At the age of 45 I decided to learn the English language. Not that I didn't know the language, but to improve my command over the language, I joined English academic classes close to my house. In one class, the instructor gave us a sheet of a hundred words and told us to write the opposite of each word as homework. At home I sat with that page but though I could manage the easy words quickly, for certain words I had to take the help of the dictionary. Feeling relaxed and like an achiever, my new found enthusiasm forced me to explore some more words. Exploring the dictionary, for every word I found the opposite word (except all forms of nouns). The entire night went on exploring words, but the night was not enough to complete the dictionary. I had enough time to hand in my homework, so the next day, after work once again I sat in through the night and started exploring opposite words from the dictionary. The exercise was easy, but suddenly something struck my mind. Instead of finding the words which have opposite words, I should look for words that do NOT have any opposite word. After going through sleepless nights that week, I could not find a single word which doesn't have an opposite word. This amazed me and forced me to conclude that without the opposite word the original word doesn't have its real meaning or value. In other words, every word is incomplete without its opposite. The conclusion forced me to think differently. Although many questions remained unanswered in my mind, the one thing I concluded was that these words are created by humans and every human possesses two qualities within himself, Positive and Negative. Similarly he created words with opposites. This proves that whatever we welcome in our life, we will also be welcoming the opposite of it. And at the end of the day we will complain about the negative forces surrounding us, making us weak, dull, pessimistic and so on...Isn't this strange? The author finished his first homework _ . A) at the first attempt B) with great ease C) with the help of a dictionary D) with the aid of the instructor
C
Beautiful cars surrounded by even more beautiful models--it's no secret why the 2012 Beijing Auto Show was popular. The exhibition was held between April 23 and May 2.Although renowned companies showed off their top models,it wasn't just their expensive sports cars that grabbed people's attention. Concept cars are a way for designers to test out their ideas on the public with complete freedom.They can try out cars with special features that could not be massively produced easily. Designers don't have to follow industry rules;they don't even need to worry about whether their cars would be followed on the roads. At the Beijing Auto Show,the@Ant by Chery was one concept car to draw a lot of attention.China Daily called it''the very definition of a concept car". The vehicle is powered by electricity and is capable of driving itself.But the magic doesn't end there. The@Ant was inspired by actual ants.According to Car News China,with the help of automated telemetric systems,@Ants are able to"see" other@Ants and compare destination information. If two are heading the same way for a while, the vehicles connect, with one car's rear wheels matching up with the front wheels of another car.Up to 10@Ants can be put together and will automatically connect to form a"train".This will help save energy while traveling, as well reducing traffic jams. The car sounds like a great idea.Further research will be needed to turn this concept car into something for the market,but concepts like Cherry's show how carmakers are working for cleaner and greener vehicles.It's like what the@Ant motto says,"Exploring future human beings'lifestyles". How can the@Ants help save energy while travelling according to the passage? A) By connecting each other and running together B) By driving themselves without man's control C) By comparing their destination information D) By reducing traffic jams on the roads
A
Q: In 1986, when Monty Reed was a member of the Army Rangers ( ), he had an accident. "It was a night jump, and we were jumping low," he recalls. "We were training. Somebody got too close to my parachute ."The parachute below blocked Reed's air and his parachute failed to open. Reed crashed a hundred feet to the ground, breaking his back in five places. The next morning, Reed could not move. "Doctors said it was likely that I would never walk again." Reed stared out of his hospital window, wondering what the future would be like. It was the saddest moment of his life. "The experts are telling me my body doesn't work! What am I supposed to do?" he thought. To distract himself, he picked up a book: Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers. The science-fiction describes a set of man-made muscles that would allow people to carry 2,000 pounds. He thought that if he could build something like that, it might be able to lift him out of his wheelchair. So he began his project and finally succeeded in building a set of robot legs. Several years later, he made an amazing recovery and was able to get up and walk away from his wheelchair. He even jumped out of an airplane again to celebrate. Reed wanted to do something for others with the second chance that life had given him. He has now perfected the robot legs that can get the injured, the elderly and the paralyzed out of their wheelchairs. Now he has started his own company to make the legs. "I've seen them compete in marathons and go swimming and mountain climbing," he said. "So never give up!" Monty started to read Starship Troopers to _ . A) create a new kind of wheelchair for himself B) discover how to make man-made muscles C) learn how to jump out of an airplane D) stop himself from thinking about his pain
A: D
*Question*
Every baby born a decade from now will have its genetic code mapped at birth, the head of the worlds' leading genome sequencing company has predicted. A complete DNA read - out for every newborn will be technically possible and affordable in less than five years, promising a revolution in healthcare, says Jay Flatley, the chief executive of Illumina. Only social and legal problems are likely to delay the age of "genome sequences," or genetic profiles. By 2019 it will have become routine to map infants' genes when they are born, Dr Flatly told The Times. This will open a new approach to medicine, by which conditions such as high blood pressure and heart disease can be predicted and prevented and drugs used more safely and effectively. A baby's genome can be discovered at birth by a blood test. By examining a person's genome, it is possible to identify raised risks of developing diseases such as cancers. Those at high risk can then be screened more regularly, or given drugs or dietary advice to lower their chances of becoming ill. Personal genomes could also be used to ensure that patients get the medicine that is most likely to work for them and least likely to have side-effects. The development, however, will raise legal concerns about privacy and access to individuals' genetic records. "Bad things can be done with the genome. It could predict something about someone - and you could possibly hand the information to their employer or their insurance company." said Dr Flatley. "People have to recognize that _ , and that your genome probably can't be protected, because everywhere you go you leave your genome behind. Complete genetic privacy, however, is unlikely to be possible", he added. As the benefits become clearer, however, he believes that most people will want their genomes read and interpreted. The risk is nothing compared with the gain. What's Dr Flatley's attitude towards the technology? A) Tolerant. B) Conservative. C) Positive. D) Doubtful.
**Answer**
C