Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden change in pronunciation started, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16 century the British had contact with people from around the world. This means that many new words and phrases entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. Spelling and grammar became fixed and the dialect of London became the standard. In 1604, the first English dictionary was published. The numbers of words in Early Modern English and Late Modern English differ. Late Modern English has a lot more words because of two main factors: firstly, the Industrial Revolution created a need for new words; secondly, the British Empire covered one quarter of the earth's surface, and the English language took in foreign words from many countries. From around 1600, the English colonization of North America resulted in the creation of American English. Some English pronunciation and words when they reached America. In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English. Some expressions that the British call " Americanisms" are in fact original British expressions that were preserved in the colonies but were lost in Britain. Spanish also had an influence on American English, with words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante being examples of Spanish words that entered English. French words and West African words also influenced American English. Today, American English is the most influential . But there are many other kinds of English around the world, including Australian English, New Zealand English, Canadian English, South African English , Indian English and Caribbean English. They have differences. Question: What can we know from Paragraph 1? - The dialect of London became the standard in the year 1604. - Vowels were pronounced longer towards the end of Middle English - The first English dictionary was published in the early 17 - Many new words entered English because many people moved to Britain.
The first English dictionary was published in the early 17
------
Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: This is a true story of how my car got stuck in water and how a stranger helped me during the worst rain storm. Last Sunday, the sky was grey when I woke up. The weather report said rain was coming, but I couldn't stay home just because of rain. Around 8:00 am I had a doctor's appointment. It wasn't raining then. At 9:00 I left the doctor's office to drive to work, and it was raining hard. I just had to go about 5-6 miles down one main road to get to a nearby school, where I could stay until the rain ended. Unfortunately, the road in front of the school was flooded, and my car stopped in the middle. "Who is going to save me?" I wondered. I shut off the engine and turned on my flashers . I called 911. They were not helpful. I called my husband, even though he couldn't come and help me. I was also very close to a police station. But I never saw even one police car. I decided to get out of the car, since it was still pouring. My best decision of the day had been to wear rain boots. I took my umbrella and quickly got out and ran across the street to a shelter. Before long, a tow truck happened to pass by the street. The driver kindly offered to help me. At that moment, I really needed car pulled out quickly, so I trusted the stranger. He pulled my car and drove me home. After he had dropped my car off, he also helped me check the engine. He said the engine was most likely flooded, but fortunately there was no water inside the car. Although many years have passed, I still remember that stormy day and the warm-hearted stranger clearly. Question: How did the stranger help the author? - He lent his car to her. - He pulled her car out of the water. - He drove her to school. - He helped her fix her engine.
He pulled her car out of the water.
------
Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Animals are more like us than we ever imagined. They feel pain, they experience stress, they show affection, excitement and love. All these findings have been made by scientists in recent years and such results are beginning to change how we view animals. Strangely enough, some of this research was sponsored by fast food companies like McDonald's and KFC. Pressured by animal rights groups, these companies felt they had to fund scientists researching the emotional and mental states of animals. McDonald's, for instance, funded studies on pig behavior at Purdue University, Indiana. This research found that pigs seek affection and easily become depressed if left alone or prevented from playing with each other. If they become depressed, they soon become physically ill. Because of this, and other similar studies, the European Union has banned the use of isolating pig stalls from 2010. In Germany, the government is encouraging pig farmers to give each pig 20 seconds of human contact a day, and to provide them with toys to prevent them from fighting. Other scientists have shown that animals think and behave like humans. Koko, the 300-pound gorilla at the Gorilla Foundation in Northern California, for instance, has been taught sign language. Koko can now understand several thousand English words, more than many humans who speak English as a second language. On human IQ tests, she scores between 70and 95. Before such experiments, humans thought language skills were absent from the animal kingdom. Other myths are also being overturned, like the belief that animals lack self-awareness. Studies have also shown that animals mourn their dead, and that they play for pleasure. These striking similarities between animal and human behavior have led some to ask a question:" If you believe in evolution, how can't you believe that animals have feelings that human beings have?" Until recently, scientists believed that animals behaved by instinct and that what appeared to be learned behavior was merely genetically-programmed... Question: Should we ban hunting and animal testing? - Yes. - No. - Not certain. - Not mentioned.
Not mentioned.
------
Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: A study made by University of Sussex found that men and women who frequently used several types of technology at the same time had less grey matter in a key part of the brain . The researchers said : " Simultaneously , using mobile phones , laptops and other media devices could change the structure of our brains . " Worryingly , the part of the brain that shrinks is involved in processing emotion . The finding has linked multi-tasking with a shortened attention span , depression , anxiety and lower grades at school . The researchers began by asking 75 healthy men and women how often they divided their attention between different types of technology . This could mean sending a text message while listening to music and checking email , or speaking on the phone while watching TV and surfing the web . The volunteers were then given brain scans which showed they had less grey matter in a region called the anterior cingulated cortex ( ACC ) . The findings held even when differences in personality were taken into account . The study , published in the journal PLOS ONE , is the first to make a link between multi-tasking and the structure of the brain . Researcher KepKeeLoh said : " Media multi-tasking is become more popular in our lives today and there is growing concern about its impacts on our cognition and social-emotional well-being . " He added that more researches are needed to prove that multi-tasking shrinks the brain . This is because it is also possible that people with less grey matter in the ACC are more likely to use lots of devices simultaneously . Scientists have previously described brain structure can be altered on prolonged exposure to new environments and experience . Other studies have shown that training - such as learning magic or taxi drivers learning the map of London - can increase grey matter densities in certain parts . Question: What can we learn about grey matter from the passage ? - Watching the TV for a long time can reduce grey matter . - The decrease of grey matter in the ACC affects emotion . - People with less grey matter prefer to use media devices . - Taxi drivers in London have more grey matter than others .
The decrease of grey matter in the ACC affects emotion .
------