Problem: CHAPTER XII

Konigstein

Phineas Finn and Lady Laura Kennedy sat together discussing the affairs of the past till the servant told them that "My Lord" was in the next room, and ready to receive Mr. Finn. "You will find him much altered," said Lady Laura, "even more than I am."

"I do not find you altered at all."

"Yes, you do,--in appearance. I am a middle-aged woman, and conscious that I may use my privileges as such. But he has become quite an old man,--not in health so much as in manner. But he will be very glad to see you." So saying she led him into a room, in which he found the Earl seated near the fireplace, and wrapped in furs. He got up to receive his guest, and Phineas saw at once that during the two years of his exile from England Lord Brentford had passed from manhood to senility. He almost tottered as he came forward, and he wrapped his coat around him with that air of studious self-preservation which belongs only to the infirm.

"It is very good of you to come and see me, Mr. Finn," he said.

"Don't call him Mr. Finn, Papa. I call him Phineas."

"Well, yes; that's all right, I dare say. It's a terrible long journey from London, isn't it, Mr. Finn?"

"Too long to be pleasant, my lord."

"Pleasant! Oh, dear. There's no pleasantness about it. And so they've got an autumn session, have they? That's always a very stupid thing to do, unless they want money."
1. Who was having a discussion?
2. About what?
3. Who interrupted?
4. Who was waiting to speak to Mr. Finn?
5. What was his name?
6. Where was he waiting?
7. Where was he sitting, in that room?
8. How old is Laura?
9. Had her father gotten significantly older?
10. In how many years?
11. Were his movements steady?
12. What was he wearing?
13. Where was he exiled from?
Answer: 1. Phineas Finn and Lady Laura Kennedy
2. affairs of the past
3. the servant
4. Laura's father
5. the Earl
6. in the next room
7. near the fireplace
8. middle-aged
9. Yes
10. two years
11. No
12. furs
13. England

Problem: My summer hols wr CWOT. B4, we usd 2 go 2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr3:-@ kids FTF. ILNY, it's gr8. Can you understand this sentence? If you can't, don't feel too bad; neither could the middle school teacher in England who received this as homework. This is Netspeak: the language of computerized communication found on Internet or cell phones. To new comers, it can look like a completely foreign language. So, what is the translation of the sentence above? My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York. It's great. School teachers and parents say this new form of writing is harming the English language. Increasing spelling and grammatical mistakes can be seen in students' writing. They fear the language could become corrupted . "Everyone should just relax", say linguists . They believe Netspeak is in fact more of a good thing. David Crystal, from the University of Wales, argues that Netspeak and Internet create a new language use and the almost lost art of diary writing, has been picked up again. Geoffrey Nurberg, from Stanford University, agrees. "People get better at writing by writing," he says. "kids who are now doing text messaging, e-mails, and instant messages will write at least as well as, and possibly better than their parents." Linguist James says, for centuries, it is believed without exception that young people are harming the language. And you can _ that when today's teenagers become tomorrow's parents. They too will think this way. James argues that languages do not and cannot become corrupted. They simply change to meet the new needs. However, Netspeakers do agree that it is important to teach young people how to speak and write standard English. Cynthia McVey says, "I can understand Netspeak worries teachers and it's important that they get across to their pupils that text messaging is for fun, but learning to write proper English is a must for their future." Perhaps we should give teenagers a little more trust anyway. Erin, aged 12, says, "I wouldn't use text language in my homework. Texting is just for fun. "
1. who recived the homework ?
2. where ?
3. what kind of language is in the beginning ?
4. what is netspeak ?
5. found where ?
Answer: 1. middle school teacher
2. England
3. Netspeak
4. the language of computerized communication
5. Internet or cell phones

Problem: Life are always full of stress these days. How do you usually deal with your stress? Do you know doing housework is helpful in dealing with stress? In fact, doing something like washing dirty clothes may really make people relaxed. "Doing some housework such as washing windows or ironing clothes is a good way to face our stress without taking any medicine," says Carol Clark, a successful psychologist in New York. She often advises people who are under lots of stress to try doing housework every day. "While washing something," she says, "you can imagine you're washing away some trouble in your life." Do people all agree with her idea? Here are some ideas about it. "Housework is the main reason for the stress in my life," says Linda in France. "Get me out of doing the housework and then I'll really be relaxed." Gary is a single father. "So, a man pays a psychologist $200 an hour for his problem about stress. However, he is just told to go back home and do some housework. I really don't know who is crazier, the psychologist or the man!
1. What person mentioned says that housework is useful in reducing stress?
2. Who is one person mentioned that says that housework increases stress?
3. Where is Linda from?
4. Who is another person mentioned that says that housework increases stress?
5. Does Gary have a child?
6. Does Gary have a spouse?
7. What is a specific type of housework that Carol Clark says reduces stress?
8. Where is she from?
9. What is her job title?
10. Do the people mentioned in this article agree about housework and how it affects stress?
Answer:
1. Carol Clark
2. Linda
3. France
4. Gary
5. yes
6. no
7. washing windows or ironing clothes
8. New York
9. psychologist
10. no