Ques: The cost of raising a child from birth to age 18 is about $ 160,140! That doesn't even touch college tuition. For those with kids, this figure might lead them thinking how much they could have banked. For others, that number might confirmthe decision to remain childless. But $ 160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $ 8 ,896. 66 a year, $ 741. 38 a month, or $171. 08 a week. That's a mere $24. 44 a day! Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you ever want to be "rich". It is not. What do you get for your $ 160,140? * Naming rights. * Giggles under the covers every night. * More love than your heart can hold. * Kisses and hugs. * Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies. * A hand to hold usually covered with jam. * A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, and building sandeastles. For $ 160,140, you never have to grow up! You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, and never stop believing in Santa Claus. You have an excuse to keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, watching cartoons , going to Disney movies, and wishing on stars. For $ 160,140, you get to be a hero just for taking the training wheels off the bike, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless. You get a front row seat to history; to witness the first step, first word, first date, and first time behind the wheel. You get to be immortal You get another branch added to your family tree. You get an education in nursing, criminal justice and communications that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God. You have all the power to correct a mistake, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a party, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. ...... Which of the following is NOT true after you have a child? A) You enjoy the right to name your children. B) You still need to learn. C) You never seem to get old. D) You get admiration as a parent.
Ans: C

Ques: After helping Barack Obama sweep to victory in the US election, the president-elects motto of "change" was Friday declared character of the year by a monk at one of Japan's most respected temples. Using a calligraphy brush to write the single character on a wooden platform as tourists looked on, Seihan Mori, chief monk at Kiyomizu temple in the ancient capital of Kyoto, declared "change" to be Japan's character of the year. The event was hosted by a Kyoto-based group that promotes the use of "kanji," the Chinese characters used in the Japanese language. The public sent in 111,200 nominations for the kanji of the year. Of those, a majority 5.42 percent approved of "change," followed by "gold," suggesting the Beijing Olympics, and "fall" to show the global market decre.ase. "I think it is an expression of the Japanese peoples wishes to see political, economic and societal changes, as they were impressed by Mr. Obama's message of change," Mori said. He added that climate change also drew people attention to the significance of "change". The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation(JKATF) has been conducting a poll on the year's kanii each year since 1995. Last year's top choice was 'Nise' (fake). From the first three nominated words we can see that _ . A) Japanese people showed great concern to events of the year B) the whole world experienced a hard time last year C) Japanese people know a lot of Chinese words D) Japanese people love to follow the fashion of the world
Ans: A

Ques: It's amazing how we grow from careless kids to responsible teens. What happens in the course that makes us responsible now? It's the seed that we sow in the beginning which grows and becomes a huge tree. As I sit here, silently thinking about my growth, I wonder over some questions which don't have an answer but it's because of such unanswerable situations that life has become a roller coaster ride. As a kid, I used to read a lot of story books. In one particular book, I read a story of a bird. From then on, that has become an integral part of my life. It described a male bird which takes a lot of pain to build a nest and the female bird takes shelter in it and nourishes the baby. When the bird learns to fly, the whole family flies off to a different place leaving behind the beautiful nest for other birds to grow their family in it. It made me wonder. How could they so easily sacrifice their house built with so much effort? One night, when I was deep in sleep, I got this particular dream. I was walking miles on the endless road, totally isolated but lined with beautiful trees on the either side. Fascinated by the greenery, I marched towards it only to end up deeper and deeper into the greenery. I happened to stop upon seeing something. It was a massive, wonderful house. I fell in love with that amazing part of art. Yeah, it was indeed a piece of art with every nook and corner touched artistically and lovingly. I don't know why I felt that it was done lovingly. Maybe because, things turn out to be beautiful only when we put our love into it -- just like the food prepared by mom which tastes more delicious with her love. I explored the house only to fall more in love with it. There was a sloping roof which matched with the greenery around; the large central open courtyard reminded me of the activities that might have taken place there which felt lively even now when it is completely deserted. The small water body that kept the house cool added to the beauty of the house -- of course, it was all dried up now.... In the writer's dream, what part of the house attracted him most? A) The greenery surrounding the house. B) The body of water that keeps the house cool C) The liveliness he sensed around the house. D) The fact that the house was very large.
Ans:
C