The Taj Mahal is a love story, a sad and beautiful one. If it didn't exist, we would easily imagine that the story of its construction was simply a fairy tale. Three hundred years ago, there lived an Indian emperor called Shah Jahan. His wife was a beautiful and bright woman whom he loved greatly. Her title was Mumtazl Mahan: its shortened form Taj Mahan, means "pride of the palace". In the year 1630 this beloved wife of the emperor died. He was so brokenhearted that he thought of giving up his throne. He decided out of his love for his wife, to build her the most beautiful tomb that had ever been seen. He summoned the best artists and architects from India, Turkey, Persia and Arabia and finally, the design was complete. It took more than twenty thousand men working over a period of 18 years to build the Taj Mahan, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. The building itself stands on a marble platform 29 meters square and 6-7 meters high. Towers rise from each of the four corners. The Taj itself soars another 61 meters into the air. It is an eight-sided building made of white marble. The emperor planned to build an identical tomb of black marble for himself on the other side of the river connected by a silver bridge. However his son put him into a prison in the palace before he could finish, and for the rest of his life, he could only gaze across river at the tomb of his beloved wife. The emperor _ . A) died soon after Taj Mahan died B) was killed by his son C) was beloved by his people D) died after 1648
D
(Question)
When I was in my first year of high-school I tried out for my school's basketball team. Although I was very successful in other sports, particularly soccer and baseball, I was only a mediocre basketball player. I remember walking into the gymnasium and feeling shocked when I saw how many people were also trying out. I knew I was a good athlete, but I didn't know if my skill would be as good as the other participants. Try-outs lasted for four long days. At the end of each day, the basketball coach had a short discussion with each player. He told some of the players to come back for the next day, and told other players that they had not made the team. This is called getting cut. All of us were afraid of getting cut at the end of each practice. On the fourth day of try-outs there were only twenty kids left. I was one of them, but we all knew only eighteen students would make the team. This day was the most intense day of them all. There were many opportunities to impress the coach but there were so few people that the pressure was very high. I was not one of the best players on the team, so I was especially worried on this last day. At the end of practice the coach told every player to take one shot from the same spot. Many kids missed their shot but mine went in the basket. After practice we waited as the coach talked to each player. When my turn finally came my heart skipped a beat when I walked towards the coach. My head was spinning when the coach started speaking and I was almost shaking because I was anxious. The coach told me that I had done very well and that he was impressed. However, the team only eighteen spots and unfortunately none of these would be mine. What does "getting cut" mean? A) When the coach tells you that you cannot join the team. B) When scissors hurt you and make you bleed. C) When you join the basketball team. D) When the coach criticizes you.
(Answer)
A
Ques: In the West, advertisements are the fuel that makes mass media work. Many TV stations, newspapers, magazines, radio stations are privately owned. The government does not give them money. So where does the money come from? From advertisements. Without advertisements, there would not be these private businesses. Have you ever asked yourself what advertising is? Through the years, people have given different answers to the question. For some time it was felt that advertising was a means of "keeping your name before the public". And some people thought that advertising was "truth well told". Now more and more people consider it in this way: Advertising is the paid, non-personal, and usually persuasive presentation of goods, services and ideas by some certain sponsors through various media. First, advertising is usually paid for. Various sponsors pay for the advertisements we see, read, and hear over the various media. Second, advertising is non-personal. It is not face-to-face communication. Although you may feel that a message in a certain advertisement is aimed directly at you, in fact, it is directed at large groups of people. Third, advertising is usually persuasive. Directly or indirectly it asks people to do something. All advertisements try to make people believe that the product, idea, or service advertised can benefit them. Fourth, the sponsors of the advertisement must show their names. From the advertisement, we can see if the sponsor is a company, or a single person. Fifth, advertising reaches us through old and modern mass media. Included in the old media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and films. Modern media include emails, matchbox covers, and boards on top of buildings. The existence of the privately owned mass media depends on the support of _ . A) the government B) their owners families C) advertisements D) the TV stations
Ans: C
(Q).
Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between the ticket office and us. This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. You could tell they didn't have a lot of money. _ The children talked excitedly about the clowns. It was clearly a very important day out for them. The father and mother seemed happy as they could be. The tickets lady asked how many tickets the father wanted, he proudly answered, "Please let me buy eight children's tickets and two adults' tickets, so I can take my family to the circus." The ticket lady told him the price. The man's wife lowered her head. There was no longer a smile on the man's face. He quietly asked, "How much did you say?" The ticket lady again told him the price. The man obviously didn't have enough money. But how could he tell his kids the bad news? Seeing what was happening, my dad took a $20 note from his pocket and dropped in on the ground. (We were not rich ourselves at all!) He then tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, you dropped this." The man understood my father was helping him. He picked up the money, looked straight into my dad's eyes, and in tears replied. "Thank you. This really means a lot to me and my family." Although we did not go to the circus that night, we didn't go without. Which of the following statements is probably true according to the passage? A) The poor mans saw the circus that night. B) The two families became close friends. C) The writer's father earned some money. D) The writer saw the circs that night.
(A).
A
Ques:A traveller was staying in an Egyptian village. One day, she held up her camera to take pictures of the children. Suddenly the young ones began to shout at her. The traveller's face turned red and she apologized to the head for what she was doing, and told him she had forgotten that people in some places believed a person would lose his soul if his picture was taken. She explained to him the operation of a camera for a long time. Several times the head tried to say something, but he couldn't. When she believed that the head didn't fear any longer, the traveller then let him speak. With a smile, he said, "The children were trying to tell you that you forgot to take off the lens cap!" The traveller explained how to use a camera to the head because _ . A) the head wanted to learn to take pictures B) the head was very interested in her camera C) she was afraid of the head D) she wanted the head not to worry about what she was doing

Ans:
D