Article: I became a stand- up comic at 12:45 yesterday afternoon when I walked onto a comedy club stage and did a "bit". It was an audition in which people had exactly two minutes each to perform for a producer. I am not a comic, have never appeared onstage, am awkward before many people, and have no social skills. But I have written some funny things in the newspapers, and I figured that if you can write funny, you can be funny. That was my first mistake. Good stand - up comics improve their acts over months if not years, practicing before bathroom mirrors or their friends. I developed the key skill the morning I went on. I also brought a box of plastic beads , because I figured they could be useful. For the first few seconds, I was simply staring forward, mouth open, expressing the concept:"Uuungh". Finally I said, "This is my first performance as a stand - up comic. It's a kind of a special moment for me. I'd like to take this opportunity to say something to my mother, who was an inspiration to me throughout my life. My mother passed away a few years ago, but I feel she is still with me. All the time, wherever I go, I feel her presence. Day in and day out. So I would like to say this to her. LEAVE ME ALONE, MA!" Some people actually laughed. Then I said, "Anyway, this really is my first time onstage, and I'm pretty nervous because I'm not all that funny and I have a really bad stage presence. But I've been working on the problem. A long time ago a Greek guy named Demosthenes had the same problem I have, and he became a great speaker by sticking pebbles in his mouth, so I thought I would (and here I began putting the beads in my mouth) try that. See, the idea is that if you can talk through the pebbles ( now I was putting them in by the handful) you can learn to talk better and wfnm fmuff frmphm grphnm . . ." More laughter. I looked at my watch, said something that might have sounded like "My time is up," and left to somewhat spirited applause. What the audience did not know was that I was quietly choking... Question: The author used the beads to _ . Yes or no, is the answer "amuse the audience"?
No

(Question)
Article: Some problems are difficult to solve.But there are a lot of number expressions that can help.For example, if we put two and two together , we might com e up with the right answer.We know that two heads are better than one.It is always better to workwith another person to solve a problem.Some problems have only one solution.You cannot be of two minds over this.But with any luck , we can solve the problem in two shakes of a lamb' s tail.In other words, we could have our answers quickly and easily. Sometimes we can kill two birds with one stone.That is , we can complete two goals with only one effort or action.But we must remember that two wrongs don' t make a right.If someone does something bad to you, you should not do the same to him. If you are going out with your girlfriend , or boyfriend , but you don' t want another friend to go a long on your date, you can just say to your friend : two' s company , three' s a crowd. When I was a young child in school , I had to learn the three R' s.These important skills are reading , writing and arithmetic.These three words do not all start with the letter " R".But they have the sound of " R".My teacher used to give three cheers when I did well in maths.They gave praise and approval for a job well done. Some of my friends were confused and did not understand their school work.They were at sixes and sevens.In fact , they did not care if they finished high school.But they were happy when they completed their studies and graduated from high school.They were in seventh heaven.They were on cloud nine.Nine times out of ten students who do we'll in school find good jobs.Some work in an office doing the same things every day at nine-to-five jobs.You do not have to dress to the nines , or wear your best clothes , for this kind of work. Question: When Tom wins first place in the game, we can congratulate him by using "_"according to the passage. Yes or no, is the answer "give three cheers"?
(Answer)
No

Ques: Article: Recently I fully understood that a little favor could really make a big difference. My daughter and I were, accidentally, in time to catch a falling heart just before it hit the ground. It all started when Charlene, one of my co-volunteers at the library, asked if I could do her duty on Tuesday since her doctor appointment had been unexpectedly changed. I agreed, which meant I was home on Friday instead of volunteering as previously planned. My daughter, Mary, managers a book store in town. Mid-morning, she called to ask me for help. Would I buy a fifty dollar gift card, birthday card, and cake for one of Mary's assistant managers, Cindy? Mary explained she had to call Cindy in to take the place of another assistant manager who was sick, but felt terrible about it when she discovered it was Cindy's birthday. Cindy insisted that it was just fine. But that was not what Mary thought, so she gathered enough money from other employees to throw a surprise party for Cindy. Since neither Mary, nor any of the other employees, could leave to pick up the _ , they were turning to me for help. Days later, Mary told me the wonderful rest of the story, "Cindy cried and cried when we surprised her. After the party, Cindy told us that her boyfriend had chosen that morning to break up with her. To top that off, she only had 26 cents left in her bank account." We were surprised at the series of unexpected events that took place in order to circle Cindy with love and catch her falling heart just before it hit the ground. Question: What can we learn about Mary? Yes or no, is the answer "Sheplayedthemostimportantroleinthiscircleoflove."?
Ans: No

Article: Do you still remember the funny question: why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more concerned with how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road. Millions of animals die each year on US roads, the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact, only about 80 ocelots , an endangered wild cat exist in the US today. The main reason? Road kill. "Ecopassages" may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. "These ecopassages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid human conflicts," said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Conservation Society. But do animals actually use the ecopassages? The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an ecopassage that went under a highway. This showed that the lion used the passage. Builders of some ecopassages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them. Animals seem _ . Animals as different as salamanders and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses. The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around. You might see an animal overpass! Question: When the writer says that animals seem "to be catching on", he means _ . Yes or no, is the answer "animals begin to learn to use ecopassages"?
No