*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: An African-American man named John Henry was the hero of former slaves and the people who built the railroads in the US in the 19th century. John Henry was born a slave. He was known for his strength. Many people say he represents the spirit of growth in America during that period. John Henry grew up in a world that _ . Before he was six years old, he was carrying stones for workers building a nearby railroad. By the time John Henry was a young man, he was one of the best railroad workers in the country. John Henry was asked to lead workers on a hard project, creating a tunnel through a mountain. The project required about 1,000 laborers and lasted three years. Hundreds of men became sick as a result of the hot weather and tiredness. John Henry was the strongest and fastest man. Concerned his friends might lose their jobs, he picked up their hammers and began doing their work. He worked day and night, rarely stopping to have a rest. One day, a salesman came to the work area with a new drilling machine powered by steam. He said it could drill holes faster than twelve men working together.[: _ Z _ X _ X _ K] John Henry looked at the machine and saw images of the future. He saw machines taking the place of America's best laborers. He saw himself and his friends unemployed and sanding by a road, asking for food. He decided he would never let the machine take their jobs. Therefore, a competition between a man and a machine began .At first, the steam-powered drill worked twice faster. Then, John Henry started working with a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. People cheered when the machine broke down and was pulled away. But they were sad to find John Henry fall to the ground, with blood spilling all around, and still holding a hammer in one of his hands."I beat them,"he said. Then he took his last breath. Question: Which of the following best describes John Henry? Options: A: Kind and determined. B: Cautious and considerate. C: Brave and strict. D: Hardworking and stubborn.
**Answer**
A

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: How do you know if your mother likes you or not? That is a question I have been struggling with a lot lately. My mother and I used to talk on the phone a few times a day. I saw her at least twice a week. Now she doesn't answer when I call, and never calls me back. She doesn't see me and then complains that I don't see her enough. It all started a few months ago, I started having a date with a man, and we became serious quickly. This is not the first boyfriend I have had. I know she isn't mad at me for my finding love. The turn-in events happened when I moved from about 15 minutes away from my mom to 1.5 hours away from her. She encouraged it, she seemed happy, and she helped me pack. Since then, everything has changed. I can't tell if she cares about me and I don't know if she is bitter. When I call her, she says she is busy and will call me back. Then the problem is that she never calls me back, I make plans with her, but she cancels. Then when I do see her, she gives me comments like "It's been a while since you came to see me". It seems like I haven't tried. It's very frustrating. I don't know what is wrong, and she won't talk to me, so I can't find out. Does anyone have any advice for what to do in a situation like this? Part of me wants to cry and stop trying. But not talking to her tears me apart. Please give me some advice below. Question: We can infer that in the past the writer _ . Options: A: often disappointed her mother B: didn't know her mother quite well C: had a close relationship with her mother D: didn't want to visit her mother
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Can a Language Become Extinct? A language can become extinct when the last person who can speak it passes away. Or more likely when the secondlast person who speaks it dies because then there is no one left to talk to. According to linguists there is nothing unusual about a single language dying out. But what is happening today is quite remarkable. According to the recent statistics, there are approximately 6,000 languages in the world as we speak. Of these, about half are going to die out in the next century. There are several reasons as to why a language can eventually die out. These range from natural disasters, such as hurricanes, to sociological factors, like cultural assimilation, in which the culture of a minority group is gradually replaced by a stronger one. The former can cause tribes to leave their natural habitat and therefore become fewer and fewer in number. However, it doesn't happen very frequently. In fact, the latter is a much bigger threat and it is responsible for the extinction of a lot of languages in countries like the USA and Australia. For instance, Chemehuevi is one of the languages which is really close to dying out since its sole speaker is an old, yet healthy, man named Johnny Hill, Jr. It is very important for as many languages as possible to be preserved. Scientists have been trying to raise people's awareness on how certain tribes have specific words which cannot be expressed in let's say English simply because there is no equal meaning. Namely, the Yupik of Alaska have 99 names to describe different layers of ice formation, or how the Tofa of Siberia classify reindeer . In other words, when languages die out, mankind's wisdom reduces. On a happier note, there are many famous cases which show what can be done to preserve languages in danger of extinction. In particular, the Maori in New Zealand have created socalled "language nests": organizations which help children under five learn the language. They provide them with a setting where they are exposed to the language... Question: What most probably caused the death of languages in the USA and Australia? Options: A: Habitats were lost. B: Natural disasters struck. C: Native cultures disappeared. D: Foreign languages were spoken.
**Answer**
D