*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Retail therapy has long been considered as a good way to let off stress. Now, US scientists have discovered not only does retail therapy exist,but that it could be caused by an individual's fear of sudden death. Researchers found materialistic people thought terrorism and war more stressful than others. Psychologists believe the rise of materialism around the world and its treatment effect on extreme stress might be a response to fear of death caused by acts of terrorism, disease and natural disasters. The scientists from Michigan State University said people with possession obsessions often have lower self-esteem than others so are more likely to shop as the result of severe psychological suffering. Ayalla Ruvio,a business professor studying people's shopping habits while rockets fell in Israel, said, "When the going gets tough, the materialistic people go shopping. This stress spending is likely to produce even greater stress and lower well-being. Essentially, materialism appears to make bad events even worse. Dr Ruvio led a two-part study of Israeli citizens living in a town that came under extreme rocket attacks for about six months in 2007. She compared 139 residents of the southern town with 170 from another town that was not under attack to see how their symptoms of post-traumatic stress and shopping habits varied. Dr Ruvio found that, when faced with a deadly threat, those who are highly materialistic suffered much higher levels of stress,while their tendency to shop was increased. Dr Ruvio said, "The relationship between materialism and stress may be more harmful than commonly thought." The second stage of their research surveyed 855 Americans about their materialistic nature and fear of death. They found shopping was used to relieve feelings of stress and anxiety about death but this was in response to fear of a variety of life-threatening events like car accidents, criminal attacks and natural disasters. Question: What's the main idea of the passage? Options: A: Greater stress can lead to shopping. B: Greater stress can cause a lot of diseases C: Shopping is very important in people's life. D: Can shopping reduce the stress and relieve the fear of death?
**Answer**
D

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: There is more to tourism in Britain than you might think. When you think of tourist sites in Britain, what do you think of? Big Ben and the Tower of London? Lock Ness? Shakespeare's birthplace at Strafford-upon-Avon? There are many famous tourist attractions in the UK and they attract millions of visitors each year. But along with the famous names there are thousands of other interesting places that are only open to the public for a few days each year. Heritage Open Days takes place each September and lets the public visit places that would normally be out of bounds. Among the thousands of historic sites there are castles and factories, town halls and churches. Here we look at some of the places that most tourists might not know about. Roman Baths --- Chester These Roman baths are almost two thousand years old and a fascinating insight into the history of the city but they aren't often open to visitors because they are under a clothes shop and a shop that sells baked potatoes! In Open Days week, visitors can go downstairs to the basement of the shops and find a little piece of history. Tennis Club --- Birmingham Edgbaston Tennis Club opened in 1860 and is the oldest tennis club in the world. Visitors can see the club's collection of tennis clothes and equipment and learn about the game's rich history. Ardman Animation --- Bristol The studios that produced the famous Wallace and Gromit animated films open its doors to the public to let people find out more about how the films are made. Paddock Wood --- Kent A family house where some of the rooms are unchanged since the 1920s. The home's owner, Sarah Hamilton, is happy to open her doors to the public, saying "I'm passionate about history and I love taking to people." These are just a few of the thousands of places to visit each year. If you're visiting Britain in September ---- look out for Open Days! Question: Which place might be most attractive to movie fans? Options: A: Paddock Wood --- Kent B: Tennis Club --- Birmingham C: Roman Baths --- Chester D: Ardman Animation --- Bristol
**Answer**
D

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Greg Woodburn, a student at the University of Southern California, spends a lot of time cleaning sneakers he collected.But soon the shoes will be sent to poor children in the United States and 20 other countries, thanks to Woodburn's Share Our Soles (S.O.S.) charity. A high school track star in the town of Ventura, California, Woodburn was treated in hospital for months with knee and hip injuries. "I started thinking about the health benefits, the friendship and the confidence I got from running," he says, "And I realized there are children who don't even have shoes." Woodburn gathered up his old sneakers, then asked his friends to donate.His goal was to have 100 pairs by Christmas this year.When he collected more than 500 pairs, he decided to turn the shoe drive into a year-round endeavor. Back then, the sneakers came from donation boxes at the YMCA and the local sporting goods store and from door-to-door pickups.Woodburn has now set up collection boxes at two high schools, city gym and recreation center.He has started accepting adult sizes and sandals.So far, S.O.S has collected and donated more than 3,000 pairs. Woodburn has cleaned all the shoes.After sorting the shoes by size, Woodburn selects the good shoes for the washing machine and the worn-out ones for recycling. To ship the footwear, Woodburn teamed with Sports Gift, a nonprofit organization that provides soccer and baseball equipment to children around the world.Keven Baxter, founder and president, says, "We'd send kids balls and shoes.I've heard that for many of these kids, these old sneakers are the only shoes they had.They wear them to school and to do sports.So Greg's running shoes were a nice addition for us." For many recipients, the shoes represent opportunity.Two young boys in Southern California attended school on alternate days because they shared a pair of shoes.They were too big for one boy and too small for the other.Thanks to S.O.S., each brother received his own pair of shoes.The boys now attend school daily and enjoy their... Question: How did Woodburn manage to deliver the shoes collected? Options: A: By sending them by mail. B: By working with Sports Gift. C: By advertising for those in need. D: By offering them from door to door.
**Answer**
B