Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Flexible working hours, homeworking opportunities and cover for emergencies or school holidays are the top concerns for working mothers, according to a British survey on Thursday. The survey of 1,677 people by specialist employment advice website workingmums.co.uk showed that despite a tougher job climate, in which redundancies had risen dramatically during the crisis, mothers demanded for a more flexible schedule. Flexible hours for full-time jobs came top of the list for 85 percent of respondents who were asked what they thought made for a family-friendly employer. That came just ahead of homeworking opportunities. "Flexibility is really key and able to help achieve an element of work/life balance," workingmums.co.uk founder Gillian Nissim told reporters. She said the crisis had not reduced the urgency of this issue for working mums and that employers who want to be prepared for the eventual upturn would do well to listen to them rather than risk losing them to more forward-thinking rivals. Many women said they had considered setting up their own business as a way around the flexibility problem and nearly half (45 percent) of respondents said they had looked into it. Nissim said the workingmums.co.uk database alone showed that on average working mums have more than 15 years of work experience and a range of valuable skills picked up in the workplace and from their parenting experiences. "So the benefits to employers of being able to accommodate a degree of flexibility is significant," she said. Part-time work, flexibility around emergency cover or school holidays were the next highest concerns with extended maternity pay as well on the list of concerns.More than half (54 percent) of respondents said they would accept a less well-paid job in return for flexibility, with 40 percent prepared to consider this option. Question: Flexibility of working hours can help women _ . Answer:

OPTIONS:
- to have an extended maternity.
- to have opportunities to operate their own companies.
- to strike a balance between work and life.
- to pick up a range of valuable skills.

A: to strike a balance between work and life.

Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: There is one word that is on the lips of Americans , day and night , "Sorry". One time as I was walking on the street , a young man ran by hurriedly , brushing against my handbag . Even as he continued on his way , he turned back and said "sorry" to me . Even in a rush , he didn't forget to apologize . One day , after I bought some apples , the salesman was giving me the change , but I wasn't ready for it , and a coin dropped on the ground, "I'm sorry ," he said while bending down to pick it up . I was puzzled --why would he apologize when it was my fault ? Another time , I stepped on a man's foot in an escalator . At the same time , we both said "sorry" . I thought it interesting : was it really necessary for him apologize ? Later on , an American friend explained to me that according to the American ideas, the escalator is public place which everyone should be able to stand in . After someone occupies a position in the escalator , making it difficult for someone else to find a place to stand in , isn't it necessary to express an apology ? During my stay in America , I gradually realized that when friction occurs in daily life , Americans don't care much about who is responsible . If someone is troubled , a "sorry" is always necessary . Even if the other person is hurt , the "sorry" would cool tempers . Perhaps this is why I never saw anyone quarreling on the buses , subways or streets in America . Question: The man on whose feet I stepped apologized to me because _ . Answer:

OPTIONS:
- the escalator is a public place
- the man was very afraid of me
- the "sorry" said to me was for everyone
- there wasn't enough room to get my feet in

A: the escalator is a public place

Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Harry is eighteen now. He studies in a middle school.His parents like him very much and hope he can become a famous man. So they often tell him to study hard and they do almost everything for him. They wakes him up at six in the morning, after breakfast his father takes him to school in a car and in the afternoon, as soon as the young man comes back, the supper is ready. Of course, he never washes his clothes or goes to buy anything in the shops. Once Harry's father was sent to London on business. He would stay there for half a year. Upon leaving, he told his wife to take good care of their son. The woman had to get up eatlier and did all that her husband did before. And two months later she was so tired that she was ill in bed. Now the young man got into trouble. He couldn't do any housework. He had to do as his mother told him. He didn't even know where to get on the bus! One day Harry's mother found his shoes were worn out and told him to buy a pair in the shop. But he didn't know how to choose The woman had a sigh and give him a shoe patten and told him to buy a pair of.shoes himself. With a policeman's help, Harry found a shop. The shopkeeper was friendly to him. The man brought a lot of shoes and asked him to choose. When he was trying on a pair, suddenly he remembered something and took them off. The man was surprised and asked, "What's the matter, young man?" "I'm sorry. I've left the shoe pattern at home!" Question: Harry had to buy shoes himself because _ . Answer:

OPTIONS:
- his mother didn't know what kind he needed
- his mother was busy with the housework
- something was wrong with his mother
- his mother wanted her son to do something himself

A:
something was wrong with his mother