A recent Living Social survey showed that Americans may live up to their poor reputation while travelling abroad. But what's more surprising is that many of those surveyed self-identified themselves as 'ugly' Americans and the world's worst travelers. Those in the U.S. ranked themselves as the worst travellers by a shocking 20 per cent, followed by 15 per cent saying the Chinese were the most substandard tourists. Americans topped the list as being the worst-behaved travelers in a survey of 5,600 respondents, 4,000 of whom were Americans. Other respondents were in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. But even American respondents considered their compatriots as the worst travelers from a list of 16 nationalities. Canadians and Australians also put Americans in the No. 1 spot. Irish respondents pointed to U.K. residents and U.K. respondents gave Germans the nod. On the other hand, 37% of Americans opted for "none of the above" in answer to the worst-tourists question, displaying more tolerance and open-mindedness than the other nationalities. Other survey questions had respondents admitting _ from hotels. Four in ten U.S. survey-takers said they'd stolen something - mostly towels (28%) and bathrobes (8%). Other popular pinched items included pillows, remote controls, Bibles and sheets. Not surprising is that Americans have less time off from work than other nationalities. Americans reported getting 16 days off, compared with 28 days for the Irish, 27 days for Australians, 23 days for U.K. workers; and 21 days for Canadians. In the travel mishaps department, the most common travel disaster reported by Americans was lost luggage on an airline (21%); bad weather (21%); and getting very lost (16%). As for places Americans most want to see, Disney World and Las Vegas made the top 10, but they weren't at the top of the heap. And New York didn't make the cut. What percentage of American respondents is in the survey? A) 20 % B) 15% C) 71% D) 37%
C
(Question)
Barack Obama has never been shy about comparing himself with Abraham Lincoln. He did so when he announced his presidential election in Illinois, where both he and Lincoln served in the legislature . "The life of a tall, thin, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible." Obama said. "He tells us that there is power in words and that there is power in hope." Such comparisons have continued on big and small occasions, but the most important similarity, in Obama's mind, is how he plans to govern if elected. Obama says he admires Doris Kearns Goodwin' s wonderful Lincoln biography, Team of Rivals. "He talks about it all the time." says a top assistant. "He is particularly interested in the idea that Lincoln successfully won the hearts of many people who had run against him for President, some of them even disagree with him firmly." "The lesson is that you shouldn't let your hatred get in the way of hiring ly the best people." says Obama. "I think American people are practical and so I have an interest in casting a wide net, seeking out people with a wide range of expert knowledge, including Republicans, for the highest positions in the government." "I don't want to have people who just agree with me." He says. "I want people who are continually pushing me forward and I'd be very interested in having those sorts of Republicans in my government, especially people who can speed up a responsible and logical conclusion to the Iraq war." Obama is willing to cooperate with those who disagree with him because _ . A) he is interested in Republicans' ideas B) they may push him to make the right decisions C) they have the highest positions in the government D) he doesn't want to show his hatred to the public
(Answer)
B
Ques: In ancient Greece athletic festivals were very important and had strong religious associations. The Olympian athletic festival held every four years in honor of Zeus, king of the Olympian Gods, eventually lost its local character, became first a national event and then,after the rules against foreign competitors had been put to an end, international. No one knows how far back the Olympic Games go, but some official records date from 776 BC. The games took place in August on the plain by Mount Olympus. Many thousands of people gathered from all parts of Greece to watch the games, but no married woman was admitted even for watching. Slaves, women and dishonored persons were not allowed to compete. The exact sequence of events is uncertain, but events included boy's gymnastics, boxing, wrestling, horse racing and field events, though there were fewer sports involved than in the modern Olympic Games. On the last day of the Games, all the winners were honored by having a ring of holy olive leaves placed on their heads. So great was the honor that the winner of the foot race gave his name to the year of his victory. Although Olympic winners received no money, they were, in fact, richly rewarded by their state authorities. f an athlete won, _ . A) he would receive a lot of money B) he could give his name to the month of his victory C) he would be honored and rewarded by his state authorities D) he would only get a ring of holy olive leaves
Ans: C
Dear Mr. Perkins, We would like to introduce ourselves. Our company was organized only two years ago, but we are one of the largest boat companies inprefix = st1 /California. As you know, your son has bought a boat from us recently, and I think you know how pleased be is with our product. Also, John Webb, one of your son's friends, has bought a boat from us and, we understand, is very happy with his boat. We are always happy to know that our customers are satisfied. We are writing to you now because, as you know, your son has decided to buy a larger boat, and we need your signature on the loan papers. The loan application has already been signed by Danny. As you will see, there is one form to fill out, and there are three _ to sign. Danny's 26-foot boat was returned to our San Pedro Dock yesterday, and we are pleased to say that the new 36-foot "Challenger" will be delivered in two weeks from today. It is being inspected by our manager right now. The auto-pilot has already been installed by our mechanic. It looks as though everything will be ready in time for delivery. All we need are the signed contracts from you. Thank you. Tony Valention From the passage we can see that the boat company _ . A) isn't an old one B) is a world-famous one C) is developing slowly D) has to advise customers to buy its boats
A