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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Despite the anxiety that Jones' Host--said by some to be the first digital novel--caused in 1993, publishers weren't too concerned that e-books would one day replace printed books. However, that attitude was changed suddenly in 2007 when Amazon's Kindle came onto the market, which led to e-book sales jumping up to 1,260%. Since then, e-books' popularity has continued to rise steadily. The publishing industry seemed to have lost all possible ability to regain its position. Will printed books eventually become a thing of the past? According to Mike Shatzkin, founder and CEO of the Idea Logical Company, printed books just for plain old reading will, in 10 years from now, be unusual. "Not so unusual that a kid will say, 'Mommy, what's that?' but unusual enough that on the train you'll see one or two people reading something printed, while everyone else is reading off of a tablet." And Shatzkin believes that the de mise of print is sure to happen, though such a day won't arrive for perhaps 50 to 100 or more years. Robert Stein, founder of the Institute for the Future of the Book, however, believes that books won't disappear entirely, at least not anytime soon. "Print will exist, but it will be in a different field and will appeal to a very limited audience, as poetry does today. Like woodblock printing, hand-processed film and folk weaving , printed pages may assume an artistic value," he says. He imagines that future forms of books might be developed not by traditional publishers but by the gaming industry. He also predicts that the distinction between writer and reader will be made less obvious by a social reading experience in which authors and consumers can digitally interact with each other to discuss any passage, sentence or line. Is there anything we risk sacrificing, should print really disappear entirely? According to Maryanne Wolf, director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University, electronic reading can negatively affect the way the brain responds to text, including reading... Question: How did publishers feel about the rising e-book sales inspired by the Kindle? Options: A: Worried. B: Excited. C: Curious. D: Skeptical.
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A

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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: When a Swedish ship that sank in 1628 was recovered from the port of Stockholm, historians and scientists were overjoyed with the chance to examine the remains of the past. The ship construction showed how ships were built and operated during the seventeenth century. In this way, artifacts, objects made by human beings, provided a picture of daily life almost 400 years ago. Underwater archaeology-----the study of ships, aircrafts and human settlements that have sunk under large bodies of water-----is really a product of the last 50 years. The rapid growth of this new area of study has occurred because of the invention of better diving equipment. Besides the Swedish ship wreck ,underwater archaeologists have made more exciting discoveries such as the 5000-year-old boats in the Mediterranean Sea. Underwater archaeology can provide facts about the past. In ancient ports all over the world are ships sunken in the past 6,000 years. There are also sunken settlements in seas and lakes telling of people's way of life and their systems of trade in ancient times. Underwater archaeologists want to study these objects to add to the world's knowledge of history, but they have to fight two enemies. One enemy is treasure hunters who dive for ancient artifacts that they can sell to collectors. Once sold, these objects are lost to experts. The second enemy is dredging machines often used to repair ports. These machines destroy wrecks and artifacts or bury them deeper under sand and mud. By teaching the public about the importance of underwater "museums" of the past, archaeologists are hoping to get support for laws to protect underwater treasures. Question: Underwater archaeologists are worried because _ . Options: A: sea hunters have better diving equipment B: their knowledge of world history is limited C: dredging machines cause damage to the ports D: sold artifacts can hardly be regained for research
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D

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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: A villa designed to resist earthquakes with "self-healing" cracks in its walls, thanks to nanotechnology applications with self-healing polymers , is to be built on a Greek mountainside. The villa's walls will include special particles that turn into a liquid when squeezed under pressure, flow into cracks, and then harden to form a solid material. The NanoManufacturing Institute (NMI), based in Leeds University, will play a key role in an EU project to construct the home by December 2010. The project, called "Intelligent Safe and Secure Buildings" (ISSB) is funded under the EU's Sixth Framework program. This potentially life-saving scheme is led by German building manufacturer Knauf. The villa will be built in Amphilochia, in western Greece, where Knauf currently runs a manufacturing plant. If the experiment is successful, more tremor-resistant homes could be built in earthquake zones across the globe. NMI chief executive Professor Terry Wilkins said, "What we're trying to achieve here is very exciting. We're looking to use polymers in much tougher situations than ever before on a larger scale." Monitors contained in the villa's walls will be able to collect vast amounts of data about the building over time. Wireless sensors will record any stresses and vibrations, as well as temperature, humidity and gas levels. The walls are to be built from new load-bearing steel frames and high-strength gypsum board. Prof Wilkins said, "If there are any problems, the intelligent sensor network will be able to alert residents immediately so they have time to escape. If whole groups of houses are so constructed, we could use a larger network of sensors to get even more information. If the house falls down, we have got hand-held devices that can be used over the ruins to pick out where the embedded sensors are hidden to get some information about how the villa collapsed. Also, we can get information about anyone who may be around, so it potentially becomes a tool for rescue." Question: It can be inferred from the passage that tremor-resistant home _ . Options: A: is still being tried out B: is already under construction C: has been in wide use D: will be put into wide use soon
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A