One day I heard that one of my dear friends had lost his mother. This made me sad, for my friend was very close to his mother. He had been by her side as she traveled through her long and hard journey with cancer. At this time, many memories about my loved ones that had passed away came flooding to me. Finally these memories passed, but it was really sad to think that my friend would have to go through the pain. Three times I tried to write an email to my friend and three times words failed me. I am a person who is not often lost for words and I decided to have a sleep. Upon waking up I could hardly wait for my computer to work, the words I needed were there. I was still left with a heavy heart although I had sent an email. They say that everything in this universe is balanced and indeed it is. Three days later, I received his reply letter. I was happy to hear that he'd been admitted to Cambridge University. It served as a gentle reminder for me that my friend would be okay and that life would go on. Everything in life is balanced; the lowest feelings change places with the highest feelings. Without the lows, we would never appreciate the highs. No matter how dark the clouds seem to be, the sunshine is always there and just waiting for the opportunity to shine through. From the text, we can learn that the author is _ . A) sincere and warm-hearted B) proud and confident C) serious and friendly D) funny and responsible
A
After battling hard times and danger for over nine months, British teenager Mike Perham made history last month as the youngest person to sail solo around the world. The 17-year-old made the record after he cleared the Panama Canal and then sailed through the Caribbean and got home across the Atlantic. Mike is only three months younger than Zac Sunderland, the 17-year-old American boy who had taken the crown as the youngest solo around-the-world sailor in July. The two youngsters met in Cape Town in South Africa as they crossed the globe in different directions. Mike insisted they were not rivals . "No. It's two teenagers going out there, living their dream and having the adventure of a lifetime," he said. Mike may be young, but he is no stranger to sailing adventures. He picked up the hobby at the age of 6 when his father took him out in a small boat on a local lake. Father and son sailed separate boats across the Atlantic when Mike was 14, making him the youngest person to cross that ocean solo. That record gave him the taste for this even greater challenge. On the recent journey, the scariest moment for Mike came when his sailboat was hit by storms in the southern Indian Ocean. "We were picked up by what felt like a 60-foot wave and threw down on our side at 90 degrees," he said. "It felt like I was going right over. Stuff was flying around and I just thought 'Oh no'." At other times, he had to dive into the Pacific and fix problems. He tied himself to the boat, jumped into the water and went to work with a knife in 30-second dives underneath the boat to cut a rope away. Mike said he felt proud that he made his dream come true. "You've got to have confidence in yourself that you will make it," he said. Which of the following statements is NOT true? A) Mike Perham crossed the Panama Canal. B) Mike and Zac took the crown as the youngest solo around-the-world sailor at the same age. C) The two youngsters crossed the globe in different directions. D) Mike was never frightened during the sailing.
D
Q: More often than not, the person sitting next to you on a plane or sleeping in the next hotel room has paid more or less than you did for the same services. Each day, airlines give more than several hundred fares for flights between the same two cities and hotels charge different rates for the same room. So how do you find the best rates? Here are some tips: ^ Sign up for fare special e-mails. When airlines get into a fare war, the cost of a plane ticket can fall overnight and the discounted fare may be sold out by noon the next day. Get on the mailing list of airlines and other travel Web sites so you can be told immediately if fares drop. ^ Buy your tickets at least 21 days in advance. There are usually four different timetables for advance tickets: 21-day, 14-day, 7-day, and 3-day. The further in advance you book your flight, the lower the fare you will find. ^ Consider another airport. Find out about all the airports that are near your destination city. You might be able to fly into a smaller airport or neighboring city at a much lower rate. ^ Stay over a Saturday night. Airlines give the highest fares to business travelers, who fly during the week and spend their weekends at home. If you plan to leave for your trip on a Wednesday and return on Saturday, your fare would be a lot higher than you stay until Sunday morning. ^ Fly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Some airlines offer cheaper fares on different days of the week. Generally, it's the cheapest to fly on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Remember, though, that a Saturday stay is necessary to receive the lowest rate. ^ Pick a flight with plenty of open seats. Seats in a flight are divided into "classes", and each class has its own price. Since the cheapest classes sell first, the fewer seats that are left on a plane, the more expensive they are. This passage is mainly about _ . A) how to keep yourself safe during your flight B) how to choose a better and more comfortable airline C) how to spend less when traveling by air D) how to book your air ticket in advance
A: C
The State Council submitted a bill which aims to allow couples to have two children if either parent is an only child. It focuses on adjusting and improving the family planning policy. The State Council argues adjustment to the policy in the face of a steadily declining birth rate. The birth rate has remained relatively low and shows a tendency to fall further. The rate has dropped to between 1.5 and 1.6 since the 1990s, which means each Chinese woman of child-bearing age gives birth to 1.5 to 1.6 children on average. The working population began to drop in 2012 by 3.45 million every year, and it is likely to fall by 8 million each year after 2023. The population aged 60 and above will reach 400 million and account for one-fourth of the total population in the early 2030s, up from one-seventh now. "If the current family planning policy continues, the birth rate will continue to fall and lead to a sharp drop of the total population after reaching a peak," said Li Bin, minister in charge of the National Health and Family Planning Commission. "It is the right time to make changes: The low birth rate is stable, the working population is still large and the burden of supporting the elderly remains relatively light," he added. An increase in birth is expected if the policy changes but will not seriously affect the food supply, public education, health care or employment. China's food safety and public service plans are designed to meet the needs of 1.43 billion population in 2020 and 1.5 billion in 2033. Even with the policy change, the total population will reach no more than 1.38 billion in 2015, Li said. What can we learn about the population in China from the passage? A) After the year of 2023, the population will become less and less. B) There's no need to carry out the family planning policy. C) At the beginning of 2030s the aging problem will be worse than now. D) In the year 2023, the population may be the least.
C