So the little girl now walked on, her bare feet quite red and blue with the cold. She carried a small bundle of matches in her hand, and a good many more in her tattered dress. No one had bought any of them the live long day; no one had given her a single penny. Trembling with cold and hunger crept she on, the picture of sorrow: poor little child! The snow-flakes fell on her long, fair hair, which curled in such pretty ringlets over her shoulders; but she thought not of her own beauty, or of the cold. Lights were glimmering through every window, and the savor of roast goose reached her from several houses;it was New Year's eve, and it was of this that she thought. In a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected beyond the other. She sat down, drawing her little feet close under her, but in vain, she could not warm them. She dared not go home, she had sold no matches, earned not a single penny, and perhaps her father would beat her,besides her home was almost as cold as the street,it was an attic; and although the larger of the many chinks in the roof were stopped up with straw and rags. The wind and snow often penetrated through. Her hands were nearly dead with cold; one little match from her bundle would warm them. Perhaps, if she dared light it, she drew one out, and struck it against the wall, bravo! It was a bright, warm flame, and she held her hands over it. It was quite an illumination for that poor little girl; no, I call it rather a magic taper, _ , so beautifully blazed the fire within! The child stretched out her feet to warm them also; alas, in an instant the flame had died away, the stove disappeared, the little girl sat cold and comfortless, with the burnt match in her hand. The author emphasized that the story happened on New Year's Eve in order to _ . A) highlight the cold weather B) contrast with the girl's sadness. C) present the time D) describe the situation
B
(Question)
Scientific Progress Most scientific progress is the result of careful consideration of work that has already been done. The wonderful world which lies before us today has been put up by hardworking men with clear heads and inventive mind, and these who follow them along life's road will improve on their efforts. It is sometimes necessary to question and even to disbelieve some of the statements made by experts. Action or experiment can often end an argument or achieve a breakthrough. When men were wondering whether it was possible to reach India by sailing westwards from Europe, and whether there was any land on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Christopher Columbus decides to act. He gathered some men, invited them to go on board his three ships, and set out across the dangerous waters of the Atlantic Ocean. He was successful in finding land, but it was not India. The result of his action was that the arguments came to the end. Any young man who wishes to do research must be courageous enough to question old beliefs and do some original thinking about them. Although we seem to know so much, there are many things we don't know. Even when we pull an atom to pieces, we do not really know what the pieces are, we often do not reach the reality behind what we discover, and the more we learn, the better we realize our ignorance. According to the passage, the more we learn _ A) the more ignorance we will become B) the more brilliant we are C) the more confident we are of ourselves D) the more we know about our ignorance
(Answer)
D
Ques: Back in freshman year, I found myself wondering whether it should really be called "volunteering" if students only do it because they have to. I ended up volunteering at Weyrich Health Center, helping elderly patients with daily tasks. The more I did these tasks, the more disconnected I felt from the seniors. Though I felt bad for them, I did not want to interact with them. Then one rainy day, I met Colonel Hemsworth. He invited me to his table and asked for some company. I regarded this as another boring task. However, when I listened to his stories, I learned that he was a brilliant war veteran ,and I found his tales interesting. After my brief talk with the Colonel, I realized that I shared common characters with all the seniors. I felt like an oxygen molecule ---ready to form a relationship--rather than an isolated gas. I met with many learned senior citizens who shared their experiences and wisdom. No longer did I walk aimlessly down the hallways. I found myself enjoying talking with these people as I learned their histories. Why hadn't I realized sooner that volunteer work could enlighten me? Some people argue that volunteering and working for change does not help. However, they fail to realize that the world is constantly changing and humans must adapt My experience at Weyrich Health Center has taught me that refusing to change one's views and accept new ones leads to short-term goals that finally disappear. Communication with others is an important part of life. Volunteering is not just a requirement or a way to improve your resume, it is a time for service and personal growth. Now I enjoy volunteering my time surrounded by seniors who bring history alive for me. By communicating with them, I have developed into a more dynamic person. Why did Colonel Hems worth invite the author to his table? A) He liked the author very much. B) He wanted the author to accompany him. C) He wanted to work with the author. D) He planned to teach the author something.
Ans: B
Ques:Have you ever noticed someone "talking" to them-selves? What did you think? The word "crazy" probably came to your mind. Wait a minute, though. Maybe they're doing something meaningful. Speaking practice can be effective in many different forms when people learn English or another foreign language. Imitating the speech of others is proven to be highly effective in developing a native speaker's level of fluency in a language. Actually you've already proven that to your-self. How? That's how you learned your first language! Whether it was English, Spanish, French or some other language, you "imitated" your mother, father, other family members, friends, teachers and whoever else was around making "talking" noises at you as you formed your first communicative language skills. So don't think those who are talking to themselves are "crazy". At least don't do so until you've tried it for your-self, in English or in your new foreign language. As you go through your day, in English or your new foreign language, tell yourself what you're doing at the moment and what you're going to do during the day. "Which of these shirts, ties, etc. should I wear today? Not this one, I wore it just last week. Maybe this one, but I don't like this color with the pants. Let's try another one," you might say as you are getting dressed. If you live alone, you can talk aloud whenever you want without disturbing others. If you don't live alone, however, then first explain to your family or roommates what you'll be doing, to avoid a quiet phone call to the local psychiatrist . From the passage we can know that _ . A) people who talk to themselves are crazy B) if you live alone, you should talk to yourself C) you should tell yourself what you're doing D) we learned our native language by imitating

Ans:
D