Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: There was a time in my life when beauty meant something special to me. I guess that would have been when I was about six or seven years old, just several weeks or maybe a month before the orphanage turned me into an old man. I would get up every morning at the orphanage, make my bed just like the little soldier that I had become and then I would get into one of the two straight lines and march to breakfast with the other twenty or thirty boys who also lived in my dormitory. After breakfast one Saturday morning I returned to the dormitory and saw the house parent chasing the beautiful monarch butterflies who lived by the hundreds in the bushes scattered around the orphanage. I carefully watched as he caught these beautiful creatures, one after another, and then took them from the net and then stuck straight pins through their head and wings, pinning them onto a heavy cardboard sheet. How cruel it was to kill something of such beauty. I had walked many times out into the bushes, all by myself, just so the butterflies could land on my head, face and hands so I could look at them up close. When the telephone rang the house parent laid the large cardboard paper down on the back cement step and went inside to answer the phone. I walked up to the cardboard and looked at the one butterfly who he had just pinned to the large paper. It was still moving about so I reached down and touched it on the wing causing one of the pins to fall out. It started flying around and around trying to get away but it was still pinned by the one wing with the other straight pin. Finally its wing broke off and the butterfly fell to the ground and just trembled. I picked up the torn wing and the butterfly and I spat on its wing and tried to get it to stick back on so it could fly away and be free before the house parent came back. But it would not stay on him. Question: According to the passage, the author's life in the orphanage was _ . - dull and full of strict rules - simple and easy - happy and full of hope - hard and busy
A: dull and full of strict rules

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: In the office of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, there is a picture of Catherine the Great, the legendary Russian Empress. When asked why she has the picture, Merkel says, "She was a strong woman". Many say the same of Merkel. The most powerful woman in the world, according to US Forbes magazine, was in China last week. She came to discuss trade and environmental issues with China's top leaders. Germany's first woman leader is known as a brave and practical statesman . Even since her time at school, she had the habit of getting everything in order. Every day before doing her homework she would clean the desk and think about what to do next. "I prefer a long time for full preparations to make my decision. But once I decide, I will stand up for what I believe," Merkel said. Perhaps it was good habits that helped her do well in her studies. At 32, she got a doctorate in physics and then she worked as a researcher. However, the life of a scholar couldn't put off her love of politics. While working in labs, Merkel took time off to read political books and at last joined a political party. "Her calmness helped her stand out in the party. She could always find a way out while others felt hopeless," said one of her old friends. In her first big political job as Minister for the Environment in 1994, her scientific background proved very useful. In 2005 she became Germany's youngest chancellor since the second World War. Now half way through her four-year term, the 53-year-old woman has made a name for herself both in Germany and abroad. At the EU summit in 2005 when France quarreled with Britain over the EU budget , some people believed the EU was close to breaking down. But Merkel didn't give up. She shuttled between the heads of the two powers and had them reached an agreement. "Strength comes from composure and courage. Many people say I am a strong woman. But I would rather say I have perseverance," said Merkel. Question: Why does Merkel put a picture of Catherine the Great on the wall of her office? - Because Catherine the Great is beautiful. - Because Merkel wants to be a strong woman too. - Because Merkel likes the drawing skill of it. - Because it is very expensive.
A: Because Merkel wants to be a strong woman too.

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: After a day of work and play, the body needs to rest. Sleep is necessary for good health. During this time, the body recovers from the activities of the previous day. The rest that you get while sleeping enables your body to prepare itself for the next day. There are four levels of sleep, each being a little deeper than the one before. As you sleep, your muscles relax little by little. Your heart beats more slowly, and your brain slows down. After you reach the fourth level, your body shifts back and forth from one level of sleep to the other. Although your mind slows down, from time to time you will dream. Scientists who study sleep state that when dreaming occurs your eyeballs begin to move quickly (although your eyelids are closed). This stage of sleep is called REM, which stands for rapid eye movement. If you have trouble falling asleep, some people recommend breathing very slowly and very deeply. Other people believe that drinking warm milk will help make you drowsy. There is also an old suggestion that counting sheep will put you to sleep. Question: A good title for this passage is _ . - Sleep. - Good Health - Dreams - Work and Rest
A: Sleep.

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: A gunman opened fire in Orlando's Pulse nightclub early morning Sunday , killing approximately 50 people and injuring another 53 . Clubbers were enjoying an evening at Pulse , which describes itself as " the hottest gay bar in Orlando , " when shots started to go off around 2 am. A hostage situation occurred , and didn't end until authorities used a vehicle armed to teeth to break down the door of the building and kill the gunman at around 5 am . Sunday morning's attack surpasses the shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007 and Sndy Hook Elementary School in 2012 to become the worst mass shooting in US history . Authorities have identified the shooter as 29-year-old Omar Saddiqui Mateen from Fort Pierce , about 120 miles southeast of Orlando . CNN reports Mr. Mateen was previously trained as a security guard . The federal government and FBI " have suggestions the individual has leanings towards Islamic terrorism , but right now we can't say definitely , " says Ron Hopper , assistant special agent of FBI's Orlando bureau . But Mateen's connection to Islamic terrorism has not been proven , leading authorities to also investigate the shooting as a possible hate crime against the LGBT community . The Orlando blood donation facility tweeted that the bank was in " urgent need " of donations Sunday morning following the shooting . But within hours , they announced their bank was at capacity due to the long lines of volunteers who showed up to donate . However , after the initial tweet at 10:40 Sunday morning , criticisms of the United States' stand on blood donation by the LGBT community resurfaced on social media from those who wanted to help but were prohibited due to their sexuality . " It's legal to buy an AR-15 assault rifle . It's illegal for a gay man to donate blood to victims of the massacre . The world makes no sense . " said John Barcus . ( LGBT : a community of four types of people ; lesbian , gay , bisexual , transgender .) Question: What do we know about the shooting from the passage ? - It lasted for more than four hours . - 50 people were killed during this scary attack . - This is the second worst shooting on American soil . - The police had to rely on heavy equipment to kill the gunman .
A: The police had to rely on heavy equipment to kill the gunman .