The work of railroad pioneers in America became the basis for a great surge of railroad building halfway though the nineteenth century that linked the nation together as never before. Railroads eventually became the nation's number one transportation system, and remained so until the construction of the interstate highway system halfway through the twentieth century. They were of great importance stimulating economic expansion,but their influence reached beyond the economy and was strong in American society at large. By 1804, English as American inventors had experimented with steam engines for moving land vehicles. In 1820,John Stevens ran a locomotive and cars around in a circular track on his New Jersey estate,which the public saw as amusing toy. And in 1825, after opening a short length of track, the Stockton to Darlington Railroad in England became the first line to carry general traffic. American businesspeople, especially those in the Atlanic coastal region who looked for better communication with the West, quickly became interested in the English experiment. The first company in America to begin actual operations was the Baltimore and Ohio,wich opened a thirteen-mile length of track in 1830. It used a team of horses to pull a trainof passenger carriages and freight wagons along the track. Steam locomotive power didn't come into regular service until two years later. However, for the first decade or more, there was not yet a true railroad system. Even the longest of the lines was ly short in the 1830's, and most of them served simply to connect water routes to each other, not to link one railroad to another. Even when two lines did connect, the tracks often differed in width, so cars from one line couldn't fit onto tracks of the next line. Schedules were unreliable and wrecks were frequent. Significantly, however, some important developments during the 1830's and 1840's included the introduction of heavier iron rails, more flexible and powerful locomotives, and passenger cars were redesigned to... The word "stimulating" in line 5 is closest in meaning to A) helping B) changing C) promoting D) influencing
C
(Question)
So much to do, so little time.So much information, so little time to read.In this age there is more information than ever before.There is not enough time to read everything we want to read.However, you can take in and understand more information in shorter time through speed-reading.This article will not make you read 3,000 words per minute, but it will show you how to increase your speed greatly.You will also learn the basic techniques of speed reading, along with the dos and don'ts of speed-reading. When you first learned to read, you would say the word out loud and sound it out.Then you might whisper the word because people can become annoyed when you read aloud.The stage you are now at is saying the word in your head.Most people tend to read this way.Saying the word in your head will cut your reading speed tremendously . How do you calculate your reading speed? The speed is measured by how many words per minute you can read.Get some reading material, preferably a book.Find out how many words are on the page.Time yourself one minute.Start your timer and start reading.When the timer sounds, stop at once.If you counted 500 words on the page and you read half of the page, then you are probably reading at 250 words per minute. The first thing about speed-reading is looking at the word and recognizing it.Don't say the word in your mind, just look at it and recognize its appearance.Later you will recognize groups of four words or more to increase your speed.This is the first and most important step in speed-reading. The next step is technique.As with any other skill, speed-reading requires technique.You should first be sitting up straight with your book on a horizontal surface, such as a table or desk.Next, should be able to see the entire page.This is necessary if you want to recognize clumps of words.Lastly, _ .It's hard to read with a lot of noise.Find a quiet place to read.This will help your understanding of the text.You need something to guide your eyes while reading.Then right, you should use your... To speed up your reading, you should _ . A) sit up straight with your book flat and use something to guide your eyes B) say every word out loud and sound it out C) know it is necessary to read quickly D) underline some important words while you say them
(Answer)
A
Ques: There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with bread and a six-pack of beer and started on his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry ,so he offered her a chunk of bread. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her some beer. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it began to grow dark, the boy realized how sad he was and he got up to leave. He turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug . She gave him her biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God. You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!" Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was astonished by the look of joy on her face and he asked,"Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?"She replied,"I ate bread in the park with God. You know. He's much younger than I expected." The little boy gave the old woman some beer because _ . A) the old woman still felt hungry B) the old woman paid him for it C) he didn't like the drink with strong smell D) he wanted to see the smile again
Ans: D
Since the 1990s, education has been required for all South Africans from age seven to fifteen. Last December, the government announced that 70% of students passed their final examination to finish high school. In 2008, the pass rate was about 63%. There have been increases each year since then. Professor Shireen Motala says basic education is no longer a problem in South Africa. Most children stay in school until they are about sixteen. The problem is that large numbers of them leave without completing high school. Students take an examination known as the "matric" in Grade Twelve. Professor Motala says, "Less than half of the children who started school in 2000 sat for the matric last year. Many dropped out of school, so only around 45% took the matric. And the worry is where those students actually go." Those who drop out have to compete with better educated people for jobs. Educational researchers also point to another problem. South African schools do not produce enough students with the skills for higher education in maths and science. Many schools are not well-equipped. Children do not see laboratories, and, as a result, their science marks are not very good. They do not have libraries at school. Also, many teachers do not have the skills or training to do their jobs. In South Africa, a number of teachers were poorly trained before. Secondly, teachers have been confused by the many educational reform efforts in the last fifteen years. Finally, language differences in the classroom have not got as much attention as they should, which is a huge problem. Subjects such as maths and science are taught in English starting at about the age of ten. But South Africa has eleven official languages. South Africa's minister of basic education promises a number of improvements. Angie Motshega says teacher development efforts will focus on subject and content knowledge, making sure that the correct teachers are in the correct jobs. South African students perform poorly in science for all of the following reasons, EXCEPT _ . A) they don't work hard enough B) their schools do not have laboratories C) they cannot get help from libraries D) there are not enough skilled teachers
A