My high school life has been filled with many ups and downs, whether it was social or academic. Even though my current high school was not my first choice, I never regretted attending Southside High School. "Since you have chosen it, then it is the best for you," said my parents. Up until the junior year I did not realize my capabilities as a student. Being in the IB Program, I was told that my junior year would be the toughest in all the years of high school. With this "little" piece of information, I walked into my junior year, scared of my grades. As weeks went by, I started to believe that the junior year was not as hard as everyone had said, but I was wrong. My grades were rapidly declining and by the end of the first term I had had five Cs in seven of my classes! I could not believe it --- I did not want to believe it. I tried my best to get my grades up myself without any help from anyone, but my pride just made my grades worse. And I had to miss out on one of the most important speech and debate competitions all year: States. I was heartbroken. I realized that I could not survive my junior year on my own, so I had to get help fast. Once I got a tutor, my grades went from Cs, Ds, and even some Fs, to nothing but As and Bs. I slowly started to gain my confidence back in all of my classes and even myself. By the time the third and fourth quarter came around, I had been on the honor roll twice, and I was receiving awards from speeches and debates, tennis and school. Southside has taught me to always keep my head up and never give up on myself no matter what life throws at me. I am proud to be a Southside Tiger. What is mainly talked about in Para 3? A) The writer's appreciation for her tutor. B) The writer's various hobbies. C) The writer's new discovery at school. D) The writer's achievements at school.
D
A yoga master made a shocking statement that Abraham Lincoln had been a Himalayan yogi in a past life.Lincoln delivered a proclamation setting up Thanksgiving as an American holiday in 1863.Research throws light on a possible Hindu origin for the American celebration of Thanksgiving. "The holiday of Thanksgiving has a Hindu origin," says Richard Salva, author of a book on the reincarnation of Abraham Lincoln entitled Soul Journey: From Lincoln to Lindbergh which is based on a statement by the great master of yoga, Paramhamsa Yogananda, who declared that Abraham Lincoln had been a Himalayan yogi in a past life, and that he was reborn as the famous pilot, Charles Lindbergh. "During my search for signs of a past-life yoga practice," SaIva said, "I noticed that President Lincoln repeatedly chose Thursdays as national days of prayer, fasting ,and thanksgiving.This was interesting, because Thursday is considered a holy day -- a day for prayer, fasting, and spiritual reflection -- among Hindus, who call it "guru day"." "Lincoln also set aside time on Thursdays to grieve for his son,Willie, who died in Washington.Clearly, Thursdays had a spiritual significance in Lincoln's mind. In his book, Richard Salva presents more than 500 connections between Lincoln, Lindergh, and the ancient spiritual science of yoga. The connections run through every aspect of the human condition and provide convincing evidence that Lincoln had had a Hindu past life. More than one out of every five Americans today believes in reincarnation--yet few are aware of how past-life patterns affect them. Soul Journey tries to fill this gap, by offering a substitute experience of reincarnation. Through clear and persuasive similarities between the lives of Lincoln and Lindbergh, the book discovers how the hidden laws of fate and reincarnation impact the events of his or her daily life. It addresses other issues, such as the secret spiritual history of America's greatest president, including his past life as a Himalayan yogi; the hidden clues that... Based on Richard Salva's view, _ . A) Hindus started the holiday of Thanksgiving B) the Americans copied Thanksgiving from Hindus C) Charles Lindbergh had been a Himalayan yogi D) Thanksgiving had Hindus roots
D
Q: You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times a day without thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD of America, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. "The lift becomes this interesting social space where manners are sort of strange, "Gray told the BBC, "They are socially very interesting but often very awkward places." We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, lift users unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want -- it's your own little box. If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally across from each other to create distance. When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle. New comers to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple -- look down, or look at your phone. Why are we so awkward in lifts? "You don't have enough space," Professor Renneberg, a German psychologist, told the BBC. "Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm's length of distance between us. And that's not possible in most elevators. The easiest way not to be awkward is to avoid eye contact." According to Gray, when people enter an elevator, they usually _ . A) turn around and greet one another B) look around or examine their phone C) make eye contact with those in the elevator D) try to keep a distance from other people
A: D
(Question)
A man in a very splendid restaurant started to take off his jacket. Seeing this, the head waiter dashed to his table and said, " I'm afraid I must ask you to keep your jacket on, sir, for it is not good manners to do it in such a smart restaurant." "Now listen," said the man, "I'll let you know that the Queen of England gave me permission to remove my jacket here." "The Queen of England?" said the waiter in great surprise. "Sure," replied the man, " When I was in England last month, a friend of mine who had a very important position in high society took me to see the Queen. It was rather hot, so I started taking my coat off. The Queen looked over and said, "You may do that in the United States, but you may not do it here. " So I got the Queen's permission, right? It is certain that the story happened _ . A) in England B) in the Queen's party C) in America D) in an ordinary restaurant
(Answer)
C