Ques:Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Alan took an early interest in gardening---first on his grandfather's Yorkshire allotment in Ilkley, and then in his parents' back garden. Small polythene greenhouses appeared in the back garden, and cacti were bought from church markets. Alan left school at fifteen with one 'O' level in Art and took a job as an apprentice gardener in Ilkley Parks Department nursery, studying for his City and Guilds in Horticulture in the evening. He went on to horticultural college at Oaklands in Hertfordshire where he studied for one year full-time, being awarded the National Certificate in Horticultural. This was followed by three years at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, resulting in the award of the Kew Diploma. After two years as supervisor of staff training at Kew, Alan entered journalism where he became first a gardening books editor, and then Deputy Editor of Amateur Gardening magazine. He appeared regularly on BBC Radio and Television in programs such as Nationwide , Breakfast Time, Open Air, Pebble Mill, Songs of Praise, Titchmarsh's Travels, and the Chelsea Flower Show. He presented the 100th edition of The Word for Channel 4, and hosted the quiz show Ask the Family. Gardeners' World and the hugely popular Ground Force, second only to Easterners in the BBC1 ratings, are broadcast as far as Australia, New Zealand and North America. After leaving both programs, Alan worked on two other series for the BBC to be transmitted in 2003 and 2004, one of them a landmark series on the natural history of Britain. Alan writes for the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Radio Times and BBC Gardeners' World magazine, and has more than thirty gardening books to his credit. His four novels, as well as a book about his own life, have been best sellers. Alan, 53, gardens organically, and lives with his wife, two daughters and a medley of animals. Question: Though the author doesn't tell us directly, we can conclude that _ . - Alan's school teachers were not good at teaching the subject: Botany - when Alan was successful he was working as a journalist of the time - Alan had had four years of training in Horticulture before being a journalist - born as a man of many talents, Alan didn't realize the fact until years later

Ans:Alan had had four years of training in Horticulture before being a journalist
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Ques:Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: I have a friend named John Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro.The last time I was there he shared a story with me. "It is a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer. When he was a senior,he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up." That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings,the stables and the track. "The next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, 'See me after class.'" "The boy went to see the teacher after class and asked, 'Why did I receive an F?'" "The teacher said, 'This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you'll have to pay large stud fees. There's no way you could ever do it.' Then the teacher added, 'If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.'" "The boy went home and asked his father what he should do. His father said, 'Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.'" "Finally,after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, 'You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream.'" John continued, "I tell you this story because you are sitting in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace." He added, "If I had changed my paper at that time, maybe we would not have the chance to be here talking about the dreams ." Question: What can we learn from the article? - Make decision by yourself. - Never give up dreams easily. - Praise makes a difference. - Success needs other's help.

Ans:Never give up dreams easily.
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Ques:Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: People in the United States honor their parents with two special days:Mother's Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father's Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child care. These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother's Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery .On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father's Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories. Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is "the thought that counts". Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays. Question: Which do you think is right about "carnation"? - It has only two kinds of colors. - It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother's Day or Father's Day. - It's a kind of flower showing love and best wishes. - People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May.

Ans:
It's a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.
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