Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: One of the best-loved American writers was William Sydney Porter, or O.Henry. From 1893 he lived with his family in a house in Austin, Texas, which is now a museum. Visitors to Austin can see the house. It was saved from destruction and turned into a museum in1934. The museum is a good way to learn about the interesting life of the American writer. William Porter rented this house in Austin and lived there with his wife Athol and daughter Margaret for about two years. Many objects in the museum belonged to the Porters. Others did not. An important piece in the room is the original photograph over here. It was taken there in the house about 1895. The piano there goes back to the 1860s. His wife took lessons on it when she first moved to Austin. Porter did not start his career as a successful writer. He worked at a farm, land office and bank. He also loved words and writing. The museumm has a special proof of Porter's love of language --- his dictionary. It is said that he had read every word in that dictionary. Later William Porter was forced to leave Austin because he was charged with financial wrongdoing at the bank and lost his job. Because he was afraid of a trail , he left the country secretly. But he returned because his wife was dying. After her death, he faced the trial and became a criminal. He served three and a half years in a prison in Ohio. William Porter would keep his time in prison a secret. But there was one good thing about it. It provided him with time to write. By the time he was freed, he had published 14 stories and became well known as O.Henry. Porter later moved to New York City and found great success there. He published over 180 stories in the last eight years of his life. Question: Why did Porter escape from Austin? - He didn't want to lose his job. - He didn't want to make trouble. - He meant to save his wife's life. - He was charged with a crime.
He was charged with a crime.

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Visiting Balboa Island, in sunny southern California, proved an exciting experience that I will never forget. I had never been to Balboa Island, even though it is only about an hour from my home in northern San Diego. Our first stop was for a specialty called a "Balboa Bar". It is a famous chocolate covered ice cream on a stick, created many years ago. As we drove along the streets toward the boat, I also saw some interesting buildings that stood for many years. Many of the building designs seemed like dollhouses and someone in our group said that the style was called, Victorian. After we parked our car on one of the streets, we got on the boat sailing to Balboa Peninsula. As I looked around the boat, I saw a bird flying very close to the water and our boat. A little girl near the boat' s edge jumped out to touch it and shockingly fell into the water! Her dad, who stood nearby, jumped in after her at once and everyone on the boat ran to help. The boat's engine stopped and both father and daughter got saved with the help of people on the boat. On Balboa Peninsula my family and I went to various shops, especially for food! We saw a restaurant at the very end. We enjoyed our lunch there, at the first Ruby's Diner ever opened in southern California. Although I have been to other restaurants of this popular chain , being at the very first is a great memory. On our way back to Balboa island we stopped at the huge Ferris Wheel, bought some sugars and played games. It was an exciting afternoon walking around on Balboa Island. I look forward to returning soon to spend some time on the beach again or maybe even to try fishing! Question: The author' s dining experience at the first Ruby' s Diner was - boring - interesting - unpleasant - unforgettable
unforgettable

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Most American students go to traditional public schools.There are about 88, 000 public schools, all over the US.Some students attend about 3000 independent public schools called charter schools. Charter schools are self-governing.Private companies operate some charter schools.They are similar in some ways to traditional public schools.They receive tax money just as other public schools do.Charter schools must prove to local or state governments that their students are learning.These governments provide the schools with the agreement called a charter that permits them to operate. Charter schools are different because they do not have to obey most laws governing traditional public schools.Local, state, or federal governments cannot tell them what to teach.Each school can choose its own goals and decide the ways it wants to reach them.Class size is usually smaller than in traditional public schools. The Bush Administration strongly supports charter schools as a way to re-organize public schools that are failing to educate students.But some education agencies and unions oppose charter schools.One teachers' union has just made public the results of the first national study comparing the progress of students in traditional schools and charter schools. The American Federation of Teachers criticized the government's delay in releasing the results of the study, which is called the National Assessment of Educational Progress.Union education experts say the study shows that charter school students performed worse on math and reading tests than students in regular public schools. Some experts say the study is not a fair look at charter schools because students in those schools have more problems than students in traditional schools.Other education experts say the study results should make charter school officials demand improved student progress. Question: What can we learn from the text? - More students choose to attend charter schools. - Charter schools are better than traditional schools. - Students in charter schools are well educated. - People have different opinions about charter schools.
People have different opinions about charter schools.