Twelve years ago, I arrived in Central Florida from Puerto Rico. I had heard of a job opportunity and decided to pursue it. But it never became a reality. I quickly learned that being alone without resources in an unfamiliar city was not a comfortable situation to be in. Once my limited funds ran out I became homeless and spent a year and a half living on the streets of Orlando. Apart from feeling not being noticed and missing my family, I had to face another challenge--hunger. For the first time in my life, I, as a foreign man, who had lived my life in the relative comfort of the middle class, understood the desperation someone feels when they don't get enough to eat. I clearly remembered having run a distance of more than 7 miles on many occasions just to make it to a local feeding program before they closed at 7 pm. Once the need for food was met, the next challenge would arise--where to find a place to sleep for the night. Fortunately, local programs like the Coalition for the Homeless, Second Harvest Food Bank and the Wayne Densch Center were an important part of my ability to survive my painful experience. With the assistance of these programs, I was accepted by a college scholarship program through the Coalition and obtained two degrees from Valencia. My experience has helped me understand that devoting my life to helping others offers lasting rewards. Today, I am employed as Childhood Hunger Programs Manager at Second Harvest Food Bank and oversee the summer feeding, Hi-Five Kids Pack, and Kids Cafe programs. I am so proud to be able to distribute food resources to those wonderful programs and help hundreds more like me. From his experience, the author learns that _ . A) misfortune may be an actual blessing. B) a friend in need is a friend indeed. C) where there is a will there is a way. D) one good turn deserves another.
D
Valencia is in the east part of Spain . It has a port on the sea, two miles away on the coast. It is the capital of a province that is also named Valencia. The city is a market centre for what is produced by the land around the city. Most of the city's money is made from farming. It is also a busy business city, with ships, railways, clothes and machine factories. Valencia has an old part with white buildings, colored roofs, and narrow streets. The modern part has long, wide streets and new buildings. Valencia is well known for its parks and gardens. It has many old churches and museums. The University in the centre of the city was built in the 13th century. The city of Valencia has been known since the 2nd century. In the 8th century it was the capital of Spain. There is also an important city in Venezuela named Valencia. From the text, how many places have the name Valencia? A) One. B) Two. C) Three. D) Four.
C
Q: I got invited to go with some friends to a game at another school. A senior will be driving us, and I think she's a good driver, but it's someone my parents don't know. I want to tell my parents where I'm going, but what if I ask and they say "no"? I'll end up wishing I never mentioned it and just went ahead and did it anyway. If you want more privileges, it's best to build a track record of honesty and trust. Letting a parent know where you're going is always a good idea. You may worry that telling your parents puts you at risk of getting "no" for an answer. But there's a good chance your parents might be OK with you going. If you go but don't tell them, you risk losing something more important -- your parents' trust. Parents who find out their kids did something behind their backs may be less likely to give permission to do things in the future. When trust is broken like this, parents wonder if teens are trying to hide something -- and what they imagine can be far worse than the reality. Before you talk to your parents about the game, think about which approach will help them feel most comfortable with giving you more freedom. Maybe they'd like to meet the person driving or talk to friends who have driven with her in the past. If your parents have questions or hesitate about letting you go, find out what their worries are and then do your best to answer them. What is the best way to get parents' permission according to the passage? A) To get more privileges from them. B) To risk gaining their permission. C) To keep off the track of reality. D) To be honest and win their trust.
A: D
(Q).
When Geoff Marcy was 14, his parents bought him a telescope. Every night, he would go onto the roof outside his window to see the wonders of the sky. "What excited me most was whether there were planets in other solar systems where life might exist," he says. "I decided to try to find planets orbiting other stars like our Sun." And he did. "My fellow researcher, Paul Butler, and I found our first planet in 1995," Dr. Marcy says. "We worked for ten years without finding anything! _ and our patience paid off." Since then, the two scientists have discovered 65 of the more than 100 planets found orbiting other stars. Dr. Marcy and Dr. Butler also spotted the first "family" of three planets. In June 2002 they announced another discovery: a Jupiter-like planet orbiting star 55Cancri. At first, the two researchers found only planets that orbit close to stars. Recently, the scientists found planets farther out. The planet orbiting 55Cancri is a major breakthrough: it is the first sighting of a large gas planet about same distance from the star as Jupiter is from the Sun. Why is this important ? Scientists think that life on Earth may exist because of two special features in our solar system. The first is Jupiter. "Because it's so big, Jupiter pulls comets and asteroids , or they all come and hit the Earth." Dr. Marcy explains. "Without Jupiter , life on Earth would likely have been destroyed." A second feature is that Earth is a rocky planet where liquid water, which is necessary for life , can exist. Unlike gas planets, rocky planets like Earth have surfaces where water can gather in pools and seas, which may support life. A huge space exists between the Jupiter-like planet and two other planets that lie close to 55Cancri. Is there an Earth-like planet in the space, too small for us to notice? If so, says Dr. Marcy, "We would have two striking similarities to our solar system: a Jupiter-like planet and an Earth-like planet. And there may be life!" What can we learn about Dr. Marcy from the passage? A) He is fond of watching Jupiter. B) He is from a scientist family. C) He dislikes working with Paul Butler. D) He is interested in finding life in outer space.
(A).
D