From the beginning of human history, wild animals provided food, clothing and sometimes medicine. We may not depend as much on wild animals now. But we hear about them every day. Americans use the names of animals in many ways. Automobile manufacturers and gasoline companies especially like to use big cats to sell their products. They like lions, tigers and wildcats. When Americans say wildcat, they usually mean _ . All these cats attack quickly and fiercely. So wildcats represent something fast and fierce. An early American use of the word wildcat was quite different. It was used to describe members of Congress who declared war on Britain in 1812. A magazine of that year said the wildcat congressmen went home. It said they were unable to face the responsibility of having involved their country in an unnecessary war. Wildcat also has been used as a name for money in the 1800s. At that time, some states permitted banks to make their own money. One bank in the state of Michigan offered paper money with a picture of a wildcat on it. Some banks, however, did not have enough gold to support all the paper money they offered. So the money had little or no value. It was called a wildcat bill or a wildcat bank note. The banks who offered this money were called wildcat banks. A newspaper of the time said those were the days of wildcat money. It said a man might be rich in the morning and poor by night. Wildcat then was also used for an oil well or gold mine that had almost no oil or gold in it. Dishonest developers would buy such property. Then they would sell it and leave town with the money. The buyers were left with worthless holes in the ground. Today, wildcat oil wells are in areas that are not known to have oil. It can be inferred that during the days of wildcat money _ . A) people couldn't buy anything with the money B) people didn't know how to save money. C) the rich invested too much on oil wells. D) people complained and suffered a lot
D
(Question)
Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cochran, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School, did something unforgettable. On the first day of school, with permission of the school headmaster, she took all of the desks out of the classroom. The kids came into the first period. They walked in, and there were no desks. They looked around and said, "Ms Cochran, where are our desks?" And she said, "You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn them." They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades." "No," she said. "Maybe it's our behavior. " And she told them, "No, it's not even your behavior. " Second period, the same thing. Third period... By early afternoon television news reporters had gathered in Ms. Cochran's class to find out about this crazy teacher. The last period of the day, Martha Cochran gathered her class. They were at this time sitting on the ground floor around the sides of the room. "Throughout the day no one has really understood how you earn the ordinary desks in this classroom." she said, "Now I'm going to tell you. " Martha Cochran went to the door of the classroom and opened it, and as she did, twenty-seven adults, who were fathers or mothers of the kids, walked into that classroom, each one having a school desk. And they placed those school desks in rows. And when they finished placing those desks, those kids for the first time in their lives understood how they earned those desks. Martha said, "You don't have to earn those desks. They did it for you. They put them out there for you, but it's up to you to sit here responsibly to learn, to be good students and good citizens, because they paid a price for you to have that desk, and don't ever forget it! " Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the text? A) Kids finally understood what their teacher meant by themselves. B) The headmaster supported Ms. Cochran's idea. C) Kids studied without desks on the first day. D) Kids' parents earned the desks for them.
(Answer)
A
Ques: If you're a male and you're reading this, congratulations! You're a survivor. According to statistics,you're more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman,and nine times more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term,about 78 years for men in Australia,you'll die on average five years before a woman. There're many reasons for this--typically,men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke but perhaps more importantly, men don't go to the doctor. "Men aren't seeing doctors as often as they should," says Dr. Gullotta."This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike. According to a recent survey, 95%of women aged between 15 and early 49s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70%of men in the same age group. "A lot of men think they're unbeatable,"Gullotta says."They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, Geez, if it could happen to him ..." Then there's the ostrich approach."Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know," says Dr. Ross Cartmill. "Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies," Cartmill says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups. "Prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases.Besides, the final cost is far greater,it's called premature death." What does Dr.Ross Cartmill mean by"the ostrich approach"(in Para 5)? A) A casual attitude towards one's health conditions. B) A new treatment for certain psychological problems. C) Refusal to get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved. D) Unwillingness to find out about one's disease because of fear.
Ans: D
Ques: There is one word that is on the lips of Americans , day and night , "Sorry". One time as I was walking on the street , a young man ran by hurriedly , brushing against my handbag . Even as he continued on his way , he turned back and said "sorry" to me . Even in a rush , he didn't forget to apologize . One day , after I bought some apples , the salesman was giving me the change , but I wasn't ready for it , and a coin dropped on the ground, "I'm sorry ," he said while bending down to pick it up . I was puzzled --why would he apologize when it was my fault ? Another time , I stepped on a man's foot in an escalator . At the same time , we both said "sorry" . I thought it interesting : was it really necessary for him apologize ? Later on , an American friend explained to me that according to the American ideas, the escalator is public place which everyone should be able to stand in . After someone occupies a position in the escalator , making it difficult for someone else to find a place to stand in , isn't it necessary to express an apology ? During my stay in America , I gradually realized that when friction occurs in daily life , Americans don't care much about who is responsible . If someone is troubled , a "sorry" is always necessary . Even if the other person is hurt , the "sorry" would cool tempers . Perhaps this is why I never saw anyone quarreling on the buses , subways or streets in America . The man on whose feet I stepped apologized to me because _ . A) the escalator is a public place B) the man was very afraid of me C) the "sorry" said to me was for everyone D) there wasn't enough room to get my feet in
Ans:
A