Well, when the huge wave hit the boat, my safety belt broke and I was swept overboard. I don't really understand how it happened, but it did. I heard someone yell out, but then my boat, Wild One, went off into the darkness and I was alone in a very rough sea. I then spent five and a half hours in the water. The place where it happened was, oh, about 50 kilometers from shore. It was likely that I wouldn't see another day, but I always thought I'd overcome the difficulties. At first I was watching out for Wild One. The rest of the crew knew I was gone, so they were sure to come back and look for me. After a while, I saw the boat's lights when it came looking for me. They were within about 300 meters of me, but the spotlight just missed me. The reason why they didn't see me was because of the huge waves. You know, I started sailing when I was seven, and started ocean racing when I was about eighteen, but I'd never been overboard before. I believed I was going to survive, but it was very cold, and as the hours passed I started to get desperate----and frozen! It was around 5 am when I saw the lights of a tanker coming towards me. I figured it was probably my last chance. At first, I thought they were going to miss me, and then they made a slight turn and I yelled out "Help!" and they heard me. Then another yacht appeared. These guys were terrific. They gave me dry clothes, and then one jumped into the bunk and hung onto me. They covered us with as much dry clothing as they could, and the guy in with me stayed to transfer his body heat to me. It was inferred from the passage that _ . A) he was swept overboard at about midnight B) Wild One was the name of a crew member C) he started ocean racing at about seven D) he was too hopeless to take the last chance
A
Doctors are the persons helping people keep healthy. Some doctors use magic, some use needles and others use pills. Who are they? Among the Indians of North America the "medicine man" was a very important person. He could cure illnesses, and he could speak to the spirits--the supernatural forces that controlled the world. The Indians believed that bad spirits made people ill. So, when people were ill, the medicine man tried to help them by using magic--he spoke to the good spirits and asked for their help. Many people were cured because they thought that the spirits were helping them. But really these people cured themselves. Sometimes your own mind is the best doctor for you. The medicine men were often successful for another reason, too. They knew about plants that really can cure illnesses. A lot of modern medicines are made from plants that were used by medicine men hundreds of years ago. For more than five thousand years only Chinese doctors have used needles to fight illnesses. This method is called acupuncture . The doctor studies the sick person carefully. Then he puts needles into that person's body at the right places for his illness. Chinese doctors believe that they can control the body's natural forces in this way. At first, doctors in the West thought that this was just another kind of magic. Recently, however, they have found out that it is possible to cure many illnesses like this because the needles help the body to produce its own "medicines". In this way the body cures itself. Acupuncture, in fact, _ . A) is the only way to cure many dangerous illnesses B) can be used to cure all kinds of illnesses C) is effective to cure many illnesses D) is popular among the western people
C
Q: I'm trying to be a writer, but I can't even start. What should I do? Abraham, Nebraska There are many ways to come up with ideas, one of which is to write down a list of your experiences, as well as things from your imagination. When you want to write, look in the notebook for ideas. Books for writers often have good suggestions, too. One we like isSpilling Ink: A Yong Writer's Handbook by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. Perhaps your library has it. My classmates keep asking about a new movie I've seen. But I don't want to spoil it for them. What should I do? Corinne (by e-mail) You could ask your classmates whether they are sure they want to know and if they insist, go ahead and tell them. You may be able to give them a general idea of the movie without revealing details of the ending. I'm going to a soccer camp for youth, but I'm not sure if I'm good at soccer or if I'll make friends. Louise, New Hampshire Soccer camp is for people who share an interest in the sport. No matter what a person's ability is at the beginning, it's likely that everyone will leave camp with improved skills. Sharing a common interest may make conversations easier. Smile, be friendly, and have a sense of humor. Before long, you may find that you've made some good friends. Someone invited me to a birthday party. When I got there, kids were doing stuff I'm not interested in, like watching scary movies. I told them my mom would pick me up, so I just left. Was I rude for doing that? Sam (by e-mail) You just did the right thing and that isn't being rude. We hope you'll talk with your parents about this. They're probably proud of what you did. They may have other suggestions for you, too. Talk about different situations that might come up and what would be the best way to handle them. This purpose of the text is to _ . A) give advice B) tell stories C) find friends D) share interests
A: A
When I was ten my dad helped me buy my first ten-speed bicycle from Allen. I put up $60 of my grass cutting and snow shoveling money and my dad put up the other half I would pay him back over the next six months. Although it was not in the latest style, it was my ticket to the adult world. I spent that summer and autumn riding happily. My sister Liz, a prisoner of her five-speed bicycle, never had a chance to keep up. Just before the Christmas deadline to pay my dad back, we were hit with several snowstorms. This allowed me to shovel enough driveways to pay off my debt. I was now officially a bike owner; it was a feeling unlike any other. On that Christmas morning, my dad gave me a used portable record player. I was excited. However, my joy was short-lived after my dad called my sister to the kitchen. "We have one more gift for you." he said as he opened the door that led to the garage. There, on the steps, stood a new ten-speed bicycle. "It's not fair," I complained. "I worked so hard for my bike and it's not even new. Then Liz gets a new bike. She didn't have to do anything for it. " My dad smiled. "She didn't have to do anything for it because it' s not really for her," he said. What did that mean? I didn't want her bike. By spring Liz and I were riding all over town together now that she could keep up. As we grew, Liz and I became true friends. Still I wasn't smart enough to figure out what my dad meant until years later. That new bike was not a gift for Liz -- it was a gift for me. He'd given me the gift of my sister's company, the ability to stay together rather than drift apart in the face of my ability to travel. He gave me my best friend. The author finally realized that _ . A) the new bike actually belonged to him B) the new bike wasn't bought by his father C) his father actually gave him a more valuable gift D) his father loved his sister more as a matter of fact
C