WASHINGTON-Laura Straub is a very worried woman . Her job is to find families for French teenagers who expect to live with American families in the summer . It's not easy , even desperate . "We have many children left to place :40 out of 75," said Straub , who works for a Paris-based foreign - exchange programme called LEC. When exchange programmes started 50 years ago , family life was more accommodating . For one thing , more mothers stayed home . But now , increasing numbers of women work outside the home . Exchange-student programmes have struggled in recent years to sign up host families for the 30,000 teenagers who annually come from abroad to spend academic year in the prefix = st1 /United States, as well as the thousands more who participate in summer programmes . School systems in many parts of the US, unhappy about accepting non-taxpaying students , have also strictly limited the number of exchange students they accept . At the same time , the idea of hosting foreign students is becoming less _ . In searching for host families , who usually receive no pay , exchange programmes are increasingly broadening their appeals to include everyone from young couples to retirees . "We are open to many different types of families," said Vickie Weiner , eastern regional director for ASSE, a 25- year -old programme that sends about 30,000 teen-agers on academic -year exchange programmes worldwide . For elderly people , exchange students "keep us young -they really do ," said Jean Foster , who is hosting 16-year -old Nina Porst from Denmark. Viekie Weiner is the person who_. A) works for a programme called LEC B) works for a programme called ASSE C) is 25 years old D) hosts foreign students
B
(Question)
The history of the Winter Games, however, has been even more troubled than that of the Summer Games. Until 1924 all the winter sports competitions, held every four years from 1901 to 1917 and again in 1922, had been in the Scandinavian countries - Sweden, Norway and Finland. The sportsmen of these countries believed that the Winter Games could only be held in the Scandinavian way. Coubertin, himself, was against a separate Winter Olympics as he felt that they would cause trouble within the Olympic movement. However, as winter holidays in the Alps became more and more popular, so did the idea of a truly international Winter Games. The first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix in 1924, though they were only recognized by the International Olympic Committee as "Olympic" two years later in 1926. Although there were many arguments before them, the first Games were a success, but the problems did not end there. In 1935, it was decided by the IOC that ski teachers could not compete in the Olympics because they were professionals. This caused a big argument between the IOC and the International Ski Federation, who agreed with the ski teachers. However, war came and with it an end to the discussions. When the war was finally over, the Winter Games were started up again, as before, in St Moritz in 1948 and the crisis had passed. The argument over whether ski teachers should be allowed to take part in the Winter Games ended because_. A) the IOC made a final decision B) war broke out and stopped the Games C) the two organizations could not find a solution D) the IOC and the International Ski Federation reached an agreement
(Answer)
B
Ques: For an increasing number of students at American universities, Old is suddenly in. The reason is obvious: the graying of America means jobs. Coupled with the aging of the baby-boom generation, a longer life span means that the nation's elderly population is bound to expand significantly over the next 50 years. By 2050, 25 percent of all Americans will be older than 65, up from 14 percent in 1995. The change brings many problems for government and society, of course. But it also creates career opportunities in medicine and health professions, and in law and business as well. "In addition to the doctors, we're going to need more sociologists, biologists, urban planners and specialized lawyers," says Professor Edward Schneider of the University of Southern California's (USC) School of Gerontology .www.zxxk.com Lawyers can specialize in "elder law" which covers everything from trusts and estates to nursing-home abuse and age discrimination. Businessmen see huge opportunities in the elder market because the baby boomers, 74 million strong, are likely to be the wealthiest group of retirees in human history. "Any student who combines an expert knowledge in gerontology with, say, an MBA or law degree will have a license to print money," one professor says. Margarite Santos is a 21-year-old senior at USC. She began college as a biology major but found she was "really bored with bacteria." So she took a class in gerontology and discovered that she liked it. She says, "I did volunteer work in retirement homes and it was very satisfying." .It can be seen from the passage that the expansion of America's elderly population _ . A) will provide good job opportunities in many areas B) will cause a heavy burden on society C) may lead to nursing home abuse and age discrimination D) will create new fields of study in universities
Ans: A
Question: How to Become Cleverer? Once a boy came to ask a fisherman how to become cleverer, because his mother always called him "foolish boy". "That's easy," answered the fisherman. "I know one way to make you become cleverer." "Really?" "Of course. It is said a fish head is good for brain. If you eat one, you'll become cleverer indeed. Pay only three pounds for one fish head." The boy paid him three pounds and the fisherman cut off a fish head and handed it to him. A raw fish head is not good--not even for a hungry boy to eat but the boy ate it up in two gulps. "Do you feel anything?" asked the fisherman. "Not in my head," said the boy. The boy lay on the ground and thought. "One whole fish costs only two pounds. I had paid him three pounds for the fish head. Why couldn't I have the whole fish for soup, a head for brain and one pound left over?" He jumped up and shouted at the fisherman. "You thief! You are fooling me!" The fisherman laughed, saying, "The fish head works now, you see. " _ helped the boy become cleverer. A) A good meal B) The raw fish head C) Nothing D) What had happened
Answer:
C