Car Talk When I got the driving license last summer, Mom and I took our first trip around an empty parking lot. Then I found that my mother was not the best teacher for me. It wasn't that she shouted, or told me that I was doing poorly. As you can imagine, my mother's "helpful instructions" only managed to make me more nervous. Since I could no longer practice with her, the job was placed in the hands of my father. The idea of learning from Dad was not one that thrilled me. I loved him dearly, but I just did not see Dad as someone I could be comfortable learning from. He almost never talked. We shared a typical father-daughter relationship. He'd ask how school was, and I'd say it was fine. Unfortunately, that was the most of our conversations. Spending hours alone with someone who might as well have been a stranger really scared me. As we got into the car that first time, I was not surprised at what happened. Dad and I drove around, saying almost nothing, aside from a few instructions on how to turn. As my lessons went on, however, things began to change. Dad would turn the radio up so I could fully appreciate his favorite Stones music. And he actually began talking. I was soon hearing about past failed dates, "basic body" gym class, and other tales from his past, including some of his first meeting with Mom. Dad' s sudden chattiness was shocking until I thought about why he was telling me so much in the car. In all the years that I had wondered why my father never spoke that much, I had never stopped to consider that it was because I had never bothered to listen. Homework, friends, and even TV had all called me away from him, and, consequently, I never thought my quiet father had anything to say. Since I began driving with him, my driving skill has greatly increased. More important, though, is that my knowledge of who my father is has also increased. Just living with him wasn't enough--it took driving with him for me to get to know someone who was a mystery. What surprised the author when the driving lessons went on? A) Her Dad liked modern music. B) Her Dad was the best teacher. C) Her Dad was a chatty person. D) Her Dad told her his sad stories.
C
If you'd like to go sightseeing, the following World Heritage Sites may be your best choices. Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area The Jiuzhaigou Valley, which lies in the northern part of Sichuan Province, reaches a height of more than 4,800 meters, with a series of different forest ecosystems . There you can enjoy watching excellent waterfalls. Some 140 kinds of birds also live in the valley, as well as a number of endangered plants and animals, including the giant panda. For more information, please visit http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/637. Khami Ruins National Monument The city of Khami, which developed after the capital of Great Zimbabwe had been given up in the mid-16th century, is of great archaeological interest. The discovery of objects from Europe and China shows that Khami was a major centre for trade over a long period of time. For more information, please visit http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/365. Henderson Island Henderson Island, which lies in the eastern South Pacific, is one of the few atolls in the world whose ecology has not been touched by human beings. It is especially famous for the ten plants and four land birds that can only be seen on the island. For more information, please visit http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/487. The Old City of Jerusalem As a holy city for three different religions in the Middle East, Jerusalem has always been of great religious importance. It was given a World Heritage Status in 1981 and placed on the "List of World Heritage in Danger" the following year. For more information, please visit http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/148. What can we know about the Jiuzhaigou Valley? A) It sits at the foot of a 4,800-meter-high mountain. B) It has different forest ecosystems. C) Most of China's endangered plants can be found there. D) In all about 140 kinds of birds and animals live there.
B
Dreaming is believing, claim researchers of a new study, who found that dreams have an effect on people's behavior, judgment and they might contain important hidden truths as well. "Psychologists' explanations of the meaning of dreams vary widely. But our findings show that people believe their dreams provide meaningful insightinto themselves and their world," said a lead author of the study Carey Morewedge, an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University. In six different studies, researchers surveyed nearly 1,100 people about their dreams. One of the studies focused on general beliefs about dreams and involved 149 university students. All students were asked to rate different theories about dreams. The experts found that a surprising majority of the participants supported the theory about dreams revealing the hidden truths about themselves and the rest of the world. In a second experiment, they surveyed 182 people at a Boston train station, and asked them to imagine one out of four possible situation that could have occurred the night before a scheduled airline trip. Most of the participants said that dreaming of a plane crash would be more likely to affect their travel plans than would just thinking about a crash, or being warned by the government of a terrorism risk. They said a dreamed crash would influence their travel plans just as much as learning about a real crash on their planned route would. Another experiment involved 270 men and women from across the United States. In a short online survey, they were asked to recall one of the dreams they had seen about any person they knew. The findings showed that people were more likely to remember and describe pleasant dreams about a person they liked, rather than a person they disliked. Meanwhile, in most cases they tended to consider an unpleasant dream as more meaningful if it was about a person they disliked. "In other words," said Morewedge, "people attribute meaning to dreams when it corresponds (......) with their pre-existing beliefs and... . Which kind of dream is seen as more meaningful than the rest? A) A pleasant dream about a person the dreamer likes. B) A pleasant dream about a person the dreamer dislikes C) An unpleasant dream about a person the dreamer likes. D) An unpleasant dream about a person the dreamer dislikes.
D