Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: The Panama Canal opened almost 100 years ago.It connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and reduces travel by about 13,000 kilometers and avoids the need for ships to sail around Cape Horn at the bottom of South America. Built from 1904 to 1914,the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 ships in 2008.In total,over 815,000 ships have passed through the canal.It has been named one of the seven modern wonders of the world.More than forty ships pass through the canal each day. Now,a major expansion project will permit more ships and bigger ships to pass through the canal.Jorge Quijano,the Panama Canal's executive vice president of engineering,says,"The present canal has a total capacity of about 340 million tons a year.With the expansion we expect to double that." For years,shipbuilders limited the size of many ships so that they could pass through the Panama Canal.But now many shipping companies use bigger ships to transport more goods as a way to reduce costs.Mr.Quijano says the expansion project will allow many of these larger ships to use the canal. Workers are building the new locks alongside the old ones,which will remain in use.The existing locks are 305 meters long and 33.5 meters wide.The new ones will be 427 meters long and 55 meters wide.They will be able to handle ships with drafts of more than 15 meters.At present,ships can ride only 12 meters deep in the canal. Engineers could not make the new locks too big.Mr.Quijano says the plans have to balance the size of the locks with the cost for ships to use the canal. The cost of the expansion is estimated at more than five billion dollars.The new locks are set to open in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal. Question: What is the author's main purpose in writing the text? Options: A: To introduce the history of the Panama Canal. B: To show the importance of the Panama Canal. C: To report the expansion project of the Panama Canal. D: To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal.
A: C

Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Did you know that there are actually people who have paid for a flight to the moon? In the future, there will be a lot more opportunities to travel to faraway places than now... perhaps even as far as the moon. As people adventure further and further away and as planes, trains, cars, and rocket ships become faster, is it safer to have these vehicles controlled by humans or by computers? While many flights by plane are controlled automatically by machines, most people today wouldn't let their car drive itself. That's because currently the autopilot function on your car can only keep it on the same course you are travelling on. It won't turn the car right or left. It won't stop if an animal jumps in the way. However, cars today can sense when something is too close and warn the driver with flashing lights and alarms. Many cars also have GPS(global positioning systems) that tell drivers which road to take and when to turn. These systems, unlike human drivers, never get lost. In the future, it is easy to believe that your car will be better able to drive itself with the aid of computers that can determine the position of your car and the speed it should travel at. In addition to computers being 'smarter' than people regarding the best way to go or knowing how close another vehicle is, computers don't get sick, tired, or angry. This means they won't make the same mistakes that people make when they are not having a good day. While responding with emotion is a good thing when choosing the best way to deal with a friend's personal problem, it may not be such a good thing when deciding what to do at the wheel of a fast-moving vehicle. So what are the disadvantages of autopilot systems? Maybe one disadvantage is that a small computer problem could cause a serious accident. It could also be argued that in unexpected situations, computers might not be able to respond appropriately; some decisions require human emotions. Another problem might be that if everything were controlled by computers or robots, people wouldn't... Question: If some falling rocks roll down toward your car, the autopilot on your car will _ . Options: A: inform you of the danger B: turn the car right or left C: do nothing about it D: stop the car
A: A

Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Well-known companies are powered by their names and reputations. When people walk into a Pizza Hut in Tokyo, Rome, or Miami, they know exactly what they are getting. Through franchising, an investor can make use of this brand power by opening a Pizza Hut of his or her own. The risk is low, and the rewards can be big. No wonder franchising is such a successful business model. Franchising had been around for more than 100 years, but its popularity took off in the 1950s. Leading the trend were fast food restaurant like McDonald's. These days, there are franchises in more than eighty-five industries, including dry cleaning, hotels and supermarkets. It's a very big business. In the US, there are some 760,000 franchises, totaling more than $1.5 trillion in yearly revenues (income). There are two sides in a franchise: the franchisor--the owner of the business system and the franchisee--the person who licenses the system. After signing a "franchise agreement", the franchisee pays a fee. He or she also pays for equipment, supplies, and, if necessary, building costs. The total investment usually ranges from $10,000 to $1,000,000. After the business opens, the franchisee also pays a percentage of sales revenues--called a royalty--to the franchisor. Marking fees must also be paid. In return, the franchisee receives many benefits. Training is among the most common ones. It includes everything from dealing with customers to understanding the company's standards. The franchisor also handles advertising. On top of that, there's the benefit of the brand reputation that the company has built up. All of these benefits make the risk of opening a franchise much smaller than that of starting a business from scratch. However, a franchise can also have drawbacks. If a customer at a single restaurant gets sick, it may hurt every franchise in the system. Running a franchise also means closely following the company's standards. So, one has to give up a degree of independence. You have to do things their way and trust that the system... Question: What is the most important factor to make a franchise successful? Options: A: Brand power. B: Agreement. C: Training. D: Royalty.
A: A