As you climb into the hill country, the roads get dustier and rougher, and fewer cars can be seen. Phonxay is one of the poorest districts of Laos, and many of its villages are only accessible by footpath. Our destination this hot morning is a concrete water tank that can be found just off the road. A UK organization helped to build it six years ago, and in the nearby village of Thapho, where clean drinking water is scarce, it has made a big difference. The tank feeds six taps which in turn give water to over 800 people---it has improved things for almost every family, from schoolchildren to grannies. But lately, we were told, the clean water supply has come under pressure from new arrivals, people who have come down from the hill areas, and there are concerns that there will not be enough clean water to go round. There are also serious worries about resources in Laos. The Chinese are building a 400km railway link, which could transform the landlocked country. About 150,000 Chinese workers will be involved. What will this do to local clean water supplies? How will the workers be fed? The vast majority of Laotians live on farms. But with foreign investors wanting to buy up land, local people will have to be moved to make room for them. Heavily dependent on both foreign aid and foreign investment, Laos still falls well behind its neighbours, although its economy has grown at about 6% a year in the last decade. Its biggest economic problem is the lack of locally trained skilled workforce. But there are reasons to be hopeful for the future. Laos is beautiful, and foreign tourism continues to grow: fortunately so far the fast-food chains and coffee bars common elsewhere are nowhere to be seen. Although all local media are government-run, the Internet is not controlled and the BBC and CNN are available to those with satellite dishes. The government has also achieved impressive results in rural development, with communities benefiting not just from cleaner water but the construction of new schools and regular visits... What is the best title for the passage? A) Laos: slow-developing nations B) Laos: small steps forward C) Laos: least-developed land D) Laos: landlocked country
B
(Question)
40 years ago the idea of disabled people doing sport was never heard of. But when the yearly games for the disabled were started at Stoke Mandeville, England in 1948 by Sir Ludwig Guttmann, the situation began to change. Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who had been driven to England in 1939 from Nazi Germany, had been asked by the British government to set up an injuries center at Stoke Mandeville Hospital near London, His ideas about treating injuries included sport for the disabled. In the first games just two teams of injured soldiers took part .The next year, 1949, five teams took part. From those beginnings, things have developed fast. Teams now come from abroad to Stoke Mandeville every year. In 1990 the first Olympics for the disabled were held in Rome, in the same place as the normal Olympic Games. Now, every four years the Olympic Games for the disabled are held, if possible, in the same place as the normal Olympic Games, although they are organized separately. In other years games for the disabled are still held at Stoke Mandeville, In the 1984 Wheelchair Olympic Games, 1,064 wheelchair athletes form about 40 countries took part. Unfortunately, they were held at Stoke Mandeville and not in Los Angeles, along with the other Olympics. The games have been a great success in helping the progress of international friendship and understanding, and in proving that being disabled does not mean you can't enjoy sport. One small source of disappointment for those who organize and take part in the games, however, has been the unwillingness of the International Olympic Committee to include disabled events at the Olympic Games for the able-bodied. Perhaps a few more years are still needed to persuade those fortunate enough not to be disabled that their disabled fellow athletes should be included. From the passage, we may know that the writer is _ . A) in favor of holding the games for the disabled B) against holding the games for the disabled C) a disabled person who once took part in the games D) one of the organizers of the games for the disabled
(Answer)
A
Ques: During the cold winter days, there are some interesting festivals in the world. Look at the following ones. Harbin Ice and Snow Festival Place: China Time: January 5 to February 5 People build incredible things out of ice and snow, decorating them with lights. The Carnival of Venice Place: Italy Time: between February and March One of the most beautiful festivals in the world, people wear masks and elaborate costumes to hide differences among classes, and there are contests for the best costumes. Holi Festival Place: India Time: late February/ March, on the last full moon day Hindus and Sikhs, in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka celebrate the main day of this incredibly fun 16-day festival by throwing color1ed powder and water at each other. Sundance Film Festival Place: Utah, the US Time: end of February The largest independent film festival in the US. Watch both feature films and shorts. You need to buy a ticket. If you want to watch wonderful films, you may go to _ . A) India B) China C) America D) Italy
Ans: C
Ques: Man is the most intelligent animal created by God because God has given him language which other animals do not have. Communication makes life extremely convenient and easy. Language plays a very important role in life as any emotion can be easily and effectively conveyed through language to anyone. But all this is applicable and beneficial only to human beings. What about animals? How do they communicate with each other? We all know that animals do not have the ability to use language as a medium for communication. But they do have other means of conveying messages to other animals, of which use of body language is the most important one. The messages can be of many types like conveying food location, danger alarms, appreciation of good deeds like helping other animals in dangerous situations, etc. There are two main types of communication in animals: verbal communication and non-verbal communication. Sound is one of the most common types of verbal communication in animals, and majority of the species use it as the medium to convey messages. Bats have to rely on sound waves to communicate. They mostly rest in the morning and become active at night to search for food and do other tasks. All the birds communicate through their chirping. Mammals generally make use of sounds to give calls to other members of their community. Whales are the perfect examples, which use sound waves for communication. They have a whale song, which they repeat after regular intervals. Facial Expressions This kind of communication is mostly found in dogs. When they are angry, they show their teeth and raise their ears. On the other hand, when they are frightened, they pull their ears behind and open their mouth. Also, in birds, when the parent bird brings food for the offspring, the begging expression can be observed on the offspring's face. Gestures and Body Movements This type of communication is common not only in animals, but in human beings too. All human beings, although they use language for communication, tend to use... What's the most important way for animals to convey messages? A) Use of body language. B) Use of sounds. C) Use of facial expressions. D) Use of dancing.
Ans:
A