Stopping teens from smoking is a big challenge many communities face today. Many communities can only watch without being able to act while local businesses continue to sell tobacco products to children, even under the risk of punishment by law. Recent studies show that a large percentage of teens today are getting their cigarettes from stores, mostly gas stations or convenience stores. As teens continue to be able to buy their own cigarettes, more and more communities begin to punish those who sell cigarettes to the teens. One community has experienced success in their attempts to stop the sale of tobacco products to children. Woodridge, Illinois, started a program seven years ago which forbade and strictly punished the sale of tobacco products to children. The entire program includes local licensing of vendors , repeated undercover inspections to see if the sale to children has stopped, and education programs in schools. Woodridge has become a model community as other communities are moving to stop teen tobacco use. A recent national study showed that 36.5% of females, and 40.8% of males buy their cigarettes from stores, whether it is a gas station or a supermarket. Hopefully, as more and more sellers see the trouble they face if caught selling to children, they will stop selling. True, tightening down on stores that sell tobacco to children isn't going to completely stop the problem of teen tobacco use. Teens continue to get them from other sources. But it definitely does prevent their efforts. With more education in schools, and perhaps stronger punishments for teens caught with tobacco, more and more teens will see the problems with the tobacco usage, and will stop the habit. Which of the following is NOT a way Woodridge uses to stop tobacco sale to children? A) Local licensing to tobacco sale. B) Repeated undercover inspections. C) Education programs in schools. D) Stronger punishment of teens caught smoking.
D
Phoenix , Arizona, the USA was shaken by a big sandstorm recently. It was a huge dust storm that struck Phoenix a little after 7:00 pm local time. Arizona has sandstorms particularly during the monsoon( )season which usually starts from mid-June until the end of September. However, this was so far the biggest. The cloud of dust turned day into night. Some trees were downed, gardens were destroyed and it knocked out power for thousands of local people along the area, but luckily no death happened. A number of the people's pools became dirty with dust. People who lived in Phoenix for more than 40 years said that this was the first time they had experienced this huge dust storm. It could greatly influence people's health. The big dust cloud started in Tucson traveling north across the desert. The huge storm ran up to 60 miles per hour. It was more than 100 miles wide and a mile high. Besides Phoenix and near cities ,the storm also reached Yuma area in southwestern and far western Arizona. It reduced the visibility ( ) in these areas, putting off the flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The storm only takes place in Arizona, the Sahara Desert and areas of the Middle East, because of the dry environment and large amounts of sand. Because of the serious shortage of rain, a wall of there's a large possibility that the water is polluted because of the storm. Sandstorms take place in Arizona as a result of _ . A) its being too far away from the sea. B) its dry environment and large amounts of sand C) its being close to the Sahara Desert D) its looking like areas of the Middle East
B
Q: You need to be of a certain age to understand why so many people in Hollywood are caring about the possible closing down of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .For the past 40 years, its output has been good, but now it is on the ropes, with debts of $ 3.7 billion and will have to sell off its most valuable assets. In its golden time, MGM stood for something.If Warner Brothers meant social dramas and gangster movies, and Disney meant cartoon films, then MGM was healthy fantasy.This business model found its most glorious expression in its musicals of the post-war era.It also featured such many famous stars as Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. But MGM had always put its hopes on the quality of stars it could attract.From the time MGM became a company in 1924, the studio and his associate proved themselves good at creating big names. For 35 years, this worked well enough, but the growing power of television disturbed Hollywood.MGM continued to throw money into making gorgeous-looking musicals, but despite some big successes audiences gradually started to drift away.Throughout the sixties, MGM's decline set in.Things went from bad to worse.In 1973, MGM stopped distributing its own films.Since then, the Lion's roar has been reduced to a whimper . How far MGM has fallen can be shown by its recent releases.This was a studio that for years offered a reliable supply of first-class films.Yet last year its total output was three.To make it worse, all were co-produced with other studios.And this year? Only one so far, and maybe the last. What now? MGM will probably be sold, though recent buyers have been cautious about a price thought to be around $ 2 billion. What can we learn about MGM from the text? A) It has been sold out for around $ 2 billion. B) The Internet was a factor causing its decline. C) It only produced three films by itself last year. D) It made a wrong decision for its development.
A: D
(Question)
The "Thumbs-Up" While Western culture has become used to the thumbs-up as a positive signal (probably coming from World War II pilots using the signal to communicate that they were "good to go" with ground crews), there are cultures where a thumbs-up may land you in trouble. In West Africa, as well as Greece, Italy and Middle East, the thumbs-up is pretty much the biggest insult . Rather more charming is a thumbs-up in Germany and in parts of Japan --they just see it as the hand signal for the number one. The "A-OK" This sign is mainly used by divers to mean "OK"(to prevent being confused with the thumbs-up sign, which means "rise"). Basically the meaning comes out as "great", or "completely fine". However, in a few countries in Europe, people may think you're telling them that you think they're a 'zero'. The "V Sign" The sign comes in two formats: one with the palm faced outwards, and one with the palm inwards. In America they mean the same thing --"victory". However, if the outside of your hand is facing your target, you're giving somebody a long-established insult in Great Britain and many English-speaking countries such as Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. Winston Churchill famously used the "incorrect" version of the V sign during the early years of the war, turning the outside inside later. The V sign is also considered rude in Italy. The "Corna" The corna hand gesture has most recently been adopted by fans of rock and heavy metal music.Nowadays many Americans use the gesture simply to mean "rock on", or in support of the University of Texas in Austin (known as the "Hook'em Horns"). Today it is still popular in Spain, Brazil and Slovakia . Historically, however, the symbol possibly dates back to Ancient Greece. Which of the following signs doesn't have an insulting meaning? A) The "Thumbs-Up". B) The "A-OK". C) The "V Sign". D) The "Corna".
(Answer)
D