user: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: As a result of pollution, Lake Erie, on the borders of the USA and Canada, is now without many living things. Pollution in water is not simply a matter of "poisons" killing large numbers of fish overnight. Very often the effects of pollution are not noticed for many months or years because the first organisms   to be affected are either plants or plankton  . These organisms are the food of fish, birds, and other creatures. When this food disappears, the fish and birds die too. In this way a whole food chain can be wiped out, and it is not until dead fish and water birds are seen at the river's edge or on the sea shore that people realize what is happening. Where do the substances which pollute water come from? There are two main sources, sewage  and industrial waste. As more detergent  is used in homes, more of it is finally put into our rivers, lakes and seas.  Detergents harm water birds by breaking down the natural substances which keep their feathers _ Sewage itself, if not properly treated, makes the water dirty and prevents all forms of life in rivers and the sea from receiving the oxygen they need. Industrial waste is even more harmful since there are many highly poisonous materials in it, such as copper and lead. So if we want to stop this pollution, the answer is simple. Sewage and industrial waste must be made clean before flowing into the water reservoirs. It may already be too late to save some rivers and lakes, but others can still be saved if the correct action is taken at once. Question: Pollution in water is noticed   _  . Options: A: when the first organisms are affected B: when many fish and birds die C: when poisons are poured into water D: As soon as the balance of nature is destroyed
B
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people,but I also explain that there's a big difference between "being a writer" and writing.In most cases these people are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter. "You've got to want to write, "I say to them, "not want to be a writer". The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. When I left a 20-year career in the U.S. Coat Guard to become a freelance writer, I had no hope at all.What I did have was a friend who found me a room in a New York apartment building.It didn't even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom.I immediately bought a used typewriter and felt like a real writer. After a year or so.However, I still hadn't gotten a break and began to doubt myself.It was so hard to sell a story that I hardly made enough to eat.But I knew I wanted to write,l had dreamed about it for years.I wasn't going to be one _ I would keep putting my dream to the test--even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure.This is the _ of hope,and anyone with a dream must learn to live there. Question: Why did the author begin to doubt himself after the first year of his writing career? Options: A: He wasn't able to produce a single book. B: He hadn't seen a change for the better. C: He wasn't able to have a rest for a whole year. D: He found his dream would never come true.
B
Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Outside her cottage, old Mrs. Taylor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children were hiding in a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she really was a witch.  They watched nervously as she took a broomstick to sweep the dirt from her stone steps. But much to their disappointment, she didn't get on the broomstick and fly off. The old lady only looked up when her hen began to make sounds loudly --signaling that she had laid an egg in the nest on the top of the haystack. . The old lady put aside her broomstick and walked to the haystack, followed by Michael, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap. With only three legs, it was hard for Michael to keep up with his mistress. The cat was proof for the children that only a witch would own a black cat with three legs! Crawling further along the branches, they could clearly see the haystack. Mrs. Taylor was standing on a wooden box with the new-laid egg in one hand. Placing the egg in her pocket, she readied herself to climb down. Then, without warning, the box broke under her and she crashed to the ground. The children were in horror. "Should we go and help her?" asked Mia. "What if it's a trick?" replied Patrick. "She probably knows we're here. Witches know things like that!" After thinking for a while, Julia said"Anyway, we should go and check whether she is all right." Approaching _ , they could see a wound on the old lady's forehead. She had knocked her head on a stone and was unconscious. "Go and get Dad," Mia yelled to her brothers. "Tell him about the accident." The boys didn't need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as they could for help, hoping that Mrs. Taylor would not regain consciousness and turn the girls into frogs. Later, in the hospital, the old lady smiled her thanks. "I was so lucky that you lovely children happened to be passing when 1 fell. I must have yelled quite loudly." The children exchanged guilty glances, but were very pleased that she was not a witch after all! Question: Which of these old sayings best summaries the lesson from story? Options: A: Make hey while the sun shines. B: Never judge a book by its cover. C: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. D: People in glasshouses shouldn't throw stones.
A: B
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Product Description Life Without Limits helps you clarify what you want in every area of your life. By using Bassett's powerful techniques you will change; therefore your life will change. You control your life. And only you can take steps to change it. Life Without Limits helps you take back your power. Life Without Limits helps you to achieve satisfaction and fulfillment personally, professionally, and financially. Once you have defined what success means for you, you will clarify your dreams and start pursuing them. Product Details Published in: 2001-12 Released on: 2001-12-24 Original language: English Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 8 inches Binding: Paperback 304 pages About the Author Lucinda Bassett is the founder and CEO of one of the most successful self-help companies in the country, the Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety, Inc. Author of the national bestseller From Panic to Power, Lucinda Bassett produces and hosts the award-winning infomercial, Attacking Anxiety. She has shared her techniques with such clients as McDonalds, Chrysler, and AT&T. She has appeared on numerous talk shows, including Operah and The View, and been featured in Family Circle, Reader's Digest, and many more. Customer Reviews This book has helped me to gain hope and courage to cope with all my fears and worries. Lucinda writes with such a great understanding and sympathy. She herself had problems with panic and worry. Her positive thinking tips are easy to follow. I don't get lost in a lot of mental problems. It's as if she were holding your hand, sitting right beside you, cheering you on! I believe I can do anything I set my mind to after reading this book. However, there are some other readers holding the contrary views. Question: What is Life Without Limits about? Options: A: It shows readers what Lucinda Bassett is. B: It encourages readers to realize their dreams. C: It describes how hard the actual life is. D: It implies it is hard to control your life.


assistant: B