As an American artist and writer of children's books, Tasha Tudor's art and nineteenth-century lifestyle have fascinated adults and children for decades. She received many awards and honors for her contributions to children's literature. When people talk about her creativity in artwork, she said, "I do it to support my dogs and my four children." Her great publishing record, the number of magazine stories that have been written about her over the years, and her admirers have no effects on her at all. Much of Tasha's artwork and her reading are done in the wintertime. "I love winter. It's delightful," she says. "I don't have to go anywhere because I work at home. If I'm snowed in, I can stay this way for months." She hopes for early, deep snow to protect her garden from the hardship of the New England winter, and when it comes she puts on snowshoes when she needs to get down the mile-long dirt path that leads to the road. Given her enjoyment of winter and her fantasy way of life, it's not surprising that Tasha's Christmas is a storybook holiday. She hangs flowers over the front door. Her tree comes from the woods, and it goes up on Christmas Eve, lit by homemade candles and decorated with her great- grandmother's collection that dates from 1850. In a place of honor on the tree are large cookies cut into the shapes of her animals. The grandchildren and friends get presents from Tasha's old dolls; so do the animals and they have their own Christmas tree. "Of course, it's a known fact that all the animals talk on Christmas Eve," she has written. Small, handmade gifts fill a big wooden box. At the end of each year, Tasha can look back and know that her life is perfect, that she has again ignored the twentieth century, and that the magic continues. And for the rest of us,here's a bit of advice, Tasha style: "Nowadays, people are so restless. If they took some tea and spent more time rocking on the porch in the evening listening to light music, they might enjoy life more." Which of the following is TRUE about Tasha? A) She cared little about fame. B) She created an animal fund. C) She wrote many stories for magazines. D) She bought presents for her relatives.
A
Almost 80% of the Americans have stated their opposition to cloning pet animals such as cats and dogs, yet companies still try to make a business out of selling cloned pets. Pet cloning has been promoted as a way to "bring back" or "copy" a beloved companion animal. However, studies have shown that cloning remains an experimental technology with many failures. Behind each lovely picture of a cloned cat or dog lie hundreds of animals that were kept in lab cages, receiving bad treatment to produce just that one cloned animal. For all that, you end up with a cloned animal who is unlikely to appear like the original physically or behaviorally and may experience serious health problems. Also, while pet cloning companies are charging customers up to $150,000 for a cloned pet, millions of homeless animals of the same species are available in US animal shelters for around $100. Unfortunately, most of these animals are killed for lack of adopting homes. With No Pet Cloning campaign, the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) tries to protect both animals and people from harm. They campaigned until the US companies that sold cloned animals closed their doors. First it was Genetic Savings & Clone Inc. and then it was BioArts International. When BioArts was closed, its owner, Lou Hawthorne, finally had to _ the problems of pet cloning. According to Hawthorne, he has seen numerous failures during his pet cloning attempts, "One clone----which was supposed to be black and white----was born greenish-yellow where it should have been white (we still have no good explanation for how that happened)." The AAVS is educating the public about the animal suffering and is seeking regulation of cloning activities. They will continue to take the lead in protecting animals from the threats of pet cloning. According to the passage, the AAVS devotes itself to _ . A) getting most countries to fight against pet cloning B) improving the technology of pet cloning C) saving lots of animals from bad situations D) stopping US companies' selling cloned animals
D
*Question*
Mapping Your World Different forms of maps are appearing.They allow independent travelers to get local knowledge of places they are visiting, from the official to the unusual.Meanwhile, hi-tech developments are creating new ways for us to map the world.Here are two of our favorites: Green Maps Green Maps allows people to share with the world their knowledge of environmentally friendly places and attractions in the local areas.Users add information with a set of icons , making it easy to read any map, whatever the nationalities of those who produce it.At present there are over five hundred map projects being developed in 54 countries.Green Maps' advertised idea is "think global, map local".It is a wonderful way of gaining all sorts of information of a place, ranging from community gardens to good places of birdwatching. Green Maps is not specifically intended for travelers.Not all of its maps are online, so it may be necessary for some users to communicate with the producers through the Green Maps website. Maps Mashups Many people use online maps developed by Google, but not many know about the mashups of them.Working in a similar way to Green Maps, Map Mashups allows people to add icons of their own to existing maps to express a certain topic.The mashups is so called because it combines all the knowledge you could ever need.It ranges from the extremely useful, such as where all the World Heritage Sites are, to the most bizarre ,such as where America's drunkest cities are.With the mashups added to the basic Google Maps, a multi-layered map can be created. What do Green Maps and Map Mashups have in common? A) They are created by local people. B) They are environmentally friendly. C) Users can edit maps on the Internet. D) Users need to communicate with producers.
**Answer**
C