Today's amazing newspaper headline! First family of four to walk to the South Pole wearing Mickey Mouse ears and clown's shoes. No, not really. It isn't true. I invented it. But I wouldn't be surprised to see it one day soon. It seems that every week someone becomes 'the first' or 'the youngest' or 'the oldest' or even 'the first married couple' to do something that doesn't seem to be very useful to the rest of humanity. This year I've seen headlines saying 'The youngest person to sail the Atlantic alone', 'The youngest Briton to climb Mount Everest', and 'The first people to fly around the world in a hot air balloon'. Why do they do it? Don't they have better things to do with their time and money? And why should I be interested anyway? Human beings have already climbed the highest mountains, sailed across the oceans and flown around the world. People have already reached the most remote parts of our planet. Many of these things were done a long, long time ago. There just isn't anything left to explore nowadays. I suppose there's still a lot of the universe left, and the bottom of the oceans is still a bit of a mystery, but you need a lot of technology to explore areas like that. So, those people who feel the need for adventure can only do things that have been done before. So they have to try and do it in a new way, or be 'the fastest' or 'the youngest' or 'the oldest' to do something that isn't really new at all. What is so great about climbing Mount Everest these days anyway? It's become a popular tourist trip. People pay thousands of dollars to be taken up the mountain by the local Sherpas, who lead the way and carry the bags. At any one time there are about a thousand people either climbing up or on their way back down. As a result, Everest is covered with rubbish and the Sherpas have to make special trips up the mountain to pick it up. The climbers are often inexperienced and when they get into trouble other people have to risk their lives to bring them down to safety. Helicopter crews have been... Which of the following is the best title of the passage? A) It's All Been Done Before B) Adventures Around the World C) What's Record Breakers' Life Like D) Rescue Costs and Insurance
A
One day,when 12-year-old Sean Redden went to a popular chat room on the Internet, he saw the name of someone he'd never seen there before, Susan Hicks. Her message was " Would someone help me? I can't breathe. Help me! I can't feel my left side." At first, Sean thought it was a bad joke and he told his mother Sharon Redden. But she asked, " It's not just some game, is it? The message was not a joke. " Susan Hicks" was actually 20-year-old Taija Laitinen, a student working late at night at a college library near Helsinki, Finland---almost 7,000 miles away from Sean's home in Texas. While searching the Internet, she began to feel terrible pain all through her body. The library was empty and the nearest phone was outside in the hallway. She couldn't move that far because any movement caused the pain to get worse. Then as the pain became worse, she began typing her message for help in the chat room. "I don't think it's a joke, mom," Sean said. He typed, " Where are you? The letters appeared, "Finland." Sean and Sharon couldn't believe it. Not knowing what else to do, Sharon called the local police and explained the situation to officer Amy Schmidt. Schmidt told Sharon to try to get the sick girl's phone number and address. Meanwhile, the Texas police called the international telephone operator and asked to be connected to the proper agency in Finland. The Texas police explained the situation and gave Susan's address to the Finnish operator. When Sean heard that, he typed, "Help is on the way." In the few minutes, the library door opened. Doctors and three policemen ran in. Taija turned once more to the computer, " They are here. Thanks. Bye-bye." What would be the best title for the text? A) Help yourself B) A helping hand C) Help is on the way D) Help on the Internet
D
There are some highlights in April in Shanghai. Live Music - Late Night Jazz Enjoy real American jazz from Herbie Davis, the famous trumpet player. He's coming with his new 7 - piece band, Herbie's Heroes. Herbie is known to play well into the early hours, so don't expect to get much sleep. This is Herbie's third visit to Shanghai. The first two were sold out, so get your tickets quickly. Place: The Jazz Club Dates:15 - 23 April Price:Y=80 Time: 10:00 p.m. till late! TEL:6466 - 8736 Scottish dancing Take your partners and get ready to dance till you drop. Scottish dancing is fun and easy to learn. Instructors will demonstrate the dances. The live band, Gordon Stroppie and the Weefrees, are also excellent. Place: Jack Stein's Dates: every Monday Price:Y=60 including one drink Time: 7:00 - 00:00 p.m. TEL:6402 - 1877 Exhibitions - Shanghai Museum There are 120,000 pieces on show here. You can see the whole of Chinese history under one roof. It's always interesting to visit, but doubly so at the moment with the Egyptian Tombs exhibition. There are lots of mummies and more gold than you've ever seen before. Let us know if you see a mummy move! Place: Shanghai Museum Price:Y=30(Y=15 for students) TEL:6888 - 6888 Dates: daily Time: Monday - Friday 9:00 a. m. - 5:00 p. m., Weekends 9:00 a. m. - 9:00p.m. Dining - Sushi chef in town Sushi is getting really big in Shanghai. In Japan, it's become an art form. The most famous Sushi 'artist' is Yuki Kamura. She's also one of the few female chefs in Japan. She'll be at Sushi Scene all of this month. Place: Sushi Scene in the Shanghai Hotel Dates: all month Price: Y=200 Time: lunchtime TEL: 6690 - 3211 For a full listing of events, see our website. From the text we may learn that Sushi is_. A) a cook B) an instructor C) a kind of food D) an artist
C