New findings from Queen's University biologists show that in the plant world, bigger isn't necessarily better. "Until now most of the thinking has suggested that to be a good competitor in the forest, you have to be a big plant," says Queen's Biology professor Lonnie Aarssen. "But our research shows it's virtually the other way around." Previous studies showed that larger plant species monopolize sunlight, water and other resources, limiting the number of smaller plant species that can exist around them. But the research has proved that _ is not generally the case in natural vegetation. In the Queen's project, PhD student Laura Keating targeted the largest "host plants" of 16 woody plant species growing in the Okanogan Valley, British Columbia. The research team calculated the number and variety of plants that neighbored each large host plant. They then randomly selected plots without host plants and calculated the plant species there as well. The research showed that the massive trees have no effect on the number of species with which they coexist. Smaller plants have many advantages over their overbearing neighbors, Professor Aarssen notes. Larger species generate physical space niches under their shelters where smaller species grow well. Smaller plants are much more effective than large trees at using available resources. They also produce seeds at a much younger age and higher rate than their bigger counterparts, and settle down much more quickly--thuscompeting with the newly-born plants of larger species. What can we learn according to the text? A) Larger plant species limit the number of smaller ones around them. B) Smaller plants can limit the number of plant species around them. C) Smaller plants produce seeds at a higher rate than their bigger counterparts. D) Larger trees are more effective than small plants at using available resources.
C
(Question)
The 115-year-old prestigious Oxford Dictionary will now include popular new Chinese terms like "shanzhai" "youtiao" and "fangnu", as part of the modern Chinese language. As China plays a more and more important role in the world economy, the Chinese language is forever evolving, attracting more attention from people who want to understand this ancient yet vibrant language. For instance, the word "shanzhai" is used to describe the countless knockoffs of iPhones or designer bags imprinted with Louis Vuitton logos. Another new term in the new edition is the word "fangnu", or a "mortgage slave" --a term used to describe the phenomenon in large cities whereby well-educated youth complain of a miserable existence due to the heavy burden of a home mortgage. All these new or often fashionable terms can be found in the new Oxford English-Chinese, Chinese-English dictionary that was unveiled in the recently concluded Beijing International Book Fair last week. The dictionary now is available for retail sales since the beginning of this month. This dictionary is the largest single volume English-Chinese, Chinese-English dictionary and contains 670,000 words and phrases after five years of preparation.Sixty editors from the Oxford University Press and its partner in China--the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press--worked together on the project.According to Julie Kleeman, the dictionary's chief editor, most of the firm's editors were Chinese, while about one fourth were native-English speakers. "We don't want to make it florid(, we want it to be modern and conversational...many of the words in the present dictionary are no longer in use," said Kleeman. "The need for studying Chinese by foreigners today is totally different from decades ago...Precise, native and practical--that is our core advantage," she said. Kleeman said newer publications updates will be available only for the online version as language often changes too quickly for book versions to keep pace. The online version will also offer a Chinese... The possible reason why newer publications updates are not available for book versions is that _ . A) the computer network is available everywhere B) book versions can't keep up with the changes of language C) book versions can't offer a Chinese phonetic pronunciation guide D) computer technology like the PC and the iPad keeps pace with language
(Answer)
B
Ques:Before my first summer vacation at college, my roommate Ted asked to me to work with him on his father's farm in Argentina. The idea of spending two months in Argentine was exciting. Then I began having second thoughts. I had never been far from New England, and I had been homesick my first few weeks at college. What would it be like in a strange country? What about the language? The more I thought about it, the more the idea worried me. In the end I turned down the invitation. As soon as Ted asked somebody else to go, I began kicking myself. I had turned down something I wanted to do because I was scared, and had ended up feeling depressed. That unhappy summer taught me a valuable lesson out of which I developed a rule for myself: do what makes you anxious; don't do what makes you depressed. At the end of my senior year, I began to think about becoming a writer. But my professor was urging me to aim at teaching. I hesitated. The idea of trying to live by writing was a lot scarier than spending a summer in Argentina. Back and forth I went, making my decision, unmaking it. Suddenly I realized that every time I gave up the idea of writing, that downhearted feeling went through me. Giving up on what I really wanted to do depressed me. Right then I learned another lesson. To avoid that kind of depression meant having to bear a certain amount of worry and concern. When I first began writing articles, I was frequently required to interview big names. Before each interview I would get butterflies in the stomach and my hands would shake. One person I particularly admired was the great composer Duke Ellington. On the stage and on television, he seemed the very model of confidence. Then I learned Ellington still got stage fright. If the highly honored Ellington, who had appeared on the bandstand some 10,000 times over 30years, had anxiety attacks, who was I to think I could avoid them? I went on doing those frightening interviews. Then I realized to my astonishment that I was even looking forward to the interviews.... What's the best title of the passage? A) Confidence: Key to Success B) Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name C) Depression: A Psychological Phenomenon D) Success: A Trip Through Anxiety and Depression

Ans:
B