Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Christmas was coming, I was considering what present I should prepare for my father.My dad never wants anything, for he is a hard person to buy for . I pulled out my phone to read text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father.My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming,and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower,a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky,inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father. I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind .The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe;my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming,and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples,twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer,the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood. I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate. Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame,I knew I had given the perfect gift. Question: The author's inspiration for the gift came from _ . - a photo of a flower - a story about a kid - a call from the mother - a text about Christmas
a photo of a flower

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: It was a bad time for me . I was low emotionally and tired physically. Probably because of this I hadn't shaved for a few days. Also, because I had been doing some repairs at my daughter's house, I was dressed quite scruffily. Boarding the bus to go home I saw it was almost full so I found a rail to lean against. That was when a young woman, sitting with her child, stood up and offered me her seat. "Wow !" I thought. Out loud I said, "Do I look that old and tired?" She replied," You look like you've had a tough day." I thanked her sincerely and stayed standing. A moment later a man rose from his seat at the back of the bus and made his way towards me, squeezing past several people on the way. Then he told me about his addiction problems, asked for my advice, and just chatted about life for a few minutes. Then he went back to his seat. Very random! Watching him go, I also looked at the bus-load of people between me and his seat. He hadn't chosen to talk to those strangers. He chose to talk to _ for whatever it meant to him and whatever comfort it brought him. Why? That's when it occurred to me. I must have looked like I had been where he was. I probably looked like a man who would understand a difficult life. I was humbled and uplifted at the same time by the realization that even when we are at our lowest we can still help others--if we look like we might be able to meet them where they live or walk a while in their world. Question: Why did the young woman offer her seat to the writer? - Because she thought the writer looked very old. - Because the writer looked very friendly. - Because the writer looked humorous. - Because the writer looked exhausted.
Because the writer looked exhausted.

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Bernstein had been appointed Assistant Conductor for the New York philharmonic only a few months before that night. Just 25 years old, he was ly inexperienced. At the last minute, Bernstein was told he was to take Walter's place, so he didn't have any time to rehearse . The music he was going to conduct was very difficult. Plus, the concert was going to be broadcast nationally on the radio. Despite all these pressures, Bernstein rose to the occasion and received a standing ovation at the end of the concert. The event made national headlines, and Bernstein became famous overnight. Some people feel they do their best under the most stressful circumstances. What was it about Leonard Bernstein that made him do so well in such a difficult situation? Perhaps Leonard Bernstein did so well because music was his devotion. The son of a man who supplied hairdressing products, Bernstein became interested in music at the age of 10. By the time he was a teenager, he was performing in public. He became a soloist of the Boston Public School Orchestra, and for 13 weeks in 1934, he played classics on the radio. Question: Leonard Bernstein was successful at the concert because of _ . - the wonderful music - the stress of the circumstances - his devotion to music - Bruno Walter's absence
A: his devotion to music

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Recently a friend of mine wrote to me about her experience in Holland: A very old man asked me to come to his apartment, and he would donate a bike to the project. I went over to get it, and it was half a bike, which was locked to a pole and had obviously been there for years. The temperature was well below zero. It became clear that he was in fact super-lonely, and torn between usual Dutch distrust of strangers and desperation for human contact. He finally begged me to come up to his apartment (where he obviously lived alone). You may know that Dutch people are the tallest in the world, reflecting a very high standard of living. But -- if this old man is not unusual -- reducing the loneliness of old people isn't part of the Dutch social contact, admirable as _ may be. I recently watched the Frontline program Sick Around the World. It suggested that the old man isn't unusual. In England, where doctor visits are free, a doctor said he has several patients who come weekly, purely because they're lonely. In Japan, some patients have their blood pressure measured very often -- most probably for the same reason. In Taiwan, if you see a doctor 20 times in one month, someone from the government will come to talk to you. Not about loneliness -- about overuse of medical care. The Frontline program made nothing of any of these facts, which were included to show that access was easy. Really the idea that everyone needs human contact isn't mysterious or controversial. My explanation is there's a double blow: Not only do lonely old people have little power, it's also clear that their problem (loneliness) isn't caused by a "chemical imbalance". So no drugs can be sold to treat it. And there's no diagnostic category. When these lonely old people use what little power they have by visiting their doctor, the doctor -- I'm assuming -- doesn't do anything to get rid of the loneliness. Even if you visit 20 times in a month. Question: The story of the Dutch old man at the beginning of the passage serves as _ . - an example of the lonely people - an important reminder of her friend - an introduction to Dutch social problems - an example of Dutch suspicion of strangers
A: an example of the lonely people