You've bought what you need. The grocery cashier asks, "Will that be paper or plastic? You reply "Plastic, please." This seems like a simple question and there are plenty of reasons we choose plastic: easier to carry, lighter than paper bags, possibly less damaging to the environment, less expensive to the shop owners, able to be used as trash bag, and so on. There are different opinions on plastic and paper. Now let's follow the travels of 3 plastic bags. It begins at the grocery store with the customer's choice. Plastic Bag 1: As the waste engineer come by and pick up the trash, the first plastic bag falls out. It sits on a small street for a couple of hours until a car comes along and takes it down to the road. Then a gust of wind blows it across the road, then another car, then another gust of wind finally makes its way to the beach. Water fills the plastic bag and makes it look like a jellyfish. A seal swims by, thinking it looks very interesting, and swallowed it. The plastic bag may stay in the seal's stomach for months, maybe years. You see, our lovely animals have been living thousands of years in a world where everything can be eaten. Plastic Bag 2: This bag does make its way to landfill . Before they have a chance to cover up the thousands of pounds of daily waste, a strong wind comes up and blows these plastic bags out of the landfill. Once the wind stops, workers will be sent to collect thousands of bags around. But they can't possibly get them all. So our little bag continues his adventure getting caught in trees, eaten by birds or making its way to our lakes or rivers. Plastic Bag 3: The last bag also blows away but is caught in a landfill where it sits for many years, as all the trash is wrapped in a big plastic bag, making natural degradation impossible. Although workers do much work to make sure water and air system won't be polluted, some do. Guess what, plastic bags are made from petrol, a harmful waste material, which in one way or another makes its way to the environment. Another... What is the overall tone of this passage? A) Excited B) Serious C) Ironical D) Casual
C
(Question)
When I was 15, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my short-comings . Week by week her list grew. I was skinny , I talked too loud, I was too proud, and so on. I put up with her as long as I could. At last, I ran to my father in tears and anger. He listened to my outburst quietly. They he asked, "Are the things she says the true or not?"True? I wanted to know how to strike back. What did truth have to do with it? "Mary, didn't you ever wonder what you are really like? Well, you now have that girl's opinion. "Go and make a list of every thing she said and mark the points that are true. You needn't pay attention to the other things she said. I did as he told me and discovered to my surprise that about half the things are true. Some of them I couldn't change(like being skinny), but a good number I could and suddenly wanted to change. For the time in my life I began to get a quiet clear picture of myself. I brought the list back to Daddy, but he wouldn't take it."That's just for you,"he said."You know better than any else the truth about yourself, once you hear it. But you've got to learn to listen, not close your ears in anger or hurt. When someone says something about you, you'll know if it's true or not. If it is ,you'll find it will echo inside you." "I still don't think it very nice of her to talk about me in front of everybody." "Mary, there is one way you could stop others talking about you ever again, and criticizing you--just say nothing and do nothing. But then, if you do that, you'd find you were nothing. You wouldn't like that now, would you?""No, I admitted " The writer's father thinks _ . A) if one says nothing and does nothing, people will praise him. B) one should not do anything because others will talk about him. C) it is not good to talk about others. D) everyone is talked about by others.
(Answer)
D
Ques: Are you afraid of moving up to senior high school? It is a completely new experience, but you shouldn't worry. We've put together a guide to help you. You are not alone Remember that everybody else in your grade is in the same boat. You may not notice it, but they are just as nervous as you are. Moving up to senior high school is a chance, not a problem. Things are different, and all you need to do is be polite and learn the new rules. The teachers will help If you don't know what to do or are worried about something, then ask for help. Teachers are probably the best people to turn to because they have experience in helping new students. Everything changes There are lots of differences between junior high school and senior high school. You will have your lessons with different teachers in different rooms. You will have homework for different subjects on different days, so make sure you get organized. Other points If you've got an elder brother or sister at senior high school, then ask them for advice. Be yourself! It sounds simple, but people will respond much better to you if you act naturally. Going to bed early makes a difference. You'll also find it easier to get up in the morning! The main purpose of the passage is to _ ? A) Tell students about a new experience B) help students that are going to senior high school C) tell students that teachers are the best helpers D) teach students how to organize themselves
Ans: B
Ques: When I was at University I studied very hard. But a lot of my friends did very little work. Some did just enough to pass exams. Others didn't do quite enough. Fred Baines was one of them. He spent more time playing than working in the library. Once at the end of the term, we had to take an important test in chemistry. The test had a hundred questions. Beside each question we had to write "True" or "False". While I was studying in my room the night before the test, Fred was watching TV. Fred usually worried a lot the night before a test. But on that night he looked perfectly calm. Thenhe told me of his plan. "It's very simple. There are a hundred questions and I have to get fifty correct to pass the test. I'll just toss the coin to decide the answers. That way, I'm sure I'll get half the questions right." The next day, Fred came happily into the exam room. As he sat tossing a coin for half an hour he marked down his answers. Then he left, half an hour before the rest of us. The next day, he saw the chemistry professor in the corridor. "Oh, good," he said to the teacher, "Have you got the result of the test?" The teacher reached into his pocket and took out a coin. He threw it into the air, caught it in his hand and looked at it. "I'm terribly sorry, Fred," he said, "You failed!" Fred Baines was one of those who _ . A) did just enough to pass an exam B) didn't work hard enough for their studies C) had more important work to do than study D) were quite good at passing exams
Ans:
B