Read the article and select the best answer. Article: My husband can plan wonderful surprise celebrations for me.Recently,however,I told him I didn't want him to plan one for my upcoming birthday. "Why?" he asked. "I am embarrassed being the center of attention," I quickly explained. Later,I began to think more deeply about this reason. Then I remembered the surprise celebration I had planned for my friend Nancy on her 60th birthday. We were roommates on a threeweek tour following the Silk Road on those famous steppes --and through the mountains--of central Asia. That afternoon we had arrived at our hotel in Samarkand,Uzbekistan. The young man at the hotel desk told me about a bakery about 10 minutes away. After giving me detailed directions,he added,"Your nose will let you know when you arrive there." The temperature was 40 degC.Soon, _ proved to be an unfailing guide. Outside the bakery,a delicious smell greeted me. There were several kinds of breads,cookies,and cakes on display. There were also beautiful iced cakes. I chose a cake topped with powdered sugar. Later at the Karim Bek Restaurant,Nancy didn't see the young waiter walk up the steps with the cake.When I began singing"Happy Birthday,"everyone at our table--except Nancy--joined in. It took her a moment to realize what was happening. Then the grinning guest of honor thanked me,blew out the candles on the cake,and ate three pieces of it. Today,after reliving this experience in my mind,I told my husband to ignore my request.I now understand what a surprise party is about:It is not about having a surprise party but rather the delight in giving it. That is what brings the satisfying joy. Question: Why did the author go to the bakery? Options: A: To get some bread for her journey. B: To experience the local taste in Samarkand. C: To buy a birthday cake for her friend. D: To eat some iced cakes to cool herself down.
C

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Adrian's "Amazing Race" started early when his parents realized that he, as a baby, couldn't hear a thing, not even loud noises. In a special school for the hearing-impaired, he learned sign language and got to mix with other disabled children. However, the sight of all the disabled children communicating with one another upset his mother. She wanted him to lead a normal life. So after speaking to an advisor, she sent him to private classes where he learned to read lips and pronounce words. Later on, Adrian's parents decided to send him to a regular school. But the headmaster tried to prevent them from doing so, saying regular school couldn't take care of a special needs students. His parents were determined to take the risk and push him hard to go through his work everyday because they wanted to prove that, given the opportunity, he could do anything. Adrian made the grade and got accepted. It was a big challenge. The pace was faster so he had to sit at the front of the class and really pay attention to the teacher, which wasn't always easy. But he stuck to it and did a lot of extra work after school. The efforts made by Adrian and his parents paid off. Adrian graduated with good grades and got into a top high school. He also achieved a lot in life outside school. He developed a love for the outdoors and went to Nepal to climb mountains. He even entered the World Yacht Race 05/06--- being the first hearing-impaired Asian to do so. But none of these achievements would have been possible without one of the most important lessons from his mother." "If you believe in yourself and work hard, you can achieve great results." she often said. Question: Why is Adrian's life described as an "Amazing Race"? Options: A: He did very well in his study. B: He succeeded in entering a regular school. C: He reached his goals in spite of his disability. D: He took part in the World Yacht Race 05/06.
C

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Botany, the study of plants, plays a strange role in the history of human knowledge. For many thousands of years it was one field about which humans had little knowledge. It is impossible to know today just what our Stone Age Ancestors knew about plants, but from what we can observe of preindustrial societies that still exists, a detailed learning of plants and their properties must be very ancient. This is reasonable. Plants are the basis of the food pyramid for all living things, even for other plants. They have always been greatly important to the good of peoples, not only for food, but also for clothing, weapons, tools, medicines, housing, and a great many other purposes. Tribes living today in the woods of the Amazon recognize hundreds of plants and know many properties of each. To them botany, as such, has no name and is probably not even recognized as a special branch of knowledge at all. Unfortunately, the more industrialized we become the farther away we move from direct relation with plants, and the less clear our knowledge of botany grows. Yet everyone comes unconsciously on a surprising amount of botanical knowledge, and few people will fail to recognize a rose or an apple. When our New Stone Age ancestors, living in the Middle East about 10 000 years ago, discovered that certain grasses could be harvested and their seeds planted for richer production the next season, the first great step in a new connection of plants and humans was taken. Grains were discovered and from them flowed the _ of agriculture: planted crops. From then on, humans would increasingly take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild and the collected knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience and close relations with plants in the wild would begin to disappear. Question: According to the passage, why has general knowledge of botany decreased? Options: A: People no longer value plants as a useful resource. B: Botany is not recognized as a special branch of science. C: Research is unable to keep up with the increasing number of plants. D: Direct relation with a variety of plants has decreased.
A: D

(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Singapore is building an airport where indoor trees, waterfalls and a 'rain vortex' sit alongside check-in queues, waiting rooms and baggage carousels . Where once sat a car park, there will soon be thousands of trees and plants across 22,000 sq metres of landscaped indoor parklands. This will be joined by a 40m-high indoor waterfall, expected to be the world's tallest. These are the plans for the new 3.5 hectare 'Jewel' development at Singapore's Changi Airport, scheduled to open in 2018; a five-storey, 134,000 square metre complex, mixing natural outdoor plants with modern airport facilities. "The aim behind the introduction of such lush landscaping is purely to provide all visitors with a memorable experience, one where they are surrounded by nature and greenery,"says Philip Yim, Chief Executive Officer of Jewel Changi Airport Development. Promised sustainability measures include "extensive usage of photovoltaic panels "to produce renewable energy, as well as encouraging the use of natural lighting and a "high efficiency" air-conditioning system. The indoor waterfall, named the "Rain Vortex", will make use of special lighting effects to change at night into what is promised to be a dramatic light and sound show. "The Rain Vortex is one example of how sustainable design plays an important role in the planning of the attraction," says Yim. 'In the event of a rain storm, the power of the rain water will flow naturally through the oculus. The excess rain water collected will be used for irrigation of the landscaping at Jewel.' Yim quotes the popular reputation Singapore enjoys as "the garden city", where greenery is recognised as an essential part of the urban landscape, an attractive image which clearly inspires Jewel's design. However, it remains to be seen whether, beyond the aesthetic appeal, Jewel can add genuine environmental things to something as un-environmental as an international airport. Question: What can we infer about the Rain Vortex? Options: A: It can transform into a dramatic show at anytime. B: Its design will be a great success environmentally. C: It will produce water to irrigate plants. D: A rain storm may make it look prettier.
(A).
B