The virus "Ebola" is named after the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That's where the virus was discovered in 1976. A person can only get Ebola through direct contact with an infected person's bodily fluids, for example, sweat or spit. Additionally, the virus can get into your body through your eyes and mouth if those areas come into contact with something that contains the bodily fluids of an infected person. That's why health care workers are supposed to keep themselves completely covered while treating patients. The deadliest Ebola outbreak is spreading fast in Western Africa, taking over 900 lives so far. The health systems in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia are severely lacking in resources, and health care workers may not have access to adequate protective clothing when working in rural clinics, where the proper protections are lacking. Since Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia share a border; it's easier for people to move from one country to another, increasing the risk for disease spread. For now, all doctors can do is treat the symptoms and provide supportive care like monitoring heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing while making sure the patients' fluids are supplied. Sometimes patients are given antibiotics to treat other possible infections. The hope is to make the patient pull through the infection so their immune system can eventually clear the virus. The people who survive Ebola have created enough antibodies to kill it. There are several promising drugs and vaccines in development, but since Ebola is less common--and research about it is not well funded -- there is no drug or vaccine that has been approved for use in humans. Many of the other drugs and vaccines have not yet been tested in humans. The WHO (World Health Organization) is meeting next week to discuss whether experimental treatments should be used during this outbreak. According to the passage, Ebola only spreads through _ . A) patients' sweat B) bodily fluids C) people's spit D) your body
B
Balzac was good at buying things at its lowest price. One day he wanted to buy a vase in a shop window that was much more expensive than he could offer. Not being able to make the shopkeeper cut down its price very much, he left without further talking. Collecting a half dozen of his friends, he explained his wish to them and they worked a plan. The first would enter the shop and make an offer, lower than the marked price. Not getting the vase at his price, he would walk out. Shortly after another would enter and ask for a price lower than the first. In this way, each of the others would offer a price lower than the one before, and the last of his friends made a great effort to attempt to get it at the lowest price. Before long Balzac himself would return, offer more than the last two or three persons made and trust to luck. The plan worked--- Balzac got the vase at his price! What kind of person does the writer try to tell us about Balzac and his friends? A) Unkind B) Dishonest C) Selfish D) Clever
D
Q: It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and Maggie and I were returning from our walk through the woods.We were only a couple of blocks from home when I spotted a cell phone and a credit card sitting on the road.We took them home.We always find amazing things on the street and she looks upon them as a movable feast-a chicken wing here or a barbecue rib there. I found another cell phone a few years back, too, and called a number in its phone book.I explained the situation to the guy who answered.He said it was his sister's and that he'd come to pick it up, which he did. And that was that.No verbal thank-you, no written thank-you, no "here's a box of chocolates" thank-you. I didn't have time to call anyone on my latest found cell phone.I was pouring myself coffee when it started to shake and dance across the kitchen counter. "Who's this?" someone asked when I picked up. "Who's this?" I countered ."Sarah?" She was surprised at my knowing her name until she realized her name was on the credit card."Could you send them to me?" she asked. She lives in Arlington, which is 2 miles from my house. "Hmm, no, "I replied, adding that I thought she could come to get them, and that if I wasn't at home, they would be in my mailbox. A day later, when I was out for a run, someone got them back.There wasn't even a piece of paper put in the mailbox with "Thanks" on it.In this age of e-mail and cell phone, there's really no excuse.Years ago, I found something more precious than a $100 bill on the street:a driver's license.I saw that its owner lived a couple of blocks from me, so I called him up.He asked whether I could slip the license through his front door. "I guess I could, "I replied. And that was that. The writer wants to tell us through the unusual stories, A) we should return the things we picked to the losers B) people don't know how to appreciate others in the age of e-mail and cell phone C) people should learn to appreciate persons who provide help for you D) the advance of society makes people lose some virtues
A: C
People need to relax and enjoy themse1ves.One way they can have a good time is to watch a baseball game or another sports event.Even thousands of years ago,groups of people gathered to watch skilled athletes . Over 2000 years ago in Greece,certain days in the year were festival days.These were holidays when people stopped work and enjoyed themselves.They liked to watch athletes take part in races and other games of skill. The most important festival was held every four years at the town of Olympia.It was held in honor of the Greek god Zeus(Zus).For five days,athletes from all parts of the Greek world took part in the Olympic Games.At the Olympic Games,people could watch them box,run,jump and so on.There was a relay race between two teams of men in which a lighted torch was passed from runner to runner.The Olympic Games were thought to be so important that cities which were at war with one another had to stop fighting.People were allowed to travel to the games safely.Thousands of people came to Olympia from cities in Greece and from her colonies in Africa,Asia and Italy.They met as friends to cheer their favorite athletes and to enjoy themselves. What were those countries in Africa? A) Friends. B) Enemies. C) Colonies. D) Other cities.
C