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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: The New York Times' Room for Debate blog has a panel considering the pluses and minuses of summer homework. This has been the subject of debate in our house. Our 11th-grade daughter's summer assignments were very challenging, to the point where I sometimes wondered if more of her time would have been better spent just riding a bicycle or swimming around a pool. Here are some opinions from the panel: Harris Cooper, psychologist, Duke University: "The long summer vacation disrupts the rhythm of instruction, leads to forgetting and requires time be spent reviewing old material when students return to school in the fall. My advice? Teachers, you need to be careful about what and how much summer homework you assign. Summer homework shouldn't be expected to overcome a student's learning deficits ; that's what summer school is for. Parents, if the assignments are clear and reasonable, support the teachers. " Nancy Kalish, co-author of the Case Against Homework: "Schools should rethink summer homework, and not just because it stresses out kids (and parents). The truth is, homework doesn't accomplish what we assume it does. According to a Duke University review of more than 175 studies, there is little or no connection between homework and standardized test score or long-term achievement in primary school." Mark Bauerlein, professor of English at Emory University: "To the general question of whether or not schools should assign summer homework, the answer is 'Yes.' The reason comes not only from the brain drain of summer. It relates also to an attitude young people take toward education. They tie knowledge to the syllabus , not to themselves. They read and study to write the paper and score highly in the test, not to furnish their minds. In a word, they regard learning as a classroom thing. That's all." It seems to me that summer homework is a good idea to keep the brain cells moving, but like everything else it should be given in moderation. Question: Harris Cooper seems to believe that _ . Options: A: more summer homework causes students' learning difficulties B: students should go to summer school if they have no homework C: teachers should give careful consideration to summer homework D: parents should tell teachers how much homework their kids need
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C

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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Next autumn, studying for a degree in Britain will become more expensive, and the results are already clear. This week, figures from UCAS(the Universities and College Admissions service)show a 15-percent downturn in applications from this time last year. With fees having reached PS9,000 a year, some students are beginning to consider other ways of getting higher education--including distance learning, which allows them to get a degree while still living, and earning money, at home. That is important, because fees are only part of the picture. The National Union of Students says that UK students pay an average of PS4,900 a year for basics such as rent, food, books, equipment, field trips and the like. If those costs can be reduced, the burden of fees will be lessened. Therefore, many people are thinking not only about what and where to study, but how--that is, whether they have to be on campus to get a degree. Distance learning is best suited to certain subjects and to ultra-motivated student, according to Carrie-Anne Rice of Resource Development International(RDI)."The advantage is that the fee system is more flexible , and you can have full-time work while studying, Rice says.""You graduate three years ahead of possible competitors -- with the same degree, but with three years of work experience and without the debt." "I left school and went straight into work. But at the age of 23, I changed career and soon realized I needed a degree to advance. Because of lack of money ad time, full-time university wasn't a good choice, but I discovered that distance learning was financially flexible and enabled me to work and gain skills from my workplace without affecting the quality of my life," Andy Cain, a distance learning student says. Although distance learning has many advantages, a campus-based university experience remains the dream of most school-leavers. There is no question that "being there" is not only fun, but rich in shared experience, pooled knowledge, and--perhaps most importantly--friendships that... Question: The number of students applying to universities _ compared to this time last year. Options: A: has increased greatly B: has decreased C: hasn't shown any change D: has become zero
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B

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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: You get all sorts of demands, and the mark of a good hotel is to supply whatever is asked for without sounding surprised. If a guest asks for rubbers gloves, you don't ask why. You say, "No problem. What color1 do you want?" There have been some demands which, much as I would have liked to fill, I couldn't. A Japanese businessman, for example, thought the manager of a hotel was like his girlfriend so he asked me to marry him to the woman he loved. There was one time, however, _ . A young man thought that if he asked his girlfriend to marry him at the Ritz she would say yes. He asked us to put the ring in a cake, and she accepted. Top hotels are used more and more to impress. They are used for doing business. If you've got something to sell, take your clients to the best hotel where the surroundings are quite helpful. A friend of mine working at Savoy Hotel tells the story about a man who gave him 5 pounds to say "Good morning, Mr. Smith saying, "I do wish they would leave me alone at this place." According to Julian Payne, the most powerful people in any hotel are the porters, who carry bags for hotel guests. "Porters can do almost anything. They can get you tables at the best restaurants or tickets for a popular concert. Don't ask me how they do it or what their deal is because I don't know. Most of them have been there for years. They know more about the history of the hotel and the guests than anyone else. They are invaluable. A head porter will come in even on his day off so he can say hello to someone he remembers visiting the hotel years ago." Question: When guests ask for something strange, the manager of a good hotel would think _ . Options: A: how he can meet their needs B: why they have such demands C: what problems the hotels has D: who is the best person to go to
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A