I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Charles Dickens (1812-1870), the great nineteenth century English novelist, was born near Portsmouth. His father ran heavily into debt and when he was twelve, he had to go and work in a factory for making boot polish. The only formal education he received was a two-year schooling at a school for poor children. In fact, he had to teach himself all he knew. He worked for a time as junior clerk in a lawyer's office. After that, he worked as a reporter in the law courts, and later in parliament, for London newspapers. His career as a writer of fiction began in 1833 with short stories and essays in periodicals, and in 1837 his comic novel The Pickwick Papers made him the most popular author at his time in England. He was a great observer of people and their places because he was attracted by life and conditions in mid-nineteenth century London. He wrote 19 novels all his life and in many of them, Dickens gave a realistic picture of all classes of England society, showing deep sympathy for the poor and unfortunate, exposing the injustice and inhumanity of the bourgeoisie . Many of his novels like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and so on drew attention to the unsatisfactory social conditions that existed in England over a hundred years ago. Dickens criticized capitalist society from the point of view of bourgeois humanism. He wished to see improvement in the living conditions of the poor, but failed to find any effective means to achieve that end. Question: Which of the following novel made Dickens the most popular writer at his time in England? Options: A: Oliver Twist B: The Pickwick Papers C: A Tale of Two Cities D: Great Expectations
B
I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: The drug store was closing for the night and Alfred Higgins was about to go home when his new boss approached him. "Empty your pockets please, Alfred," Sam Carr demanded in a firm voice. Alfred pretended to be shocked but he knew he had been caught. From his coat he withdrew a make-up kit, a lipstick and two tubes of toothpaste. "I'm disappointed in you, Alfred!" said the little gray-haired man. "Sorry, sir. Please forgive me. It's the first time I've ever done such a thing," Alfred lied, hoping to gain the old man's sympathy. Mr Carr's brow furrowed as he reached for the telephone, "Do you take me for a fool? Let's see what the police have to say. But first I'll call your mother and let her know her son is heading to jail." "Do whatever you want," Alfred shot back, trying to sound big. But deep down he felt like a child. He imagined his mother rushing in, eyes burning with anger, maybe in tears. Yet he wanted to come quickly before Mr. Carr called the police. Mr. Carr was surprised when Mrs. Higgins finally arrived . She was very calm, quiet and friendly. "Is Alfred in trouble?" she asked. "He's been stealing from the store," the old man coolly replied. Mrs. Higgins pulled out her hand and touched Mr. Carr's arm with great gentleness as if she knew just how he felt. She spoke as if she did not want to cause him any more trouble. "What do you want to do, Mr.Carr?" The woman's calm and gentle manner _ the once-angry store-owner, "I was going to get a cop. But I don't want to be cruel. Tell your son not to come back here again and I will let it go." Then he warmly shook Mrs. Higgins' hand. Mrs. Higgins thanked the old ma for his kindness, then mother and son left. They walked along the street in silence. When they arrived home his mother simply said, "Go to bed, you fool." In his bedroom, Alfred heard his mother in the kitchen. He felt no shame, only pride in his mother's actions. "She was smooth!" he thought. He went to the kitchen to tell her how great she was, but was shocked by what he saw. His mother's... Question: What impressed Alfred most about his mother at the drugstore was _ . Options: A: how angry she was B: how effective she handled Mr. Carr. C: that she was able to save him D: that she didn't cry
B
Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: For new countries joining the European Union, and older ones getting used to their dark red passports, becoming "Europeans" is a bit like marrying into a large, eccentric family. Europeans have a lot in common but it is their differences, not their similarities, that attract the attention of sociologists and market researchers, and are more interesting. * 35% of Germans live alone, but only 9% of Spaniards. Perhaps this explains why Spaniards lead Europe in the habit of going out for a drink. * The British attend more adult evening classes than anyone else in Europe, and the Belgians least. So it can't just be the dark evenings. There are no figures on how many Britons go for a drink afterwards. If there were, they might be up at the top with Spain! * The British think black cats are lucky. Every other European country regards them unlucky. * The Dutch and Germans are the greatest caravaners , but the Germans like bigger beds in their caravans. * The French are the most athletic Europeans. Next come the Dutch. But the Belgians, just over the border, play fewest sports. * The Germans spend twice as much on heating as the Spaniards. Well, of course they do, it's colder. * Dutch husbands do the household shopping a lot more often than Italians or Spaniards. * The French are the champion public transport commuters of Europe. If you hate commuting, go and live in the Netherlands, where journeys to work are shorter than anywhere else. * The amount of direct eye-contact between strangers is three times greater among Spaniards than it is among the British or Swedes. Sharing a lift is torture for both the British and the Swedish. * No European countries really agree with any other about how to make good coffee. All of them are different. There are exceptions to all these rules. Deal with them in the spirit of my 8-year-old daughter. "If you don't understand each other's language, you just laugh a lot, and eat, and point at things." Question: Which of the following statements is TRUE about Spain? Options: A: Spaniards hate direct eye-contact between strangers. B: Spaniards like to go for a drink after dark. C: Spaniards spend twice as much on heating as the Germans. D: In Spain, husbands do more household shopping than those in Italy.
A: C