Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Tuvalu, a tiny country in the Pacific Ocean, has asked for help as it fears it will be swallowed up by the sea. Storms and huge waves are a constant threat and none of Tuvalu's nine little islands is more than five metres above sea level. Salt water is already entering the country's drinking water supply, as well as damaging plants that produce fruit and vegetable. Without urgent help, the country's days are numbered. But Tuvalu is not the first place to face sinking into the sea. Venice, a historic city in Italy best known for its canals, has sunk about 24 cm over the past 100 years. Experts say that it will have sunk another 24 cm by 2050. A century ago, St. Mark's Square, the lowest point in the city, flooded about nine times a year. Nowadays, it happens more than 100 times. While Venice is slowly sinking into the mud on which it stands, Tuvalu's rising sea level is caused by global warming. The average global temperature has increased by almost 0. 5 centigrade degrees over the past century, scientists expect it to rise by extra 1.3 degrees over the next 100 years. Warmer weather makes glaciers melt, adding more water to the ocean. The warmer temperatures also make water expand, so it takes up more space, causing the sea level to rise. The sea level has risen 10.25 cm in the last 100 years. The main cause of global warming is human pollution. Through burning coal, oil and gas, people have been increasing the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as CO2. This adds to the power of the greenhouse effect, making the planet even warmer. Many scientists believe that, if the warming is not stopped, there will be huge climate changes. The sea level could rise by one meter this century. Should this come true, the sea will swallow up millions of homes and the world will be flooded with " _ " looking for somewhere to live. Question: The author uses Tuvalu and Venice as examples in order to explain _ . Options: A: they are the first places sinking into the sea B: they are both sinking into the mud where they stand C: they will disappear in the future D: their trouble is caused by global warming
D

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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: A sure way to destroy your chances of learning how to write skillfully is to believe that writing is a "natural gift" rather than a learned skill. People with such an attitude think that they are the only ones for whom writing is unbearably difficult. They feel that everyone else finds writing easy or at least tolerable. Such people often say, "I'm not any good at writing" or "English was not one of my good subjects." They imply that they simply do not have a talent for writing while others do. The result of this attitude is that these people try to avoid writing, and when they do write, they don't try their best. Their writing fails chiefly because they believe that they don't have the "natural talent" needed to write. Unless their attitude changes, they probably will not learn how to write effectively. A realistic attitude about writing must build on the idea that writing is a skill. It is a skill like driving, typing, or cooking; and, like any skill, it can be learned. If you have the determination to learn, you will develop your writing skills by practicing extensively. Many people find it difficult to do the active thinking that clear writing demands. It is frustrating to discover how much of a challenge it is to transfer thoughts and feelings from one's head onto a sheet of paper. But writing is not an automatic process: We will not get something for nothing -- and we should not expect to. For almost everyone, skillful writing comes from hard work -- from determination and sweat. The good news is that the skill of writing can be mastered, and if you are ready to work, you will learn what you need to know. Question: Why do some people think writing is difficult? Options: A: They have no time to practice writing. B: They believe few people can write well. C: They have no good teachers to help them. D: They don't think writing can be learned.
(Answer)
D

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Researchers in the US say they might have discovered how to fight against and even _ some processes of ageing, at least in mice. Injecting the blood of young mice into the older ones improved their brainpower, a study found. Scientists at Stanford University plan to carry out trials in people in the hope that new treatments for dementia can be developed. "There are factors present in blood from young mice that can recharge an old mouse's brain so that it functions more like a younger one,"says Dr. Tony from Stanford University School of medicine. In the study published in Nature Medicine, mice aged 18 months were given injections of the blood taken from mice aged 3 months. The injected mice performed better on memory tests than mice of the same age that had not been given the blood. Dr. Tony said it was not known whether the same was true of humans, but a trial was planned. A research center in UK said the treatment restored certain aspects of learning and memory in mice, but was of unknown importance to humans. The research, while very interesting, did not test the type of brain damage that was seen in dementia, which is not a necessary consequence of ageing. Meanwhile, two similar studies by a separate team have thrown more light on how young blood may benefit the old, in mice at least. A substance in the blood of mice previously shown to have an anti-ageing effect on heart muscle also improved brain cells, according to a Harvard team. The research, published in Science, found the blood factors encouraged the growth of brain cells in old mice, and restored their sense of smell. The same chemical also improved muscle power of aged mice, the researchers found. Question: Scientists in the US will test the discovery in humans with the aim of _ . Options: A: proving the possibility to live longer. B: showing the importance of scientific research. C: publishing the study in Nature Medicine. D: treating an age-related disease successfully.
Ans: D

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: High in the sky, a group of birds fly past. The 5-foot-tall creatures are whooping cranes, the tallest birds in North America noted for its loud call. The wild animals appear to be following much larger birds. But those aren't birds at all. They are three-wheeled aircraft called trikes , and the pilots flying them are wearing white helmets and white gowns. That plan might sound like a stupid idea, but it's not. The pilots are from an organization called Operation Migration. They are helping the whooping cranes learn to migrate, or move from one area to another when the seasons change. The cranes are endangered. In 1941,the species had dwindled to roughly 20 birds because of hunting and habitat loss. US wildlife officials counted 149 whooping cranes in November 1995,the most since the American government began taking censuses in the 1930s.Today,about 380 remain. In the fall, whooping cranes are supposed to migrate south. However, many of them don't know how. "With so few birds left, young whooping cranes typically don't have parents around to teach them," explains pilot Joe Duff. That's where the trikes come in. Each October, pilots dress up as whooping cranes and take to the skies in Wisconsin. The young birds follow them because they think the trikes are big whooping cranes. It takes about three months to reach south--with plenty of rest stops on the way. The pilots lead the cranes to refuges, or protected areas, in Florida. This spring, the birds will migrate north by themselves--no trikes needed! "It's nice because you know the birds are going to make it," Duff told WR News. Question: The three-wheeled aircraft serve as . Options: A: adult cranes B: food suppliers C: temporary habitats D: hunting tools
A