Fatimah Bamun dropped out of Balizenda Primary School in the first grade, when her father refused to buy her pencils and paper. Only after her teachers said to him that his daughter showed unusual promise did he change his mind. Today, Fatimah, 14, tall and slender, studies math in a dirt-floored fourth-grade classroom. Whether she will reach the fifth grade is another matter. Fatimah is facing the realities of a school with no toilet, no water, no hope of privacy other than the shadow of a bush, and no girlfriends with whom to share feelings. Fatimah is the only girl of the 23 students in her class. In fact, in a school of 178 students, she is one of the only three girls who have made it past the third grade. "I have no friend in the class," she said. "Most of my friends have dropped out to get married. So during the break, I just sit in the classroom and read." Her father, however, now says he is fully behind her. "The people from the government are all the time telling us to send our daughters to school, and I am listening to these people," he said. But in many cases, parents don't listen. Parents think that if the girls stay home, they can help with the harvesting, fetch the water and collect the firewood. So they take them out of school. In a region where poverty, tradition and ignorance make about 24 million girls not even have an elementary school education. There are many other barriers that prevent girls going to school, such as the lack of school toilets and water. The issue is not only equality. The World Bank thinks that if women in sub-Saharan Africa had equal education, land and other wealth, the region's economy could improve greatly. There is a connection between growth in Africa and sex equality. It is of great importance but still ignored by so many people. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? A) Fatimah is a girl who shows signs of success for the future. B) Fatimah's father is now giving a lot of support to her. C) Fatimah is the only girl who has made it past the fifth grade in her school. D) Fatimah has no friends at school because they most of them have dropped out to get married.
C
Do you know anything about the history of weather? Don't look at the sky. Don't look for old weather reports. Looking at the tree rings is more important. Correct weather reports date back only one century, but some trees can provide an exact record of weather even further back. It is natural that a tree would grow best in a climate with plenty of sunlight and rainfall. It is also expected that little sunlight or rainfall would reduce the growth of a tree. The change from a favorable to an unfavorable climate can be found out by the reading pattern of rings in a tree trunk. To find out the weather of ten years ago, you can count the rings of a tree trunk from the outside to the inside. If the tenth ring is far from the other rings, then it is certain that plenty of sunny and rainy weather occurred. If the rings are close together, then the climate was bad for the tree. Studying trees is important not only for the history of weather, but also for the history of man. In an area of New Mexico you can find only sand -- no trees or people. However, many centuries ago a large population lived there. They left suddenly. Why? A scientist studied the pattern of the rings of dead trees that had grown there. He made up his mind that the people had to leave because they had cut down all the trees. Trees were necessary to make fires and buildings. So, after the people destroyed the trees, they had to move. In this example studying tree rings uncovered an exciting fact about the history of man. We can find out the weather of five years ago by counting the rings of a tree trunk _ . A) from the left to the right B) from the outside to the inside C) from the inside to the outside D) from the right to the left
B
Q: Meagan and her friend Samantha, both students, lived together in Denver. On mornings when Samantha had class, Meagan would watch her 2-year-old daughter, Hannah. Also part of the household was Meagan's pet, Willie, a parrot -- a particularly intelligent and chatty breed. He picked up quite a healthy vocabulary ("Silly Willie"was a favorite saying) and became a great mimic -- of cats, dogs, chickens and humans. One day with Samantha at school, Hannah sat in front of morning cartoons while Meagan cooked Pop-Tarts in the kitchen. When the toaster spat out the food, Meagan placed it at the center of the kitchen table to cool. She glanced at Hannah and, confident the child was fully engaged in the TV, slipped out quickly to use the bathroom. "I was gone maybe 30 seconds,"Meagan recalls."And suddenly, I heard the bird going crazy and shouting."She heard two very distinct words from the parrot's mouth."Mama! Baby! Mama! Baby!"Meagan ran out of the bathroom to find Hannah in the kitchen, holding the partly eaten Pop-Tarts, out of breath, her face and lips a terrifying shade of blue. And Willie was still crying. "Hannah had climbed up on a chair and gotten the Pop-Tarts and she was clearly choking on them,"says Meagan."I seized her and immediately started doing first aid until the piece came flying out."The bird quieted down and Meagan burst into tears, relief washing over her; Hannah was fine, already smiling her big smile. When Meagan told Samantha what happened,"She was so grateful, thanking me for what I did,"Meagan says."But I said, 'Don't thank me! It was Willie who was the hero!'" What had Meagan expected Hannah to do while she was away? A) To eat the hot food. B) To watch the toaster. C) To enjoy the TV program. D) To climb up on a chair.
A: C
*Question*
Every day, about one-quarter of American adults eat at fast-food restaurants. Cheap, tasty, and convenient, fast food is rich in fat and calories, and it's low in fiber and nutrients. Thanks in large part to fast food, half of America's adults and one-quarter of its children are fat, double the rate of a generation ago. In the past two decades, eating habits have changed as people pay more attention to their health. However, many Americans continue to eat red meat (beef in particular) as well as pork, chicken and other foods. Although beer and wine are popular in most areas, many Americans _ alcohol, because they think they will become healthier without drinking it. Various kinds of mineral water are commonly available. Eating styles and habits vary between people of different backgrounds, but Americans generally eat with the fork in the hand with which they write. A knife is used for cutting and spreading; otherwise, it is laid on the plate or table. Fast foods, such as chips, fried chicken, hamburgers, and pizza, tend to be eaten with the fingers. There is an obvious difference between what people may do at home or in a fast-food restaurant, and how they act in a more formal restaurant. Because both parents often work outside the home, some Americans are less likely to sit down as a family to eat once the children are older and able to prepare their own food or serve themselves. Which would be the best title of the passage? A) Fast foods in the US. B) Various cultures of the US. C) Diet and eating in America. D) Changes about Americans eating.
**Answer**
C