Although April did not bring us the rains we all hoped for, and although the Central Valley doesn't generally experience the sound and lightning that can go with those rains, it's still important for parents to be able to answer the youthful questions about thunder and lightning. The reason these two wonders of nature are so difficult for many adults to explain to children is that they are not very well understood by adults themselves. For example, did you know that the lightning we see flashing down to the earth from a cloud is actually flashing up to a cloud from the earth? Our eyes trick us into thinking we see a downward motion when it's actually the other way around. But then, if we believed only what we think and we see, we'd still insist that the sun rises in the morning and sets at night. Most lightning flashes take place inside a cloud, and only a few can be seen jumping between two clouds or between earth and a cloud. But, with about 2,000 thunderstorms taking place above the earth every minute of the day and night, there's enough _ to produce about 100 lightning strikes on earth every second. Parents can use thunder and lightning to help their children learn more about the world around them. When children understand that the light of the lightning flashing reaches their eyes almost at the same moment, but the sound of the thunder takes about 5 seconds to travel just one mile, they can begin to time the interval between the flash and the crash to learn how close they were to the actual spark . What is TRUE about lightning according to the passage? A) Only a small number of lightning flashes occur on earth. B) Lightning flashes usually jump from one cloud to another. C) Lightning travels 5 times faster than thunder. D) There are far more lightning strikes occurring on earth than we can imagine.
D
(Question)
My father had always been an alert observer of human character. Within seconds of meeting someone, he could sum up their strengths and weaknesses. It was always a challenge to see if any of my boyfriends could pass Dad's test. None did. Dad was always right -- they didn't pass my test either. After Dad died, I wondered how I'd figure it out on my own. That's when Jack arrived on the scene. He was different from any other guy I'd dated. He could sit for hours on the piano bench with my mother, discussing some composers. My brother Rick loudly announced that Jack wasn't a turkey like the other guys I'd brought home. Jack passed my family's test. But what about Dad's? Then came my mother's birthday. The day he was supposed to drive, I got a call. "Don't worry," he said, "but I've been in an accident. I'm fine, but I need you to pick me up." When I got there, we rushed to a flower shop for something for Mom. "How about gardenias?" Jack said, pointing at a beautiful white corsage . The florist put the corsage in a box. The entire ride, Jack was unusually quiet. "Are you all right?" I asked. "I've been doing a lot of thinking," he said. "I might be moving." Moving? Then he added, "Moving in with you." I nearly put the car on the sidewalk. "What?" I asked. "I think we should get married," he said. He told me he'd planned his proposal in a fancy restaurant, but after the accident, he decided to do it right away. "Yes," I whispered. We both sat dumbfounded , tears running down our cheeks. I'd never known such a tender moment. If only Dad were here to give his final approval. "Oh, let's just go inside." Jack laughed. My mother opened the door. "Happy Birthday!" we shouted. Jack handed the box to her. She opened it up. Suddenly, her eyes were filled with tears. "Mom, what's wrong?" I asked. "I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes. "This is only the second gardenia corsage I've ever received. I was given one years ago, long before you kids were born." "From who?" I asked. "Your father," Mom said. "He gave me one right... Why did the writer's mother cry? A) The gift was the same as the one her husband gave her. B) She had never received such a beautiful gift. C) Her daughter found her life partner at last. D) The gardenia corsage was too expensive.
(Answer)
A
Ques: Millions of youngsters across Europe could suffer permanent hearing loss after five years if they listen to MP3 players at too high a volume for more than five hours a week, EU scientists warned. The scientists' study, requested by the European Commission, attacked the concept of "leisure noise," saying children and teenagers should be protected from increasingly high sound levels---with loud mobile phones also coming in for criticism . "There has been increasing concern about exposure from the new generation of personal music players which can reproduce sounds at very high volumes without loss of quality," the Commission, the EU's executive arm, said in a statement. "Risk for hearing damage depends on sound level and exposure time," it said. More and more young people _ the great threat that leisure noise posed to hearing, it said. Commission experts said that between 50 and 100 million people listen to portable music players on a daily basis. If they listened for only five hours a week at more than 89 decibels , they would already be beyond EU limits for noise allowed in the workplace, they said. But if they listened for longer periods, they risked permanent hearing loss after five years. The scientists calculated the number of people in that risk category at between five and 10 percent of listeners, meaning up to 10 million people in the European Union. Sales of personal music players have soared in EU countries in recent years, particularly of MP3 players. "I am worried that so many young people ... who are frequent users of personal music players and mobile phones at high acoustic levels, may be unknowingly damaging their hearing ," she said in the statement. Which of the following can be the best title of the article? A) Youngsters across Europe: suffer permanent hearing loss. B) MP3 players: sell best but do harm to youngsters C) The scientists' study: requested by the EU D) EU warns youth: turn your MP3 players down!
Ans: A
Michael froze as he heard the voice on the radio saying that a man had been murdered by a bullet that had come from the sky. Thinking that the shot they had fired possibly was the shot that killed Mr. Ward, he immediately drove off. For the next two months, Michael and Joe hid the secret that the bullet had actually shot Mr. Ward. During this time, Jenna Ward started to realize life without her father. While Jenna mourned the death of her father, a strange boy started to appear at the front steps of the church. After many nights of watching this boy, she finally recognized that it was Michael who was sitting on the steps every night. After months of finding out where the shot came, the police arrived at Michael's house. His dad mentioned the gun that Michael had received from his grandpa at his birthday party. Michael told the police that Joe had borrowed the gun. Upon this, Joe said that the gun had been stolen out of his car along with his CD player. After the police were gone, Michael met Joe and told Joe the gun was under the wood pile in his backyard. One day , Michael came home to find the police searching his backyard with metal detectors .When the Sergeant went into the woods behind the house , he came out with a bullet that Joe and he had shot off on his birthday .The bullet matched the one that they had recovered from Mr Ward , but without the gun , the police could not place Michael as the killer. With the pressure increasing .Michael finally broke down and realized he had to give up .On a Saturday morning , he went to Jenna's house to confess to her and her mother and then turned himself in . Why did Michael sit on the steps of the church every night? A) He was monitoring Jenna's whereabouts . B) He was probably feeling upset and guilty. C) He wanted to make sure that Ward was dead. D) He wanted to show sympathy for the Wards.
B