*Question*
"The world has never been a better place to live in" says science writer Matt Ridley, "and it will keep on getting better." Read on to see how Ridley makes his case. Right or wrong? You decide. Compared with 50 years ago, when I was just four years old, people now make nearly three times as much money, eat one third more food and expect to live one third longer. In fact, it's hard to find any areas of the world that's worse off now than it was then, even though the world population has more than doubled over that period. One reason we are richer, healthier, taller, cleverer, longer-lived and freer than ever before is that the four most basic human needs--food, clothing, fuel and shelter--have grown much cheaper. Take one example: In 1800, a candle providing one hour's light cost six hours' work. In the 1880s, the same light from a lamp took 15 minutes' work to pay for. In 1950, it was eight seconds. Today, it's half a second. In these terms, we are 43,200 times better off than in1800. In the United States, rivers, lakes, seas and air are getting cleaner all the time. A car today produces less pollution traveling at full speed than a parked car did from leaks in 1970. Although the world population is growing, the rate of increase has been falling for 50 years. Across the world, national birth rates are lower now than in 1960, and in the less developed world, the birth rate has almost halved. According to a research report from the United Nations, population will start falling once it reaches 9.2 billion in 2075. After all, there are already seven billion people on earth, and they are eating better and better. In 1970s, there were 550 billion barrels of oil reserves in the world, and in the 20 years that followed the world used up 600 billion. So by 1990, reserves should have been overused by 50 billion barrels. Instead, it is reported there are 900 billion today. They will last for many years and people will find something in place of oil long before they run out. The more we develop, the more we can... Which of the following can be the best title for the passage? A) Never Give Up B) Cheer Up C) Don't Be Sad D) Think Out
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Here are two pictures. You can see a man and a boy in one picture. Who are they? The man is Mr. Brown, and the boy's name is Jack. They are father and son. They are in Jack's room. Now let's look at the other picture. You can see a woman and a little girl in it. The woman is Jack's mother and the girl is her daughter, Ann. They're in Ann's room. You can see a photo of the family on the white wall. A clock is on the table. It's eleven. What's that on the floor? Oh, it's Ann's hat, but it looks *like a white cat. In Ann's room we can see _ . A) a bookcase B) a clock C) a CD D) a cat
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Sydney Tower Address: 100 Market St, Sydney Phone: 02 9333 9222 Fax: 02 9333 9203 Open time: 9:00am to 10:30pm ( Saturday to 11:30 pm) Ticket: $ 60 (for an adult) $ 30 (for a child) Website: www. Sydneytower .com. au How to get there: train to Town Hall Station and a short walk along Market Street. How to book tickets: by phone/ fax or through the web Attraction: Sydney's best views are just the beginning ! Sydney Tower takes you to the highest point above Sydney for exciting 360degviews of our beautiful city. S ydney Tower is _ in Sydney, Australia. A) The busiest street B) the biggest station C) the most beautiful D) the highest point
**Answer**
D

*Question*
A science book gives facts. Some science books tell us about animals. Some tell us about plants. Some tell us about outer space. This page tells us about animals. Do you know that not only the fish but also some animals live in the sea? For example, the whale is not a fish. It can't breathe in the water. It swims in the water. But it comes up for air. The blue whale is the world's biggest animal. There are other sea animals, too. One is called the dolphin. Dolphins need air to live. They breathe air, as whales do. Dolphins are very clever. They sometimes seem to speak to each other. Many other animals live near the sea. Seals and otters love the sea. They swim and play there. They eat fish and sea plants. Seals and otters have thick fur. The fur keeps them warm. Some sea animals can keep themselves warm because _ . A) they are big animals B) they like playing in the sea C) they have thick fur D) they eat enough food every day
**Answer**
C