Q: Article: "Hi,howareya." some people say when they see a familiar face.The words run together into a mass,all sense and meaning lost. All the same,people do care how you are.After they greet you,it's likely you will greet them back,with an equally meaningless phrase like,"Can't complain,can't complain."You could probably complain,at length,or share a brilliant thought you were just beginning when a greeting interrupted you.You don't though,you say,"Great,you?" You are not giving each other information about your health and wellbeing.All the same,you are sharing information.You're acknowledging each other's positions as acknowledged friends,or at least as accepted acquaintances.And you are reestablishing the ties that may have lapsed since yesterday,when you last met at the elevator or the entrance to the train station. It's what anthropologist Bronislaw Malinoski called a phatic communication.Its message is not in the words you use,but in the fact that you speak ritually accepted words.In Asia,for example,people may ask one another if they have eaten,or if they are busy.They're not really asking for their lunch menu or their agenda,they are saying hello.A phatic signal merely says, "I see you there." It says hi. There's embarrassment of being near people without acknowledging them.That uncomfortable feeling is one reason why lonely passengers in the subway may behave as if they cannot see anyone around them or may escape their uncomfortable situation with a book.Some people read all the way home,and never turn a page. Your friend isn't asking how you are,and you aren't telling him.However,he is recognizing your existence,and when you answer,you are recognizing his.In addition,the set speech you have shared opens the door to closer communications if both agree.Someday,you may come to real close friendship,and really tell one another how you are. Meanwhile,people who greet one another this way do care.They care enough to recognize someone's essential humanity .They send a signal across the space between,to share,very... Question: What does the text mainly tell us? Yes or no, is the answer "Greetings help an individual be connected with the society."?
A: No

Q: Article: Dear Editor: While a new school term is about to begin, perhaps we should reconsider the matter of examinations. In July, two writers(letters to the editor) praised the cancellation of exams because they believe "Tests don't tell the whole story". As a teacher who has worked in four countries, I have had the experience that a student who earns good marks is generally a good student, and a student's final mark in a subject is usually a grade average of the year's work. Of course there are expectations, but they do not have the frequency that would give an unfair picture of a student's ability. The simple fact is that proper class work; diligent exam studies and good marks are almost certain indicators of a student's future performance. The opposite is, almost certainly, incompetence. There is no acceptable substitute for competition of quality. How can teachers and future officials determine what a student has learned and remembered? Should we simply take the student's mark for it? Any institution that "liberates" students from fair and formal exams is misguided, if not ignorant and surely the "graduates " of such institutions will lack trustworthiness , not to mention being rejected by foreign universities for graduate or other studies. When all is said and done, I sense that a fear of failure and a fear of unpleasant comparison with others are at the bottom of most ban-exam talks. Excellence and quality fear nothing. On the contrary, they seek competition and desire the satisfaction of being the best. Question: According to the letter, a student's final mark _ . Yes or no, is the answer "often gives a fair picture of the year's work"?
A: Yes

Q: Article: Dear All, Happy New Year! A list of important dates for this term is attached to this letter. Interviews for our April and September Primary One classes will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday,18th&19th January.Now is the time to apply for admission to Peak School. Children are expected to wear their uniforms this term.As is usual at this time of the year,mornings at the school are quite cold and l would suggest children wear their sweaters to school.As the temperature goes up during the day,children tend to take off their outer clothes,so it is important that all sweatshirts are labeled . I have received a few requests from parents asking if their children can wear summer uniforms this term.I am of the view that all children in the school should follow the school policy and be dressed in the appropriate uniforms.In the longer term,a number of US at school have questioned the need to have a winter and summer uniform.Perhaps.with careful consideration,we can develop a uniform that will serve children for the whole academic year. As the foggy mornings start to appear,a number of parents have raised concerns over the safety of those children who walk to school. Our dark green uniforms are not particularly visible to motorists.Hopefully, the "Uniform Committee" to be set up this term will deal with this particular issue.I will keep parents informed of the channels through which views may be expressed in future newsletters. We still have a "No Hat,No Play" rule on the playground,so children need to ensure that they have their sunhats in school at all times. Yours sincerely, P D Tunesi Principal Question: What do we know about the present school uniforms? Yes or no, is the answer "The school is considering changing them."?
A: No

Q: Article: "You are going abroad and will live there? Oh, wonderful! You are so lucky." Perhaps your family and friends said similar things to you when you left home. But is it true all the time? Is your life in the new country always wonderful and exciting? Specialists say that it isn't that easy to get used to life in a new culture. "Culture shock" is the term specialists use when talking about the feelings that people have in a new environment. "There are three stages of culture shock," say the specialists. In the first stage, the newcomers like their new environment. Then, when the fresh experience dies, they begin to hate the city, the country, the people, and everything else. In the last stage, the newcomers adapt to their surroundings and finally enjoy their life there. Culture shock arises from many obvious factors. The weather may be unpleasant. The customs may be different. The public service systems such as the telephone, post office, or transportation may be difficult to work out. Even the simplest things become headaches. Still worse, the language may be difficult. Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. But culture shock surprises most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who never had any difficulties in their home countries and were successful in their community. Coming to a new country, these people find they do not have the same established positions. They find themselves without a role, almost without an identity. They have to build a new selfimage. Culture shock leads to a feeling of disorientation . This feeling may be homesickness. When homesick, people feel like staying inside all the time. They want to protect themselves from the strange environment, and create and escape inside their room for a sense of security. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and gaining experience are the long term solutions to... Question: Which of the following statements is correct according to the passage? Yes or no, is the answer "Cultural shock affects and surprises those who live in a new culture."?
A: Yes