Read the article and select the best answer. Article: "Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked. When the bundle was in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears. Time proved that the baby' s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was imperfect. When he rushed home from school one day and threw himself into his mother's arms, she sighed , knowing that his life was to be unfortunate. He cried to his mum "A boy, a big boy... called me a freak ." He grew up, handsome. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. "But you might communicate with other young people," his mother blamed him, but felt a kindness in her heart. Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, "You' re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it' s a secret." The operation was a great success, and a new person appeared. Later he married and became a lawyer. One day, he asked his father, "Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her." "I do not believe you could," said the father, "but the agreement was that you are not to know... not yet." The years kept their secret, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother' s casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to show the mother had no outer ears. "Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut," his father whispered gently, "and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they?" Question: Why did Mother gasp when she saw her newborn baby? Options: A: Because her son had a tiny face. B: Because she saw her son crying. C: Because her son was born imperfect. D: Because her son was in her arms.
C

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The computer keyboard helped kill shorthand---a system of rapid handwriting, and now it's threatening to finish off handwriting as a whole. When handwritten essays were introduced on the SAT exams for the class of 2011, just 15% of the most 1.5 million students wrote their answers in cursive .The rest? Block letters. And those college hopefuls are just the first edge of a wave of US students who no longer get much handwriting instructions in the primary grades, frequently 10 minutes a day or less. As a result, more and more students struggle to read and write cursive. At Keene Mill Elementary School in Springfield, all their poems and stories are typed. Children in Fairfax County schools are taught keyboarding beginning in kindergarten. Older students who never mastered handwriting say it doesn't affect their grades. There are those who say the culture is at a crossing, turning from the written word to the typed one. If handwriting becomes a lost form of communication, does it matter? It was at University of Virginia that researchers recently discovered a previously unknown poem by Robert, written in his unique script. Handwritten documents are more valuable to researchers, historians say, because their authenticity can be confirmed. Students also find them more fascinating. The loss of handwriting also may be a cognitive opportunity missed. Several academic studies have found that good handwriting skills at a young age can help children express their thoughts better-a lifelong benefit. It doesn't take much to teach better handwriting skills. At some schools in Prince George's County, elementary school students use a program called Handwriting Without Tears for 15 minutes a day. They learn the correct formation of manuscript letters through second grade, and cursive letters in third grade. There are always going to be some kids who struggle with handwriting because of their particular neurological wiring, learning issues or poor motor skills. Educators often point to this factor in support of keyboarding. Question: What is the author concerned about after 2011 SAT exams? Options: A: Keyboarding. B: Shorthand C: Handwriting. D: Block letters.
C

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: I always experienced guilt when I passed by without giving a coin or two to a beggar. My conscience was pricked again on a tour of Venice in 2010. I had taken refuge from the crowds in a quiet canal-side cafe. Outside the cafe was an old woman kneeling on the ancient cobbled stones, begging. Steady streams of tourists were walking past her. A lone young back-packer stood away from the crowds drinking something, but I noticed he was also observing the woman. A tourist group glanced at the woman and walked on. Another group of tourists arrived and, again, walked past her. The backpacker watched. Then, as I prepared to leave, I stopped at the sight of the backpacker stepping forward and placing some money in the woman's cup. He did this rather ostentatiously , just before the arrival of another tourist group. I watched as the leader of the group stopped and put some money in the cup. Having been shown the way, other tourists followed suit and added more coins to the woman's cup. The young backpacker repeated this process in front of the next tour party going past. Once again, the subtle peer pressure worked on the tourists, who all added coins to the cup. His work done, the young man walked over to the old beggar woman, patted her shoulder and said, "I hope that helps a bit." I don't know if the woman understood his English or realized what had just happened, but I did. I placed some money in the woman's cup and continued my travels, light-hearted after witnessing such an act of caring. Question: We can infer from the passage that _ . Options: A: tourists can be cheated by beggars B: people usually have pity on an old beggar C: tourists are willing to help beggars D: people can do kind acts due to peer pressure
A: D

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: I received pictures of my daughter floating on a lake in California. Right there under the sun during the hottest time of the day, she has only her swimsuit to cover her. When I showed it to my students, it was as if I had shown them scenes from a horror movie. "But she will get dark," they said. "That's what she wants," I told them. "We think darker skin is beautiful." They looked at me in disbelief. It was as if I came from the moon. For years, American girls spend their summer trying to get as tanned as possible. In China, on the other hand, girls use umbrellas all year round. What in the world is going on? The pale skin we think looks unattractive is what Asian women want. Both groups want to meet their culture's standard of beauty. In the US, if you can afford to go on vacation in the summer, you head for a river, a lake or a beach, where you try to get as much sun as possible. If you are rich you take a winter vacation in some sunny spot. Your winter tan shows your wealth. In China, once upon a time, the few wealthy were the ones who didn't have to work out in the hot sun. So the whiter the skin, the richer the woman. The folk opera performers who play these ladies wore lots of white makeup . The tradition survives to this day. So it comes naturally that none of my students wishes to follow the Western ways in this regard. But now I am noticing that a new business - the tanning booth - started up in China. I admire those brave enough to define(...)their own idea of beauty, but I do wonder what their grandmothers would have to say to them about it! Question: In the US a winter tan usually means the person _ . Options: A: is hard-working B: doesn't have to work C: has a D: is from a very poor family
A: C