"It's really cool to have a dad who flies fighter jets,"thought 11-year-old Casey as she was watching him fly overhead. Living on an Air Force base was not as bad as some people might think. Casey rather enjoyed being around friends who had something in common with each other. They had their own school, bowling area, and movie theatre. She especially loved it when her dad would come home each day and greet her with a new joke and tickles. Today was different, though. When her dad walked into the room, he looked sad for some reason. He just kissed her on the forehead and told her mum that he needed to talk to her. Casey knew something was wrong. When her mum and dad came out of the other room, mum was crying. Dad sat down and began to explain that he has been called to go to Iraq to help with the war effort. Casey was so surprised that she couldn't speak for a moment. She began to feel tears in her eyes. How could she live without her dad for a whole year? Soon, the day came. Her dad was leaving. As Casey and her mom watched him climb up the steps to his cockpit, the tears began to flow and it felt like _ would never end. It was hard for Casey to believe that she wouldn't be seeing her dad for so long. They depended on him for so many things. Who would fix the broken window? Who would greet her with jokes and tickles at the end of the day? And then the thought hit her, " What if he doesn't make it home?" Casey began to sob more than ever. What can we know from the story? A) Casey's dad volunteered to help with the war. B) Casey's parents didn't let her know the truth. C) Casey's dad amused her in the morning usually. D) Children living on the base could see movies in their theater.
D
Passage 1 The Information Highway is the road that links computer users to a large number of on-line services: the Web,e-mail,and software,to mention just a few. Not long ago,the Information Highway was a new road,with not many users. Now,everyone seems to want to take a drive, with over 30 million families connected worldwide. Not surprisingly, this well-traveled highway is starting to look like a well-traveled highway. Traffic jams can cause many serious problems,forcing the system to close down for repair. Naturally,accidents will happen on such a crowded road,and usually victims are some files,gone forever. Then,of course,there' s Mr. Cool,with his new broad-band connection,who speeds down the highway faster than most of us can go. But don' t trick yourself:he pays for that speeding. Passage 2 Want to know more about global warming and how you can help prevent it?Doctor Herman Friedman,who is considered a leading expert on the subject,will speak at Grayson Hall next Friday. Friedman studied environmental science at three well-known universities around the world before becoming a professor in the subject. He has also traveled around the world observing environmental concerns. The gradual bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef,which came into the public eye in 2002,is his latest interest. Signed copies of his color1ful book,which was p ublished just last month,will be on sale after his talk. The Information Highway _ . A) is free from traffic accidents B) is crowded with car drivers C) offers just a few on-line services D) appeals to a large number of users
D
Q: Celebrity endorsements Despite the fact that companies believe celebrities had a lot of pull with regard to the buying trends of consumers, researchers have discovered that this does not seem to be the case. British and Swiss researchers carried out a study showing that advertisements made by celebrities like David Beckham and Scarlett Johansson are not as effective as those by ordinary people. In a sample of 298 students, researchers presented a magazine advertisement for a digital camera that was endorsed (...) by a fictional student claiming the camera was "hot" and his "preferred choice". The same advertisement was shown to other students, but with a difference: The camera was endorsed by a famous person in Germany. While the students said that both advertisements were beneficial, the one made by the student topped the celebrity one if students aimed to impress others with their purchases . More than half of the students, who admitted purchasing products that would impress others, said they were influenced by the student's advertisement. Only 20% said the celebrity one would affect their buying decision. Professor Brett Martin of the University of Bath's School of Management, explained that the findings could be used not only in Germany, but in other countries as well. " Our research questions whether celebrities are the best ways to sell products," said Prof Martin."Celebrities can be effective but we found that many people were more convinced by an endorsement from a fictional fellow student. This is because many people feel a need to keep up with _ when they buy." Some companies think the celebrities endorsement _ . A) is popular with the consumers B) can pull all the consumers into the shops C) can affect the consumers' purchasing D) is as effective as an endorsement from common people
A: C
(Q).
Killer bees started in Brazil in 1957. A scientist in Sao Paulo wanted bees to make more honey. So he put forty-six African bees with some Brazilian bees. _ . But the new bees were a mistake. They did not want to make more honey. They wanted to attack. Then, by accident, twenty-six African bees escaped and bred with the Brazilian bees outside. Scientists could not control the problem. The bees spread. They went from Brazil to Venezuela. Then they went to Central America. Now they are in North America. They travel about 390 miles a year. Each group of bees, or colony , grows four times a year. This means one million new colonies every five years. Why are people afraid of killer bees? People are afraid for two reasons. First, the bees sting (, ) many more times than a normal bee. Killer bees can sting sixty times a minute non-stop for two hours. Second, killer bees attack in groups. Four hundred bee stings can kill a person. Already several hundred people are dead. Now killer bees are in Texas. In a few years they will spread all over the United States. People can do nothing but wait. The bees bred and made a new kind of bee. Here "bred" means _ . A) attack B) run away C) died D) produce young
(A).
D