*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The Future of Dairy Farming: Robot Milkers The future has arrived at a dairy farm in about an hour by car from WashingtonD.C. A robot is milking cows. It is milking time at Woodbourne Creamery in Mt. Airy, Maryland. The cows are standing in line for a turn at the robot. John Fendrick is the owner of the farm. He inspects the progress of the animals by looking at a computer screen. That is all he has to do."The door opens up, they walk in, and they get milked. The door opens up, and they walk out." The robot does all the work. It uses a laser to find each teat -- the place on the cow where the milk comes out. The robot then cleans the teat and connects a milking tube toit. The robot also tests the milk for possible contamination . If it finds a problem, it rejects the milk. When the amount of milk coming out of the cow slows, the machine knows to stop, and sends the cow on its way. Milking robots are becoming popular among dairy farmers in the United States, Europe and Australia. John Fendrick says the robots have changed life on a dairy farm."You are given the freedom back. So it allows me or the people working for me to actually do other things on the farm." Most dairy farmers must milk their cows two times a day, early in the morning and late at night. The animals are milked every day in good weather or bad. But Mr Fendrick's cows do not follow such a schedule. They stay in the field until they want to be milked by the robot. Some of them come to be milked in the middle of the night. Mr Fendrick doesn't even need to be there to watch his cows being milked. He can watch from his telephone. He can learn when each cow was milked and how much she produced. He can also learn if a cow has not been milked for a long time. The cow milking robot is not low-cost technology. Mr Fendrick paid more than $150,000 for it. But he notes, paying someone to milk the cows is also costly."In three years, I will have paid off the difference with this, and I don't have to be the person who's always on call to milk. The fact... Question: The reason why Mr Fendrick doesn't even have to be on the farm is that . Options: A: he can watch and learn from his telephone B: he has completely been replaced by robots C: robots will tell him all by telephone D: he is not the person on call to milk
**Answer**
A

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: There are some places in the world where great cities once stood. There were trees, gardens and grass. But now these cities have gone and the places are like deserts. Scientists began to study this land to find out what happened. Many of them believed the land died when the trees were cut down. Trees help other plants grow and help hold the soil in place. They keep the soil from blowing away. The leaves of trees on the ground keep rainwater from running off. Trees near farms protect growing plants from strong winds. Once there were hundreds of farms in the southwestern United States. Then the farms turned into fields of dry dust. Trees might have saved these farms. But few trees grow in the dry southwest now. Now we try to save trees. In many places, when a tree is cut down , a new tree is planted in its place . We do not want the land to die. Question: From the passage we know that _ . Options: A: trees can blow soil away B: man should protect the land C: trees grow only in deserts D: trees die easily
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: While income worry is a rather common problem of the aged, loneliness is another problem that aged parents may face. Of all the reasons that explain their loneliness, a large geographical distance between parents and their children is the major one. This phenomenon is commonly known as "Empty Nest Syndrome" . In order to seek better chances outside their countries, many young people have gone abroad, leaving their parents behind with no clear idea of when they will return home. Their parents spend countless lonely days and nights, taking care of themselves, in the hope that someday their children will come back to stay with them. The fact that most of these young people have gone to Europeanized or Americanized societies makes it unlikely that they will hold as tightly to the value of duty as they would have if they had not left their countries. Whatever the case, it has been noted that the values they hold do not necessarily match what they actually do. This geographical and cultural distance also prevents the grown-up children from providing response in time for their aged parents living by themselves. The situation in which grown-up children live far away from their aged parents has been described as "distant parent phenomenon", which is common both in developed countries and in developing countries. Our society has not yet been well prepared for "Empty Nest Syndrome". Question: According to the passage, the loneliness of aged parents is mainly caused by _ . Options: A: their earlier experience of feeling lonely B: the unfavorable living conditions in their native countries C: the common worry about their income D: the geographical distance between parents and children
**Answer**
D

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Do you still remember the funny question: why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more concerned with how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road. Millions of animals die each year on US roads, the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact, only about 80 ocelots , an endangered wild cat exist in the US today. The main reason? Road kill. "Ecopassages" may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. "These ecopassages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid human conflicts," said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Conservation Society. But do animals actually use the ecopassages? The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an ecopassage that went under a highway. This showed that the lion used the passage. Builders of some ecopassages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them. Animals seem _ . Animals as different as salamanders and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses. The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around. You might see an animal overpass! Question: When the writer says that animals seem "to be catching on", he means _ . Options: A: animals begin to realize the dangers on the road B: animals are increasing in number C: animals are crossing the road in groups D: animals begin to learn to use ecopassages
**Answer**
D