Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Shane Thomas is a 10-year-old pianist from England. He's being called the next Mozart because of his amazing abilities. He has only been having piano lessons for four months, and practices four hours a week, but he has already played difficult classical pieces. He was just seven when he sat down at the piano, and could play at once. He also says he never gets nervous. When Shane was three years old, he said that he could play the piano, but nobody took him seriously. At school, he could listen to the teacher and do his work while composing in his head. Shame remembers all the melodies ,and when he gets home he plays them on the piano, while his father records them. Shane loves playing the piano, and when he grows up he wants to be a composer. His tutor, Richard Goffin-Lecar, says he is like Amadeus Mozart, who lived during the 18thcentury in Salzburg, Austria, and was one of the most famous composers ever. Mr. Goffin-lecar says, "I don't teach Shane very much. I just give him directions, then sit back and watch." His father, a single parent with two other children, says that although he has little money, he wants to send Shane to a good music school. "I'm a single father, but I have this gifted child. I don't have much money, but I want to give him the best teachers, and also take him into a studio to record." Question: Which of the following is TRUE about Shane? Options: A: He feels nervous while playing the piano B: He can compose in his head while doing his work. C: He wants to be a piano tutor when he grows up. D: He doesn't like to listen to the teacher at school.
A: B

Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Many years ago, my dad was diagnosed with a serious heart condition. He was unable to work a steady job. He would be fine for a while, but would then fall suddenly ill and have to be admitted to the hospital. He wanted to do something to keep himself busy, so he decided to volunteer at the local children's hospital. My dad loved kids. It was the perfect job for him. He ended up working with the seriously ill children. He would talk, play, and do arts with them. One of his kids was a girl with a rare disease that paralyzed her from the neck down. She couldn't do anything, and she was very depressed. My dad decided to try to help her. He started visiting her in her room, bringing paints, brushes and paper. He stood the paper up, put the paintbrush in his mouth and began to paint. He didn't use his hands at all. All the while he would tell her, "See, you can do anything you set your mind to." At the end of the day, she began to paint using her mouth, and she and my dad became friends. Soon after, the little girl was sent home because the doctors felt there was nothing else they could do for her. My dad also left the children's hospital for a little while because he became ill. Some time later after my dad had recovered and returned to work, in came the little girl who had been paralyzed, but this time she was walking. She ran straight over to my dad and hugged him really tight. She gave him a picture she had done using her hands. At the bottom it read: "Thank you for helping me walk." My dad would cry every time he told us this story and so would we. He would say sometimes love is more powerful than doctors, and my dad - who died just a few months after the little girl gave him the picture - loved every single child in that hospital. Question: The author's father worked at the local hospital to _ . Options: A: ease his heart condition B: keep himself occupied and happy C: earn money to pay for treatment D: realize his childhood dream
A: B

Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: Ask anyone what is the most difficult part of changing their lifestyle habits and they are most likely to say, "Staying motivated." But a 36-year-old professor from Carnegie Mellon University claims it may have the answer in the form of robot weight loss coach that dishes out daily health advice and encouragement. Autom is the work of Intuitive Automata, a company based in Sha Tin which claims to be a pioneer in commercial socially-interactive robots. The robot, which stands around 38 centimeters tall, has a head that swivels , blue eyes, and a touch screen which allows the user to input information daily about exercise and diet Its creators say Autom will have a daily conversation with its user lasting up to five minutes, giving feedback and encouragement.Over time, it will interact more with the user as it gathers more information about them. Cory Krdd, a research team manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency claims research has shown that people find robots a more reliable source of information than on-screen-based character. In a controlled study in Pittsburgh City Council, 15 dieters were given Autom for six weeks. Another 15 received a touch-screen computer with identical software and 15 were given a paper log.The study found, people using the robot are more likely to stick with their diets longer, in fact twice as long as those using just a paper log. "While not one person among the computer or paper groups continued past six weeks, most who had Autom did not want to give her back at the conclusion of the study," he said. The bottom line is that a robot creates a more powerful and long-lasting relationship with the user than a character on the screen. Autom is expected to go on sale later this year in the United States for around $500.A robot which speaks and understands Cantonese and Mandarin in addition to English according to the demands is also being developed. Question: Which institution is responsible for the development of Autom? Options: A: Intuitive Automata. B: Pittsburgh City Council. C: Carnegie Mellon University. D: Federal Emergency Management Agency.
A: A

Q: I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article. Article: "A messy desk can actually lead people towards clearer thinking", say researchers from Germany. The researchers found in a series of linked studies----using a messy desk and a messy shop front ----that people actually thought more clearly when all around was chaos, as they sought to simplify the tasks at hand. Visual and mental mess forces human beings to focus and think more clearly. Famous thinkers and writers such as Albert Einstein and Roald Dahl have been well-known for their untidy desks. "Messy desks may not be as harmful as they appear to be. As the problem-solving approaches they seem to cause can increase work efficiency or improve employees' creativity in problem-solving," say the authors. "Business and government managers often promote 'clean desk' policies to avoid disorganized offices and messy desks, for the purpose of improving work efficiency and productivity," writes lead researcher Jia Liu from the University of Groningen in a paper published in the Journal of Consumer Research. "This practice is based on the conventional wisdom that a disorganized and messy environment can clutter one's mind and make one's judgments difficult." "However, not all evidence supports this traditional link between a messy environment and a messy mind." The scientists tested people's response in various messy environments----including a messy shop front, a disorganized desk, and even a work environment where a language task "reminded" people of messiness. The authors found in the series of six studies tended towards simplicity in their thinking. "They categorized products in a simpler manner, were willing to pay more for a T-shirt that shows a simple-looking picture, and sought less variety in their choices," said the researchers. Question: From the passage we can infer that_. Options: A: managers often promote "clean desk" policies B: people tend to make clearer and simpler choices at a messy desk C: people find it hard to organize time at a messy desk D: people dislike a T-shirt with a simple-looking picture
A: B