.Sarah and Mariam looked at the glass fragments on the floor in panic . They could not believe what had just happened. Mariam was Sarah's best friend. They had spent the entire day drawing and painting. Sarah's mother had gone to the market to buy some goodies and the two friends were alone at home. Sarah decided to show her friend a very expensive vase that her father had gifted her mother on their wedding anniversary . She took her friend to the drawing room and carefully removed the vase. She knew it was not allowed by her mother but she wanted to show off a bit. Mariam looked at the vase with wonder. When she was giving back the vase to Sarah, a disaster happened. The vase slipped between their fingers and fell on the floor with a crash. "Oh no!" cried Sarah in panic. "What shall I do now? Mother will be so angry." Mariam felt equally guilty . "I know! Let us sweep up the pieces and hide them. Mother will not know that I have broken it." "But she will ask when she sees it missing. What will we say then?" Mariam asked. "I think the best thing would be to own up ." Sarah took a deep breath. "You are right." When Sarah's mother came back, Sarah and Mariam poured out their tale. At first, her mother looked angry. Then she saw how unhappy and guilty they both looked. She hugged them both tightly. "I am so glad you were brave enough to own up, Sarah. I am very upset about the vase but I am happy you are both such truthful girls." "It was Mariam's idea that we should own up, Mother," Sarah added honestly. The girls laughed. They felt as if a huge load had been taken off their shoulders. What can we learn from the passage? A) Sarah is cleverer and shyer than Mariam. B) Sarah's mother is very strict with Sarah. C) The two girls' honesty made the mother forgive them. D) Sarah's mother set a good example for Sarah to own up.
C
Not all vegetables need lots of sunshine. Mark Hoffman and his wife own a bed-and-breakfast guesthouse in rural Kempton, Illinois. They often serve their guests fresh products from the garden. The Hoffmans have been growing food and flowers for twenty-five years. For almost ten of those years, Mr. Hoffman has been experimenting and working with shade plantings. He says, "The bottom line here is that most plants will produce more in full sun. But if you do not have full sun, there are other choices." For example, he grows tomatoes near oak trees. Oak trees can produce a lot of shade. But Mr. Hoffman says his tomato plants grow as long as they get five hours' direct sunshine a day, especially morning sun. Not only does this go against the traditional advice that tomatoes need six, eight, even twelve hours' full sun a day. It also shows how plants and tree roots can share nutrients and water. Mr. Hoffman says plants with wider leaves seem to do better in shady environments. He also found that his potatoes did better partly in shade than in full sun. Moving them out of the sun helped control an insect problem. Mr. Hoffman does not use pesticide . Instead, he planted the potatoes in the shade, especially on the east side of the tree. The potatoes get morning sun, but they are shaded during the hottest part of the day. Some insects dislike shade, and the hottest part day is when they do the worst of their damage. Time of day, sun intensity , shadows from trees, walls and buildings all influence how much sunlight falls on plants. And people interested in shade planting should also remember something else. The term "shade" can describe different amounts of darkness. It can even mean different things in different parts of the world. Which of the following can best describe Mr. Hoffman? A) Curious B) Experienced C) Easy-going D) Funny
B
Q: When we asked Oprah to pick the 10 books she's read in the past decade that have mattered to her most, she was momentarily stumped. For someone who describes herself as --inspired, challenged, and sustained by books, it was almost impossible for Oprah to stay within our limit of 10. Still, she offered up the following, but she emphasized that it was only a sampler of delightful titles that have also managed to teach her -- and all of us -- a few things. 1. Discover the Power Within You By Eric Butterworth 256 pages; Harper One Advice from the internationally known spiritual teacher. 2. A New Earth By Eckhart Tolle 316 pages; Plume There's a reason Oprah picked this for her Book Club in 2008 -- and that she gave audience members Post-it pens along with their copies.So much wisdom, so little time! A real-life guide to living your best life. 3. The Poisonwood Bible By Barbara Kingsolver 576 pages; Harper Perennial This novel is about a family involved in the political trouble of postcolonial Africa. It established Kingsolver as one of our wisest observers of history, politics, and human nature. 4. Night By Elie Wiesel 120 pages; Hill and Wang A memoir of a childhood suffered in concentration camps during the Holocaust. It's horrific butuplifting. --I gain courage from his courage,|| Oprah says. 5. A Fine Balance By Rohinton Mistry 624 pages; Vintage A Dickensian novel about India during the Emergency. Like the aftermath of September 11, it teaches us about cultures we haven't understood. "It takes us out of our own little shell and exposes us to a whole other world out there." Oprah say. 6. East of Eden By John Steinbeck 608 pages; Penguin This classic is about good and evil as played out in a late-19th-century California ranch family. If you didn't read it in high school, read it now. If you did, reread it! 7. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle By David Wroblewski 576 pages; Harper Collins A kind of Hamlet on the prairie, this is the wrenching story of a mute boy and his dog. Oprah compares it to East of Eden and... Why did Oprah add A Fine Balance to her list? A) She gained courage from it. B) It tells about wisdom of human nature. C) It's a guide to living a best life. D) Culture of a different world is exposed.
A: D
(Q).
Land Art, sometimes referred to as Earth Art or Earthworks, is a form of art which involves using physical landscapes to create art, taking art out of the museum and into the outside world. Modern Land Art movement really got going in the 1960s when American artists began creating Land Art on a large scale. Today, works of modern Land Art can be seen all over the world, sometimes right alongside much older pieces of Land Art created by people who lived thousands of years ago. Land Art, which is not necessarily unchangeable, can take a number of forms. For examples, in 1970 Robert Smithson created the Spiral Jetty , made of a collection of stones and mud, in the Great Salt Lake. The American artist made a large jetty in a spiral shape which sticks out into the waters of the lake. Reshaping the landscape is a common characteristic of Land Art, which can be created by moving parts around. People can also add things to the environment to create Land Art, like salt, which is added to the Spiral Jetty. It is possible to use plants. In all cases, Land Art is immovable. Land Art is designed to gradually form, change, and eventually decay . That's one of the biggest differences between Land Art and most of the art one sees in the museums. Some works of art can exist only for a few hours or days. Others are exposed to rain and wind so that they develop and decay over time, which is part of the attractiveness in the eyes of the artists. What is the passage mainly about? A) Works of Land Art. B) History of Land Art. C) Changes of Land Art. D) Introduction of Land Art.
(A).
D