(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Scientists who discovered a new way of generating electricity from water say they may have come across an alternative source of clean energy to rival wind and solar power. The breakthrough, which scientists say is the first new way to generate electricity in 160 years, could lead to batteries that use water instead of poisonous substances. The scientists made the discovery when they were investigating what happens when tap water is forced through extremely narrow glass tubes. Water squeezed down the tubes, each of which was narrower than a tenth the thickness of a human hair, generating a small electric current that ran the length of the tube. To produce a larger electric current, the team tried forcing water through a glass water filter that contained thousands of narrow channels lined up side by side. "When we took a syringe of water and squeezed it through the filter, we got enough power to light a light bulb," said Larry Kostiuk of the University of Alberta in Canada. "The harder you push the syringe, the more electric current you get." The current is produced because of an effect in the glass tubes. When they are filled with water, positively charged ions fixed in the tubes are washed away, leaving a slight negative charge on the glass surface. When water is then forced along the tube, the surface _ negatively charged ions in the water while positively charged ions are attracted down the tube. The result is a net flow of positively charged ions that sets up an electric current. According to Dr Kostiuk, no one has ever thought to use water to produce electricity in this way. "The last time someone came up with a way of generating electricity was Michael Faraday in 1839," he said. "So this is the first new way of generating electricity in 160 years, which is why we are so excited about it." Dr Kostiuk says water batteries might one day be used to power mobile phones and calculators, but admitted that the engineering challenges might make other applications more realistic. "You'd need to be sure it wouldn't... Question: What can we infer about potential water batteries? Options: A: They must be used to power mobile phones and calculators. B: They have some possible disadvantages like water leaking. C: They would be needed greatly at city water filtration sites. D: They would be better than wind and solar power.
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B

(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Last week I visited one of my old neighborhoods in Washington D.C.I had not been there for twenty years and as I walked along the street, my mind was flooded by memories of the past. I saw the old apartment building where I had lived and the playground where I had played. As I viewed these once familiar surroundings, images of myself as a child there came to mind. However, what I saw and what I remembered were not the same. I sadly realized that the best memories are those left untouched. My old apartment building, as I remember, was bright and alive. It was more than just a place to live. It was a movie house, a space station, or whatever my young mind could imagine. I would steal away with my friends and play in the basement. This was always exciting because it was so cool and dark, and there were so many things there to hide among. There was a small river in the back of the building. We would go there to lie in the shade of trees and enjoy ourselves. However, what I saw was completely different. The apartment building was now in disrepair. What was once more than a place to live looked hardly worth living in. The windows were all broken. The once clean walls were covered with dirty marks. The river was hardly recognizable. The water was polluted and the trees and flowers were all dead. The once sweet-smelling river now smelled terrible. It was really heartbreaking to see all this. I do not regret having seen my old neighborhood. However, I do not think my innocent childhood memories can ever be the same. I suppose it is true when they say, "You can never go home again." Question: "You can never go home again"in the last sentence of the passage means that _ . Options: A: a visit to one's hometown will bring back many sad memories B: one should never revisit his hometown after many years of absence C: one will never find his hometown the same as it was in his childhood memory D: a visit to one's hometown will bring back one's pleasant memories of home
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C

(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: In her new book, "The Smartest Kidsin the World", Amanda Ripley, an investigative journalist, tells the story of Tom, a high-school student from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, who decides to spend his senior year in Wroclaw, Poland. Poland is a surprising educational success story: in the past decade, the country raised students' test scores from significantly below average to well above it. Polish kids have now outscored American kids in math and science, even though Poland spends, on average, less than half as much per student as the United States does. One of the most striking differences between the high school Tom attended in Gettysburg and the one he ends up at in Wroclaw is that the latter has no football team or teams of any kind. That American high schools spend more time and money on sports than on math is an old complaint. In December, when the latest Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results are announced, it's safe to predict that American high-school students will once again show their limited skills in math and reading, outscored not just by students in Poland but also by students in places like China, Finland, Singapore, and Japan. Meanwhile, they will have played some very exciting football games, which will have been breathlessly written up in their hometown papers. Why does this situation continue? Well, for one thing, kids like it. And for another, according to Ripley, parents seem to like the arrangement, too. She describes a tour she took of a school in Washington D.C., which costs thirty thousand dollars a year. The tour leader -- a mother with three children in the school -- was asked about the school's flaws . When she said that the math program was weak, none of the parents taking the tour reacted. When she said that the football program was weak, theu mean?" One of the ironies of the situation is that sports show what is possible. American kids' performance on the field shows just how well they can do when expectations are high. It's too bad that their test scores show... Question: Tom decides to spend his senior year in Poland because _ . Options: A: he intends to improve his scores B: Polish kids are better at learning C: sports are not supported at schools in Gettysburg D: he wants to be the smartest kid in the world
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A