Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: There are probably no people on Earth who like to gossip as much as the British. If prying into other's lives were an Olympic sport, then Team GB would surely take the gold medal. And when the British can't watch the lives of real people, they have another source of entertainment to fall back on--the soap opera. British soap operas are very different to US TV dramas. For one, they are normally longer running. The two most popular, Coronation Street and East-enders, have been running for 48 and 24 years respectively. Both are broadcast several times a week, so remarkably there have been more than 7,000 _ of Coronation Street. The most obvious difference is that, unlike US dramas, the British soap operas focus on the real world. There is little glamour , the stars are rarely rich, and they normally have boring jobs. Perhaps the appeal is that the lives of the characters often mirror the lives of the audience--but with some drama added. This means the viewer can relate to the characters and feel the pain and happiness they go through on the show. Because these soap operas last for decades, the cast is ever changing. The shows rarely focus on one or two main characters. Like the real world, people come and go all the time. However, there are exceptions. Coronation Street's William Roach, 76, has played the role of Ken Barlow since the very first episode of the show in 1960, and he is still a regular. The choice of which soap opera you follow is often cultural: People from the north of British tend to watch Coronation Street as it is set in Manchester. People from the south generally prefer East-enders, which is set in the east of London. The show is generally considered grittier and is aimed at a younger audience. Question: One characteristic of British operas is that _ . - the characters play the same role for a long time. - the characters in the play often change - people don't know what will happen next - there is only one or two characters in them
the characters in the play often change

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Every year, as Spring Festival draws near, most Chinese people will get excited to make preparation for the most important festival and make plan for the winter break. It is a little like Christmas in the United States, but there are some differences between the two festivals. Both the major Chinese and the major Western holidays come during the cold season, and special food is expected. In western countries, cookies and cakes begin just after Thanksgiving in November and show up everywhere. Turkey, potatoes and other food come later. Similar thing happens in China. Entering lunar December, most families will make shopping plans for _ and food is certainly one of the most important things to be considered. At the end of the month, both parents in each family will be very busy---the father is busy buying food while the mother is busy cooking. A deeper similarity is tradition. Christmas, as the letters "Christ" suggests, began as a holiday to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. Many people pray on this day. In China, people living in cities or towns, though they don't plan to sow seeds this month, still celebrate on the big day for farmers. Followers of both holidays are also different from each other. While Chinese people travel to the homes of elder relatives, Americans usually call or send cards. Westerners prefer Christmas carols to fireworks. In Christmas, many family gifts come together instead of one by one, since adults may have only one day free to celebrate. But the most curious difference is about students. Chinese students going home for Spring Festival sometimes report that they get bored by the end of vacation, yet American students seldom get bored around Christmas and western New Year. Not everyone enjoys classic holiday traditions. Students in western countries may get upset, as too much homework, travel or bad family relations may destroy the short holiday season. In China, more and more college students choose to travel or work during the winter holiday instead of going home to stay... Question: What does the writer mainly want to tell us in this passage? - Food in different festivals. - Differences between two festivals. - Festivals in China and western countries. - Traditional celebrations in different countries.
Differences between two festivals.

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Some years ago,writing in my diary used to be a usual activity.I would return from school and spend the expected half hour recording the day's events,feelings,and impressions in my little blue diary.I did not really need to express my emotions by way of words,but I gained a certain satisfaction from seeing my experiences forever recorded on paper.After all,isn't accumulating memories a way of preserving the past? When I was thirteen years old,I went on a long journey on foot in a great valley,wellequipped with pens,a diary,and a camera.During the trip,I was busy recording every incident,name and place I came across.I felt proud to be spending my time productively,dutifully preserving for future generations a detailed description of my travels.On my last night there,I wandered out of my tent,diary in hand.The sky was clear and lit by the glare of the moon,and the walls of the valley looked threatening behind their screen of shadows.I automatically took out my pen... At that point,I understood that nothing I wrote could ever match or replace the few seconds I allowed myself to experience the dramatic beauty of the valley.All I remembered of the previous few days were the dull characterizations I had set down in my diary. Now,I only write in my diary when I need to write down a special thought or feeling.I still love to record ideas and quotations that strike me in books,or observations that are particularly meaningful.I take pictures,but not very often-only of objects I find really beautiful.I'm no longer blindly satisfied with having something to remember when I grow old.I realize that life will simply pass me by if I stay behind the camera,busy preserving the present so as to live it in the future. I don't want to wake up one day and have nothing but a pile of pictures and notes.Maybe I won't have as many exact representations of people and places;maybe I'll forget certain facts,but at least the experiences will always remain inside me.I don't live to make memories-I just live,and the memories form themselves. Question: What does the author put in her diary now? - Notes and beautiful pictures. - Special thoughts and feelings. - Detailed accounts of daily activities. - Descriptions of unforgettable events.
A: Special thoughts and feelings.