Read the article and select the best answer. Article: People all over the world write to Big Ben. They even send birthday presents. Big Ben is not a person. It's a clock. Big Ben is the great clock hanging up in a tower of the parliament building. The people of London like to see Big Ben's four friendly faces. They like to hear the bell striking on the hour. Bong! Bong! Bong! Big Ben's story started in 1834. In that year the old parliament building was burned down. Its clock tower fell to the ground. There had to be a new building and a new clock. Plans were made. They called for a "King of Clock, the biggest and the best in the world". So the clock had to be big. And it had to keep very good time. In two years the big clock was made. Five more years went by before the clock tower was last finished. Then the four bells for the chimes were brought into the tower. And at last the big hour bell was put in place. It rang out for the first time on July 11, 1859. This great bell had to have a name. A meeting of parliament was called to pick one. "This clock is the king of clocks," one man said. "Let's call the bell the Queen of Bells." "Then why not Victoria?" said another (Victoria was the British queen at that time). The talk about names went on and on. Then Benjamin Hall got up to speak. He was a big man. By this time they were all tired. Someone shouted, "Why not call it Big Ben and be done with it?" Everybody laughed, and the meeting was over. But it was called Big Ben from then on. Not just the bell but the whole clock. Question: In which year might Victoria be the British queen? Options: A: 1583 B: 1768 C: 1620 D: 1863
D

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Success does not belong to a select group of individuals . Success belongs to those who are willing to go after it and try their best to do what they have to do. Here are some useful practical ways for you if you want to be a success. Desire. Desire is the strong wish to achieve a goal. Without desire you have nothing. Before you can run with desire, your goal must be plain, clear, and it must also be exciting. Show up. Seventy percent of success in life is showing up. You can't have a best seller, if you have never written a book. You can't get your dream job, if you're afraid to turn in an application. Showing up doesn't guarantee success, but if you don't show up, you won't succeed. Fail. Unless you're willing to have a try, fail unhappily, and have another try, success won't happen. To have success you have to do things the right way, but often the only way to do something right is to first fail at it. As Thomas J. Watson said, a simple formula for success is to double your rate of failure . So welcome failure, become a student of failure, learn from failure, and soon you will succeed. Work Harder. _ Success is not about doing what the common person can't do. It's about doing what the common person is unwilling to do. And on a deeper level, it's about creating habits that the common person is unwilling to create. It's the habit of doing things with excellence that causes success. Enjoy the Journey. Success is a journey, not a destination . Success is not a certain car or a certain house or a certain happy marriage. Success is the enjoyment of the journey. You have to enjoy the journey. Someone once said, "Unless you change how you are, you will always have what you've got." You have to change, you will change, and you will succeed. Question: The best title of the passage might be _ . Options: A: The Importance of Success B: The Meaning of Success C: Success or Failure D: The Five Main Steps to Success
D

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus . Finally, there was only one family between the ticket counter and us. This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. You could tell they didn't have a lot of money. Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. They were excitedly talking about the clowns, elephants, and other acts they would see that night. The father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as they could be. When the ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted, he proudly answered, "Please let me buy eight children's tickets and two adults tickets, so I can take my family to the circus." The ticket lady told him the price. The man's wife lowered her head. The father's lip began to quiver and he leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?" The ticket lady again quoted the price. The man didn't have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus? Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground. My father reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said ,"Excuse me, sir. This fell out of your pocket." The man knew what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a heartbreaking and embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, holding the $20 bill, and with a tear running down his cheek, he replied, "Thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family ." My father and I went back to our car and drove home. _ Question: If eight children's father couldn't afford the tickets to the circus, _ . Options: A: he would lose his children's love B: the children wouldn't forgive their father C: he would feel sad and sorry for them D: nothing would happen
A: C

(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Dragons are not real animals, but look like a combination of many animals such as snakes, fish and deer. They have two horns and a long moustache . With fantastic powers, they fly in the sky or swim in the sea. They can make rain, too. The Chinese dragon is a symbol of strength and good luck. The emperors of ancient China loved dragons. Their clothes were covered with pictures of dragons. We are proud to call ourselves the "descendants of the dragon". In Chinese, "excellent" people are often called "dragon". A number of Chinese sayings and idioms talk about dragons, for example, " _ ," which means he or she will be successful. It is said that people born in the Year of the Dragon have certain characteristics. They are creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered. There are some famous "dragons" who have done excellent things, for example, Deng Xiaoping, the famous businessman, Li Jiacheng and the movie star Zhao Wei. They are all successful. There are also some traditional festivals about dragons in China, such as Dragon Head Raising Day and the Dragon Boat Festival. We have different kinds of activities to celebrate them. These two festivals come every year, but the Year of the Dragon comes every twelve years. The dragon is very important in Chinese culture. As the "descendants of the dragon", it is necessary for us to know the views on dragons in our culture. It can help us understand why our parents always want us to be "dragons". The year 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. Good luck to you! Question: Which of the following years is the Year of the Dragon? Options: A: 1988 B: 1998 C: 2008 D: 2018.
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A