Read the article and select the best answer. Article: In the Caucasus Mountains of Russia, nearly fifty out of every one hundred thousand people live to celebrate their hundredth birthday, and many don't stop at 100! By comparison, in America only three in one hundred thousand people reach 100. But these Russian old people aren't alone. The Pakistanis, who live in the Himalaya Mountains and the Ecuadorans of the Andes Mountains , seem to share the secret of long life, too. These people remain healthy in body and spirit in spite of the passage of time. While many persons in industrial societies become weak and ill in their 60s and 70s, some Caucasians, aged 110 to 140, work in the fields beside their great grandchildren. Even the idea of aging is foreign to them. When asked, "at what age does youth end?" most of these old people had no answer. Several replied, "well perhaps at the age of 80," and the very youngest estimate was at the age of 60. What accounts for this ability to survive to such an old age, and to survive so well? First of all, hard physical work is a way of life for all these long - lived people. They begin their long days of physical labor as children and never seem to stop. All these people get healthful rewards from the environment in which they work. They all come from mountainous regions. This reduced - oxygen environment makes the heart and blood vessel system stronger. Another factor that may contribute to the good health of these people is their isolation. To a great extent, they are separated from the pressures and worries of industrial society. Inherited factors also play some role. It is clear that isolation from urban pressures and pollution, clean mountain air, daily hard work, moderate diets, good genes, and a youthful approach to life all contribute to the health and long life of all these people. Question: From the writer's viewpoint, industrial society _ . Options: A: is highly developed and beneficial to people B: is a great advance in human history C: is full of pressures and therefore bad for people's health D: can make people's life better and better
C

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Dear Cassy, Thanks for reminding me by e-mail that you want to baby-sit our children. Although you are only 12 years old, my wife and I would be willing to consider your application if you can meet a few requirements: 1)Send us three letters from teachers who will prove that you have never failed to follow instructions perfectly in class and never failed to hand in your homework on time. 2)Send us a note from two doctors who will prove that you are in perfect health, have never been sick, and never will be sick. 3)Send us a document from your physical education teacher or team coach that proves that you can do each of the following: Run two miles in less than four minutes, climb an oiled rope to a height of twenty feet in thirty seconds while balancing a glass of water on your nose, and walk in bare feet over hot coals and broken glass without injury. 4)Send us notarized letters from at least two mental health experts saying that you have never had an envious thought towards other people. 5)Play and defeat five expert chess players while blindfolded after going without sleep for 48 hours. 6)Wait patiently for two years while we have investigators certify that all your documents are real. Your loving and trusting friends, The Smiths Question: Which of the requirements mentioned by the Smiths do you think Cassy can meet? Options: A: All of them B: Half of them C: None of them D: Most of them
C

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Almost everyone suffers from a headache occasionally. But some people suffer from repeated, frequent headaches. What is headache? What causes it? What can be done about a headache? What research is being done on headaches? The dictionary defines headache simply as "a pain in the head." What most people mean by headache is a pain which lasts several minutes or hours. It covers the whole head, or one side of it, or perhaps the front or the back of the head. To add to the confusion about a definition, some people call tight feeling in the head a headache. A headache is important because it can be the first warning of a serious condition which probably could be controlled if discovered early. If a person removes the warning, day after day, with a pain-killer, he may pass the point of easy control. The professional name for covering up a symptom is "masking" (,). A headache specialist once said, "Masking symptoms is not the best way of treatment." He compared taking a pain-killer for a headache before a cause is known with taking iron pills for anemia while bleeding continues undiscovered. He added, "Sometimes it is wiser to stand still than to advance in darkness. A headache is important also because it interferes needlessly with normal, happy living. The employee with a headache does less work. In a flash of temper he may upset his fellow workers or customers, causing a direct of indirect loss to his organization. The mother with a headache suffers and disturbs the family. She upsets her husband and children. Question: What's the main idea of the passage? Options: A: Specialists know what a headache is. B: What's a headache and its effect. C: Everyone suffers from a headache occasionally. D: A headache can warn you of something serious.
B

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: A few years ago I was shopping with a friend and his 12-year-old daughter in downtown San Francisco.A street musician,whom my friend happened to know from his own musician day,was playing the saxophone on a street corner.His name was Clifford,and he had attracted a large crowd with his performance.After he finished,my friend introduced him to me and his daughter.Clifford asked her if she played any instrument.When she replied that she was taking trumpet lessons and played in her junior high school band,he said,"That's fine,little lady.Learn your instrument well and you can play anything."Somehow these simple yet wise words struck me as suitable not only for a trumpet player but also for a reader.If you learn to read well,you can read anything you want--not just newspapers and magazines,but more difficult material like philosophy,film criticism,military history--whatever interests you as your confidence grows.You would not be limited in any way.If you have the vocabulary -or at least a good dictionary near at hand--you can pick up a book,concentrate on it, and make sense of the writer's words. In the United States,reading instruction often ends at elementary school,so students sometimes have difficulty as they progress through school.They must take their assignments,armed only with their elementary,school reading skills.The result,too often,is frustration and loss of confidence.And the assigned reading in your college courses will be even greater than they were in high school.Developing Reading Skills is designed to accomplish several tasks:to show you the skills that will enable you to read with greater comprehension,to help you deal with reading assignment with confidence,and to teach you to become an active reader. Question: With good reading skills,you can _ . Options: A: understand anything you read without difficulty B: work out the writer's meaning if only you concentrate on the book C: understand what you read with the help of a good dictionary D: Concentrate on whatever you read
B