American
- hasn't taken part in international chess contests


NOT all math skills are learned in the classroom. Some of them come naturally. Consider the split-second calculations  you make when you estimate   the number of empty seats on the school bus or the number of cookies in a cookie jar.
These estimates can often be done without counting. That's because humans are born with the ability to closely guess the number of items in a group. Researchers call this ability a person's "number sense".
To see how a person's inborn number sense might be linked to mathematical performance in the classroom, psychologist Justin Halberda and his colleagues from Johns Hopkins University in prefix = st1 /Baltimore,USran some tests.
The scientists asked 64 14-year-olds to look at images   of yellow and blue dots that flashed on a computer screen for a fraction   of a second. Each image contained between 10 and 32 dots that varied in size.
Some images contained twice as many blue dots  as yellow dots. In other images, however, the number of blue and yellow dots was nearly equal. For each image, the students were asked to estimate which color1 had more dots.
The scientists found a wide variation in how well students could pick the color1 with the most dots.
The scientists then looked at the students' math scores dating back to kindergarten. Children that performed best in the image test also scored the highest in standard math tests.
The same finding held true at the other end of the spectrum  . Students who didn't score well on the image test received lower math scores.
The study was the first to show a link between a person's inborn number sense and his or her achievement in formal math training.
Does this connection mean that one cannot be good in math if they have a weak number sense? Or that having a strong number sense is a guarantee for good grades in math? The answers are not clear.
While scientists continue looking at the possible links between a person's number sense and math achievement, one thing is certain: Doing lots of math homework will   _ your chances of success.

Question: Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

Choices:
- Everyone has an inborn number sense.
- Those who have a strong number sense are sure to do well in math.
- Some of the math skills are inborn.
- Doing a lot of math exercises may help to learn math well.

Question: Justin Halberda and his colleagues ran some tests to_.

Choices:
- look at the students' math scores dating back to kindergarten.
- ask the students to estimate the dots
- see if a person's inborn number sense has something to do with math learning
- decide how to learn math well

Question: According to the passage, the most important thing to learn math well is that_.

Choices:
- one should have an inborn number sense
- one should practice a lot
- one should do a lot of tests
- one should do a lot of counting

Question: What is the result of Justin Halberda's tests?

Choices:
- Students who did well in the tests also did well in math exams.
- One cannot be successful in math if he has a well number sense.
- One who has a strong number sense can not do math well.
- One should do a lot of math homework if he wants to have a number sense.


Instagram is a fast,beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends and family.Take a picture or video,choose a filter to transform its look and feel.and then post to Instagram--it's that easy.You can even share to Facebook.Twitter and more.It's a new way to see the world.So many photos of food are contained on Instagram--now a pop-up diner in London is taking advantage of this new trend by letting people settle the bill for their meals simply by uploading photos of their dishes to social networks.
I always thought people's taking pictures of their food was kind of silly, but at this new pop-up restaurant in the UK,I'd probably do it too."The Picture House"is the world's first pay-by-photo restaurant--you order, click a photo of the food,share on Instagram and eat for free!
The restaurant belongs to frozen food giant Birds Eye,who came up with the idea to cash in on people's addiction with photographing food and sharing the pictures online. They conducted a survey and found out that more than half of the British population regularly took pictures of their meals.So they realized it was a better way to advertise their new dining range.
The pop-up diner was open in Soho,London for three days in May,and is now moving to other major UK cities.They serve two-course meals that customers don't have to pay for, if they photo and lnstagram it.
The restaurant is a part of Birds Eye's"Food for Life"campaign,a new marketing project that aims at changing the way people look at frozen food."Taking photos of food enables people to show off and to share their mealtime moments--from the everyday to the special,"said marketing director Margaret Jobling.
The reaction to The Picture House has been great so far And the pay-by-picture concept has proven to be an effective way.Alternative payment methods are actually gaining popularity among a lot of businesses.Last year in a cafe in Germany customers pay by how much time they spend there,not by what they eat.

Question: Instagram probably is  _  .

Choices:
- a restaurant free of chmge
- a campaign of"Food for Life''
- a program used to share photos
- a new marketing project

Question: What's the author's attitude to this new trend?

Choices:
- Confused
- Unconcerned
- Opposed
- Interested

Question: "The Picture House"encourages sharing photos of its food to  _  .

Choices:
- raise the price of frozen food
- attract more customers
- create a new social media trend
- reward the regular customers

Question: Which of the following can serve as the best title for the passage?

Choices:
- Pay by Picture
- The Pop-up Diner
- No Need to Pay
- Food for Life


What I like to advise people is to find out what it is that makes them happy. What do you love to do? If you truly love what you do just go ahead and try to make a living by doing it. People will throw money at you to do it. But you will always have to work hard at it. I have to draw every single day of my life. I have to draw about 20 ideas. My advice is to put aside a certain amount of time every day and make you draw or whatever, especially when you don't feel like it. Only in this way will you be able to perfect your talent.
The first step you take is to go to your local library and ask for the publications issued in the current years. When you get these publications, try to find the names of the top people concerned and their presidents. After you find these, write down their names and addresses. Keep this list and update it every year. Next thing you want to do is to create at least 40 cartoons. Get a grid  from one of the strips in the newspapers, enlarge it to whatever size you wish and draw inside this grid. Now take the best 20 of your ideas and make them into finished pieces. To do this, you would want to copy them in ink because if you were a professional cartoonist, that was what you should do. Now you can reduce the size of the finished cartoons to fit onto a regular comic's page. By comparing yours with the others already in print, it gives you a good idea of clarity to your cartoon.
The next step is to write letters to presidents of the publication. In the letters, explain who you think would read your work, or in other words, what group do you think you would target. After you complete these, send all of your information enclosed with letters in the appropriate envelope.
Now as soon as you send out these letters, start to create a brand new strip with all new characters. Don't _ because if your idea gets turned down then you will give up. And always remember. If you receive a rejection from any of them, keep in mind that you are working on something better. You will be working on something new and more exciting and the rejection letter will not have any impact. With this in mind...

Question: The purpose of writing a letter to the president was to   _  .

Choices:
- get some money to support the later career
- enclose the information on how to become cartoonists with the letter
- focus his attention on the work
- explain who would be the readers of the work


Dreaming is a natural part of who we are. We explore our dreams and develop personal dreams. We even like to dream BIG!
For the most part our dreams and wishes focus on the end result. We see ourselves in love, married, driving a great car, on vacation, with tons of money, in a great career, etc. Dreaming about the end result is just fantasizing and wishing. Wishing relies on some magical force to make our dreams turn into reality, and we become unhappy as we're not living  our dreams.
So how can we make our dreams come true? That is a question we all often struggle with. Even though we struggle with the answer, the answer is not that clear. We make our dreams come true with the action we take.
In my opinion, if you dream about being in good health, then change your dream to see yourself working out and eating right day by day. See the beginning of the dream and let the dream build day by day with all the action that gets you to the end dream of you being in good health.
If you want riches, then change the dream. Dream of yourself going to school, developing a career, working hard and taking the steps to arrive at the destination. If you want love, love the process. Love the dating process . Love yourself and the journey to find love.
Make all your dreams include the beginning, middle and end. Then when you are doing the action instead of thinking to yourself, "This is a drag. I don't like working out," or if you are having any negative thoughts about doing the work it takes to create your visions , realize then that every step of the way you are living your dream. You are living your dream because you made the action and journey part of your dream.

Question: According to the writer, most of the people  _  .

Choices:
- pay more attention to developing their dreams
- enjoy the process of their dreams
- are always ignoring the process of living their dreams
- probably dream of making much more money easily

Question: In order to live our dreams, we must  _  .

Choices:
- struggle with dreams day and night.
- have great wishes and thoughts.
- have magical forces every night.
- take action or steps.

Question: If you want to keep fit,  _

Choices:
- you'd better dream a sweet dream first.
- you must love the process of the journey.
- you would rather begin with your diet and exercise.
- you should have a good beginning first.


An American research company shows that $248.7 billion online sales are expected by 2014. It seems as if we can't get enough of spending money through countless online clicks today. Following are some of the incredible things that you can buy online!
1) Parents
51-year-old Michael Amatrudo from Connecticut put a posting on Craig list in 2009 to sell his elderly parents, asking for $155 in return.
2) Chewing Gum
Bidding for Britney Spears' chewing gum reached $14,000 in 2004. The pop star's half-eaten sandwich also went for over $500.
3) Kidney Stone
Star Trek actor William Shatner sold his kidney stone for $20,000 when he put it up for sale online to see how much a piece of him was worth. He ended up giving the money to charity.
4) An Imaginary Friend
This imaginary guy went (or might still be going) by the name of Jon Malipieman and was sold on eBay for $3,000 by a man who claimed:
"My imaginary friend Jon Malipieman is getting too old for me now. I am now 27 and I feel I am growing out of him. He is very friendly. Along with him, I will send you what he likes and dislikes, his favorite things to do and his personal self portrait."
5) Souls
The website demonical.com is probably the creepiest site I have ever visited. You can sell your own soul or buy the souls of people such as Fidel Castro and Woody Allen (both selling for $950). Bill Gate, whoever that is, has his soul for sale at $1,300 while Michael Jacobsen's soul is being sold for $3000.
6) A Rock That Looks Like Meat
The screen shot from eBay tells us that people are bidding over $1 million for this "naturally formed bbq pork rock". Absolute madness.

Question: What is the author's purpose for writing the passage?

Choices:
- To introduce some unbelievable things online.
- To call on customers to resist the products.
- To attract readers to visit the related websites.
- To encourage readers to buy the things online.

Question: Which is probably sold at the highest price according to the passage?

Choices:
- Chewing Gum.
- Kidney Stone.
- An Imaginary Friend.
- A Rock That Looks Like Meat.

Question: According to the text,   _   is most likely to have starred in a film.

Choices:
- Britney Spears
- William Shatner
- Jon Malipieman
- Fidel Castro

Question: What can be inferred from the text?

Choices:
- Michael Amatrudo charged a high price for selling his elderly parents.
- William Shatner sold the kidney stone so as to donate the money to charity.
- Jon Malipieman was sold because he was not wanted any longer.
- The soul of Michael Jacobsen is worth more than that of Woody Allen.


A long road leads through the woods to Don Robinson's unfinished house. Wearing dirty sneakers and a shirt with holes, Don Robinson is an 81-year-old Missouri businessman. Although he's rich, he didn't use his money to buy himself a grand home. Instead, he used it to buy wild land.
Robinson has decided to donate 843 acres of his own personal _ to the Department of Natural Resources after his death, which can then be used to create a new state park. His generous donation is the same size as New York City's Central Park. It is said that it's the largest land donation to happen in the last 25 years.
How did he come up with this idea? For Robinson, the idea of donation came from his respect for the land and the environment. He doesn't have children to pass it onto. He hoped that someone would make full use of it, or the land would probably turn into wasteland. A green park filled with trees can at least help deal with global warming, in addition to producing fresh air.
Robinson has lived here in a small wooden house since 1964.One room holds his bed, a few chairs and a desk. He said he didn't care how much his donation was worth. Tom Pounders who used to work for Robinson said, "He doesn't think material objects are important." He also recalled that Robinson once repaired a broken tennis shoe with a spare tire.
Robinson has just one request for the new park that will be established after his death. He'd like it to be named the Don Robinson State Park. "There's a lot of Robinsons, but only one me. It would be nice if people remembered to use my full name when walking through the park," he said.

Question: Don Robinson has decided to donate   _   to the Department of Natural Resources after his death.

Choices:
- a green park
- a big wooden house
- 843 acres of land
- all his money

Question: According to the passage, which of the following statements about is TRUE?

Choices:
- Don Robinson paid much attention to how much his donation was worth.
- New   York City's  Central Park was built with Don Robinson's help.
- Don Robinson had many children and lived with them.
- The idea of donation came from Robinson's respect for the land and the environment.


Pingviman Hotel
Offering an outdoor pool, Pingviman Hotel offers Thai-style rooms in Chiang Mai. Free WiFi is available through-out and a complimentary service takes guests to the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar. All rooms are equipped with a 48-inch flat-screen cable TV and DVD player.
Facilities at this hotel include a business center, a fitness center and laundry services. There is also a tour desk and meeting facilities.
We speak your language!
Hotel Rooms:35
Art Mai Gallery Nimman Hotel
Situated in Chiang Mai's trendiest area, Art Mai Gallery Nimman Hotel Chiang Mai by Compass Hospitality boasts accommodation in a boutique hotel well-decorated with art works from the renowned local Thai artists. Free WiFi is offered all throughout the property.
At Art Mai Gallery Nimman Hotel, guests will find an outdoor pool, a fitness center and massage services. There is also a modern art collection for sale at the lobby area.
Hotel Rooms:79
At Chiang Mai
At Chiang Mai is a 2-minute walk from Sunday Walking Street. It offers rooms with a bathtub and free WiFi. Guests can relax by the pool or arrange sightseeing trips at the tour desk.
Staff at the 24-hour front desk can help guests arrange shuttle service and laundry. A selection of international newspapers and board games is available for guests to enjoy.
Home-style Thai and European dishes are served at the restaurant from 07:00 to 23:00 hrs.
We speak your language!
Hotel Rooms:37
De Chai The Colonial Hotel
Stylish colonial design is the trademark   of De Chai Hotel, with its indoor pool and free WiFi. Located along Thapae Road, it is a 5-minute walk from the Sunday Walking Street.
Fully air-conditioned and extra spacious, rooms at De Chai are equipped with 37-inch flat-screen TVs, DVD players and iPod docks. Beautiful city views can be enjoyed through the clear floor-to-ceiling windows. Free WiFi is available in all areas.
Chang Khlan is a great choice for travelers interested in shopping, night markers and markets.
We speak your language!
Hotel Rooms: 40

Question: What's the similarity among the four hotels?

Choices:
- They all have an outdoor pool.
- They all equip the hotel rooms with cable TVs.
- They all have a center for fitness.
- They all provide free WiFi service.

Question: In which hotels can guests book a trip more conveniently?

Choices:
- Pingviman Hotel and De Chai Hotel.
- Art Mai Gallery Nimman Hotel and At Chiang Mai.
- Pingviman Hotel and At Chiang Mai.
- Art Mai Gallery Nimman Hotel and De Chai Hotel.

Question: What can be infer from the passage?

Choices:
- The bus of Pingviman Hotel can take guests to the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar.
- There are two hotels not far away from the Sunday Walking Street.
- Guests living in the De Chai Hotel can enjoy the beautiful city views.
- Art Mai Gallery Nimman Hotel sells artworks from local Thai artists.

Question: What can't guests do in the hotel according to the passage?

Choices:
- Have meals at the restaurant of At Chiang Mai 24 hours.
- Have their clothes washed in At Chiang Mai.
- Have a meeting in Pingviman Hotel.
- Do massage in Art mai Gallery Nimman Hotel.


Climate change has been blamed for killer hurricanes, sea level rise, and drought, but a new report suggests the effects of climate change might hit the world's coffee supply. Up to 70 percent of the world's coffee supply could be threatened over the next 66 years, according to a new study by researchers at England's Royal Botanic Gardens.
Nearly 100 percent of the world's Arabica coffee growing regions could become unsuitable for the plant by 2080, according to the study. Beans from Arabica coffee plants account for about 70 percent of the world's coffee, but the plant also has to be grown under strict weather conditions: they grow well at temperatures between 64 and 70 degrees Celsius, and are highly influenced by frost or temperatures higher than 73 degrees Celsius.
With temperatures estimated to increase by between 1.8 and 4 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, the fragile plant might become increasingly expensive and difficult to grow, especially in places such as Ethiopia and Kenya. In that worst case, nearly all of the world's native Arabica coffee would die out. Under more conservative estimates, about 65 percent of the regions used to grow the coffee would become unsuitable for it The evidence from coffee farmers and coffee growing regions around the world is that they are already suffering from the influences of increased warming.
Some farmers would likely be able to move their operations to other areas or would be able to overcome climate change with artificial cooling techniques, but wild Arabica is generally considered to be much more suitable for making high-quality coffee.
If Arabica becomes impossible to raise in its native areas, it could do serious damage to the economies of the mainly third-world countries in which it grows. Coffee is the world's most popular drink and is the second most-traded product in the world, behind oil.

Question: What does the passage mainly talk about?

Choices:
- Climate change affects people in many ways.
- More and more attention has been paid to climate change.
- The world's coffee supply could be threatened by climate change.
- The' growing conditions of Arabica coffee have been improved recently.

Question: In order to solve the problem of Arabica, coffee plants, some farmers_.

Choices:
- would make efforts to produce high-quality coffee.
- would bring in artificial cooling techniques.
- would tend to move to some warm places.
- would grow more wild Arabica.

Question: What is the result if Arabica coffee has less production?

Choices:
- Coffee will replace oil to be the first most-traded commodity.
- Coffee is likely to become less popular than before.
- Some countries will suffer great economic losses.
- Farmers will plant other crops instead of coffee.


At an airport I overheard  a father and a daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her plane's departure. Standing near the door, he said to his daughter: "I love you. I wish you enough."
    "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough too, Daddy." They kissed goodbye and she left.
    He walked over toward the window where I was seated. I tried not to  _ his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking:
"Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?"
"Yes, I have," I replied.
"Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever goodbye?" I asked.
"I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is that her next trip back will be for my funeral. "
"When you were saying goodbye I heard you say, 'I wish you, enough'. May I ask what that means?"
He began to smile. " That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." He paused for a moment looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he smiled even more. "When we said 'I wish you enough', we wanted the other person to have a life filled with enough good things to sustain them," he continued and then turning toward me he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish enough "hellos" to get you through the final "goodbye".

Question: The old man's attitude towards life is  _  .

Choices:
- unusual
- negative
- optimistic
- pessimistic

Question: The author began his talk with the old man  _  .

Choices:
- when he stood by the window
- because the old man wanted to
- because he was interested in how to say to say goodbye
- when he sat around thinking about saying goodbye.

Question: From the passage we know that  _  .

Choices:
- the young man is a writer
- the talk between the two men is common
- the daughter lives far away from her daddy
- the young man is interested in the old man

Question: What's the most probable title of the passage?

Choices:
- a talk between two men
- an interview
- your attitude to your life
- I wish you enough


People want action on noise, a recent public meeting in Brisbane showed.Some want technical improvements such as quieter air conditioners or better sound barriers around major roads.Others want tougher laws to restrict noise from building sites or to require owners to take responsibility for barking dogs.But the highest priority was a noise complaints system that works.
Brisbane City Council receives more complaints about noise than all other problems put together.So it conducted a survey and found that about half its residents are upset by noise in one form or another -traffic, mowers, pool pumps, air conditioners or loud parties.This inspired the Council to bring together more than 100 citizens one evening to talk through a range of options.
The meeting found the present regulatory system bizarre.Depending on the problem, responsibility for noise can lie with the Council, the Environment Protection Authority, one of three government departments or even the police.So complainants often feel they are getting the run-round.When the people at the forum were asked to vote for changes, the strongest response was for a 24-hour noise hotline to be the first part of call for all complaints.
The forum also favored regulatory measures, such as tougher minimum standards for noise in appliances like air conditioners.This even makes economic sense, as noise is a waste of energy and money.Other measures the meeting supported were wider buffer   zones around noisy activities and controls to keep heavy traffic away from residential areas.
But there are obvious conflicts.Many people like to have a bar within walking distance if they feel like a drink, but they don't want a noisy pub keeping them awake when they want an early night.Most people want to live near a major road providing good access to other parts of the city, but they don't' want the problem of road noise.
I was most interested by the proposals aimed at behavioral change.There was strong support for measures to reduce traffic: better public transport, cycle ways and footpaths, even charges for road use.Many people optimistically thought industry awards for better equipment would stimulate the production of quieter appliances.It was even suggested that noise from building sites could be alleviated   if Brisbane adopted daylight saving, thus shifting the working day and providing longer, quieter evenings.

Question: According to the recent public meeting in Brisbane, what was the first step to take in order to reduce noise pollution?

Choices:
- Produce quieter air conditioners.
- Provide better sound barriers around major roads.
- Establish a noise complaints system.
- Make stricter laws to require owners to take responsibility for barking dogs.

Question: It can be inferred from the passage that    _   .

Choices:
- the Brisbane residents were satisfied with the present noise regulatory system
- many people in Brisbane preferred to live near a pub to which they have easy access
- nearly all the inhabitants in Brisbane were bothered by noise in one form or another
- noise pollution is the most serious among pollution complaints in Brisbane

Question: What does the word "run-round" (Para.3) mean?

Choices:
- Unfair treatment.
- Quick response.
- Delaying action in response to a request.
- Full attention.

Question: How could noise from building sites be alleviated if Brisbane adopted daylight saving?

Choices:
- If daylight saving was adopted, the daytime would be prolonged and the night would become quieter.
- If daylight saving was adopted, the working hours during the daytime would be shortened while the night would be extended and thus quieter.
- If daylight saving was adopted, the night would be shortened and thus quieter.
- If daylight saving was adopted, both the daytime and the night would be shortened and the noise would be reduced.

Question: What was the author's attitude towards the industry awards for quieter equipment?

Choices:
- Suspicious.
- Positive.
- Enthusiastic.
- Indifferent.


Every day is a gift, and if you look forward to spending each day with happiness, wake up every morning with a positive attitude and enjoy a beautiful day!
Set up a daily plan for yourself and ensure that you reserve enough time for your homework. Also, don't forget to spare some time for play! Stop being lazy and start participating in your life instead of just watching it pass by. Try to do something fun and constructive every day. _ , write something interesting in your diary, try a new hobby, spend time with your friends, or just watch your favorite show on television, and you will see how every moment of your day unfolds. You'll achieve better results, and ultimately greater success.
However, every day will not be the way you want it to be. Some days will be good, while some will be bad. You won't be always happy and smiling. You may come across many challenges. Don't forget to remind yourself to slow down and take care of yourself. In today's busy lifestyle, it is necessary to relax to bring balance and joy back into your life. So, take charge of your life. Enjoy and appreciate the small things around you. Do a good deed and make others happy. Sometimes, doing something as simple as having a cup of tea with an old friend or a family member, listening to a cheerful song, or just writing down all the things that make you happy could indeed turn your day around!
Review and analyze your day before you retire at night. Reward yourself for completing the set goals and prepare the stage for the next day. This will impact your sleep and overall happiness levels. Plan for the next day, take a good rest, and wake up fresh the next morning!
If you will you are doing the same things every day, step out of your comfort zone and set aside some time to do things you have never done before. Stretch your limits. Not only will it make a boring day exciting but it will also build your confidence.

Question: Who are the intended readers of the passage?

Choices:
- Teachers
- Students
- Workers
- People in general

Question: Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

Choices:
- Planning your schedule for the next day the night before.
- Getting into the habit of self-praising with goals achieved.
- Rising early to get ready for your day with positive energy.
- Trying something new to learn from it to stretch your limits.

Question: What would be the best title for the passage?

Choices:
- How to make the most of your day
- How to lead a happy and satisfying life
- Act now without delay to change your life
- Spare time to focus on daily responsibilities


Researchers in the psychology department at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) have discovered a major difference in the way men and women respond to stress. This difference may explain why men are more likely to suffer from stress-related disorders.
Until now, psychological research has maintained that both men and women have the same "fight-or-flight" reaction to stress. In other words, individuals either react with aggressive behavior, such as verbal or physical conflict ("fight"), or they react by withdrawing from the stressful situation ("flight"). However, the UCLA research team found that men and women have quite different biological and behavioral responses to stress. While men often react to stress in the fight-or-flight response, women often have another kind of reaction which could be called "tend and befriend." That is, they often react to stressful conditions by protecting and nurturing their young ("tend"), and by looking for social contact and support from others - especially other females ('befriend").
Scientists have long known that in the fight-or- flight reaction to stress, an important role is played by certain hormones  released by the body. The UCLA research team suggests that the female tend-or-befriend response is also based on a hormone. This hormone, called oxytocin, has been studied in the context of childbirth, but now it is being studied for its role in the response of both men and women to stress. The principal investigator, Dr. Shelley E. Taylor, explained that "animals and people with high levels of oxytocin are calmer, more relaxed, more  social, and less anxious." While men also secrete oxytocin, its effects are reduced by male hormones.
In terms of everyday behavior, the UCLA study found that women are far more likely than men to seek social contact when they are feeling stressed. They may phone relatives or friends, or ask directions if they are lost.
The study also showed how fathers and mothers responded differently when they came home to their family after a stressful day at work. The typical father wanted to be left alone to enjoy some peace and quiet. For a typical mother, coping with a bad day at work meant focusing her attention on her children and their needs.
The differences in responding to stress may explain the fact that women have lower frequency of stress-related disorders such as high blood pressure or aggressive behavior. The tend-and-befriend regulatory  system may protect women against stress, and this may explain why women on average live longer than men.

Question: The UCLA study shows that in response to stress, men are more likely than women to   _   .

Choices:
- turn to friends for help
- solve a conflict calmly
- find an escape from reality
- seek comfort from children

Question: Which of the following is true about oxytocin according to the passage?

Choices:
- Men have the same level of oxytocin as women do.
- Oxytocin used to be studied in both men and women.
- Both animals and people have high levels of oxytocin.
- Oxytocin has more of an effect on women than on men.

Question: What can be learned from the passage?

Choices:
- Male hormones help build up the body's resistance to stress.
- In a family a mother cares more about children than a father does.
- Biological differences lead to different behavioral responses to stress.
- The UCLA study was designed to confirm previous research findings.

Question: Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

Choices:
- How men and women get over stress
- How men and women suffer from stress
- How researchers overcome stress problems
- How researchers handle stress-related disorders


When you were a child you had a pure mind which was free from worries and anxieties. However, as time goes by, you're faced with so many problems in life. Below are five techniques that can help you get relaxed.
1. Mind your own business.
Yes, please mind your own business. When you start being concerned about things which are not related to you, you lose your control on your thought process, which often has negative results disturbing the mental peace. Basically, your mind starts wandering here and there. So next time an unnecessary thought comes to your mind, think whether this is really something you should be worrying for? If not, keep it away and focus on something positive, practical and fruitful.
2. Surround yourself with positive people.
 _ negative comments and stay away from negative souls. When someone is negative, he spreads negativity and you get affected. Staying with such people will have long term influence on your character so think about your company.
3. Don't think about others too much.
Remember: _ Don't allow your brain to compare yourself to others as this is an insult   to yourself. Don't be jealous; it's a heart killing disease, get rid of it as soon as possible. When you are jealous you focus on finding faults in others even if they don't have. This poisons your soul and steals the mental peace.
4. You can't keep everyone happy.
Don't be oversensitive  . Be natural in what you do. Be positive and constructive in your deeds and then don't really care too much about others. Be aware, don't apply this to too closed relations. Develop trust to build up powerful relationships.
5. Don't believe yourself to be unlucky.
Remember this: Bad luck happens to everyone. It's not your fault at all. Time, whether good or bad, passes quickly. Develop the power of not looking back into your past. Believe in the power of Now. Believe in your skills. Work hard and you will get what you have been entitled for. Be patient and see what has been planned for you.
With these recommendations, I believe if you can make it, it's probable that you can bring changes in your lifestyle and get back your mental peace.

Question: This passage is written for those who want to   _  .

Choices:
- seek learning skills
- find positive people as friends
- make their mind pure
- get mentally peaceful and relaxed

Question: Which of the following should NOT be done according to the five techniques?

Choices:
- Stay with positive people.
- Care about the business of strangers.
- Be sincere with others and never care too much about them.
- Believe in the magic power of what the present can bring you.


Thomas Brodie-Sangster's cars and action figures weren't just toys. "They would always be characters, and I would always put on stupid voices," says Thomas (Born on 16 May 1990). For him, acting was just a matter of moving childhood games to a set.
Maturity and independence came to Thomas early as he started work at ten. After his first audition  , he learned about _ . Though hurt and disappointed, he took a part in a tiny, unknown TV film in 2001. No one noticed his performance - no one except screenwriter Richard Curtis. Two years later, he played Sam, a twelve-year-old in love in Curtis's Love Actually. After that hit film, he played actor Colin Firth's son in Nanny McPhee. Firth then joined a film called The Last Legion and supported Thomas for its lead role. As a result, the boy played Rome's final ruler in the action-adventure.
At about 16, Thomas had to make a decision. Did he really want to devote his life to acting? Many people in the public "aren't letting you be you because they see you as something special", he says. Also, friendship made during filming was often broken soon after the project finished. Despite these things, he found enough joy and satisfaction in the work to continue. Actually, Thomas seems to find joy in difficulty itself. He played 10-year-old Adolf Hitler in a TV movie and a teenage Paul McCartney in Nowhere Boy. The subject of his film Death of a Superhero made it his most challenging film. Still, he found a positive message in its story of a schoolboy with cancer.
Thomas now enjoys roles in Game of Thrones and the upcoming Maze Runner films. Popular as those projects may be, most still recognize him as Sam in Love Actually. Sam seems to run after Thomas, just as he ran through Heathrow airport to his sweetheart.

Question: Thomas Brodie-Sangster reached maturity early probably because of   _  .

Choices:
- his failure in the first audition
- his starting acting as early as ten
- his being supported by adult actors
- his acting in a tiny unknown TV film

Question: What can be considered as one of the negative aspects of acting according to Thomas?

Choices:
- Pressure from the public.
- Long-term working friendship.
- Finding joy in difficulty itself.
- Reading scripts and memorizing lines.

Question: Thomas played the lead role in   _  .

Choices:
- Love Actually
- Games of Thrones
- The Last Region
- Nanny McPhee


"For those who haven't been to Tibet is a dream; for those who have already been there, Tibet is a memory." said Li Wan, a graduate from Zhongshan University. "For me, living there is my dream and happiness."
Li was suddenly crazy about Tibet after working there for three months as an office clerk. Since 2008, Li has spent most of her time travelling in Tibet. Four years have passed and she has been almost every corner of Tibet.
Li came to Tibet firstly because of her desire for personal freedom. She entered Tibet along the Yunnan-Tibetan road, enjoying the special view happily. She was surprised to find that it is a white paradise  on earth. Although she couldn't even speak a word of Tibetan language, she had no difficulty in communicating with natives. "To me, they are free, generous, simple and happy. It appears to me that people should live in this way, singing while working, dancing while living." Li said.
Li Wan's dream is to live in Tibet for a long time. She has learnt to make good use of every penny and keep her cost of living within 300 yuan a month. Li has shown great courage in the adventures . On many situations she travelled alone in some places in terrible climate. To her greatest surprise, she learned to value life and to follow her own heart.
"I felt very close to death many times when I was in extreme coldness and quietness, running out of energy. After having survived the difficulties, I find more beauty in my life. I have learned to insist on my dream," she said.

Question: This passage mainly talks about   _  .

Choices:
- the challenges Li Wan met in Tibet
- the travel of Li Wan made in Tibet
- the people Li Wan communicated with in Tibet
- the route of Li Wan planned in Tibet

Question: During the adventures in Tibet, what Li Wan learned most is   _  .

Choices:
- to enjoy the beauty of nature
- to get along well with natives
- to follow her heart to live her life
- to set down journals about travel

Question: According to the last two passages, we can see Li Wan is a   _   person.

Choices:
- determined
- simple
- proud
- pretty

Question: What can we infer from the passage?

Choices:
- Li Wan felt it hard to communicate with natives because of their special culture.
- Li Wan couldn't live in Tibet well because she had little money to travel.
- Li Wan survived many difficulties but she still insisted on her dream.
- Li Wan fell in love with Tibet after she made tours there.


Global warming is causing more than 300,000 deaths and about $125 billion in economic losses each year, according to a report by the Global Humanitarian Forum, an organization led by Annan, the former United Nations secretary general.
The report, to be released Friday, analyzed data and existing studies of health, disaster, population and economic trends. It found that human-influenced climate change was raising the global death rates from illnesses including malnutrition   and heat-related health problems.
But even before its release, the report drew criticism from some experts on climate and risk, who questioned its methods and conclusions.
Along with the deaths, the report said that the lives of 325 million people, primarily in poor countries, were being seriously affected by climate change. It projected that the number would double by 2030.
Roger Pielke Jr., a political scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who studies disaster trends, said the Forum's report was "a methodological embarrassment" because there was no way to distinguish deaths or economic losses related to human-driven global warming amid the much larger losses resulting from the growth in populations and economic development in vulnerable   regions. Dr. Pielke said that "climate change is an important problem requiring our utmost   attention." But the report, he said, "will harm the cause for action on both climate change and disasters because it is so deeply flawed  ."
However, Soren Andreasen, a social scientist at Dalberg Global Development Partners who supervised the writing of the report, defended it, saying that it was clear that the numbers were rough estimates. He said the report was aimed at world leaders, who will meet in Copenhagen in December to negotiate a new international climate treaty.
In a press release describing the report, Mr. Annan stressed the need for the negotiations to focus on increasing the flow of money from rich to poor regions to help reduce their vulnerability  to climate hazards while still curbing   the emissions of the heat-trapping gases. More than 90% of the human and economic losses from climate change are occurring in poor countries, according to the report.

Question: What is the finding of the Global Humanitarian Forum?

Choices:
- Global temperatures affect the rate of economic development.
- Rates of death from illnesses have risen due to global warming.
- Malnutrition has caused serious health problems in poor countries.
- Economic trends have to do with population and natural disasters.

Question: What do we learn about the Forum's report from the passage?

Choices:
- It was challenged by some climate and risk experts.
- It aroused a lot of interest in the scientific circles.
- It was warmly received by environmentalists.
- It caused a big stir in developing countries.

Question: What does Dr. Pielke say about the Forum's report?

Choices:
- Its statistics look embarrassing.
- It is invalid in terms of methodology.
- It deserves our closest attention.
- Its conclusion is purposely exaggerated.

Question: What is Soren Andreasen's view of the report?

Choices:
- Its conclusions are based on carefully collected data.
- It is vulnerable to criticism if the statistics are closely examined.
- It will give rise to heated discussions at the Copenhagen conference.
- Its rough estimates are meant to draw the attention of world leaders.

Question: What does Kofi Annan say should be the focus of the Copenhagen conference?

Choices:
- How rich and poor regions can share responsibility in curbing global warming.
- How human and economic losses from climate change can be reduced.
- How emissions of heat-trapping gases can be reduced on a global scale.
- How rich countries can better help poor regions reduce climate hazards.


This Monday,the nation will start to celebrate Presidents' Day,just seven days before George Washington's birthday.Everyone agrees that day is a holiday,but is it just to celebrate George Washington's Birthday? What about Abraham Lincoln? Some government offices call it Presidents' Day.Others say the holiday is officially Washington's Birthday.Confused yet?
George Washington was elected the country's first President on April 30,1789.Soon after,Americans began publicly celebrating his birthday.Presidential historians say the actual date of George Washington's birth is February 11,1732.But a change in the calendar system 20 years later shifted all dates,making Washington's birthday February 22,which is now well accepted.In 1879.Congress made Washington's birthday an official federal holiday.It was the first federal holiday to celebrate an individual's birthday.In 1968,Congress passed the Monday Holidays Act,which moved the holiday to the third Monday in February.The new law did not change the holiday's name.It was still called Washington's Birthday,even though some lawmakers wanted to call it Presidents' Day to include Abraham Lincoln,whose actual birthday is February 12.
Many people argue that the holiday should celebrate all past Presidents.They feel Lincoln should be honored for his role in preserving the nation during the Civil War and helping to free slaves.Others feel the holiday should only honor Washington.the country's first President.They say shifting the focus away from Washington would mean future generations of kids would not know about the Father of Our Country.
Laws have been introduced in Congress over the years to require use of the term "George Washington's Birthday."but none of those laws have been passed.Meanwhile,many state governments and school districts now use the term "Presidents' Day."Many stoles also use it to promote holiday sales.
Should the holiday honor Washington,Washington and Lincoln,or all past Presidents? Write to emailbag@timeforkids.com and tell us what you think.

Question: The President's Day was originally designed to honor  _  .

Choices:
- George Washington
- Abraham Lincoln
- all presidents
- the Civil War

Question: What can we infer from the passage?

Choices:
- Washington's Birthday is the same as Lincoln's.
- The change in the calendar system was not wise.
- The new act changed the holiday's name.
- This Monday is the third one of this February.

Question: What's the main argument about this holiday?

Choices:
- When to celebrate the holiday.
- How to celebrate the holiday.
- Which president to honor.
- Where to celebrate the holiday.

Question: What's the best title for this passage?

Choices:
- Why people celebrate President Day.
- The history and debate behind Presidents' Day
- To celebrate Presidents' Day or not
- Colorful activities on Presidents' Day


How can you build more word-of-mouth advertising  ? In other words, why would your customers want to talk to their friends about their experience of doing business with you?
When you perform your service or deliver your product competently  ,  you are just doing what the customer expects. In order to increase the number of the customers who want to share their good experience with their friends, you must make your service impressive, going beyond what is expected.
Recently my daughter Dawn and I had lunch with my team members at the Campbell House. The food and service were truly excellent. My daughter asked for her leftovers   to be packed. They were returned to her in aluminum foil   shaped like a swan . Guess what she talked about when she got home? How much more do you think it cost the Campbell House to produce that "Wow!" experience? Answer --not a cent!
Disneyland should be an inspiration to us all in providing a "Wow!" experience. What do people talk to their friends about when they come home? "You should have seen how clean that park was! With all of the people there, it's unbelievable! There's not even a gum wrapper on the ground!" Walt Disney understood that cleanliness is marketing.

Question: According to the passage, customers would like to share their good experience with their friends if   _  .

Choices:
- what they need is provided on time
- the price of the service is low enough
- the service is better than they expected
- the after-sale service is good enough

Question: How did Dawn feel the moment she saw her packed leftovers?

Choices:
- Disappointed and angry.
- Excited and crazy.
- Worried and unhappy.
- Surprised and pleased.

Question: By saying "Answer -- not a cent!" the author seems to believe that   _  .

Choices:
- it is always possible to satisfy all of the customers
- sometimes it is easy to provide a good experience
- most customers are easy to do business with
- the service should be as cheap as possible


NEW YORK--Microsoft on Monday made another effort to challenge Apple's iPhone and Google's Android in the exploding smartphone market--launching a wireless operating system,Windows Phone 7.
Consumers will consider it"always delightful and thoroughly mine,"Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said at a launch event. Ballmer said last year that Microsoft had" _ "with its Windows Mobile operating system.For example,it failed to keep up with touch-screen innovations that make iPhones and Android phones easy to use.
Microsoft fell from third to fourth place in market share this year,behind BlackBerry,iPhone and Android. Only 10.8% of smartphone owners used Microsoft's system in August,down from 18% last December.
But Windows Phone 7 is"a total departure from anything they've done".Microsoft says it sought to simplify common activities. For example,you can instantly take a picture with a phone's camera by pushing a button on the device. You don't have to first awaken it from its sleep mode and launch the camera application. You also can program the phones to automatically upload photos to Facebook or other social network sites in a couple of seconds. Users can easily work with Microsoft Office contact and calendar information as well as documents created in Microsoft's Word,Excel and PowerPoint.
The phones will not show videos built on Adobe's Flash platform,widely used by services including YouTube and Hulu.
AT&T will offer the first Windows Phone 7 smartphone,the Samsung Focus,on Nov.8.Soon after,it will have the LG Quantum and HTC Surround. Each will cost S|  199.99 with a two-year service contract. T-Mobile will have two Windows Phone 7 models out for the holiday shopping season:the HTC HD7 and Dell Venue Pro. It did not say how much they'll cost.

Question: Which of the following phones will NOT use Windows Phone 7 operating system?

Choices:
- Quantum.
- Surround.
- Android.
- Focus.

Question: Why did Microsoft see a drop in market share last year?

Choices:
- Because its operating system didn't catch up with changes.
- Because its phones can't show videos from YouTube.
- Because it was inconvenient to take photos using its phones.
- Because its system was based only on Microsoft soft wares.

Question: Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

Choices:
- Smartphone Market Welcomes New Giant
- Microsoft to Fight Back on Smartphone
- Mobile Phones Getting Smarter and Easier
- Microsoft Proved a Failure in Smartphone


Dr. Paul Kelly, head of Monkeseaton Community High School in North Tyneside, said it would mean the end of sleeping in lessons before lunch, after experiments showed teenagers could have different body clocks from adults and younger children.
Russell Foster, an Oxford professor of neuroscience  , tested the memory of 200 Monkseaton pupils at 9 am and 2 pm using pairs of words, and discovered a 9% improvement in the afternoon. Students correctly identified 51% of word pairs in the latest session, compared with 42% in the morning. Tayler McCullough, 15, one of the test subjects, said the majority of students would welcome the extra hours in bed, "I'm extremely hard to get up in the morning. One or two people like to get to school early, but most of us would be up for going in later. I'm sure it would make a big difference to our learning ability."
Kelly is  _ that a change of school timetable will have a meaningful effect on exam performance. He wants his school's governors to approve his plan and put the new time-table in place before the opening of Monkseaton's new timetable in place before the opening of Monkseaton's new school building, the most technologically advanced in the country, in September.
Kelly hopes his latest idea will be just as successful. "We have to be practical. But this proves that, by starting later, children's learning improves, as does their health."
Foster said, "This is preliminary   data, but what's exciting is that it matches more detailed studies carried out in Canada and the US. Teenagers get up late not because they are lazy but because they are biologically programmed to do so."

Question: How many professors are mentioned in the passage?

Choices:
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four

Question: According to Russell Foster's research,   _  .

Choices:
- the students tested had very good memories
- the students tested did better jobs in the afternoon
- 42% of the students tested could do very good jobs
- 51% of the students tested could master 9% of words

Question: Foster's opinion on teenagers' getting up late is that   _  .

Choices:
- teenagers are practical
- teenagers are lazy-bones
- it's based on their body development
- it's good for their learning and health


Italy is one country where beauty is prized more than any other virtue. That is, except in the small town of Piobbico, the self-declared World Capital of Ugly People. The road sign at the edge of the town even warns visitors that they are entering the ugly zone. People who consider themselves ugly have been gathering in Piobbico since the 1960s. That's when Ugly Club president Telesforo Lacobelli established a dating agency for women who believed they were too ugly to attract husbands. Lacobelli believes that he is ugly himself because he has a short nose in a country where long or large noses have always been considered beautiful.
People from around the world travel to Piobbico to tell their sad stories of ugliness. During the annual Festival of the Ugly, which occurs on the first Sunday of every September, hundreds of people gather in Piobbico's town square to elect the president of the Ugly Club. Lacobelli wins the election every year. The Ugly Club has over 20, 000 members. They carry ID cards that grade their ugliness from bearable to extreme. A prize is awarded to Ugly Club members who qualify as extremely ugly.
The Ugly Club president insists that ugliness is a virtue. Since beautiful people get a lot of attention for their beauty alone, they have to work hard to prove their other virtues. Ugly people, on the other hand, are genuine and do not have to prove anything to anybody, according to Lacobelli.
Lacobelli is a spokesperson for ugly people everywhere. He believes that the uglier one is, the better life can be. Though the club enjoys making fun of beauty, especially beauty contests, Lacobelli has a serious side as well. He believes that too many people suffer from financial and emotional pressures because they don't meet society's standards of beauty. The fact that beautiful people are more successful in the workforce is a problem that Lacobelli has attempted to bring forward to the Italian public and government.

Question: Piobbico is rather special in that  _  .

Choices:
- it is a very small town
- it is home to ugly people
- it receives no visitors
- it is the capital of Italy

Question: Why is Lacobelli elected the president of the Ugly Club every year?

Choices:
- Because he is the ugliest person in the whole world.
- Because his ugliness is always graded as bearable.
- Because he is a spokesperson for ugly people everywhere.
- Because he has won the members' trust and admiration.

Question: Which of the following is true according to the passage?

Choices:
- Ugly people are most respected in Italy.
- The Festival of the Ugly is held every two years.
- Ugly people are unfairly treated in society.
- The uglier one is, the better life he or she lives.

Question: Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

Choices:
- The Ugly Capital of the World
- The Ugliest Person of the World
- Festival of the Ugly
- Beauty Contests Should be Banned


Most people buy a lot of gifts just before Christmas. But some people think we buy too much. They have started a special day called Buy Nothing Day. They don't want anyone to go shopping on that day.
Buy Nothing Day is November 29. It's 25 days before Christmas. It's after Thanksgiving Day and often the first day of Christmas shopping. At this time, we see ads in Newspapers and on TV telling us to "buy, buy, buy!"
The idea for Buy Nothing Day started in Vancouver, British Columbia. Now people all over the world celebrate Buy Nothing Day. In California, parents and children get together to read stories, sing songs, and paint pictures. The children talk about why they don't need a lot of toys. This year, in Manchester, England, people dressed up in costumes  to tell people that we buy too much.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, high school students wanted to tell other students about Buy Nothing Day. They organized a spaghetti dinner to give people information about Buy Nothing Day. They asked restaurants in the neighborhood to donate  the food. They made posters and talked to other students about it. The dinner was a big success, and many students agreed not to buy anything on November 29. The students at high schools liked the idea of this new tradition. Next year, they want to have another dinner to tell more people about Buy Nothing Day!

Question: Which of the following is NOT the day for people to celebrate Buy Nothing Day?

Choices:
- November 29.
- 25 days before Christmas.
- After Thanksgiving.
- The first day after Christmas.

Question: People usually buy many gifts  _  .

Choices:
- before Thanksgiving
- on Christmas
- before Christmas
- anytime

Question: How do people celebrate Buy Nothing Day?

Choices:
- In California, parents and children get together to play games.
- In England, people celebrate by performing plays.
- In Mexico, high school students dress up.
- They buy nothing and persuade others not to buy things.

Question: What did the students do in New Mexico for the day?

Choices:
- They donated the food of their own.
- They talked to others about it.
- They made some slogans  for it.
- They organized a luxurious  dinner.


Teachers and textbooks  _ -- your future could be under threat from a quickly developing and very smart technology.
     University of California researchers led by Jacob White hill recently programmed teaching robots to react to facial expression. Whitehill's achievement marked a major step forward in the way people could one day learn by establishing facial expression recognition in robot teachers.
     The teaching robots or, Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) are computer systems that provide personalized instruction and feedback to students without human intervention. The facial expression recognition allows a computer to react according to expressions a user makes.
     He said that the system was an important development in improving learning systems.
"Classical ITS typically have a somewhat rigid architecture of 'first I ask a questions then I wait for a responses then I talk some more; then I wait for another response.' Facial expression recognition, I believe, will allow the feedback from student to teacher to happen while the robot teacher is talking," Whitehill said.
     Experts agree the latest developments in ITS open new possibilities for how people could learn. University of Memphis researcher, Dr Andrew Olney, who recently received a US$ I. 3 million grant to develop an ITS, said the key to future learning will be enabling interactive , one-on-one instruction.
     "The technology can benefit these more advanced learning scenarios ," he said.
     Although robot teachers of varying abilities have existed for more than 30 years, ITS developments such as Whitehill's and Olney's are pushing beliefs that robots could soon be as effective as-- if not more effective than human teachers.
     "The ITS which have been developed are already better teachers than people who have no experience," Olney said.
     So, what is the future for today's teachers, classrooms, and textbooks?

Question: The newly teaching robots are more advanced because they have  _

Choices:
- Jacob Whitehill as the designer
- a program reacting to facial expressions
- a system to help people learn
- a set of instruments to recognize your voice

Question: Compared with classical ITS, developed ITS can

Choices:
- ask and answer questions in turns
- provide feedback to students in less time
- somewhat interact with the students
- make different facial expressions

Question: According to the text, we can infer that

Choices:
- in the future, students will not need textbooks at all
- the developed ITS can answer any question students ask
- facial expression recognition in ITS has existed for a long time
- in the future teaching robots will possibly take the place of human teachers

Question: The writer seems to   _  the newly-developed teaching robots.

Choices:
- throw doubt on
- object to
- take no interest in
- approve of

Question: The author wrote the passage aiming to

Choices:
- warn teachers against robot teachers in advance
- explain how robot teachers in the future work
- introduce a newly developed teaching robot
- show his respect for the designers of the advanced ITS


"Ten years ago I could never have imagined I'd be doing this,"says Greg Pal,33,a former software executive. "I mean ,this is essentially agriculture ,right? But the people I talk to, especially the ones coming out of business school , think this is the one hot area everyone wants to get into ."
    He means bugs. To be more accurate, the genetic  change of bugs---very, very small ones---so that when they feed on agricultural waste such as woodchip or wheat straw ,they do something extraordinary . They excrete   crude oil.
   Unbelievably ,this is not science fiction .Mr. Pal holds up a small cup of bug excretion that could ,in theory ,be poured into the tank of the big Lexus SUX next to us .Not that Mr. Pal was willing to risk it just yet .He gives it a month before the first vehicle is filled up with what he calls "renewable petroleum ".After that ,he smiles ,"It's a brave new world."
    Mr. Pal is a senior director of LS9,one of several companies in or near Silicon Valley.The company is not interested in using corn as material ,given the much-advertised problems created by using food crops for fuel .Instead ,different types of agricultural waste will be used according to whatever makes sense for the local climate and economy :wheat straw in California ,for example ,or woodchip in the south.
    Are Americans ready to be putting genetically changed bug excretion in their cars? "It's not the same as with food,"Mr. Pal say ."We are putting these bacteria in a very isolated container. Their entire universe is in that tank .When we've done with them .they are destroyed."
   " Besides ",he says ,"there is greater good being served."" I have two children, and climate change is something that they are going to face .The energy crisis is something that they are going to face .We have a collective responsibility to do this."

Question: Greg Pal used to  _  .

Choices:
- have great interest in bugs
- major in agriculture
- be engaged in developing software
- study in a business school

Question: To make the bugs excrete crude oil, Greg Pal has to  _

Choices:
- keep them in an isolated tank
- change their genes first
- change their usual diet first
- kill them for bacteria

Question: We can infer from the passage that  _  .

Choices:
- it is a very complex process for bugs to produce oil
- it is not worthwhile for Mr. Pal to do the experiment
- it is safe to use the excretion produced by bugs
- it is necessary to use bugs to produce crude oil

Question: What would be the best title for the passage?

Choices:
- Bugs Eat Waste and Excrete Petrol
- Waste Turns into Crude Oil
- A Promising Business
- Software Executive Turned to Bugs


Dreams can be familiar and strange, fantastical or boring, but some dreams might be connected to the mental processes that help us learn. In a recent study, scientists found a connection between nap-time dreams and better memory in people who were learning a new skill.
In the study,99 college students between the ages of 18 and 30 each spent an hour on a compute, trying to get through a virtual maze .The maze was different place each time they tired--making it even more difficult. They were also told to find a particular picture of a tree and remember where it was.
For the first 90 minutes of a five-hour break, half of the participants stayed awake and an half were told to take a short nap .Participants who stayed awake were asked to describe their thoughts. Participants who took a nap were asked about their dreams before sleep and after sleep--and they were awakened within a minute of sleep to describe their dreams.
Stickgold, a neuroscientist ,wanted to know what people were dreaming about when their eyes weren't moving during sleep.
Four of the 50 people who slept said their dreams were connected to the maze. Some dreamed about the music that had been playing when they were working ; others said they dreamed about seeing people in the maze. When these four people tried the computer maze again, they were able to find the tree faster than before their naps.
Stickgold suggests the dream itself doesn't  help a person learn--it's the other way around.He suspects that the dream was caused by the brain processes associated with learning.
All four of the people who dreamed about the task had done poorly the first time, which makes Stickgold wonder if the dreams show up when a person finds a new task particularly difficult. People who had other dreams, or people who didn't take a nap, didn't show the same improvement.

Question: Before having a short nap, participants of the experiment were asked to  _  .

Choices:
- stay in a different place in the maze
- design a virtual maze which is difficult to get through
- experience the experiment and try to remember something
- get through a virtual maze on a computer from the same place

Question: What can we learn from the text?

Choices:
- Participants who took a nap were required to express their thoughts.
- Some dreams may encourage people to invent something new.
- Participants who dreamed about films could finish the task more easily.
- Participants whose dreams had something to do with the maze could find the tree faster.

Question: According to Stickgold,  _  .

Choices:
- every person may dream about what they learned
- people's brain processes may still be connected with their learning in their dreams
- once people's eyes stop moving, they are sure to dream about something
- no matter how fantastical or boring, dreams are connected with people's life

Question: What is the best title for this text?

Choices:
- Dreams Are Strange
- Not All Dreams Are True
- Dreaming Makes Perfect
- Stickgold, a Dream Expert


If you are ever planning to buy a telescope and want to get yourself involved in astronomy it is always a good idea to know a bit of the sky.Get acquainted with a few constellations  so that it will be easier for you to spot the constellations when you are using your telescope.
It's a good idea to buy a few magazines on astronomy to help you to get familiar with the constellations in the sky and also read a few reviews on the different types of telescopes in the market.This will help you gather all the information that is out there regarding telescopes and what people have to say about them.
It's advisable to go in for a pair of binoculars  before you buy your first telescope so that you can get used to spotting constellations before your view of the sky is narrowed down.This will also help you know if you really want to get involved in astronomy.Many people buy a costly telescope and then discover that they're not actually interested in astronomy.
Experience has no substitute,and there certainly is nothing better than using different telescopes before you buy one.This will help you to get the feel of all the types of telescopes and you will know which one is easier for you to use.A large aperture  refractor  may give you an excellent image but you may not be able to keep a steady hand while using it resulting in a blurry image.
There are three types of telescopes that are available in the market.If you want a more elegant looking telescope you can always choose to buy a fine brass telescope.It's good to become acquainted with each type before going for the plunge of a first telescope.The first type of telescope is the refractor telescope,which uses lenses to gather light to a focus at the eye piece.The use of lenses helps the telescope have a superior image.A refracting telescope is not as portable as the other two types of telescopes and so you will have to buy one with a small aperture.
The second type of telescope is the Reflector.Made by Sir Isaac Newton,this telescope functions by focusing the light back at the front of the tube,which is where the eyepiece sits,by using parabolic  mirrors and another smaller mirror to deflect the light.There is no added color in the image caused by refraction of light since this telescope does not use lenses.These are the cheapest of all telescopes and are more portable than refractors.

Question: According to the text,a telescope is intended to be bought for   _  .

Choices:
- getting experience
- watching stars
- studying the climate
- learning about a bit of the sky

Question: Why does the author advise buying a pair of binoculars first?

Choices:
- The telescope is too expensive.
- The binoculars are easier to use.
- You may gain plenty of experience in astronomy.
- Your view will be narrow by using a pair of binoculars.

Question: What do we know about the refracting telescope?

Choices:
- It looks very elegant.
- It refracts light by an eye piece.
- It has clear images without any lenses.
- It is not convenient to take along for its size.