Last July, my parents and I went to visit my aunt and uncle in Seattle, a city on the northwest American coast. Dad did some research and had no difficulty in finding us cheap tickets online. On the day of our flight, we had to wake up very early. When we checked our bags in, we found that one bag weighed too much, so we had to pay a fine. After that, Dad insisted that we go and have some breakfast at the airport restaurant. We had a lot of fun watching many different people there. Then we realized it was getting late, so we rushed to the gate. It took one hour for everyone to get on the plane, but finally the door was shut and we were on our way! I think my favorite experience during our trip was our visit to Mount Rainier, a volcano near Seattle. It was nothing like I had expected. Before we left, my aunt lent us hats to protect us from getting sunburned, so I supposed that it would be very hot. Imagine my surprise when we drove up the mountain and I discovered the top was covered in snow and ice! My uncle led us to a small path beyond the main trails to increase our chances of seeing wildlife. We walked over a small hill, and suddenly before us there appeared a field of snow. Small wild flowers grew up through the snow; underneath the snow we could hear rushing water -- a small stream. Little animals stood still to avoid being noticed; tiny birds rose into the air. It was the most beautiful sight that I'd ever seen. Why did they choose a small path instead of the main trails? A) To enjoy more of the wildlife. B) To take a shortcut to save time. C) To avoid the snowy road. D) To avoid being attacked by animals.
A
I had the meanest mother in the world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal , eggs or toasts. While others had Cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different from other kids' too. But at least I wasn't alone in my sufferings. My sister and two brothers had the same mother as I did. My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends were and where we were going. She insisted if we said we'd be gone an hour, then we be gone one hour or less---not one hour and one minute. And she always insisted upon us telling the truth. Now you can see how mean she was. The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night and up at eight the next morning. We had to wash the dishes, make beds, and learn to cook. We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath, while the other kids always wore their clothes for days. I believe she laid awake at night thinking up mean things to do to us. Through the years, things didn't improve a bit. We could not lie in bed, "sick" like our friends did, and miss school. Our marks in school had to be up to par. Our friends' report cards had beautiful color1s on them, black for passing, red for failing. My mother, being as different as she was, would settle for nothing less than ugly black marks. As the years rolled by, we were one by one put to shame. We were graduated from high school. With our mother behind us, talking, hitting and demanding respect, none of us was allowed the pleasure of being a drop-out. My mother was a complete failure as a mother. Out of four children, a couple of us attained some higher education. And whom do we have to blame for the terrible way we turned out? You're right, our mean mother. She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults. Now I am trying to raise my three children. I am filled with pride when my children call me mean. Because, you see, I had... The author's mother wanted her children to _ . A) be top students in school and graduate with honor B) do their best at school and be educated and respected citizens C) stop seeing her friends who pretended to be sick to skip classes D) bring home color1ed report cards like her friends did
B
(Question)
Just 50 years ago Manx seemed to be on the point of disappearing. "If you spoke Manx in a pub on the island in the 1960s, it was considered provocative and you were likely to find yourself in a fight," recalls Brian Stowell, a 76-year-old islander who has written a Manx-language novel,The Vampire Murders, and presents a radio show on Manx Radio spreading the language every Sunday. The language itself is similar to the Gaelic tongues spoken in the island's neighbours, Ireland and Scotland. A century ago, "Moghrey mie" would have been commonly heard instead of good morning on the island. "In the 1860s there were thousands of Manx people who couldn't speak English," says Stowell. "But only a century later it was considered to be so backwards to speak the language that there were stories of Manx speakers getting stones thrown at them in the towns. "I learnt it myself from one of the last surviving native speakers back in the 1950s." Recession( ) in the mid 19th Century forced many Manx residents to leave the island to seek work in England. And parents were not willing to pass the language down through the generations, with many believing that to have Manx as a first language would affect job opportunities overseas. There was a fall in the language. By the early 1960s there were perhaps as few as 200 who spoke the tongue. The last native speaker, Ned Maddrell, died in 1974. Unesco pronounced the language died out in the 1990s. Now there is even a Manx language primary school in which all subjects are taught in the language, with more than 60 pupils attending. Manx is also taught in other schools across the island. What is the passage mainly about? A) The Manx language. B) The life of Manx people C) The Manx island. D) The Manx language school
(Answer)
A