Question: Gone with the Wind is a novel written by Margaret Mitchell, first published in 1936. It was popular with American readers from the onset and was the top American fiction bestseller in the year it was published and in 1937 on the row. As of 2014, a Harris poll found it to be the second favorite book of American readers, just behind the Bible. More than 30 million copies have been printed worldwide. The sales of Margaret Mitchell's novel in the summer of 1936, at the virtually unprecedented price of three dollars, reached about one million by the end of December. Because it was released in the era of the Great Depression and Mitchell worried the high $3.00 price would ruin its chance for success. Actually the book was a bestseller by the time reviews began to appear in national magazines. Herschel Brickell, a critic for the New York Evening Post, praised Mitchell for the way she "tosses out the window all the thousands of technical tricks our novelists have been playing with for the past twenty years." One criticism by literary scholar Patricia Yaeger, leveled at Gone with the Wind, is for its portrayal of African Americans in the 19th century South. Former field hands during the early days of Reconstruction are described behaving "as creatures of small intelligence might naturally be expected to do. Like monkeys or small children turned loose among treasured objects whose value is beyond their comprehension, they ran wild~either from wrong pleasure in destruction or simply because of their ignorance." In Gone with the Wind Mitchell is blind to racial oppression and 'the inseparability of race and gender" that defines the southern belle character of Scarlett, according to Patricia Yaeger. Yet there are complexities in the way that Mitchell dealt with racial issues. Scarlett was asked by a Yankee woman for advice on who to appoint as a nurse for her children; Scarlett suggested a "darky", much to the disgust of the Yankee woman who was seeking an Irish maid, a "Bridget". African Americans and Irish Americans are... David O'Connell's view is different from Patricia Yaeger's in _ A) Mitchell's Ethnic slurs in the novel B) Mitchell's description of slave laborers C) Mitchell's attitude towards the Irish people D) Mitchell's ways of dealing with racial problems
Answer: D

Question: People often say that money talks. They mean that a person with a lot of money can say how he or she wants things done. But it is not easy to earn enough money to gain this kind of power. Ask anyone in business. They will tell you that it is a jungle out there. The expression probably began because a jungle is filled with wild animals and unknown dangers that threaten people. People in business have to be careful if they are to survive the jungle out there. They must not be led into making bogus investments. Bogus means something that is not real. Nobody is sure how the word got started. But it began to appear in American newspapers in the 1800s. A newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, said the word came from a criminal whose name was Borghese. Borghese wrote checks to people although he did not have enough money in the bank. After he wrote the checks, he would disappear. So, people who were paid with his checks received nothing. The newspaper said Americans shortened and changed the criminal's name Borghese to Bogus. People trying to earn money must be also aware of the risk of being ripped off. A writer for a magazine said he first saw the expression used in 1971. It was on a sign that a student carried during a protest demonstration at a university. The message on the sign was that the student felt cheated. To be successful, a person in business works hard and tries to get down to brass tacks. This expression means to get to the bottom or the most important part of something. For example, a salesman may talk about his product without saying the price. You get down to brass tacks when you say, "it sounds good, but how much does it cost?" Word expert Charles Funk thinks the expression comes from sailors on ships. They clean the bottom of a boat. When they have removed all the dirt, they are down to the copper pieces that hold the ship together. So, if we get down to brass tacks, we can prevent rip-offs and bogus ways of earning money in that jungle out there. And, some good luck will help, too. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . A) many English words have their interesting stories B) brass is a necessary piece of equipment of a ship C) many businessmen have been cheated in life D) Charles Funk has created many interesting words
Answer: A

Question: "Joe? Is chat you?" The woman speaking to me at he baseball game looked somewhat familiar, "Marci? " "It IS you ! " she exclaimed, smiling broadly. "God, it's good to see you again !" It was good to see Marci, too. Very often during the past few decades, I've wondered about her, I almost tried to reach her a few years ago after talking to a shared friend, who had indicated that the 1990s had been pretty rough for Marci. So, running into her at the baseball game was, at the very least, just happening by chance. We spent a few minutes talking about the business of our lives: kids and grandkids, husbands and houses, education and recreation. It's always a little upsetting to see how few words are required to summarize 32 years of living. We played a little "have you seen...?" and "did you know,..?" And we recalled the good old, bad old days we used to spend together. Then Marci grew quiet for a moment, looking out over the crowd walking about the marketing area at the stadium. "You know, Joe." she said, "I've always wanted to tell you...how...you know...how sorry I am for the way I treated you." Hearing that, I felt I was suffering extreme embarrassment. One does not like to remember when one has been rid of by others roughly and suddenly. "It's OK." I said. "No big deal." At least, I thought to myself, not now. "But I was so stupid: she continued. Yes, you were. I thought. "We were both pretty young:' I said. "I know," she said. "But that's no excuse for..." She hesitated. then continued. "It's just always bothered me, remembering how mean I was to you.And I've wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. So...I'm sorry." The smile on her face was warm and sincere, and there was something in her eyes, it looked a lot like relief-- _ since she had played Wif'fle ball with my heart. "OK:'I said. "Apology accepted! Overcome by the sweetness of the moment. I reached an arm around her and gave her a quick hug Just then, the... What happened after they broke up? A) Joe was angry with Marci and decided not to see her again. B) Marci's life was always full of miseries. C) Joe couldn't forget Marci and tried to get in touch with her. D) They made up with their friend's help.
Answer:
C