*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Our neighbor's son was getting married at an out-of-town church, and my husband and I were invited. We were very glad to get the invitation and immediately rushed out to a store, and I bought a nice pink dress with a jacket. The dress was a little tight, but I had a month to go before the June 30 wedding and I believed it would be easy for me to lose a few pounds. June 29 came and, of course, I hadn't lost a single pound; in fact I had gained two. But I figured a nice new girdle would cure everything. So on our way out of the city we stopped once again at the store. I ran in and told the clerk I needed a large-size girdle. The shop assistant found the box with the described girdle marked "LG", and asked if I would like to try it on. "Oh, no, a large will fit just right. I needn't try it on." The next morning was rather hot, so I waited to get dressed until about 45 minutes before time to go. I opened the box only to find a new girdle in a small size. Since it was too late to find another one and the dress wouldn't fit right without a girdle, a fight broke out in the hotel room between me and the girdle. Have you ever tried to shake 20 pounds of potatoes into a five-pound bag? That's it. Finally my husband, laughing like crazy, got hold of each side and shook me down into it. At last I put on the pink dress, which didn't match my red face well, and was ready to go. Finally we got to the church. I heard one of the people say that they were having a High Mass . I turned to my husband and asked, "What is a High Mass?" He shrugged his shoulders. Unfortunately, I learned that this particular mass would last one hour, twenty-two minutes and eight and one half seconds --- the priest was going to bless everything except my girdle. Question: Which best describes the writer's tone in the passage? Options: A: concerned B: doubtful C: humorous D: regretful
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Saturday, March 24th We have arrived in the hot, wet city of Bangkok. This is our first trip to Thailand . All the different smells make us want to try the food. We are going to eat something special for dinner tonight. The hotel we are staying in is cheap, and very clean. We plan to stay here for a few days, visit some places in the city, and then travel to Chiang Mai in the North. Tuesday, March 27th Bangkok is wonderful and surprising. The places are interesting. We visited the famous market which was on water, and saw a lot of fruits and vegetables. Everything is so colorful, and we have taken hundreds of photos already! Later today we will leave for Chiang Mai. We will take the train north, stay in Chiang Mai for two days, and then catch a bus to Chiang Rai. Friday, March 30th Our trip to Chiang Rai was long and boring. We visited a small village in the mountains. The village people here love the quiet life--no computers or phones. They are the kindest people I have ever met. They always smile and say"hello". Kathy and I can only speak a few words of Thai, so smiling is the best way to show our kindness. I feel good here and hope to be able to come back next year. Question: The diaries above show the writer's _ days in Thailand. Options: A: 3 B: 7 C: 15 D: 8
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago, some humans discontinued their wandering hunting and gathering and settled down to farm. Grain was the first domesticated crop that started that farming process. The oldest proven records of brewing are about 6,000 years old and refer to the Sumerians. Sumeria lay between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers including Southern Mesopotamia. It is said that the Sumerians discovered the fermentation process by chance. No one knows today exactly how this occurred, but it could be that a piece of bread or grain became wet and a short time later, it began to ferment. The Sumerians were able to repeat this process and are assumed to be the first civilized culture to brew beer. They had discovered a "divine drink" which certainly was a gift from the gods. The word beer comes from the Latin word bibere, meaning "to drink", and the Spanish word cerveza originates from the Greek goddess of agriculture, Ceres. A vitamin-rich porridge, used daily, beer is reported to have increased health and longevity and reduced disease and malnutrition . The self-medicating properties of alcohol-rich beer also eased the tensions and stresses of daily living in a hostile world. The use of yeast was not yet known at that time. The success of the fermentation process was left to chance, as the brewers unknowingly relied on yeast particles in the air. Considerable scientific research took place in breweries in the 19th century. A famous work from 1876 by Louis Pasteur was Studies Concerning Beer where he revealed his knowledge of micro-organisms. By establishing that yeast is a living microorganism, Pasteur opened the gates for accurately controlling the conversion of sugar to alcohol. Another discovery in beer brewing was the work of Christian Hansen, a Danish scientist, who successfully isolated a single yeast cell and induced it to reproduce on an artificial culture medium. With the resulting yeast multiplication methods, the purity of the fermenting process has been improved. Question: According to the passage, who was the first to brew beer? Options: A: The Greeks. B: Christian Hansen. C: Louis Pasteur. D: The Sumerians.
**Answer**
D

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Your body works 24 hours a day. It's always building and repairing, feeding and cleansing itself. Its goal is to be ready for your every movement, breath, and thought. The quality of your life depends on how well your body works. And how well your body works depends on how much energy it gets. Energy comes from the food you eat. Food contains nutrients that your body needs for growth and energy. By eating a balanced diet, your body gets the six important nutrients it needs.Minerals are nutrients that build bones and teeth. Minerals also form red blood cells and other substances.Wateraids digestion and waste removal.Carbohydrates give your body its main source of energy. Two carbohydrates are sugars from foods such as fruits and vegetables and starches found in rice, potatoes, and bread.Fatshelp build cell membranes .Proteinsrepair and grow body tissues . Finally,vitaminshelp your body use carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) has created a nutritional food pyramid . It shows the daily number of servings you should eat from five food groups. The food pyramid has four levels. The base of the pyramid is the largest level. It contains the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group from which you need six to eleven servings. The next level has two food groups: vegetables and fruits. The USDA recommends three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruit. The third level also has two groups: the milk, yogurt, and cheese group and the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts group. You need two to three servings from each of these groups. The top of the pyramid is the smallest level. It contains fats, oils, and sweets. These foods have few nutrients, so eat them sparingly . Question: To help the reader understand the six nutrients needed by the body, the author _ . Options: A: describes the five basic food groups. B: explains what a balanced diet is. C: writes the details of each nutrient. D: tells the number of daily servings needed from each food group.
**Answer**
C