When I came home to London at the end of my first term at university in December 1968, I was flat broke, and more broke because it was Christmas, so I went to an employment agency for a job. "Would you like to work for the Beatles? " they asked. "Don't you have anything better?" I asked. Fifteen minutes later I got the job. When I asked why they accepted me when millions would have done the job for free, the answer was "That's just the problem." Yes. I owed the job to the fact that I was not a crazy fan. But of course I was a fan. It was difficult not to be. I worked over the winter holiday in 1968 and also during Easter 1969. I had to take a taxi in the days to deliver papers sealed in envelopes to the Beatles' house. I took the envelopes to the address, handed them over to whoever answered the door and lift. Who would entrust such papers to an unknown student today - the envelopes would be opened and the contents of the papers copied and sold to the Press. It never occurred to me to do that. Much has been lost in 40 years! I am always asked how many autographs I collected, and the answer is none. How uncool would it have been to ask for an autograph? Far better just to hear the Beatles' s greets--"Hi, boy." How's it going?" More than 40 years later, this remains the best job I have ever had. It met my immediate material need and provides a memory that can be my life treasure. For a child of the 60s, this was its peak. If some details of the memory are not so fresh, it's because they weren't important then. At 19, you take the things that happen for granted. At 61, they become gold dust. If I had known that then, I would have kept a diary. The author was offered the job as a mail boy because_. A) the agency was in urgent need of helping hands B) the Beatles wanted to help poor young men C) the boy seemed not to be a fan of the Beatles D) the poor boy couldn't do heavy physical work
C
Just 50 years ago Manx seemed to be on the point of disappearing. "If you spoke Manx in a pub on the island in the 1960s, it was considered provocative and you were likely to find yourself in a fight," recalls Brian Stowell, a 76-year-old islander who has written a Manx-language novel,The Vampire Murders, and presents a radio show on Manx Radio spreading the language every Sunday. The language itself is similar to the Gaelic tongues spoken in the island's neighbours, Ireland and Scotland. A century ago, "Moghrey mie" would have been commonly heard instead of good morning on the island. "In the 1860s there were thousands of Manx people who couldn't speak English," says Stowell. "But only a century later it was considered to be so backwards to speak the language that there were stories of Manx speakers getting stones thrown at them in the towns. "I learnt it myself from one of the last surviving native speakers back in the 1950s." Recession( ) in the mid 19th Century forced many Manx residents to leave the island to seek work in England. And parents were not willing to pass the language down through the generations, with many believing that to have Manx as a first language would affect job opportunities overseas. There was a fall in the language. By the early 1960s there were perhaps as few as 200 who spoke the tongue. The last native speaker, Ned Maddrell, died in 1974. Unesco pronounced the language died out in the 1990s. Now there is even a Manx language primary school in which all subjects are taught in the language, with more than 60 pupils attending. Manx is also taught in other schools across the island. What is the passage mainly about? A) The Manx language. B) The life of Manx people C) The Manx island. D) The Manx language school
A
Q: "I think it's a great thing when I know it's going to help someone else."said l3-year-old Spencer Goldstein,after collecting hundreds of pieces of baseball equipment for kids who can not afford to buy their own. Spencer collected the bats,balls,gloves,helmets and masks for his mitzvah project,which is a community service project that many Jewish kids do around their bar or bat mitzvahs .A bar mitzvah is a ceremony for a boy while a bat mitzvah is intended for a girl.The ceremony means that you are old enough to take on a grown-up's responsibilities. Spencer got the idea for his mitzvah project alter seeing the Ugandan national team at last year's Little League World Series.Some of the Ugandan players didn't even have their own gloves.And Spencer's donations are going to a group called "Pitch for Baseball"--a group that gives baseball equipment to kids in low-income communities around the world. Mollie Schwartz and Mia Schwartz also came up with a sports-related mitzvah project.The money they raised went to the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled.They raised at least $9,000-enough to pay for at least three wheelchairs made for playing basketball. In Massachusetts,Abigail Miller decided to collect musical instruments for her mitzvah project.The instruments Abigail collected were then donated to groups that distribute them to kids who can't afford to buy them."I want to make sure everybody can get the chance to enjoy music like I do,"Abigail said.Abigail collected more than three-dozen instruments-wind instruments,string instruments,keyboards,even a drum set. Whether it's playing sports,playing music or something else,kids such as Spencer,Mollie,Mia and Abigail are using their mitzvah projects to change the woad for the better."They learned about generosity,''said Mollie's mother,Loft Schwartz,"and the power to make things happen". From the passage we can know_. A) some kids are famous for their funny projects. B) not all mitzvah projects are related to sports. C) the requirements are different for boys and girls. D) few girls are willing to do the mitzvah projects.
A: B
(Q).
The University of Wales, Bangor has been rated the top university in the UK for the help and support provided for students by theTimes Higher Education Supplement.We want to make sure all our students are happy and that they enjoy their time here in Bangor. We realize that you may need some support during your time here to solve some personal problems or difficulties. Our Student Services Centre and the Students' Union can offer the following: * An advice service that is free and confidential. * You'll have a personal teacher in your department. * A Peer Guide will welcome you to Bangor during your first week and answer any question you might have. * Student Services and Security are on call during the day and there is a warden on call at evenings and weekends at all our halls of residence. * Personal support and advice on a variety of problems through the Students' Union Welfare Advice Centre. * Nightline, a confidential support service run during the night by students for students. * A team of staff volunteers are available to deal with any serious incident which happens outside normal university hours. * Health care in daily surgeries where you don't need an appointment. You will need to register with a local General Practitioner . We also have a nurse who can make visits to your place when necessary. * An adviser for international students. * A room where local postgraduate students who live at home and travel to the university each day, can spend their free time. The university welcomes applications from disabled students and aims to provide equal opportunities for all. For more information please see our Student Services pages. The author's main purpose of writing the passage is to _ . A) show that the university treats all students equally B) inform students with disabilities about the university C) attract more students to the university to study D) introduce student organizations of the university
(A).
C