Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The Sahara Festival is a three-day African celebration of the very recent past, which takes place every year either in November or December. It is part military display and part competition. The military display comes first. It is very popular with tourists and local people and especially with government leaders. During the opening ceremonies, the government leaders first make speeches. They welcome everybody to the display and hope that everyone will enjoy themselves. Then there is a display of soldiers who march very smartly in front of the place where the government leaders sit. Then horsemen from several different countries show off their beautiful clothes and their good riding skills. One after another they come and dancers from all over the Sahara take their turns to show off their wonderful traditional clothes and dances. They are accompanied by men playing drums and beating strong rhythms for the dancers. The highlight of the opening ceremony are the races which take place in the evening. It is the grand _ of the day. Men ride their horses very fast. Some ride with their legs in the air, others ride in pairs on different horses. It is so fast and so wonderful! Question: This passage mainly tells readers _ . Options: A: what happens on the opening day of the Sahara Festival B: how people celebrate during the three-day Sahara Festival C: what takes place at the closing ceremonies of the Sahara Festival D: how animals race on the first and the last days of the Sahara Festival
A

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Online Degrees Today, you can earn a degree from a major university without ever having sat in one of their classrooms. Many colleges and universities are offering online courses and degree programs now. Online Learning Programs With a computer and an Internet connection, you can earn a degree from home, work, or anywhere else for that matter. Online degree programs follow much the same routines as traditional learning, with a few twists. There are lectures, but they won't be in person. There are assignments , but you won't hand them to your instructor. In most situations, you are free to "go to class" when it fits your"schedule. If you get a phone call during class, you don't have to miss anything. If you get sick, you don't have to ask for someone's notes, and you just visit the lecture later. You'll communicate with your instructor by e-mail, chat room and instant messaging. Your classroom will live in a special software program. Contrary to popular belief, you will have close contact with other students and the instructor. Evaluating the Program There are a lot of questions to ask before you make your selection, such as: How do students interact with each other? Online programs can use chat rooms, instant messaging, teleconferencing, and video conferencing to communicate. The key is to find a program that has this interaction built into it and even requires it. What kind of reputation does the school have? It may seem simple-a good school will have a good online program. This reputation,however, may not be as straightforward as you think. It's not uncommon for a great school to have a weak program or two. So you'd better look at the overall quality of the school and make a judgment. The Employers' View As more and more employees get online degrees and use them in the workforce , hiring managers will begin to feel more secure about the quality of education these people have. Question: In which way is online education special? Options: A: If you get sick, you'll miss the lecture. B: There are lectures, but you don't need to meet the lecturers. C: If you get a phone call during class, you will miss something. D: There are assignments, and you must hand them to your instructor.
B

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Does this situation seem familiar to you? Your English is progressing well, the grammar is now familiar, the reading comprehension is no problem, you are communicating quite fluently, but: Listening is STILL a problem! First of all, remember that you are not alone. Listening comprehension is probably the most difficult job for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. The most important thing is to listen as often as possible. The first step is to find listening resources. The Internet is really a useful tool for English students. You can download The RealPlayer from RealMedia.com. The RealPlayer allows you to use the Internet like a radio station. Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated by limited understanding. What should you do? Here is some of the advice I give my students: *Accept the fact that you are not going to understand everything. *Stay relaxed when you do not understand -- even if you continue not to understand for a long time. *Do not translate what you hear into your native language. *Listen for the general idea of the conversation. Don't concentrate on detail until you have understood the main ideas. I remember the problems I had in understanding spoken German when I first went to Germany. In the beginning, when I didn't understand a word, I insisted on translating it in my mind. This method usually resulted in confusion. Then, after the first six months, I discovered two very important facts. Firstly, translating creates a _ l between the listener and the speaker. Secondly, most people repeat themselves constantly. By remaining calm, I noticed that -- even if I didn't pay much attention, I could usually understand what the speaker had said. Question: Which of the following is a good habit when listening? Options: A: Try to understand everything. B: Try to get the main ideas. C: Pay much attention to details. D: Translate each word in your mind.
B