Many everyday American expressions are based on colors. Red is a hot colour. Americans may say they are red hot about something unfair. They are red hot when they are very angry about something. The small hottasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hot for their colour and their fiery taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland jazz. Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. It comes from the fact that many babies are born with nice pink skin that shows that they are in good health. The colour black is often used in expressions. People describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a black day. A blacklist is illegal now. But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations. The colour green is natural for trees and grass. But it is,an unnatural colour for humans. A person who has a sick feeling in his stomach may say he feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green. Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because green is the colour of the back side of the paper money. The writer wants to tell us _ in American everyday expressions. A) the most popular colours B) different meanings of colours C) how to use colours correctly D) why Americans like to use colours
B
The 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event. The host city of the Games will be Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as announced at the 121st IOC Session held in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 2, 2009. They are scheduled to be held from August 5 to 21, 2016, making them the first Summer Olympics to be held during the host city's wintertime. This will mark the first time a South American city hosts the event, and also the first time a Portuguese-speaking country hosts the event. "The world has recognized that the time has come for Brazil," said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. There have been questions about Rio's bid because of the high level of violence which so often scars the city's image, but in one glorious moment that was all set to one side for a truly Brazilian party. In his speech earlier, President Lula had promised, "Rio will deliver an unforgettable Games. You will see for yourselves the passion, the energy and the creativity of the Brazilian people." "It will not be just Brazil's Games but South America's. It will serve to inspire the 180 million young people on the continent. It is time to redress the balance. It is time to light the Olympic flame in a tropical country." Rio plants to stage all the competitions inside the city, bringing "dynamics to the Games and facilitating the athletes' interaction," according to the bid website. The 2016 Summer Olympic programme features 28 sports and a total of 42 disciplines. There have been doubts about Rio de Janeiro's bid because of its _ . A) violence rate B) poor equipment C) unpleasant weather D) language barriers
A
Q: Is traditional fairytales good all the time? Recent research found one in five parents have abandoned those old classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Hansel and Gretel and they're in favor of more modern books. One third of parents said their children have been left in tears after hearing the terrible details of Little Red Riding Hood. The survey of 2,000 adults was carried out to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM, which starts tonight at 9:00 pm on Watch, and sees six series based on traditional fairytales. The research found a quarter of parents wouldn't consider reading a fairytale to their child until they had reached the age of five, as they cause too many awkward questions. And 52 percent of the parents said Cinderella didn't send a good message to their children as it portrays a young woman doing housework all day. Similarly, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents felt it condones stealing. Steve Hornsey, General Manager of Watch, said: "Bedtime stories are supposed to relax the children and send them off to sleep soundly. But as we see in GRIMM, fairytales can be dark and dramatic tales so it's understandable that parents worry about reading them to young children. As adults we can see the innocence in fairytales, but a five year old with an over active imagination could think they are true. Despite the dark nature of classic fairytales, as we see in GRIMM, good will defeat evil and there is always a moral to the story." Though half of parents said traditional tales are more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot of modern kids' books, two thirds of mums and dads said they were no longer appropriate to soothe youngsters before bed. On the contrary, they might give their children nightmares. Which of the traditional fairytales tells one can get away with stealing? A) Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. B) Little Red Riding Hood. C) Goldilocks and the Three Bears. D) Hansel and Gretel.
A: C
(Question)
Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl, while boys will head for the toy cars, a study has shown. The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological basis to their preferences. Psychologists Dr Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 infants aged nine months to 36 months. The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys. Some were stereotypically boys' toys - a car, a digger, a ball and a blue teddy. The rest were girls' toys: a pink teddy, a doll and a cooking set. They were placed a meter away from the toys, and could pick whichever toy they liked. Their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded. Of the youngest children (nine to 14 months), girls spent significantly longer playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did. Among the two-and three-year-olds, girls spent 50 percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly touched it. The boys spent almost 90 percent of their time playing with cars, which the girls barely touched. There was no link between the parents' view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children's choice. Dr Brenda Todd said: "Children of this age are already exposed to much socialization. Boys may be given 'toys that go' while girls get toys they can care for, which may help shape their preference. But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys. There could be a biological basis for their choices. Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer moving objects, probably through hunting instincts , while girls prefer warmer colors such as pink, the color of a newborn baby." Baby boys and girls have different toy preferences probably because _ . A) baby boys are much more active B) baby girls like bright colors more C) their parents treat them differently D) there is a natural difference between them
(Answer)
D