Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Testing has taken the place of teaching in most public schools. Pretests, drills, tests, and retests. They know that the best way to read a textbook is to look at the questions at the end of the chapter and then read the text quickly for the answers. I believe that my daughter Erica, who gets excellent marks, has never read a chapter of any of her school textbooks all the way through. And teachers are often heard to say proudly and openly that they teach to the test. Teaching to the test is a curious phenomenon . Instead of deciding what skills students ought to learn, helping students learn them, and then using some methods of assessment to discover whether students have mastered the skills, teachers are encouraged to teach the students in the opposite way. First one looks at a test. Then one chooses the skills needed not to master reading, but to do well in the test. Finally, the test skills are taught. The ability to read or write might suggest the ability to do reasonably well on standardized tests. However, neither reading nor writing develops simply through being taught to take tests. We must be careful to avoid mistaking preparations for a test of a skill with the acquisition of that skill. Too many discussions of basic skills make this misunderstanding because people are tested rather than concerned with the nature and quality of what is taught. Recently, many schools have faced what could be called the crisis of comprehension or, in simple words, the phenomenon of students with grammar skills still being unable to understand what they read. These students are quite good at test taking and filling in workbooks. However, they have little or no experience reading or thinking, and talking about what they read. They know the details but can't see or understand the whole. They are taught to be so concerned with grades that they have no time to think about meaning, and reread things if necessary. Question: Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? - The teachers are curious about teaching to the test. - Skills in general are not only useless but often mislead students. - Ability to read and write has nothing to do with ability to do well in tests. - Preparations for a test of a skill do not mean the acquisition of that skill.
Preparations for a test of a skill do not mean the acquisition of that skill.

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: An astronomer is making a case for launching pop singer Justin Bieber into suborbital space aboard a private rocket ship. The idea is not to rid the world of the Canadian teenager -- he would come back down to Earth eventually, after all -- but rather to help jump-start the emerging suborbital spaceflight industry. It would generate a lot of public interest, which would help commercial spaceflight pick up some much-needed momentum, said Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in Mountain View, California. "If there's more interest, there are more customers. If there are more customers, there's more technical development. It's a positive feedback loop, and obviously that's good." Such missions would return to Earth without completing a full lap around the planet. Instead, the flights would hit the edge of space about 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth, experience a few minutes of weightlessness, then re-enter the atmosphere and land back at a spaceport. None of these firms are ready to fly customers yet, but some are getting close. For instance, Virgin Galactic hopes to begin powered test flights of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle later this year, with commercial operations perhaps beginning in 2013 or 2014. It is SpaceShipTwo that reportedly grabbed the attention of Beyonce and Jay-Z. Virgin Galactic has collected deposits from nearly 500 customers willing to pay $200,000 for a ride aboard SpaceShipTwo, and both Virgin and XCOR have inked deals to fly scientists and their experiments on research flights. So a suborbital market already exists -- but Shostak is thinking about ways to make it grow. A celebrity launch isn't Shostak's only idea. Suborbital firms should also promote their activities aggressively via social media, Shostak said, and they should make sure their spaceships are bristling with cameras both inside and out, to give the public dramatic views of every mission. Some observers view commercial suborbital spaceflight as a potentially... Question: What can we learn about suborbital spaceflight? - A trip will return to Earth before finishing a lap. - The whole trip will leave passengers weightless. - Each trip can take 500 passengers. - The trip will be too expensive even for celebrities.
A trip will return to Earth before finishing a lap.

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Losing a job is considered one of the five most stressful life changes you can experience. Those who have been there say it feels like being robbed of your identity and is as painful as the loss of a loved one. It may be hard to believe at first, but finally you can use this experience as your advantage--to find another, perhaps even better job, to strengthen your relationship with your family, and to make some much-needed changes in your life. Here are three essential steps. Step1 Get emotional support. Because it's easy to feel uneasy and vulnerable , turning to others is the key to making a smooth transition . You'll need people who will listen and provide a safe place for you to cry, or to express your fears and concerns. Don't go it alone. It takes courage to ask for help, and yet, help may be what you need most to move forward. Step2 Seek professional guidance. Getting assistance from a recruiter or career adviser will not only help you value your experience and improve your skills, it also will ensure that you put your best foot forward. Once again, your local unemployment office should have helpful resources. If possible, try not to let fear cause you to grab the first new job you're offered (unless it's the right one). Give yourself time to explore different choices. Step3 _ . Meet with family members to openly discuss your feelings. Listen carefully without interrupting one another, and give everyone a turn to speak. When a man I know did this with his family, his wife agreed to leave the job search planning to him and his outplacement adviser. In turn, he agreed to keep her informed about the process on a weekly basis. When you keep the lines of communication open, you can build stronger relationships. Once you've got a new job, create your own security. Keep your resume up-to-date, stay in touch with recruiters about the job market, and constantly improve your skills to stay marketable in your field. Although being laid-off can turn your life upside down, many people say that it gave them push... Question: We can infer from the passage that the author is most likely to _ . - be a life coach - be a keeper of family ties - memorize his or her loved one - work in an employment agency
be a life coach