(Question)
Have you ever seen any students whose trousers hang so low that you can see their underwear? What do you think of that? Fashionable? Some of today's teenagers are big fans of such a look. But recently this trend has been at the center of an argument in Italian middle schools. The headmaster of a school in central Italy has asked students to stop wearing low-rise jeans that expose underwear and parts of the body. His request came after a class trip, when he saw one boy's baggy trousers slide to his feet. He pointed out that this way of dressing is not suitable for school. But in Italy, a nation that takes fashion very seriously, the suggestion caused a debate among parents, teachers and students. The issue is whether the headmaster's request will limit students' freedom-- or whether dress in Italian schools is too casual. A parents' group praised the move in favor of good taste, while others advised schools to stop worrying about fashion and fix up old school buildings. "We do not want to kick fashion out," the headmaster explained, "but extremes of fashion like this are not right in school." Many other schools have now requested that their students also stop wearing such trousers. Most students have simply ignored the request. Ludovica Gaudio, 14, wore extremely low trousers exposing orange underwear in class. It was cold, so she wore a matching orange scarf. Another 14-year-old said she would probably respect the request, simply for practical reasons. "I don't really feel comfortable in those sort of jeans," said Sarah Lattanzi, "in winter, when dressed like that, it's quite cold and I am afraid my stomach will ache." The purpose of this story is to _ A) show Chinese students that wearing very fashionable clothes in school is under attack in other countries, too. B) show that dress code is necessary even in a country like Italy C) let us see that Italian students react differently to schools' requests. D) tell us that a debate started in Italian middle schools over the way students dress in School
(Answer)
D

(Question)
Two Christmas traditions have come under attack in recent years from environmentalists: Christmas cards and Christmas trees. Paper cards are seen as wasteful and, for some people, going card-free is another way of going green. They also argue that in a world of e-mail, Skype, Facebook and Twitter, people are in touch all the time anyway; they no longer need the yearly card that connects them with long lost friends. If you want to send Christmas greetings, there are free e-cards, which get the job done with no postage or wasted paper. However, especially for people who didn't grow up with e-mail, there is something missing from a Christmas e-mail. The first Christmas cards appeared in London in 1843 and were designed by the same man who had introduced the world's first postage stamp three years earlier. His name was Sir Henry Cole. They rose in popularity throughout the 20th century. Many people sent cards that were sold for charity. The most famous of these are the ones sold for UNICEF. In the UK this year, in the three weeks before Christmas, the post office expects to handle 100 million cards every day. Environmental awareness also means that nowadays many people recycle their cards; this helps raise money to plant more trees, as well as recreating more paper. When we think of trees at Christmas, there is one that immediately springs mind---the evergreen tree that people decorate with ornaments and place their presents under. The custom dates back almost a thousand years to Germany. Nowadays 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in America and 50 to 60 million in Europe each year. Some trees are sold live with roots and soil so people can plant them later and reuse them next year. Some people prefer artificial trees as they are reusable and much cheaper than their natural alternative. However, environmentalists point out that they are made from petroleum products and so have many pollution issues. What can we conclude from the article? A) The first Christmas cards were designed earlier than the world's first stamps. B) This year has seen a dramatic drop in Christmas card sales. C) Environmentalists advise people to buy cards that are sold for charity. D) Growing environmental awareness is encouraging people to recycle their cards.
(Answer)
D

(Question)
A weather map is an important tool for geographers. A succession of three or four maps presents continuous picture of weather changes. Weather forecasters are able to determine the speed of air masses and fronts to determine whether an individual pressure aroa is deepening or becoming shallow and whether a front is increasing or decreasing in intensity .They are also able to determine whether an air mass is retaining its original characteristics or taking on those of the surface over which it is moving. Thus, a most significant function of the map is to reveal a summary picture of conditions in the atmosphere at a given time. All students of geography should be able to interpret a weather map accurately.Weather maps contain an enormous amount of information about weather conditions existing at the time of observation over a large geographical area. They reveal in a few minutes what otherwise would take hours to describe. The United States Weather Bureau issues information about approaching storms, floods, frosts and all climatic conditions in general. Twice a month it issues a 30-day"outlook" which is a rough guide to weather conditions likely to occur over broad areas of the United States. These 30-day outlooks are based upon an anaiysis of the upper air levels which often set the stage for development of air masses, fronts and storms. Considerable effort is being exerted today to achieve more accurate weather predictions, with identifying and tracking storms over regions which have but few meteorological stations. Extensive experiments are also in progress for weathef modification studies. The observation of weather conditions by satellites is helpful because it _ A) is modern B) uses electronic instruments C) makes weather prediction easier D) shows things that would otherwise take hours to describe in a few minutes
(Answer)
D