Read the following article and answer the question. Article: It is a wonderful morning,as I write this:hot,but without being too hot. Outside my window,I can see the sunniest sky of the year reflected in a huge natural expand of water. It is the kind of sun that makes you well aware of summer's temporary nature --a reminder that if I am ever to go around to book this year's holiday,time is running out . It is now close to four years since I last took a holiday. This is because I have come to the conclusion, over the course of my adult life, that I am not very good at it. _ What could possibly be difficult about the natural act of putting your working life on hold for a couple of weeks and going somewhere to do nothing? So what is my problem? On the surface, I'm probably a bit of homebody. And I just find the pressure of being on holidy too severe: it always feels like having a gun held to my head and being forced to have fun. Somehow, packing a carefully itemized list of possessions and meeting a scheduled flight has none of the excitement of suddenly deciding to take a day off and driving somewhere for the fun of it. Thankfully, I am not alone. This summer, most of my friends have decided not to have a break. And a recent survey highlighted the downside of holidays, with the results shoeing that nearly two thirds of people found that the calming effects of a holiday wore off within 24 hours, as stress levels returned to normal. And this year's the Idler magazine published its book of awful holidays .Here you will find a list of the five most ecologically--damaging vacations it's possible to take, along with 50 horrible holidays experiences voted for on the idler website. Over the last decade, The Idler has become well known for promoting the idea of an easy, lazy life. The leisure industry might seem an unlikely target of its criticism, but Dan Kienan, the book's editor, says that he was flooded with entries from readers for his list of awful holidays. Question: We can learn from the survey that a lot of people _ . Answer:
OPTIONS:
- pretend to enjoy their holiday
- fail to relax while they are on holiday
- feel that the benefits of going on holidays are limited
- have made the some decision as the writer and most of his friends
feel that the benefits of going on holidays are limited
--
Read the following article and answer the question. Article: A few years ago, my younger sister and I were the first to board our flight for Norfolk, Virginia. Just as we were about to board the plane, a mechanic came out of the aircraft and blocked the door with his arms. He turned to the flight attendant and hurriedly stated, "We got problems!" I thought to myself, "Why did I have to be the one to hear that? Why couldn't I have been at the back of the line? I didn't need to know that!" Very soon we were back in the terminal, waiting, and then finally back on the plane. I waited for the pilot to give an explanation. Pilots take courses to ease passengers' mind, right? They know what to say to calm nerves. Unfortunately, I didn't think this pilot took that course. Soon his voice thundered throughout the plane, "Sorry for the delay, ladies and gentlemen. We had no power on the plane. We have a generator on the ground right now, and we're going to jump-start the engines. Once we get them going, we'll get up in the air and head to Norfolk, and see what happens." See what happens? We were going to get up in the air, and see what happens? Couldn't we have another plan, one that's been worked out just a little better? At this point, all I could do was to laugh nervously. One woman started yelling, "Oh no! We're going to crash!" There were sighs of desperation and anxiety spreading throughout the cabin. Finally, we got up in the air thirty minutes later, and what happened? Nothing ---other than thrust and lift. We arrived in Norfolk, and no sooner had the wheels touched the ground than a round of applause burst out, as everyone throughout the airplane simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. Although, I did sincerely like to have a plan better than "see what happens" worked out when flying --- it really isn't such a bad life strategy. Success will never be guaranteed. The best thing you can do is just get up in the air, and see what happens. Sometimes adjustments would be made in the air, or shall we say, in the middle of the process. Question: Which opinion would the author most probably hold? Answer:
OPTIONS:
- To ensure success, don't get started before you've got everything ready.
- To avoid repeating failure, give yourself all the reasons why you can't.
- To set up a business, don't wait until you have everything you need.
- To achieve success, try to prepare for the worse
To set up a business, don't wait until you have everything you need.
--
Read the following article and answer the question. Article: The teacher who did the most to encourage me was, as it happens, my aunt. She was Myrtle C. Manigault, the wife of my mother's brother Bill. She taught me in second grade at all-black Summer School in Camden, New Jersey. During my childhood and youth, Aunt Myrtle encouraged me to develop every aspect of my potential, without regard for what was considered practical or possible for black females. I liked to sing; she listened to my voice and pronounced it good. I couldn't dance; she taught me the basic dancing steps. She took me to the theatre--not just children's theatre, but adult comedies and dramas--and her faith that I could appreciate adult plays was not disappointed. My aunt also took down books from her extensive library and shared them with me. I had books at home, but they were all serious classics. Even as a child I had a strong liking for humour, and I'll never forget the joy of discovering Don Marquis's Archy & Mehitabel through her. Most important, perhaps, Aunt Myrtle provided my first opportunity to write for publication. A writer herself for one of the black newspapers, she suggested my name to the editor as a "youth columnist". My column, begun when I was fourteen, was supposed to cover teenage social activities--and it did--but it also gave me the freedom to write on many other subjects as well as the habit of gathering material, the discipline of meeting deadlines, and, after graduation from college six years later, a solid collection of published material that carried my name and was my passport to a series of writing jobs. Today Aunt Myrtle is still an enthusiastic supporter of her "favourite niece". Like a diamond, she has reflected a bright, multifaceted image of possibilities to every pupil who has crossed her path. Question: Which of the following did Aunt Myrtle do to the author during her childhood and youth? Answer:
OPTIONS:
- She lent her some serious classics.
- She cultivated her taste for music.
- She discovered her talent for dancing.
- She introduced her to adult plays.
She introduced her to adult plays.
--