Whether I'm looking for a good chat with some old Mends or a quiet place to meet a colleague, the pub will be the place I always choose. I could, of course, go to a bar. But a pub, I always find, is far more comfortable and has a more relaxed atmosphere. Many people in the UK also have a favorite pub at the end of the road where they live or nearby to where they work. I can almost always guarantee that I'll bump into someone I know at my "local", as we British call our nearest pub. In fact, many people from the UK say that the pub is a cornerstone of British life. Coming together over a drink, usually of beer, is generally considered the best way to catch up with friends. For those who are a little reserved , as the British sometimes are, it's the best way to open up and get chatting. However, this habit is slowly changing among some British people. According to a survey completed in August by UK trade magazine The Publican, eating, rather than drinking, has become the main source of income for our 52,000 pubs. The gastropub , with its greater emphasis on food, is primarily responsible. All over the country, this more expensive type of pub has been springing up, providing a place for more formal meetings with business partners. Wine is often drunk instead of the traditional beer. But not everyone's happy. Many people hate the fact that some local pubs are closing because new gastropubs are proving more profitable. "Beer sales are sinking and many pubs are struggling to survive," Rob Haward, of the British Beer and Pub Association, told UK newspaper The Daily Mail. For my part, I'm going to do all I can to keep the local British pub alive. It will be the first place I visit when I go back home. . The article is mainly about _ . A) the British pub losing popularity B) the author's love of pubs C) how the British socialize D) the local British pub
D
Six-month-old babies are strictly limited in what they can remember about the objects they see in the world. If you hide several objects from babies, they will only remember one of those objects. But a new study, which was published in an issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that when babies "forget" about an object, not all is lost. Researchers used to think that babies less than two years old did not understand that an object continues to exist when it is not in the baby's view. But in mid-1980s, new ways of doing experiments with babies found that they do, in fact, know that objects don't disappear when they do not look at them -- a concept known as object permanence. But it was still unknown what babies needed to remember about objects in order to remember their existence. Now Melissa Kibbe, of John Hopkins University, and Alan Leslie, of Rutgers University, are working to figure out exactly what it is that babies remember about objects. For the new study, they showed six-month-old babies two objects, a disk and a triangle. Then they hid the objects behind small screens, first one shape, then the other. Earlier research has shown that young babies can remember what was hidden most recently, but have more trouble remembering the first object that was hidden. Once the shapes were hidden, they lifted the screen in front of the first object. Sometimes they showed babies the shape that was hidden there originally , but sometimes it was the other shape, and sometimes the object had _ completely. Psychologists measure how long babies look at something to see how surprised they are. In Kibbe and Leslie's study, babies weren't particularly surprised to see that screen had changed, for example, from a triangle to a disk. But if the object was gone altogether, the babies looked significantly longer, indicating surprise at an unexpected outcome: "This shows that even though babies don't remember the shape of the object, they know that it should continue to... Which would be the best title for the passage? A) A new concept -- object permanence B) All remembered isn't lost C) What babies remember about objects D) A new study on psychology
B
Q: A moment later I heard my uncle calling me, and found the two men on the road together. The captain then addressed me as if I was his equal, which was very pleasing to a young fellow like me. "Sir," said he, "Mr. Balfour tells me great things of you, and I like your looks. I wish I was staying here longer so that we might become friends. But we'll make the most of the short time that we have. You must come on board my brig for half an hour and have a drink with me." Now, I cannot describe how eager I was to see the inside of a ship. But I was not going to put myself in danger, and I told him my uncle and I had an appointment with a lawyer. "Yes," said he, "he told me of that. But, you see, the boat will set you on shore farther along, near Rankeillor's house." And here he suddenly leaned down and whispered in my ear: "Take care; the old devil has evil plans. Come on board till I can have a word with you." Then, passing his arm through mine, he continued aloud, as he set off towards his boat: "Now what can I bring you from Carolina? Any friend of Mr. Balfour can ask for what he likes. A roll of tobacco? Indian feather work? A wild beast's skin? A stone pipe? A mocking-bird that cries just like a cat? Make your choice and give your order." By this time we were beside his boat and he was helping me in. I did not dream of refusing. I thought (like a fool) that I had found a friend and helper, and I was looking forward to seeing the ship. As soon as we were all in our places the boat was pushed off and began to move over the water. I was so delighted with this new experience that I hardly understood what the captain said, and must have answered him without thinking. As soon as we were alongside, Hoseason ordered a rope and chair to be sent down, declaring that he and I must be the first to go on board. I was lifted into the air and set down again on the deck , where the captain stood waiting for me and immediately slipped his arm under mine. I stood there, rather confused and perhaps a little afraid, but... The captain tried to please the author by _ . A) treating the author as a lovely child B) promising to buy the author what he liked C) finding the author a friend and a helper D) taking the author to the lawyer's house
A: B
(Q).
I felt excited, curious and nervous at the same time. I was excited because I would be skipping two grades. I was curious because I didn't know how high school students were taught. However, I was most nervous at the idea that I would be doing high school homework. I had just walked into the class when the bell rang. This wasn't a good start. But the kid in front of me looked very friendly. Luckily, since it was the first day of school, my teacher talked for about half of the period and we just had the rest of the period to start the class. I didn't know what he was saying at first, but when I saw the problems on the paper, I knew what to do. The next day, the kid said hi and I said hi back. We got into a conversation. It seemed that whenever I was talking to my friend, everyone stopped staring at me. Then the class started. It was easy. But I was still uncomfortable because I couldn't look around without meeting others'eyes, so I just kept my eyes on the whiteboard and on my textbook. However, my friend didn't show up the next day, and the eighth graders just kept on staring at me. I didn't know why. The next day everything changed. My friend was back to school. I was praised for my homework. Everyone stared at me less. Some started to be a little friendlier towards me. I felt at home at last here. My teachers also seemed pretty nice. If the author didn't skip, he should study in _ . A) the fourth grade B) the sixth grade C) the seventh grade D) the eighth grade
(A).
B