BEIJING, Oct.14(Xinhua)----A total of 120 middle school students from 35 countries will attend the final of an international China language contest, to be held in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality from Oct.16 to 30. The candidates, aged from 15 to 20,must be from foreign countries and not native Chinese speakers, said a statement issued by the Chinese language Council (CLC),the contest's organizer, here Thursday. All of the candidates have passed the preliminary contests held in their own countries. According to the organizer, the competition will have a top prize, five second prizes,10 third prizes and a dozen prizes for special talents.The organizer will also launch an online vote for "the most liked candidate." It was the third year China has held the contest. "The competition not only tests the proficiency of Chinese language but also the candidates capability to communicate across different cultures."the statement said. All the candidates in the final will receive scholarships from the Chinese government.said Hu Hangyu, an official with the Education Bureau of the Chongqing Municipality, jointly organizing the contest. They will also meet local Chinese students and live with Chinese families, Hu said. "The competition is to meet the increasing demand for Chinese learning by foreign youngsters."said Xu Lin.the CLC director. The CLC has also hosted similar contest for foreign college students since 2002. China has been working to promote Chinese language learning abroad over the past few years.According to the CLC, the country had 282 Confucius Institutes and 272 "Confucius Classrooms" in 88 countries and regions as of 2009 since the first one was established in 2004. What has China been doing to promote Chinese language learning abroad according to the text? A) Thousands of Chinese teacher are sent abroad to teach the language. B) 282 Confucius Institutes are established in China to teach Chinese. C) The Chinese language contests for foreign students are regularly held. D) Many Chinese students are sent abroad for culture exchanges every year.
C
(Question)
President Obama ranks 15th out of 44 in a poll of the best and worst Presidents while former President George W. Bush earns a place in the bottom five, according to the Siena College Research Institute's recent survey released Thursday Obama won a top ten place in two skill set categories, communication ability (7th) and ability to compromise (10th), and in two personality trait categories, imagination (6th) and intelligence (8th). Background, described as family, education, and experience, proved his lowest score at 32nd. This is the 5th time the institute has conducted the survey of U.S. presidents, which is done a year after a new president takes office. The first survey was done in 1982. "Obviously, there's not great _ to the poll since the Presidents have only been in office for one year," says the survey's co-director and statistician Douglas Lonnstrom. "But it's a benchmark for us to see how they move." Presidents tend to rank around 20th while they are in office, and Obama is no exception. His actions over the next few years will decide if he stays roughly the same like Reagan--who moved from 16th to 20th, 22nd, 16th again, and finally to 18th this year--or like Bush, who fell from 23rd to 39th. Franklin D. Roosevelt has held his title as top president since 1982 with the same four following as top five: Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson. The survey, which ranks Presidents using 20 different factors, shows Jefferson was the most intelligent president, Richard Nixon was the worst at honesty and avoiding serious mistakes, Lincoln had the best overall ability, and Washington was the best leader. What can we learn about the Siena College Research Institute's survey? A) It has been carried out five times. B) It has a history of more than 30 years. C) It is made after a President leaves office. D) It is done according to 10 different factors.
(Answer)
A
Ques: Plant World Garden Centre is located between Torquay and Newton Abbot. The Garden is laid out to represent the five continents of the world. Our inspirational gardens contain countless rare and foreign plants seldom seen outside their native lands. Our Famous "Gardens of the World" It was designed , built and planted in 1986 as the first ever " Map of the World Gardens" . It takes visitors half an hour or more to drive along the winding pathways around the "world map" and see which plants grow in which countries. The neighboring rare plant nurseries ( ) enable visitors to take home plants and trees growing there. We give a warm welcome to garden clubs and gardening societies, many of whom make annual visits. Latest News Our new Garden website is released! We hope you like our new website which we have tried to fill with interesting information and history about our lovely gardens. Seeds We produce and sell over 3 ,000 varieties of flower and vegetable seeds. Many are rare ,and unusual. All of them can be purchased on our sister website : www. plant-world-seeds.com. Scenic Cafe Our hilltop cafe offers one of the most incredible panoramas ( ) of Britain. The menu includes toasted sandwiches and jacket potatoes. In addition ,many home-made cakes are offered, including the famous Devon Cream Teas. We always use local produce whenever possible-our ice creams are from Language , our home-made soups come from Rod & Bens ,and our bottled drinks are supplied by Heron Valley. Opening Times We are open 9:30 am - 5 :00 pm, seven days a week, from late March to mid October ( please call first to confirm at the start/end of season) . . Garden Admission Prices Day ticket : ~ 3 Season ticket : PS 10 Kids under 12 go free We know that Plant World Garden Centre _ . A) owns plants from five countries B) has some rare and foreign plants C) is the largest garden in the world D) allows visitors to take plants home for free
Ans: B
The centenary of the birth of William Faulkner, one of the great modern novelists, was celebrated in September 1997. Faulkner wrote about the southern states of the United States of America where he grew up, and where his family had an important part to play in the history of that region. His work became a touchstone for insights into the troubled issues of southern American identity, race relations, and the family interrelationships of the old time southern gentry . Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi on September 25, 1897. Despite his interest in writing, he left Oxford High School, Mississippi, without graduating. After World War I, he entered the University of Mississippi as a special student, a right to study which was granted to retired soldiers, although Faulkner had only finished training with the Air Force in Canada, and not entered combat . Faulkner began to write poems, a verse play, short stories and finished his first novel Sartoris in 1928. His fiction was centered for 14 of the 19 novels published during his lifetime in a fictional region called Yoknapatawpha County. The name is said to come from the Indian Chickasaw word meaning split land. In December 1950, Faulkner was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. When he accepted it in Stockholm, his speech emphasized that he wished to continue writing, but in a positive way that affirmed the power of humanity to prevail over adverse circumstances. As he said in his speech, he still felt that, despite the threat of nuclear war then hanging over the world, the central concern of the writer should be "the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself". He wanted the tensions and problems that he had cast the spotlight on in the southern states of America to be resolved by the life-affirming attitudes and action of his characters. Like playwright Tennessee Williams, Faulkner was a major voice who spoke for the troubled heart of the southern states of America. His achievement is all the more remarkable because, as a schoolboy, he was... Why did William Faulkner write about the southern states of America? A) They were the place where he grew up and his family took an important role in the history of that region. B) His work became a touchstone. C) He cared about the troubled issues of southern America. D) He felt sympathy for the poor in southern America.
C