Mrs. Allen's husband died ten years ago when her son and daughter were still in high school. Mr. Allen had left some money, and since Mrs. Allen had managed a bookstore before she was married, she took the money and bought a shop in town. Later she moved the shop out to the shopping center.
    She was a pleasant woman; she worked hard and was well-informed about books, and so the bookstore prospered and she was able to hire a friend to help her.
    Laura Barnes, Mrs. Allen's friend and assistant, was also a widow. She had some free time and the need for a little extra-money, and so she took the job in the bookstore. She was too clever and friendly, and the two women were well-known in the neighbourhood as "Mrs. A"and "Mrs. B".

Question: How many people in all were there in the two women's families?   _  .

Choices:
- At least 8
- At least 7
- At least 6
- At least 4

Question: The bookstore prospered   _  .

Choices:
- after Mrs. Allen lost control of it
- before Mrs. A got to know Mrs. B
- because the two women had little housework to do
- because Mrs. A became expert at management and threw herself into it

Question: Why did Mrs. A hire Mrs. B?   _  .

Choices:
- Mrs. B asked for very little pay
- She believed that Mrs. B was the very person to help her to improve management
- Mrs. B was a friend of hers
- she was also that kind of woman like her

Question: Which of the following is true?   _  .

Choices:
- Mrs. A set up her bookshop in the shopping center
- Mr. Allen was dead but Mr. Barnes alive
- Mrs. A managed to set another bookstore with Mrs. B
- The two children of Mrs. A were of the same age


They may be small and not able to speak, but babies are proving their amazing cleverness. Scientists began finding infants' skills are more than they are supposed to be.
 _
Speaking of music, babies can't seem to resist it. Not only are their ears turned to the beats, babies can actually dance to the music.
To test babies' dancing ability, the researchers played recordings of classical music, rhythmic beats and speech to infants, and recorded the results. They also invited professional dancers to analyze how well the babies matched their movements to the music. The babies moved their arms, hands, legs feet and heads in response to the music, much more than to the speech. The finding suggests this dancing ability is innate  in humans, though the researchers aren't sure why _ becomes weaker later in their life.
Learning Quickly while Sleeping
Babies can learn even while asleep, according to a 2011 study. In experiments with 26 sleeping infants, each just 1 to 2 days old, scientists played a musical tone followed by a puff of air to their eyes 200 times over the course of a half-hour. 124 electrodes  stuck on the head and face of each baby recorded brain activity during the experiments. The babies rapidly learned to foretell a puff of air upon hearing the tone, showing a four-time increase on average in the chances of tightening their eyelids in response to the sound by the end of the experiments.
As newborns spend most of their time asleep, this newfound ability might be crucial to rapidly adapting to the world around them and help to ensure their survival, researchers said.
Judging Characters Well
Judging another person helpful or harmful is crucial when choosing friends. And that ability starts early. Kiley Hamlin of Yale University showed both 6-and 10-month-olds a puppet  show, in which one character helped another climb a hill. In another scene a third character pushed the climber down. The little ones then got to choose which character they preferred. For both age groups, most babies chose the helper character. This character-judging ability could be baby's first step in the formation of morals, Hamlin thought.

Question: The experiment with 26 sleeping infants prove that  _  .

Choices:
- babies can learn even while asleep
- babies can respond to the world around them
- babies can tighten their eyelids in response to the sound
- babies can communicate with others while asleep

Question: In the last experiment, most babies chose the helper character, showing that  _  .

Choices:
- babies can judge a person helpful or harmful
- babies love to see a puppet show
- babies were born to help others
- babes have learned to help others


In recent years many countries of the world have been faced with the problem of how to make their workers more productive. Some experts claim the answer is to make jobs more varied. But do more various jobs lead to greater productivity? There is evidence to suggest that while variety certainly makes the worker's life more enjoyable, it does not actually make him work harder. As far as increasing productivity is concerned, then variety is not an important factor.
Other experts feel that giving the worker freedom to do his job in his own way is important, and there is no doubt that this is true. The problem is that this kind of freedom cannot easily be given in the modern factory with its complicated machinery which must be used in a fixed way. Thus while freedom of choice may be important, there is usually very little that can be done to create it.
Another very important consideration is how each worker contributes to the product he is making. In most factories the worker sees only one part of the product. Some car factories are now experimenting with having many small production lines rather than one large one, so that each worker contributes more to the production of the cars on his line. It would seem that not only is degree of the worker contribution an important factor, therefore, but it is also one we can do something about.
To what extent does more money lead to greater productivity? The workers themselves certainly think this is important. But perhaps they want more money only because the work they do is boring. Money just lets them enjoy their spare time more. A similar argument may explain demands for shorter working hours. Perhaps if we succeed in making their jobs more interesting, they will neither want more money, nor will shorter working hours be so important to them.

Question: Which of the following is the best way to make workers work harder according to the author?

Choices:
- Increasing their pay.
- Giving them more spare time.
- Making the work itself meaningful.
- Replacing large production lines with small ones.

Question: The reason why a worker cannot have freedom in doing the job in his own way is that   _  .

Choices:
- the machinery is so complex that it should be fixed
- the production lines are too large in modern factories
- the bosses can create very little freedom of choices for workers
- the machines must be operated strictly according to instructions and rules

Question: For a worker on an assembly line in a car factory, the job is not enjoyable because   _  .

Choices:
- he can only make a part of a car
- he does not know what he is doing
- his life in spare time is more interesting
- the importance of his job is not clear to him

Question: In the article, the word "productivity" means   _  .

Choices:
- the activity of producing something
- the production volume in a time unit
- the plan and the method of production
- both the quantity and quality of a product

Question: The best title for this passage may be   _  .

Choices:
- Problems of Modern Workers
- Making Jobs More Interesting
- Pushing Workers to Produce More
- How to Improve Labor Conditions


Why do people cross their fingers when facing difficulties-eve non-religious people? Why do we blame the black cat when we saw the low score of the test?
These habits have been referred to as magical thinking and can be found everywhere in daily life. For example, a person wishes something bad for an annoying colleague. Or parents pray for a safe fight when seeing their son off.
Psychologically helpful
In examining these habits, scientists decided to search for a reason for humans' belief in magical powers. Psychologists have their own approach to the question.
"I think in part it's because we are constantly exposed to our own thoughts, and thus likely to overestimate their connection to outside events. "said Emily Pronin, a psychologist in the prefix = st1 /US.
For people who are uncertain of their own abilities or slow to take action, magical thinking can be a great help, explained Dr. Daniel Wegner, a professor psychology at Harvard. Feeling that their own thoughts can control things can help people fight depression.
A trait gained through evolution
But evolutionists have their own ideas.
Two schools of evolutionary thought have come up with reasons by analyzing the development of humans. They are the "adaptationists "and the "byproduct theorists ".
The adaptationists say that belief in magical powers makes people feel better, less worried about difficulties, more focused on the future, and more willing to care for themselves. People with a strong faith (in something) have a better chance of surviving a tough environment or competition.
But in byproduct theory,magical thinking is a product of our psychological features.
"We automatically look for an explanation of why things happen,"explains Justin Barrett, a psychologist, The brain, therefore, has evolved to make quick judgments about causation . So we often link two events based on nothing more than coincidence. For example, "I was just thinking about looking up my old high school girlfriend when she suddenly called me. "
Another psychological feature is the theory of mind. We recognize that there could be an unseen power of mind affecting the outcome of an incident.
Byproduct theorists claim that because of these features, we are born with a tendency to believe in our magical thinking.
But we need to confine our magical thinking, warn psychologists.
For most people, beliefs are just some sort of comforting private ritual. When something important is at stake, such as a test or a performance or a relationship, people don't simply perform their private rituals. They have to prepare.

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

Choices:
- Justin Barrett, an evolutionist, denies magical thinking is a product of adaptation.
- People with a weak faith have a better chance of surviving competition.
- The adaptationists think we are born with a tendency to believe in our magic thinking.
- Dr. Daniel Wegner believe magic thinking can be a great help.

Question: In which part of the newspaper can you find this passage most possibly?

Choices:
- Culture.
- Recreation
- History
- News

Question: The author writes the passage mainly to_.

Choices:
- persuade people to think twice faced with difficulties
- introduce some information about opinions of evolutionists
- explain why humans have a need for faith from different respects
- convince people that magic thinking has advantages and disadvantages


The Opening of the Book Nook
Saturday, October 4, 10 AM to 10 PM
You will not want to miss the opening of your new neighborhood bookstore! Located at 2289 Main Street, the Book Nook is within walking distance of schools, many homes and businesses. Come and check out the Book Nook on Saturday!
Activities will include:
* Live music by local musicians
* One Book-of-the-Month Club membership giveaway
Wide Selection
The Book Nook has three floors with books of all kinds---any kind you could want. If we do not have the book you are looking for, we can specially order it for you. You will have it in your hands within two days!
Reading Nooks
We are proud of our children's reading area on the first floor, as well as our teenagers' nook on the second floor. Come for the activities and stay for a while! Settle in one of these inviting reading areas; take a seat with a good book and a free cup of hot chocolate. You will discover the perfect way to spend a few hours.
Book Events
The Book Nook will be featuring monthly book signings by different authors, giving you a chance to meet and speak with well-known writers. Don't miss the experience of hearing these authors read aloud their own books!
The Book-of-the-Month Club
Our Book-of-the-Month Club will feature 12 books each year. As a member, you will be able to select one new book each month. The membership fee is only $10.00 per month. That is a great price for 12 books each year!
So please join us on Saturday and learn about all that the Book Nook has to offer. You can come anytime between 10 AM and 10 PM. Our activities last all day long!

Question: What can we learn about the Book Nook?

Choices:
- It is a well-located bookstore.
- Any interesting books can be found right here.
- It is open from 10 AM to 10 PM every day.
- The third floor is specially designed for children.

Question: What can people do in the Book Nook on October 4?

Choices:
- They can have a taste of different kinds of chocolate.
- They can read aloud together with well-known writers.
- They can enjoy live music performed by well-known writers.
- They can become a member of the Book-of-the-Month Club.

Question: As a member of the Book-of-the-Month Club, you   _  .

Choices:
- can buy any books in the Book Nook at a low price
- may borrow as many as 12 books every week
- need to pay 120 dollars every year
- should be over the age of 12


Almost five years ago, I announced to my loved ones I was to become a Mrs. Naturally. I then began to wonder about the perfect wedding dress, hoping that it would fit me. Even at the age of 23, I had gone through my share of dieting.
I am an emotional eater and I knew that at 5 feet 5 inches tall and 180 pounds, I wasn't at my healthiest. My mother had been doing Weight Watchers for some time and was rapidly seeing results without starving herself. She shared her books with me and explained the program: estimate your daily target based on your weight and other factors, write down everything you eat and move! The longer I stuck to it the more I noticed a difference in the way I enjoyed food. I soon began to like eating fruits and vegetables for snacks instead of chocolate bars and chips. My mother and I went on walks together and kept each other in check. Unsurprisingly, I lost twenty pounds soon and looked amazing in my wedding dress.
I buy healthy foods, replace ice cream and faithfully keep a food journal. I exercised and take evening walks. Because I have a hard time reaching for something healthy by myself, I bought a Weight Watchers cookbook and use it to prepare our meals. I use small plates and bowls to trick myself into believing there is more food than the serving size.
It's been hard to discipline myself not to eat badly. But when I find myself having a desire for strawberries instead of chocolate, I know it's all worthwhile.

Question: The author successfully lost twenty pounds   _  .

Choices:
- by walking and eating less every day
- by only eating fruits and vegetables
- under her doctor's direction
- with the help of her mother


Best places to visit in Australia
Are you looking for the best places to see in Australia? Here are the top 5 places to visit in Australia. It includes the best, the most beautiful and the most famous.
Sydney
For those who have made a flight from the other side of the world, if you come and don't see Sydney, it is a bit like going to Germany and not drinking a beer, or to England and not seeing London, or America and not trying a hot dog. There is plenty to see and do in Sydney apart from the well known attractions of the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, and Bondi beaches.
Byron Bay
Located in New South Wales, just south of the Queensland border, Byron Bay is popular with not just international tourists, but is also a favorite holiday destination of Australians. The lighthouse is amazing at sunset (and it is the most easterly part of mainland Australia). There are a range of music festivals over the year that attract international and local musicians alike.
The Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road, located in Victoria, is one of the best scenic drives of the world. Its official length is 243 kms (roughly 150 miles), but it will take you a full day to enjoy it due to the narrow and windy traffic lanes (only one in each direction).
Daintree Rainforest
Located in northern Queensland, roughly 110 kms north of Cairns, the rainforest is a nature wonderland. It is Australia's largest rainforest, about 20% of Australia's native bird species can be found within the Daintree.
The Great Barrier Reef
Located in Queensland, this attraction is one of those attractions that are actually known by everyone. Extending for about 2,300 kms, it is home to many rare, endangered and unique animals and plant species.

Question: Which places will you go in Australia if you are interested in music?

Choices:
- Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef
- Byron Bay and Daintree Rainforest
- The Great Ocean Roadand Byron Bay
- Byron Bay and Sydney

Question: Where can you see unique and endangered animals in Australia?

Choices:
- Daintree Rainforest
- The Great Barrier Reef
- Byron Bay
- Sydney

Question: What is the biggest problem when travelling in the Great Ocean Road?

Choices:
- Its traffic problems.
- Its official length.
- You can't eat an America hot dog there.
- You must make a flight from the other side of the world.


Dutch treat is a late-nineteenth-century term, and it originally refers to a dinner where everyone is expected to pay for his own share of the food and drink. If people go "Dutch treat", or simply "go Dutch", it means that they will share the expenses of a social engagement.
There are many other "Dutch" expressions in English, many of which were invented in Britain in the seventeenth century, when the Dutch and the English were commercial and military rivals. The British used "Dutch" to refer to something bad, cheap and shameful. A "Dutch bargain" at that time was an uneven, one-sided deal; "Dutch reckoning" was an unitemized  account; and "Dutch widow" was slang for prostitute. Later centuries brought in "Dutch courage", for bravery caused by drink; "Dutch concert", for noisy music; "Dutch nightingale", meaning a frog; and "double Dutch", for incomprehensible language or talk.
Some of the expressions are still in use today, but some are not. In fact, in American English, some "Dutch" expressions have nothing to do with the Dutch, but something with the German. It was probably because of the similar spelling and pronunciation that people made a mistake in distinguishing between "Dutch" and "Deutsch" (the German word for German), when German immigrants came to America in the 1700s. For instance, "the Pennsylvania Dutch" refers to the German descendants, instead of the Dutch descendants, living in Pennsylvania.

Question: Many of the "Dutch" expressions were invented with negative sense, because   _  .

Choices:
- The Dutch were underdeveloped people.
- Britain and Holland were competitors at that time.
- The Dutch had many bad habits.
- The British were superior to the Dutch.

Question: According to the passage, some native American "Dutch" expressions were related to the German instead of the Dutch, simply because   _  .

Choices:
- People hated the German as much as the Dutch.
- People made a mistake at the beginning.
- People made a joke about the German.
- The German immigrants proclaimed that they were Dutch.


What did you dream about last night? Did your teeth fall out or did you fly? Maybe you died or someone you know did.Or maybe you were back in high school.These are among the most common dreams people have and they all mean something.Here are some of the most common dreams and their interpretations or symbolism.
Dreams of flying.Dreams of flying represent feelings of freedom that may result from an instance when you overcome a limitation or obstacle.Usually, children have more flying dreams than adults, because children are more open to their possibilities, and adults have often accepted limitations imposed by society.
Teeth falling out.Food in a dream is symbolic of knowledge because food nourishes the physical body and knowledge nourishes the soul.Teeth are a means to break down food or knowledge.When your teeth fall out in a dream, it could signify that you feel ill - equipped to break down the knowledge that you have available, that the way you break things down has changed.That change can be either positive or negative.
High school dreams.High school is a place of learning from the past, and dreaming of being unprepared for a high school test can indicate a struggle to access information you need to handle in your life.
Recurring dreams and nightmares.Recurring dreams are your subconscious  mind's way of trying to get your attention.A recurring dream is a step down from a nightmare that is a louder, more insistent way your subconscious mind communicates.If you have a recurring dream, try to stop in the dream and _ what the dream is trying to tell you.That could mean asking someone who is chasing you what he or she wants.A woman dreamed for years that an old, haggard woman was chasing her around her home.When she finally stopped in the dream and asked the old woman what she represented, the old woman suddenly turned into a beautiful young woman and replied, "I represent your question of ' what if?' "

Question: The text is mainly about   _  .

Choices:
- high school dreams
- dreams' symbolism
- dreams of flying
- nightmares

Question: After you' ve got out of some difficulties, you might have a   _  .

Choices:
- high school dream
- dream of flying
- dream of teeth falling out
- a nightmare

Question: If you dream of being unprepared for a "high school test, it means  _  .

Choices:
- you' re trying to learn something
- you will certainly fail in the test
- you will be scolded by your teacher
- you' re not well prepared for the test

Question: The woman' s dream is mentioned mainly to   _  .

Choices:
- tell us nothing but an interesting story
- show us what a nightmare is like
- tell us that women are always changeable
- show us the way to deal with a recurring dream


It's 5pm on a Friday and I'm standing in a coffee shop above Shibuya crossing - one of the most busiest place in Japan where more than a thousand of Tokyo's smartly dressed people gather at eight points, ready to cross - then rush straight for each other. It looks like they must bump into each other, but It's amazing that they all manage to reach the other side safely.
But the real reason I'm here is that I want to see people crash. I want businessmen to knock into each other, their umbrellas flying off their arms, and uniformed schoolchildren hitting grannies. Why may I see this now, but wouldn't have had the chance even a year ago? It's very simple - smartphones.
Smartphone use is booming in Japan. In 2012, only about a quarter of Japanese used them, most being perfectly happy with their everyday mobiles. But now more than half of all Japanese now own a smartphone and the number is rising fast. But with that rise has grown another phenomenon - the smartphone walk. Those people who're staring at a phone screen adopt this kind of pace- their head down, arms outreached, looking like zombies trying to find human prey .
Surprisingly, an American named Michael Cucek who has lived here for more than 20 years told me smartphone walk probably wouldn't be a long-term problem. Japanese phone manner is in fact better than anywhere else in the world - hardly anyone speaks on their phones on trains, and teenagers wouldn't dare broadcast music out of one. If things got truly bad at Shibuya, the police would just start shouting at people to look up.
But really, is the smartphone walk such an annoying problem? There's only one way to find out. So I leave the coffee shop, head down to the crossing and start typing an email, promising myself I won't look up until I get to the other side. When they start walking past me, it's my time to cross. As I step forward, the experience quickly becomes nervous - legs jump in and out of my vision without warning, while shopping bags fly towards my face before being pulled away at the last moment. I'm sure I'm going to get hit, but after a few seconds I relax. It's OK. Everyone's reacting for me.
I expect to see two smartphone walkers just like me. But instead I find a young couple, very much in love and very much refusing to let each other's hands go just to give way to a fool on his smartphone. The girl gives me such a look of dislike that I quickly apologize and rush round them. That look was enough to ensure I'll never be smartphone walking again.

Question: Why does the author stand in a coffee shop above Shibuya crossing?

Choices:
- Because he is waiting for somebody.
- Because he can have a good view from there.
- Because he wants to see what would happen because of smartphones.
- Because it's interesting to see businessmen's umbrellas flying off their arms

Question: How does Michael Cucek find smartphone walk in Japan?

Choices:
- He found it by accident when he lives here.
- Japanese pay much attention to their phone manner in public.
- The police in Shibuya are too strict with people's phone manner.
- Smartphone walk in Japan has a deep root.

Question: How does the author confirm whether smartphone walk is annoying or not?

Choices:
- By personal experimenting
- By comparing with other way of walk
- By giving example.
- By explaining the traffic rules patiently

Question: After smartphone walking himself, the author thinks  _  .

Choices:
- it's exciting to walk while sending emails
- it's really dangerous to walk while sending emails
- there are some others smartphone walking like him
- other passers-by give way to him although they dislike.


A woman was waiting at an airport one night, with several long hours before her flight. She bought a book and a bag of cookies in the airport shop, and found a place to drop.
She was interested in her book, but the man sitting beside her grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between, which she tried to ignore to avoid an argument.
So she ate the cookies noisily and watched the clock, as the cookie thief diminished (......) her stock. She was getting angrier as the minutes passed, thinking,"Oh, brother, if I wasn't so nice, I would blacken your eyes."
With each cookie she took, he took one, too. When only one was left, she wondered what he would do. With a smile on his face, he took the last cookie and broke it in half. He offered her half, and he ate the other. She got it from him and thought, " This guy has some nerve   and he's also rude. Why didn't he even show any gratitude?"
She had never known when she had been so angry. She gathered her bag and headed for the gate, refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate  .
She boarded the plane and then she sought her book, which was almost complete. As she reached in her bag, she was shocked-- there was her bag of cookies. "If mine are here," she thought, "the others were his. It's too late to apologize."

Question: Why did the woman ignore it when she found the man eating the cookies?

Choices:
- She didn't want to get into an argument.
- She was full of pity for the man.
- The man was dangerous and brave.
- She was too careless to notice it.

Question: When offered her half of the last cookie, the woman  _  .

Choices:
- felt a bit disappointed.
- felt deeply thankful.
- considered the man unthankful.
- saw the man as his brave brother.

Question: We can infer that the man  _  .

Choices:
- might have returned the bag of cookies secretly.
- tried to share his cookies with the woman.
- was thankful for the woman's kindness.
- was really a thief.


Coaches and parents always tell us to keep our goals in mind when we go for a competition. Carrying your goals and expectations into a competition is one of the biggest mistakes any athlete can make. This is a big game and you want to win. You want to score a hundred, defeat your competitors, or score a hat-trick of goals. When you carry your goals into the competitive ground with you, chances are great that you will leave that performance with disappointment and heartache, and nothing more!
Expectations will _ Expectations will distract  you from the performance and make your muscles tighten up. Want to perform to your potential when it counts the most? Then write your goals on a piece of paper before you leave for the game, match or race, and then leave that paper at home!  Make a deal with yourself to let go of your goals. Expectations and goals should be your training partner, used to motivate you to work harder during practice and take your game to the next level, However, never take your goals and expectations into a competition. You will not perform to your potential!
Go into your competitions without any preconceived  ideas about the result. Forget the outcome!  Instead, keep your focus on what you're doing in the moment. Think of the competition as it unfolds, moment by moment. Relax at every opportunity by breathing deep and letting go of the tension in your muscles. When you do this you'll remain loose and relaxed. When you stay loose,  you'll perform to your capabilities. Goals and expectations are very important for your overall motivation, and very harmful when you carry them into a performance.

Question: According to the passage, for an athlete one of the biggest mistakes is   _  .

Choices:
- forgetting his goals when competing
- worrying about his not winning
- carrying his goals into the competition
- paying too much attention to the result

Question: According to the author, expectations and goals should be   _  .

Choices:
- set within one's capabilities
- used as an encouragement when training
- written down in case of being forgotten
- divided into some small parts

Question: What might be the most suitable title for the passage?

Choices:
- Keep your goals in mind
- Set your goals for a competition
- Forget your goals after competitions
- Leave your goals at home


What does the word "home" mean to you? How do you say the word in French? In Spanish? In your language? Although people usually know what the word means, it often has no exact translation. It's not surprising really, because the idea of home differs from country to country, and from person to person. A home is more than a roof and four walls. It's the cooking, eating, talking, playing and family living that go on inside, which are important as well. And at home you usually feel safe and relaxed.
But it's not just that homes look different in different countries, they also contain different things and reveal  different attitudes and needs. For example, in cold northern Europe, there's a fire in the living room or kitchen and all the chairs face it. In the south, where the sun shines a lot and it's more important to keep the heat out, there are small windows, cool stone floors and often no carpets. We asked some people about their homes.
How often do people move house in your country?
"In my country many people don't stay in one place for a very long time. They often move every ten years or so."
Cheryl, Boston, USA
What are typical features of homes in your country?
"In Britain, even in town there's always a garden and sometimes a cellar . We have separate bedrooms and living rooms. But we don't often have balconies  . The weather isn't warm enough!"
-- Pat, Exeter, England

Question: Which one is true according to the passage?

Choices:
- People in Britain seldom have balconies because it's so hot outside.
- "Home" is a place where you feel safe and relaxed.
- Although homes look different in different countries, they have the same needs.
- Houses in northern Europe always have big windows and cool stone floors.

Question: The word "home" has no exact translation because   _  .

Choices:
- people can't find this word in the dictionary
- no one knows what it is
- it has different meanings in different countries
- people can't understand each other very well

Question: You can   _   at home according to the passage.

Choices:
- eat, play, and teach students
- cook, talk, and play games
- swim, eat, and make friends
- do nothing

Question: Why is it important to keep the heat out of the houses in southern Europe?

Choices:
- Because they want to breathe fresh air outside.
- Because there's a fire in the living room.
- Because they wear heavy clothing all day long.
- Because the sun there shines a lot.


College visits are important.Before you commit years of your life and money to a school, be sure you're choosing a place," that is a good match for your personality and interests.You can't get the "feel' of a school from any guidebook, so be sure to visit the campus.Below are a few tips for getting the most out of your college visit.
1.Explore on your own
Of course you should take the official campus tour, but be sure to allow time to hang around on your own. The trained tour guides will show you a school's selling points.But the 1dest and prettiest buildings don't give you the entire picture of a college.Try to walk the extra mile and get the complete picture of the campus.
2.Read the Bulletin Boards
When you visit the student center, academic buildings and residence hall, take a few minutes to read the bulletin boards.They provide an easy way to see what's happening on campus.The ads for lectures, clubs and plays can tell you what's going on outside the classrooms.
3.Eat in the Dining Hall
You can get a good feel for student life by eating in the dining hall.Try to sit with students if you can.Do the students seem happy or stressed? Also, is the food good? Are there adequate healthy options? Many admission offices will give prospective students coupons for free meals in the dining halls.
4.Visit a Class in Your Major
If you know what you want to study, a class visit makes a lot of sense.You'll get to observe other students in your field and see how involved they are  in classroom discussion.Try to stay after class for a few minutes and chat with the students to get their impressions of their professors and major.Be sure to call in advance to schedule a classroom visit--most colleges don't allow visitors to drop in on class unannounced.
5.Talk to Lots of Students
Your campus tour guide has been trained to market the sch001.Try to talk to students who aren't getting paid to impress you.These important conversations can often provide you with information about co1lege life that isn't part of the admission script.Few university officials wi11 tell you if their students spend all weekend drinking or studying, but a group of random(,) students might.
For more tips,please go to collegeapps.about.com.

Question: The best way to know about a college in an official campus tour is  _  .

Choices:
- to walk around the campus alone
- to take pictures of the campus
- to visit the oldest and prettiest buildings
- to hire a tour guide

Question: Reading the bulletin boards can help you  _  .

Choices:
- decide the major you want to study
- find out the after-class activities on campus
- get free coupons from the admission offices
- find out the options of healthy food

Question: If you plan to attend a class on campus,  _  .

Choices:
- drop in on a class in your major
- have talks with the students in the class
- make an appointment in advance
- ask how the students like their teachers and majors

Question: To get a real idea of the college during a visit, it's best to talk to  _  .

Choices:
- famous professors
- campus tour guides
- admission officers
- random students

Question: Where does the passage probably come from?

Choices:
- A news report
- A tourist poster.
- An educational journal.
- A geographical magazine.


Hilton English Language Center
Information for New Students
CLASS TIME: 8:30a.m.--10:00a.m., 10:30a.m.--12:00a.m., 1:30p.m.--3:00p.m..
The Language Center is open Monday to Friday. Each class has one afternoon free per week. On the first day, go to the lecture hall to check your timetable.
SELF-ACCESS: The language laboratory (Room 1110) is open Monday to Friday from 3:15p.m. to 5:00p.m. for all full-time students.
You can learn how to use computers for language games or word-processing . There are tapes for students to borrow to practice their English. Go in and ask the teacher to show you. If you plan to take public examinations, there are dictation and listening comprehension tapes for you to practice with. There are cloze exercises on the computers. Ask your class teacher for a list of past exam essays. Students can borrow tapes to take home but they must be returned after two days.
ATTENDANCE :All students are expected to attend classes as it is required. Students who do not attend classes will be reported to OSS. Eighty percent attendance is required for students to receive their certificates when they finish their courses. It is also required by OSS for an extension to your visa.
BOOKS: If students are given course books, the books are their responsibility. If a book is lost, the student will be expected to pay for it.
If students wish to buy books, there is a bookshop in the college specializing in English books (Room 3520).

Question: When do classes begin and end on a full day?

Choices:
- 8:30a.m.--1:30p.m..
- 8:30a.m.--3:00p.m..
- 8:30a.m.--3:15p.m..
- 3:15p.m.--5:00p.m..

Question: Which of the following statements is TRUE?

Choices:
- No teachers are in the language lab.
- 90% attendance is required for the students.
- Books can't be taken out of the center.
- Students can prepare for exams by listening to tapes.

Question: The timetable can be seen in   _  .

Choices:
- the lecture hall
- Room 3520
- the classroom
- Room 1110


"Regardless of social class, race and age, men say they hate to shop." says Zukin, City University of New York sociology professor. Yet when you ask them deeper questions, it turns out that they like to shop. Men generally like to shop for books, music and hardware. But if you ask them about the shopping they do for books or music, they'll say, "Well, that's not shopping. That's research."
    In other words, what men and women call "buying things" and how they approach that task are different.
    Women will wander through several 1,000-aquare-meter stores in search of the perfect party dress. Men will wander through 100 Internet sites in search of the perfect digital camcorder. Women see shopping as a social event. Men see it as a special task or a game to be won.
   "Men are frequently shopping to win," says Ann, a marketing professor at Loyola University of Chicago. "They want to get the best deal. They want to get the best one, the latest one and if they do that it makes them happy." When women shop, "They're doing it in a way that they want everybody to be very happy." says Ann. "They're kind of shopping for love."
   "Teenage girls learn to shop from their moms and older sisters, but they also learn to shop by examining articles in magazines like Seventeen," City University Zukin says. "And although men's magazines such as GQ and Esquire have long had shopping articles, it's TV that has the eye of young male shoppers," say Ann and Zukin.
   "Television shows are used by young men in the same way Seventeen magazine or Lucky is used by girls," says Zukin, "to help make clothing and toiletry choices."
   "Of course, there are men who love to shop and are proud of it." Loyola's Ann says. And that is important no matter whether you buy a car or a frying pan. All men love to buy but don't want to get cheated. Ann adds, "There actually are men who are interested, for example, in cooking or shopping or chinaware or things around the home---they become kind of girl magnets. Women like it."

Question: Compared to women, men usually treat shopping more   _  .

Choices:
- seriously
- honestly
- curiously
- foolishly


"Family" is of course an _ word. But when British people say that their society is based on family life, they are thinking of "family" in its narrow, peculiarly European sense of mother ,father and children living together alone in their own house as an economic and social unit. Thus, every British marriage indicates the beginning of a new and independent family--hence the tremendous importance of marriage in British life. For both the man and the woman, marriage means leaving one's parents and starting one's own life. The man's first duty will then be to his wife, and the wife's to her husband. He will be entirely responsible for her financial support, and she for the running of the new home. Their children will be their common responsibility and theirs alone. Neither the wife's parents nor the husband's, nor their brothers or sisters, aunts or uncles, have any right to interfere with them--they are their own masters.
Readers of novels like Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice will know that in former times marriage among wealthy families were arranged by the girl's parents, that is, it was the parents' duty to find a suitable husband for their daughter, preferably a rich one, and by skillful encouragement to lead him eventually to ask their permission to marry her. Until that time, the girl was protected and maintained in the parents' home, and the financial relief of getting rid of her could be seen in their giving the newly married pair a sum of money called a dowry. It is very different today. Most girls of today get a job when they leave school and become financially independent before their marriage. This has had two results. A girl chooses her own husband, and she gets no dowry.

Question: What does the author mean by "Family is of course an elastic word"?

Choices:
- Different families have different ways of life.
- Different definitions could be given to the word.
- Different nations have different families.
- Different times produce different families.

Question: For an English family, the husband's duty is   _  .

Choices:
- supporting the family while the wife is financial
- defending the family while the wife is running the home
- financial while the wife is running the home
- independent while the wife is dependent

Question: Everything is decided in a family   _  .

Choices:
- by the couple
- with the help of their parents
- by brothers and sisters
- with the help of aunts and uncles

Question: What is true concerning the book Pride and Prejudice?

Choices:
- It is the best book on marriage.
- It is a handbook of marriage.
- It gives quite some idea of English social life in the past.
- It provides a lot of information of former time wealthy families.

Question: With regard to marriage in Britain, present day girls differ from former time girls in   _  .

Choices:
- the right marry
- more parental support
- choosing husbands
- social position


Joke l:
A man was sitting reading his papers when his wife hit him round the head with a frying pan. "What was that for?" the man asked.
The wife replied, "That was for the piece of paper with the name Jenny on it I found in your pocket." The man then said, "When l was at the races last week Jenny was the name of the horse I bet on." The wife apologized and went on with the housework. Three days later the man was watching TV when his wife hit him on the head with an even bigger frying pan, knocking him unconscious. Upon regaining consciousness the man asked why she had hit again. Wife replied, "Your horse phoned."
Joke 2:
"Do you believe in life after death?" the boss asked one of his employees.
"Yes, sir, " the new employee replied.
"Well, then, that makes everything just fine, " the boss went on. "After you left early yesterday to go to your grandmother's funeral. she stopped in to see you!"
Joke 3:
"Oh, I am happy to see you, " the little boy said to his grandmother on his mother's side. "Now maybe daddy will do the trick he has been promising us. " The grandmother was curious. "What trick is that?" she asked.
"I heard him tell mommy that he would climb the walls if you came to visit, " the little boy answered.
Joke 4:
A woman's husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she had stayed by his bedside every single day. One day, he signaled for her to come nearer. As she sat by him, he whispered, eyes full of tears, "You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times.
When I got fired, you were there to support me.
When my business failed, you were there.
When I got shot, you were by my side.
When we lost the house, you stayed right here.
When my health started failing, you were still by my side... You know what Martha?"
"What dear?" she gently asked, smiling as her heart began to fill with warmth.
"I'm beginning to think you're bad luck..."

Question: The wife became angry suddenly in Joke 1 because   _  .

Choices:
- she had her frying pan burned while away
- her husband made a bet on a horse but lost
- her husband was carrying with himself a woman's name
- her husband's pocket money was lost without any reason

Question: Who called the husband in Joke 1?

Choices:
- The organization of the horse races of a club.
- Jenny the man chose to bet on in the races.
- Jenny who won the race successfully.
- Jenny whom the man made friends with.

Question: What dose the boss mean in Joke 2?

Choices:
- He was lucky to see the employee's former grandmother.
- The employee's grandmother has come into heaven after death.
- He has figured out that the employee told a lie to him.
- The employee's grandmother was an honest woman.

Question: What can we learn about the little boy from Joke 3?

Choices:
- His father likes to make fun of his mother-in-law.
- He likes to play tricks on others.
- His mother is strict with him.
- His father doesn't like his mother-in-law to come.

Question: The husband in Joke 4 means that   _  .

Choices:
- he is thankful for his selfless and lovely wife
- he realizes he is unlucky to have married his wife
- it is fortunate to experience so many unforgettable things
- his wife deserves all his love because of her devotion


If you wish to dance with a certain lady, go to her, bow, and say, "May I have the pleasure of a dance?" If it is a formal dance with programs, she will tell you which dance she will have with you; if there are no programs, she will either rise and dance with you, or she may say, "I have this dance taken." Or she may say, "I am sorry, I am not dancing this dance." This may be a polite way of saying that she does not want to dance with you, or it may be that she is tired and wants to rest; you will have to judge which is her attitude.
Do not expect a lady whom you have invited to dance in advance for a dance to make any attempt to find you. It is her part to remain seated until you find her. Bow and say, "I believe this is my dance."
At the end of a dance, thank your partner, but do not leave her until you have led her to a seat. Then, if you wish, you may excuse yourself, and go in search of your next partner.
If you cannot dance very well, it is always permissible to ask a lady if she is willing to _ a dance with you. Sometimes during the evening, your hostess, the daughter of the hostess, and any guest of honor should all be asked by you to dance.

Question: When a lady says, "I am sorry I am not dancing this dance.", she actually means  _  .

Choices:
- she is not willing to dance with you
- she is too tired to dance with you
- she is not good at dancing at all
- either A or B

Question: If you have already made an appointment with a lady at the ball,  _  .

Choices:
- it is her duty to find you
- it is still your duty to find her
- it is both of your duty to find each other
- you wait and wait until it is your turn to dance with her

Question: At the end of the dance,  _  .

Choices:
- you leave your partner and go to find your next partner
- you thank your partner and leave her
- you should introduce your partner to another gentleman
- none of the above is right


"Migrant workers"  is a familiar term for 17-year-old Shi Jian. Her father and uncle often talk about the problems surrounding this group of people. However, Shi cares more about the children of these migrant workers.
Last year Shi's housekeeper's daughter had to give up her schooling in Beijing because she would not be allowed to sit the national college entrance exam. She was forced to continue her high school education in her hometown in Sichuan Province.
Shi thinks the current law is unfair for migrant workers' children, as it prevents them from studying at public schools, unless their parents pay huge sums. So, Shi decided to do a survey of migrant workers so that she could find some solutions to help solve the problem.
In the last six months Shi spoke to 186 migrant workers in Beijing. Her interviewees include babysitters, guards, keepers, supermarket clerks, house cleaners and construction site workers. Shi found out that 55 of them were parents. Among this group, only eight have children who attend schools in Beijing. The other 47 had to leave children with relatives in the countryside. However, 40 of the 47 would like to enroll  their children in city schools.
From her interviews, Shi found that the workers' lowest income was 400 yuan each month. Over one-third earn a monthly wage of or below 1000 yuan. "Even schools for migrant workers' children charge more than public schools. Morever, parents constantly worry about these schools closing or relocating," she explained.
Shi has recently completed a report about her survey, in which she makes a series of recommendations. "The government can set up public schools for migrants' children equal to schools for city children. Second, to offset  migrant workers' very low pay, public schools should offer them special rates so they can afford their children's tuition .

Question: What drove Shi to do the survey of migrant workers?

Choices:
- Her curiosity about migrant workers' lives
- She was asked to do a survey of migrant workers as part of a school project.
- Her housekeeper's daughter was forced to move to her hometown to continue studying.
- She wanted to draw people's attention and become famous

Question: According to Shi's survey, most migrant workers' kids   _  .

Choices:
- don't live together with their parents
- attend schools near their parents' working places
- have to help their parents support the family
- always do better in schools than children from the city.

Question: All of the following prevent migrant worker's kids from attending schools in cities EXCEPT  _

Choices:
- their parents' low income
- their lack of confidence to face the fierce competitions in city schools
- school's high tuitions
- that schools for migrant workers' children may close or relocate

Question: Shi suggested in her survey that   _

Choices:
- more private schools for migrants' children should be built
- more money should be collected for migrants' children
- children's tuition should be reduced
- students from the city and the countryside should be encouraged to communicate more


Last week, I bought an alarm system  for about $ 450. It consisted of a control unit with three other small units. I put the control unit in the sitting room and fastened the other units by the front door, back door and living-room windows. The instructions told us to choose three numbers, so we chose 491, the last three numbers of our telephone number.
Now I must explain how the alarm works:
1. There is a power siren  in the control unit. It makes a very loud noise.
2. Each of the small units sends out beams  or rays in different directions. If anything moves, it breaks a beam. This sends a signal to the control unit. The siren makes a noise that you can hear 50 meters away.
3. When we go to bed, I press the three buttons numbered 4, 9 and 1. Then we have 30 seconds to get out of the room before the alarm starts to work.
That might I slept soundly because I was sure that no burglar  could get into our house. However, at about 2:10a.m., I woke up and heard the siren .
"There must be a burglar in the house," Mary said. "What shall we do?"
"I'll go and see who's there," I said. "Stay here. Don't make a noise."
I went downstairs quietly. When I reached the living room, I switched on my torch and looked round the room. Then I turned the light on. I switched the siren off and searched the rooms downstairs. There was nothing wrong except that the back door was unlocked. I locked it, re-set the alarm and went back to bed.
About an hour later, the alarm started again. I jumped out of bed, fell over a chair in the dark and bumped into the bedroom door. Mary woke up and started hitting me with a torch. "Hey! Wait a minute!" I whispered. "It's only me. I' m going downstairs to see what's wrong."
I went down into the living room and listened for a moment. The only sound I could hear was the siren. I turned on the light and then switched the siren off. As I did so, I glanced across at the curtains in front of the windows. I saw a house lizard   disappear behind the curtains.
"Oh!" I said to myself. "That's our burglar."
When the lizard moved, it started the siren. I guessed that the alarm had been made in Europe, where there are no house lizards.
Well, I won't finish this story but if you want an alarm system free of charge, let me know. I'll send you ours. We bought a dog this morning. It knows the difference between a lizard and a burglar.

Question: The writer bought an alarm system to  _  .

Choices:
- make sure that he got up early every day
- warn him when there were lizards in his house
- frighten burglars and tell him that somebody had got into the house
- make Mary feel safe to live in the large room

Question: The purpose of the three units was to  _  .

Choices:
- send a message to the control unit and start the siren
- sound their own sirens when the control unit told them to
- check that the control unit worked properly all the time
- give them enough light

Question: What can we learn from the passage?

Choices:
- A burglar broke into the writer's house.
- The writer's wife was attacked by the burglar.
- The alarm that the writer bought must be made in Europe.
- It was a lizard that broke into the writer's house.

Question: The purpose of the writer in writing the passage is to  _  .

Choices:
- tell us that the alarm system doesn't work
- tell us an interesting experience
- show us how the alarm system works
- make it clear that he wants to give away his alarm system


Father's Garden
My father was always a good  gardener. One of my earliest memories is standing without shoes in the freshly tilled  soil, my hands blackened from digging in the ground.
As a child, I loved following Dad around in the garden. I remember Dad pushing the tiller  ahead in perfectly straight lines. Dad loved growing all sorts of things: yellow and green onions, watermelons almost as big as me, rows of yellow corn, and our favorite--- red tomatoes.
As I grew into a teenager, I didn't get so excited about gardening with Dad. Instead of magical land of possibility, it had turned into some kind of prison. As Dad grew older, his love for gardening never disappeared. After all the kids were grown and had started families of their own, Dad turned to gardening like never before. Even when he was diagnosed with cancer, he still took care of his garden.
But then, the cancer, bit by bit, invaded his body. I had to do the things he used to do. What really convinced me that Dad was dying was the state of his garden that year. The rows and rows of multicolored vegetables were gone. Too tired to weed them, he simply let them be. He only planted tomatoes.
For the first few years after he died, I couldn't even bear to look at anyone's garden without having strong memories pour over me like cold water from a bucket. Three years ago, I decided to plant my own garden and started out with just a few tomatoes. That morning, after breaking up a fair amount of soil, something caught the corner of my eye and I had to smile. It was my eight-year-old son Nathan, happily playing in the freshly tilled soil.

Question: Why did the author like the garden when he was a child?

Choices:
- He wanted to be a garden-crazy like his father.
- He loved being in the garden with his father.
- The garden was full of his favorite food.
- The garden was just freshly tilled.

Question: When all the kids started their own families, the author's father   _  .

Choices:
- stopped his gardening.
- turned to other hobbies.
- devoted more to gardening.
- focused on planting tomatoes.

Question: What happened to the garden when the author's father was seriously ill?

Choices:
- There was a great harvest.
- The garden was almost deserted.
- No plant grew in the garden at all.
- The author's son took charge of the garden.

Question: Why did the author start his garden with tomatoes?

Choices:
- He wanted to honor his father.
- His son liked the fields of tomatoes.
- He only knew how to grow tomatoes.
- He thought tomatoes were easy to manage.


The U. S. Postal Service (USPS) is losing billions of dollars a year. The government company that delivers "small mail" is losing out to email and other types of electronic communication. First-class mail amount fell from a high point of 104 million pieces in 2000 to just 64 million pieces by 2014.
Congress permits the 600.000-empIoyee USPS to hold a monopoly   over first-class and standard mail. The company pays no federal, state or local taxes; pays no vehicle fees; and is free from many regulations on other businesses. Despite these advantages, the USPS has lost $52 billion since 2007, and will continue losing money without major reforms.
The problem is that Congress is preventing the USPS from reducing costs as its sales decline, and is blocking efforts to end Saturday service and close unneeded post office locations. USPS also has a costly union-dominated workforce that slows the introduction of new ideas or methods down. USPS workers earn significantly higher payment than comparable private-sector workers. The answer is to privatize the USPS and open postal markets to competition. With the rise of the Internet, the argument that mail is a natural monopoly that needs government protection is weaker than ever.
Other countries facing declining letter amounts have made reforms Germany and the Netherlands privatized their national postal companies over a decade ago, and other European countries have followed suit. Britain floated shares of the Royal Mail on its stock exchange in 2013. Some countries, such us Sweden and New Zealand, have not privatized their national postal companies, but they have opened them up to competition.
These reforms have driven efficiency improvements in all of these countries. Additional number of workers have been reduced, productivity has risen and consumers have benefited. Also, note that cost-cutting measures--such as closing tone post offices--are good for both the economy and the environment.
Privatization and competition also encourage new changes. When the USPS monopoly over "extremely urgent" mail was stopped in 1979, we saw an explosion in efficient overnight private delivery by firms such as FedEx.
The government needs to wake up to changing technology, study postal reforms abroad and let businessmen reinvent our out-of-date postal system.

Question: What do we know about the USPS?

Choices:
- Its great competitor is the delivery firm FedEx.
- It is an old public service open to competitions.
- Its employees don't pay federal, state or local taxes.
- It has complete control of first-class and standard mail.

Question: The author probably that the USPS   _  .

Choices:
- needs government's protection as ever
- can work together with other businesses
- must be replaced by international companies
- should be sold out and become a private service


We are not rich by what we possess but rather by what we can do without.
----Immauel Kant
Many times my friend June would say, "If I ever get rich, I'm getting a completely new wardrobe  and moving into a bigger apartment." I thought of her words and her chances of being rich are about as good as mine. But, to everyone's surprise, a few years ago June did come to large inheritance .
At first June said very little about the money. As the initial shock disappeared, she became excited, June is a great believer in making lists, so I was surprised to find her writing down all the ways she would spend her new wealth.
As time went on, she started revising the list. What had been midway down the list was now at the top. At last, I said to her, "You know, it isn't necessary to spend all your inheritance at once. Take come time; think about it." "I know, I know," she answered with a little bit anger.
Then one morning June called, "I've decided how I want to use my new inheritance. I want to see what you think," she said. This wasn't something I looked forward to, but we had been friends so long.
As we sat, June spread a sheet of paper on the table. To my great surprise, she had written only two words: Charities, and Grandchildren-in that order. Though I had promised to keep quiet, I couldn't keep from asking how she came to this decision.
"Well," she said, "I took your advice and thought about it." She added, "Helping others means a lot to me, so I'm hoping this gift will help people in need."
I interrupted, "But what about this big apartment you most hope to have?"
"At first it was hard, but it doesn't seem as important any more", she answered with a smile.
Then June moved her hand, and I could see a few words written in tiny letters at the bottom of the page. After having a look at the small print, I burst into laughter. June had written: AND one new wardrobe.

Question: From the passage we can learn that the writer at first  _  .

Choices:
- was richer than her friend June
- was no richer than her friend June
- was poorer than her friend June
- was interested in money as June

Question: When making a list of how to deal with her inheritance, June  _  .

Choices:
- didn't change it at all
- had a quarrel with the writer
- kept it secret from the writer
- made some changes to it

Question: When June called the writer to talk about her new decision, the writer  _  .

Choices:
- felt that June would do something meaningful
- refused the invitation at first, but changed her mind later
- had decided not to make any comments on June's list
- was eager to learn more about the new list

Question: What did the writer think of her friend's new decision?

Choices:
- She found it funny and wrong.
- She found it unacceptable and unbelievable.
- She found it surprising and meaningful.
- She found it difficult and meaningless.


The slogan "a dog is for life, not just for Christmas" has been going strong for 27 years now. Dogs and cats have been popular Christmas gifts in the gifts in the UK and Europe for many years. But some people still haven't quite got the message.
The slogan still holds good. Some 105,000 dogs were _ by local government last year because they had been abandoned, many of them shortly after the festival season.
The main reason given by owners for handing their dogs over to the Dogs Trust is that the dogs need more attention than they can give; behavioral problems and moving home are also reasons given.
But Eleanor Silk, the Trust's communications director, says, "It's often four or five months after Christmas, in early summer, when owners find that the dog has got too big and too active, or it hasn't been trained properly and has caused damage around the home."
In any case, some organizations that help pets are quick to point out that if you are serious about getting a puppy  as a pet, Christmas is not the time to do it. Puppies need to get used to their new surroundings, to be introduced to a routine, and to be looked after like small children. It's hard to meet any of these needs at Christmas. What's more, pulling a puppy out of a Christmas stocking in itself sends the wrong message to children. It encourages children to think of the puppy as a toy, rather than a responsibility.
Appreciating what you're taking on with a dog can be a sobering   realization. "For life" means thinking about the effect they'll have on your life. It also infers you will need to care for the dog for its whole life.

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

Choices:
- Dogs and Cats--the Most Popular Christmas Gifts.
- A pet is for Life, Not just for Christmas.
- How to Take Care of Your Pets over Christmas.
- Let's Help Those Abandoned Pets

Question: According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a reason for pets to be abandoned?

Choices:
- Pets spread some diseases.
- Pets damage some things in the house.
- The owners can't take good care of the pets.
- The owners have to move to other places.

Question: Why is the author against the idea of putting a dog in the Christmas stocking as a Christmas gift?

Choices:
- Because these dogs can still cause damage.
- Because children will not take dogs seriously.
- Because children don't like to have dogs as Christmas gifts.
- Because a Christmas stocking is not big enough to put a dog in.


Americans have contributed   to many art forms, and jazz, a type of music, is one of the art forms started in the United States. Black Americans, who sang and played the music of their homeland, created jazz.
Jazz is a mixture of the music of Africa, the work songs the slaves sang, and religious  music. Improvisation   is an important part of jazz. This is why a jazz song sounds a little different each time it is played.
Jazz bands formed in the late 1800s. They played in bars and clubs in many towns and cities of the South, especially New Orleans. New Orleans is an international seaport, and people from all over the world come to New Orleans to hear jazz.
Jazz became more and more popular. By the 1920s, jazz was popular all over the United States. By the 1940s, you could hear jazz not only in clubs and bars, but in concert halls as well. Today, people from all over the world play jazz. Jazz musicians from the United States, Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe meet and share their music at festivals on every continent. In this way, jazz continues to grow and change.

Question: What can be the best title of the passage?

Choices:
- American Art Forms
- The Development of Jazz
- The Music of Black Americans
- The Birthplace of Jazz

Question: From the text we can learn that   _  .

Choices:
- New Orleans is the place where jazz was very popular
- the American people are all jazz lovers
- jazz is merrily sung by black people when working
- jazz may become less popular as time goes on

Question: It took about  _   years to make jazz popular in the United States.

Choices:
- 200
- 120
- 80
- 40


Cole Bettles had been rejected by a number of universities when he received an e-mail from the University of California, San Diego, last month, congratulating him on his admission and inviting him to tour the campus. His mother booked a hotel in San Diego, and the 18-year-old Ojai high school senior arranged for his grandfather, uncle and other family members to meet them at the campus for lunch during the Saturday tour.
"They were like 'Oh my God, that's so awesome  ', " Bettles said. Right before he got in bed, he checked his e-mail one last time and found another message saying the school had made a mistake and his application had been denied.
In fact, all 28, 000 students turned away from UC San Diego, in one of the toughest college entrance seasons on record, had received the same incorrect message. The students' hopes had been raised and then dashed   in a cruel twist that shows the danger of instant communications in the Internet age.
UCSD admissions director Mae Brown called it an "administrative error" but refused to say who had made the mistake, or if those responsible would be disciplined  .
The e-mail, which began, "We're thrilled that you've been admitted to UC San Diego, and we're showcasing   our beautiful campus on Admit Day, " was sent to the full 46, 000 students who had applied, instead of just the 18, 000 who got in, Brown said.
The error was discovered almost immediately by her staff, who sent an apology within hours.
"It was really thrilling for a few hours; now he's crushed  , " said Cole's mother, Tracy Bettles. "It's really tough on them."
The admissions director said she was in the office on Monday until midnight answering e-mails and phone calls from disappointed students and their parents. She said she took full responsibility for the error. "We accessed the wrong database. We recognize the incredible pain receiving this false encouragement caused. It was not our intent."

Question: How many students received an admission e-mail from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)?

Choices:
- 18, 000
- 28, 000
- 46, 000
- 18

Question: Which of the following statements is TRUE about the wrong e-mail message?

Choices:
- The mistake was made on purpose to cause pain among the applicants.
- It was UCSD admissions director Mae Brown who made the mistake.
- UCSD admissions staff got information from the wrong database.
- Staff did not discover the mistake until next Monday.

Question: The admissions director Mae Brown did what she could to   _  .

Choices:
- protect the person who made the mistake
- punish herself for the mistake
- make up for the mistake
- help the disappointed students enter the university


A Scottish woman has given birth to twins for the third time. Karen Rodger, 41, welcomed her first pair of girls rowan and Isla after having twice given birth to twin boys.
"I still haven't really taken it on board because I was convinced I was having two boys," Rodger told Sky News. Karen said her husband Colin was equally stunned when the couple learned they were going to have their fifth and sixth child. "He thought I was joking and immediately wrote back to say 'this is not funny'. I had to explain that it really was true," Karen said.
The average couple has about a 3 percent chance of having twins when not accounting for fertility drugs. And with each following pregnancy, the changes of producing twins a second, or even third time, become less.
Karen, a dance lecturer, first learned of the incredibly rare occurrence during a visit to her doctor and immediately texted her husband to share the news. "I just could not believe it. It never crossed my mind that it would be twins again. I just thought that wouldn't happen to people like me, but I'm  ly delighted," she said.
It had been several years since the couple's last children were born. Their oldest twins are 14 and the second set was born just two years later. "I turned 40 and I thought, if I'm going to do it, I should do it now," Karen said. "I spoken to my husband and we both thought we'd quite like another one so that was it and, one month later, I was pregnant."
Colin says the age and gender difference will ensure a sweat-inducing dilemma for any future suitors of the twin girls. It will be a frightening challenge for any boyfriend.

Question: From Karen 's reaction to the news given by her doctor, we infer that  _  .

Choices:
- she didn't know she was pregnant again
- she was happy to have twins again
- she didn't think she was different from others
- she didn't know how to tell her husband the news

Question: After reading the passage, we know that Karen   _  .

Choices:
- gave birth to the twin girls in her forties
- now has three boys and three girls in total
- was talked into having more kids by her husband
- hoped she could have more girls soon


Thousands of people living in the Chinese capital will celebrate the start of the Chinese New year by heading for the ski resorts  . Never mind that Beijing's dry weather seldom produces snow. It is cold enough in winter for snow-making machines to make a covering for the hills north to the capital. And the rapid growth of a pleasure-seeking middle class has formed the basis for this new craze .
Since Beijing's first ski resort was opened ten years ago, the sport has enjoyed astonishing increase. There are now more than a dozen resorts. Clothes markets in the city have added bright colored ski suits to their winter collections. Mr. Wei, a manager of a newly-opened ski resort in  Beijing, sees the growth of an industry that could soon lead Chinese to head for the ski resorts of Europe. In recent years, ski resorts offering natural snow have opened in China. But many are in faraway areas of the country and can't really match the equipment and services of some ski resorts in Europe.
Beijing's skiing craze is partly a result of the recent increase in private   cars. This has led to the growth of a _ in the capital's suburbs  , which until the late-1990s were unreachable to ordinary people. According to Mr. Wei, about 40% of the visitors to his resort come in their own cars. The rest are bused in by schools, businesses or government offices.
The problem is making money. Starting ski resorts requires quite a lot of money; hiring land from the local government, preparing the hills, buying snow machines, making sure there are enough water and electricity to run them, and buying ski equipment for hiring out to customers.
The ski resort where Mr. Wei works cost nearly $4 million to set up. And as so often in China when someone comes up with a good idea, many others rush in and price wars break out. Beijing now offers some of the cheapest ski training classes in the world, though with most people rather new to the sport, expecting a few more doing the same job.

Question: What does this text mainly talk about?

Choices:
- Convenience for skiers brought about by private cars.
- Skiing as a new way of enjoying one's spare time.
- Things to be considered when starting a ski resort.
- A sudden increase of ski training classes in Beijing.

Question: Why are some Chinese likely to go skiing in Europe?

Choices:
- To visit more ski areas.
- To ski on natural snow.
- For a large collection of ski suits.
- For better services and equipment.

Question: What is the main problem in running a ski resort?

Choices:
- Difficulty in hiring land.
- Lack of business experience.
- Price wars with other ski resorts
- Shortage of water and electricity.


Planning to go to a gym? If you are one of those who have spent many days planning to join a gym or to attend it regularly, then why not choose some home exercise? Here are some home exercises without equipment.
Jumping jacks
This one is the best home workout without weights which is a great exercise that will work your hands and legs. Perform this exercise by standing with your feet placed together and arms at your sides. Now tuck in your abs  and jump by bending in your knees. At the same time, move your feet apart as much as you can and raise your hands to bring in line with your shoulder. While you come back you must be in a starting position, feet together, hands at sides and knees bent. You must land on your heels and again jump.
Jogging
Jogging is one of the best home exercises without weights. You don't need to have a lawn or jogging track at home to perform this exercise. There are many benefits of jogging. It will work your entire legs. Moreover, it is a classic cardiovascular  workout. Make sure you wear jogging footwear even if you are jogging at home to avoid any stress on your feet. Also, you can gradually increase the jogging time and speed.
Rotating  exercise
Start by rotating your wrists, clockwise  and anticlockwise. Now, alternately rotate your feet in the same fashion. Now place both your hands on the shoulder and start rotating your shoulder clockwise and anticlockwise. Place an exercise mat and lie flat on your back. Now lift your left leg and rotate it clockwise; do not bend you knees. Now rest the left leg, lift your right leg and rotate it anticlockwise.
It is necessary to set a perfect mood for exercise which will help you stick to the exercise routine and excitement. Make sure you wear proper exercise clothes to perform the workout with ease. Also, putting on your favorite music will make your exercise session more lively. If you get bored with exercises, just dance, after all it's also one of the best home exercises.

Question: To carry out jumping jacks effectively, you  _  .

Choices:
- need to keep your two feet apart at first.
- must stand straight first and bend your abs.
- must use your arms to support your body.
- need to use your heels to touch the ground.

Question: What is the right order of your body parts during rotation exercise?

Choices:
- hands--legs---back----legs.
- wrists--hands---feet---shoulders
- wrists---feet---shoulders---legs
- hands---shoulders---knees---legs

Question: To carry out home exercises continuously, you need  _  .

Choices:
- a good atmosphere.
- a good coach.
- a dance teacher
- a good timer.


Downing the last drop of an expensive famous brand H2O as well as remembering to throw the empty bottle in the recycling bin, makes you feel pretty good about yourself,  _ Even  when the bottles are recycles, there are all kinds of other consequences of swallowing bottled water, says Melissa Peffers, the air-quality program manager for Environmental Defense.
The containers are often filled in faraway lands, then shipped from abroad, and stored in refrigerators at your local store. Compare that with the influence on environment of turning on your tap, filling a glass, and drinking up!
Anyone who is choosing bottled water for health reasons is misguided, says Peffers, "Most bottled water is just tap water." And what comes out of your tap is carefully monitored to follow the strict rules. Consider another fact that bottled water is surprisingly expensive, especially when compared with the alternative, which is almost free, and it is astonishing that prefix = st1 /America's desire for bottled water seems impossible to satisfy, reaching nearly 30 billion bottles a year.
"My parents' generation never had bottled water, " says Isabelle Silvrman, an Environmental Defense legal adviser. She has made a commitment to  _ . "You don't need to fetch it home from the store, and it's cheaper." She adds.
Bottled water's role as a status symbol needs to change, Peffers points out. So when a waiter at an expensive restaurant offers "And what's your drink?" that's no reason to forger your conviction . "Don't be afraid to say, 'I'll have tap.' Say it loud enough that the other tables nearby can hear you," Peffers says, "And then spend that money on a dessert."

Question: According to the author, tap water is_.

Choices:
- as safe as bottled water
- more likely to be polluted
- healthier than bottled water
- less convenient than bottled water

Question: Why does Peffers ask people to say "I'll have tap." Loudly?

Choices:
- To encourage them to set an example for others to follow.
- To advise them to save the money for one more dessert.
- To remind them to be aware of their social status.
- To persuade them to speak confidently in public.


Some nations think they must have more and more babies, more and more people, if they are to remain strong and free.
Actually, this is not so. Very often in history, small nations have conquered large ones. It's not so much the size of the army as its organization and the technical level of its weapons. Thus, Greece took over Persia in the 300s B.C., Great Britain took over India in the 1700s, even though Persia and India had far bigger population than Greece and Great Britain.
If a nation wishes to avoid being dominated by its neighbors, its best chance is to raise its standard of living and its level of technology. _ can be done best by not allowing its population to grow to such a point that it is sunk in misery and poverty. In fact, the worst way in which a nation can try to avoid being dominated by its neighbor is to increase its population to the point of misery and poverty.
If every nation tries to compete with its neighbors by raising its population, then the whole world will be sunk in misery and poverty. The nations will become weak in a disaster that will leave nothing behind that is worth dominating. No one will have gained anything. Everyone will have lost everything.
Once all this is understood, and people generally agree that population growth must not be allowed to continue, they must also come to understand how that growth can be stopped. Population grows because more people are being born than are dying. There are two ways, then, in which the growth can be stopped. You can increase the number of people who die until it matches the number of people who are being born. Or else you can decrease the number of people who are born until it matches the number of people who are dying.
The first method--increasing the death rate--is the usual way in which population is controlled in all species of living things other than ourselves, but we don't want that, for disaster lies that way. The intelligent way is to reduce the birth rate. But how can the birth rate be reduced?

Question: It can be inferred from the passage that if a country had fewer people,   _  .

Choices:
- it could still remain strong
- it would be defeated by a strong neighbour
- its standard of living could be high
- its people would live misery

Question: What might the author be further discussing after the passage?

Choices:
- Needs to balance population.
- Problems involved in birth control.
- Methods of decreasing population.
- Opposition from some nations.

Question: The passage mainly focuses on   _  .

Choices:
- why we must control population
- where we can find a solution
- how to stop population growth
- how to become a strong nation


What does the future hold for the problem of housing? A good deal depends, of course, on the meaning of "future". If one is thinking in terms of science fiction and the space age, it is at least possible to assume that man will have solved such trivial and earthly problems as housing. Writers of science fiction, from H.G. Wells onwards, have had little to say on the subject. They have conveyed the suggestion that men will live in great comfort, with every imaginable apparatus  to make life smooth, healthy and easy, if not happy. But they have not said what his house will be made of. Perhaps some new building material, as yet unimagined, will have been discovered or invented at least. One may be certain that bricks and mortar(,) will long have gone out of fashion.
But the problems of the next generation or two can more readily be imagined. Scientists have already pointed out that unless something is done either to restrict the world's rapid growth in population or to discover and develop new sources of food (or both), millions of people will be dying of starvation or at the best suffering from underfeeding before this century is out. But nobody has yet worked out any plan for housing these growing populations. Admittedly the worst situations will occur in the hottest parts of the world, where housing can be light structure or in backward areas where standards are traditionally low. But even the minimum shelter requires materials of some kind and in the teeming, bulging towns the low-standard "housing" of flattened petrol cans and dirty canvas is far more wasteful of ground space than can be tolerated.
Since the war, Hong Kong has suffered the kind of crisis which is likely to arise in many other places during the next generation. Literally millions of refugees arrived to swell the already growing population and emergency steps had to be taken rapidly to prevent squalor and disease and the spread crime. The city is tackling the situation energetically and enormous blocks of tenements are rising at an astonishing aped. But Hong Kong is only one small part of what will certainly become a vast problem and not merely a housing problem, because when population grows at this rate there are accompanying problems of education, transport, hospital services, drainage, water supply and so on. Not every area may give the same resources as Hong Kong to draw upon and the search for quicker and cheaper methods of construction must never stop.

Question: The writer is sure that in the distant future   _  .

Choices:
- bricks and mortar will be replaced by some other building material.
- a new building material will have been invented.
- bricks and mortar will not be used by people who want their house to be fashionable.
- a new way of using bricks and mortar will have been discovered.

Question: The writer believes that the biggest problem likely to confront the world before the end of the century   _  .

Choices:
- is difficult to foresee.
- will be how to provide enough houses in the hottest parts of the world.
- will be how to feed the ever growing population.
- is the question of finding enough ground space.

Question: When the writer says that the worst situations will occur in the hottest parts of the world or in backward areas, he is referring to the fact that in these parts   _  .

Choices:
- the population growth will be the greatest.
- standards of building are low.
- only minimum shelter will be possible.
- there is not enough ground space.


Though I have traveled in hundreds of trains, few unusual things have ever happened to me. But one day in a train something did happen. I do not mean that I was hurt: no one was hurt.
I do my work in a hot country far away from England. Every September I go there to do my business, and every July I come back to England to have a rest. So every September I go to Paris and take a train from the great French city to Mendova, and at Mendova I catch my ship.
There is one very fast train from Paris to Mendova, and it suits me well. It goes as far as Endoran, but it stops at Mendova for a few minutes to let travelers get out or in. It is called The Flying Bluebird. It reaches Mendova at seven minutes past nine in the morning, and it is never late.
A ship leaves Mendova at half past eleven, and so you will understand that The Flying Bluebird suits me very well. I always travel by it, and I have nearly two and a half hours at Mendova to go from the station to the ship. That is more than enough time.
Well, one September night, I took my place in The Flying Bluebird as usual. The train leaves Paris at nine o'clock every night, and I was in my place soon after half past eight. There were three or four people there with me, but very soon a lot of others got into the train. When no more people could sit down, they began to stand up near us and also in the corridor . In a short time the corridor was full too, and it was impossible for any more travelers to get into the train.
I could see a lot of other people outside the corridor windows, but they could not get in, and the train left Paris without them. The man sitting next to me started to ask all kinds of questions: "Where do you work? How long does it take you to get there? Are you married? How many children do you have? How much money do they pay you every year? How much do you have in the bank? How much do you spend every month?"
He asked questions for about twenty minutes but I did not give him any clear answers, and at last he stopped and began to read the paper.
I usually sleep quite well in the train, but this time I slept only a little. There were too many people, and there were too many things: small bags, large bags, coats, hats, boxes, newspapers and food. As usual, we got angry about the window. Most people wanted it shut, and two of us wanted it open. But that always happens. It was shut all night, as usual.
When I awoke in the early morning I felt hot and dirty, and glad that the journey was reaching its end. At seven minutes past nine The Flying Bluebird stopped. We were at Mendova, and I stood up thankfully. I took my two suitcases, held one in each hand, and tried to move towards the door into the corridor. In order to get out of the train, I had to pass down the corridor to the door at the far end. There was no other way out.
I could not even into the corridor. There was a suitcase on the floor by my feet, and three men were standing in my way. I felt a touch of fear. I had to get out, you see; I had to catch my ship, which left at half past eleven. And the train did not stop again until it reached Endoran, two hundred miles away.
"I must get out!" I cried. Everyone there understood me, but no one could move.
At last I was able to put one foot over the suitcase on the floor, and I nearly reached the door into the corridor. But then, very slowly, the train began to move. It was taking me away!
"Stop!" I cried. "I want to get out!" But no one outside the train could hear me, and the people inside did not care much. The train moved a little faster. What could I do? I was not even in the corridor.
Fear made me think quickly. In front of my eyes, just, above the door, was a notice that told everyone how to stop the train. I had to pull an iron thing near the notice. I did not waste time. I pulled it.
Well, _ That was to show everyone that there was something wrong. It was not a small sound. Possibly the men in my ship two miles away could hear it. Then the train stopped.
No one likes to stop a train if there is no need. But I had to catch my ship. That was the only thought in my mind: to get out and catch my ship.

Question: What do we know about the author and the man sitting next to him?

Choices:
- The author didn't like the man's foolish questions
- They talked with each other all night
- They got angry about the window
- The author didn't understand the man's words

Question: On this journey on The Flying Bluebird, the author felt uncomfortable because   _  .

Choices:
- he couldn't find a seat by the window
- he was angry with the man sitting next to him
- the window was kept shut all night
- there were too many people on the train

Question: It can be learned from Para.10 that the author was afraid that   _  .

Choices:
- he would have to spend another sleepless night on the train
- more people might crowd into the train
- he would miss the ship that went where he worked
- he would have to buy another ticket

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

Choices:
- A Train that Is Never Late
- A Quick and Wise Decision
- A Journey to Mendov
- A Bad Experience on the Train


What's A Real Friend?
You can have the same neighbors for years. You love them or you think you love them. And you hope that they love you. But do you ever really understand them?
    Charlie Kemp and his family lived next door to me for 15 years. We were good friends all the time. I enjoy friendship. I think it's the best thing in the world. And friendship with the Kemps was easy because they seemed to welcome it.
    They were interesting and clever people. Their house caught fire twice, and twice the whole family slept in mine. They are always losing things like money, keys and watches. Pictures fell off the walls, the children fell out of bed ...
    I was their neighbor and their friend. Life was always interesting, never dull. Best of all, I liked the whole family.
    One day, I lit a fire in the garden to burn some rubbish. After some time Charlie Kemp came out of his house and walked up the road.
    "Morning, Charlie," I said, "lovely day, isn't it?" He smiled at me and nodded. I went on with my work.
Twenty minutes later, a policeman arrived. He walked into my garden and said, "You'll have to put out that fire. Your neighbor has complained   to us. He doesn't like the smell."
"My neighbor ...?" I asked.
    "Yes," the policeman took out his notebook and read, "Charlie Kemp. He lives next door, doesn't he?"

Question: According to the passage,   _  .

Choices:
- Charlie Kemp is the author's neighbor and his real good friend
- Charlie Kemp is the author's neighbor but not his real good friend
- Charlie Kemp treats the author as his real good friend
- the author doesn't treat Charlie Kemp as his real good friend

Question: The author was blamed by the policeman because   _  .

Choices:
- he was found burning the rubbish by the policeman
- he was found polluting the environment by burning the rubbish
- his neighbor Charlie Kemp complained about his action and called the policeman
- he burnt something of his neighbors

Question: The author's experience tells us that   _  .

Choices:
- a friend in need is a friend indeed
- it is difficult to understand a person, even your friend
- anyone is sure to be friendly to you if you are friendly to him
- friendship is the best thing in the world


Eva Mozes Kor has good reasons to look down upon Oskar Groning. When she and her twin sister, Miriam, arrived in the Auschwitz death camp, they were met by Josef Mengele and became part of the cruel scientist's experiments. Groning was a junior squad leader at the camp.
While Groning could argue he was not directly responsible for procedures carried out on twins,nor for the mass murder of so many others, he played a critical role in the effort to kill Jews.
After the war Groning led an ordinary, quiet life until he became alarmed by the rise of Holocaust deniers. He went public with his role and in September 2014 was charged as an accessory  to murder.
When Groning went on trial in April 2015, Eva Mozes Kor was called as a witness. After her session, she walked straight up to the 93-year-old former Nazi and shook his hand.
Eva Mozes Kor will never forget nor excuse what the Nazis did. Her two books make that clear: Surviving the Angel of Death. and the earlier Echoes from Auschwitz. She has also spent her post-war years drawing attention to the Holocaust, in the hope of preventing a repeat of its horrors.
At the same time,  she is dedicated ( ) to healing rather than revenge. As she wrote in a Facebook post:
Forgiving does not mean forgetting-we all want to prevent these things from ever happening again. Forgiveness is about self-healing, self-liberation, and self-empowerment... Let's all work together to teach the world how to heal.
As a survivor suffering so much, Eva Mozes Kor is a role model for the kind of forgiveness that mends souls, a forgiveness that carries with it the responsibility to work for a world in which such horrors no longer happen.

Question: At the camp, Groning   _            .

Choices:
- killed many Jews directly
- treated Eva Mozes Kor badly
- experimented on Eva Mozes Kor
- contributed to killing more Jews

Question: Facing Holocaust deniers again, Groning felt   _            .

Choices:
- amazed
- upset
- fearful
- quiet

Question: Why did Eva Mozes Kor shake hands with Groning?

Choices:
- To show her mercy.
- To appreciate his justice.
- To expect to forgive him.
- To encourage others to follow her.

Question: What is the author's attitude to Eva Mozes Kor's forgiveness?

Choices:
- Objective.
- Favorable.
- Doubtful.
- Unclear.


Computer power is moving into the "cloud"--networks of data centres that use the Internet to supply all kinds of services, from e-mail and social networks to data storage and analysis.
The rise of cloud computing is rapid and causing huge changes in the tech industry. The old guard is suffering: this week's $67 billion merger   between Dell and EMC, makers of computers and storage devices respectively  , was a marriage forced by the rise of the cloud. Disruptive   newcomers are blooming: if Amazon's cloud-computing unit were a stand-alone public company, it would probably be worth almost as much as Dell and EMC combined.
The gains for customers have been equally dramatic. Compared with older IT systems, cloud computing is often much cheaper. It adds tremendous flexibility: firms that need more computing capacity no longer have to spend weeks adding new servers and installing software. In the cloud they can get hold of it in minutes. Their applications can be updated continually, rather than just every few months. Individual users can reach their e-mails, files and photos from any device. And cloud services also tend to be more secure, since providers know better than their customers how to protect their computing systems against hackers.
But cloud computing makes one problem worse. In the old IT world, once a firm or a consumer had decided on an operating system or database, it was difficult and costly to switch to another. In the cloud this "lock-in" is even worse. Cloud providers go to great lengths to make it easy to upload data. They accumulate huge amounts of complex information, which cannot easily be moved to an alternative provider.
Cloud firms also create a world of interconnected services, software and devices, which is convenient but only for as long as you don't venture   outside their universe. Being locked in to a provider is risky. Firms can start to tighten the screws by increasing prices. If a cloud provider goes bust  , its customers may have trouble getting back their data.
These risks have already caused a debate about whether the cloud needs stricter regulation. Some European politicians want to force cloud providers to ensure that data can be moved between them. That is too heavy-handed, because strict rules will inhibit   innovation in what is still a young industry. The history of computing suggests that common standards may well appear naturally in response to customers' demands--just as in personal computers, where it is now much easier to use the same files on different systems.
In the meantime, a few commonsense measures can reduce the risk of lock-in. Firms that use more than one cloud provider to host their data are less affected. So are those that keep their most important information in their own data centres. Consumers can take precautions, too. Some services are better than others at enabling users to move data between providers (Google does well on this score). Cloud computing promises its users many benefits, but don't mistake it for some sort of digital heaven.

Question: The author takes "the merger between Dell and EMC" for example to show   _  .

Choices:
- the influence of cloud computing on computer and storage device makers
- the miserable sufferings of old computer companies
- the rapid development of new computer companies
- the interaction between old companies and newcomers

Question: With wide applications of cloud computing customers can   _  .

Choices:
- pay less for the older IT systems
- gain more computing capacity quickly
- know better about defeating the hackers
- install software within weeks

Question: The problem of "lock-in" can be dangerous because   _  .

Choices:
- it should ensure data can easily be moved to another provider
- it can create a network of services connected with devices
- it may make it difficult for customers to recover their data
- it will discourage an argument about stricter rules

Question: Which of the following sayings can best express the main idea of the passage?

Choices:
- Everything has its time and that time must be watched.
- The grass looks greener on the other side of the fence.
- A candle lights others and consumes itself.
- Every white has its black, and every sweet has its sour.