Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker You may not play poker yourself but for much of the 19th and 20th centuries, the fate of the free world has been determined by men who do. So this recommendation is not for those who already play the game - if you do, you needn't bother reading the rest of this review, just go off and buy the book - as to the non-player, this is seriously worth their attention. Although it began as poque, a French game that developed in New Orleans and headed up the Mississippi steamboats, by the mid-19th century poker was the most popular American amusement; the national game, in effect. So the history of America can be viewed through the history of poker, as James McManus quietly demonstrates. In this book you watch America grow up over a card table, from the wild west games which could either leave you broke, or dead, or both to the more polite early 20th-century scenes of respectable games. And it is possible to argue, after reading this book, that history would be different if there were no such game which combined luck, intelligence, dishonesty, courage, skill and character. (There's a very good chapter which tries to work out how much luck is involved in the game.) Few over here have read or will read Shelby Foote's 2,836-page history of the American civil war, so we can be grateful that McManus provides us with a clear and elegant outline which tells how it was "the first work of history to explore how the game's wisdom and logic fit into the whole scheme of _ ". Not only, for instance, was Ulysses S Grant a good poker player, but as a student at West Point he'd learned the betting strategies of many of his contemporaries who would go on to become rebel generals. Nixon's poker game has already been analysed by Garry Wills in his Nixon Agonistes; Oskar Morgenstern, one of Eisenhower's advisers, pointed out that chess was Russians' national game and poker was the Americans'. This is not, though, the history of poker, but, as the subtitle tells us, the story... Question: The purpose of the writing is _ . Options: A: to persuade people to play poker B: to present American history C: to teach you some poker skills D: to recommend a book
D

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Photographs are everywhere. They decorate the walls of homes and are used in stores for sales of different goods. The news is filled with pictures of fires, floods, and special events. Photos record the beauties of nature. _ can also bring things close that are far away. Through photos, people can see wild animals, cities in foreign lands, and even the stars in outer space. Photos also tell stories. Reporting the news through photos is called photojournalism. At times photojournalists tell their stories through a single picture. At other times, they use a group of pictures to tell a story. Each picture is like a chapter in a book, which can do more than record the facts. It can also be a strong force for social change. Jacob Riis was among the first photojournalists. He took pictures of parts of New York City where the poor lived. Riis believed that poverty caused crime, and he used photos to help him prove his point. A few years later, the photos of small children working in factories by Lewis Hine shocked the public. Hine's pictures helped bring about laws to protect such children. Hundreds of pictures may have to be taken in order to get one or two really good photos. It takes science to have the photo come out clearly and art to make a photo that has a good design and expresses feeling. Photojournalists make an actual record of what they see. A photo, however, can be both a work of art and an actual record. It can record an important event as a beautiful or exciting picture. As historical and artistic documents,photos can become more important over time. Today photojournalists still have their pictures appear in newspapers and magazines. They also publish them in books and on the Internet. Question: What can we learn from the passage? Options: A: News with pictures is encouraging. B: Photos help people improve their life C: News photos mean history in a sense. D: People prefer reading news with pictures.
C

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: World's Wonderful Libraries How cool can libraries be in an era of iPads and Kindles More than you think.Only if you know where to go. Central Library The Central Library in Seattle,United States is modern and sophisticated. The building is an impressive work of art, which has has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours. The library offers free self-guided cell phone tours, along with group tours. The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events throughout the year. Open: Monday-Thursday 10 a.m-8 p.m, Friday-Saturday 10 a.m-6 p.m, Sunday noon-6 p.m Trinity College Library The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. Not only is the exterior impressive, it boasts the largest single chamber library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 of the library's oldest books. Various exhibitions and tour are available; admission 9(US 12) Open: Monday-Wednesday 9:30 a.m -5 p.m, Tuesday 9:30 a.m -9 p.m, Saturday 9:30 a.m -1 p.m, Sunday closed. Bibliotheca Alexamdrina The Bibliotheca Alexamdrina is the revival of the ancient Royal Library of Alexandria, which was the largest and most influential library in the Greek world. It was built by Alexander the Great some 2, 300 years ago. The new library was reborn in 2002 on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea after 10 years of designing, planning and construction. Along with the standard libraries, there are four museums covering science, Arabic Calligraphy, the history of printing and the Greek art. Open: Saturday-Thursday 9 a.m- 4 p.m. Stuttgart City Library The Stuttgart City Library is controversial. Some say it's innovative, while others say it doesn't match its environment. Nevertheless, the library is one of the most interesting buildings in Germany. The design of the cubic facility was influenced by the ancient Pantheon in Rome. It serves as a multi-story meeting space that draws natural sunlight through the roof. Open:... Question: Which of the following libraries are open on Friday? Options: A: Central Library and Bibliotheca Alexandrina B: Stuttgart City Library and Central Library C: Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Trinity College Library D: Trinity College Library and Stuttgart City Library
B