Question: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: From our smartphones to our latest weaponry, the technology that underpins modern life would be impossible without rare earth metals. The importance of rare earths has only grown as emerging markets increase their demand for technologies made with it, as does the renewable energy industry. The 17 metallic elements are common in the earth-s crust, but the technique used to extract and refine them is labor-intensive, environmentally hazardous and increasingly costly. Thomas Gradael, a professor of geology and geophysics at the Yale School of Forestry Environmental Studies, explains that thecriticality" of rare earths was only recently understood after China, which dominates the world-s supply of the minerals, cut exports by 40% in 2010, citing concerns over how polluting the rare earth industry was. Along with colleagues at Yale, Gradael decided to investigate the metals used in modern technologies to determine if there were viable substitutes."Twenty or thirty years ago electronics were being made with 11 different elements," explains Gradael. "Today's computers and smartphones use something like 63 different elements." Their findings showed that there were no "readily apparent" substitutes for a metal that would not compromise on quality or performance. However increased mining for these scarce resources can have some nasty side effects for the environment. China, which has intensively mined for rare earths with little regulation, allowing it to dominate the global industry since 1990, has acknowledged the incredible environmental harm caused by the process. "Excessive rare earth mining has resulted in landslides, clogged rivers, environmental pollution emergencies and even major accidents and disasters, causing great damage to people's safety and health and the ecological environment," read a white paper issued by the Chinese cabinet in June last year. Recycling metal has been advocated by some as a possible way of managing these precious resources-the European Parliament adopted a law curbing dumping... Question: Rare earths are growingly important in that Options: A: they exist in small numbers B: they are essential in modern technologies C: life would be impossible without them D: new technology markets are emerging
Answer: B

Question: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: A group of Russian criminals have stolen l.2 billion username and password combinations for more than 500 millione-mail addresses. It's the largest known theft on the Internet, according to a report of The New York Times. Cyber security firm Hold Security discovered the security breach( ). The firm found that the group of criminals collected personal information from 420,000 websites, including household names and small Internet sites. The criminals were based in a small city in south central Russia. They hacked websites inside Russia as well as big companies in the U.S. and other countries ,The New Times reports. The criminals found hundreds of thousands of weak websites and attacked their coding,Hold Security said. Alex Holden is chief information security officer of Hold Security. "The hackers did not just target U.S. companies;they targeted any website they could get," Holden said. "And most of these sites are still easy to attack". According to Hold Security, the criminals have been using the stolen information to send junk mail through e-mail and on social networks like Twitter. They can also use the 500 million stolen e-mail -addresses to plan other crimes. They could use information from bank e-mails to steal your identity or sell the e-mail address to other criminals to make quick cash. The reported break-ins are the latest events to raise doubts about security at big and small companies. Last winter, hackers stole 40 million credit card numbers and 70 million addresses, phone numbers and other personal information from the retailer Target Corp. The brand is still working to regain its shoppers' trust. John Prisco is a CEO of a security firm. He says security hacks are more common than many people and companies realize. " _ ," Prisco said in an e-mailed statement. So many cyber breaches today are not actually reported, because companies are losing information and they are not even aware of it. " Security experts believe hackers will continue breaking into computer networks unless companies become... Question: According to Alex Holden, the criminals entered some websites easily because _ . Options: A: some websites don't have their own coding B: most of the websites lack protective measures C: Russia is more developed in computer science D: the hackers are equipped with high technology
Answer: B

Question: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: A global positioning system(GPS)service is aiding the elderly in the Panlong district of Kunming,capital of Southwest China's Yunnan province. The telecommunications service provider,with the support o,f the local govemment,started the GPS tracking service in January to help the elderly,especially those with Alzheimer's disease,a condition that slowly destroys memory. Huang Haiying,an employee with a local telecommunications company,told China Daily that with the GPS devices ,the people who look after the elderly can quickly find their positions either online or by ca l l ing the service center in case ot emergencles. The system is also connected to the police,hospitals,fire services and community service centers to ensure that the elderly get quick and proper help,Huang said. Experts said that this service could improve the quality of life for thousands of elderly people with Alzheimer's,their families and those who look after them. Hundreds of people have already been helped by the service this year,Huang said. Huang said that the system has about 1 0,000 subscribers and she expects that number to grow 1 0 times over the next three years.A user pays 25 yuan($4)each month for the service.A family with an income below the local poverty line can get a 10 yuan subsidy evcry month from the government. The local government has spent more than 2 million yuan to subsidize the service to date. Rao Yuehui,director of the Panlong civil affairs department,said that about 90,000 people,or 15.4 percent of the district'S population,are more than.60 years old. He Xiangqun,an official with the Yunnan provincial civil affairs department,said that this means that the population meets international standards classifying it, as an aging society as defined by the United Nations. Question: Which of the descriptions of the users of the GPS service is TRUE9. Options: A: They are all sufferers of Alzheimer'S disease. B: They get 2 million yuan from the government yearly. C: Their number will grow to 100,000 after 2015. D: Some of them have only to pay 15 yuan each month.
Answer:
D