Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: WASHINGTON - Barack Obama swept to victory as the first black president in the US history Tuesday night in an electoral college landslide that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself. "Change has come," he told a huge group of cheering supporters. In his first speech as victor, Obama catalogued the challenges ahead. "The greatest of a lifetime," he said, "two wars, a planet in danger, the worst financial crisis in a century." He added, "There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face." The son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, the Democratic senator from Illinois sealed his historic triumph by defeating Republican Sen. John McCain in a string of wins in hard-fought battleground states -- Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Iowa and more. In his speech, Obama invoked the words of Lincoln and echoed John F. Kennedy. "So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder," he said. He and his running mate, Joseph Biden of Delaware, will take their oaths of office as president and vice president on Jan. 20, 2009. Obama will move into the Oval Office as leader of a country that is almost certainly in recession , and fighting two long wars, one in Iraq, the other in Afghanistan. Obama has said his first order of presidential business will be to tackle the economy. He has also pledged to withdraw most US combat troops from Iraq within 16 months. Question: What is special about Barack Obama, the newly-elected president of the United States? - He has a black father and a white mother. - He is the first black president in the US history. - He defeated Republican Sen. John McCain easily. - He will move into the White Palace on Jan. 20, 2009.
He is the first black president in the US history.

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Cassandra Feeley finds it hard to manage on her husband' s income. So this year she did something more than a hobby: She planted vegetables in her yard. For her fist garden, Ms Feeley has put in 15 tomato plants, and five rows of a variety of vegetables. The family' s old farm house has become a chicke n house, its residents arriving next month. Last year, Ms. Rita Gartin kept a small garden. This year she has made it much larger because, she said,"The cost of everything is going up and I was looking to lose a few pounds too; so it' s a win-win situation all around." They are among the growing number of Americans who, driven by higher living costs and a falling economy , have taken up vegetable gardening for the first time. Others have increased the size of their existing gardens. Seed companies and garden shops say that not since the 1970s has there been such an increase in interest in growing food at home. Now many gardens across the country have been sold out for several months. In Austin, Tex, some of the gardens have a three-year waiting list. George C. Ball Jr, owner of a company, said sales of vegetable seeds and plants are up by 40%, over last year, double the averag e growth of last five years. Mr. Ball argues that some of the reasons have been building for the last few years. The big one is striking rise in the cost of food like bread and milk, together with the increases in the price of fruit and vegetables. Food prices have increase of higher oil price. People are driving less, taking fewer vacations, so there more time to garden. Question: Which of the following might be the best title for the text? - Family Food Planning - Banking on Gardening - A Belt-tightening Move - Gardening as a Hobby
Banking on Gardening

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Gaudi Nanda sees a wearable computer as a handbag --- one that's built out of four-inch squares and triangles of fiber, with tiny computer chips embedded in it. It looks, feels and weighs like your typical leather purse. That's where the similarities end: this bag can wirelessly keep track of your belongings and remind you, just as you're about to leave the house, to take your wallet. It can review the weather report and suggest that you take an umbrella. This purse can even upload your favorite songs onto your scarf. Surely, a computing purse and scarf set may seem like the stuff of science fiction. But these devices, part of next generation of wearable computers, could become commonplace within a few years. Dupont created new super strong fibers that can conduct electricity and can be woven into ordinary-looking clothes. And the chipmaker developed chip packaging allowing wearable computers to be washed, even in the heavy-duty cycle. As a result, these new wearable devices are different from the heavy and downright silly versions of the recent past, which often required users to be wrapped in wires and type on their stomachs. Unlike their predecessors, these new wearable computers also make economic sense. When her bag becomes commercially available in two to three years, Nanda expects it will cost around $ 150, which is the price of an average leather purse. Here's how the bag works: You place a special radio-signal-transmitting chip onto your wallet. A similar radio in your purse picks up the signal and notifies you that you've forgotten to take your wallet. In turn, sensors on your purse's handles will notify the computer that you've picked up the purse and are ready to go. Already, these new kinds of wearable devices are being adopted for use in markets like auto repair, emergency services, medical monitoring - and even, increasingly, for consumers at large. _ Question: The purpose of the passage is to _ - introduce a new kind of computer - explain the functions of computers - compare different types of computers - show how high technology affects our life
A: introduce a new kind of computer

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: As a society we might want to rethink the time and money spent on education,so that these resources can benefit a greater percentage of the population.Ideally,both high schools and colleges can prepare individuals for the ever-changing roles. High school degrees offer far less in the way of preparation for work than they might,or than many other nations currently offer,creating a growing skills gap in our economy.We encourage students to go on to college whether they are prepared or not,or have a clear sense of purpose or interest,and now have the highest college dropout rate in the world. We might look to other countries for models of how high schools can offer better training,as well as the development of a work ethic and the intellectual skills needed for continued learning and development. Meanwhile,the liberal arts become more important than ever.In a knowledge economy where professional roles change rapidly and many college students are preparing for positions that may not even exist yet,the skillneeded is one that prepares them for change and continued learning. Learning to express ideas well in both writing and speech,knowing how to find information,and knowing how to do research are all solid background skills for a wide variety of roles,and such training is more important than any particular major in a liberal arts college.We need to continue to value broad preparation in thinking skills that will serve for a lifetime. Students also need to learn to work independently and to make responsible decisions.The lengthening path to adulthood appears exacerbated by parental involvement in the college years.Given the rising investment in college education,parental concern is not surprising,but learning where and when to intervene willhelp students take more ownership of the outcomes of these increasingly costly educations. Question: What is the feature of a knowledge economy? - People have to receive higher education to qualify for a professional position. - Students majoring in liberal arts usually have difficulty seeking a job. - New positions are constantly created that require people to keep learning. - Colleges find it hard to teach students how to cope with the changing economy.
A: New positions are constantly created that require people to keep learning.