Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Before Alaska became part of the U.S., it had been owned by Russia. Trading posts and small settlements were scattered along the coast. The rest of land was left unexplored. The Russians were mainly interested in the wealth of furs from the vast herds of seals they found there. By the mid-1800's, most of the seal herds had been wiped out, and Russia no longer wanted to keep Alaska. William Seward, Secretary of State for President Johnson, believed the United States should buy Alaska from Russia. President Johnson wasn't so sure it was a wise way to spend U.S. money, but he agreed to let Seward discuss it with the Russians. Acting quickly, Seward made a deal. On March 30, 1867, he signed an agreement for the U.S. to pay seven million dollars for the land. Many people thought it was a foolish waste of America's money. They called the deal "Seward's folly". Then gold was discovered in Alaska and public opinion changed quickly. Seward did not live to see the true value of Alaska. He died in 1872, five years after making the purchase . Each year, Alaska's natural resources have brought in many times the $7,000,000 paid for it. Natural gas, coal, oil, lumber, seafood and other minerals, besides the gold first found, have made it a valuable addition to the United States. In 1959, Alaska be-came the 49th state of the United States. Question: The Russians wanted to sell Alaska because _ . Options: A: they thought it wasn't a good place B: they thought it didn't belong to Russia C: they couldn't find enough seals there D: they wanted to earn more money from the U.S.
C

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: If you have ever been sad because of failure,please remember,for often,achieving what you set out to do is not the most important thing. A boy decided to dig a deep hole behind his house.As he was working,a couple of older boys stopped by to watch."What are you doing?" asked one of the visitors."I want to dig a hole all the way through the earth!" the boy answered excitedly.The older boys began to laugh,telling him that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible.After a while,the boy picked up a jar.He showed it to the visitors.It was full of spiders,worms and other insects.Then he said quietly and confidently,"Even if I can't dig all the way through the earth,look what I found along the way!" The boy's goal was far too difficult,but it did cause him to dig.And that is what a goal is for--to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen,in other words,to cause us to dig! Not every goal will be fully achieved.Not every job will end successfully.Not every dream will come true.Not every love will last.But when you fall short of your aim,maybe you can say,"Yes,but look what I found along the way!Look at the wonderful things which have come into my life because I tried to do something!" It is in the digging that life is lived.And I believe it is joy in the journey that really matters. Question: According to the passage,which of the following is TRUE? Options: A: Courage is very important in face of failure. B: Love can help us go further in the world. C: The effort we make is more important than the result. D: Digging a hole through the earth means little.
D

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Finding time to enjoy life is becoming harder and harder. As the average workweek lengthens, leisure time drops. Yet some of the world's busiest people are able to develop rewarding careers and also make time for family and leisure activities. Here is their best advice plus that of time-management experts: 1. Use your peak hours wisely. People tend to be most alert in late morning and midevening. Afternoon brings an increase in sleepiness. Use your high-efficiency hours to handle difficult jobs or engage in creative thinking. For low-efficiency times, concentrate on cleaning up or sorting your mail. By adapting to your mental condition, you can accomplish more in less time. 2. Make a plan. Just 20 minutes of organizing can save an hour of extra effort remembering what must be done. "Don't try to carry your life around in your head," says Lucy Hedrick, author of Five Days to an Organized Life. "Write things down so you can free your brain for more inventive pursuit ." 3. Discourage drop-ins. The person who welcomes every visitor will get plenty of conversation but won't accomplish much. The trick is to develop harmless ways to protect yourself from minute-stealing interruptions. David E. Levy, a public-relations consultant , uses an alternative to the open-door policy by keeping his door half open. The message is clear: he really doesn't want you to come in, but you can if it is important. 4. Tame the telephone. Few devices save more minutes--or waste so many more--than the telephone. Signal the end of your conversation with a phrase such as "Before we hang up..." You can save even more time by not taking every incoming call. Keep a record of when people you call regularly are least busy and call them at those times. Even better, make appointments to call important contacts. To help us gain an extra hour every day, a clockmaker in Dallas has created a timer measuring each minute at 57.6 seconds. The 2.5 seconds borrowed from each minute add up to an extra 60 minutes at the end of each day. Question: Why does David E. Levy keep his door half open? Options: A: To show drop-ins are not welcome at all. B: To tell drop-ins to come if they want. C: To keep unimportant visitors from dropping in. D: To indicate he is expecting a visitor.
A: C

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Most kids get bored with their toys quickly, even the newest ones. The service of renting toys can save parents from buying lots of new toys for their kids. The new web-based company, Baby Plays, was invented by Lori Pope, a mother of twin boys. When her kids' toys started taking over all the floor space in her house, she thought that maybe she didn't need to buy so many toys. What's more, her kids seemed to lose interest in each new toy very quickly. Finally she realized that she needed a special service. She wanted to borrow one toy at a time. When her kids didn't like it any more she could send the toy back. But she couldn't find any service like that, so she decided to create her own. Pope owned a company before. She poured a lot of money into Baby Plays to buy all the best toys. These toys are for children aged from 0 to 5. Under her plan, customers can rent six toys each month. The price for renting a new toy is less than most costs of buying a new toy. Generally, families will keep each toy for one month. This period is plenty for most kids to get tired of playing with it. If the kids are really interested in a particular toy, they can keep it till they are attracted to a new one. Kids are not good at keeping their toys in perfect condition, but Pope doesn't mind a little wear and tear. She thinks that even if the kids don't care about their toys' condition, the parents do. And she will not ever rent anyone a low-quality toy. Question: Why did the mother invent a rent-a-toy company? Options: A: Because she got bored with her toys quickly. B: Because she wanted to make money. C: Because she was interested in starting a web business. D: Because her kids got bored with toys quickly.
D