Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: The Chinese invented paper in 105 A. D. They mixed the bark of a tree and rags with water, put a screen into the mixture, and lifted out a thin piece of wet paper. They dried the paper in the sun. The Chinese kept their secret of how to make paper until a war with Muslims in the ninth century. The art of papermaking soon spread throughout the Muslim world. The Mayan Indians in Central America and Pacific Islanders also discovered how to make paper, but their knowledge never spread to the rest of the world. For centuries, all paper was made by hand. Rags were the main material. Then a French scientist discovered that people could make paper from wood, too. Finally, in the eighteenth century. a Frenchman invented a machine to make paper from wood. Question: When did the Chinese invent paper according to the passage? Answer:

OPTIONS:
- About 1 ,800 years ago.
- About 1, 900 years ago.
- About 2, 000 years ago.
- About 2, 100 years ago.

A: About 1, 900 years ago.

Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: A newspaper, a publication usually issued on a daily or weekly basis, has the main function of reporting news. Many newspapers also _ their readers with other pieces of useful information, such as weather reports, television schedules, and stock prices. They provide commentary on politics, economics, and arts and culture. In nearly all cases and in varying degrees, newspapers depend on commercial advertising for their income. Newspaper publishers estimate that nearly six out of ten adults in the United States and Canada read a newspaper every day, and seven out of ten read a paper each weekend. By the time they see a newspaper; most people have already heard about breaking news stories on television or on the radio. Readers rely on newspapers to provide detailed background information and analysis which television and radio rarely offer. Newspapers not only inform readers that an event has happened but also help readers understand what led to the event and how it will affect the world. The staff of a large newspaper works under the constant pressure of deadlines to bring news to readers as quickly as their minds, bodies and the technology they use permit. Reporters, photographers, artists, and editors compile articles and graphics -- sometimes in just a few hours. Page designers combine articles, photos, advertisements, and eye-catching headlines into page layouts , then rush their work to the printer. Printing technicians may work through the night operating printing presses that can print out more than 60,000 copies per hour. Question: According to the passage, what affects the pace of a newspaper's publication? Answer:

OPTIONS:
- The editors.
- The printers.
- The newspapers' human resources and technology.
- The reporters.

A: The newspapers' human resources and technology.

Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: WELLINGTON, September 19 (Xinhua) -- If your teenage son won't get out of bed in the morning, then take comfort from the fact that he might be sleeping his way to a healthier future, according to a new research from New Zealand. Researchers in human nutrition at the University of Otago have found that teenage boys who sleep less have more body fat when compared to girls, for whom lack of sleep has no noticeable effect on their body fat ratios. The study of 386 boys and 299 girls aged 15 to 18 found that average-sized 16-year-old boy weighing 69.5 kg and 176 cm tall, who slept for eight hours a day, had a waist size l.8 cm bigger and l.6 kg, or 9 percent, more body fat than the average-sized boy who slept 10 hours a day. "The boys who slept eight hours a day would also have l.8 kg more lean (bone and muscle) mass compared to the boys who slept 10 hours, but that's only a 1.4-percent increase, compared to the 9- percent increase seen in body fat," said lead researcher from the Department of Human Nutrition, Dr. Paula Skidmore. "Our results suggest that for older teenage boys, making sure that they get enough sleep may help to maintain a healthier body. It seems to be that, within reason, the more sleep the better for boys," Skidmore said in a statement Thursday. "It was unexpected that we did not find the same result in girls, who may actually be more aware of their diet and more in tune with a healthier lifestyle." The researchers ruled out the effects of food choice and number of screens, such as televisions, games and consoles, which the teenagers had in their bedrooms. Question: What's the result of less sleep for teenage boys? Answer:

OPTIONS:
- Bigger waist and more fat in the body.
- An increase in weight and height.
- More concerned with their diet.
- A decrease in bone and muscle.

A: Bigger waist and more fat in the body.

Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Lee Kuan Yew emerged onto the international stage as the founding father of the state of Singapore, then a city of about 1 million. He developed into a world statesman who acted as a kind of conscience to leaders around the globe. Fate initially seemed not to have provided him with a stage on which to achieve more than modest local success. In the first phase of decolonization, Singapore emerged as a part of Malaya. It was cut loose because of tensions between Singapore's largely Chinese population and the Malay majority and, above all, to teach the city a lesson of dependency, _ But great men become such through visions beyond material calculations. Lee challenged conventional wisdom by opting for statehood. The choice reflected a deep faith in the virtues of his people. He asserted that a city located on a sandbar with no economic resource to draw upon, and whose major industry as a colonial naval base had disappeared, could nevertheless thrive and achieve international reputation by building on its principal asset : the intelligence, industry and dedication of its people. A great leader takes his or her society from where it is to where it has never been ---- indeed, where it as yet cannot imagine being. By insisting on quality education, by suppressing corruption and by basing governance on merit. Lee and his colleagues raised the annual per capita income of their population from $500 at the time of independence in 1965 to roughly $55,000 today. In a generation, Singapore became an international financial center., the leading intellectual metropolis of Southeast Asia, the location of the region's major hospitals and a favored site for conferences on international affairs. It did so by adhering to an extraordinary pragmatism: by opening careers to the best talents and encouraging them to adopt the best practices from all over the world.. Superior performance was one component of that achievement. Superior leadership was even more important. As the decades went by, it was moving ---- and inspirational ----... Question: Why did Lee Kuan Yew choose to lead Singapore to be independent? Answer:

OPTIONS:
- He intended to act as a kind of conscience to leaders around the globe.
- He determined his people shouldn't be subjected to Malaya anymore.
- He had considerable confidence in the value of the city's assets.
- He wanted Singapore to be the most powerful country worldwide.

A:
He determined his people shouldn't be subjected to Malaya anymore.