Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Smart home applications can share all kinds of helpful information with homeowners. There appears a new housing platform which can detect the stress on electricity -- and the stress on the heart. "There is a growing population of elderly people, and there are statistics to show that more and more of them are going to live alone in the home," said Johann Siau, a senior lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire in the U.K., who was leading the InterHome project. The system was originally designed to provide remote access to a house so owners could be more energy-efficient. In a small type of the system, set-in controller devices connect securely to the Internet. The owner can then monitor them with a cell phone or computer. User feedback helps the system adapt to routines, saving on electricity. While thinking about responding to user behavior and an increasingly elderly population, the researchers decided to add wristband technology that senses important organs of the body such as body temperature and pulse, Siau said. "If someone were to fall, it would detect the fall and it would immediately start the monitor of the pulse to see if the person has gone into shock ," he said. The wristband communicates with the home system wirelessly. Data from the band can be securely transmitted to the home network and accessed by authorized users. "We're working on trying to reduce it to a level where it could potentially be a wrist-sized product," Siau said. But he warned that the technology presented new challenges. "When you start using that on a larger scale, you have issues of privacy or security," he said. Siau said the InterHome home system isn't intended to invade privacy. "We're thinking about the elderly people who are living alone with no one looking after them," he said. "Hopefully this will be able to decrease some concerns and possibly save a few lives." Question: The system was first designed for a house owner to _ . Options: A: keep watch on his house B: keep his house safe C: monitor the elderly people inside D: save electricity
Ans: D

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Last week at a friend's birthday party, there was a mooncake eating contest and I persuaded my good friend Jonathan to take part in it. Even though he had just finished a big dinner, he managed to win the contest. Not only did he win a bottle of nice whiskey, but also a big box of expensive Hong Kong mooncakes. A few days later, I was hosting an opening party for my new office. Jonathan showed up with the lovely box of Hong Kong mooncakes he had won the other night. I thought it was a lovely joke, and the mooncakes were delicious. Still, it got me thinking about the concept of regifting in prefix = st1 /China. In the States, we have a tradition around Christmas similar to giving mooncakes, only we call them fruitcakes. Fruitcakes are made from terrible preserved fruit and nobody likes to eat them. You often find your friends giving the fruitcake you gave them to someone else, and so on. But fruitcakes aside, it isn't very often to catch someone regifting something in America, as it's seen to be very cheap and embarrassing . An obvious way to tell if something has been regifted is to check the wrapping . However, many of my friends in Chinawill proudly regift an old gift, especially if it is still wrapped in a pretty box. I find it somewhat uncomfortable to receive a gift that I know wasn't bought for me. But I also understand that the gift is perfectly good, it just lacks the special meaning of being picked out by a friend. There are many occasions in Chinese culture when gifts are necessary. There are traditional items such as tea, cigarettes and liquor which seem fine to regift. These gifts are not personal and have no special meaning. But is it really proper to give someone something that was never bought for them in the first place? Question: This article is written to_. Options: A: praise some customs in China B: question a social practice C: show how to regift D: tell an embarrassing story
Ans: B

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Little Tommy was doing very badly in math. His parents had tried everything -- tutors, cards, special learning centers -- in short, everything they could think of. Finally they took Tommy to a catholic school. After the first day, little Tommy came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn't kiss his mother hello. Instead, he went straight to his room and started studying. Books and paper were spread out all over the room and little Tommy was hard at work. His mother was surprised. She called him down to dinner and as soon as he finished eating, he went back hitting the books as hard as before. This went on for some time, day after day while the mother tried to understand what was happening. Finally, little Tommy brought home his report card. He quietly put it on the table and went up to his room and hit the books. His mother looked at it and to her surprise, little Tommy got an A in math. She could no longer hold her curiosity . She went to his room and asked, "son, what was it? Was it the nuns ?" Little Tommy looked at her and shook his head , "No." "Well then," she asked again. "What was it?" Little Tommy looked at her and said, "Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that man nailed to the plus sign , I knew they weren't joking." Question: Why did Tommy's parents send him to a catholic school? Options: A: Because he could eat well there. B: Because he could learn more about nuns. C: Because his parents wanted him to do better in his math. D: Because his parents didn't want him to learn math any more.
Ans: C

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: A businessman had two sons. While he gave the younger son a lot of love and gifts, he neglected the elder son. It was completely puzzling and no one knew why. When the boys grew up, they were asked to manage the father's business. The elder son was absorbed in the business. From morning till late in the evening, he was busy working. Within a few years, he ran the business very well and even expanded it. What about the younger son? He didn't have much to do except have a good time. But the father believed that his favorite son would be a success. If the elder son could be a successful businessman, surely the younger one, with a higher education, would do much better. A few years later, the results of his decision became clear. Uninterested in business, the younger son continued spending his time enjoying himself. And he went out of business. But the elder son's far smaller share of business had expanded and he had proved himself to be a good decision maker. Ashamed at the turn of events, the father met the elder son and was angry with the younger one. The elder son, who was listening to all this quietly, suddenly said he wanted to set up an independent business and live on his own. "Why?" asked the father. "I blame one person for the way my brother has turned out, and it's not him. You can't blame children for the faults of their parents, can you?" asked the elder son. Question: .Why did the father treat the two sons differently? Options: A: the elder son didn't work hard B: no one knew why he did it C: the younger son was hardworking D: he wanted to do an experiment
Ans:
B