Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: The Ministry of Education in Singapore is releasing a new book this month that summarizes the thinking behind the model method for teaching math.The approach has drawn interest from many comers of the world thanks to the country's top performance on international exams.Last night, education officials and researchers from the US and Singapore highlighted some key differences between the two systems. Singapore's method is highly visual and explores fewer topics, but in greater depth.While Singapore's text books have an average of 34 lessons with 15 pages of explanation for each, much bulkier texts in the US include an average of 157 lessons, with about four pages of explanation per lesson.There arc some more surprising differences. Professional development is intensive for all teachers in Singapore, but strangely about half of the elementary teachers do not have university degrees.That is certain to change, though, as education standards for entering teachers are increasing, said Madame Low, the director of curriculum, planning and development with Singapore's Ministry of Education." Starting salaries for math teachers match public sector accountants or engineers.Teachers are treated as professionals," added Madame Low. Mentoring programs for new teachers in Singapore last five years! Teacher evaluations there are extremely comprehensive, and teachers who succeed receive bonuses worth one to three months of salary.Grades one and two have smaller class sizes--only 30 students.Students are taught in English, not their native tongue.Many are bilingual or trilingual. People often ask, how applicable is a successful model in Singapore to the more diverse and much larger US? I'm also interested in the practical challenges.Given that books in the US are written with state standards and assessments in mind, matching them up with another country's approach might be tough. What do you think? How applicable is a successful model in Singapore to the US? Question: The book released by the Ministry of Education in Singapore is about _ . Options: A: teaching methods B: mathematic philosophy C: model math teachers D: solutions to mathematic models
A: A

Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Time magazine named Russian President Vladimir Putin its "Person of the Year" for 2007 on Wednesday, saying he had returned his country from chaos to "the table of world power" though at a cost of democratic principles. He doesn't care about civil liberties; he doesn't care about free speech; he cares about stability. But Putin, 55, is enormously popular in Russia, presiding over a resurgent economy based on income from oil and natural gas. On the other hand, stability is what Russia needed and that's why Russians adore him. Time magazine said on its Web site that Putin, the son of a factory worker had led Russia with persistence, a sharp vision and a sense that he showed the spirit of "Mother Russia". The selection came days after Putin announced a plan to hold onto power after his term ends next year. Putin said on Monday that if his close ally ,Dmitry Medvedev, won the presidency, he would serve as Medvedev's prime minister. "Putin has put his country back on the map. And he intends to redraw it himself,"Time said. "He will continue to lead his country as its prime minister and attempt to transform it into a new kind of nation, beholden to neither East nor West." Time said the person of the year distinction, which it has awarded since 1927, is not an endorsement or a popularity prize but a recognition of the individuals and forces that shape the world. "At significant cost of, the principles and ideas that free nations prize, (Putin) has performed an extraordinary _ of leadership in placing stability on a nation that has rarely known it and brought Russia back to the table of world power. For that reason, Vladimir Putin is Time's 2007 Person of the Year," the magazine said. Time had earlier selected four other Kremlin leaders for the distinction: Stalin, who was chosen twice, Nikita Khrushchev, Yuri Andropov and Mikhail Gorbachev. Question: What can we inter from the passage? Options: A: Russia, including the former Soviet Union, has been one of the major countries named person of the Year so far. B: Only an individual can be named Person of the Year nowadays. C: Putin played an important role in Russian social and economic troubles. D: Medvedev will certainly be elected Russian President on March 3.
A: A

Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: About 30 years ago, I left Cuba for the United States with my son. After getting settled finally in Brunswick, New Jersey, I enrolled my son in kindergarten. Several weeks later, my son's teacher asked me to meet him at his office. In the teacher's office, and exchange of greetings was followed by his questions: " Is your son mentally retarded ? Does he suffer from any kind of mental disability?" Was he talking about my wonderful Scola? No, no, it can't be. What a helpless, lonely moment! I told him that Scola was a quiet, sweet little boy, instead. I asked him why he was asking me all these questions. My son could not follow the teacher's directions, he told me, and thus, Scola was _ the class. Didn't he know my son did not speak English yet? He was angry: " Why hasn't your son been taught to speak English? Don't you speak English at home?" No, I didn't speak English at home, I replied. I was sure my son would learn English in a couple of months, and I didn't want him to forget his native language. Well, wrong answer! What kind of person would not speak in English to her son at home and at all times? " Are you one of those people who come to this country to save dollars and sent them back to their country, never wanting to be a part of this society?" Needless to say, I tried to tell him I was not one of " those people." Then he told me the meeting was over, and I left. As I had expected, my son learned to speak English fluently before the school year was over. He went on to graduate from college and got a job, earning close to six figures. He travels widely and leads a well-adjusted, contented life. And he has benefited from being bilingual . Speaking more than one language allows people to communicate with others; it teaches people about other cultures and other places- something very basic and obviously lacking in the "educator" I met in New Jersey. Question: The author's attitude towards being bilingual may best be described as _ . Options: A: positive B: critical C: casual D: passive
A: A

Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: There are stories about two US Presidents,Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren,which attempt to explain the American English term OK. We don't know if either story is true,but they are both interesting. The first explanation is based on the fact that President Jackson had very little education. In fact,he had difficulty reading and writing. When important papers came to Jackson,he tried to read them and then had his assistants explain what they said. If he approved of a paper, he would write "all correct" on it. The problem was that he didn't know how to spell. So what he really wrote was "ol korekt". After a while,he shortened that term to "OK". The second explanation is based on the place where President Van Buren was born,Kinderhook,New York. Van Buren's friends organized a club to help him become president. They called the club the Old Kinderhook Club,and anyone who supported Van Buren was called "OK". Question: According to the second story,the term "OK" _ . Options: A: was the short way to say "Old Kinderhook Club" B: meant the place where President Van Buren was born C: was the name of Van Buren's club D: was used to call Van Buren's supporters in the election
A: D