Barefoot and dirty, the girl just sat and watched the people go by. She never tried to speak. Many people passed, but never did one person stop. The next day I decided to go back to the park, curious to see if the little girl would still be there. Right in the very spot as she was yesterday, she sat with the saddest look in her eyes. Today I was to make my own move and walk over to the little girl. As we all know, a park full of strange people is not a place for young children to play alone. As I began walking towards her, I could see the back of the little girl's dress indicated a deformity . I smiled to let her know it was okay, I was there to help, to talk. I sat down beside her and opened with a simple "Hello". I smiled and she shyly smiled back. We talked until darkness fell and the park was completely empty. I asked the girl why she was so sad. The little girl looked at me and with a sad face said, "Because I'm different." I immediately said "That you are!" and smiled. The little girl acted even sadder. She said, "I know." She looked at me and smiled. Slowly she stood to her feet, and said, "Really?" "Yes, dear, you're like a little guardian angel sent to watch over all those people walking by." She nodded her head "yes" and smiled, and with that she spread her wings and said with a twinkle in her eye, "I am. I'm your guardian angel." I was speechless, sure I was seeing things. She said, "For once you thought of someone other than yourself, my job here is done." Immediately I stood to my feet and said, "Wait, so why did no one stop to help an angel!?" She looked at me and smiled, "You're the only one who could see me, and you believe it in your heart." ...and she was gone. And with that my life changed dramatically. So, when you think you're all you have, remember, your angel is always watching over you. Mine is! Which of the following statements is TRUE? A) The author smiled because he saw the girl was shy. B) The author had known that the girl was a real angel. C) The author believed that an angel was always watching him. D) The author decided to go back to the park because he was sure that the little girl would be there.
C
A serious threat to farmers in many parts of the world is erosion. Erosion occurs if a large area of land is cleared of trees and is then badly treated by the farmers. The rain and winds may gradually wash away, or blow away, much of the topsoil. When this happens, crops of wheat or corn become weaker and weaker until nothing grows well. If erosion continues, it will turn good land into a desert. In the past, when erosion appeared, farmers sometimes moved to a new place to farm. Sometimes they could not move, but continued to try to grow food in the unhealthy soil. This caused them to sink into poverty. Soon some people realized that there was little rich, fertile soil in the world, government began to try to stop erosion. One of the first experiments to stop erosion began in the prefix = st1 /United Statesin 1933. The experiment was carried out in the area of the Tennessee River. Floods and had farming in this area had ruined land that had once been rich. As a result, most of the people living around the Tennessee River were very poor. The government built big dams across the river and stored the water for use during the dry season when there was no rain. The government workers also helped farmers to fertilize their soil and to learn new farming methods which could stop erosion. At the beginning, the farmers were not interested. But soon, good healthy crops began to appear on the land where new methods where used. Ten years after the extremely prosperous, the great success of this experiment had led similar projects in the other parts of the world. The main purpose of this passage is to tell people_. A) how erosion occurs B) the importance of using new farming methods C) something can be done to prevent erosion D) the serious outcomes of erosion
C
Q: Millions of people die of hunger in Southern Africa every year, but when prefix = st1 /Zambiawas offered thousands of tons of free maize by theUS, the government politely said no. "We don't know whether the food is safe," said Zambia's Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Dipak Patel. His worries are shared by countries around the world that are _ aboutAmerica's genetically modified (GM) crops. Just last week, EU member nations were discussing whether or not to import GM sweet corn from theUS. Ever since people started farming, they have tried to crossbreed plants to make them stronger or better tasting. At one time, only related plants could be crossed with each other. But when GM techniques were developed in the 1970s, scientists were able to put a single gene from a living creature into an unrelated creature. This means they can make crops more productive and resistant to disease by adding genes from other species. They can also create food with special characteristics, such as "golden rice", which is enriched with vitamin A. But many people believe GM foods are a health risk. "If left to me, I would certainly not eat GM foods," said Scottish scientist Arpad Pusztai. "We are putting new things into food which haven't been eaten before. The effects on the immune system are not easy to predict." At the moment, the official argument is that GM foods "are not likely to present risks for human health". But there are still many questions to be answered as the foods are produced in different ways. Some experts believe the genetic material added to plants can transfer to humans and give damage to our bodies. Further harm could be caused by the genes from GM plants crossbreeding with naturally produced crops. What's the author's attitude? A) Supportive. B) Neutral. C) Doubtful. D) Critical.
A: B
(Q).
You're in a department store and you see a couple of attractive young women looking at a sweater. You listen to their dialogue: "I can't believe it -- Lorenzo Bertolla! They are almost impossible to find. Isn't it beautiful? And it's a lot cheaper than the one Sara bought in Rome." They leave and you go over to see this unbelievable sweater. It's nice and the price is right. You've never heard of Lorenzo Bertolla, but those girls looked really stylish . They must know. So, you buy it. You never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency. They are actually paid to go from store to store, talking loudly about Lorenzo Bertolla clothes. Every day we notice what people are wearing, driving and eating. If the person looks cool, the product seems cool, too. This is the secret of undercover marketing. Companies from Ford to Nike are starting to use it. Undercover marketing is important because it reaches people that don't pay attention to traditional advertising. This is particularly true of the MTV generation -- consumers between the age of 18 and 34. It's a golden group. They have a lot of money to spend, but they don't believe in ads. So advertising agencies hire young actors to "perform" in bars and other places where young adults go. Some people might call this practice misleading, but marketing executive Jonathan Ressler calls it creative. "Look at traditional advertising. Its effectiveness is decreasing." It is true, because everyone knows an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something. However, you don't know when a dialogue you overhear is just a performance. Lorenzo Bertolla is _ . A) the brand name of clothes B) an advertising agency C) a clothing company in Rome D) a very popular male singer
(A).
A