user: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Although Americans are well known for getting down to business, Indians working in overseas teams, MNCs, and BPOs should know the importance of small talk. While Indians have a true interest in talking to Americans and getting to know them, they also hesitate to do so for some reasons. Americans engage in less personal small talk than Indians. And the topics and questions used in English vary widely based on language differences and cultural differences. Here are three things to keep in mind while you are trying to make small talk with your American clients and colleagues. Amencans love to ask about, and then complain about the weather. They may talk about how the weather prevented them from having fun or how the weather supported their outdoor events. You can talk about the weather with them to begin a conversation. While talking, they always try to follow up on their answer by asking another open-ended question or make a statement, such as "Wow, that sounds like fun ! " or "You went to St. Louis. In which state is that?" Be creative in your questions. Feel free to ask one or two, but not very personal ones about relations. Stick to the facts or events that were already referred to. Sometimes, some words used in India will totally confuse an American. For example, Americans use the word "weekend" instead of "holiday"  for Saturdays and Sundays ( non-working days) , and use the word " vacation"  or " days off"  instead of " out-of-station" . Always be interested, optimistic and happy. Talk with a smile! Vary the sound of your voice. Do not sound like a computer. If you are unsure how you sound, a good tip is to record yourself and listen to it later.  Doing this helps you know how your voice sounds, and if you don't sound as you want to be heard, it may be time to work on _ your voice. Question: For Indians, having small talk with American colleagues is  _  . Options: A: boring B: useless C: important D: interesting
C
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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: As we know, the concept of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is "Green Olympics, High-tech Olympics and People's Olympics." _ . Among them "Green Olympics" embraces the essence of the 3000-year long Chinese philosophy, namely harmony and unity of nature and human existence. On the World Environment Day in 2003, Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Game began the Green Office Project. _ . On September 24, 2005, the logo of the Green Olympics was shown at the Beijing Young Palace.  _ . It consists of the crown of a tree and the shape of a human being that are used to create the form of a large tree reaching the sky. The image represents harmony and unity between human beings and nature. Just like swinging color1ed strips that surround and cross each other, the green lines form a crown of tree and recall flowers in full bloom, expressing the sustainable  development of environment protection. Question: Let's participate in green actions, such as beautifying the environment , protecting the environment and saving resources.   _    . Options: A: No matter when it is , we need green space. B: This concept includes three themes. C: Let's carry the theme of Green Olympics through to the end. D: The logo uses a form of the traditional handwriting. E. The Beijing Olympic Games is a testimony  of the fact that the world has its trust rested upon China.  F. It covers such areas as saving energy and water, trash classification, and use of office equipment, paper recycling, paperless office work and the environmentally friendly behaviors of staff.   G. The Beijing Olympic Games is a great success.
B
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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Searching the Internet may help middle-aged and older adults keep their memories sharp,US researchers said. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles ,studied people doing web searches by recording their brain activity. "What we saw was people who had Internet experience used more of their brain during the search,"Dr.Gary Small, a UCLA expert on aging, said,"This suggests that just searching on the Internet may train the brain and that it may keep it active and healthy." "This is the first time anyone has simulated an Internet search task while scanning the brain,"Small said. His team studied 24 normal volunteers between the ages of 55 and 76. Half were experienced at searching the Internet and the other half had no web experience. However, the two groups were similar in age, gender and education. Both groups were asked to do Internet searches and book reading tasks while their brain activity was monitored. "We found that in the book reading task, the visual cortex-- the part of the brain that controls reading and language -- was activated,"Small said,"In doing the Internet search task, there was much greater activity, but only in the Internet-savvy group." He said it appears that people who are familiar with the Internet can engage in much deeper level of brain activity. Activities that keep the brain engaged can preserve brain health and thinking ability. Small thinks learning to do Internet searches may be one of those activities. Question: The two volunteer groups were  _  . Options: A: similar in education B: of the same age C: good at the computer D: book lovers
A
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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Michelle was a student at University of California, Los Angeles. She is here to tell us how she feels about the city. What were the best things about Los Angeles? One of my favorite things about Los Angeles is the weather. I hate the cold and it never really gets that cold there. Plus, most of the time it's usually sunny, which is good because I love going to the beach during the summer. There's so much to do at the beach, but my favorite thing in L.A. was having a picnic on the sand with my friends. What were the worst things about being there? I disliked having to drive everywhere to get around because the city is so spread out. Los Angeles has a lot of traffic and sometimes it takes a long time to get somewhere close by just because the streets are so crowded. Also, a lot of people complain about the pollution. Did you have any problems there? Just the normal problems of living in any city, like watching out for pickpockets  . Some people think Los Angeles has a lot of crime, but I think it's as safe as any other city. Also, many people think driving is difficult because there is a lot of traffic and road rage  , but it just takes a little practice and a lot of patience. What are the people like in Los Angeles? There are all types of people in Los Angeles since the city is pretty diverse. For the most part, though, most of the people are friendly, calm and relaxed. Some people say that everyone in Los Angeles is beautiful, but I think that's just a stereotype  . Would you go back to Los Angeles? Certainly. Los Angeles is one of my favorite cities in the world. I love the fact that it has all the nightlife and shopping of a big city, but also has access to beaches, parks, mountains and other places you can't usually find in large cities. Between the weather and the beaches and all the fun things to do, it's a great place to be. Question: We can learn from the text that Michelle   _  . Options: A: hates the heavy traffic in Los Angeles B: dislikes the cold weather in Los Angeles C: thinks Los Angeles is small and crowded D: enjoys driving everywhere in Los Angeles


assistant: A
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