Ques: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: What will power your house in the future?Nuclear,wind,or solar power?According to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US,it might be leaves -- but artificial ones. Natural leaves are able to change sunlight and water into energy. It is known as photosynthesis .Now researchers have found a way to imitate this seemingly simple process. The artificial leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and his colleagues at MIT can be seen as a special silicon chip with catalysts .Similar to natural leaves,it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell,which uses those two materials to produce electricity,located either on top of a house or beside the house. Though the leaf is only about the shape of a poker card,scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries. "One can imagine villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology," said Nocera at a conference of the American Chemical Society. The artificial leaf is not a new idea. The first artificial leaf was invented in 1997 but was too expensive and unstable for practical use. The new leaf,by contrast,is made of cheap materials,easy to use and highly stable. In laboratory studies,Nocera showed that an artificial leaf prototype could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity. The wonderful improvements come from Nocera's recent discovery of several powerful,new and inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now,the new leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one. Besides,the device can run in whatever water is available;that is,it doesn't need pure water. This is important for some countries that don't have access to pure water. With the goal to "make each home its own power... Question: The main idea of this passage is _ . Options: A: an introduction to the history of artificial leaves B: a mixture of water power and solar energy C: giving energy to the poor D: an invention copying photosynthesis
Ans: D

Ques: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, _ , just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn't think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull. I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words. It takes confidence to make a new start--there's a dark period in-between where you're neither one thing nor the other. You're out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you're too ashamed to say, "Well, I'm writing a novel, but I'm not quite sure if I'm going to get there." My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside. Then I met an agent who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel. The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal--that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for. It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck--of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there's no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract of the publisher--to be a published writer--is unbelievably rewarding . Question: The author decided to write a novel _ . Options: A: to finish the writing course B: to realize her own dream C: to satisfy readers' wish D: to earn more money
Ans: B

Ques: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Dana Cummings was in his thirties before he first went surfing. But, even more interesting is that Dana Cummings chose to learn the sport after losing a leg in a car accident. Now, nine years later, he helps other disabled people learn how to ride the waves in AmpSurf. On the coast of Maine, he is working with 27-year-old Matthew Fish, who is partly blind. Cummings takes hold of Fish and leads him into the ocean. The surfboard floats next to them. Fish lies on the surfboard. He tries to stand up on it. After a few attempts he is up and riding all the way back to land. "That was exciting," Fish says. A car accident in 2002 took Dana Cummings' leg. He says the crash changed him more than just physically. "Losing my leg made me realize how precious life is and get off the couch and start living. I do more things now than I ever did before. Next week I am going to compete in a contest in Hawaii," Dana says. One year later Dana Cummings formed AmpSurf. AmpSurf is a group that volunteers to hold surfing classes and events for people with all kinds of disabilities. Recently, AmpSurf took its training programs to the East Coast. Eleven students attended the class in Maine. They came from all over the northeastern United States. Dana Cummings thinks AmpSurf can change the way a disabled person thinks. "Most people with disabilities consider himself or herself unlucky and useless, but we want them to see what they can do. Who cares you lose your leg or you are blind, whatever? Have fun. Just enjoy life. Take the most advantage of _ you can," Dana says. Question: What is the best title for the text? Options: A: Dana Cummings -- a great surfer B: AmpSurf -- a training group C: How to learn to live with disabilities D: Disabled surfers ride the waves
Ans:
D