Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Apparently everyone knows that global warming only makes climate more extreme. A hot, dry summer has caused another flood of such claims. And one of the players that benefit the most from this story is the media: the idea of "extreme" climate simply makes for more exciting news. Consider Paul Krugman writing breathlessly in The New York Times about the "rising incidence of extreme events." He claims that global warming caused the current drought in America's Midwest, and that supposedly record-high corn prices could cause a global food crisis . But the United Nations's latest assessment tells us precisely the opposite--there has an overall slight tendency toward less dryness in North America. Moreover, there is no way that Krugman could have identified this drought as being caused by global warming without a time machine since climate models estimate that such detection will be possible by 2048, at the earliest. And, fortunately, this year's drought appears unlikely to cause a food crisis, as global rice and wheat supplies are plentiful. Moreover, Krugman overlooks inflation :Prices have increased six-fold since 1969.So, the inflation-adjusted price of corn was higher throughout most of the 1970s. Finally, Krugman forgets that concerns about global warming are the main reason that corn prices have skyrocketed since 2005.Nowadays 40 percent of corn grown in the United States is used to produce ethanol ,which raises the price of corn -at the expense of many of the world's poorest people. Bill Mickbben similarly worries in The Guardian About the Midwest drought and corn prices.He confidently tells us that fierce wildfires from New Mexico and Colorado to Siberia are "exactly" what the early stages of global warming look like. In fact, the latest study on global wildfire suggests that fire incidence has declined over the past 70 years and is now close to its preindustrial level. When well--meaning campaigners want us to pay attention to global warming, they often end up making overstatements. And exaggerated ... Question: What is the chief reason for the rise in corn prices according to the author? Options: A: Inflation rates have been skyrocketing since the 1970s. B: A considerable part of corn is used to produce green fuel. C: Climate change has caused corn supply to drop markedly. D: Demand for food has been rising in the developing countries.
B

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: BUNOL, Spain (AFP) -- Tens of thousands of people from around the world threw tons of ripe tomatoes at each other in an annual food fight that painted the eastern Spanish town of Bunol red. More than 40,000 people, including many visitors from Australia, Britain and the United States, took part in the food fight known as the "Tomatina", now in its 64th year, a spokeswoman for Bunol's town hall said. They were provided with over 100 tons of tomatoes by the town council for the battle which lasted about one hour and left participants covered in red. Many men were shirtless while others wore old clothes, hardhats, goggles or protective plastic sheets. Shopkeepers put up huge plastic covers on their store fronts or boarded them up to protect their properties from the sea of red mush . After the battle, governmental workers and local residents used "giant hoses" to clear the walls and streets of the tomato pulp in just half an hour while the participants headed to a nearby river where temporary showers were set up. The event cost the town of some l0, 000 residents 40,000 dollars, and Spanish media reported. The "Tomatina" is held each year in Bunol, located in a fertile region about 40 kilometers north of the coastal city of Valencia, Spain's third-largest city, on the last Wednesday in August. The origins of the event are unclear although it is thought to have its roots in a food fight between childhood friends in the mid-1940s in the city. It has grown in size as international press coverage brought more and more people to the festival. Question: To keep their stores safe, the shopkeepers _ . Options: A: kept their store fronts covered B: hung plastic sheets on the walls C: closed all the doors and windows D: stopped people throwing at them
A

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: For an increasing number of students at American universities, Old is suddenly in. The reason is obvious: the graying of America means jobs. Coupled with the aging of the baby-boom generation, a longer life span means that the nation's elderly population is bound to expand significantly over the next 50 years. By 2050, 25 percent of all Americans will be older than 65, up from 14 percent in 1995. The change brings many problems for government and society, of course. But it also creates career opportunities in medicine and health professions, and in law and business as well. "In addition to the doctors, we're going to need more sociologists, biologists, urban planners and specialized lawyers," says Professor Edward Schneider of the University of Southern California's (USC) School of Gerontology .www.zxxk.com Lawyers can specialize in "elder law" which covers everything from trusts and estates to nursing-home abuse and age discrimination. Businessmen see huge opportunities in the elder market because the baby boomers, 74 million strong, are likely to be the wealthiest group of retirees in human history. "Any student who combines an expert knowledge in gerontology with, say, an MBA or law degree will have a license to print money," one professor says. Margarite Santos is a 21-year-old senior at USC. She began college as a biology major but found she was "really bored with bacteria." So she took a class in gerontology and discovered that she liked it. She says, "I did volunteer work in retirement homes and it was very satisfying." Question: Why can businessmen make money in the emerging elder market? Options: A: The elderly possess an enormous purchasing power B: They can employ more gerontologists C: Retirees are more generous in spending money D: There are more elderly people working than before
A: A

(Question)
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Pieter has a reasonable excuse for his lost wedding ring: a crocodile ate it, along with part of his left arm. " It took my wedding ring. I think it ate the ring up. " He told a newspaper by telephone from his hospital as he recalled his struggle with a man-eating animal. " I took my horse for an evening swim in one of the farm dams. There are lots of crocodiles and hippos in the area and they move around all the time,from dam to dam and into the river and out again. I was on the lookout for hippos and didn't see any. It slipped my mind that there might be crocodiles," he said. He was standing in the water about 5 metres away from the shore when he felt a biting jolt in his left hip. He thought it was a hippo but quickly realized it was a crocodile. " I started to fight immediately. I hit the crocodile with my left arm and then it went for ray left forearm. It pulled me under the water for a few seconds. I realized if I didn't stand up my wife would never find me again. What I didn't realize at the time was that the crocodile let me go because it had taken part of my left arm off,'' said Pieter. With his right arm,Pieter then grabbed the rope of his horse, which took him to safety. He walked 200 metres to his house and his wife took him to the nearest hospital. " I'm lucky I didn't lose too much blood. The biggest problem with a crocodile bite is that it can be septic .Crocodiles never brush their teeth," said Pieter. Question: Which of the following best describes Pieter when he fought with the crocodile? Options: A: Clear-headed. B: Frightened. C: Regretful. D: Thoughtful.
(Answer)
A