user: Of the six-billion-plus people in the world,600 million live on islands.In other words,one in ten of the world's population is an island dweller.This is not so hard to imagine when you consider that more than 200 million people live in Indonesia alone--and about 60 million more live on the island of Britain. No island,or group of islands,is the same.Indonesia,for example,is a nation which consists entirely of islands,nearly 14,000 of them,of which 6,000 are inhabited.Britain is a small, crowded island,with a population density of 243 people per square kilometer,almost twice as much as China.Britain is also the only island in the world which is connected to a continent by a tunnel,the Channel Tunnel between southeast England and North France. If you ignore Australia,which is an island-continent,the largest island in the world is Greenland,an unusual name for a place which is almost permanently covered in ice! On the other hand,Iceland,which is Greenland's  ly near neighbor to the east,is much greener. Why is this?Iceland is far enough north,like Greenland,to be entirely covered by ice,but more than one third of Iceland is volcanically active.Magma,which is molten volcanic rock below the surface of the ground,heats the terrain above it,keeping it green.The story goes that an early settler from Iceland gave Greenland its name in order to encourage more people to live there! Even the smallest islands have a story to tell.The remotest inhabited island in the world is Tristan da Cunha,which is in the South Atlantic Ocean.Fewer than 250 people live there and they are all related to each other,with only seven surnames between them.The island capital has the romantic name of Edinburgh of the South Seas. What is the topic of the text? A) Indonesia Islands B) Islands in the South Pacific. C) Islands around the world. D) Ialand dwellers.
C


(Question)
Maurice Mountain is a retired lawyer in Washington, D.C. He developed a prototype  for a device he calls the Presto Emergency Boat Ladder. His invention is a small folding ladder that attaches to the side of a boat to help people who fall into the water. Mr. Mountain plans to mass-produce his boat ladder. He created his invention at a workshop called TechShop. Mr. Mountain says, "I think it encourages innovation. I think people who probably have had ideas rolling around in the back of their minds for years but have never had the opportunity to actually put them into production or even experiment with them would find this place wonderful. Members of TechShop use high-tech equipment to develop and produce ideas they have for inventions." Isabella Musachio manages a TechShop in Arlington, Virginia. She says the shop has many different kinds of equipment. "TechShop is a do-it-yourself maker space. So when you come in we have all these different areas of the shop, and we have a metal shop, wood shop, lasers, 3D printers, electronics. I mean, we have so many different areas and we have all the equipment that is availahle to anybody above the age of 12." Membership costs for TechShop start at just over $ 100 per month. Members are able to use costly machines including 3D modeling tools and laser cutters. Isabella Musachio says TechShop helps its members build their dreams. "Our motto is 'build your dreams here' because you can really come in with just an idea, and then with the help of TechShop make that leap from an idea to building your project o, your prototype or even your business." Jim Newton is the founder of TechShop. He first introduced the idea for the technology workshops at an arts and sciences event called Maker Faire in San Mateo, California in 2006. His idea attracted hundreds of members during that event, Now, there are eight TechShop locations in the U. S. In all, there are more than 6,000 members. Two more-TechShop locations in the cities of St. Louis and Look Angeles will be set up. What can we know about TechShop from the passage? A) TechShop is founded by Maurice Mountain. B) TechShop puts high-tech dreams within reach. C) TechShop is a non-profit organization. D) TechShop offers its members more ideas.
(Answer)
B


Ques: Having taken a room at the hotel at which he had been instructed to stay, Smallwood went out; it was a lovely day, early in August, and the sun shone in an unclouded sky. He had not been to Lucerne since he was a boy, but remembered a covered bridge, though not clearly, a great stone lion and a church in which he had sat, bored yet impressed while they played an organ  ; and now wandering along a shady quay   he tried not so much to find his way about a half-forgotten scene as to reform in his mind some recollection of the shy and eager boy, so impatient for life, who so long ago had wandered there. But it seemed to him that the most lively of his memories was not of himself, but of the crowd; he seemed to remember the sun and the heat and the people; the train was crowded and so was the hotel, the lake steamers were packed and on the quays and in the streets you found your way among the holiday-makers. They were fat and old and ugly and strange. Now, in wartime, Lucerne was as deserted as it must have been before the world discovered that Switzerland was the play-ground of Europe. Most of the hotels were closed, the streets were empty, the boats for hire rocked   lazily at the water's edge and there was none to take them, and in the avenue by the lake the only persons to be seen were serious Swiss taking their dogs for their daily walk. Smallwood felt happy and, sitting down on a bench that faced the water, surrendered   himself to the feelings. The blue water, snowy mountains, and their beauty hit you in the face. So long, at all event, as the fine weather lasted he was prepared to enjoy himself. He didn't see why he should not at least try to combine pleasure to himself with advantage to his country. We can infer that Smallwood went to Lucerne   _  . A) to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the area B) to do something as told C) to visit his friend there D) to get in touch with the shy and eager boy
Ans: B


Who would have thought that potato fries could unite an entire country? Well, that seems to be the case in Belgium where there is currently a movement to have Belgian potato fries officially recognized as cultural heritage. The fries are served in a paper cone  from a "fritkot", which is a shack or a food truck. Across Belgium, there are at least 5,000 fritkots which is 10 times more common than McDonald's restaurants in the United States. The movement for the fries to be declared official cultural heritage was started by UNAFRI, also known as the national association of fritkot owners. They claim that their establishments represent Belgium very well. "A cone of potato chips is Belgium in miniature . What's amazing is that this way of thinking is the same, in spite of differences among communities and regions," added spokesman Bernard Lefevre. Tourists can even be seen to line up with locals in Brussels to buy a cone of fries from wellknown fritkots such as Frit Flagey and Maison Antoine. "Before I came here, the only thing I knew about Belgium [Z-x-x-k.Com]was that they liked their fries," said Rachael Webb, a tourist from Ottowa, Canada. In order to be recognized by UNESCO, it has to be formally supported by the Belgian government of culture. As of right now, UNESCO has a list of 314 items of "cultural heritage" that they say is worthy enough to be preserved. Items on the list include Turkish coffee and the old native singing of the Central African Republic. Potatoes reached Belgium in the 16th century, but it wasn't until the 19th century that they were cut up into fries and sold as a meal. The movement to have potato fries declared cultural heritage was started by   _  . A) the Belgian government B) many Belgian communities C) a Belgian industry D) a Belgian cultural association


assistant: C