*Question*
Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Anne Whitney, a sophomore at Colorado State University, first had a problem taking tests when she began college. "I was always well prepared for my tests. Sometimes I studied for weeks before a test. Yet I would go in to take the test, only to find I could not answer the questions correctly. I would blank out because of nervousness and fear. I couldn't think of the answer. My low grades on the tests did not show what I knew to the teacher. "Another student in biology had similar experiences. He said, "My first chemistry test was very difficult. Then, on the second test, I sat down to take it, and I was so nervous that I was shaking. My hands were moving up and down so quickly that it was hard to hold my pencil. I knew the material and I knew the answers. Yet I couldn't even write them down!" These two young students were experiencing something called test anxiety. Because a student worries and is uneasy about a test, his or her mind does not work as well as it usually does. The student cannot write or think clearly because of the extreme tension and nervousness. Contrary to people's common belief that poor grades are often a result of poor study habits, sometimes test anxiety plays a role in students' achieving low grades. Recently, test anxiety has been recognized as a real problem, not just an excuse or a false explanation of lazy students. Special university advising courses try to help students. In these courses, advisors try to help students by teaching them how to manage test anxiety. At some universities, students take tests to measure their anxiety. If the tests show their anxiety is high, the students can take short courses to help them deal with their tensions. These courses teach students how to relax their bodies. Students are trained to become calm in very tense situations. By controlling their nervousness, they can let their minds work at ease. Learned information then comes out without difficulty on a test. An expert at the University of California explains, " With almost all students,... Question: To "blank out" is probably _ . - to be like a blanket - to be sure of an answer - to be unable to think clearly - to show knowledge to the teacher
**Answer**
to be unable to think clearly

*Question*
Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: "Everything happens for the best," my mother said whenever I faced disappointment. "If you carry on, one day something good will happen. And you'll realize that it wouldn't have happened if not for that previous disappointment." Mother was right, as I discovered after graduating from college in 1932. I had decided to try for a job in radio, then work my way up to sports announcer. I hitchhiked to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station and got turned down every time. In one studio, a kind lady told me that big stations couldn't risk hiring an inexperienced person. "Go out in the sticks and find a small station that'll give you a chance," she said. I thumbed home to Dixon, Illinois. While there was no radio-announcing job in Dixon, my father said Montgomery Ward had opened a store and wanted a local athlete to manage its sports department. Since Dixon was where I had played high school football, I applied. The job sounded just right for me. But I wasn't hired. My disappointment must have shown. "Everything happens for the best," Mom reminded me. Dad offered me the car to job hunt. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, a wonderful Scotsman named Peter MacArthur, told me they had already hired an announcer. As I left his office, my frustration boiled over. I asked aloud, "How can a fellow get to be a sports announcer if he can't get a job in a radio station?" I was waiting for the elevator when I heard MacArthur calling, "What was that you said about sports? Do you know anything about football?" Then he put me before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an imaginary game. On my way home, as I have many times since, I thought of my mother's words: "If you carry on, one day something good will happen. Something wouldn't have happened if not for that previous disappointment." I often wonder what direction my life might have taken if I'd gotten the job at Montgomery Ward. Question: The reason why author failed to find a job in Chicago may be that _ . - at the very beginning, he decided to become a sports announcer - the stations in Chicago had hired others - he had no working experience - he preferred to work in his hometown
**Answer**
he had no working experience

*Question*
Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Sixty-year-old grandmother, Fiona McFee, is going to stop working next year and she decided to realize a childhood dream and sail around the coast of Scotland in a small boat. Although the inside of the boat is very _ it has no running water or electricity. Fiona says she can live without these things but she plans to take her small CD player, her hot water bottle and a bag of books to make sure life isn't too uncomfortable. We asked her if she was afraid of being at sea for so long. She said, "Well, I'm going to take a good compass . Anyway I'm not afraid of death because I love the sea---I just hope it loves me." Fiona certainly has plenty of energy; in her spare time, she enjoys playing the piano, rock-climbing, canoeing and dancing. Although she is sixty, she doesn't want to have a quiet and peaceful life. "I'm looking forward to having fun in the rest of my life and that's exactly why I'd like to be a sailor for a while." Question: The reason why she would like to have the sail is that _ . - she thinks it will be very exciting - she likes sports and enjoys canoeing - she has decided to realize a childhood dream - she wants to be still active when she gets old
**Answer**
she wants to be still active when she gets old

*Question*
Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: October 15th is Global Handwashing Day. Activities are planned in more than twenty countries to get millions of people in the developing world to wash their hands with soap. Experts say people around the world wash their hands but very few use soap at so-called extremely moments. These include after using the toilet,after cleaning a baby and before touching food. Global Handwashing Day is the idea of the Public Private Partnership for handwashing with soap. The goal,they say,is to create a culture of handwashing with soap. The organizers say all soaps are equally effective at removing disease-causing germs .They say the correct way to wash is to wet your hands with a small amount of water and cover them with soap. Rub it into all areas,including under the fingernails. Then,wash well under running water. Finally,dry your hands with a clean cloth. The Partnership says soap is important because it increases the time that people spend washing. Soap also helps to break up the dirt that holds most of the germs. And it usually leaves a pleasant smell,which increases the chances that people will wash again. It also says that washing hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet could save more lives than any medicine. It could help reduce cases of diarrhea ,which is the second leading cause of child deaths,killing more than one and a half million children a year,by almost half. Question: Which fact can't explain why soap is important? - It gives people a longer handwashing time. - It helps to remove a lot of germs from hands. - It attracts people to do more handwashing. - It gets all people into the habit of washing hands.
**Answer**
It attracts people to do more handwashing.