Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Edinburgh Mela Time: 25th - 31st August 2008 Tel / Fax: 0131 557 1400 E-mail: info@edinburgh-mela.co.uk Website: www.edinburgh-mela.co.uk Each year Edinburgh Mela is Scotland's biggest multicultural arts festival that celebrates in Scotland. Although Edinburgh Mela's roots are in South Asian cultures, this is a festival for everybody. Music, colour, dance, art, fashion, food, children's activities, the Mela bazaar and much more! Edinburgh International Book Festival Time: 9th - 25th August 2008 Tel: 0131 718 5666 Fax: 0131 226 5335 E-mail: admin@edbookfest.co.uk Website: www.edbookfest.co.uk Edinburgh International Book Festival is the world's biggest book festival. We present different programs for both adults and children including discussions, lectures, debates and workshops, all in one of Edinburgh's most beautiful spaces, Charlotte Square Gardens. Edinburgh International Festival Time: 8th - 31st August 2008 Tel: + 44 (0) 131 473 2000 Fax: +44 (0) 131 473 2002 E-mail: eif@eif.co.uk Website: www.eif@eif.co.uk Each year the Edinburgh International Festival stages one of the greatest celebrations of the arts, attracting audiences from around the world to the city's exciting atmosphere. The festivities offer a special opportunity to experience the excitement of live performance by internationally well-known artists as well as the joy of discovering new and unfamiliar works. Edinburgh International Science Festival Time: 25th March-5th April 2008 Tel: 0131 558 7666 Fax: 0131 557 9177 E-mail: esf@scifest.demon.co.uk Website: www.sciencefestival.co.uk The UK's largest Science Festival is back with one of the most exciting line-ups in the Festival's 16-year history. The Science Festival is an unbelievable place for everyone, with events at all levels, all ages and all purses. On offer are 10 days of non-stop shows workshops, presentations, hands-on activities, exhibitions and tours designed to amuse and entertain. Call our ticket hotline on 0131 557 5588. Question: How many ways are available for you to get the information about each festival? - Only one. - Two. - Three. - Four.
Four.

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: In 1809, Mary Kies received the first U.S. patent issued to a woman. Kies , a Connecticut native , invented a process for weaving straw with silk or thread. First Lady Dolley Madison praised her for improving the nation's het industry. Unfortunately , the patent file was destroyed in a big fire in 1836. Until about 1840, only 20 U.S. patents were issued to women. The inventions were related to clothes, tools ,cook stoves and fireplaces. Patent is the "ownership" of an invention and only the inventor(s) can apply for it. In the past , women were not allowed to have equal rights of property ownership and many women patented their inventions under their husbands' or fathers' name. Women were also prevented from receiving higher education necessary for inventing. Here are a few examples to be noticed, and from these examples, we know enough reasons for encouraging girls and women to pursue technology-based courses and careers. The women inventors took annually granted U.S. patents rising fro;m 2.6 percent in 1977 to 10.3 percent in 1998. The majority of the U.S. woman-inventor patents are in the chemical technologies. In 1996, every eleven U.S. patent grant included one woman inventor. In the past 20 years, about 83 percent of the U. S. patent grants to women were for utility patents , 16.5 percent for design patents, and 0.5 percent for plant patents. About 35 percent of the U.S woman-inventor patents granted during the 1977 to 1996 period originated form California , New York or New Jersey. Today, hundreds of thousands of women apply for and receive patents every year. About 20% of all inventors are currently female and that number will quickly rise to 50% over the next generation. Question: In the past few women patented their own inventions because _ . - the inventions were not allowed to have property ownership - only inventors could apply for patents - women were not allowed to have property ownership - Women were prevented from receiving higher education
women were not allowed to have property ownership

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Snow falls in the Earth's extreme North and South throughout the year. However, the heaviest snowfalls have been reported in the mountains of other areas during winter. Snow is even known to fall near the Equator ,but only on the highest mountains. Snow contains much less water than rain, but much of the water the world uses comes from snow. Melting snow provides water for rivers, electric power stations and agricultural crops. In the western United States, mountain snow provides up to seventy-five percent of all surface water supplies. Snowfall helps to protect plants and some wild animals from winter weather. Fresh snow is made largely of air trapped among the snow crystals . Because the air has trouble moving, the movement of heat is limited. Snow also influences the movement of sound waves. The surface of the snow takes in, or absorbs, sound waves. As snow grows older or if there have been strong winds, it can become hard and flat. Then, the snow,s surface will help to send back sound waves. Snow may be beautiful, but it can be deadly. It is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people. Many people die in traffic accidents on roads covered with snow and ice or from being seriously stuck in the winter storm. Others die from heart attacks caused by too much physical activity out in the cold. People may not be able to avoid living in areas where it snows often. However, they can avoid becoming victims of snowstorms. People should stop driving and stay at home until the storm has passed. People living in these areas should carry emergency supplies in their vehicle. These include food,emergency medical supplies,and extra clothing to stay warm and dry. Question: Snow can be deadly mainly because it can _ . - cause road accidents - make people stuck in winter storms - lead to heart attacks - make people victims of snowstorms
make people victims of snowstorms

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: The view over a valley of a tiny village with thatched roof cottages around a church, a drive through a narrow village street lined with thatched cottages painted pink or white, the sight over the rolling hills of a pretty collection of thatched farm buildings--these are still common sights in parts of England. Most people will agree that the thatched roof is an essential part of the attraction of the English countryside. Thatching is in fact the oldest of all the building crafts practised in the British Isles. Although thatch has always been used for cottage and farm buildings, it was once used for castles and churches, too. Thatching is a solitary craft, which often runs in families. The craft of thatching as it is practised toady has changed very little since the Middle Ages. Over 800 full-time thatchers are employed in England and Wales today, keeping and renewing the old roofs as well as thatching newer houses. Many property owners choose thatch not only for its beauty but because they know it will keep them cool in summer and warm in winter. In fact, if we look at developing countries, over half the world lives under thatch, but they all do it in different ways. People in developing countries are often unwilling to go back to traditional materials and would prefer modern buildings. However, they may lack the money to allow them to get the necessary materials. Their temporary mud huts with thatched roofs of wild grasses often only last six months. Thatch which has been done the British way lasts from twenty to sixty years, and is an effective defiance against the heat. Question: People in developing countries also live under thatch because _ . - thatched cottages are a big tourist attraction - thatched roof houses are the cheapest - thatch is an effective defense against the heat - they like thatched houses better than other buildings
thatched roof houses are the cheapest