When I was a seven-year-old girl, I used to go door-to-door with my mother to ask the residents for donations to the American Lung Association. Some would give a few coins; others, on rare occasions, a whole dollar; but most would silently shake their heads. No matter what the amount was, my mother always thanked the givers, wrote their names and addresses on her large envelope, and placed the money inside. And then we returned to our apartment, and my mother counted the money. The yield didn't match the effort: I don't think she collected more than $10. Still, she sent the collection to the organization. Even as a child, I knew my mother's actions were great, which aroused my pride in her. Asking poor people to give to an organization which aimed to help others wasn't what you did. Other charities gave to these folks; you didn't ask them to give. To them , her efforts likely seemed foolish. But to me, her efforts had an influence on me as I grew up. Although my charitable giving is modest, I faithfully and regularly donate to the organization which is aimed at fighting AIDS; to stop hunger, and homelessness; to support public broadcasting, the arts, and public education; and to heal families. And I volunteer my time to teach little girls and fix our badly broken public schools. I do these things because I believe I've been given much, so much is required of me. I never asked my mother why she collected those donations, and, besides, the lung cancer that killed her twenty-one years ago prevents me from asking now. But had I asked, my mother's response would have been simple:"Because I can."That's what she would have said. But from that look in her eyes and her daily efforts to make life a bit brighter, I know she also acted on hope that tomorrow would be better and that her actions somehow would make a difference. The author believes that his mother collected those donations mainly because . A) she hoped she could spread the spirit of donation B) she hoped she could make others know her kindness C) she hoped she could protect herself from lung cancer D) she hoped her efforts would make a difference to others
D
A group of graduates, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain,plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite -- telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best foryourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups. And then you began eyeing each other's cups. Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position insociety are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us." God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee! "The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything." Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God. What's the best title of this passage? A) God's Coffee. B) Drink Coffee. C) Coffee and Work D) Coffee Cups
A
Q: Malls are popular places for Americans to go to. Some people spend so much time at malls that they are called mall rats. Mall rats shop until they visit hundreds of stores. People like malls for many reasons. They feel safe because malls have police stations. Parking is usually free. And the weather inside is always fine. The newest malls have beautiful rest places with waterfalls and large green trees. The Mall of America in Minnesota is one of the most popular ones. It covers 4.2 million square feet. It has 350 stores, eight nightclubs, and a large park! There are parking spaces for 12,750 cars. About 750,000 people shop there every week. The first indoor mall in the United States was built in 1965 in Edina Minnesota. People love doing all their shopping in one place. More malls are built around the country. Now malls are town centers where people come to do many things. They shop, and of course, they also eat in food courts that have food from all over the world. They see films at theaters. Some people even get their exercise by doing the new sport of "mall walking". Others go to malls to meet friends. In some malls, people can see a doctor and even go to church. In other words, people can do almost everything in malls. Now people can live in their favorite shopping centers in fact. Mall rats usually _ . A) shop after visiting lots of stores B) spend lots of time at malls C) buy nothing at malls D) do almost everything in malls
A: B
*Question*
A survey suggests that people who have dropped out from high school just earn an average of $9,000 less per year than graduates. Now a new study removes a common belief why they quit. It's much more basic than flunking out . Society tends to think of high school dropouts as kids who just can't cut it. They are lazy, and perhaps not too bright. So researchers were surprised when they asked more than 450 kids who quit school about why they left. "The vast majority actually had passing grades and they were confident that they could have graduated from high school." John Bridgeland, the executive researcher said. About one million teens leave school each year. Only about half of African-American and Hispanic students will receive a diploma , and actually all dropouts come to regret their decision. So, if failing grades don't explain why these kids quit, what does? Again, John Bridgeland: "The most dependable finding was that they were bored." "They found classes uninteresting; they weren't inspired or motivated. They didn't see any direct connection between what they were learning in the classroom to their own lives, or to their career aspirations." The study found that most teens who do drop out wait until they turn sixteen, which happens to be the age at which most states allow students to quit. In the U.S., only one state, New Mexico, has a law requiring teenagers to stay in high school until they graduate. Only four states: California, Tennessee, Texas and Utah, plus the District of Columbia, require school attendance until age 18, no exceptions. Jeffrey Grin, another researcher, says raising the compulsory attendance age may be one way to keep more kids in school. "As these dropouts look back, they realize they've made a mistake. And anything that sort of gives these people an extra push to stick it out and see it through to the end, is probably helpful measure." New Hampshire may be the next state to raise its school attendance age to 18. But critics say that forcing the students unwilling to continue their... According to researchers' study, most high school students drop out of school because _ . A) they have failing grades B) they are lazy and not intelligent C) they are discriminated against D) they take no interest in classes
**Answer**
D