Today, I'm going to talk about the invention of the camera and photography. The camera is often thought to be a modern invention. But as early as 1727, a German physicist discovered that light darkened silver salt, a chemical compound. Using as a camera, a big box with a small hole to let the light in, he made temporary images on the salt. Silver salt is still the base of film today. Then a French scientist made the first permanent picture by using a special piece of metal sensitized(...)with silver salt. A photograph he made in 1826 still exists. The painter Daguerre improved on the process by placing common salt, the kind we eat, on the metal. This was in 1839, the official date of the beginning of photography. But the problem was the printing of the photographs. And it was not until other scientists developed the kind of paper we now use that good printing was possible and photography became truly common. In the 1860s, Mathew Brady was able to take his famous pictures of the American Civil War, thus making portrait poses very popular. In the 20thcentury, George Eastmen of theprefix = st1 /United Statessimplified film-developing film, and Dr. Edwin Land invented the so-called instant camera with self-developing film. If we say that the photography came into existence in 1839, it follows that it has taken more than one hundred years for the camera to reach the present condition of technical refinement . According to the writer, why is Mathew Brady remembered today? A) Because good printing was possible at the time. B) Because photography had become truly common. C) Because portrait poses were very popular in the United States. D) Because of the photos he took during the American Civil War.
D
(Question)
Thai authorities have been urged to see to it that condominiums , apartment houses and other lodgings available to tourists throughout the country will be of higher quality than today, a leading tourism businesswoman has said. Piyaman Techapaibul, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, called on the Ministry of Tourism & Sports as well as other government agencies concerned to have those places and accommodations for tourists improved and upgraded to meet international standards because, she said, today's tourists from around the world have more money to spend and prefer quality lodgings as well as quality services and accommodations at those places. "Added by condos and apartment houses currently opening for daily rent, the number of lodgings for tourists throughout the country has increased over the years, but not the qualities. Many of today's tourists are so _ and selective that they'd prefer quality places where personnel should be very responsible and experienced in taking care of them while security should be constantly and effectually maintained," she said. Employees and staff in charge of providing accommodations to tourists should be expert in communicating with the foreigners, service-minded and speak fluent English, according to the council leader. Thailand is seen to receive up to 23.1 million tourists from other countries around the world next year, compared to about 21.7 million, who have reportedly visited the country throughout this year, about 2.6 million of whom from China, while as much as two trillion baht (US$66.6 billion) is expected to be earned from tourist industry by 2015, compared to about one trillion baht (US$33.3 billion) this year. Thailand's most favorite destinations for tourists include the world-famous beach resorts of Pattaya and Phuket, the Andaman Sea archipelagos of Krabi and Surat Thani and the capital city of Bangkok. The council leader made her comments in response to news reports that the government might deregulate businesses of running condominiums and... According to the passage, how many people went to Thailand for a trip except China this year? A) about 23,1 million B) about 21.7 million C) about 2.6 million D) about 19.1 million
(Answer)
D
Ques: World top-ranked badminton player Lin Dan said last Friday that he was a better player than Taufik Hidayat in the year of 2006 despite losing the Asian Games single title to the Indonesian Olympic champion. "I have ranked No.1 in the world for two straight years and I think people can easily come to a conclusion on who is a better player for the whole year," said Lin Dan, also known as Super Dan in the badminton world because of his marvelous performance in the sport. Hidayat beat Lin 21-15, 22-20 to give Indonesia its second gold medal in Doha on December 9, retaining his Asian Games singles title and avenging two losses to the badminton world champion. Lin, 23, led China to the men's team title after defeating Hidayat twice in three days, in the preliminary round and in the semifinals of the Asian Games. In their third meeting, Lin came up against a better-prepared Hidayat than he had encountered previously. Hidayat was cheered on by the noisy support from dancing and flag-waving Indonesian fans, who had converted the badminton arena into a national celebration even before the two players stepped onto the court. There's been a lot of acrimony between Hidayat and Lin, who this year won the single title in the world championships after former champion Hidayat crashed out in the quarterfinals. In Doha, Hidayat was quoted as calling Lin "arrogant" before the event began, but the two stars played down the rift (a situation where two people dislike each other). "It's no problem, we're close friends," said Hidayat. "The media _ it." Lin said last Friday in Beijing that he and Hidayat remain friends despite all the rumors . "There is no problem between Taufik and me although we don't talk to each other very much," said Lin. "Media tends to make up things in order to make their stories juicy." What is the best title for this passage? A) Opponents Become Good Friends B) True Friendship C) World Top-ranked Badminton Players D) Who Is a Better Player?
Ans: D
Question: Bali is a tiny island that is part of Indonesia today. It is a pretty island that has many mountains and a pleasant climate. For a long time, Bali was cut off from much of the world. The people of Bali were happy and had a peaceful life. They were not allowed to fight. At one time there had been terrible wars on Bali. Then the people decided it was wrong to fight or have wars. They made rules to keep apart those people who wanted to fight. Bali was divided into seven small kingdoms. The land around each kingdom was kept empty, and no one lived there. Since the kingdoms did not share the same borders , the people could not fight about them. On Bali, even children were not allowed to fight. If two children started a fight over a toy, someone separated them. When two boys argued, they would agree not to speak to each other. Sometimes they did not talk together for months; this gave the boys a chance to forget their anger. Families who were angry with each other also promised not to speak. Their promise was written down, and the whole village knew about it. If they broke their promise, they had to offer gifts to their gods. How did the people of Bali prevent fighting from breaking out? A) They shared the same borders. B) The island was divided into seven kingdoms. C) They made strict rules to punish those who wanted to fight. D) Land was kept empty around each kingdom and no one lived there.
Answer:
D