Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn't easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn't exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer. One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball . He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room. Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin. On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forget Merlin's grand entrance for a long time! People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he _ . A) often gave others surprises B) was a gifted musician C) invented the roller skates D) was full of imagination
D
(Question)
Language is a way to communicate with each other. We started to learn language when we were born. However, people are used to speaking their native language, so immigrants are having many problems between the first generation and the second generation because they don't have the same native language. Also, the second generation is losing their identity. Especially in America, there are many immigrants that came from different countries to succeed in the States. Because they suffer in lots of areas such as getting a job and trying to speak English, they want their children to speak English, not only at school, but also at home in order to be more successful. Because of this situation, their children are losing their identity and, even more, they are ignoring their parents whose English is not very good. I think most immigrants are trying to preserve their native language in their new country, but this doesn't help very much in getting a good job. My aunt taught Korean to her children not to help hem succeed in the U.S. she did so, hopefully, to help them establish a Korean identity. Though the second generation was born in the new country, they often get confused about their identity because they look different from others, and also, if they visit their parents' country, they will probably feel different from other people there too. My cousins told me that when they visited Korea a few years ago, they felt different from other Koreans. They could even feel it just strolling around the street because they wore different clothes and walked differently. We must realize that language is important and valuable for many reasons. Immigrants should make an effort not to be ignored by their children understand their background by teaching them the parents' language. This is very important, not only for the harmony of the family, but also in helping the second generation establish their identity. The writer's cousins felt different in their parents' country because they _ . A) had never been there before B) behaved quite differently C) couldn't understand the language D) had different facial appearance
(Answer)
B
Ques: THIS movie is about an adventure on an island called Skull, where an oversize gorilla named Kong falls in love with a blonde beauty. Nothing much to expect, you might say . But you might be wrong. It has been 72 years since the story was first brought to the screen. But the latest movie version, "King Kong", is a box office hit in the prefix = st1 /US. The film opens inChinaon January 14. Kong himself resonates through American culture: his name known to every 10-year-old boy, his image used to sell everything from insurance to snacks. So what is it that makes the story attractive to generations of Americans? Set in the Great Depression of the 1930s, the film follows New Yorkactress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), who is kidnapped by movie makers. She was taken to theSkullIsland, where she was caught by the aboriginals, who want to sacrifice her to King Kong, a gorilla. But instead of eating Ann, King Kong saves her. He is captured and dragged back to New York. There he bursts free and climbs theEmpireStateBuildingin search of Ann. Why did King Kong appear in 1933? And why is he back now, in 2005? In 1933 a worldwide economic depression threw the future into doubt. "The monster represents American workers' feelings at being caged by forces beyond their control," says Gerald Molyneaux, La SalleUniversityfilm professor and biographer of Charlie Chaplin. Now, once again, Americans worry about their future in an age of terror, threatened by the presence of "the other" this time by al-Qaida. But some people, on the other hand, see the movie just as what it is. "I am confident the story is not any type of social or political allegory," says artist Dave Dorman, creator of the cover illustrations for the new King Kong comic books. "Sometimes an ape is just an ape." According to the passage, which of the following is wrong ? A) King Kong falls in love with a beautiful girl with blonde hair whose name is Ann. B) The story was once made into a film 72 years ago. C) Now Americans worry about their future in an age of terror, because the new King Kong will be beyond their control. D) The story referred to in the passage has been very popular inAmerica.
Ans: C
Ques: Many people believe that the only way to make our communities safer is to build more prisons. But there's a way better protect cities and towns by doing just the opposite. In many countries throughout the world, prison populations have risen dramatically over the past decade. One of the main reasons for this is the large number of repeat offenders; that is people who break the law again once freed from jail. Statistics show that about one in four prisoners freed every year return to jail within three years. This is partly because ex-prisoners face huge difficulty finding employment. More than a third of them cannot find any job at all. Data show that having a job greatly reduces the chances that a person will commit a crime again or commit one in the first place. Released prisoners who do manage to find steady employment are 50 percent less likely to return to prison. Rather than harming a community, having a job helps ex-prisoners to change their ways and make a positive and productive contribution to their communities. What's more, helping these men and women find jobs would also save taxpayers a lot of money. Few prisoners would save governments millions or possibly even billions of dollars annually: the costs of building and operating jails. There are many things that the government can do to help ex-prisoners find work. More job training programs should be introduced to provide prisoners with work skills before they are freed. Companies and factories should also be given tax benefits if they employ ex-prisoners. Such programs have been shown to work in several countries. Such policies of course assure that freed criminals actually want to work. But shouldn't they be given the chance? Our goal, after all, shouldn't be to incarcerate as many prisoners as possible, but to build a society that doesn't need to put such a large percentage of its population in jail. We should take a step in that direction and help prisoners find self-respect and purpose through work. Which of the following would be author agree with? A) Tougher punishment will reduce crime B) Most prisoners do not deserve to be in prison C) Economic conditions are a major cause of crime D) Prison populations are likely to increase in the future
Ans:
C