The old shopkeeper led me through to the back of the shop. The room was filled with boxes and dusty photographs of people holding packages in their hands. Mr. Hopkins said, "We have a very wide choice of items for sale. Whenever I serve a new customer, I take his picture. " Mr. Hopkins pointed to an ancient camera on a table. I began to appreciate the lovely items on sale. I spent a very pleasant hour being shown the _ in the shop. Finally, I bought an antique jewelry box, a pair of riding boots and a sewing machine. I was very excited that I had found such a good little shop. "I will tell all my friends about your love-ly place. " I told the shopkeeper. "Please don't do that, sir. " said Mr. Hopkins. "This is a special place for special people. You must keep this shop a secret. " Then he took my photograph and handed me the picture straight away. " That was quick ! " I exclaimed. In the picture I looked proud and excited holding the presents I had bought there. On Christmas Day, my friends and relatives were delighted with the presents I had bought for them. For weeks, my brother begged me to take him to the wonderful little shop. I finally agreed. We walked along Oxford Street, past the department store and found---nothing. In its place was an empty space being used as a car park. I checked the area again. There was the music shop, and there was the department store. In between should have been Hopkins and Son, but it wasn't there. Just then, an old policeman came. "Are you looking for something, sir?" he asked. "I am looking for a little shop called Hopkins and Son. " "Oh yes, there was a shop here 'once called Hopkins and Son. But it was knocked down over 30 years ago. " I looked again at the place, then I reached into my pocket and took out the photograph that Mr. Hop-kins had taken of me holding my presents in the little shop. " How strange ! " I screamed. What did the author think of Hopkins and Son? A) Big and modem. B) Old and outdated. C) Little and dusty. D) Lovely and wonderful.
D
More than half of the parents in the United States are helping, or have helped, support their adult children who have been hit by high unemployment and poor wages , according to a new survey. It showed that present economic conditions are discouraging young adults from leaving home and forcing those who have already gone, so-called boomerang kids, to return. "Parents are continuing their financial involvement longer than we expected," said Ted Beck, president of National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE). About 60 percent of parents questioned in the survey said they're helping their adult children who are no longer in school financially. Half are providing housing and nearly half are helping with living expenses. For an increasing number of adult children, the situation is bad. Two-thirds of adult children, aged 18 to 39, who are not in school said they faced tougher financial pressures than previous generations, according to the survey. And nearly one-third of parents agreed that it was easier for them to find their financial feet than for their children. Parents are helping their children out of genuine concern because they do not want to see them struggle. But Beck said that parents who make sacrifices to help their adult children should be careful about their own finances. "If you are taking on extra debt or delaying retirement to help your adult child, you could be making a mistake and putting your own financial future in danger," Beck warned. Boomerang children can also cause other problems for their parents. Thirty percent of parents said they had given up privacy since their adult children moved back home, while more than a quarter have taken on added debt, and seven percent have delayed retirement. But the survey also showed 42 percent of adult children living at home are helping with the cooking and cleaning. According to the survey, we can infer that _ . A) about 30% of parents offer their adult children housing B) one-third of adult children earn money more easily than their parents C) two-thirds of adult children are faced with financial problems in school D) about 50% of parents give money to their adult children to cover the daily cost
A
Q: Envy seems to be bad-but it doesn't have to be. Researchers are finding that, if approached the right way, there can actually be an advantage. Psychologists classify envy in two ways: negative and positive. With positive envy, you are motivated by another person's success and struggle to follow it. With negative envy, you want to cut the advantaged person down so you look better by comparison. Let's say you feel sufferings of envy after your rival at another firm gets promoted. Negative envy might drive you to destroy his success, but positive envy would inspire you to work harder and get promoted, too. Studies show positive envy can be a great motivator . In a 2011 study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, researchers in the Netherlands conducted a series of experiments with more than 200 university students. Researchers found that when they caused feelings of positive envy----as opposed to admiration or negative envy----in the students, it drove them to want to study more and perform better on a test measuring creativity and intelligence. While admiration may feel better, the researchers found, it doesn't motivate performance like the pain and frustration of envy. "Those painful sufferings of envy are there for an evolutionary reason," says Texas Christian University researcher Sarah E. Hill, "warning us that someone has something of importance to us." Building on this theory, Dr. Hill and others conducted a series of experiments, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, to test whether envy improves attention and memory----the tools needed to copy a rival's steps to success. In one experiment, half of the participants were asked to recall past feelings of envy; the other half weren't. The two groups were then shown mock interviews of imaginary peers. The group filled with envy paid closer attention and better recalled details about the interview subjects. In other words, envy made them more astute . Not only can envy motivate us to reach for higher goals,... What's the benefit of positive envy? A) It inspires you to find a possible rival to try to defeat them. B) It encourages you to work harder with a positive attitude. C) It won't hurt your opponents in the same firm. D) It won't destroy your success at another firm.
A: B
*Question*
It can't be truer that when in Rome do as the Romans do. So it's necessary for you to know what you can talk with the local people in France, Australia and Switzerland, and different customs of these countries. In France You'll find that conversations often turn into heated debates. Give opinions only on subjects that you are knowledgeable about. There is rarely a moment of silence, except when the topic under discussion has been exhausted, and nothing new has been introduced. Food, art, music and current events or history are welcome topics. French believe in freedom, and you can criticize anyone, but not Napoleon, who is a symbol of French spirit and never use the standard. U.S. conversation opener "What do you do". In Australia Australians tend to be enthusiastic debaters. A wide range of topics may be open to discussion, including religion and politics. The best policy, however, is to wait for Australian companions to bring up these two subjects; be prepared to hear their arguments. Sport is a common topic of conversation in Australia and Australians tend to use sporting comparisons. Australians like to criticize themselves, but they can't stand criticism from others. Don't talk big;instead Australians prefer to judge your competence and abilities through your actions. People who show off their education in conversation may be subject to teasing. In Switzerland The Swiss may seem cold. Once you get close to them, however, you'll find that they are honest, responsible people, who will be loyal to your interests. They are good listeners and will remember practically everything you say to them. Sometimes they will even go so far as to take notes while you speak. The Swiss are a very private people, so you should avoid asking personal questions. They can be rather serious, so it is advisable to avoid making jokes on them. What is the best title of the passage? A) Talking in western countries B) How to argue with foreigners C) Things that can't be talked with foreigners D) How to adapt to the life in western countries
**Answer**
A