I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Bicycles for rent could become as common as newspaper stands and mail boxes on prefix = st1 /Germany's street corners if a scheme launched by Deutsche Bahn is successful. The German rail operator has launched a bicycle-hire scheme designed for simple one-way trips. "It's a new concept,"said Andreas Knie, head of the project. Users must first register with Call-A-Bike at a cost of 15 euros(US$14.7). With a simple phone call, they can hire one of the many bikes parked outside stations, at a cost of 3 to 5 cents per minute. At the end of their journey, they ring a computer and tell it where the bike is parked. The bikes are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No one will be breaking speed records with Call-A-Bike bicycles. They weigh in at 25 kilograms, at least double the weight of a normal bicycle, though they do have eight gears . "They are pretty heavy, but we don't want people taking them on the train or into the subway," Knie said. They are also designed with parts that do not fit a normal bicycle. Even the screws are irregular and the bike looks so odd that thieves would stand out. Vandalism and theft have led to the downfall of previous schemes which date back toAmsterdam's 1966"White Bike"scheme. In that short-lived experiment, anti-establishment groups painted bikes white and left them around the Dutch capital. However, many were taken permanently and repainted, while the police took away others on the basis that ownerless bikes were street rubbish. Copenhagen, Vienna and Helsinki also have free bike schemes, in which users deposit a coin in Copenhagen's case 20 crowns(US$2.50)--to free a bike from a rack. "The advantage these schemes have is ease of use. But because they're so cheap, people tend to hold on to the bikes and then there are none on the streets,"the person in charge said. Oslo is also planning a bike-hire system where users will pay a symbolic fee of 50 Norwegian crowns(US$6.50)for unlimited use in the city for a year. Users will buy an electronic... Question: How many European countries have already launched the free bike schemes? Options: A: Four. B: Five. C: Six. D: Seven.
B
I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: I always feel sorry for world leaders busy dealing with fights between nations. When my three children were young, most days it was hard to keep my house from becoming a battlefield. It got worse as they grew older. Three years ago, Zack, then 16, couldn't make it through a day without making his sisters, Alex 11 and Taryn 9, angry. My husband and I tried to be understanding the boy at such an age. We reasoned, punished, and left heartfelt notes on his bed about how he was hurting our family. His answer was "I say it because it's true." I even tried telling the girls to fight back. Bad idea. Now I had three children at war. Whatever I said to them, they paid no attention. When there was no way out, I told everything to my sister in an e-mail. She replied, "Don't e-mail me. E-mail him." Our son was online every day, mailing and talking with his friends. Maybe he would actually hear me this way. I didn't say anything different, but e-mail just took the tension away. There'd be no shouting or door banging. Zack wouldn't feel under attack. Zack didn't reply for days. When he finally did, his entire message was four small words. I smiled when I read them, "You're right. I'm sorry." The children still fought, of course, but Zack changed. Best of all, I now have a better way to talk with not one but three of them. I like it that they don't _ as much as they used to. They like not having to listen to me shouting to them. Or as Alex says, "You're so much nicer online." All I know is that the house is quiet. But we're talking. Question: The writer once tried to deal with her son's problem by _ . Options: A: talking with him about her pain B: telling him about the truth of the family C: telling her daughters to keep away from him D: encouraging her daughters to fight against him.
D
Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Sarah Williams went to a boarding school. Here is one of the letters she wrote to her parents from the school. Wentworth Girls' School Beachside July 20th Dearest Mom and Dad, I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you. I have been very naughty and the school principal is very angry with me. She is going to write to you. You must come and take me away from here. She does not want me in the school any longer. The trouble started last night when I was smoking in bed. This is against the rules, of course. We are not supposed to smoke at all. As I was smoking, I heard footsteps coming towards the room. I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away. Unfortunately, the cigarette fell into the waste-paper basket, which caught fire. There was a curtain near the waste-paper basket which caught fire, too. Soon the whole room was burning. The principal phoned for the fire department. The school is a long way from the town and by the time the fire department arrived, the whole school was in flames. Many of the girls are in the hospital. The principal says that the fire was all my fault and you must pay for the damage. She will send you a bill for about a million dollars. I'm very sorry about this. Much love, Sarah P. S. None of the above is true, but I have failed my exams. I just want you to know how bad things could have been! Question: Why did Sarah write home? Options: A: To tell her parents about the fire. B: To ask for a lot of money. C: To tell her parents she had failed her exams. D: To tell her parents she had to leave school.
A: C
*Question*
I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: I am the captain of a ship in American Marine Police Force. I have been working as a policeman on the sea for eight years. I really love the sea because of its cool winds, the fresh smell and the beautiful scenery , so I joined Marine Police Force to safeguard the sea. Several days ago, I was out on a boat with my friends. We were not on duty but our officer allowed us to use the police sailing boat. It was very relaxing to have a day off on the sea with friends. We went fishing. We were on our way back when I saw a ship with the name PSS Pollu. It was pouring oil into the sea. I was very upset about this, so I managed to call the ship and shouted, "Stop at once and follow us back to the shore!" But PSS Pollu tried to escape. We tried our best to follow her but the ship was too fast for us so we contacted the Police Force and asked for help. Two fast police boats were sent and soon caught up with PSS Pollu. The ship had no choice but to give in. Six policemen searched PSS Pollu and found that it was carrying illegal goods. The men on PSS Pollu were punished. I was rewarded for providing useful information while I was off duty. I felt proud and now I love my job even more. Question: How did the writer feel after catching PSS Pollu? Options: A: Frightened. B: Moved. C: Worried. D: Happy.
**Answer**
D