MOST recently, my world has been shaken by the death of a teacher at my school. He was Dr Allan Woolley and he was only 52. Suddenly he took his own life, which remains a mystery. That morning, everyone sensed that something wasn't right. During our lessons, an announcement was made that an assembly was scheduled for morning break, which was only done in emergencies. Once morning break came, the entire school gathered in the main hall. As our headmaster marched out to announce the "momentous news", it felt like the air around us trembled . Many students broke down in tears, and the reaction afterward was intensely powerful and unifying . The headmaster said that students were allowed to miss lessons and have a free period to _ themselves if they found the news too distressing . Many students went outside and shared memories of Dr Woolley to control theirselves. Dr Woolley taught me chemistry two years ago, but up until his death he still taught many of my close friends. Many of my friends were so shocked that they still couldn't believe the person that they had owed some homework to was now dead. It was heart-warming to spend time with teachers that morning and get to know more about them. _ The best title for the passage should be _ . A) Our School Faces a Tragedy B) Dr Woolley--A Great Teacher C) The Living Live For the Death D) Lesson From the Death.
A
WASHINGTON: An analysis of global temperatures by independent statisticians shows the Earth is still warming and not cooling as some global warming skeptics are claiming. The analysis was conducted at the request of The Associated Press to investigate the legitimacy of talk of a cooling trend that has been spreading on the Internet, fueled by some news reports, a new book and temperatures that have been cooler in a few recent years. In short, it is not true, according to the statisticians who contributed to the analysis. The statisticians, reviewing two sets of temperature data, found no trend of falling temperatures over time.US government data show the decade that ends in December will be the warmest in 130 years of record-keeping, and 2005 was the hottest year recorded. The case that the Earth might be cooling partly stems from recent weather. Last year was cooler than previous years. It has been a while since the superhot years of 1998 and 2005. So is this a longer climate trend or just weather's normal ups and downs? In a blind test, the AP gave temperature data to four independent statisticians and asked them to look for trends, without telling them what the numbers represented. The experts found no true temperature declines over time. "If you look at the data and sort of cherry-pick a microtrend within a bigger trend, that technique is particularly suspect," said John Grego, a professor of statistics at the University of South Carolina. Yet the idea that things are cooling has been repeated in opinion columns, a BBC news story posted on the Drudge Report and in a new book by the authors of the best-seller Freakonomics. Last week, a poll by the Pew Research Center found that only 57 percent of Americans now believe there is strong scientific evidence for global warming, down from 77 percent in 2006. According to the passage ,the hottest year in 130 years of record-keeping is _ . A) 1998 B) 2005 C) 2006 D) 2010
B
Q: Why are newspapers and TV broadcasts filled with disaster, corruption and incompetence? It may be because we're drawn to depressing stories without realizing, according to psychologists. When you read the news, sometimes it can feel like the only things reported are terrible, depressing events. Why do the media concentrate on the bad things in life, rather than the good? In fact, many people often say that they would prefer good news. The researchers present their experiment as solid evidence of a so called "negativity bias ", psychologists' term for our collective hunger to hear, and remember bad news. It isn't just delight in other people's misfortune, the theory goes, but that we've evolved to react quickly to potential threats. Bad news could be a signal that we need to change what we're doing to avoid danger. As you'd expect from this theory, there's some evidence that people respond quicker to negative words. In lab experiments, flash the word "cancer", "bomb" or "war" up at someone and they can hit a button in response quicker than if that word is "baby", "smile" or "fun". We are also able to recognize negative words faster than positive words, and even tell that a word is going to be unpleasant before we can tell exactly what the word is going to be. There's another interpretation that researchers put on their evidence: we pay attention to bad news, because on the whole, we think the world is more hopeful than it actually is. When it comes to our own lives, most of us believe we're better than average, and that, like the cliches, we expect things to be all right in the end. This pleasant view of the world makes bad news all the more surprising and arresting. It is only against a light background that the dark spots are highlighted. So our attraction to bad news may be more complex than just journalistic prejudice or a hunger springing from the darkness within. What is "negativity bias" according to psychologists? A) It is one's delight in others' misfortune. B) It is one's habit of reacting quickly to potential threats. C) It is a signal with which we can avoid danger. D) People are born to hear and remember bad news.
A: D
Q: Sydney Airport International Terminal -Arrival Area SPECIALTY RETAIL Newslink: Two separate Newslink stores _ all your reading needs including newspapers, magazines and the latest bestsellers. Downtown Duty Free: Make sure you shop at Downtown Duty Free for great savings on a range of items including perfume, alcohol, skincare and cigarettes. It's your last chance before customs. Beach Culture: A must for those into the Latest in beach clothing. Top surfer street and fashion labels including Mambo, Stussy and Quicksilver, including children's sizes. DINING Blue Sky Cafe: Speedy service leaves you time to keep an eye on the arrivals gate. Fresh milk, coffee, lemon juice, beer, Whisky, ice-cream, soda water, cakes and dumplings are on sale. Macdonald's: hamburgers, fries, pancakes, toasted potatoes, muffins, Pepsi, coca-cola and chocolates-all your family favorites. Breakfast served until 10:30. SERVICES ATM: ATMs are conveniently located throughout Arrival and Departures. Dollars, pounds and francs and RMB are all available. Vodafone Rentals: This communications center offers the very latest technology for mobile phone rentals, sales and serving. At Beach Culture you can probably buy _ . A) newspapers and magazines B) skincare and cigarettes C) adult cotton T-shirts D) fresh juice and breakfast roils
A: C