The Guidance Department at Burrville High School has a staff of eleven. Most of their work is done with the students. But the staff sees a lot of parents, too. "Parent meetings form a clear monthly pattern," says Mildred Foreman, Guidance Director. "This pattern stays much the same from year to year. The busy months are October, March and May." September starts rather slowly. Few parents come in. Most of them want to discuss the schedules. October brings many behaviour problems. Some parents are called in. Others come by themselves. Things quiet down in November. December is a quiet month. "It's the holiday," Ms. Foreman says. "People want to come in, I know, but they decide to wait until after New Year's Day." Report cards go home just before Christmas holidays. Bad marks bring parents in as school reopens. This happens again in March, another report card month. May is always the year's busiest month. That's when parents realize that their children might be held back . They come in to see if anything can be done before things are decided in June. "Most of their work is done with the students" means _ . A) they have most of their work done by the students B) most of their work is getting rid of their students C) most of their work is dealing with the students D) their work is mostly done together with the students
C
There is more to tourism in Britain than you might think. When you think of tourist sites in Britain, what do you think of? Big Ben and the Tower of London? Lock Ness? Shakespeare's birthplace at Strafford-upon-Avon? There are many famous tourist attractions in the UK and they attract millions of visitors each year. But along with the famous names there are thousands of other interesting places that are only open to the public for a few days each year. Heritage Open Days takes place each September and lets the public visit places that would normally be out of bounds. Among the thousands of historic sites there are castles and factories, town halls and churches. Here we look at some of the places that most tourists might not know about. Roman Baths --- Chester These Roman baths are almost two thousand years old and a fascinating insight into the history of the city but they aren't often open to visitors because they are under a clothes shop and a shop that sells baked potatoes! In Open Days week, visitors can go downstairs to the basement of the shops and find a little piece of history. Tennis Club --- Birmingham Edgbaston Tennis Club opened in 1860 and is the oldest tennis club in the world. Visitors can see the club's collection of tennis clothes and equipment and learn about the game's rich history. Ardman Animation --- Bristol The studios that produced the famous Wallace and Gromit animated films open its doors to the public to let people find out more about how the films are made. Paddock Wood --- Kent A family house where some of the rooms are unchanged since the 1920s. The home's owner, Sarah Hamilton, is happy to open her doors to the public, saying "I'm passionate about history and I love taking to people." These are just a few of the thousands of places to visit each year. If you're visiting Britain in September ---- look out for Open Days! Where is the Roman Baths --- Chester? A) Next to a clothes shop. B) Above a potato shop. C) In Open Days week. D) In a basement of two shops.
D
Q: Many years ago in a small German town, a Jewish businessman had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to the moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the businessman's beautiful daughter. So he proposed a bargain. The moneylender told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty bag. The girl would then have to pick one pebble from the bag. If she picked the black pebble, she would become the moneylender's wife and he would _ her father's debt. If she picked the white pebble, she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail. They were standing on a pebble-strewn path. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. The sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag. No doubt she was caught in a dilemma. What would you have done if you were the girl? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities: 1.The girl should refuse to take a pebble. 2.The girl should know that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat. 3.The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment. The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. Read on... The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. "Oh, how clumsy of me!" she said. "But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked." Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an... What lesson can we learn from the story? A) Keeping calm when facing a difficult situation. B) Thinking about a complicated problem in another way. C) Thinking twice before making a final choice. D) Coming up with a clever answer is easy.
A: B
Q: Top Four Ways to Build a Wonderful Life 1. Live Below Your Means There will always be temptation to give up the future for immediate pleasure. We all want to buy that new piece of technology, treat ourselves to an expensive night on the town, or take out a loan for the flashy car we can't afford. It might feel great at the time but unwise spending hurts a lot later on. Enjoy life's simple pleasures and save as much as you can. Expensive things don't create lasting happiness and security. Careful spending will bring you greater leisure and enjoyment in the long run. 2. Put Your Money to Work Saving is great, but to make the most of your money you need to put it to work. Good investments can be the difference between retiring in your 40's or in your 60's. A post today at The Simple Dollar really got me thinking. According to Trent's estimates, if a person in their early 20's invests 20% of their income in an S&P index fund, the interest they earn will equal their current salary when they reach their early 40's. They could retire without a drop in income! Wise investing is the surest path to financial independence and it's something everyone can work on. It's definitely an area I'll be devoting more attention to in my personal life. 3. Educate Yourself To be happy we need continuous growth. The best way to grow is life-long education. This doesn't mean you need to pursue a doctorate or spend 2 hours reading every day. Self-education can be anything that takes you out of your comfort zone. The important part is keeping an open mind and searching for fresh ideas and perspectives. Education builds over time. It might feel like the bits of wisdom you acquire don't mean much, but over the years they add up to form a wiser, kinder, more interesting person. 4. Develop Lasting Personal Relationships Suppose you had everything you wanted. Would you be happy without anyone to share it with? The personal relationships we develop with friends and family members are the greatest source of happiness in our lives. Don't forget... From the passage we can infer that some people try to _ . A) gain happiness by buying themselves expensive things B) save everything they can to help those in need C) devote more attention to their personal life D) take out a loan to promote technology
A: A