Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The wombat is in trouble. Some are dying in bushfires, or being shot by farmers. Others are scratching themselves to death because of a mite infection. Only 115 of one species - the northern hairy-nosed wombat - remain alive in the wild. Wombats are endemic to Australia. They are found nowhere else. A wombat looks like an overgrown, stocky guinea pig, covered with thick grey fur and with a wide, flat, broad forehead. Fully-grown adults are about a meter long and about half a meter tall. They weigh about 40kg. But while their looks are pretty straightforward, people throughout history have found it less easy to understand their behavior. The Aborigines seem to have mixed feelings about them, According to one story, the wombat once said he was more powerful than the sun. After a competition, however, the wombat lost, and so today hides from shame, deep down in a hole. But another Aboriginal story tells of how wise the wombat can be. He comforts the other animals in the forest, after their friend, a cockatoo, has died, explaining to them all about forest spirits. Wombats are strong diggers, with very powerful front legs and sharp claws, usually used to dig winding holes in the ground for their homes. Yet despite their strong appearance, these animals are struggling to survive. Many have been suffering a lot from a foreign mite, from foreign foxes, introduced for hunting by the early English settlers of Australia. Because of scratching, scars form over the wombats' eyes and ears, and infections occur, finally causing their death. Its population is so small that the group is becoming inbred . Competition with cattle and sheep for grass to eat, drought, bushfires, as well as dingo and feral dog attacks have all whittled away wombat numbers. But fortunately, a group of committed volunteers and scientists, working with the local government, has now put up fences to protect the wombats from meat-eating animals, made holes for extra shelter, and is working with zoos to create developing programs. These... Question: According to the passage, wombats _ . Options: A: look like big cats. B: are similar to foxes in size. C: give people a sense of weakness. D: are good at digging holes in the ground.
D

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: People who are learning a foreign language should not feel embarrassed because they sometimes use the wrong word. From time to time we all have difficulty even with our own language. If people think that these mistakes are funny, they may laugh; but they do not mean to be rude. The important thing is that they admire people who try to speak their language. Every public speaker knows that mistakes can happen. Even radio announcers will sometimes use the wrong word or call somebody by the wrong name. This happens so often, in fact, that a man in New York is able to make a living by listening to the radio and recording all the mistakes that he hears. Kermit Shafter calls these mistakes "bloopers". In his home, Mr. Shafter has many radios turned to different stations to record every mistake that is made. He puts the funniest ones on records and in books, which have become very popular wherever English is spoken. If Mr. Shafer took his tape recorder into a school where students are learning to speak English, he would very soon have enough bloopers for another book. Mistakes can be fun if we are not easily embarrassed. They also remind us to say something correctly the next time. Question: Mr. Shafer records mistakes made by _ . Options: A: English learners B: radio announcers C: both radio announcers and English learners D: both radio announcers and public speakers
B

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: BERLIN -- With the crisis in Japan raising fears about nuclear power, Germany and Switzerland said on Monday that they would reassess the safety of their own reactors. Doris Leuthard, the Swiss energy minister, said Switzerland would put off plans to build nuclear plants. She said no new ones would be permitted until experts had reviewed safety standards. Germany will put off "the recently decided extension of the running time of German nuclear plants," Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters. "This moratorium will run for three months and it will allow for a thorough examination of the safety standards of the county's 17 nuclear power plants. The European Union called for a meeting on Tuesday of nuclear safety authorities to assess Europe's preparedness. Germany's foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, called for a new risk analysis of the country's nuclear plants, particularly regarding their cooling systems. He is the leader of the Free Democratic Party, which strongly supports nuclear power. A previous government, led by the Social Democrats, passed a law in 2001 to close all the country's nuclear plants by 2021. But Mrs. Merkel's government changed that decision last year to extend the lives of the plants by an average of 12 years. In Switzerland, Doris Leuthard said she had already asked to analyze the exact cause of the problems in Japan and draw up new or tougher safety standards "particularly in terms of seismic safety and cooling." In Russia, the Prime Minister said his government would "draw conclusions from what's going on in Japan." Question: How will Germany react to Japan's nuclear crisis? Options: A: Germany will close all the country's nuclear plants. B: Germany will hold a meeting of nuclear safety authorities. C: Germany will change the decision made last year. D: Germany will delay the extension of nuclear plants running time.
A: D

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Not all vegetables need lots of sunshine. Mark Hoffman and his wife own a bed-and-breakfast guesthouse in rural Kempton, Illinois. They often serve their guests fresh products from the garden. The Hoffmans have been growing food and flowers for twenty-five years. For almost ten of those years, Mr. Hoffman has been experimenting and working with shade plantings. He says, "The bottom line here is that most plants will produce more in full sun. But if you do not have full sun, there are other choices." For example, he grows tomatoes near oak trees. Oak trees can produce a lot of shade. But Mr. Hoffman says his tomato plants grow as long as they get five hours' direct sunshine a day, especially morning sun. Not only does this go against the traditional advice that tomatoes need six, eight, even twelve hours' full sun a day. It also shows how plants and tree roots can share nutrients and water. Mr. Hoffman says plants with wider leaves seem to do better in shady environments. He also found that his potatoes did better partly in shade than in full sun. Moving them out of the sun helped control an insect problem. Mr. Hoffman does not use pesticide . Instead, he planted the potatoes in the shade, especially on the east side of the tree. The potatoes get morning sun, but they are shaded during the hottest part of the day. Some insects dislike shade, and the hottest part day is when they do the worst of their damage. Time of day, sun intensity , shadows from trees, walls and buildings all influence how much sunlight falls on plants. And people interested in shade planting should also remember something else. The term "shade" can describe different amounts of darkness. It can even mean different things in different parts of the world. Question: Which of the following can best describe Mr. Hoffman? Options: A: Curious B: Experienced C: Easy-going D: Funny
B