The film starts out as a normal day at a typical American high school. Friends chat in the dining room and boys play football. But there's big surprise when the movie ends with two students going crazy in the school shouting and killing people. This is Elephant. It stars real school kids. American director Gus Van Sant had no ready-made lines. The student actors made up their own dialogue, with Van Sant asking them to base their characters on their own lives. Although it may not sound very high quality, the film won the Palme d'Or for Best Film and the award for Best Director at the Cannes film festival. The film is based on the shootings at a high school in the US, where two boys killed 13 people and then themselves in 1999. The title of the movie refers to the old expression about a problem that's as hard to ignore as an elephant in the house. The film takes a close look at a few hours in the lives of the victims and the killers. It shows how high school is a different experience for everyone - - fun and friendly, or hard and lonely. In many ways, the two boys, who carry out the shooting, act like ordinary kids. They joke around with one boy's mother as she serves them cakes and play the piano. But there're hints of the anger they feel inside. One of the boys is bullied at school. The other plays violent video games. But Van Sant isn't blaming their killings on either bullying or violent games. In fact, the film doesn't offer any reason for why school violence happens. "I didn't want to explain anything. It's up to the audience to draw its own conclusions," said the 51-year-old director . This text is mainly written to _ . A) report a school killing in a US school B) tell people to be careful while in peace C) introduce the film Elephant D) show American school life
C
Vitamin D helps bones and muscles grow strong and healthy. Low levels of vitamin D can lead to diseases such asrickets , mainly found in children. The thinning of bone is a common problem as people, especially women, get older. But more and more research is suggesting that vitamin D might also help prevent many diseases. The easiest way to get vitamin D is from sunlight. The sun'sultraviolet rays react with skin cells to produce vitamin D. But many people worry about getting skin cancer and skin damage from the sun. As a result they stay out of the sun. Also, darker-skinned people produce less vitamin D than lighter-skinned people. The amount also decreases in older people and those living in northern areas that get less sunlight. Not many foods naturally contain vitamin D. Foods high in this vitamin include oily fish andfish liveroils . Farmed fish have only about one-fourth as much vitamin D as wild fish. Small amounts of vitamin D are found in beef liver, cheese and egg yolks. But most of the vitamin D in the American diet comes from foods such as milk. Research in the last several years has shown that low levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of heart attacks in men and deaths from some cancers. More doctors are now having their patients tested for their vitamin D levels. But as research continues, some experts worry that if people take too much vitamin D, it might act as a poison. Also, skin doctors warn people to be careful with sun exposure because of the risk of skin cancer. Which of the following people produce the least amount of vitamin D? _ A) Elderly darker-skinned people. B) Young lighter-skinned people. C) Elderly lighter-skinned people. D) Young darker-skinned people.
A
Q: Butterfly gardens can be grown throughout the United States.There is a wide variety of both butterflyattracting (nectar) plants and host plants covering climate zones throughout the country.Butterfly gardens can range in size from a few containers placed in a sunny spot to several acres. Nectarproducing plants will attract butterflies to your garden.In order to support a full butterfly life cycle,host plants (for laying eggs and used as a caterpillar food source) must also be present. Throughout the country,the general requirements for butterfly gardening are the same:full sun,nectar source plants,larval host plants,a pesticidefree environment,and knowledge of the local butterfly species.Many butterflyattracting plants are natives and require little attention,as they are naturally adapted to the region in which they live. Butterfly gardens are best planted in spring with younger plants or in fall with mature plants that will become dormant quickly and reemerge in spring.It is best not to plant in the heat of summer or the cold of winter. One of the most common mistakes in butterfly gardening is planting only one nectar source.Adult butterflies have a very short lifespan.Planting a variety of nectar sources will encourage more butterflies to visit the garden.Planting an adequate supply of host plants gives butterflies a place to lay their eggs,which will successfully hatch and result in butterflies that will continue to visit the garden. Butterflies typically lay their eggs in late spring and hatch 3-6 days after they are laid.It takes 3-4 weeks for a caterpillar to pupate and 9-14 days to emerge as an adult. Good resources for learning more about butterfly gardening include zoos,botanical gardens,butterfly houses,garden centers and nurseries,libraries and the Internet.There are many good websites dedicated to butterflies and butterfly gardening. Which seasons are suitable for planting butterfly gardens? A) Spring and summer. B) Summer and fall. C) Summer and winter. D) Spring and fall.
A: D
(Question)
Gauri Nanda sees a wearable computer as a handbag -- one that's built out of four-inch squares and triangles of fiber, with tiny computer chips embedded in it. It looks, feels and weighs like your typical leather purse. That's where similarities end: This bag can wirelessly keep track of your belongings and remind you, just as you're about to leave the house, to take your wallet. It can review the weather report and suggest that you grab an umbrella. This purse can even upload your favorite songs onto your scarf. Sure, a computing purse and scarf set may seem like the stuff of science fiction. But these devices, part of next generation of wearable computers, could become commonplace within a few years. DuPont created new super strong fibers that can conduct electricity and can be woven into ordinary-looking clothes. And the chipmaker developed chip packaging allowing wearable computers to be washed, even in the heavy-duty cycle. As a result, these new wearable devices are different from the heavy and downright silly versions of the recent past, which often required users to be wrapped in wires and type on their stomachs. Unlike their predecessors, these new wearable computers also make economic sense. When her bag becomes commercially available in two to three years, Nanda expects it will cost around $150, which is the price of an average leather purse. Here's how the bag works: You place a special radio-signal-transmitting chip on to your wallet. A similar radio in your purse picks up the signal and notifies you that you've forgotten to take your wallet. In turn, sensors on your purse's handles will notify the computer that you've picked up the purse and are ready to go. _ Indeed, more people will want to cross that bridge in the coming years -- making for a booming market for wearable computers that don't like something out of science fiction. The purpose of the passage is _ . A) to introduce a new kind of computer B) to explain the function of computers C) to compare different types of computers D) to show how high technology affects our life
(Answer)
A