Read the article and select the best answer. Article: When you think of the tremendous technological progress we have made, it's amazing how little we have developed in other respects. We may speak scornfully of the poor old Romans because they enjoyed the seemingly excited killing that went on in their arenas . We may despise them because they mistook these goings on for entertainment. We may forgive them because they lived 2000 years ago and obviously knew no better. But are our feelings of superiority really justified? Are we any less blood-thirsty? Why do boxing matches, for instance, attract such universal interest? Don't the audience who attend them hope they will see some violence? Human beings remain as bloodthirsty as ever they were. The only difference between ourselves and the Romans is that while they were honest enough to admit that they enjoyed watching hungry lions tearing people apart and eating them alive, we find all sorts of arguments to defend sports which should have been banned long ago. It really is incredible that in this day and age we should still allow hunting or bull-fighting, that we should be prepared to sit back and watch two men punch each other in a boxing ring, that we should be relatively unmoved by the sight of one or a number of racing cars crashing and bursting into flames. Any talk of 'the sporting spirit' is merely hypocrisy . People take part in violent sports because of the high rewards they bring. Audience are willing to pay vast sums of money to see violence. A world heavyweight championship match, for instance, is front page news. Millions of people are disappointed if a big fight is over in two rounds instead of fifteen. They feel disappointment because they haven't experienced the exquisite pleasure of witnessing continuous violence. Why should we ban violent sports if people enjoy them so much? You may well ask. The answer is simple: they are uncivilized. For centuries man has been trying to improve himself spiritually and emotionally--though with little success. But at least we no longer tolerate the sight madmen... Question: It can be inferred from the passage that the author's opinion of nowadays' human beings is _ Options: A: not very high. B: high. C: scornful. D: neutral
A

(Question)
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Imagine sailing through the sky, high above buildings and trees, in perfect peace and quiet. No noisy engines. No window with dirty marks in your way. No strong wind blowing in your face. You can't feel or hear the wind because you're traveling in the exact same direction and at the exact same speed it is. A hot-air balloon has three main parts: the balloon, called an envelope; a basket, where passengers ride; and a burner system, which supplies the hot air. Most balloon envelopes are made of strong, lightweight nylon. They vary in size and shape, but they have to be really, really big to lift even a single person. Most weigh more than an adult man and use more fabric than you'd need to cover a baseball diamond . The basket is usually made of wicker ,which is strong but not too stiff . It needs to bend a bit for a soft landing, just like a good jumper bends her legs instead of keeping them stiff and straight when she lands. When the burner system blasts flames, it makes a noisy sound, but once the balloon is flying , the burner can be turned off. The air in the envelope will then slowly cool, and the balloon will gradually sink unless the pilot starts the burner again. To operate, a pilot adds hot air to the balloon to go up or deflates it to go down, until he finds a breeze blowing in the direction he wants to fly. But no matter which way the wind blows them, balloonists have an amazing bird's-eye view of the world. Question: The text is probably from _ . Options: A: a story about hot-air balloon adventures B: a newspaper article about hot-air balloon facts C: a brochure advertising hot-air balloon rides D: an article on hot-air balloons in an airplane magazine
(Answer)
D

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Word Power Author(s): Kaplan $13.95 You'll never be at a loss for words again. Energize your vocabulary with must-know everyday words that are the essentials of a good vocabulary, engaging lessons to help you use words in text, hot words often found on tests, tips to help you figure out new words, roots, and more. Grades: 8 & up Ages: 13 & up Word Smart Junior Author(s): Russell Stauffer $ 17.95 Now this is the way to add new words to your vocabulary! Word Smart Junior will make you laugh so much. You'll be amazed that you've just learned more than 120 fascinating and very useful words! Parents, teachers, and friends will marvel at your eloquence ! Grades: 3-5 Ages: 8-10 Grammar Smart Junior Author(s): Marcia Reynolds $ 16.85 Do you quake when your teacher says, "Now it's time for grammar"? Do your verbs agree with your subjects? Fear no more!A big Hollywood producer and a famous movie star will help you learn all those nasty elements of grammar. You'll be amazed at how quickly you learn, and how much fun it can be. _ and you'll never have to worry about it again. Grades: 7-9 Ages: 12-14 Grammar Smart: An Audio Guide to Perfect Usage Author(s): Julian Fleisher $ 12.68 The words you use say a lot about you ... but the way you put them together says even more. Your grammar makes an immediate and lasting impression on your teachers, and even your friends. So don't make the mistake of thinking that grammar is too complicated. We've created Grammar Smart to help you write and speak with clarity and confidence. Grades: 6-8 Ages: 11-13 Question: If a ten-year-old boy wants himself to be admired because of his speech ability, he may buy _ Options: A: Word Power B: Word Smart Junior C: Grammar Smart Junior D: Grammar Smart: An Audio Guide to Perfect Usage
Ans: B

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Idioms are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word you see or hear, you may not understand the idiom because you don't understand the culture behind it. For example, if an American boy asks his mother what's for dinner tomorrow, she may say "I'll play it by ear", that means she doesn't have plans for dinner and she will decide later. "Play by ear" used to mean playing music using the sheet music, but now people often use it when they're not talking about music. There're many idioms in English. If you learn to use them, your English will be more vivid and colorful. English idioms are more common in spoken English. They can be difficult to remember sometimes. Next time when you hear somebody saying to you, "Give me a hand", you don't necessarily stretch out your hand to him/her, but you do need to be helpful. And when the situation is out of hand, you usually can do very little to manage all that. What about a green hand? It's not about the color of your hand! You're a green hand when you are very new at your work and don't have much experience. If you and your partner always work together hand in glove, you two definitely work together very well. Can you guess the meanings of some common English idioms to do with parts of your body? Question: If a mother says "I'll play it by ear" to talk about the dinner, she means _ . Options: A: she will cook dinner while listening to music at the same time B: she doesn't hear what others are talking about. C: she will play music using the sheet music instead of cooking dinner D: She doesn't have plans for dinner and will decide later
Ans:
D