Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: As one of the world's oldest holidays, Halloween is still celebrated today in several countries around the globe, but it is in North America and Canada that it maintains its highest level of popularity. Every year, 65% of Americans decorate their homes and offices for Halloween. Halloween is the holiday when the most candy is sold and is second only to Christians in terms of total sales. Austria In Austria, some people will leave bread, water and a lighted lamp on the table before retiring on Halloween night. The reason for this is that it was once believed such items would welcome the dead souls back to earth on a night which for the Austrians was considered to be brimming with strong cosmic energies. Belgium The Belgians believe that it is unlucky for a black cat to cross one's path and also unlucky if it should enter a home or travel on a ship. The custom in Belgium on Halloween night is to light candles in memory of dead relatives. Canada Modern Halloween celebrations in Canada began with the arrival of Scottish and Irish immigrants in the 1800s. Jack- O- Lantern is carved and the festivities include parties, trick-or-treating and the decorating of homes with pumpkins and corn stalks. France Unlike most nation of the world, Halloween is not celebrated by the French in order to honor the dead and departed ancestors. It is regarded as an "American" holiday in France and was unknown in the country until around 1996. Question: In which countries does Halloween have its highest level of popularity? - France and North America. - Canada and North America. - Austria and Canada. - Belgium and Canada.
Canada and North America.

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: In China, more and more middle school students are getting shorter sleeping time than before. Most students sleep less than nine hours every night, because they have much homework to do. Some homework is given by their teachers, and some by their parents. Also, some students don't know how to save time. They are not careful enough while they do their homework, so it takes them a lot of time. Some students spend too much time watching TV or playing computer games. They stay up very late. Some students have to get up early every morning on weekdays to go to school in time by bus or by bike. It may be a long way from home to school. Schools and parents should cut down some of the homework so that our children can enjoy more than nine hours of sleep every night for their health. For children, we should make best use of our time. When we have enough time for sleeping, we will find it much better for both our study and health. Question: Some homework is given by their teachers, and some by _ . - the children themselves - other students - their parents - Nobody else
their parents

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Although the 2008 US presidential elections are still a long way off, candidates are already getting ready for the campaigns ahead. For the Democrats , the two leading candidates are a surprising pair. The first is Hillary Clinton, 60, the wife of former President Bill Clinton. The second is Barack Obama, 45, a Harvard educated senator . It is the first time that the leading presidential candidates for a political party are either a woman or black. The energetic pair has certainly gotten people's attention. But the question remains, is America ready for either one? It's not a simple question to answer. For the past 220 years, Americans have elected only white males to the nation's highest office. That can hardly be called a tradition of diversity. However, many people believe that 2008 will be the year that this changes. "The white men that have been running the country recently have done such a bad job, at home and abroad, that maybe now is the time for a change," said Dorian Cool of San Francisco, California. The polling numbers seem to back up his opinion: 86 percent of Americans say they would vote for a qualified woman. An impressive 93 percent say they would vote for a black man if he seemed right for the job. These numbers are much higher than they were just 20 years ago. They may suggest that Americans are ready to be led by a different type of person. Still, there is a lot to overcome. Although women represent 51 percent of the American population, there are only nine female governors out of 50. Out of 100 senators, only 16 are women. The numbers are significantly lower for blacks in office. Since the American Civil War, only two blacks have been elected governor and only three have been elected to the Senate. Surely both candidates face difficult odds, but never before has there been so much support for either a female or a black candidate. As Barack Obama himself said, "There is not a black America and a white America, a Latino America and an Asian America -- there's the... Question: The author considers Hillary and Barack "a surprising pair" because they are _ . - both powerful - both likely to win - either a woman or black - either the wife of former President or a Harvard educated senator
A: either a woman or black

(Q).
Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Are you able to send a letter with pictures and sounds to someone somewhere in the world without a stamp on it? Using a computer you can send e-mails quickly and easily. The post is much slower than e-mail. E-mail can send its message to the other side of the world in seconds. E-mail is easy to use and it saves time and money. The differences in time in different parts of the world do not matter when sending e-mail. It's twenty-four-hour service that you can send e-mail at any time of the day or night. No one has to be there to get e-mail. It does not matter if your friends are in beds when you send e-mail to them, or you are seeing a movie at the movie theater when they send e-mail back. Question: It takes _ to send e-mail to the other side of the world. - minutes - seconds - seven days - hours
(A).
seconds