After my dad died on Aug.30, 2001, my mother made sure we marked each anniversary. At first, my brothers and sister and I would travel hours to get home, but eventually we got to the point where just one or two of us would make it back to go to Mass with her and spend the day together. The great love of her life, the man who broke up with her right before her college graduation, only to return two years later claiming he'd traveled the world and hadn't found anyone to compare with her, remained a daily presence in her life. She spoke about him so often and kept his memory so alive that people were sometimes surprised to learn that he was gone. She took over the garden where he'd planted and made it her own. When the 10th anniversary of his death approached, my mom began talking about it and planning for it weeks in advance. The date on her kitchen calendar was circled and marked R.I.P. (Rest in Peace). Of course she wanted all of us there and settled the dates for our coming back. On Monday -- the day before the anniversary -- she went to morning Mass and walked downtown for lunch with friends, and later told my sister on the phone that she felt Dad still so close that as she was walking back home, she heard someone yell and thought, "Oh, there's Dick." That evening she went out to water flowers, just as my father, 10 years before, had gone out to the garden to pick vegetables before he died. A neighbor heard the tin watering can strike the ground as she fell and hit her head. My mother died within hours, on Aug.30, 2011, the 10thanniversary. She needed to mark that anniversary, and my dad had waited long enough. We can infer from the passage that the author's mother _ . A) knew her last day was coming on Aug.30 B) kept everything of her father's home C) missed Father though he had passed away D) remained a daily presence in his life
C
(Question)
In one way of thinking, failure is part of life. In another way, failure may be a way towards success. The "spider-story" is often told. Robert Bruce, leader of the Scots in the 13th century, was hiding in a cave from the English. He watched a spider making a web . The spider tried to reach across a rough place in the rock. He tried six times. On the seventh time he made it and went on to make his web. Bruce is said to have been encouraged by this and to have gone on to defeat the English. Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, made hundreds of models that failed before he found the right way to make one. Once he was asked why he kept on trying to make a new type of battery when he had failed so often, he replied, "Failure? I have no failure. Now I know 50,000 ways it won't work." So what? First, always think about your failure. What caused it? Were conditions right? Were you in top form yourself? What can you change so things will go right next time? Second, is the goal you're trying to reach the right one? Try to do some thinking about what your real goals may be. Think about this question, "If I do succeed in this, where will it get me?" This may help you prevent failure in things you shouldn't be doing anyway. The third thing to keep in mind about failure is that it's a part of life. Learn to "live with yourself" even though you may have failed. The thing the writer does not tell you to do to deal with failure is _ . A) check out your goals to see if they are right for you B) think about failure as part of your life C) think about failure to find out what went wrong D) keep away from things that are beyond you
(Answer)
D
Ques: Whether you're taking a trip alone or with your family, it's easier to get sick when you're in a new place because your body hasn't had a chance to _ to the food, water, and air in a new environment. Read the following tips on keeping your travel experience as healthy as possible. Safe foods and drinks What foods are safe to eat? Foods that have been boiled are generally safe, as well as fruits and vegetables that have to be peeled before eating. Avoid eating uncooked or undercooked meat. Stay away from foods that require a lot of handling before serving. Drink only bottled water when traveling. If you have to use the tap water, you should boil it first. You can take it with you When you're packing, taking some painkiller and diarrhea medicine is a good idea. It's also a good idea to pack some allergy medicine even if you don't take it at home, because people sometimes unexpectedly develop allergic reactions in a new environment. Write it all down Before you leave your sweet home, create a medical history form that includes the following information: your name, address, and home phone number as well as a parent's daytime phone number your blood type a list of any ongoing health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, or AIDS a list of current medicines you are taking a list of allergies to medicine, food, insects, and animals the name, address, and phone number of a relative other than your parent It also helps if you have some basic emergency medical knowledge, not only for yourself but also for helping others you may be traveling with. A great way to prepare for your trip is to take a first-aid or basic life support course before you go; if you're traveling with a group, you should know where the first-aid kit is and what's in it. Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage? A) Taking a first-aid course. B) Writing down your blood type. C) Taking some necessary medicine. D) Telling your parents' your plan.
Ans: D
Calling all poets! TIME For Kids(TFK) has a challenge for you. WHO: The contest is open to students who are 8 to 13 years old. WHAT: Write a funny, rhyming poem and enter it in the TFK Poetry Contest. By entering, the entrant should promise that the poem is an original one that does not copy another poet's work, has not been published in an y medium and has not won an award. HOW: Send your poem by e-mail to contest@poetry4kids.com. The subject line of your e-mail message should read "TFK POETRY CONTEST". Be sure to include your first name only, your e-mail address and your parents' e-mail address. Limit one entry per person or e-mail account. The sponsor is not responsible for lost, late or incomplete entries, or those not received for any reason. WHEN: This contest begins 12:01 a.m. on January 13,2013, and ends 11:59 p.m. on March 1,2013. JUDGING: All entries will be judged by poet Kenn Nesbitt, based on the following standards: creativity and o riginality (50%),use of language and rhyme (25%) and relatedness to contest theme(25%).Winner will be informed by e-mail and must respond within five days. WINNER'S LIST: For names of the winner and finalists, visit timeforkids.com (after April 1,2013, you can get for a period of 10 days). PRIZE: Our judge will select four semifinalists from which one grand-prize winner and three finalists will be chosen. The one grand-prize winner will receive an online class visit from poet Kenn Nesbitt and a signed copy of one of his books of poetry. The poem of the grand-prize winner will be published on timeforkids.com. The finalists will receive signed copies of one of Nesbitt's books of poetry. The poems of finalists will be published on timeforkids.com. Which may be a proper work for the TFK Poetry Contest? A) A war poem published in a book. B) A great poem which has won many prizes. C) A fine poem downloaded from the Internet. D) A love poem which has been kept secret from others.
D