Ricochet, a 19-month-oldgolden retriever , wasbred to be a service dog but never made it. Now, she has found her role in the ocean, surfing with a disabled teen. Patrick Ivison, 15, suffered a severe injury in a car accident when he was 14 months old. He has been disabled since, but the Californian boy never gave up on the goal of walking. He recently took his first steps. When Ivison first met Ricochet, the two immediately hit it off. To raise money for Ivison's physicaltherapy , which is not covered by insurance, it was suggested that the pair take up surfing. Ivison said that when he first heard the idea he thought, "We are completely out of our minds." But from the start, the two took to surfing naturally. With the help of his mom, Jennifer Kayler, and friends, who carry Patrick to the ocean and guide the extra-large surfboard into the waters, Ivison rides the waves with his pal standing on the back. "It's kind of like a grand performance out there," Ivison said of the group of people who help him out. The dog helps to balance out the board The teen remembered one pass when "we were about to flip over and then she stepped on that side of the board and helped us out." The two participated Sunday in the Surf City Surf Dog contest as afund-raiser . They wowed the cheering crowd during their exhibition. The event raised $8,200. About $2,000 will go toward a service dog for Ivison, and the rest will go toward his "Help Patrick Walk" therapy fund. Ivison got disabled when _ . A) he drove to the seaside B) he began to learn surfing C) he suffered a severe disease D) he was over one year old
D
(Question)
Every reader of this passage must spend the whole of his waking life looking at things. Looking, like breathing, is natural; we do it without noticing it. Looking is passive--but seeing is active. Once you start seeing things you really begin to wake up. People who see things which others have only looked at, and draw conclusions from what they see, can add to man's knowledge and help progress. Someone recently discovered a place where metal had been worked continuously longer than any where else in prefix = st1 /England. He "saw" a wall in theForestofDean. Thousands of people must have looked at it without really seeing it, but this man noticed that among the usual stones of that place were bits and pieces of a different color1; they also felt different to the hand. A closer sight showed that these pieces had been left behind in the fires of ancient people who had melted rocks to get metals. Looking around, he found more and more information, until the history of what men had done at that place over tens of centuries was known. The man found out that _ . A) metal was melted in the Forest of Dean longer than at any other place in England B) metal was used in Englandbefore any other part of the world C) in Englandmen made things of metal before they learnt how to make them of stone D) people in the Forest of Dean have always worked harder than people in any other part of England
(Answer)
A
Ques: For years I fought with the bird's nest that sat on top of my head-my Medusa hair.No matter what I did and how hard I tried, in no way could I make my unruly hair to my satisfaction. Growing up in a Russian-Jewish home with parents who thought North American styling products were something illegal such as drugs, I was never allowed to put them in my hair. "Why buy hair gel? Your hair is so beautiful naturally." my mother would say.The teens at school did not agree.From boys' not wanting to kiss me when we played spin the bottle in Grade 7 to being called the mop, I suffered from my hair. When I got to university, I believed my hair was a wall that stood between me and everything---finding a part-time job, getting a boyfriend, etc. If only I could find a way to manage the curls and put it behind bars, I told myself, I would feel secure and sexy.I tried everything: rollers, hairspray, gels and, at one point, an iron.Then, in my second year, a miracle happened.I was asked to be a hair model for Japanese hair straightening, a process by which the molecules of my curls would be broken and reset in a bone-straight position.I was the perfect candidate, the hairdresser told me.Although they said how hair relaxing could damage the scalp , for the next five years I didn't find them to be true. All of the hairdresser's promises were fulfilled: With my hair straight and smooth, I was no longer the " mop". However, there was extreme damage done to my wallet. To keep up the straightening cost $ 700 every six months, and that was considered cheap. While some people thought I was crazy, I was willing to do anything to never again feel like that anxious, curly-headed girl in Grade 7.But when I moved out of my parents' house at age 26 and rented an apartment, the upkeep of my new image became too costly. I couldn't hide from my inner Medusa any longer.It was time to hug her and let her fly.Seeking a choice, I turned to the Internet, Google.After hours of searching, I hit upon a "curly haired" salon, a place designed for... The writer was_when she went to the "curly haired" salon. A) hesitated B) excited C) disappointed D) determined
Ans: A
Ques: Like many other places in the world, recently, Indiana education officials decided that the schools of the state will not be required to teach handwriting skills to students any longer. Instead, they will focus their energies on teaching students how to type. Is handwriting still an important skill? An online survey received some surprising responses. Handwriting is not necessary. Students only need to know how to read it, and the only time that they must write something is to make a signature. Why stress them more than they need to be stressed? We already put so much pressure on them to perform on state tests. --Rita Children don't write letters now. They send e-mails or text messages. A lot of those old ways are going away. How many bills do you pay by writing a check anymore? --Brown Although my son is not comfortable with writing, I bought a workbook for him to practice his handwriting. Can you imagine being an adult and not being able to sign a document? --Susan What a shame! I guess one day it will be a lost art, because handwriting is that personal and beautiful. It has personality --Anna The school where I worked dropped handwriting several years ago. Unless the students have computers in class, they will not be able to take notes at high speed. I have to speak very slowly and stop after a sentence or two because many students write very slowly. --Helen The same thing happened here in Tennessee this past year. I think it's a shame. I just received a handwritten letter from my stepmother and it meant that she spent time sitting and writing. Such a letter brought me a good feeling. --Kathy Children should still learn writing, for the sake of having a skill that all people can communicate with. I certainly appreciate a handwritten note of thanks or news from my children and grandchildren. --Ruth What is the passage mainly about? A) Some advice by Indiana education officials. B) The importance of learning typing in schools. C) A discussion about the importance of handwriting. D) The popularity of computers in schools.
Ans:
C