I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Barack Obama, Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs--what do they have in common? They are, of course, all Americans. And according to a survey by social networking site badoo. com, they all best illustrate the word "cool". But just what does it mean to say someone is "cool"? Most would answer that it is something to do with being independent-minded and not following the crowd. Yale University art professor Robert Farris Thompson says that the term "cool" goes back to 15th century West African philosophy . "Cool" relates to ideas of grace under pressure. "In Africa, " he writes, "coolness is a positive quality which combines calmness, silence, and life. " The modern idea of "cool" developed largely in the US in the period after World War II. "Post-war 'cool' was in part an expression of war-weariness . . . it went against the strict social rules of the time, " write sociologists Dick Pountain and David Robins in Cool Rules: Anatomy of an Attitude. But it was the American actor James Dean who became the symbol for "cool" in the hugely successful 1955 movie Rebel without a Cause. Dean plays a tough guy who disobeys his parents and the authorities . He always gets the girl, smokes cigarettes, wears a leather jacket and beats up bullies . In the movie, Dean showed what "cool" would mean to American young people for the next 60 years. Today the focus of "cool" has changed to athletics stars. Often in movies about schools, students gain popularity on the athletics field more than in the classroom. This can be seen quite clearly in movies like Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die. But many teenagers also think being smart is cool. Chess and other thinking games have been becoming more popular in schools. "Call it the Harry Potterization of America --a time when being smart is the new cool, " writes journalist Joe Sunnen. Question: The heroes in Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die are likely to be those who _ . Options: A: do very well in their studies B: are very skilled at sports C: are good at chess and other thinking games. D: have supernatural powers like Harry Potter
B
I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: "Blogging is helping students to think and write more critically ,"says an Australian researcher, "and can help draw out people who would otherwise not engage in debate." These are the preliminary findings of PHD research by Anne Bartlett-Bragg, a lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney, who has been using weblogs or blogs in her own teaching since 2001. "The students are thinking more critically." she says, "They are learning to be responsible and they're communicating outside the boundaries of the classroom and the institution, and they like that. "Bartlett-Bragg says in conventional teaching, students often rely on the lecturer as the main source of ideas and critique for their work. "I'm a bit over listening to my students giving me back in an essay what I've told them in class." she says. "I want them to think for themselves and get different perspectives." "What makes blogs useful is their interactive nature." she says. These web-based forums for discussing ideas, experiences or opinions allow students to discuss publicly what they are studying with other students and experts outside their own university. "I really encourage them to put their personal opinion in there, provided they are informed and backed up with evidence." Bartlett-Bragg says because a lot of academics in her field of electronic or e-learning now have their own blogs, students can engage directly with them. She says one of the most powerful facilities in weblogs is pinging, which involves a person positing a comment about someone else's work on their own blog. They use the "Trackback" tool to notify the author when they have published the comment, basically inviting them to discuss it. "They get such a buzz when they make a comment on another person outside the boundaries of the institution and that person responds, or even gives them some further reading." she says. "They are getting new perspectives that I can't give them in a normal lecture." Question: Bartlett-Bragg's attitude towards introducing blogs into teaching is _ Options: A: critic B: doubtful C: supportive D: neutral
C
(Q).
I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Wealth is what you accumulate ,not what you spend.If you make $1 million a year and spend $1 million,you're not getting wealthier,you're just living high. The most successful accumulators of wealth spend less than they can afford on houses,cars,vacations and entertainment.Why? Because these things offer little or no return.The wealthy would rather put their money into investments or their businesses.It's an attitude. Millionaires understand that when you buy an expensive house,you buy an expensive life-style too.Your property taxes ,insurance,and the prices of nearby services tend to be higher. The rich man's attitude can also be seen in his car.many drive old cars.Sam Walton,billionaire founder of the Wal-Mart Store,Inc,drove a pickup truck. Most millionaires measure success by net worth ,not income.Instead of taking their money home,they put as much as they can into their businesses.Why? Because the government doesn't tax wealth;it taxes income you bring home for consumption . The person who piles up net worth fastest tends to put every dollar he can into investments,not consumption. The best wealth-builders pay careful attention to their money and seek professional advice. The self-made rich develop clear goals for their money.They may wish to retire early,or they may want to leave something to their children.The goals vary,but two things are consistent:they have a goal in mind-- the amount they want to save by age50,perhaps--and they work unceasingly toward that goal. One thing may surprise you.If you make wealth---not just income--your goal,the expensive house you've been dreaming about won't seem so attractive.you'll have the attitude. Question: Which of the following statements is true? Options: A: Wealth is judged according to the life style one has. B: Inheritance builds an important part in one's wealth. C: Wealth is more of what one has made than anything else. D: High income may make one live high and get rich at the same time.
(A).
C