*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: An African farmer had heard tales about other farmers who had made millions of dollars by discovering diamond mines. These tales so excited the farmer that he could hardly wait to sell his farm and go prospecting for diamonds himself. So he sold the farm and spent the rest of his life wandering the African continent, searching unsuccessfully for the shining stone that brought such high prices on the markets of the world. Finally, broke and worn out, he threw himself into a river and drowned. Meanwhile, back at the farm, the man who had bought his farm happened to be crossing a small river on the property one day when he saw something shining at the bottom of the river. He picked it up. It was a sparkling stone - a good size stone - and, admiring it, he later put it on his fireplace mantel as an interesting curiosity. Several weeks later, a visitor admired the stone, looked closely at it, lifted it in his hand and nearly fainted. He asked the farmer if he knew what he'd found. When the farmer said no, that he thought it was just a piece of crystal, the visitor told him he had found one of the largest diamonds ever discovered. The farmer was astonished. He told the man that his small river was full of these brilliant stones, and his farmland was covered with them. Not all were as large, perhaps, as the one on his mantel, but they were sprinkled generously throughout his property. Needless to say, the farm the first farmer had sold, so that he could search for a diamond mine, turned out to be the most productive diamond mine on the entire African continent. Question: The visitor nearly passed out after a close look at the stone because _ . Options: A: he was shocked by the misfortune of the first farmer B: the discovery was too good to be true C: it was not discovered on his own farm D: he was blinded by the light from the stone
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Paying a higher price than usual for a ticket to see a film in 3D is the annoyance of many a cinema-goer's life. But there may be a benefit to doing so, as a study has found that 3D films exercise the brain and improve short-term functioning in a similar way to brain-training tests. The research found that people who watched a movie in 3D improved cognitive skills, compared to those who watched it in 2D. The research was led by neuroscientist Dr Patrick Fagan from Goldsmiths University in London. More than 100 people took part in the experiment, where participants watched Disney filmBig Hero 6in either standard format or RealD 3D. They also carried out a brain-training-style test before and after seeing a section from the film. The test covered memory, reaction times and cognitive function and the results were compared later. According to the research, which was carried out in partnership with science group Thrill Laboratory, participants experienced a 23 percent increase in cognitive processing, as well as an 11 percent increase in reaction times. Dr Fagan said that the results showed enough of an improvement in brain function to suggest that 3D could play a part in improving brain power in the future. "These findings are more significant than you might think," he said. "It is a fact that people are living longer and there is a noticeable decline in cognitive brain function in old age which can worsen future quality of life. There has never been a better time to look at ways to improve brain function. The initial results of this study show that 3D films may potentially play a role in slowing this decline." A second part of the experiment involved those watching the film being fitted with headsets that scanned brain activity and this too showed heightened activity when watching 3D. According to the results, participants were seven percent more engaged with what they were watching, adding to argument that 3D movies are more like watching real-life--something Professor Brendan Walker from Thrill Laboratory... Question: The text is most likely to appear in _ . Options: A: a sports newspaper B: a biology textbook C: a science magazine D: a film review
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: I wasn't interested in becoming a model at first. I worked as a receptionist in a beauty shop during high school. It was in South Dakota. A woman who had worked for Vogue--a famous fashion magazine said to me, "Why don't you go to New York and be a model?" So I went to New York at eighteen. I went to the first model agency, they thought that I was too long-waisted. It was too bad since I came all the way from South Dakota. I did an information check on the internet and found that Hunting Hartford had just bought the agency. I looked up in the telephone book and dialed. Then I went there. About half an hour later, the man who had just taken over the agency--he had been a male model before--came in. I was just staring at this unfamiliar man when he said, "You! Come into my office!" How do you feel as a fashion model? Quite OK, I should say. But you stop thinking when you are working. It takes a lot of nervous energy as well because the camera goes one, two, three very fast and you have to move very fast. I like my job because it gives me freedom. I can have half a day off to do things I like. I can't do that if I do a normal job. I never like becoming a secretary. They have to sit in the office for eight hours a day, facing the same people. Most models, after one or two years, can't be still very interested in it. But I like being a model. Maybe I was a born one, as many people say. Question: Who inspired the author's desire to become a model? Options: A: A woman customer in the beauty shop. B: Hunting Hartford. C: The author herself. D: The author's father.
**Answer**
A

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Maybe you don't think animals have certain mental powers which human beings do not have. But the truth is that some of them have instincts, and besides this, I am sure they can feel certain things we humans cannot. A personal experience showed me this. Some years ago, I had a dog named Howard. From the time when he was a puppy, he was timid, so we named him Howard, sounding like "coward"! He was especially afraid of thunderstorms. At the first flash of lightning or crash of thunder, he would run whining into his house and hide under a table. I often went for a walk with Howard. Once, as we were walking along a road, it began to rain. I quickly ran to a bus stop for shelter. The bus stop had a roof supported by metal poles. Soon after I had got there, Howard caught my trousers in his teeth and tried to pull me away. At first I was puzzled and a little angry at his behavior. But I decided to humor him and walked away from the shelter into the rain and started to go home. When I was about two hundred metres from the shelter, there came a flash of lightning and soon after, there was thunder which nearly deafened me. Howard stopped walking and began whining. Thinking he was afraid, I bent to pick him up. As I straightened up, I glanced at the bus shelter we had just left. I was shocked to see that two of the poles were bent and the roof was lying on the ground, broken. The shelter had been struck by the bolt of lightning! Question: The author named his dog Howard mainly because of _ . Options: A: his timid characteristic B: one of the author's friends Howard C: his loud sound D: his strange behaviors
**Answer**
A