When I was fourteen, I earned money in the summer by cutting lawns , and within a few weeks I had built up a body of customers. I got to know people by the flowers they planted that I had to remember not to cut down, by the things they lost in the grass or struck in the ground on purpose. I reached the point with most of them when I knew in advance what complaint was about to be spoken, which request was most important. And I learned something about the measure of my neighbors by their preferred method of payment: by the job, by the month--or not at all. Mr. Ballou fell into the last category, and he always had a reason why. On one day, he had no change for a fifty, on another he was flat out of checks, on another, he was simply out when I knocked on his door. Still, except for the money apart, he was a nice enough guy, always waving or tipping his hat when he'd seen me from a distance. I figured him for a thin retirement check, maybe a work-related injury that kept him from doing his own yard work. Sure, I kept track of the total, but I didn't worry about the amount too much. Grass was grass, and the little that Mr. Ballou's property comprised didn't take long to trim . Then, one late afternoon in mid-July, the hottest time of the year, I was walking by his house and he opened the door, mentioned me to come inside. The hall was cool, shaded, and it took my eyes a minute to adjust to the dim light. "I owe you," Mr Ballou said, "but..." I thought I'd save him the trouble of thinking of a new excuse. "No problem. Don't worry about it." "The bank made a mistake in my account," he continued, ignoring my words. "It will be cleared up in a day or two. But in the meantime I thought perhaps you could choose one or two volumes for a down payment. He gestured toward the walls and I saw that books were stacked everywhere. It was like a library, except with no order to the arrangement. "Take your time," Mr. Ballou encouraged. "Read, borrow, keep, or find something you like. What do you read?" "I don't know." And I... The author's main point is that _ . A) summer jobs are really good for young people B) you should insist on being paid before you do a job C) a good book can change the direction of your life D) books are human beings' best friends
C
(Question)
You hear the comment all the time: the U.S. economy looks good by figures, but it doesn't feel good. Why doesn't ever-greater wealth promote ever-greater happiness? It is a question that dates at least to the appearance in 1958 ofThe Wealthy Society by John Kenneth Galbraith, who died recently at 97. The Wealthy Societyis a modern classic because it helped describe a new moment in the human condition. For most of history, "hunger, sickness, and cold" threatened nearly everyone, Galbraith wrote. "Poverty was found everywhere in that world. Obviously it is not of ours." After World War II, the fear of another Great Depression gave way to an economic growth. In the 1930s unemployment had averaged 18.2 percent; in the 1950s it was 4.5 percent. To Galbraith, materialism had gone mad and would cause discontent. Through advertising, companies conditioned consumers to buy things they didn't really want or need. Because so much spending was artificial, it would be unsatisfying. Meanwhile, government spending that would make everyone better off was being cut down because people wrongly considered government only as "a necessary bad." It's often said that only the rich are getting ahead; everyone else is standing still or falling behind. Well, there are many undeserving rich -- overpaid chief managers, for instance. But over any meaningful period, most people's incomes are increasing. From 1995 to 2004, people feel "squeezed" because their rising incomes often don't satisfy their rising wants -- for bigger homes, more health care, more education, and faster Internet connections. The other great disappointment is that it has not got rid of insecurity. People regard job stability as part of their standard of living. As company unemployment increased, that part has gradually become weaker. More workers fear they've become " _ ," as Louis Uchitelle puts it in his book by the same name. Because so much previous suffering and social conflict resulted from poverty, the arrival of widespread wealth suggestedutopian ... What has wealth brought to American society? A) Stability and security. B) Materialism and content. C) A sense of self-accomplishment. D) New anxiety, conflicts and complaints.
(Answer)
D
Ques: Kenya is the first country to protect elephants by text messages. Mobile phone SIM cards are inserted in the collars of elephants. The cards will send a text message when the elephants wander too close to farms, allowing wildlife protectors to drive them off rather than shoot them. Hungry elephants cause big problems for farmers and villagers in some parts of Kenya when they are searching for food. Two years ago the Kenyan wildlife service had to unwillingly shoot five elephants who continued to destroy crops. In order to prevent such bad activities, the Elephants charity put a mobile phone SIM card on a huge bull elephant called Kimani. The conservationists then set up a virtual fence. Each time Kimani came near the fence, a text message was sent to farmers. So far he's been stopped from going into the danger area fifteen times. The project seems to be working successfully as Kimani hasn't come near a farm for four months. A similar system has now been put into operation in another part of the country. One of the biggest benefits of the project is that elephants seem to learn from one another, which can help a whole group change their habits. The elephants can also be tracked using Google Earth software. This is also helping the protectors know where to use their resources to protect the animals well. Elephants often cause problems in Kenya, because _ . A) they are attacked B) they are angry C) they are sad D) they are hungry
Ans: D
Some people say that the best way to reduce the size of your waist is to do stomach exercise. Many people believe that when specific muscles are exercised, the fatty tissues in the immediate area are burned up. The truth is that exercise burns fat from all over the body and not from one specific area. Of course, if you reduce the fat throughout your body, you will certainly see results around your waist too. Some people believe that you need to exercise twice a week in order to keep a sufficient level of physical fitness. However, studies directed by American scientists show that unexercised muscles lose their strength very quickly. Within 48 to 72 hours, you must use the muscles again to reestablish the good physical effects. And what does that mean to you? American scientists concluded that while daily exercise is most helpful, exercising every other day or three days a week will keep a sufficient level of physical fitness. Is it true that you burn more calories running one mile than walking the same distance? The answer is no. The truth is that you use the same amount of energy whether you walk or run the mile, since in both cases you are moving the same weight the same distance. The speed does not matter. Of course, if you run rather than walk for 30 minutes, you will cover more distance, and therefore burn more calories. If your breathing doesn't return to normal within 5 minutes after you finish exercising, you have exercised too much. Five minutes or so after exercising, your breathing should be normal, your heart shouldn't be beating loudly, and you shouldn't be tired. This passage tells us that _ . A) it is better to do more running than walking B) the more exercise you do, the healthier you will be C) the unexercised muscles must be used again within 48 to 72 hours D) in order to lose weight, you have to run fast
C