Ques: During his life Dr James Naismith worked as a doctor, taught P.E and wrote several books. While he never thought it very important, Dr Naismith is today best known for one thing. He was the inventor of basketball. Dr James Naismith was born in Canada in 1861 and his first job was at a special sports school in the USA. One day the school principal told James he was having a problem with the students. Because of heavy snow, the students could not go outside. He told James that they needed a sport the boys could play indoors and gave the teacher two weeks to think of something. It was on the very last day that James came up with his idea. The "birth of basketball" is said to be on December 21, 1891, when two teams from the school played the first game. It was quite different from the basketball games of today. It had 9 players on each team and footballs were used instead of basketballs. Soon after, the game changed to 5 players on each side, using special "basketballs" through nets. Although Dr Naismith did not live to see basketball become the worldwide game it is today, in 1936, just three years before his death, basketball became an Olympic sport at the games in Berlin. Why is December 21 thought to be the birthday of basketball? A) It was on this day that Dr Naismith came up with his idea for basketball. B) It was the day on which Dr Naismith was born. C) It was the day on which Dr Naismith was asked by his boss to invent a new game. D) It was on this day that the first game of basketball was played.
Ans: D

Ques: The world lost one of the most respected leaders. Nelson Mandela, the former South African president, passed away on Dec. 5, 2013. The whole world felt sorry about the death of Mandela, a great man of history. Mandela is mostly remembered for his efforts to end apartheid in South Africa. Mandela was born in 1918. In South Africa, there are both black and white people. But at that time, Black people couldn't live or travel where they wanted. They didn't have the right to vote, either. Mandela didn't think that was right. He organized many activities against it, but he was sent to prison for 27 years. Under international pressure, the government set Mandela free in 1990. Great changes in the law began to end apartheid. At that time, Mandela chose to forgive his enemies. He shook hands with the people who wanted him dead. He also encouraged black people to forgive the whites. Because of his forgiveness, Mandela is remembered as a moral model by the whole world. In1993,Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize. A year later, he became the first black president of South Africa. Both black people and white people voted. Apartheid ended. In 1999, Mandela left office at the highest point of his power. The former South African president was _ years old when he died. A) 80 B) 90 C) 95 D) 85
Ans: C

Ques: One cold winter morning, an old woman had to go to see her doctor. When she walked into the doctor's office, she told him that her right leg hurt and sometimes she could not walk. She asked him what was wrong. She told him that she had never had such a feeling before. The doctor checked the old woman carefully, then he said, "You're in good health for a woman of your age. I think the trouble in your right leg is just a matter of old age catching up with you. We get all kinds of illness as we get older. The trouble will almost certainly end in spring." "I don't think so, doctor!" she said. "My left leg is well, and it's the same age as my right one." When did this story happen ? A) One cool autumn morning. B) One cold spring morning. C) One cold winter morning. D) One hot summer afternoon.
Ans: C

Ques: Do animals have a culture? What do we mean by "culture"? Lately social scientists have begun to ask if culture is found just in humans, or if some animals have a culture too. When we speak of culture, we mean a way of life a group of people have in common. Culture includes the beliefs and attitudes we learn. It is the patterns of behavior that help people to live together. It is also the patterns of behavior that make one group of people different from another group. Our culture lets us make up for having lost out strength, claws, long teeth, and other defenses. Instead we use tools, cooperate with one another, and communicate with language. But these aspects of human behavior, or "culture", can also be found in the lives of certain animals. Animals can make tools, for example. We used to think that the ability to use tools was the dividing line between human beings and other animals. Lately, however, we have found that this is not the case. Chimpanzees can not only use tools but actually make tools themselves. Animals can also share knowledge with each other and use their own language to communicate. So it may be important for us to know that the line dividing us from animals is not as clear as we used to think. We thought _ was the biggest difference between human beings and other animals. A) cooperating with one another B) communicating with language C) using tools D) losing long teeth
Ans:
C