"Excuse me," said a young man , standing shyly at the open church door. " I'm here to pick up an Easter basket for my daughter. Am I in the right place ?" " Well, we have baskets, but they're not Easter baskets for kids; they're food baskets,"I explained. That morning I arrived at St. Michael's Church in Carmichael, California, to help give out the baskets to needy families for Easter. To make sure every family would receive one, we had handed out numbers to them that matched the baskets they were supposed to receive . Each one contained a whole ham, potatoes, bread,vegetables, and a pie--enough food to help feed a family for a week. "Why don't you come in ?" I said to the man. He looked disappointed. He shook his head and said," I can't ...My daughter is waiting for me over there.I'm grateful for the food,but when I heard you were giving away baskets for Easter...well, I thought they would be Easter baskets for children." He continued, "I promised my daughter one ,and I wanted to surprise her." I felt bad, but there was nothing I could do.The man hadned me his number, and I walked over to the baskets. A bulge in one of the baskets caught my eye. " What is that ?" I wondered. Leaning over and looking more closely, I could see, unmistakably, an Easter basket filled with candy, chocolate, and Easter eggs.One of the volunteers must have added it by mistake! I thought. Then I looked at the man's number in my hand.Well, he'll be..... "Happy Easter," I said to the man , handing him the only food basket with an Easter basket inside -the very same basket with his number on it. " Someone knew just what you needed." The young man looked disappointed at first because _ . A) he was told not to take a food basket B) there was little food in the Easter basket C) he came so late that all the baskets had been given out D) he was told that he wouldn't get what he wanted
D
(Question)
Richard Wagner was a German musician has been a very controversial person, but he has gained great fame by writing opera, a form of performance combining singing, music on instruments, and drama. While he wrote excellent music, many people think his operas are too dark and serious, lacking the fun common in operas written before his time. Wagner, on the other hand, thought the opera of his time was too simple.He wanted to make opera a serious form of art that combined drama and music to tell deep stories that would have a strong effect on the audience. Some people thought Wagner's new kind of music was too different from the operas they were used to hearing.Wagner agreed with them.In fact, he didn't call his works "operas" at all, using instead a German word that means "Musical Festival" or "Musical play". While many people today still do not like Wagner's operas, they cannot deny that Wagner has had a lot of influence on opera as a form of art.Wagner invented the tradition of turning off the lights before starting a play.He also was the first person to make the whole audience sit down for an entire play.Today, almost all operas are performed in this manner. Wagner as a man was even more controversial than Wagner as a writer of music.He hated Jewish people, and made many people angry, which we would today think of as evil.Some would say he was a good musician, while others would say that he was a bad musician.But it would be difficult to say he was not an important person in music and in the world. Why did Wagner write what is considered serious music? A) He wanted to influence people with deep stories. B) He wanted to make his music simple to follow. C) He wanted to make it suitable for his deep voice. D) He was greatly influenced by previous musicians.
(Answer)
A
Ques: The British Museum Description: The British Museum is a museum in London, which is one of the world's greatest museums of human history and culture. Its collections, which number more than 13 million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present. The British Museum was established in 1753, largely based on the collections of the physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane. The museum first opened to the public on 15 January 1759 in Montagu House in Bloomsbury, on the site of the current museum building. Its expansion over the following two and a half centuries was largely a result of an expanding British colonial footprint and has resulted in the creation of several branch institutions. Until 1997, when the British Library (previously centered on the Round Reading Room)moved to a new site, the British Museum housed both a national museum of antiquities and a national library in the same building. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Since 2002 the director of the museum has been Neil MacGregor. Admission and opening hours: The museum is open every day from 10am to 6pm (Fridays 10am to 5:30pm)and it charges no admission fee, except for loan exhibitions. How to get there: By train: 7:00-18:30 every day. By Underground: 8:00-18:30 every day. By bus: 7:30-18:30 every day. By coach: 7:00--19:30 every day. Nearest underground stations: Tottenham Court Road (500m) Holborn (500m) Russell Square (800m) You are at the Museum at seven in the evening and you want to go back to Oxford. Which means of transportation will you choose? A) By coach. B) By bus. C) By train. D) By underground.
Ans: A
The Chinese mainland and Taiwan today extended the number of regular cross-Straits direct passenger flights from 108 to 270 a week. Six cities, which are Hefei, Harbin, Nanchang, Guiyang, Ningbo and Jinan, are joining another 21 mainland cities in operating direct passenger flights to Taiwan, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said. The 108 direct passenger flights previously operated were all classed as chartered flights. The new services will contain both regular chartered and scheduled flights. Among the 27 designated mainland terminals , 25 will launch scheduled direct passenger flights from Monday to Saturday, to Taipei's Taoyuan or Kaohsiung airports. Scheduled direct _ flights will belaunched between Shanghai, Guangzhou on the mainland and Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, which will bring the total number of weekly chartered and scheduled cargo flights to 28, according to the CAAC. The mainland and Taiwan began direct air and sea transport links and postal services on Dec 15 last year. Previously, air and sea connections, including mail, were routed through a third location, usually Hong Kong. On Nov 4 last year, the mainland and Taiwan agreed to regular direct passenger charter flights across the Straits. Before that, flights were only offered on weekends and during the country's four major traditional festivals - the Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. (Xinhua Agency) Which description is Not true according to the passage? A) Before this extending there were 108 direct passenger flights a week. B) Before Nov 4 last year, passengers only obtained flights on weekends and the four major traditional festivals. C) After January this year, air and sea connections incluing mail, had to be through Hong Kong. D) Among the 27 mainland cities, 25 will launch scheduled direct passenger flights.
C