If you need glasses to read this, you are among the majority of Chinese students. That's because most students in China are short-sighted which means they can only see things close up and distant things will be _ . Four-fifths of high school students wear glasses and now more and more children in primary school need glasses, too. This epidemic of poor eyesight has two very simple causes: too much time spent indoors studying and too little time spent outdoors playing. Reading and writing for hours and hours, sometimes in poorly lighted rooms, causes eyesight to weaken. But students have to do this because there is so much pressure on them to succeed in school. And because they spend so much time indoors at school and at home, they have less time to spend outdoors enjoying the sun. The sun, as a consequence, is important in developing good eyesight. Exposure to daylight releases a chemical in the eyes that prevents, or at least delays, short-sightedness. According to a study by Ian Morgan of Australian National University, Australian children and Chinese children have the same level of eyesight before they start school, but once they enter primary school, Chinese children only spend about an hour a day outside, while Australian children spend three to four hours each day in the sunshine. The result is that while about 40 percent of Chinese primary school students need glasses, only three percent of Australian children do. Wearing glasses may not seem like a big deal. For some, wearing glasses can even be an opportunity to make a fashion statement. But poor eyesight at a young age can have serious long term consequences. As you get older, your eyesight can worsen and lead to things like macular degeneration , a condition of the eyes for which there is no cure and which can eventually lead to blindness. With all that in mind, don't you think it's time to give your eyes a break? Try spending a little less time inside and go for a walk in the park, instead. It's the healthy thing to do and your eyes will thank you for it. It can be inferred from the passage that _ is to blame for the poor eyesight of Chinese children. A) the ever-worsening bad weather B) the ever-increasing burden of study C) the ever-decreasing sunny days D) the ever-decreasing period of study time
B
(Question)
MEGADIM, Israel (AP)-The worst forest fire in Israel's history on Thursday destroyed one of the country's few forested areas, killing at least 36 guards on their way to rescue prisoners there, destroying homes and forcing the evacuation of thousands. The fire ran through the Carmel forest in Israel's Galilee, reaching the coastal city of Haifa, jumping from place to place in the forest. The fire broke out around midday and quickly spread and was still burning out of control as midnight approached. Investigators supposed that the fire could have been set accidentally, or it might have been a criminal act, but pretty much ruled out some sort of attack by a Palestinian group. "This is a huge disaster," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "The government is using all means to control the fire." He said some countries such as Cyprus, Italy, Russia and Greece agreed to provide backup. Most of the dead were Prison Service guards racing through the fire toward a prison to evacuate the prisoners, most of them Palestinians. A tree fell across the road, blocking their bus. Some guards were burned alive inside, while others died as they tried to escape. Fourteen bodies were found near the burnt bus 10 hours after the fire started. The fire heavily damaged one of Israel's few large forests, made up of natural growth and planted areas, a favorite place for camping and a home for dozens of species of wildlife. Forestry workers tried to evacuate animals from the fire. The forest recovered slowly from a fire in 1989, but experts said Thursday's big fire was many times worse. The text is mainly about _ . A) the worst forest fire in Israel's history B) the actual cause of the worst ever forest fire C) the damage caused by the forest fire D) the government's efforts in controlling the fire
(Answer)
A
Ques: Few people realize that there is a big difference between formal English and informal English. Formal English is used for most writing, and often in public speaking and formal meetings. It pays close attention to grammar rules, because if we use proper grammar, our meaning is often more _ . Also, on important occasions, we do not want to appear uneducated or to offend others, so we are very careful about how we speak. Informal English is used in speaking or writing to our friends and family. It often does not pay such close attention to grammar rules, because when we speak or write to them, we want our words to flow quickly. Also, with our friends and family, we are usually not so worried about appearing uneducated or about offending them by how we write or speak. A big difference between formal and informal English is the use of contractions. A contraction is where we make a word shorter or where we put two words together and take away some of the letters. For example, instead of saying "do not", many people say "don't". Using contractions in our speech is fine because it sounds natural, especially when we speak to our friends. In formal writing, however, contractions are usually avoided because people might think that you have made a mistake, or that you do not know proper grammar. In the same way we might make words shorter, in informal English we often make sentences shorter as well. For example, if someone asks you your name, you will likely answer with one word: your first name. However, in formal English we usually use complete sentences. For example, we might write "My name is John". In most speaking, we may not need to use every word in a sentence because the person we are speaking to will probably still understand us. In most writing, however, every word in a sentence must be written out in order to make sure that we can be understood. Contractions are best used when we are _ . A) speaking at a formal meeting B) speaking in public C) speaking to our friends D) writing an application letter
Ans: C
When we arrived at Prinsengracht, we went quickly upstairs and into the hiding place. We closed the door behind us and we were alone. Margot had come faster on her bicycle and was already waiting for us. All the rooms were full boxes. They lay on the floor and the beds. The little room was filled with bedclothes. We had to start clearing up at once, if we wished to sleep in comfortable beds that night. Mummy and Margot were not able to help. They were tired and lay down on their beds. But Daddy and I, the two "helpers' of the family, started at once. The whole day we unpacked the boxes, filled the cupboards and tidied, until we were extremely tired. We did sleep in clean beds that night. We hadn't had any warm food to eat all day, but we didn't care. Mummy and Margot were too tired and worried to eat, and Daddy and I were too busy. Who was waiting for them when they arrived at the hiding place? A) Margot B) Mummy and Margot C) Daddy D) Nobody
A