How many historic churches, pubs or buildings are there in your city? Are there worth preserving? Or are they just a waste of space? There are arguments for and against spending money on historic buildings. Dangerous staircases. Uneven floors. A lack of IT infrastructure. The problem with many old buildings is that they're... old - and extremely expensive to modernize. Take the case of the Combination Room in Cambridge University. It was built in 1347 and was initially used for lectures. Later, it became the Regent House - the university's parliament. It's of enormous historical value and cultural interest. However, it doesn't meet accessibility standards for disabled people. As a result, a lift needs to be installed, but not everyone is happy about this. "Noting will persuade me that this lift would not in its effect, be a substantial alteration to the most precious room in the university. It would destroy the symmetry of that beautiful room," said one user. In general, modern buildings don't have this type of problem. They can be built according to the latest environment standards, with draught proofing and insulation to help reduce carbon emission and save energy. They can also be made wheelchair accessible, and they can be designed to ensure maximum comfort and space. Anyone who's been to a modern cinema, theatre or concert hall recently may understand the difference between the new buildings and older ones, which tend to have smaller seats, less space and poorer acoustics. Very often, there's money to be made by knocking down old building... especially if they're in city centers. So, the biggest threat to many historic buildings comes from developers. One of Croydon's oldest pubs, The Rose and Crown, is a perfect example of this. A property development company has recently been granted permission to convert the 18th century building into flats, much to the disappointment of many local residents. "The bar is full of unique features and perfect examples of a traditional London pub. It really would be truly... Which of the following advantages of the modern buildings is not mentioned in the passage? [ ] A) reduction of carbon emission and energy saving B) installation of IT infrastructure C) wheelchair accessibility D) maximum comfort and space
B
That summer an army of crickets started a war with my father. Dad cared for insects no more than Mamma, but he could tolerate a few living in the basement. Mamma was a city girl and she said a cricket was just too noisy. Then to support her point she wouldn't go to bed. She drank coffee and smoked my father's cigarettes and paced between the sofa and the TV. Next morning she threatened to pack up and leave, so Dad drove to the store and hurried back. He sprayed poison from a jug. When he was finished he told us that was the end of it. For a couple of weeks we went back to find dead crickets in the laundry. He suggested that we'd all be better off to hide as many as we could from Mamma. I fed a few dozen to the cat who I didn't like because he scratched for no reason. However,soon live crickets started showing up in the kitchen and bathroom. Mamma was upest because she thought they were the dead crickets coming back,but Dad said these were certainly new ones. He fetched his jug of posion and sprayed all over until the whole house smelled of posion, and then he sprayed the basement again. A couple of weeks later, when both live and dead crickets kept turning up, Dad emptied the basement of junk. Then he burned a lot of old newspapers and magazines which he said the crickets had turned into nests. While we ate supper that evening, the wind lifted some flames onto the wood pile. The only gasoline was in the lawn mower's fuel tank but that was enough to create an explosion big enough to reach the house. Once the roof caught, there wasn't much anyone could do. After the fire trucks left, Mamma took the others to Aunt Gail's. I helped Dad and Uncle Burt carry things out of the house and pile them by the road. We worked into the night and we didn't talk much, while all around the noise of crickets broke our silence. The author's father burned the old newspapers and magazines because he thought _ . A) they were no longer useful B) the crickets were afraid of fires C) they became the home of crickets D) the dead crickets came back to life
C
Q: On the first day of the New Year 2013, I made up my mind to go to Thailand to teach English as a volunteer. Fresh out of college with the world at my fingertips, all I cared about was travelling and seeing the world. Little did I know how awesome my life would be in the coming months! My journey began with the attendance of TESOL certification course in my home state of Florida last February. After 3 weekends of study and another 40 hours' post-study online, I received my TESOL certificate. I was put in touch with Philip, who is Program Director of the Teach in Thailand. In close consultation with Philip, I chose my employment school and after many months of excitement, I finally boarded my plane to Thailand in early April, and set off on an adventure! After a few weeks of single travel, I met up with Philip and the other new teachers in my program in Bangkok. It was great to meet other people who were on the same journey as me, see some cool sights and hang out in Thailand's cities! Directly after that, I attended the week-long seminar , which is included in the Teach in Thailand Program. At the end of the seminar, I was transported to my employment school---Anuban Buriram Primary School. I truly love my job--- I teach Grades 5 and 6 and I have the cleverest and most motivated kids in the world. It's a truly fantastic thing that you can see the difference you make in someone else's life, right in front of you! The city Buriram is small, surrounded with green rice fields. People here are more friendly than anyone I've ever met--I've never been anywhere where a smile is so easily received, where everyone you pass is so eager to say "Hello" and "Good morning". I've been taken out to countless dinners, and been lent a guitar, a digital camera, and even a motorbike, and I am constantly given little Thai treats and the most delicious fresh fruits many times a week. I only hope to pay it forward in the future. The author found his teaching in Thailand _ . A) rewarding B) boring C) realistic D) attractive
A: A
(Q).
If you are not comfortable with school learning, there is another option for you--cyberschool. Cyberschool can also provide a comprehensive teaching service that offers academic guidance and assistance. This is in order to promote the learning process and create a formal, wellstructured environment for learning to take place. The center for Education Reform says the United States has 67 public "cyberschools" and that is about twice as many as two years ago. The money for students to attend a cyberschool comes from the governments of the states where they live. Some educators say cyberschools receive money that should support traditional public schools. They also say it is difficult to know if students are learning well. Other educators praise this new form of education for letting students work at their own speed. These people say cyberschools help students who were unhappy or unsuccessful in traditional schools. They say learning at home by computer ends long bus rides for children who live far from school. Whatever the judgment of cyberschools, they are getting more and more popular. Children get free equipment for their online education. This includes a computer, a printer, books and technical services. Parents and students talk with teachers by telephone or by sending emails through their computers when necessary. Even though cyberschools are therefore not technically a school, mostly they offer a fully complete and comprehensive program that covers a full school day to children up to Grade 9, after which schooling is no longer mandatory . Cyberschools are getting popular because . A) they are less expensive for students B) their students can work at their own speed C) their graduates are more successful in society D) they serve students in a wider age range
(A).
B