Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Growing up, I knew I was different. My father had left and he never came back. As I later discovered, the abandonment triggered my anxiety attacks. I feared being alone, unwanted, unpopular, and unloved. My first attack came in a ninth-grade class: The teacher asked me to walk in front of the class, but I couldn't do it- I was soaked in sweat, shaking. My symptoms began every morning from the moment when I stepped inside the school building. Throughout my childhood, I was no stranger to the doctor's office. My mother tried everything she could in hope of a breakthrough. There were times I thought suicide could be the only way to make the pain stop. By age 16, I had shut down socially. Most of my peers were going to parties, playing sports, and dating. But I was a prisoner in my own home. Then one Sunday morning, my wake-up call came from a magazine article. Freddie Prinze, Jr. was on the cover. The article detailed the pain of losing his father at a young age. I felt as though I were reading my own life story. The only difference? He was now a success. That article inspired me to explore a new treatment option for myself. I wanted to turn my life around as well. So I hit the library and the Internet, and I began to realize how my negative thoughts controlled my physical well-being. Immediately, I made a plan to take charge of my life. Shortly after following the items I had listed, I was able to stop seeing a therapist. I never returned to high school, but I did go to college. After graduation, I pursued a career in television news. My relationships have changed for the better, too. I've made new friends and reconnected with many from my past The anxiety isn't completely gone, but whenever it returns, I know the feeling will pass, and know I have the power to change my life, only if I will give myself a chance. Question: The writer's anxiety attacks were mainly caused by_. - the high school which he attended - the teacher who asked him to walk - the writer himself who was fearful - the father who left in his childhood
A: the father who left in his childhood

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: In 2012, the Tower of London welcomed two new inhabitants: a pair of ravens named Jubilee and Grip. Their arrival celebrated the bicentenary of Charles Dickens's birth. This Grip was the third of the Tower ravens to be named after the novelist's own pet birD. One of his predecessors was resident during World War Two; he and his mate Mabel were the only ravens to survive a bombing attack on the Tower. Dickens's Grip, who had an impressive vocabulary, appears as a character in the author's fifth novel, Barnaby Rudge. On 28 January 1841, Dickens wrote to his friend George Cattermole: "my notion is to have [Barnaby] always in company with a pet raven, who is immeasurably more knowing than himself. To this end I have been studying my bird, and think I could make a very distinctive character of him." Unfortunately, just a few weeks after Dickens wrote that letter, Grip died, probably as a result of having stolen and eaten paint some months earlier. The bird had developed a strange habit - tearing sections off painted surfaces (including the family's carriage) and even drinking a quantity of white paint out of a tin. Dickens mourned his loss and wrote a humorous letter to his friend, the illustrator Daniel Maclise, about the raven's death. He related how, when Grip began to show signs of sickness, the vet was called and "administered a powerful dose of castor oil". Initially this seemed to have a positive effect and the author was thrilled to see Grip restored to his usual personality when he bit the coachman (who was used to the raven and took it in good humor). The following morning, Grip was able to eat "some warm porridge", but his recovery was short liveD. As Dickens wrote to Maclise, "On the clock striking twelve he appeared slightly upset, but soon recovered, walking twice or thrice along the coach-house, stopped to bark, exclaimed 'Hello old girl' (his favorite expression) and dieD. He behaved throughout with a decent manner, which cannot be too much admireD. .. The children seem rather glad of it. He... Question: Which of the following is right about Dickens's pet Grip? - he liked painting a lot. - he could speak English fluently. - he was quite ill before his death. - he and Mabel survived a bombing attack.
A: he was quite ill before his death.

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: It will soon be time to set out to plant tomatoes, an act one performs when the weather has settled. That means warm soil, proper night temperatures and no risk of a sudden reversion to winter. I no longer believe in settled weather. In the current age of climate confusion, a backup plan is always an essential part of a gardener's intention for an ideal tomato harvest. Where tomatoes are concerned, the best crop insurance is to root some extras from cuttings . It can take a couple of months to grow garden-ready tomato plants from seed , but cuttings can be ready to go in a few weeks. Yes, you could pick up some starts at a garden center, but it's hard to find strong ones in good condition. Instead, buy one tomato plant, and turn it into many. Tomatoes root very quickly and easily. All you do is remove a tiny branch about 6 inches tall off the main stem , carefully cut off all but the top two leaves, plant the tiny branch in a pot, and wait. Roots will emerge along the stem and new growth will soon appear if kept damp, warm and out of direct sunlight. If you have never rooted stem cuttings before, you will have gained not only a tomato crop but also a skill that you can now apply to other plants in your garden, both edible and ornamental . Tomato s such as peppers and eggplants can be similarly rooted, as can many herbs, especially those in the mint family. Question: Which season might it be when the author writes this passage? - Early spring. - Late summer - Early fall. - Middle winter
A: Early spring.