One of the biggest accomplishments in sports in the last hundred years was the 4-minute mile. Running a mile in under 4 minutes was a huge barrier in sports. Once it was broken by one person, lots of athletes tried to break it too. For years, people thought that running a mile in less than 4 minutes was just _ impossible. It was common knowledge that nobody on earth could physically run a mile in under 4 minutes. Professional runners had been trying for years, training to beat that time, but had failed every time. In 1952, a British man by the name of Roger Bannister set a goal for himself: to be the first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes. He trained intensely, and 2 years later, Bannister finally broke 4-minute barrier. And you know what? Soon after that, more and more people began to run the mile in under 4 minutes. New world records were set almost every year following Bannister's sub-4-minute-mile. Nowadays, even a high school student can reasonably run a 4-minute mile. In about 50 years, the 4-minute mile went from impossible to professional to amateur. But I guess I'm not really answering the question here: what on earth does this have to do with learning Japanese? When you have a goal in mind, mental barriers can be huge obstacles to overcome, and learning Japanese is no different. But if you're devoted enough and make your goal your top priority , you might be surprised at what you can do. Put everything else aside for a while, just go for it and see what you can achieve. After all, if somebody can accomplish something that people thought was physically impossible, then maybe learning Japanese isn't so hard after all. What may the readers be according to the passage? A) Athletes. B) Teachers. C) Officials. D) Students.
D
Fish species are expected to shrink in size by up to 24% because of global warming, say scientists. The scientists argue that failure to control greenhouse gas emissions will have a greater effect on marine ecosystems than previously thought. Previous research has suggested that changing ocean temperatures would affect both the distribution and the reproductive abilities of many species of fish. This new work suggests that fish size would also be heavily affected. The researchers built a model to see how fish would react to lower levels of oxygen in the water. As ocean temperatures increase, so do the body temperatures of fish. But, according to lead author, Dr William Cheung, from the University of British Columbia, the lower level of oxygen in the water is key. Warmer waters could decrease ocean oxygen levels and greatly reduce fish body weight. On the other hand, rising temperatures directly increase the metabolic rate of the fish's body function. This leads to an increase in oxygen demand for normal body activities. So the fish will run out of oxygen for growth at a smaller body size. The research team also used its model to predict fish movements as a result of warming waters. The group believes that most fish populations will move towards the Earth's poles at a rate of up to 35km per decade. "So in, say, the North Sea," says Dr Cheung," one would expect to see more smaller-body fish from tropical waters in the future." Taking these factors into consideration, the research team concludes that fish body size will shrink between 14% and 24%, with the largest decreases in the Indian and Atlantic oceans. When compared with actual observations of fish sizes, the model seems to _ what's actually happening in the seas. The researchers looked at two case studies involving North Atlantic cod and haddock. They found that recorded data on these fish showed greater decreases in body size than the models had predicted. Dr Alan Baudron, from the University of Aberdeen, UK, believes smaller-sized fish could seriously... What's the main idea of the passage? A) Global warming makes fish smaller. B) Global warming makes fish decrease in numbers. C) Global warming affects the fish distribution. D) Global warming affects the ability of fish to reproduce.
A
*Question*
Violent winds swept the ocean, and waves thundered to shore, shaking the lookout tower at Pea Island Rescue Station. Surfman Theodore Meekins was on watch that evening of 11 October 1896. A hurricane had struck the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and the tide was so strong that beach patrols had been canceled. Still, Meekins paid close attention to the horizon. This was the type of weather that could blow ships hundreds of miles off course. Offshore, the ship E.S. Newman was caught in the storm. The captain, whose wife and child were on the ship, feared the Newman would soon break up. He made the decision to beach his ship, then fired a signal, praying that someone onshore would see it. Meekins, whose eyes were trained to cut through rain and surf mists, thought he saw the signal, but so much spray covered the lookout windows that he could hardly make sure. Still, he took no chances. After summoning the station keeper, Captain Richard Etheridge, Meekins set off a coston signal, a signal made by using lamps of different colors. Together, the two men searched the darkness for a reply. A few moments later, they saw a flash of light to the south and knew a shop was in distress . Even before the return signal burned out, Etheridge had summoned his men and begun rescue operations. For the lifesavers, the rescue of the Newman was nothing unusual. Over the years, so many ships had off the Outer Banks that sailors called the region the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Noting the dangerous surf and wind conditions, Captain Etheridge quickly decided the surf boats would be impossible to control. Instead, he decided to use another way to help the survivors. The crew set off on the long journey down the beach to the scene of the wreck . Captain Etheridge hoped to fire a line from a gun to the ship's mast . After the ship's crew dragged the line onboard, the surfmen would fire a second line and carry survivors safely to shore. The surfmen crossed three miles of sand to reach the ship Newman. The water was freezing, and the... What is the main idea of the passage? A) The newman was very dangerous before Richard Etheridge and his team members saw the signal. B) A terrible hurricane took place off the coast of North Carolina and threatened the lives of many sailors. C) At no other time in American history have so many shipwrecked passengers survived such a violent storm. D) All the passengers of a shipwreck were rescued because of heroic the efforts of a special leader and his crew.
**Answer**
D