*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: It is an agreed fact that all creatures want happiness instead of pain and grief. However, what is happiness? Some thinkers say "Happiness doesn't lie in objects of enjoyments ; happiness or unhappiness lies in imagination". To prove their belief, they give examples like the following one: A man has a two-storey house; on the right is a five-story building on the left a cottage. When he sees the right he feels unhappy and when he sees the left he feels happy. It is unreasonable to hold this point. It is unkind to regard one as happy by imagining that one is better than the other. Some people ask others to do this and that and say, "This way your desires would be satisfied. You would get the desired objects and become happy". People holding this view regard happiness as satisfaction of desires. But it isn't possible to satisfy one's desires because there are countless desires of countless people and material things are limited. New desires arise the moment the previous ones are satisfied. Therefore, desires, changing all the time, can never be satisfied. Happiness in fact is a condition that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person. People who learn to control their inner experiences will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which means that any of us can reach happiness. Happiness lies in helping others. Happiness stands for forgiveness and justice. Happiness is the name of struggle and courage. Happiness may be found in the search for knowledge and the rule of wisdom. Happiness may be shared in service and duty. This life is a combination of joys and sorrows and honest efforts must be made to make this life a journey of happiness, love, peace and harmony. Question: The writer doesn't approve of the idea that happiness consists in the satisfaction of desires because _ . Options: A: the desires of a person can't be satisfied at all. B: ever-changing desires can never be satisfied. C: there isn't enough money to meet people's needs. D: the desires of a person are limited.
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: As we all know, it was Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of the Independence. He wrote it in two weeks, and after a few changes, it was accepted by the Congress. As a result, he became famous. Born in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, a brilliant student at school and almost talented lawyer later, was much interested in politics. Jefferson was elected Governor of Virginia in 1779, and he was sent to France as the representative of the American government in 1784. Sixteen years later, at the age of 57, he was elected president after Washington and Adams. Far from a handsome man, he was tall with long arms and big hands. Jefferson, who was an amusing talker in conversation but a poor speaker, was generally good-natured. Jefferson was regarded as a defender of freedom on America. As a president, he protected the right of free speech. Interestingly enough, in his eight years as President, Jefferson never vetoed a bill which Congress had passed. He did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia. Thomas Jefferson died on July the fourth, 1826, the 50th anniversary of American Independence. Question: From the passage we can infer that America won its independence in _ . Options: A: 1786 B: 1776 C: 1842 D: 1800
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Humans have long been interested greatly in the idea of being able to walk on water. Sadly, biological facts prevent us ever realizing this dream without artificial aid--we simply weigh too much, and all our weight pushes down through our relatively small feet, resulting in a lot of pressure that makes us sink. However, several types of animals can walk on water. One of the most interesting is the common basilisk Basilicus basilicus, a lizard native to Central and South America. It can run across water for a distance of several meters, avoiding getting wet by rapidly hitting the water's surface with its feet. The lizard will reach a speed of 20 steps per second to keep moving forward. For humans, we would need huge feet that we could bring up to our ears in order to create enough "hitting". But fortunately there is an alternative: cornflour . By adding enough of this common thickening agent to water (and it does take a lot), you can create a special mixture that doesn't behave like normal water. Now, if the surface of the water is hit hard enough, particles in the water get together for a moment to make the surface hard. Move quickly enough and put enough force into each step, and you really can walk across the surface of this adequately thick liquid of cornflour. Fun though all this may sound, it's still rather messy and better read about in theory than carried out in practice. If you must do it, then keep the water wings ready in case you start to sink--and take a bath afterward! Question: What do we know about Basilicus basilicus from the passage? Options: A: It is light enough to walk on water. B: It can run across water at a certain speed. C: Its huge feet make it able to stay above water. D: Its unique skin keeps it from getting wet in water.
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: London's transport services offer you a special experience of the city. Here's a round-up of the transport choices available to you. * London Underground There are 11 colour-coded Underground lines. Services run regularly from around 5:00 to 00:30 (Sunday 07:30 to 23:30). Visit tfl.gov.uk/tube for more information. Tip: Always stand on the right when using the escalators at Tube stations. It can get hot and busy on the Tube during peak travel times, so you may prefer to travel outside these hours. * Buses A cheap and easy way to travel around London. They generally run from 5:00 to 00:30. Night buses operate on many major routes from around midnight to 05:00, and some operate a 24-hour service. It is not possible to pay for your London bus fare in cash. Instead you can pay with a Visitor Oyster card, Oyster card, Travelcard or UK-issued contactless payment card. A single bus journey is PS1.50 with an Oyster card or UK-issued contactless payment card. To help you get home, if you don't have enough credit on your Oyster card, you will be able to make one more bus journey. After this you will need to add the credit on your card before you use it again. If your contactless payment card has been issued outside the UK, please check tfl.gov.uk/contactless before you use your card to travel on our bus services. For more information visit tfl.gov.uk/buses. Tip: Some bus routes are especially good for sightseeing --- try routes 9, 14, 15 and 22. The New Routemaster bus featured in the James Bond film Skyfall and runs on routes 9, 11, 24, 38 and 390. Question: What type of writing is this text? Options: A: Job advertisements. B: Activity announcements. C: Service introductions. D: Project reports.
**Answer**
C