Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: In 1841, a book was published which astonished the world. It was called"Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan". The author John Loud Stephens had just returned from a long, difficult and dangerous journey through the thick rain forest of southern prefix = st1 /MexicoandGuatemala. He had once been there with Frederick Catherwood, an architect and artist, to search for the remains of a lost civilization known as the Mayas .Very little was known about the Mayas at that time, but Catherwood's drawing in the book showed incredible cities with temples, pyramids and other buildings as impressive as those of their northern neighbors, the Aztecs. These cities, however, were deserted. The inhabitants had disappeared almost a thousand years before. Since that time, far more has been learned about this remarkable civilization. The Mayas had a highly developed system of government and of agriculture, as well as an incredibly accurate system of measuring time. They were also wonderful engineers capable of moving huge blocks stone long distances and cutting them to accurate shapes and sizes. And yet although the Mayas knew about the wheel, they never used it. Neither did they use metals other than copper. What is ever more surprising is that they suddenly abandoned many of their cities and built new ones in the jungle. Some time around AD900, Mayan civilization collapsed. By the year 1200, their last great capital,Chichen Itza, was deserted. Who were these strange people and the even stranger gods they worshipped ? What brought about their sudden and mysterious collapse? Some writers have tried to prove that the Mayas had contact with visitors from space and even that they themselves came from another planet. Some people believe that their civilization came to an end because the Mayas never developed a proper resistance to local germs and diseases. All we really know is that when the first Europeans appeared off their coast in 1517, this great and mysterious culture was only a memory. Question: Stephen's book astonished the world because_. - it was the first time people heard about Mayas - the Mayas were excellent builders and farmers - he had experienced so may difficulties to find this lost civilization - it described that the Mayas used to be an advanced civilization
it described that the Mayas used to be an advanced civilization

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Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Yesterday I started the Year of Giving, my first day of a year-long journey into exploring the act of giving and the meaning of charity. I chose December 15 as the starting date, which marked three years since my mother died from heart disease. She was one of the most generous people that I have ever known. She always thought of others first and certainly serves as an inspiration to me. I had a rather busy day yesterday, ironic for someone who is unemployed right now. In the morning I went to the gym, and unsuccessfully got the phone call from the unemployment office for some job searching. Before I knew it, it was noon. I grabbed a quick lunch and rushed down to a meeting. On my way to Connecticut, I wondered if I would see someone that I would feel forced to give my first $10 to. I was running late and decided to do it afterwards. After the meeting I had about half an hour to find the first person of my Year of Giving! I decided to check out Dupont Circle. I had met a guy there named Jerry once and thought he would willingly accept my first $10. He wasn't there, but I did see a man sitting by himself who looked really lonely, so I approached him. Now I had to figure out what I was going to say. I think I said something like, "Hi, can I sit down here?" "I would like to know if I could give you $10?" He asked me to repeat what I had said. I did, then he looked at me funny, got up and left. I then started walking south where I spotted a man standing by the bus stop on Connecticut Ave. He appeared to be in his 60s. I don't know what drew me to him, but I thought I would make my second attempt. I was a bit nervous and asked him which bus came by that stop. Then I explained that I was starting a year-long project to give $10 to someone every day and that I wanted to give my $10 for today to him. The gentleman, I later found out that his name was Ed, responded without hesitation that he could not accept my offer and that there were many people more deserving the money than him. This was exactly one of the things... Question: In the author's first attempt to give away the money, _ . - he was considered ridiculous - he hesitated for a long time - he was forced to donate the money - he had no time to take action
(Answer)
he was considered ridiculous

Ques: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: NASDAQ, acronym for the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation system, is one of the largest markets in the world for the trading of stocks. The number of companies listed on NASDAQ is more than that on any of the other stock exchange in the United States, including the New York Stock Exchange(NYSE) and the American Stock Exchange (AMSE). The majority of companies listed on NASDAQ are smaller than most of those on the NYSE and AMSX. NASDAQ has become known as the home of new technology companies, particularly computer and computer-related businesses. Trading on NASDAQ is started by stock brokers acting on behalf of their clients. The brokers negotiate with market makers who concentrate on trading specific stocks to reach a price for the stock. Unlike other stock exchange, NASDAQ has no central location where trading takes place. Instead, its market makers are located all over the country and make trades by telephone and via the Internet. Because brokers and market makers trade stocks directly instead of on the floor of a stock exchange, NASDAQ is called an over-the-counter market. The term over-the -counter refers to the direct nature of the trading, as in a store where goods are handed over a counter. Since its inception in 1971, the NASDAQ Stock Market has been the innovator . As the world's first electronic stock market, NASDAQ long ago set a precedent for technological trading innovation that is unrivaled . Now ready to become the world's first truly global market, the NASDAQ Stock Market is the market of choice for business industry leaders worldwide. By providing an efficient environment for raising capital NASDAQ has helped thousands of companies achieve their desired growth and successfully make the leap into public ownership. Question: What is TRUE of NASDAQ? - It is the largest stock market in the world. - IT lists only small companies. - It lists all the new technology companies. - It lists the biggest number of companies.
Ans:
It lists the biggest number of companies.