Read the article and select the best answer. Article: "I don't want to write a story about girls!I don't know anything about girls."Louisa May Alcott told her publisher,Mr Niles.But she was desperate for money.She seemed to be the only one in her family who could make some money.Niles had asked her to write something she knew,instead of the romantic adventure stories she had been writing."So I plod away,"Alcott wrote,"though I don't enjoy this sort of thing."It was 1867,and the horrible Civil War was over.Now Alcott could turn her energy to making money. Alcott wrote a simple story of life in her family,their pillow fights on Saturday nights and the amateur plays they performed."Our experiences may prove interesting,though I doubt it."("Good joke."she wrote years later.)Her book described her days growing up with four sisters in a family that had no money.She sketched a loving mother who took time to be interested in each child,and she told of the death of a beloved sister.She portrayed her family and friends in her book Little Women.Finally,in July of 1868,she finished writing.With a sigh and a headache,she sent off all 102 handwritten pages of her book. Niles thought the book was dull,and so did Alcott.But when she received her copies of the book,Alcott thought it seemed better than expected."Not a bit sensational,"she wrote,"but simple and true.We really loved most of it."Niles asked some girls to read Little Women,and they loved it.If girls liked it,Alcott was satisfied. In three months,all the copies of Little Women had been sold out.It was already time to print more books!Niles thought she could sell three or four hundred more copies."An honest publisher and a lucky author made a dull book into a golden egg for ugly ducking,"Alcott wrote in 1885.Later,with a great sign of relief,she was able to write,"Paid off all the debts!Now I feel that I could die in peace.If my head holds out,I'll do all I hoped to do." Question: Alcott took up writing as a job due largely to _ . Options: A: love B: poverty C: interest D: encouragement
B

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Barack Obama, Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs--what do they have in common? They are, of course, all Americans. And according to a survey by social networking site badoo. com, they all best illustrate the word "cool". But just what does it mean to say someone is "cool"? Most would answer that it is something to do with being independent-minded and not following the crowd. Yale University art professor Robert Farris Thompson says that the term "cool" goes back to 15th century West African philosophy . "Cool" relates to ideas of grace under pressure. "In Africa, " he writes, "coolness is a positive quality which combines calmness, silence, and life. " The modern idea of "cool" developed largely in the US in the period after World War II. "Post-war 'cool' was in part an expression of war-weariness . . . it went against the strict social rules of the time, " write sociologists Dick Pountain and David Robins in Cool Rules: Anatomy of an Attitude. But it was the American actor James Dean who became the symbol for "cool" in the hugely successful 1955 movie Rebel without a Cause. Dean plays a tough guy who disobeys his parents and the authorities . He always gets the girl, smokes cigarettes, wears a leather jacket and beats up bullies . In the movie, Dean showed what "cool" would mean to American young people for the next 60 years. Today the focus of "cool" has changed to athletics stars. Often in movies about schools, students gain popularity on the athletics field more than in the classroom. This can be seen quite clearly in movies like Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die. But many teenagers also think being smart is cool. Chess and other thinking games have been becoming more popular in schools. "Call it the Harry Potterization of America --a time when being smart is the new cool, " writes journalist Joe Sunnen. Question: Which of the following is NOT true according to the article? Options: A: It is generally considered "cool" to be independent-minded and not to follow the crowd. B: "Cool" was used as early as the 15th century. C: Disobeying one's parents and the authorities is considered "cool" among American young people nowadays. D: Getting the first place in an exam can also be considered "cool".
D

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Lang Lang,one of the best-known Chinese pianists in the world,was born in 1982 in Shenyang.He began to take piano lessons at the age of three.At the age of five he won the Shenyang Piano Competition and played his first public recital.Four years later,he got the chance to study at the Central Music Conservatory in Beijing. What made him sad was that his piano teacher in Beijing didn't like him."You have no talent.You will never be a pianist,"said the teacher.Lang Lang was badly hurt.He decided that he didn't want to be a pianist any more.For the next two weeks he didn't touch the piano.Wisely,his father didn't push,but waited. Luckily,the day came when his teacher asked him to play some holiday songs.He didn't want to,but as he placed his fingers on the piano keys,he realised that he could show others that he had talent after all.From that point on,everything turned around.Lang Lang's father even quit his job and followed Lang Lang everywhere he went,not only as a father,but also as a manager,tutor and friend. He started winning competitions.In the 1994 International Young Pianists Competition,Lang Lang impressed the audience with his splendid piano skills.In 1997 Lang Lang went to Philadelphia,US,where he spent two years practising.During his study there he made rapid progress and became a top professional pianist.After his successful performance at Chicago's Ravinia Festival,gigs in Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall he started pouring in.Lang Lang finally worked to reach the place where fortune spotted him and let him shine. Question: Lang Lang studied at the Central Music Conservatory in Beijing . Options: A: at the age of five B: at the age of four C: in 1991 D: in 1989
A: C

(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: China's auto production is expected to grow by 20 percent in 2005 to 6 million vehicles , possibly passing Germany as the world's No. 3 producer. China is the world's-fastest-growing auto market as rising incomes make it possible for millions to buy their cars. Foreign automakers are investing billions of dollars in expanding production in China. Germany produced 5.5 million vehicles in 2004, the No. 3 producer behind the United States and Japan. London is quickly becoming a major cycling city after the terrorist ( ) bombings on London's subway and bus system July 7, which killed 52 people. London Mayor Ken Livingstone wants to increase cycling 80% by 2010. "Cycling is the fastest, cheapest, most healthy and environmentally friendly way to get around London, and more and more people are taking it up," Livingstone said. "The number of cyclists has doubled over the last five years, while those killed or seriously injured has fallen by 40%." Under the London Cycling Action Plan, Livingstone hopes to make London a world-class cycling city to reduce congestion and pollution. London now has 273 miles of bike roads, half built since 2000. The goal is 560 miles by 2010. Question: How many vehicles were produced in China in 2004? Options: A: 4 million. B: 5 million. C: 6 million. D: 7 million.
(A).
B