Friendship Day in India falls on the first Sunday of August every year. It is celebrated with many activities. Young people in India spend the day with their closest friends and have fun together. Most youngsters in India plan a movie or have a meal with their friends. Many friends may go on a drive to tourist places or make a plan for camping. Some friends go to the supermarket to do some shopping. On Friendship Day, most stores offer discounted prices for customers and it is the perfect day to buy something for friends. Some friends go to parties that are organized by many restaurants in order to attract youngsters. Such parties are very enjoyable. You can get food at a discounted price. Some friends just decide to meet up (,) at someone's home and talk about their happy time. The time good friends spend sitting together and talking over a cup of coffee is precious and unforgettable. Long-distance friends call up each other on this day and wish each other with warm feelings. Some of them even plan to meet up on this particular day. Yet some others plan a surprising visit just to see their friend gasp in shock! In 2009, Friendship Day in India falls on August 2nd. So don't forget to celebrate it with your friends. How many ways are discussed in Paragraph 3 that friends spend Friendship Day together? A) Two B) Three C) Four D) Five
A
(Question)
Late that afternoon I took the train back to Sydney. There I found another surprise waiting for me. My room at the hotel had been given to somebody else and they had no room for me. Harkin had known my travel plans and had planned everything. How could he have booked the room only for three days? There was nothing to be done but to find another hotel. The waiters were happy to find me a new hotel, and when I said that I was happy to stay at the airport, thinking it might be cheaper than staying in the city, they suggested the Holiday Inn at the airport. There was one small matter: the room rate was 300$ per night. The best hotel in Katoomba had wanted only 145$. I asked if there was anything cheaper they might suggest but they warned that most hotels would already be full by this time. The hotel was far from the train station, so I had to take a taxi, as 25$. On the way to the Holiday Inn, we passed a hotel just two blocks from the Holiday Inn that advertised a room rate of 104$. At the desk I asked if their room rate could go down a lot. "No, this is a 4star hotel," the waiter told me. "In that case," I replied, "I'll just walk the two blocks to the cheap hotel." But she warned me that they were probably full and that if I didn't take the room, it might not be available when I came back. Finally, I decided to take the room. The room itself was big, but the air conditioning couldn't keep up with the Australian heat. I couldn't get to sleep until about 1:00 am. Why did the writer have to look for another hotel? A) He was short of money. B) He wasn't well received. C) He didn't book early. D) Harkin made a mistake.
(Answer)
D
Ques: Malala Yousafzai, the teen activist from Pakistan, has just become the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Prize. In 2012, Malala survived from being shot by terrorists for speaking out for a girl's right to be educated in her native country. She is being recognized today for her global activism on education for girls. Winning this award is a huge honor, especially for such a young person. Malala's journey to the Nobel Prize has not been easy. She grew up in a dangerous district of Pakistan called the Swat Valley. This area was taken over by the Taliban. The Taliban ruled the district with an iron fist. They were especially cruel to women, not allowing them to go shopping, have jobs, or go to school. In 2009, Malala began speaking out publicly for every girl's right to an education. She blogged about how the Taliban didn't want her to go to school. She also continued to attend her local school, despite the danger involved. Then, in 2012, the Taliban tried to kill Malala to silence her. Two Taliban gunmen shot her and two other students while they were on a school bus. Malala was flown to the United Kingdom for immediate medical treatment. Malala eventually recovered from her injuries. She now lives in Birmingham, England, and continues to work hard to support girls' and women's rights around the world. "The terrorists thought that they would change my aims and stop my ambitions," she said, "but nothing changed in my life except this. Weakness, fear, and hopelessness died. Strength, power, and courage were born." The 17-year-old girl from Pakistan is sharing the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize with a children's activist Kailash Satyarthi, who is from India Satyarthi leads many campaigns dedicated to removing child labor. Which words can best describe Malala according to the passage? A) Sensitive and stubborn. B) Devoted and fearless. C) Proud and optimistic. D) Creative and outgoing.
Ans: B
In our world today, the media and entertainment industries are constantly focusing on beauty over brains. Movies, television shows, commercials, and magazines all make use of models and actors whose physical attributes will sell their product. As our country is trying to reduce the obesity numbers, eating disorder statistics continue to increase due to the push for thinner people. While obesity is a serious medical condition that can lead to many health problems, many of us try to lose weight for appearance purposes. Children as young as elementary school age have begun to worry about _ . In my opinion, it seems that "fat" has become the new"ugly". Two weeks ago, 37-year-old Wisconsin television reporter Livingston, who is 235 pounds, received an email from a man named Krause. In the email Krause attacked her, writing,"Your physical condition hasn't improved for many years. Surely you don't consider yourself a suitable example for this community's young people, girls in particular." Today, it seems that a vast majority of people care more about how they look and appear to their peers rather than what is inside. The truth is that every person is built differently; we all come in different shapes and sizes. Just because someone is heavier, that doesn't mean they eat large amounts of junk food around the day. Likewise, even though a person is thin, that doesn't mean they are necessarily healthy and fit. If you are reading this and you struggle with your weight or your appearance, please recognize that you are beautiful and special in your own way. You are worth so much more than you realize, and even if I don't know you, understand that I respect and support you. Beauty is not defined by size; it is defined by how we treat others and respect ourselves. In the words of the talented film actress Kirstie Alley, "There's a lot more to life than how fat or thin you are." The writer used the example of Jennifer Livingston to show _ A) people think "fat" looks ugly B) fat people are becoming cleverer C) physical condition is good D) young people never follow example
A