My house is made of wood, glass and stone. It is also made of software. If you come to visit, you'll probably be surprised when you come in: Someone will give you an electronic PIN to wear. The PIN tells the house who you are and where you are. The house uses this information to give you what you need. When it's dark outside, the PIN turns on the lights near you, and then turns them off as you walk away from them. Music moves with you, too. If the house knows your favorite music, it plays it for you. The music seems to be everywhere, but in fact other people in the house hear different music or no music. If you get a telephone call, only the nearest telephone rings. Of course, you are also able to want something. There is a home control console which is a small machine that turns things on and off around you. The PIN and the console are new ideas, but they are in fact like many things we have today. If you want to go to a movie, you need a ticket. If I give you the key to my car, you can use my car. The car works for you because you have the key. My house works for you because you wear the PIN or hold the console. I believe that in ten years from now, most new houses will have the systems that I've put in my house. The systems will probably be even bigger and better than the ones I've got. I like to try new ideas. I know that some of my ideas will work better than others'. But I hope that one day I will stop thinking of these systems as new, and ask myself instead, "How did I live without them?" The writer's new house is different from ordinary ones mainly because _ . A) it has your favorite music following you B) you can make a telephone call anywhere C) the writer is able to change his new idea into practice D) it is controlled by computers
D
(Question)
Many people say dolphins are very intelligent. They seem to be able to think, understand, and learn things quickly. But are they smart like humans or more than cats or dogs? Dolphins use their brains differently from people. But scientists say dolphin intelligence and human intelligence are similar in some ways. How? Fact 1: Talk to me Like humans, every dolphin has its own "name". The name is a special whistle. Each dolphin chooses a specific whistle for itself, usually by its first birthday. Actually, scientists think dolphins, like people, "talk" to each other about a lot of things, such as their age, their feelings, or finding food. And, like humans, dolphins use a system of sounds and body language to communicate. But understanding their conversations is not easy for humans. No one speaks "dolphin" yet, but some scientists are trying to learn. Fact 2: Let's play Dolphins are also social animals. They live in groups, and they often join others from different groups to play games and have fun--just like people. In fact, playing together is something only intelligent animals do. Fact 3: Fishermen's helper Dolphins and humans are similar in another way: both make plans to get something they want. In the seas of southern Brazil, for example, dolphins use an interesting strategy to get food. When fish are near a boat, dolphins show signs to the fishermen to put their nets in the water. Using this method, the men can catch a lot of fish. What is the advantage for the dolphins in doing so? They get to eat some of the fish. What does a dolphin often use as its "name"? A) A body language. B) A special whistle. C) Its feeling. D) Its age.
(Answer)
B
Ques: If you remember taking class notes in longhand , there's a good chance you also remember more about a variety of topics than today's students do. A study investigated whether taking notes by hand helps you learn better than taking notes on a laptop. It was no contest. Study authors and psychologists Pam A. Mueller of Princeton University and Daniel M. Oppenheimer of the University of California- Los Angeles conducted three separate experiments involving a total of 327 students. All students got the same lectures, but some used laptops, and others took notes by hand. When it came to learning the concepts, the handwriters won. When it came to retrieving facts, the groups were comparable, except when given time to go home and look at their notes, at which point the handwriters did better. "Even when allowed to reviewnotes after a week's delay, participants who had taken notes with laptops performed worse on tests of both factual content and conceptual understanding," the study states. Learning suffered not because of "multitasking" or the distraction available to students using Wi-Fi- enabled laptops. In the lab, scientists allowed no extraneous activity. Students who paid attention and took deep notes on their laptop still didn't learn as well--in fact, the study suggests the thoroughness of their notes contributes to the problem. Laptop users tend to record long, _ quotes, which they type mindlessly. Handwriters are more selective. They "wrote significantly fewer words than those who typed," according to the study. By processing and selecting the more important information, they studied more efficiently, said researchers. Here's what's a bit frightening: When the laptop students were instructed to cut down or eliminate the verbatim note taking, they couldn't. The study adds to a ton of evidence that for learning, writing is better and that the hand has a "unique relationship with the brain when it comes to composing thoughts and ideas." Of course, the chance of persuading students to put away their laptops is... The passage is most likely to be taken from _ . A) National Geography B) The Economist C) Psychological Science D) Wall Street Journal
Ans: C
Ques:During the 20th century there has been a great change in the lives of women.A woman marrying at the end of the 19th century probably has been in her middle 20's and would be likely to have seven or eight children.By the time the youngest was 15,the mother would have been in her early 50's and would expect to live a further 20 years,during which chance and health made it hard for her to get paid work. Today women marry younger and have fewer children.Usually a woman's youngest child will be 15 when she is 45 and she can be expected to live another 35 years and is likely to get paid work until 60. This important change in women's life has only recently begun to have its full effect on women's economic position.Even a few years ago most girls left school and took a fulltime joB. However,when they married they usually left work at once and never returned to it.Today the school-leaving age is 16,many girls stay at school after that age,and though women marry younger,more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born.Many more return to work later.Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage,with the husband accepting a greater share of the duties of family life. Many girls are now likely to _ . A) give up their jobs after they get married B) leave school as soon as they can C) marry early so that they can get better jobs D) continue working until they are going to have a baby

Ans:
D