Snow-melting Agent A heavy snow can kill pests and this means a good harvest next year.This will bring as well as trouble to urbanites. On Nov.16,2003,a cold air current brought a heavy snow to Beijing.To prevent traffic jams,related government departments mobilized people to clear off snow on streets. One of the most effective ways to clear off snow on roads is to scatter snow-melting agent on the roads.The major component of the snow-melting agent is salt.The snow-melting agent can make snow stop from freezing,make it easier to clear off the road,and allow traffic to flow smoothly.But it also brings about some hidden dangers.In the spring of 2003,over 300 000 trees in Beijing urban districts died.After analyzing soil around these trees,experts discovered that the salt content of these soils was 392 times higher than normal.Where did the excessive salt come from?After investigating,forestry experts found that when clearing snow in the winter,people usually heap snow containing snow-melting agent at trees' roots,and that when the snow melts,this agent penetrates the soil and increases its salt content.The snow-melting agent indirectly killed the trees. Statistics show that during a heavy snow in 2002,over 1000 tons of snow-melting agent was scatterred on streets in Beijing.Snow water containing a large amount of snow-melting agent got into the soil through sewers. In addition,salt in the snow-melting agent can expedite the corrosion of steel bars in concrete buildings and cause the concrete to crack and peel,shortening the life of roads. Scientists and government officials are required to solve traffic problems caused by heavy snows as soon as possible and at the same time try to reduce the negative effects of the snow-melting agent.This is a difficult problem placed before them.Related authorities have framed some local criteria to regulate the production and use of snow-melting agents. Now,more harmless snow-melting agents are being developed.Now that even snow-melting agents that meet today's criteria must... According to the text,the most practical way to clear off snow is to _ . A) use snow-melting agent as much as possible B) only use more harmless snow-melting agent C) encourage people to clear snow with their hands D) use more snow vehicles
C
My mind went blank when I saw the gun pointing against the car window as we pulled out of the garage. This can't be happening to me. Then I felt the gun, cold, against my head, and I heard my friend Jeremy saying, "What do you want? Take my wallet," but at the time I thought of nothing. I remember being a little annoyed when the gunman pulled me from the car by the hair. I remember the walk to the house --- Jeremy, me, the two men with two guns. I remember the fear and anger in the gunmen's voices because Jeremy was being slow, and I remember wondering why he was being slow. I did not realize that Jeremy had thrown the keys into the bush. But I remember that sound of the gun hitting Jeremy's head and the feeling as the man who had hold of my hair released me. And I remember the split second when I realized he was looking at Jeremy, and I remember wondering how far I could run before he pulled the trigger. But I was already running, and upon reaching the car across the street, I didn't crouch behind it but screamed instead. I remember thinking there was something ridiculous and illogical about screaming "Help, help!" at eight o'clock on a Tuesday evening in December and changing my plea to the more specific "Help, let me in, please let me in!" But the houses were cold, closed, unfriendly, and I ran on until I heard Jeremy's screams behind me announcing that our attackers had fled. The neighbors who had not opened their doors to us came out with baseball bats and helped Jeremy find his glasses and keys. In a group they were very brave. We waited for the police to come until someone said to someone else that the noodles were getting cold, and I said politely, "Please go and eat. We're O.K." I was happy to see them go. They had been talking of stricter sentences for criminals, of bringing back the death penalty and how the President is going to clean up the country. I was thinking, they could be saying all of this over my dead body, and I still feel that stiffer sentences wouldn't change a thing. In a rush all... The author was happy to see the neighbors go because _ . A) she hated to listen to their empty talk B) she did not want to become an object of pity C) she was angered by their being late to come to her help D) she wanted to be left alone with Jeremy to get over the shock
A
(Question)
One cold day in winter, my wife and I were walking back home from the grocery store as usual when we suddenly decided to walk into a coffee shop. My wife ordered a coffee at the counter. Just then, I saw a young woman in her thirties helping with a rather weak Mexican woman into the shop. Maybe it was the gentleness of their difficult experiences or an unclear familiarity with the situation that drew my full attention. I immediately had a strong wish to do something for them. Unfortunately, before I could think of anything reasonable to say, they left the coffee shop without ordering anything! When my wife returned, I told her about the two women and said, "I missed the chance to do something for them." Strangely enough, though, they came back into the same coffee shop five minutes later. Unbelievable! "This is my chance," I thought out loud as my wife shared some creative possibilities. The two women ordered, took their place card and left the counter. After quickly finishing our coffee, we walked up to the counter and asked the smiling cashier , "What is your most popular dessert ?" Chocolate Cake," she answered. With a childlike feeling of happiness, my wife made an unusual order. "Can I buy a chocolate cake for the two women who were here just before us? But don't tell them it is from us. Just give them this card," she said while taking out a smile card. The cashier couldn't believe it. " Do you do this all the time?" she asked. " Not all the time, but just whenever the heart calls for it," I answered with a natural smile. We, my wife and I, are people of middle income . That night, we had planned to have our once-in-a-while dinner at a restaurant. But walking out of that coffee shop, both of us stood upright and said, "Let's eat at home today." It's more filling to give a chocolate cake than to eat it. Why did the author and his wife decide to eat at home? A) They had no money left. B) They had drunk enough coffee. C) They were full of happiness from giving. D) They wanted to go home to take a rest earlier.
(Answer)
C