*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The addictive pull of Internet shopping is dragging thousands of victims into a rise of debt, including thousands of women who have run up huge credit card bills they cannot repay. The appeal of 24-hour access and the explosion in goods and services on offer has seen a 10 percent increase in credit card debts in the UK this year. Much of it has accounted for online spending. The latest report on Internet usage shows the number of adults logging on at home has risen from 10 million in October last year to 15.5m this month. The report by Continental Research, which has monitored Internet access in the UK for the past six years, found that while online shopping used to be experimental it is now becoming habitual, especially for women. Colin Shaddick, who heads the company, said, "Women are logging on in record numbers ---online shopping has certainly played a big role in this." The study found that average annual spending online is PS700 a year for each Internet shopper. The draw of the Internet is especially strong for collectors. Business lecturer Stephen Hall, who has been buying and selling books since he was a child, now has a collection worth PS40,000. He is passionate about the opportunities offered by shopping online. "You can find a book in minutes that you could spend months hunting down at auctions or second-hand bookshops," he said. "It can easily become addictive, and all the collectors I know use the Internet. I suspect you do waste money because you are less likely to send back a book to Little Rock, Arkansas, than take it back to the high-street shop." Like Stephen Hall, most of us can shop online sensibly---but for some it provides an easy, anonymous and accessible way to feed their habit. It also provides secrecy---a central part of any addiction. Dr Samantha Haslett, a psychologist and expert in addiction at the Promos counseling centre, said, "It's compulsive in the same way as alcohol and gambling, and addicts find themselves completely unable to stop themselves, despite debt mounting... Question: According to Dr. Samantha Haslett, we can draw a conclusion that _ . Options: A: the main reason for ruining people's marriage contributes to shopping online B: it is the convenience of Internet that brings about people's shopping addiction C: a great many things women purchase on the Internet are of little practical use D: spending money by clicking the mouse can satisfy customers' desire greatly
**Answer**
D

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: By 2050, half of the world's population will live in the tropics--the ly warm belt that circles the globe--according to State of the Tropics, a report released today. Rapid population growth, along with economic growth, means that the region's influence will grow in coming decades, the authors of the 500-page work predict. The project, first launched in 2011, aimed to answer one significant question: Is life in the tropics improving? To find out, the researchers analyzed environmental, social, and economic indicators collected over 6 decades. It finds that the region has made "extraordinary progress" in many areas. For example, more people have access to safe drinking water, and the number of protected areas is increasing. The tropics also have outperformed the rest of the world in economic growth over the past 30 years. However, some challenges remain. Investment in research and development, for example, has increased cautiously, but tropical nations still invest less than the rest of the world. "As a proportion of GDP the Rest of the World invests almost four times as much in research and development than the Tropics." concludes the report. The report also includes a new analysis of how climate change will affect the region. Many plant and animal species are moving poleward in an attempt to stay within their preferred environmental conditions in the tropics, the authors write. However, some organisms may not be able to keep pace with the changing conditions, they predict. As a result, they can experience population declines or go extinct. In addition, an expanded tropical zone also threatens health and safety issues, the authors warn. As regions become more suitable to insects such as mosquitoes and ticks, the spread of insect-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, and Lyme disease could rise, causing a burden to human health and the economy. Bruna, a researcher, says he sees a lot to be concerned about in the report. "While we've made incredible advances in some areas, I think the risks for the tropics... Question: Which of the following best describes the writer's attitude? Options: A: Critical. B: Optimistic. C: Objective. D: Subjective.
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Dear Editor, I have just returned home after studying for a year in Germany. But it seems that my parents don't understand me now. They expect me to be the same person I was before I went abroad, but I'm not! Why can't they let me be myself? Jimmy Hi, Jimmy, As far as I know, people who have lived abroad often find that the adjustment to returning home is more difficult than their adjustment to living in a foreign culture. Why? We expect to have some problems when we go to a new place, speak a different language and learn the rules of a different culture ... But home? ... we know that place! Your parents expect that the same person who boarded the airplane one year ago will be returning. Especially if they have never been abroad themselves, your parents probably won't understand the changes that living abroad can cause in a person. On the other hand, you may have maintained an ideal mental image of your loved ones while abroad, an image that is broken into pieces when you return. Remember you have been living a different lifestyle in your host country, and you have probably become very independent while staying there alone. Now that you're home, you will be expected to conform again to the lifestyle of your family. As a result, you may be upset about your parents' involvement in your life. Communication is the key to overcoming this problem. Tell your parents how you are feeling. Share with them information about cultural re-entry , and ask them to be patient. This does not mean that you have to forget your experience and give up everything you've learned! Learn to find a balance between the old and new, just as you did when first adjusting to your host country's culture. Question: What is Jimmy's main purpose in writing the letter? Options: A: To criticize his parents. B: To ask for advice about his studies. C: To complain about his parents. D: To ask for help.
**Answer**
D

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Terrible disasters in the last 50 or 100 years have become increasingly common. Over the last 30 years, the number of weather-related disasters has increased quickly, and the disasters have also affected more people and caused more economic loss. However, much of this could be avoided through disaster risk reduction(DRR). A meeting, held in Sendai, Japan last month, opened one day after Cyclone Pam(Pam)hit Vanuatu, which struck the islands with winds of up to 340km/h and destroyed the island nation. The speech by the President of Vanuatu was given shortly after that. He begged the international community for support and stronger commitment to helping them manage climate and disaster risks. In the face of disasters, it is always the developing countries that suffer most. Damage in these countries is often worse and unluckily, there is limited money and technique to prevent these disasters. In fact, we have seen Asian countries-especially those that have suffered a lot in disasters can't pay the price. Great loss Asia has suffered comes to a total of almost $ 53 billon yearly over the past 20 years. At the same time, studies have shown once again that proper prevention saves lives and damage. With this in mind, people at the Sendai meeting were able to come up with new agreements that effective ways of disaster risk reduction will be carried out in the coming years for those who easily get damaged in disasters. Question: Which of the following can be the title of this news report? Options: A: Proper ways that save lives and damage have come up. B: The Sendai meeting has made new commitments. C: Natural disasters have become more common. D: Some natural disasters can be reduced and avoided.
**Answer**
D