Throughout the centuries, various writers have contributed greatly to the literary treasure trove of books lining the shelves of today's libraries. In addition to writing interesting material, many famous writers, such as Edgar Allan Poe, were larger-than-life characters with personal histories that are as interesting to read as the stories they wrote. Poe's rocky life included being driven off from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1831 and an ongoing battle with alcohol. Yet, despite heavy gambling debts, poor health, and terrible unemployment, Poe managed to produce a body of popular works, including "The Raven" and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick, once lived among the man-eaters in the Marquesas Islands and wrote unusual tales inspired by his years of service in the U.S. Navy. Dublin-born Oscar Wilde was noted for his charismatic personality, his outrageous lifestyle, and creating witty catchphrases such as, "Nothing succeeds like excess." D.H. Lawrence wrote shameful novels that were often cut, and Anne Rice led a double life writing bestselling horrible novels under her real name and using "A.N. Roquelaure" for the lowbrow unhealthy novels she penned on the side. Nonconformist author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau once fled to the woods and generated enough interesting material to fill his noted book Walden. Thoreau wrote on the issue of passive resistance protest in his essay "Civil Disobedience" and served time in jail for refusing tax payments in protest of the United States government's policy towards slavery. American short story writer O. Henry's color1ful life was ruined by tragic events, such as being accused and sentenced for stealing money from an Austin, Texas bank. Despite his success selling his short stories, O. Henry struggled financially and was nearly bankrupt when he died. As diverse as these famous authors' backgrounds were, they all led unconventional lives while writing great literary works that will endure throughout the... Which statement is TRUE according to the passage? A) Henry David Thoreau was passionately opposed to horrible events. B) Anne Rice always used a pen name to conceal her true identity. C) Herman Melville stayed with man-eaters during his naval service. D) O Henry's life was color1ful though he had lots of difficulties.
C
Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier,have better marriages and have more respectable occupations. Personal consultants give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants .But in the executive circle,beauty can become a _ . While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder,it is harmful to a woman. Handsome male executives were thought as having more integrity than plainer men;effort and ability were thought to account for their success. Attractive female executives were considered to have less integrity than unattractive ones;their success was attributed not to ability but to factors such as luck. All unattractive women executives were thought to have more integrity and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly,though,the rise of the unattractive overnight successes was attributed more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of attractive overnight successes. Why are attractive women not thought to be able?An attractive woman is thought to be more feminine and an attractive man more masculine than the less attractive ones. Thus,an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs,but an attractive woman in a traditionally masculine position appears to lack the "masculine" qualities required. This is true even in politics. "When the only clue is how he or she looks,people treat men and women differently,"says Anne Bowman,who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs,one of men and one of women,in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again,in the order they would vote for them. The results showed that attractive males utterly defeated unattractive men,but the women who had been... In traditionally female jobs,attractiveness _ . A) reinforces the feminine qualities required B) makes women look more honest and capable C) is of primary importance to women D) often enables women to succeed quickly
A
(Question)
A few years ago I was on a bicycle trip when I got off my bike for a rest. I sat down on the grass. A few seconds later, I was covered in ants. They were swarming all over me so I got up and brushed them off. It was a strange experience but I soon forgot about it. A couple of years later, I was living in Jordan. I had just moved into a modern flat and was unpacking plates when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I looked over at the kitchen drawer and there was a cockroach crawling out of it. I screamed. Then I grabbed a can of _ and sprayed it on the cockroach. He ran under the nearby bathroom door. It took me three days before I found the courage to open the bathroom door to see if he was still alive. He wasn't. Why did I react so violently to one lone insect when a closer encounter with hundreds of ants hardly affected me? The answer is easy: because cockroaches are creepy crawlies and ants aren't. Creepy crawlies are those little bugs which cause feelings such as anxiety - they make your skin crawl. Did you know that some people feel such a fear of bugs that it becomes a phobia ? Psychologists have offered many explanations. Some say we associate them with dirt and disease. Or that these are life forms that are so alien to us, that we find them disgusting for their dissimilarity. Insects, however, don't follow our rules - they just do what they want and invade our space. Unfortunately, although insects and bugs have been a successful animal species up to now, many of them, like many other species nowadays, are under threat of dying out. Entomologistswarn that this could upset entire ecosystems and lead to all kinds of disastrous consequences. So my advice to you is: the next time you feel the urge to stamp on, splatter or spray a creepy crawly, give a thought to the planet and stop. .. Why did the author mention the ants in the beginning? A) Because the experience with the ants presents a sharp contrast to that with the cockroach later. B) Because the author wants to show her preference to the ants and her dislike for the cockroaches. C) Because both ants and cockroaches are creepy crawlies that the author dislikes. D) Because meeting the ants is an unusual experience that the author can hardly forget.
(Answer)
A