Are you single or married? Are you a cat or a dog owner? Do you exercise, or are you a "couch potato" (a person who sits on the sofa all day watching TV, eating and basically doing nothing)? These questions and many others are about your lifestyle. People in the United States feel that they can choose their lifestyles and even shape their own identities. The great variety of lifestyles leads to constant national discussion of choices that people make. This freedom of choice is fun and exciting, but it also creates stress and uncertainty. In newspapers, lifestyle issues are discussed in the features or style section. In The Chicago Tribune this section is called "Tempo". People turn to this section for lively discussion on lifestyle choices they face with regard to their personal identities, their families, and their social lives. Many American people believe that they can make their lives happy and satisfying despite their problems. If they lack confidence or tend to feel anxious, shy, angry, or depressed, they believe that they can change themselves. Self-help books, magazines, and feature articles are filled with advice from experts about steps to take to become a happier or more satisfied person and to improve one's self-respect. Part of this research for self-improvement is a belief that even one's own appearance can be controlled. This is why there are so many articles in the newspaper about looking young, wearing the latest fashions, and becoming physically fit. Lifestyle choices also involve moral and social issues. How should children be raised? How should people behave on a date? How should elderly people be treated? How can people stay happily married? All these kinds of issues are constantly discussed and are constantly changing. Not only are experts such as psychologists consulted, but stars from the political and entertainment worlds are held up as lifestyle leaders as well. In the newspaper, feature articles called profiles discuss in detail the personal lives or public work of movie stars,... According to the author, Americans are pretty sure that they can _ . A) control their own appearance B) solve all the problems in their life C) live a happy life in spite of their problems D) improve their life by following the elders' advice
C
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, founded in 1861 in response to the increasing industrialization of the United States. The institute stressed laboratory instruction in applied science and engineering. MIT's early emphasis on applied technology at the undergraduate and graduate levels led to close cooperation with industry. Curricular reforms under Karl Compton and Vannevar Bush in the 1930s emphasized basic science. MIT was elected to the Association of American Universities in 1934. Today, the institute comprises various academic departments with a strong emphasis on scientific, engineering, and technological education and research. MIT is one of the most selective higher learning institutions, and received 18,357 undergraduate applicants for the class of 2018 -- only admitting 1,419, an acceptance rate of 7.73%. MIT's 168-acre campus spans approximately a mile of the north side of the Charles River basin in the city of Cambridge. The campus is divided roughly in half by Massachusetts Avenue, with most dormitories and student life facilities to the west and most academic buildings to the east. MIT's on-campus nuclear reactor is one of the most powerful university-based nuclear reactors in the United States. In 1999 Bill Gates donated $20 million to MIT for the construction of computer laboratory named the "William H. Gates Building". While Microsoft had previously given financial support to the institution, this was the first personal donation received from Gates. Other notable campus facilities include a pressurized wind tunnel and a towing tank for testing ship and ocean structure designs. From the passage, we know MIT _ . A) is a public research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. B) became a member of the Association of American Universities in 1934 C) was founded to improve the development of agriculture of the United States D) at present puts emphasis on applied technology
B
Q: Brenda Linson never goes anywhere without an empty spectacles case. It is as vital to her as her purse. Yet, she doesn't wear glasses. The reason she cannot do without it is that she cannot read and she cannot write. If ever she gets into any situation where she might be expected to do either of these things, she fishes around in her bag for the spectacles case, finds it's empty, and asks the person concerned to do the reading for her. Until a few months ago hardly anybody knew about her problem. Her husband didn't know and her children didn't know. The children still don't. She had many tactics for hiding her difficult--for example, never lingering near a phone at work, in case she had to answer it and might be required to write something down. It has never occurred to the children that their mother cannot read. She doesn't read them stories, but then their father doesn't either, so they find nothing surprising in the fact. Similarly they just accept that Dad is the one who writes the sick notes and reads the school reports. Now that the elder boy Tom is quite a proficient reader, Brenda can skillfully get him to read any notes brought home from school simply by asking,"What's that all about, then?" Brenda's husband never guessed the truth in ten years of marriage. For one thing, he insists on handling all domestic correspondence and bills himself. A salesman for a large company, he travels a great deal and so is not around so much to spot the truth. While he's away Brenda cores with any situations by explaining that she cannot do anything until she's discussed it with her husband. Brenda was very successful in her job until recently. For the last five years she had worked as waitress at an expensive restaurant, and had eventually been promoted to head waitress. She kept the thing a secret there too, and got over the practical difficulties somehow. Brenda's children have never found out about her problem as _ . A) she isn't often at home. B) they are too young to guess the truth. C) they find it normal to ask their father for everything. D) they think it natural that short-sighted people like their mother don't do much reading or writing.
A: C
*Question*
Imagine this situation. You pass a group of people. The people are talking to each other. You cannot hear what they are saying. But suddenly they start laughing. What would you think? Would you think they were laughing at something funny that one of them said? Or -- be honest with yourself -- would you think they were laughing at you? Yes, you. Being laughed at is a common fear. But a major study published in two thousand and nine found that this fear is not the same around the world. It differs from culture to culture. People in Finland were the least likely to believe that people laughing in their presence were making fun of them. Less than ten percent of Finns in the study said they would think that, compared to eighty percent of people in Thailand. Some people in the study said they felt unsure of themselves in social situations but hid their feelings of insecurity. Others said they avoided social situations where they had been laughed at before. The study found that people in Turkmenistan and Cambodia were more likely to be in the first group. They would hide their feelings of insecurity if they were around other people's laughter. But people in Iraq, Egypt and Jordan were more likely to try to avoid such situations if they felt they had been laughed at before. Shy people often avoid situations that would force them into close contact with other people. They worry that something they say or do will make other people laugh at them. But some people worry much more than others. They may have a disorder called gelotophobia. Gelos is a Greek word. It means laughter. Phobia means fear. This fear of laughter can be truly sad for those who live with it. It can affect how they lead their lives. In the study, a team from the University of Zurich led more than ninety researchers from around the world. They wanted to understand the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia. Another purpose of the study was to compare the levels of fear of being laughed at in different cultures. The researchers surveyed... According to the passage, people who suffer from gelotophobia _ . A) care more about being laughed at by others B) shouldn't hide their feelings of insecurity C) should avoid having close contact with other people D) will lead a happy life so long as they care
**Answer**
A