We thought we had it all---a beautiful house, three healthy children and one more on the way, two cars, a couple of four-wheelers for entertainment---and we loved it. Then, the market turned and my husband's job at a construction company was gone. The company was closing down for good.We both started looking for jobs right away, but there weren't any to be found. With each passing day we were getting increasingly worried and we continued to work together in order to pull our family through. _ I felt feelings of admiration for my husband that I hadn't felt in years. That's why it was so hard for me to watch him blame himself for our present situation. I continually asked him to stop, but he seemed to want to punish himself for not having a job. Finally, one afternoon I pulled him aside and said, "We have four healthy children and each other. That's what's important. That makes you a rich man." " But what if we lose the house? They'll hate me--you'll hate me," he replied. I smiled at him and put my hands on both sides of his face to make him look me in the eye. "No matter where we live I will be happy -as long as I have you." I smiled again. In all the struggling together I had found that deep love for him that I had on the day we said "I do". I could see his shoulders and neck relaxed. He held me close and we were able to talk and plan and dream together in a way that we hadn't for quite some time. It was a turning point for us as a couple and a family. We are still struggling for out better life, but I consider us well-off because we have something that money can't buy and no one can take away from us. We can learn from the passage that _ . A) they both found good jobs at last. B) both of them were worried about joblessness. C) her husband was to blame for the unemployment D) they didn't love each other when they got married
B
(Question)
If your cellphone suddenly stops working, don't blame the service provider.The malfunction might well have been caused by something bigger -- a solar storm.Experts expect that Earth will see more solar activity in the near future.The malfunction of electronic devices will just one of the effects. Sunspots serve as an indicator of the sun's activity.For the past two years, sunspots have mostly been missing.Their absence, the most prolonged in nearly 100 years, has taken even seasoned sun watchers by surprise. When the number of sunspots drops at the end of each 11-year cycle, solar storms die down and all become much calmer. This "solar minimum" doesn't last long. Within a year, sunspots and solar storms begin to build toward a new crescendo, the next solar maximum. What's special about this latest cycle is that the sun is having trouble starting the next solar cycle. The sun began to calm down in late 2007, so no one expected many sunspots in 2008. They should return in 2010. Scientists have predicted that the next solar cycle could be the most active on record: more sunspots and more solar storms. However, sunspots are mostly missing now. Since the earth is in close contact with the sun, strong solar activities can bring trouble to our life. People of the 21st century rely on high-tech systems for the basics of daily life. Air travel and radio communications can be affected by strong solar activities. A big solar storm could cause 20 times more economic damage than Hurricane Katrina. What the sun will do next is beyond our ability to predict. Most astronomers think that the solar cycle will go on but at low level. However, there is also evidence that the sun is losing its ability to produce sunspots. By 2015, they could be gone altogether. Which statement does the text lead you to believe? A) Solar activities do no harm to our daily life. B) Hurricane Katrina is also a type of solar storms. C) It's difficult to predict sunspots. D) From now on there' re no sunspots.
(Answer)
C
Ques: Fido was now his master's constant companion in his walks, playing and skipping round him, and amusing him by a thousand sportive tricks . He took care, however, not to be troublesome by leaping on him with dirty paws, nor would he follow him into the parlor , unless invited. He also attempted to make himself useful by a number of little services. He would drive away the sparrows as they were stealing the chickens' meat; and would run and bark with the utmost fury at any strange pigs or other animals that offered to come into the yard. He kept the poultry, geese, and pigs from straying beyond their bounds and particularly from doing mischief in the garden. He was always ready to alarm Towzer if there was any suspicious noise about the house, day or night. If his master pulled off his coat in the field to help his workman, as he would sometimes do, Fido always sat by it, and would not suffer either man or beast to touch it. By this means he came to be considered as a very trusty protector of his master's property. His master was once confined to his bed with a dangerous illness. Fido planted himself at the chamber-door, and could not be persuaded to leave it even to take food; and as soon as his master was so far recovered as to sit up, Fido, being admitted into the room, ran up to him with such marks of excessive joy and affection, as would have melted any heart to behold. One hot day, after dinner, his master was sleeping in a summer-house , with Fido by his side. The building was old and crazy; the dog comprehended the danger, and began barking to awaken his master; and this not sufficing, he jumped up, and gently bit his finger. The master upon this started up, and had just time to get out of the door before the whole building fell down. Fido, who was behind, got hurt by some rubbish which fell upon him. Thus his love and fidelity had their full reward. Which one is the best title for the text? A) Saving the Master B) The Loyal Dog C) Protecting the Master's Possession D) The Duty of a Little Dog
Ans: B
Ques: English Conversation Leader: Mandi Ashmore english@ iwc-lausanne. org We meet on Mondays at 14:30 at the IWC clubhouse. We chat for about an hour and discuss everything. Mandi asks "students" to contact her on Monday to confirm the class as sometimes she needs to cancel for various reasons or occasionally she may choose to hold the class at a different venue or at an earlier time for us to be able to have lunch together. French Conversation, Advanced Beginner Leader: Marielle Sulmoni frenchconvo@ iwc-lausanne. org I'm French (born in Bordeaux) and Swiss by marriage. I hold an advanced beginners' French conversation class on Tuesday afternoons from 14:30 16:00. We meet weekly at the clubhouse in a friendly atmosphere. I hope to help you use your knowledge of French, allowing you to speak with no fear of making mistakes, which in time will become fewer and fewer. French Language Lab, Beginner Leader: Maija Remlinger frenchlab@ iwc-lausanne. org The group meets on Thursday afternoons from 15:00-16:30 at the clubhouse. The first half of the class is devoted to reading out loud from the book "Easy French Reader", working on pronunciation and phrasing. During the second half, we listen to audio recordings from "New French with Ease" and work on oral comprehension. French Conversation, Advanced Leader: Juliette Brull french@ iwc-lausanne, org We meet every Tuesday at the IWC clubhouse from 9:30-11:00. Most of our time is devoted to very lively discussions about current events and various topics. We also read a book written by a French author and sometimes we see a French movie. Which of the clubs focuses mainly on the basic knowledge of language? A) English Conversation. B) French Conversation, Advanced . C) French Language Lab, Beginner. D) French Conversation, Advanced Beginner.
Ans:
C