English is an important global language, but that doesn't mean it's easy to learn. Many experts have tried to make English easier for students to learn--but they weren't always successful. In 1930, Professor CK Ogden of Cambridge University invented Basic English. It had only 850 words (and just eighteen verbs) and Ogden said most people could learn it in just thirty hours. The problem was that people who learned Basic English could write and say simple messages, but they couldn't understand the answers in "real" English! It was also impossible to explain a word if it wasn't in the Basic English word list. For example, if you wanted a watermelon, you asked for "a large green fruit with the form of an egg, which has a sweet red inside and a good taste"! RE Zachrisson, a university professor in Sweden, decided that the biggest problem for learners of English was spelling, so he invented a language called Anglic. Anglic was similar to English, but with much simpler spelling. "Father" became "faadher", "new" became "nue' and "years" became "yeerz". Unfortunately for some students of English, Anglic never became popular. Even easier is the language which ships' captains use: it's called "Seaspeak". Seaspeak uses a few simple phrases for every possible situation. In Seaspeak, for example, you don't say, "I'm sorry what did you say?" or "I didn't understand, can you repeat that?" It's just "Say again." No more grammar! In the age of international communication through the Internet who knows? ... a new form of English might appear. A large number of the world's e-mails are in English and include examples of "NetLingo" like OIC (Oh, I see) and TTYL (Talk to you later). In another fifty years, English might not exist ... we will probably all speak fluent Internetish! What might happen to English in another fifty years? A) It might be replaced by Internetish. B) It might become a global language. C) It might take the place of all other languages. D) It might become more and more difficult.
A
Bolivia has a population of three and a half million. About one tenth of the total population are white; one-fourth are mixed Indians and white; and more than half are full-blooded Indians. The government and the industries are under the control of the white people. The Indians today live in much the same way as their ancestors. Most of them are farmers. Many work in the mines, for mining is the most important industry on Bolivia's. Of all the mining products, tin is the most important, which makes up three-fourths of all Bolivia's exports. The eastern slopes of the Andes, since there are very few roads there, are fertile but not highly developed. The two primary means of transportation are river boats and porters. East of the hill region is the great plains where tropical plants are grown. A serious problem for Bolivia is the transport of food from the warm regions, where it is grown, to the mountainous regions, where most of the people live. Bolivia gained its independence from Spain about a hundred years ago. It has been slow in developing, but its rich resources promise a better future in it. The eastern slopes of the Andes is not highly developed because _ . A) there are thick forests there B) there are very few roads there C) there are many fine mines there D) they are not fertile enough
B
Q: Like most parents, I worry that my child isn't getting enough sleep. Now it turns out that doctors have been warning kids don't get enough sleep for over a century--long before iPads, and texting robbed children of peaceful sleep. What's more, there's no solid scientific basis for pediatricians' recommendations on the amount of time children need to sleep. That's the word from researchers in Australia. It turns out that children are sleeping less than those in days of old. The researchers, at the University of South Australia's Health and Use of Time Group, found that kids' nightly sleep time declined by about three-quarters of a minute each year for the period they studied. My daughter was more likely to beg for a few more minutes of Angry Birds before bedtime.That means nowadays my daughter is sleeping about 50 minutes a night less than her grandfather who had to get up to milk the cows at 5:30 am. What hasn't changed is the predictions from health professionals on the consequences of lack of sleep. "This is a sleepless age and more and more... we are turning night into day," one expert said in 1905. Back then, sleep was seen as a way to restore "wearied brain tissue". Children and "clever" children were thought to be most at risk, and most in need of energy-restoring sleep. The words may be different today, but the threats are pretty much the same. Parents are told that children risk mental and physical problems, and even obesity, if they don't get enough sleep. So the Australians looked to see how much sleep kids do need. The answer is the biggest surprise of this study--no one really knows. "There is almost no exact evidence for proper sleep for children," the authors write. Their work was published in the journal Pediatrics. The author uses his daughter as an example . A) to explain why children sleep less B) to indicate that he is stricter with his child C) to show that children in the past sleep more D) to prove that children are not easy to control
A: C
(Question)
Welcome to the Kids' Science Challenge! Do you like science projects and winning some awesome gifts? This is the challenge for you. What's even better is that you don't have to build anything -- Simply come up with an original idea or design that relates to one of three topics given below. Wonderful Sounds Ready for Wonderful Sounds? Click on Science Secrets to meet our sound specialist. And be sure to download fun activities with crazy new sounds and musical instruments in the Dig In section! Now what kind of new musical instrument can you invent? Super Material for Sports Ready for Super Material for Sports? You'll discover the amazing world of Materials Science, where scientists and engineers develop new materials for everyday functions--like sports! Click on Science Secrets for information about our scientist. And don't forget to download the fun activities in the Dig In section! Now can you come up with a new sports material that would help you play your favorite sport? Magical Microbes Ready to discover Magical Microbes, the tiniest living things on earth? Click on Science Secrets for information about our scientists. And be sure to download all the fun activities in the Dig In section! Now can you think of a brand new way that microbes can help people? What's the purpose of the Kids' Science Challenge? A) To discourage kids' curiosity. B) To challenge kids' ability. C) To get kids join an activity. D) To dig kids' creativity.
(Answer)
D