When I was young, my father used to grow carnations ----- a kind of flower which was red, pink and white. He took care of them with much love and devotion. Every day he came back home from work, he would enjoy watching them. Everyone who saw them admired them for their beauty. And he used to tell us, "No one should touch my flowers." One day, my younger sister Clemence, who loved dad very much, wanted to help him. So she cut the carnations from their stems one by one and arranged them on the ground. She believed that dad would be very pleased to see them that way. When mom and I realized what my sister had done, we became completely speechless. However, my sister had no idea why no one showed her any appreciation. When my dad arrived, he went straight to see the flowers as usual. Seeing his flowers lying on the ground like dead animals, he was shocked at first. He looked towards the street to see if it was any of the neighbor's children who could have done it. Then he looked at mom in silence. Finally mom, who always taught us to tell the truth no matter what, said, "No bad neighbors did this great job, only your lovely daughter Clemence." Dad's face changed into a smile and then he said, "Do I have a better flower than my lovely daughter?" My younger sister smiled and hugged dad strongly. Which of the following would be the best title? A) Telling the truth B) Dad's best flower C) My neighbors D) Growing Carnations
B
London started its first major bike hire scheme on July 30th. Transport For London (TFL), the agency responsible for moving people around England's capital, put 5,000 bicycles in 400 different places around the city. The idea is to cut traffic, reduce pollution and provide a greener way of getting around London's streets. The scheme had a few small problems on its first day as people could not lock the bikes properly once they had finished riding them. As a gesture of goodwill, London Mayor Boris Johnson announced all rentals on the first day would be free of charge. The bikes are available for free for the first 30 minutes but costs go up sharply since then. Renters have to pay $1.60 for the first hour and $78 for 24 hours. The bikes are clearly designed for very short trips. TFL says it sees a "cycle revolution" happening in London. It predicts there will be around 40,000 new cycle journeys every day on the rental bikes. Mr. Johnson says he wants to see a return to the turn of the 20th century, when 20 per cent of journeys in London were made by bicycle. The scheme has received a lot of positive feedback in the first two days. Many Londoners believe it is a great alternative to London's overcrowded and overpriced trains and buses. One person, Andy Clark, told the Reuters news agency, "It's a great idea. I've seen it operating in Paris and Barcelona and thought why don't we have one?" The Londonist Blog said the bikes were very strong and were "designed to bear a beating from both careless cyclists and drunken people". What's the main idea of the passage? A) London starts a new bike hire scheme. B) London needs better measures to cut traffic. C) London encourages people to buy bikes. D) London decides to protect the environment.
A
Q: You have heard the expression "horse sense". As you may imagine, it came from the time when the majority of people traveled in vehicles drawn by horses. A horse does have a lot of common sense, and there are many true stories about horses having saved their drivers from danger of death. Today for the most part, people travel by train, ship, airplane, and car, but very little by the use of horses. Modern vehicles are _ by engines, and an engine does not have any sense. In case of danger, many horses could be depended on to help. Not so with the engine; the driver must do all the things. In recent years, the speed of travel has increased greatly. With the increased speed comes greatly increased danger. The driver of a powerful engine needs to be careful. A moment of being careless may cost a life. In order to drive today, a person must be able to see clearly, and he must learn and follow carefully the rules for safety on the road. Greater attention is the price we pay for using a machine instead of a horse. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . A) a driver must know the rules of safety B) a driver needs to be able only to tell red from green C) an eye test is an important part of a driver's examination D) greater attention is needed for a driver while driving a machine
A: C
Next time you raise an eyebrow at the views of your partner, friend, sibling or colleague, remember they could be helping to make you smarter. New research shows that intelligence is not fixed but can be boosted throughout adulthood by family members, bright mates and intellectually stretching careers. The study challenges the commonly held belief that intelligence is static by the age of about 18. Current scientific consensus suggests that intelligence is controlled by genes, with environmental factors such as schooling and nutrition playing a partial role up to this age. After this point, IQ scores stabilize . But James Flynn, professor of political studies and psychology at the University of Otago in New Zealand, argues that people can "upgrade" their own intelligence throughout their lives. He believes intellectual stimulation from others is crucial as the "brain seems to be rather like a muscle - the more you use it, the stronger it gets". However, the opposite is also true - so people sharing a home or workplace with those who are intellectually challenged risk seeing their IQ levels fall as a result. He found the "understanding quality" of a family changes the IQs of all members, especially children. It can "lift" or hold back, depending on the "gap between their brightness and that of their siblings and parents". A bright ten-year-old with brothers and sisters of average intelligence will suffer a five to ten point IQ disadvantage, compared to a similar child with equally bright siblings. However, children with a low IQ could gain six to eight points by having brighter siblings and special educational treatment to help pull them up. Professor Flynn also concluded that although genetics and early life experiences determine about 80 percent of intelligence, the remaining 20 percent is linked to lifestyle. This means that people can raise their IQ, or allow it to fall, by ten points or more. Therefore, the best way to boost IQ level is to mix with bright friends, find an intellectually challenging... James Flynn holds the belief that _ . A) intellectual stimulation from others makes the brain work better B) people should avoid working with those intellectually challenged C) one's IQ could be held back if he has bright brothers or sisters D) the IQ of children is least influenced by the understanding level of a family
A