A long time ago, there was a seed and because he was only a seed, nobody noticed him. Thus, feeling inferior , the seed gave no importance to his existence . Then one day, a wind picked him up and threw him on an open field in the sun. Later, he was given rain. Years later he saw a traveler sitting by his side. "Thank you God for this. I really need some rest," he heard the traveler say. "What are you talking about?" the seed quickly asked. He thought the man was making fun of him. No one ever spoke to him like that. "Who just spoke?" the shocked man asked. "It is me. A seed." "A seed?" The man looked at the big tree. "Are you joking? You are not a seed. You are a big tree!" "Really?" "Yes! Why else do you think people come here?" "What do they come here for?" "To feel your shade ! Don't tell me you didn't know you had grown over time." A moment passed before the traveler's words brought him pride. The seed thought and smiled for the first time in his life. The years of torture by the sun and the rain finally helped him grow up. "Oh! That means I'm not a little seed anymore! I was actually born to make people feel comfortable. Wow! That's great!" Where does the passage most probably come from? A) A history book. B) A science book. C) A story book. D) A guide book.
C
My school has no cafeteria . Students bring their own lunches and eat in the classroom with their teachers. At first, I didn't think I needed to be "on" during lunch, since it was technically a free time for students. However, I was surprised to learn that even in a classroom with fewer students, social segregation happened. The entire class crowded around a table just to avoid one or two other students sitting by themselves on the other side of the room. Students refer to one as the "cool" one and another as the "loser". There were only three tables. After witnessing this, I made a new classroom rule. Every day at lunch, we would put all the tables together and everyone including me would sit around the big table. Students could sit wherever they wanted at the table. This way, no one was excluded from the group. At first, there was much grumbling at this. But gradually the complaining stopped. Students who didn't usually talk to each other during free time started to share conversations. Students were occasionally requested to bring something for others to taste. This started a new tradition: weekly food sharing. In other situations, students make unpleasant comments about their classmate's food, but not during these lunches. Students were careful to thank the sharer, even if they didn't like the offering. Many students tried a food they had never tried before and some cooked a family recipe with their parents for the first time. Eating together gave us the opportunity to practice social graces . Students learned to ask about and respect each other's food choices. They also gained knowledge about their classmates' lives and cultures by tasting each other's food and practicing open-mindedness. At the beginning, the author didn't eat in the classroom with his students because he _ . A) was very busy with his work B) didn't want to eat with them C) wanted to let them feel free D) needed to eat with other teachers
C
Q: There is no excuse for not doing yourassignments . If you can't come to school, you should call your teacher or your classmate and ask about homework. It is yourresponsibility to find out what homework you have missed. It is not the teacher's job to remind you of the missed assignments. You must not be absent on a test day. If you are seriously ill, call and let the teacher know you will not be there for the test. If your teacher allows amake-up test ,you should take the test within one or two days after you return to class. Serious illness is the only reason for missing a test. Be on time! It is impolite to be late. Also, it bothers other students. If you must come in late, be sure to do it quietly. Have your books and papers out of your bag before you come into the room. Then go to your seat and sit down quietly. In the USA, it is not necessary to knock before you enter the classroom. Most teachers will give you a low grade if you are often late. In America, you should call your teacher by his or her last name instead of " teacher". Also you should use Mr, Miss, Ms or Mrs before the last name ( such as Mrs Smith or Mr Jones). This is polite. The teacher will tell you the title that he or she likes. It is impolite in the USA to eat, drink or chew gum during class. Don't do these until the break. Also, removing your shoes in the classroom is not polite. When can a student miss a test according to the passage? A) When he / she is late for the test. B) When he/ she is really sick. C) When he / she failed another test. D) When he / she doesn't want to have the test.
A: B
Among rich countries , people in the United States work the longest hours. They work much longer than in Europe. This difference is quite surprising because productivity per hour worked is the same in the United States as it is in France, Spain and Germany, and it is growing at a similar speed. In most countries and at most times in history, as people have become richer they have chosen to work less. In other words they have decided to "spend"a part of their extra income on a fuller personal life. Over the last fifty years Europeans have continued this pattern, and hours of work have fallen sharply. But not in the United States. We do not fully know why this is. One reason may be more satisfying work,or less satisfying personal lives. Longer hours do of course increase the GDP . So the United States has produced more per worker than, say,France.The United States also has more of its people at work,while in France many more mothers and older workers have decided to stay at home.The overall result is that American GDP per head is 40% higher than in France,even though productivity per hour worked is the same. It is not clear which of the two situations is better.As we have seen, work has to be compared with other values like family life, _ often get lost in interest.It is too early to explain the different trends in happiness over time in different countries. But it is a disappointing idea that in the United States happiness has made no progress since 1975, while it has risen in Europe. Could this have anything to do with trends in the work-life balance ? From the text we know that the author _ . A) believes that longer working hours is better B) prefers shorter working hours to longer ones C) says nothing certain about which pattern is better D) thinks neither of the patterns is good
C