The soldiers had just moved to the desert, and as they had never been in such a place before, they had a lot to learn. As there were no trees or buildings in the desert, it was, of course, very hard to hide their trucks from enemy planes. The soldiers were, therefore, given training in camouflage. They were shown how to paint their trucks in irregular patterns with pale green, yellow, and brown paints, and then to cover them with nets to which they had tied small pieces of cloth. The driver of the biggest truck had a lot of trouble camouflaging it. He spent several hours painting it, preparing a net and searching for some heavy rocks with which to hold the net down. When it was all finished, he went for lunch. When he came back from his meal, he was surprised and worried to see that his camouflage was completely spoilt by the truck's shadow, which was growing longer and longer as the afternoon advanced. He stood looking at it, not knowing what to do. Soon an officer arrived, and he, too, saw the shadow, of course. "Well," he shouted to the poor driver, "What are you going to do about it? If an enemy plane comes over, the pilot will at once know that there is a truck there." "I know, sir," answered the soldier. "Well, don't just stand there doing nothing!" said the officer. "What shall I do, sir?" asked the poor driver. "Get your spade and throw some sand over the shadow, of course!" answered the officer. What do you think of the ending of the story? A) It is quite reasonable that the officer ordered the soldier to cover the shadow with sand. B) We'll laugh at the officer's order because it is where the humor lies. C) Though the officer's order sounded wise, the soldier couldn't cover the shadow. D) The soldier managed to cover the shadow with sand
A
People who daydream are often thought of in negative terms, such as being lazy or not doing what they should be doing. However, scientists who study the brain have learned many interesting things from studying the brains of daydreamers. Far from being a waste of time, recent research has shown that daydreaming is a healthy and useful activity for all of our brains. To study the brain, scientists use special devices that scan the brain and show pictures of which parts of the brain are active at certain times. When a person is daydreaming, the device will show a distinct pattern of activity in the brain called the "default" mode of thinking. In the default mode, the top or outside part of the brain is very active. Actually, several regions of the brain are interacting in this mode. Some scientists describe this mode as a time when the brain focuses on itself rather than focusing on the environment around the person. Typically, this occurs when a person is doing simple, undemanding work or performing routine actions that don't need much attention, like walking to school or cooking simple foods. People tend to daydream during such activities. The importance of daydreaming lies in developing both creative and social skills. When the mind is not engaged in dealing with one's immediate situation or problem, then it is free to wander. A time of wandering allows the mind to create things. New inventions may be imagined, or possible solutions to a problem can be planned. For example, solutions to problems in relationships with other people may spring to mind. In fact, most daydreams involve situations with others. Perhaps these are daydreams based on past memories, or daydreams of what might be in the future. In either case, daydreams help us develop the appropriate skills we can use in real interactions with others. As brain specialist Dr. Marcus Raichle of Washington University explains: "When you don't use a muscle, that muscle really isn't doing much. But when your brain is supposedly doing nothing and daydreaming,... Which of the following is NOT involved in daydreaming? A) One's immediate environment. B) Several regions of the brain. C) The "default" mode of thinking. D) The outside part of the brain.
A
Q: Geena David knew she wanted to be a movie star when she was very young. She was not sure what gave her the idea, but she wanted to look like a movie star. "I have a lot of pictures from my childhood of me wearing sunglasses," she says. "I used to wear them to watch TV." Early movie actors started wearing sunglasses not because they looked good, but because their eyes hurt. The lights used on movie sets were extremely bright and could cause a painful problem known as "Klieg eyes". It was named after the Klieg brothers who invented the lights. Actors wore sunglasses to give their eyes a rest. But when movie stars began wearing their sunglasses in public, they quickly became a must. Eventually actors started wearing sunglasses in their movies as well as on the street. Audrey Hephburn wore ultra-cool Ray-Ban sunglasses in the 1961 movie, Breakfast at Tiffany's. As a result, Ray-Ban sunglasses started to appear more and more in the movies. In 1979, Ray-Ban "Wayfarers" were worn by Jake and Elwood in The Blue Brothers. Tom Cruise wore Ray-Ban "Aviator" sunglasses in the 1986 hit, Top Gun. Then in 1997, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones made Ray-Ban "Predator" sunglasses famous in Men in Black. Of course sunglasses aren't just a fashion statement. The main reason to wear sunglasses is to protect our eyes against UV radiation. UV radiation can damage our eyes, so people now choose their sunglasses carefully. But you don't have to give up style for safety. The choice of frames and lenses available these days is huge. So you can protect your eyes and still be the coolest person on the beach. What is mainly discussed in this passage? A) The use of sunglasses. B) The history of sunglasses. C) Why movie stars like to wear sunglasses. D) The sunglasses wearing.
A: D
People often say that money talks. They mean that a person with a lot of money can say how he or she wants things done. But it is not easy to earn enough money to gain this kind of power. Ask anyone in business. They will tell you that it is a jungle out there. The expression probably began because a jungle is filled with wild animals and unknown dangers that threaten people. People in business have to be careful if they are to survive the jungle out there. They must not be led into making bogus investments. Bogus means something that is not real. Nobody is sure how the word got started. But it began to appear in American newspapers in the 1800s. A newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, said the word came from a criminal whose name was Borghese. Borghese wrote checks to people although he did not have enough money in the bank. After he wrote the checks, he would disappear. So, people who were paid with his checks received nothing. The newspaper said Americans shortened and changed the criminal's name Borghese to Bogus. People trying to earn money must be also aware of the risk of being ripped off. A writer for a magazine said he first saw the expression used in 1971. It was on a sign that a student carried during a protest demonstration at a university. The message on the sign was that the student felt cheated. To be successful, a person in business works hard and tries to get down to brass tacks. This expression means to get to the bottom or the most important part of something. For example, a salesman may talk about his product without saying the price. You get down to brass tacks when you say, "it sounds good, but how much does it cost?" Word expert Charles Funk thinks the expression comes from sailors on ships. They clean the bottom of a boat. When they have removed all the dirt, they are down to the copper pieces that hold the ship together. So, if we get down to brass tacks, we can prevent rip-offs and bogus ways of earning money in that jungle out there. And, some good luck will help, too. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . A) many English words have their interesting stories B) brass is a necessary piece of equipment of a ship C) many businessmen have been cheated in life D) Charles Funk has created many interesting words
A