(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: "Look, my mum's in hospital, dying, she won't survive the night, I'm going to miss the connection to Leeds at Peterborough, I'd be grateful if you'd leave me alone.Okay?" "Okay," he said, finally getting up."Sorry to hear that, son.Hope you make it home in time." Then he left. Ten minutes later, he was back.Oh no, I thought, "here we go again".This time I really want to rag him down the train. He touched my arm."Listen, when we get to Peterborough, shoot straight over to Platform One as quick as you like.The Leeds train'll be there." I said, stupidly, "What do you mean? Is it late, or something?" "No, it isn't late," he said."No, I've just radioed Peterborough.They're going to hold the train up for you.As soon as you get on, it goes." " Everyone will be complaining about how late it is, but let' s not worry about that on this occasion.You'll get home and that's the main thing.Good luck and God bless. Then he was off down the train again. I chased him down the train.I wanted to give him all the things I had, but I knew he would be offended. I caught him up and grabbed his arm."Oh, er, I just wanted to..." I was suddenly speechless."I, if erm... "It's okay," he said."Not a problem. " I wish I had some way to thank you," I said." I appreciate what you've done." "Not a problem," he said again."If you feel the need to thank me, the next time you see someone in trouble, you help them out.That will pay me back enough.Tell them to pay you back the same way and soon the world will be a better place." I was at my mother's side when she died in the early hours of the morning. Question: Why was the author not in the mood for talking? Options: A: He was too tired and wanted to have a rest. B: He was a shy man and didn't want to chat with strangers. C: He was sad for fear of not being with his mother when she died. D: He disliked the conductor.
(A).
C

(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: In 1909 an English newspaper offered PS 1,000 to the first man to fly across the English Channel in an aeroplane. Today, modern jets cross it in minutes. But at that time it still seemed a good distance. The race to win the money soon became a race between two men. Both were very colourful. One was Louis Bleriot. He owned a factory in France that made motor car lamps. He was already well known as a pilot because he had had accidents several times. Some people laughed at him. One man said, "He may not be the first to fly across the Channel but he will certainly be the first to die in an accident!" But Bleriot was really a good and brave pilot. He also had many good ideas about aeroplane design. The other man was Hubert Latham. He was half French and half English. He took up flying when his doctors told him he had only a year to live. "Oh, well," he said, "if I' m going to die soon, I think I shall have a dangerous and interesting life now." Latham was the first to try the flight across the Channel. Ten kilometres from the French coast, his plane had some trouble. It fell down into the water and began to sink under the water. A boat reached Latham just in time. He was sitting calmly on the wing and was coolly lighting a cigarette. Bleriot took off six days later. He flew into some very bad weather and very low cloud. He somehow got to the English side and landed in a farmer's field. When he did so, a customs officer rushed up to his plane. Planes have changed since then, but customs officers have not. "Have you anything to declare ?" The officer demanded. Question: Why did Hubert Latham want to fly across the Channel? Options: A: He thought he could manage it easily. B: He wanted to be the first one to cross the Channel. C: He knew he only had a year to live. D: He had always been interested in flying.
(A).
C

(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The Tories would allow children to go to school for ten hours a day and on Saturday mornings to improve the performance of poorer pupils and help working parents. Schools spokesman Michael Gove declared plans yesterday to give disadvantaged children more classroom time to help them catch up. Longer school days could also be popular with parents who struggle to fit 3pm school finishing times around work, he said. Mr. Gove gave out the success of a U.S. plan where teenagers from poor backgrounds attend school from 7.30 am to 5pm. "I believe that having children in school for longer, particularly if they come from disadvantaged backgrounds can help them to achieve more in academy, " he told the annual conference of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in Manchester. He pointed out that it was up to schools alone to decide whether to open longer, or at weekends. But he was greeted with laughter from delegates when he said the plan would really work only with the active support of teachers. ATL general secretary, Dr Mary Bousted, said, "The last thing we need to be doing at the present time is increasing teachers' working hours. Teachers already work the most unpaid overtime of any public sector profession. If we want Saturday schools then we need more teachers doing the extra hours, not the same teachers working longer and becoming tired." Meanwhile Mr Gove's idea is likely to alarm those concerned about the erosion( )of family time. Margaret Morrissey, founder of the lobby group Parents Outloud, said, "What we should be doing is supporting these children within the school week." Question: The successful example given by Mr. Gove suggests that having children in school for longer, can improve their _ . Options: A: studies B: health C: confidence D: communication
(A).
A