Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Children and teenagers who spend lots of time in front of screens---especially TVs---are easier to get more weight as they grow, according to a new study. The findings agree with the research suggesting all that inactive sitting and always watching advertisements may lead to poor eating habits. Researchers used results from a long-term study of children who took part in the surveys every two years. Children were between ages 9 and 16 when the study started. Out of 4,300 girls in the study, 17 percent were overweight or obese . Twenty-four percent of the 3,500 boys were also above a healthy weight. The surveys included questions about their height and weight as well as how much time they spent watching TV and DVDs and playing computer and video games. From one survey to the next, each one-hour increase in children's daily TV watching was in connection with an increase of about 0.1 points on a body mass index (BMI) , which measures weight in connection with height. There's an increase of about half a pound in weight per extra hour of TV. "The weight of the evidence is so strong that television watching is connected with unhealthy changes in weight among youth," says Jennifer Falbe, who led the study while at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "It's important for parents to know that all the obesity-causing screens really should be limited in their children's lives." Falbe says. "When children watch TV, there are many food advertisements on TV that might lead them to eat a cookie or drink a soft drink." What's more, she says, "they can get into a hibernating state on the sofa, even if children are sitting down while playing a computer game." Question: How many children took part in the study? - 4,300 - 3,500 - 7,800 - 9,800
7,800

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: It is 80 years since the Loch Ness monster was spotted for the first time. Mrs. Aldie Mackay, a local hotel manageress, might have thought that her eyes had deceived her when she reported seeing a "whale-like fish" in the waters of the Scottish lake. Or was it made up by people? Dr. Charles Paxton, a researcher from St Andrew's University, noted that many of the 1,000 eye-witness accounts of the elusive "monster" he has been analyzing come from hotel owners. This raises suspicion of an intention to increase tourism. Mrs. Mackay is widely regarded as the first "modern sighting" of the monster in the lake. And it has opened the floodgates. Police inspectors, lorry drivers, clergymen and fishermen were among the people who claimed to have seen the monster. It became so famous that it got a nickname: Nessie. Tourists and 'Nessie hunters' poured to the area. There were traffic jams around the lake. Certainly, there was much to be gained from the legend. According to Visit Scotland, Nessie tourism brings in more than PS1,000,000 to the area per year. Marine biologist Adrian Shine, who interviewed Mrs. Mackay years later, believes she was sincere. But there are plenty of people who have made a living from Nessie, including Mr. Shine himself. He now runs the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition out of Mrs. Mackay's old hotel. Dr. Paxton says, analyzing the eye-witness accounts may tell us more about ourselves than whether or not the monster exists. He is due to publish the results of his study later this year. As a scientist, he casts a disbelieving eye on all the evidence linked to Nessie. Highly respected British surgeon, Colonel Robert Wilson, claimed he photographed the beast in 1934. It was later proved to be a toy submarine with a sea-serpent head. Dr. Paxton says: "I suppose it is possible that people have an agenda . But I believe the vast majority of people are reporting the truth. They believe they have seen something strange." Some say you see what you expect. If this is true, in the land famous for... Question: Mrs. Aldie Mackay probably felt _ when she reported seeing something unusual in the lake. - excited - astonished - frightened - disappointed
astonished

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: "Angie, I know you like to sing," her father, a worker, told Angela Brown, "but you must have something to fall back on ." Brown took her father's advice. She got a degree in secretarial science before entering Oakwood College, in Huntsville, Alabama. However, her aim was to become a singer at religious meetings. So after graduation she headed for Indiana University to study with the famous soprano Virginia Zeani. Once, when Brown was troubled by self-doubt, Zeani said to her, "If you want to be the next Aretha Franklin, you need no more lessons," Brown remembers her saying. "But if you want to be the best Verdian soprano this world has ever seen, you must work." Work she did. Three times she competed in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions . Three times she failed to make the final round in New York. Then, in 1997 at age 33, the age limit for sopranos to audition, she gave it one more try. She signed up at the last minute and didn't even practice, thinking, "All they could do was to tell me no, and that didn't hurt my feelings anymore." She had the strength she needed to fall back on if she failed. She won. But making it in New York was just the beginning. It took her three more years to become an understudy at the Met. But waiting in the wings was fine with her. Finally, her time came. When the featured singer fell ill, Brown earned the chance to sing the lead role in Aida. And The New York Times described her performance as a great success. Angela Brown, who had prepared for 20 years, was an "overnight" successful singer at age 40. Question: Which of the following sayings can best express the message of the passage? - No pains, no gains. - The early bird catches the worm. - Never too old to learn, never too late to turn - Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.
A: Never too old to learn, never too late to turn

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: What are you reading? (A3) How do your reading habits compare to those of students of a similar age? We ran a poll to discover what, when, where and why teens read. Literary greats(A4-7) People have been telling stories for centuries. We profile eight authors, whose work has made a great contribution both to literature and the world as a whole. Have you read any of their books? Teen reading(A8-10) Not all books are written by adults for adults. The market for books aimed at young adults is very strong and many new titles are published each year. Some of them are even written by teenagers. Science fiction (A11) Have you ever thought what it would be like to travel in space or meet _ ? Jules Verne and Douglas Adams did. It's time to explore the world of science fiction, where anything and everything can happen. Horror(A12) You'll want to sleep with the light on after reading a story by Edgar Allan Poe or Stephen King. They are two of the finest fiction writers. Get ready for unpleasant deaths and frightening ghosts . _ (A13) Don't have time to read a whole book? Then why not spend a few minutes with a book of poetry? We have selected some poems that celebrate the winter season--white snow, cold weather and Christmas. Past and present(A14) Over the centuries, stories have been written on all kinds of things. Find out about the development of paper and printing----and what books will look like in the future. Join in the fun(A15--16) Reading is enjoyed by almost everyone. Here are some activities you can do to make it even more fun. You can also try our special literature quiz. Question: Which of the following can be put into the blank before(A13)? - Winter poems - Christmas is coming - A book of poetry - The winter season
Winter poems