Read the article and select the best answer. Article: What do you do if you don't get into your first choice of university? That's the dilemma that faces thousands of British students every year. Many candidates turn to Clearing, the service that helps find university places for students at the last moment. If they don't have the marks to get into their first choice of institution, Clearing tells them about places available at other universities, though they might have to read another subject. But this year has seen a record number of people applying to university. This, combined with the weak economy, an uncertain job market and budget cuts at universities, means that _ than usual. Some sources say six students have applied for each remaining undergraduate university place. The British university admissions service, UCAS, says up to a quarter of this year's university applicants --- almost 190,000 people --- still don't have a place on a degree course. That's a rise of over 46,000 students from last year. Faced with these figures, some British students might be thinking of an interesting alternative: studying abroad. The University of Nottingham, for example,is offering places at its campuses in Ningbo, near Shanghai, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Students here can gain University of Nottingham degrees in business, accounting, engineering and English. Similarly, the University of Bolton says it has 'unlimited' places at its campus in the United Arab Emirates. Given the problems getting into university, the UK's Higher Education Minister, David Willetts, encourages students who haven't made the grade to consider alternatives to university, such as apprenticeships and studying at home. "There are a range of options available," he says. "People are able to reapply. They should think how they can spend their year adding that bit to their CV, which would help their application --- getting practical work experience or extra skills --- anything that strengthens their chances next year." But some experts say that rising university costs, poor long-term job prospects, and... Question: According to the passage, what can students do if they don't get into their first choice of university? Options: A: They can go to work in Clearing. B: They can get practical work experience or skills and reapply next year. C: They can spend the year writing a better CV. D: They do graduate study at home.
B

(Question)
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Five or six years ago, I attended a lecture on the science of attention. A professor who conducts research over in the medical school was talking about attention blindness, the basic feature of the human brain that, when we concentrate on one task, causes us to miss just about everything else. Because we can't see what we can't see, our lecturer was determined to catch us in the act. He had us watch a video of six people tossing basketballs back and forth, three in white shirts and three in black, and our task was to keep track only of the tosses among the people in white. The tape rolled, and everyone began counting. Everyone except me. I'm dyslexic , and the moment I saw that tape with the confusing basketball tossers, I knew I wouldn't be able to keep track of their movements, so I let my mind wander. I became curious, though, when about 30 seconds into the tape, a gorilla walked in among the players. She (we later learned a female student was in the gorilla suit) stared at the camera, beat her chest with her fist, and then went away while they continued passing the balls. When the tape stopped, the professor asked how many people had counted at least a dozen basketball tosses. Hands went up all over. He then asked who had counted 13, 14, and congratulated those who'd scored the perfect 15. Then he asked, "And who saw the gorilla?" I raised my hand and was surprised to discover I was the only person at my table and one of only three or four in the large room to do so. He'd set us up, trapping us in our own attention blindness. Yes, there had been a trick, but he wasn't the one who had played it on us. By concentrating so hard on counting, we had managed to miss the gorilla in the midst. Attention blindness is the fundamental organizing principle of the brain, and I believe that it presents us with a great opportunity. My take is different from that of many neuroscientists: Where they see the shortcomings of the individual, I sense an opportunity for cooperation. Fortunately, given the interactive ... Question: Which of the following is true about the writer when the tape was played? Options: A: Like everyone else, the writer was counting carefully. B: The writer had difficulty keeping track of the tossers' movements. C: The writer showed great curiosity about what the players were doing. D: The writer tried hard to stop her mind from wandering.
(Answer)
B

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: When I lived in Spain, some Spanish friends of mine decided to visit England by car. Before they left, they asked me for advice about how to find accommodation . I suggested that they should stay at "bed and breakfast" houses, because this kind of accommodation gives a foreign visitor a good chance to speak English with the family. My friends listened to my advice, but they came back with some funny stories. "We didn't stay at bed and breakfast houses," they said, "because we found that most families were away on holiday." I thought this was strange. Finally I understood what had happened. My friends spoke little English, and they thought "VACANCIES" meant "holidays", because the Spanish word for 'holidays" is "vacaciones". So they did not go to house where the sign outside said 'VACANCLES', which in English means there are free rooms. Then my friends went to house where the sign said 'NO VACANCLES', because they thought this meant the people who owned the house were not away on holiday. But they found that these houses were all full. As a result, they stayed at hotels! We laughed about this and about mistakes my friends made in reading other signs. In Spanish, the word 'DIVERSION' means fun. In English, it means that workmen are repairing the road, and that you must take a different road. When my friends saw the word 'DIVERSION' on a road sign, they thought they were going to have fun. Instead, the road ended in a large hole . English people have problems too when they learn foreign languages. Once in Paris when someone offered me some more coffee, I said 'Thank you' in French. I meant that I would like some more. However, to my surprise, the coffee pot was taken away! Later I found out that 'Thank you' in French means 'No, thank you.' Question: My Spanish friends wanted advice about _ . Options: A: learning English B: finding places to stay inEngland C: driving their car on English roads D: going toEnglandby car
B