Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Alan took an early interest in gardening---first on his grandfather's Yorkshire allotment in Ilkley, and then in his parents' back garden. Small polythene greenhouses appeared in the back garden, and cacti were bought from church markets. Alan left school at fifteen with one 'O' level in Art and took a job as an apprentice gardener in Ilkley Parks Department nursery, studying for his City and Guilds in Horticulture in the evening. He went on to horticultural college at Oaklands in Hertfordshire where he studied for one year full-time, being awarded the National Certificate in Horticultural. This was followed by three years at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, resulting in the award of the Kew Diploma. After two years as supervisor of staff training at Kew, Alan entered journalism where he became first a gardening books editor, and then Deputy Editor of Amateur Gardening magazine. He appeared regularly on BBC Radio and Television in programs such as Nationwide , Breakfast Time, Open Air, Pebble Mill, Songs of Praise, Titchmarsh's Travels, and the Chelsea Flower Show. He presented the 100th edition of The Word for Channel 4, and hosted the quiz show Ask the Family. Gardeners' World and the hugely popular Ground Force, second only to Easterners in the BBC1 ratings, are broadcast as far as Australia, New Zealand and North America. After leaving both programs, Alan worked on two other series for the BBC to be transmitted in 2003 and 2004, one of them a landmark series on the natural history of Britain. Alan writes for the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Radio Times and BBC Gardeners' World magazine, and has more than thirty gardening books to his credit. His four novels, as well as a book about his own life, have been best sellers. Alan, 53, gardens organically, and lives with his wife, two daughters and a medley of animals. Question: Which of the following four programs is more popular than Ground Force in the BBC1 ratings? - Breakfast Time. - Radio Time. - Gardeners' World. - Easterners.
Easterners.

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: When you think of American culture, what first comes to your mind? McDonald's? Coca Cola? Disneyland? Michael Jordan? Many people imagine American culture is a collection of popular symbols like these. Actually, these symbols are only one small part of American culture--pop culture. What is pop culture? Well, pop is short for popular. The origins of pop culture can often be traced to popular movies, television shows, music stars and sports figures. Pop culture is also promoted by business and advertising. The most common examples of American pop culture appear among high school and college students. Trends set by famous personalities quickly become part of young people's lifestyles. American pop culture has spread around the world. One major reason for its popularity is that English is a universal language. English is the language of diplomacy , international business and transportation. Since language and culture go together, learning English means becoming aware of English-speaking cultures. Also, America is a world leader in movies, music and magazines. The kind of American culture communicated in those media is pop culture. Finally, pop culture is easy to package and to export. For that reason, it is easy to "sell" to the world. Many people assume that American pop culture is what America is all about. Does pop culture reflect the true culture of America? Yes and no. Pop culture does represent a part of American society--especially urban young people. But American pop culture is _ and ever-changing. It is an artificial and superficial picture of America. If you want to learn about real American culture, you'll have to go a little farther than McDonald's. Question: According to the passage, the following statements are true EXCEPT _ . - English plays an important part in spreading American culture - English is the most important language in the world - McDonald's is a kind of typical American pop culture - pop culture reflects the true culture of America in some way
McDonald's is a kind of typical American pop culture

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Once upon a time, there was a farmer in central China. He didn't have money, so instead of a tractor , he used an old horse to plow his field . One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse fell down, dead. Everyone in the village said, "Oh, what a horrible thing!" The farmer said simply, "We'll see." He was so peaceful and so calm that everyone in the village got together and, admiring his attitude, gave him a new horse as a gift. Everyone's reaction now was, "What a lucky man!" And the farmer said, "We'll see." A couple of days later, the new horse jumped over a fence and ran away. Everyone in the village shook their heads and said, "What a poor fellow!" The farmer smiled and said, "We'll see." Eventually, the horse found his way home, and everyone said, "What a fortunate man!" The farmer said, "We'll see." Later in the year, the farmer's young boy went out riding the horse and fell and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, "What a poor boy!" The farmer said, "We'll see." Two days later, the army came into the village to draft new recruits .When they saw the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to recruit him. Everyone said, "What a fortunate young man!" The farmer smiled again and said, "We'll see." There's no use in overreacting to the events and circumstances of our everyday lives. When our hearts are in the right place, all events and circumstances are gifts that we can learn valuable lessons from. Question: What can we conclude from the farmer's experience? - Neighbors are usually of little help. - One should take care of their own business. - What looks like a setback may be a gift. - An act of kindness can mean a lot.
What looks like a setback may be a gift.