Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Astronomers say they are on the point of finding planets like Earth orbiting other stars, which is a key step in determining if we are alone in the universe. A top NASA official and other leading scientists say that within four or five years they should discover the first Earth-like planet where life could develop, or may have already. A planet close to the size of Earth could even be found sometime this year. At the annual American Astronomical Society conference this week, each discovery involving so-called "exoplanets" --those outside our solar system -- pointed to the same conclusion:Quiet planets like Earth where life could develop probably are plentiful. NASA's Dew Kepler telescope and a lot of new research from the suddenly hot and competitive exoplanet field caused noticeable buzz at the meeting.Scientists are talking about being at "an incredible special place in history" and closer to answering the question. "Are we alone? For the first time, there's an optimism that sometime in our lifetimes we're going to _ that," said Simon Worden,an astronomer who heads NASA's Ames Research Center. "If I were a betting man, which I am, I would bet we're not alone." "These are big questions that reflect upon the meaning of the human race in the universe," the director of the Vatican Observatory, the Rev. Jose Funes, said Wednesday in an interview at this week's conference. Worden told The Associated Press: "I would certainly expect in the next four or five years we'd have an Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone." Question: What is very important in determining if we are alone in the universe? Options: A: Finding an Earth-like planet B: Orbiting other stars. C: Developing new telescopes D: Finding more exoplanets.
Ans: A

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Betty and Harold have been married for years. But one thing still puzzles old Harold. How is it that he can leave Betty and her friend Joan sitting on the sofa, talking, go out to a ball game, come back three and a half hours later, and they're still sitting on the sofa, talking? What in the world, Harold wonders, do they have to talk about? Betty shrugs . Talk? We're friends. Researching this matter called friendship, psychologist Lilian Rubin spent two hundred women and men. No matter what their age, their jobs, their sex, the results were completely clear: women have more friendships than men, and the difference in the content and the quality of those friendships is "marked and unmistakable". More than two-thirds of the single men Rubin interviewed could not name a best friend. Those who could were likely to name a woman. Yet three-quarters of the single women had no problem naming a best friend, most trusted person, or the one they would turn to in time of emotional distress . "Most women," says Rubin, "identified at least one, usually more, trusted friends to whom they could turn in a troubled moment, and they spoke openly about the importance of these relationships in their lives." "In general," writes Rubin in her new book, "women's friendships with each other rest on shared emotions and support, but men's relationships are marked by shared activities. "For the most part, Rubin says, interactions between men are emotionally controlled - a good fit with the social requirements of "manly behavior". "Even when a man is said to be a best friend," Rubin writes, "the two share little about their innermost feelings. Whereas a woman's closest female friend might be the first to tell her to leave a failing marriage, it wasn't unusual to hear a man say he didn't know his friend's marriage was in serious trouble until he appeared on night asking if he could sleep on the sofa." Question: What old Harold cannot understand or explain is the fact that _ . Options: A: he is treated as an outsider rather than a husband B: women have so much to share C: women show little interest in ball games D: he finds his wife difficult to talk to
Ans: B

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you've got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we're the apple of our parent's eyes, and that our Grandmas think we're great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. But sometimes it's a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge. It is time you built a positive self-image and learn to love yourself. Self-image is your own mind's picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world. The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list of you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don't allow doubts to occur in it. It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can't move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you're silly because you aren't good at math, find a tutor. If you think you're weak because you can't run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you're dull because you think it doesn't mean it's true. The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat... Question: What is the passage mainly about? Options: A: How to prepare for your success. B: How to face challenges in your life. C: How to build a positive self-image. D: How to develop your good qualities.
Ans:
C