*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Regularly staying late at the office significantly increases the risk of having a stroke or heart attack, researchers have found, working just an hour extra each day pushes up stroke risk by 10 per cent, according to a huge review of working patterns. And people who work an extra three hours a day--or 55 hours a week--are 33 per cent more likely to have a stroke, the scientists found. The research, published in the Lancet medical journal, is based on health records of more than 500, 000 people across Europe, the US and Australia. Scientists led by University College London warned that people who work longer hours tend to do less exercise, sit at a computer for hours at a time and drink more than people with a better work-life balance. Repeated stress may also be to blame for greater health problems, the scientists think. They looked at the combined result of 17 previous studies, in which 529, 000 people were tracked over an average of seven years. Experts stressed that the study had only found a link between hours worked and heart problems---it had not proved what had actually caused each death. But they warned people to take note of the findings. Dr Tim Chico, consultant cardiologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, said "For many people, reducing their working hours would be difficult or impossible, and this study does not show that it would reduce the risk of stroke." Most of us could reduce the amount of time we spend sitting down, increase our physical activity and improve our diet while working and this might be more important the more time we spend at work. Question: Which factor is NOT the cause of the higher risk of health problems? Options: A: Excessive drinking. B: A healthy diet. C: Repeated stress. D: Lack of exercise
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Huckleberry Finn,the great character from the Mark Twain book,did not like school.He preferred floating down the Mississippi River on a raft and looking for adventure.That's why generations of schoolboys have loved reading Huckleberry Finn:they feel the same way about[ school as he did. For many boys,being forced to sit all day in a school room is like being punished for a crime they did not commit.There are endless hours of boredom spent learning things they have no interest in.That's why many boys do poorly in school and many give up on education altogether. Ironically ,the whole idea for schools was invented for boys.If a boy wanted to grow up to be a useful man,he had to be educated.By and by,people realized that educating girls was a good idea,too.And,ironically again,it was discovered that the school system suits girls just fine;so fine that girls now do much better than boys in school. No one really knows why that is.Some say that girls mature quicker than boys and adapt better to school life.Some also say that the school system and the curriculum have changed to encourage girls but _ . Educators are now trying to find ways to get boys to be more successful in school.There are suggestions to separate the sexes and teach boys separately.There are also suggestions to change[ the curriculum to make it more interesting for boys. Whatever the changes are,boys still will be boys,and dreams of floating down the Mississippi River will always be an attractive choice to just sitting in a classroom. Question: Many boys do poorly in school because _ . Options: A: they give up on education B: they're punished for a crime they did not commit C: they have no interest in the things they're learning D: they prefer floating down the Mississippi River on a raft
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: You never forget your first whale. The impact it makes upon you is huge and life is never quite the same again. My first whale was a 40ft grey, off the coast of California in 1979, and I've been a whale addict ever since. Now I have to go whale watching regularly just to survive normal daily life. I may be crazy but I am certainly not alone. The world is filled with whale watchers: since its beginnings in the mid-fifties, whale watching has grown dramatically and now more than 13 million people join organized whale watching trips every year. As a faithful whale watcher, all your holidays center on whales. The only books you read are ones about whales; you wear whale T-shirts, and every time you meet your friends you talk about whales. So what is it about these larger-than-life animals that makes them so special? Their enormous size is one possible explanation: imagine sitting in a small boat next to a blue whale almost as long as a Boeing 737.The fact that we know so little about them is another possibility: modern technology has taken us to the moon and beyond, yet we are only just beginning to understand these extraordinary forms of intelligent life on our own planet. Planning and patience are just two essential requirements for successful whale watching. Planning is needed because there are certain whale hot spots--where you have the best chance of seeing them--and because the larger species tend to be on their way from feeding areas to breeding grounds, so rarely do they stay in one place for more than a few months at a time. Patience is necessary because, even under the best conditions, whales can be tricky to find. However, most commercial whale watching trips have a surprisingly high success rate because they tend to concentrate on well-known whale populations at peak seasons. Question: What is the impact of the author's first whale in his life? Options: A: He has been crazy ever since. B: He can't have a normal daily life. C: He has fallen in love with whale watching. D: He has organized watching trips every year.
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Five people are at our table, including myself. I've already learnt a great deal about them in the short time we've been at sea, although we rarely meet except at mealtimes. First of all, there is Dr. Stone. He is a man of about sixty-five, with gray hair and a friendly face. He gave up his work a short while ago and is now traveling round the world before he retires to some quite country village. As a young man, he served for many years as a doctor in the army and visited many countries. He's told us a great deal about the city to which they are going. Then there is "Grandmother". I call her that because her name escapes me. In spite of being a grandmother, she looks remarkable young, no more than fifty. She is on her way to visit a daughter who went to Australia some years ago. Naturally she is very excited at the thought of seeing her again, and her three grandchildren, whom she has never seen. Then there is a man I don't care for very much, the engineer by the name of Barlow. He has been _ in England and is now returning to his work in Singapore. The other person who sits at our table is Mrs. Hunt. I've found out hardly anything about her. She's extremely quiet and rarely talks, except to consult the doctor about children's various illnesses. She is on her way to join her husband in India. Question: What can we know about Mr. Stone? Options: A: He is a doctor in the army now. B: He is going to give up his work. C: He has been retired for many years. D: He knows a lot about the city the author is going to visit.
**Answer**
D