user: At the middle school level, there are many academic clubs in which students can participate.Students can choose clubs that focus on an area of interest. Mathcounts Club Mathcounts tries to increase excitement towards mathematic achievement. It hopes to provide students with the foundation for success in science, technology; engineering and mathematics careers. Schools select individuals and teams to participate in competitions. Local competitions are held in February with winners progressing to state competitions and then on to the national level. Mathcounts works to challenge student math skills, develop self-confidence and give rewards for their achievements. Envirothon.  The Envrothon program focuses on natural resources knowledge and exposes students to diverse environmental issues, and ecosystems .The ecology field competition for five-member middle school teams offers competitions in wildlife, soils, forestry, current environmental issues and aquatics. Students Work and learn in middle school clubs and can compete at the local and state level. Future Problem Solvers  Future Problem Salvers is an academic club that uses a six-step process to solve problemsthat may happen in the future. Students who are in the talented and gifted program, who like to "think out of the box," or who enjoy thinking about futuristic problems max like this club. Teams,comprised of four students read future scenes and write up solutions in: a booklet using the six-step process. Teams that score high enough can go to the .state competition and,then to the international competition. Builders Club Builders Club is open to any middle school student who wishes to perform community service. Each Builders Club is co-sponsored by a Kiwanis club. and the middle school. The members learn by doing, and they learn organization; teamwork,and leadership. Builders Clubs can sponsor a "Teacher of the year" program, provide a recycling collection point, organize canned food and clothing drives to support local shelters, adopt a resident at a... Students choose Mathcounts Club in order to  _  . A) be successful in science careers B) enjoy solving future problems C) perform community service D) study wildlife and soils
A


Few of us haven't read Cinderella, the story of a young woman living in poverty who meets the prince of her dreams. Some might not want to admit it, but there is a hidden Cinderella in everyone's heart--we all wish we could achieve recognition or success after a period of obscurity . Mary Santiago has that secret dream, too. Her story is featured in Another Cinderella Story, a film set in a US high school. Mary is shy but loves to dance. Compared with other girls, she is invisible. However, her world changes completely when a famous teenager pop singer, Joey Parker, appears. Joey is everything the rest of the boys in her class are not--kind, handsome and desirable. Mary and Joey's paths cross at a ball. They meet and fall in love with each other. But when Mary has to rush back home, she leaves behind her MP3 player, which becomes the only clue Joey has to find the girl of his dreams. Of course, there is a wicked  stepmother, who turns out to be Dominique Blatt and she takes in Mary after her dancer mother dies. Dominique treats Mary like a maid and does everything she can to make sure Mary doesn't get into the top dance school. Her two daughters are equally determined to stop Joey falling for Mary, even if that means embarrassing her. The story, though it mostly follows Cinderella, does add a few modern day twists to the classic fairy tale. Refreshingly, the film, unlike many high school films, does not focus on looks, although the actors are all beautiful. There is also a lot less materialism in Another Cinderella Story than in many similar movies. "The movie takes the Cinderella fairytale as its jumping off point," writes movie critic Amber Wilkinson. "The focus is firmly on following your dream." The passage is mainly about   _  . A) an introduction to a film B) a review about a film C) an essay about dreams D) an advertisement of Cinderella
B


Q: A federal agency on Tuesday called for a ban on all cellphone use by drivers -- the most far-reaching recommendation up to now -- saying its decision was based on a decade of investigations into distraction-related  accidents, as well as growing concerns that powerful mobile devices are giving drivers even more reasons to look away from the road. As part of its recommendation, the National Transportation Safety Board is urging states to ban drivers from using hands-free devices, including wireless headsets. No state now has made laws to ban such activity, but the Board said that drivers faced serious risks from talking on wireless headsets, just as they do by taking a hand off the wheel to hold a phone to their ears. However, the concern was heightened by increasingly powerful phones that people can use to send e-mails, watch movies and play games. "Every year, new devices are being on sale." she said. "People are attracted to update their Facebook page, to play music with cellphone, as if sitting at a desk. But they are driving a car." The agency based its recommendation on evidence from its investigation of numerous crashes in which electronic distraction was a major contributing factor. Ms. Hersman said she understood that this recommendation would be unwelcome in some circles, given the number of drivers who talk and text. But she compared distracted driving to drunken driving and even smoking, which required wholesale cultural shifts to change behavior. "It's going to be very unpopular with some people." she said. "We're not here to win a popularity contest. We're here to do the right thing. This is a difficult recommendation, but it's the right recommendation and it is time." The agency's recommendation is not required for states to adopt such a ban. And it won't likely be agreed upon by state lawmakers who are unwillingly to anger those who have grown accustomed to using their device behind the wheel. The ban also deserves attention because it is the first call by a federal agency to end the practice... The ban on all cellphone use by drivers was put forward  _  . A) after a long discussion and recommendation B) after about ten years' investigation in it C) because of the most powerful mobile devices D) for the reason of heading away from the road
A: B


Mary Cassatt was born in Pennsylvania in 1844. When she was seven, her family moved to Europe. They wanted their children to understand European ways and the people who lived there. They travelled a lot and she had visited many countries by the time she was 10 years old. After four years they returned to America.        In those days, women didn't have professions, and there were very few women artists. Her family did not approve when she decided that she would become an artist. She studied first in Philadelphia. She happened to be in Chicago in 1871 when the huge fire broke out there. She lost many of her paintings in that fire.        She went to Paris to study painting. She met Camille Pissarro there. He taught her Impressionism, a method of painting where the artists used small strokes   of unmixed color1s to create an image. She once said of Pissarro that " _ " because he was such a good teacher. She spent a lot of time at the Louvre Museum copying paintings of the famous artists.        In 1874, her sister, Lydia, came to live with her in Paris. Lydia was her best friend and posed for many of Mary's paintings. Three years later, her parents came to Paris, also to live with them. Lydia became very ill and died from a disease. Mary missed her very much. Her parents became elderly and she cared for them, but she still found time to paint.       One of the more interesting works of Mary Cassatt is her painting, Portrait of Mrs. Curry, Sketch of Mr. Cassatt. Though she never had children of her own, she loved children and painted portraits of the children of her friends and family. She became known as the painter of mothers and children.        She lost her sight due to cataracts  in her eyes in 1914 and was not able to paint during the later years of her life. What is the passage mainly about? A) A brief introduction to Mary Cassatt. B) The main works of Mary Cassatt. C) The influence of Impressionism on Mary Cassatt. D) Mary Cassatt's love for her family.


assistant: A