Whether or not to go to university will probably be the biggest educational decision you ever make. After battling with student finance, deciding whether or not to take a year out can be as terrifying as deciding where to move to for the three years. Some students will have planned their year out for months, but, for others, slipped grades may force a gap year , either to retake exams or to apply to different universities. Others might just need time to think. Thankfully, for U.K. students, taking a gap year remains a good option and it can be one of the most productive and fulfilling years of their life. Whether you've planned and budgeted for a year abroad, or have made a last-minute decision to delay your first year, the options are endless. Traveling, volunteering and so on are all there for the talking. With so many things on offer, it's important to remember that 12 months won't be enough time to do all of them, so decide early and work towards making whatever you want to do a reality. Researching a gap year is exciting, and often the place to start is at home. Family and friends can be a great source of inspiration. Your school or college might be fully equipped to advise you on what to do when further education is _ . Don't underestimate the power of the Internet, either. Typing a "gap year" into a search engine might seem too obvious, but planning to travel around the world for months on your own is not appropriate. To stay at home or go abroad is likely to be the first question you consider, but in this era of budget flights, doing both is practicable. A European inter-rail ticket can be as little as PS 159. For those loving traveling, they must be on the special watchfulness for tricks in the process. Agencies can organize your year abroad for you, and often, it is more effective to make the bookings through the agencies. But flights and other forms of transport within Asia and America are much cheaper when bought in the countries rather than bought in advance. The auther's attitude towards a gap year may best described as _ A) supportive B) negative C) defensive D) sensitive
A
Snow falls in the Earth's extreme North and South throughout the year. However, the heaviest snowfalls have been reported in the mountains of other areas during winter. Snow is even known to fall near the Equator ,but only on the highest mountains. Snow contains much less water than rain, but much of the water the world uses comes from snow. Melting snow provides water for rivers, electric power stations and agricultural crops. In the western United States, mountain snow provides up to seventy-five percent of all surface water supplies. Snowfall helps to protect plants and some wild animals from winter weather. Fresh snow is made largely of air trapped among the snow crystals . Because the air has trouble moving, the movement of heat is limited. Snow also influences the movement of sound waves. The surface of the snow takes in, or absorbs, sound waves. As snow grows older or if there have been strong winds, it can become hard and flat. Then, the snow,s surface will help to send back sound waves. Snow may be beautiful, but it can be deadly. It is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people. Many people die in traffic accidents on roads covered with snow and ice or from being seriously stuck in the winter storm. Others die from heart attacks caused by too much physical activity out in the cold. People may not be able to avoid living in areas where it snows often. However, they can avoid becoming victims of snowstorms. People should stop driving and stay at home until the storm has passed. People living in these areas should carry emergency supplies in their vehicle. These include food,emergency medical supplies,and extra clothing to stay warm and dry. Snow can be deadly mainly because it can _ . A) cause road accidents B) make people stuck in winter storms C) lead to heart attacks D) make people victims of snowstorms
D
Q: According to an English newspaper, scientists could begin cloning human embryos in Britain in 2001. It is understood that the government has already agreed to use Frankenstein's technology, believing the benefits are more important than ethical concerns .Researchers think it will be possible to grow brain tissue to cure the diseases that are likely to get worse as time passes like Alzheimer's , and produce "spare part" organs like hearts and kidneys for transplant . Ministers are aware that the change in the law will be as controversial as the law which legalized abortion more than 30 years ago. Some politicians reacted angrily , arguing that the government had already made up its mind without discussion. Church leaders and anti-abortion campaigners have long expressed their horror at the plans, arguing that even the earliest embryos are forms of human life.They believe that getting an embryo from cells is morally unacceptable . And it will also cause arguments about how far scientists should interfere with nature and lead to accusations that _ are "playing God". The cloning of human embryos to provide spare parts is regarded by most experts to be the most important step forward in the 21stcentury medicine. Scientists say treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's will be the first application of cloning. The ability to clone embryos was first achieved by scientists in Scotland in the late 1990s and now the ability to grow stem cells into tissues and organs is being developed by American researchers. Combining the two technologies will mean an end to long waits for organs from donors and problems caused by rejection of transplanted tissues by the body. Ian Wilmut, the man who cloned Dolly the sheep, has warned that British experts will go to America, where such work is legal, if the government does not permit it. What's the best title for this passage ? A) Science of cloning. B) Cloning and abortion C) Cloning human embryos D) the argument between politicians and scientists
A: C
(Question)
I still remember the days when I was a youthful student in an engineering school. I lived a casual life, without caring about the future. I smoked, drank with friends and made girl friends. Little did I realize that casualness would certainly lead to loss. Two years had passed and I was staring down a report card that highlighted FAIL in more than half the subjects. I didn't care, at least not till my dad found out about it. You see, I studied in India and unlike the United States where the students are expected to finance their own education, my dad financed me. Then came the day when my dad found out my habit of smoking. He lost his temper but he just told me, "Son, your allowance is cut in half from this moment on". It hit me like a roundhouse kick from Bruce Lee. I was jolted out of my bones! I couldn't comprehend how to pay off the debts that I had accumulated in college. I owed everybody money: the grocery store, the bars, the restaurants, my friends, etc. I was living a life filled with credit. When I went back to college, I knew that if I don't change the way I live my life I won't be able to pay everybody off. So I decided to make some changes, drastic changes. I quit smoking, cut off from my friends who led me down the wrong road, starting hanging out in libraries and reading my engineering books. One year later, I went from a miserable failure to a magna cum laude . . This incident made me know that anything is possible if you take action and do something about it, however small or large. Even today it still motivates me when I feel that I'm about to lose or give up. It reminds me that I can do it! The author wrote this text with the purpose of _ . A) introducing his university life to the teenage readers B) encouraging those lazy students to study hard at school C) showing you can overcome any difficulty if you take action D) calling on the readers not to develop bad habits in college
(Answer)
C