*Question*
I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Last Sunday I made a visit to some new neighbors down the block. No specific in mind, just an opportunity to sit at the kitchen table, have some tea and chat. As I did so, it occurred to me how rare the Sunday visit has become. When I was a kid in New Jersey of the 1960s, Sunday visits were routine. Most stores were closed, almost nobody worked, and the highways, as a result, were not desperate steeplechases they have become today. My family normally traveled eight city blocks to the home of my grandmother, where adults would sit on the front porch and chat while we children played hide-and-seek. The Sunday visit was something to desire strongly. It was the repetition to church, our reward for an hour of devotion, an opportunity to take advantage of the fact that Dad was not at work, we were not in school, and there was no housework that couldn't wait until Monday. Sunday was, indeed, different from the other days of the week, because everyone seemed to be on the same schedule, which means that there was one day when everyone seemed to have time for everybody else. Sunday as a day of rest is, or was, so deeply rooted in the culture that it's surprising to find that, in a short span of time, it has almost entirely lost this association. In my childhood, it was assumed that everyone would either be home or visiting someone else's home on Sunday. But now the question is, "What do you plan to DO this Sunday?" The answer can range from going to the mall, to participating in a road race, to Montreal for lunch. If one were to respond, "I'm making a Sunday visit to family," such an answer would feel strange, which sounds like an echo from another era. I suppose I should be grateful to live in Maine, a state of small towns, abundant land and tight relationships. Even though folks work as hard here as they do anywhere else, the state's powerfully rural feature still keeps at least remnants of the moral of yesterday's America, where people had to depend on one another in the face of economic vagaries and a... Question: What's the main idea of the passage? Options: A: Doing many activities on Sunday is beneficial. B: We should often travel a long distance to visit some friends and s. C: Nowadays, Sunday has almost lost its association as a day of rest. D: We should abandon some old tradition.
**Answer**
C

*Question*
I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: We can see how the product life cycle works by looking at the introduction of instant coffee. When it was introduced, most people did not like it as well as "regular" coffee, and it took several years to gain general acceptance(introduction stage).At one point, though, instant coffee grew rapidly in popularity, and many brands were introduced(stage of rapid growth). After a while, people became attached to one brand and sales leveled off(stage of maturity). Sales went into a slight decrease when freeze-dried coffees were introduced(stage of decline). The importance of the product life cycle to marketers is this: Different stages in the product life cycle call for different strategies. The goal is to extend product life so that sales and profits do not drop. One strategy is called market modification. It means that marketing managers look for new users and market sections. Did you know, for example, that the backpacks that so many students carry today were originally designed for the soldiers? Market modification also means searching for increased usage among present customers or going for a different market, such as senior citizens. A marketer may re-position the product to appeal to new market sections. Another product extension strategy is called product modification. It involves changing product quality, features, or style to attract new users or more usage from present users. American auto manufacturers are using quality improvement as one way to regain world markets. Note, also, how auto manufacturers once changed styles eagerly from year to year to keep demand from falling. Question: The author mentions the example of "backpacks" (Para.2) to show the importance of _ . Options: A: pleasing the young as well as the old B: increasing usage among students C: exploring new market sections D: finding creative product designers
**Answer**
C

*Question*
I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Hi Hongbo, I'm so glad to read about the changes talking place in your city. It's really good news that you can travel by subway in Xi'an, though there's only one line there. Here in London we have twelve lines. By the way, we don't use the word "subway" here. It's American English. We call it "the Underground", instead. The London Underground is very famous. It's famous for several reasons. First of all, part of the underground railway today is the oldest in the world, which opened in 1863. Secondly, the London Underground is also the first line to have electric trains, in 1890. Thirdly but not the last, the London Underground is the second largest metro system in the world, after the Shanghai Metro. There are 270 stations in the Underground and it has 402 kilometres oftracks . What's more, the city of London itself helps make the transportation system famous! I've got a few photos to help you build a clear picture of the Underground in my city. They are together with this mail. In your email, you also said workers were building more lines. I'm sure your city is developing fast. Maybe you can send me a few photos of your city today. I really want to see the changes taking place there. I'm happy for you to live there in an ancient city with such a new look! So much for now. I'll write soon again. Best wishes! Question: Where is the writer from? Options: A: From London B: From Shanghai C: From Xi'an. D: From New York
**Answer**
A

*Question*
I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: The Nobels are the originals, of course. Alfred Nobel, the man who invented deadly explosives,decided to try and do something good with all the money he earned, and gave prizes to people who made progress in literature, science, economics and ---perhaps most importantly---peace. Not all rewards are as noble as the Nobels. Even though most countries have a system of recognizing, honoring and rewarding people who have done something good in their countries, there are now hundreds of awards and award ceremonies for all kinds of things. The Oscars are probably the most famous--a time for the (mostly)American film industry to tell itself how good it is and an annual opportunity for lots of big stars to give each other awards and make tearful speeches. As well as that there are also the Golden Globes, evidently for the same thing. But it's not only films---there are also Grammies, Brits, the Mercury Prize and the MTV for music. In Britain, a writer who wins the Booker Prize can expect to see their difficult, literary novel hit the bestseller lists and compete with the Da Vinci Code for popularity. The Turner Prize is an award for British contemporary artists---each year it causes controversy by apparently giving lots of money to artists who do things like displaying their beds, putting animals in glass cases or---this year---building a garden shed. Awards don't only exist for arts. There are now awards for Sports Personality of the Year, for European Footballer of the Year and World Footballer of the Year. This seems very strange---sometimes awards can be good to give recognition to people who deserve it, or to help people who don't make a lot of money carry on their work without worrying about finances, but professional soccer players these days certainly aren't short of cash! Many small towns and communities all over the world also have their own award ceremonies, for local writers or artists, or just for people who have graduated from high school or, got a university degree. Even the British Council... Question: The Novel Prize is awarded for those _ . Options: A: who have invented deadly explosives. B: who have made valuable contributions to society. C: who have had much experience in promoting world peace. D: who have donated all the money they earned.
**Answer**
B