Astronomy is the oldest science known to man. Thousands of years ago man looked at the stars and wondered about the heavens. But man was limited by what he could see with his eyes alone. The Greeks studied astronomy over 2,000 years ago. They could see the size, color, and brightness of a star. They could see its place in the sky. They watched the stars move as the seasons changed. But the Greeks had no tools to help themselves study the heavens. Each new tool added to the field of astronomy helped man reach out into space. They did not know that the planet called Saturn had rings around it. Their sight was so limited that they could not see all the planets. In the early 1700s, people thought there were only six planets. Nepture , the last of eight planets to be discovered, was not seen until 1846. Before the spectroscope , man did not know what kind of gases was in the sun or other stars. Without the radio telescope, we didn't know that radio noises came from far out in space. Today, astronomy is a growing science. We had learned more in the last fifty years than in the whole history of astronomy. . When the Greeks watched the stars, they could _ . A) know what the stars were made of B) not see their places in the sky C) help themselves study the heavens D) watch the stars move as the seasons changed
D
When I decided to write the story of my early years growing up in poverty, many of my friends and family members were shocked. They were more interested in my story of success, such as how I was able to create the nation's largest firm for millions of dollars. That's the story everyone wanted me to write, but it's not the story I wanted to tell. Looking back, I see so clearly how often, throughout my boyhood, I was touched by random acts of kindness that helped shape me into the man I am today. And random acts of violence and ignorance played just a powerful lawyer involves hard work, bur escaping generational poverty is the hardest thing I ever done. I chose to write the story of my childhood years in poverty, with the hope that a child somewhere in the world will read my story and be inspired to break the cycle of poverty. My publisher was quick to point out that the market would be small for a memoir written by a ly unknown author. To everyone's surprise, the book received over 1,000 pre-publication orders one month before the scheduled launch date. The book launch scheduled for October 1, was moved up to September 14. Less than four months later, the first print run of 5,000 copies were sold out. Today, the memoir is being used by universities, high schools and middle schools, as a case study of the behavior patterns of the culture of poverty as well as valuable lessons on how to succeed in life. Here is a quote from the principal of a middle school in Texas on October 27, who is using my memoir for students 5th through 8th grades; "We are halfway through your story. It is changing the lives of our students and the perspectives of our teachers. According to the author's friends and family, his memoir was _ . A) interesting B) exciting C) surprising D) boring
C
Q: A group of soldiers were stationed in the country near the home of a big landowner, called Lord Hunt. As they wanted to stay on good terms with the landowner, they offered to blow up a large tree _ that had remained after part of a tree had been blown down in the storm. But Lord Hunt asked them not to damage the plantation of young trees that was next to the stump. The officer in charge of the engineers promised him that they would be careful. Lord Hunt was so pleased that he asked the whole group to lunch on the day of the explosion. The day came and just before lunch, the officer checked with one of his men to see if they had put enough explosive in the stump. "I checked the maths," said the soldier "and it comes to 32 kilos." "Are you sure?" asked the officer. "Perhaps you'd better put in a bit more just to make sure." The lunch continued and everyone ate a lot and drank a lot. A little later, the group of soldiers went outside with Lord Hunt to see the explosion. "You just see, Lord Hunt, that tree will fall in exactly the right place without hurting any of your young trees," said the officer. The soldier lit the fuse, then walked quickly away to take cover. After a minute the tree, instead of falling over on its side, rose with the explosion 20 metres into the air, taking with it a huge quantity of earth together with all the young plantation. "Sorry sir, I made a mistake!" said the soldier. "It should have been 3.2 kilos, not 32 kilos." Lord Hunt was so upset that he turned around and walked back to his house. He looked at the house in horror and saw that every single window had been broken by the explosion. He was so upset that he went to the toilet on the ground floor to get over his feelings of shock. When he had finished, he pulled the plug of the toilet and the whole ceiling, which had been weakened by the explosion, fell on his head. The explosion caused great damages because _ . A) the officer told the soldier to put in a bit more to make sure of the result B) the soldier made a mistake in maths about the amount of the explosive C) the soldier wanted to play a joke on Lord Hunt D) the soldier drunk so much that he could not carry out the order from the officer
A: B
*Question*
Many cities have subways and underground public transportation to take locals and tourists alike rapidly around the city.However, there's something different about riding a London subway.It may not look different, but the historical value of one of England's most popular forms of transportation is enough to make riding the subway a must when visiting London.With a little under 300 different stations, the subway can take you almost anywhere you need to go. Riding a London subway, a person from other countries will notice one major difference: in London, people do not look at each other.In fact, eye contact is avoided at all times.That's not rudeness --people are just too busy to bother looking. Busy doing what, you ask? Well, they're certainly not using the time for a moment of quiet thinking.Nor are they reading a book.New technology has replaced quiet habits.Today the only acceptable form of book on the London underground is an e-book. Apple must earn a fortune from London commuters .Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, over 40,000--yes, that's 40,000 " _ " have been designed. Commuters love them because they are the perfect time-fillers.One "app", called iShoot, is a game that features tanks.Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the train to be closest to the exit of their destination.iSteam clouds the iPhone screen when you breathe into the microphone.You can then write in the "steam" on your phone screen. For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be the distraction of choice.It's not just teenagers who "plug in" to their music-iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages. And if games, e-books and music aren't enough to keep you occupied, then perhaps you would prefer a film? The development of palm DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV shows or films on the way to work.With all these distractions, it's amazing that people still remember to get off the train. The main idea of the passage is that _ . A) London commuters are unfriendly to strangers B) Apple has earned a lot of money from selling 40,000 apps C) technology is changing how London commuters spend their traveling time D) riding a London subway is a must when visiting London
**Answer**
C