Probably many of you know the idiom "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth". But do you believe a tooth for an eye? That's something a little bit different. This strange exchange is neither a form ofretribution nor an unexpected gift from the Tooth Fairy --- it's actually a very generous gift from a young Irishman, Robert McNichol, 23, to his formerly blind father, 57-year-old Bob McNichol. In 2005, Bob McNichol's sight was destroyed in an accident when his eyes weredoused(......)with liquidaluminum . Doctors predicted that he would never be able to see again. But McNichol never liked to take no for an answer: when he heard about a unique operation called Osteo-Odonto-Keratoprosthesis, he knew he had to _ , even though the success rate was a mere 65 percent. In the technique, the eyesocket is rebuilt and implanted with a human tooth and part of the jawbone, to provide support for an artificialcornea . Luckily for McNichol, Robert was willing to sacrifice one of his teeth to help his father regain his sight. The technique isn't simple: McNichol's first stint on the operating table lasted ten hours, with a five hour follow-up session at a later date. But thanks to his son's gift, he's already seeing astonishing results. "Now I have enough sight for me to get around and I can watch television. I have come out from complete darkness." he told his friends. Bob McNichol lost his sight _ . A) after he had an operation on his eyes B) because of an accident C) because he met with a serious traffic accident D) when he was 57 years old
B
(Question)
I finished my last evening shift of the week and could hardly wait to get home. I took off my nursing shoes, relaxed and then said goodnight to the rest of the girls and headed out of the door. It was so cold and I could see the ice crystals in the air. As I approached my car, I saw one of my coworkers standing by the bus stop. I thought it would only take a couple of extra minutes to give her a ride home, and besides, it was too cold to be standing outside on the coldest night in January. We chatted as I drove and before we knew it, we arrived at her house. As she headed up the steps to her door she turned around. "Do you know how to get to your house from here?" "How hard can it be? I'll just backtrack the way I came." I started driving. Nothing looked familiar, but at first that didn't bother me since I'd never been to this neighborhood before. I kept driving, and soon I sensed that something was wrong. I recognized nothing, not the neighborhoods, not even the street names. My husband would be worried about me. I looked down at my watch. It was now 2:30. I'd left work at 11:30 pm. I stopped my car. I thought I'd better take stock of my situation. My gas gauge was slowly going down. In total defeat I put my head down on the steering wheel and asked for help. I lifted my head. I saw a shadow down the road in front of me. It was a car. What was a car doing in the middle of nowhere at 2:30 in the morning? Hesitantly, I got out of my car and knocked on the window of the other car. An elderly man slowly rolled his window down. I said, "I'm lost and don't know how to get back into town." In silence, he started driving. I drove behind him. Finally I recognized a familiar street. As I turned to head home, I lost sight of my guiding angel. When I pulled into my driveway the warning light for my gas tank turned on. What might be the suitable title for the passage? A) Keep up and you will succeed at last. B) Meeting a friendly old man in trouble. C) Giving a ride to my coworker at night. D) Losing my way on a cold winter night.
(Answer)
D
Ques: A new study, conducted by British company Mindlab International, has found that listening to music at work increases accuracy and speed,The Telegraphreported. Perhaps, some parents disagree with this idea, saying, "Switch off the music and concentrate!" Well, if that's the case with your parents, you might now be able to convince them that you have science on your side. The company gave 26 participants a series of different tasks for five days in a row, including spell checking, mathematical word problems, data entry, and abstract reasoning. The participants completed these tasks while listening to music or no music at all. The results showed that while music was playing, 88% of participants produced their most accurate test results and 81% completed their fastest work. David Lewis, chairman of Mindlab International, toldThe Telegraph, "Music is a very powerful management tool if you want to increase not only the efficiency of your workforce but also their emotional state... _ are going to become more positive about the work." However, you may have a list of your favorite songs, but not all kinds of music match all homework. For maths or other subjects involving numbers or attention to detail, you should listen to classical music, the study found. In the study, pop music enabled participants to complete their tasks 58% faster than when listening to no music at all. If you are reviewing your English writing, pop music is the best choice, as it is the best kind for spell checking. It cut mistakes by 14%, compared to listening to no music. After finishing your homework, do you often take time to check your answers? Maybe, some dance music is suitable for you. What did the participants have to do in the study? A) Persuade their parents to listen to music. B) Listen to the same music together. C) Try their best to choose the most suitable music. D) Finish tasks with music or without music at all.
Ans: D
Last year I had a wonderful experience. I went on a student exchange to Japan. It was an exciting time of my life and I learned many things about the school system in Japan. I was in Grade 11, which is second year of high school in Japan, but I was younger than most of my classmates. That's because Japanese children enter first year ofelementary school in April following their sixth birthday. I started school when I was still five years old. In Japan, Children attend elementary school for six years, where they study Japanese, arithmetic, science, social studies, music, crafts, physical education, and home economics (simple cooking and sewing skills). During their three years in middle school, English is added to this list. Most schools have access to computers and the Internet. The classes in my school seemed rather big to me, around 30 students in a typical high school class. We ate lunch in the classroom, instead of a cafeteria and enjoyed a healthy, nutritious meal prepared by the school or by a local "school lunch centre" instead of eating the same, dry sandwiches every day. I really like the Japanese interpretation of school lunches. I also enjoyed the field trips and activities. At Japanese schools, there are many school events during the year, such as field day when students compete in tug-of-war, field trips, and arts and cultural festivals. Japanese students start to learn English _ . A) before they start their school year B) when they are in elementary school C) when they are in middle school D) when they are in high school
C