Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: A MILLION people on Mars within 100 years. This is the brave vision of Elon Musk, the founder of the space technology company SpaceX. "We need to be laser-focused on becoming a multi-planet civilization. That's the next step," he said in a recent interview with Aeon magazine. Musk expects to see about 80,000 people living on Mars by 2040. It's all about protecting the human race from extinction, according to Musk. The Earth has always been a ticking time bomb. As the sun begins to die, it will grow bigger, becoming what is known as a Red Giant. In 500 million years, the sun will have become large enough to kill off any plant and animal life on Earth, according to US scientist Edward Guinan. In a billion years, the Earth will have become a hot planet with little or no water. The brave dream of getting the human race to Mars is not only Musk's; others have made plans, too. A Dutch entrepreneur set up the Mars One foundation in 2011, hoping to be the first project to put humans on Mars. It received over 200,000 applications to become part of the first group of astronauts to go there. According to Mars One, "human settlement on Mars is possible with existing technologies." Water, food, energy, and oxygen are needed for life anywhere. According to Mars One, water that was still in the Martian soil would be boiled and taken out. By using a process called "electrolysis", astronauts could split water into hydrogen and oxygen for breathing. Astronauts on the International Space Station have already done similar things. Food can also be grown in space. Certain plants such as lettuce and onions can be grown using LED light for different color spectrums and much less heat. NASA has been researching this to prepare for visiting Mars. But how will people get there? The Mars One project plans to use SpaceX's Dragon capsule as part of its mission. But it is rumored that Musk already has a design in mind for a giant spaceship. He calls it the Mars Colonial Transporter. Question: According to Elon Musk, the trip to Mars is significant because _ . Answer:

OPTIONS:
- Earth is not the only planet that is suitable for human beings
- settlement on Mars could save the human race from extinction
- the environment on Earth will be too harsh for human beings in a few hundred years
- a large amount of water has just been discovered on Mars

A: settlement on Mars could save the human race from extinction

Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Seven years ago I was 13 years old. I still remember to this day where I was and how it all came down. I was in my social studies classroom, when a teacher came back and told us that the first building of the World Trade Center was hit by a plane. We immediately stopped our work and turned on the television. Throughout half the day we watched TV until the school was forced to let all of us home early. I walked home and immediately turned on the television and watched until my bedtime. I remember always seeing the towers walking to my Tae Kwon Do school; to me, a boy teenager, it was a great thing because at that time I have never seen any other building that caught my eye as much as _ did. And walking to my school that day was just a horrifying dream. Crossing the busy road of the Bell Pike was a big cloud of smoke and dust. It was very upsetting. Every day after that horrific day I looked up to the once stood Twin Towers just to see nothing there. To my eyes, that day will always be in my mind and in my heart, even though I didn't lose any loved ones, I still feel the pain as if I did. September 11th, 2001 will never be forgotten. Question: When did the writer always see the Twin Towers? Answer:

OPTIONS:
- When he was having classes.
- When he was watching TV.
- When he was walking to school.
- When he was dreaming.

A: When he was walking to school.

Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Mo Yan's winning of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature shows the world's recognition of China's contemporary literature, according to the China Writers Association. It also represents the attention drawn to Chinese writers and the international influences of Chinese literature, said an official statement from the organization on Thursday evening. Mo is the first Chinese national to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. In the statement, the association congratulated Mo Yan on his success and spoke highly of his "outstanding achievements". Mo had effectively extended the boundaries of imagination, the depth of thoughts and the state of arts of Chinese literature by focusing on lives in the countryside with a unique national style, said the statement. He Jianming, vice president of the association, said in a separate interview, "It is not only a joyous occasion for Mo, but also a dream coming true for generations of Chinese writers. " "The prize also shows recognition in realism writing coming from traditional Chinese literature, " said He. He cited Mo's latest novel, Frog, which was published in China in 2010, as an example of Mo's focus on realism. The book focuses on the influence of China's "one child" policy in the countryside. "Mo's works are among the best when it comes to Chinese contemporary literature. "He said, "Adding the award is significant for the development of Chinese literature and will improve confidence in the country's cultural creativity. " Mo Yan, a pen name for Guan Moye, was born in 1955 and grew up in Gaomi in east China's Shandong Province. Mo is one of the most widely translated Chinese writers. His best-known work is Red Sorghum, which was made into a film by the director Zhang Yimou. Question: Which is the main idea of the passage? Answer:

OPTIONS:
- 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature.
- Mo Yan's success represents recognition of Chinese literature.
- The success in Chinese literature.
- A great Chinese writer.

A: Mo Yan's success represents recognition of Chinese literature.

Q: Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Ever since farmers began to grow grain, they have had to protect their crops from birds. In the 1300's, English farmers hired children to protect their crops. They were called "bird scares". The children chased birds and threw stones at them. Bird scares were replaced in the 1800's by scarecrows. A scarecrow is anything that is set in a field to scare birds away. Often it is a pole dressed like a person. Some farms with small fields still use scarecrows today. Farming became big business in the twentieth century. Scarecrows could no longer protect the huge fields of grain, so farmers used poisonous chemicals on the fields. The poison made the grain bitter. The birds usually would not eat the bitter grain. Although they can prevent crops from being destroyed by insects and birds, some chemicals can be harmful to humans. Therefore, farmers are using fewer chemicals now than they did twenty years ago. Perhaps scarecrows may be seen more often in the fields in the future. Question: The author's purpose is to _ . Answer:

OPTIONS:
- give information about children who worked as bird scares
- tell how crops have been protected from birds
- make the readers feel sorry for birds that eat poisoned grain
- entertain the readers with a funny story

A:
tell how crops have been protected from birds