Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Outside her cottage, old Mrs. Taylor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children were hiding in a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she really was a witch. They watched nervously as she took a broomstick to sweep the dirt from her stone steps. But much to their disappointment, she didn't get on the broomstick and fly off. The old lady only looked up when her hen began to make sounds loudly --signaling that she had laid an egg in the nest on the top of the haystack. . The old lady put aside her broomstick and walked to the haystack, followed by Michael, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap. With only three legs, it was hard for Michael to keep up with his mistress. The cat was proof for the children that only a witch would own a black cat with three legs! Crawling further along the branches, they could clearly see the haystack. Mrs. Taylor was standing on a wooden box with the new-laid egg in one hand. Placing the egg in her pocket, she readied herself to climb down. Then, without warning, the box broke under her and she crashed to the ground. The children were in horror. "Should we go and help her?" asked Mia. "What if it's a trick?" replied Patrick. "She probably knows we're here. Witches know things like that!" After thinking for a while, Julia said"Anyway, we should go and check whether she is all right." Approaching _ , they could see a wound on the old lady's forehead. She had knocked her head on a stone and was unconscious. "Go and get Dad," Mia yelled to her brothers. "Tell him about the accident." The boys didn't need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as they could for help, hoping that Mrs. Taylor would not regain consciousness and turn the girls into frogs. Later, in the hospital, the old lady smiled her thanks. "I was so lucky that you lovely children happened to be passing when 1 fell. I must have yelled quite loudly." The children exchanged guilty glances, but were very pleased that she was not a witch after all! Question: Mrs. Taylor stopped sweeping when _ . - her doorstep became very clean - she heard the hen making sounds loudly - she noticed the children in the tree - her cat Michael managed to get her attention
she heard the hen making sounds loudly

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Sixteen-year-old Maria was waiting in line at the airport in Santo Domingo. She was leaving her native country to join her sister in the United States. She spoke English very well. Though she was very happy she could go abroad, she was feeling sad at leaving her family and friends. As she was thinking all about this, she suddenly heard the airline employee asking her to pick up her luggage and put it on the scales . Maria pulled and pulled. The bag was too heavy and she just couldn't lift it up. The man behind her got very impatient. He, too, was waiting to check in his luggage. "What's wrong with this girl?" He said, "Why doesn't she hurry up?" He moved forward and placed his bag on the counter, hoping to check in first. He was in a hurry to get a good seat. Maria was very angry, but she was very polite. And in her best English she said, "Why are you so upset? There are enough seats for everyone on the plane. If you are in such a hurry, why can't you give me a hand with my luggage?" The man was surprised to hear Maria speak English. He quickly picked up her luggage and stepped back. Everyone was looking at him with disapproval. Question: Maria's story happened _ . - when she was leaving America - on her way back to Santo Domingo - before she left the USA - when she arrived at the airport
when she arrived at the airport

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Is there a limit to the number of years that a person can expect to live? Can changes in life-style add years to one's life? Throughout history people have sought answers to these questions and others. Various myths offer the hope of great longevity. In the imaginary land of Shangri-La, for example, people are said to lead a charmed existence for a thousand years. The Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon was convinced that he would find the Foundation of Youth in what is now the state of Florida. According to the Bible, Methuselah lived to be more than 900 years old. The subject of longevity is fascinating, and scientists study individuals such as Jeanne Calment to learn about the aging process. Calment died in 1997 in Arles, France, at the age of 122. She never married, and she lived in her own apartment until moving to a retirement community when she was 109. Most scientists agree that bodies will last, at best, about 125 years. This potential has changed little since modern human beings appeared more than 100 thousand years age. Recent improvements in medicine and the environment have extended life expectancy, especially for those from poorer parts of the world. It is not clear, however, whether such improvements will lengthen life expectancy beyond a certain point. Life expectancy is the number of years an infant can be expected to live, given the conditions into which it is born. Life expectancy, therefore, is affected by nutrition, medical care, and social and political circumstances. An individual's genetic makeup is also an important factor. Children from long-lived families can hope to enjoy long lives themselves. According to recent data, the average life expectancy worldwide in 1998 was 67 years. This can be compared with an average life expectancy of 77 in the United States. In 1970 the average life expectancy worldwide was 61 years, or 6 years less than it was in 1998. This same period saw a drop in infant mortality --- the death of a child before the first birthday---from 80 births out of 1,000 to 54... Question: Infant mortality is defined as _ . - the number of children born alive - the kinds of behavior typical of very young children - the number of children, out of 1,000 births, who die before their first birthday - the typical and obvious thoughts of very young children
the number of children, out of 1,000 births, who die before their first birthday