Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: For millions of people,the American dream of owning a home seems to be slipping out of reach. "Maybe young couples can no longer afford to buy a ready-made house as their parents did,' says 40-year-old building instructor Pat Hennin."But they can still have a home.Like their pioneer ancestors,they can build it themselves,and at less than half the cost of a ready-made house." The owner-builders came from every occupational group,although surprisingly few are professional building workers.Many take the plunge with little or no experience."l learned how to build my house from reading books,"says John Brown,who built a six-room home for$25,000 in High Falls,New Jersey."If you have patience and the carpentry skill to make a bookcase,you can build a house."An astonishing 50 percent of these owner builders hammer every nail.1ay every pipe,and wire every switch with their own hands.The rest contract for some parts of the task.But even those who just act as contractors and finish the insides of their homes can save from 30 percent to 45 percent of what a ready-made home would cost. One survey revealed that 60 percent of owner-builders also design their homes.Many others buy commercial house plans for less than $100 or use plans available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Question: From the passage we learn that _ . Options: A: Many house plans are offered free of charge. B: Most of the house plans are offered by building instructors C: Fifty percent of the American young couples build houses. D: Most of the owner builders design their homes.
A: D

Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Birds that are half-asleep -- with one brain hemisphere alert and the other sleeping -- control which side of the brain remains awake, according to a new study of sleeping ducks. Earlier studies have recorded half-brain sleep in a wide range of birds. The brain hemispheres take turns sinking into the sleep stage characterized by slow brain waves. The eye controlled by the sleeping hemisphere keeps shut, while the wakeful hemisphere's eye stays open and alert. Birds also can sleep with both hemispheres resting at once. Decades of studies of bird groups led researchers to predict extra alertness in the end-of-the-row sleepers which tend to be attacked more easily. Sure enough, the end birds tended to watch carefully on the side away from their companions. Ducks in the inner spots showed no preference for gaze direction. Also, birds napping at the end of the line depend on single-hemisphere sleep, rather than total relaxation, more often than inner ducks did. Turning 16 birds through the positions in a four-duck row, the researchers found that compared with 12 percent for birds in inner spots, outer birds half-asleep during some 32 percent of napping time. "We believe this is the first evidence for an animal behaviorally controlling sleep and wakefulness at the same time in different regions of the brain," the researchers say. The results provide the best evidence for a long-standing assumption that single-hemisphere sleep developed over time as creatures scanned for enemies. The preference for opening an eye on the lookout side could be widespread, he predicts. He's seen it in a pair of birds napping side-by-side in the zoo and in a single pet bird sleeping by a mirror. The mirror-side eye closed as if the reflection were a companion and the other eye stayed open. Useful as half-sleeping might be, it's only been found in birds and such water animals as dolphins, whales, and seals. Perhaps keeping one side of the brain awake allows a sleeping animal to surface occasionally to avoid drowning. Studies of... Question: According to the passage, birds often half sleep because _ . Options: A: they have to watch out for possible attacks B: their brain hemispheres take turns to rest C: the two halves of their brain are differently organized D: they have to constantly keep an eye on their companions
A: A

Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Customs are social habits. They have been handed down through generations among groups, social classes, etc. Customs can be described as ways of doing things. They are particularly strong in social practices on the occasions of births, marriages and deaths. In China, these days, some people in cities are learning from Western customs. For example, some brides dress in the long white dress that is usual bridal wear in many Western countries. Every people has special customs for New Year. The Han people have many interesting Spring Festival customs. And now, quite a number of people living in the cities have followed the Western customs of sending New Year greeting cards for January 1st. One interesting custom in China is that mothers wrap up their babies tightly .This is not the custom in Western countries, where babies are usually dressed in loose garments. Question: How do the Chinese young people learn from Western countries at their marriages? Options: A: The brides have on the white clothes. B: Men wear the white coats. C: Their parents all have attended their marriages. D: Their marriages are only held in the men's homes.
A: A

Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: They may have text,email,Facebook and Twitter,but young people are still lonelier than any other age group.The Loneliness in New Zealand Report,published by Statistics New Zealand,shows under 30s are more likely to feel lonely than older people because loneliness decreases with age.Loneliness and poor mental health were strongly related across all ages.Young people were not as likely to feel lonely because of financial hardship,but among older people,lack of money was a significant influence on loneliness.Women were more likely to feel lonely than men. Philip Walker,spokesman for the General Social Survey,said because it was ly new it was hard to know whether loneliness among young people was a new trend.But overseas research has found that levels of loneliness in youth today are growing. Mr.Walker said the finding needed more exploration,including looking at the role of technology and social media."It could be that people's expectations of connection have gone up,so we expect increased levels of connection,"he said."While technology like cell phones could help young people stay connected,on the other hand for those who do get bullied ,especially bullied online,it's quite isolating.A lot of the time potentially it is a big contributor to loneliness." Figures from online dating website FindSomeone also confirmed more young people were looking for love.Manager Rick Davies,said younger dating hopefuls were the fastest growing group on the site. Mr.Davies noted that since the report data was collected in 2010there had been huge growth in smart phones,which meant people were online even more.He believed online tools,such as Skype,could help people stay connected."People can keep in touch with a wide range of friends from all over the world much more easily now.It's like you're sitting in your living room having a chat with them." Bemardine Reid,operations committee chairwoman for Samaritans,which operates a free helpline,said many of their calls came from people who were lonely."It might be that they've got some... Question: What is the best title of the passage? Options: A: Loneliness Around You B: Young People Online C: Young but Lonely D: E-times and Young People.
A: C