Which city would you prefer to visit, London or Paris?London had welcomed 16.8 million foreign visitors in 2014, compared with 15.2 million visitors to Paris, according to a new report released by UK research firm Euromonitor International in January. Boris Johnson, London's mayor, is very proud."With so many fascinating museums, the best theater scene in the world, more green space than any other European city, numerous top sporting venues , a low crime rate and much else besides, it is no wonder that people from all over the globe are flocking to London in record numbers. These figures prove that London is without doubt the greatest city on the planet,"he told The Telegraph. However, Paris' mayor, Anne Hidalgo, is not as pleased. "London is in some ways a suburb of Paris," she said.The Huffington Post used the word " _ " to describe these back-and-forth insults . It refers to arguments about unimportant things, like small children fighting over a toy, or lovers arguing over the TV remote. France and Britain are separated only by the English Channel. For centuries, they fought over territory .But in fact, Paris and London are very similar. Both are centers of fashion and the arts. Even their most famous landmarks are a little similar --- the Palace of Versailles outside Paris and Buckingham Palace in London, for example. That's the trouble - they're as good as each other. As the Daily Mail put it: London and Paris are "head-to-head" in their battle for supremacy. In fact, visitors to these great cities love them equally.Hidalgo also wrote an article in The Telegraph, but changed her words slightly: "London is a suburb of Paris and Paris is a suburb of London."Does this mean these two cities could one day "grow up", stop bickering, and become friends. In her article in The Telegraph, we can infer Anne Hidalgo _ . A) showed an objective attitude toward London and Paris. B) avoided comparing London with Paris. C) displayed Paris' beauty in many different ways. D) defended her idea that Paris is better than London.
A
In all the world's cultures, people sing, play instruments, and celebrate with music. It plays such an important role in our lives that all fields focus on its study, including one looking at the biology of music. Experts are finding that because of the way our brains process music, learning to play an instrument or just listening to music can have a wide range of benefits. Music education has received a lot of attention. Learning to play an instrument can help children improve math, science, and language skills. One study in Canada tracked children's IQ scores for nine months, discovering that children who studied music had the biggest test score improvements. The secret may lie in the way reading music and playing notes uses several areas of the brain, increasing our ability to learn school subjects. For example, reading notes improves spatial reasoning skills, which are helpful in solving math problems like fractions . Music is also used for medical purposes, such as the treatment of diseases which affect memory. The secret lies in the way the brain processes music. One area near the forehead, the medial prefrontal cortex, connects music with memories stored in two other areas: the amygdale and hippocampus. That's why an old song can remind you of something that happened years ago. For patients suffering from diseases like Alzheimer's, listening to music can help unlock buried memories by strengthening musical pathways to memories. With the evidence of music's benefits pouring in, it's no wonder some countries make music study a part of their education systems. People are recognizing that more than just a form of entertainment, music is also great for the brain. Which of the following is a kind of disease? A) Spatial reasoning. B) Alzheimer's. C) The amygdale and hippocampus. D) The medial prefrontal cortex.
B
Q: Legends about the development of coffee are varied and interesting, involving chance occurrences, political tricks, and the pursuit of wealth and power. According to one story, a sheepherder named Kaldi, as he tended his sheep, noticed the effect of coffee beans. He noticed that the sheep became excited after eating the red "cherries" from a certain plant when they changed pastures . He tried it himself, and was soon as overactive as his sheep. Another story relates that a monk happened to discover that this fruit from the shiny green plant could help him stay awake. Another legend gives us the name for coffee, "mocha". Omar, an Arabian was thrown to the desert with his followers to die of starvation. In desperation, Omar had his friends boil and eat the fruit from an unknown plant. Not only did the soup save the group, but the residents of the nearest town, Mocha, took their survival as a religious sign. The plant and its beverage were named Mocha to honor this event. Coffee was introduced much later to countries beyond Arabia, whose inhabitants believed it to be a tasty thing and guarded its secret as if they were top secret military plans. The government forbade transportation of the plant out of the Moslem nations. The actual spread of coffee was started illegally. One Arab named Baba Budan smuggled beans to some mountains near Mysore, India, and started a farm there. Early in this century, some of those original plants were found still growing fruitfully in the region. Coffee today is grown and enjoyed worldwide, and is one of the few crops that small farmers in third-world countries can profitably export. Which of the following involves political tricks? A) Kaldi's story. B) The monk's story. C) Omar's story. D) Baba Budan's story.
A: D
Do you think Great Britain and the United States are alike? Winston Churchill once joked that the people of Britain and the people of America are separated only by their language. Do you think that is true? The British and the Americans both speak English as the official language. However, each uses some different words.We Americans are similar to the British. After all , our country was once owned by Great Britain , so we have a lot in common. But there are many differences between us. Great Britain has a king or queen, and the leader of the government is the Prime Minister. The United States has no kings or queens. Our leader is the President. Both the British and Americans use pounds and ounces, oints, quarts, and gallons. Both use miles, yards,and feet. Our money is different,though. The British use pounds and pence. Americans use dollars and cents. Driving in a car is very different in England. They drive on the left side of the road. We drive on the right. What we call the hood of the car, the British call the "bonnet". British cars run on "petrol",which we call gasoline. In our everyday lives, we do many of the same things as the British. But we describe them differently. A young mother here might push a baby in a baby carriage. A British mom pushes a "pram". The British watch the "telly", while we watch TV. We like to eat French fries, but the British call them "chips". Millions of Americans drink coffee, but most British prefer tea. So we are different in many ways. But we stay friendly anyway. The British and Americans both use _ A) miles and dollars B) pints and pence C) gallons and feet D) yards and cents
C