Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: The space shuttle Columbia flared and broke up in the skies over Texas on Saturday, February 1,2003, killing the seven astronauts on board in what NASA and President Bush called a tragedy for the entire nation. NASA launched an investigation into the disaster and began searching for the astronauts' remains. It said that although there had been some data failures it was too early to nail down a precise cause. The break-up, 16 minutes before the shuttle was due to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spread possibly toxic debris over a wide swath of Texas and neighboring states. Dramatic television images of the shuttle's _ clearly showed several white trails streaking through blue skies after the shuttle suddenly fell apart. It was almost 17 years to the day that the Challenger shuttle exploded on Jan. 28, 1986, killing all seven astronauts on board. Take-off and re-entry into Earth's atmosphere are the most dangerous parts of a space mission. In 42 years of US' human space flight, there had never been an accident in the descent to Earth or landing. Challenger exploded just after take-off. Rescue teams scrambled to search for the remains of the crew, which included the first Israeli to fly on the shuttle, former combat pilot Col. Ilan Ramon. There were warnings that parts of a vast 120-mile-long corridor of debris could be toxic because of poisonous rocket propellant . "We are not ready to confirm that we have found any human remains," Nacogdoches County Sheriff Thomas Kerrs said. He added that among the roughly 1,000 calls reporting debris, some people said they found remains of crew members. "The Columbia is lost. There are no survivors, Their mission was almost complete and we lost them so close to home. ... America's space program will go on," said a grim-faced Bush in a message broadcast on television, which included condolences to the families of the dead astronauts. Question: The Columbia disaster and theChallengerdisaster were similar in that _ . - there were seven astronauts killed on board - both the shuttles exploded when they took off - Both the shuttles exploded when they were about to land - no human remains were found
A: there were seven astronauts killed on board

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: The Ring of Fire covers 4,000 km around the edge of the Pacific Ocean.It includes the countries of Japan,Indonesia and the Philippines.More earthquakes and volcanoes occur in this area than anywhere else in the world.The name Ring of Fire refers to areas below the earth's surface.These areas move suddenly and often cause earthquakes and create volcanoes. Many areas of Asia,such as the Philippines,Japan,and Indonesia, sometime experience earthquakes and volcanoes.There are occasionally landslides ,mudslides,and tidal waves as a result.Fortunately, these natural disasters do not happen very often. Southern China is about 600 km away from the Ring of Fire.Sometimes, people in this region feel earthquakes too.The worst earthquake felt in southern China was in 1918 in Shantou.It measured 7.3 on the Richter scale.Any earthquake of 6 or more on the Richter scale is very dangerous to people. People in Hong Kong sometimes experience the effects of earthquakes and volcanoes.In September 1994,for example,the strongest earthquake to hit Hong Kong for 76 years shook buildings and scared thousands of residents.Frightened workers and families ran out of their offices and homes.The earthquake measured 6.5 on the Richter seal. It is difficult to predict when an earthquake will occur In countries within the Ring of Fire, buildings must be very strong because the effects of earthquakes on buildings are terrible. In June 1991, Mt Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted.Many people were killed and the area surrounding the volcano was badly damaged.Hot ash and liquid rock from the volcano forced people to leave the area.They only returned many months later.The ash spread over a large area.Even people in the Guangdong region of southern China saw ash in the air. Question: Earthquakes_. - never cause much damage - are easy of predict - occur suddenly and are difficult to predict - are usually accompanied by strong winds
A: occur suddenly and are difficult to predict

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Gwendolyn Brooks wrote hundreds of poems during her lifetime. She was known around the world for using poetry to increase understanding of black culture in America. During the 1940's and the 1950's, Gwendolyn Brooks used her poems to describe conditions among the poor,racial inequality and drug use in the black community. She also wrote poems about the struggles of black women. But her skill was more than her ability to write about struggling black people. She combined traditional European poetry styles with the African American experience. Gwendolyn Brooks once said that she wrote about what she saw and heard in the street. She said she found most of her materials through looking out of the window of her second-floor apartment in Chicago, Illinois. In her early poetry, Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about the South Side of Chicago, where many black people live. In her poems, the South Side is called Bronzeville. It was "A Street in Bronzeville" that gained the attention of literary experts in 1945. Critics praised her poetic skills and her powerful descriptions about the black experience during the time. The Bronzeville poems were her first published collection. In 1950, Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. She won the prize for her second book of poems called "Annie Allen". "Annie Allen" is a collection of poetry about a Bronzeville girl as a daughter, a wife and a mother. She experiences loneliness, loss, death andpoverty . Gwendolyn Brooks said that winning the prize changed her life. Her next work was a novel written in 1953 called "Maud Martha". "Maud Martha" attracted little attention when it was first published. But now it is considered an important work by some critics. Its main ideas about the difficult lives of many women are popular among female writers today. Question: We can infer that the book "Annie Allen" mainly deals with _ . - family life - inequality - adventure - failure
A: family life

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Norm Pethrick, a 36-year-old man in Australia's northern city Darwin, was praised on Thursday for jumping onto a crocodile's back to save his wife Wendy at Litchfield National Park, a popular tourist spot southwest of Darwin, a local newspaper reported. Ms Pethrick was standing on a river bank Wednesday afternoon when the saltwater crocodile lunged , locking its jaws on both her legs as it tried to drag her underwater. Norm Pethrick, who with his wife had been collecting water, immediately went to help her. He jumped onto the back, poked the eyes of the crocodile and finally got his wife free. Ms Pethrick was later taken to Royal Darwin Hospital for a medical treatment. The doctors said she was suffering eight puncture wounds in her right leg, a puncture wound in her left leg and a serious cut to one of her fingers. "This could have been a fatal and tragic situation," said the general manager of Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH), Dr Len Notaras, according to a local report. He said Ms Pethrick was saved by her husband's "quick and diligent actions". Dr Notaras also said she would remain in hospital for three to four days and have an operation to clean the wounds, which are easy to get infected because of bacteria on the teeth of the crocodile. Question: This passage is most likely to be found in _ . - a travel guide - a textbook - a newspaper - a novel
A: a newspaper