Mum, it's me. Hopefully, this Mothering Sunday you will get to hear those three words. I will, of course, try to phone you. I hope we will be able to speak for the allowed 10 minutes. But I suspect many inmates will be using the phone, so if I don't call and if we don't speak, then this is what I would have said: It's not your fault that I am here. I know that deep in your heart you have questioned whether my current circumstance is somehow your fault, if the reckless stupidity of my past is somehow a failure on your part. It is not. Only one person is to blame, only one person should hurt -- me. You have always taught me that when the room goes dark, you can wait for the lights to be switched back on or you can search in the dark and turn the light on yourself. You are my light. You always have been and always will be. There is nobody I admire more, nobody I have strived harder to please in my life, which is why my current failure hurts me so much. I am so sorry that I will not be there to see you, but I want you to know that now, as always, you are here with me. In my darkest hours, and in the coldest loneliness of my past few months, my mind has so often wandered to the past, to when it was you and me -- and I have been able to smile. Yours is the strength that I draw upon. A parent's job is to make sure that they pass on the best of themselves to their children. You have done that. It is the inner you in me that will get me through _ . I have failed you so epically, but you have never failed me. If I think back to the tears I shed when Dad left, all those years ago, I see you through their misty glaze. You holding me and you telling me we'd be OK, and we will be. We are and always will be the best team. Childhood heroes such as footballers, actors and rock stars are _ . If the job's done right, a child's heroes should be their parents -- you are mine. The strength you showed after the divorce from Dad to find your biological parents, to go to university and get your teaching qualifications, to begin your... Which of the following can best describe the author's mother? A) Selfless but stubborn. B) Guilty but determined. C) Selfish but responsible. D) Caring but envious.
B
If you're looking for the place that has everything, there's only one place to visit, and that is New York. It's a whole world in a city. The World of Theatre: All of New York is a stage. And it begins with Broadway. Where else can you find so many hit shows in one place? Only in New York. The World of Music: Spend an evening with Beethoven at Lincoln Centre. Swing to the great jazz of Greenwich Village. Or rock yourself silly at the hottest dance spots found anywhere. The World of Art: From Rembrandt to Picasso. From Egyptian tombs to Indian teepees. Whatever kind of art you like, you will find it in New York. The World of Fine Dining: Whether it's roast Beijing duck in Chinatown, lasagna in Little Italy, or the finest French coq au vin found anywhere, there is a world of great taste waiting for you in New York. The World of Sights: What other city has a Statue of Liberty? A Rockefeller Centre? Or a Bronx Zoo? The passage above may be taken from _ . A) a guidebook for foreigners B) a handbook for English learners C) a pocketbook for visiting businessmen D) a storybook for native readers.
A
Q: A firm handshake could be a sign of a longer life expectancy , according to British researchers. Scientists at the Medical Research Council found that elderly people who could still give a firm handshake and walk at a quick pace were likely to outlive their slower peers. They found simple measures of physical capability like shaking hands, walking, getting up from a chair and balancing on one leg were related to the life expectancy, even after accounting for age, sex and body size. The study is the first to provide a comprehensive view of the existing data from 33 studies. "These measures have been used in population-based research for quite a long time," said Rachel Cooper of the Medical Research Council's Unit for Lifelong Health and Aging. "They may be useful indicators for subsequent health." Cooper, whose study appears in the British Medical Journal, said more studies are needed to clarify whether the measures would be helpful to doctors as a screening tool. "I wouldn't suggest that we roll them out into clinical practice tomorrow, but it is possible that they could be used in the future," she told the media. The researchers examined 33 studies involving tens of thousands of people, most of whom were aged over 60 but living in the community rather than in hospital or care homes. The researchers found that those with the strongest hand grasps tended to live longer than those with weak grips. The death rate over the period of the studies for people with weak handshakes was 67 percent higher than for people with a firm grip. The slowest walkers were nearly three times more likely to die during the study period than swifter walkers. The people who were slowest to get up from a chair had about double the death rate compared to the quick risers. "Those people in the general population who have higher physical capability levels are likely to live longer," Cooper said. In which part of a newspaper would you most probably find this passage? A) Sports. B) Health. C) Economics. D) Culture.
A: B
*Question*
For as long as they can remember Jynne Martin and April Surgent had both dreamed of going to Antarctica.This winter,they each made it to the icy continent as guests of the National Science Foundation(NSF).Bm they didn't go as scientists.Martin is a poet and Surgent is an artist.They went to Antarctica as participants.in the NSF's Artists and Writers program.The NSF is thegovernment agency that funds scientific research in Antarctica.But it also makes it possible for artists,including filmmakers and musicians,to experience Antarctica and contribute their own points of view to our understanding of the continent. The mixing of science and art in Antarctica isn't new.Some of the earliest explorersbrought along painters and photographers.Edward Wilson was a British painter,doctor,and bird expert who journeyed with RobertFalcon Soott on two separate Antamtic expeditionsmore than 100 years ago.Herbert Ponting was a photographer who also accompanied Scott on one of those expeditions.In hundreds of photos,Pontingcaptured the beauty of the continentand recorded the daily lives and heroic struggles of the explorers. Today's scientists write articles forscientificjournals.Unlike theearly explorers'journals,scientific papers can now be very difficult for non-scientists to understand.Writers in Antarctica workto explain the research to the public.Peter Rejcek is editor,writer,and photographer for the Antarctic Sun,an onlinemagazine devoted to news about the U.S.Antarctic Program.Rejeck began his career in the Antarctic in 2003 by spending a year at the South Pole.He has returned everyyear since,interviewing,scientists about research at Palmer,McMurdo,and South Pole stations. There are also scientists in Antarctica who work hardto explain their research to the public.Scientist Diane McKnight wrote The Lost Seal,a children's book that explains the research she and others are doing in an unusual ice-free area in Antarctica called the Dry Valleys. Antarctica is full of stories and wonders that are scientific,historic.and... What would be the best title for this article? A) Antarctica:A Land for All B) The NSF:A Program for All C) Antarctica:A Land of Beauty and Stories D) The NSF:A Program for Artists and Scientists
**Answer**
A