Read the following article and answer the question. Article: It was the Year from Hell - the dog died, my marriage of 24 years ended, and my house burned down. I had moved into a new rented house with my youngest son after my husband and I divorced. We'd been in the house just six weeks. I went to a dinner party one night, and as I drove home near, I saw smoke rising into the sky. I wondered whether it was my house. Then I turned the corner, and sure enough, it was my house. My son and I stayed with a friend for a couple of nights. Then my friend Gail heard about the fire, called me up, and said, "Come and move into my house. I have seven bedrooms and five bathrooms - plenty of space for you and your son." Gail had three kids at home, but there was still plenty of room for me and my son, Sutton. Little did I know that her offer of a temporary place to stay would turn into a living arrangement that lasted two and a half years. We were two single mothers. Gail and I spent the next couple of years sorting out a lot of things together. After we moved in, I soon began to look for a permanent place to live in. Gail said, "Please don't leave. I've never had so much freedom!" Having me in the house meant someone to help take care of her kids, someone to share cooking and gardening, and someone to share day-to-day life. She loved having me there, and I loved being there. So we stayed. It was an important chapter in my life. We both needed time to heal from our divorces. It was a time of deeper insight and spiritual growth for both of us. Gail's generosity was more than anyone could expect from a friend. I am eternally grateful to have a friend like Gail. I'm also grateful for the lessons I learned from the fire and the other losses that came so suddenly, so fast. Much to my surprise, I found gratitude among the ashes. I was tested serious trial by fire. But, like a phoenix, I rose from the ashes strong and whole. I would not be the person I am today if not for that Year from Hell. Question: Which of the following could be the title of the passage? Answer:
OPTIONS:
- The Year from Hell.
- My Generous Friend - Gail.
- Gratitude among the Ashes.
- Everything Gone in the Smoke.
Gratitude among the Ashes.
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Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up.The sense of humour ismysteriously connected with national characteristics.A Frenchman ,for instance, might find it hard to laugh at Russian joke.In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke which would make an Englishman laugh to tears. Most funny stories are based on comic situations.In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a worldwide request.No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say ,Charlie Chaplin's early films.However, a new type of humour, which stems largely from America, has recently come into fashion.It is called "sick humour".Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent (cause by force)death or serious accidents.Many people find this sort of joke distasteful.The following example of "sick humour" will enable you to judge for yourself. A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas.From the moment he arrived there, he kept on pestering his doctor tell him when he would be able to go home.He was afraid of having to spend Christmas in hospital .Though the doctor did his best, the patient's recovery was slow.On Christmas day, however, the doctor consoled him by telling him that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year celebrations were good.The man took heart and, sure enough , on New Year's Eve he was able to hobble along to a party.To compensate for his unpleasant experiences in hospital , the man drank a little more than what was good for him.In the process, he enjoyed himself and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals.He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg. Question: The man spent Christmas day feeling miserable because _ . Answer:
OPTIONS:
- the doctor had failed to cure him
- he was not able to be with his friends
- being unable to walk, he did not enjoy the celebrations at the hospital
- he thought he might also miss the New Year's Eve celebration
being unable to walk, he did not enjoy the celebrations at the hospital
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Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Considered one of Europe's two "bicycle capitals" along with Amsterdam, Copenhagen counts more bicycles than people and cycling is so popular that its numerous bike paths can become crowded. Two-wheeler traffic jams are especially regular on the main Noerrebrogade road used by around 36,000 cyclists a day. "You have to elbow your way in to go forward and some cyclists aren't always thoughtful," complains 22-year-old university student Lea Bresell. The creation of bike highways "comes right on time", says Danish Cyclist Federation Spokesman Frits Bredal. "Copenhagen's roads are overloaded with people who want to ride their bicycles in all kinds of weather," he says. "If in the 1960s Danes viewed the car as the symbol of freedom, the bicycles have supposed that role today," Bredal says. "It's a _ of transportation used by all social classes, even politicians ride bikes," he says. It is on crowded Noerrebrogade--the busiest bicycle street in Europe, according to the cyclist association--that city planners have decided to build the first of Copenhagen's environmentally friendly roads. The jammed bike paths will be widened up to four metres on either side of the road, which itself will be reserved for bikes only. The idea is to make Noerrebrogade "Europe's great cycling street", says Andreas Roehl, Copenhagen government's bicycle program manager who is also known as "Mr. Bike". But Roehl is not content with making life easier for Copenhagen's inner-city cyclists: He wants to get suburbanites out of their cars and onto two wheels as well. His goal is to hike the percentage of suburban commuters cycling to and from the city from the 37 percent it is today to 50 percent by 2015. Question: Why do people in Copenhagen want to ride their bicycles in all kinds of weather? Answer:
OPTIONS:
- Because the price of petrol has been going up all the time.
- Because the bicycle is viewed as the symbol of freedom nowadays.
- Because it's hard for people to find parking space in crowded streets.
- Because politicians ride bikes and commuters enjoy following them.
Because the bicycle is viewed as the symbol of freedom nowadays.
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