Once upon a time, there was a farmer in central China. He didn't have money, so instead of a tractor , he used an old horse to plow his field . One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse fell down, dead. Everyone in the village said, "Oh, what a horrible thing!" The farmer said simply, "We'll see." He was so peaceful and so calm that everyone in the village got together and, admiring his attitude, gave him a new horse as a gift. Everyone's reaction now was, "What a lucky man!" And the farmer said, "We'll see." A couple of days later, the new horse jumped over a fence and ran away. Everyone in the village shook their heads and said, "What a poor fellow!" The farmer smiled and said, "We'll see." Eventually, the horse found his way home, and everyone said, "What a fortunate man!" The farmer said, "We'll see." Later in the year, the farmer's young boy went out riding the horse and fell and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, "What a poor boy!" The farmer said, "We'll see." Two days later, the army came into the village to draft new recruits .When they saw the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to recruit him. Everyone said, "What a fortunate young man!" The farmer smiled again and said, "We'll see." There's no use in overreacting to the events and circumstances of our everyday lives. When our hearts are in the right place, all events and circumstances are gifts that we can learn valuable lessons from. What is the passage mainly about? A) The miserable life of a farmer. B) The success of a farmer. C) The life attitude of a farmer. D) The failure of a farmer.
C
(Question)
How Super Are Supermarkets? Buying e week's groceries is tiring. You want to get it over and done with quickly, so you head for the nearest supermarket, you find everything you need under one roof, and you feel glad that those days of going in and out of different shops in the high street are over. Supermarkets seem to be a big plus. There is a downside, though. In the UK 90% of all the food people consume is bought at 5 different supermarket chains. This makes these companies extremely powerful, which lets them use their huge buying power to squeeze small suppliers to get the best deal. Milk is a good example. Supermarkets like to use things like milk, which is the top of almost everyone's shopping list to attract customers. To offer the lowest price possible to the consumer, the supermarkets force dairy farmers to sell milk at less than the cost of production. Supermarkets guarantee their good profits while farmers are left struggling to make ends meet, and the taxpayer pays to support the system without even knowing it. It would be nice if local grocers supported local agriculture. But for the big supermarkets this just doesn't make sense. Supermarkets don't want little farmers thinking they can decide prices. So supermarkets have started a global search for the cheapest possible agricultural produce. In many supermarkets it is difficult to find anything which is produced locally. UK farmers used to grow a lot of apples. Not anymore. In 1999 36% of apples were imported. By 2015 the figure had risen to 80% and the domestic production of apples had fallen by two thirds. The consumer might just be happy to get a reasonably priced meal made up of foods from Thailand, Spain, Italy and Zambia, but we should also bear in mind the Influence on local producers. Then there's packaging. Supermarkets like everything to be packed and wrapped so it can be piled neatly on shelves. Supermarkets produce nearly 10 million tons of waste packaging in the UK every year, of which less 5%is recycled. Some supermarkets make sure... According to the passage, supermarkets keep price advantage by _ . A) competing against each other B) importing foreign products C) purchasing local products D) reducing product tax
(Answer)
B
Ques: Social networking websites are causing alarming changes in the brains of young users, a famous scientist has warned.Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Bebo are said to shorten attention spans , encourage instant satisfaction and make children more self-centered. Warnings from neuroscientist Susan Greenfield will disturb the millions whose social lives depend on surfing their favorite websites each day.But they will strike a chord with parents and teachers who complain that many teenagers lack the ability to communicate or concentrate away from their screens. More than 150 million use Facebook to keep in touch with friends, share photographs and videos and post regular updates of their movements and thoughts.A further six million have signed up to Twitter, the "micro-blogging" service that lets users exchange text messages about themselves.But while the sites are popular and extremely profitable, a growing number of psychologists and neuroscientists believe they may be doing more harm than good. Baroness Tarot, an Oxford University neuroscientist believes repeated exposure could rewire the brain.Computer games and fast-paced TV shows were also a factor, she said."My fear is that these technologies are weakening the brain to the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and live for the moment." "I often wonder whether real conversation in real time may eventually give way to these easier and faster screen dialogues, in much the same way as killing and butchering an animal to eat has been replaced by the convenience of packages on the supermarket shelf," she said. Psychologists have also argued that digital technology is changing the way we think.They point out that students no longer need to plan their term papers before starting to write--thanks to word processors they can edit as they go along. A study by the Broadcaster Audience Board found teenagers now spend seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen.Educational psychologist... According to the passage, social networking websites might _ . A) make young users more selfish B) lengthen young users' attention span C) encourage young users constant satisfaction D) help young users communicate better with their families
Ans: A
One Halloween a little boy and his friend went out for a fun night of trick-or-treating. At first everything was great. They were getting lots of candy as they went from house to house, but then they saw a house which they hadn't been to before. It was a very spooky house. Being young and brave, they decided to go up to the door and knock. After all, scary houses might have the best candy! As they walked up the long winding path, they saw things that chilled them to the bone! They heard sounds that frightened them. Maybe they should turn back. But the little boys, being very brave, just wanted to see what was in that house, so they went on, not deterred by the things they heard or saw. As they slowly made their way up to the door, they imagined what might be inside. Maybe it would be a witch or maybe a ghost! After knocking several times, the door slowly creaked open. To their surprise, a monster slowly came out to greet them. They were so scared that they couldn't move! What could they do? Then the little boy had an idea. He said, "Trick or treat!" Then the big scary monster, much to the kids'surprise, reached over and brought out a huge bowl of the best candies they had never seen. Wow, the kids thought, this was great! It turned out that the house was decorated for Halloween, and the big scary monster was just wearing a costume, just like the kids. Since they were the only kids, and were brave enough to go to the scary house, they could take as much candy as they wanted. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . A) the monster was afraid of the phrase "trick or treat" B) the two kids were also wearing costumes C) not all families prepared candy for brave kids D) some other children had been to the house before the two kids
B