Read the article and select the best answer. Article: It had been a very disheartening day. The doctors had given us the worst of news. Our daughter, who had just completed her first brain surgery to remove a tumor and was going through radiation treatment, was now officially given a two percent chance of survival as this type of cancer had no cure. My wife and I decided to take our daughter to lunch before continuing our afternoon conversation. We went to a local restaurant where we sat in silence waiting for the waitress. I noticed a very elderly couple sitting a few booths away, who were also in silence and did not speak a word. I couldn't help but wonder what challenges they had faced in their life and if they ever faced such terrible news about a child of theirs. We eventually ordered our lunch and still sitting in silence we ate what we could. At some point I became intrigued by the old couple. I thought to myself that they hadn't yet spoken to each other and I wondered if it was the peace they were enjoying or the food or maybe both. However, at some point I lost interest and put my focus back on my lunch. Molly was still talking away and enjoying her meal. Her mom and I both listened and tried to be happy in her presence but it wasn't going very well. All of a sudden I saw a hand come out of nowhere. It was huge and I could tell that it had been afflicted with arthritis . I couldn't take my eyes off that hand. It landed on my daughter's tiny six-year-old hand and as it did I looked up; it was the old woman who had been sitting with the old man in silence eating their lunch. I looked into her eyes and she spoke, but not to me. She looked at my daughter and simply whispered, "If I could do more for you I would..." and then she smiled and moved away to join her husband, who had moved towards the door. "Look, a whole dollar," Molly spoke with excitement as she discovered a crumpled one dollar bill left behind by the old lady. I looked up to thank her, but she was gone. I sat stunned, not sure what had just happened and... Question: The author was _ , when he first caught sight of the old couple in the restaurant. Options: A: curious B: confused C: upset D: indifferent
A

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Most earthquakes occur within the upper 15 miles of the earth's surface, but earthquakes can and do occur at all depths to about 460 miles. Their number decreases as the depth increases. At about 460 miles one earthquake occurs only every few years. Near the surface earthquakes may run as high as 100 in a month, but the yearly average does not vary much. The extent of the disaster in an earthquake depends on many factors. If you carefully build a toy house with an erect set , it will still stand no matter how much you shake the table. But if you build a toy house with a pack of cards, a slight shake of the table will make it fall. An earthquake in Agadir was not strong, but it completely destroyed the city. Many stronger earthquakes have done comparatively little damage. If a building is well constructed and built on solid ground, it will resist an earthquake. Most deaths in earthquakes have been due to faulty building construction or poor building sites. A third and very serious factor is panic. When people rush out into narrow streets, more deaths will result. There is one type of earthquake disaster that little can be done about. This is the disaster caused by seismic sea waves, or tsunamis . These are often called tidal waves, but the name is incorrect. They had nothing to do with tides. In certain areas, earthquakes take place beneath the sea. These submarine earthquakes sometimes give rise to seismic sea waves. The waves are not noticeable out at sea because of their long wave length. But when they roll into harbors, they pile up into walls of water 6 to 60 feet high. The Japanese call them "tsunamis" meaning "harbor waves", because they reach a sizable height only in harbors. Tsunamis travel fairly slowly, at speeds up to 500 miles an hour. An earthquake warning system is in use to warn all shores likely to be reached by the waves. But this only enables people to leave the threatened shores for higher ground: There is no way to stop the oncoming wave. Question: The destruction of Agadir is an example of _ . Options: A: faulty building construction B: an earthquake's strength C: widespread panic in earthquakes D: ineffective instruments
A

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Newspapers are not nearly as popular today as they were in the past. There are not very many people who seriously read a newspaper every day. Most people read only the sports pages, the advice or the gossip columns, the comics, and perhaps the classified advertisements. Most people don't take the time to read the real news. They attempt to catch the reader's interest with pictures and exciting headlines. These techniques are used on the front page because it is the first thing you see when you pick up the paper. The first page attracts attention and encourages the reader to look through the rest of the paper. This is why editors always look for a good first page story and headline to make them stop and look. If the headline is horrible enough or frightening enough or wild enough, perhaps they will go on to read the front page anymore. They may read the headlines, but that is all, then they turn to the sports page, or comics, or advertisements. It seems that people do not want the news from a newspaper anymore. They say they get the news on the television now. More people watch television news because it is easier and more interesting than reading a newspaper. What about you? Do you read news from a newspaper? Do you think it is easier to get the news from television? Or do you care about news at all? Would you mind if there were no news? Question: The author's attitude toward newspaper is _ . Options: A: sympathetic B: critical C: negative D: undetermined
A