Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: For many years, artists have flocked to Paris, France, to paint or to learn to paint. Perhaps artists first went there because of the city's beauty. They went to paint pictures of the broad, tree-lined streets, the great churches, and the graceful river bridges. The artists felt comfortable in Paris because the people of the city had always enjoyed art. Paris had great art museums, filled with famous paintings and statues from many countries. And the people of Paris had always welcomed new ideas. In this city, artists felt free to experiment with new ways of painting. As soon as famous artists painted in Paris, students came to learn from them. People came to buy paintings. People called art dealers set up galleries where paintings were bought and sold. Others kept shops that sold artists' paints and supplies. Students and artists who were not yet famous could live in Paris for very little money. They learned by studying great art in the museums, and they learned from one another. They held art fairs, hanging their paintings outdoors along the streets. Today, New York City and Florence, Italy, are also famous art centers. But the world's main art exhibits are still held in Paris. Important judges of art live there. Most of the new ways of painting that have started in the last hundred years began in Paris. So artists and art dealers still go to Paris because it is the world's leading art center. Question: On the whole, this story is about. Options: A: the world's most famous art center B: how to buy a painting in Paris C: the famous art centers of New York and Florence D: where to set up galleries
A: A

Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: What's black and white and read all over? Not newspapers, at least not anymore. In fact, if you're like most young people, you probably don't read the newspaper at all. In one recent survey, just 19 percent of 18 to 34-year-old said they read a newspaper every day, while 37 percent watch local TV news and 44 percent visit Internet news sites daily. As people turn more and more to new technologies, they turn the pages of newspapers less and less. "There's a revolution in the way young people get news," says media consultant Merrill Brown. Just a generation or two ago, the newspaper was the main way that many people got their news. Now, nearly every home has at least one TV set. There's high-speed, wireless Internet both at home and in many public places. You no longer have to wait for a bundle of newsprint to arrive on your doorstep every morning. Thanks to new technology, if you want to know what's going on in the world, you can get breaking news immediately in more ways than one. So newspapers face a very big challenge. Raised on MTV and video games, today's kids and young adults want flashy displays, special effects, quick information, and the chance to interact in real time, even when they're reading about serious problems. If newspapers can't find creative ways to be more than just ink on paper, some experts suggest, they might disappear completely. Traditional newspaper articles are supposed to be read from beginning to end, lack of interaction. With Web pages, on the other hand, there's more freedom. You can look through the things you're interested in, then follow links to other sources. You can join discussion groups, read other people's opinions on a topic, or start a blog to express your own views. Question: The author of the passage would probably think the future of newspapers is _ . Options: A: attractive B: bright C: hopeless D: uncertain
A: D

Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Agatha Christie went out at night.She never forgot the night when she met a robber many years ago. That evening, she was invited to a birthday party which lasted until 2 o'clock in the morning.Agatha walked in the quiet street alone. Suddenly from the shadow of a dark building a tall man with a sharp knife in his right hand ran out at her. "Good morning, lady," the man said in a low voice, "I don't think you wish to die here!" "What do you want?" Agatha asked. "Your earrings . Take them off!" Agatha suddenly had a bright idea. She tried to cover her necklace with the collar ( ) of her overcoat while she used the other hand to take off both of her earrings and then she quickly threw them on the ground. "Take them and let me go," she said. The robber saw that the girl didn't care for the earrings at all, only trying to protect the necklace. He thought the necklace would cost more, so he said, "Give me your necklace." "Oh, sir. It's not worth much. Please let me keep it." "Stopping rubbish . Quick!" With shaky hands, Agatha took off her necklace. As soon as the robber disappeared, she picked up her earrings and ran as fast as she could to one of her friends. The earrings cost 480 pounds and the necklace the robber had taken away cost only six pounds. Question: The birthday party _ . Options: A: was over at 2 B: didn't end after 2 C: ended before 2 D: didn't end at 2
A: A

Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: There is an old Chinese tale about a woman whose only son died. Sadly, she went to the holy man and asked, "What magical things do you have to bring my son back to life?" Instead of sending her away or reasoning with her, he said to her, "Fetch me a mustard seed from a home that has never known sadness. We will use it to drive the sadness out of your life." The woman happily went off at once in search of that magical mustard seed. She first came to a splendid house, knocked at the door and said, "I am looking for a home that has never known sadness. Is it such a place? It is very important to me." They told her "You've certainly come to the wrong place" and began to describe all the tragic things that had happened to them recently. The woman said to herself, "I have had misfortune of my own. Who is able to help these poor, unfortunate people?" She stayed to comfort them, and then went on in search of a home that had never known sadness. But wherever she went, she found one tale after another of sadness and misfortune. She became so involved in other people's sorrow that finally she forgot about her search for the magical mustard seed, never realizing that it had, in fact, driven the sadness out of her life. Question: The best title for the text would be " _ ". Options: A: A woman's misfortune B: A nice surprise C: The holy man's faith D: Cure for sadness
A: D