Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Competition. It's a simple word, yet a very complex word that covers many angles when it comes to how gasoline prices are determined. It seems so easy to explain, but don't let that trick you--it's incredibly difficult to explain and adequately understand. Say you're on a Sunday afternoon drive, and notice a gas station near you charging $3.50. Down the road a few miles, that price could easily be 10 or more cents higher or lower. The question is "how" or "why" is that? Think of it this way. Are you more likely to get a better deal on a car if there are two similar car dealers next to each other? Perhaps, because the dealers are too close. Say there is a third similar car dealer miles away. Is he going to be at the same level of competition and sell his cars for the same price as the two dealers next to each other? Likely not. He may charge more or less. Maybe people don't know there are two other dealers down the road. Maybe the dealer is almost outside of the city and the land value isn't as high, so his taxes aren't as high. These situations do take place at gas stations. And more factors can impact what a station will charge. Timing can greatly impact what price a station charges as well! Many motorists fail to realize that the price a station pays for gasoline changes daily. If one station gets lucky and buys gas on Monday and the cost goes up Tuesday, the station that bought on Monday doesn't necessarily have to raise prices like the station that bought on Tuesday. Maybe the station that got caught buying for a higher price on Tuesday will pass that higher cost on by raising its gas price. Perhaps the difference is what brand the station is---branded stations usually pay a slightly higher cost for their gasoline. In return for paying a higher cost, those stations are guaranteed first supply in case of emergency situations. Independent stations don't pay as much, but aren't guaranteed supply. While competition sounds easy to understand, there are always a large number of factors that could influence what... Question: What could be the best title for the passage? Options: A: How Competition Impacts Gas Prices B: Gas Prices Go Up or Down C: Competition---a Very Complex Word D: We Can't Stress Enough the Need for Competition
A

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Should you stay at home to look after your child,or return to work? Maybe you don't have the option.Combining work and motherhood is an issue faced by increasing numbers of women every day. New research for the Institute for Economic and Social Research could solve this quandary once and for all.In short,it concludes that going back to work after the birth of a child can have a negative impact on the child's development--unless you have lots of money. "Growing up in a family in which the mother chooses to work appears to have some adverse consequences for children's welfare," the research says.However,it adds that extra money brought in by both parents can reduce the negative effect.The negative effect is also less apparent in children of bettereducated mothers. The research by John Ermisch and Marco Francesconi is especially downbeat about welfare to work programmes,and especially,the prospects for the children of some single parents. "It is hard to see anything but gloomy prospects for the children of single parents (who are generally poor)," the researchers said.This is because in a common family where both parents work,extra money brought in by the mother's working would compensate for less time spent with the children. In contrast,the researchers said the effects of paternal employment were far more modest,but this did not mean that fathers had no role in shaping their children's welfare.Money brought in by the father would be a major resource for helping children develop. The research says,however,that before parents get too carried away by worrying about working,there are more important issues facing a child's development.Parents' personalities and emotional stability,parenting practices,and the friends and networks that children experience while growing up will be much bigger factors than whether their mothers work. Question: The extra money brought in by both parents _ . Options: A: plays different roles in shaping a child's welfare B: can reduce the negative effect on a child C: has negative effect on a child's development D: may damage the life of children
B

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: I told my friend Graham, "I often walk two miles from my house to the town centre. Unfortunately, there is a big hill on the way." He replied, "You should say 'fortunately'." He explained that I should be glad for the extra exercise that the hill gave. I thought he was right. My attitude to the hill has now changed. As I _ the foot of the hill and prepare to climb, I tell myself that this hill will help me lose weight and get fit. This hill is my friend. I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill. Problems are to be faced. We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller once wrote that "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened ..." Our attitude towards difficulties is of importance in life. From time to time, we all face problems, accidents and difficulties. We cannot choose the situation but we can choose our attitude toward the situation. How can you change your attitude towards difficulties? Try these steps:1. Face the problem. Do not avoid it. 2. Take a positive attitude. 3. Imagine how you will feel when you solve the problem. 4. Develop an action plan for how to deal with it. 5. Smile. Many great people like Helen Keller, took these steps to deal with their problems. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They accepted the challenge. They won. Question: We can infer from the passage that _ . Options: A: the author's favorite sport is climbing hills B: the author has to climb a hill to go to work C: Graham helped change the author's attitude D: Graham often climbs hills to exercise
C