Both of Jessica's parents were lawyers and expected her to follow suit. So she went to law school, got a job at a great firm in Washington, DC, and worked as a lawyer for a decade. But her heart was never in it. "I had a big salary but no personal satisfaction," she says. Jessica found pleasure in the same thing that had brought her joy since joining the church choir at the age of 12. "Singing always felt like communicating something real at a spiritual and emotional level," says Jessica. Yet she never considered it a career option. "That seemed like something people did in fairy tales, and I would never let my parents down," she says. It was her mom's diagnosis of brain cancer in 2009 that made Jessica realize she had to write her own happy-ever-after. "Work was busy and my mother was _ . So I was flying back and forth from Washington, DC to Houston to see her," Jessica says. "I finally said, 'Enough!' and quit." While caring for her mom, Jessica made a plan. She would spend her savings and study music for a year, and then open a part-time law practice so she could pursue her passion. Before her mother passed away two years later, she encouraged Jessica to follow her dream. Her song Live This Life was inspired by her mom, and her dad came to watch her perform at clubs. In 2012, Jessica moved to Nashville to try singing and songwriting. A decade of presenting cases in court gave her the confidence to sing for a crowd. "At 20, I would have been too shy to perform," says Jessica. "Doing music is so free," Jessica says. "There's no pressure to be a star. Success, to me, isn't a dollar amount or a record deal; it's doing what I love." By telling Jessica's story, the writer most probably wants to _ . A) encourage us to pursue our dreams B) show that singing can be a practical career C) tell us the importance of choosing a right job D) show that family members' support is important
A
Education is an expensive part of American life. Its size is matched by its variety. Differences in American schools compared with those found in the majority of other countries lie in the fact that education here has long been intended for everyone. Schools are expected to meet the needs of every child, regardless of ability, and also the needs of society itself. This means that public schools offer more than academic subjects. It surprises many people when they come here to find high schools offering such courses as typing, sewing, radio repair, computer programming or driver training, along with traditional academic subjects such as mathematics, history, and languages. Students choose their courses depending on their interests, future goals, and level of ability. The basic goal of American education is to develop every child to the utmost of his or her own possibilities, and to give each one a sense of community. Schools have traditionally played an important role in creating national unity and "Americanizing" the millions of immigrants who have poured into this country from many different backgrounds and origins. Schools still play a large role in the community, especially in the small towns. The teaching may seem unfamiliar to many, not only because it is informal, but also because there is not much emphasis on learning facts. Instead, Americans try to teach their children to think for themselves and to develop their own intellectual and creative abilities. Students spend much time learning how to use materials, libraries, statistics, and computers. Americans believe that if children are taught to _ and to research well, they will be able to find whatever facts they need throughout the rest of their lives. Knowing how to solve problems is considered more important than the accumulation of facts. This is America's answer to the searching question that thoughtful parents all over the world are asking themselves in the fast-moving time, "How can one prepare today's child for a tomorrow that one can... It is implied in the passage that _ . A) all high-school students take the same courses B) every student must take practical ability training courses C) every public school offers the same academic subjects D) the subjects every student takes may vary
D
Q: Everyday rubbish could provide a valuable source of energy thanks to a clever new invention. Smelly methane gas expelled from landfill sites containing tones of rotting household waste could be used to produce a valuable energy resource. In Europe alone land fill tips produce 94 billion cubic meters of methane per year but currently only one percent of what could be a valuable source of energy is used, the rest is burnt off to prevent an explosive build up of gas. Methane gas forms when organic matter breaks down and is drawn off from large rubbish tips by pipes sunk into the middle of the waste. Until now this process wasn't possible on small sites because the pipe allowed oxygen to seep in and that stop the breakdown process. Viktor Popov of the Wessex Institute of Technology has now developed a system to modify existing landfill sites by making them airtight while the methane is extracted from sunken wells. The site is covered by a special three-layered skin whose two outer layers are made of clay with a pressurized layer of carbon dioxide gas in the middle. As the methane is sucked out through a central well it is replaced by carbon dioxide from the middle layer rather than oxygen, allowing the breakdown process to continue. Unfortunately there are no plans to use the power of methane even though Popov claims his invention could provide a valuable source of energy over the next 20 years. The passage mainly introduces _ to us. A) how to make methane B) a new way to make use of rubbish C) the valuable things in rubbish D) the amount of rubbish beig reused
A: B
(Q).
In 1997, I found myself in a situation I never thought I'd be in: alone and begging for money in New York. My father had been separated from our family, and my mother had recently died from complications related to AIDS. What I remember most about such nights is lying on the cold marble floor and using my backpack for a pillow. Even though I had lost my family, I made choices every single day to turn my life around. There was the haven for homeless teenagers called the Door, a non-profit organization that provided me with guidance, medical care and food, all of which kept me going while I completed my homework in train stations and under hallway lights. Perhaps the most surprising help though, I did not seek out;it found me. The New York Times told my story. In the weeks that followed, dozens of strangers reached out to me from all across the United States. At my high school, I began receiving handwritten letters of encouragement. Strangers showed up bearing clothes, books, and even hugs. Since the article mentioned I was applying to Harvard, one woman knitted a blanket for me. She attached this note to the box it was posted in: "It gets cold in those dorms. May you warm yourself knowing that people care about you". With the help of these people, my life today bears no resemblance at all to my life then. I graduated not only from high school but also from Harvard University. Before these people -- some of them nameless-- I just didn't realize how good people could be. But now I do, and I can say that the people who helped me have forever changed me. They are the reason behind my decision to join the board at the Door so that I can be part of a small team of people opening a high school for homeless teenagers .They are the reason I dedicate my life to opening pathways for others. And they are the reason I travel around the world helping people transform their own lives. According to the passage, the author _ . A) tried to change her life B) often slept m friends' homes C) felt lonely because of her illness D) felt quite desperate for her father
(A).
A