I decided a few months ago that l was going to treat myself to a 4-day getaway from Los Angeles and visit Chicago. I turned in some long-saved frequent flier miles for the airplane ticket, but had to shell out cash I really couldn't afford for the hotel. I found a travel website where a discounted promotional 3-night stay was purchased from a recently opened hotel. About three weeks before the trip, I had to regretfully cancel and only then realized the room, while transferable to another person, couldn't be changed to a later date and wasn't refundable .For the next two weeks, I tried selling it on Craig's list with no success. Five days before the "big weekend" I gave up trying to spend any money and decided I'd contact some friends who live in Chicago and offer someone a free "staycation". After trying a handful of people all of whom already had their own plans, I was determined to have the room not go to waste. That's when it suddenly occurred to me that I was looking at the rooms in the wrong way. Instead of viewing them for vacation purposes, surely there must be a way to put them to good use, and that was when the idea that some sort of shelter might be able to use it hit me. I finally found one whose focus is aiding victims of domestic violence. This particular one was willing to listen to my out-of-left-field story and facilitated the transfer of the rooms. The shelter was working with a desperate woman and her young daughter, who were fortunately able to make use of the room. The room the author booked could only be _ . A) cancelled within 24 hours B) changed to a later date C) transferred to another person D) refunded half of the money
C
(Question)
A woman renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office was asked to state her occupation.She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. "What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job, or are you just a ..." "Of course I have a job," said Emily."I'm a mother." "We don't list 'mother' as an occupation... 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder. One day I found myself in the same situation.The clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title."What is your occupation?" she asked. The words simply popped out."I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations." The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair. I repeated the title slowly, and then I stared with wonder as my statement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire. "Might I ask, " said the clerk with new interest, "Just what you do in this field?" Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn't), in the lab and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out).Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it).But the job is more challenging than most careers and rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money." There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out. As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants---ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6 month old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another mother." Motherhood...What a glorious career! Especially when there's a title on the door. What is the author's purpose of writing the passage? A) To show how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it. B) To argue that motherhood is a worthy career and deserves respect. C) To show that the author had a grander job than Emily. D) To show that being a mother is hard and boring work.
(Answer)
B
A Simple Lesson "Another bad day at school?" my father asked as I came into the room. "How could you tell? I didn't shut the door heavily or anything," I replied. Over the past two months I had either done this or thrown my backpack across the room every time I came home from school. Papa thinks it has something to do with moving to a new house. "I know this move has been hard on you. Leaving your friends and cousins behind is tough," Papa said, as he put his arm around my shoulder. "What you must remember is that, with a lot of hard work and some time, you will make new friends." "You don't know how hard it is. This year my baseball team would have won the championship. They won't even give me a chance to pitch here. All I get to play is right field, and that's the worst!" Papa turned toward me. "Things will get better, I promise you. Let me ask you, do you know why you were named David Lorenzo?" "Yes, your name is David and grandfather's name is Lorenzo." "Very good, and what makes your grandfather so important?" "He was the first in the family to come to this country and all that," I answered. "That is only partly correct. Your grandfather was a very great man. In Mexico, he had been a teacher. When he came to America he could only get lowpaid labor jobs because he didn't speak the language. It took him two years before he spoke English well enough to be allowed to teach here, but he did it. He never complained because he knew change could be difficult. Did he ever tell you that?" my father asked. I looked down at my feet, ashamed at my behavior. "No. That must have been hard," I said . "Your grandfather taught me that if you let people see your talent, they will accept you for who you are. I want you to always remember what my father taught me, even if it takes a few years for people to see who you are," said Papa. All I could say was, "Okay." Then I asked, "What should I do now?" Laughing, Papa said, "How about you pitch a few to me? You need some work." The father successfully changed his son's mood by _ . A) asking him to train harder B) playing baseball with him C) telling his grandfather's story D) introducing him some new friends
C