Q: Taxpayers in America pay less in income tax than many Europeans, according to a Pew Research Center report. Belgium has the highest income tax rate, at nearly 56 percent of income, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD. Taxpayers in the U.S. pay less than 36 percent of their incomes into the national treasury. Taxes pay for services provided by the government. The U.S. ranks 25 of the 34 developed countries polled in the report. An unmarried person with no children was used as an example in the report. In America, an unmarried person, with no children, making the average wage of $50,000 in 2014 paid 24.8 percent of their income in federal income tax and payroll taxes . A similar person living in Belgium would pay 42.3 percent of their income. The average among the 39 countries in the poll was 27.3 percent income tax. The deadline to pay taxes in America is usually April 15. This year, the deadline is April 18. American taxpayers complain that wealthy people and large companies pay too little tax, according to a Pew Research Center poll from 2015. Americans pay tax to fund programs like Social Security and Medicaid, according to the Pew Research Center. Last year, American taxes paid for $888 billion in Social Security benefits. Social Security pays the elderly an income after they stop working. The government also paid more than $546 billion in Medicaid and Medicare benefits. Those programs pay for health and medical care to people who cannot afford it, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. How is Passage 2 mainly developed? A) By showing differences B) By analyzing causes C) By describing process D) By explanations
A: A

Q: To discover whether bees can see colors, the following experiment is set up. A table is put in a garden and on the table is a piece of blue cardboard with a drop of syrup on it. After a short time, bees come to the syrup. The bees then fly to their hive and give the syrup to other bees in the hive. Then they return to the feeding-place which they have discovered. After a while, the blue cardboard with the syrup on it is taken away. Instead of this card, a blue card is now put on the left side of the first feeding-place and a red card to its right. These new card have no syrup on them. Thus, the blue card is on the left, the red card on the right, and there is nothing where the first blue feeding-card used to be. Very soon bees arrive again, and fly straight to the blue card. None to the red card. To do the experiment, altogether how many cards do you need to prepare? A) Two, one blue and one red. B) Three, two blue and one red. C) Three, one blue and two red. D) Four, two blue and two red.
A: B

Q: Most people think about donating blood. However. Very few actuallv do it. Even the most consistent ones donate an average of just three to four times during their lifetime. Now the officials in Sweden are trying to change the trend with the help of modern-day technology. The encouragement to donate again begins shortly after the donor leaves the clinic when he/she receives a "thank you" text. Though that certainly helps them feel appreciated, what is even more pleasing is the text they receive each time their blood is used to help someone in need. Karolina Wiberg, manager of the Stockholm blood service, believes this small gesture not only results in repeat donors, but helps bring in new ones. The program that was started in Stockholm has received such positive feedback that it is now being rolled out across the country. However, Swedish officials are not stopping there. They are also encouraging local clinics to publish the exact levels of the different blood groups they have at any given time on their websites. This allows potential donors to realize that their blood can make a difference in saving someone ' s life. While all these outreach programs are great, busy citizens, even the ones with the best intentions have to be occasionally reminded. In order to jog their memories, officials ask people for authorization to send them text, Facebook, and e-mail reminders. Though that may sound disturbing, the citizens do not seem to mind, given that the messages are light-hearted and fun-things like "We won't give up until you bleed." Though Sweden is currently the only country using modern technology to urge more donations, don't be surprised if more join in, especially if the Nordic country's blood banks start to overflow! Why is another text sent to blood donors after a "thank you" one? A) To ask them for authorization. B) To inform them their blood is used. C) To remind them to donate blood immediately. ' D) To tell them the levels of blood groups.
A: B

Q: Scientists have transformed men's minds into avirtual woman's body in an experiment that could throw light upon how humans distinguish themselves form others. In a study at Barcelona University, men wore a virtual reality headset that allowed them to see and hear the world as a female character. When they looked down, they could even see their new body and clothes. The "body-swapping" effect was so convincing that the men's sense of self was transferred into the virtual woman, causing them to react to events in the virtual world they wereimmersed . "This work opens up another avenue for virtual reality, which is not just to transform your sense of place, but also your sense of self," said Mel Slater, "If you can temporarily give people the illusion that their bodies are different, then the evidence suggests it also affects their behavior and the way they think. They can have new experiences: a person who is thin can know what it is like to be fat. A man can have an experience of what it's like to be a woman." During the experiment, a "female" approached and hit the face of the character another man was playing. "Their reaction was immediate," said Slate. "They would take in a quick breath and maybeflinch . The more people reported being in the girl's body, the stronger physical reaction they had." But in all cases, the feeling was temporary and lasted only as long as the study. The study shows that our minds have a very fluid picture of our bodies. The research is expected to shed light on the puzzle of how our brain tells the difference between a part of our own body and something else in the wider world. Thus the work might improve the conditions for those who have experienced strokes by placing them in a world that helps them to use their bodies to the full again. Of the following statements, which we can't infer from the passage? A) Men in the experiment can temporarily have the wrong feeling that they are women. B) When hit, the men in the virtual world will react angrily to it. C) As soon as the experiment is finished, the men will return to the normal state D) Probably, this study can be applied to medical fields and benefit humans.
A: B