Ques: Asia tops the OECD solving skills test QUESTION: Can you quickly learn to set a thermostat ? Don't look down upon such a task. It shows your ability to solve problems in creative ways, said the OECD . The OECD recently gave a problem-solving test to 85,000 students. They were all 15 years old, and from 44 countries. The test give each student four to eight everyday problems to solve. For example, they had to set a thermostat, and find the quickest way to a place. Students from Singapore and South Korea did the best job, said the OECD. They were quick learners, curious and able to solve problems that they were not familiar with. Students from Japan and China were also among the _ groups. They did a better job than those from countries like the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and France. Problem-solving skills are important, said the OECD. "Today's 15-year-olds with poor problem-solving will become tomorrow's adults struggling to find or keep a good job," said Andreas, acting director of Education and Skills at the OECD. "The world economy no longer pays you for what you know. Google knows everything .The world economy pays you for what you can do with what you know," he said. The students from _ performed best in the test. A) the US and Canada B) the UK and the US C) South Korea and Singapore D) Australia and Canada
Ans: C

Ques: Li Qiang and Li Gang are brothers. But their living habits are different. Now let's go to Li Qiang's room. Li Qiang cleans his bedroom every day and puts his things away. Look! There is a computer on the desk. There are two balls under the bed. A guitar and a kite are on the wall. Some books are on the shelf. So he must be a careful boy. Now let's go to Li Gang's room. The room is not clean. Can we see his clothes on the desk? Oh, yes. We can see a football and a knife on the desk, too. Li Gang never does any cleaning on weekends. So his room is in a mess. What do you think of Li Qiang and Li Gang? Li Qiang is a good boy. Li Gang must learn from his brother. ,. What can we see on Li Gang's desk? A) His clothes and a computer. B) A kite, a football and a knife. C) His clothes, a football and a knife. D) Some books, a football and a computer.
Ans: C

Ques: Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands but never made it because most people were afraid of the awful storms. Finally, a short, thin man, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer still hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy all day, and the farmer felt pleased with the man's work. Then one night the wind blew strongly. Jumping out of the bed, the farmer carried a lantern and rushed next door to the hired man's sleeping quarters. Farmer shook the little man and shouted, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!" But the little man said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows." The farmer had no time to lose his temper. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his surprise, he found everything had been prepared. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired man meant. When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally and physically , you have nothing to worry about. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired man in the story was able to sleep because he had protected the farm against the storm. The writer wanted to tell us _ . A) always hire a hard-working man B) never blame your man when you don't know everything C) never sleep soundly when wind blows D) always be prepared before things come
Ans: D

Ques: Perhaps the only test score that I remember is the 55 when I was in high school. The test was the final for a course. I remember waiting anxiously as my teacher Mr. Right passed out our papers one by one. It was a rather difficult test. I heard my classmates groaning , and I could tell by the groans that the scores weren't looking good. Mr. Right put my paper on my desk. There in big red numbers, circled to draw attention, was my score, 55! I lowered my head, and covered the score up quickly. A 55 is not something that you wanted your classmates to see. "The scores were not very good, none of you passed," Mr. Right said. "The highest score in the class was a 55." A 55. That's me! Suddenly my sad look didn't look so bad. I had the highest score. I felt a lot better. I walked home alone that day with the low but high score. My father knew that I had a big test that day and asked me as soon as I got home, "How did you do in your test?" "I made a 55," I said. A frown now stood on my father's face. I knew I had to explain immediately. "But Dad, I had the highest score in the class," I proudly stated. I thought that explanation would make a difference. "You failed!" my father replied. "But it's the highest!" I insisted. "I don't care what scores others had, but you failed. What matters is what you do!" my father firmly said. For years, my father was always that way. It didn't matter what others did, it only mattered what I did and that I did it excellently. We often don't understand the wisdom of good parents until we ourselves stand in the parents' shoes. My father's words have carried me throughout life. We can infer from the passage that _ .. A) the father was strict with his child. B) the writer was always poor in tests. C) Mr. Right was worried about the writer. D) the writer was always happy with his scores.
Ans:
A