user: Is your family interested in buying a dog? A dog can be a good friend to your family, but if you choose the wrong kind of dog, it can cause you a lot of trouble. Families should sit down and discuss the problems before buying a dog.Even if the children in your family are the ones who want the dog,the parents are the ones who are really responsible  for seeing that the animal is properly cared for.If you don't know much about dogs,it's a good idea to go to the library for books about different kinds of dogs,as well as books about how to train a young dog. Dogs of different kinds change in popularity as the years go by. One of the most popular dogs these days is the German shepherd . This is because it provides protection. The family should be warned that these dogs grow up to be very big, and may he too powerful for children, If your house is not big, a toy dog may be a good choice . These dogs are very small and easy to train. They don't need to be walked daily. The writer suggests one can get information about the different kinds of dogs  _  . A) by reading books about dogs B) by buying a dog from a pet shop C) by watching dogs in a zoo D) by asking some friends
A

If you walk along the streets, you will find children as young as seven years old walking to school or taking the public bus on their own. If you ride on the public bus with a baby or young child, you will find at least three people standing up to give up their seats for you. And as a booming town with a young population, Xiamen has a lot to offer young families with kids. There are lots of places of interest for you to enjoy. The following are some of them. * A walking adventure at Gulangyu Islet: There you can have a round-the-island trip by fast boat and the Xiamen Underwater World has a dolphin and sea lion performance and an enjoyment of around 400 types of underwater life from around the world. Opening hours: 08:00-18:00            See the map! Price: 70RMB(adults) 50RMB (children above 1.4m) * Wild rides at Guanyinshan Water Park: The park has a wave pool, which creates seven types of wave effects. It also has a hair-raising water ride that speeds down ... Opening hours: 11:00-20:00            See the map! Price: 120RMB per person 60RMB visitors aged above 60 and below 1.4m .... * Xiamen Firefly Park: Last of all, young nature lovers will enjoy the wonder of watching more than 100,000 fireflies light the dark night at the firefly park. Children will also learn the roles fireflies play in protecting the ecology by controlling the populations of pests. Opening hours: 19:30-21:30           See the map! Price: Free for children up to 16 years old If a family go to Xiamen for a day's holiday and they have to return home before 6 p.m., then they can visit   _  . A) Gulangyu Islet B) Guanyinshan Water Park C) Gulangyu Islet and Guanyinshan Water Park D) Guanyinshan Water Park and Xiamen Firefly Park
C

Today, we send millions of Christmas cards every year. But in fact the Christmas card is a  ly modern invention. In the Middle Ages, European wood engravers  produced prints with religious themes. But the first real Christmas card, as we understand the term today, was designed in London, England in 1840. It went on sale in 1843. The designer was John Callott Horsley, a well- known British painter and member of the Royal Academy. He designed the card at the suggestion of his friend Sir Henry Cole, who was the first director of the Victoria & Albert Museum. Horsley produced 1,000 cards and offered them for sale at 1s (one shilling) each. They were printed on stiff card and coloured by hand, with the greeting: "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You". The card shows three pictures: in the center, a family party; to one side the hungry receiving food; to the other side the poor being clothed. Puritans  immediately  _ the card, since it showed people drinking in the family party. But with most people the idea was a great success and the Christmas card quickly became very popular. Christmas cards were not the first greetings cards. Since 1796, with improvements in printing, merchants had been sending cards to their customers offering "best wishes" for the new year. In many countries, Christmas cards gradually became even more popular than New Year's cards.     As Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ, cards often show scenes of His nativity. Others show images connected with Christmas such as wintry scenes of snow-laden pine, Father Christmas card is "Merry Christmas", but many other greetings are also used, such as "Happy Xmas" or "Happy Noel". We can conclude from the text that   _  . A) Horsley sold his first Christmas cards for 50 pounds B) Santa Claus was born on Christmas Day C) now there are more greetings on New Year's cards D) merchants were the first to send Christmas cards to their customers
A

Having friends may well keep you healthier and help you deal with stress better. Some studies show that people with close friends have a greater ability to fight disease than people who are alone. Place friendship in the first place. Find the time to be with friends even if it means letting the lawn go unmowed or the dishes unwashed for a while. When you can't get together, use the phone to keep in touch. Open up to close friends. Keeping a deep friendship requires a level of "heartfelt" intimacy  .Don't be afraid to express your inner fears and disappointments. Listen to your friends when they have problems,but offer advice only when it's wanted. Help raise friends' selfesteem when they are sad about a job loss, or other such events. Have different friends for different activities, such as going to the movies,singing in a choir,and joining in a bowling league. Don't wait for a friend to ask for helps. When a friend has the flu,offer to go to the store or drive his or her children to their afterschool activities. Never take a friendship for granted. Like a good marriage,friendship needs care and patience. Become a joiner. Find a group that matches your interests. Talk to strangers. Conversations started in museums, laundry rooms,or bookstores can lead to firm friendship.  _ in an adulteducation course. A classroom is an ideal place to meet others with similar interests. Which of the statements is TRUE according to the passage? A) You should have different friends for the same activities. B) You should wait for a friend to ask a favor. C) You should avoid talking with strangers in museums, laundry rooms, or bookstores. D) You should never take a friendship for granted.


assistant: D