*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Kiss crisis, hug horrors and the UK's handshake headaches Greeting someone, saying goodbye - these situations fill me with unease. You have a second to make a dangerous decision. One peck ? Two pecks? Three? No kisses at all? Why, I think, as I crash into the other person's face, why can't it be as simple as a handshake? A survey by the soap company Radox in May showed one in five Brits now feels a handshake is "too formal", according to the Daily Mail. Some 42 percent said they never shook hands when greeting friends. For one third of people the alternative was a hug, for 16 percent a kiss on the cheek. British people are known to be reserved - unfriendly, some would say. Handshakes used to work for us because we didn't have to get too close. But the super-British handshake is no longer fashionable. We want to be more like our easygoing Mediterranean neighbors who greet each other with kisses and hugs. The trouble is, we still find it a bit awkward. What does a married man do when greeting a married female friend, for example? How should someone younger greet someone older? Guys don't tend to kiss one another; my male friends in Britain go for the "manly hug", taking each other stiffly in one arm and giving a few thumps on the back with words like "Take it easy, yeah?". The biggest questions, if you do decide to kiss, are how many times and which cheek first. Unlike the French, who comfortably deliver three, our cheek-pecks usually end in embarrassed giggling : "Oh, gosh, sorry, I didn't mean to kiss you on the lips, I never know where to aim for first!" But then it's never been easy for us poor, uncomfortable Brits. Even the handshake had its problems: don't shake too hard, but don't hold the other person's hand too limply either, and definitely don't go in with sweaty hands. Maybe it's better to leave it at a smile and a nod. Question: What is the article mainly about? Options: A: Origin of the traditional British way of greeting someone. B: New trends and problems that Brits have with the way they greet people. C: Why the author feels uneasy when greeting someone or saying goodbye. D: Differences in greetings between Britain and other Western countries.
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: In 1996 I wanted to buy a Honda Civic. I went to the local dealer. "Oh, you want a Civic, do you?" said the fellow. "And I suppose you'd also like us to throw in a couple of front-row Superbowl tickets? Haw! Haw! Haw! Haw!" When his laughter ended, he explained that the Civic was such a hit in Europe that Honda was getting an extra $ 2,000 per car there, making Civic practically unavailable in the States. But he did offer to let me add my name to the waiting list--if I agreed to pay $1,000 over the sticker price. When Honda dealerships No. 2 and No. 3 gave me the same story, I was ready to try anything. I carefully looked over to www.autobytel.com. For a _ like me, Auto-By-Tel's scheme is nearly irresistible. You indicate the car you want to buy, compete with the freedom to choose. The nearest participating car dealer mails you back with a cut rate offer. There's no charge for any of this -- and no obligation to accept the offer. It surely seemed no less to me. Sure enough, two days later, a dealer 30 minutes away wrote me. "Unfortunately, 96 Civics are in very short supply," his message said, "The best we can offer you is $1,200 under sticker price. "I was in happiness. Ah! Bliss! Ah, saving! Ah, revenge! When I picked up the car, it got better. Since there was no haggling , the dealership fellow was friendly and congratulatory instead of everything. Now this, I thought, is the way to buy a car. Auto-By-Tel makes money by charging a fee to each participating dealer. The dealers make money by receiving hundreds of ready-to-buy customer names off the Web. And you save money because your price doesn't reflect advertising, test drives, sales commissions, and so on. My only regret is that I didn't think up Auto-By-Tel first. Question: What do you think of the Auto-By-Tel? Options: A: It makes money by not giving taxes. B: It is good at advertising. C: It is good at the business. D: It makes money by cheating customers.
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Life-long learning is the concept that "It's never too soon or too late for learning." -- a philosophy that has taken root in a larger number of different organizations. Life-long learning is an attitude -- learners believe that one can and should be open to new ideas, decisions, skills or behaviors. Life-long learning throws the well-known rule "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" out of the door. Life-long learning provides the general public with learning opportunities at all ages and in different ways: at work, at home and through leisure activities, not just through formal channels such as school and higher education. Life-long education is often achieved through distance learning or e-learning, continuing education, home schooling, etc. It also includes training programs for those who want to improve their qualifications, bring their skills up to date or retrain for a new line of work. In later life, especially in retirement, continued learning takes various forms, crossing traditional academic limits. One of the reasons why life-long education has become so important is the rapid progress of modern science and technology. Although the period of primary, secondary and university education is increased, the knowledge and skills gained there are usually not _ for a professional career spanning three or four decades. Question: What is the main idea behind life-long education? Options: A: To force people to keep in learning new skills throughout their working life. B: To provide teachers with extra income. C: To allow people to have chances to receive education throughout their life. D: To prevent students from learning at school.
**Answer**
C