I was riding my special motorbike this past weekend and stopped at a convenience store. As I was getting my wheelchair off the back, a man watched me from his car and I noticed a wheelchair in his back seat. We spoke for a moment and I asked him about the wheelchair. He answered that it was for his daughter. "Well, do you think she would like to go for a ride on my motorbike with me?" I asked. He seemed shocked that a total stranger would ask him this. He thought about it for a second and said, "OK, as long as I can follow you." He introduced me to Amy and he sat her on my back seat. Her father followed me for a few miles and she talked non-stop about what she wanted for Christmas. As we came back to the convenience store, she said, "This ride is the best Christmas present I could ever receive. I have been in a wheelchair my whole life and didn't know I could do this." I told her about some of the other things I do (ski, travel the world by myself, etc.). As her father was taking her off my bike, she turned to him and said, "Oh Daddy, I'm going to be OK. Mr. Bryant does all kinds of things, and I will too." Her father turned away as a tear of joy rolled down his cheek. He hugged me and said, "I was sitting here praying for a gift for Amy that would encourage her. She often felt that her life was dull compared to other children. God answered my prayer just now. Now I pray that God will bless you for your gift to Amy today." I believed what he said. Being kind and thoughtful to others, we can be an answer to prayer. What can we know about the author? A) He was a disabled man. B) He usually drove too fast. C) He worked in a convenience store. D) He often helped people who were in trouble.
A
What are you reading? (A3) How do your reading habits compare to those of students of a similar age? We ran a poll to discover what, when, where and why teens read. Literary greats(A4-7) People have been telling stories for centuries. We profile eight authors, whose work has made a great contribution both to literature and the world as a whole. Have you read any of their books? Teen reading(A8-10) Not all books are written by adults for adults. The market for books aimed at young adults is very strong and many new titles are published each year. Some of them are even written by teenagers. Science fiction (A11) Have you ever thought what it would be like to travel in space or meet _ ? Jules Verne and Douglas Adams did. It's time to explore the world of science fiction, where anything and everything can happen. Horror(A12) You'll want to sleep with the light on after reading a story by Edgar Allan Poe or Stephen King. They are two of the finest fiction writers. Get ready for unpleasant deaths and frightening ghosts . _ (A13) Don't have time to read a whole book? Then why not spend a few minutes with a book of poetry? We have selected some poems that celebrate the winter season--white snow, cold weather and Christmas. Past and present(A14) Over the centuries, stories have been written on all kinds of things. Find out about the development of paper and printing----and what books will look like in the future. Join in the fun(A15--16) Reading is enjoyed by almost everyone. Here are some activities you can do to make it even more fun. You can also try our special literature quiz. The text is most probably taken from _ . A) a book B) a literature works C) a newspaper D) a fiction
C
Q: The income gap between China's rural and urban residents has continued to widen during the past few years in spite of rapidly rising rural incomes, Agricultural Minister Sun Zhengcai said here on Wednesday. The income ratio between urban and rural residents was 3.28:1 in 2006, against 3.23:1 in 2003, said Sun in his report on the promotion of building a new countryside in 2007. Sun also said the net income of rural residents in different regions also varied widely. The income gap is only one of several problems in rural areas, according to Sun's report. While listing the achievements in rural areas in recent years, Sun believed that rural development still followed behind urban development. "We have bigger pressure to ensure the supply of major agricultural products such as grain," he said. "China's urbanization has been speeded up and more rural residents have gone to urban areas," he said. "In this case, more agricultural producers become farm produce consumers, which created more pressure for supply," he said. Another problem facing China's agricultural development is _ application of science and technology. "Only 30 percent of scientific and technological achievements have been applied to agricultural production, which is 40 percentage points lower than developed countries," he said. Despite increased government spending in rural areas, the infrastructure is still poor and easily hit by disasters. According to Sun, the government spent 431.8 billion yuan ($59.15 billion) on agriculture, rural areas and farmers this year, an increase of 80.1 billion yuan over the previous year. China set aside 11.38 billion yuan to promote a new rural cooperative medical care system and 27.98 billion yuan to support the new compulsory education mechanism in rural area to ensure that all citizens shared the fruits of China's reform and opening-up, Sun said. How much is spent on agriculture, rural areas and farmers the previous year? A) 431.8 billion yuan B) 511.9 billion yuan C) 351.7 billion yuan D) 80.1 billion yuan
A: C
Do you enjoy seeing the stars twinkling at night? Or do you love the ocean and sea, diving and racing with lovely dolphins? With heavy burdens on their shoulders, teenagers find it hard to pull out. Even if they are free, they prefer to occupy themselves with computer games or watching TV. How to get children away from screens is a great concern for parents. Now there is some good news for those concerned parents and teachers. A campaign is being launched to encourage children to surrender 30 minutes of screen time a day to head for the great outdoors. The newly formed Wild Network, a collaboration of nearly 400 organizations, is attempting to attract youngsters away from television and computer screens and into fields, woods and parks. Organizers say it is the UK's biggest ever campaign to reconnect children with nature and outdoor play, and claim it could help improve fitness, mental alertness and general well-being. A documentary film, Project Wild Thing, will herald the launch at more than 50 cinemas across the UK from Friday. It looks at the increasingly fragile link between children and nature. Members of the network include the National Trust, RSPB, Play England and the NHS Sustainable Development Unit. Andy Simpson, chairman of Wild Network, said, "The tragic truth is that kids have lost touch with nature and the outdoors in just one generation." Time spent outdoors is down, roaming ranges have fallen drastically, activity levels are declining and the ability to identify common species has been lost. Suggestions of how to get more time in nature include collecting conkers , camping, snail racing, and observing autumn colors on trees. From January, the network will aim to make suggestions to politicians on how government can do more _ This is not the first time the message of fewer screens, more play has been brought up. Children in the 1980s were entreated to do the same by the BBC TV series Why Don't You, which somewhat confusingly called on its viewers to "switch off your TV set, and go to do... According to the organizers of Wild Network, there will be many advantages from the campaign EXCEPT _ . A) improving health conditions B) keeping touch with nature C) learning more about wildlife D) teaching children how to make full use of their spare time
D