As we neared the last days of my mom's life, I wanted to understand what she was feeling and seeing. The day before she took her last breath I decided to ask her. First I wanted to make sure she could comprehend what I was saying. I told her I loved her, and she raised her eyebrows in acknowledgment. Then I shared a funny story about a conversation my sister and I had. The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. I could tell that she was taking in every word. And then I went for it. "Mom, can I ask you a serious question?" She turned her head and opened her eyes fully. I could tell she wanted to grasp every word that came out of my mouth. "Mom, do you see any of our dead relatives in the room? Do you see your dad?" she shook her head. Do you see your mom?" She shook her head again. "Do you see dad?" Her response was quite different this time. She began nodding her head. "Is he here in this room right now?" She nodded. "Can he see me?" She nodded again. Then she tried to communicate with words, but she couldn't get the words out. The next morning she died peacefully.. A few weeks ago, I was wondering why I haven't had many dreams of my mom since she died. That night I had one of the clearest dreams I've had for a long time. Mom was dressed beautifully. She stared at me with a huge smile. Her eyes were bright and full of life. She was happier than I had seen her in years. And she was younger. We didn't exchange any words, but it was clear that she was happy and free. I woke up with joy in my heart. What did the author dream that night? A) Her mother talked with her. B) Her mother was in high spirits. C) Her mother's eyes seemed dull. D) Her mother looked older than ever.
B
Rob Kalin learned the secret to success while he was still in his baby bed. At age one, the Boston-bom teacher's son dragged around a stuffed rabbit that had been lovingly sewn by one of his mother's students. True, one of the ears was sewn on backward, but that just added to its magic. "It was always special to me," Kalin remembers of his first handmade craft . Kalin's appreciation for the simple and the simply eccentric inspired him to create etsy. com, an online craft fair, probably the largest market for handmade goods in the world. Last year, 350,000 woodworkers and other craftsmen sold their one-of-a-kind crafts on the four-year-old site. They sell everything from hand-knit sleeves for Macbooks ($32) to myrtle-wood electric guitars ($3,200). And in an age of chain stores, it seems there's still a big market. More than three million consumers in 150 countries purchased about $87.5 million worth of crafts on Etsy last year. Emily Worden, founder of Elemental Threads, a custom handbag and jewelry company, signed up with Etsy when she started her company two years ago. She pays Etsy a 20-cent standard fee for each item she lists on the site, plus a 3.5 percent commission on everything sold. Etsy allows her to track the number of times customers click on a particular item to view it. "We can see that our necklaces are a popularly viewed item and which color1s and sizes get the most views," she says. "That is a guide to evolving our product lines." Today, Etsy's staff has ballooned to 70 employees, and the company reportedly earns more than $12 million a year. Kalin's father was a carpenter and taught him early on how to use his hands. Indeed, in high school, he put his skills to work -- developing the photos of his classmates and handcrafting a graduate ID to attend design classes. Eventually, he was admitted to New York University, studying classics and working as a carpenter. Kalin has also started sewing some of his own clothes. "I have to make something physical at least once a month," says... By looking at the click rate of her products, Emily Worden can _ . A) figure out how much she should pay Etsy B) know how many ladies like her items C) learn whether her company is well run D) predict what products will sell well
D
Q: Over a period of time, many habitats change with respect to the types of plants and animals that live there. This change is known as succession. Succession occurs because plants and animals cause a change in the environment in which they live. The first weeds and grasses that appear on a bare field, for example, change the environment by shielding the soil from direct sunlight. As these plants spread, the ground becomes cooler and more moist than it was originally. Thus, the environment at the ground surface has been changed. The new surface conditions favor the sprouting of shrubs. As shrubs grow, they kill the grasses by preventing light from reaching them and also enhance the soil. Pine seedlings soon take hold and as they grow, they in turn shade out the shrubs. They are not able to shade out oak and hickory seedlings, however, that have found the forest floor suitable. These seedlings grew into large trees that eventually shade out the pines. Which of the following is a stage of succession as described in the passage? A) A forest cut down to build an airport. B) A flood washing away a crop of wheat C) Wild flowers growing in an unused parking lot D) Animals being tamed by children
A: C
Q: Rabindranath Tagore was an Indian writer and poet, who was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Composed of 326 short verses, Stray Birds is a collection of short verses translated from Bengali into English by the poet himself, where Tagore spiritualizes nature into the experiences of human existence while demonstrating his love for nature and simplicity through poetic words. Now read the following verses taken from Stray Birds(1916) and try to answer the questions. *Man does not reveal himself in his history, he struggles up through it. (verse 52) *The cloud stood humbly in a corner of the sky. The Morning crowned it with splendour . (verse 100) *Man is worse than an animal when he is an animal. (verse 248) *Bees sip honey from flowers and hum their thanks when they leave. The gaudy butterfly is sure that the flowers owe thanks to him. (verse 127) *The stream of truth flows through its channels of mistakes. (verse 243) *Let him only see the thorns who has eyes to see the rose. (verse 230) *Set bird's wings with gold and it will never again soar in the sky. (verse 231) *Men are cruel, but Man is kind. (verse 219) *Let me not put myself wrongly to my world and set it against me. (verse 206) *Wrong cannot afford defeat but right can. (verse 68) *"I give my whole water in joy," sings the waterfall. "though little of it is enough for the thirsty." (verse 69) *The woodcutter's axe begged for its handle from the tree. The tree gave it. (verse 71) *Thank the flame for its light, but do not forget the lampholder standing in the shade with constancy of patience. (verse 64) Which of the verse makes strong comparison and contrast between two opposite types of persons? A) verse 68 B) verse 248 C) verse 127 D) verse 243
A: C