Ques: Lombard Street (San Francisco, USA) Known as "the world's most-crooked street," Lombard Street was first built in 1922 to reduce the hill's natural 27 % grade ,which was too steep for most vehicles. Lombard Street owns the record as the street with the most switchbacks in a single block. With eight steep and sharp turns, Lombard Street looks like a giant dizzy snake lying on the road. This famous street in San Francisco is known as the most-challenging street of all. Parliament Street (Exeter, England) This street in England is over a hundred years old today, but what makes it as an urban wonder is not its age but its unbelievable narrow size. Usually, a street is where a vehicle can conveniently pass, but that will never happen in the Parliament Street, as the street measures just 25 inches wide which is just enough for a ly medium-built person to pass. King Fahd's Fountain (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) The fountain was donated to the city by King Fahd. Being the world's tallest fountain, it deserves to be an urban wonder. It was constructed between 1980 and 1983. This fountain shoots water in an incredible 1023-foot (312m) height which is greater than the height of the Eifel Tower. Because of its seemingly unreachable height, the waters of the King Fahd's Fountain can be sighted even if the visitors are miles apart. Damanhur Temple (Northern Alps of Italy) The underground of the modest homes of Italy's northern Alps is where a massive, richly -decorated temple is found. The Damanhur Temple was secretly constructed in the 1970s. Decorated with impressive murals and vividly-color1ed stain glass, the temple was once seized by the Italian government due to illegalities. After some time, it was returned to Oberto Airaudi, the builder and founder of Damanhur. Why was Lombard Street built that way? A) To ease the traffic. B) To challenge citizens. C) To attract visitors. D) To set a record.
Ans: A

Ques: I consider Lily to be my best friend because she is always very good to me. She's always with me in times of difficulties and she is always there waiting for me. When I have problems and feel empty and upset, she's always by my side to comfort me. We've been together for two years. I met her during our college days. She was my classmate, but I can tell that we were not so close at that time, maybe because we had our own friends and maybe our attention was always on them, so I didn't even notice her. Yet there were times that she was with me during my lunch break. That is why we slowly became close. We had our lunch together in the boarding house but sometimes not, probably because we had our own friends. And when we took our break, we bought our favorite food together, but not that often since we didn't have enough money. Furthermore, we were together in the student union, which was nice for me to know her better. I can say that she is really a nice friend. She is the kind of person that is very approachable in times of emptiness. She is a friend whom I can call every time I need help. Definitely, I am so glad that I have her. Currently, we are working together as freelance writers online. We both work as contractors in oDesk. We are very happy with working together, and we are looking forward to earning some money so that we can go on vacation together. Friendships may not last. Friendships can lose importance and die gradually. However, I believe she will be a lifelong friend of mine. According to the passage, the author is _ about their friendship. A) optimistic B) embarrassed C) nervous D) unsure
Ans: A

Ques: By Zhang Youlv (China Daily 09/29/2008)--A manned lunar landing is China's next target when the current three-stage space program ends in the next dacade. "When our manned space program is completed, we will travel even further," Wang Zhaoyao, deputy head of China's manned space program office and Shenzhou VII mission spokesman, told a briefing in Beijing three hours after China's third manned space mission was successfully concluded yesterday. "After comprehensively analyzing the general trend of the international development of manned space, as well as realities in China, we see a manned lunar landing as a both challenging and tactical field in global hi-tech," he said. "We believe it necessary for our country to do something in this field," Wang said. He did not give a specific date for a moon landing. Wang, however, said, "Experts believe this is 'very much needed' for research into relevant (closely connected) technologies to further China's achievements in space." The 68-hour Shenzhou VII mission featured a 25-minute spacewalk on Saturday. It was broadcast live and watched by millions throughout the country. The crew's landing at a site in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region was also carried live by national television. The entire mission was pronounced a complete success. Wang said the three astronauts, were transported to Hohhot, the region's capital, and would spend the evening there. "They will return to Beijing this morning," he said. "During the course of the mission, Russian experts provided strong technical support for the EVA spacesuits. The successful Sino-Russian cooperation for this flight created beneficial conditions for more intensive cooperation between the two sides in the future," Wang said. The mission's success has paved the way for completing the second stage of the program--building a space station before 2020. Before that, a space lab will be set up in 2010 with Shenzhou X, the country's next full-crew space journey. When will China's spaceship land on the moon? A) 2020. B) 2010. C) 2018. D) No specific date.
Ans: D

Ques: As a young boy, I sometimes traveled the country roads with my dad. He was a rural mill carrier, and on Saturdays he would ask me to go with him. Driving through the countryside was always an adventure: There were animals to see, people to visit, and chocolate cookies if you knew where to stop, and Dad did. In the spring, Dad delivered boxes full of baby chickens, and when 1 was a boy it was such a fun to stick your finger 'through one of the holes of the boxes and let the baby birds peck on your fingers. On Dad' s final day of work, it took him well into the evening to complete his rounds because at least one member from each family was waiting at their mailbox to thank him for his friendship and his years of service. "Two hundred and nineteen mailboxes on my route." he used to say, "and a story at every one. " One lady had no mailbox, so Dad took the mail in to her every day because she was nearly blind. Once inside, he read her mail and helped her pay her bills. Mailboxes were sometimes used for things other than mail. One note left in a mailbox read. "Nat, take these eggs to Marian; she's baking a cake and doesn't have any eggs. " Mailboxes might be buried in the snow, or broken, or lying on the groom:. bat the mail was always delivered On cold days Dad might find one of his customers waiting for him with a cup of hot chocolate. A young wrote letters but had no stamps, so she left a few button on the envelope in the mailbox; Dad paid for the stamps. One businessman used to leave large amounts of cash in his mailbox for Dad to take to the bank. Once, the amount came to 8 32,000. A dozen years ago, when I traveled back to my hometown on the sad occasion of Dad's death, the mailboxes along the way reminded me of some of his stories. I thought I knew them all, but that wasn't the case. As I drove home, I noticed two lamp poles, one on each side of the street. When my dad was around, those poles supported wooden boxes about four feet off the ground. One box was painted green and the other was red, and each... The writer provides the detail about the businessman to show that _ . A) Dad had a strong sense of duty B) Dad was an honest and reliable man C) Dad had a strong sense of honor D) Dad was a kind and generous man
Ans:
B