Though joke-lovers in many countries joyfully fool friends on April Fool's Day, no one knows exactly when or why, or even where, this tradition began. Practical joking seems to have coincided with the coming of Spring since the time of Ancient Romans and Celts, Some trace April Fool's Day back to Roman mythology , particularly the story of Ceres ,Goddess of the harvest, and her daughter, Proserpina. Pluto, God of the Dead, cheated Proserpina and took her to live with him in the underworld, The girl called out to her mother, but Ceres could only hear the echo of her daughter's voice. Such 'fool's errands ' became a popular practical joke in Europe in later centuries. The most widespread theory of the origin of April Fool's day the switch from the old Julian to the Gregorian calendar in the late 16thcentury. Under the Julian calendar, it was celebrated during the week between March 25 and April 1, but under the Gregorian calendar, it was moved to January1. Those who weren't informed of the change, or stubbornly kept to the old tradition, were often laughed at and had jokes played on them or around the old New Year. In France, this took the form of practical joker sticking fish on the backs of those who celebrated the old custom, earning the victims of the joke the name Poisson d' April, or April Fish. In Scotland, the butts of April Fool's jokes were known as April "Gowks", another name for a cuckoo bird. In more recent times, radio stations, TV programs and Web sites have set up gullible readers and listeners. One of the most famous jokes was a 1957 BBC program of the annual spaghetti harvest in Switzerland. Were so fooled they wanted to find out how to get a spaghetti bush of their own. Many listeners So while you're surfing the web or watching TV today, be aware of what you see and read, or you should end up an April Fool ! The text is mainly to _ . A) explore the origin of April Fool' Day. B) warn readers against being cheated C) show versions of the origins of April Fool' Day. D) introduce the real tradition of April Fool's Day
C
(Question)
Children are losing the ability to play properly because they are being given too many toys and games, according to new research. The studies show that children, especially those under five, are often overwhelmed and actually play less than those with fewer toys. It may even harm their development. The studies show that giving children too many toys or toys of the wrong type can actually be doing them harm. They get overwhelmed and cannot concentrate on anything long enough to learn from it. The conclusions have been backed up by British research looking at children with ly fewer toys, whose parents spend more time reading, singing or playing with them. It showed such children surpass youngsters from richer backgrounds, even those who could use computers. Some parents notice the ill effect early. Orhan Ismail, a researcher saw a change for the worse in Cameron, his 10-month-old son, after he was given a lot of toys last Christmas. Ismail said, " If there are too many toys in front of him, he will just keep flitting around them and then end up going off and finding something like a slipper to play with. Now we just get out one or two toys and hide the rest in a box. " Alexander and her husband also decided to limit the toys their 6 daughters play with. She believed many toys restrict children's imaginations. She said, " A Barbie can only work as a Barbie. But a cardboard box can become anything. The only limitations are in the child's mind. " Experts hesitate to put a figure on the number of toys children should have, but many believe two dozen is enough for children of preschool age. It may NOT be a good idea to _ . A) spend more time reading or playing with children B) choose right types of toys for children C) ask experts for the exact number of necessary toys D) put out one or two toys and hide the rest
(Answer)
C
Ques: Ahead of so-called Singles' Day on the 11th of this month,2013, online sales have already begun peaking. The leading e-business platform, tmall.com, has promoted its fifty-percent-off discount to attract consumers. They are also trying to attract buyers through social media. Vice President of tmall.com Wang Yulei says more than 20 thousand online stores have joined the Double 11 Day sales. But this number has doubled. The final number of how many products going to be on sale has not been known yet. But so far, many more products planned to be put on shelves with discounts. During last year's Singles' Day, tmall.com, together with taobao.com, reached a record of 19.1 billion yuan in sales, which considered a milestone in the e-business history of China. Singles' Day was first started by Chinese college students in the 1990s as the opposite of Valentine's Day, a celebration for people without romantic partners. The timing was based on the date: Nov. 11--or double 11--for singles. Single young people would treat each other to dinner or give gifts to show love to someone and end their single status. But now, the Singles' Day has been promoted as a kind of grand craze just for the shopping season, thanks to thousands of discounted products being promoted online. Taobao.com was the first big e-retail platform which used the double 11 idea to promote sales. Taobao.com reached one million yuan worth of sales on that day in 2009, when they first promoted the Singles' Day idea. In 2010, the sales increased to 936 million yuan. The figure climbed up to 5.3 billion yuan in 2011, putting huge demand on shipping services. The figure doubled in 2012. E-commerce is considered to be replacing the traditional retailing industry, but the reality is both sides are learning from each other. Which of the following is the main idea of the passage? A) Singles' Day promotes online sales. B) Why Singles' Day is so popular. C) How people celebrate Singles' Day. D) What the definition of Singles' Day is.
Ans: A
Ques:The last school bell rings and your kids are off for the summer.For most kids, those thoughts of schoolwork and lessons are a distant memory that they won't be thinking about again until fall.So it's important for them to continue some learning. Have Your Kids Hit the Library Encourage your kids to read by taking them to the library during the summer.If they don't have a library card, get them one.Many local libraries sponsor summer reading clubs that keep your kids wanting to read.Be sure to let your kids pick their own books out; summer is for fun reading. Have Your Kids Read Every Day Ask your kids to read outside in the sun.join in with them, and read aloud their favorite books, no matter how many times you have read them.Pick a time every day when you all stop and read as a family together.Nothing will stimulate a child to read than to have adults reading with them. Find Other Ways to Encourage the Kids If you are planning a family trip, have them check out the map.Let your kids go online and research where you are going.Have your kids check the weather report in the newspaper or what big event is happening and then have them report back on them at dinnertime.Have your kids check out magazines or websites for recipes that can be prepared. Learning to express your thoughts in writing in a logical manner is a skill that is often lost.To help your kids, have them write about things during the summer.If your kids love something such as animals, have them write a short report about them to share with the family.If you are going on a trip, have your kids keep a travel journal The writer wrote this passage to tell parents _ . A) why kids don't like studying during the summer B) how to keep their kids learning during the summer C) how to help their kids go over schoolwork and lessons D) why it is important for kids to study during the summer

Ans:
B