After years of hearing drivers complain about scratches on their cars, Japan's Nissan Motor Company has officially announced the next big thing--a paint that not only resists scratches and scrapes, but actually repairs itself within a few days. The new material, developed by Nippon Paint Company, contains an elastic rubbery-like resin that is able to heal minor marks caused by car wash equipment, parking lot encounters, road debris or even on-purpose destruction. The automaker admits its results vary depending on the temperature and the depth of the damage, but adds "this is the only paint like it in the world, and tests prove it works." Minor scratches, the most common type, are said to slowly fade over about a week. And once they're gone, there is no trace that they were ever there. The special paint is said to last for at least three years after it is first applied, but there is no word yet on whether more can be added after that period. Nissan claims car washes are the worst offenders for this type of damage, accounting for at least 80 percent of all incidents. But the complete auto-healing won't come without scratching your wallet. The vehicle maker notes the special paint adds about $ 100 US to the price of a car. It plans to use its new chemical mixture only on its _ in Japan for now, as it looks for a more widespread presentation. And while plans to offer the feature overseas haven't been made yet, if it's a hit there, you can be almost sure market forces will drive it to these shores as well. What can be inferred from the article? A) The paint was developed by Nissan Motor Company. B) The paint might work better in summer than in winter. C) The mark on the car could disappear as soon as the paint is applied. D) The paint is very popular in Japan.
B
Almost every machine with moving parts has wheels, yet no one knows exactly when the first wheel was invented or what it was used for. We do know, however, that they existed over 5,500 years ago in ancient Asia. The oldest known transport wheel was discovered in 2002 in Slovenia. It is over 5,100 years old. Evidence suggests that wheels for transport didn't become popular for a while, though. This could be because animals did a perfectly good job of carrying farming tools and humans around. But it could also be because of a difficult situation. While wheels need to roll on smooth surfaces, roads with smooth surfaces weren't going to be constructed until there was plenty of demand for them. Eventually, road surfaces did become smoother, but this difficult situation appeared again a few centuries later. There had been no important changes in wheel and vehicle design before the arrival of modem road design. In the mid-1700s, a Frenchman came up with a new design of road--a base layer of large stones covered with a thin layer of smaller stones. A Scotsman improved on this design in the 1820s and a strong, lasting road surface became a reality. At around the same lime, metal hubs (the central part of a wheel) came into being, followed by the pneumatic tyre in 1846. Alloy wheels were invented in 1967, sixty years after the appearance of tarmacked roads . As wheel design took off, vehicles got faster and faster. What might explain why transport wheels didn't become popular for some time? A) Few knew how to use transport wheels. B) Humans carried farming tools just as well. C) Animals were a good means of transport. D) The existence of transport wheels was not known.
C
Q: Several overseas trips with the family have taught us that they can be rewarding, but you always have to be careful of pickpockets. On a lovely visit to Paris an encounter with a pickpocket gave the would-be thief a little more than he _ While walking down the famous Champs Elysee, I was astonished to feel someone unzip my handbag and remove my purse. I turned to glimpse a young man turning away and pretending to be absorbed in the mouth-watering contents on display in a bakery window. Being only a teenager at the time, I had no idea what to do. So I tapped the young man in question on the shoulder and said. "Excuse me can you please give me back my purse?" Of course the pickpocket had no idea what I was saying (and didn't want to know) and proceeded to shrug his shoulders and basically say (in French) "I don't speak English"? Meanwhile my Mother (a Scotswoman with a bad temper), came to see why I had stopped walking and what was going on. When I informed her of the situation she lost control and started yelling at the thief who still stood there making gestures in French while a crazy Scotswoman harangued him. At this stage we were starting to attract onlookers, and when my Mother started hitting the young man with her handbag the would-be thief decided it was time to get away. Luckily, amid all the disorder the thief lost his control of my purse, and as he made a break-for-it, my purse dropped to the ground! I quickly snatched it up and for the rest of vacation we walked around with our handbags clutched against our chests! The author discovered the pickpocket because _ . A) his handbag was specially made to stop pickpocketing B) the author was old enough and experienced there C) the pickpocket was too inexperienced to steal his purse D) his purse was very heavy so that he felt it was removed
A: D
Q: Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance (pocket money). The purpose is to let children learn from experiences at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly. The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration. Some children get a weekly allowance. Others get a monthly allowance. In any case, parents should make clear what, if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money. At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this,they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget . Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance. The object is to show young people that a budget demands a choice between spending and saving. Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs, like clothing or electronics. Many people who have written on the subject of allowances say it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life. Paying children to do extra work around the house, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works. Allowances give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want. Or they can save it. Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice. You have to cut costs and plan for the future. Requiring children to save part of their allowances can also open the door to future saving and investing. Many banks offer services to help children and teenagers learn about personal finance. A saving account is an excellent way to learn about the power of _ . Compounding works by paying interest. So, for example, one dollar invested at two percent interest for two years will earn two cents in the first year. The second... What does the author intend to tel lthe readers? A) The methods of limiting allowances. B) The advice on a better family budget. C) Teaching children to use allowances wisely. D) Offering allowances to children properly.
A: C