*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: No opera smells of the sea quite like Britten's Peter Grimes. The music makes us constantly aware of the sea's immensity, it's potential for threat, and the play of light on its waves. But the sea isn't just a special background, it weighs on the lives of the characters, offering them a living, but at a price. In the first act the laboured sound of the strings evokes the complete heaviness of the sailor's work, as they haul the boats up the shingle . Then a storm gathers which rages through the scene at the Inn, and stirs up an orchestral hurricane. Even when it's calm and favorable, the sea is inescapable. In the comfortable enclosed world of the opera house, this can only be suggested. In the production of Peter Grimes about to open at the Aldeburgh Festival, it will be really present, because the opera is taking place on the beach, the setting for much of the narrative of Britten's opera, and also the poem by the Suffolk poet George Crabbe that inspired it. This won't be the first opera production to be set in the actual landscape in which the action takes place. There's a well-known filmed production of Tosca shot in Castel Gandolfo in Rome, and a production of Donizetti's Anna Bolena was once mounted in the moat surrounding the Tower of London. But those were manageable urban landscapes, with comfortingly solid buildings to act as wind shields and acoustic blocks. On the Aldeburgh beach there's actually nothing, apart from a few boats, some whole, some wrecked. Here anything more complicated than walking the dog is hard to solve. The wind blows away one's words, so conversation is hard, and anything not tied down tends to blow away. The sliding shingle turns one's steps into a drunken stagger. The idea of performing an opera in these conditions seems quite _ -- an accusation Aldeburgh director Jonathan Reakie takes cheerfully on the chin. Why has he done it? "Well, Grimes is the opera of Britten's that's most associated with Aldeburgh, but it's never been produced at the Festival which he founded.... Question: Reakie's partners' attitude towards his opera on a beach is _ . Options: A: eager B: cautious C: doubtful D: unfavorable
**Answer**
A

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Having a teenager at home can be a real headache. Many teenagers smoke, drink and even fight. They often do something dangerous. Earlier studies have shown that teenagers are more likely to make _ decisions than people from any other age group, including children and adults. Is it that teenagers are too young to tell right from wrong? Not really. So what's the reason? According to Laurence, a teacher from a US university, the reason is that teenagers care a lot about how their peers view them--that is "peer influence". As children enter their teenage years, they spend more time with their friends and classmates, and also they care more about what they think of them. This makes teenagers make decisions without thinking about the costs. In a test, a group of teenagers were asked to play a video driving game. When they played with their friends watching around them, they took more chances and drove more carelessly because that would increase their possibility of winning. But when they played alone, they drove more safely. Why do peers have such a big influence on teens' behavior? As Laurence sees it, a teenager's brain is like a car with a good accelerator but a weak brake . The "accelerator" is fully developed by teenage years while the "brake" is still not fully developed. When teenagers are watched by their peers, they usually push hard on the accelerator. With their weak brake, it is likely that they are going to end up in an accident. But the good news is that a violent teenager doesn't necessarily become a violent adult. About two-thirds to three-quarters of violent youth grow out of it. "They get more self-controlled." Question: According to the text, with peers around them, teenagers are more likely to _ . Options: A: use more self-control B: perform better than when they are alone C: become more careful about what they do D: care about winning without thinking about danger
**Answer**
D

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Most people think zoos are safe for animals, where struggles such as difficulty in finding food and avoiding natural enemies don't exist. Without such problems, animals in zoos should live to an old age. But that may not be true for the largest land animals on earth. Scientists have known that elephants in zoos often suffer from poor health. They develop diseases and behaviour changes. Sometimes, they even become infertile, or unable to have babies. To learn more about how elephants are affected, a team of international scientists compared the life spans of elephants born in zoos with those living outdoors in their native lands. Zoos keep detailed records of all the animals, such as birth dates, illnesses, weight and death. These records made it possible for the researchers to analyse 40 years of data on 800 African and Asian elephants in zoos across Europe. The team found that female African elephants born in zoos lived an average of 16.9 years while those in the wild lived an average of 56 years. Scientists don't yet know why wild elephants seem to be so much better than their zooraised elephants. Georgia Mason, a biologist who led the study, thinks stress and obesity may be to blame. Zoo elephants don't get the same kind of exercise they would in the wild, and most are fat. Another finding from the study showed that Asian elephants born in zoos were more likely to die early than Asian elephants caught in the wild and brought to zoos. Mason suggests stress in the mothers in zoos might cause them to have babies that are less likely to survive. Question: In order to let the elephants in the zoos live longer, people should _ . Options: A: give them a good diet B: keep their living place clean and tidy C: get them to exercise as in the wild D: try to keep as quiet as possible
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Student Membership-----Cambridge Arts Cinema Cambridge Arts Cinema is one of the art houses in Britain and home of the internationally celebrated Cambridge Film Festival. Since 1947 generations of students have discovered the wealth of world cinema. Now you too can make most of it and save money. At the Arts you can... * choose from up to 40 films a month * see up to 8 premieres each month * catch screenings when you like--we open early and close late * increase your knowledge of film with our special events--each year we run seasons on various types of films and directors * meet the filmmakers What _ you _ get _ as _ a _ member: * invitation to a preview screening * PS1 off the standard prices(PS4.50/PS3.50)for any screening including special events * your own copy of each cinema programme mailed free of charge * a card with your own membership number * 50% off membership to the Cambridge Darkroom Gallery So what are you waiting for?Just fill in the form and return it either in person or by post to: Box Office Cambridge Arts Cinema 8 Market Passage Cambridge CN2 3PF It costs PS15 to join and your card can be used from 1st October 2011 to 30th June 2012. Cinema Information:01223 572929 (24hr) Box Office:01223 50444448. Question: For what purpose is the text written? Options: A: Offering students cheaper tickets. B: Announcing the opening of a premiere. C: Telling the public of the cinema's address. D: Increasing the cinema's membership.
**Answer**
D