Millions of sports lovers are still thinking about one thing----the Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia. Close to 2900 men and women competed in the 2014 Winter Games about a month ago. The Olympics brought a lot of attention to Sochi, a city on the Black Sea, which is a popular area for vacation travelers. The area is known for its mild winters. At least $50 billion was spent on the 2014 Winter Games, making it the costliest Olympics in history. Seven billion dollars was spent on the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. Olympic officials chose Sochi to host the 2014 games almost seven years ago. At that time, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the games would cost about $13 billion. Yet the actual expenses exceeded his estimate. So where did all the money go? Some observers say the high cost is partly the result of security measures. Brian Jenkins, a terrorism expert from the RAND Corporation, gave the following explanation. There were anywhere between 70,000 and 100, 000 policemen and military troops deployed around the city. The main threat came from separatist and Islamist groups from the North Caucasus, especially from Chechnya and Dagestan. One group claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings in Volgograd last December. The attacks killed more than 30 people. The city is only about 600 kilometers away from Sochi. Bruce Hoffman is a terrorism expert from Georgetown University in Washington DC. He says the increased security made Sochi a difficult target for terrorists. It is thought that the terrorists' intention was to make life difficult for the Russians and to create some sort of incident that would take away the enjoyment. The last Olympians from around the world on Russian soil were in 1980. That was a year after Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan. More than sixty countries didn't take part in the Moscow Summer Games to show their anger. According to the passage, why did the Sochi Winter Olympics cost so much? A) Because it was held at an area popular for vacation travelers. B) Because the Russian government wanted to make it the best ever held.[:] C) Because security measures at Sochi were stricter than before. D) Because the original plan was made 7 years before.
C
(Question)
Robots are being used for the first time in hospitals. "Robot-nurses" perform a variety of tasks such as delivering medicine, food and laboratory samples to sickrooms and taking away waste. Patients aren't treated by robots, as this is still done by medical staff. The idea is to employ robots to transport supplies between departments. "Nurses often have to break off from what they are doing to gather supplies," says Peter Seiff, who makes the robots called TUGs. Research shows any interruption in medical work can lead to errors --- a nurse may forget whether she has given medicine and may give a patient double the dose or none at all. The robots vary in size according to what job they perform, but normally take the shape of a metal box on wheels, with a box on the side containing their software. After being programmed, the robots are able to find their way around a hospital unassisted. They also contain scanning technology to create electronic pictures or a "memory" of routes on their hard drives to help them go through passages, doors and other obstacles. Each robot is also monitored at the producer's headquarters in case it runs into any difficulties. Trials show TUGs reduce the time it takes for a patient to receive medicine, and stop drugs from going missing. A study at the University of Maryland Medical Centre in the U.S. found that when three TUGs were used over the course of a year, the average length of time from the drugstore receiving a prescription to the patient receiving it dropped from 74 minutes to 30 minutes and saved nurses 6,123 hours finding medicines. It also cut the number of medicines that went missing to zero. "The biggest complaints we receive from patients is that the nurses don't spend enough time with them. Anything that frees nurses is a _ ," says Katherine Mulligan, director of nursing at the hospital, "The TUGs allow nurses to spend more time focusing on patient care. Nurse satisfaction has improved." What is the attitude of the author towards robot-nurses? A) Neutral. B) Positive. C) Negative. D) Unknown.
(Answer)
B
Ques: Despite the burning heat, the summer holidays are drawing to a close. After a period of pleasant relaxation, spending time with friends and family, our thoughts now turn towards the new school term. This can be an exciting time, filled with new opportunities, ambitions and challenges. Such new challenges can be frightening as we face unfamiliar situations, people and places. Many of you will be facing a new term in a higher grade. This may well mean a greater workload and more exam pressure. Maybe you are starting a new school and are worried about how to make new friends. Whichever new situation you face, there is no shame in admitting you are worried or concerned. The fact that you are older and are facing more challenges does not mean that you have to deal with your problems alone. No matter how old we are, all of us need help sometimes, and admitting to weakness can be one of our greatest strengths. How else can we get the help we need to face our problems with confidence? Also, this can be a good way to connect with new people in a similar situation. On the first day of a new term or at a new school, everyone will be nervous and uncertain. Admitting to _ makes us seem much more human. After all, would you really want to be friends with someone who believes that they know everything and claims to never be afraid? Whatever your new situation is at the beginning of this new term, relax, and remember that every student you come across is just as nervous as you are. Share what you believe to be your weaknesses and see just how strong you really are. This passage may be _ . A) an official report B) a piece of news C) a speech to students D) a letter to friends.
Ans: C
Ques: A purse containing a million dollars worth of jewelry was on its way back to its owner inprefix = st1 /Canadaafter being forgotten on a bench in a town nearSan Francisco, police said . Shahla Ghannadian had entrusted her 2 , 00-dollar Louis Vuitton handbag and its precious contents to her husband after they stopped at an ice cream parlor in the city ofSunday, according to authorities . He left it on a bench near a downtown parking lot , and the oversight was not noticed until the couple was back at their hotel , saidSausalitopolice sergeant Kurtis Skoog The couple had traveled from Toronto toSan Franciscofor a daughter's wedding . The purse contained a Cartier watch , cash , and jewelry worn by the mother and the bride at the ceremony , said Skoog . The gems included emeralds , pearls and diamonds , one of them a 12-karat stone , according to police . Ghannadian and her husband had a bit of sightseeing before catching a flight back toCanadaon Sunday night . Family members checked the bench , but the purse was gone . Local resident John Suhroff walked into the police department the next day with the bag , its contents intact , Skoog said . Suhroff handed the bag to a clerk , saying it held " either costume of junk jewelry " . " We caped the owner . and they were excited , " said Skoog . A family friend picked up the bag and was to take it to Ghannadian . The family indicated Ssuhroff was in line for a reward , but did not specify an amount , Skoog said . We may infer _ from the passage . A) the couple will fly to take the purse back B) the couple may reward the finder more of less C) the finder has received a sum of money from the loser D) the couple didn't suggest rewarding the finder
Ans:
B