*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Local businessmen are increasingly facing competition from on line retailers. Larry Pollock, owner of Camera Co/Op on South Congress, said he has been dealing with this kind of problem for years, even before the Internet. The struggle began with mail-order catalogues, which are similar to online retailers in that they have few employees to pay, no sales tax fees and no business venue to lease and manage. "Their overhead is lower, but they don't offer a service like we do," Pollock said. Pollock, however, said providing a valuable service to customers does not always guarantee continued sales. "We spend 30 minutes to an hour with somebody and they go home and buy it online," he said. According to the state comptroller's office, online shopping is developing at a more rapid rate than traditional businesses. In spite of how fair or unfair online shopping may be to the local businessmen, consumers will continue to turn to the Internet for its variety and accessibility, said Mitch Wilson, an online shopper. "You have a larger selection and it's easier to compare prices." Wilson said he built his personal computer and paid a third of the price by shopping online. "Before the Internet, I would have had to go and buy an assembled computer from somebody like Dell," he said. "Before I started shopping online I could never find all the pieces I wanted. No single store had everything needed, so shopping online saved me from having to buy from Dell." Janny Brazeal, a psychology freshman, said online shopping is too impersonal. "I'd rather see it in person, touch it, know that I'm getting it," she said. Brazeal also said she would not give out her credit card number or other personal information online no matter how safe the site claims it is. Question: More people like online shopping because _ . Options: A: the consumers can easily compare a variety of goods on line B: it's easy for consumers to get what they want C: it's cheaper to buy what they need from on-line retailers D: all above
**Answer**
D

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Baths and bathing have long been considered of medical importance to man. In Greece there are the ruins of a water system for baths built over 3,000 years ago. The Romans had warm public baths. In some baths, as many 3,000 persons could bathe at the same time. Treating disease by taking bathing has been popular for centuries. Modern medical bathing first became popular in Europe and by the late 1700's has also become popular in the United States. For many years frequent bathing was believed to be bad for one's health. Ordinary bathing just to keep clean was avoided , and _ was often used to cover up body smells! By the 1700's doctors began to say that soap and water were good for health. They believed that it was good for people to be clean. Slowly, people began to bathe more frequently. During the Victorian Age of the late 19th century, taking a bath on Saturday night became common. In the United States ordinary bathing was slow to become popular. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, many Americans were known as "The Great Unwashed!" In one American city , for example, a person was only allowed to take a bath every thirty days! That was a law! Frequency of bathing today is partly a matter of habit. People know that bathing for cleanliness is important to health, Doctors know that dirty bodies increase the chance of diseases. As a result, in the United States, people generally bathe often. Some people bathe once a day at least. They consider a daily bath essential to good health. Question: A water system for baths was built by _ over 3,000 years ago. Options: A: the Romans B: the Greeks C: the Americans D: the Europeans
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Christmas, Easter and birthday parties can be difficult times for grandmothers and parents as they rush around trying to arrange the perfect celebration or making everyone as happy as possible! What's better than a birthday party that makes your grandchild smile throughout or a celebration that impresses relatives and close friends? That is why Granny Look has supplied in this section, one of the most comprehensive guides to making these special occasions that happen perhaps once a year a real success. From a selection of Advent calendars to party planning or Christmas-stocking fillers we have all the possibilities covered so that your children and grandchildren will really have a memorable time with attractive gifts and original ideas. Bring that festive spirit to all those traditional days, and ensure you are always ready for any possibility. Granny Look's extensive links are bound to make every special occasion an entirely different experience from the year before and allow everyone to feel entertained and content. CHRISTMAS-STOCKING FILLERS Look no further! Granny Look helps the family to prepare in time for FATHER CHRISTMAS. Give SANTACLAUS some ideas. He can fill all the children's Christmas-stockings with goodies! Unique Christmas gifts for children -- stocking fillers. A Granny Look favorite! ADVENT CALENDARS All children love the build-up to CHRISTMAS! What is better than choosing one of Granny Look's selection of Advent Calendars! Here you will find a list of websites to buy traditional or fun Advent calendars for children at Christmas time. A Granny Look favorite! BIRTHDAYS LOOKING for a SPECIAL BIRTHDAY GIFT? Explore Granny Look's selection of PRESENTS, PARTYPLANNING, PARTY TOYS and PARTY GAMES for your Children and Grandchildren's BIRTHDAYS. Plan and organize the KIDDIE'S PARTIES ahead of time!! Don't forget the PERSONALISED INVITATIONS! CHRISTMAS LOOK and BOOK now!! Granny Look's selection of CHRISTMAS GIFTS for children. Some guides to "What's on in your area"... for the kids, PANTOS, SHOWS,... Question: According to the passage, we can infer _ . Options: A: you can only get special ideas for Christmas, Easter and birthday parties B: in Granny Look you can buy many traditional or fun Advent calendars for children at Christmas time C: there is no personalized invitation in Granny Look for you to select D: Granny Look provides a wide range of links for people to prepare for special occasions
**Answer**
D

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Community service is an important component of education here at our university. We encourage all students to volunteer for at least one community activity before they graduate. A new community program called "One On One" helps elementary students who've fallen behind. Your education majors might be especially interested in it because it offers the opportunity to do some teaching, that is, tutoring in math and English. You'd have to volunteer two hours a week for one semester. You can choose to help a child with math, English, or both. Half-hour lessons are fine, so you could do a half hour of each subject two days a week. Professor Dodge will act as a mentor to the tutors-he'll be available to help you with lesson plans or to offer suggestions for activities. He has office hours every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. You can sign up for the program with him and begin the tutoring next week. I'm sure you'll enjoy this community service...and you'll gain valuable experience at the same time. It looks good on your resume, too, showing that you've had experience with children and that you care about your community. If you'd like to sign up, or if you have any questions, stop by Professor Dodge's office this week. Question: Whom do you think the speaker talks to? _ Options: A: Teachers. B: Students. C: Residents. D: Parents.
**Answer**
B