A young British sailor was missing at sea yesterday in similar circumstances to the way his father died five years ago. The dinghy ,used to take Richard Smith,21,to his yacht ,was discovered empty, floating in seas off the Caribbean island.An air and sea search was carried out but he has still not been discovered . Richard's mother, Bicknell,said from her home in Hampshire,"It's so much coincidence.Richard always carried a photograph of his father attached to a poem,which included the date of his disappearance." "Now, it's very strange because all they have found is Richard's dinghy.We need to know this time what has happened one way or another.If you know at least you can go through the grieving process ." In November 1996,Mr. Smith's father, Charlie,was sailing in the Tasmen sea between the Australian mainland and the island of Tasmen with his new wife.They lost radio contact with the shore and they, together with their yacht were never seen again,and their disappearance remains a mystery. Richard is described a talented and experienced sailor who has crewed for the champion ocean racer.He had sailed to the. Caribbean in November to crew ocean racing yachts for entertainment.He ended the evening drinking in the Abracbabra bar but left after local police closed it for being too noisy. About 2 am the following day Richard headed back for his dinghy.He started its outboard motor before giving all elderly woman a lift to her yacht after her dinghy had gone missing.It was the last time he was seen. The writer tells us _ . A) a story about two heroes B) a piece of news about a merchant ship C) a coincidence D) the dying process of Richard
C
(Question)
Bobby was sitting out in his back yard in the snow. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them. Try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother's Christmas gift. Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, his mother worked nights at the hospital, but the small wage could only be stretched so far. What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and family unity. They ran the household in their mother's absence. All three of his sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother. It was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing. Bobby started to walk down to the street. He walked from shop to shop. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach. It was starting to get dark, then suddenly his eyes caught a shiny dime. Never has anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby did at that moment. He went inside a flower shop. When the owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower. The shop owner looked at Bobby, then said, "You just wait here and I'll see what I can do for you." The shop owner returned holding red roses all tied together with a big silver bow. Bobby's heart sank as the owner placed them gently into a long white box. "That will be ten cents, young man," said the shop owner, reaching out his hand for the dime. Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime. Then the shopkeeper's wife appeared. "Where are the roses you were fixing?" The shop owner replied, "A strange thing happened to me this morning. I thought I heard a voice telling me to set aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn't sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway. When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew who that voice was." Bobby slowly gave the dime to the shop owner because _ . A) he did not want any rose flowers B) the flowers weren't worth a dime C) the shop owner would cheat him D) he hardly believed what had happened
(Answer)
C
Ques: Today anyone will accept money in exchange for goods and services. People use money to buy food, furniture, books, bicycles and hundreds of other things we need or want. When they work, they usually get paid in money. Lots of the money today is made of paper. But people used to use all kinds of things as money. One of the first kinds of money was shells. Shells were not the only things used as money. In China, cloth and knives were used. In the Philippine Islands, rice was used as money for a long time. Some Africans once used elephant tusks, monkey tails, and salt as money. The first metal coins were made in China. They were round and had a square hole in the center. Different countries have used different metals and designs for their money. Later, countries began to make coins of gold and silver. But even gold and silver were inconvenient if you had to buy something expensive. Again the Chinese thought of a way to improve money. They began to use paper money. The first paper money looked more like a note from one person to another than the paper money used today. Money has had an interesting history, from the days of shell money until today. What was first used as money? _ . A) Elephants tusks B) Cloth C) Salt D) Shells
Ans: D
Ques: Tests can be stressful even for the most prepared students,and,unfortunately,test anxiety can actually have a negative impact on your performance.(Just having that knowledge adds to the stress,doesn't it?)Well,the following tips can help you get through your next test with much greater ease--and likely more success! Get Enough Sleep Getting 6 hours of less can put you into what's called a sleep deficit,or lack of sufficient sleep,which can actually make you less sharp mentally and thus negatively affect your performance on tests,even if you spent those missed hours of sleep studying.So it's very important for you to get all of your studying done so you can get a good night of sleep before your big day. Study Smarter Being organized with your studies can help you keep from pulling all-nighters to get all of your studying in and blowing the test because you're exhausted.How do you study 'smarter'? Make a list of the most important things you need to learn,in order of importance,and hit the items at the top of the list first.That way,if you run out of time,you're mostly covered.Make a list of all the work you have to do,estimate how much time each item will take,and compare that with the amount of hours you have available;this will tell you if you can carefully read or just skim,how many times you can afford to revise papers,and other ways to pace yourself so you can get everything done.If you're pressed for time,it's important to learn to let go of being perfect.Oh,and turn off the TV as much as possible until your tests are behind you. Visualize Success Before you fall asleep each night,it is a great way to visualize yourself taking the tests and doing wonderfully.Detailed visualizations can help you feel like you're really experiencing something,and visualizing yourself doing well is a way to 'practice' success in a way that can actually help you perform better and feel confident.Being confident as you take your exams can keep you from choking because of the stress.Visualizations can also help you to remember... According to the passage,which part can help build up your confidence? A) Get Enough Sleep B) Study Smarter C) Visualize Success D) Stay Calm
Ans:
C