Article: Although the 2008 US presidential elections are still a long way off, candidates are already getting ready for the campaigns ahead. For the Democrats , the two leading candidates are a surprising pair. The first is Hillary Clinton, 60, the wife of former President Bill Clinton. The second is Barack Obama, 45, a Harvard educated senator . It is the first time that the leading presidential candidates for a political party are either a woman or black. The energetic pair has certainly gotten people's attention. But the question remains, is America ready for either one? It's not a simple question to answer. For the past 220 years, Americans have elected only white males to the nation's highest office. That can hardly be called a tradition of diversity. However, many people believe that 2008 will be the year that this changes. "The white men that have been running the country recently have done such a bad job, at home and abroad, that maybe now is the time for a change," said Dorian Cool of San Francisco, California. The polling numbers seem to back up his opinion: 86 percent of Americans say they would vote for a qualified woman. An impressive 93 percent say they would vote for a black man if he seemed right for the job. These numbers are much higher than they were just 20 years ago. They may suggest that Americans are ready to be led by a different type of person. Still, there is a lot to overcome. Although women represent 51 percent of the American population, there are only nine female governors out of 50. Out of 100 senators, only 16 are women. The numbers are significantly lower for blacks in office. Since the American Civil War, only two blacks have been elected governor and only three have been elected to the Senate. Surely both candidates face difficult odds, but never before has there been so much support for either a female or a black candidate. As Barack Obama himself said, "There is not a black America and a white America, a Latino America and an Asian America -- there's the... Question: The author considers Hillary and Barack "a surprising pair" because they are _ . Yes or no, is the answer "either a woman or black"?
No

(Question)
Article: Babies born in summer are more likely to become short-sighted in late life, a study has shown. As many as a quarter of all cases of short-sightedness are caused by too great an exposure to sunlight in the first weeks of life, say eye experts. They are advising all parents to put sunglasses on their babies during the first weeks. Scientists had already established that over-exposure to sunlight caused shortsightedness in animals. Researchers who compared the months in which babies were born with whether they needed glasses later on say the principle also applies to humans. A study of almost 300,000 young adults-the largest of its kind-showed that those born in June and July had a 25 per cent greater chance of becoming severely short-sighted than those born in December or January. Research leader Professor Michael Belkin, of Tel Aviv University, said it was because prolonged illumination causes the eyeball to lengthen-causing short-sightedness. Hence the more light a newborn is exposed to, the more the eyeball lengthens and the worse the short-sightedness will be. The mechanism which lengthens the eyeball is associated with levels of melatonin , a pigment which protects the skin against harmful rays of the sun. In young babies not enough melatonin is released as protection, meaning they are more _ to sunburn and changes to eyeball shape. Sight expert Professor Daniel O'Leary, of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, said "At the moment we don't know the precise cause of why light exposure affects sight, but the evidence seems to prove that it is one of the reasons for people becoming shortsighted." Question: Melatonin is a kind of material to _ . Yes or no, is the answer "protect the skin from harmful sun rays"?
(Answer)
Yes

Ques: Article: My father was 44 and knew he wasn't going to make it to 45. He wrote me a letter and hoped that something in it would help me for the rest of my life. Since the day I was 12 and first read his letter, some of his words have lived in my heart. One part always stands out. "Right now, you are pretending to be a timekiller . But I know that one day, you will do something great that will set you among the very best." Knowing that my dad believed in me gave me permission to believe in myself. "You will do something great." He didn't know what that would be, and neither did I, but at times in my life when I've felt proud of myself, I remember his words and wish he were here so I could ask, "Is this what you were talking about, Dad? Should I keep going?" A long way from 12 now, I realize he would have been proud when I made any progress. Lately, though, I've come to believe he'd want me to move on to what comes next: to be proud of, and believe in, somebody else. It's time to start writing my own letters to my children. Our children look to us with the same unanswered question we had. Our kids don't hold back because they're afraid to fail. They're only afraid of failing us. They don't worry about being disappointed. Their fear-as mine was until my father's letter-is of being a disappointment. Give your children permission to succeed. They're waiting for you to believe in them. I always knew my parents loved me. But trust me: That belief will be more complete, that love will be more real, and their belief in themselves will be greater if you write the words on their hearts:"Don't worry; you'll do something great." Not having that blessing from their parents may be the only thing holding them back. Question: Which of the following is TRUE of the author? Yes or no, is the answer "He was sure his parents loved him."?
Ans: No

Ques:Article: Mars appears to be flowing with small streams of salty water,at least in the summer,scientists reported Monday."It suggests that.it would be possible for there to be life today on Mars,"NASA's science mission chief,John Grunsfeld,said at a news conference on September 28,2015. The streams are about 12 to 15 feet wide and 300 feet or more long,scientists said."What we're dealing with is wet soil.thin layers of wet soil,not standing water,"said Aifred McEwen of the University of Arizona at Tueson!the principal scientist for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's high-resolution imaging experiment. Because liquid water is essential to life,the findings could have major implications for the possibility of Martian life.The researchers said further exploration is needed to determine whether microscopic life exists on the planet. The presence of liquid water could also make life easier for astronauts visiting or living on Mars.Water could be used for drinking and for creating oxygen and rocket fuel.NASA's goal is to send humans there in the 2030s. The evidence of flowing water consists largely of dark,narrow streaks on the surface that tend to appear and grow during the warmest Martian months and fade the rest of the year. Mars is extremely cold even in summer,and the streaks are in places where the temperature is as low as minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit.But salt can lower the freezing point of water and melt ice. The source of the water is a mystery.Scientists noted it could be melting ice.It could be an underground aquifer,which is rock or sand that can hold water.It is possibly water vapor from the thin Martian atmosphere,Or it may be a combination Michael Meyer,lead scientist for NASA's Mars exploration program,said the only definitive way for now to determine whether there's life on Mars is to collect rocks and soil for analysis on Earth - something a U.S.lander set for lift-off in 2020 will do. Question: What matters to the existence of liquid water on Mars? Yes or no, is the answer "The salt in it."?

Ans:
No