One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap . On September 11th, 1958, mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my arms, saying, "I promised you a gift, and here it is." What an honor! I became four years old a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told stories. I told it again and again how much I loved it! One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard mum and dad whispering such words as "hopeless", "pitiful"and "dying", and all these words sounded _ Christmas was coming. "Don't expect any presents this year," Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living rooms. "If your baby brother lives, that'll be Christmas enough." As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. I had never seen him cry before. The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, "What? He's all right?"He hung up and shouted upstairs. "The hospital said we can bring Richard home!" "Thank God!" I heard mum cry. From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty:they were filled with love! Which is the best title of the passage? A) A Sad Christmas Day B) Life With a Lovely Baby C) A Special Christmas Gift D) Memories of a Happy Family
C
(Question)
From a college designed specifically for high school students to one that doesn't provide students with grades, here are some of the country's most unique institutions. *Berea College, Berea, Kentucky The first interracial, co-educational college in the South, Berea specializes in attracting students who may be otherwise unable to afford a college education. Berea students come from families with an average household income of $30,000, which is why the school's financial aid program is so important. *Deep Springs College, Deep Springs, California Deep Springs, formerly an all-male school, has one of the smallest student bodies in the country at 26. The college accepts only 10% of its applicants, and maintains its own cattle herd. Students enjoy the school's isolated location -- 45 miles away from the nearest established town. Electricity is produced mainly through solar power, and the college sometimes even sells electricity to Pacific Gas & Electric. *The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington At Evergreen, students don't receive traditional letter grades. Instead, professors issue narrative evaluations of students' work at the end of each term. The curriculum is structured around the "Coordinated Studies Program", which focuses on providing students with a well-rounded education across a number of different areas. The college sits on 1,000 breathtaking acres, a portion of it on Puget Sound. *Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts Considered an "experimenting" college because of its constantly changing curriculum, Hampshire College doesn't feature a traditional grading system. Instead, the school requires students to complete three different divisions, which feature different classes. Once the project is completed, it's not given a grade, but a written evaluation, as other projects students complete throughout their time at Hampshire are. How are the students judged in Hampshire College? A) By receiving traditional letter grades. B) By using a computer examination grading system C) By evaluating their performance of three divisions. D) By checking if they can design financial aid programs.
(Answer)
C
Ques: As wild animal lovers are not content with watching tigers and gorillas during the day, a growing number of zoos in the US are offering a more thrilling after-dark experience -- overnight stays. The Philadelphia Zoo is America's first zoo and home to more than 1,300 animals. It has been running its Roars and Snores Overnight Programs for about 20 years. The most popular theme program is the Night Flight Overnight Program where children aged 5 to 12 sleep in the zoo's tree house. The overnight stays are not only popular with young children. Most overnight stays include a night tour during which youngsters experience the mysterious sights and unusual sounds of the zoo. A midnight snack and breakfast are also served. "It is a unique experience to be at the zoo without the crowds and additional noise," explained Patterson, of the Denver Zoo, which has been running its Bunk with the Beasts program since 1998. With nearly 4,000 animals and 700 species the zoo attracts more than 1.8 million visitors a year. "The things you hear and see in the zoo are completely different," said Patterson. On Denver's two-hour tours, night vision scopes are provided so guests can see nocturnal animals such as owls, and indoor educational games increase the learning experience. Patterson said parents tend to be more worried about leaving their children than the children themselves. They have rarely had to call up a parent in the middle of the night. "They love it," Patterson said about the children. "For many, it's their first overnight stay away from home. They are so excited that by the end of the day they are so tired that they have no opportunity to worry." "Guests at the new overnight program at the Queens Zoo make breakfast treats for animals, and watch the keepers feed them to the animals," said Education Curator Tome Hurtubise. The growing popularity of overnight programs has caused zoos that only serve day-time visitors to think again. The Queens Zoo, which started their program this year, is so pleased with its success... Which of the following words best describe the children who stay in the zoo overnight? A) Excited and worried. B) Amused and frightened. C) Worried and amused. D) Excited and tired.
Ans: D
Question: Today, when a man steps on to the moon, or something new and important happens, the world learns about it immediately. What did the newspapers say about that first flight in 1903? Strangely enough, they said hardly anything about it at all. There are only a few reports about it in the papers. These reports said very little. Some of the things they said were not even correct. In 1904 the Wrights built a second machine. They called it " _ No. Two". They invited some reporters to a field near Dayton to watch them fly. Unfortunately, there was some mechanical trouble with the plane and it did not fly at all that day. The newspapermen went away. They were disappointed and did not come back. The Wrights went on with their work. In 1905, they built an even better machine, "Flyer No Three". They were able to stay upon the air for half an hour and more in the machine. Farmers and travelers on the road around the Dayton often saw them flying, but when three people told newspapermen about it, they refused to believe them. The Wrights offered "Flyer No. Three" to the United States government. The government was not interested. They seemed to think the Wrights wanted money in order to build a plane. They did not understand the Wrights had already done this, and flown it as well. Experts were still saying that mechanical flight was impossible. At the end of 1905, the two brothers took their planes to pieces. The parts were put into a huge wooden box. It seemed nobody was interested. The U.S. government could not understand that _ . A) the Wrights had already built a machine that could fly B) experts still thought flight was impossible C) the Wrights wanted more money to build an airplane D) "Flyer No. Three" was now in a wooden case
Answer:
A