Getting into university is hard enough at the best of times--but when your chosen institution is a work of fiction you're really up against. And that's why this young joker's Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) application to Hogwarts University was unsuccessful. But the admissions services' response to the young man is still funny. The unnamed A-Level student wrote a handwritten note to UCAS asking for a place studying ' _ ' at the Harry Potter school. In the application, he was proud of his skills in "wearing a pointy hat" and "Watching Paul Daniels TV Specials". UCAS replied, "We regret to inform you that your application to the stated university cannot be processed at this time for the fact that it does not exist. "After consultation with our mystic advisors we have also determined that even if it did exist, the course 'Wandology' would be highly in demand and thus require at least two As and a B in any of the following subjects: Advanced Spellcrafting Mystimatics Defence Against the Dark Arts History of the Mysticism Shaft Design "Your handwritten grade sheet claiming top marks in 'Waving a stick about', 'Wearing a pointy hat' and 'Watching Paul Daniels TV Specials' sadly is not suitable for admission, however, by applying through clearing you may be suitable for a selection of Liberal Arts courses." "Or, you may wish to resubmit next year by tying your letter to an owl and hoping for the best. "On behalf of UCAS I wish you every success." What can be inferred in the UCAS's reply? A) Applying for a university is the hardest thing even in the best times. B) The young student will probably start to raise an owl for the next year. C) UCAS may approve the young student's application for Liberal Arts courses. D) In the end the young student succeeded in applying for Hogwarts University.
C
(Question)
Paul was dealing with _ . The new girl Linda in class really liked him a lot. Paul was not happy about it. Paul's good friend, Sam, tried to comfort him. "What's the big deal? I think Linda is kind of cute and nice enough." Paul glared at Sam. "Then why don't you ask her to be your girlfriend? There she is, sitting all by herself at the other end of the cafeteria. Go there and ask her to be your honey!" "She's crazy about you, not me," Sam replied. "Well, I don't want any girlfriend, especially not a girl like her! "Paul growled. Sam wouldn't give up. "The only thing pesky about her is that she keeps writing you those notes ." "I don't like notes at all!" Paul interrupted. He took another sip of milk. "Did you notice those strange brown eyes? Why aren't they normal red or pink?" Sam took another look at Linda. "I think her face is a lovely shade of green. And her dark green curly hair is quite pretty. Besides, she's very gentle and that's what really matters." Paul stuck out his tongue. "I think I'm going to be sick! I'd better save my dessert for later." He crammed a small bag of Maggot Munchies into his even smaller shirt pocket. "The fact is, I have a problem. That girl is getting on my nerves! " Sam followed Paul's example and decided to save his dessert for later. However, he carefully placed the bag into his lunch box. "Do you have any ideas about how to solve your problem?" Tremor asked. "I'm going to be mean and rude to her," Paul announced. "I'll call her names and make ugly faces at her." "That's how you treat everyone," Sam reminded his friend. Paul nodded. "It's time that Linda got to know the real Paul !" How did Linda feel about Paul ? A) She didn't like him because he was rude. B) She was annoyed by his strange appearance. C) She didn't have any strong feelings about him. D) She fell in love with him.
(Answer)
D
Ques: Sailors used to speak of a "Jack"when they meant a flag which was set near the bow of a sailing ship. The flag showed the country to which the ship belonged. The Union Jack became the flag of Great Britain. Australia's flag has the Union Jack in the top left hand corner together with the stars of the Southern Cross. They have kept this small part of Britain on their flag because their country was first settled by people from Britain. Australia's flag is the same color as the Union Jack--red, white and blue. The act of joining together is called a "Union". The Union Jack was the name of the flag made when England, Scotland and Ireland joined together to make one country. It all began in 1707 when England and Scotland joined together to become one nation. A flag was made using two crosses--one for the patron saint of each country. The word "patron" means protector. Many centuries before the English had taken St George as their patron saint, his emblem was a red cross on a white background. The Scottish patron saint was St Andrew. In memory of him, they used a white cross on a blue background. This cross was shaped like the letter "X". The new flag was a mixture of both flags with two sets of crosses. When Ireland joined England and Scotland in 1800, another cross was added. St Patrich's cross of Ireland was red and also shaped like an "X". All three flags now made up the Union Jack. The Union Jack is a kind of _ and contains _ . A) flag; three crosses B) ship; four crosses C) flag; two crosses D) ship; three crosses
Ans: A
You could have poor eyesight because you didn't spend enough time outdoors as a child, according to the conclusion of some studies on short-sightedness published in the Optometry and Vision Science. Although short-sightedness can easily be corrected with glasses or contact lenses , it's much better to prevent it altogether. This means we should allow the eyes to develop the way they should in childhood. Children need to spend more time outdoors, focusing on distant objects, say the Australian researchers. This gives the eyeballs a chance to develop as they should. According to one study on short-sightedness, the risk of developing short-sightedness is great -- about 60 percent -- in children who get five hours or less per week of outdoor activities. But if they do outdoor activities for 14 hours or more a week, the risk drops to 20 percent. Spending time outdoors can even help people overcome a genetic predisposition to short-sightedness. Children with parents who are short-sighted can bring down their risk by spending a few hours a day outdoors, suggest the findings from another of the studies presented at the conference. It's being in an outdoor environment that seems to be important, not the type of activity. Studies show that both active and passive outdoor activities have the same protective effect. So encourage children to balance the time they spend reading and studying with time outside. Two to three hours a day outside of school hours is the suggested amount by scientists. If it's hard to find that time, then cut the amount of television and reduce the time they spend on computer games and get kids to take frequent breaks outdoors when reading and studying. In which part of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage? A) Society. B) Fashion C) Health. D) Finance.
C