Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Imagine a stranger walking past you on a cold, rainy day. "Lovely weather, isn't it?" the stranger says. Do you laugh, or even smile? If not, you may not have a dry sense of humor. British people, and particularly the English, are well-known for our dry sense of humor. We often say the opposite of what we mean in order to be funny, and tell jokes in a tone of voice that makes it sound like we are being completely serious. As US writer Julian Tan put it on the HuffPost Students blog: "It is as if it is 'Opposite Day' every day in Britain." If the people of Britain are known for having a " _ " and not showing emotion, then our dry sense of humor shows this through jokes. Often it will take a long time or several beers, to get a British person to tell you what they actually think about something and get behind the wall of humorous sarcasm that they have in front of them. English comedian Ricky Gervais put it like this: "We play jokes on our friends. We use sarcasm as a shield and a weapon. We avoid being serious until it's absolutely necessary." It can be annoying and confusing if you haven't been raised with these types of jokes: "Why did he just say such a ridiculous thing? Is he making fun of me?" But it is also true that understanding this type of humor is a good way to make friends with people in the UK, even if you don't find it funny. It's important to remember that the person telling the joke may actually be making fun of himself or herself, not you. One of the characteristics of British humor is "its strong theme of self-deprecation" (making fun of oneself), according to Tan. So don't worry - often, English people, and British people in general, just want to make fun of themselves! Question: The passage is mainly about _ . Options: A: why British people like laughing at themselves B: some tips on how to make British people laugh C: the importance of humor in British culture D: what British humor is like
D

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Four hundred and three babies are crying loudly. Do you know how to make them quiet in 41 seconds? There is an amazing new product on sale in prefix = st1 /Japanwhich does exactly this. It is an LP (a long-playing record) of sounds from inside a mother's body, which a hospital doctor recorded. In tests with the record she played the LP to 403 crying babies. After 41 seconds not one baby was crying and 161 of them were sleeping. The record began as an experiment by Professor Hajime Minooka of the Nippon Medical University near Tokyo. He was looking for something natural that helped new-born babies go to sleep. The sound of the mothers' heart-beat and other body sounds are the things the babies heard inside their mothers. They feel safe and happy when they hear these sounds again. And they go to sleep. Hospitals in Osaka and Tokyoare using the LP. 10, 000 young couples are using it too. Toshiba Music Company who makes and sells the records is very happy. One and a half million couples marry every year inJapan. Many will have babies, so the LP will definitely be a hit! Question: Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? Options: A: About 55% of the crying babies fell asleep after 41 seconds hearing the LP. B: The LP sounds were first recorded by Professor Hajime Minooka. C: The LP is produced and sold by Toshiba Music Company. D: One million and a half babies are born inJapanevery year.
C

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected, means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying "no," criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs, it's the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialogue may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other forum. Humor is often the best way to keep a small misunderstanding from escalating into a big deal. Recently a neighbor of mine had a squabble with his wife as she drove him to the airport. Airborne, he felt miserable, and he knew she did, too. Two hours after she returned home, she received a long-distance phone call. "Person-to-person for Mrs. I. A. Pologize," intoned the operator. "That's spelled 'P' as in..." In a twinkling, the whole day changed from grim to lovely at both ends of the wire. An English hostess with a quick wit was giving a formal dinner for eight distinguished guests whom she hoped to enlist in a major charity drive. Austerity was a fashion in England at the time, and she had asked her children to serve the meal. She knew that anything could happen--and it did, just as her son, with the studied concentration of a tightrope walker, brought in a large roast turkey. He successfully elbowed the swinging dining-room door, but the backswing threw the bird onto the dining-room floor. The boy stood rooted: guests stared at their plates. Moving only her head the hostess smiled at her son," No harm, Daniel," she said. "Just pick him up and take him back to the kitchen"... she enunciated clearly so he would think about what she was saying... "and bring in the other one." A wink and a one-liner instantly changed the dinner from a red-faced embarrassment to a conspiracy of fun. Question: By saying "and bring in the other one," the hostess meant that _ . Options: A: the son had to cook another turkey for the guests B: she already had made more than one turkey ready for the dinner C: some other dish would be served instead of a turkey D: the son could serve the same turkey after it was cleaned
A: D

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: I got interested in the idea of standing desks about a year ago. The health advantages of standing instead of sitting for eight hours a day are clear, so when the company Ergotron invited me to review their WorkFit C-Mod Dual Desk, I jumped out of my chair---really. After several hours putting the desk together, I finally got to try it out. The standing desk had a desktop that I could use for writing. At first I absolutely loved it. Standing during the day instead of sitting was fantastic. Although I felt more tired after all that standing during the day, I knew the health benefits were worth the slight discomfort. However, after the initial novelty of the desk wore off, I realized that I could not use it in the long term. It was just not practical. While using the desk for a month , I could definitely foresee problems arising from using it full time. I enjoy having a lot of things on my desk. The standing desk just did not have enough room for all of my things. I can easily foresee awkward situations when I put that desk in an office space. When someone comes into your office, does your guest have to stand as well? If you office is big enough, maybe you have room for two chairs for you and a visitor, which is great. Yet for the ordinary worker in a small office, the standing desk creates a very awkward situation. Additionally, the amount of money I would have to spend to replace my current workspace with a standing desk was another issue. The desks I have looked at were highly expensive. Yes, spending the day standing can offset many of the negative effects of too much sitting, but we humans are designed for movement. Through activity changes like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, you can easily increase the time you spend on your feet. Best of all, those options are completely free. Question: According to the author, a standing desk _ . Options: A: takes up too much space B: is suitable for long-term use C: is cheaper than traditional desks D: is impractical though good for health
D