*Question*
I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Minimalism is a term that describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is reduced to its most basic features. As for me, minimalism functions well not in art or design, but in my daily life. When I was packing for university, I found it extremely difficult to let go of some of the things I owned. I knew I couldn't take everything with me, but I kept asking myself "how could I possibly throw this away?", "what if I need it one day?", and "what about all of the memories?" Now that I've moved, and left that stuff behind, I don't even miss it. Whether or not I got rid of it, it barely makes a bit of difference to me now. I've learned that over time people forget, or their need for a particular object eventually disappears. Either they store it away or they get rid of it. You might think nostalgically about the toys you cared about when you were a child, but what is making you smile now is not the thing itself but the memory of it. 1've heard it a hundred times, "you don't need things to make you happy." It takes something life-changing like moving across the country to realize how true this is. Speaking of which, for a lot of people, minimalism is about able to move. It's about being able to go almost anywhere at any time because you don't have many possessions to carry. When you keep things you don't need they become a burden that ties you to a place. Moving to university was a good time to let go of a lot of stuff. And when I visit for the holidays, I'll probably get rid of even more, to lighten the burden. _ There are some things that are irreplaceable, very rare or expensive or we simply love and cherish for some reason or another, since we are humans. But after we keep those, how much is left that we don't really need? Hence, minimalism. And why does minimalism bring happiness? That was a bit of a roundabout way of saying that, it's because what really makes me happy is freedom. And the key to freedom is minimalism because minimalism reduces our... Question: Many people don't want to let go of some of their belongings because _ Options: A: they haven't had any life-changing experiences B: they fear their memories will be gone with the thrown-away stuff C: they hope to live life to their full potential by storing things away D: they may have to change their lifestyle because of the loss of them
**Answer**
B

*Question*
I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: As societies develop, their members start to see things not so much according to what they need, but according to what they want. When people have enough money, these wants become demands. Now, it' s important for the managers in a company to understand what their customers want if they are going to develop effective marketing strategies . There are various ways of doing this. One way at supermarkets, for example, is to interview customers while they're doing their shopping. They can be asked what they prefer to buy and then the results of the research can be studied. This provides information on which to base future marketing strategies. It' s also quite normal for top managers from department stores to spend a day or two each month visiting stores and mixing freely with the public, as if they were ordinary customers, to get an idea of how customers act. Another way to get information from customers is to give them something. For example, some fast food restaurants give away tickets in magazines or on the street that permit customers to get part of their meal for nothing. As well as being a good way of attracting customers into the restaurants to spend their money, it also allows the managers to get a feel for where to attract customers and which age-groups to attract. Another strategy used at some well-known parks such as Disneyland is for top managers to spend at least one day in their work, touring the park dressed as Mickey Mouse or something like that. This provides them with a perfect chance to examine the scene and watch the customers without being noticed. Question: Which of the following can help managers get useful information? Options: A: Visiting customers themselves. B: Giving customers free food on the street. C: Visiting parks as ordinary customers. D: Asking customers questions at supermarkets.
**Answer**
D

*Question*
I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Sports All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy, happy and help them to live longer. Sports change with the season. People play different games in winter and summer. Games and sports often grow out of people's work and everyday activities. The Arabs use horses or camels in much of their everyday life; they use them in their sports, too. Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers. Some sports or games go back to thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese boxing, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Both of them are just about a hundred years old. People are inventing new sports or games all the time. People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game they often become good friends. Sports help to train a person's character. One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with _ . Question: The writer did NOT tell us in this passage that _ . Options: A: basketball was invented in America B: sports change with the season C: games and sports often grow out of people's work and everyday activities D: football is played all over the world
**Answer**
A

*Question*
I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Imagine a stranger walking past you on a cold, rainy day. "Lovely weather, isn't it?" the stranger says. Do you laugh, or even smile? If not, you may not have a dry sense of humor. British people, and particularly the English, are well-known for our dry sense of humor. We often say the opposite of what we mean in order to be funny, and tell jokes in a tone of voice that makes it sound like we are being completely serious. As US writer Julian Tan put it on the HuffPost Students blog: "It is as if it is 'Opposite Day' every day in Britain." If the people of Britain are known for having a " _ " and not showing emotion, then our dry sense of humor shows this through jokes. Often it will take a long time or several beers, to get a British person to tell you what they actually think about something and get behind the wall of humorous sarcasm that they have in front of them. English comedian Ricky Gervais put it like this: "We play jokes on our friends. We use sarcasm as a shield and a weapon. We avoid being serious until it's absolutely necessary." It can be annoying and confusing if you haven't been raised with these types of jokes: "Why did he just say such a ridiculous thing? Is he making fun of me?" But it is also true that understanding this type of humor is a good way to make friends with people in the UK, even if you don't find it funny. It's important to remember that the person telling the joke may actually be making fun of himself or herself, not you. One of the characteristics of British humor is "its strong theme of self-deprecation" (making fun of oneself), according to Tan. So don't worry - often, English people, and British people in general, just want to make fun of themselves! Question: It can be inferred from the passage that _ . Options: A: British people are famous for being emotional B: British people's humor is often misunderstood C: it's a tradition for British people to make fun of each other D: it doesn't take a long time to make friends with British people
**Answer**
B