Ibrahim became disabled after contracting polio when he was three years old. At first his parents, like many other parents of disabled children in Niger, did not want to send him to school. They were worried he would be laughed at by his classmates. Despite his disability, and his parents' doubts, Ibrahim was determined to go to school. "When I was eight," Ibrahim says, "other kids of my age were going to school while I stayed at home. I did not like that. So, I pestered my parents until they finally let me go to school." Ibrahim's parents sent him to a private school nearby. Although the journey to and from school was a short one, it still wasn't easy for Ibrahim. He had to use his hands to help him move along, protecting them with plastic slippers. But at least he was getting an education. However, after only a year in school, Ibrahim's education was interrupted when his parents separated. His mother did not have the means to continue paying for his tuition. In 2007, Ibrahim received some money to be fitted with a leg brace , corrective shoes and his first pair of crutches . Now that he was more mobile than before, the most important thing for him was to find a way to go back to school. "I wanted to start school again last October," Ibrahim says. "After my mother told me she could not afford it, I went to visit some of my relatives for support. And I collected 5,000 francs CFA (US $8) to pay my tuition for half a year. I will find the rest of the money somehow." Ibrahim attends a school in which he is the only disabled student. According to his teacher, he is among the top five students in a class of 55. Why did Ibrahim's parents prefer Ibrahim to stay at home? A) There was a lot of housework for him to do. B) They had no money to pay for his tuition. C) There were not enough schools in the country. D) They were afraid the students would make fun of him.
D
(Question)
Sagrada Familia ( 2,056,448 visits/year) Opening hours: 09:00-18:00 (October-March) 09:00-20:00 (April-September). Admission: $11, or $10 with the Barcelona Card. Disabled access: Yes. The temple has been under construction since 1882 and they've still got another 30 to 80 years to go before it will be finished. The project's vast scale and its special design have made it one of Barcelona's top tourist attractions for many years. La Pedrera (1,133,220 visits/year) Opening hours: 09:00-18:30 (November-February) 09:00-20:00 (March-October) Admission: $9.50. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card. Disabled access: No. This building used to be called Casa Mila, but nowadays it's more commonly known as La Pedrera. It was made of bricks and had colorful tiles . Barcelona FC Museum (1,032,763 visits/year) Opening hours: 6th April-4th October: (Monday to Saturday) 10:00-20:00; the rest of the year: 10:00 to 18:30. Admission: $8.50 for entry to museum and an extra $17 for a guided tour. Disabled access: Yes. It is now generally considered as the best football museum in the world. You can see so many trophies , pictures and statues of great football players. I'm not a football fan but I still enjoyed walking round this museum. Miro Museum (518,869 visits/year) Opening hours: Check website for details as they vary depending on the time of the year. Admission: $8. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card. Disabled access: Yes. This museum has a wide range of Miro's works dating back as far as 1914. This artwork collection includes not only his paintings but also a good selection of sculptures. If you visit the Barcelona FC Museum with a tour guide, you should pay _ . A) $8.5 B) $25.5 C) $17 D) $25
(Answer)
B
Ques: You've just come home, after living abroad for a few years. Since you've been away, has this country changed for the better or for the worse? If you've just arrived back in the UK after a fortnight's holiday, small changes have probably surprised you--anything from a local greengrocer suddenly being replaced by a mobile-phone shop to someone in your street moving house. So how have things changed to people coming back to Britain after seven, ten or even 15 years living abroad? What changes in society can they see that the rest of us have hardly noticed--or now take for granted? To find out, we asked some people who recently returned. Debi: When we left, Cheltenham, my home town, was a town of white, middle-class families--all very conservative .The town is now home to many eastern Europeans and lots of Australians, who come here mainly to work in hotels and tourism. There are even several shops only for foreigners. Having been an immigrant myself, I admire people who go overseas to find a job. Maybe if I lived in an inner city where unemployment was high, I'd think differently, but I believe foreign settlers have improved this country because they're more open-minded and often work harder than the natives. Christine: As we flew home over Britain, both of us remarked how green everything looked. But the differences between the place we'd left behind and the one we returned to were brought sharply into focus as soon as we landed. To see policemen with guns in the airport for the first time was frightening -- in Cyprus, they're very relaxed -- and I got pulled over by customs officers just for taking a woolen sweater with some metal-made buttons out of my case in the arrivals hall. Everyone seemed to be on guard. Even the airport car-hire firm wanted a credit card rather than cash because they said their vehicles had been used by bank robbers. But anyway, this is still a green, beautiful country. I just wish more people would appreciate what they've got. When arriving at the airport in Britain, Christine was shocked by _ . A) the tight security B) the messy arrivals hall C) the relaxed policemen D) the bank robbers
Ans: A
Although Thomas Edison created the technologies behind three major 21st century industries electrical power,recorded music and movies--his greatest invention may have been the modern method of inventing.He basically came up with the modern system of research and development.Edison was not the only scientist doing research in his garage but someone who gathered around him a team of creative scientific minds.Edison's 1aboratories were the forerunners of Apple,Google and Microsoft. Yet for a11 his scientific gifts,he was no Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.He once said,"Anything that won' t sell,I don' t want to invent." But Edison,unlike Jobs or Gates,had no real sense of what the public wanted or how to change his discoveries into products that might sell.It took him years to understand that the phonograph was not a business tool but an entertainment invention.He helped create movies but resisted the idea that people might want to go into a theater to watch one. We chose Edison this year because we need his example now more than ever.Though we live in a time of great reformation,the U.S.is in danger of losing its advantage in science and technology.American investment in research and development has not increased as a percentage of GDP since the mid1980s,while the government' s share has been dropping.And this is at a time when China is rapidly increasing its money on research and development.The U.S.was once among the 1eading nations.Now it ranks near the bottom of the 23 nations that collect such data.We hope that Edison' s story might not only encourage reformation but also inspire more young Americans to study science and engineering. The author' s main purpose is to _ . A) inform US of the danger the USA is in B) get young Americans to study science C) be in honor of Edison for his contributions D) tell US how important Edison' s inventions are
B