One morning, Charley, a little green frog, was sitting in a pond by the side of the road. Wanda, the neighborhood witch , was walking along the road. She was a good witch and dreamt to become a fairy godmother who can save people from trouble with magic powers. Wanda had been learning fairy godmother magic for 103 years. That morning, she decided to try the magic she had learned and bring happiness to others. Seeing Wanda, Charley cried, "Hi, Wanda." "Hi, Charley," replied Wanda, "I have a surprise for you." Then, Wanda waved her wand , said a magic word, and Charley turned into a prince! When Charley-turned-prince looked at himself in the water, he cried, "Hey! You turned me into a prince! It's a surprise all right, but I don't want to be a prince! Change me back right now!" "Oh, dear," Wanda said. "you shouted so loud that I forgot the way to change you back. But who wouldn't rather be a prince?" "I wouldn't!" cried Charley. "I want to be a frog!" He stuck out his tongue, missing a bug flying by the end of his nose. "Look at that, Wanda! I was a good fly catcher. But now, this tongue is too short! Please change me back!" "I can't, Charley. But you'll learn to be happy as a prince." She waved her wand, and suddenly a castle appeared. Out of the castle dozens of musicians were playing various instruments. "Charley! You'll have servants, eat delicious foods, and you can sing and dance and snap fingers ." "No!" Charley interrupted. "I don't want all these! I want bugs!" Charley cried. "I don't want to sing and dance! And why would I do something as silly as snapping my fingers?" "Snapping fingers!" cried out Wanda. "That's what I forgot!" She snapped her fingers, cried "Upsi-doodle!" and the castle and musicians disappeared and the prince became a little green frog." Charley looked at himself in the water. " _ , Wanda. Oh, happy day! I'm a frog." "I must apologize, Charley," Wanda said, "you are a happy frog. I should know this a moment ago." According to the passage, which of the following conclusions can we get? A) Just be yourself B) Do nothing by halves C) Helping others is a virtue D) Where there is a will, there is a way
A
(Question)
A friend of mine, in response to a conversation we were having about the injustices of life, asked me the question: "Who said life was going to be fair, or that it was even meant to be fair?" Her question was a good one. It reminded me of something I was taught as a youngster-life isn't fair. One of the mistakes many of us make is that we feel sorry for ourselves or for others, thinking that life should be fair or that someday it will be. It's not and it won't. One of the nice things about accepting the fact that life isn't fair is that it keeps us from feeling sorry for ourselves by encouraging us to do the very best we can with what we have. Accepting this fact also keeps us from feeling sorry for others because we are reminded that everyone is dealt a different hand; everyone has unique strengths and problems in the process of growing up, facing the reality and making decisions, and everyone has those times that they feel wounded or unfairly treated. The fact that life isn't fair doesn't mean we shouldn't do everything in our power to improve our own lives or the world as a whole. On the contrary, it suggests that we should. When we don't recognize or admit life isn't fair, we tend to feel pity for others and for ourselves, a self-defeating emotion that does nothing except make everyone feel worse. When we do recognize life isn't fair, however, we feel sympathy for others and for ourselves. And sympathy is a heartfelt emotion that delivers loving kindness to everyone it touches. The next time you find yourself thinking about the injustices of the world, try reminding yourself of _ . You may be surprised that it can push you out of self-pity and into helpful action. Accepting the injustices of life will _ . A) stop us making everything perfect B) let us deal with others differently C) get us to feel sorry for others D) inspire us to make every effort
(Answer)
D
Question: I was puzzled! Why was this old woman making such a fuss about an old copse which was of no use to anybody? She had written letters to the local paper, even to a national, protesting about a projected by-pass to her village, and, looking at a map, the route was nowhere near where she lived and it wasn't as if the area was attractive. I was more than puzzled, I was curious. The enquiry into the route of the new by-pass to the village was due to take place shortly, and I wanted to know what it was that motivated her. So it was that I found myself knocking on a cottage door, being received by Mary Smith and then being taken for a walk to the woods. "I've always loved this place," she said, "it has a lot of memories for me, and for others. We all used it. They called it 'Lovers lane'. It's not much of a lane, and it doesn't go anywhere important, but that's why we all came here. To be away from people, to be by ourselves. " she added. It was indeed pleasant that day and the songs of many birds could be heard. Squirrels watched from the branches, quite bold in their movements, obviously few people passed this way and they had nothing to fear. I could imagine the noise of vehicles passing through these peaceful woods when the by-pass was built, so _ but as I hold strong opinions about the needs of the community over-riding the opinions of private individuals, I said nothing. The village was quite a dangerous place because of the traffic especially for old people and children, their safety was more important to me than an old woman's strange ideas. "Take this tree," she said pausing after a short while. "To you it is just that, a tree. Not unlike many others here." She gently touched the bark, "Look here, under this branch, what can you see?" "It looks as if someone has done a bit of carving with a knife." I said after a cursory inspection. "Yes, that's what it is!" she said softly. She went on, "He had a penknife with a spike for getting stones from a horse's hoof, and I helped him to carve them. We were very much... The "tree" probably stands for _ . A) her romance . B) her determination C) her sadness D) her dream
Answer:
A