When my dad was a very young man, he was one of the few people in the small community of North Apollo, who owned a car. When he and Mom got married, they went on their honeymoon in that old Ford, but they had to turn around and pay a visit to the garage because the car didn't have enough power to drive them going forward. When I was too young to remember, my dad owned a truck in which we all went nutting and berry picking. It was an important day when Daddy decided to buy a family car. It must have been about 1937 or 1938 when he purchased a 1929 Chevrolet sedan. We loved that old car. On Saturday evenings, after dinner, the whole family would pile into that old square sedan, go up to Whitlinger's grocery store and buy a bag of Hershey's Kisses. Then Daddy would head out toward the country and drive all around the old country roads while we fed ourselves on chocolates. That was the highlight of our week. I didn't know which we enjoyed most, the chocolates or riding in the car. The first car I owned was a Packard touring car. My cousin Janet and I were living in Washington D.C., and mostly rode the streetcars to wherever we wanted to go. Janet's friend Kathy had learned to drive so the three of us decided to buy a car for ourselves. We picked out this old Packard because it was all we could afford. Every American living today can tell stories about the cars they have driven. I love to drive. I am most excited when I'm headed to the garage with my car keys in my hand. The car I own now is a 1998 Buick Century with a mark where I backed into a tree. I love the freedom I feel just moving down the road in that old car. I am almost certain that when I get to heaven, God will have that old car sitting there waiting for me to drive down that golden street. The author decided to buy his own car because _ . A) he passed his driving test and got a license B) he wanted to change his way of getting around C) he intended to stay with Janet and Kathy D) he fell in love with that Packard at first sight
B
According to a survey,more Europeans go digitalchanging from fixed lines to mobile phones and from narrowband to broadband Internet connections. The survey showed that 22 percent of EU households use only mobile phones, up from I8 percent a year ago,while the percentage of households with at least one fixed line decreased by 5 percent to 72 percent, although the percentage of households with at least one mobile phone remains fairly stable at 8l per cent. Broadband is presenting a rapid upward trend in the EU, showed the survey, which polled(...)27,000 households across the union. 'Itventy-eight percent of households are now connected to the Internet via high-speed "broadband" links, up six percent from last year, while narrowband usage has dipped by three percentage points to 12 percent. More than half of households access the Internet via an ADSL line and 34 percent of broadband connections are wireless. "Europe's digital economy is growing strongly as more and more households love to choose between fixed, mobile and Internet services," said EU Information Society and Media Commissioner wiane Reding. "The challenge of this year's reform of the EU's telecom rules will be to respond to this rapidly changing technological environment while enhancing at the same time effective competition:' Meanwhile, nearly 20 percent of Europeans buy two or more telecom products from a single service provider, the combination of fixed telephony and.Internet access being the most common. The result may strengthen the commission's case for breaking up telecom giants, whose control over the fixed line networks~accused of hindering competition."Today's survey findings will feed into the ongoing public debate on the reform of the EU telecom rules, planned for summer this year," said Reding. The best title of this article is A) Mobile Phones Become Popular B) More Europeans Go Digital C) The disappearance of the fixed line D) The Rules of the EU's Telecom
B
Q: Step into Pat Lundin's home and you'll be greeted by 500 smiling faces of dolls. Lundin, 82, describes herself as "doll crazy". And she's not alone. As a member of Timeless Treasures Doll Club of Largo, she frequently meets with 25 other women who share her hobby. Once a month, they gather at the Palms of Largo to show off their latest finds and catch up on news in the world of doll collecting. On Saturday, the club will hold the Palms of Largo Fifth Annual Doll Show. The program will include 37 vendors with both classic and contemporary dolls for sale. "Timeless Treasures is a club that's open to doll lovers regardless of the age of the doll," said Judy Smith, president of the organization. "Some doll clubs require members have a certain number of antique dolls, but we don't. we make sure we are not terribly formal." Smith, 71, is a retired schoolteacher who owns Judy's Doll Hospital, a part-time business she operates out of her home. She will have a table offering repair and appraisal services. Smith firs began studying and collecting dolls in her early 20s,in Glassboro, New Jersey, she does not know how many dolls she owns, or how many repairs she has made over the years. But she does know the age of her oldest doll. "She's 129," Smith said. "It is a German-made doll that belonged to my grandmother , and it sits in my living room." The show is for both the beginner as well as the experienced collector, said Anita Munson, one of the show's organizers. Over the years, Munson, 82, has learned how to identify a valuable doll. "Generally speaking porcelain dolls are the most valuable," she said. "But the porcelain will not be shiny." Smith believes many people will attend to find out how much their dolls are worth. She wants them to know more. "Because the dolls reflect what the children were wearing and doing at a particular period of time, they can be a great history lesson for children now," she said. The passage is written mainly to _ . A) describe the color1ful life of a group of elderly women B) explain why some people like collecting old dolls C) introduce a recent doll show and its host organization D) offer knowledge and experience about doll collecting
A: C
*Question*
For shopoholics, the post-Christmas period means only one thing ---- sales! Across the country, prices are reducing sharply on clothing, electronics and home furniture, but London is the place for serious shopping, and you can certainly pick up some amazing bargains. The sales start on Boxing Day -- 26th December, and continue for the month of January, but the keenest bargain hunters get there early to be first through the doors. In Oxford Street queues formed outside shops ahead of before-dawn openings for the start of their sales. At Brent Cross, in north London, more than 1,000 people were queuing at 3.30 am for the 'Next' clothing store's sale which began at 4 am. Some eager individuals even camped outside the shops to be first in the line. Consumers who _ were rewarded with discounts of as much as 80% as department stores joined the bargain sales. The shops are very crowded as the sales reached the boiling-point, with more than half a million people gathering on London's West End. Famous sales include the biggest, most popular shops such as Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty and John Lewis. Department stores are always a good bet -- you're likely to find everything you need under one roof, including much-needed food and drinks! It's a good time to stock up on cheap small tools, and there's no better time to invest in some designer clothes. Some people are taking their partners shopping with them, and buying their Christmas presents in the sale----a practical but unromantic way of making sure you get the gift you really want. For a less exciting but less stressful shopping experience, online sellers are also getting in on the act with January sales of their own. The most organized of all are those who are already doing their present shopping for next Christmas, in the January sales! What is the best title for this passage? A) January Sales B) Sales in London at Christmas C) Practical but Unromantic Shopping D) Shopping under One Roof
**Answer**
A