Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Many people take it for granted that black is a color of bad things while white should always mean something good. This may be because, in their opinion, black is related to darkness and white to purity. However, that is not always the case. Did you know that the same one color may mean something differently in different places of the world? In the English-speaking world, black is the color of mourning--people wear black at the funeral. Red is concerned with danger or bloodshed . Yellow is the word for fear. If you are afraid, you are yellow. Yet none of these sayings is true outside the English-speaking world. In China and Korea white is the color of mourning. In Russia, China and some other countries, red stands for beauty, life and excellence. In Italy and Germany, you are yellow with anger, not with fear. Even within the English-speaking area, it is not difficult to find color contradictions .A redcap in the United States is a porter in a railway station. In Britain, however, a redcap is a military policeman. Both names are logical, because both men wear red caps. Similarly, the British term for an American white-collar worker is sometimes called a black-coated worker. One does not have to cross an area to find color differences. Would you rather be red-blooded or a blue-blooded? If we go back to the origin, we find that both terms are logical as both names suggest. The expression "blueblood" comes from Spain, where some noble families proudly told the world that they had "blue blood". Actually they meant that they had no Moorish or Jewish blood. But then why "blue" blood? Because they were fair-skinned, and it is only natural that their blood vessels stood out appearing blue. Question: Both Britain and America would probably agree that _ . Options: A: a redcap is a porter in a station B: black is the color of mourning C: red stands for beauty and excellence D: a black-coated worker is employed in an office
Ans: B

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: In the Harry Potter films, Hermione Granger is better than her male friends and is considered the brightest pupil in her grade. Isn't it often the same in schools of our real world? A great many boys fall behind their female classmates. "It's surprising but true that most of the top students have been girls since primary school. Girls are class leaders, club presidents and the top ones in exams," said Wang Feixuan, 15, who studies at a Chengdu school. By any measure, Wang herself is a high-achiever. She is a top student, a team leader in her school's sports club and a winner in national English and IT competitions. But why do so many girls _ their male peers ? In Sun Yunxiao's latest book Save Our Boys, he points out that the education system is "more suited to girls, who are good at memorizing and like to sit quietly and read." Yet he also says that girls have to do so much more when they compete with males for honors, top universities and later good jobs. They can feel great pressure nearly every day. This seems to be the same in most countries in the world. Young women in the United States are also reported to feel the same pressure to be perfect. "Let's look at what we ask of our teenage girls," says an American professor Stephen Hinshaw in an interview. He thinks that it's no longer enough that a girl does well in school and is a caring friend. On the TV, on the Internet, and everywhere, girls see images of impossible perfection . Today's young women must be good learners, good athletes, and fill their after-school lives with other activities. But they're also asked to have the styles and looks of popular stars. "Be pretty, sweet and nice. Be athletic, competitive and get straight. Be impossibly perfect." Stephen Hinshaw sums up. Question: The passage suggests that _ . Options: A: our society asks far too much of teenage girls B: teenage girls shouldn't be so perfect at school C: boys are always lazy ones rather than girls D: American girls have less pressure than Chinese girls
Ans: A

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The tragic death of celebrity Wang Bei has made people aware of the risks of cosmetic surgery, which is becoming increasingly popular. A survey on the reaction to Wang's death, conducted by Tencent, which runs China's most popular instant-messaging service, received more than 600,000 responses, as of press time Monday.Forty-one percent of respondents expressed sorrow over her death, saying, "It's a pity she died at such a young age." Some 31 percent said she should have been more cautious and less vain, while 10 percent were enraged at the hospital that conducted the surgery.The remaining 18 percent were indifferent. A common thread of online discussion is why someone considered beautiful was so dissatisfied with her looks.Some netizens said Wang was a victim of society's unrealistic ideal of beauty: double eyelids, an aquiline nose and the pointed chin typical of Western celebrities.Others said her death underscores the limits to which people will go to achieve fame and fortune.Young people, see cosmetic surgery as the key to wealth and love. "They want to improve their appearance to find better opportunities at work and in marriage," says Ding Xiaobang, a plastic surgeon with the Peking Union Medical College Hospital."We're living in a highly competitive society.People regard appearance as a weapon and a means of empowerment...Most of them tell me, 'I don't care how much I spend, just make me look beautiful'." In the past decade, Ding says he Has seen a growing number of patients, like Wang Bei, who are young and naturally good-looking.The surgeon attributes this trend to people becoming richer, the standards of beauty changing, competition and frustration. "Some are frustrated with life and use surgery as a way to try and recover," lie says. The surge in demand for plastic surgery has resulted in a rise in the number of unauthorized business establishments and surgeons conducting such procedures. Meanwhile, experts say, young and beautiful people who still seek plastic surgery need to address their... Question: Most people are_toward the death of Wang Bei according to the survey. Options: A: sympathetic B: indifferent C: enraged D: not mentioned
Ans: A

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: prefix = st1 /Yao-less Rockets Keep Rising Houston Agencies(March 9,2008)--Tracy McGrady had 41 points and nine assists as the Houston Rockets won their 18th game continuously with a 106-96 win over New Orleans on Saturday. McGrady fell just six points short of his season high for points as the Rockets kept their winning record. The Rockets won their sixth in a row since Chinese All-Star Yao Ming went out for the season with his left foot hurt.Yao had an operation earlier in the week. Joining Hands China Daily(March 10.2008)--To celebrate International Women's Day on Saturday, March 8,Avon Products,Inc,a leading global beauty company with almost $10 billion in yearly income and the United Nations Development Fund for Women(UNIFEM)have announced their partnership to ensure women's rights and end violence against women. Avon has offered $1 million to the UNIFEM.The partnership will enlarge the work of the UN to improve women's economic security and rights. Oil prices fall below the $105 mark Bloomberg News(March 11, 2008)--Oil prices dropped below $105 yesterday after last week's record highs and it reduced tension between oil producers Venezuela and Colombia over the weekend. Cold weather in the United States and the continuing weakening of the US dollars were set as main factors supporting prices. The rush to a new record was driven by a US Labour Department report saying that employers cut 63,000 jobs in February--the biggest drop in five years. Question: The above news items are most probably taken from_. Options: A: business weeklies B: sports magazines C: daily newspapers D: political newspapers
Ans:
C