Ques:Article: How many hours does it take to be fluent in English? There are plenty of people in the UK for whom even basic English is a problem. According to the survey, 726,000 people in England and Wales said they could not speak English well, and another 138,000 said they did not speak it at all. Ling, 40,who arrived five years ago from China, found it difficult to learn English. " When I came here l was pregnant and so I was at home for the next three years. It took me longer to learn as l was very busy with the children." Eventually she was able to begin taking classes and now speaks good conversational English. But even with classes, it can be a long process to pick up the language. Age is the most important factor in language acquisition, says Mila Vulchanova, professor of linguistics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "There is a sensitive period in language learning, which is biologically determined, with an onset at birth and a decline around puberty. So the younger the immigrant, the better. Since this decline is only gradual, teenagers are at an advantage over adults." he says. There are a number of systems for grading English. The government expects immigrants to reach "ESOL Entry 3" or "B1 level" in Scotland, before they can be granted citizenship. It's equivalent to being able to hold a confident conversation and-it might take 360 hours of study to achieve. George Osborne said in June following the spending review that welfare claimants who don't speak English will have their benefits cut if they fail to attend language courses. Huan Japes, deputy chief executive of English UK, a trade body for language colleges, says a rule of thumb is 360 hours-120 hours for each of three stages-to get to the standard the government expects benefit claimants to reach. But many of the people who attend courses are visiting students rather than people settling in the UK. Immigrants tend to have very varied levels of education. " Using 120 hours( for each stage of English fluency) is a rather traditional... Question: What Dr Elaine Boyd says suggests that _ . Yes or no, is the answer "120 hours is a standard that is a little low"?

Ans:No
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Ques:Article: A Koala Isn't a Bear Koalas remind people of teddy bears.They have thick fur and large ears.Their broad, flat nose makes them look cute, similar to teddy bears.In fact koalas aren't cute.They have sharp teeth and very sharp claws! Koalas are marsupials.This means the mother carries her baby in a pocket while it develops, similar to a kangaroo.The baby koala lives in its mother's pocket for the first six months of its life. The name "koala" comes from a native Australian word that means "no drink". The koalas get almost all their water from the eucalyptus leaves they eat.That's where they get their food too.Koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves, and only the leaves of certain eucalyptus trees.The eucalyptus trees are where the koalas live.It's also where they sleep.Koalas sleep about nineteen hours a day! Why do they sleep so much? Some people think it's because they're lazy.But koalas aren't lazy.They sleep so much because there isn't much nutrition in eucalyptus leaves.Koalas store hardly any fat, so they must save their energy.One way to do this is to move slowly and sleep a lot. After a day of sleeping they like to move around and eat just after sunset.They live alone most of the time.Koalas are very protective of their trees.If a koala sees another koala eating in its favorite tree, it might tell the other koala to leave by "barking" at it.Koalas do "talk" to each other.Besides barks, the males make a deep grunting sound.The mothers and babies talk in soft clicking sounds.If they get scared they may scream like a baby. Question: According to the article, how are koalas and kangaroos alike? Yes or no, is the answer "They both carry their young in a pocket."?

Ans:No
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Ques:Article: Have you felt annoyed when a cellphone rings during the class? Something must be done to stop this.Now in New York City, USA,a rule is carried out in schools.Students can't even bring cellphones to schoo1.Is it a good thing or not? Anxious parents say that cellphones are an important tool in holding New York city's families together. "I worry about it," said Elizabeth Lorris Ritter, a mother of a middle school kid. It's necessary in our everyday life.We have a washing machine. We have running water, and We have cellphones." Many American parents think cellphones connect them to their children on buses,getting out from subways, walking through unknown places. "I have her call me when she gets out of school,"said Lindsay Walt, a schoolgirl's mother. "No one in New York is going to let their child go to school without a cellphone" What about the cellphone owners, the students? Most of the students said cellphones were _ and the cellphone was like all extra hand or foot for them. "I feel so empty,"said May Chom,1 4.There is also no way to listen to music on the way to school without my phone.It will be a really, really boring trip." Question: Which of the following statements is TRUE? Yes or no, is the answer "Cellphones connect children with their families when they are outside."?

Ans:Yes
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Ques:Article: While I was on a trip to Papua New Guinea to take underwater photographs, I asked a local dive guide to help me find a pygmy sea horse . I wanted to take a picture of it. These sea horses can be red or yellow-and-orange. The red pygmy sea horse lives on only one type of coral, a red sea fan that grows at depths below ninety feet. This depth made the job even tougher. As the pressure on my body increased, I had to breathe harder, which used my air supply faster. So the deeper I dived, the shorter my time underwater. I had a lot to do. First, I had to find the pygmy sea horse's special type of fan .Then I had to look over the whole fan with my magnifying glass to see if a sea horse lived on it. If not, I had to find another fan--all the while keeping an eye on my oxygen supply. The second fan rewarded me with a find. The dive guide held the magnifying glass so I could have my first look at the tiny fish. My next challenge was to focus my camera on such a small subject. The dive guide pointed at the tiny creature. I looked through the viewfinder on my large underwater camera housing , found the guide's finger, and followed it to the sea horse. It was hard to hold ourselves steady because both of us were floating in mid-water, but our system worked. I could hardly contain my excitement as I focused on the eyes of the cutest sea horse imaginable. Question: Why did the author write the passage? Yes or no, is the answer "To show us how she took pictures of a sea horse."?

Ans:
No
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