Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Before the mid 1860's, the impact of the railroads in the United States was limited, in the sense that the tracks ended at this Missouri River, approximately the center of the country. At the point thetrains turned their freight, mail, and passengers over to steamboats, wagons, and stagecoaches. This meant that wagon freighting, stage coaching, and steam boating did not come to an end when the first train appeared; rather they became supplements or feeders. Each new "end of track" became a center for animal drawn or waterborne transportation. The major effect of the railroad was to shorten the distance that had to be covered by the older, slower, and more costly means. Wagon freighters continued operating throughout the 1870's and 1880's and into the 1890's. Although over constantly shrinking routes, and coaches and wagons continued to crisscross the West wherever the rails had not yet been laid. The beginning of a major change was foreshadowed in the later 1860's, when the Union Pacific Railroad at last began to build westward from the Central Plains city of Omaha to meet the Central Pacific Railroad advancing eastward from California through the formidable barrier of the Sierra Nevada. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the original Pacific Railroad bill in 1862 and a revised, financially much more generous version in 1864, little construction was completed until 1865 on the Central Pacific and 1866 on the Union Pacific. The primary reason was skepticism that a Railroad built through so challenging and thinly settled a stretch of desert, mountain, and semiarid plain could pay a profit. In the words of an economist, this was a case of "premature enterprise", where not only the cost of construction but also the very high risk deterred private investment. In discussing the Pacific Railroad bill, the chair of the congressional committee bluntly stated that without government subsidy no one would undertake so unpromising a venture; yet it was a national necessity to link East and West together. Question: The author refers to the impact of railroads before the late 1860's as"limited" because _ . - the track did not take the direct route from one city to the next - passengers and freight had to transfer to other modes of transportation to reach western destinations - passengers preferred stagecoaches - railroad travel was quite expensive
passengers and freight had to transfer to other modes of transportation to reach western destinations

(Question)
Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Book 1: Iggy peck, Architect ----By Andrea Beaty 32 pages, US $ 15.95 This book is the classic oddball story about a kid whose head teacher does not recognize his great talent ( he makes buildings out of anything at hand, including table cloths, fruit and chalk) until it saves her life. Book 2: The Chicken--Chasing Queen of Lamar County ----By Janice N. Harrington 40 pages, US $ 16.00 Our character here loves to run after chickens, particularly Miss Hen, who's very fat. But, as all farming folk know, this is not a good way to produce happy, productive chickens. What will make her change her ways? The author is a professional storyteller and this book is full of fun, and has great illustrations . Book 3: Diary of a Fly ----By Doreen Cronin 40 pages, US $ 15.99 This is the diary of a fly. A fly who, when she's not landing on your head or swimming in your soup, is trying to escape her 327 brothers and sisters who are driving her crazy. Even though she's little--just like her best friends, Worm and Spider--she wants to be a superhero. This is the story of a little fly who's not afraid to dream really big. Book 4:Cherry and Olive ----By Benjamin Lacombe 32 pages, US $ 16.95 Children's books can quickly take little readers into new worlds, such as the big city, 1930s Georgia, or outer space. This book takes us on a little trip to some European capitals. Cherry is fat and likes books, and she has few friends until she meets a stray Shar--Pei puppy . She names it Olive. Through it she finds confidence and friendship. But what will happen when its owner returns? Question: In book 2, the character _ . - can make buildings out of anything - is a kid who likes to play tricks on teachers - keeps lots of chickens - likes to run after chickens
(Answer)
likes to run after chickens

Ques:Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Back in the old days, when I was a child, we sat around the family roundtable at dinnertime and exchanged our daily experiences. It wasn't very organized, but everyone was recognized and all the news that had to be told was told by each family member. We listened to each other and the interest was not put-on; it was real. Our family was a unit and we supported each other, and nurtured each other, and liked each other, and--we were even willing to admit--we loved each other. Today, the family roundtable has moved to the local fast-food restaurant and talk is not easy, much less encouraged. Grandma, who used to live upstairs, is now. the voice on long distance, and the working parent is far too beaten down each day to spend evening relaxation time listening to the sandbox experience of an eager four-year-old. So family conversation is as extinct as my old toys and parental questions such as "What have you been doing, Bobby?" have been replaced by "I'm busy, go watch television. " And watch TV they do; count them by the millions. But it's usually not children's television that children watch. Saturday morning, the children's hour, amounts to only about 8 percent of their weekly viewing. Where are they to be found? Watching adult television, of course, from the Match Game in the morning, to the afternoon at General Hospital, from the muggings and battles on the evening news right through the family hour and past into Starsky and Hutch. That's where you find our kids, over five million of them, at 10 p. m. , not fewer than a million until after midnight! All of this is done with parental permission. Television, used well, can provide enriching experiences for our young people, but we must use it with some sense. When the carpet is clean, we turn off the vacuum cleaner. When the dishes are clean, the dishwasher turns itself off. Not so the television, which is on from the sun in the morning to the moon at night and beyond! Parents must exercise some control and show some concern about the cultural influence on the... Question: The working parent is not willing to listen to her (his) four-year-old child talking about his sandbox games because _ . - she (he) is boring - she (he) is busy - she (he) is very tired - she (he) is angry

Ans:
she (he) is very tired