I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Cities need to put efforts to deal with pollution and clear the air. Chinese cities will need to put efforts to clear up the sky when a new department to improve regional air quality is set up by 2015, according to the latest plan released by the State Council. Besides the existing pollution control program for SO2, regional emission caps for other certain chemicals will be established in the three key air polluting areas-- the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Coal-consumption caps will also be tried out in some areas, according to the plan. "The plan is aimed at dealing with regional air pollution--such as acid rain and smog--which have become increasingly obvious in China in recent years and caused a severe threat to people's health," Zhang Lijun, vice-minister of environmental protection, said in an interview on Monday. "The air quality in a city affects the regions nearby because pollutants Can travel through the atmosphere," said Chai Fahe, vice-director of Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences. "So efforts to reduce air pollution in a single city, targeting a certain pollutant will not be enough," Chai said. Zhang said, "The country's major industrial districts--the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region--have recorded more than 100 misty days annually in recent years." These three regions, home to at least 200 million people, occupy only 6. 3 percent of the country's area but consume 40 percent of the country's coal and produce half of its steel, according to official figures. Studies also show that the visibility in eastern regions of China has dropped by 7 to 15 km compared to that in the early 1960s, as a result of air pollution. Liaoning province, the Shandong Peninsula, Wuhan in Hubei province and its surrounding area, the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan region in Hunan province, the Chengdu-Chongqing region, and the western coast of the Taiwan Straits are also listed as areas to carry out such regional... Question: It will not be enough to reduce air pollution in a single city because _ . Options: A: air pollution has been becoming more and more serious in recent years B: air pollution like acid rain and smog is threatening people's health C: air pollutants in a city can travel in the sky and affect nearby areas D: air pollutants stay in fixed places over the cities
C

I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Long ago, little attention was paid to a person's birthday. Even though everyone knew that people grew older, they had no way of correctly marking time. It wasn't until the early people learned more about how time passed that they made a note of time changes. Then they developed a calendar and began to celebrate special events such as birthdays. When birthdays first started to be celebrated during the early days, common people, especially children, hardly celebrated their birthdays. Today, birthdays are celebrated by the young and the old alike all around the world. Many countries have different customs from ours of celebrating birthdays. At the same time there are a lot of people that celebrate birthdays in quite similar ways as we do. Some of the countries are very similar to the United States, such as Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland. Customs within countries can be affected by things like language, religion, geographic location, and economic conditions. No matter what the customs are, however, they are always followed by the majority of the people in each country. For example, not all children in the US have birthday parties, candles or birthday cakes, but most of them do. However, the reasons why we celebrate birthdays and use different symbols are very much the same to everyone. The reason why we have birthday parties goes back to long time ago. At that time people believed that good and bad spirits appeared when a child was born and influenced that child through his / her life. The belief brought about the custom of having birthday parties. They believed that surrounding the birthday person with friends, family and good wishes would frighten the bad spirits away. Question: At first, people had birthday parties to _ . Options: A: get rid of bad luck B: bring good luck C: honor the important day D: express their wishes
A

I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Just as they were getting ready to leave the street corner, they noticed a man walking toward them. He was obviously a wealthy man ---- they could tell that from the finely tailored business suit he was wearing and the gold watch chain that decorated his left pocket. The first beggar whispered to the second with excitement, "He's coming our way!" The two tried not to look directly at the man as he stepped closer to them, but they couldn't help glaring at him with expectation as he reached into his pocket and took something out. "Thunk" was the only sound they heard as what looked like a piece of hard candy, wrapped doubly in tissue paper, hit each of their waiting hats. The rich man turned and continued on his way, not making a backward glance. "How disgusting !" said the first beggar, as soon as the rich man was out of sound range. "He could have easily left us a few coins or a spare bill, but he tricks us with a piece of rock candy." He looked at the wrapped offering with disgust. "Who does he think we are ---- children? There's no way we can even eat this ---- we have no teeth." The beggar picked up the object with the very tips of his fingers and threw it into the gutter . He watched as it floated a few yards in the stream of smelly water and disappeared at the end of the street. Then, he gathered up his things and walked away. The second beggar looked down at the candy in his hat, then at his departing friend. His first impulse was to throw the donation in the trashcan under the street light. But his second thought made him change his mind. "I haven't had anything like this for ages," he thought. "I can't chew it, but I can suck on it for a while, and the sugary juices will stay in my mouth for a long time. How nice of that man to offer me something so sweet." He eagerly opened the paper outside, then paused as his hands touched the white tissue paper inside. "Maybe I should save it for another time," he thought. "It won't spoil, and I could eat it later when I'm really hungry." The beggar hesitated... Question: Why was "thunk" the only sound they heard when the rich man dropped the candy? Options: A: Because there was no other sound at that time. B: Because all their attention was focused on the offering. C: Because the sound was too loud at that time. D: Because they liked listening to the sound.
B