As an American artist and writer of children's books, Tasha Tudor's art and nineteenth-century lifestyle have fascinated adults and children for decades. She received many awards and honors for her contributions to children's literature. When people talk about her creativity in artwork, she said, "I do it to support my dogs and my four children." Her great publishing record, the number of magazine stories that have been written about her over the years, and her admirers have no effects on her at all. Much of Tasha's artwork and her reading are done in the wintertime. "I love winter. It's delightful," she says. "I don't have to go anywhere because I work at home. If I'm snowed in, I can stay this way for months." She hopes for early, deep snow to protect her garden from the hardship of the New England winter, and when it comes she puts on snowshoes when she needs to get down the mile-long dirt path that leads to the road. Given her enjoyment of winter and her fantasy way of life, it's not surprising that Tasha's Christmas is a storybook holiday. She hangs flowers over the front door. Her tree comes from the woods, and it goes up on Christmas Eve, lit by homemade candles and decorated with her great- grandmother's collection that dates from 1850. In a place of honor on the tree are large cookies cut into the shapes of her animals. The grandchildren and friends get presents from Tasha's old dolls; so do the animals and they have their own Christmas tree. "Of course, it's a known fact that all the animals talk on Christmas Eve," she has written. Small, handmade gifts fill a big wooden box. At the end of each year, Tasha can look back and know that her life is perfect, that she has again ignored the twentieth century, and that the magic continues. And for the rest of us,here's a bit of advice, Tasha style: "Nowadays, people are so restless. If they took some tea and spent more time rocking on the porch in the evening listening to light music, they might enjoy life more." Tasha loved winter because it allowed her to _ . A) read stories to her grandchildren B) show her DIY snowshoes to kids C) stay indoors working during reading D) enjoy bicycle tiding along the path
C
(Question)
A night out in Tokyo is much the same as a night out in Milan these days, according to a survey about socialising, conducted amongst 16 to 34-year-olds around the world. Wherever you live, a typical night out is spent eating burgers, seeing American films or listening to English-language music in clubs and bars. Individual differences do survive but American culture is everywhere. Differences in the social behavior of the two sexes are also disappearing. Most people surveyed felt that it was 'perfectly normal' for groups of young women to go out alone, that it was 'equally acceptable' for young women to smoke and drink, and that a couple should split the bill when they go out together. For most young people these were the biggest differences between their own generation and their parents'. Interestingly, however, most young people interviewed said that parents are still stricter with daughters than sons about where they go and who they go with. Overall, only 10 per cent thought that parents treat their sons and daughters equally, and almost no one thought parents were stricter with their sons! Important national differences appear, however, when it comes to time-keeping. In the Far East and Eastern Europe a night out starts --- and finishes --- much earlier: there seven o'clock was the average time for meeting up with friends. For many Southern European and South Americans, on the other hand, an evening out doesn't even start until ten or eleven o'clock, by which time many of their South Korean or Japanese counterparts are safely home in bed! Parents' rules reflect this. Most Japanese parents expect their teenagers home by ten o'clock or even earlier, whereas in Europe it is more likely to be eleven or twelve o'clock. The most surprising findings came from Argentina, however, where it is apparently quite normal for 15 and 16-year-olds to stay out all night. But then perhaps this is because their parents have less to worry about --- 80 percent of Argentine youngsters claimed that they rarely or never drink alcohol! What is the passage mainly talking about? A) The same night-out life in all the modern cities. B) The similarities and differences in social behaviors. C) Comparing night life between the east and the west. D) Parents' different rules between their sons and daughters.
(Answer)
B
Have you read The Ugly Little Boy? Well, here is the plot. A Neanderthal child is brought to the present day as a result of time travel experiments. Edith Fellowes, a children's nurse is asked to take care of him. She is at first driven back by his appearance, but soon begins to consider him as her own child, learns to love him and realizes that he is far cleverer than she at first thought. She names him Timmie and tries to make sure that he has the best possible childhood. She becomes angry when the newspapers refer to him as an "ape-boy". Edith's love for Timmie brings her into conflict with her employer, in whose eyes Timmie is more of an experimental animal than a human being. In the end, her employer thinks that his organization has finished all the experiments with Timmie. He wants to move on to the next project, which is to send Timmie to his own time. Miss Fellowes fights the decision, knowing that now he could not survive as he has got used to modern living habits and speech. She decides to take the boy out of the time travel machine, but when that plan fails, she returns to the ancient past with Timmie. Edith Fellowes goes back to the past with Timmie, cares for him and shares his fate. There is a conflict between Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon. But when Edith shows up, things start to change. Both groups regard her as a goddess because of her different appearance and worship her. Timmie grows up to be her assistant. Because of them, the Neanderthals in the book do not become extinct but co-exist with the Cro-Magnons. What is implied in the passage? A) Timmie fails to get used to the life in his own time. B) Edith's appearance prevents Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon from having a conflict. C) Timmie is the cause of the conflict between Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon. D) Edith looks very beautiful in the eyes of the ancient people.
B