Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: American culture is unique because it is formed and developed under certain conditions. The major factors contributing to the making of this new nation and the forming of a new culture are the hard environment, ethnic diversity (;) and plural religion, which is quite different from other nations in the world. What is more, these elements are still influencing the American culture. The early immigrants who were English Puritans settled down in northeast part of America from 1607 to 1892. Frontiers were pushed further west. The frontiersmen looked for a land of rich resources and a land of promise, opportunity and freedom. Actually they looked for a better life. So individualism , self-reliance, and equality of opportunity have perhaps been the values most closely associated with the frontier heritage of America. In history, people from different countries in the world rushed to America three times. They brought their own culture to America and later on, different cultures were mixed together. Thus the unique American culture was formed, a common cultural life with commonly shared values. The fundamental American belief in individual freedom and the fight of individuals to practice their own religion is at the center of religious experience in the United States. The great diversity of ethnic backgrounds has produced religious pluralism ; almost all of the religions of the world are now practiced in the United States. Nowadays, we can see the continual influence of the three elements in the current American society. American family is typically parents and their unmarried children. Middle-aged and elderly people generally do not live with their married children. The people in America have a very strong desire to start a new life in a new place. Quite a number of people change residences every year. The average American moves fourteen times in his lifetime. Question: We can learn from this article that _ . Options: A: the population of the United States includes a large variety of ethnic groups B: the early immigrants brought about the unique American culture C: people in the world once rushed to America because of its unique culture D: the American family members don't get along well with each other
A: A

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Pop star Britney Spears _ with a childhood friend,but their two-day-old marriage was dissolved Monday shortly after Britney filed for an annulment(/).She described the marriage as"a joke that went too far,"said one source closed to Spears."I don't even know if she loves him,"the source said. The 22-year-old diva(most important singer)walked down the aisle at a Las Vegas wedding chapel early Saturday,the reports said,marrying Jason Alexander,also 22,a childhood friend from her hometown of Kentwood,Louisiana whom she had recently begun dating. Spears wore jeans and a baseball cap,and was escorted down the aisle by a hotel bellman,according to the People.com. The two apparently decided to marry while partying at the Palms Casino Hotel Friday night,and did so at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.The honeymoon was spent at the Palms,but the next night Spears was seen dining with a group that did not include the groom at a hotel steakhouse. Raised in the US south,the pop diva started her career at a television program The Mickey Mouse Club at age 11,becoming a famous teen singer. All four of her CDs.including most recently November'S"In the Zone,"debuted at number one on the charts. Question: What made Spears most famous in the world is that_. Options: A: she got married to a man who she just dated for two days. B: she got divorced two days after her new marriage. C: she began to appear on the stage as a teen singer. D: she made great achievements in singing.
A: D

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: I fell in love with the minister's son the winter I turned fourteen. He was not Chinese. For Christmas I prayed for the boy, Robert. When I found out that my parents had invited the minister's family over for Christmas Eve dinner, I cried in panic. What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper American manners? On Christmas Eve, my mother created abundant Chinese food. And then they arrived--the minister's family and all my relatives. Robert greeted hello, and I pretended he was not worthy of existence. Dinner threw me deeper into disappointment. My relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks and reached across the table. Robert and his family waited patiently for a large plate to be passed to them. My relatives murmured with pleasure when my mother brought out the whole steamed fish. Robert made a face. Then my father reached his chopsticks just below the fish eye and picked out the soft meat. "Amy, your favorite," he said, offering me the tender fish cheek. I wanted to disappear. At the end of the meal, my father leaned back and burped loudly, thanking my mother for her fine cooking. "It's a polite Chinese custom to show you are satisfied," explained my father to our astonished guests. Robert was looking down at his plate with a reddish face. The minister managed to bring up a quiet burp. I was shocked into silence for the rest of the night. After everyone had gone, my mother said to me, "You want to be the same as American girls on the outside." She handed me an early gift. It was a miniskirt. "But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be proud that you are different. Your only shame is to have shame." It was not until years later that I was able to fully appreciate her lesson and the purpose behind her particular menu. For Christmas Eve that year, she had chosen excellent Chinese food. Question: What does "he was not worthy of existence" probably mean? It means _ . Options: A: he should not exist B: he was worthless C: the writer was not interested in his existence D: the writer expected his coming
A: C

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: It's hard to avoid looking like a fool on April Fool's Day. On April 1 each year, people play tricks on each other. These tricks are usually silly rather than mean. Classmates sometimes tie each other's shoelaces to their chairs.Teachers might hand out an impossibly difficult surprise test that scares students before they realize it's only a joke. Newspapers announce fake contests (such as "Win an elephant!") and report on fake stories (like "UFO" lands in New York City). Forget gifts, songs and special foods--those are for the other holidays of the year. On April Fool's Day, the only tradition is to laugh (and maybe to cause a little bit of trouble). One April Fool's Day, when I was in high school, a group of students in my class played a very clever and funny trick on the teachers. They bought some chickens and set them free in our school cafeteria. The chickens ran all round the school, in and out of classrooms and under our feet. Feathers were flying everywhere. Teachers began running after the chickens, trying to catch them. Finally, they caught four of them. But the chickens were wearing numbered tags around their necks, and the teachers discovered that they had only caught chickens No.1, 2, 3, and 5.Where was chicken No.4? The teachers looked and looked. They couldn't find another chicken. After a few hours, they realized that the students had played another joke on them: There were only four chickens in the first place! They've been tricked by the numbers on the chickens. It's been a long time since I was in high school, but that April Fool's Day remains one of my favorite memories from those years. Question: What's the title of the passage? Options: A: An unforgettable April Fool's Day B: April Fool's Day C: The origin of April Fool's Day D: What do people do on April Fool's Day?
A: A