Between ten and midnight the United States is politically leaderless--there is no center of information anywhere in the nation except in the New York headquarters of the great broadcasting companies and two wire services. No candidate and no party can afford the investment on election night to match the news-gathering resources of the mass media; and so as every citizen sits in his home watching his TV set or listening to his radio, he is the equal of any other in knowledge. There is nothing that can be done in these hours, for no one can longer direct the great strike for America's power; the polls have closed. Good or bad, whatever the decision, America will accept the decision--and cut down any man who goes against it, even though for millions the decision runs contrary to their own votes. The general vote is an expression of national will, the only substitute for violence and blood. Its decision is to be defended as one defends civilization itself. There is nothing like this American expression of will in England or France, India or Russia. Only one other major nation in modern history has tried to elect its leader directly by mass, free, popular vote. This was the Weiman Republic of Germany, which modeled its unitary vote for national leaders on the American practice. Out of its experiment with the system it got Hitler. Americans have had Lincoln, Wilson and two Roosevelts. Nothing can be done when the voting returns are flooding in; the White House and its power will move to one or another of the two candidates, and all will know about it in the morning. But for these hours history stops. The author believes that the decision at the polls will _ . A) lead to a civil war B) result in a general strike C) cause violence and blood D) be defended by all Americans
D
In recent years, a growing body of research has shown that our appetite and food intake are influenced by a large number of factors besides our biological need for energy, including our eating environment and our perception of the food in front of us. Studies have shown. for instance. that eating in front of the TV (or a similar distraction) can increase both hunger and the amount of food consumed. Even simple visual cues( ). like plate size and lighting, have been shown to affect portion size and consumption. A new study suggested that our shot-term memory also may play a role in appetite. Several hours after a meal, people's hunger levels were predicted not by how much they'd eaten but rather by how much food they'd seen in front of them --- in other words, how much they remembered eating. This difference suggests the memory of our previous meal may have a bigger influence on our appetite than the actual size of the meal. says Jeffrey M . Brunstrom , a professor of experimental psychology at the University of Bristol. "Hunger isn't. controlled solely by the physical characteristics of a recent meal. We have identified an independent role for memory for that meal." Brunstrom says. "This shows that the relationship between hunger and food intake is more complex than we thought." These findings echo earlier research that suggests our perception of food can sometimes trick our body's response to the food itself. In a 2011 study, for instance, people who drank the same 380-calorie milkshake on two separate occasions produced different levels of hunger-related hormones, depending on whether the shake's label said it contained 620 0r 140 calories. Moreover, the participants reported feeling more full when they thought they'd consumed a higher-calorie shake. What does this means for our eating habits? Although it hardly seems practical to trick ourselves in to eating less, the new findings do highlight the benefits of focusing on our food avoiding TV and multitasking while eating. ... What is the main idea of the passage? A) Eating distractions often affect our food digestion. B) Psychological factors influence our hunger levels. C) Our food intake is determined by our biological needs. D) Good eating habits will contribute to our health.
B
Q: It was a winter morning,just a couple of weeks before Christmas of 2005. While most people were warming up their cars,Trevor,my husband,had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival,he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone. The bike,a black Kona 18 Speed,was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work,putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get foods, saving us from having to walk along long distances from where we live. I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that,several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike,then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before. People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another,but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it made us believe more in the beauty of humanity as a whole. And it has influenced us to be more mindful of ways we,too,can share with others. No matter how big or how small,an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can last forever. From this story,we can see humanity is _ . A) selfish B) useful C) kind D) cold-hearted
A: C
Q: I still remember the days when I was a youthful student in an engineering school. I lived a casual life, without caring about the future. I smoked, drank with friends and made girl friends. Little did I realize that casualness would certainly lead to loss. Two years had passed and I was staring down a report card that highlighted FAIL in more than half the subjects. I didn't care, at least not till my dad found out about it. You see, I studied in India and unlike the United States where the students are expected to finance their own education, my dad financed me. Then came the day when my dad found out my habit of smoking. He lost his temper but he just told me, "Son, your allowance is cut in half from this moment on". It hit me like a roundhouse kick from Bruce Lee. I was jolted out of my bones! I couldn't comprehend how to pay off the debts that I had accumulated in college. I owed everybody money: the grocery store, the bars, the restaurants, my friends, etc. I was living a life filled with credit. When I went back to college, I knew that if I don't change the way I live my life I won't be able to pay everybody off. So I decided to make some changes, drastic changes. I quit smoking, cut off from my friends who led me down the wrong road, starting hanging out in libraries and reading my engineering books. One year later, I went from a miserable failure to a magna cum laude . . This incident made me know that anything is possible if you take action and do something about it, however small or large. Even today it still motivates me when I feel that I'm about to lose or give up. It reminds me that I can do it! Which of the following statements is TRUE? A) Students tended to earn money for college expenses in America. B) The author did well in making good friends in the school. C) The author made great progress with the help of his friends. D) Students were encouraged to do part-time jobs in Indian schools.
A: A