Last summer I was lucky enough to participate in a volunteer adventure to Kenya, in association with Virgin Atlantic's Be the Change programme and children's charity, Free the Children. The moment I read the e-mail saying that I had been accepted into Free the Children's Virgin Atlantic scholarship trip to Kenya, I had no idea how much it was going to change my life. I thought the trip would be a great way to learn about life in one of the most rural areas of Kenya, but I never thought about how deeply I might be affected by this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When we entered the Masai Mara, the first thing that struck me was how unbelievably beautiful it was. As I looked closer to it, I realized there was something even more beautiful: the people. I have never been to a place where the saying "the people are what make the place" was more true. The way they wave at you excitedly as you drive past, shouting "Jambo, Jambo!" is something that I have never experienced. They are always smiling and welcoming and it made me realize that, if everyone were to act like this, the world would be a much happier place. The most amazing thing about the trip was that we weren't treated like tourists for one second. We were able to experience every little detail. We built foundations, carried ten litres of water... The one thing I will never forget is visiting Emorijoi Primary School. Let me describe it like this: As soon as you entered into the gate, you would hear someone shouting your name. Then you looked around and realized that it was the same little girl that you were playing football with the last time you visited. There are literally no words to explain how much I miss Kenya. It feels like there is a piece of string attaching me to everyone that I met there. They will stay with me forever and always be in my heart. When the author was informed she was in the volunteer adventure, _ A) she didn't think much of it B) she pretended to be excited C) she became proud of herself D) she hoped to learn more about Kenya
A
(Question)
Right now in China, talks on the street have been about the strange weather and it's raising a lot of concerns. A heavy haze has blanketed many cities in the northern and southern parts of the country in part of an unusual weather system that's descended on the nation. The haze stretches over a vast area, from Hebei and Shan-dong Provinces in the north all the way to Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan and Fujian provinces in the south. At its worst, the smog is reducing visibility to less than 200 meters and disrupting traffic, both on the ground and in the air. The weather front has also led many to worry about the possible health impacts. Many cities are waking up to another day covered by a dense haze. In Beijing, drivers have to keep their lights on even though it's already past eight o'clock in the morning. Even driving at very slow speeds, the roads can still be very dangerous. In some of the worst hit areas, drivers can't even tell the colors of traffic signals. Authorities have stepped in to close off many highways across the troubled region. In Shandong Province, the highways that are open are backed up for miles. And traffic police have stepped up their patrols. In the region's airports, flights information boards have gone red. A huge number of flights have been delayed or cancelled, nearly three hundred in Beijing alone, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. Some are more frustrated than impatient. Passenger from Jinan airport, Shangdong province, said: "I've been waiting for more than five hours. It's Mother Nature, so there's really nothing we can do." The airport is urging passengers to confirm with their carrier whether their flight will still take off as scheduled. Back on the city streets, people are wearing breathing masks to get free from any ill effects. Fog has cleared a little in Shanghai. But damage has already been done. Shanghai resident said: "I've been wearing the mask, but still, my throat feels sour and itchy. I think it's because of the weather." The weather forecast predicts... The harm the smog caused didn't include _ . A) reducing visibility to less than 200 meters B) disrupting traffic C) health problems D) heavy fog
(Answer)
C
Dear editor, I am writing to ask what has happened to our young people.They are not as polite or hard-working as my generation(I will give you two examples. Last Friday, I got on the underground at 9:15 a.m. It was very crowded so there was no free seat.There were some boys sitting on the seats near me.I didn't know why they were not at school.They were talking and laughing loudly. It was difficult for me to read my newspaper with all the noise.At the next stop, a pregnant woman and her daughter got on with lots of shopping bags.I expected the boys to let them sit down.They saw the woman but they did nothing.I had to ask them to give the woman and her daughter seats. They did so but gave me a rude look. Last Saturday, I had dinner with my friend's family.I was glad to see his children, who I hadn't seen for ten years.During the dinner, I started talking about world politics with the children.It soon became clear that they didn't know much about it.They couldn't tell me the name of the King of Spain or President of Italy.All they knew about was the Internet or which singers were the most beautiful.In my days, students knew the kings, the queens and the presidents of every country in Europe. I worry about the future of Germany.How could these young people become good workers and parents? They sit around McDonald's after school instead of going to the library like I did at their age.Maybe they have too much money.Perhaps some readers can give us some ideas about what to do with this "lost generation". Yours sincerely, Frantz Vogts. Mr Vogts was disappointed at the dinner because _ . A) he was not politely treated B) he had different opinions on the world politics from his friend C) the children cared more about the Internet than he D) the children did not know much about world politics
D