My mom takes pride in the fact that I was talking in three and four word sentences before I was ten months old. Some say it's a gift while others simply think I talk too much. As my thirties came to a close, I found myself reflecting on my life. I'm very happy and have no significant regrets. However, when I looked back on those times of difficulty, I saw a clear common denominator ; I didn't seem to know when to stop talking. Whether it was hurting someone's feelings, or having carelessly told a secret, the incident could have been avoided had I closed my mouth sooner. So I decided to practice the power of quiet. To take this step, I needed to understand how people could sit comfortably in a group and not talk. Why does my husband feel completely content to say nothing in a conversation? He's highly intelligent and has wonderful opinions but he'll sit quietly and just listen. Even when he's asked a pointed question, he'll answer with few words while still communicating effectively. What a talent! Can you imagine being happy just listening? In surveying those I know who talk less than I do, I got two answers--they either didn't feel confident enough to speak up, or they just didn't feel the need to participate in the conversation. Of course there were other reasons for not talking, but these were the two most popular answers. The first one didn't work for me. I'm just fine letting people know what I think about them, and hopefully it will make the conversation much more interesting. The second one didn't work either. I do feel the need to participate. I feel it physically like an electrical pulse through my body; sometimes it's so strong that it causes me to behave badly in the form of interrupting or speaking in an unusually loud voice. _ An interesting thing happened on this journey to the power of quiet. During my weekly yoga class, it came to me like an answer so clear that the words rang in my head like soft, heavenly bells. I talked too much so people would know I cared about them. It was my way of... By "I had to look further", the writer means she had to _ . A) look into the future in order to succeed in practicing the power of quiet B) try harder to prevent herself from talking too much C) survey people in other areas who talk little D) find out other reasons why she should talk less
D
(Question)
Blogging may have psychological benefits for teens suffering from social anxiety, improving their self-esteem and helping them relate better to their friends, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. "Research has shown that writing a personal diary and other forms of expressive writing are a great way to release emotional distress and just feel better," said the study's lead author, Meyran Boniel-Nissim, PhD, of the University of Haifa, Israel. "Teens are online anyway, so blogging enables free expression and easy communication with others." Blogging has a stronger positive effect on troubled students' well-being than merely expressing their social anxieties and concerns in a private diary, according to the article published online in the APA journal Psychological Services(r). Opening the blog up to comments from the online community intensified those effects. The researchers randomly surveyed high school students in Israel, who had agreed to fill out a questionnaire about their feelings on the quality of their social relationships. A total of 161 students -- 124 girls and 37 boys, with an average age of 15 -- were selected because their scores on the survey showed they all had some level of social anxiety or distress. All the teens reported difficulty making friends or relating to the friends they had. The researchers assessed the teens' self-esteem, everyday social activities and behaviors before, immediately after two months and after the 10-week experiment. Four groups of students were assigned to blog. Two of those groups were told to focus their posts on their social problems, with one group opening the posts to comments; the other two groups could write about whatever they wanted and, again, one group opened the blog up to comments. The number and content of comments were not evaluated for this experiment. The students could respond to comments but that was not required. Two more groups acted as _ -- either writing a private diary about their social problems... What is the main idea of the passage? A) Blogging can help reduce social stress and anxiety. B) The research into blogging attracts public attention. C) Blogging provides a simple way for communication. D) Blog comments have a positive effect on teenagers.
(Answer)
A
Ques:A healthy amount of sunshine may be the secret to staying young. British scientists have discovered. Vitamin D is produced naturally by the skin in response to(...) sunlight and may help to slow the ageing process and protect against heart disease, according to the study. Researchers from King's College London studied 2,160 women aged between 18 and 79, looking at their telomeres--- a biological marker of ageing found in DNA. As people get older, their telomeres get shorter and they become more susceptible to certain illnesses. But the study found women with high levels of vitamin D had comparatively longer telomeres--- a sign of being biologically younger and healthier. The study suggests vitamin D may help to slow down the ageing process of DNA, and therefore the ageing process as a whole. Lead researcher Dr Brent Richards said, "These results are exciting because they show for the first time that people who have higher levels of vitamin D may age more slowly than people with lower levels of vitamin D." This could help to explain how vitamin D has a protective effect on many ageing related diseases, such as heart disease and cancer." Professor Tim Spector, a co-author of the report, added, "Although it might sound absurd , it's possible that the same sunshine which may increase our risk of skin cancer may also have a healthy effect on the general ageing process." Vitamin D made by the action of sunlight on the skin accounts for 90 percent of the body's supply, but lower levels can also be got through food such as fish, eggs and breakfast cereals . Other studies have suggested the vitamin plays a key role in protecting against cancer and heart disease. What is the best title of the passage? A) Secret of Staying Young B) Vitamin D Helps Slow Ageing C) Sunlight and Vitamin D D) Sunlight and Health

Ans:
B