Everybody may have seen the film "Death on the Nile (n. )", but nobody can imagine that the writer of the story, Agatha Christie, saved a baby in a most unusual way. In June 1977, a baby girl became seriously ill in Deleville. Doctors there were unable to find out the cause of her illness, so she was sent to a famous hospital in London, where there were many excellent doctors. The baby was so seriously ill that a team of doctors hurried to examine the baby without delay. The doctors, too, were puzzled by the baby's illness and they also became discouraged. Just then a nurse asked to speak to them. "I think the baby is suffering from thallium (n. ) poisoning. " said the nurse. "A few days ago, I read a story 'A Pale Horse' written by Agatha Christie. Someone uses thallium poison, and all the symptoms are written in the book. They are exactly the same as the baby's." "You're very good at observing things," said a doctor, "and you may be right. We'll carry out some tests and find out whether the cause is thallium poisoning or not." The tests proved that the baby had indeed been poisoned by thallium. Once they knew the cause, the doctors were able to give her correct treatment. The baby soon got well and was sent back to Deleville A week later, it was reported that the poison might have come from an insecticide (n. ) used in Deleville. When the baby was first sent to the hospital in London, her illness was considered to be _ . A) quite easy to treat B) the result of thallium poisoning C) a common one D) extraordinarily serious
D
(Question)
Tensions have erupted over some barren rocks in the Pacific that you may never have heard of, but stay tuned--this is a boundary dispute that could get ugly and some day have far-reaching consequences for China, Japan, Taiwan and the United States. The islands in dispute are called the Senkaku chain by Japan, the Diaoyu islands by China, and the Diaoyutai by Taiwan. All three claim the islands, which are really just five small islands and three barren rocks northeast of Taiwan, 200 miles off the Chinese coast. The latest conflict occurred when a Chinese fishing boat collided with two Japanese naval ships trying to stop it near the islands. The Japanese prevented the Chinese captain from leaving the place for questioning and the two countries have been exchanging angry protests. The reason to worry is that nationalists in both China and Taiwan see the islands as unquestionably theirs and think that their government has been weak in claiming this authority. So far, wiser heads have generally won the argument on each side, but at some point a weakened Chinese leader might try to gain the legal right with the public by pushing the issue and recovering the islands. It would be a dangerous game and would have a disastrous impact on China-Japan relations, but if successful it would raise the popularity of the Chinese government. In reality, of course, there is zero chance that the U.S. will honor its treaty with Japan over a few barren rocks. We're not going to risk a nuclear conflict with China over some islands that may well be China's. But if we don't help, our security relationship with Japan will be at the breaking point. So which country has a better claim to the islands? My feeling is that it's China, although the answer isn't clear-cut. Chinese navigational records show the islands as Chinese for many centuries, and a 1783 Japanese map shows them as Chinese as well. Japan _ to "discover" the islands only in 1884 and took control of them by force only in 1895 when it also grabbed Taiwan. The best approach... What can be inferred according to the passage? A) The claim from both sides has become more insistent. B) Japan has navy and ability to power the Diaoyu Islands. C) China is developing so quickly that it will declare a war on Japan. D) The dispute between China and Japan has put the U.S. in a dilemma.
(Answer)
D
Ques: I shall never forget the night,a few years ago,when Marion J.Douglas was a student in one of my adulteducation classes. He told us how tragedy had struck at his home,not once,but twice. The first time he had lost his fiveyearold daughter. He and his wife thought they couldn't bear that first loss;but,as he said,"Ten months later,God gave us another little girl and she died in five days." This double bereavement was almost too much to bear. "I couldn't take it," this father told us,"I couldn't sleep,eat,rest or relax. My nerves were entirely shaken and my confidence gone. "At last he went to doctors;one recommended sleeping pills and another recommended a trip,but neither helped. He said,"My body felt as if it was surrounded in a vice ,and the jaws of the vice were being drawn tighter and tighter." The tension of grief --if you have ever been paralyzed by sorrow,you know what he meant. "But thank God,I had one child left--a fouryearold son. He gave me the solution to my problem. One afternoon as I sat around feeling sorry for myself,he asked,'Daddy,will you build a boat for me?' I was in no mood to build a boat;in fact,I was in no mood to do anything. But my son is a persistent little fellow!I had to give in. Building that toy boat took me about three hours. By the time it was finished,I realized that those three hours spent building that boat were first hours of mental relaxation and peace that I had had in months!I realized that it is difficult to worry while you are busy doing something that requires planning and thinking. In my case,building the boat had knocked worry out of the ring. So I determined to keep busy." "The following night,I made a list of jobs that ought to be done. Scores of items needed to be repaired. Amazingly,I had made a list of 242 items that needed attention. During the last two years I have completed most of them. I am busy so that I have no time for worry." No time for worry!That is exactly what Winston Church ill said when he was working eighteen hours a day at the height of... At the end of the passage,the author wrote about Winston Churchill in order to _ . A) prove that he followed Churchill's example B) support his student's solution to his problem C) show that he was successful in his career D) clarify how his conclusion was reached
Ans: B
Ques: Most American students have to say goodbye to fancy fruits these days. In school restaurants across the country, cheaper fruits like apples and oranges have taken their place. "People are afraid to spend now." said Linda Morrow, who owns a shoe and handbag store. "They don't know what the future will bring". During the financial crisis , several of the country's biggest banks have been forced to sell or close. This has made lots of Americans afraid to buy expensive things. The crisis began last year. Experts think it was because US banks lend money too easily. Last year a lot of people and companies, who borrowed money, found themselves unable to pay it back. This left the banks, as well as the people who put their money in the banks, without money. Since the banks borrowed money between themselves and even across borders , the whole world was in trouble. This month the US government agreed on a $700 billion plan to try to save the financial market. But no one is sure whether it will help or not. Last week presidents from 20 countries promised to work together to find a way out of the money trouble. From the passage, we still don't know _ . A) when the financial crisis began B) when the financial crisis will end C) why some of the US banks closed D) whether the crisis has spread to other countries
Ans:
B