On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln went to Gettysburg to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery . The Civil War was still going on. There was much criticism of President Lincoln at the time. He had been invited to speak at Gettysburg only out of politeness. The other speaker was to be Edward Everett, a famous statesman and speaker of the day. Everett was a handsome man and very popular everywhere. It is said that Lincoln prepared his speech on the train while going to Gettysburg. Later that night, alone in his hotel room and tired out, he again worked briefly on the speech. The next day Everett spoke first. His speech lasted an hour and 57 minutes and it was a perfect example of the day. Then Lincoln rose. The crowd of 15,000 people at first paid little attention to him. He spoke for only nine minutes. At the end there was little applause . Lincoln turned to a friend and said, "I have failed again." Some newspapers at first criticized the speech. But little by little, as people read the speech, they began to like its simplicity and its deep meaning. It was a speech which only Abraham Lincoln could have made. Now everyone thinks of it as one of the greatest speeches ever given in American history. It can be inferred from the text that _ . A) Lincoln had prepared his speech very carefully before he went to Gettysburg B) Lincoln was very busy at the time and didn't have much time to prepare his speech C) Lincoln's speech seemed to be a failure for the first time D) Lincoln's speech was a little shorter than Everett's one
B
However you decide to travel in Britain, a great starting point is Traveline-a very useful site that will help you plan your journey and get loads of information for national, regional and local travel. By Air Though Britain is a small country, flying can be a competitive choice, especially if you book ahead and travel early in the morning or late in the evening, you can get some great deals which can be cheaper than going by train. Airlines with good regional coverage are listed below... By Train Trains can be a rewarding , relaxing and, if you book in advance, good value way to travel round Britain. Lots of different companies run services in Britain. So start by contacting National Rail (Tel: 08705484950; outside UK + 44 1332 387601). It's a helpful, centralized service that provides timetable and fare information. To buy tickets, you have to contact individual train operating companies or use a website such as Traveline. Some of the major companies are listed below ... By Coach It is the cheapest way to travel long distances, and you can see a lot more of the country while you're traveling than by train. National Express-Largest national coach network with excellent value BritXplorer passes that you can use on the whole network for 7, 14 and 28 days. Tel: 08705808080 UK only. Meag Bus-Mega value, no-frills intercity travel. City Link-Scotland's leading coach company. Tel: 08705 505050 UK only. Traveling-Provide information about bus travel all over the country. Tel: 08706 082608 UK only. By Car Rental rates can be fairly high in the UK, but if there are several of you, hiring a car can be a good value way to travel. Try and book in advance for better deals. If you are planning on traveling extensively in Britain it might be worth buying a car to travel round and then selling it afterwards. Major rental companies include ... By Ferry The main ferries in Britain serve the islands west and north of Scotland. Caledonian Mac (Tel: 08705650000) is the main... If you want to visit a lot of places around Britain, the writer advises you to _ . A) take a lot of money with you B) take more clothes with you C) employ a private guide D) buy a car and then sell it
D
Q: (RAMALLAH, West Bank) -- Israel freed 26 Palestinian prisoners early Wednesday, the second of four groups to be released as part of an agreement that started the current Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which had broken down since 2008. In all, 104 prisoners are to be released in four rounds over the coming months. In the West Bank and Gaza , the mood was overexcited as hundreds of Palestinians welcomed the prisoners back home, after many had spent more than 20 years behind bars. Crowds of people rushed toward the 5 prisoners released to Gaza, raising them on their shoulders, waving Palestinian flags and dancing to music. Relatives held signs that read "we will never forget our heroes." More than 2,000 people welcomed the 21 prisoners released to the West Bank, who were greeted at a ceremony by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. Hazem Shubair, thrown into prison in 1994 for the death of an Israeli according to the Israeli Prison Service, was over delighted upon his return to Gaza. "I am speechless," he said. "Thanks to God. God is greater than the aggressors (meaning Israel)". Abbas said a final peace agreement with Israel was possible on the release of the prisoners. "There will be no final agreement without the release of all the prisoners," he told the violent crowd. Israel's Supreme Court earlier refused an appeal that intended to cancel the prisoner release. An organization of bereaved families behind the appeal has said it fears the prisoners, all in connection to the deaths of Israelis, will return to violence once freed. Which of the following is true according to the passage? A) Wednesday's release was the whole part of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. B) The other 104 Palestinian prisoners will be freed in the coming months. C) All the Palestinian prisoners were greeted by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. D) All the Palestinian prisoners were welcomed warmly.
A: D
(Question)
In 1996 I wanted to buy a Honda Civic. I went to the local dealer. "Oh, you want a Civic, do you?" said the fellow. "And I suppose you'd also like us to throw in a couple of front-row Superbowl tickets? Haw! Haw! Haw! Haw!" When his laughter ended, he explained that the Civic was such a hit in Europe that Honda was getting an extra $ 2,000 per car there, making Civic practically unavailable in the States. But he did offer to let me add my name to the waiting list--if I agreed to pay $1,000 over the sticker price. When Honda dealerships No. 2 and No. 3 gave me the same story, I was ready to try anything. I carefully looked over to www.autobytel.com. For a _ like me, Auto-By-Tel's scheme is nearly irresistible. You indicate the car you want to buy, compete with the freedom to choose. The nearest participating car dealer mails you back with a cut rate offer. There's no charge for any of this -- and no obligation to accept the offer. It surely seemed no less to me. Sure enough, two days later, a dealer 30 minutes away wrote me. "Unfortunately, 96 Civics are in very short supply," his message said, "The best we can offer you is $1,200 under sticker price. "I was in happiness. Ah! Bliss! Ah, saving! Ah, revenge! When I picked up the car, it got better. Since there was no haggling , the dealership fellow was friendly and congratulatory instead of everything. Now this, I thought, is the way to buy a car. Auto-By-Tel makes money by charging a fee to each participating dealer. The dealers make money by receiving hundreds of ready-to-buy customer names off the Web. And you save money because your price doesn't reflect advertising, test drives, sales commissions, and so on. My only regret is that I didn't think up Auto-By-Tel first. Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the text? A) In 1996, Honda was so famous that it was hard to buy one in Europe. B) If the dealer mails you with a cut rate offer, you should accept it but without any charge. C) At last, the writer paid $1,200 for the car he liked. D) It was with the fourth dealer that the writer made a successful deal.
(Answer)
D