My wife and I used to feel that it was impossible to be a true friend to someone whose name we didn't know. How wrong we were! Years of Sunday-morning bus trips through the city with the same group of "nameless" people have changed our thinking. Before the bus takes off, we all join in a conversation: where's the silent woman who sits up front and never responds to our cheery greetings? Here she comes. Her worn clothing suggests she doesn't have much money to spare, but she always takes an extra cup of coffee for the driver. We get smiles from a Mexican couple as they get on the bus hand in hand. When they get off, they're still holding hands. The woman was pregnant late last year, and one day her change of shape confirmed that she'd delivered the child. We even felt a little pride at the thought of our extended family. For many months, our only sadness lay in our inability to _ the same friendship with the silent woman at the front of the bus. Then, one evening, we went to a fish restaurant. We were shown to a table alongside someone sitting alone. It was the woman from the bus. We greeted her with friendly familiarity we'd shown all year, but this time her face softened, then a shy smile. When she spoke, the words escaped awkwardly from her lips. All at once we realized why she hadn't spoken to us before. Talking was hard for her. Over dinner; we learned the stay of a single mother with a disabled son who was receiving special care away from home. She missed him desperately, she explained. "I love him... and he loves me, even though he doesn't express it very well," she murmured. "Lots of us have that problem, don't we? We don't say what we want to say, what we should be saying. And that's not good enough."The candles flared on our tables. Our fish had never tasted better. But the atmosphere grew pleasant, and when we parted as friends--we shared names. Why did the woman usually keep silence while taking the bus? A) She was worried about her disabled son. B) She was sad to see the happy Mexican couple us a single mother. C) She had difficulty in expressing herself. D) She was only interested in the bus driver.
C
(Question)
If you hear the sound of running water the next time you call a co-worker on his or her mobile phone, don't be surprised. Three-fourths of Americans with mobile phones say they use them in the bathroom, a new study shows. Approximately the same number of men and women have used the phone in the bathroom, according to a survey of 1,000 Americans by 11mark, an integrated marketing agency, although men seem more attached to IT in the toilet: 30 percent of men versus 20 percent of women agreed with the statement, "I don't go to the bathroom without my mobile phone." More than half the surveyed users (63 percent) said they have answered a phone call in the bathroom, and almost half (41 percent) reported _ a phone call. That's not all, however. What goes on behind the walls of the stalls is anything a mobile phone is capable of. Sixty-seven percent said they have read a text, and 39 percent have surfed the Web. Men work more from the bathroom -- 20 percent said they have participated in work-related calls, versus 13 percent of their female colleagues. As expected, Gen Y respondents are the pacesetters in the "mobile everywhere" movement, with 91 percent using their phone in the bathroom. Still, older generations are not far behind. Eighty percent of Gen X(1961-1981) reported using the phone in the bathroom, as did 65 percent of Baby Boomers and 47 percent of the Silent Generation. While online, they are doing more than just surfing; 16 percent of Gen Y report they have made an online purchase while in the bathroom. Users of iPhones are particularly likely to browse and buy in the bathroom - 22 percent have made a purchase, versus 10 percent of Americans with mobile phones overall. "The writing is on the stall," said 11mark principal Nicole Burdette. "This study confirms what we all know: that the last private place is no longer private." In the process, high-tech hygiene is taking a hit, the survey found. While 92 percent of mobile phone users said they wash their hands after using the bathroom, only 14 percent... 60.According to his words, Nicole Buedette mainly wants to tell us that _ . A) no wonder mobile phones are used in the bathroom B) the bathroom is a private place for people C) it makes people have no privacy at all D) more men have used the phone in the bathroom
(Answer)
C
Ques: Cheerleaders arc part of athletic competitions throughout the United States. As their name says they lead the crowd in cheering for the team it likes best. About five years ago. cheerleaders were considered to be simply entertainers. Today there is much more Cheerleading in America which has become another form of athletic competition. Cheerleaders today are expected to be gymnasts and dancers. They 'are expected to be quick and strong. Many . cheerleaders are better athletes than the boys and girls on sports teams. High school cheerleading especially has become more difficult. The students must be in top physical shape. They must be able to jump high, turn circles in the air and lift each other. Teachers say this is the result of the influence of college cheerleaders. High school students watch college football and basketball games on TV. They see how the cheerleaders throw each other into the air and perform difficult athletic movements. They want to do the same thing. There is one big difference between the two groups. however. College cheerleaders in America are young men and women. The men do most of the lifting. At most high schools only girls are cheerleaders. It's very difficult for them to hold others on their shoulders and throw them into the air. There are a number of ways high school cheerleaders are improving their skills. They are exercising and lifting weights to increase their strength. And they are attending camps during the summer holidays to learn new techniques. Cheerleaders test their skills by taking part in competitions against cheerleaders from other schools. just like other athletes. Coaches at some high schools say this new kind of athletic cheer leading has caused some problems . They say girls who were soccer and basketball players are now competing for places on a cheer leading team. As more girls attempt to become cheerleaders, sports teams suffer from a lack of good players. What is the main idea of this passage? A) Cheerleaders are part of athletic competitions. B) . Why cheerleaders are so important. C) What makes good cheerleaders and how they work. D) Differences between college and high school cheerleaders
Ans: C
Ques:Foreign attacks on U. S. soil 1812 ---- During the War of 1812, British forces burned the new capital at Washington, D. C. They also attacked Baltimore and New Orleans and captured Detroit, which at the time was a remote military outpost . 1846 ---- A brief invasion by Mexican troops across the Rio Gande began the U. S. - Mexican War in 1846. But the remaining action in that conflict occurred in California, New Mexico and in Mexico. California and New Mexico belonged to Mexico at the time. 1916 ---- Mexican revolutionaries led by Pancho Villa attacked the town of Columbus, N. M., on March 9, 1916. 1941 -- Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941, killing nearly 2,400 people and forcing America into World War II. 1993 ---- Terrorists blew up a truck bomb in the basement of the World Trade Center in February 1993, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000. 2001 ---- Terrorists hijacked several planes on Sep.11, 2001. Two ploughed into New York's World Trade Center (WTC), _ the two highest buildings in the city; a third seriously damaged the Pentagon . The fourth hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania. Several thousand people were killed in the attacks. How many foreign attacks mentioned in the passage did the US have? A) 5 B) 6 C) 7 D) 8

Ans:
B