Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The Venice Carnival is the largest and the most important Venetian festival. It is a festival that celebrates the passage from winter to spring, a time when seemingly anything is possible, including the illusion that the people at the bottom become the most powerful by wearing masks on their faces. The Venice Carnival could date back to 1296. It was confirmed on the day before Lent, a public holiday, but it had no direct religious connection at that time. However, the participants were not allowed to wear masks around the city at night; men could not enter convents if they pretended to be women, and celebrations within the convents were strictly forbidden. People who broke the rules could be put into prison. The laws were not relaxed until the late 17thcentury, when the carnival-goers were allowed to wear masks throughout the carnival. Participants would wear a white mask in old days, while costumes have become even wilder today. St. Mark's Square is the center for the carnival, while Campo San Polo and Sestiere are two other popular places where events take place. Most of the events are free, along with several unusual masked balls for which visitors will have to buy tickets in advance. The 2012 Venetian Carnival was celebrated from February 11 to 21. There were the liveliest celebrations of parties, performances, show, music, dances, dinner sets along streets, and hotels. It attracted a great number of visitors around the world. Many travelers booked Venice hotels and prepared costumes and masks well ahead of time so that they couldn't be made fun of by local people. Question: From this passage we learn that in today's carnival _ . Options: A: not all events are free B: visitors can watch all events freely C: participants only wear white masks D: local people usually look down upon visitors
A

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: There are many famous writers in the English world, among whom Jane Austen (1775--1817) has been popular with all ages. But then Jane Austen wrote her novels in England, she was writing about a world that most of us would not recognize. But today Austen's books are in greater demand than ever. In the last ten years, five of the six novels have been made into Hollywood films, while her books continue to be bestsellers. So why is Austen still popular? Richard Jenkyns, a professor of English at Oxford University, argues that her novels still appeal to people because they focus on issues that are as _ today as they were when she wrote them. Her novels are about women trying to find a perfect husband, but also explore issues surrounding marriage, friendship and the family. "The plots are fairly timeless stories about human interaction which are familiar to us," Jenkyns says. The most famous book Austen wrote is Pride and Prejudice,a love story betweenElizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. At first the two characters do not get on. They finally fall in love, but still have to overcome opposition to their relationship from their families. All of Austen's books are easy to read, making them popular with children and adults, but they work on different levels so people can take what they need from them, author Kate Henry says. Austen is often praised as the greatest romance writer in the English language, so it is surprising she remained unmarried. "Maybe she was too much of a romantic, waiting for a perfect man," Henry says. Question: According to Henry, Austen remained unmarried because _ . Options: A: she was used to the life of being single B: the perfect man didn't appears in her life C: she was too busy to think of marriage D: she was afraid of marriage
B

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Not too long ago, our teacher, being a "tree-hugger"(as the kids call her), had us write an essay on an environmental issue. I was eager to start, but something made me stop. "What is an environmental issue?" one kid asked. "What if we don't care about the environment?" another complained. "It's not like it affects me." These comments _ me. I have always cared about the environment and assumed that others did too. From the surprised look on my teacher's face, I could tell she felt the same way. In no time, I finished my essay. In my essay I wrote about logging , which is an important industry, but if we continue to cut down trees without replacing, it will damage the environment. There are so many things that we can do to save our world. Recycling, of course, is always a good thing, but not everyone has a recycling plant nearby (I don't). There are other ways to help the environment. Plant a tree. Don't waste water. I can't stand it when a person's excuse for not caring is "Nothing is going to happen in my lifetime, so why should I care?" Sure, the chances of something terrible happening are slim, but I want people to realize that if we don't deal with it, someone will have to eventually. Do you want that to be your children? Or your children's children? When my teacher told me to read my essay to my class, I was a little embarrassed because I didn't want everyone to call me "tree-hugger". I realize now that if being a tree-hugger means you care about the environment, I'm a tree-hugger 100 percent. I just wish more people were. Question: At the beginning, the author stopped writing _ . Options: A: to ask some questions B: because of other kids' comments C: to listen to the teacher's instructions D: because he had no idea about the topic
B

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: When you're having a hard time with your homework or when you're preparing for your term paper, these student-focused websites can help you with just about anything you need. The key to getting the most out of these online resources is to know how they can best be used to your advantage. Facebook Although Facebook can be one of your biggest time-wasters and distractions when you are supposed to getting work done, it can also be one of your most valuable resources. Most of your classmates will probably have a Facebook account, so anyone you need to connect with about a class you missed or about a problem is usually just a few clicks away. SparkNotes With a free library of history, philosophy study guides and summaries, SparkNotes has covered just about any reading-related tasks you have to finish. Just search for the book, play, or short summary of the material you are supposed to read. Amazon.com Do you finish every term with many expensive textbooks you will never open again? Instead of letting the money spent go to waste, get back some of your cash by selling your books on Amazon. RateMyProfessors.com Choosing new classes can sometimes be like trying to pick out your clothes in the dark, a total guessing game. Which teacher gives out the hardest problem? How much homework will that history professor give you every week? At RateMyProfessors.com, students all over the country rate their professors on quality, helpfulness, and how hard their classes are. Wikipedia While Wikipedia isn't aimed specially at students, it is difficult to think of another website that does more to reduce the pain of paper writing and researching. Wikipedia gives you a quick way to find sources and get the details of almost any topic you need research - all without walking to the library. Question: While you are taking great pains to write a research report, _ can most probably be a help. Options: A: Wikipedia B: SparkNotes C: Amazon.com D: Facebook
A