Your computer has been playing music for years, one CD at a time. Now hundreds of songs can be stored in your PC (personal computer) if they're in the MP3 format. What is it? MP3 compresses music into small computer friendly files. You access MP3 music several ways : Music can be downloaded from websites that have converted vast music libraries into MP3. Or you can prerecord CDs into your PC and convert songs in minutes into MP3. Once MP3 music is on your PC's hard drive, you can play it through your computer's speakers, " _ " it onto blank CDs or exchange MP3 files with friends using E-mail. How much? Software needed to play and convert MP3 music is often free. It comes preinstalled on most new computers or can be downloaded from many websites, including MP3. com. Some MP3 sites are free. Just type "MP3 sites" into any search engine. The popular MP3 players start at around $50and can hold hundreds of songs. A blank CD on which you can record music costs about a dollar. Advantages MP3 turns your home PC into a tape recorder. Tiny MP3 players are the size of a card, making it easy to take hundreds of songs with you. Disadvantages You may find that music at many sites is limited. And some only allow you to listen rather than download offerings. Others let you download music that then can't be copied to MP3 players. And a growing number of new CDs make it impossible to copy songs to a computer. How much will you pay for a MP3 player? A) Free of charge. B) Free downloading. C) At about fifty dollars. D) About a dollar.
C
Convenience Foods Instead of buying only fresh foods, Americans nowadays buy many more convenience foods. These are foods which are ready partly or completely prepared. Many of them are frozen, such as frozen dinner, heat-and-serve French fries, and frozen pizzas. There are also many canned convenience foods, such as ready-made spaghetti, soups, stews and vegetables Convenience foods save time and trouble. They are popular with people who are busy or who don't like to cook or wash dishes. But they often cost more than fresh, unprepared foods and many contain man-made additives. Also, many people feel they don't taste as good as home-cooked foods. Health Food and Co-ops In the 1960s, a "back-to-the-earth" movement was started by young people in the United States. The movement was a reaction against the harmful effects of technology. From the movement came a new understanding of food and health. Many people now prefer natural and organic foods to the prepared foods sold in health foods stores and in food co-ops, which are small stores where customers help manage the store. In co-ops, food is usually not packaged. Customers bring their own bags and jars and scoop their food out of boxes or baskets. The Diet Craze These days Americans are more and more concerned with their weight. Perhaps as many as 70 million Americans are on weight-dollar business. American supermarkets sell a variety of diet food such as soft drinks, diet candy, and diet salad dressings. Dieters also spend money on diet pills, exercise machines, and jogging suits . Each year dozens of new diets are popularized. They have such names as the Miracle Diet, the Nine-day Wonder Diet, and the East 24-hour Diet. There is even one called the Ice Cream Diet, which advises the dieters to eat only ice cream for lunch and dinner! For dieters who cannot lose weight on their own, there are many well-organized diet groups, which offer help and encouragement. Which is the writer's opinion on American diets? A) They are all effective to people B) They are of no effect on people C) The Ice Cream Diet is the best D) Not all of them are believable
D
Q: Fund Tianhong Zenglibao has become the first fund in China to hit 100 billion yuan ($16.30 billion) of sales thanks to its cooperation with Yu'ebao, Alibaba's wealth management product. Alipay , attached to the e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, announced in June it would offer its users the option to directly invest with the private Tianhong Fund using spare cash from Alipay accounts. The business is called Yu'ebao. The past five months have seen this fund blossom, owing to the prosperous Interet e-commerce platform, and the Singles Day shopping spree on November 11 had helped Yu'ebao. In the process of a deal on Taobao, once the buyer pays for the order, his or her money is first accepted by Alipay, then after he or she receives the goods, a final confirmation is made and Alipay then gives the money to the seller. If a buyer forgets to confirm payment, the money is transferred into the seller's account after 10 days by the system. The Singles Day had a total volume of 35 billion yuan($5.75 billion) and thus a large amount of money passed through Alipay's account. Analysts estimated that Alipay may have also bought the fund using the extra income, which powerfully enlarged the scale of Yu'ebao. Profit purchasing investors tend to choose safe financial management tools. The relatively stable yields of Yu'ebao is favored by most customers, the report said. Chinese e-commerence giant Alibaba allows consumers to invest their spare cash in the money market funds through its Alipay online payment service. The product, called Yu'ebao, or "Leftovers Treasure," has netted 130 billion yuan so far, making the fund's management firm, Tianhong Fund, the country's largest fund management company. Meanwhile, due to the cooperation with Alipay, the management scale of Tianhong monetary fund has doubled from 55.653 billion yuan at the end of September to over 100 billion yuan. During the Singles Day, the frequency of payment of Alipay and Yu'ebao exceeded 188 million and 16.79 million with total transaction volume at 35 billion... Which of the following is the best title of the passage? A) Yu'ebao, the right choice to invest B) Alibaba helps make China's largest fund C) Celestica, the largest fund in China D) Alipay, a branch of Alibaba group
A: B
Q: Festivals play an important role in a culture's identity.I can't think of a better way of appreciating a new culture than by taking part in one of its festivals. Here are some special festivals around the world. Boryeong Mud Festival-Boryeong, South Korea For two weeks in July, millions gather in Borueong to experience the grey pools and slides.What began as a way of promoting the region's mineral-rich mud has turned into a festive party, complete with music and fireworks.While the mud is usually only available in cosmetic products, here you can cake yourself in grey as you want. Holi-India Holi, the Festival of Colors, is a Hindu celebration full of joy and one of India's most important holidays, During the day of the last full moon of the lunar month, usually late February throughout the country, but the cheerful spirit is common throughout Hindu communities around the world. Koninginnedag-The Netherlands Although their current Queen's birthday is really during the winter, the Queen still celebrates it on April 30th, the country's official " Queen's Day" since 1949.Orange is the national color, and the streets become a sea of feather boas and body paint as crowds gather in the plazas .Amsterdam is the center of this outdoor party, with many live music acts, but nearly every town is alive with orange on this day. National Elephant Day in Thailand In Thailand, March 13 is regarded as National Elephant Day to show that the Thai elephant plays an important role in the Thai history.Thai Elephant Day has been held on an annual basis since the idea was first approved by the Thai government in 1998.Special events are held at a number of venues in northern Thailand.At the Mae Sa Elephant Camp, it has become a tradition on March13 for the dozens of elephants there to be treated to a huge feast of fruits and sugarcane. You can experience the Festival of Colors in _ . A) South Korea B) Thailand C) the Netherlands D) India
A: D