Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Fifteen years ago, I entered the Boston Globe, which was a temple to me then. It wasn't easy getting hired. But once you were there, I found, you were in. Globe jobs were for life-guaranteed until retirement. For 15 years I had prospered there--moving from an ordinary reporter to senior editor. I would have a lifetime of security if I stuck with it. Instead, I had made a decision to leave. I entered my boss's office. Would he be angry? I wondered. He had a famous temper. "Matt, we have to have a talk," I began. "I came to the Globe when I was twenty-four. Now I' m forty. There' s a lot I want to do in life. I'm resigning. " "To another paper?" he asked. I reached into my coat pocket, but didn't say anything. I handed him a letter that explained everything. It said that I was leaving to start a new media company. We were at a rare turning point in history. I wanted to be directly engaged in the change. "I' m glad for you," he said, quite out of my expectation. "I just came from a board of directors meeting and it was seventy-five percent discouraging news. Some of that we can deal with. But much of it we can' t," he went on. "I wish you all the luck in the world," he concluded. "And if it doesn't work out, remember, there is always a place here for you." Then I went out of his office, walking through the newsroom for more good-byes. Everybody was saying congratulations. Everybody--even though I'd be risking all the financial security I had carefully built up. Later, I had a final talk with Bill Taylor, chairman and publisher of the Boston Globe. He had turned the Globe into a billion-dollar property. "I' m resigning, Bill," I said. He listened while I gave him the story. He wasn't looking angry either. After a pause, he said, "Golly, I wish I were in your shoes. " Question: When the writer decided to resign, the Globe was faced with _ . Answer:

OPTIONS:
- a trouble with its staff members
- a shortage of qualified reporters
- an unfavorable business situation
- a good business situation

Answer: an unfavorable business situation

Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Will there be a time in our lives when cars don't crash? When we can just sit back and relax and our cars will drive themselves. Auto technology experts say "yes". And they say that some of those advances may happen quicker than you might think. They will require the users to input the name of the destination or the complete address of the location that they want to go and the cars' artificial intelligence takes them there automatically without a driver. They will run on solar power in the daytime and ethanol fuel at night. Toyota, BMW and Honda will completely control the trade of driverless car business together and will have the cheapest driverless cars. Fossil fuels will be completely incompatible with these cars. Driverless cars will not require a driver's license of any grade to operate. Anyone with basic literacy and computer skills who are at least 16 years of age will be legally allowed to operate the vehicle with absolutely no restrictions. This would give the young users permission to operate the driverless cars on major highways as well as secondary roads without needing a separate classification. In addition to all this, drunken people will be able to use their own automobiles to return home because they are not "driving" the vehicle. What's more, car insurance will become _ because there will be no more automobile accidents after the year 2025. This is because the driverless car will have all safety methods in place by the car's artificial intelligence to prevent automobile accidents. Global positioning systems will become mandatory in all newly-manufactured cars after 2010, and will be the most important part in the driverless car. Question: What will prevent the driverless car from crashing? Answer:

OPTIONS:
- Artificial intelligence.
- Global positioning systems.
- The people inside.
- Car insurance.

Answer: Artificial intelligence.

Read the following article and answer the question. Article: All the housewives who went to the new supermarket had one great ambition: to be the lucky customer who did not have to pay for her shopping.For this was what the notice just inside the entrance promised.It said: "Remember, once a week, one of our customers gets free goods.This May Be Your Lucky Day!" For several weeks Mrs. Edwards hoped, like many of her friends, to be the lucky customer.Unlike her friends, she never gave up hoping.The cupboards in kitchen were full of things which she did not need.Her husband tried to advise her against buying things but failed.She dreamed of the day when the manager of the supermarket would approach her and say: "Madam, this is Your Lucky Day.Everything in your basket is free." One Friday morning, after she had finished her shopping and had taken it to her car, she found that she had forgotten to buy any tea.She dashed back to the supermarket, got the tea and went towards the cash-desk.As she did so, she saw the manager of the supermarket approach her."Madam," he said, holding out his hand, "I want to congratulate you! You are our lucky customer and everything you have in your basket is free!" Question: Mrs. Edwards _ . Answer:

OPTIONS:
- is always very lucky
- had no friends
- hoped to get free shopping
- gets disappointed easily

Answer: hoped to get free shopping

Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Alexis was _ and tired. With rage in her voice she shouted, "Pull me up!I give up, I hate this. This is stupid!" It was at that moment when Jason, the adviser on the trip, looked at me and said, "Ed, I'm going to go down and talk with her." I then shouted down to Alexis, "Hold on! You can do this. We know you can!" Jason grasped another rope, put his climbing harness on and began to repel down the cliff. Within moments Jason was beside Alexis. She had her cheek directly against the face of the rock with her feet barely resting on a small piece of the cliff that jetted outward. Jason said to Alexis, "I know that you have been on this cliff now for what seems like a long time. Your feet and fingers are cramping up and your forearms feel as though they are on fire. But , Alexis, you are strong, look how far up you are already. You have taken one of the more difficult paths up the cliff. Look Alexis, look at the path you have taken." At that moment, Alexis moved her cheek away from the rock face and looked down. The bright white chalk she used on her hands to give her a better hold, showed the path where her tired hands had moved her upward on the cliff. Jason was right. Alexis had taken the hardest way up the cliff. Jason then looked straight into Alexis' eyes and in a calm voice he said, "You are not alone out here, there are people who care about you, who want to help you and see you succeed. We are going to do this together. Are you ready?" Slowly she shook her head yes and took a deep breath. Question: Alexis would probably become _ . Answer:

OPTIONS:
- more strong-minded
- easier to give up
- poorer in health
- less interested in rock climbing

Answer:
more strong-minded