What would you do if you were a fifth grader facing a huge homework load every night, and you found out that there was a machine that would do all the work for you? That's the situation presented to Sam, Kelsey, Judy and Brenton in Dan Gutman's entertaining new book for young readers, The Home Machine. The four children, all fifth graders in Miss Rasmussen's Grand Canyon School, are as different as any other 11-year-old child could be, but they have one thing in common -- all are somewhat separated from their classmates. Sam is a newcomer and has had his share of school trouble before; Kelsey quietly carries her pain at losing her father; Judy's sense of justice always annoys others; Brenton is the smartest child in the school, so smart that even his parents and teachers have trouble keeping up with him. When Brenton and his three classmates are put into the same study group by their teacher, the others discover that Brenton has made a time-saving gadget to do homework for him. While the boy is perfectly able to do his homework himself, Sam, Kelsey and Judy can use the help. Having perfect grades is something new for these three, and as they meet every day to "do homework", they find that they're learning a lot about each other. Such a good thing can't last though, and when a secret man starts trying to get in touch with them, they begin to get nervous. Soon there's an even more frightening problem -- why can't the Homework Machine be turned off? Told in different voices as all the children make statements to the Grand Canyon Police, the story develops in an interesting fashion. Gutman is a gifted writer who has written dozens of children's books, each with a funny and impressing table that should be equally liked by boys and girls. This passage most probably comes from _ . A) a student's diary B) a book review C) a school report D) a science story
B
(Question)
We live in a sweet world. The average American kid consumes more than 20 teaspoons of sugar per day, and adults eat 50% more sugar today than they did in the 1970s. We all know that too much sugar isn't good for you. But did we know it could be dangerous? A team of researchers at the University of Utah used mice to conduct a study on the negative effects of sugar. They found it could have serious effects on people's health. Sugar is found not only in sweets and candies, but also in many household items like pasta and crackers. During the 58-week-long study, mice were fed a diet containing 25% more sugar. This percentage equals a healthy human diet along with three cans of soda daily. The team found that these mice were twice as likely to die as mice fed a similar diet without the sugar. Though the mice did not show signs of obesity or high blood pressure, male mice were 26% less territorial and produced 25% fewer offspring than the other mice. Scientists often use mice for research because they have a similar genetic structure to humans. "Since most substances that are dangerous in mice are also dangerous in people, it's likely that those physical problems that cause those mice to have increased deaths also work in people," says study author James Ruff of the University of Utah. Findings from this study reveal negative effects that are not as noticeable as weight gain or heart problems. Sugar can contribute to long-term changes in the body that can change development and even shorten lives. Cutting sugar out of the American diet altogether may be difficult. But making the effort to control our nation's sugar desire will provide for a truly sweeter future. From the passage we can infer _ A) sugar plays a very important role in Americans' diet B) kids consume more sugar than adults in America C) the study on human beings lasted 58 weeks D) the genetic structure of mice is totally different from that of people
(Answer)
A
Ques: Chicago's children's Hospital is the lucky receiver of a surprise $18million gift from Gladys Holm.She once was a secretary who never earned more than $15000 a year and never married.She lived alone in a small flat in Chicago,and was a volunteer at the Children's Hospital.She was called the "Teddy Bear lady" because she brought toy animals to sick children on her regular visits.But Miss Holm,who died in 1996 at the age of 86 ,was also a long-time buyer of stocks .Over the years,she saved money that rose up to $18 million ,which she left to the Children's Hospital .It was the largest single donation in the hospital's 115-year history.The hospital president,Jan Jennings,was shocked when she heard the news "when Miss Holm's lawyer called to tell me how much that money was,I asked him to repeat it ,since I was certain I had misheard." Why did Gladys Holm fell so strongly about the Children's Hospital? Jennings said the hospital first touched Miss Holm's heart nearly 50 years ago,when doctors there saved the life of her friend's daughter.She never forgot the happiness she felt all those years ago. Holm's gift will be devoted to heart disease research.People at the hospital said they regretted that they couldn't thank Miss Holm for the surprising gift. Why did Jan Jennings ask the lawyer to repeat what he said? A) she never expected Miss Holm would donate anything. B) she want to make sure who Gladys Holm was C) she had seldom received donations before D) she thought there was a mistake
Ans: D
Question: Patricia Blues, 29, has a new aim in life: to keep drivers' hands on their steering wheels and off their cell phones. On November 2, 2007, Blues lived through a horrible experience. A motorist dialing a cell phone drove through a stop sign at 45 miles per hour and ran into the side of Blues' car. Blues' 2-year-old daughter was killed immediately in the crash. Blues has since devoted her time top pushing for laws that would prevent this type of tragedy from happening again. Cell phones are not the only distractions that cause accidents. Eating, changing CDs, reading maps, talking to passengers, and just reaching for an object on the floor can be dangerous. Therefore, the emphasis should be on educating drivers to avoid all distractions. However, talking on cell phones might be easier to regulate than eating or changing music. At least 34 states have already passed laws to restrict cell phone use in moving cars. No state has banned it yet, but several US. cities. Worldwide, 13 nations, including Australia, England, Germany, Japan and China have banned drivers' use of cell phones in moving cars. To date, no scientific evidence has been published showing that talking on the phone affects driving safety. But according to a test by some high school students, "driving while on the phone does affect safety and probably shouldn't be done". Which of the following is TRUE according to the text? A) Using cell phones while driving is easier to be controlled by law than other distractions B) It is more important to make laws than educate drivers to be aware of driving safety. C) Driving while on the cell phone is firmly against only by some students from high schools. D) It is extremely urgent for the cities with a large population to restrict using cell phones
Answer:
A