There was a Bulgarian boy who was an exchange student in the USA. He lived with an American family. One day, he went to his room in the evening, and did his homework. His host-mom came to him and asked if he would like to go along to the movies. He wanted to go, so he shook his head from side to side, said "Yes". His host-mom did a couple of steps back, and looked puzzled. She thought that he didn't want to go out because he shook his head from side to side. However, he wanted to go out to the movies. Bulgarians shake their heads from side to side when they mean "yes". People in other countries shake their heads from side to side when they mean "no". Gestures can have different meanings according to different cultures. For example, in America, putting your index finger and your thumb in a circle is commonly used as an OK sign that means everything is all right. However, in France, that sign is used to express "nothing" or "zero", which can have a negative meaning. Generally speaking, gestures are a type of communication that uses a part of our body, and when speaking with people from other cultures, gestures can be important keys or clues to understand them. However, we need to understand that those gestures vary from culture to culture, and it is necessary for us to have an open mind in understanding the different gestures. What is the main idea of this article? A) Americans dislike Bulgarians because they have different gestures. B) Understanding gestures is not important in daily conversation. C) Different types of gestures are used in different cultures. D) It's better to have same types of gestures all around the world.
C
(Question)
We all know the saying, "One's enemy is one's own anger and one's calmness is the friend of oneself." Anger is the root cause of many bad outcomes. We all know of damage that anger has caused us. There are many old stories that tell us the bad effects of anger. But the question is whether we should never experience anger and lead lives like sages ?I do not think the answer is a firm yes. Everyone should have this emotion and be able to use it in a wise way. In other words, it is also known as controlled aggression. We see a lot of this kind of controlled emotion when we watch athletes in action. If an athlete has the right amount of aggression, the game or the battle is half won. The other half can be won by his skills. Controlled aggression or anger also plays an important role in a person's career and life. During the courses of a person's career, people who hold high positions need to exercise this emotion called anger in a professional and right manner. For getting the work done well, it is important for you to make use of positive aggression or controlled anger. We can extend this to our daily lives as well. If the parent is not strict at times, children will behave in a wrong way and do not develop as they are expected. Teachers have to exercise this emotion in a wise way to make the students gain knowledge in an effective manner. All in all, if one is able to use the emotion called anger in a controlled manner, it will lead to the smooth development in his life and career. According to the author, controlled aggression or anger _ . A) is our enemy B) is known to all C) doesn't have an effect on us D) does us good
(Answer)
D
Ques: God created the mule and told him,"You will be Mule,working constantly from dusk dawn, Carrying heavy loads on your back.You will eat grass, and you lack intelligence.You will live for 40 years."The mule answered,"To live like this for 40 years is too much.Please, give me no more than 20."And it was so. Then God created the dog and told him, "You will hold vigilance over the dwellings of Man.To him you will be his greatest companion.You will eat his table scraps and live for 25 years." the dog responded,"Lord,to live 25 years as a dog is too much.Please, no more than 10 years."And it was so. God then created the monkey and told him,"You are Monkey.You shall swing from tree to tree, acting like a fool. You will be funny,and you shall live for 20 years."The monkey responded,"Lord,to live 20 years as the clown of the world is too much.Please,Lord,give me no more than 10 years."And it was so. Finally,God created Man and told him,"You are Man,the only rational being that walks on the earth.You will use your intelligence to have mastery over the creatures of the world.You will dominate the earth and live for 20 years."The man responded,"Lord,to be Man for only 20 years is too little.Please,Lord,give me the 20 years the mule refused,the 15 years the dog refused,and the ten years the monkey rejected."And it was so.So God made Man live 20 years as a man, then marry and live 20 years like a mule,working and carrying heavy loads on his back.Then,Man is to have children and live 15 years as a dog,guarding his house and eating the leftovers after they empty the pantry .Then,in his old age,to live 10 years as a monkey,acting like a clown to amuse his grandchildren. What can we learn from the passage? A) The mule works constantly because its life is short. B) The monkey was created as a fool, but later it became clever C) The man was given mixed features of the mule, the dog and the monkey D) The man lives a miserable life.
Ans: C
A team of US psychologists have found that talking to another person for ten minutes a day helps with memory. "Socializing is just as effective as more traditional kinds of mental exercise in memory and intellectual performance," Oscar Ybarra, a psychologist at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, said in a statement. In one investigation, they analyzed data on 3610 people, aged 24 to 96. They found that the higher their level of social interaction , the better their cognitive functioning. Social interaction includes getting together or having phone chats with relatives, freinds and neighbors. In another experiment, the researchers conducted lab tests on 76 college students, aged 18 to 21, to evaluate how social interactions and intellectual exercises affected the results of memory and mental performance tests. The students were divided into three groups: the social interaction group had a discussion of a social issue for 10 minutes before taking the tests; the intellectual activities group completed three tasks (including a reading comprehension exercise and a crossword puzzle) before the tests; and a control group watched a 10-minute clip of the Seinfeld television show. "We found that short-term social interaction lasting for just 10 minutes improved participants' intellectual performance as much as engaging in so-called 'intellectual' activities for the same amount of time," Ybarra said. The study was expected to be published in the February issue of the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. What's the main idea of the passage? A) Intellectual exercises improve memory. B) Different people have different ways of communication C) Communicating with others keeps you healthy. D) Social interaction makes you smart
D