*Question*
You are seeing a film in which two men are having a fight. They hit one another over the heads with chairs. And so it goes on until one of the men crashes through a window and falls thirty feet to the ground below. He is dead! Of course he isn't really dead. With any luck he isn't even hurt. Why? Because the men who fall out of high windows or jump from fast moving trains, who crash cars or even catch fire, are professionals. They do this for a living. These men are called stuntmen. That is to say, they perform tricks. They actually do most of the things you see on the screen. For example, they fall from a high building. However, they do not fall onto hard ground but onto empty cardboard boxes covered with a mattress. Again, when they hit one another with chairs, the chairs are made of soft wood and when they crash through windows, the glass is made of sugar! But although their work depends on tricks of this sort, it also requires a high degree of skill and training. Often a stuntman's success depends on careful timing. For example, when he is " blown up" in a battle scene, he has to jump out of the way of the explosion just at the right moment. Naturally stuntmen are well paid for their work, but they lead dangerous lives. They sometimes get seriously injured, and even killed. A Norwegian stuntman, for example, skied over the edge of a cliff a thousand feet high. His parachute ( ) failed to open and he was killed. In spite of all the risks, this is no longer a profession for men only. Men no longer dress up as women to perform some dangerous actions. For nowadays there are stunt girls , too. When a stuntman falls from a high building, _ A) he needs little protection. B) he will be covered with a mattress. C) his life is in danger. D) his safety is generally all right.
**Answer**
D

*Question*
New findings from Queen's University biologists show that in the plant world, bigger isn't necessarily better. "Until now most of the thinking has suggested that to be a good competitor in the forest, you have to be a big plant," says Queen's Biology professor Lonnie Aarssen. "But our research shows it's virtually the other way around." Previous studies showed that larger plant species monopolize sunlight, water and other resources, limiting the number of smaller plant species that can exist around them. But the research has proved that _ is not generally the case in natural vegetation. In the Queen's project, PhD student Laura Keating targeted the largest "host plants" of 16 woody plant species growing in the Okanogan Valley, British Columbia. The research team calculated the number and variety of plants that neighbored each large host plant. They then randomly selected plots without host plants and calculated the plant species there as well. The research showed that the massive trees have no effect on the number of species with which they coexist. Smaller plants have many advantages over their overbearing neighbors, Professor Aarssen notes. Larger species generate physical space niches under their shelters where smaller species grow well. Smaller plants are much more effective than large trees at using available resources. They also produce seeds at a much younger age and higher rate than their bigger counterparts, and settle down much more quickly--thuscompeting with the newly-born plants of larger species. What can we learn according to the text? A) Larger plant species limit the number of smaller ones around them. B) Smaller plants can limit the number of plant species around them. C) Smaller plants produce seeds at a higher rate than their bigger counterparts. D) Larger trees are more effective than small plants at using available resources.
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Learning English is one of the few things I have been doing consistently over the past 16 years.Like most Chinese students, I started learning English because it was a compulsory course in my middle school.More importantly, English was a central subject for the college entrance exam. At that time, studying English was not a pleasant experience for me.There was no fun in the process of learning.The focus of our English education was getting a good mark in exams.And nobody told me that the real meaning of studying mother language was communication. When I became a university student, I spent nearly half of my time on English.In fact , more than 90 percent of the job offer ads in Shanghai list " proficiency as a main requirement. How did I improve my English? People told me that TOEFL was very helpful and useful.As a result, I took a TOEFL training course and studied like mad.After six months' preparation, I took part in the exam and got a high score.Later on, I had a chance to further my study in Britain.I soon discovered that all of my past English learning had been futile .When I first went shopping in a local supermarket, I really could not understand what the cashier was saying at all. It was then that I realized I had totally missed the point.Instead of just passing exams, the main function of learning English or any other language is communication.What is more, language does not exist independent of culture.Hence, mechanical memorization helps very little in communication.That's why I was still unable to freely express myself after learning English for many years.By no means am I talented in any foreign language.I am still learning English.Why? First and foremost, my job requires me to use English everyday.Secondly, English helps me to have access to more information.Thirdly, as a bookworm, English gives me a chance to dive into the huge pool of inspiring English books.Last but not least, it is such a great experience to write in another language.Indeed, English has become part of my life. How can we master English well? A) We need more mechanical memorization. B) We should read and recite more books. C) We should study English as well as its culture and use it more. D) We can study hard in classrooms and houses and get high marks in exams.
**Answer**
C