Catherine Destivelle is a rock star. She loves rock, but she can't sing or play the guitar! She is a rock climber and a big star in France and Italy. She is the most famous woman climber in the world because she often climbs without ropes. She climbs in many countries but most often in the French Alps near Chamonix, where she lives. She started climbing near her home in Paris when she was five. Then, at fourteen, she joined the French Alpine Club to learn more, but immediately she climbed better and more quickly than the older members of the club. She won her first competition in Italy in 1995. Three years ago she found a new route up the Dru Mountain near Chamonix. The climb took eleven days and for four days the snow was so heavy that she could not move. Last year other climbers tried to follow the new Destivelle Route, but they failed. They are going to try again this year. People always ask her about her climbing. She says, "I climb because I'm in love with mountains. I like touching the rock and reading the face of the rock. I like it a lot. I felt at home on the side of a mountain. I prepare well before I go, so I'm never worried." Catherine chooses new mountains from books--like buying from a shopping catalogue! "I see a nice mountain and I go to climb it!" Her next mountain is in Pakistan. She is going there next month. "It's much bigger than the Dru, so it's going to take longer to climb. An American climber, Jeff Lowe, is coming with me to help." We can infer from the passage people often ask her " _ ". A) Why do you like climbing? B) Are you in love with an American climber? C) Do you enjoy reading books on mountains? D) What do you do before you go climbing?
A
(Question)
Ideas about education are changing in the United States. Education today is not just a high school diploma or a college degree. Many adults are not interested in going to college. They are interested in other kinds of learning. For them, learning does not end with a diploma. Continuing education gives these adults the chance to increase their knowledge. It also gives them a chance to improve their old skills or to learn new ones. If they know more or learn more, then they can get a better job or earn more money. There are usually a large number of classes to choose from. Some adults learn new skills. Some take classes for fun or because the class will be useful for them. Others take classes to improve their own lives because they want to feel better about themselves. And still others learn how to be good parents, or how to get along with other people. There are many chances for adults to continue their learning. Almost any community college or public school system has a continuing education program. There are classes in schools, buildings, or churches. Most classes are in the evening, so working people can attend. The classes are usually small, and they are inexpensive. Thousands of people take continuing education classes each year. They receive no diploma and no grade for most of the classes they attend. For them, learning is something they do because they want to. We can infer from the passage that _ . A) college education is not important B) adult education is very popular C) other kinds of learning are more important than school learning D) continuing education classes teach the same courses that are taught in colleges
(Answer)
B
Ques: American middle school students don't seem to care that they're worse at maths than their counterparts in China's Hong Kong and Finland. "I don't need it," my student says, "I'm going to be a basketball star." Or a car mechanic, or a singer. Middle school students' maths skills were tested by the International Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The United States ranked 28th out of 41 countries tested. After all, when was the last time you used algebra ? But maths isn't just about training Americans to become scientists. It has its own value. It helps you see patterns and develops your logic skills, and it teaches you to concentrate and to separate truth from falsehood. Maths helps you make wise financial decisions, so you can avoid false claims from advertisers, politicians and others. It helps you determine risk. For example, after an airplane crash, studies show that people are more likely to drive than to take a plane in spite of the fact that they are much more likely to be killed or injured while driving. Planes are not like criminals who repeat the same crime over and over. One plane is not more likely to crash just because another plane recently did. In fact, the most dangerous time to drive is probably right after a plane crash because so many people are on the road. It is not possible to really understand science and the scientific method without understanding maths. A rainbow is even more beautiful and amazing when we understand it. The precision of maths helps us think in a very special way. How do we bring the learning of maths back to life? I don't have the big answer. I try my best to help pupils find answers to some maths problems. When I can get one to say, "Wow, that's great," I feel the joy of a small victory. Some American students don't care about their poor maths results because _ . A) maths is useless to most people B) they have no interest in maths C) they think maths has nothing to do with their future D) they don't do well in maths
Ans: C
My parents lived to be ninety-three and ninety-four. Mother lived longer and kept her mental sharpness until a few days before she died. Dad suffered from dementia probably for the last six months of his life. It's hard to say how long because his dear wife knew how to cover his forgetfulness or sometimes strange behavior up for him. There were times, however, when mother became totally frustrated with the changes she saw taking place and she would blame him for doing things on purpose just to make her angry. He loved juicy fruit gum, but she kept it hidden from sight and rationed it because he could chew five or six sticks in an hour and ask for another package. "I have to watch him like a hawk." she said. Even though they lived in an assisted-living facility, my father would not bathe himself and would not let any staff person help him. So mother adjusted his shower temperature, washed his back, brought him a dry towel, and helped him dress. With her heart failure and the need for oxygen full time, this chore wore her out, both physically and emotionally. Then he started getting up in the middle of night. He would go into their bathroom, which was actually a part of their bedroom, turn on all the lights, and shave. Mother could not convince him to return to bed until he finished. As a result, mother couldn't get enough sleep at night. I don't have any answers that might have made their last months together any easier. Since they were very private people, sometimes it was hard to know what was really going on. When I stopped by their place, mother would talk nonstop as usual and daddy would smile a lot, like what he used to do. I took along food they enjoyed to them, like smoothies or milkshakes. Mother lovedorchids and they thrived under her care so she usually received one for any special occasion. Daddy would often let me brush his "angel hair", as mother named it, and I might help her fasten jewelry. All of these little things were ways to say "I love you", but we didn't often discuss some of the truly... What can we conclude after reading the passage? A) The writer's family isn't filled with love. B) It's not easy to care for someone with dementia. C) It's hard to say the writer cares about her parents. D) The writer knows how to make others' lives easier.
B