National Forecast LONDON --This Evening and Tonight: Rain, locally heavy across northwest Scotland. Mostly cloudy but dry in other northern and western areas. Dry with clear spells in more central and eastern parts, but some low cloud and fog will develop. Generally mild with light winds. Saturday: Cloud and rain over western Scotland at the beginning will gradually push down over N. Ireland and northwest England. Largely dry, warm with sunny spells elsewhere, once early fog and low cloud clears. http://www.times.online.co.uk/tol/news/weather/ The Nation's Weather Fri, Aug 24, NEW YORK--Heavy rain was forecast throughout Friday in parts of the Midwest. The heaviest rainfall was over northern Illinois, with more than 4 inches possible around Chicago. Wet weather was also expected in the Plains as the same storm system tracks through the region. Periods of heavy rain were also forecast for the Northeast as the remnant of tropical storm Erin moves into the Canadian Maritimes. Hot weather was expected to continue in the South and West. http://www.underground.com Death toll rises to 36 in China typhoon Wed, Aug 22, BEIJING-- At least 36 people were killed by Typhoon Sepat in four provinces in eastern and central China in widespread destruction that also forced the evacuation of l.37 million people. More than 60,000 homes in the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Hunan also were destroyed or damaged, Xinhua News Agency said. Total economic losses in the provinces have reached $ 663 million. Fujian was the worst-hit province, with 18 people killed, Xinhua said. Earlier, the storm, named after a Malaysian fish, killed at least one person in Taiwan, and left three dead in the Philippines. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap What was the weather like in the south and west of the USA on Thursday? A) It was hot. B) It was rainy. C) It was foggy. D) It was warm.
A
She might not be paid, but Carnegie Mellon University's newest staff member does all that a typical receptionist can do: give directions, answer the phone -- and even gossip about her life. University officials revealed what it considers to be the world's first robot receptionist with a personality of her own. The blond receptionist, named "Valerie," puts on a headset and interacts with people by talking about her boss, her psychiatrist and her dream. Valerie, the roboceptionist, sits in a custom-made booth at the entrance of a computer science hall. With her ability to distinguish motion, she greets visitors as they come near. Type in a question on a keyboard and she gives directions around the Pittsburgh campus and provides visitors information about the weather. More than that, she tells stories about her life. From her booth, passers-by often can hear her talking on the phone. She recognizes when someone is in front of her and remembers their characteristics. She can change between tasks from talking on the phone to answering a question. Valerie, however, does have her limit. She is a drum-shaped mechanical device with a digitally lively face that appears on a computer display. Visitors have to type on a keyboard to communicate with her. And she understands only simple questions. Eventually her creators would like to install face recognition so people don't have to insert an identity card for her to remember them. And people won't have to type their questions on a keyboard if they can solve the problem of voice recognition in a crowded hall. Valerie will tell the story of a robot living in a human world. Which would be the best title for this passage? A) Robot Receptionist Gets a Job. B) The Future Receptionist. C) What Can Robots Do for Us? D) Robot Staff.
A
Q: Since the 1990s, education has been required for all South Africans from age seven to fifteen. Last December, the government announced that 70% of students passed their final examination to finish high school. In 2008, the pass rate was about 63%. There have been increases each year since then. Professor Shireen Motala says basic education is no longer a problem in South Africa. Most children stay in school until they are about sixteen. The problem is that large numbers of them leave without completing high school. Students take an examination known as the "matric" in Grade Twelve. Professor Motala says, "Less than half of the children who started school in 2000 sat for the matric last year. Many dropped out of school, so only around 45% took the matric. And the worry is where those students actually go." Those who drop out have to compete with better educated people for jobs. Educational researchers also point to another problem. South African schools do not produce enough students with the skills for higher education in maths and science. Many schools are not well-equipped. Children do not see laboratories, and, as a result, their science marks are not very good. They do not have libraries at school. Also, many teachers do not have the skills or training to do their jobs. In South Africa, a number of teachers were poorly trained before. Secondly, teachers have been confused by the many educational reform efforts in the last fifteen years. Finally, language differences in the classroom have not got as much attention as they should, which is a huge problem. Subjects such as maths and science are taught in English starting at about the age of ten. But South Africa has eleven official languages. South Africa's minister of basic education promises a number of improvements. Angie Motshega says teacher development efforts will focus on subject and content knowledge, making sure that the correct teachers are in the correct jobs. South African students perform poorly in science for all of the following reasons, EXCEPT _ . A) they don't work hard enough B) their schools do not have laboratories C) they cannot get help from libraries D) there are not enough skilled teachers
A: A
Q: I prefer Lynne Truss's phraseology: I am a grammar "sticker". And, like Truss - author of Eats, shoots & Leaves - I have a "zero tolerance" approach to grammar mistakes that make people look stupid. Now, Truss and I disagree on what it means to have "zero tolerance". She thinks that people who mix up basic grammar "deserve to be struck by lightning, hacked up on the spot and buried in an unmarked grave", while I just think they deserve to be passed over for a job - even if they are otherwise qualified for the position. Everyone who applies for a position at either of my companies, iFixit or Dozuki, takes a compulsory grammar test. If job hopefuls can't distinguish between "to" and "too", their applications go into the bin. Of course, we write for a living. iFixit.com is the world's largest online repair manual , and Dozuki helps companies write their own technical documentation, like paperless work instructions and step-by-step user manuals. So, it makes sense that we've made a strong strike against grammar errors. But grammar is relevant for all companies. Yes, language is constantly changing, but that doesn't make grammar unimportant. Good grammar is credibility, especially on the Internet. And, for better or worse, people judge you if you can't tell the difference between "their" "there" and "they're". Good grammar makes good business sense - and not just when it comes to hiring writers. Writing isn't in the official job description of most people in our office. Still, we give our grammar test to everybody, including our salespeople, our operations staff, and our programmers. Grammar signifies more than just a person's ability to remember high school English. I've found that people who make fewer mistakes on a grammar test also make fewer mistakes when they are doing something completely unrelated to writing - like stocking shelves or labeling parts. It is the same with programmers. Applicants who don't think writing is important are likely to think lots of other things also aren't important. The author agrees with Lynne Truss in that _ . A) grammar mistakes can't be tolerated B) books on grammar make people stupid C) people need to learn basic grammar D) grammar mistakes are absolutely unavoidable
A: A