Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Cars are an important part of life in the United States. Without a car most people feel that they are poor. And even if a person is poor , he doesn't feel really poor when he has a car. Henry Ford was the man who first started making cars in large numbers. He probably didn't know how much the car was going to change American culture. The car made the United States a nation on wheels. And it helped make the United States what it is today. There are three main reasons why the car became so popular in the United States. First of all, the country is a big one and Americans like to move around it. The car makes the travel the most comfortable and cheapest. With a car people can go to any place without spending a lot of money. The second reason cars are popular is the fact that the United States never really developed a practical and cheap public travel system. Long distance trains have never been as common in the United States as they are in other parts of the world. Now there is a good system of air-service provided by planes. But it is too expensive to be used often. The third reason is the most important one, though. The American spirit of independence is what really made cars popular. Americans don't like waiting for a bus, or a train or even a plane. They don't like to have to follow an exact timetable. A car gives them the freedom to plan their own time. And this is the freedom that Americans want most to have. Less oil has caused a big problem for Americans. But the answer will not be a bigger system of public transportation. The real answer will have to be a new kind of car, one that does not use so much oil. Question: Which of the following statements is TRUE? Options: A: In the United States even the poor own cars. B: In the United States all the poor have no cars. C: When an American has a car, he will never be poor. D: An American will feel poor unless he has a car.
D

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Do you know the following expressions? Faustian bargain According to most stories, Faust was a German scholar who was rather unhappy with his life.The devil , Mephistopheles, promises him that in return for his soul.he will give Faust unlimited power and knowledge.Faust agrees and experiences all kinds of pleasures, but, in the end, his soul goes to the hell.A "Faustian bargain" therefore is a deal that finally results in one's ruin.It means a bargain made for temporary gain without taking future consequences into consideration. A three-ring circus When you refer to a situation as being a three-ring circus, you are saying that it is a situation of complete confusion.There are so many activities taking place all together that they leave you confused or annoyed.The expression comes from the world of entertainment--the circus.The area where the artists perform their acts is called the "ring".In the past, some of the circuses were so large that they had three acts taking place meanwhile in three different "rings".The audience had to decide which "ring" they wanted to focus on. In the swim(of things) When someone is in the swim of things, he is actively participating in the things happening around him, as in "I've been ill, but soon I'll be back in the swim of things." In the world of fishing, fishermen use the word "swim" to refer to the section of the lake/river where fish can be found in plenty.So, if you are a fish man and wish to catch a lot of fish, where would you be? You would be "in the swim"! Question: What do we learn about the expression "in the swim(of things)"? Options: A: It means having a lot of things to do. B: It has nothing to do with swimming. C: Originally it was used to refer to "going fishing". D: Patients use it to express their desire for health.
B

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The air hostess was in a small kitchen at the back of the plane, preparing the plates for lunch, when a little old lady came and spoke to her, "Could you please tell me," she asked, "where is the ladies' lavatory in the plane?" "Yes, madam," said the air hostess and smiled. "It is right at the other end of the plane---at the front." The little lady went too far. She walked all the way to the front of the plane, opened the door in front of her, and saw the captain of the plane and the other officers. They were all busy with their work and did not see her. She went out again, shut the door and returned to the air hostess. "Oh, didn't you find it, madam?" the girl asked her. "Yes, I did," said the little lady. "But there are four men in the ladies' lavatory watching television." Question: The story happened _ . Options: A: in the evening B: in the afternoon C: in the morning D: at midnight
A: C

(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Unlike many surfers who sought the perfect wave, my interests always lay beneath the sea' s surface in a world I could only imagine and dream of.When I was twelve, I made my first adventures in the deep.Later I would learn how to dive, expanding my world of exploration many times over. Perhaps the greatest turning point in my life came when I was in high school and I wrote a letter to the famous Scripps Oceanographic Institution, asking how I might learn more about the sea.A kind scientist answered my letter and told me how to apply to Scripps for a summer scholarship, which I received.During one of their courses that summer, I met Dr.Robert Norris, a marine geologist.He loved the sea almost as much as I did.Soon he suggested I consider his school, the University of California, for my study.One year later I became a member of the freshman class. Now my love affair with the sea became a serious endeavor .If I wanted to be an undersea explorer, I needed to learn as much as I could about the laws of the physical world that controlled the environment I wanted to enter.The undersea world is not our natural world.It is unforgiving to those who make mistakes.At its greatest depths the water temperature is near freezing, the pressure is eight tons per square inch, and it is totally dark.It is easy to get lost in such a world.I needed to learn a lot about geography, navigation, geology, biology, and many other things. I decided another important thing for me to do was to join the U.S.Navy.If I was going to be an undersea explorer, I would have to lead men and women on dangerous adventures where they might get hurt, and I didn't want that to happen. In the Navy I learned discipline, organization, and how to motivate and lead people on adventures so that we could explore the wonders of the deep. Finally, the time came to put all that I had learned to use, to go forth with a team of men and women and explore an adventure I am still on and hope to be on for many years to come. Question: What happened to the author at the age of twelve? Options: A: He dreamed about undersea exploration. B: He began to swim under the deep water. C: He surfed on big waves for the first time. D: He learned to dive off the cliffs.
(A).
B