Article: Americans often plan social gatherings on short notice, so don't be surprised if you get invited to someone's home or to see a movie or baseball game without much warning. If the time is convenient for you, surely accept their invitation. But if you're busy, don't be afraid to _ the invitation, perhaps suggesting a time that would be better. Your host won't be shamed. Invitations are usually sent in person or over the telephone. The main exception is for some formal occasions, in which case a written invitation will be mailed. You would normally receive a written invitation to a wedding . For a casual dinner invitation, don't arrive more than 5 minutes early, because your host may still be preparing for your visit. Arriving more than 10 minutes late is considered rude if very few people were invited. If many people were invited, it's OK to arrive a little late, even as much as half an hour late. For example, it's OK to arrive late for a party, for a potluck dinner or for a social gathering inviting a large group of people. If you're invited for dinner, it's proper to bring the host a bottle of wine, a gift basket of fruit, a box of candy , or a bouquet of flowers. Don't bring roses, as men often give roses to women on a date . If you wish to thank the host for his or her hospitality , it's right to call or send a brief written thank-you note the next day. Question: According to the passage, in American _ . Yes or no, is the answer "if you're invited for dinner, you'd better bring some presents."?
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Article: I entered college in China in 1981. Many things seemed to remain the same. For many things are dominated by one thing: the national entrance examination to get into college. In my year, about 4% high school students went to college. Now the number is 22%, as compared to 40% in the US. The significant increase in the entrance rate doesn't seem to have relieved the anxiety. As a parent to a freshman college student, I can prove that junior and senior years in high school are not much fun even for students in the US. Once a country has vastly increased the rate of college entrance, students will still want to get into "better" colleges. _ , no matter where you are. The NYT Magazine article also mentioned the Soviet-style over-specialized education in Chinese colleges. My class in college had maybe 60 students specialized in compressors, another 60 students specialized in refrigeration, and yet another 60 students specialized in welding . I was among the 60 specialized in mechanics. I cannot recall the numbers exactly, but you get the picture. It really wasn't as terrible as it sounds. In order to specialize in mechanics, we had to study math, physics and chemistry. We studied electrical circuits, alloy treatment, mechanical drawing, Fortran. We even had a continuous stream of humanity courses: history of communist party, political economics... I'm not sure I enjoyed all the courses, but I cannot claim that these courses damaged my brain, either. I remember some of the humanity courses required writing, which turned out to be a useful skill. As a consequence of specialization, we did learn a lot of mechanics. By the end of college, we had courses on analytical mechanics, strength of materials. I often feel sorry for American students in my undergraduate class, knowing that strength of materials will be their first and last course in the mechanics of materials. So many beautiful sights unseen! But they also seem to turn out to be OK. A liberal and superficial eduction doesn't damage their brains, either. All... Question: What's the meaning of the sentence "the rat race is on if you are a rat"? Yes or no, is the answer "You cannot avoid competition as long as you are in the society."?
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Article: A new study shows one of the largest glaciers in Greenland is becoming smaller and speeding to the sea faster than scientists expected. If it continues, Greenland itself could become much smaller during this century and global seas could rise as much as 3 feet. The rates of change that we're noticing are much higher than expected. If these rates continue, it is not likely that Greenland could shrink by several tens of percent this century. However, it's not known how quickly this coastal response of the Greenland ice sheet melting will have an effect on the vast inland ice. Greenland is the world's largest island, covering area more than three times the size of Texas. Some 81 percent of it is covered by ice, and there are many glaciers. Glaciers are like slow-moving rivers of ice. Where a glacier meets the sea, its weight keeps it firmly resting on the bottom. A glacier's front is the point where the water is deep enough that the glacier floats. Since the 1970s, the front of Helheim stayed in the same place. Then it began melting rapidly, moving back 4.5 miles from 2001 through this past summer. It has also grown thinner, from top to bottom, by more than 130 feet since 2001. And over these past years, its trip to the sea has sped up from about 70 feet per day to nearly 110. The melting is driven by a warmer climate. Temperatures in Greenland have risen more than five degrees Fahrenheit in the last ten years. Since most of Greenland's ice is on land, seas will rise as the ice melts. If all Greenland's ice sheet melted, oceans would be 15-20 feet higher. Nobody expects that to happen any time soon. Question: According to the passage, we know that Greenland _ . Yes or no, is the answer "is the largest island in North America"?
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Article: Speaking in public is most people's least favorite thing. The reason is that we're all afraid of making fools of ourselves. The more important the speech is the more frightened we become. But stop biting your finger-nails. Public speaking is easy. It's just plain talking, and you talk all the time. Public speaking is not a "gift" like musical talent or being able to draw. Anybody who can talk can speak in public. Here are some tips: Keep it simple. Your audience is going to learn one or two from your main ideas by heart. If you can't express, then your speech is not focused well enough. And if you don't have a clear idea of what you want to say, then your audience will have no interest in your speech. Get organized. No matter how long or short your speech is, you'd better get your materials in order: how you're going to start, what major points you want to make and how you're going to close. You may often write the last sentence first. When you know what your aim is, you can choose any ways to get there. A strong close is powerful. The last thing you say is what your audience will most likely remember. Keep it short. The standard length of a vaudeville act was 12 minutes. If all those troupers want to sing and dance, they may make the audience bored. So make your speech short. Question: Why does the author say "Public speaking is easy." ? Yes or no, is the answer "Because he considers that public speaking is just to say something in plain speech."?
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