As a boy, Charles Robert Darwin collected anything that caught his interest: insects, coins and interesting stones. He was not very clever, but Darwin was good at doing the things that interested him. His father was a doctor, so Darwin was sent to Edinburgh to study medicine, and was planned to follow a medical career. But Charles found the lectures boring. Then his father sent him to Cambridge University to study to be a priest. While at Cambridge, Darwin's interest in zoology and geography grew. Later he got a letter from Robert FitzRoy who was planning to make a voyage around the world on a ship, the Beagle. He wanted a naturalist to join the ship, and Darwin was recommended . That voyage was the start of Darwin's great life. As the Beagle sailed around the world, Darwin began to wonder how life had developed on earth. He began to observe everything. After he was home, he set to work, getting his collection in order. His first great work The Zoology of the Beagle was well received, but he was slow to make public his ideas on the origin of life. Later Darwin and Wallace, another naturalist who had the same opinions as Darwin, produced a paper together. Darwin's great book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (<<>> ) appeared. It attracted a storm. People thought that Darwin was saying they were descended from monkeys. What a shameful idea! Although most scientists agreed that Darwin was right, the Church was still so strong that Darwin never received any honors for his work. Afterwards, he published another great work, The Descent of Man. His health grew worse, but he still worked. "When I have to give up observation, I shall die," he said. He was still working on 17, April, 1882. He was dead two days later. According to the passage, Charles Darwin's whole life was changed by _ . A) his study at Cambridge University B) his collection of coins C) the naturalists at Cambridge D) the voyage of the Beagle
D
prefix = st1 /China's economic growth 'hard to predict' The worsening global economic situation makes it difficult for Chinato predict its growth for next year, a senior official said on Friday. "How fast China's economy will grow next year is uncertain," Liu He, deputy director of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Finance and Economy Work, told China Daily. "To a large _ , the rate will be decided by the external situation," Liu said during a discussion with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and other economists in Beijing. This year, GDP is estimated to grow at 9.4 or 9.5 percent, down from 10.6 percent last year, he said. However, the impact of the current financial turbulence "on our economy is much less than on the rest of the world", he said. Nicholas Stern, a former UK government advisor, also told China Daily it will take at least one or two years for the world to recover from the recession, which is now spreading from the US and the UK to the rest of the world. "We don't know how long the recession will last, but it is unlikely to be short," he said. Liu said China can use the downturn as an opportunity to restructure its economy, which has relied heavily on government investment, foreign trade and low-cost technology over the past years. "When the economy is experiencing fast growth, companies are unwilling to upgrade their technologies," Liu said. "The slowdown gives such firms the opportunity to enhance their competitive edge through better technologies." From ChinaDaily 2008-10-25 How many people are mentioned in this passage? A) only 2 B) no more than 3 C) not more than 4 D) at least 5
D
Q: Want to find a job? Now read the following advertisements. FAIRMONT HOTEL Five Waiters and Ten Waitresses -- Aged under 22 -- At least high school graduate -- Good-looking; men at least 1.72 meters tall and women at least 1.65 -- Those knowing foreign languages favoured -- Paid 1 600--2 200 dollars per month One Secretary -- Aged under 30 -- Female favoured -- Good at writing and skilled at computer If interested, call 465-4768 or write to: Mr. Jack Hundris Room 0825, Fairmont Hotel 567 Wood Street, San Markers, 78003 Fax: 6954828 WILSON BOOKSTORE Accountant -- Aged between 25 and 40 -- With an experience of at least two years -- With a degree and an accountant certificate -- Paid 3 000--4 000 dollars monthly -- With a practical knowledge of computer Salesclerk -- Basic education of 12 years or more -- Good at computer -- Paid 1 800--2 200 dollars monthly Tel: 447-4398 Fax: 3485269 If you don't know how to use a computer, you can just apply for the position as _ . A) a secretary B) a waiter or waitress C) an accountant D) a salesclerk
A: B
Question: Although new laws have been passed in some American states to cut down on Distracted driving , many accidents and deaths were still related with it, especially using cell phones while driving.Recently the Obama administration is considering disabling cell phones in cars aiming to cut down cell-phone-related road deaths. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the nation's anti-distracted-driving supporter, said in an interview on November 18 that federal officials are looking at technology to disable cell phones inside cars. "I think it will be done," LaHood said."I think the technology is there and I think you're going to see the technology become adaptable in automobiles to disable these cell phones- We need to do a lot more if we were going to save lives." Also on Thursday, the transportation government started a new "Faces of Distracted Driving" video campaign that features people who have been killed or lost their loved ones because of inattentive drivers.The video features heartbreaking stories of children killed, in crashes because of phoning or text messaging, and new videos are expected to be added every few weeks. A driver is four times more likely to crash while using a mobile phone.More than 5,500 people were killed last year by distracted drivers, and another 500,000 were injured.LaHood has said it is never safe to talk on a cell phone while driving, hands-free or not, because it can really cause distraction. Incidentally, a lot of people seem to agree with this viewpoint--a new research shows nearly two-thirds of Americans support a national ban on the use of cell phones while driving, even if the driver is using a hands-free device .But the research didn't ask how people feel about government-issued _ or other disabling devices. We can infer from me text that _ . A) most people realize the harmfulness of distracted driving B) the disabling devices in cars will be widely used if it is free C) most people would like to choose hands-free devices while driving D) the writer is not sure whether disabling devices will be accepted by the drivers
Answer: D
*Question*
Suppose a key man in your firm had just met with a terrible accident. The doctor tell you that this man upon whom you depend for directing sales, checking your books or for performing some other important roles, will be laid up for months, You'd have to replace him, wouldn't you? And probably at a pay about equal to his ? Then you'd be faced with double paying for one job because stopping the pay of an injured man would simply be out of the question. You can prevent this kind of unproductive outgo on your payroll by providing your key man with the protection of Travelers Business Accident Insurance! This insurance provides total medical expense and a weekly income in case a key man is disabled for some time. Should the disability prove everlasting, an income for life is certainty. Why not make out a list of your key men now? Then get together with Travelers Insurance Company, and let us tell you how little it costs to apply this much needed protection to your business. Write and we'll serve you! Travelers Insurance Company _ for a person insured. A) will pay for all the cost of treatment and the lifelong income B) will pay the weekly income or even that of lifetime C) won't get much from the firm D) will provide everlasting pension as well as medical expense
**Answer**
C