Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: People in China, as in other parts of the world, are waiting to see how U.S. President-elect Barack Obama will deal with global problems such as the current economic slowdown once he takes office. As Sam Beattie reports from Beijing, there is widespread hope for closer U.S.-Chinese cooperation. For many students in Beijing, Mr. Obama symbolizes all that is possible in the United States. He's a popular winner here, seen as a self-made man who has made it to the top. "I think he is very charming, and a president who can create a new era," said Zhang Wei, a university student. "I like him very much and most of my friends do too." Ni Weibo, another university student, agrees. "Sino-U.S. relations still need more cooperation," she said. "I think he will help take it to a new era." China's President Hu Jintao congratulated Mr. Obama within hours of his victory, saying he hoped bilateral ties could be made stronger. Political analysts here say China will be looking for the incoming president to avoid contentious issues such as Taiwan's independence, human rights and Tibet. Instead, they say Beijing would like Mr. Obama to focus on solving the global economic crisis, and to help China's slowing economy by opening up U.S. markets. But trade relations might be _ , says Renmin University's Professor of International Studies, Shi Yinhong. He warns, "There is a possibility that President Obama will take some protectionist measures which China will not accept, then trade disputes could develop to a degree that we have not seen ever before." Despite making the headlines, Mr. Obama faces some tough challenges in managing the U.S. relationship with China. China is now a stronger and more confident country than the China his predecessors dealt with. And in this time of economic uncertainty, analysts say it's a country with which Mr. Obama will want to maintain a good relationship. Question: What does " a sticking point"( in para.7 ) mean? - a twist point - a disputed point - a good beginning - a understanding point
A: a disputed point

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Miss Popular I was awkward in middle school: bony and athletic, with a high grade in science and a low one in self-esteem. Though I had a few friends, I wasn't popular. I was picked last in football and I sometimes ate lunch by myself. I remember the day Brittany came to our school. Her teeth were crooked , and she was a little overweight. Not that this mattered though, because she walked around like she was better than all of us. She was outspoken and incredibly frightening, making people lose confidence. Around Brittany, I tried my best to go unnoticed. Standing out or stealing her spotlight could only result in one thing: conflict. Brittany was always the first girl picked for teams; I was lucky if I was picked at all. I was thrown the ball while she stood with the quarterback, chatting about the last party she'd gone to. I had never been to a party before or kissed a boy. One day, a classmate asked me to the school dance. I was flattered. Then Brittany told me during science class that she had persuaded him to invite me. She asked in front of everyone, "Why would anyone even want you?" I went home and cried. Although she was seemingly perfect in everyone's eyes, I wanted to be everything that she wasn't and yet a million times more perfect. Brittany was so frightening and violent, but I wanted to be calm and not at all aggressive. I found Brittany's online profile a few weeks ago. She still had the same chubby face and mocking simile, and had posted half-naked pictures of herself. But as I read on, I realized that Brittany had died in a drunken driving accident a year ago. She had been 16 and pregnant at the time. Suddenly my view of Brittany changed from a bad influence into a struggling little girl whose life was taken before she could understand right from wrong. My experience with Brittany taught me that though we are all innocent in our youth, the choices we make will have great effects on us forever. I will always remember Brittany as that loud, overconfident girl. As part of that shy insecure... Question: Which of the following is TRUE about Brittany? - She didn't mean to hurt the author. - She took delight in hurting others. - Her confidence came from her popularity. - Her overweight made her more outspoken.
A: She took delight in hurting others.

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: A group of soldiers were stationed in the country near the home of a big landowner, called Lord Hunt. As they wanted to stay on good terms with the landowner, they offered to blow up a large tree _ that had remained after part of a tree had been blown down in the storm. But Lord Hunt asked them not to damage the plantation of young trees that was next to the stump. The officer in charge of the engineers promised him that they would be careful. Lord Hunt was so pleased that he asked the whole group to lunch on the day of the explosion. The day came and just before lunch, the officer checked with one of his men to see if they had put enough explosive in the stump. "I checked the maths," said the soldier "and it comes to 32 kilos." "Are you sure?" asked the officer. "Perhaps you'd better put in a bit more just to make sure." The lunch continued and everyone ate a lot and drank a lot. A little later, the group of soldiers went outside with Lord Hunt to see the explosion. "You just see, Lord Hunt, that tree will fall in exactly the right place without hurting any of your young trees," said the officer. The soldier lit the fuse, then walked quickly away to take cover. After a minute the tree, instead of falling over on its side, rose with the explosion 20 metres into the air, taking with it a huge quantity of earth together with all the young plantation. "Sorry sir, I made a mistake!" said the soldier. "It should have been 3.2 kilos, not 32 kilos." Lord Hunt was so upset that he turned around and walked back to his house. He looked at the house in horror and saw that every single window had been broken by the explosion. He was so upset that he went to the toilet on the ground floor to get over his feelings of shock. When he had finished, he pulled the plug of the toilet and the whole ceiling, which had been weakened by the explosion, fell on his head. Question: The explosion caused great damages because _ . - the officer told the soldier to put in a bit more to make sure of the result - the soldier made a mistake in maths about the amount of the explosive - the soldier wanted to play a joke on Lord Hunt - the soldier drunk so much that he could not carry out the order from the officer
A: the soldier made a mistake in maths about the amount of the explosive