According to one story the idea for making the first teddy bear came from a newspaper cartoon drawn in 1904. This cartoon showed President Teddy Roosevelt on a hunting trip refusing to shoot a young bear. The young bear became a symbol for Teddy Roosevelt. Morris Michtom owned a small candy and toy store in New York City. He and his wife made many of the toys they sold. When he saw the cartoon,he had a wonderful idea. He decided to make a toy bear with eyes and legs and arms that moved. The bear was put in the store window next to a copy of the cartoon. Mr . Michtom called it "Teddy's Bear". Many of these bears were sold. The bears became so popular that Mr . Michtom thought he might need President Roosevelt' permission to use his name. He wrote to the president and sent him a "Teddy Bear". The president answered,saying that Mr. Michtom could use his name. Mr . Michtom borrowed money so that he could make thousands of toy bears. His company became the Ideal Toy Corporation. Today this is one of the biggest toy companies in the United States. People will remember Morris Michtom because he was _ A) a candy store owner B) a toy store owner C) the inventor of the teddy bear D) Teddy Roosevelt' friend
C
(Question)
Across the globe, single parent homes are on the rise. In the US, the 2000 census showed 24.8 million, or nearly 24 percent of the nation's 105.5 million households, were traditional two-parent homes. By comparison, 9.8 million households, or 9 percent of all US households were headed by an adult raising a child alone. The 1990 census showed 26 percent of homes were led by a married mother and father, and 8 percent of homes were led by a single parent. Similar increases occurred in other countries. In the UK, lone-parent homes increased from 3.3 percent in 1990 to 5.5 percent in 1999. Single parent households in Australia rose from 5.8 percent in 1990 to 7.6 percent in 1999. Belgium saw the increase from 1.8 percent to 2.7 percent during the same period of time. These countries tend to have greater acceptance of the single parent because there are fewer nearby family members to disapprove, Riche, a Census Bureau director, said. Just as in the US, those changes raised new questions about how involved govenment should be in helping single parent families. Some research suggests children raised in two-parent families are better off than those who depend on one. "The position of one-parent families in any country is very much a gender issue-women's opportunities, especially working-class women on low income," said Sue Cohen, coordinator of the Single Action Parents Network in England. Not considering the exact number of the single-parent families, which country saw the fastest rise rate in 1999, compared with 1990? A) UK. B) Australia. C) America. D) Belgium.
(Answer)
A
Ques: People in South Korea who feel they can no longer bear the stress of everyday life now can choose to stay in a prison to relax and think deeply. In a society where pressure to do well in school and find highly-paid jobs is intense, a former lawyer came up with an extreme relaxation idea. Kwon Yong-seok created the "Prison Inside Me"--a stress-reduction center with a punishment theme. People come here to cut themselves off from the outside world and pay to be kept in 60-square-foot (5.6-square-meter) cells . Located on the outskirts of Hongcheon, about 58 miles (93 km) northeast of Seoul, "Prison Inside Me" came to life after Mr. Kwon voluntarily asked to spend time behind bars for "healing reasons," but his request was turned down. "I didn't know how to stop working back then," he said. "I felt like I was being swept away against my will, and it seemed I couldn't control my own life." So, Kwon and his wife Roh Ji-hyang decided to take matters into their own hands, and designed and built a prison-like spiritual center. The construction was completed in June last year and cost about 2 billion won ($19 million). The facility includes 28 cells, furnished with only a toilet, a sink and a small table, where guests can spend time alone, thinking about life and enjoying private thinking periods. Moreover, guests can also join group thinking periods in the hall, where they are given instructions on how to free themselves from what Mr. Kwon calls the "inner prison" to find inner peace. According to the Wall Street Journal, hundreds of stressed South Koreans are checking in at the stress-reduction facility to think about their lives and regain control of it. A two-night stay at "Prison Inside Me" costs 150,000 won ($146). Mr. Kwon and his wife explained that at the beginning they had a different plan for the "relaxation center," and imagined a longer stay for their guests, but, given that people weren't able to take more time off, they had to reduce the length of stays to just two days. Park Woo-sub, a guest at "Prison... Who should go to the "Prison Inside Me"? A) A successful businessman B) A criminal at large C) A primary student D) A depressed man
Ans: D
Ques: Every year,there have been the Christmas specials for almost every sitcom and cartoon,which nod in sincerity towards the holiday season.Since Charles Schultz,the American cartoonist who created Charlie Brown and Snoopy,first got his hit on the holiday with A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965.characters from television and comic books have tried on the Christmas clothes. This year,Fox has brought out its new"lce Age":A Mammoth Christmas,which was first shown on Thanksgiving day.The "Ice Age"films,which began in 2002,with a fourth feature for 2012,have been successful.one thing many fans would love the film is that they can have a chance to spend more time with the memorable animal characters from the series:Manny,Diego,and Sid.The film.tells the story of the birth of the Christmas tree,Santa'S deer,his sleigh and other things. It is also a"Christmas Must Be Saved" story and a"You Must Believe"story.Like the other"Ice Age" films,it involves a dangerous journey and time is found to cause sufferings to the poor little squirrel,Scrat. Christmas has been tied on to"Ice Age"like antlers on to a dog.In fact,the film-makers behind A Mammoth Christmas have spent most of their time working on the film itself rath--er than its Christmas special.It feels as if someone had merely made a list of tllings associated with the holiday. However,Sid,the series'most likable character,is a high point of the film.In the film,he's still got his silliness,enthusiasm and useful amusing shape.Whatever else is happening,the filmmakers make Sid reliably funny. What Can we learn about Charles Schultz? A) He made the first Christmas special. B) He is the producer of the"Ice Age"films. C) He is one character in the"lce Age"series. D) He began to make cartoons in 1965.
Ans:
A