Thick dust rose and a large building collapsed. This was the scene in Zhu Zhou,Hunan Province on May 17. Nine people were killed and 16 injured. Things were similar in the Sichuan earthquake. Thousands of people were buried in the ruins and lost their lives. What if we could have warned them? People are always _ to find a way of preventing buildings' collapse. Better materials and technology help,but they are not a solution. Just like humans,a building has its own life cycle from "birth" to "death".If we know when a building is going to collapse,we can repair it in advance or get out of it before it falls. Now,scientists at the University of Illinois have developed a material that turns red before it breaks. The invention could be used in things like climbing ropes or bridge supports. The research was led by Nancy Sottos,a professor at the university's Beckman Institute,and Douglas Davis,a graduate research assistant. The secret behind the color--changing material is a type of molecule .A molecule is a group of atoms held together by chemical bonds. Imagine you and your friends standing in a circle,holding hands. Each person stands for one atom,your hands represent the bonds,and the entire circle represents a molecule. If one person lets go of his or her hands,the molecule changes color. The research team put the molecule into a soft material. When the researchers stretched the material,it turned bright red for a few seconds before it broke into two pieces. When they repeatedly stretched and relaxed the material,without breaking it,it only turned a little red. The major problem is that light can get rid of the red color. When the team shone bright light on the molecule,the broken bond was fixed,and the color disappeared. Scientists have yet to do more research before the color--changing molecules can be used outside the lab. What can we infer from the passage? A) The color--changing molecules are certain to be used outside the lab. B) There will be less collapse with the help of the color--changing material. C) The bright light may make the material's warning system useless. D) The problem caused by bright light will be solved by scientists soon.
C
(Question)
Bowing is a very important custom in Japan. Unlike people in many other countries, they greet each other by bowing instead of shaking hands. It is impolite not to return a bow to whoever bows to you. Bowing has many functions in one. It expresses the feeling of respect, thanks, regret, and so on. You can bow when you say, "thank you", "sorry", "hello", "goodbye", "congratulations", "excuse me", "good morning", and more. Bowing seems simple, but there are different ways of bowing. Bowing techniques vary from a small nod of the head to a long, 90-degree bow. It depends on the social position or age of the person you bow to. If your opposite is of higher social position or older than yourself, you are supposed to bow deeper and longer than him or her. It is polite to bow from your waist. Men usually keep their hands at their sides, and women usually put their hands together on their legs with their fingers touching. If it is not a very formal situation, you can bow by nodding. The most common bow is a bow of about 15 degrees. You might feel strange doing it, but try to bow in Japan. You will be considered very polite! How people greet in many countries? A) by bowing B) by shaking hands C) by kissing each other D) by touching
(Answer)
B
Ques: Mr Parker was born in a small village. His father was so poor that he couldn't send him to school. The boy had to help his parents to do some farming and learned English and maths by himself when he was free. Later on he was made to leave his home village and hoped to find a job in a city. And as soon as war broke out, he joined the army . He couldn't forget his terrible past and fought with the enemies bravely . So he became a general when he was fifty. He was honest and friendly to his soldiers and often punished those who tried to pocket a portion of the soldiers' pay . And his soldiers liked him very much. Once Mr Parker heard from a soldier. In the letter the young man said the food in their military camp was very bad and he wished the general could go to find out the reasons. The old man went there at once without telling anybody. He went in the kitchen and examined everything carefully and found it was very dirty. Then he went in the soldiers' bedrooms and found there were a lot of fleas. He became angry and asked the soldiers, "What do you think of your food, young men?" The soldiers saw their officer standing by the general and said nothing. Only a new soldier said, "Very bad, sir!" "What did you have for lunch today?" asked Mr Parker. "A fried chicken, some fish and pork, a cake, six eggs and I had three cups of wine ." "Really?" Mr. Parker called out in surprise. "It's the King's lunch, I think!" "So do I, General," said the young man. "But it's my birthday today. I paid three hundred dollars for them all in the restaurant!" The soldiers didn't say anything because_. A) they were afraid of the general B) they thought their foods were good C) the officer followed the general D) the general didn't agree with them
Ans: C
High-tech machines have made life easier for millions around the world. However, some people still prefer low-tech ways of doing things. Here's an example of why this is happening. You can microwave a frozen hamburger in 60 seconds. However, it won't taste as good as one you cook on the stove. And if you're in that much of a hurry, you probably won't take time to toast the bun. High-tech cooking saves time, but it doesn't make for better-tasting meals. Most people get their news from high-tech sources like television or the Internet. This has many advantages. For example, electronic news is more up to date than newspapers or magazines. It's also more exciting to see live and videotaped news events than photographs. However, newspapers and magazines have some important advantages. They give more background and details. They also let you read the parts that are important to you and skip the rest. Other high-tech timesavers have similar disadvantages. For examples, most people use the phone or e-mail to stay in touch with friends and family members who live in other places. But when you use the Internet or the phone, you don't always think carefully about what you are saying, and sometimes you forget the important things you want to communicate. Similarly, when you word-process a homework assignment instead of handwriting it, you can check your spelling electronically and put in fancy headings. However, some students are so busy with the computer that they don't pay enough attention to the actual words they are writing. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? A) The writer likes high-tech cooking. B) Low-tech cooking produces better-tasting meals. C) High-tech news programs always keep you reading what is important to you. D) Handwritten homework is better than word-processed homework.
B