Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Complete silence is found only in laboratories called anechoic rooms. The walls and ceilings, made of blocks of special sound-sucking materials, are more than three feet thick, while floor coverings are six-foot layers of feathers or cotton wool. Silence here can be as painful to the ears as the din(continuous loud noise) of a steelworks or a rocket blast-off, yet scientists get used to this and stay in these silent rooms for hours at a time, using microphones and electronic equipment to test the various materials being developed to make the world a less noisy place. Architects have used scientific discoveries to solve noise problem in a number of ways. Walls are hollowed (having empty space inside) and then filled with sound-sucking materials similar to cotton wool. Extra-thick carpets cover the floors, and thick woolen curtains cover the windows. Air conditioning and heating channels are made less noisy by having the air passing through hundreds of tiny holes in baffles made of sheets of soundsucking materials. Unfortunately, these techniques and others often work too well in some buildings. Noise-proof rooms become almost anechoic and people living in them are disturbed by the lack of sound. One way of handling this problem is to use what they call "sound perfume"--artificial (similarly produced, made by man) noise is piped to rooms through small loudspeakers. Question: People suffer in anechoic rooms probably because _ . Answer:

OPTIONS:
- they are allowed to move and speak
- the greater air pressure hurts their ears
- there is a lack of air in anechoic rooms
- they are used to hearing noise around them

A: they are used to hearing noise around them

Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: When did you last see a polar bear ? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3degC, and the water temperature was a bit higher. The members of the Polar Bears Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group; this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February. Doctors do not agree about the medical effects of cold-water swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter. The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits(or advantages)of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming. The main benefits(or advantages)of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim year-round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-old woman says, When I go into the water , I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away. Question: The member of the Polar Bears Club must meet the following requirements except that _ . Answer:

OPTIONS:
- they should be easy to make friends with
- they must swim outside at least 8 times in the four cold months
- they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February
- they must reach the age of 60

A: they must reach the age of 60

Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Not long ago, many people believed that babies only wanted food and to be kept warm and dry. Some people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. Yet doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life. The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is a federal government agency. Its goal is to determine which experiences can influence healthy development in people. Researchers at the institute note that babies are strongly influenced by their environment. They say a baby will smile if her mother does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other people. The researchers say this ability to learn exists in a baby even before birth. They say newborn babies can recognize and understand sounds they heard while they were still developing inside their mothers. Another study has suggested that low birth weight babies with no evidence of disability may be more likely than other children to have physical and mental problems. American researchers studied almost five hundred boys and girls. They were born in, or admitted to, one of three hospitals in New Jersey between 1984 and 1987. At birth, each child weighed fewer than two thousand grams. The boys and girls had an average age of sixteen at the time of the study. They were asked to complete intelligence and motor skill tests in their homes. Their test results were compared with those of other children their age. Question: What will be mentioned in the following passage? Answer:

OPTIONS:
- The evaluation method of the tests.
- The cause of low birth weight babies.
- The result of the intelligence and motor skill tests.
- The evidence proving babies began to learn before birth.

A: The result of the intelligence and motor skill tests.

Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Growing up in town, I classified myself as a "city girl." I had very little knowledge about farming and rural areas, but all of that changed six years ago when my mother and stepfather married and we moved to my stepfather's farm. Surrounded by cows and cornfields, I was unsure of what to do. However, I did enjoy the beauty and peace of the countryside. On the farm, I helped with odd jobs like feeding cows. When I was old enough to get a real summer job, my step-father said I could choose between two options--getting a job at our local Dairy Queen or selling produce that I grew on our farm. While I came up with a short list of pros for working at the fast food restaurant, I found more advantages to selling produce. Yet I realized the numerous disadvantages to selling produce: responsibility for the success or failure of the operation, early mornings, and long days. At last, I decided to start my own farming business. My stepfather and I began planning in March. Together we chose three varieties of seeds, prepared the land, and planted the first batch of sweet corn at the end of April. Throughout the spring, my stepfather continued to plant sweet corn every two weeks as I rode in the tractor with him. The sweet corn needs taking great care while growing. As the corn was putting forth ears, we applied fertilizer and sprayed pesticide to prevent worms. I watched them grow taller and taller, dreaming about the money I would soon make. We planned to harvest and sell the corn at our local farmer's market. It sounded easy and looked good on paper, but it worked out a little differently. Nonstop rain delayed the harvest by a week or so. When my sweet corn was finally ready to pick, I found that a pack of raccoons had visited the field at night, ruining about half of it. We picked what was still good and prepared for market. This was it--my first day at market! I was excited to see my hard work finally pay off. I loaded my materials into the pickup truck and arrived early at the farmer's market to find a good... Question: After the author settled down on the farm . Answer:

OPTIONS:
- she was attracted by the beauty and peace right away
- she was not accustomed to the new surroundings
- she was in conflict with her step-father about farming
- she was eager to get part-time jobs to make money

A:
she was not accustomed to the new surroundings