In today's consumer world, we've never had so much, yet it seems we've never been so unsatisfied. The cost of housing has been rising for decades, and the cost to the planet has been huge, too. But there is a way to live a simpler, greener, and more affordable life: buy a TinyDwelling home! TinyDwelling homes are very small, yet comfortable houses at affordable prices. Each TinyDwelling home has a contemporary design and included a living room, kitchen, bathroom, upstairs sleeping area, and convenient storage space. TinyDwelling homes are cheap to run and ecologically-friendly, too. All you need is a small heater to keep your house warm in cold weather, and solar panels in order to provide light and electricity. TinyDwelling is part of the small-living movement that began in the late 1990s. Back then, a growing number of people began to live in very small homes. They wanted to reduce their possessions, living space, and energy costs, so as to lead more ecologically-friendly lives. But the small-living movement really took off after the economic crisis of 2008, when many people realized that they couldn't afford to keep large homes. Lizzy Morriaon, a small-living enthusiast, started TinyDwelling homes in 2008 to meet the needs of these people. Since then, Lizzy has been designing and building homes nonstop, and TinyDwelling homes have become so popular that thousands of people have bought one. And Lizzy hasn't only designing and building houses. She has also been teaching people how to build them. Simply buy the plans and materials so that you can build your own home, and save even more money! What do we know about the small-living movement? A) It aimed to handle the economic crisis. B) It was started by people without houses. C) It was well received by house designers. D) It did not become quite popular until 2008.
D
(Question)
China plans to make new rules to give more controls over the growing number of blogs and webcasts. Nowadays, advanced network technologies, such as blogging and webcasting, are being improved to challenge the government's ability to watch over the Internet. Chinese government is in the middle of making new rules over Internet publishing, and blogs and websites publishing webcasts will fall under these rules. Government officials hope the new rules will ensure a more healthy and active Internet environment and will fully respect and protect Chinese citizens' freedom of speech. Specific details on what kind of rules will be carried out are still unknown to the public. Despite the growing popularity, bloggers and webcasters have been unpopular with publication institutions. In 2006, a series of cases involving bloggers who had dived into other people's privacy and written materials ruining other's fame urged the government to consider whether to require bloggers to use their real names when they _ Webcasting without copyright and illegally "copying" products from copyrighted materials have also led government officials to consider starting a nationwide check of online video broadcasting, and allow only qualified websites to offer webcasts. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A) Publication institutions are unhappy with bloggers and webcasters. B) Copyrighted materials can only be offered to qualified websites. C) Webcasters are quite aware of the copyright issues while online. D) All bloggers and webcasters like to dig out other people's privacy.
(Answer)
A
Ques: Almost everyone accepts the fact that crime can never be wiped out entirely. Thus control of crime becomes the focus of police and government around the world. The question lawmakers must answer is, "Which system of criminal punishment works best for society?" Each country has developed its own ideas for solution to this question, and these solutions then determine how criminals are punished under different systems. However, none of the current system in use has proved 100 percent effective. There are many ideas about punishment of criminals. Some systems look only to get retribution against criminals. These systems work to frighten criminals away from repeating a crime in the future. These systems also try to deter others in society by using the criminal as an example of what can happen to a person if he or she is caught committing crimes. Rehabilitation is another philosophy by which many systems of punishment operate. The goal of these systems is to return a former criminal to society after a required period of treatment and training, usually in prisons. The idea is to help change the person's behavior so that he or she becomes a law-abiding citizen. Capital punishment is another form of punishment which systems use in extreme criminal cases, sometimes involving such crimes as a murder, rape, and violent theft. In these cases, the person is put to death. Today, capital punishment is used in relatively few countries. Many countries have done away with it. In other words, capital punishment remains only in officially law books but is rarely used. However, capital punishment remains in use in some countries including the United States. When looking at the number of crimes committed, the effectiveness of any of these forms of punishment comes into question. In the United States, for example, 80 percent of the people arrested each year are male, and the majority of these are young men or boys. One-third of all auto thefts, robberies, and burglaries are committed by young men under the age of 18. Generally,... What is the main purpose behind retribution? A) To satisfy the victim B) To create repeat offenders C) To frighten future criminals D) To take criminals out of society
Ans: C
The Museum of Fine Arts, located in Boston Massachusetts, was founded in 1870. The current buildings, the result of many additions and restructures of the original building, were completed in 1981. Today the museum is home to more than 25,000 square feet of exhibition space. The collection varies and includes Asian art, Egyptian Old Kingdom sculptures, and collections of silver, decorative arts, furniture drawings, costumes, and musical instruments. One special note is the Museum extensive Impressionistic collection. Work from such artists as Degas, Van Gogh, and Monet are included and available for viewing. The original building of Museum of Fine Arts was completed in _ . A) 1981 B) the late half of the 18thcentury C) the late half of the 19thcentury D) the late half of the 20thcentury
C