Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Bill Javis took over our village news-agency at a time of life when most of us only want to relax. He just thought he would like something but not too much to do, and the news-agency was ready-made. The business produced little enough for him, but Bill was a man who only wanted the simplicity and order and regularity of the job. He had been a long-serving sailor, and all his life had done everything by the clock. Every day he opened his shop at six a.m. to catch the early trade; the papers arrived on his door-step before that. Many of Bill's customers were city workers, and the shop was convenient for the station. Business was _ by 10 o'clock, so at eleven sharp Bill closed for lunch. It was hard luck on anybody who wanted a paper or magazine in the afternoon, for most likely Bill would be down on the river bank, fishing, and his nearest competitor was five kilometers away. Sometime in the afternoon, the evening paper landed on the doormat, and at 4 o'clock Bill reopened. The evening rush lasted till seven, and it was worthwhile. He lived in a flat above the shop, alone. Except in the very bad weather, you always knew where to find him in the afternoon, as I have said. Once, on a sunny afternoon, I walked home along the river bank from a shopping trip to the village. By my watch it was three minutes past four, so I was astonished to see Bill sitting there on his little chair with a line in the water. He had had no luck, I could see, but he was making no effort to move. "What's wrong, Bill?" I called out from the path. For answer, he put a hand in his jacket and took out a big, golden object. For a moment I had no idea what it could be, and then it suddenly went off with a noise like a fire engine. Stopping the bell, Bill held the thing up and called back, "Ten to four, you see, and this is dead right." I had never known anyone carrying a brass alarm clock round with him before. Question: Bill opened the shop so early in the day because _ . Options: A: he liked to do as much as possible before he went to work B: the shop had to be open when the morning papers came C: he was never sure of time D: it was then that he did a lot of business
D

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: You've bought what you need. The grocery cashier asks, "Will that be paper or plastic? You reply "Plastic, please." This seems like a simple question and there are plenty of reasons we choose plastic: easier to carry, lighter than paper bags, possibly less damaging to the environment, less expensive to the shop owners, able to be used as trash bag, and so on. There are different opinions on plastic and paper. Now let's follow the travels of 3 plastic bags. It begins at the grocery store with the customer's choice. Plastic Bag 1: As the waste engineer come by and pick up the trash, the first plastic bag falls out. It sits on a small street for a couple of hours until a car comes along and takes it down to the road. Then a gust of wind blows it across the road, then another car, then another gust of wind finally makes its way to the beach. Water fills the plastic bag and makes it look like a jellyfish. A seal swims by, thinking it looks very interesting, and swallowed it. The plastic bag may stay in the seal's stomach for months, maybe years. You see, our lovely animals have been living thousands of years in a world where everything can be eaten. Plastic Bag 2: This bag does make its way to landfill . Before they have a chance to cover up the thousands of pounds of daily waste, a strong wind comes up and blows these plastic bags out of the landfill. Once the wind stops, workers will be sent to collect thousands of bags around. But they can't possibly get them all. So our little bag continues his adventure getting caught in trees, eaten by birds or making its way to our lakes or rivers. Plastic Bag 3: The last bag also blows away but is caught in a landfill where it sits for many years, as all the trash is wrapped in a big plastic bag, making natural degradation impossible. Although workers do much work to make sure water and air system won't be polluted, some do. Guess what, plastic bags are made from petrol, a harmful waste material, which in one way or another makes its way to the environment. Another... Question: The author describes the travel of Plastic Bag 1 to show _ . Options: A: seals like eating plastic bags around them. B: seals really have a good stomach. C: seals are potential victims of plastic bags. D: seals are not able to differ plastic from food.
C

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Opened in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first longspan bridge to carry motor traffic, and it quickly became the model for the great suspension bridges of the following century. Spanning New York's East River, it provided the first traffic artery between Manhattan Island and Brooklyn. Before that, the only transportation was by ferries, which were slow and could be dangerous in winter. The construction of a bridge over the EastRiver had been discussed since the early 19th century, but the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 _ all consideration of the project. When the war ended in 1865, the bridge became an important issue once more. In 1867, the New York State passed an act setting up the New York Bridge Company for the purpose of constructing a bridge between Manhattan Island and Brooklyn. John Augustus Roebling was chosen to design the bridge. Born in Germany in 1806, he held aggressive views as a student and was listed by the German police as a dangerous figure. He emigrated to America in 1830 to escape political discrimination. Roebling proposed a bridge with a span of 1,500 feet (465 m), with two towers in the East River serving as the main piers. The bridge that was actually built is longer--1,597 feet (486 m), the longest suspension bridge at that time. Question: According to the passage, which of the following correctly describes John Augustus Roebling? Options: A: He participated in the Civil War and was seriously wounded. B: He was the first person to propose the construction of the bridge. C: He was chosen to design the bridge because of his aggressive views. D: He moved to America because he was discriminated against in his home country.
A: D

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: We show an amazing tolerance for a form of pollution that is a growing problem: noise. Airplane traffic is increasing by five percent a year. Urban noise is doubling every ten years. By air, land and sea, we are facing an onslaught of noise that is threatening our ability to live in this world. We have granted ourselves the right to make noise. But what about our responsibilities? Have we developed a sense of acoustic responsibility? The evidence suggests that we have not. Many people seem to believe they have an unlimited right to make noise with cars and motorbikes, and with loud music at home and in the street. In some countries measures have been taken to force people to make less noise. In Britain, for example, a law has been passed preventing people from disturbing their neighbors with music at night. It is widely accepted that we should deal with our rubbish in a responsible way. Noise is in reality a particularly insidious form of rubbish. It destroys community life, pursues us into our homes, keeps us from sleeping and is the cause of many stress-related illnesses, as well as hearing loss. Our acoustic environment belongs to all of us. Everyone has the right to use it, but no one has the right to abuse it. Let's start using it responsibly. Question: Which of the following statements is NOT correct? Options: A: Nowadays everyone thinks it's all right to make noise. B: British law protects people from their neighbors' music at night. C: The level of noise produced in cities is twice as high now as ten years ago. D: Noise can sometimes cause hearing loss.
A