I can't remember a winter being as cold as this in Pennsylvania, but I'm sure there were colder days. Even though the daylight hours are growing longer minute by minute, it's easy to find an excuse not to go out unless you ly must, but then again I often have to push myself to accomplish things. People I speak to have been in all kinds of _ moods. They say they're "under the weather," not feeling good about this time of year. As I stood outside with my two dogs yesterday, it was so cold that my nose and face felt frozen and my ears were stinging. Of course, that doesn't matter to Ricky and Lucy. They have a routine they must go through to find just the fighting spot no matter how cold or hot it is. So I wait. But this time it was different. As cold as it was, I suddenly was excited thinking about how wonderful this extreme cold really was. Then the sun broke through the clouds and memories of summer's extremely hot days flashed through my mind. I could remember standing in the heat of the afternoon, with sweat pouring down my brow and the hot, burning sun against my face. I reminded myself then and there that in the cold of the winter I would wish I had this heat. I was grateful for the extremes. Without the extremes in my life, I would never appreciate the days when things were just right. Without the extremes, life would be boring. It's being pushed to one of the extremes that makes us appreciate the middle more. Health challenges remind us that we need to pay more attention to how we live. Financial extremes remind us that when things go smoothly it's also time to save for raining days. ks5u I've come to the conclusion that all too often I find a reason not to be happy with where I am at that moment. Whether it's hot or cold, good health or bad, in the money or out of it, I always want it to be different. I'm tired of being "Under the Weather!" What is the best title for this passage? A) Follow the Routine B) Two Extremes in Life C) Changes should be Expected D) Weather Information
C
When someone says "well, I guess I'll have to face the music", it doesn't mean that he is planning to go to hear a singer. It is something far less happy, as you are called in by your leader to explain why you did this and did that or why you did not do this or that. At some time or another, every one of us has to "face the music", especially as children. We can all remember father's angry word "I wasn't to talk to you" and only because we did not listen to him. What a bad thing it was ! In the middle or at the end of every term, we students have to "face the music". The result of the exam will decide whether we will face the music or not. If ...that means parents' cold faces and the contempt of the teachers and classmates. "To face the music" is well known to every American, younger or old. It is at least 100 years old. It really means that you have to do something, no matter how terrible the whole thing might be, because you know you have no choice. Before the exam, we'll have to "face the music". That's why _ . A) we like to take the exam B) we are afraid of taking the exam C) the exam is very important D) we are afraid to pass the exam
B
Q: Before Alaska became part of the U.S., it had been owned by Russia. Trading posts and small settlements were scattered along the coast. The rest of land was left unexplored. The Russians were mainly interested in the wealth of furs from the vast herds of seals they found there. By the mid-1800's, most of the seal herds had been wiped out, and Russia no longer wanted to keep Alaska. William Seward, Secretary of State for President Johnson, believed the United States should buy Alaska from Russia. President Johnson wasn't so sure it was a wise way to spend U.S. money, but he agreed to let Seward discuss it with the Russians. Acting quickly, Seward made a deal. On March 30, 1867, he signed an agreement for the U.S. to pay seven million dollars for the land. Many people thought it was a foolish waste of America's money. They called the deal "Seward's folly". Then gold was discovered in Alaska and public opinion changed quickly. Seward did not live to see the true value of Alaska. He died in 1872, five years after making the purchase . Each year, Alaska's natural resources have brought in many times the $7,000,000 paid for it. Natural gas, coal, oil, lumber, seafood and other minerals, besides the gold first found, have made it a valuable addition to the United States. In 1959, Alaska be-came the 49th state of the United States. The Russians wanted to sell Alaska because _ . A) they thought it wasn't a good place B) they thought it didn't belong to Russia C) they couldn't find enough seals there D) they wanted to earn more money from the U.S.
A: C
*Question*
Kincaid looked at his watch: eight-seventeen. The truck started on the second try, and he backed out, shifted gears, and moved slowly down the alley under hazy sun. Through the streets of Bellingham he went, heading south on Washington 11, running along the coast of Puget Sound for a few miles, then following the highway as it swung east a little before meeting U.S Route 20. Turning into the sun, he began the long, winding drive through the Cascades. He liked this country and felt unstressed stopping now and then to make notes about interesting possibilities for future expeditions or to shoot what he called "memory snapshots." The purpose of these causal photographs was to remind him of places he might want to visit again and approach more seriously. In later afternoon he turned north at Spokane, picking up U.S. Route 2, which would take him halfway across the northern United States to Duluth, Minnesota. He wished for the thousandth time in his life that he had a dog, a golden retriever, maybe, for travels like this and to keep him company at home. But he was frequently away; overseas much of the time and it would not be fair to the animal. Still, he thought about it anyway. In a few years he would be getting too old for the hard fieldwork. "I must get a dog then." He said to himself. Drives like this always put him into a sentimental mood. The dog was part of it. Robert Kincaid was alone as it's possible to be--an only child, parents both dead, distant s who had lost track of him and he of them, no close friends. He thought about Marian. She had left him nine years ago after five years of marriage. He was fifty-two now, that would make her just under forty. Marian had dreams of becoming a musician, a folksinger. She knew all of the Weavers' songs and sang them pretty well in the coffeehouse of Seattle. When he was home in the old days, he drove her to the shows and sat in the audience while she sang. His long absences--two or three... Why did Kincaid stop to take photos while driving? A) To write "memory snapshots" B) To remind himself of places he might want to visit again. C) To avoid forgetting the way back. D) To shoot beautiful scenery along the road.
**Answer**
B