Washington, D.C. is home to famous buildings, memorials and museums that visitors love. But it is also home to a large and beautiful green space. There are many _ in the city. Today, we take you to the United States National Arboretum, an active center for both scientific research and public education. Many people who come to Washington are astonished when they first visit the National Arboretum. The Arboretum is only a short drive from the center of the city. However, visitors often feel like they are remote from the busy American capital. The Arboretum covers one hundred eighty hectares of green space in the northeast part of Washington. The area is famous for its beautiful flowers, tall trees and other plants. About nine thousand different kinds of plants grow there. The National Arboretum was established by an act of Congress in 1927. Today, the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service operates the Arboretum. The goal of the Arboretum is to carry out studies and provide education in an effort to improve the environment. The goal includes protecting trees, flowers and other plants and showing them to the public. The National Arboretum is a popular stop for visitors to Washington. It is open every day of the year except December twenty-fifth, the Christmas holiday. Money is not necessary to visit the Arboretum. As many as six hundred thousand people visit the Arboretum's grounds each year. Hundreds of thousands of people also visit with the help of computers. They use the Arboretum's Internet web site to learn about current research programmes and how to care for plants. Director Thomas Elias says Arboretum officials would like to see even more visitors. He says they believe that many people do not know it exists. Part of the problem might result from the fact that the Arboretum is about five kilometers from the closest train station. Many famous places in Washington are a short walk from Metrorail, the local train system. The Arboretum is easy to reach by automobile or bus,... Why was the National Arboretum established by an act of Congress? A) To protect and study about nine thousand different kinds of plants there. B) To make it a popular stop for visitors to Washington. C) To grow trees for Christmas. D) To improve the environment.
D
(Question)
This year some twenty-three hundred teen-agers (young people aged from 13-19) from all over the world will spend about ten months in U.S. homes . They will attend U. S. schools , meet U.S. teenagers , and form impressions of the real America . At the same time , about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world . Here is a two-way student exchange in action . Fred , nineteen ,spent last year in Gemany with George's family . In turn , George's son Mike spent a year in Fred's home in America . Fred , a lively young man , knew little German when he arrived , but after two months' study , the language began to come to him . School was completely different from what he had expected-much harder . Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room . They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States . There were almost no outside activities . Family life , too , was different . The father's word was law , and all activities were around the family rather than the individual. Fred found the food too simple at first . Also , he missed having a car . "Back home ,you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time . In Germany , you walk , but you soon learn to like it ." At the same time , in America , Mike , a friendly German boy , was also forming his idea . "I suppose I should criticize American schools ." He says , "it is far too easy by our level . But I have to say that I like it very much . In Germany we do nothing but study . Here we take part in many outside activities . I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens . There ought to be some middle ground between the two ." What is particular in American school is that _ . A) there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings B) students usually take fourteen subjects in all C) there are a lot of after-school activities D) students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car
(Answer)
C
Ques: We all make excuses. But the successful ones are those who can kill the excuses like the miserable maggots they are. I'm too tired. I don't have the time. I don't feel motivated. I'd rather do nothing. I don't have the money, equipment, space. I can't because ... We've all made the excuses. Here's how to kill them. See the positive. Excuses are usually made because we don't feel like doing something -- we're accentuating the negative. Instead, see the fun in something, the joy in it. And maintain a positive attitude, or you'll never beat the excuses. Take responsibility. Excuses are ways to get out of owning up to something. If we don't have the time, money, equipment, etc., then it's not our fault, right? Wrong. Take responsibility, and own the solution. Find a solution. Just about every problem has a solution. Don't have time? Start with just 5-10 minutes. Make the time. Wake earlier. Do it during lunch. Don't have the energy? Do it when you have higher levels of energy. You're smart. Figure out the solution. See your goal. This is your motivation -- your reason for doing it. Sure, you could just lay on the couch, but if you think about why you really want to pursue a goal, you'll be motivated. that goal and just get started. Be accountable. Have a workout partner, a project partner, a team, someone to report to. If you have to meet a coach or partner, you're more likely to do something. Watch this. Then go an do it. Why do you need a partner according to the passage? A) because you are likely to make a report to someone. B) because it'll be more possible for you to do something wih a partner. C) because you need a coach to help you do something. D) because you like to do something with a partner or a coach.
Ans: B
Question: The interview has been going on for about 20 minutes and everything seems to be going well.Then, suddenly, the interviewer asks an unexpected question, "Which is more important, law or love?" Job applicants in the West increasingly find themselves asked strange questions like this.And the signs are that this is beginning to happen in China. Employers want people who are skilled, enthusiastic and devoted.So these are the qualities that any reasonably intelligent job applicant will try to show no matter what his or her actual feelings are.In response, employers are increasingly using the questions which try and show the applicant's true personality. The question in the first paragraph comes from a test called the Kiersey Temperament Sorter.It is an attempt to discover how people solve problems, rather than what they know.This is often called aptitude test. According to Mark Baldwin of Alliance, many job applicants in China are finding this type of questions difficult."When a Chinese fills out an aptitude test, he or she will think there is a right answer but they may fail because they try to guess what the examiner wants to see." This is sometimes called the prisoner's dilemma .Applicants are trying to act cleverly in their own interest, but they fail because they don't understand what the interviewer is looking for.Remember that in an aptitude test, the correct answer is the honest answer. According to the writer, in an aptitude test, Chinese job applicants should _ . A) not tell the truth B) offer a complete answer C) learn to tell what they really think D) find out what the examiner wants to know
Answer:
C