Problem:OPTIONS:
- Because it was difficult to take care of.
- Because it had a sign of dying away.
- Because it grew in a wrong place.
- Because its leaves were always falling.

Read the following article and answer the question. Article: I lost both of my parents in a tragic car accident when I was five. Fortunately, at that age a child doesn't understand the finality of such an event. Many years later, at the age of twenty-three, I was planning my wedding to Sheldon, who came from a complete loving family, the type I expect. Sheldon and I had already bought our first home with a large, beautifully landscaped yard. As the date grew closer and we took ownership of the home, we began to clean, arrange inside and out. The day before our wedding we were putting the final touches to the yard. We were so pleased with the neatness of it all. But one plant puzzled us. A rosebush located just outside our front door, was completely barren of leaves or buds. It looked liked it might be dead, but since neither of us could be sure, we reluctantly decided to keep it for the time being. That same evening, after the dinner, I was too excited to sleep. Instead I decided I needed some quiet time to reflect on the wedding the next day. I went to the backyard and sat in the warm, clear, star-filled night. It was there that I realized the only thing missing from my wedding day would be my parents. There had been no time to think of this until now and the thought filled me with sadness. After all, every girl dreams of having her father walk her down the aisle and her mother there to comfort her anxiety. Alone in the yard, I began speaking to my mom and dad, just as if I had known they were listening. "Give me a sign on my wedding day to let me know you're with me." The next day Sheldon's excited voice repeatedly called my name. I rushed to join him at the front door. "I can't believe what I'm about to show you!" He stood aside. The barren rosebush had two huge roses in full bloom. There was no doubt in my mind that we were witnessing a miracle...a miracle of love. Question: According to the passage, why did the rosebush confuse the writer? Answer:
****
A: Because it had a sign of dying away.

Problem:OPTIONS:
- Choices of future careers.
- Access to the global network.
- Bad influences of celebrities.
- Endless comparison with others.

Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Just 25 years ago, the top three career hopes for young people in Britain were teacher, banker and doctor.Now, they want to be sports star, pop star and actor, according to survey by the Guardian newspaper. Rachel, a character in the popular TV show Glee, may be said to speak for British teenagers."Nowadays being nobody is worse than being poor." He said. Emma Brockes, a reporter with the Guardian, believes it is "the bad influence of celebrity culture" that is to blame."When children wanted to be doctor, it wasn't because they were really more interested in the functions of human organs than they are now; you go where the respect is." She wrote. It could explain why there has been such an increase in levels of anxiety and depression.Dr Carlo Stranger, of Tel Aviv University, studied the sense of self for his new book The Fear of Insignificance: Searching for Meaning in the 21st Century.He told the Daily Mail that young people now are "affected by the close connection to the global entertainment network, which has turned ranking and rating people according to wealth and celebrity into an obsession ." "As humans, we naturally measure ourselves to those around us, but now we live in a global village.We are comparing ourselves with the most 'important' people in the world and finding ourselves wanting," he said.Today, even high achievers constantly fear that they are insignificant when they compare themselves to success stories in the media. The way out? Simply stop measuring your achievement through a fantasy of wealth and celebrity.Dr Strenger said that it is a process called "active self-acceptance through a constant search for self-knowledge through life." "The fear of insignificance can only be overcome through strong individual and cultural identity over and above measurable achievement," he said. Question: According to Emma Brockes, what causes the increasing level of anxiety? Answer:
****
A: Bad influences of celebrities.

Problem:OPTIONS:
- A dirty haze is harmful to health.
- Running in any air is good.
- The marathon in China should be cancelled.
- Friends should learn from each other.

Read the following article and answer the question. Article: The Beijing International Marathon has acquired a new name among some disappointed participants: Smogathon. About 30,000 runners, many from other parts of China or abroad, awoke in the Chinese capital on Sunday to an orange sun glowing weakly through a dirty haze . _ . But no one cancelled on the advice of the organizers, the Chinese Athletic Association and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, because those organizations did not call it off. That has made participants call the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which has approved the 26-mile, or 42-kilometer race, to set air quality standards in the future to avoid damaging the runners' health. The association could not be reached by telephone on Sunday. "Does the IAAF have guidelines?" asked Chas Pope, a British engineer who took part in the marathon on Sunday. "If they don't, they should consider it," said Mr. Pope, who has lived in Beijing for 11 years and runs several long-distance races each year. "It's meant to be fun and good for your health," Mr. Pope said of the marathon. "But in such air, it's just ridiculous to be running," he said. He abandoned the course. "Most of my overseas friends pulled out," he said. "And quite a few of my Chinese friends too, but a lot didn't. I think they don't know as much about the health impact." Images on Twitter and Chinese social media showed Chinese runners wearing a variety of face protections, from light cloth masks to World War I-style gas masks. Still many completed the race without masks. "Today's race should definitely have been called off or rescheduled," said Zhang Kai, Beijing-based campaigner with Greenpeace East Asia. "What happened today to this sports even is just another reminder to the government that much remains to be done to China's energy and industrial structure to solve pollution," said Mr. Zhang. "If the battle against pollution is a marathon, it is now time to catch up on speed." In the end, the race was won by two Ethiopians: Girmay Birhanu Gebru won the men's race... Question: Which of the following states does Chas Pope agree to? Answer:
****
A:
A dirty haze is harmful to health.