Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: There are some differences between American English and British English. Some differences are quite interesting. When my friend Lily from London used the word "larder", I didn't know what it meant. Realizing I didn't follow her, she used another word. I finally knew she wanted to find something to keep some food. The next word came up when we were planning a lunch date. She _ the date and time in her diary, while I marked my calendar. If she called me on the phone, she would ring me up. But if the line was busy, she would say the line was engaged. Most times, I can know what Lily means. Last week, she regretted sending her boys to watch an early morning tennis game without their fleeces. I thought that she meant without their jackets or something like that. Other times, we have to ask each other. She recently told me a funny tale about a pissed woman. I wondered what had made the lady angry. It turns out that pissed means drunk. Here is one more example. My British friend Jane was filling out a ticket at the grocery store recently. She asked the young man to help her if he had a rubber. When she noticed he didn't follow her, she quickly asked for an eraser, which, in England, is often called a rubber. In order to communicate well with British people, we Americans should learn some words that the British use differently. And I think people who learn English as a second language should also realize that there are differences between American English and British English. Question: What is the passage mainly about? Options: A: The British way of using words. B: Some new words the writer's British friends taught her. C: The reasons why Americans can't followed the British at times. D: Some words used differently in British English and American English.
Ans: D

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Autumn means different things to different people. "It all depends on your personality," said British naturalist Richard Mabey. "Personality shapes your view of the season," he said. "You may see it as a fading-away,a packing-up ,or as a time of packing in another sense--the exciting gathering of resources before a long journey." If this is true,perhaps it tells us a little about,for instance,Thomas Hood,the 19th Century English poet. About November,he wrote: No warmth,no cheerfulness,no healthful ease No shade,no shine,no butterflies,no bees November! On the other hand,another English poet John Keats,already sensing he was seriously ill,was inspired by a late September day to pen one of the most famous poems in the English language,To Autumn. He wrote to a friend afterwards that there was something comforting and healing about it. According to Richard Mabey,Keats has the biological evidence on his side. Autumn is not a time of slowing down,but a time of new beginnings and great movements of creatures. For example,just at the moment that Keats's "gathering swallows" ( in To Autumn)are departing for Africa,millions of creatures are fleeing from the frozen north like Iceland,Greenland and Russia to winter along the east and south coasts of Britain. According to scientists,before falling,the leaves transfer their chlorophyll and carbohydrates into the woody parts of the tree for safe keeping over winter. What remains is the natural antioxidants in the leaves: the yellow and orange carotenoids ,and another protective chemical specially produced for autumn,the bright-red anthocyanin .High colour is not a signal of deterioration and decline,but of detox ability and good health. A century after Keats,the American poet Loren Eiseley wrote in his journal: "Suppose we saw ourselves burning-like maples in a golden autumn. And that we could break up like autumn leaves...dropping their substance like chlorophyll. Wouldn't our attitude towards death be different?" Question: In autumn,leaves turn yellow before falling because _ . Options: A: they can't bear the freezing B: they can't get enough water from the wood part C: chlorophyll and carbohydrates have been lost through leaves D: chlorophyll and carbohydrates have come back to the wood part
Ans: D

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: People with mentally taxing jobs, including lawyers and graphic designers, may end up having better memory in old age, research suggests. A study of more than 1,000 Scottish 70-year-olds found that those who had had complex jobs scored better on memory and thinking tests. One theory is that a more stimulating environment helps build up a "cognitive reserve" to help buffer the brain against age-related decline. The research was reported in Neurology. The team, from Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh, is now planning more work to look at how lifestyle and work interact to affect memory loss. Those taking part in the study took tests designed to assess memory, processing speed and general thinking ability, as well as filling in a questionnaire about their working life. The analysis showed that those whose jobs had required complex skills in dealing with data or people, such as management and teaching, had better scores on memory and thinking tests than those who had done less mentally intense jobs such as factory workers, bookbinders, or carpet layers. While the study did not look at biological reasons for the protective effect of certain jobs, potential explanations include that structural changes within the brain mean less damage is accumulated over time. Study leader Dr Alan Gow said: "Our findings have helped to identify the kinds of job demands that preserve memory and thinking later on." "However," He added, "while it is true that people who have higher cognitive abilities are more likely to get more complex jobs, there still seems to be a small advantage gained from these complex jobs for later thinking skills." Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said the study added to the growing evidence about factors that affected brain health as we aged. "Keeping the brain active throughout life could be helpful and different types of work may play a role. However, it's important to note that this study points to a small and subtle association between occupation and later-life cognition... Question: Which of the following about the research work is TRUE? Options: A: The research team studied both environmental and biological factors. B: The researchers filled in a questionnaire about their working life. C: The research objects included people from various jobs and of different ages. D: The research is helpful to the study of brain health and is still under way.
Ans: D

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong. This is what happened to Harry. He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up his alarm clock . He tried to shave quickly and cut himself. When he got dressed he got blood all over his clean shirt, so he had to find another one. The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing , so he ironed it. While he was ironing it, there was a knock at the door. It was the man to read the electricity meter . He showed him where the meter was, said good-bye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt. So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all. By this time it was very late, so he decided he couldn't go to work by bus. He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work. The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper. In another part of the town, a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi. When Harry's taxi stopped outside his office, a policeman happened to be standing there. He saw the blood on Harry's shirt, and took him to the police station. He was kept till 3 o'clock in the afternoon before the police were sure that he was not the man they wanted. When he finally arrived at the office at about four, his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job. Question: Why did Harry wear the shirt with blood on it? Options: A: The iron had burnt a hole in his clean shirt B: The only other needed ironing. C: He had only one shirt D: He cut himself and got blood all over his shirt.
Ans:
A