Maybe you don't think animals have certain mental powers which human beings do not have. But the truth is that some of them have instincts, and besides this, I am sure they can feel certain things we humans cannot. A personal experience showed me this. Some years ago, I had a dog named Howard. From the time when he was a puppy, he was timid, so we named him Howard, sounding like "coward"! He was especially afraid of thunderstorms. At the first flash of lightning or crash of thunder, he would run whining into his house and hide under a table. I often went for a walk with Howard. Once, as we were walking along a road, it began to rain. I quickly ran to a bus stop for shelter. The bus stop had a roof supported by metal poles. Soon after I had got there, Howard caught my trousers in his teeth and tried to pull me away. At first I was puzzled and a little angry at his behavior. But I decided to humor him and walked away from the shelter into the rain and started to go home. When I was about two hundred metres from the shelter, there came a flash of lightning and soon after, there was thunder which nearly deafened me. Howard stopped walking and began whining. Thinking he was afraid, I bent to pick him up. As I straightened up, I glanced at the bus shelter we had just left. I was shocked to see that two of the poles were bent and the roof was lying on the ground, broken. The shelter had been struck by the bolt of lightning! What can be inferred about the bus shelter from the passage? A) It was about 200 meters from the author's home. B) It was destroyed in a rainy day. C) Its roof was supported by wood poles. D) It could produce blinding flash of lightning.
B
(Question)
Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes , Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death. And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance. After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar , and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones--a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources. Jason Swencki"s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children's forums together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site's volunteers. "They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone." Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages. These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity, Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people--225 to date--who can't afford a diabetic's huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000--in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean. Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar one of Rockstar's original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now." Which of the following is true of Christopher Thomas? A) He needs to go to the doctor every day. B) He studies the leading cause of diabetes C) He has a positive attitude to this disease. D) He encourages diabetics by writing articles.
(Answer)
C
Ques: June 3, 2013 Suzanne Rogers Ultra--Ergonomic Furniture Sales and Shipping Department Suite 58, 107 Morris Circle Moorabbin, Victoria 3206 Dear Ms Rogers, As I'm sure you are aware, our company has been organizing conventions, festivals, and other large corporate events for the last fifteen years. We have relied on your company for purchase and rental supplies of high--quality furniture for that entire period, and we've never had any cause for complaints with regard to your services. I am writing to you personally to ask a special favor. We recently made an order with your company for the supply of rental furniture that includes chairs, tables, and partitions for an auto show (see order No. 11--35698A). Unfortunately, a serious error was made. In fact the show begins one week earlier than indicated on the order form. The starting date is actually July 7. I would appreciate it very much if you could try to do everything you can to ensure that our order be delivered to us on that date. Also, if possible, I'd like to add 20 Pop-up displays on top of our original order. Please contact me soon. Yours sincerely Michael Robinson Properties Manager Mrobinson@btc. com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From: srogers@uef. shipping. com Sent: June 8, 2013 To: mrobinson@btc. com Dear Mr Robinson, Thank you for your letter. I was surprised and of course concerned that you find yourself in this unfortunate situation. And of course I will do my best to help you. Anyway, I personally look a trip down to our warehouse this morning to have a closer look at our stock to see if we have all the things you need for your convention--which I believe is from July 7 to July 14. I am happy to say that we will be able to provide you with everything you originally requested. However, as for the additional request you made, it won't be possible because we have already rented them out to another client during that week. Kind regards, Suzanne Rogers Sales and shipping Department Why did Mr Robinson write the letter? A) To make a complaint about a late delivery. B) To cancel an order he had made. C) To invite Ms Rogers to an auto show. D) To ask for a change in the delivery date.
Ans: D
Question: As a result of pollution, Lake Erie, on the borders of the USA and Canada, is now without many living things. Pollution in water is not simply a matter of "poisons" killing large numbers of fish overnight. Very often the effects of pollution are not noticed for many months or years because the first organisms to be affected are either plants or plankton . These organisms are the food of fish, birds, and other creatures. When this food disappears, the fish and birds die too. In this way a whole food chain can be wiped out, and it is not until dead fish and water birds are seen at the river's edge or on the sea shore that people realize what is happening. Where do the substances which pollute water come from? There are two main sources, sewage and industrial waste. As more detergent is used in homes, more of it is finally put into our rivers, lakes and seas. Detergents harm water birds by breaking down the natural substances which keep their feathers _ Sewage itself, if not properly treated, makes the water dirty and prevents all forms of life in rivers and the sea from receiving the oxygen they need. Industrial waste is even more harmful since there are many highly poisonous materials in it, such as copper and lead. So if we want to stop this pollution, the answer is simple. Sewage and industrial waste must be made clean before flowing into the water reservoirs. It may already be too late to save some rivers and lakes, but others can still be saved if the correct action is taken at once. Living things die in a lake or river because there is no _ . A) water B) fish C) Poison D) oxygen
Answer:
D