Read the article and select the best answer. Article: An idea came to me, and I turned off the lights in the studio.In the darkness, I took off my shirt and took up the cello ; it was the first time in my life I'd felt the instrument against my bare chest.I'd never thought about that; music scholars always talk about the resonating properties of various instruments, but surely the performer's own body must have some effect on the sound.As I dug into the notes I imagined that my own chest and lungs were extensions of the sound box; I seemed to be able to change the sound by the way I sat, and by varying the muscular tightness in my upper body. After improvising for a while, I started playing, still in the darkness.I heard the music through my skin.For the first time I didn't think about how it would sound to anyone else, and slowly, joyfully, gratefully, I started to hear again.The notes sang out, first like a trickle:, then like a fountain of cool water bubbling up from a hole in the middle of a desert.After an hour or so I looked up, and in the darkness saw the outline of the cat sitting on the floor in front of me, cleaning her paws and purring loudly, I had an audience again, humble as it was. So that's what I do now with my cello.At least once a day I find time to tune it, close my eyes and listen.It's probably not going to lead to the kind of comeback I'd be thirsty for--years of playing badly have left scars on my technique--but I might eventually try giving a concert if I feel up to it. Occasionally I feel a stab of longing, and I wish I could give just one more concert on a great stage before my lights blink off, but that longing passes more quickly now.I take comfort in the fact that, unlike the way I felt before, I can enjoy playing for myself now.I feel relaxed and expansive when I play, as if I could stretch out my arms and reach from one end of the apartment to the other.A feeling of completeness and dignity surrounds me and lifts me up. Question: The writer put the cello against his bare chest to _ . Options: A: test music scholars' ideas about the resonating properties B: experience the effect of his body on the musical sound C: reduce his muscular tightness in his upper body D: check the function of the sound box
B

(Question)
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Elizabeth Blackwell was born in England in 1821, and moved to New York City when she was ten years old. One day she decided that she wanted to become a doctor. That was nearly impossible for a woman in the middle of the nineteenth century. After writing many letters asking for admission to medical schools, she was finally accepted by a doctor in Philadelphia. She was so determined that she taught school and gave music lessons to get money for the cost of schooling. In 1849, after graduation from medical school, she decided to further her education in Paris. She wanted to be a surgeon , but a serious eye problem forced her to give up the idea. Upon returning to the United States, she found it difficult to start her own practice because she was a woman. By 1857 Elizabeth and her sister, also a doctor, along with another woman doctor, managed to open a new hospital, the first for women and children. Besides being the first woman physician and founding her own hospital , she also set up the first medical school for women. Question: Why couldn't Elizabeth Blackwell realize her dream of becoming a surgeon? Options: A: She couldn't get admitted to medical school B: She decided to further her education in Paris C: A serious eye problem stopped her D: It was difficult for her to start a practice in the United States
(Answer)
C

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Thousands of puffins live in Maine and on islands in the Gulf of Maine. But the puffins may be in danger. Last summer, the percentage of laid eggs that successfully produced baby puffins took a dive. Scientists also found a decline in the average body weight of the adult and baby puffins on Machias Seal Island, home to the area's largest colony. Over the winter, dozens of the seabirds from the region were found dead, likely from starvation. What's causing the puffin trouble? Scientists think it may be a shortage of food. With ocean temperatures rising, fish populations have moved around. Normally, puffins' primary food source is herring, a type of fish. A lack of herring in the area could be causing the problem. Butterfish from the south have become more abundant in the Gulf of Maine and could be a new food source for birds. But Steve Kress says butterfish may be too big and round for baby puffins to swallow. Puffins spend most of their lives at sea. They come ashore to breed each spring and return to the ocean in August. The chicks swim to sea about 40 days after hatching. Puffin populations stretch across the North Atlantic, from Maine to northern Russia. Maine's puffin population has been at risk in the past. In the 1800s, they were hunted for their food, eggs and feathers. By 1901, only one pair of puffins remained in the state. Thanks to the help of local lighthouse keepers and seabird restoration programs, the state's puffin population has been restored to more than 2,000 birds. Scientists aren't sure what will happen to the Gulf of Maine's puffins. The birds may move further north. Kress says he hopes the Gulf population will sustain itself and then he continued. "You never know what climate change will bring," Kress said. "Historically fish could move out and more southerly fish could move in, and puffins may adapt to the new fish. Only they will know how the story will unfold." Question: In the scientists' opinion, _ is contributing to the puffin trouble. Options: A: a lack of herring B: environmental pollution C: the increase of birds D: the huge size of butterfish
Ans: A

Ques:Read the article and select the best answer. Article: A good way to practice your writing and be recognized by professionals and scholars is to enter writing contests. There are a variety of different writing contests open to teens who enjoy writing essays, fictional stories, poems and other written pieces. Creative communication Essay Contest The Creative Communication Essay Contest is sponsored by Creative Communication, an organization which promotes and encourages creative writing in students. The contest is open to students in grades four to 12. To enter, submit an original , non-fiction essay of 100 to 300 words on a topic of your choice. The contest is held three times a year with a fall deadline in October, a spring deadline in February and a summer deadline in July. Winners are chosen each time, one in each of the three divisions--grades 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12. American Library of Student Poetry Contest The American Library of Student Poetry Contest is open to students in grades three to 12. To enter, submit an original poem of 20 lines or less. Poems are judged on originality, creativity and artistic quality, and submissions are accepted throughout the year, with the winners being announced in September. First-,second- and third-place winners are chosen within each of the four grade categories, grades 3-5,6-7, 8-9, 10-12. YCteen Essay Contest The YCteen Essay Contest is hosted by YCteen, a life style magazine for teens. The contest is open to American teens , ages 14to19, and is held twice a year with the first deadline being in October and the second in December. To enter, submit an original, non-fiction essay of about 800 words answering a given essay question. Past questions have focused on issues such as climate change and activism. All winning entries will be published on the YCteen website and in the print version of the magazine. Scholastic Art & Writing Awards The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is an art and creative writing contest hosted and sponsored by a group of more than 100 literary art organizations across the United States. The contest is... Question: The YCteen Essay Contest accepts essay _ . Options: A: on a specific topic B: with past questions C: from a lifestyle magazine D: on a topic of your choice

Ans:
A